Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Almost everyone in the shinobi world knows of Kakashi Hatake.

And those who are familiar with him can typically rattle off a few key facts about the silver-haired man.

He’s a jōnin of Konoha, a prodigy, the Hatake clan heir, the son of Konoha’s White Fang, and an exceptionally skilled shinobi to boot.

But what if none of that were actually true? What if the one who calls himself Kakashi Hatake is only pretending to be?

What if that was exactly the case here?

The truth of the matter is that Kakashi Hatake’s true name is Madara, and the name is one he’s carried eons before the village of Konoha was even dreamed of. Naturally, it’s also quite inaccurate to consider him a prodigy regardless of how talented and powerful he may be. It simply wouldn't be fair to bestow that title upon him when he’s actually older than everyone else in the village combined.

As for his supposed status as a shinobi, that's merely a role he plays for the sake of his own amusement. He's a colossal wolf youkai of incredible power. There is no being in the world that Madara truly answers to. And in regard to being considered a Hatake, it’s only a minor allowance to fulfill his end of a deal.

At least Madara would tell himself that he doesn’t care about any of those things, and he would certainly say the same if anybody else were to ask. Although, if anyone ever knew the full story of how he came to be in this situation, they would certainly beg to differ.

Nonetheless, it all began decades and decades ago during the Warring States Period. 

________________________

Madara generally steers clear of the shinobi, as do most of the other youkai. Not that youkai have much to fear from the belligerent little creatures, especially not a being as powerful as he is. In fact, the overwhelming majority of shinobi, as is typical of humans at large, pose nearly no threat whatsoever to youkai.

As entities of spiritual energy, youkai are generally invisible to the human eye. Every few generations or so, a single human might be born with enough spiritual power to see, hear, or even seal away youkai. However, such individuals are highly rare among the general population and are fundamentally unheard of in shinobi. Madara's personal theory is that their heavy use of chakra leaves their reserves of spiritual energy grossly underdeveloped in comparison to that of the average human.

And even if shinobi could see youkai, their weapons and jutsus would have little to no impact. Physical attacks carry no actual force against youkai unless one also possesses a significant base of spiritual power. Similarly, chakra-based techniques would likely dissipate upon contact as well. A youkai’s spiritual energy and a shinobi’s chakra could be regarded as incompatible forces, not unlike how a flame is unable to burn water.

All in all, the unofficial consensus was that shinobi were hardly worth bothering about. They had a reputation for being an irksome bunch and weren’t particularly tasty to eat anyway.

Madara had hardly intended to veer so closely to the shinobi’s encampment on account of those aforementioned reasons. And yet he had found himself drawn in by the unusual noises he heard. Curiosity was always a difficult vice to resist, not just for Madara but for spirits as a whole. After all, a youkai’s existence could be quite dull indeed with new forms of entertainment so few and far between. 

So against his better judgment, the massive wolf spirit slinks ever closer to their settlement.

As he lurks along the edges of their territory, Madara takes note of the shinobi's similarities in appearance as a number of them seem to share the same shade of silver hair and dark eyes. A family resemblance, he presumes. And while most families would be preparing for rest at this time in the evening, the majority of the humans here are on their feet. They appear to be in the midst of some sort of collective training session, sparring and fighting amongst each other vigorously although without the intention to injure or kill. Some swing swords and others flow through various motions as electricity crackles and arcs across their bodies.

This piques Madara's interest.

It's not strictly the novelty that attracts him as Madara himself possesses a similar ability to summon lightning strikes from the sky. Granted, those massive blasts are usually directed at those who have displeased him, and yet, there’s a finesse to the shinobi’s movements, an element of grace and precision that is backed by unmistakable power. He finds himself almost envious of these feats and of the level of exactness with which they are performed.

To think of the power that he could hold with such abilities...

Perhaps a closer look is in order. 

Although no one would even know that he was there, Madara still elects to watch the proceedings from a less occupied area. He spies a girl, one with silver hair curling just past her shoulders, take a practiced stance in the center of a fairly secluded clearing. Madara saunters through the trees before settling in comfortably across from her, only to see her suddenly startle back in astonishment as her eyes somehow lock onto the exact space he's occupying.

She could see him.

The girl immediately lets out a cry, although Madara registers that the noise sounds quite unlike a shriek of fear. She shifts into a defensive position within seconds, her eyes hardening in determination. Her clansmen have flooded the area mere moments later, the high, piercing sound evidently a signal for reinforcements.

“Kanako!” several of them call out in alarm as they rush forward with weapons at the ready. But the girl pays them no heed, even as her fellow shinobi surround the clearing. Instead, Kanako studies Madara intently. She must’ve realized, once the initial shock had receded, that Madara had made no move to harm her even while her clan braced itself for battle.

Her voice cuts through the confused queries and cries of concern emanating from her kinsman.

“What are you?”

The rest of the clan whispers uneasily at that, but not in the way Madara had expected. From their perspective, the situation should have appeared very odd indeed. Not only was there no discernible threat to be found, but the girl who raised the alarm was now speaking to and addressing questions to the empty air. And yet the clan’s hushed murmurs were not the sounds of a community who feared that one of its own was hallucinating. No, their mannerisms seem far too wary for that if their shifting feet and cautious stances are any indication.

Maybe...

As unlikely as these circumstances are, the girl clearly possesses an uncommon, practically unheard-of amount of spiritual power for a shinobi. It's not inconceivable for her kinsman to carry a little of their own given the way that spiritual power tends to flow through families. So to test his theory, Madara slowly rises from where he had initially settled himself on the ground. He takes care to produce as much noise as possible as he stretches to his full height, his paws hitting the ground with deliberately loud thuds, his tail sweeping against the surrounding trees. 

As it turns out, this provokes a reaction in almost three-quarters of the assembled shinobi. A few whip their heads in Madara’s direction, some shuffle around nervously, and others turn slowly towards him, their shoulders tense. 

An unexpected development to say the least. 

While Kanako appears to be the only one capable of seeing him outright, it seems as though many of these shinobi are capable of sensing his presence in some shape or form. They can tell that something is there, that something exists just beyond the limits of their perception.

This could be very interesting indeed.

So Madara looks down at the girl's pale face and answers in a deep, rumbling voice. “A youkai, simply passing through.”

Kanako's eyes widen at his response, her hands shaking almost imperceptibly. Nevertheless, she repeats his answer for the rest of the shinobi to hear, and Madara sees alarm, disbelief, and confusion spread over their faces. Whispers and murmurs break out at once, the volume of their voices growing louder by the second.

A brief look of annoyance flits over Kanako’s face upon the interruption. Looking back over her shoulder at her clansmen, she gathers chakra to cast what Madara would later learn was called a genjutsu, a technique employed to manufacture illusions. Kanako had used it then as a means to show her fellow clan members the vision that only she was privy to at the time.

That is, a white wolf at least fifteen feet in height towering over them all, a beast with golden eyes and scarlet markings on its face, a creature with jaws large enough to snap closed around a grown man.

There were more than a few audible gasps at that, and the humans almost seem to be on the verge of outright panic now. However, a tall, stern-faced man who sports the silver hair shared by many of the shinobi speaks up, having been among the first to recover from the shock.

“Okami, why have you come here?”

The man's voice rings with an air of inherent authority, and the hum of voices dies down almost immediately at his words. It's evident that the humans regard this man as a leader, one with the power to speak on behalf of the rest. And with this thought, Madara is hit with an absurd yet intriguing idea that the more rational part of his mind immediately attempts to shoot down.

Why even bother?

It’s foolish, pointless really. But the impulse has already taken hold.

But why not?

It’s not as if Madara has anything to lose from trying.

“My apologies, I did not intend to intrude upon your clan," he begins. "However, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by your abilities.”

The flattery may be a bit much, especially since Madara would've assumed that shinobi would be too crafty to be swayed by such praise. But he's counting on the humans being far too disarmed by his presence to recognize it for what it is. 

“I would be interested in learning your skills should you be willing to teach me," Madara continues, his gaze meeting the girl's own. 

