The room was already filled with ninja from the outpost, many of which belonged to clans of Konoha. A few were watching the door and nodded towards his sensei respectfully. Aside from a few ninja who gave him confused looks, nobody paid Kakashi any notice.
Some shinobi were already taking their places at the table in the middle, while others stood behind them as there weren't enough seats for everyone. Kakashi wasn't jealous though, the wooden chairs did not look comfortable at all. Plus, he'd been carried all morning and was filled with restless energy.
Sprawled in the middle of the table was a large map of the Elemental Nations. Kakashi noted that the map cut short at the boarders of other nations, allowing for a closer lens at the battle zones. Small flags of various colors represented known outposts, key routes, and allied villages of the different nations: red for the Leaf, brown for the Stone, yellow for the Cloud, green for the Sand, and blue for the Mist. The Sand and Mist had few flags as they weren't as active in the war, yet the small splashes of blue flags creeping upwards were a concern. Kakashi's eyes briefly flicked to where he knew the Kannabi Bridge lay, noting the lack of brown flag.
The head of the table was reserved for key players from Konoha's most prestigious clans. If Kakashi's memory served him right, the leaders of the outpost would be the clan delegates Sarutobi Shigeru, Uchiha Noburo and Hyuga Masato. Delegations from other clans of Konoha would take their place at the sides of the head table. While the heads of all the clans remained in Konoha during times of war, each Clan Head recommended a delegation in their stead, whose assignment and position were only approved by the Third Hokage. The other third of the table seated the prominent ninja that didn't belong to a clan. At their head was the most prestigious among them, today that being his sensei.
Given that the Land of Grass was the main area of skirmishes, the clan delegates were permanently present here. Meanwhile, other S-Ranked ninjas had flexible assignments; deployed to where they're needed the most. This included ninja like Minato, Jiraya and Orochimaru to name a few. Despite not having a permanent assignment, they had a large say in major decisions and a seat at any table.
Minato took his seat at the end of the table and was quickly joined by an ANBU Captain donning a turtle mask. The ANBU wasn't interested in making conversations and barely acknowledged his sensei's greeting. Kakashi dutifully stood behind his sensei and was joined by some others who gave his sensei a respectful short bow. In contrast to the ANBU, these ninja struck up a conversation with Minato and requested details of the failed infiltration.
Already knowing the full story, Kakashi turned his attention to the room and watched the gathered ninja carefully – he was only a solider during the Third War and was woefully ignorant of the alliances at play. This was a chance to pick up some intel on the relationships at the outpost. One would think that with a war, they'd all be on the same side. Alas, Kakashi had to play the political game and knew that underneath the main goal, the clans always vied for more visibility and prestige.
His eyes immediately found an Uchiha and Hyuga conversing with one another in a corner. And not just any Uchiha and Hyuga, they were the clan delegates and led the Special Operations and Tracking teams respectively. That's odd, Kakashi thought with intrigue. Those clans had a rivalry, both wielding eye-related bloodlines and were always trying to prove their eyes superior to the other. Yet here they were, having a chat and seemingly quite familiar with one another.
Unsurprisingly, Inoichi and Choza were having a discussion together, and were soon joined by Aburame Yuma, the uncle of Naruto's classmate. Unlike the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shibi had become the head of the Aburame Clan at an early age due to an illness claiming his father's life. As such, he remained stationed in Konoha at the end tail of the war and had to nominate a new delegate in his stead.
A Yamanaka Kakashi didn't know by name walked up to the trio, whispering a few urgent words to the group. Whatever was said, the trio wasn't pleased. Choza frowned as he looked across the room and towards the doors. Kakashi followed his eyesight. His eyes briefly found Tsunade as he shifted his attention to the door, who like the ANBU Captain, barely acknowledged the presence of anyone around her.
At the door, he saw Shikaku and two Uchiha chatting. Why this would make the others annoyed was a mystery. Shigeru, who was chatting with Shikaku when Kakashi had first arrived with his sensei, was now whispering urgently to Inuzuka Gaku and Inuzuka Genji instead, Captain of the Transfer Team. Kakashi made a mental note to meet up with the man after the meeting as he was technically assigned to his team for this deployment.
