Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement for the story, you guys are all so awesome.

To say that Kakashi didn't sleep well that night would be an understatement. In fact, he wasn't sure he slept at all. He had spent over two hours meditating on the lounge room floor before lying down in bed, and while he felt that he could breathe easier, his mind was once again on full alert. He wasn't sure who he was dreading more, the boy who would eventually kill him (and many others) or the girl he would eventually kill. It was a lose-lose situation, really. And he somehow needed to keep Minato from sensing his unease. Um. Good luck.

Maybe I should just tell him, Kakashi pondered as he stared intently at the ceiling, the early morning light starting to creep through the window. But he couldn't. It was his burden, his mistakes, his failures that had caused the future horrors. He felt ashamed at how he had let things get so badly out of hand. Minato was your sensei, and he was Obito's sensei too, a small, bitter part of his mind whispered, it is just as much his fault as it is yours. Kakashi shook his head immediately, he couldn't think like that. Obito's 'death' was his fault, he had accepted that. But everything that the warped and messed up version of Obito had done after that was Obito's fault, not Kakashi's. And honestly, if you based the entire reason for your existence and sanity around the continued living of one person (who happened to be a damn shinobi during the war), he wasn't sure that logic could be applied to such a mental state.

He understood that Obito was beyond despair when Rin had died, he was the same, but that was no excuse to go on a decade long rampage and kill innocent people. Kakashi groaned and rested his hands on his face, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The pieces were falling into place in his mind, and he couldn't stop it. It was so damn obvious, but he just didn't want to see it.

The Kyūbi attack.

Obito was responsible for it.

It was probably under the instruction of a close to death Uchiha Madara, but Obito had still carried it out. He had killed Minato and Kushina, and robbed Naruto of the loving family he deserved. Not to mention taking countless other lives.

Covering his face with his pillow, Kakashi attempted to slow his breathing and heartrate. Why was he here? Why did he have to do this all again? What had even brought him back in time? His life was hard enough the first time around, he didn't want to have to re-live his most painful moments. It was a morbid thought, but Kakashi was almost relieved that he hadn't been brought back even further in the past. The vision of his invincible father sprawled on the floor, surrounded by blood and his tanto embedded in his stomach nearly broke him the first time.

I… I don't think I can do this… Kakashi pressed the pillow harder into his face as he felt the sensation of tears beginning form. And to think he had once called Obito the cry-baby ninja. Maybe he should skip training again today… and the next day…

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi released the pillow and sat up. He had covered his left eye with a cloth over night to prevent him attempting to gouge it out again, which appeared to have worked. Sighing deeply and wiping the tear from his exposed eye, he turned to stare out the window. He would have to face his teammates someday, and skipping training would only cause more problems in the future. That was something he didn't need at the moment.

Kakashi took a moment to groan forlornly before beginning to get dressed in his shinobi attire, going about his regular morning routine. It was so strange to walk around his apartment again, yet it was surprisingly easy to put his mind on auto-pilot and let his muscle memory carry him around the building. He finally came to a stop in front of the mirror, fidgeting with the hitai-ate in his hands.

The redness in his eye had calmed down considerably, and he couldn't help but feel a jolt as he was met with a dark iris and not the familiar red of the sharingan. However, there were still harsh gashes and irritation and, if he were being honest, a part of him longed for the familiarity of the slanted headband. One more day, he reasoned with himself, no harm in having it like this for one more day. After tying his hitai-ate and covering his eye, Kakashi took in the rest of his appearance.

….Well at least he looked as bad as he felt. Not sleeping will do that to you.

Steeling himself, Kakashi dragged his feet to the training grounds, his entire body tensing up the closer he got as if it were telling him this was a very bad idea and to abort mission now. Not even the warmth of the morning sun and the light breeze could improve his depressive mood. In the distance he could hear laughter and he cringed…

Obito was early.

Abort. Abort. Abort.

But he needed to be calm. Obito… Obito was just a child right now. A child who would turn into a monster in only a few years… but a child nonetheless.

Plan A was to pretend Rin did not exist. Pretend Obito did not exist. And convince Minato everything was fine. Simple.

