A/N: So Kakashi's disguise "Sukea" is legit a famous painter and photographer. With his Sharingan, he can be a chameleon when it comes to different artistic styles. His most famous piece is the Veiled Woman (the painting of the third kazekage's consort), which I kind of picture like Vermeer's Girl with the Peral Earing, while the Sandstorm painting Gaara bought (stole) is more Monet styled. Anyways, we're picking back up with the ninja roughly four years after the Uchiha massacre. Hope you all enjoy, and I apologize for the delay in updating ~ much love, depressedchildren
Chapter 6: Interlude with Ninja pt 2
Iruka looked out at his soon to be former students. His chest swelled with pride as he examined each and every one of them. Their forehead protectors gleamed from the classroom's overhead lights, and each child's passionate, determined expression was directed toward him.
He had been teaching these kids for four years—they were his first assigned class, and he was going to miss each of them. He worried for them too. About a half-dozen of the kids in his class had been in some sort of program—no one talked about it but the trailed off sentences and knowing, pitying looks said all that needed to be said—and had been a mess when they had joined the academy. Sure, they could throw kunai and shuriken perfectly, but the social elements of the academy were where these children struggled.
The past four years had allowed these children to adapt some, and they were now more or less adjusted, but Iruka still worried for them. Many of these skilled children had been bullied for their lack of social graces and lack of emotions. Their skills were also a point of jealousy for the lone Uchiha child. He hoped none of those kids were paired up with the avenger—it would be a disaster.
Iruka cleared his throat to draw the attention of the few students who were daydreaming or talking to their peers. He smiled and began to explain their new roles as genin before rattling off the team assignments.
"Team 1: Sato Sai, Suzuki Akira, and Aburame Ichiko under Jōnin…Yamato?" Iruka reread the instructor's name and frowned, the man had just one name? Odd, orphans were often given a family name like Sato or Suzuki. "Jōnin instructor Yamato," Iruka repeated to make up for his stumble.
He pushed aside his confusion and continued rattling off the different teams. Maybe this Yamato was one of the older ninja who had been the in the unspoken program? It would do well for Sai and Akira to be under his care then; at least the Jōnin would be able to understand their social awkwardness.
"Team 2: Hyuuga Minori, Miyashita Kazuhiro, Jin Yuichi under Jōnin instructor Yamanaka Santa." That team would likely not be passing their instructor test; the Yamanaka had just been promoted and, with Minori being a branch member as well as a former program-kid…Iruka did not have a lot of faith in their success. While he was happy to see psychological and mental well-being were being taken into consideration with these team assignments, he did not think such a team would work in the long run.
"Team 3 is still in rotation. Team 4: Nakazawa Michi, Konda Yoshiyuki, Suzuki Haru under Jōnin Nara Daen." Another program-kid he wasn't sure would pass the instructor test, especially given Haru's new teammates had bullied the kid. Their teamwork would be abysmal from the lack of trust alone.
"Team 5: Tamaki Gorou, Omori Masumi, Kajiwara Nori under Jōnin Mimura Hamaki." That team was doomed to fail. Mimura hadn't passed a genin team since the end of the Third War and his notoriety for having survived a battalion of Iwa ninja left a large bounty on his head. Why did they keep trying to assign him teams? He'd never take any on if only to save them from becoming targets of his enemies.
"Team 6 is still in rotation. Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke, Sato Shin, and Haruno Sakura under Hatake Kakashi" Iruka ignored the pink haired child's cheering and the glares she received from the rest of the Uchiha Fanclub. He was more concerned about Shin and Sasuke being on the same time, as well as how Sai would react. Iruka's gaze shifted over to the dark-haired boy assigned to Team 1—he was glaring darkly at Sasuke who was glaring at the gray-haired boy, Shin, assigned to his team.
Shin should have graduated by now, but, due to a near fatal sickness, he had missed several years of the academy. When the boy was healthy enough to return, he was placed in his honorary brother's class, which only increased Sai's brother complex. Ah, what is it with younger brothers having complexes about their older brothers?
Sasuke was awful when it came to his older brother. He wanted to kill the man, yes, but if anyone talked bad about the older Uchiha—Kami help them! Really, Iruka didn't understand why Sai and Sasuke had so much trouble with each other when they were so alike. Yes, Shin and Sai were as equally skilled as Sasuke, if not more so, but really!? The sparks competitiveness had gone far past the realms of friendly and was more of a hinderance to the young Uchiha's success.
At least that team was unlikely to pass given their instructor was the mysterious Hatake Kakashi. The man was seen in the village once a year around the genin graduation exams and, for the last four years, he had been assigned teams that he failed. Rumor suggested he was traveling the world with Jiraiya of the Sannin, while others implied he was part of ANBU. Both rumors would explain how little anyone had seen or heard of the Jōnin, even though rumor said he had been a jōnin for half his life.
Iruka pushed those thoughts aside and continued rattling off the teams. "Team 8: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino under Jōnin Yuhi Kurenai." With the clan heirs on that team and how new Yuhi was to teaching, Iruka thought the team had a chance of passing the instructor test. "Team 9 is still in rotation. Team 10: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji under Jōnin Sarutobi Asuma." That was another promising genin cell, especially given the tried-and-true Ino-Shika-Cho combination.
"You will break for lunch and then meet your instructors here in an hour. Congratulations Genin," he called to the kids in the room.
…
Kakashi shoved his hands in his pants' pockets as he made his way through the now empty Academy school. He hated being recalled to the village when he should be out there gathering more information on Akatsuki. Itachi had yet to be trusted with the rogue organization's headquarters and was instead doing missions with his Kiri missing-nin partner to raise the Akatsuki coffers. This meant they had to get the information about Naruto from Orochimaru, who was an elusive bastard on the worst of days.
Kakashi's steps faltered as he turned onto the hallway which led to the classroom where he was supposed to pick up the kids two hours ago. They were yelling.
"Maa, I don't get what your problem is," a boy said in what might have been a placating manner if not for how loud he was.
"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" a girl shrieked.
"He's the one that started things!" the boy retorted with an edge of confusion to his words.