Despite being from the same clan, other than Genji, the clan representatives weren't engaging with their fellow clansmen. In fact, the non-representatives seemed more open to mingling with the other clan and no-clan ninja. Kakashi knew that this occurred to facilitate information-gathering, but also that their lower clan status gave them more freedom to talk to whoever they wanted to without political ramifications.
It was with this thought that someone came running into the room, a sheepish smile on his face, "Sorry sorry, I was answering nature's call when you sounded the urgent meeting. It took a while for Isa san to find me."
"Too much information, Tatsuki san!" a member of the Sarutobi clan laughed as others joined in with fond chuckles of their own. It was clear that everyone was used to the man's unique brand of honesty. Kakashi was similarly familiar with the man's good-humored nature, having been on a few missions with him. Despite hailing from no clan, he was a solid ninja who was friendly with everyone. He only ever achieved the rank of special jonin for his sensory abilities, yet he was respected by all. In fact, Tatsuki played a vital role in some of the assassination and information-gathering missions Kakashi had completed over the years. At the time, darkness was Kakashi's companion and he didn't appreciate the garrulous and easygoing nature of the man.
"Just sit down," Hyuga Masato grimaced at the lack of professionalism as he took his own seat at the head of the table.
"Killjoy," one of the ninja next to Kakashi muttered and Kakashi had to agree; Hyuga by nature tended to be serious all the time.
"Before we get started, let me sum up the situation to make sure everyone is up to speed," Shigeru started with a booming voice once the shuffling and chatter had stopped now that everyone was present.
Once he made sure he had everyone's attention, he officially started the meeting, "Four high-ranked enemy ninja infiltrated our lines. We believe their intent was to hit our support teams. They wanted to recover from their losses after facing the Raikage while we recover ourselves. This way, they can ensure they don't lose ground to us as they send backup and more supplies. Luckily, Minato san stopped them. And now… well now we have a chance to hit back, and hit back hard."
"You say that, but even if we decide to push, they'll wait for us at the open fields where they'll have the terrain advantage," Hyuga Masato was the first to comment, voice laced with skepticism. "It's why we have commanded my tracking units never to pursue beyond the plains."
"I agree, why? They'll play the defensive game," Aburame Yuma added in his two cents.
Here we go, Kakashi sighed internally as a handful of ninja started to speak all at once. After letting them squabble for a few seconds, Shigeru moved to quiet the room but the sound of a fist slamming into the table shocked the ninja into silence before he could get a word in.
"That won't ever change," Uchiha Noburo spoke forcefully once all eyes were on him, "I've been working with the special operation forces on coming up with strategies to bypass their defenses should it ever come to this moment. Shikaku san has been working on this matter as well. It's what we've been building up to. We should go for it."
Quickly concealing a grimace, Shigeru added, "We won't get another chance like this anytime soon." He was clearly displeased with Noburo's actions. Shigeru was easy to read, a weakness in their current setting.
Noburo wants to take control of the room from Shigeru, Kakashi noted.
Even after Shigeru's words, many of the ninja standing in the back continued to look at Noburo, waiting for his opinion. Noburo clearly noticed as well, the tell-tale sign of a barely concealed smirk on his lips before he addressed the room again, "I believe that my teams are ready to shift the balance in our favor. Shikaku san, where do you stand on the matter?"
Smart, Kakashi conceded. By addressing Shikaku san directly, any person speaking up instead of the man would be deemed rude. This way, neither Shigeru nor Gaku, who seemed to be gearing up to regain control, could interject.
"We've been practicing coordinated attacks for exactly this day," Shikaku nodded. He showed no outward emotion to the political interplay. "With Minato san here, our tactics have an even higher chance of working. Our tactics will allow us to break apart the defensive walls of Iwa and hold enemy ninja in areas that will make their forces hesitant to use large-scale offensive earth ninjutsu. However, our main issue is that they can always recuperate or send backup to a downed defense with their large numbers. There is where Minato san's high mobility will come in handy. If you can instantly teleport units to where we disrupt enemy formations or even impede the backup, we can strike before they can get support."
"I'll need you to brief me of your combined attacks so I'm better prepared, but that's doable," Minato nodded easily, as if teleporting large number of ninja across a battlefield was as simple as strolling through a park on a sunny day.
"I think you're forgetting the Iron Stone Guardian, Gou Ogata," Akamichi Choza stated with a frown. Kakashi noticed a few other ninja scowl at the name.
