Chapter Fifteen:

The snow began to fall just as Kakashi and Obito arrived in the training fields. The flakes were moist and heavy, melting quickly into the ground and dampening the earth. The landscape around them slowly began to emerge from the dark, coming alive like a monochrome world of white and gray.

Without a word, Kakashi unstrapped his main weapons pouch and handed it to Obito.

Obito stared at it for a moment and then took it with a sigh. "Thanks. We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"If we are, it's my fault," Kakashi said quietly. His lips thinned beneath the mask as he thought about what he had done. "I wasn't thinking."

"I really wish you'd stop doing that."

Kakashi blinked in surprise at the rare edge of anger in Obito voice. "Do what?"

"Trying to take responsibility for everything. It's not your fault."

"My actions are my responsibility." Kakashi's expression hardened. "You have your hands full trying to figure out your own issues."

His teammate turned on him. "What's that meant to mean?"

Kakashi regarded him in silence for a moment. "You're scared."

Obito flinched.

His suspicions confirmed, Kakashi didn't say anything else. His friend was scared – of himself.

He looked away, knowing he could have prevented this too.

As silent as the snow, Minato landed before the two boys and took in the strained air between them.

"I ran into Mitsuki earlier this morning," he said. "She expressed her concerns over your actions during your latest mission."

"It was –"

"Kakashi!"

Minato raised a hand to silence them both. "I'm not here to discuss what went on in the mission. That was your decision, Kakashi, and I trust it was made correctly. I'm here today to test you."

"On what?" Obito asked.

"Whether you're worthy of carrying on Midori's will."

They tensed at the unexpected words. Though the three of them had spent a considerable amount of time training together in the months since Midori's death, Minato had rarely talked about their lost teammate. Kakashi had understood it was out of consideration for their wounds. Never had he imagined their teacher would question their resolve.

"Of course we're prepared to –"

"I said 'worthy of,' Obito. I'm not questioning your abilities as shinobi. I'm testing your caliber as individuals." Minato's words were nothing more than quiet puffs of white vapor, yet it was as if they rang out sharply in the still morning air. "There's no point talking about it. Let your actions speak for themselves. Show me everything you have."

Still the two Chuunin hesitated.

Obito shifted uncomfortably. "I get it, sensei, but you just came back from a mission. This can wait, right?"

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourselves. With the way things are now, you won't be able to land a single strike on me."

Minato's attitude left no room to question the gravity or significance of the situation. He wasn't joking. If they failed this test, they would fail Midori. Kakashi let his foot slide back a fraction over the soft ground and lowered his center. He met Obito's eyes and though their discord still lingered between them, they exchanged small nods.

Without a word, they leapt away in opposite directions, disappearing behind the veil of snow only to clash against Minato within seconds of each other. Minato's feet glided over the ground as he twisted and whirled in a flurry of movements to counter their rapid succession of blows.

Kakashi feigned left and threw a right, timing his strikes with Obito's. But Minato picked out the smallest openings and lashed back with such speed and precision that the two boys found themselves on the defense before they knew it.

Minato ducked under a high swing and rolled over Kakashi's kick, threw an elbow into Obito's chest and sent him tumbling to the ground in wheezing convulsions. Kakashi swung a roundhouse into his blind spot, but his teacher twisted and snatched his heel. Undeterred, Kakashi hooked a finger around a kunai and waited for –

He froze.

Minato narrowed his eyes. "Were you waiting for Midori? She isn't here anymore. Your coordination's are a mess."

Kakashi gritted his teeth and wrenched his foot free. It came down at the same time Minato's fist connected with the side of his head and the world spun. He hit the ground and tasted bile, not sure whether it was from the blow or the thought that he had really been expecting Midori to jump in like she always had.

"Come on, get up."

The words cracked through the air and Kakashi forced his mind blank. He gripped a kunai and kicked off the ground, seeing Obito throwing himself at their teacher from the other side.

.-.-.-.

A short distance away, Rin stood in a tree with one hand braced against the trunk and the other curled tensely against her side. Anxiously, she watched Kakashi and Obito clash again and again with Minato.

"You don't have to look so worried," Kushina reassured from where she sat beside the girl. "Minato isn't out to hurt them."

