Chapter Nineteen

Kakashi woke with a start and was on his knees with a kunai drawn before he remembered where he was. It was pitch dark and freezing. His left arm burned and his body ached. Pushing down on the pain, he let out a breath and slowly let his muscles relax. With half a mind checking for presences outside, he felt along the ground around him for the small flashlight he had dropped when he had fallen asleep. Finding it, he infused it with a trickle of chakra and adjusted the strength to a soft glow.

The abandoned burrow he had taken shelter in was nestled under the roots of an ancient tree. It was nearly as cold as outside but at least it was dry. After stumbling onto it by chance the previous night, he had tumbled inside and covered the small entrance with old vines and loosened clumps of root to prevent light from spilling out. He knew it was dangerous to choose a hideout with a single exit but the alternative to turn into a living snowball outside had been less than appealing.

He picked up the book Yuki had given him and flipped it open to the last page he had been reading. Taking a deep breath, he circulated his chakra in the way the textbook described to regulate and adjust his body temperature. After a moment, he sighed in relief as the biting cold slowly eased. Whatever else he thought of Yuki, he was grateful for this new piece of skill.

Looking at his place, he noted that he had gotten a third of the way through the book during the night. Much of it had been survival theory interspersed with practical techniques that balanced on the edge of regular chakra control and medical ninjutsu. They were all described in a way that was easy for combat specialists to understand and manipulate, even though the average shinobi would never have thought to apply such measures to healing.

Growing curious, Kakashi turned the book over. It was bound in plain cloth with no title and looked thoroughly worn as if it had passed through many hands. Opening the inside cover, he looked for who had written it and came across two names. Senju Tsunade and Kato Dan.

He had never known the missing Sannin had penned a book. Though from the looks of it, it felt more like a rough protocol for frontline soldiers rather than a textbook for medical students. It was well known that Tsunade had advocated the addition of a medic to every team during the previous war but lack of funds and resources had prevented the proposal from being implemented. This sort of manual would have been the next best thing, but then why wasn't it circulated among the Chuunin? Returning to where he had left off, the answer soon became apparent.

Under the section for laceration treatments, it list four possible ways of stopping heavy blood loss, but the required chakra control was far more refined and technical than most offense type shinobi could manage. Added in scribbles at the end, clearly reflecting the frustration of the author, was a fifth method: Useless punk. Find a Katon user and cauterize the damn wound. The idiot probably deserves it anyway. See a medic before infection sets in.

Kakashi raised a brow at the outright medieval treatment and quickly revised his opinion. He was glad Chuunin were left with bandages and blood replenishing pills.

He sighed. At any rate, he would need to try one of the methods for his stiffening wound over his collarbone. The burn on his arm was another issue altogether. As he considered temporarily treating them with the medical supplies he carried, a small disturbance outside caught his attention. He immediately put out the flashlight and tucked the book into his pouch as he moved to press his back beside the entrance of the burrow.

It was Yuki. Kakashi edged his hand closer to the weapons holster, but soon changed his mind and slowly parted the cover. If the ANBU had wanted to attack, he wouldn't have made his presence so clear.

Dawn was just breaking high above the trees. It had stopped snowing during the night and the skies were clear, allowing the warm rays of sunlight to penetrate onto the forest floor. Kakashi squinted against the brightness reflecting off the snow and climbed out of the burrow, his eyes fixed on the tall figure across from him. Yuki leaned against a tree with his arms crossed and the mask was turned to the side of his head.

For a long moment, they stood in silence, staring across the small distance at each other – Kakashi warily, Yuki thoughtfully.

It was the Uchiha who finally broke the silence. "Do you remember that one night when a group of drunk guys harassed you for being the traitor's son?"

"I remember a few," Kakashi replied. In the months following Sakumo's death, many teams had been forced to bear the consequences of the White Fang's failed mission – the least of which had been the crippling loss of trust among allies and relentless ridicule from other Hidden Villages. It was only natural that a handful of frustrated shinobi would turn their ire on the single living connection to their troubles.

"Do you remember what you said?" Yuki asked.

"I don't know which one you're talking about, but no, not really." It was a lie. He did in fact remember bits and pieces of the confrontations, but had no reason to tell anyone about them. Whether it was verbal slurs or physical bullying, it wasn't anything Kakashi had been unable to handle.

"You said he was weak. Weak. Never in a million years did I think I'd ever hear you say that. Not with the way you used to look at Sakumo."

