Kakashi understood many things.

He could understand wanting praise. He could understand admiring the attributes of others, like strength, intelligence, or resourcefulness. He could understand the desire to prove yourself.

He could understand all that, but he couldn't understand his classmates. Some would tell him how impressive he was, and a few complained how it wasn't fair.

It wasn't that Kakashi thought of himself as incompetent, he dutifully trained, but there was a noticeable gap between him and the others. It made things difficult when he considered himself to still be in the phase of learning basic competency.

For example, he received endless praise when Toshi-sensei asked to see Kakashi perform a clone, so he made a dozen shadow clones since sensei hadn't specified how many clones to make. It was meant to be a demonstration to prove he could accomplish it. He needed to show it wasn't a fluke to instill trust in his sensei that he was capable of the basics.

Clones.

Transformation.

Replacement.

Those three techniques were crucial for a shinobi. Clones were for decoys and alibis. Transformation was for deception and integration. Replacement was for evasion and trickery. They were the core necessities of being a shinobi.

The jutsu hadn't always existed, but when they were developed, they were implemented into the curriculum as a baseline. As a baseline, Kakashi grouped clones as basic competency.

His classmates needed to train more if they were impressed by something so basic. It wasn't that hard. The only thing he deemed impressive about it was having enough chakra to make that many clones, even if he had felt his chakra quickly drain because of them. No one commented on his chakra, though, so there was no compliment worth bathing in.

It wasn't that he hated them. He had looked forward to entering the academy to learn more and be around more people like him. Reality differed from how he imagined it. It wasn't that they weren't capable of anything. They were simply underwhelming. Kakashi existed in his own little spotlight. A space he couldn't leave from, nor one anyone could enter. He wanted to learn what he wanted to learn. Talking to people frequently felt like trying to decode Yuina's work. That wasn't even factoring in how often the rules were broken, from classroom rules to the shinobi rules. Kakashi didn't understand and so it caused a crack too large to fully bridge.

Kakashi tried to rationalize things. Give any explanation he could for the differences. A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings. There had to be something he was missing.

He remembered Yuina's words: We should eat lunch separately for a bit. Talk to others. Make some friends.

He hated it.

No matter how much someone tried, a saltwater fish couldn't live in freshwater.

Kakashi doubled down and focused on what was within his control. A shinobi must prepare before it was too late to. He could continue to work on himself and his abilities. If that meant spending more time alone, then so be it.

Obito meandered into the class. The normally energetic boy had his life force drained from him. Obito took a seat and plopped his head down fast enough that a thump could be heard.

"Didn't work out?

Obito's head whipped upwards. "Be quiet, Shiro! It was your idea."

Shiro raised his hands in defense. "I said Kakashi has a sister. I didn't say use her to spy on him."

"I wasn't going to use her!" defended Obito. He liked to help people. Using people was bad. "I just…" He wanted something to leverage himself against Kakashi, regardless of where that source came from. "…wanted to know something Kakashi isn't good at." Anything! Obito needed to know Kakashi was a human and not some alien. It was cool at first, but it was increasingly frustrating and bad for his self-esteem.

Speaking of Kakashi…

"Hey Kakashi, what are you doing?"

Kakashi refused to look over at Obito. He may have been addressed, but Obito's conversation hadn't been quiet. "Just something I'm working on. You wouldn't understand." Kakashi held no malice. This was a simple fact he had reluctantly come to accept.

Obito was irritated. That sounded like a challenge. He eyed Raidou who sat next to Kakashi. He was serious, but was a much more approachable classmate than Kakashi. "Raidou, can you take a peek and tell us what Kakashi is looking at?"

Kakashi watched Raidou panic, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't mind sitting next to Raidou. He took things seriously, even if he was clumsy. Kakashi made the decision for him by sliding his notebook towards Raidou.

Raidou was astonished Kakashi gave him his notebook. He was relieved. He didn't have to pick a side this way. Except looking down he wasn't sure what he could tell Obito. He peaked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye before he flipped the page. Then another. And another.

Obito watched impatiently. Even Shiro looked on curiously, though that may have been in anticipating Obito receiving feedback he wouldn't like.

"Maybe something math related?" Raidou's voice raised a key towards the end.

"Maybe?" Shiro was prepared to make fun of Obito, but now he felt just as lost. "Is it or isn't it?"

"Just give it here." Obito would look at the damned book himself.

He shouldn't have.

Like really shouldn't have.

"What's this gibberish?!" Obito couldn't begin to comprehend what he was looking at. Was he being pranked? It felt like a prank. He didn't take Kakashi as the prankster type, but nothing else made sense. Kakashi's words of him not being able to understand haunted Obito on repeat.