Kakashi had never met Gou on the battlefield but has heard of how big of a headache he was for Konoha's forces. He was famous for using the Hardening Jutsu to stall Konoha's high-caliber ninja, the same jutsu that Kakazu had used in their fight. With a high level of defensive abilities and speed, he would always jump in to keep their strongest ninja busy, his teammates never too far behind to provide support. This would allow his comrades to fight the rest of the forces more safely. While Gou wasn't strong enough to defeat Konoha's strongest ninja, the fear wasn't defeat, rather, being sidelined in a crucial battle.
"With Minato's teleportation, Gou won't be able to delay him. Minato would just teleport away," Gaku pointed out with a gruff. Kakashi filed the lack of suffix. Even ninja familiar with one another used "san" or "sama" in formal settings as a sign of respect. Kakashi knew Gaku and his sensei were close so didn't think much of it. It was just Inuzuka being brusquer than the rest, as per the usual.
"Maybe not, but he would delay the rest of us," Hyuga Masato countered.
Does this guy ever provide useful counterarguments and advice, or does he just shoot down everyone's opinions? Kakashi found the man annoying and was grateful he wasn't deployed to his Tracking Team.
"Would you be able to take him out quickly instead, Minato san?" one of the younger ninja standing in the back asked hopefully.
"You idiot, that would only stall Minato san and play right into their hands!" Noburo glared at the ninja, making him shrink back.
Even without the Sharingan, the Uchiha glare is to be feared, Kakashi joked sardonically as he saw the ninja being consoled with a reassuring pat from him teammate. The ninja probably won't speak up again in a meeting for a while.
"Unfortunately, Noburo san is correct," Minato sighed, "I know I can defeat him, but it would take time as his jutsu nullifies the Rasengan." Kakashi detected the slight annoyance in his tone. He knew that with the addition of elemental nature, Gou wouldn't have stood a chance. As it was, the Rasengan wouldn't be able to cause internal damage against Gou. It would become a game of attrition, one that would delay Minato.
A small lull in the conversation, Shigeru is going to jump at the chance to regain control, Kakashi predicted.
Right on cue, "We need to determine who best to pit against Gou," Shigeru summarized. "Someone who we can afford to have delayed while our key units do their job. It can't be Noburo's units or Ino-Shika-Cho as they'll be working to break the defenses. I need to command the rest of the units along with Gaku san. Therefore, I believe Yuma san, alongside a team, is our best option."
"Yuma san, I mean no disrespect but can your jutsu keep up with Gou's speed?" Choza asked with concern.
"Yes," Yuma nodded, "but only for a while."
"I can do it," Kakashi knew that this is where he could make a difference. He saw everyone turn to him, some in surprise that he was there, others in annoyance clearly thinking he was about to waste their time. Undeterred, Kakashi continued, "I have a jutsu that will be effective against Gou, but it's not a hundred percent complete." If his Chidori worked against Kakazu, it was sure to work against Gou. Nothing against Gou, but Kakazu was on another, albeit very creepy, level.
"Then what's the point Kakashi kun, there's no time for you to learn it by tomorrow anyway," Noburo dismissed him with a casual wave of a hand. Kakashi knew he referred to him by the suffix to point out his young age and add more weight to his dismissal.
"How can it be effective if it's not complete, Kakashi?" Shikaku asked instead, curious at the wording Kakashi used: complete instead of master. Unlike Noburu, he knew that Kakashi wouldn't make a suggestion if he didn't think it would work. He also didn't use the 'kun' suffix to indicate to the room that he was taking the young ninja seriously. Since he couldn't use 'san' or 'sama' in Kakashi's case, avoiding the youthful suffix was the next best thing.
"It's a highly concentrated lightening blade with penetrative power and can tear through most earth jutsu. But it requires high speed to be effectively utilized. While I can reach that speed, I get tunnel vision when using it and can't see counterattacks; making me vulnerable," Kakashi explained nonchalantly. Minato was surprised at the revelation, given that Mini-Kakashi hadn't relied on his sensei to create the jutsu. The first time his sensei saw Chidori was during the Kannabi Bridge mission.
"I don't remember encountering such a jutsu fighting against the Cloud," Inoichi remarked thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in contemplation. It appeared that only his sensei and Shikaku caught on to the fact that he had created it.