"Just fight me, already!" a different boy snarled.
"Why?" the other boy whined. "Can't we just wait for our—"
"You should be honored he wants to associate with a freak like you!" the girl screeched as she cut the boy's sentence off. There was a tense beat as Kakashi hurried toward the room.
"Come on, Sato, let's fight," the angry boy demanded.
Kakashi mentally cursed as he reached the door. He recognized one of the chakra signatures as one of the ROOT kids he'd trained. Why did the Hokage keep doing this to him? He shoved his emotions down and opened the door in time to hear the former ROOT kid's quiet response: "I don't want to."
Kakashi put on an eye-smile and opened the door. "Maa, what spirited genin I have," he chirped. Through the eye-smile he noted the tension between the three genin. The girl was off to the side of the Uchiha boy and clearly fawning over him, while Sasuke glared at the dark-gray-haired boy standing opposite him. Shin…Kakashi remembered the gray-haired boy well. He usually had an easygoing smile and was always loud, but he looked withdrawn in this classroom. The "freak" comment from the girl was the likely cause.
Shin turned and gasped, clear recognition on his face. Sasuke, for his part, looked like he had seen a ghost once he saw Kakashi. The dark-haired boy started shaking his head. "No…" he whispered.
"Sensei!" Shin chirped as he bounded over to him, his mood had improved substantially with just Kakashi's presence—damn it. "I'm glad to see you back in Konoha!"
"And how have you been, Shin?" Kakashi asked with a forced cheer. He did care about the kid, but he hated being reminded of what he had done…
"Much better than when we last met. I was quite ill for a time, and Sai was very worried."
"Oh? And how is he doing?" Kakashi asked mildly as he took in the disbelieving expression on Sasuke's face. The Uchiha was still shaking his head and was becoming paler by the second. Sakura looked torn between curiosity about Shin's acquaintance with their sensei and worry over the Uchiha's mental state.
"Ah, he's well, but he wishes to apprentice under Sukea-sensei to improve his artistry. He's trying to save up so he can buy the Veiled Woman from an art museum in Grass."
Was this little brat insinuating something? Kakashi took his gaze off of Sasuke long enough to read the gray-haired boy in front of him. No, he just had a simple adoration for his little brother's dreams.
"He decided not to become a ninja then?" Kakashi asked, though he knew the answer already. Sasuke seemed to be about done processing whatever internal freak out he was having.
"Oh no! He is a ninja and has learned to make his drawings come to life. He just thinks training under Sukea-sensei will enhance his skills!" Shin had a bright smile on his face as he boasted about his little brother. Kakashi couldn't help but snort slightly at that and ruffled the gray-haired boy's hair. Shin pouted but also leaned into the touch as he smiled up at Kakashi.
"It's good to have goals. Are you planning to help your brother meet this artist?"
"He's only the most famous painter and photographer in all the Hidden Nations, of course I have to help him! Sai wouldn't know what to say and might stick his foot in his mouth if I weren't there!"
That drew an actual chuckle from Kakashi. Oh, if only the kid knew. "Well, it's been nice catching up, Shin-kun, but we should meet the rest of your team, no?"
Shin nodded seriously. There was an amusing element to such an earnest expression being on the kid's face.
Sakura was now chewing her lip as she looked between Shin and Kakashi. He could see the wheels turning in her brain and just imagined she was feeling bad for insulting the kid—though not because she was remorseful but because it was clear her sensei had a connection to the kid.
Kakashi cleared his throat as he leaned against the desk at the front of the classroom. This drew the pale Uchiha's attention back to him. The boy audibly swallowed and looked like he was ready to fall over. Kakashi looked between the three genin expectantly.
"Ah…Sensei, what should we be doing?" the lone girl asked hesitantly.
Kakashi eye-smiled, "Introducing yourself of course." His flippant response made the girl's eye twitch.
"Maa, Sensei, I think she needs a demonstration," Shin commented. "Should I go first?" he asked next. Kakashi eye-smiled and nodded.
"My name is Sato Shin, genin of Konoha, registration number 012622. I specialize in weapons, specifically kenjutsu and shuriken-jutsu. While I prefer using my tanto, I have become quite fond of this," he pulled a giant shuriken from the holster on his back before reharnessing it.
"Hobbies? Dreams?" Kakashi prompted having not liked how robotic the boy's voice had become—the response was likely a holdover from the boy's ROOT programming, which made Kakashi feel sick to his stomach.
Shin blinked in surprise before his face lit up in joy. "Of course. My hobbies include looking after my brother and watching him draw. He's a great artist and I love seeing his creations!" Kakashi gave the boy a pointed look, which led to the boy quickly adding on, "I like to cook too! My dream is to one day introduce my brother to Sukea-sensei." Kakashi coughed and gave another pointed look. Shin's eyes widened before he started laughing and rubbing sheepishly at the back of his head. "Right, my goals." The boy paused for a beat before a frown crossed his features. "I guess my other goal is to make sure no one else abuses their power," he whispered.
"Admirable goal," Kakashi murmured in reply. Shin gave him a tired and sad smile. Ah, why'd the kid have to look so sad!? Kakashi set his hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed. The boy's smile grew warmer.
"Ah, Shin-san," Sakura spoke up awkwardly. It was clear the honorific was new. "How do you know Hatake-sensei?" she asked slowly.
"Kakashi-sensei," Kakashi corrected her. "And I'm not sure if Shin-kun should tell you since you view him so negatively," he added with an eye-smile. The girl paled and looked down at the ground ashamed.
"I-is it true then? There was some advanced training program?" Sasuke asked. His voice was neutral but there was clear conflict on his face—a struggle between anger, jealousy, and fear.
Shin shifted uncomfortably. Kakashi glanced over to Shin who shrugged while looking at the ground. Kakashi sighed.
"There were individuals in the village who abused their positions of authority," he began slowly. "One in particular would collect vulnerable children, children with no families or political protection and…" Kakashi trailed off. How do you explain to children the torture and horror the kids in ROOT faced.
"Trained us to be perfect, emotionless weapons," Shin finished for him.
Kakashi tried to clear his suddenly tight throat. "That," he replied quietly.
