Memories churned in Kakashi's head as their team finally made it to the reinforced wooden outer wall of Konoha's main camp. They had passed a few patrol rotations who were relieved to know that the threat had been eliminated. The four-story wooden towers lined the outer wall, a roof of wood covered by foliage providing shelter and camouflage from above. Kakashi could spot some ninja peering into the landscape with binoculars between the greenery and sensed the chakra barrier providing protection around the perimeter.
The barrier was actually designed and deployed by Kushina to detect any unauthorized chakra signatures, alerting to the presence of enemy ninja. The ninja tasked to upkeep the barrier were sensory ninja who would update the wards whenever young ninja were newly deployed, older ninja died or others went rogue. Kushina, with the help of Minato, Jiraya and Orochimaru, had also layered the wooden perimeter with reinforcement seals to strengthen them for further protection.
Of course, that was not the only protection, as there were many traps and defensive parameters laid out around the area. Moreover, there was a constant rotation of patrols, which was Obito's assignment for this deployment. Kakashi had been assigned patrol duty numerous times in his early chunin days. Given how fast he had developed his skills, that didn't last long, and he was assigned more dangerous missions.
"Things seem quiet," Minato struck a conversation with the team manning the gate. The captain, whose eyes were nearly pupilless and white, rolled them at him.
"Ever since you've sent the warning message, we've doubled our patrols, and everybody is on edge. It is distinctly not quiet, Minato," he grunted in annoyance.
Minato laughed nervously, and Kakashi winced as the movement caused his leg to shift again. "You say it like it's my fault, don't stab the messenger, Ren."
"You always give me nothing but trouble," Ren groused but his voice lost its harsh tone. Minato knew the Hyuga was referencing them crossing paths on a mission a few years back. Ren and his team had successfully completed their mission and were looking forward to heading back to Konoha. Minato and his team had arrived moments later, requesting their help. Newly surfaced intel required them to have some backup for a successful infiltration. The Byakugan made the mission much easier as well. They succeeded with no issues, but Ren had held that situation against him jokingly for years.
"Anyway, Captain Sarutobi is waiting to debrief you and discuss strategies for next steps."
"I'll go right there, just as soon as I drop off my student at the medical cabin," Minato nodded.
"It's your head," Ren shrugged but then his eyebrows shifted upwards as he realized something, "Please tell me it's not your injured student that was assigned to us? With the double patrols we need all the ninja we can get."
"No, Obito will be the one joining you," Minato flicked his head towards his other student.
"Uchiha Obito! Pleasure to meet you," Obito introduced himself loudly, puffing his chest up. "Don't you worry, with me around we'll keep everyone safe."
"I see," Ren replied hesitantly, already worried about the prospect of having an energetic child on his roster. "Follow me, I'll introduce you to your patrol team."
"Yes sir!" Obito saluted him, gave his team a final cheery wave and quickly moved to follow him.
"Good luck to the patrol team," Kakashi muttered, and Rin giggled in response.
Minato sighed but refrained from commenting and just gestured for Rin to follow him, "Come along, we'll go to the medical cabin together."
The team entered the camp, and it was just as Kakashi remembered, as if plucked from a childhood memory and dumped into the world as is. The outpost was packed with tents where various ninja could be seen lounging in groups outside. The smell of ramen and noodles penetrated their noses as the cacophony of conversations accompanied them. Many were engaged in light-hearted conversation: small talk and humorous stories to bring a semblance of normalcy to their war-driven reality. Some of the ninja glanced over in curiosity as they passed by. Once they recognized Minato, they erupted in urgent whispers. His sensei's reputation was large even now and only growing.
"We knew you'd stop them, Namikaze san!" a young ninja exclaimed loudly as they walked by.
"I wasn't going to let them get away with their plans," Minato nodded in reply. Emboldened by the first cheer and Minato's reply, others started to share similar sentiments, until they joined together in a celebratory cheer. Rin seemed uncomfortable by the attention and walked closer to her sensei. Obito is going to be annoyed when he knows he missed a hero's welcome, even if it is for sensei.
The cheers accompanied them as they walked towards the center of the outpost. The tents were slowly replaced by stalls and smaller wooden buildings. Over the five years of war, Konoha had invested in having civilian construction workers come over to build a few permanent buildings. Some civilians stayed to provide the forces with basic services, main of which were food stalls. Despite there being a dining hall and an official food distribution station, some ninja preferred a quick meal to avoid the hassle. Less common stalls provided entertainment such as books and cards, while other small buildings provided hygiene facilities from common baths to haircuts and grooming services.