He can sense the fear rolling off of her in minuscule waves, and yet she stands before him, seemingly impassive in the eyes of a casual observer.

"But I would hardly expect you to do this and gain nothing in return," he leans in closer, only eight feet of space separating him and the girl now. "You live in dangerous times after all. I could compensate your clan by providing you all with my protection."

The wolf youkai sweeps his gaze over the clearing, taking in the sight of all the humans gathered there. "You would have a powerful spirit on your side.”

Save for a slight hitch in her breath, Kanako barely lets her surprise show as she once again relays his words to the others. To their credit, the other shinobi refrain from muttering and whispering amongst themselves upon the pronouncement of his proposition. Silence falls throughout the forest as the tall man fixes his eyes in Madara’s direction, his features creasing in thought.

Even on the off chance that these shinobi are willing to teach him, there's little guarantee that Madara will be capable of making any use of their knowledge. Still, this is without a doubt the most intriguing prospect he’s come across in the past twenty years. He’ll be damned if he lets an opportunity like this slip by.

The tall man ponders his proposal as a wide array of emotions manifests itself across the others’ faces. Worry, shock, doubt, curiosity, and much much more are mirrored throughout their expressions. But they nor Madara has to wait long for an answer.

“Very well, Okami," the man responds. “We have an agreement.”

At this, the clearing erupts into a din of voices, but Madara simply bares his teeth in a grin.

Yes, this was going to be very interesting indeed.

Chapter Text

The shinobi of the Hatake clan turn out to make for very accommodating if somewhat perplexed hosts. For humans who weren’t even aware of the existence of youkai beforehand, Madara feels that they’ve taken the new developments in stride. Although he does find some amusement in how the shinobi were prepared to lodge a house-sized youkai in their compound without any hesitation whatsoever.

In all fairness, the Hatake would’ve had no way of knowing that Madara possesses the ability to change his form at will. Still, they were certainly relieved upon realizing that they would not in fact need to construct a new dwelling for the sole purpose of housing him.

As it turns out, shapeshifting is an especially convenient ability for Madara to have for the purposes of this particular arrangement. Otherwise, Kanako would’ve been the only human in the clan that he could converse with for the time being. While his wolf form is reflective of his true appearance, that particular guise also happens to be the most difficult one for humans to discern.

An exceptional amount of spiritual power is required to truly perceive him, which makes it all the more shocking that Kanako was even able to. However, this is where his assortment of disguises and forms becomes especially helpful as those can be seen and heard by just about any human, including the ones with no spiritual power to speak of.

Madara initially adopts the form of a medium-sized dog with gray fur in order to more conveniently interact with the rest of the clan. It's a canine with small pointed ears and a dense coat, a breed he's seen in colder, more mountainous areas. The humans in those parts had called this specific type of hound a Hokkaido dog or an Ainu-ken. 

It's a bit of a contrived choice, but it overall seemed like the most appropriate option at the time on account of the dog's strength, sense of loyalty, high level of intelligence, and excellent sense of smell.

These characteristics are far from arbitrary though. A youkai who takes on a specific form not only adopts its image but embodies its character as well. There's a reason why youkai with more animalistic appearances tend to also be more bestial in temperament. And even Madara is not immune to the influences of his various forms. For instance, it would not be unusual for him to express more cat-like tendencies if he were to take the guise of a feline.

A human form certainly would’ve been preferable here, but Madara hasn’t spent nearly enough time around this particular group of humans for him to be able to craft an adequate facade just yet. The complexity of such a disguise calls for far more than merely visualizing the image he wishes to take on. He more or less needs to have a form committed to memory before he can effectively utilize it, and Madara simply won't have a guise ready for quite some time given the intensive amount of observation and study required.

But in the meantime, there’s much more to learn from the shinobi themselves. It hadn't taken long to hammer out more concrete terms of their arrangement once Madara, Kanako, and the tall man were able to convene after their initial meeting in the forest. 

The man, whose name is Takahito, is indeed the clan head. He also happens to be Kanako’s father which helps to explain why Madara’s proposal was so readily accepted by the others. While the rest of the shinobi were undeniably shocked, they were more than prepared to follow the direction of their esteemed clan head and clan heir.

The terms they eventually decide on are fairly reasonable and straightforward in Madara's personal opinion. As the clan's appointed guardian, his primary objective is to simply keep guard over the Hatake grounds and dispatch any intruders or enemies that intend to do its inhabitants harm. Such a task is little more than child's play seeing as Madara can easily sense any human approaching from miles around. And once he’s discovered them, those enemies are stuck in the unenviable position of facing an opponent that they can neither see, hear, or do harm to.

Madara even takes the liberty of consuming a few of the interlopers as a convenient snack. However, this habit does lead to the spread of a few persistent rumors amongst the neighboring clans, ones that allege that the Hatake shinobi engage in cannibalism. None of the clan members seem to be terribly bothered by this though, so Madara doesn't trouble himself over it either.

He’s far too occupied with other matters, especially after realizing that learning the shinobi arts entails a great deal of lessons on chakra theory.

Madara quickly discovers that chakra, specifically, is a form of life energy that originates from one’s chakra coils and circulates throughout the body. Two separate forms of energy combine to create the chakra itself, physical energy from the body and mental energy from the consciousness of one's mind. Shinobi are able to build up their reserves and mold chakra to their will, releasing it through tenketsu points in order to perform jutsus and various other feats.

While these mechanisms are interesting in their own way, it does lead Madara to realize that wielding the power of a shinobi may indeed be outside of his capabilities. Because while Madara does possess a physical body, he doesn’t have one that functions the same way that an actual human's does. As an entity composed of spiritual energy, he lacks the necessary chakra coils and their corresponding pathway system. However, he doesn’t lose hope just yet and instead shifts his focus towards other goals.

His efforts turn out to be well spent as Madara does find success in developing a believable human guise only three months after settling in. He's now capable of transforming into a young man with unruly silver hair, one that can easily blend in with the clan members. While Madara generally crafts his disguises to be nondescript, he tends to incorporate a bit of a personal element as well. The one for this form also happens to serve as a very subtle nod to his true nature.

Youkai, especially the ones with more humanoid appearances, will frequently conceal their faces or at least a portion of it. Some might cover their entire face with a Noh mask, several will hide an eye with their hair, and others use veils to obscure their features. Most commonly, humanlike youkai will don a paper mask that covers their eyes and the upper half of their face, often with symbols or simple illustrations inked onto its surface.

Had Madara wished to pass himself off as a run-of-the-mill youkai, the most likely option would've been for him to appear as a kimono-clad youth wearing a paper mask, perhaps one with wolf eyes drawn on it. However, he's seeking to fit in amongst the Hatake, so he adjusts his disguise to align more with the humans around him. He crafts his clothing to mimic theirs, and he trades the customary paper mask for a dark shinobi mask that covers the lower half of his face. 

By now, the Hatake have grown all too used to Madara’s ever-changing appearances. Hardly anyone bats an eye at seeing their resident youkai shift from human to dog and back again.

And for Madara, it turns out his human form is the breakthrough that allows him to use chakra or at least to approximate its use. The key lies in the world's natural energy, a key source of power for both youkai and, as it turns out, for some shinobi as well. 

The Hatake had informed him of a rare type of shinobi called sages who could collect natural energy and balance it with their own chakra, greatly increasing their power. However, a youkai like Madara can theoretically utilize a simplified version of this process to achieve his objective. All he needs to do is to draw in the natural energy and circulate it through his human form, mimicking the manner in which chakra would flow through the pathway system of an actual human. With this method, he can utilize the natural energy almost as if it were his own chakra.

This approach, however, is accompanied by a few minor shortcomings. Chiefly, the process of absorbing and circulating the natural energy does place limitations on the amount of “chakra” that is available for him to use at a given time. In comparison to the wider population of shinobi, his “reserves” would be considered around average. But what he does have is more than enough.