"Isn't that what we're supposed to be?" Sakura asked slowly with her brow furrowed.
"According to Ninja Law, yes. We are weapons, tools to achieve the goals of our leaders. And having seen the results of that in your fellow academy students, what do you think?" he prompted the girl.
Sasuke had wrapped his arms around himself and was clutching tightly to his elbows. Sakura was chewing at her lip while Shin shifted closer to Kakashi. "It doesn't seem right," Sakura whispered with her face flushed.
Sasuke was trembling now. "It's like aniki," he whispered to himself, his voice cracking.
Shin leaned into Kakashi's side, and the Jōnin allowed the contact—he wouldn't have four years ago, but he did now.
"Some people think emotions make dull weapons, others believe it can make them sharper," Kakashi stated slowly. "I know that too much or too little of emotion can cause harm to the one wielding said weapon. I also know the weapon can be damaged in those attacks too."
Each kid flinched at his words.
"W-were you part of that program, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked slowly as she looked at him through her hair.
"I'm a product of multiple wars and from an age when being emotional was considered harmful." Kakashi looked down at Shin who was now hiding his face against Kakashi's flak jacket. The jōnin understood why the kid did this. He had been one of the only comforting adults the ROOT kids had, even though he had assisted in their torture and brainwashing.
He looked down sadly at the gray-haired boy pressed to his side.
"I've also done what I can to dismantle institutions like that," he whispered before smoothing down the back of Shin's hair. "But there will always be commanding officers or clients who expect us to be emotionless tools. There will always be people who hurt us," he whispered.
Kakashi shook his head and looked up at the two pale students who remained in front of him. "Maa…such is the ninja way, so it cannot be helped. Now are you two going to introduce yourselves?" he asked with forced cheer. He patted Shin once on the back and the boy backed away from him. The boy was blushing in embarrassment from seeking comfort but now was trying to school his features.
Sakura pushed her pink hair behind her ear and chewed at her lip. "Um, well, my name is Haruno Sakura," she began awkwardly. "I am a genin of Konoha and my registration number is 012601. I got a perfect score on my written exams and um…" the girl frowned as she glared at the floorboards. "I uh…I…" She looked defeated for a moment. "I don't know what I'm good at," she whispered. "I don't really have any special skills," she confessed.
Kakashi hummed. "What about hobbies and goals?" he prompted.
The girl blushed and looked over at the still pale Uchiha before shaking her head and adopting a determined look. "I like sowing, tea ceremonies, and learning about new things. I suppose my goal is to become a powerful ninja of Konoha!"
Shin gave her a bright smile. "That sounds like a great goal, Sakura-san!"
She blushed slightly at the boy's response and began to fidget. Kakashi suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He gestured to Sasuke.
"I am Uchiha Sasuke, genin of Konoha. My registration number is 012606. I specialize in taijutsu, my fire release, and shuriken-jutsu," the boy whispered, his face still pale. "I don't have many hobbies and my goal…" His brow furrowed and he began to breathe faster. "My goal…" he began again but it was clear he was going into a panic attack.
Kakashi crouched in front of the boy. "Breathe with me, kid. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four." The boy was trying but his eyes were starting to glance around the room frantically.
"My goal—but what if—I thought…it was a dream, it had to—" he was starting to hyperventilate.
Kakashi cursed and quickly ran through a sleeping genjutsu. When the boy succumbed to the jutsu, he caught him and looked to Shin and Sakura. "I'm taking your teammate to a Yamanaka. Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow at sunrise for your real genin test. Don't eat—you might throw up."
He then used the body flicker technique to reach one of the Yamanaka psychiatry offices. He propped the boy up in a chair within the waiting room and explained the panic attack to the receptionist. She gave the boy a pitying look but otherwise didn't comment.
He was going to have to wait here until the kid woke up and the Yamanaka saw him. Kakashi settled into one of the chairs and pulled out the book he was proof-reading for Jiraiya. It was erotica and not that well written, but everyone needed a hobby. Kakashi painted in his spare time (posing as a [now] world renowned artist for six years had rubbed off on him) but he had always liked to read. Erotica was not his preferred genre, but he could enjoy the fantasy of reading about happy and (relatively) healthy relationships. However, he imagined he was an unusual reader since the content didn't exactly titillate him.
Kakashi sighed as he bracketed another plot hole and added a suggestion for how the gangster princess could have eluded her overprotective bodyguards to meet up with the hero of the series. He even suggested the woman could have made out with some of her guards while feeding them a sleeping agent. Kakashi has seen multiple kunoichi do such a tactic and had even resorted to it as a young Sukea when he had been pursued by an eager fan in Taki. He shuddered at the memory.
"I-is that…porn?" a quiet and incredulous voice asked at to his side. The receptionist from across the room gasped.
"Maa, I'm proofreading it for a friend," Kakashi told the boy as he gave the Uchiha an eye-smile. Since Kakashi wasn't actively maintaining the genjutsu, the boy had woken up from the artificial sleep quickly.
"But it's porn," Sasuke repeated with a frown.
"My friend writes erotica," Kakashi replied with the same cheerfulness.
Sasuke just blinked several times and then looked around him. "Where are we?" he asked quietly, still withdrawn after his panic attack.
"Waiting to visit with Yamanaka-sensei. You had a panic attack," he explained.
Sasuke ducked his head in shame and self-loathing. He balled up his fists at his side.
"Maa, everyone gets them," Kakashi added even though he really shouldn't be investing such time into the kid. Unless…oh that crafty old monkey! He was making him care about the kids he was assigned so he might go easier on them! Well, joke was on the Hokage, Kakashi was only going to accept a team if they demonstrated teamwork and put that above the bell test/mission!
"I recognize you, but I know we've never met," Sasuke stated slowly, thus drawing Kakashi from his thoughts. He hummed in response and the boy glared off to the side.
"The night…" the boy began before trailing off. Kakashi knew what the boy was saying and glanced over at the receptionist. She was looking at them with clear interest.
He sighed. "Have you told Yamanaka-sensei his patient's awake?" he asked her with another eye-smile. She glared at him for a moment but got up and left the waiting room.