Blinking, Kakashi realised he was walking so slow that he was almost stagnant, the training ground not even 100 metres away. Minato could probably sense him just standing there like an idiot so he took a couple of deep breaths, relaxed his face into the most blank expression he could muster, and strode forward determinedly.

"Come on sensei, you know I'm just as good as that bastard! Teach me please, please, please?!"

"Obito, don't speak about your teammates like that. I'm not sure if you're up to it yet-"

"Course I am! I train just as hard as- Oi, Bakakashi, you're late!"

Kakashi kept his eyes on the ground, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on his brow. The animalistic urge to skewer Obito right then and there itched at him painfully, so he avoided looking at his teammate and instead focused on his sensei.

"Sorry for my lateness, sensei," Kakashi rasped. "I got side-tracked this morning."

Minato frowned, "That's alright Kakashi, are… are you feeling better today?" The expression on the blond-haired jōnin's face suggested that he didn't think so.

"Doesn't look like it," Obito agreed with Minato's sentiment before Kakashi could answer. "You look like crap, Kakashi. And what the hell happened to your eye?"

"Obito…" Minato warned, clearly thinking that it was only a matter of time before Kakashi exploded at the young Uchiha. He wasn't completely wrong. Minato turned to where Kakashi hadn't dared to look, and he felt his heart drop in trepidation. "Rin, Kakashi was having trouble with his eye, do you think you could have a look at it?"

Nope. Not okay.

"Of course-"

"It's fine!" Kakashi choked out, interrupting the kind voice. He did not want her anywhere near him, and he especially did not want her anywhere near his goddamn eye. "It's fine, really," he repeated more calmly, willing himself to act normal. He was an adult. "My eye is feeling better today, sensei. Let's just train."

"Then why did you cover it again?"

Minato was peering at him with confusion, and Kakashi could practically feel the curiosity seeping out of Obito, who he was still yet to look at. This was so not going how he had hoped it would.

"It's for training," he maintained eye contact with his sensei, willing Minato to believe him. "I was sparring yesterday with Gai-"

"You were willingly training with that weirdo?" And not with us, was left unsaid, but he could tell that Obito was upset by the fact that it appeared Kakashi had chosen the crazy green guy over his teammates.

Minato sighed, "Obito, be nice."

"I'm sorry sensei, but he scares me."

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, imagining the same words coming out of older, psychotic maniac Obito's mouth. Although, he supposed it wasn't too far from reality. Gai was incredibly powerful, and he didn't doubt that older Obito likely had felt some level of fear towards him.

"I'm sure Gai is really… nice," Rin said hesitantly, causing Obito to splutter indignantly. Kakashi took in a deep breath and decided to look at her, steeling himself for the familiar aching in his chest. She was younger than he remembered, but she still had the same soft features and gentle demeanour. Eyes bright with kindness and not the shock and pain he remembered as he drove his raikiri through-

Kakashi looked away quickly and focused back on his sensei, who unfortunately had the same concerned look as yesterday as he observed his complicated student.

Obito was still talking, "…guess there is a chance he could be nice, Rin, but that doesn't mean that he isn't weird and to be honest I'm not sure that-"

"Alright, Obito," Minato interrupted, smiling faintly at the babbling Uchiha. "Kakashi was telling us about his eye."

Kakashi sighed quietly. He knew today was going to be painful, but it was the familiarity that was hurting him the most. Everything was the same, as if nothing had happened at all and the people in front of him weren't either dead or evil. And nothing had happened from their point of view… except to him. Kakashi could feel a headache coming on and Minato turned to him expectantly.

"I was sparring with Gai and we agreed that it was good to practice taijutsu with different depth perceptions in case it was required in battle." Technically a lie, but Gai would probably agree with anything if he phrased it right.

"That's… very specific," Minato said humorously. Kakashi shrugged.

"I still can't believe you were training with that nutcase, I thought you hated him… Oh! Does he have something on you?!" Kakashi could hear the excitement in Obito's voice and resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, the idea of Gai actually blackmailing someone was ridiculous. He wasn't even sure that Gai knew what blackmail was.