With it, the Hatake teach him how to walk up tree trunks, sprint across the surface of rivers, and manipulate lightning with the precision of a blade. He learns to produce walls of earth, project pressurized jets of water, and create impossible illusions with genjutsu. The shinobi even go as far as to instruct him in hand-to-hand combat, or what they describe as taijutsu. While Madara fully acknowledges that it's a bit unnecessary for him to train in human techniques for fighting, it’s a stimulating pastime all the same.

Out of all the jutsus he's added to his repertoire, Madara finds the transformation technique to be one of the most useful given how similar it is to his own disguises. A henge, while comparatively easier to produce, requires continuous concentration and chakra use to maintain. In contrast, Madara’s disguises require a substantial amount of time to craft, but they can also be held for as long as he wishes with no additional effort. He eventually devises a method of layering a henge over his true appearance, allowing all the other shinobi to see him even in his wolf form.

Madara had spent the majority of the time in his human guise, but it wasn't long before the Hatake clan became well accustomed to seeing a massive wolf slinking around the compound as well. All the while, Madara pounces on the opportunity to learn any new skill or technique that comes his way.

Throughout this all, the seasons continue to pass. 

At least a decade has to have gone by now because Kanako is grown with children of her own, preparing to take over the leadership of the clan from her father. This year also brings with it a shift in the air as it seems that many shinobi have grown weary of fighting amongst each other. This change of heart has prompted several of the larger clans to band together, creating settlements that they call hidden villages.

The closest one to the Hatake is Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village, and its leaders have issued an open invitation to all interested clans. The Hatake had spent many months in discussion over the merits and drawbacks of such an establishment before finally deciding to take part themselves.

Now that the Hatake clan has decided to join the newly founded Konoha, they no longer need to rely on the protection provided by their formidable youkai ally. Likewise, Madara feels that their partnership is coming to its natural end. Both parties have already carried out the terms of the agreement to their fullest extent. The Hatake have thrived under Madara's watchful eye, and he himself has learned far more than he could have ever imagined from these shinobi. 

Madara bids them well, but not before leaving the Hatake with a seal carefully inked on the inside of a scroll. The seal is designed to activate whenever a small amount of chakra is applied so that Madara will be notified regardless of where he might be in the world. If there was ever a time in which the Hatake clan found itself in need of aid, they could send for Madara in an instant.

So he departs from the compound and spends an indeterminate amount of time wandering the familiar forests and catching up with the goings-on of his fellow youkai. He passes many of his days drinking, feasting, and toying good-naturedly with the lower-ranking spirits. And one day in the midst of all this, Madara senses the seal activate.

The Hatake.

Madara races to Konoha, fully prepared to stand alongside his old allies. While he's never stepped foot in the hidden village before, the seal guides him past the unfamiliar landmarks to what must be the Hatake clan grounds. He bursts through the doors of the house from where the signal has originated. And then he pauses.

Something seems… amiss.

The first thing that strikes him is how dark and empty the rooms are. The second thing he notices is just how quiet the entire compound feels.

And then his golden eyes meet a pair of startled ones set in an otherwise devastated-looking face.

Chapter Text

After having fought in the Second Shinobi War, Sakumo Hatake thought he knew what pain and suffering felt like.

But that was before he had to bury his wife and stillborn child in the fresh plots of earth at the back of the clan grounds. He and Akiko had envisioned planting a small garden there after the baby was born. There were so many other things that they wanted to do, but he had never truly comprehended how rapidly everything could change. At least not until it was too late to do anything about it. 

Because now he’s alone and clearing out a home that’s far too big for one person to reside in. Akiko was worried that the Hatake clan grounds wouldn’t be a suitable place for a single family to live, but Sakumo had reassured her that it all would eventually settle into place.

At this point, Sakumo has half a mind to set the entire compound on fire with him still inside it. At the very least, it would be a respite against the emptiness that’s choking him, a reprieve from the silence that’s suffocating him.

Nevertheless, he continues to sort through the clutter of the main house, his movements sluggish but mechanical. He and Akiko had only gone through a small portion of it in preparation for the baby. They had elected to set aside the rest for later, reasoning that they could gradually fix it up with time. Now the task of cleaning up the remaining rooms has been left to him, and it's the only thing that’s keeping him remotely sane. If nothing else, it gives him something to focus on so that he doesn’t have to think about just how alone he is.

Because what a pitiful thing it is, to be a clan of one.

Several of the items Sakumo finds seem to be old clan heirlooms. He keeps those that might be of practical use but discards the ones that are broken or serve no discernible purpose. A fair amount of furniture has to be removed as well. Much of it is old and deteriorating, but there are also the newer pieces that are unnecessary now that there’s no one to make use of them.

Now finished with the current room, Sakumo turns to leave. Or at least that's what he had intended to do before catching sight of the lone scroll lying on the floor in the far right corner of the room. A bookshelf had originally sat there, so he assumes that the scroll had fallen to the ground while he was moving it. But upon closer inspection, Sakumo finds an undisturbed layer of dust on the surface of the scroll. It must’ve lain there for quite some time. He turns the scroll over in his hands, but there’s no label or indication as to what it might contain.

Although Sakumo doesn’t particularly care about whatever its contents might be, he still breaks the scroll open. Since someone had evidently considered it important enough to keep, he should check what it is at the very least. Unfurling the scroll, he finds that it’s almost completely blank save for a symbol in the center that's drawn in red ink.

It’s nothing that he’s ever seen before, but it appears to be a seal of some sort. The symbol looks a bit like a shepherd’s crook with a dot in the center of the hook and three vertical dashes along the top of the curve.

Sakumo brushes his hand along the symbol, gently tracing the outline.

Nothing happens.

He gives a slight frown before pushing a tiny bit of chakra into the paper.

That gets a reaction. The lines suddenly glow, scattering shadows throughout the darkened room, but the light fades just as quickly as it had appeared. Sakumo waits for a few more seconds to see if anything else will happen, but there's nothing. He rolls up the seemingly useless scroll, shaking his head as he pockets it. He'll throw it out with everything else later.

Sakumo steps back out into the hallway, only to be startled by the unexpected sounds of heavy footsteps originating from somewhere outside of the house.

Who could be out there?

He freezes in place, listening intently as the door bursts open with a bang. Normally, Sakumo would be far more proactive in the face of an intruder, but he can hardly bring himself to care. If the trespasser is an enemy, maybe they’ll do him the favor of finishing him off.

So he patiently waits for whoever it is to round the corner.

There’s a blur of snow-white fur, and Sakumo suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the largest wolf he’s ever laid eyes on. This beast is unlike any creature he’s ever seen before, with scarlet markings lining its massive eyes and two crooked dashes of the same color under each eye.

And on its forehead is a symbol identical to the one painted on the scroll that's currently sitting in his pocket. Staring into its huge golden eyes, Sakumo can feel the barest traces of astonishment beginning to break through the grief that’s been clouding his mind throughout the past few days.

Meanwhile, Madara is just as surprised. He had been expecting to find the entire Hatake clan up in arms, not this solitary human who reeks of despair and shows no recognition of who Madara is.

“Where are the others?” Madara asks although a part of him feels that he already knows the answer.

The now dazed-looking man shakes his head slightly as if he’s trying to clear his mind.

“Of course you speak,” he mutters, seemingly to himself. “There... there are no others." He gives a halfhearted gesture, his eyes barely able to focus on the sight in front of him. "Just me. I’m Sakumo Hatake.”

Still, he hardly enjoys having conjectures confirmed. Madara lets out a slow exhale and resists the urge to gnash his teeth together. He needs to know what happened. Hopefully, this lone Hatake will be receptive to more questioning.

The man appears somewhat disoriented as if the shock of the situation is yet to fully set in. But something else has been troubling this human, and Madara thinks he can hazard a guess. Now that he's inside, he can smell faint traces of blood and the stale stench of recent death permeating throughout the rooms.

He presses the shinobi for more information. “What happened to everyone else?”

How could they all be gone?

It’s been days since Sakumo has last spoken to another person, much less this bizarre creature that's suddenly appeared in his home. But he responds automatically, only partially processing the scene unfolding before him.