Kakashi shrugged. "I said you wouldn't understand." Kakashi didn't really understand it either, for the most part, but they didn't need to know that. He had stolen her notes again in retaliation. It was more accurate to say he copied them into a notebook of his own and placed her original back before she ever noticed. At least, he didn't think she knew he stole them. He was sure she would have voiced her anger otherwise, but this was payback for ditching him at school.

Kakashi only had time to copy two notebooks so far, but that included some of her early notes which were written normally. He was trying to reference her early notes with the coded research hoping to find duplicates, so he could break down the components of the code like Sakumo explained. So far, no such luck. It increased his respect for codebreakers.

Obito reluctantly returned the notebook, grumbling about Kakashi once more. He returned to the seat he had been sitting as and lowered his head once more, this time using his arms to shield his head from hitting the desk too hard. Rin tried to cheer him up but failed.

Toshi entered the class and the students quieted down.

"I don't want to." Nara Momoe complained as they practiced basic chakra exercises following the lesson. "Kaa-san makes me practice at home and my control is still sucks. Kakashi-kun, you're lucky. You make it look so easy."

"I practice at home too." He wasn't lazy. Kakashi may not have family hidden jutsu to learn, but that didn't mean he lazed around like Atsushi.

"You give up too easily, Momoe." Raidou looked at Gai practicing katas in the corner instead of practicing with everyone else.

Momoe's eyes followed Raidou's and she pouted. "Just talk to him already. You always overthink things. Gai would be your friend if you ask him."

"I can't." Raidou's voice cracked as he whispered his response. "He's too cool."

Kakashi's eyes bugged out like a fly's. He would never put Gai and cool in the same category. Gai was the opposite of cool.

"You're cool too Kakashi," Raidou added, believing Kakashi took it as slight against himself, "but Gai has spirit you can almost see."

Sensei made his rounds around the classroom to help those who needed extra attention.

"Sensei." Kakashi called as the man approached their group. Momoe and Raidou gaped because Kakashi never asked questions.

Even Toshi-sensei steadied himself as he realized it was Kakashi who called out to him. "Yes Kakashi?"

Kakashi thought he may get answers Yuina so desperately wanted from his teacher. He could imagine her face. It would be the best revenge. "My chakra affinity is lightning. What is the best way to alter it to use other elements?" It wasn't the top of Kakashi's priority list. He only knew one minor lightning jutsu, so it made more sense to explore that area first.

Toshi was unprepared for the question, and with good reason. Most of the class was still getting comfortable molding their chakra in the consistent, reliable way. Kakashi wasn't the only student who could reliably control their chakra or wanted to learn more. Rin had asked him how she should go about learning medical ninjutsu, and Arata asked about weaponry that was much too big for him. This question was a little different. "Do you not like lightning?"

Kakashi tried to think of a reason to give him. "Lightning is good, but Sandaime-sama can use the five elements."

Toshi wasn't impressed with Kakashi's knowledge. The Hokage was renowned for his mastery over the elements.

Kakashi repeated a phrase he had heard many times before. "If the molecular compounds of what make my chakra lightning aligned, then it can be broken down and manipulated into other elements. Even more than the standard five."

Raidou and Momoe are lost, but that was nothing new. Momoe hated effort, and Raidou was better at reciting information than exploring information.

Toshi quietly stared. Sakumo's kid had proven himself again as some intuitive genius. Unfortunately, even though his brightest student finally requested something from him, he had no answer to give. It was possible but extremely rare, to the point he believed there was some bloodline component to it that people weren't aware of yet. Kakashi using the Hokage as an example wasn't helping him think otherwise. More than that, Kakashi wanted to surpass the standard five. Like wood? No, that was silly. No, please. Someone tell him that his first-year genius wasn't somehow trying to recreate wood release.

Kakashi had already commented on the Third Hokage's abilities, though, so why would he discount the First's? Toshi felt an oncoming migraine. Why couldn't he have the other class?

Toshi decided he should start sparring lessons soon. Anything to draw Kakashi's attention elsewhere so Toshi wouldn't lose his sanity.

"How about I get more information about a lightning jutsu for you?" He had a fire affinity and didn't typically teach elemental jutsu, but drastic measures meant containing the danger. Kakashi would be good for Konoha one day, but it was best to get Kakashi to slow down for the time being.

Toshi hadn't even processed whether Kakashi only knew his affinity or whether he was already proficient in that too.

"That doesn't answer the question, sensei."

No. No, it didn't.

Toshi doubted he would even last the year teaching this kid.