"I know, but…"

Kushina turned back to the field. "I'm surprised he waited for so long. It's a good thing we happened to be close when we felt that surge of chakra."

Genma rapped his knuckles against Gai's head on an adjacent branch. "This is your doing, idiot."

Gai crouched with his chin propped on one hand, a deep frown aligning his brows. "All I did was challenge my Rival to a duel."

"That's what I'm talking about."

"No, that might have been the trigger, but this was bound to happen sooner or later," Kushina said as she let out a long sigh and trailed the three figures darting across the snow. "After Midori's death, Minato, being Minato, forbid Kakashi and Obito from engaging in any form of irrational hatred or revenge. But there's nothing more irrational than the pain and guilt of loss as it turns to anger. They couldn't vent it, so they turned it on themselves."

"But it wasn't their fault," Rin whispered. "Minato-sensei explained to our families how Midori died. They acted out of kindness. It wasn't their fault the Cloud turned on them."

Kushina shook her head helplessly. "That doesn't mean a thing to them."

"But how's this meant to help?" Genma asked.

"Only Minato knows for sure. All I can say is that sometimes words just aren't enough."

Ebisu crossed his arms with an aloof huff. "And getting beaten senseless is?"

"Well, it's Minato they're up against," Kushina hummed proudly. Only belatedly did she notice Genma's reproachful eyes and his silent nod to Rin who now looked even more worried. Kushina winced and cleared her throat. "I mean…"

"Don't worry Rin," Gai said. "The Power of Youth will prevail."

His rock-solid confidence sounded strangely encouraging to them all.

Kushina hoped he was right.

.-.-.-.

An hour into the fight, Kakashi heaved himself from the wet ground on shaking arms and tried to breathe between wracking coughs. He had long lost count of the number of times he had been beaten down. His body ached, and his vision slipped for a second. He felt more than saw Obito crash into the ground somewhere to his right.

"Is that it? That's everything you have?" Minato asked.

"You're asking… for a lot here, sensei," Obito protested between gasping breaths. He rose unsteadily to his feet and rubbed a hand over his split lip.

"Am I? Tell me Obito, is that Sharingan just for decoration?"

The blood red eyes narrowed in chagrin and dulled to black. Obito glared at the ground and gripped his goggles until his knuckles turned white. "I didn't want these eyes. Not for this price. Never for this price. They're nothing but a curse! I'd carve them out myself if it would mean –" He broke off and clenched his teeth to fight back the tears that threatened to rise.

"Whether you see something as a curse or a gift is up to you. Your indecision is going to be your downfall if you don't do something about it. Take the step forward, Obito, or back down for good. No one's going to trust you if you can't trust yourself."

"How do you expect me to trust myself when my judgement got Midori killed?!"

"Because you made a promise. Carrying on someone's will doesn't let you hedge for your own reasons anymore. Your actions are no longer just your own – they reflect Midori too. Think back Obito. Was she ever as indecisive as you are now?"

Obito froze, his hand dropping to his side as he lifted his face to stare at Minato. His eyes slowly fell as the words sunk in. He was unable to speak, hardly able to think past the conflicting emotions that swallowed him whole.

Minato turned his other student. "As for you Kakashi, where's your calm? You can refine your skills all you want but they amount to nothing on their own."

"Better that than staying weak," Kakashi ground out.

"Then let me ask you this: what is strength to you?"

Kakashi paused and looked Minato straight in the eyes. "Not making the same mistakes of the past."

"Prove it."

Kakashi propelled himself forward with a burst of chakra. His hands flew through the standard seals of the Shunshin body flicker. At the end, he incorporated an extra monkey zodiac that sent a bolt of carefully controlled lightning down his legs to spur his neural synapses.

Minato tensed in surprise when Kakashi disappeared – and landed a solid blow to his kidney from behind. A piece of wood flew through the air from the impact, even as Minato used the Hiraishin to appear behind Kakashi and replicate the attack. Kakashi twisted in time to raise an arm to block the kick but his balance was thrown. He wasn't quick enough to replace himself with a Kawarimi before a burst of wind from Minato's hand sent him skidding across the field.

"Not making the same mistakes?" Minato asked. "Then why are you fighting on your own? What's the very first lesson I taught you?"