Kakashi knew they were close to the central area of the outpost as they approached the communication tower and the spaces around them became mostly wooden structures. Despite the outpost growing into a small economy of its own, the majority of the forces slept in tents. It was only the communal spaces that were changed to basic wooden structures. There was no character to these buildings; all simply cubes of wood and stone to provide basic shelter. The communication tower, which doubled as the command center, was the only structure with a unique shape, whereby it spiraled upwards to overlook the camp. Kakashi spotted some messenger eagles above enjoying the summer weather.
Closer to the center, the cheers subsided. Kakashi knew it was because they were about to approach the medical cabin. The medical facility was the only two-story building in the camp, therefore easy to spot, and one of the first structures to be built. Kakashi spotted some ninja lounging around the building in varying degrees of worry. With the limited space, the protocol was to deliver the injured and wait outside while they were treated.
The building's atmosphere was a contrast to the rest of the camp. While ninja tried to keep morale high across the camp, the medical facility was where their dead comrades were stored to be transferred back home when possible. Those who had remains that could be brought back at any rate. Some watched them approach, a sigh of relief at the implication, but they were in no mood to celebrate. The somberness deepened as a kunoichi started crying as a medical ninja updated her, face tight with remorse.
"…everything we could, but the damage was too extensive," Kakashi heard the medical ninja say as they walked closer. "His body couldn't handle all the stress. I can take you in to say goodbye." The dead ninja's three comrades could only nod and walked in after the medical ninja.
Minato was a few steps behind and was approached by a female medical ninja upon entry, with the red kanji inscribed in a circle on the top left of her medical coat indicating her to be a senior healer. Kakashi scanned the medical area and noted that there was no rush of new injuries, rather care and monitoring. It appears that no large skirmish had taken place over the last two days. That said, it was still bustling with medical ninja checking in on patient after patient or helping them with physiotherapy to get back on their feet as soon as possible.
"Namikaze san," she nodded in greeting, "I can take your injured student from here." She was scanning Kakashi to determine the extent of his injuries as she said this.
"Hello Myoji san. I need to discuss a few urgent things with Tsunade sama and my student has some things to contribute to that conversation," Minato replied. "In the meantime, my other student, Rin here, is joining your team." Minato titled his head in Rin's direction.
"It's nice to see you in good health Rin chan," Naomi Myoji smiled. Although Rin was typically posted in the Land of Hot Water, she did train in Konoha's hospital, where Naomi was one of the instructors for upcoming medical ninja.
"It's been a while, Myoji san," Rin bowed in respect, a smile on her face as well.
"Minato!" Tsunade walked over. She had definitely heard the cheers and knew he had arrived. "Glad to see you alive. Do you have those supplies?"
"I'm glad to see you in good health, Tsunade sama," Minato tilted his head in a small bow. He shifted Kakashi's entire weight to his left hand before using his right to unclasp one of his vests pockets to reveal the sealing scroll with medical supplies and tossing it to Tsunade.
"Myoji, sort through them while I talk to Minato," she threw the scroll to her right-hand woman, "Give me a report of our updated stock afterwards."
"Of course, Tsunade sama," Myoji bowed before turning to his teammate, "Follow me Rin chan, I'll also get you settled in. You can tell me how much you improved so we can sort out your assignment."
"Good luck Rin," Minato gave her a reassuring nod. Rin didn't need it though, having the familiar face of Myoji seemed to make her relax. Falling back to routine, she followed her instructor as they walked further into the medical facility.
"There you are Minato," Shigeru Sarutobi had made his appearance as well, accompanied by two guards and his vice-captain, Inuzuka Gaku. Both ninja were formidable and had built a fierce reputation. Although they didn't have a flee on sight order like his sensei, they were seen as ones to fight with caution with their designation of S-ranked.
"Sarutobi san, Inuzuka san," Minato greeted the ninja.
"What's with the formalities?" Inuzuka Gaku raised an eyebrow at him. Minato and Gaku have been paired up numerous times before, and to Gaku, Minato was like a light brother. Yes Minato was stronger but Gaku had been beside Minato through his rise and protected him during Minato's chunin days. Minato chuckled in reply and gave him a wink.
"Drop your student off and let's go, we have much to discuss," Captain Sarutobi was all business.
