Chapter 7

Kakashi sat in the interrogation area, his hands on the table as he looked visibly exhausted. He hadn't slept in a couple of days, the image of Rin filling his mind every time he closed his eyes. He could feel the blood running down his arm, dripping onto the floor. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Ibiki walked into the room, sitting down with no hesitation. It was as if he was expecting the silver haired ninja to be sitting there, waiting for him at that precise moment. He stared, waiting for Kakashi to give some sort of sign about what was happening in his mind. It didn't take long, Kakashi's hand unconsciously rubbing up and down his arm. "The nightmares are back, aren't they?" Kakashi didn't speak, instead giving a single nod. "Meino?"

Kakashi sat up a little straighter. "That's why I'm here."

Ibiki had expected as much. "She's not Meino."

"You know then?" Kakashi asked and Ibiki nodded.

He folded his arms. "I could tell within a minute of speaking to her. Not a bad job but she just couldn't quite pull her off," Ibiki said as he watched Kakashi from across the table. "Who is she?"

"The missing nin I was meant to kill. It turns out I killed Meino instead," Kakashi replied, watching Ibiki closely. "She knows how to manipulate."

Ibiki nodded. "That was what gave her away," he replied. "What did she convince you of?"

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his hand over his arm again. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. "That she was helping me by forcing me to relive the memories. That if I told anyone what I knew, I'd never get back to normal. After a few days alone, I realised you would interrogate her just in case and discover I was right."

"She played you like an open book," Ibiki replied and Kakashi nodded. He watched Kakashi's hands scratching and rubbing. "She wasn't entirely wrong, she just had an ulterior motive. She's currently in custody. A few others are continuing the interrogation. They think she may not even have been the missing nin; she may just have poorly chosen the body to take over."

"She still murdered Meino."

"No, you murdered Meino. She merely assisted," Ibiki replied and he watched the rubbing get harder and faster. "What's wrong with your arm, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stopped and glanced at it. There was nothing wrong. It was perfectly fine, other than the marks he'd made himself. The dripping stopped. "You did that on purpose."

"I needed to get into your head," Ibiki replied. "If a dripping tap is enough to make you crumble, you're nowhere near ready to be let back into the field."

He'd been his own undoing. He looked defeated; he knew he had his weaknesses and the break had forced them all out of hiding. His real, true weakness was merely his own mind. He sat and waited for Ibiki to say something else. Surely the interrogation ninja had plans for him. He'd improved in the past few days to himself but it was clear that it wasn't anywhere near enough.

"Kakashi," Ibiki said after almost three minutes of silence, long enough that Kakashi had started to delve into his own mind and think again. "We all know what you're doing. You're shutting everyone out in an attempt to protect them, and yourself, from becoming another victim of war. I'm sorry to tell you that no matter what you do, they'll still die. They're probably more likely to die without you there.''

Kakashi wholeheartedly disagreed. It couldn't have just been a coincidence that everyone he cared about was gone. "I am a shinobi. I will complete the mission, I will not put others at unnecessary risk. I am merely a tool-"

"Kakashi, I'm going to recommend you take on a team.''

Kakashi looked up. "Back in the ANBU?"

Ibiki shook his head. "No. Genin."

"You're kidding," Kakashi said as he looked at the interrogation, looking for some hint of a joke. "Ibiki-"

Ibiki's expression didn't falter, not that Kakashi had really expected it to. "You need to feel some sort of responsibility for people, a position where you are in control and they rely on you. People for you to protect and help grow into shinobi,'' Ibiki replied. "I've spoken to Gai, Asuma and Kurenai; they expressed concerns but agree that you are not the kind of ninja whom will be reckless and endanger the children.''

Kakashi wanted to deny what he was hearing, though he knew that as soon as Ibiki mentioned his plans to the third, they'd come to fruition. "They will die.''

Ibiki shook his head. "Not if you don't let them,'' Ibiki replied, his voice stern and resolute. "What were those words you like to say to your teams; you will not let your comrades die? You could like the kids.''

"Or kill them.''