Kakashi staggered to his feet, his shoulders rising and falling in rapid breaths. "…teamwork."

"That's right. Teamwork is more than just physical coordination. It's rendered useless when you hide your emotions behind a wall."

"I'm not hiding," Kakashi muttered. The facts were clear. Midori was dead. She wasn't coming back. His naïveté had let that happen. He faced those cold facts every minute of every day. "I'm not hiding from anything."

"You are. I can feel it in every strike. If you want true strength, Kakashi, you need to face your own emotions first."

Kakashi shook his head. He didn't know what Minato was talking about. None of his words made sense. Emotions had nothing to do with strength.

Strength was… what?

He pushed the thoughts roughly from his mind. Now wasn't the time. He needed to focus. He needed to prove to Minato – to himself – that he was stronger and that he wouldn't fail again.

Kakashi brought his hands together in a flash of seals. Raiton Inabikariryuu. The pale lightning streaked across the ground and crashed into Minato. Kakashi didn't bother watching his teacher counter the attack with a flare of his Rasengan. Using another jolt of electricity to spur his muscles into quicker movement, Kakashi skidded to a halt at Minato's feet and shot up.

His fist met thin air as Minato disappeared. Without pause, he threw himself forward to avoid Minato's attack from behind and kicked off the ground with another Shunshin. Twice more he managed to take Minato's back, but each time, his teacher slipped through his attacks.

Why? Why couldn't he land a single hit? Had he achieved nothing in the past two months? Had he already been failing Midori before this test had even begun?

Kakashi clenched his teeth in frustration and threw his entire weight behind his attacks. One after another, they were skirted, blocked, countered, dodged, and still he forced his body to continue. Feinting one way, striking another, using kunai and shuriken, Kawarimi, Shunshin, Raiton, anything. He used everything he knew and wasn't even aware of his own desperate snarls tearing through his throat.

One hit. That was all he needed. One hit and he would know he was right. Strength was –

"Stop trying to run away Kakashi!" Minato shouted sharply.

Kakashi flinched. His fist was knocked aside and in a blur of motion, Minato broke past all his defenses as if they were nothing. A heel slammed into his stomach and bile rushed up his throat as he was thrown back. The ground flew up at him and the self-disgust that churned in his chest had him wishing the impact would smash his bones. It would serve him right. If he could, he wanted to smash himself to pieces.

Yet instead of the cold ground, he felt his back suddenly collide with something soft and warm. That was all he registered before they both went tumbling head over heels into the slush.

"Ow…" Obito groaned from where he landed beneath Kakashi. "That was meant to go so much smoother I swear."

Kakashi gasped for breath from his failing lungs even as he tried to lift himself up from his friend. Somehow, he managed to squeeze out a croak. "What are you…?"

Obito grinned up at him. "Sorry I'm late Kakashi. Got a bit caught up in my world."

Kakashi stared, his own thoughts forgotten. Something was different. Obito looked… like Obito – the real Obito, before Midori's death. No, that wasn't quite right. The pain and remorse were still there, but his eyes were bright with confidence. They looked straight at Kakashi, unafraid and unflinching.

"Listen," Obito said quietly, oblivious to Kakashi's bewilderment as he sat up and brought his face close. "I have a plan."

Minato watched his students exchange a few short words and felt the first glimmers of hope. He had feared it was too late. Kakashi had withdrawn so far into his shell, losing sight of everything that mattered while Obito was almost consumed between his conflicting instinct to trust himself and the crippling fear of making another mistake.

He knew that to pull just one out of their darkness was pointless. As young as they were, whatever path they decided on, it would take all of their combined efforts to pull each other through. He didn't want to give up. He didn't want to see them broken. Silently, he willed them to stand. Help them stand up Midori. Please.

"Sound good?" Obito asked, getting to his feet and brushing off the snowflakes that clung to his clothes. He extended a hand. Kakashi stared at it for a long moment before slowly reaching for it.

"One minute," Kakashi confirmed. He pushed the remnants of his frustration to the back of his mind to deal with later.

Obito nodded. His eyes came alive in a swirl of red and black as he activated the Sharingan. "Let's roll."

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice. He spun and threw his hands to the ground. Doton Doryuusou. The earth under Minato's feet erupted into spears. When he used the Hiraishin to avoid being impaled, Kakashi repeated the technique twice more before switching to lightning attacks.