"That's because I created it," Kakashi shrugged to bring the rest up to speed. From his peripheral vision, Kakashi could see the ninja in the back shake their heads or scoff lightly. Interestingly enough, Kakashi noticed the clan representatives gauging him with calculating glimmers. Even Noburo, who had initially dismissed him.
"Minato san?" Shigeru asked for his sensei's opinion.
I'm right here, Kakashi thought with annoyance. It was a bit demeaning to have them refer to Minato instead of asking him for more information directly.
"Kakashi has an affinity for nature manipulation," Minato stared the clan representatives in the eye, conveying his trust in Kakashi and daring anyone to disagree. "If he gets tunnel vision, I can protect him from any counters." For Minato, it clearly wasn't a question of whether Kakashi can or cannot, rather, a question of how best to support him in landing the jutsu. The display of faith meant a lot.
"The earlier we can eliminate Gou, the more that plays in our favor," Shikaku replied folding his hands on top of the table and resting his chin on top, "Don't forget we still have to deal with Kohaku and Hiroto. Their explosive ninjutsu will be annoying. We have fire on our side so it's manageable, but Yuma san's insects will be a life savior to detect any hidden traps and drain them of chakra. If Kakashi can deal with Gou, that should be our Plan A."
"Key word, 'if'," Hyuga Masato remained skeptical and Kakashi could swear he heard people sigh in their heads. "Even should the jutsu prove effective, how would he manage to land a hit; he's just—"
"If Minato san thinks he can do it, isn't he the best judge as his sensei?" Tatsuki countered loudly, which everyone appeared to be grateful for. The Hyuga seemed to want to throttle Tatsuki, who conversely didn't even bother to look at him.
"Hatake was able to stall Hayashi Haruki for around twenty minutes until Minato came to finish him off," Gaku leaned back in his chair, conveying his lack of concern.
Damn him, Kakashi thought as he saw the mood of some shift with the mention of his clan's name. 'Kakashi' wasn't associated with anything. 'Hatake' was associated with his father. I need to distract their focus, and quickly.
"The only difficulty will be where to hide in an open field to catch him unawares," Kakashi said. He further wanted to show that he wasn't taking the task lightly. "If Minato sensei keeps him busy, I can create a stone wall as a defensive ruse and strike him after Minato sensei leads him towards it. My skills are focused on ninjutsu and stealth. I can do this."
There was a moment of silence as the ninja contemplated the information presented. After a beat, Shikaku spoke up "I believe this is the best course of action. What say you, Shigeru san? Noburo san?"
"If Yuma san and his team are available to help navigate the explosives, the more of our ninja survive. I agree with this plan," Shigeru nodded.
"As long as you defeat him quickly so that Minato san can join our forces in breaking down their defense, do whatever you want," Noburo shrugged.
"We'll take him down, then I'll send Kakashi back to the Transfer Team and join you," Minato affirmed. At this, Inuzuku Genji gave Kakashi a nod; he would be fine without him until he finished this task.
"Great, then let's discuss the remainder of the battle," Shikaku closed the topic and moved on to provide more detail on how to neutralize Iwa's terrain advantage.
As everyone shifted their attention accordingly, Kakashi felt Tsunade's eyes on him, and he met her gaze to find himself on the receiving end of a minuscule glare. Clearly, she thought that taking on another strong Iwa ninja wasn't in line with his promise to remain safe. In hindsight, Kakashi found it weird that Tsunade hadn't contributed to the discussion at all. Did her trauma also impact her ability to make life-death decisions for her fellow comrades?
The thought made Kakashi's heart ache once more. All his life, he knew Tsunade to be a force of nature. Of course, he knew of her struggles, but he wasn't witness to them. It hurt to see her light diminished. Although it wasn't common for his younger persona, Kakashi smiled, his eyes curving into the crescents familiar to his students…. I'll be fine. Tsunade glared more harshly, a warning that he better stay safe, then shifted her attention back to the discussion. Everyone was focused on Shikaku and Noburo, so the moment wasn't noticed by those in the room.
The strategy meeting continued and stretched into the late afternoon, but the decision was made: Konoha was going on the offensive the day after tomorrow, and they had a plan. There was another debate as to whether to attack tomorrow or the day after. Some wanted to attack as swiftly as possible, while others cautioned that more time to rest and prepare would serve their forces well.