Now that they were the only ones left, Kakashi leaned down slightly and whispered. "Don't say anything here, wait until we're behind seals."
Sasuke shot him an alarmed look, while Kakashi summoned Pakkun to relay a message to the Hokage. Undoubtedly, this particular cat was coming out of the bag.
The receptionist returned followed by the Yamanaka they would be meeting with.
"Ah, Uchiha-san, do you want your Sensei to come with you?" the pale blonde asked. Sasuke looked over to Kakashi and nodded.
Kakashi got up with the boy and they both entered the room. Kakashi then slapped a few privacy seals up as well as one of the experimental anti-dimensional rift seals he'd been making with Jiraiya—it was clear that masked bastard could create rifts through time and space with his sharingan (if he was indeed Madara), so they needed a defense.
It took more chakra than the Jōnin had expected. Head spinning, Kakashi fell back into a seat. Okay, that seal probably wasn't working—it definitely cost too much chakra and looked like it was already burning up. He groaned.
"…Hatake-san, what was that?" the Yamanaka asked in clear alarm. Sasuke was also alarmed. Kakashi just groaned and rubbed at his temples—stupid small chakra reserves.
Before Kakashi could bring himself to respond, there was a knock at the door. Kakashi opened it and saw Pakkun had returned with one of the Hokage's smaller summons. Of course. He refrained from rolling his eyes and welcomed the small monkey into the room.
Sasuke was looking at each occupant within the room with wide eyes. Kakashi went back to the chair he'd previously dropped into and leaned back before he decided to break the awkward atmosphere. "Maa, Sasuke-kun, why don't you continue what you were saying from before?"
The boy frowned. "I remember seeing you the night…that night," the boy couldn't bring himself to be more specific. "You were wearing armor like ANBU and you were fighting a man in a black cloak—it had red clouds on it." The boy was trembling again. "I-I thought it was a dream because I had seen aniki…" his words choked him.
The Yamanaka was staring at them. Kakashi ignored the blonde man. "Yes, that masked man, he aided Uchiha Itachi in the murder of your family."
The boy shook his head as tears collected in his eyes. "B-but I saw him murder our parents and then—and then he had these different eyes and I saw him killing everyone." The boy was choking back sobs.
Kakashi looked to the monkey who shrugged. It would interject with the Hokage's will if he told too much, so the masked jōnin proceeded with his explanation. "After that masked man knocked you against the wall and you fell unconscious, I tried to fight him some more but ended up on the edge of chakra exhaustion. He struck me and believed I was unconscious. As such, I overheard him and Itachi talking."
The boy flinched but then looked up at Kakashi with a determined expression. "W-what did he say?" the boy asked with only a slight tremble to his words.
Kakashi leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "That he needed your eyes because the Uchiha have a history of taking their family members' eyes—presumably when their own eyes are too damaged."
Sasuke looked like he was about to be sick, so did the Yamanaka in the room. The boy practically reared back and one of his hands jerked up to his eyes. "No!"
"The masked man wanted to kill you because you had seen him; Itachi convinced him you had a purpose still and that he could make you forget about him," Kakashi pressed on.
"W-why would my brother work with that man?"
"Itachi called him Madara, as in Uchiha Madara a traitor to Konoha and the Uchiha clan," Kakashi stated this calmly and looked into the boy's panicked eyes.
"But he's dead. He died like a hundred years ago!" Sasuke exclaimed as he shook his head.
"Indeed," the monkey spoke up at this point. "He might have powers we can only fathom, like the teleportation technique he used to get to you before Kakashi-kun, here."
"What?!"
Kakashi shot an unimpressed look at the Yamanaka still in the room for the blonde's exclamation and then another one at the monkey summons. "He hasn't come back to Konoha since that night, and for the last four years, I've been tracking this man down," Kakashi told Sasuke in part to reassure the traumatized child.
The boy was trembling as he looked back over to Kakashi almost hopefully.
"Besides," Kakashi added, "for all we know, he only got into Konoha because he was let in by his accomplice and he can't teleport without having line of sight." It was actually more likely that Madara only needed to have seen or been to a location before teleporting there. That or it was a matter of sensing energies or anchors like with Sensei's signature jutsu (Kakashi was close to making the hirashin work for him, but the masked jōnin didn't have the chakra reserves for extended use).
The boy relaxed slightly but a troubled look passed over his face. "I saw some ANBU bodies outside the complex, but why weren't there alarms going off?" Sasuke asked quietly. "I thought I had imagined them until I saw you today."
"As Kakashi-kun said," the monkey responded, "Madara had an accomplice."
This response seemed to upset the boy more. He glared from the monkey to Kakashi. "But why were you inside fighting…fighting Madara while those ANBU were outside?"
The monkey bristled slightly and looked ready to interject, so the jōnin beat him to it. "Because I learned about the massacre and tried to stop it."
The monkey gave a shriek while Sasuke's expression grew more conflicted. "You could have said you were patrolling!" the monkey hissed. Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"The kid's smart. He saw through a mutli-layered, mind shattering genjutsu left by Itachi. He would have figured out—"
"That it was planned. Itachi wasn't trying to test his strength; he was completing a mission like a good weapon!" Sasuke hissed, standing up in a rage and glaring venomously at a far wall. The boy's hands shook at his side as he tried not to lash out. The monkey gave another screech and jumped up to hide behind Kakashi.
Kakashi stood up and set his hands against the boy's shoulders. Sasuke tried to fight him off, but Kakashi was insistent. "Remember what we were talking about during the introductions. Remember the person who abused their power?" Kakashi asked quickly. Sasuke flinched and then snarled at the monkey.
"Yes!" He was clearly blaming the Hokage.
"There was an elder, a council member who plotted against the Hokage from the shadows," Kakashi told the boy firmly. "He thought he was doing what was best for Konoha, but he was holding onto antiquated notions of what the ninja world was." Sasuke was looking in Kakashi's eyes with a wild anger but also a fear. The monkey was screaming behind Kakashi and jumping up and down in frustration that the Jōnin wasn't listening to it. Well too bad. He had had autonomy for too long, and he knew what kind of madness and resentment was growing in this small boy's mind, for Kakashi had struggled with it too after learning what Danzō had done to his father…to countless others.