He began to count back from sixty.

At fifty, he created a Kage Bunshin and engaged Minato in close-range combat.

At forty, Obito joined the fight with two handfuls of shuriken. Their teacher vaulted back from them, only to come up against Kakashi as his replica shot out from the ground.

From thirty to ten, Obito and Kakashi tackled Minato from every direction in a rapid exchange of blows even as they sought eye contact and exchanged a series of obscure hand signals.

At eight, Obito feinted a spinning roundhouse and released a Goukakyuu from point blank range. Minato disappeared and came up behind Obito with a backhand that struck him clean in the neck, sending him up in a cloud of smoke.

At six, Kakashi tore up the ground with a blinding flash of lightning.

At three, Minato spun as he felt a presence behind him – and froze when he came face to face with Midori. She lunged and he used the Hiraishin out of pure reflex to avoid striking her, even as his mind caught up with the logic that it as a Henge.

At two, Obito scoured the field, his Sharingan spinning furiously. "Ox!" he shouted even as he hurled a kunai in that very direction, right where Minato appeared.

At one, Minato jerked his head to the side to avoid the weapon. The moment he moved, Kakashi slammed his fist into Minato's face from the other side, sending him stumbling several steps.

At zero, Kakashi's three other replicas spread out across the field went up in smoke. Minato remained where he was, a faint patch of red rising over his cheekbone where Kakashi's fist had landed.

At long last, a satisfied smile slowly broke out across his face.

.-.-.-.

Gai whooped.

Rin breathed a sigh of relief.

The senbon stick between Genma's teeth clattered forgotten down the tree. "I can't believe it. They really did it."

"How?" Ebisu asked. "No one can predict the Yellow Flash's Hiraishin."

"Kakashi was prepared to attack wherever he appeared," Kushina observed. "Minato's Hiraishin marks emit the faintest hint of chakra, which Obito must have identified with his Sharingan. He communicated their positions to Kakashi."

"How?" Ebisu asked again. "There's nothing in that field to act as coordinates."

"Look at those shuriken Obito threw. They may look scattered but you can trace a zodiac cycle in there."

"That's it?" Genma muttered. "They barely had a second and that's all they needed to coordinate their actions?"

Kushina smiled. "That's teamwork for you. They'll be okay now."

"How can you tell?" Rin asked.

The kunoichi shrugged. "Just a hunch. If they can work together like that, their foundation's solid. Sometimes you just have to let everything loose to mend a few breaches."

Gai nodded vigorously. "It's the Unbridled Clash of Naked Souls."

"Somebody please stop this idiot," Genma groaned.

Kushina laughed as she hopped off the branch and made her way out into the field.

.-.-.-.

Obito was grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to Minato and Kakashi. He raised a palm and his eyes narrowed fondly behind the goggles. "As Midori would say, piece of cake."

Wordlessly, Kakashi clapped his hand against his friend's.

"You surprised me with that Henge," Minato said.

Obito snickered. "I figured it was something she would have done. We needed that extra half second to throw you off and make sure you used to the Hiraishin."

"You got me there. Your use of the Sharingan was spot on too. Well done." He paused. "Obito, you're not always going to make the right decisions – no one can – but don't ever be afraid to trust yourself. Instincts come from experience and yours in particular are nurtured by kindness. To distrust yourself is to turn your back on everything you believe. Face your fears and overcome them. Take a leaf from Midori's book."

Obito smiled. "She was never afraid of anything."

Minato nodded and then turned to look at his silent student. "Kakashi, there's no denying you've improved in every area of combat and your modified Shunshin is something to admire. But what makes you stronger than anything is the bond you share with your team. I'm telling you this because I know what you fight for. Shutting out the people you want to protect isn't the way to protect them."

Kakashi opened to his mouth to say something, but no words rose to mind. He understood what his teacher was saying but the words collided against a familiar blank wall. He bit his lip and looked away. Walls. His life seemed to be full of them.

He was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when Obito wrapped an arm around his shoulder, making him look up in surprise. His friend was grinning.

"Don't worry, sensei, I've got this one."

Kakashi scowled. "What do you mean 'this one'?"