"He has some things to add to the conversation," Minato replied.
"Can't you fill us -" Sarutobi started but Tsunade had lost patience.
"We're burning day light. Let's just go to my office and discuss, I can heal the brat too," Tsunade said sharply before turning heel and walking away, not even bothering to wait for affirmation of her commands. Kakashi almost chuckled; even though Sarutobi was technically in charge of the outpost, nobody dared challenged Tsunade. He watched in amusement as the shinobi around him just sighed or shrugged before chasing after her.
Minato weaved through the hustle and bustle of medical ninja, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. They quickly made it to the stairs at the back left and towards Tsunade's office on the second floor. The office was simple. A desk was laid out at the center with two chairs set in front of it. Scrolls and logbooks were laid on top in neat stacks. To the left, there was a bookshelf filled with medical journals and a cork board that highlighted the positions and teams at camp. A number below each team indicated how many medical ninja were assigned to each in a way to keep track of shortage in personnel. To the right, Tsunade had set up a small examination bay for patients she wanted to check herself. Similar to her time as Hokage, there were no personal artifacts on display. When they all filed in, Tsunade closed the door and activated privacy seals.
"Alright, what happened?" she asked the moment the seals went up.
"We intercepted a squad of elite rock ninja trying to make it to the other outposts to target our medical corps apparently," Minato began explaining as he moved to the examination bed on the right to lay Kakashi down. Tsunade came forward to assist, grabbing Kakashi by the back and thighs to lift him gently and set him down to sit on the side of the bed, legs dangling. Her priority was the injured, she could get the details once her patient was healed.
"Any serious lingering injuries?" Tsunade asked as she scanned him from head to toe before she brought her hand to his slinged arm, palms glowing green.
"Right-calf," Kakashi replied. He sighed in relief as she healed his arm. Rin had already healed the fracture on his upper arm, but there was still some lingering stiffness. As Tsunade's chakra washed over his arm, he felt his muscles loosen up around the fracture.
"What happened out there?" Sarutobi was losing patience.
"On our way over, Tanaka informed us of that Ito Kaito, Hayashi Haruki, Yoshida Kenji and Mori Hina had infiltrated our line," Minato started.
"Yes yes we got all that from the summon. Your team escorted Tanaka to Outpost 12 and you moved to intercept. What happened then?" Tsunade sighed impatiently as she moved her hands away from Kakashi's arm and took off his sling.
As Minato began providing details of his pursuit, Kakashi tested his arm by moving it up and down, noting it was one hundred percent healed. "Thanks," he stated quietly to Tsunade who distractedly nodded, focused on Minato's update.
Kakashi listened as Minato described his fight without going into too much detail. As they had discussed before his sensei left them to hunt the stone ninja, he had killed the genjutsu user in a surprise attack before they knew he was there. Afterwards, it seemed to devolve into a fight of speed and tricks. Despite the two-sword users covering for one another masterfully, they couldn't keep up with Minato's constant teleportation and creative fighting style. They eventually fell to his sensei without Minato sustaining much damage.
"Is Haruki still at large then?" Shigeru asked with worry.
"No, he's also dead," Minato shook his head. With that announcement, the relief in the room was palpable. One of the guards even relaxed his stance. Minato unclasped more pockets at the front of his vest, revealing four body-sealing scrolls; one for each ninja. These were some of the top ninja of the Stone, anything they can learn from examining the bodies could provide an advantage.
"Alright, so what happened?" Gaku asked as Minato placed the scrolls on Tsunade's desk, his tone lighter now that the imminent danger had passed.
"Lie down so I can check the rest of your injuries," Tsunade ordered Kakashi with a lower bark than what he was used to. With the reprieve from the tale, Tsunade took the chance to finish healing him. As Kakashi obeyed, he felt a pang of sadness in the difference between the Tsunade of his time and the one in front of him. She still had her fiery disposition, but it was somehow muted.
He had come to know Tsunade as his confident and fearsome Hokage. That still rang true, but it was subdued behind a wall of sadness Kakashi could recognize in her eyes. This was the Tsunade that hadn't been inspired by Naruto and was still jaded. She was all business. The banter that Kakashi had gotten used to outside of official business was gone.