Kakashi was silent. At the time, he had believed his father had simply lacked the physical strength to achieve both his goals. It was the only kind of strength Kakashi had known, after all. But with time came knowledge and an understanding that the world was more complicated than black and white.

What is strength to you?

Minato's words came back to him and he finally felt like he was beginning to understand what his teacher had been trying to say. There was more to strength than physical prowess. He had seen it time and again in Obito and Midori, but had failed to link it to Sakumo's tainted legacy. It was easier to think his father's reputation had been greater than his actual skills – more so than admit he had been a deeply flawed individual who had clung to shattered ideals until his last breath.

When Sakumo had died, Kakashi had stopped idolizing the White Fang, but a part of him had never stopped wanting to idolize the man who had been his father.

All that had now changed. In hindsight, it had been a gradual transition over the years, oppressed by an unwillingness to examine his own feelings; culminating in the moment he had been forced to confront the past.

Still, one belief remained unchanged.

"I'm not going to repeat his mistakes," Kakashi said.

"Says the kid who tried to kill himself in a Tsukuyomi."

"That wasn't the same. You're saying there was another way out of it?"

Yuki shrugged. "No."

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I saw Sakumo the day before he died," Yuki said after a pause. "You know what he said? He asked me to look out for you. I said hell no."

"The feeling's mutual," Kakashi replied.

Yuki gave a quiet laugh, even as his eyes grew distant. "I had no idea he'd already made up his mind. But I should have known. The signs were everywhere. I just never believed he'd actually kill himself."

Kakashi looked away, feeling increasingly uncomfortable talking about his father with someone who didn't see him as a disgrace. Minato rarely broached the subject and even when he did, it was in passing mentions that never pressed Kakashi for a response.

Awkwardly, he searched for words. "What about his other students?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed in anger and his expression hardened. "One was already dead by the time sensei was given that mission. The other, Shuuji, went with him. I was out of the village on another team and only heard about it afterwards. Shuuji – that scumbag – was one of the shinobi Sakumo personally saved. Then when the Village turned on him, so did Shuuji. I've watched a lot of people die, but the only time I didn't feel a thing was when I watched him bleed out in our first year in ANBU."

Kakashi felt something cold creep down his spine at the soft, frigid tone Yuki spoke in. Though apathy was familiar territory, he had always felt something churn in the back of his chest when faced with death. He wondered what it would feel like to feel nothing at all, as contradictory as it sounded.

"...you say."

Kakashi looked up. He hadn't been listening. "What?"

"I said you better mean what you say. To hell with anyone's opinion. Learn from Sakumo's mistakes and his weaknesses. Overcome them."

Kakashi tipped his head and regarded the ANBU. "Watch out. You're starting to sound like a half-decent person."

"The fuck I am," Yuki murmured. He pushed off the tree and unfolded his arms. "I'll let you study in peace. You better patch up that burn before it gets infected."

Kakashi frowned. That was it? He had thought the ANBU was there to test him, or at the very least disrupt him. But Yuki only turned and walked away with a wave of his hand, quickly disappearing between the trees. Kakashi remained tense for many minutes, stretching his senses to catch any approaching attack – but all was still.

.-.-.-.

Hours later, Kakashi was diving after the medical textbook that had slipped from his hand just as a tree exploded above him in a violent burst of splintering wood.

"Study in peace my ass," Kakashi grumbled as he snatched the book and leapt away. Even as he zigzagged between the trees, he flipped through the pages and gathered chakra to his free hand. He leapt high over a streak of fire and pressed his hand over the burn on his left arm. He managed to dampen the wound's fever for all of two seconds before it flared alive again and he cursed.

He threw his weight backward in midair as a gust of wind sliced over him from ahead. Planting his feet on the next branch he found, he pushed off hard and propelled himself down. His eyes were fixed on the words in the book, searching for something he had missed that was preventing him from completing the healing process. He didn't get to finish a single sentence before he was forced to twist around and catch Yuki's fist as it flew into his face.

With the textbook in one hand, Yuki's fist in the other, his feet struggling to find purchase on a precariously thin branch, Kakashi glared up at the ANBU mask.

"You really want to end this exam early don't you?" he growled.

"You wound me. This is a valuable lesson."

"In what?"

"Multi-tasking."

"Are you kidding me?"

Yuki laughed. "One day you'll be thanking me for it."