"Yes well I needed some sort of an actual challenge," Kakashi retorted without thinking, giving his teammate a flat look before stilling and looking away. His heartrate rose again as he tried to regain his composure. Plan A was a complete failure so far.

"Hey! I'll have you know that sensei is going to be helping me today so I can kick your ass, you idiot!" Obito pointed at him dramatically, not noticing the internal struggle Kakashi was experiencing as he contemplated stabbing the Uchiha in the neck. He didn't have the sharingan that future Obito would constantly have activated, but looking at the child who would grow up to murder many of the people closest to him put more strain on him than it should. He's just a kid, he hasn't done anything yet. He's just a kid. He hasn't done anything. Yet.

He kept his killing intent in check but Minato must have sensed his annoyance as his sensei laughed lightly to diffuse any tension. "Alright, let's start training. Kakashi, I did promise Obito I would help him today if that's alright." Kakashi shrugged in response. He knew he was being rude, but he couldn't bring himself to care right as this moment. "Uh, right. Rin said yesterday she would like to improve her taijutsu before our next mission, would you be able to spar with her a bit and give her some pointers?"

No thanks, Kakashi groaned internally. He supposed that it was better than the alternative; helping Obito. If he didn't chill the fuck out soon, Minato would send him straight to T & I and Kakashi did not fancy being interrogated by a younger, more enthusiastic Inoichi.

"Sure…" Kakashi replied hesitantly and looked at the brown haired girl, softening his expression slightly as she gave him a shy smile. "We'll just go over there," he gestured to the opposite end of the training ground and Minato nodded once in understanding. A strange expression had crossed Obito's face as his eyes flickered between Kakashi and Rin, and Kakashi tilted his head in confusion before it him.

Obito was in love with Rin. But he had forgotten that Rin, a thirteen year old girl, was in love with him, a thirty year old man. Of course Rin didn't know he was thirty… but this was still less than ideal.

Honestly… today has sucked so far.

Resigned to his fate, Kakashi sighed and move away from Obito and Minato, Rin trailing behind him. He could hear his sensei begin the arduous task of explaining a jutsu to the young Uchiha, and he couldn't help but pity Minato.

"Alright…" Kakashi began once they had reached a respectable distance, refusing to make eye contact with Rin. He grimaced when he noticed that she was also slightly taller than him. "You wanted to work on taijutsu?"

Rin nodded, "Yes, thank you for agreeing to help me, Kakashi. We have already warmed up, but I can wait for you if you'd like."

"Oh no it's fine," Kakashi waved her off. "I warmed up at home, which is why I was late." If you could class hyperventilating as training. "Anything in particular you wanted to work on?"

Rin was gazing at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion, and Kakashi realised he probably never said this much to her in a week, let alone 20 seconds. Hopefully she wasn't getting the wrong idea. His younger self was mostly unaware (or intentionally ignorant) of her affections before, and Kakashi wished he still was because it was unbelievably uncomfortable having her stare at him like that.

"Er… well yes," Rin's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "I'd like to be able to defend better. As a medic-nin I need to make sure I have a very low chance of injury."

"Sometimes the best way to improve your defensive skills is to strengthen your attacks," Kakashi replied and Rin blinked.

"You're right, but that doesn't really apply to me. I'd be putting more than myself at risk if I got injured. The only reason medical shinobi are even on the battlefield is because of the war."

"Well what about Tsunade?" Countered Kakashi, crossing his arms.

"Lady Tsunade is one of a kind," said Rin, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "There probably won't be anyone else like her ever." Wrong, Kakashi thought, his pink-haired student coming to mind. "But… but if that's what you really think… I guess I can…" She trailed off, smiling at him hesitantly.

Kakashi realised he was being mildly unreasonable. Rin had come to him for help and here he was bossing her around like she was one of his students, he needed to get a grip.

"No, it's okay," Kakashi gave her a reassuring eye smile and Rin balked in response. "We can start with working on defending. Sorry for pushing it, I just didn't want you to restrict yourself."