When his students left to pursue their training, Kakashi had continued his role of protector of Konoha, taking on some of the most dangerous S-Ranked missions. As such, he had developed a relationship of trust and mutual respect with Tsunade. So much so that she would call him into his office for advice on occasion, along with Nara Shikaku; in an unofficial role as advisors. He didn't blame her for not seeing eye to eye with the council who were still stuck in the old ways. Shikaku had confided in him after Tsunade fell into a coma that she was grooming Kakashi as her replacement, but Danzo had gotten his way and wormed his way to the hat. Kakashi would make sure that neither he nor Danzo would bear that responsibility, but that Minato would live to see it through.
"After sealing their bodies, Kakashi's dog summons began tracking Haruki's scent. It wasn't long before we realized that Haruki had double backed to Tanaka san. It was clear he was trying to eliminate him before he could spread the word," frustration leaked in Minato's voice for the first time at this point.
"Clearly he caught up," Tsunade commented whilst removing the wrapping from Kakashi's leg.
"What happened kid?" Shigeru shifted his attention to Kakashi at this point who was resting on his elbows to prop himself up and keep eye contact with everyone in the room.
"My other summon who was with us sensed Haruki chasing us. We weren't close enough to the outpost to make it before he caught up. Tanaka san was injured so I sent Obito and Rin to take Tanaka san to safety and bring backup while I delayed him."
"I'm sorry," Tsunade's voice grew agitated, and she moved back to give Kakashi an incredulous look, "you thought it would be a good idea to intercept an S-ranked ninja by yourself? Do you have a death wish?"
"I didn't have a choice," Kakashi shrugged.
"Like hell you didn't" Tsunade's voice grew louder and she smacked him lightly on the head. Children in the battlefield had always been a sore spot for Tsunade after the death of her brother. Clearly, the ordeal had resurfaced unpleasant memories if the way her eyes darkened was any indication.
"What would you have done in my place?" Kakashi shook off the cuff to his head and folded his arms in defiance.
"Stayed with the team to have a chance of survival," Tsunade growled, "Once closer, throw some explosive tags in the air to warn the outpost who would've come to investigate."
"That idea has a higher chance of getting the entire team and backup killed," Kakashi stated, staring up at Tsunade challengingly, "With my approach, there were better odds of overall survival."
"What about your survival?" Tsunade asked him, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward to glare in his face.
"We're ninja," Kakashi replied resolutely, refusing to get intimidated. Really, he was used to Tsunade being angry at him over the years. Her temper could flare up at the smallest issues or bad news. He had developed an immunity of sorts. That's not even mentioning Sakura, albeit her anger was never directed at him.
"We're getting side-tracked," Shigeru intervened impatiently, stepping closer to Tsunade and placing a hand on her shoulder, not wanting things to escalate further. "We can debate the best course of action later. Right now, I need to know what happened."
"I'll spare you the details. Basically, I managed to defeat him but lost consciousness at the end," Kakashi answered him as he watched Tsunade shrug Shigeru's hand off her shoulder and glare at him. Better him than me.
"Seriously, what happened?" Gaku asked unamused, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. Clearly the man didn't believe him.
"I managed to defeat him but lost consciousness at the end," Kakashi reiterated monotonously. The ninja other than his sensei were stunned into silence so Kakashi felt the need to add, "I got lucky."
"This is why I have a favor to ask you, Tsunade sama," Minato jumped in here, voice more serious than Minato's usual tenor. "The autopsy will reveal that it was Kakashi who defeated Haruki. But he's still an eleven-year-old chunin. If news got out that he defeated Haruki, luck or not, he would become a target. For his safety, the autopsy report for Haruki cannot be revealed to just anyone. There can be a public report for the details that can benefit Konoha, but the full details need to be redacted."
"Even if I do, if his injuries are lightning-based or have traces of Sakumo san's white saber, it would be obvious," Tsunade stated. Clearly, she knew enough about Kakashi to have an expectation of his fighting style.
"He used the Rasengan," Minato shook his head, "that should be enough to shift the focus, right?"
"Ah… yes," Tsunade didn't expect that. Tsunade had healed Minato after the fight with the nine-tailed fox inside Kushina's seal, therefore, she knew of the Rasengan's difficulty and power. Her assessment of the young ninja next to her rose at that piece of information.
"If he knows the Rasengan, I can now understand how, with some luck, the kid could defeat Haruki," Gaku snorted in amusement. "He is Sakumo sama's son after all."