I lost count of the number of debates; the clan representatives can't agree on anything, Kakashi complained internally, resisting the urge to shift from leg to leg during the last hour.
Fortunately, both Shigeru and Noburo, who were clearly leading the two political sides of the outpost, agreed for once. Therefore, the plan was set to leave tomorrow evening and engage the Iwa front-outpost the next day. Hyuga Masato was frustrated as per usual, but didn't push further after the other ninja folded.
Right after the meeting was dismissed, Shigeru left to summon one of his contracted monkeys to update the Third. Despite many messenger birds, urgent information would be conveyed via summons, whereby the Third would call upon the Sarutobi monkeys of his clansmen stationed at key outposts twice a day. If the Third had any comments, they would adjust accordingly in the morning. Now it was the captains' jobs to inform their respective units.
As the ninja filed out, eager to get something to eat and rest before the day after tomorrow, Kakashi waited for his sensei, who was taking his time stretching. "I'm never sure what's worse, standing for an entire meeting or sitting down," Minato joked, his hands interlaced and stretched out in front of him.
"My leg would have preferred I sit," Kakashi replied. Although healed, his leg cramped up a bit near the end of the meeting.
"Is it hurting you?" Minato asked with worry.
"Relax sensei, it's fine," Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"You need to rest," Minato sighed as they made their way out of the room, "but first, I need to see this jutsu in action. Better to know what to expect. There's a training room in the lower floor."
"I can only manage three uses of the jutsu a day," Kakashi informed him. While Sasuke could only manage two at the age of twelve, Kakashi had larger reserves as a child. Kakashi couldn't help but curse his lax training after his sensei's death once more. "I'm also slightly low on chakra after the fight with Haruki. I can explain it to you in detail though. I created it while trying to add nature to the Rasengan so it should be easy for you to imagine."
While that's he told his sense, Kakashi did in fact need to test the Chidori as he hadn't tried it since traveling to the past. With his chakra control problems and physique change, he had focused on other matters. Yet, now he needed to test it out and adjust to his current chakra mix. If his sensei saw him struggling with control, he'd assume Kakashi hadn't mastered it yet and would pull him out of the operation. My best course of action was to prepare in secret, he thought.
"Why didn't you tell me that you created a jutsu? We talked about how I created the Rasengan just the other day." Minato titled his head in confusion.
"It's not complete, I wanted to keep it a surprise for a spar," Kakashi crossed his arms and lifted them behind his neck to rest his head inside the crook with a sigh. "I was excited to use the element of surprise to hopefully beat you for once."
The wistful tone was not lost on Minato who laughed. "I won't let you beat me anytime soon; I have a reputation to uphold after all. Maybe when I'm grey and old." Although his sensei was laughing and joking, Kakashi could still detect a hint of worry in his sensei's gaze. First defeating Haruki, then sealing and now Chidori, his sensei was bound to ask questions soon. He really needed to nail the conversation his sensei would force upon him soon.
"Does this mysterious jutsu have a name or are we going with 'Highly Concentrated Lightening Blade'?" Minato asked, dispelling his concerns for another day as his curiosity won out.
"I call it Flapping-Birds Rasengan Inspired Lightening Ball," Kakashi teased as they started descending the stairs.
"Hey now!" Minato pretended to be offended, "If I had known you'd keep making fun of Ice Pop-Inspired Nimbus Jiraiya Twin Whorl Sphere, I would never have shared." Kakashi could tell he was lying, if anything, Minato's eyes thrilled to see his student joke around.
"It's such a great name that letting it rest would be a disservice to the universe," Kakashi replied with a shrug.
"I should have known that if you were ever to joke around, you'd have a sarcastic type of humor," Minato replied with a wide smile.
Kakashi was tempted to keep up the banter, but knew he had to stop for now, "Anyway, I call it Chidori because that's what it sounds like."
"How fast would you be going?" Minato asked for more detail.
"As fast as I can, so mid-level jonin," Kakashi replied.
"Wait a minute, this morning you said that you'd been planning to improve your speed. Did you decide that, so you have a better chance of landing this Chidori on me?" Minato asked in amusement.