Kakashi had his doubts but the branch gave way before he could voice them and they jumped back in opposite directions. Kakashi wasted no time in creating as much distance as he could from Yuki. He used every trick he knew to shake the ANBU from his trail, even as a large part of his concentration went back to reading the page on burn injuries.

Multitasking, in a sense, was an apt description.

It took him several more minutes to finally spot the missing link, by which time he was running across the snow-packed earth. Checking his surroundings, he threw himself under the tangles of an expansive needle-leafed bush and took a deep breath as he masked his presence.

Propping the book on his knees, he brought his hands together and laced together several fine threads of chakra. Gathering half of it in one hand and directing the other internally to the site of the burn, he closed his eyes to focus on the fragile tendrils that felt as if they would either disappear or snap if he so much as breathed.

Slowly, he wove them together as the instructions stated, one feeble loop at a time, over and over again. The pain slowly subsided, but in its place, he grew increasingly lightheaded from the strain. How Rin, or even Asuka, managed to do this so effortlessly on a daily basis was beyond him. Even that wayward thought was enough to uproot his concentration. The delicate chakra threads crumbled into a regular mass of energy and Kakashi opened his eyes with an aggravated sigh.

The burn was reduced to a patch of raw, tender skin that was barely healed and would likely scar. Still, he decided it was good enough, much like the welt that had become of his other wound. He rolled his shoulder and flexed his arm to make sure his patchworks would hold. Some of the pain still lingered, but not enough to hinder his movements.

"I suppose it's not the worst I've seen, but it's definitely not the best," said a voice from above.

Kakashi swallowed a groan. He didn't even feel frustration anymore as he tipped back his head to see Yuki hanging upside down from a tree like a bat. Kakashi resigned himself to grudgingly admit the ANBU was above his league. It was like facing Minato, except his teacher wasn't nearly as black hearted.

"You're saying you can do better?" Kakashi retorted.

"I don't need to, I just freeze everything. Besides, I don't get hurt."

"Good for you." Kakashi made it a personal goal to land one satisfying punch to Yuki's face before the exam was over.

Yuki nodded to the book. "What's next on your list?"

Kakashi flipped to the next section and frowned. It was on stabilizing fractures. "So what, I'm meant to find someone with a broken leg or something?"

"Not quite," Yuki replied. "I can help you there."

Kakashi looked up to ask what he meant, but the moment his eyes left the page, something slammed into his face and pain erupted around his nose and eyes. He stumbled back, the book forgotten as he pressed a hand to his nose. Blood ran down his palm and soaked the cloth of his mask. Through a blur of reflexive tears he saw Yuki – or more precisely a Kage Bunshin – crouched where Kakashi had been sitting.

When or how or why were all completely beside the point. Between the blood clogging his nose and the white hot fury rising neck-to-neck with the splintering pain in his face, Kakashi was left gaping and sputtering voicelessly in disbelief.

Both Yuki and his replica whooped with laughter and leapt away.

"Good luck!" they threw back before darting out of sight.

"You… motherfucking goose!" Kakashi snarled after him. The broken nose filled with blood reduced his voice to a horrible, nasal sound that echoed humiliatingly into silence.

.-.-.-.

The moon was bright that night, almost but not yet full. It illuminated the forest and bathed the winter landscape in a silver glow. Avoiding the light, Kakashi leaned against the trunk of a tree, high up on its branches. He sighed heavily, still feeling an irate twinge of pain from the bridge of his nose. Gingerly, he pulled the mask down as he rummaged in his pouches and pulled out a case of soldiers pills. If these first two days were any indication, he wouldn't survive the next five without them.

A broken nose had only been the beginning of the day's torment. Once Yuki had figured out he wasn't getting another chance to repeat his sadistic joke, he had ordered a team of ANBU to direct all injured parties returning from the border to Kakashi. Aside from life-threatening cases, he had been cornered into clumsily treating every sort of injury ranging from frost bite to kunai wounds to concussions. More than once, he had inadvertently done more damage than good, requiring the patient to be rushed off to Konoha – and each time had endured snickering chortles from the Uchiha looking on from behind.

At long last, Kakashi had exhausted every technique in the book, as well as a good chunk of his chakra supply. Yuki had called it a day, telling him to be on standby for the next mission.

He now sat by the eastern geographic line, which was marked only by a long groove along the forest floor where a frozen river lay beneath the snow. He figured he should move away into safer territory, but only sagged deeper against the tree as he swallowed the pill and fixed the mask back into place.