Kakashi startled. It wasn't the reference to his father that surprised him; that still happened from time to time in his youth. It was the respect for his father and fondness in Gaku's voice that threw him off. He didn't know the man that well, but he recalled that his sensei had fought alongside him numerous times. Unfortunately, Gaku had retired from an injury before Kakashi got the chance to engage with the man.
"We'll announce that you defeated all ninja, after Hatake managed to stall Haruki for a few minutes," Shigeru nodded seriously. "I'll let Hokage sama know in private communication the full details. Who else knows?"
"Those at Outpost 12," Minato replied, "I already told them to keep quiet."
"I'll also send an official missive to highlight the seriousness of a loose tongue," Shigeru noted.
"Thanks," Minato smiled in relief, his stance less rigid. "There's not much left to say at this point. I arrived at the outpost and once I made sure my students were fine, I checked the perimeter of Outpost 12 but there was nothing to worry about. We were still concerned about other stone ninja being around, so I didn't feel safe sending a communication eagle. Instead, we left first thing in the morning. There were no signs of other enemies on the way over."
"We have also sent commands to other outposts to do zone checks and they've all been coming back clear," Shigeru stated.
"The question now is, what do we do next?" Gaku asked what was on everybody's mind.
"The Stone just lost a major battle to the Cloud so this could have been an infiltration to stop us from attacking them while they lick their wounds," Shigeru mused. "They lick theirs; we lick ours, then continue where we left off."
"Well, they killed the Third Raikage. Maybe it's more of a tie?" Gaku wondered.
"Whatever," Shigeru waved the technicalities away. "If the infiltration to kill some of our medical teams had succeeded, I would be hesitant to launch a counterattack. However, since it failed, we have the advantage if we push now."
"I agree," Tsunade growled, "they tried to kill my medical ninja. Let's show them why that's a terrible idea."
"Ichiro san, find Nara Shikaku and ask him to meet me in my office to plan our strategy. Also tell the squadron leaders to join us," Shigeru ordered one of the guards, then he turned to Minato, "Do you need to rest, or can you join us?"
"I'm well rested," Minato reassured him, "Slightly lower chakra levels but already near back to full levels."
"Great," Shigeru nodded and began walking out.
"I'll join you right after I finish healing the kid," Tsunade informed them. As the conversation escalated, Tsunade had gotten distracted, and his leg had yet to be healed.
"Can you get the kid healed enough to join the battle?" Shigeru asked. "If he defeated Haruki he's a good asset. We don't have many ninja who can use lightning in Konoha. Even fewer that can use high-level lightning jutsu. It would give us more options for strategy to bypass their defenses."
Tsunade's back was to the ninja, and only Kakashi could see her eyes tightening in anger at the question, "The kid fought an S-Ranked ninja and can't even walk," she growled, "Temper your expectations."
Shigeru narrowed his eyes, not happy with Tsunade's dismissal. He was about to reply but Minato interjected as he felt the tensions rise. "It'll take some time for everyone to meet up, so I'll stay with Tsunade sama while she heals my student." Minato disabled the privacy seals, a silent direction to end the conversation then and there.
"Sure thing," Gaku shrugged as he walked out, more than happy to avoid further arguments between his Captain and Tsunade. Conversely, Shigeru lingered, internally debating whether to push the matter. After a beat, he just grimaced and walked out as well, closing the door not too gently—a gesture not strong enough to be rude but sufficient to convey his annoyance.
Tsunade just scoffed as she moved closer to examine his leg, moving it slightly to get a different angle, "Whoever healed this did a good job."
"That was Rin, my other student you saw at the entrance," Minato stated with pride as he took a seat on one of the chairs in front of Tsunade's desk. Tsunade rolled her eyes at the not-so-subtle brag. "She's been assigned to you this deployment; I know she'll learn a lot and continue improving."
"Stop selling her," Tsunade twisted her head to give Minato an unimpressed look, "Still, it's impressive for her age. I'll have her work with Shizune. That way she gets to learn from some of the most challenging cases. Young talented medical ninja are rare. I won't let her talents go to waste. Myoji mentioned her before as well."
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled and will rise to the challenge," Minato nodded and Kakashi could see him beaming from his peripheral vision.
"Your cheerfulness is nauseating," Tsunade commented. Watching his sense' face fall made Kakashi tempted to tease his sensei, but he knew that he still needed to work on his personality change before he could do so.
"You'll need five days to recover before you can go back to duty, but it should completely recover," Tsunade stated as the green healing chakra faded away.