Kakashi didn't. But it did match up with what Mini-Kakashi would have done. His sensei really knew him well. "Well, you are the ONLY high-level ninja I fight against," Kakashi pretended to be peeved, "You're my benchmark for what I need to work on."
"Hmm I haven't considered that," Minato tsked "I need to get you different sparring partners. It's not good to train against the same people; it may keep you ignorant of a weakness until you're suddenly faced with it on the battlefield."
"Anything that will help me improve is welcome," Kakashi easily agreed.
"That said, I'm not too thrilled about you taking on such a visible role in the next battle," Minato sighed. "It defeats the purpose of keeping your battle with Haruki quiet."
"There is a huge difference," Kakashi dismissed with a shake of his head, "I fought him alone, here, you're fighting him and I'm just sneaking in with a supporting attack."
"Still, it'll bring the spotlight on you as a strong lightening user, which will make you a target," Minato groused.
"All the more reason to train," Kakashi replied without concern, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Minato shook his head fondly at the reply before changing gears as they arrived at the ground floor, "Alright then, I have a few things to finish up, but I got all the information I needed on your jutsu. You still need to meet up with Inuzuka Genji san, Captain of the Transfer Team," he suggested. "Do you know him?"
"Yes, I'll find him now," Kakashi nodded, "Can I have my bag please?" His sensei had sealed both their bags before they left Outpost 12 so we can carry him. No sooner than he'd asked, his sensei unsealed a scroll and two bags popped up. Kakashi quickly grabbed his bag before giving his sensei, who was strapping on his own, a parting wave, "Thanks."
As he approached the tower's exit, he heard the rushed chatter outside. It was clear that they have announced the plans to attack. Finally outside, Kakashi saw Gaku explaining the plan to some fellow ninja. He spotted Inuzuka Genji amongst the crowd and waited for the man to finish so he could introduce himself properly. While he waited, Kakashi could sense that many were excited to deal a major blow to the Stone. Some appeared to be nervous, but there was a thrill of barely contained excitement at a chance to turn the tide.
It made sense; the war had been raging for six years now. Everyone was tired and the majority have lost someone close to them. Others have spent these years on the battlefield, barely seeing their families and living in constant fear of losing more loved ones. This skirmish wouldn't end the war, but it would break Iwa's momentum and hopefully allow Konoha to win the war, sooner rather than later. A chance the Konoha ninja were willing to die for.
After a few minutes of idling around, Kakashi saw Genji break from the circle of ninja and walk eastward. He quickly followed suit. Having to shift to a light jog to catch up with the man's longer strides, Kakashi fell into step next to him. "Inuzuka san?"
"Ah, Kakashi kun," Genji stopped once he noticed the chunin by his side.
"Hatake Kakashi, reporting for duty sir," Kakashi gave the man a light bow.
"Yes, I know who you are," the man barked in laughter. "Inuzuka Genji, but you already knew that! Welcome to the Transport Team. I read that you did a short stint on the Transport Team in the Land of Waterfall?"
"Yes, Inuzuka san, it was with Kobayashi san," Kakashi affirmed. Genji nodded before he started walking again, beckoning him to follow. Kakashi quickly caught up again as they made their way further east.
"Genji san is fine. There are so many of my clanmates here; don't want anyone to get confused," he then let out another laugh. Kakashi wasn't sure if the man thought his comment was funny or recalled a fond memory.
"Anyway, nothing against the Land of Waterfall units but the Land of Grass is a whole different beast," Genji informed him, raising his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner as he leaned in slightly to make sure Kakashi was listening. "The scale of the fighting is much larger. Especially with this skirmish, we're going to have to save our comrades left and right."
"I'll keep up, Genji san," Kakashi reassured him. The man nodded before righting himself up once more.
"Your dispatch papers said you worked on the defensive perimeter of the medical backlines so that quick first-aid and transport of the injured can happen safely," Genji suddenly took a left, forcing Kakashi to shift directions sharply.
"Yes sir, and my dog summons would help look for any survivors after the fight," he added. Specifying his past role brought up faint memories. His last stint with the Transport Team was before joining Team Minato. With no sensei, and no constant team, he was shuffled from one assignment to the next. It was only after Team Minato that he had some consistency. That said, being on the Transport Team was one of his favorite assignments as it brought him closer to the action. His younger self saw it as being trusted with harder missions and he tried to absorb as much as he could amid the battlefield. Now though, he knew he'd hate the assignment; standing on the sidelines as others fight puts a bad taste in my mouth.