Ibiki continued his gaze, not moving for a second to prove he was sure of his decision. "The return to lower ranked missions may help as well; there should be no assassinations for a while.''

"But-"

"Kakashi," Ibiki said clearly, the tone of his voice bringing Kakashi to immediate silence. "I have already spoken to the third-" Kakashi inwardly swore; this meant he'd have a team within the next few weeks definitely "-and he has already been looking through the prospective graduates with the help of Iruka. He has already decided whom will be in your team should they all pass their final exam."

Kakashi sighed. "Okay, okay," he said as he slowly got up. "Is that all?"

Ibiki nodded. "That is all. I will let you know if there's any more news about Meino.''

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't want to know. My portion of the mission is done,'' he said as he stood up and left. He was getting a genin team; those kids were screwed. He didn't know how to be slow or compassionate. He'd been dealing with S-Rank missions for ten years, probably more. When he was their age he was already coordinating his own teams on missions during the ninja world war.

For a man whom usually had great perception on how a situation will occur from a psychological standpoint, he'd gotten this one all wrong.

The first team were pathetic. Kakashi could stand there with his eyes closed, the three of them throwing everything they had at him, yet Kakashi had yet to hear the bells on his waist jingle even from the breeze. They refused to work together constantly insulting each other for getting in the way and blaming the others for their own mistakes.

So he failed them, simple as that. At first, it was assumed this decision seemed like Kakashi's denial of responsibility. Iruka had praised the students as being some of the brightest and yet Kakashi had unravelled them so far that the three ninja went back to the academy, seemingly disturbed and petrified of what would happen the next time they attempted to join a genin team.

The second team were worse; Kakashi had placed a scarecrow in the middle of the training field, watching as the students took all of three hours to work out Kakashi wasn't actually standing there. Then they spent the rest of the day looking for him, whilst he sat in a tree directly above their heads, reading his book. "Morons," he muttered under his breath, shortly before he gave up on the stupid game and failed them all too.

The third team had seemed hopeful; they started with teamwork but that quickly dissolved as soon as any real pressure was applied to the group. The moment Kakashi used a relatively simple genjutsu on them all to try and see which one would notice it first, the team began to attack each other and blame each other for losing the silver-haired ninja. Kakashi was forced to fail them. Again.

The fourth and fifth were much the same; there was no ambition to actually work with one another, showing their incompetence from the start. If he was going to have a team, he needed one he could rely on; one that showed potential not only as individuals, but as a group. Kakashi had wished his own teacher had been so strict with team building activities. Then Obito and Rin probably wouldn't have died.

Then, after a while, Kakashi was given a group that seemed so dysfunctional he was ready to fail them from their introductions. A blond-haired, noisy, idiotic fool, a ditzy yet actually intelligent pink-haired fangirl and a dark-haired boy hell-bent on revenge; if Kakashi hadn't already had pale hair, he'd swear he was going grey just listening to them.

He gave them a chance; it turned out there was actually some potential in the three of them. The blonde hair one had some interesting strategies, that was for sure, but some of them almost worked. He also had a strange resemblance to Obito, the same determination to prove himself as someone others could rely on. The girl was clever; she was definitely the most intelligent of the three of them. But she was so obsessed with her teenage crush she was going to be a liability to the team. Despite this, Kakashi could see the potential in her, not to mention she resembled Rin. The final one was like himself; hell-bent on being a powerful shinobi that follows the rules, detached from the others. He had the brains enough to coordinate teamwork but it didn't mean he did it for the team. No, he'd done it to benefit himself.

Essentially, he'd found his former team. He considered failing them just for the sake of his own sanity; who knew how he'd cope with watching history repeat itself. Instead, he realised he had an opportunity to prevent the repetition. He could teach them better, he could protect them. And so, for the first time, he passed the group. They were going to be his team. He told the third Hokage, hoping to receive some praise for finally doing as he'd been asked.

He was ordered to see Ibiki immediately.

Author's note: Poor Kakashi. Sorry for the delay! I'm sorry if it seems like it breezed over things; it was sort of meant to signify that the story was moving a little quicker now.