“Nothing. Nothing really happened.” And that, sadly, is the truth. Their numbers had been steadily dwindling for a while now. Combine that with the usual losses sustained during a war, and Sakumo was suddenly the only one left. “Members of the clan started having fewer children over time and between that and the Second Shinobi War...”

Now this is news to Madara. It seems that his absence was much longer than he had originally suspected. 

“The Second Shinobi War?" he repeats after him. "I hadn't even known there was a first.”

“Yes, well—” Sakumo begins, but it's at this moment that the absolute absurdity of the entire scenario hits him. “Wait," he gasps, clutching his head in his hands. "What’s going on? Who are you and what are you?" His eyes land upon the scroll, now rolling across the wooden floor. It must have fallen from his pocket at some point during their exchange. "The scroll, I summoned you here, didn't I? But I don’t know why this is happening!"

He sinks to the ground, misery evident in every aspect of his posture. "I... I don’t think I’m hallucinating either...”

And there it is. Looking at the man’s wild eyes, Madara knows he'll need to clear the air if he hopes to find out more.

“I’m what you would call a youkai" he declares, watching as the man's eyes widen in surprise. "Back before the Hatake clan joined this village, I entered an alliance with them. Their knowledge in exchange for my protection.”

Madara looks around the barren house at this, feeling a sense of remorse wash over him.

“The scroll was supposed to be used during any time in which they required my help. But it appears that I'm a little too late for such things.”

Sakumo lets out a choked noise that sounds halfway between a sob and a laugh. “Well, you found me instead. A few days ago I wasn’t the only one. But my wife died in childbirth and my son—“

His voice cuts off abruptly. “He was stillborn,” Sakumo finishes with visible difficulty.

He looks up to see the youkai regarding him intently, its golden eyes looking unexpectedly pensive. Then it finally responds.

“It troubles me greatly to hear that," the beast utters. "I am sorry to hear of the hardships that have befallen your clan.”

Sakumo takes a deep breath and is relieved to find that his voice is no longer shaking. "Why would you even care?” he asks, not with hostility but out of genuine curiosity.

The wolf tilts its massive head in contemplation. “I did spend quite a few years living and learning amongst your kinsmen. When we parted, it was my hope that the clan would continue to prosper.”

“You... lived with them?” The words slip out of Sakumo's mouth without his permission. He would typically feel more embarrassed by this, but he's too busy trying to fathom how such an arrangement would even work. His mind comes up short though as he's unable to comprehend how a giant wolf could possibly reside in a shinobi compound.

The massive wolf regards him with what seems to be an expression of mild amusement. Then, he vanishes within a puff of smoke without any warning whatsoever. When the vapor clears, Sakumo sees that a young man now stands in the beast's stead, one that looks very much like a Hatake with his silver hair and dark eyes. The youth is dressed in a more traditional style of shinobi garb and even wears a mask that covers the lower half of his face.

“As I mentioned,” the youkai continues, “I came to know your clan very well.” He leans against the side of the door frame, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. “While our arrangement has long since come to an end, I still felt that I owed them a favor.”

Sakumo pushes back his surprise at this sudden transformation in favor of responding to this mysterious and presumably powerful youkai. “Unfortunately, there’s no one here for you to help anymore.” He feels a bitter smile split his face as he gets to his feet. “It’s only me now, and all I’d wanted was to not be on my own.”

A contemplative look passes over the youth’s face. “Why not that then?”

“Sorry?” Sakumo asks, not quite following the spirit's train of thought.

The youkai shrugs. “You just said it yourself. You don’t want to be alone, and I could stay by your side as a guard or comrade.”

“That's... that's a lot for a simple favor," Sakumo replies slowly, almost certain that he's heard the wolf spirit incorrectly. "For you to offer that, what would you want in return?” It’s not that Sakumo distrusts him, but he can’t imagine why a youkai would be willing to stick around with him.

The young man’s eyes narrow in thought. “How about this then?” he offers. “On the off chance that anything happens to you, I get to control the clan's affairs. You may not see much use, but I can think of plenty of things that I could do.”

It’s such an outlandish notion, but Sakumo can hardly say that he hates the idea.

“Why would you even bother?” he asks, his tone almost desperate now. It seems too good to be true that he would suddenly be offered relief from a guaranteed life of loneliness.

The youth lets out an amused snort. “You severely underestimate just how boring things can be for a youkai. And,” he continues, his voice taking on a more somber quality, "I admit that it does sadden me that the clan is almost gone.”

Sakumo lets out a humorless chuckle. “In other words, you’ll do this because you feel sorry for me.”

The youkai doesn’t answer, and Sakumo treats his lack of denial as confirmation. “I’ll take it though. But there’s just one problem," Sakumo warns. "There’s no plausible explanation that I can give for your presence in the village. Everyone already knows that I’m the only Hatake left, so you'll hardly be able to blend in.”

“I could be a long-lost relative,” the youth suggests.

Sakumo shakes his head. “It would never work. A shinobi that no one has ever heard of suddenly coming out of the woodwork and sticking by me right after I’ve lost my wife and child?"

No, that would be far too suspicious.

"It’s common knowledge that I’m the last of my clan. The only other would’ve been my... son.” Sakumo trails off, suddenly struck by a truly outrageous idea.

But a youkai would probably never stand for that.

“Hmm, take the place of your child? I suppose I could do that.”

Sakumo gapes at the youkai. “You’re saying that you wouldn’t find it, let's say, insulting or demeaning to pretend to be my infant son?”

But the young man just waves his hand dismissively. “Mind you, I’ve taken plenty of forms throughout the years. This would hardly be much of a stretch, and being the heir of a shinobi clan could be very interesting indeed.”

Hardly able to believe this recent turn of events, Sakumo barely manages to utter his next words. “So we have a deal?”

It’s difficult to tell, but the youkai appears to be smiling underneath his mask. “I believe we do.”

Before Sakumo can respond, the young man raises a finger. “Just one thing, do I need an alias?"

That certainly wasn’t a question that Sakumo had expected. “Do you have a reason to hide your name?" he asks, perplexed as to why a youkai would need to conceal their identity. Even if Sakumo's ancestors had ever spoken of their guardian youkai to others, it's not as if there's anyone left who would remember. "What is it anyway? What did the others call you?”

“It’s Madara," the spirit declares as if expecting some sign of recognition from him.

“Oh...” Sakumo attempts to hide a grimace. “You definitely can’t go by that.”

“And the reason?”

“It’s just that one of the founders of this village was named Madara, and he was infamous for becoming the very first shinobi to turn traitor to Konoha.”

The youkai sighs but doesn’t look particularly troubled by this piece of information. “Well, I would like to express that I did have that name first. But I suppose your point still stands. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Names were never my strong suit," Sakumo admits, still feeling quite bewildered by this turn of events. "Akiko and I took forever to decide on a name for our son. We were going to call him Kakashi, so unless you would like to use that one...”

The young man muses over it for a second. “Not bad, I like it," he declares, a wide grin forming underneath the mask.

“It’s settled then.” He reaches his hand out to clasp Sakumo’s in a handshake.

“Kakashi it is.”

Chapter Text

Given that Sakumo is a well-known figure in Konoha, there are quite a few details that he and Kakashi need to address first. After all, they need to figure out how to subtly integrate a youkai into a hidden village since Kakashi’s true identity will have to be kept a secret this time around. Humans, and shinobi in particular, tend not to take very kindly to the things they cannot understand. Gone are the days in which the word of a clan heir and the backing of a clan head were enough.

Because of this, the two have to be certain that Kakashi can convincingly pass himself off as Sakumo’s son. Now Kakashi had seen his fair share of human young throughout his time with the Hatake clan, enough to be able to craft a passable form of an infant. However, this human disguise will be his most complex one yet. As an especially long-lasting form, it would have to withstand close scrutiny and undergo periodic alterations so that it mimics the gradual growth and change that an actual human would experience.

And in addition to resembling a human child, Kakashi needs to ensure that he can act enough like one to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. This realization results in Sakumo and Kakashi dedicating roughly half a day to researching the various stages of human development from whatever relevant texts the two are able to locate in the Hatake clan grounds. While the available material is severely lacking, their studies do lead them to uncover several glaring issues present in their initial plan.