"You want to fight, I can see it in your eyes," Genji observed, "Our job is important. I know some believe that fighting would be more beneficial. If I fight, I can save lives. But there are strategic values in having an evacuation team. Do you know them?"
"Yes, having a Transport Team allows for the preservation of life, boosts morale when ninja know they have a chance to survive after being injured and allows Konoha to have a sustained fighting force. Also, should we need to retreat, the Transport Team would be responsible for covering our forces as they fall back." Kakashi cited dutifully.
"Exactly," Genji nodded empathically, "our numbers are lower than Iwa so we can't just throw numbers back at the problem. We need to be more efficient! The sooner our comrades receive treatment, the better chance for quick recovery and prevention of lifelong injuries. It sucks for the Iwa ninja. They know we have this system, and they don't. That makes them question their leaders' approach."
"Don't they just spin it as a weakness of Konoha; that we're too soft?" Kakashi recalled that being a perception thrown about by their enemy.
"When it's your life that isn't being protected, you want your leaders to have a soft spot for you," Genji explained. "Sure, Iwa does try to spin a narrative, but those fighting in the frontlines know they're seen as dispensable. Does that make sense?"
"Iwa's approach is about the number of ninja they have; the more the merrier. Konoha's approach is not about how many ninja we have at a given moment, rather, how we manage, sustain and support our forces," Kakashi paraphrased to show his understanding.
"They said you were smart," Genji clapped loudly once.
They made it to a collection of green-colored tents and ninja started throwing casual greetings to Genji. Kakashi was similarly greeted by the smell of cup noodles and grilled chicken. They had arrived at the Transport Team's zone. Genji called out to two ninja and a kunoichi near the zone entrance, "Tell everyone we're meeting at our bonfire in fifteen minutes. Urgent meeting."
"You got it boss!" one of the ninja saluted him with a smile before he and his peers started to walk around and spread the word. Kakashi took a glance around the camp as he continued following Genji, not having been dismissed yet.
Most ninja were dressed lightly to stay cool in the summer heat. Lines ran in between the tents so people could string up their washed clothes to dry. Like the entrance of the camp, ninja here made small fires at the entrance of their tents to prepare quick meals. Just as his nose caught, most trash bags around these fires contained empty noodle cups and dirty wooden skewers. The team appeared to be friendly with one another, as Kakashi could make out low laughter and levity in the conversations around him.
The zone was a contrast to the remainder of the outpost Kakashi has seen so far, though he had expected nothing less with Genji as Captain. The man was clearly laidback and wouldn't care much for neatness and order. Kakashi knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if he were to walk into the zone the Uchiha and Hyuga were responsible for, not a single piece of wood would be out of place. Then again, the Transport Team was set at the outskirts, thus, farther away from somber news. Moreover, as part of the backlines, they registered fewer causalities than most assignments.
Despite Kakashi used to having more order, Kakashi preferred this atmosphere to one that was overly strict. It was a reminder that they were people too, not just tools. As long as the chaos didn't border on unsanitary, Kakashi would make do. This brought forth memories of a terrible stint in the Land of Hot Water. His captain at the time cared little for hygiene. Unluckily, meetings were held near the captain's lodgings and the smell of old shoes and sweat would always waft into his nose, even with the mask.
"Ah, here we are!" Genji announced, rescuing Kakashi from having to relive the memory further. "Banri, Taiki, Katsu, this is Kakashi kun. He'll be lodging with you and be part of your squad while Akane heals. Make sure he has everything he needs."
"Of course, Genji san," one of them replied dutifully. They were all clumped together so Kakashi had no way of telling them apart during Genji's introduction. A quick glance showed that the three were in their teenage years, his best guess was fifteen or sixteen years of age.
"Meeting at the central bonfire in fifteen," Genji nodded, "If you have any questions, let me know, Kakashi kun." The second Kakashi nodded, the man rushed away, leaving an awkward pause in his wake.
Kakashi found the faces of his deployment squad familiar; part of Konoha's chunin ranks. They had never made an impression on Kakashi, hence, he had no idea what to expect in terms of their character or skillset. Regardless, I just hope they're not annoying, was Kakashi's thought as he moved to introduce himself properly.