"Can't it be healed sooner?" Kakashi asked as she rewrapped his leg. While healed, the patch of skin was pink-toned and still tender.
"So you can go risk your life again, no," Tsunade shot him down immediately.
"I'm on the transport team, I need to help bring back our injured comrades," Kakashi didn't back down.
"Look kid, I can heal it on the spot, but you're still a child," Tsunade informed him "Your body is still growing and straining it then healing it before straining it again isn't conducive to your physical growth."
"Just this once?" Kakashi pleaded. He knew the upcoming fight would be a new shift in the war. He can't predict what the outcome would be. For all he knew, the Stone would send their jinchuriki after the failed mission and his sensei would sacrifice himself to defeat them. It was far-fetched but not outside the realm of possibility. He couldn't sit here.
He gave his sensei a pleading look to help him. Minato simply inclined his head forward in a short nod, a message to Kakashi that this was his fight. Kakashi knew part of his sensei agreed with Tsunade and was relieved he wouldn't be fighting in the upcoming skirmish. He understood that his sensei had come close to losing his students and was more worried than usual. He understood. But that didn't stop him from glaring at him. Minato gave him a smile in response, clearly unaffected by his student's harsh gaze.
"Why?" Tsunade asked him curiously as she finished rewrapping his leg "Haven't you done enough for now?"
"Haruki is one of the most formidable earth ninjutsu users and my jutsu was effective," Kakashi replied, looking at Tsunade again. "Don't worry, I don't have an inflated ego after defeating him and I know my limits. Still, if this skirmish can put Konoha on a faster trajectory to victory and an end to this war, Konoha could use my lightning jutsu to tip the scales. I'll be safe. I won't take unnecessary risks. If I sit here and learn that I could have made a difference, I won't be able to forgive myself."
"You can help Konoha by surviving and getting stronger," Tsunade responded unapologetically. She stood up and moved to leave.
Desperately, Kakashi called out to her, "I'm not Nawaki kun." It was a low blow, to use her brother. Yet, the fate of Konoha rested in his hands. He couldn't afford to sit back.
Tsunade startled to a stop. Minato's eyes widened. The temperature in the room dropped. Nobody dared to move or speak. Kakashi saw Tsunade clench her fists, face bow downwards and heard her breath quicken.
He felt guilty as he saw his future Hokage having a severe emotional reaction. Part of him wanted to take it back, but another, the one that felt the weight of Konoha's fate on his shoulders, pushed that feeling down.
As the seconds ticked by, Minato shifted his weight to stand up, but then he hesitated and sat back down with a frown on his face. He had already left this between his student and Tsunade; it didn't feel right to intervene now. That said, we wanted to guide his student to apologize and turned to look at Kakashi to convey the message.
At that point, Kakashi was showing concern for Tsunade, yet as he felt his sensei's eyes shift towards him, he stared back fiercely. He wasn't backing down. If Minato was uncomfortable, it was his own fault for refusing to help.
Minato saw the concern in Kakashi's eyes before he noticed him and felt comfortable knowing his student wasn't being maliciously deceptive. Given Kakashi's history of dishing out harsh comments without a care, he was proud to see his student finally show some emotional intelligence. He briefly wondered whether it was the near-death experience or a sense of connection to Tsunade's tragic past that brought forth this gentler side of his student that he hadn't seen before.
When Tsunade's breath relaxed, Kakashi took it as his cue to speak up again before she could begin yelling at him.
"I'm sorry," Kakashi spoke up softly, apologizing for the hurt he had caused her with that simple statement. "I truly am sorry, but I am not Nawaki kun, Tsunade sama. I can't predict the future, so I can't promise you I won't die. But I have a lot of things I need to do, and I don't plan on dying before I accomplish them. Therefore, I can promise you that I won't risk my life carelessly. I really had no choice yesterday, but I won't run into crazy danger if there is another option. Just this once? I promise."
Kakashi knew he had to take calculated risks to change the future. Dying without acting on his future knowledge was not something he wanted to entertain. Therefore, this was a promise he felt comfortable making. This was a promise he could keep.
Tsunade continued to give him his back and refused to acknowledge Kakashi's words. The room was shrouded in silence once more. Unlike the first bout of silence, Tsunade was calmer, and it was clear that she was mulling over Kakashi's words. After some time had passed, she took a deep breath before turning to face him. Kakashi noted that she was biting her lips in frustration and his guilt bubbled again.