As it turns out, human growth is exceedingly slow, far slower than they had originally thought. It's not something that Kakashi had ever truly grasped before, simply because it had never felt that way. Compared to him, humans were more like mayflies in how seemed to live and die in a blink of an eye.

Sakumo had continued to express his concerns as he seemed to believe that the act of masquerading as a human child would be a blow to the youkai's dignity. However, Kakashi is not particularly bothered by the outward appearance of his disguise. His pride can withstand such trivial matters. He's far more perturbed about the diminished level of personal mobility and autonomy he could expect to have in such a form.

Kakashi genuinely would not care if circumstances called for him to take on the image of a wizened old man, a humanoid bull creature, or even an ugly and excessively overweight cat. His reservations have more to do with how he would be required to act in this disguise and be treated in turn. Apparently, the newly born creatures are so helpless that humans expect them to be coddled and guided for the first phase of their lives. It supposedly takes an infant around three months before it's even capable of rolling over on its own, and they're generally not able to stand until eleven months after their birth. 

While Kakashi would consider himself to be a reasonably patient being, he’s not sure if he can cope with the tedium of pretending to be a tiny and ineffectual baby for so long. And even after those first few years, he would still be required to spend an almost equivalent amount of time pretending to function and communicate at the limited levels expected from a child.

The general consensus from the gathered texts is that human young might only be starting to learn how to balance on one foot after three years of life. Not to mention, they don’t even begin to learn numbers or how to read until the age of five. Then there’s the prospect of the Academy, where one must enroll in order to become a Konoha shinobi. Considering Kakashi had undergone rigorous training during his previous time living alongside humans, this is all shaping up to be a mind-numbingly dull prospect in comparison.

Despite this, Kakashi has no intention to renege on his agreement with Sakumo. While he'll admit to not being the most trustworthy individual, Kakashi does take his deals very seriously, regardless of how major or inconsequential they may seem. He and many other youkai are alike in this regard. Furthermore, it would've been overly cruel of him to turn tail simply because circumstances had started to appear a little more tiresome than he had initially assumed.

And it also helped that Sakumo had thought of a workable option anyway.

After a few more hours of pouring through the information they've collected, a rather frazzled Sakumo lets his book slip from his fingers and drop onto the table.

“I think we should try going about this a different way," he declares as he rolls up another scroll with a sense of finality.

Kakashi sets down his own scroll, looking up at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe we don’t need to plan it all out literally by the book," Sakumo suggests, gesturing absentmindedly towards the piles of research on the table. "Maybe we can skip a few steps here.”

He's still learning how to read Kakashi's emotions through the mask, but Sakumo feels confident enough to claim that the youkai looks interested in his proposal and thus takes his lack of objection as an invitation to continue.

“You do have to pass off as a child, but no one said that you had to be a normal child," Sakumo points out. "This is a shinobi village, there’s so much that’s out of the ordinary here, and Konaha tends to produce an exceptionally advanced kid every generation or so anyway. We could try going down that route to get you through the Academy far more quickly."

The prospect of cutting corners seems to be one that Kakashi finds appealing. “What you're saying is that we could present myself as some sort of prodigy instead, and that would be enough of a justification to progress at an accelerated rate. Is that right?” he asks, a contemplative look in his eyes.

“Exactly,” Sakumo confirms with a slight smile, relieved to find themselves on the same page. “Prodigies are anomalies anyway, so no one ever expects anything normal from them. If we could just establish you as an especially talented child from early on, I doubt that anyone in the village would even bat an eye.”

Kakashi flicks a sheet of paper off the table and watches it flutter slowly to the floor. “I think that can be done considering that I trained as a shinobi well before Konoha's founding," he replies, far more eager to jump on board any option that doesn't involve him pretending to be a barely sentient lump of a human. "But how quickly should we move? From what you mentioned regarding the average age one becomes a shinobi, do you think cutting that time in half would be too drastic?”

“Actually," Sakumo muses, "I was thinking that we could probably knock that out even sooner and have you graduate only five years from now."

"We could really get away with so much here," he admits, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It would be a village record by a significant margin, but all shinobi are regarded as adults in Konoha no matter their age."

Kakashi only needs a moment to think through that idea. “Let’s go with that then," he declares. "I’ve looked human before, but I was never trying to pass myself off as one."

Accurately mimicking the emotional and psychological development of a human child is an extremely tall order, and Kakashi is not above admitting that it might be too complicated of a feat for him. 

With that settled, the two move on to finalize the specific disguises that Kakashi will use throughout his time in Konoha. Given that Kakashi had already perfected his human form decades ago, it takes comparatively little effort for Kakashi to craft the guise of an infant, one that he can easily adjust as time progresses. 

Now that they've eliminated the need for Kakashi to act like a normal child, maintaining his disguise is really the only undertaking that he needs to bother with. Even so, this is barely cause for any concern. All he has to do is avoid drawing unwanted attention while ensuring that he bears enough of a resemblance to Sakumo throughout the years. And while this decision does run a bit contradictory to his primary goal of not standing out, Kakashi does intend for this child form to wear a mask as soon as he reaches a reasonable size to do so. Sakumo looks both baffled and somewhat amused by this, but he ultimately decides not to question his choice.

It’s only then, as they're wrapping up the last few details, that Kakashi is reminded of a surprising detail that had initially escaped his notice amidst the confusion of his first meeting with Sakumo. Namely that Sakumo was able to see his true form. In Kakashi’s haste to reach the clan, he hadn’t bothered to don the henge he would've usually layered over himself, meaning that Sakumo must possess an especially rare amount of spiritual power.

It's a level of power that Kakashi hadn't encountered since Kanako, and he wouldn’t have been shocked if Sakumo turned out to be a direct descendant of hers. Sakumo himself is quite surprised to learn of this as he'd had no idea how unusual it was for him to actually perceive the wolf spirit that had broken through the front doors of his house. His ancestry, however, is largely a mystery to him as much of their clan history was apparently lost throughout the years as the Hatake grew fewer and fewer in number.

After all, Sakumo was never aware that there was a time in which his clan had formed an alliance with a powerful youkai. Seeing as Sakumo hadn't even recognized his true name, Kakashi would assume that the information surrounding that part of the Hatake clan’s past had faded away shortly after Kanako’s death. If her progeny had failed to inherit any of her spiritual power, it probably would've taken only a single generation for all memories of youkai and of him to disappear. 

However, the confirmation of Sakumo's own spiritual ability does lead Kakashi to make a rather worrying connection as, throughout the years, he's noticed a particular trait that's often shared by humans born with significant spiritual power. That is, many of those individuals had mothers who died while or shortly after giving birth to them.

This is hardly a confirmed pattern but rather something that he's simply drawn from his own observations. It could just be a mere coincidence that Sakumo’s wife had also died in childbirth. But if he remembers correctly, Kanako had also mentioned that her mother passed not long after she was born. Either way, Kakashi makes a mental note to never inform Sakumo about this potential theory. Spiritual power is typically hereditary, and he wouldn’t want Sakumo to have any reason to think that he might be in some way to blame for the death of his wife and child.

Best to pretend that the thought never crossed his mind.

Because at this point in time, Kakashi and Sakumo have been cooped up in the Hatake clan grounds for almost five days, painstakingly running through the timeline of their plans. Fortunately for them, Sakumo is known to be a somewhat reclusive figure when it comes to his daily life, so nobody in Konoha should find it particularly odd for him to be out of public sight for a week or so.

Once everything is in place, Sakumo lies low for a few more days before venturing out into the village to break the tragic news of his wife’s death

And then, it’s time to introduce his peers to his “son.”

Chapter Text

From the village’s perspective, nothing about Sakumo or Kakashi Hatake had seemed terribly unusual at first.

As a matter of fact, everything had appeared normal to begin with. Many had known that Sakumo and his wife were expecting a child, and while her death during childbirth was certainly tragic and shocking, it could hardly be considered an abnormal occurrence.