"This man, he refused to let go of his power. So, he kidnapped children and brainwashed them. He ruined the lives of ninja who didn't follow the rules. He swayed public opinion and manipulated laws so that powerful clans were brought to heel. That man abused his power and decided the only way to stop the Uchiha Coup, that he caused, was by killing them all and taking their eyes."
Sasuke made a pained sound, like a cry of an animal as he gasped. Kakshi pressed on and forced the boy to look at him. "I shoved my hand through his heart once I had found the evidence of his treason. He's gone but his actions have robbed us of a founding family."
The boy's legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground sobbing. "A-and aniki?" he asked.
"It might have been a mission to him, or he might have wanted to test himself like he told you—maybe he wanted to impress Madara? I can't say because I don't know. No one knows what was going through Itachi's mind." Kakashi kept back the fact he knew Itachi was a loyal Konoha ninja as the boy was not ready to hear that and who knew if Kakashi's seals had truly kept eavesdroppers out.
Sasuke sobbed more. He gasped for breath and his whole body shook. "W-where is he now?"
"He's working for Madara, or at least he wears the same cloak as him now," Kakashi replied. Sasuke sobbed some more and hid his face in his hands.
"Why didn't you stop it?" the boy asked brokenly.
"I tried, but I got there too late," Kakashi whispered, and the boy made another wounded sound.
The Yamanaka who had been silent this whole time cursed. Kakashi couldn't help but agree. He was pretty sure he was going to be stuck with this team, especially now that all these secrets had been aired. "F***"
…
Hatake Kakashi regretted many things in his life. He regretted pulling away from his father during the man's time of need; he regretted holding so tightly to the Shinobi rules that he missed out on bonding with his genin team until it was too late; he regretted not going after Rin sooner because maybe then they wouldn't have been in that cave when they had fought the Iwa nin, and Obito wouldn't have had to push Kakashi out of the way of the cave-in.
He supposed those three regrets led to all the other regrets in his life. Afterall, if he hadn't been ashamed of his father then he might have mitigated the harm Danzō caused. If Kakashi hadn't metaphorically helped drive the White Saber into his father, then Kakashi wouldn't have tried to live so completely by the shinobi rulebook. If he hadn't lived by the shinobi rulebook, he would have made stronger bonds with his genin team and would have never allowed Rin to be taken by enemies. If he had cared more about his teammates, then he would have run after Rin and her assailants immediately, and Obito wouldn't have died. If Obito hadn't died, then Kakashi wouldn't have been alone on that next mission with Rin when…
Kakashi regretted much. He regretted getting his teammates killed. He regretted that he hadn't treasured Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee more. He regretted not being there for Naruto during the Kyuubi attack.
Kakashi wanted to regret taking on this genin team, but he didn't. He wanted to regret how little he had trained them before their first C-rank, but his focus had rightly been on building their teamwork. He wanted to regret listening to his genin when they insisted on proceeding on with the C-rank mission turned B-rank and then A-rank. He wanted to regret it so very badly, but one look at the deplorable state of Wave said it had been the right choice.
If he could not regret taking on his dysfunctional team, limiting their training, or continuing on with the mis-ranked mission to Wave, then what should he regret and blame for the tragedy before him?
He had made a vow to himself after Rin… He made a vow to never let another teammate die. It was a foolish vow, unrealistic in the world of ninja, but he had made it nonetheless. Now, as the mist cleared from the bridge, and the dome of ice mirrors cracked, and blood dripped from Kakashi's hand…
Kakashi couldn't see the dead boy protecting a stunned and paralyzed Zabuza; he couldn't see Tazuna holding back a sobbing Sakura. No. All Kakashi could see were his two male students. Sasuke was cradling the older boy's torso against his own. They both resembled pincushions more than people, and blood welled around the needles or at the corners of their mouths. Sasuke's eyes were red with spinning tomoe marks. His body was shaking. Belatedly, Kakashi realized Sasuke was crying over the gray-haired boy's form. Shin…Shin's eyes stared straight ahead and were growing glassy as his already pale skin grew paler.
Perhaps Kakashi's concentration slipped, or Zabuza overcharged the paralyzing seals on him, but now the missing nin was folded over the limp and cooling body of the boy who'd jumped in front of Kakashi's Chidori. (And wasn't that another painful and shocking reminder of a regret.)
There was a beat of silence as both jōnin stared in horror at their respective fallen charges. Then, Zabuza glared up at Kakashi—his arms mangled and useless at his sides. Kakashi glared back at the former mist-nin. They each inhaled, ready to threaten when a laugh broke through the clearing mists.
They both turned and saw Gato with a battalion of thugs at his sides. One glance between the two jōnin, and an understanding had been reached. Gato monologued and Kakashi helped place a kunai handle between his former enemy's teeth. Kakashi numbly moved back toward his client, thus freeing Sakura to run toward Sasuke and Shin's body.
Kakashi watched impassively as Zabuza was skewered by pikes, spears, and swords, but still killed over a dozen thugs before finishing off Gato. The remaining thugs were then scared away by the Wave citizens rising up in arms, led by Inari (whom Shin and Sakura had helped bring out of his shell).
With the enemies gone, Kakashi finally left Tazuna's side and moved toward his genin. They were both crying over Shin's body. Kakashi's feet numbly took him toward them, and then he kneeled between his surviving genin. He set his hands on their shoulders and stared down at Shin's body. Tears didn't come then, but they would before the boy's grave—after all, they were still on a mission, and Kakashi had to compartmentalize.
Kakashi squeezed Sakura and Sasuke's shoulders before he retracted his hands and reached into his vest for a body storage scroll (a morbid necessity for every out of village mission).
"Sensei?" Sakura questioned as he unrolled the scroll next to Shin's body. Sasuke glared through is tears at Kakashi—his Sharingan still spinning and fully mature (which was surprising since the boy had supposedly only just activated it).
"We need to store his body," Kakashi replied. Though is voice sounded distant to his own ears.