"You promise you'll be careful?" she asked hesitantly. Kakashi's heart skipped a beat in relief.
"I promise," he nodded, his eyes shining with determination.
Tsunade sighed and the hesitation in her eyes faded away as she walked towards him again. The only sound was her heels clicking as she took a seat beside him once more. Without a word, she cut the wraps off with the Chakra Scalpel technique. With a few more seconds, Kakashi felt his calf muscles stitch back together and Kakashi marveled at her speed. He had been healed by her numerous times, but he had never seen her rush a healing as fast as she did now. Clearly, she wanted them to leave as soon as possible. She moved his leg around to test and nodded once she verified all was well.
"Thank you," Kakashi said. She didn't acknowledge his words just waved him to leave her office. Not wanting to cause her anymore duress, Kakashi jumped off the table and left her office at once. He heard the scrapping of a chair as his sensei moved to his side and closed the door after them.
Student and teacher walked out of the building in silence. It allowed Kakashi time to think of how he could help Tsunade moving down the line. He owed her a lot. He wasn't Naruto. He was jaded himself, but maybe, just maybe he could help Tsunade or at least start the spark. Jiraya had regaled him with their story of bringing Tsunade back to Konoha after he found out that his student had learned the Rasengan. Tsunade found hope in Naruto's determination and decided to bet on someone again.
Kakashi didn't feel worthy of being bet on. His sensei, however,… many had hoped that he could bring about the change the ninja world needed. He also knew that his sensei was working with Tsunade on improving the medical corps before the Kyuubi attack. The Third got busy doing damage control and by the times things had stabilized, Tsunade had already left the village behind. He would work towards creating the opportunity for such initiatives to start again once the war ended. He won't let them be tossed aside and hopefully she finds her purpose again. That's the least he could do for her.
It was only once they walked a few meters away from the medical facility did Minato break the silence. "Good speech."
Kakashi turned to his sensei deadpan, "Thanks for the assist." He kicked a pebble in his way moodily, still upset with his sensei for refusing to help.
Minato chuckled nervously at the reply and childish display of anger, "I knew you could do it," he placated his student but couldn't ignore the elephant in the proverbial room, "Although, bringing in her brother may have been too strong of a push."
"I didn't want to, but I had no choice," Kakashi replied touchily. He really had tried to avoid reopening Tsunade's old wounds.
"Even if I may not agree with your approach, I'm still proud of how you handled that. I'm glad I gave you the space to tackle the situation yourself" Minato stated.
If Minato was being honest with himself, he let his fear of Kakashi being back in action so soon after he nearly lost him override his judgement. Selfishly, he left his student to debate Tsunade by himself and expected his student to lose. Nonetheless, Kakashi's maturity during the ordeal stunned him. Internally, he chalked the situation as a failure on his part. He still had a lot to learn as a sensei.
Despite the praise, Kakashi saw right through his sensei. "And the fact that you're worried had nothing to do with your refusal to help?" Kakashi asked knowingly.
"I know I know," Minato sighed. Leave it up to Kakashi to not give him a break. He knew he couldn't get away with empty platitudes and decided to be open and honest with his student.
"You have to understand though, as I made my way back to the outpost, Pakkun smelled your blood… just yours and Haruki." Minato rubbed his face at this point as he took a deep breath. "I knew then, what you probably did. Sure, it could be that Obito and Rin were injured in ways that didn't cause bleeding but that was unlikely. With that realization, I steeled myself to hear news of your death upon my arrival." Minato's voice was calm and steady, belying the emotions he was feeling.
Kakashi didn't know what to say but his sensei's plight was all too familiar. It reminded him of the dread he felt chasing down Naruto and Sasuke after the latter's defection. The worry as he rushed towards the scene was some of the worst he ever felt; even more so than in high-stakes missions. Seeing Naruto lie there hurt deeply. Especially when he saw the Chidori shaped hole in his student's jacket. For a second, his breath hitched, fearing that Naruto was dead.
"When Tsunade wanted to let you recover here safely, it was very tempting," Minato added. "The three of you have been in danger before, and I've saved each one of you more than once. Yet knowing you're in danger when I'm not there to protect you isn't easy. The frontlines are chaotic, and anything could happen at any time. One split second I'm focused on an enemy could be the moment you need protection."