In the beginning, few people had personally laid eyes on Sakumo’s son, Kakashi. Sakumo had barely left the Hatake clan grounds during the first few days following Kakashi’s birth, departing only to bring his child in for a medical examination at the hospital. Even still, that was an understandable reaction in the wake of his wife’s demise.

What father wouldn’t have felt protective over his infant son following such a loss?

During the weeks after Kakashi Hatake was born, the citizens of Konoha had actually seen significantly more of Yuto, the new dog summons Sakumo had acquired around the same time. While the Hatake clan head could, on rare occasions, be witnessed carrying his son in a blanket-wrapped bundle, one was far more likely to find Sakumo with the gray Hokkaido dog trailing dutifully after him.

Again, none of this was cause for raised eyebrows either as it was completely reasonable for a newly single parent to want another pair of eyes around. Furthermore, the choice of an Ainu-ken seemed to be a rather fitting one given the breed's reputation for behaving well around small children. Yuto himself also appeared quite reasonable for a summons. Many of the shinobi who've had the opportunity to speak to him had quickly discovered that the dog was easygoing if a little bit sarcastic.

It was also expected that Sakumo would request several months of leave in the wake of his son’s birth and his wife’s death. And while he does take a brief pause, it isn't long before Sakumo begins voicing his intentions to accept missions again. Still, there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary there, and many of his peers assume that his summons will simply be supervising Kakashi in Sakumo's absence.

However, Sakumo also mentions that Yuto will be accompanying him on missions in order to gain combat experience. Now, this does give a few people pause although just barely. Some ask if he’ll hire a genin team to babysit, but Sakumo brushes their concerns off.

“Kakashi can handle himself,” is his untroubled response.

The oddness of this remark gives rise to a great deal of confusion among his fellow shinobi, so much so that several even assume that they’ve somehow misheard the Hatake clan head as Kakashi’s age could still be measured in weeks. Looking back, however, they all should have recognized that this was simply the very first clue that hinted at just how bizarre the Hatake clan truly was.

After all, Kakashi Hatake is already capable of walking only four months after his birth. His motions are stable and controlled, nothing at all like the unsteady, faltering steps characteristic of babies who are learning to move on their own for the first time. At an age when most infants have yet to learn how to crawl or sit up, Kakashi is walking alongside his father and easily keeping up with his strides.

The next thing the people of Konoha very quickly realize is that Kakashi Hatake looks like no other four-month-old. If they hadn't known any better, they might’ve thought he was a different child altogether because there seems to be no conceivable way that Kakashi could’ve grown so much in such a short amount of time.

Sakumo’s son already has a full head of spikey silver hair and a focused gaze that looks out of place on someone who’s barely over two feet tall. Kakashi also lacks the comparatively shorter limbs and torso that are characteristic of young children as his body proportions appear more similar to that of an adult's. In all honesty, the tiny shinobi mask covering the lower half of his face might be the least jarring aspect of his appearance.

All the while, Sakumo finds himself marveling at what the residents of a hidden village are willing to believe. The shinobi might find something to be odd, they might question it, but they will ultimately come to terms with it in the end. And even though he and Kakashi have pushed at every possible boundary they could think of, everyone had still let it slide.

Then again, what else could they have done besides to accept Kakashi’s absurdly accelerated development? It wasn’t as if there were any other plausible conclusions they could draw. This simply happened to be a scenario in which the truth was far stranger than they could ever imagine.

Emboldened by their success, Sakumo and Kakashi decide to carry out the next phase of their plan. 

After around eight months following Kakashi’s “birth,” the two determine that the time is appropriate for Kakashi to begin speaking in public. Everyone has been somewhat numbed to the shock at this point, so they startle slightly less at the sight of such a young child already engaging in conversations. Still, it doesn't take long before their sense of curiosity starts to grow, and several even begin to seek Kakashi out, intrigued by the rumors surrounding the astonishing prodigy.

However, Sakumo would presume that most people who converse with Kakashi usually end up regretting their decision. Even though they all assume that they’re prepared, they're still taken aback by just how perceptive and blunt the youkai actually is. Of course, there’s also the fact that Kakashi has a tendency to say the kinds of things that no child would ever mention.

It’s generally not too difficult to find something polite to say about other people’s children, but Sakumo can tell that most struggle to describe Kakashi in a way that doesn’t include the word “menace.” By now, a significant number of people in Konoha have had an encounter with Kakashi that they remember less than fondly.

Jiraiya, in particular, will surely never forget the time he had been peeking through the cracks in the bathhouse walls and turned around to find Kakashi Hatake standing patiently behind him. Naturally, he had attempted to make light of his actions before offering up a half-hearted excuse to explain his presence there, assuming that his friend’s young son wouldn’t have picked up on what he was trying to do anyway.

“Hey kiddo, what brings you out here? Me, I’m just taking a walk around the village.”

But Kakashi hadn’t looked at all fooled by his bare-faced lie. Instead, the very small child had said to him rather sincerely, “I’d be careful when it comes to admiring beautiful girls. You never know when one might actually be trying to lure you away so it can consume your body and soul.”

He had then strolled away as if he had not said anything out of the ordinary, leaving Jiraiya sputtering inelegantly outside of the building. Unfortunately for him, the sounds of their exchange had been loud enough to alert the inhabitants of the bathhouse, forcing Jiraiya to make a hasty retreat or else suffer their incoming wrath.

Personally, Kakashi would say that he’s given the voyeur a piece of invaluable advice. Some youkai do in fact take the form of gorgeous women, and many of them are quite ravenous as well.

Councilor Danzō Shimura is another individual who likely regrets his decision to interact with the Hatake clan heir. Sakumo wouldn’t normally excuse blatantly insulting an esteemed elder of Konoha in the name of one’s own amusement, but no harm was actually done in this situation. It's not as if he holds any authority over Kakashi anyway; after all, the youkai is only pretending to be his son. Anyhow, Kakashi’s justification was that the elder was "full of himself" and that he could tell that Danzō was someone accustomed to giving orders and talking down to others.

“He’s the kind of person who’s fixated on power, the type who always wants things to go his own way," Kakashi had explained with a devious expression that looked somewhat unnatural on a face that young. "So I felt that calling him feeble, old, and on the verge of death would be highly entertaining.”

Sakumo doesn't necessarily disagree with his assessment, but he personally would've refrained from phrasing it that way. Danzō is a highly ambitious shinobi who frequently expresses his preference for hardline approaches as far as the governance of Konoha is concerned. After all, it's how he was able to achieve the position he holds today.

Regardless, Kakashi's words had caused the elder to turn a shade of purple that Sakumo hadn’t even realized was humanly possible. He's not sure how Danzō had expected the conversation to go, but that certainly wasn’t it. Sakumo imagines that Shimura likely lacks experience with children and is thus unaware of just how candid they can be. Though in all fairness, Kakashi is decidedly not a child and was deliberately trying to offend him.

Of course, there's also Kakashi’s encounter with Orochimaru which was singular in that the snake Sannin himself wasn’t bothered by their conversation. Rather, it was everyone around them who grew unnerved by it.

By and large, Kakashi considers Orochimaru to be a curious human. Between the man’s paper-white skin, purple markings, golden eyes, and slitted pupils, he looks more like a youkai than anyone else in Konoha. If Kakashi didn't know any better, he would’ve said that Orochimaru was the spirit in disguise.

Or at least he would have if it weren't for the fact that Orochimaru is undeniably a man who's fueled by scientific discovery, one who considers the limits set by nature to be arbitrary constructs. This mindset is completely foreign to Kakashi and stands utterly at odds with the invariable and unchanging nature of youkai. Spirits may grow or wane in strength, they can shift between different forms, but they can never reinvent themselves in the ways that Orochimaru describes.

Kakashi's questions regarding the scientist's research had culminated in a lengthy discussion centered on the morality and mechanics of body modifications. Orochimaru had seemed mildly pleased to find another individual willing to deliberate so frankly over such subjects while Kakashi had simply found the concept of manually changing one’s physical makeup to be a rather novel and intriguing one. All the other shinobi in the vicinity had only found it disturbing.