"It means you're not alone, genius."

"What…" He was at a loss for words again.

Minato smiled briefly before growing serious. "Listen well, both of you. Carrying on your comrade's will is no easy task. It's not the same as just remembering them. You're carrying their life and dreams on your shoulders after all. There will be days when you want to throw it all away. There will also be days when that connection is the only thing that will keep you going. You two are lucky to have each other. Learn to help and lean on one another. And if all else fails, promise to come see me. Okay?"

The boys nodded, and Minato was relieved to see strength and resolution back in their eyes. Thank you, Midori. You can rest assured now. He could almost see her standing between them once again, her face bright with a confident smile. The team was back.

"Kakashi my Rival!"

The three turned to see Kushina and the four Genin approaching. Minato shared a smile with his wife and watched in amusement as Kakashi tried to first turn down the challenge Gai threw at him and then convince him to postpone it to a later date. He laughed when Kushina made it a point to yank Kakashi and Obito's ears for bruising him until Obito was yelping in pain and Kakashi mumbled an apology. All the while, he was aware of Rin hanging a little behind the group and started to intervene before deciding against it. He trusted Kakashi and Obito could work it out now.

It wasn't long before Genma dragged his team away, saying they needed to rest before their next mission. Rin hesitated before trailing after them and Obito and Kakashi also took their leave. Minato watched their disappearing figures and a subconscious frown tugged at his brows as he heaved a heavy sigh. The snow had stopped but left the air feeling even colder.

"What's wrong?" Kushina asked.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm being too hard on them," he said. "To be honest, a part of me regrets telling them about carrying on people's wills. They're so young. It's too early for them to carry that burden."

"They've been on the frontlines for years Minato. They've killed and seen people be killed. They've experienced death and loss and now they're figuring out how to overcome it. You're not being hard on them. You're teaching them how to live in this violent world."

Minato closed his eyes and pulled her close. "Even so, I'm a terrible person. Every day, I look at them and as a shinobi, I couldn't be prouder of what they've accomplished. But as a human being, I'm horrified at what they're capable of doing and afraid of what they'll be forced to do in the future. I look at them and can't help but hope that when our children are born the world will be a better place."

Kushina wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I hope so too, but it would be a world built on their sacrifices."

"I know. That's what I hate."

.-.-.-.

Later that afternoon, Kakashi and Obito passed under the large red torii gate into Konoha's cemetery for the first time since Midori's death. The weather had recovered over the course of the day and the sun's last rays lit up the sky in a warm gradient of red and orange. A bird took flight, shaking a thin layer of snow from a branch onto the path that led to their teammate's grave.

They paused when they saw Rin standing before it with her hands held together in prayer. She looked up as they neared and smiled in greeting.

"Are you recovered from this morning?" she asked.

"Yeah," Obito replied, glancing down at the grave. Fresh flowers were placed in a clean vase and the gentle scent of incense rose into the air. "Do you come here every day?"

"Whenever I can," Rin said. "Hospital duties are never predictable."

"We didn't bring anything," Kakashi mumbled, feeling belatedly foolish. He'd never visited his father's grave and hardly knew the proper etiquette.

Rin shook her head. "You brought yourselves. That must mean more than anything to Midori."

Obito smiled softly at their teammate's name inscribed on the stone. "Sorry we're late. We got a bit lost on the road of life."

"Don't be mad," Kakashi added. "We'll bring some sweets next time."

Rin chuckled. Kakashi glanced at her and then dropped his gaze back to the grave.

"Does it hurt to look at my face?" she asked.

"No –" Obito hurried to reassure her, but she shook her head with a sad, yet understanding smile.

"It's okay. I know we looked alike. Aunt Matsune can't look at me yet either."

Kakashi took a breath, steeled himself and turned to face Rin. "We kept looking for Midori in you and that wasn't right. I'm sorry."

Rin blinked in surprise.

"Come to think of it, Midori was never as gentle as you and that totally showed on her face," Obito said, meeting her eyes with an apologetic grin.

Kakashi raised a brow. "She's going to come back and haunt you for that during the festival of the dead."

Obito widened his eyes in horror. "Crap. I take it back Midori!"

Rin laughed, and a soft blush rose to her cheeks. "Do you know why Midori became such a tomboy in the first place?"

