Hey all, sorry as usual for the wait. But thank you so much for the kind reviews!
I realized after rereading chapter two that Minato came across as more callous then I meant him to. He does care about Kakashi, but he went from war orphan to soldier. He doesn't have much perspective on life outside of the shinobi forces. He thinks he is doing the right thing, because he is doing all he knows how to. And, as they say, power corrupts. Being called a savior and prodigy makes you think you can do anything.
Secondly, we are almost done the first story arc! *horns sounds*
There will be roughly five arcs in this installment, if all goes according to plan, hopefully around 30 typed pages each.
Thirdly, I should mention that the "theme song" for this story is You by Keaton Henson. Each chapter is named after part of a lyric of that song. (I have a whole playlist of stuff for this verse lol)
Lastly, there is a POV change in this chapter, towards the end. You get a bit from Kakashi's POV! I don't think I will do that much, but if you guys like it he can take over every once and a while.
Thanks for reading, and as always critique is welcome.
When it came right down to it, Obito didn't know a lot about Kakashi's off duty life. This was mostly due to the fact that he didn't seem to have one, if his apartment and constant senbon-up-the-ass attitude.
So, unsure who else he could possibly ask for help, Obito went searching for Gai. Predictably, he found him in one of the training fields, still out doing drills after dark.
"Hey, Gai!" He called out, entering the field. Gai turned around, and a grin lit up his face.
"Obito! My fellow youth, how are you? I have not seen you in some weeks!" Gai exclaimed, dashing towards Obito. Obito smiled. Gai's enthusiasm was infectious, even when in a foul mood.
"I'm okay." Obito shifted back and forth, shuffling his feet. He didn't really understand the dynamic between Kakashi and Gai, but this seemed like his best shot. "Gai, have you spoken to Kakashi recently?" Obito asked. He and Gai were really the only ones Kakashi spoke to, and Gai more than him at that.
Gai frowned, his serious expression just as exaggerated as his previous exuberant one. "No, I am afraid I have not. I have attempted to seek him out, but alas he has avoided me at every turn." He raised his fingers to his chin, and look thoughtful. "But then, my eternal rival has always been secretive. Perhaps something has happened, and he is feeling unwell."
"That's sort of why I'm here." Obito replied "I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but I think I need your help. Kakashi's been asked to do something by sen- the Hokage. Something I think is a very, very bad idea. But I don't know how to stop him from agreeing to do it."
"What is going on?" Gai asked, concern in his tone.
"I think sensei is going to make him join ANBU. Even if service was optional, I don't think Kakashi would say no." Obito explained.
"I do not see why that would be so bad. Kakashi is a skilled warrior, I am certain he would be able to handle the missions assigned to him." Gai replied.
"I'm not worried about how skilled he is, Gai. I'm worried that being in such an intense atmosphere won't be good for him. You said yourself he barely speaks to you these days. Something is up with him, and throwing him into and elite killing squad isn't going to fix it. If he goes down that road, I'm scared he'll never come back." Obito said. He had to make Gai understand. That was the one advantage of being forced to attend Clan meetings, he thought. He had a better perspective on the ugly inner working of the village. Or the Uchiha version of it, anyway, which was admittedly a tad skewed. It was still better than nothing though, and the Clan meeting propaganda was easier to think his way out of then what they were told in the village. As part of Minato's squad Obito had been on longer, more important missions then his peers. He knew the front lines of battle, and he knew that none of Konoha's forces were any kinder than their neighbors they warred with.
Well, except maybe Hidden Mist. That place was a special level of crazy.
"The way I see it, sensei is just trying to fix the problem with what caused it. Kakashi might be an ass, but he doesn't deserve to go through that." Obito added. He thought back to the one time he had accompanied Rin on her rounds of the hospital, and they had passed by the mental ward. He only glanced through the window, but all he saw were rows upon rows of white doors, and a few vacant looking ex shinobi wandering the halls. It had seemed less like a place of healing, and more like a dumping ground for those who could no longer fight. He didn't want Kakashi to end up there.
"I understand what you are saying, my friend. But what do you propose we do? To intervene with the Hokage's order is high treason. We could be taken off the force if we are seen to be insubordinate." Gai sighed, long and loud. "However, I do not wish to see my eternal Rival in distress. I will help you to try and prevent him from being taken into the ANBU forces."
Obito grinned. "Thanks, Gai. I knew that I could count on you."
Gai nodded enthusiastically, and reached out to clasp Obito's shoulder. "I will do what I can, of course. However I am not as familiar with the working of the village as you, so I am unsure if I will be as useful as you hope."
"I honestly don't know that much either. Unfortunately, I think we're gonna have to find a lot out in order to do what I'm planning on doing."
It was two weeks later when Obito stormed into the Hokage office once again. However this time, he was driven by determination to make Minato see thigs from his perspective, not by pure outrage.