Perhaps they had gone a little too far, but he can't find it within himself to feel sorry over it. The sooner that Konoha's residents accept the fact that Kakashi is far from a normal child, the easier it will be for everyone in the long run. He and Sakumo still intend for him to become a shinobi as soon as possible and to do this, there needs to be no doubt whatsoever regarding Kakashi’s skill or competence.

Naturally, Sakumo and Kakashi make it a point to hold highly conspicuous training sessions at least once a month, ones that are specifically engineered to showcase his abilities.

Their efforts, as expected, draw a crowd with the curious passersby shaking their heads in disbelief at the sight of such a young child performing feats that should’ve been impossible for him. Kakashi throws kunai with pinpoint precision, slashes through trees with bolts of lightning, propels torrents of water from the river, and spars with Sakumo with the expertise of an adult shinobi. All of these are techniques he had learned decades prior with the Hatake clan, but the onlookers have no reason to know that.

Kakashi takes the village by storm throughout the next few years, leaving no shortage of baffled shinobi and civilians in his wake. At one point, Sakumo even wonders if he should encourage him to downplay his actions. But he ultimately refrains, having remembered some of the old stories of youkai he used to hear as a child.

Those tales, although Sakumo supposes now that many of them are likely more than just tales, describe a variety of different spirits from benevolent entities to wicked monsters. Other youkai, however, are known as mischievous tricksters who delight in taunting and toying with the humans around them. It leads him to ponder if these traits might be embedded in their very nature and if there might be consequences were they to be restricted from acting upon them.

Either way, Kakashi appears to be enjoying himself, so Sakumo sees no need to call for a stop to it as long as no one suffers any major repercussions.

Eventually, Sakumo and Kakashi decide it’s time to put a request before the Academy. It’s not a request to enroll, however. Instead, it’s one to bypass the school curriculum entirely and immediately graduate as a shinobi. Even though Kakashi's reputation proceeds him, the baffled administrators still set one condition before acquiescing. Kakashi must attend Academy lessons for at least a month, after which the teachers will assess if he has truly met the academic requirements. Kakashi and Sakumo both agree, knowing it won’t take long for them to concede.

Sure enough, Kakashi Hatake makes history that very day as the youngest person ever in Konoha to become a shinobi at the age of five.

Chapter Text

“It’s all a little bit absurd,” Kakashi voices as he and Sakumo are walking home from the Academy.

“Hmm, what is?” Sakumo asks absentmindedly, glancing in Kakashi's direction.

Sometimes, he still finds it difficult to comprehend just how much everything has changed throughout the past few years. At no point had Sakumo ever imagined a set of circumstances even remotely close to this, a life in which he not only knows of the existence of youkai but one where he's somehow grown accustomed to having one around. Kakashi has been a constant companion ever since that very first day, using his human form to masquerade as his son while pretending to be his dog summons in order to tag along on missions.

“That they would even consider giving a child this,” Kakashi clarifies, tapping a finger on the metal plate of his newly received forehead protector.

A confused look crosses over Sakumo’s face at that. “Are you having second thoughts about being a shinobi?" he asks, uncertain as to where Kakashi is headed with this train of thought. "After all this planning to make sure you could graduate as soon as possible?”

“No, not about this specifically,” Kakashi explains nonchalantly. "I was just expressing some concerns about your system as a whole."

Sakumo lets out an internal sigh of relief, feeling a little reassured now that he knows that the youkai isn't backtracking on their long-established plans all of a sudden.

"Now, I’ve obviously proved that I’m intelligent enough to be out in the field." Kakashi continues his commentary, either oblivious to or simply ignoring Sakumo's brief moment of alarm. "The village knows that I possess enough skill to handle myself in combat and use chakra effectively."

"Those are the general requirements, yes," Sakumo agrees mildly. "They always have been."

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m still a tiny human being." Kakashi very pointedly gestures to himself. "Physically, I'm small enough that one well-aimed kick could take me out."

"Even a gust of wind would do, and I mean that literally." The youkai takes on a thoughtful tone at that. "Have you ever seen a tornado?" he asks Sakumo, "and not one that was created by a jutsu.”

Sakumo shakes his head, slightly perplexed by the apparent change in subject.

“You see, the gusts of air from tornadoes are strong enough to sweep children away," Kakashi explains in a manner that strongly implies that he's gained this piece of knowledge from experience. "In coastal villages where these are much more common, families know that they need to take shelter the instant the sky begins to darken. They'll even lay on top of their children to weigh them down because the winds will rip them from their hands otherwise."

Kakashi frowns as if realizing that he’s gone a bit off-topic there. “My point is that an inherent size and weight difference will always exist regardless of skill," he clarifies. "I, fortunately, am not actually a human child, so no harm will come to me anyway. However, Konoha believes me to be, and they still made me a shinobi.”

“You do have a point," Sakumo acknowledges with a shrug, "but that's just the way things have always been. If you prove that you have the skill, then your age doesn’t really matter. Having such guidelines in place that are specific but not overly strict also helps to ensure that hidden villages can produce a shinobi force of sufficient size."

The youkai rolls his eyes at this. “Of course, it's always about having an army for you humans...,” Kakashi mutters under his breath, but there’s no heat in his tone.

Sakumo carries on, ignoring the side comment. “If an age limit were to be set, I’m honestly not sure where they would draw the line and what factors they would base that decision on. There will always be a certain level of risk involved no matter a shinobi's age, and the vast majority of people go into the profession with that understanding.”

“I guess it does make sense in a way,” Kakashi allows after a moment of consideration. “And I do suppose that my argument about still being small and vulnerable could even apply to you as well.”

“What do you mean?” Sakumo asks although he's certain that the youkai is setting up for a quip of some sort. 

“Well, you’re obviously a highly skilled jōnin. But I could always step on you in my wolf form and it would be the end of that.”

“Thank you for mentioning that,” Sakumo replies dryly. “And for future reference, I would prefer for that to never happen either.”

While Sakumo is exceedingly grateful for Kakashi’s presence in his life, he’d like to think that he wouldn’t be subject to this much attitude from an actual child.

Regardless, these are simply the circumstances that fate has granted him. 

Speaking of which, these particular circumstances presently call for Sakumo and Kakashi to commence the next stage of their plans. They've already overcome the most difficult hurdle of having Kakashi officially instated as a shinobi, but there are countless other pressing issues on the horizon. Namely that Kakashi's graduation will now require him to remain in close and prolonged contact with other Konoha shinobi.

It won’t just be Sakumo anymore, and this increased scrutiny will create more opportunities for somebody to notice that there’s something not quite right about Kakashi. It's not that he lacks confidence in the youkai’s ability to blend in when necessary, but secrets still have a way of making themselves known. 

However, the two of them are fortunate enough to find themselves in a little bit of a reprieve at the moment, one that results directly from Konoha's own standards of practice.

Although the Academy offers opportunities for early graduation, most students still become genin between the ages of eight to twelve and graduate in a cohort of their peers. From there, the newly graduated genin are allocated into three-man teams to be led by a jōnin-sensei. Kakashi's extremely accelerated graduation, however, has disrupted this protocol, and the village now finds itself in the peculiar position of having neither teammates nor a sensei ready for him.

For the time being, he will have no other option but to wait.

Given the unique situation, the Sandaime had taken it upon himself to inform the two as to what the next steps for Kakashi were likely to be. Not only are there no other recent graduates at the moment but a quick study of the Academy's usual graduation cycles also suggests that there likely won't be any for several years.

Konoha intends to have a jōnin first take Kakashi on as an apprentice in the meantime so that he can continue to learn and train until a team becomes available. While there is currently no jōnin available either, they reasoned that it would be far quicker to find a single teacher for him as opposed to assembling an entire team.

Up until then, Sakumo has been granted permission to take Kakashi along on his own missions. Although he's been allowed the discretion to determine which ones are appropriate, the Sandaime had heavily hinted that it would be advisable for Sakumo to limit this to lower-level, solo missions.