"Oh, um… thank you," she blushed. Kakashi felt his eye twitch and turned away, noticing that Minato had started demonstrating the jutsu (which appeared to be fire-based) with Obito watching in fascination.

"Well," Kakashi began, turning back to his brown haired teammate. "Let's spar and I'll assess what you need to work on." Rin nodded once and moved into a defensive position. It took everything for Kakashi to focus his mind on the present and not the last time he had seen the kind girl.

The spar was short, and Kakashi realised pretty quickly that Rin was right; her defensive taijutsu was weak. A large part was due to poor footwork and low stamina, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was always the case and he simply hadn't noticed. It wasn't uncommon for his younger self (and older self, if he were being honest) to not pay close attention to those around him. Rin was a chūnin, but that was mostly due to her medical ninjutsu abilities, her taijutsu was at genin level.

Restraining a portion of the power, he aimed a punch at her gut and Rin moved to block it. However, she lacked any speed and opened herself to a range of deadly attacks if she were facing an enemy. Kakashi cringed and stepped back, ending the spar. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at the ground.

"You'll need to work on stamina and fitness first before you can really improve," he said, scratching at his covered left eye. He hoped that wouldn't become a habit.

Rin nodded, not appearing too concerned about the abrupt ending of the spar. "Should I do extra training then for stamina?"

"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "You should start today."

Contemplating whether or not he should assist her with the training, Kakashi's decision was quickly made when Rin smiled at him happily, clearly pleased that he was actually taking the time to help her. He never thought he would see that smile again, and seeing it now he didn't feel like he deserved it. Whatever happened with Obito, whatever he decided to do, Kakashi vowed that he would do his absolute best to protect Rin. Not for Obito, or even himself, but for her… because out of them she most deserved a second chance.

They went through a number of exercises, Kakashi using this time to further adapt to his shorter body. He discovered that his own fitness was significantly lower than he was used to, his breathing becoming laboured during the training and his legs beginning to ache. The hours passed quickly and soon enough the four of them gathered to signify the end of training.

"Great work today guys!" Minato said cheerfully. Obito was lying on the ground next to him, trying to catch his breath. "How about some dango? My treat."

Obito whooped and did a weak fist pump, causing Rin to giggle at his antics. Her hair was clinging to her face as she wiped her brow, her knees shaking slightly in exhaustion.

"Come on up Obito," Minato reached down and pulled the Uchiha to his feet, laughing as Obito wobbled around dramatically. "We'll work on it more tomorrow. The phoenix flower jutsu is not easy. Are you sure none of your clansman can teach you? They will probably be able to help you more than me."

"Nah. I like you more, sensei," Obito grinned, adjusting his goggles and sneaking a look at Rin.

Kakashi was watching the scene quietly, willing his gut to stop twisting painfully. Obito was just… the same. Still cheerful, still in love with Rin, and still struggling to be accepted by his clan. Subconsciously leaning closer to the boy, Kakashi searched for anything dark that could suggest the beginnings of insanity. Something that his younger self had previously missed. There was nothing obvious, but Kakashi knew it had to be there. If he saved Obito from getting crushed by the rock, and saved Rin from being forced into becoming a jinchuriki, would Obito stay as this laughing, carefree boy, or would simply another event cause him to go insane? As much as he wished he could and swore that he would protect her, Kakashi couldn't guarantee Rin's safety. Experiencing loss was a gruesome requirement for being a shinobi, he knew that more than anyone.

Kakashi blinked and looked away, noticing with a sigh that Minato had been watching him.

"Will you be joining us, Kakashi?" Minato inquired, Obito pausing his animated explanation of the fireball jutsu to Rin to wait for his response.

"Not today, sensei. I have some things I need to take care of," Kakashi attempted to sound cheerful to cover up his dark mood, but this only appeared to freak Obito out more.

Minato sighed, clearly expecting that answer. "Well just make sure you find the time to have lunch, we'll be at the dango stand if you change your mind."

Is he reminding me to eat? What the hell? Kakashi blinked a few times before looking away, instead focusing on a flock of birds that were passing over the clear sky. A few days ago he was at war, fighting for his life and watching comrades die. He was uncomfortable now and painful memories seemed to be wherever he looked, but at least Konoha and the people he cared about were safe. And he had been given the chance to keep it that way… that was the most important thing.