"You make it sound like she was once an angel," Obito muttered.

"I reserve the right to say I told you so," Kakashi said under his breath.

Rin giggled behind her hand. "Maybe not an angel but she was a lot gentler than you might imagine. That changed when I got robbed and hurt one day at the market when we were little. Midori nearly destroyed the entire market trying to chase down the thieves."

Obito's eyes widened in disbelief. "I remember that incident! That was Midori's doing?! It was before the Academy."

Rin nodded. "After that, she stopped playing nice and would never forgive anyone who hurt children."

"That sounds just like her," Kakashi said. It also meant Midori had always been trying to protect Rin, and now that she was gone, the task was passed down to them. This time, he vowed silently, they wouldn't fail. No matter what.

Obito was shaking his head in amazement. "She never said a word about that."

"She told me not to tell you. She said she enjoyed making you quake in your shoes."

"I wasn't quaking," Obito huffed indignantly. He turned to the grave "I wasn't, you hear?"

Rin smiled at them both. "She really loved the team. You meant everything to her. I'm so glad you were able to come here today."

Obito turned serious and met her eyes. "We gave Midori our promise and we're going to see it through. We promise you that."

"I know you will." She hesitated a second and then reached out take each of their hands. Her touch was light and soft. "I promise too, to work hard to become a field medic and help as many people as I can. I may not have Midori's combat skills, but I'll be right behind you on the frontlines."

"We'll be counting on you," Obito said. Kakashi nodded.

Rin smiled broadly and then stepped back. "I should go. My shift's coming up at the hospital." Then as if remembering something, she asked, "Have you seen Asuka lately? He was worried about you."

Obito raised a brow. "Asuka worries?"

"Of course he does." She gave him a reprimanding look. "Can I tell him that we met and talked?"

"Sure, why not. Also tell him we're due for a sparring session before the Elders start complaining again."

"They don't like him studying to become a medic, do they?" Rin asked with a frown.

Obito shrugged. "We're a warrior clan after all."

Rin looked like she had an opinion on that, but she kept silent. With a final goodbye, she turned and walked away.

The two boys turned back to the gravestone and shared a moment of silence.

It was Obito who spoke first. "This morning when we were fighting Minato-sensei, I kept thinking: if one of us had died instead, what would Midori have done? How would she have reacted?"

Kakashi gave it some thought, then shook his head. "I can't see her as anything other than… well, her."

Obito snorted. "Neither could I. The more I thought about it, the only thing I was certain of was that she wouldn't have done what either of us did. Knowing her, I bet she would have cried her eyes out and then gotten right back onto her feet."

Midori had always been free with her emotions. It was something Kakashi had never experienced, let alone tried to put into practice. Minato's words still troubled him. He had never made a conscious decision to pull away from Obito and in truth had hardly been aware of it until his teacher had made it an issue. How was he to grapple with something so vague and intangible?

"I'm still scared of making a mistake," Obito continued. "Or worse, making the wrong call and getting more people killed. But I'm done dragging my feet. I'm more afraid of Midori coming back to haunt me for being chicken."

"She would." Kakashi wondered what would make her haunt him and still couldn't find an answer. The damn walls.

"You bet." Obito chuckled before sobering again. "So I'm going to move forward and take a leaf from her book like sensei said. I'm going to carry the full weight of her will and fight for Rin and the children she wanted to protect." He tipped his head to look at Kakashi. "Will you lend me a hand?"

"Of course I will. We made that promise together." He blinked in surprise when the weight in his chest suddenly seemed to lift. As if Obito's simple words had knocked down a wall from the other side.

"It's our new kind of teamwork," Obito said. "And I'm warning you upfront, Kakashi. If I'm not allowed to be chicken anymore, you're not allowed to be such an introvert either."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Obito just grinned and lifted a fist. Kakashi loosened his expression for what felt like the first time in months. He mirrored the gesture and lightly bumped his knuckles against Obito's.

"Here we go, Midori," Obito said. "Watch us."

Translations:
Shunshin - body flicker
Kawarimi - body replacement
Hiraishin - flying thunder god
Inabikariryuu - lightning dragon
Doryuusou - earth spears

Thanks for reading.

.LinSetsu.