It was then that he became aware of someone's presence approaching and he pushed himself forward into an alert crouch. For a second he thought it was Yuki, but then again, when had the ANBU ever given Kakashi forewarning? A decoy then? He breathed through his nose – a lot more carefully than he usually would thanks to the stupid Goose – but there was no wind to carry any scents.

Eventually, he spotted a dark figure in the distance, bounding from tree to tree, unhurried but watchful. It wasn't long before the other took notice of Kakashi and stopped in the shadows. Only the river separated them now and Kakashi's brow rose as he recognized the presence.

"Obito?"

"Kakashi!" His teammate stepped into the moonlight and grinned. "Fancy seeing you here."

Edging further along the branch until he was just inches from the invisible border, Obito looked Kakashi over and raised a brow under his goggles.

"Looks like you've gotten yourself a beating."

"You aren't looking any better," Kakashi replied. Under the cloak draped over his shoulders, Obito's right thigh was wrapped in stained bandages, one of his sleeves was ripped almost to the shoulder and his left cheek was swollen.

Obito rolled his eyes. "My examiner's been trying to kill me every chance he gets for two straight days. Says it'll develop the Sharingan."

Kakashi frowned. "Is he a part of the Uchiha clan?"

"No, he's from a civilian family. Takeda Ryo. Who's your examiner?"

"Your cousin."

"Really? Which one?"

"Yuki."

Obito nearly choked on an exclamation. "I thought I recognized his voice! Man, you really drew the short straw didn't you?"

"Tell me about it."

"Damn." Obito looked around and then sat down. "I need to be at the border by sunrise, but this I gotta hear. How are you still alive?"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence."

Obito snickered. "Can't say I envy you. Yuki's a monster. I think he's a little crazy too. The only reason the Elders let him do as he wants is because he doesn't have the Sharingan."

"If he did I'd really be dead by now," Kakashi muttered.

"Close call? Now I know why Nayu was so worried."

Kakashi glanced sidelong at his teammate. "Did you know he was my father's student?"

Obito met his eyes and grew serious. "He never told me, but I heard some rumors around the time your dad died." He paused for a second, then added, "I don't think he ever thought badly of the White Fang."

"Not like most people, no." But Kakashi thought back the previous night and remembered the inexplicable look in Yuki's eyes. The only reason he had been able to recognize the emotion was because he had felt the same uncomfortable feeling twist in his own chest – hurt. There was no doubt Yuki had felt anger toward Sakumo, but it was anger born from love and the grief of being left behind.

"Kakashi?"

He looked up to see his friend peering at him with a worried frown.

"What?"

"You okay? What did he do?"

Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the tree. Almost unconsciously, he used the new trick he had learned to keep his body warm as he briefly told Obito about the second test. Rin, the civilian girl, the impossible mission, Tsukuyomi –

"Tsukuyomi?" Obito said, incredulous. "He brought a Mangekyou user? Who?"

"I don't know. He wore a Raven mask."

Obito tipped his head. "Raven. I wonder if it was Jin-san. But he's been retired for years and he's already half blind. Yuki's a right bastard but he wouldn't rob anyone of their sight for no reason."

If Yuki had gotten what he wanted and Kakashi had chosen either Rin or the girl, the real test would have only just begun.

"How did you get out?" Obito asked.

"I killed myself."

"You what?!" He nearly slipped right off the branch as he tried to jerk forward, only to remember the border.

"It was the only –"

"No, don't you dare give me that bullshit." Obito glared. "Are you an idiot?!"

Kakashi frowned. He hardly understood why Yuki had been so mad and now Obito was giving him the same reaction.

"You do realize Rin could have died otherwise," Kakashi said.

"He wouldn't dare."

"That's what I said. Can you say for sure he wouldn't?"

Obito started to say yes, then paused, frowned, gave a frustrated groan and finally slumped his shoulders.

"Okay, point taken," he mumbled. "But I still don't like what you did. What if it wasn't an illusion?"

"With the candidate dead, there'd be no reason for the test to go on," Kakashi replied. "They both would have been let go."

"But you'd be dead!"

"That's what I said."

Obito growled. "I swear if I could cross this line I'd strangle you here and now. If you think I'd be fine with you killing yourself in a stupid test, you're the dumbest idiot ever alive!"

"Obito…" Kakashi sighed. "That isn't the point. It was either me or Rin. In a way, I was lucky Yuki brought her. I may not have made it back without her help."

A deep scowl settled over Obito's expression. Then quietly he asked, "What if something like that happened in real life?"