Sasuke's arms clutched Shin's corpse tighter to his chest. He didn't even flinch as the senbon sticking out of Shin's body stuck him.
"The scroll will preserve his body for a funeral. We owe his brother that much," Kakashi whispered.
Sasuke flinched but his arms relaxed. "This shouldn't have happened," Sasuke murmured. His voice cracked in the middle and was filled with such grief.
"It shouldn't have," Kakashi agreed. Sakura stifled a sob.
Sasuke glared at Kakashi. "How can you be so calm!?" he accused. The boy's voice was shaking—no, his whole body was shaking.
Kakashi swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Because we're still on a mission. When we're done, I will let myself feel, but for now, I'm not letting another teammate…" The words choked him. He looked away from his staring and surviving genin. He closed his eyes and breathed—tried to breathe—past the knot of emotions in his throat.
It took longer than it should have, but eventually he was able to breathe again, and he turned back to his genin. "We need to prepare his body."
Sakura nodded through her tears while Sasuke glared off to the side as tears continued to slip past his spinning red eyes.
"I should have stopped it. I should have been faster, stronger," Sasuke stated, though his words were choked with emotion and regret.
"I should have done more than-than—" Sakura cut herself off and sobbed into her hands. "I'm useless," she whispered.
"You protected the client," Kakashi whispered as he set a hand on Sakura's shoulder. She wanted to protest, he could see that, but Kakashi had turned his attention to Sasuke. "And blaming yourself for others' actions will only lead to madness—trust me."
Sasuke's face scrunched up as he tried to fight back emotion before settling on anger. Kakashi braced himself for what came next. "Why didn't you teach us more!?" the boy accused.
"Because more skills without the teamwork to back them up would have led to more death," Kakashi replied calmly. "I regret many things in my life, Sasuke-kun, but choosing to focus on teamwork is not one of them."
Sasuke shook his head in a vain attempt to hold onto his anger before his face crumpled into grief. "I shouldn't have rushed to fight him," Sasuke said, referring to the fake hunter-nin. Perhaps Sasuke could say these words because he was no longer able to hide behind the other excuses he'd come up with.
"We shouldn't have continued with the mission," Sakura whispered.
"Thinking of what should have been will only lead to madness—trust me," Kakashi replied, unaware of his own repetition.
"How do you know?!" Sasuke shot back, choosing to lash out rather than sit with his grief.
Kakashi stared down at his two surviving geinin who stared up at him with tear- and hurt-filled eyes. "Because I've lost too many teammates," he confessed. "I've been where you're both at—still struggle with what you're processing now. If only I had been faster, if only I had listened to my teammate, if only—" Kakashi choked on the words and coughed as he looked away from the genin.
"The grief…" Kakashi began slowly, "it can immobilize you. So, you have to compartmentalize until it's safe to feel. Do you understand?" he asked them.
They shook their heads because, of course, the grief is still too near. Shin's body is still in front of them and filled with senbon.
"We need to clean his body and store it in the seal," Kakashi repeated. His genin flinched at the "it" referral, but they slowly nodded and began to carefully remove the needles from the corpse. Kakashi assisted and then sealed the boy's corpse into the storage scroll.
When he rose back to his feet, Kakashi's head spun which drew his attention to the drain Obito's Sharingan was having on him. He closed his left eye and pulled his headband back over the transplanted eye. Sasuke and Sakura remained kneeling on the bridge and were staring at the bloody senbon scattered around where their teammate's body had been.
Kakashi swallowed around the lump in his throat. "I'm going to check in with Tazuna," he told them. Sakura nodded numbly while Sasuke glared at the cement of the bridge before closing his eyes.
Kakashi had made it perhaps a meter or two away when he heard Sakura begin speaking. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Sasuke. "If I wasn't so weak, we would have learned more and—"
Kakashi took a chakra enhanced leap and landed in front of the two not a millisecond later. "No," he said firmly while cutting Sakura off. Both genin looked up at him alarmed. Sasuke no longer had his Sharingan activated.
Before either child could say anything (and yes, they were children even if they were genin), Kakashi repeated what he had said earlier. "Greater skill would mean nothing without teamwork to back it up. It wasn't your individual skills keeping me from teaching you more complex techniques, it was your collective inability to work as a team."
Sakura flinched while Sasuke glared defiantly back at Kakashi. "We did work in a team," the boy protested.
"Did you though? How often did you and Shin incorporate Sakura into your plans?" Kakashi challenged. "How many times did you refuse your teammates' help, Sasuke? How many times did you think your teammates were holding you back and therefore not trust them with some aspect of the mission? How many times did you let your jealousy over Shin's skill cloud your judgment?"
Sasuke stopped meeting Kakashi's gaze halfway through the list. He now had his head bowed and tears were dripping down his face again. "S-so it's my fault?" Sasuke gasped out.
"You each were guilty of not working as a team," Kakashi corrected. "Sakura ignored Shin's suggestions in favor or yours, even when she or Shin had a sounder plan."—Sakura flinched—"Shin tried to shield you both from the darker parts of shinobi life, which meant not trusting you with parts of the mission. He also underestimated Sakura and avoided delegating physical responsibilities to her, just like you." It was Sasuke's turn to flinch.
Sakura, for her part, was looking down at her lap and fidgeting with a loose thread on her dress. After a moment, she spoke, "But if I was stronger then—"
"You could have gained strength by your teammates trusting you with such responsibilities or sharing those tasks. It would have helped each of you grow, even in areas you weren't strong in. Instead, you each tried to monopolize the tasks you were skilled in, to the detriment of the mission or training exercise."
"Why," Sasuke began, his voice sounding more like a croak. "Why do we need teamwork before advanced skills?"
"Because few ninja actually make it on their own," Kakashi replied. "There will be missions which require assistance, so you need to learn how to function in a team. If you don't know how to share leadership and responsibility with others, then you will only end up hurting yourself and others or failing the mission."
Anticipating the next question or perhaps wanting to explain the method to his madness, Kakashi added, "If I taught you each more complex techniques, you would have focused on those over figuring out how to use them in your team. You could have seriously injured each other or put yourself at risk. I learned that the hard way." Kakashi touch his shoulder and then the scar over his left eye.