"Alright. It's obvious that you won't change your mind, and Kakashi is just going to do whatever you say, so how about a compromise." Obito said, strolling up to the desk and planting his fists on it. Without more than raising an eyebrow, Minato gestured to the Hyuuga branch member standing next to him to leave, and he and Obito were alone.
"I'm listening, Obito."
"It isn't even just about Kakashi, really. What I think is that ANBU members should be allowed to stay in their own homes, rather than having to live in barracks all the time. Before you say anything" Obito paused, seeing Minato's mouth open "Just hear me out. Having agents stay hidden from the rest of the village isn't helping to keep anything a secret. No one has ever bought the lie that all those people were going on year-long missions outside of the village. There just aren't that many missions of that length to be had. Everyone knows that they are going into the ops. Having them at home when not off duty might actually help keep the whole thing more secretive. Secondly, it has been proven by civilian and shinobi doctors alike that having contact with life outside of duty reduces stress. If the ops are able to have at least something resembling normal social lives, then their overall work ethic and ability to focus on missions will likely improve." Obito paused, dropping the document he was carrying on the table. "Me and a few others put this together. It's everything we could find about the long term health of elite ops over time. I hope it proves our point."
Minato slid the binder towards himself, and opened it with a contemplative expression. "This is a lot of work. Did you do this by yourself?"
Obito laughed shyly, scratching at the back of his head. "Ha, no way. Gai helped me with the heavy lifting and note taking, and I got Kurenai and one of my cousins to help write it." He didn't want to admit out loud that it was Shisui who had helped him- the kid was a better writer at his age then Obito was now.
"So you told people outside of your immediate team that Kakashi was going into ANBU? That he was joining a secret, hidden group?" Minato asked, eyebrow raised.
Obito gulped. "Um, well yes. But- but it was only because I needed help! I have to prove to you that I'm right about this. If I want to be Hokage someday, I need to be able to argue my point effectively, right? And to work with and defend my comrades! That's what you always said."
Minato smiled slightly. "Well, we can keep the part about you not being good at keeping secrets between ourselves. I understand you all have Kakashi's best interests at heart." He flipped through the first few pages.
"You have a great deal of research here. I can see you are serious about this. I can consider your proposal, even bring it up at the next meeting. But I won't be changing my mind about Kakashi joinging the forces, Obito."
What was this? This was not the Minato sensei that he knew, not the one who trained him, who always greeted his efforts and antics with patience and kindness. No matter what, sensei had always been understanding, and now he wouldn't so much as hear Obito out? Before Obito could even begin to protest, to question Minato's behaviour, the older man spoke up.
"I am afraid I wasn't entirely truthful with you the last time spoke, about why I want Kakashi in ANBU. Yes, I do think it would be good for him. However, it is also because there is a mission I need him for. He won't be leaving the village for it, and it involves no killing. I am confident that it will all go off without a hitch, but I am having him take this mission just in case. Besides, I think that completing this mission will help him heal."
That hadn't been what Obito was expecting. "What's the mission?"
"I'm sorry, Obito. Since you aren't ANBU, nor are you directly involved, I can't tell you exactly what the mission is." Minato said, expression apologetic. "All I can tell you is that I believe he will be safe during this mission. What he chooses to do afterwards is completely up to him."
Obito mulled it over. All this was better than he had expected, except- "So he isn't in ANBU just for the duration of the mission. He's staying."
Minato sighed. "Obito, I just said it's up to him. Please stop trying to make me into the villain here."
"I'm not making you into anything. But Kakashi won't leave voluntarily. So I have a feeling we'll be talking about this again." Obito turned around and began to leave. "Sensei I know you won't tell me anything about the mission, but just promise that you won't let him get too wrapped up in himself during this, okay?"
Minato's face softened. "I promise, Obito."
After his talk with Minato, Obito decided his next stop should be Kakashi's apartment. He hadn't visited the other boy in the few weeks since his break down, as it had been obvious Kakashi hadn't wanted him around. However, Obito thought that there was no point tip toeing around the wishes of a guy whose mental stability was shaky at best. By the time he went inside, he had spent about half an hour outside the door debating whether he should enter the building and, ultimately, if he wanted to. He knew that Kakashi didn't want help, and that it was likely he never would, or at least would never admit that he did.
Part of Obito still didn't want to help him. They had done nothing but be at each-other's throats for years. A change of heart wasn't going to be easy, especially since they no longer had Rin or Sensei to act as a buffer. Kakashi was terrible with voicing his feelings, and Obito wasn't much better. Though, Obito understood him better now. Kakashi wasn't so cold hearted as he let on. He did feel, did regret, did care. What Obito needed to do was to bring those things out of him, convince him that feeling did not make him a bad person, or a bad shinobi. In some way, Obito supposed that he just wanted to preserve what was left of his broken mess of a team. He couldn't stand the thought of watching everything that was left fall apart. If they did, what would be left? Minato would be buried in his work, Kakashi would disappear into the faceless, bloody mass of ANBU, and Obito would be left with semi regular missions and a clan he was an outsider in.