Kakashi closed his hands into fists. He had thought of the question himself many times throughout the night. He knew what he would have done if he hadn't realized it was an illusion. Even if it was a decision born from emotions that blatantly disregarded half of what he had believed in all his life; even if it would have neglected Midori's desire to protect the future children; even if it made him a heartless killer.

"I would have sacrificed an innocent child."

Obito was silent for a long moment. Kakashi didn't meet his eyes. He couldn't. Everything about his decision was wrong, not just morally but also as a loyal shinobi of Konoha. And yet –

"For some reason I was sure you were going to choose the rules over Rin for a second there," Obito said, a tone of bemusement in his voice. "That would have gotten ugly."

"Things are ugly enough as they are," Kakashi muttered.

"Uglier." Obito sighed and raked a hand roughly through his hair in agitation. "I'm going straight to hell for this, but if there's one person I want to keep safe, it's Rin. We owe Midori that much. I'm not naïve enough to think we can save everyone. So comrades first. Always. Even if it means abandoning a mission or –"

"Abandoning another life," Kakashi cut in. What Obito was saying was a double-edged sword, but he didn't want his friend to voice the cold-blooded resolve. Like every other contradiction in a shinobi's life, this one would lay buried until the day an untainted soul rose to rail against all the distorted realities of their world.

As if such a day would ever come.

Obito nodded slowly, heavily. "Sorry for shouting at you earlier. As much as I hate what you did, you're right. It saved Rin. Just promise never to do that again. I can't lose you too."

Something about the sentiment made Kakashi deeply uncomfortable and he searched for a way to turn the conversation around. Striking a lighter tone, he asked, "You sure you aren't in love with Rin too?"

Obito's eyes bulged. "No! Ew. That's like saying I was crushing on Midori!"

"You just seemed to be emphasizing her a lot is all."

"That's because…" Obito hesitated and dropped his gaze. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible. "That's because I don't think I can bear to see someone who looks so much like Midori die again."

Kakashi immediately regretted bringing it up. It was still too early to talk of Midori's death or remember her lifeless face as she lay in the morgue.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Obito shook his head and raised his eyes. "I'll never forgive either of us if we let that happen. We're going to protect her at all costs, okay?"

"You have my word."

Obito smiled. "Thanks Kakashi."

"Just remember," he added, "there's a reason we're taught to prioritize missions over emotions. It's for the good of the Village. I don't need to remind you what happens to those who don't follow the rules."

Obito snorted. "You mean that they're called scums? Well if you ask me, those who don't value their comrades are even worse scums. If I'm going to be one anyway, I'd rather be a scum who values friends."

Kakashi's lips twisted ruefully beneath his mask. Somehow, Obito always seemed to know where he was going. As if he could see a light on the other side that guided him through the blinding darkness. From the day they had met, Obito had never ceased to amaze Kakashi with his straightforward honesty and an enduring simplicity that made everything make sense.

"Alright, well, if you're determined to make us into scums," Kakashi said, "here's some advice from your cousin: to hell with what anyone says. We live with the decisions we make, no matter what they result in. Don't make the same mistakes as my father."

Obito cocked his head. "But the White Fang was a hero. Nothing anybody says is going to change my mind on that."

"He wasn't a hero. Just a man with flaws."

"Yeah, like every other mortal being right?"

Kakashi blinked and conceded a smile. "Yeah, I suppose."

It would take time to come to terms with seeing his father in a different light, but he was starting to feel it was better than the stark walls of indifference he had known all these years.

Obito shifted his weight and winced. "Damn Ryo. I swear he was trying to cut my leg off."

"Wait try this," Kakashi said, pulling out the medical book he still had, though it was even more tattered now and stained with flecks of blood. "It's a field treatment protocol. I'll read you the hand signs for closing laceration wounds."

"Where'd you get that handy thing?"

"Yuki. It came with a price, believe me. Ready? Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger –"

Obito dutifully formed the seals, even as a confused frown began to crease his brows. "Hang on, this is…"

"The jutsu name," Kakashi went on, "is Katon Goukakyuu no –"

"Kakashi!" Obito roared, sputtering out a mouthful of flames and choking on them. "You trying to kill me?!"

Kakashi opened his eyes wide. "Who me? Of course not, it says so right here. Option five: Find a Katon user and cauterize the damn wound. The idiot probably deserves it anyway."

"No way do I deserve it, and tell me the first four options before you go all feudal on me!"