"I want to blame someone," Sasuke murmured. "I want to blame you, and Sakura, and myself—I want to blame that fake hunter-nin and Zabuza for-for—" The boy's words devolved into choked sobs. Sakura hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder.
"I know, but blame is useless," Kakashi whispered, and both genin bodily flinched. "It distracts you from the heart of the matter, and obscures what you can do going forward. Take it from someone who still struggles with blaming himself for his teammates' deaths. You don't want to end up like me, half living in the past."
Sakura gasped and looked up at Kakashi with wide green eyes. He had been too honest, but he had needed to hear this after Obito and Rin—still did—perhaps his genin needed to hear this too. Sasuke wiped at the last of his tears and stood up. Sakura leadenly followed suit.
Kakashi set his hands on both children's shoulders and began to lead them back to Tazuna and the villagers. The crowd who met them were grim faced despite their victory. Sakura and Sasuke didn't even try to glare or blame Tazuna, though they wouldn't have been faulted for doing so—no, they just stared ahead and unseeing. Kakashi squeezed their shoulders and silently promised to never let them experience this kind of loss again (it was an unrealistic promise, but he still made it).
The next day, Sakura and Sasuke worked together to mend the damage done to the bridge and then sparred without direction. Kakashi guarded Tazuna while keeping track of what the genin were doing. Sakura ended up correcting Sasuke's form (the boy was overextending his arm which would have eventually led to a damaged joint), and the boy gave her tips for boosting her stamina. When they both went about an activity wrong, Kakashi corrected them, but otherwise didn't comment on the training they were doing together—after all, that was a form of teamwork.
When Tazuna returned home for the day, Kakashi led the two genin on some formation drills that further emphasized teamwork before giving them conditioning exercises. Kakashi didn't teach them more complex techniques, but he did refine their current skills, which led to Sakura learning a few things from Sasuke and vice versa.
By the end of the week, Kakashi was ready to teach the genin water walking and perhaps a few jutsu when they got back to Tazuna's home that evening. In fact, Kakashi anticipated the bridge being completed soon, and so tried to plan ahead for the kids' training. He was in the middle of making mental notes when there was a sudden puff of smoke in front of him and—
"Fukasaku-sama!" Kakashi knelt before the elder toad. He looked rough—his cloak was gone, and he had wounds across his body—but more disconcerting than the elderly toad's health were the characters and numbers carved on his back.
Kakashi knew immediately what the cipher was: page and word numbers from the Icha Icha manuscript he was copyediting. They had traded many coded messages in this cipher as they were the only two who knew the key.
"Kakashi-kun!" Fukasaku greeted with a strained gasping sob. "J-Jiraiya-kun—" the toad sage didn't finish and instead sobbed harder.
Kakashi shook his head. "No," he whispered.
There could only be one reason Fukasaku was here and with a coded message. Jiraiya was dead, and worse, he was likely killed by Akatsuki. He and Jiraiya had been making plans to infiltrate Ame together after the Chūnin Exams.
"H-he didn't. We were supposed to go together!" They were going to go when his genin would be given a break after the exams—of course, that had been the plan before Shin died; now his genin wouldn't be participating in the Chūnin Exams and Kakashi wouldn't be infiltrating Ame.
"His spy on the inside couldn't get the information out of Ame—he had to go in," Fukasaku replied. "Shima will have brought the information to Hiruzen-san, but I came straight to you."
Kakashi closed his eye heavily and heard his genin approaching them hesitantly.
"Sensei?" Sakura called him cautiously. "W-what's going on?"
Kakashi just shook his head. "Guard the client," he ordered and then gingerly picked up Fukasaku. The old toad moved to his shoulder, and Kakashi jumped off the bridge and began to run on the water.
"W-what did Jiraiya-kun write on me?" the toad sage asked once the bridge was a line against the horizon.
Kakashi slowed and then sank to his knees. The waves jostled him and lapped against his pantlegs, but he remained above the surface as he tried to breathe around the knot in his throat. Damn it, why did this keep happening!? Every time he finds himself a mentor, every time he finds someone he could think of as family…
Kakashi lost the strength to remain upright and ended up in child's pose (still remaining above the waves because of his natural chakra control). He let the first tears escape and then choked on a quiet sob. He had told himself not to get attached to the old pervert. He had told himself not to get attached to his genin too, and yet—Shin then Jiraiya. "F***!" he screamed against the water's surface before the grief overtook him again.
"Kakashi-kun," Fukasaku tried to calm him down, but Kakashi just shook his head before his shoulders heaved with another gasping sob. He wanted to lash out at something, anything, everything.
No, he couldn't break down. He had genin to look after. Genin who had just lost their teammate—had witnessed some die before them for the first time (Sasuke had seen Tsukiyomi illusions of his family dying and while that was scaring on its own, his Yamanaka therapist had been helping him distinguish between the implanted memories and what he had experienced).
Kakashi took a shuddering breath and then bottled the emotions back up. He straightened and wiped at the moisture on his face.
"He wrote"—Kakashi's voice was hoarse and shaky but he pushed on—"'Apprentice—Not—Among—Them,' and Jiraiya's only had five apprentices."
"W-what?!" Fukasaku practically shrieked. "I only know of Minato-kun and you!"
"He trained three orphans from Rain. He wrote his first novel about one of them," Kakashi explained tiredly. It had been a hard-fought battle to get the story from the Toad Sannin—well not that hard-fought considering Kakashi had to confess his absolute terror at the prospect of training genin and irreparably messing them up.
"Naruto?" Fukasaku said the main character's name of that novel in confusion.
"Nagato," Kakashi corrected tiredly. It was quiet for a beat as the name sank in.
"What exactly happened, Fukasaku-sama?" he asked quietly as he turned to face the bridge and debated whether to walk back now or wait until the toad was done when Kakashi would surely be more of an emotional wreck.
"Jiraiya-kun made it into the Akatsuki headquarters in Ame—I don't know how, he only summoned us when these orange haired people with black piercings had surrounded him.