With a deep breath, Obito entered the apartment complex and began to climb the stairs. When he reached the third floor, where Kakashi's place was, he almost passed by it entirely. The door was open, which was strange enough, but there was no one there. The main room was the same as it had been a couple of weeks before, but it seemed…. Emptier. Almost sterile. Like someone had come through and wiped down every surface so that not even a speck of dust or a stray hair was left. Making his way in, Obito activated his Sharingan, keeping on the lookout for any booby traps that may have been set. There was nothing, no chakra signatures other than his own. The bathroom also looked the same, every surface gleaming white. No scent of blood, which he supposed was a good thing. However, everything in here smelled more strongly of disinfectant then the main room did. Kakashi had always been a neat freak, but not like this. Leaving the bathroom, he passed through the kitchen. There was no point checking to cupboards. They wouldn't tell him anything, since there was hardly ever anything in them anyway. So, he walked over to the bedroom. That was where things got weird. Kakashi's weapons were gone. So were his armguards and mesh body armour shirts, he saw when he opened the wardrobe. Even the team picture had been removed from the shelf. Obito knew, perhaps had always known, that there was some kind of sentimental value attached to that photo for Kakashi. He wouldn't have just left it.
By chance, Obito's eyes strayed to the bottom of the wardrobe. Sitting there was a single piece of paper. He could only imagine that it was there intentionally. He knelt down and picked it up, flipping it over. On it were two words.
Forget me.
Kakashi walked down the hall leading to the ANBU HQ. It was dimly lit, and it was very sparse, nothing but concrete and the distant sound of dripping pipes. If Obito had been here, he would have made a sarcastic comment of some kind.
(Kakashi wondered when he started giving any thought to what Obito thought or said about things.)
The agent in the bird mask who was leading him came to a stop in front of a door, one just as grey and ugly as the others, indistinguishable from all the others. She knocked sharply, and a familiar voice sounded from within.
"Enter."
The agent opened the door, and went inside. Assuming he was meant to follow, Kakashi entered the room as well. Inside sat Minato, in a high backed chair behind a desk. He smiled when he saw Kakashi.
"You may go. Thank you, Hawk." Minato said, addressing the other agent. With a swift bow, she left, closing the door behind her. "Thank you for coming here today, Kakashi. I appreciate it." Minato said, turning to his student.
Kakashi simply nodded in acknowledgement, not speaking. Apparently undeterred, Minato pulled a folder out in front of him. "I have brought you here to ANBU because I have a specific mission for you. It's A to S ranked, and must be kept absolutely confidential. It will take a minimum of eight months, perhaps up to the year."
"Where am I going?" Kakashi asked, picking up the mission brief.
"You won't be leaving the village. This is a bodyguard assignment, but you cannot let the person know you are guarding them." Minato paused. "You are guarding Kushina."
That caused Kakashi to look up. "Kushina-san? Why? Did something happen to her?"
Minato frowned, and leaned back. "You have never been told this, but Kushina is the vessel of the nine tailed demon fox. She has been able to keep it under wraps for most of her life, but now she might not be able to. You see, one of the only times that a sealing seal of the level she possesses can weaken is during childbirth."
"Kushina-san is pregnant?" Kakashi asked, disbelief in his tone.
Minato nodded. "Yes. We found out a few weeks ago. If anyone outside the village was to find out, it could be a serious risk not only to her and the baby, but to the village itself. There are those who would like nothing more than to use her power for evil, and when she gives birth it is likely someone will attempt to do so."
Kakashi swallowed, turning his gaze away from Minato again. "And…. You want me to guard her? That's why I'm here?"
"Yes." Minato reached over, clasping Kakashi's shoulder. "I know things have been rough for you, Kakashi, but I trust you. I believe you can do this."
Kakashi felt sick. Why did sensei trust him like this? What had he ever done to deserve that trust? He hadn't been able to save his father, he killed Rin, he very nearly got himself and Obito killed on the Iwa mission, losing an eye in the process. There was nothing trustworthy about him.
(Another part of him, somewhere in the back of his head, asked why he was even here in the first place. Why he was being given this responsibility, why Obito had tried to stop him, why people kept trying to help him when he did nothing but let them down.)
"This mission is not voluntary, Kakashi." Minato said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I have brought you here for the sole purpose of completing this mission. Whether or not you stay in ANBU after that is your choice. This, however, is not."
His thoughts drifted to the note he had left Obito. It had been impulsive, stupid. But he felt that Obito deserved something to know that Kakashi hadn't just disappeared. Something to tell him that he would soon be the only member of team 7. Kakashi didn't think he would be leaving ANBU after nine months. Looking back up at Minato, Kakashi replied:
"Do I start now?"