Kakashi chuckled to himself, relieved to see his friend back to being his usual self. Apologizing, he taught Obito all the techniques he had found useful and though Obito didn't have any bones to set, he had a good guffaw at what Yuki had done to Kakashi's nose.

"It's not a laughing matter," Kakashi grumbled, gingerly touching the sore area.

"Afraid you won't be as good looking anymore?" Obito teased. "Assuming you don't have crooked teeth."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Keep on guessing."

Obito chuckled one final time. "That's payback for trying to make me burn myself. Which reminds me, there's something I want to ask you."

"If it's about the mask, I refuse."

"No, no. It's about this technique Ryo gave me to learn. It's a wind ninjutsu called Gyakukaze Fubuki."

"Reverse Winds? I've seen sensei use it once or twice."

"So have I. In theory it's simple. You create an inner tornado spinning in one direction and an outer layer that spins in the opposite direction. But you know my problem."

"You suck at Fuuton."

Obito grimaced. "That's one way of putting it."

Spinning chakra in different directions was something Kakashi had recently learned to do while trying to recreate Minato's Rasengan, but he had never tried expanding it beyond the size of his hand. He could only guess the sort of mechanics involved when manipulating wind in that manner.

"It might help if you physically spin," Kakashi said, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"I'd be sick in a three seconds."

Kakashi ignored him. "Like the Hyuuga's Kaiten spin techniques. Having physical momentum will help, at least with –"

From one second to the next, they were on their knees, alert and wary of two almost imperceptible presences closing in on them.

"I could have used a longer break," Obito muttered.

"Try asking them."

Obito snorted. "What do you say to practicing syncing chakra?"

"If you're talking about catching them in the Yin-Yang Seal, I'd say we'll fail spectacularly," Kakashi replied.

"I meant Reverse Winds. You take one direction, I'll take the other."

Kakashi raised his brow. "Don't tell me your examiner's nice enough to let you get away with that. I'm filing a complaint if he is."

Obito laughed. "I wish he was. He's the type of guy who goes by the manuals. Won't accept anything short of a clear pass. So you in or not?"

They didn't have much time. Kakashi reckoned five seconds. He heaved a sigh and stood up. "What are the seals?"

"Tiger, Dragon, Rabbit, Ox, Tiger, Ram, Horse. Take clockwise."

The words were barely out when a barrage of weapons rained down on them. Keeping their eyes locked, the two Chuunin formed the seals in unison and raked the air around them into a windstorm. Fuuton Gyakukaze Fubuki.

The whirlwinds exploded in size as their opposing directions clashed against each other, easily repelling the weapons and preventing the two ANBU examiners from getting any closer.

"I'm gonna make a run for it," Obito called over the roar of wind. "Give Yuki my warmest fuck you regards."

"I'll convey it with full sincerity," Kakashi shouted back.

Obito grinned and dove headfirst into the raging winds. Kakashi let the technique die down, leaving snow crystals glittering under the moonlight in its wake. He found the two ANBU some distance away and when it was clear that Obito was gone, the owl masked agent disappeared.

Yuki landed on a branch closer to Kakashi and tipped his head in the direction the Owl had gone.

"Nice chat with Obito?" he asked.

"He says fuck you and warm regards," Kakashi said.

Yuki barked with laughter. "The little brat, I'll get him for that. Later. Your next mission's set up. It was meant to be handled by the ANBU but we'll give it to you to see how you well you can lead a team. There's a group of Konoha shinobi who are under suspicion of plotting against the Village. Your task is to smoke them out and eliminate them."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "This better not be another one of your tricks."

"It's not." From the tone of his voice, it was clear Yuki wasn't joking. "This is a real mission. Konoha's being threatened from the inside."

Translation:
Gyakukaze Fubuki - Reverse Wind Gales

A/N: After the fast-paced chaos of the previous chapter, I tried to slow things down here and dig a little deeper into Kakashi's development (including his use of profanities :P). Not much actually happens, but this chapter contains quite a few key points I wanted to drop in so I hope you were able to catch them.

On a side note, I realize I'm not following the original plotline of the Jounin exam at all... which I'm okay with considering the quality of the original, but if there's something you want to see happen, let me know!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and special thanks to those of who have helped me come up with ideas and given me wonderful feedback. I really appreciate it and I always look forward to hearing from you guys :)

PS: I try not to let typos slip by but some are sneaky so if you see any, please please let me know!

.LinSetsu.