"He had several locations to investigate thanks to the spy—apparently, they were places the spy couldn't readily get to without drawing attention, and Jiraiya-kun was intercepted on his way to the last one by two of these orange haired people."
A fight ensued and one of these people were defeated, but Kakashi was beginning to suspect this was a temporary setback for their enemy. The three genin from Ame were supposed to all be dead, and yet at least one of these apprentices still lived and presumably controlled these pierced people from what Kakashi gathered.
Fukasaku explained how the fight entered some kind of room for tracking the bijū locations. The Kumo jinchūriki were identified and in their hidden village. The Suna jinchūriki was also identified and marked as being in Suna, while the Iwa jinchūriki were identified but their locations unknown. The Kiri jinchūriki were known and their locations confirmed. Naruto's identity was confirmed but his location was indicated in a peculiar mathematical equation, which had been carved onto Shima's back before she and one of the dead pierced people were sent to the Hokage.
Based on all that could be gleaned by the toads from the tracking room, only one jinchūriki remained unknown and three of their locations were likewise unknown. What exactly did Akatsuki want with these jinchūriki? What were they planning and how long until they went through with their plans?
By the time Fukasaku was sent away with the message carved onto his back, there were six of these pierced people attacking Jiraiya and it was a losing battle. It would be the second empty grave Kakashi would have to stand before.
He pushed the grief back and finally returned to the bridge. His surviving genin had been watching his approach with pale, worried faces. Tazuna watched on silently and warily.
"Sensei," Sakura greeted him first. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.
"No," he admitted, and began to guide the children away from the listening bridge builder. "Konoha has lost one of its best shinobi and only sage," he confessed once they were far enough away from Tazuna.
Fukasaku shifted on Kakashi's shoulder. "About that…" the old toad began. "I know you have a contract with those dogs, but…Konoha needs a Sage and Jiraiya-kun's been training you."
Kakashi froze. "W-what?"
"Wait! What's a sage?" Sakura asked inquisitively while Kakashi tried to process what the toad sage was suggesting.
"Sage's are animals and humans who can use the chakra in nature. Not everyone can channel and use natural chakra so those who can are known as sages.
"Why is it so hard to learn?" Sasuke asked next.
Fukasaku hummed. "Well, if it's not channeled right, it can cause petrification. You also tend to take on characteristics of the animal whose contract you've signed and are learning natural charka from. Jiraiya-kun always grew warts when he went into Sage-mode." Fukasaku gave a wet, sad laugh at the memory. "I always told that boy he needed to…" The toad trailed off and covered his eyes with his webbed hands.
Kakashi brought a hand up and gently stroked the toad's flank.
"So, you could learn this powerful type of chakra then," Sasuke stated with his gaze focused on Kakashi.
"No," Kakashi responded. "I…"
"Konoha needs a sage, Kakashi-kun, and I'm sure Jiraiya-kun would have wanted you to learn. You just need to sign a contract with us—those dogs don't have any sages."
"But—"
"Will it help sensei with his chakra exhaustion?" Sakura asked over Kakashi's rebuttal.
"Yes, it should."
Both his genin were now looking at Kakashi expectantly and excitedly. However, he was choking on his own grief. Pakkun had been there after his father's… And toads were Jiraiya's and Sensei's summons. They weren't his. They couldn't be his.
"Please drop this topic," Kakashi said at last. His voice was scratchy. Fukasaku was trying to tell him Jiraiya's will (or what he expected was Jiraiya's will) but it felt like the toad was trying to replace the man before his body had fully cooled.
"Kakashi-kun," Fukasaku said his name pityingly.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "You should go to Shima and see if the Hokage wants us recalled sooner? It will be an incomplete mission but—"
"What?! We're not failing this mission after Shin—!" "Why would we be recalled?" his genin interrupted him with their individual protests.
Fukasaku just nodded and disappeared with a puff, though not before giving Kakashi a meaningful and sad look. Kakashi exhaled and closed his eyes once the toad's weight left his shoulder.
"We might be recalled because I am expected to pick up from where Jiraiya-san left off in his investigations."
"Didn't these investigations get him killed?" Sakura asked slowly and with growing fear.
"He encountered a group of enemies who outclassed him."
"He was a Sannin, who could outclass a Sannin?" Sasuke asked incredulously
"Someone S-class who can control presumably six other S-class people," Kakashi confessed. There was no reason to lie to the genin.
"You need to learn sage chakra," Sakura announced abruptly.
"Please, the man literally just died," Kakashi whispered.
"And you're going to have to continue his investigation," Sasuke shot back—clearly understanding where his teammate was coming from.
"Let's just focus on finishing this mission and then mourning our comrades, alright?" he asked them both tiredly. The reminder made both genin's expressions become harder, but they nodded.
Sakura moved closer to Kakashi and leaned against his side. Her arm twitched where it was pressed against his hip, and he looked down at her with his eyebrow raised.
"Would you like a hug?" she asked quietly, though embarrassment didn't seem to be the cause for the low tone. No…there was worry and perhaps a little fear prompting the quiet inquiry.
Sasuke took a few steps toward Kakashi's other side, though remained ten or so centimeters away. He looked uncertain but somehow equally inclined to reach out to Kakashi as Sakura was.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Do you two?" he asked as he looked between both genin.
Sasuke flushed slightly and looked elsewhere, while Sakura nodded and threw her arms around Kakashi's middle. Kakashi looped an arm around the girl's shoulder and then set his hand on Sasuke's far shoulder. At the touch, the boy's stance relaxed, and he shuffled closer until he hid his face against Kakashi's stomach. The Jōnin left his arms looped around both genin's shoulders and held them in place for several seconds (perhaps even a minute).
Before Kakashi could even consider becoming the next "sage," he needed to take care of his kids and bury those they had all lost.
TBC
A/N: Ya know, I really hoped I'd get farther than Wave with this chapter but nope. Anyways, everything basically happened as in cannon just with Shin and not Naruto (who canonically is like Naruto so…). Just one more chapter with the ninja and we'll back up with Naruto/Dôranna and Frodo. I hope to update in September, but I'll be back to teaching while working a second job so… sorry if there is a delay? Stay safe ~ love, depressedchildren