Looking back at the man he considered family, and ignoring Obito's positively bewildered expression, Kakashi let his lip curl up into a slight smile. "Enjoy your lunch."

"I think whatever happened to his eye has moved up and infected his brain," Obito said, picking at his food. Despite the strenuous training that Minato had put him through, the young Uchiha couldn't seem to find his appetite.

"He was acting really strange this morning," Rin agreed, although her worry was more visible in the way her wide eyes looked at their sensei for answers.

"I don't think I've ever wanted someone to insult me before," Obito continued. "Are we sure it's not a fake Kakashi? I mean he didn't even make fun of me for sucking at the phoenix flower jutsu."

"It's a very difficult justu, Obito," Minato said kindly. The three of them had made their way to a bench after Minato purchased the dango. So far, only he had made progress on the food.

"It shouldn't be for me though," Obito grumbled. "Anyway, that wouldn't have stopped Kakashi from pissing on me about it… at least, it wouldn't have stopped the real Kakashi. This fake one hates my guts though."

So he did notice that, Minato noted. If there was one thing clear about this morning, it was that Kakashi was very upset with Obito.

"He doesn't hate you, Obito," Rin tried to reassure the boy, but Obito shook his head vigorously.

"He so does. He was so mad at me. I don't even know what I did… did I say something bad, Minato-sensei?"

Minato had no idea why Kakashi was so resentful towards the young Uchiha, but it was clear by Obito's genuine confusion that whatever had happened was accidental on his part. They often clashed due to differing personalities and priorities, but this was different.

"I can't say for sure… but I do know that Kakashi hasn't been well-"

Obito huffed in indignation, "He was perfectly fine two days ago!"

"Obito," Minato said sternly. "You and Rin both noticed his odd behaviour, I saw it yesterday too. Something is bothering Kakashi, and as his teammates you need to support him."

"He seemed… really sad," Rin said hesitantly. Minato nodded, a part of him relieved that someone else (and of course it was Rin) had noticed what he had so clearly seen yesterday. Kakashi was sad.

They sat in silence for a minute, Obito and Rin finally beginning to eat the dango. They were both concerned for their younger teammate, no matter how loudly Obito tried to cover it up. Minato was worried too. Kushina had told him to take a step back and give Kakashi space, but he so badly wanted to track his student down and see what he was up to right now. Spying on his student could backfire massively though, and he couldn't afford to lose Kakashi's trust right when he needed him most.

"Obito, Rin," he said, breaking the silence and capturing their attention. "If something happens… be sure to let me know, okay? With the war we need to be completely focused, and if there is something wrong with Kakashi we can address it before it could become a hindrance in battle. Same goes for the two of you."

"Okay," Obito nodded, Rin mirroring this notion. "…But are you sure he's not an imposter?"

Minato rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "I'm sure, Obito."

Obito looked like he was going to ask 'how?' before thinking better of it, if Minato knew he was the real Kakashi, he had to believe him. No matter how dubious he was. However…

"So he's not an imposter, but are you sure he's not like… possessed or something? He was late twice. And he trained with Gai. What the hell?"

Sensing that Obito was probably going to babble needlessly the rest of the meal, Minato decided to try and relax and hopefully absorb some of the boy's cheerful spirit. He caught Rin's eye and saw that her mouth was pressed into a line and her eyebrows furrowed. She was an incredibly observant girl, and he trusted her to be tactful when it came to Kakashi (unlike Obito who was currently contemplating the possibility of demon possession). He meant what he said earlier too, a distracted Kakashi could spell trouble during the war.

Minato looked up at the sky, searching for whatever Kakashi had found before he left them after training. There was nothing but clear skies and a gentle breeze that felt soothing on his face. He would follow Kushina's advice for the time being, but if this strange (and slightly disturbing) behaviour went on for too much longer, Minato decided he would bring in some back-up.

Getting a bit more into the complicated aspects of the story now, as these are very complicated characters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.