"Eventually we're going to go on missions on our own," Kakashi pointed out. He couldn't fault Minato though. The fact stands that Obito and Rin died very soon after his sensei stopped accompanying them on missions. They were in way over their heads. At the same time, Kakashi didn't need his sensei's protection as much now that he had years of experience backing him up. His sensei didn't know that though. Kakashi was still adjusting to how those around him see him now that he no longer had his hard-earned reputation hanging at his back.
"Of course, and I want that for each of you," Minato nodded as they walked inside the communication tower. One of the guards standing at the entrance was the same as those who accompanied Shigeru and just waved them inside.
Once they made their way to the stairs, away from the bustle inside, Minato continued where they left off. "After yesterday though, can you blame me for needing a beat before I am comfortable thrusting you in the middle of the frontlines?"
"I guess not," Kakashi replied softly. It had been a while since someone was worried about him as opposed to him being the guardian.
"One day you'll have students of your own and you'll understand," Minato smiled at the soft tone of his student's voice. It wasn't often that Kakashi conveyed fondness towards him. He knew his student cared about him, but Kakashi was on a mission to erase his emotions. He was worried about the emotions Kakashi was conveying today. The near-death experience seems to have thrown his student for a loop. After they finish this skirmish, Minato vowed to have a long conversation with Kakashi lest he close-off again. Minato saw hope for the first time since taking Kakashi on as a student. Hope that he can help him learn to be a ninja, but a human too. He didn't want to lose this window.
"Oh no," Kakashi grimaced "no, not happening." His younger self would hate the idea with a passion.
"Hey, you never know; you might be good at it. Won't you even consider it?" Minato asked with a laugh. Kakashi didn't even bother replying and just grunted, which only made his sensei laugh more.
Minato's laugh shifted the mood. It had been an emotionally charged afternoon and they still had the strategy meeting, which Minato knew would get tense… it always did. Minato was glad that he had this moment of light-heartedness before he had to shift to being serious again. It was going to be a long day. Kakashi shared similar thoughts.
They walked up the final steps they made their way towards the briefing room. Kakashi spotted Nara Shikaku talking to Captain Shigeru. He could spy more ninja already inside, talking in hurried tones. As they approached, Shigeru looked at them and smirked when he saw Kakashi walking, clearly glad that Tsunade healed him after all.
"Hey Minato," Shikaku greeted lazily.
"Hey," Minato gave a three-fingers wave to his long-time friend. "How's Yoshino san?"
Despite Shikaku being two years older than Minato, Minato had graduated early, and they had gone on several missions together over the years. While Minato ended up on missions with Akimichi Choza more often, he was still fond of the lazy Nara, and they enjoyed the occasional Shogi game. Unfortunately, he lost more often than he won against the tactical genius of the Nara. In spars, Minato could had the upper hand and could surprise the Nara with plenty of tricks of his own. Yet, Shikaku was naturally more gifted at commanding multiple units and complex battle plans while Minato's genius shined in innovative ninja techniques and quick decisions in the heat of battle. It made their fights interesting, be it spars or on the Shogi board.
Shikaku sighed and looked down-trodden at the question, "She's mad at me." It appeared to be a common occurrence as Minato simply encouraged him to hang in there.
"You defeated Haruki huh?" Shikaku looked at Kakashi appraisingly. They were in the most secure part of the outpost, so he was comfortable speaking freely. Apparently, Shigeru wasted no time in updating the Nara.
"Yes sir," Kakashi nodded.
"No need for sir," Shikaku scowled at the title, "What contributed to your win the most?" Shikaku asked with curiosity.
"Luck, chakra nature match-up and trickery," Kakashi replied easily.
"Trickery that worked on an S-Ranked ninja," Shikaku noted, "seems like you take after your sensei in that regard." No ninja had managed to surprise him more than Minato. In a full-out spar, Minato would win easily. However, they tend to place rules that would even the playing-field. Despite that, Shikaku was always on edge fighting the blond as he never knew what new trick Minato would throw at him. He was pleased to know that Minato's battle style was apparently being absorbed by his student. Kakashi was the genius of his generation and Shikaku knew he would have to carry that responsibility down the line. The stronger he was, the better.
Kakashi didn't have anything to add so he just nodded in reply before walking inside the room. After another two minutes, Kakashi saw Tsunade walk in and was surprised. He didn't expect her to collect herself before the briefing based on her earlier reaction. She caught Kakashi eyeing her and shook her head sadly in response at seeing him there as she took a seat. Once everyone was present, Shigeru called them to attention. It was time to plan their counterattack.