Much to their surprise, these assignments turn out to be an unexpectedly pleasant change of pace. While Kakashi has already gained a significant amount of mission experience as Yuto, he was still limited in his function due to having to act like a ninken in front of Sakumo’s teammates. On the other hand, Sakumo himself was very rarely given solo assignments up until this point, so this arrangement is a rather novel experience for him too. Furthermore, there's the added benefit of Kakashi being able to earn his own pay as well.

The two undertake a variety of assignments, including delivery, retrieval, information gathering, and escort missions. On the occasions that their mission brings them far outside of Konoha, Kakashi will take them on detours whenever time allows to show Sakumo the variety of youkai that occupy the wilderness.

Sakumo had never really comprehended just how many different types of youkai existed before this. Kakashi had certainly described a few, but listening to his vague accounts was completely different from personally witnessing a white mouse-like creature ambling down the forest path ahead of them, its overly long blue robes dragging against the dirt with each step. 

Some spirits, however, are much less conspicuous and practically indistinguishable from other humans. They'd encountered one such youkai during their previous mission that had taken the form of a little girl dressed in a yellow kimono. Sakumo was initially alarmed upon finding such a young child alone in the woods, and he hadn't realized she wasn't human until he saw her scamper away at the sound of their footsteps. Others might appear very close to human, like the woman with wings who wore a paper mask that covered the upper half of her face. Of course, there were also the more animal-like ones and the downright bizarre. Sakumo still has vivid memories of the creature with bluish-gray skin, glowing eyes, pointed ears, and an overly long tongue that had jumped out at him from a bush.

As they traverse these youkai-populated areas, Sakumo frequently finds himself surprised by the deference and in some cases, outright fear, that the other spirits show Kakashi. Those who recognize Kakashi will usually exchange a few words or give a respectful nod before continuing on their way. As for Sakumo himself, most youkai have paid him minimal attention, showing only slight traces of curiosity if even bothering to acknowledge him at all. There were a few who had reacted in a somewhat hostile manner upon seeing Sakumo, apparently assuming that he was here to encroach on their territory, but their anger had quickly withered once Kakashi had made his presence known.

Most of those spirits had fled immediately, and the ones who didn't had squeaked out a brief acknowledgment of “Madara-sama!” before making themselves scarce.

Sakumo had always known that Kakashi was an especially powerful spirit, but he hadn't quite realized just how high he sat on the pecking order. Kakashi never really alluded to the high rank he clearly holds amongst the other youkai. In fact, he speaks very little about spirits at all throughout their travels, and the information he does elect to provide generally carries varying levels of usefulness.

“Quite a few will probably want to eat you because of your spiritual power," Kakashi advises in a tone that's a bit too laidback considering the subject matter. "So if any of them ever give you any trouble, a solid punch should make them reconsider.”

Sakumo isn’t sure how to feel about that, but Kakashi strolls along as if he hasn't just said something that was cause for immediate alarm.

Finally noticing Sakumo’s expression, Kakashi rolls his eyes and adds, “I’ll probably be there as well, so it shouldn’t be something to worry too much about.”

While he would like to argue that the possibility of getting eaten is most definitely something to be concerned about, Sakumo knows it’s pointless to argue with him.

The remainder of that particular delivery mission passes uneventfully, fortunately so as Sakumo finds that there is already another assignment waiting for him upon their return to Konoha.

It's an S-rank mission assigned to him and two other experienced jōnin, one that calls for them to travel all the way out to the border between Iwagakure and Kusagakure. Evidently, the village’s spies have heard rumor of Iwa sending its forces to infiltrate Kusagakure. They believe that Iwa intends for those clandestine units to trespass into the Land of Fire, eventually encroaching on Konoha itself. 

Sakumo and his team have been tasked with investigating those claims, and depending on what they uncover, the three of them may also be required to venture into the Land of Earth itself. Naturally, secrecy will have to be of the utmost importance. Konoha would be seen as the instigating party if they were to be discovered due to the lack of evidence regarding Iwa's supposed transgressions. Given the existing friction between the villages, that alone could be enough to incite an international incident with Iwa.

For obvious reasons, Kakashi will not be able to accompany Sakumo in his human form. Normally, this kind of situation would merely call for him to go as Yuto instead, but Kakashi has actually been requested to attend a meeting on the very same day that Sakumo is scheduled to depart from Konoha. Apparently, there is a genin team that is currently down a member due to injury, and Kakashi is being considered as a potential replacement.

The injury is seemingly severe, so much so, that the genin in question is experiencing doubts over whether or not to continue his career as a shinobi. The team had originally intended to enter the upcoming Chūnin Exams, so they’re seeking to fill the empty spot should their wounded teammate choose not to follow through. Kakashi agrees to meet, knowing that this could be a convenient opportunity for promotion. Afterward, they'll spend the next few days training, running drills, and performing D-ranks to ascertain their compatibility as a team.

As a result, the two split up for the first time in a long while: Kakashi setting off to meet his potential teammates while Sakumo heads out for his mission.

Sakumo's team progresses through the mission as expected, passing through Kusagakure undetected while keeping an eye out for enemy shinobi. Everything is going well until it suddenly isn’t.

The three had just crossed the border into the Land of Earth when they’d stumbled across a well-concealed trap of explosives. Sakumo had managed to avoid the brunt of it, but neither of his teammates was fortunate enough to claim the same. Both are unconscious and badly injured; blood flows freely from a gash on Narumi's forehead while Shoya's entire left side is littered with fragments of stone.

To make matters even worse, a scouting team from Iwa is also heading in their very direction.

Attacking them isn't a viable option. Sakumo was told in no uncertain terms that they were to remain undetected, and it's unlikely that he could dispatch them all before one of them raised an alarm. However, not all hope is lost. He can cast a genjutsu over his teammates to make it appear as if no one is there, and that would allow him to evade the scouting party and complete the mission. But if he leaves the two of them here, they will almost certainly die.

His teammates need immediate medical attention. Getting them to safety now will likely ensure their survival, but there’s no way they’ll be able to escape Iwa’s notice that way.

Sakumo knows that there’s far more than their own lives at stake because if he sparks conflict with Iwa…

And yet these are his teammates, not nameless faceless individuals. They've fought together and protected each other time and time again. Sakumo knows that they love and are loved by many in Konoha; Shoya has two small children of his own, and Narumi is the eldest of three sisters. They'll be missed by countless others if they don't return, if he casts their lives away here. Could Sakumo truly live with himself if he leaves them here to die?

Right now, there are two options for him to take, two paths that lie ahead of him: the mission or his team.

He knows what he has to do.

Chapter Text

The Iwa nin are approaching.

Sakumo crouches over his unconscious teammates, trying to determine the safest and quickest method of moving them. He has no doubts that by doing this, he’s abandoning any chance he might have had at successfully completing the mission.

The consequences of this decision will be undeniably steep. At the very least, Sakumo could be stripped of his rank as a shinobi. In fact, deliberately disregarding the parameters of the mission in such a manner might be enough to put him on trial for treason. What he is about to do could very well propel Konoha into a war with another shinobi country, but he can’t find it within himself to care about such things at the moment.

Sakumo will not be the shinobi who abandons his team.

That's when he hears the sound of a distinct rustle emanating from a few feet to his left.

He whips around, dread flooding through his veins as he scans the surrounding area, but there’s nothing but boulders and a few meager clusters of trees dotting the rocky expanse.

Sakumo wants to scream in frustration as he watches with bated breath. Is it another scouting team? If so, their chances of escape have become nearly nonexistent. Are all three of them going to die here in enemy territory? Will their last act be to bring disgrace to Konoha?

But instead of an enemy, a gray Ainu-ken pads out into the open. Kakashi!

How did he get here?

Kakashi meets his panicked eyes for a brief moment. Then a cloud of smoke materializes around him, and from it emerges a colossal white wolf.

Sakumo has seen Kakashi’s true form once before.

After all, the youkai had initially appeared as a large wolf during their initial meeting, but Kakashi had been small enough to walk through the doors of the main house back then. Right now though, Sakumo is staring up at a beast that’s at least twenty feet tall, possibly thirty at full height. He flashes back to Kakashi’s joking comment about stepping on him and realizes that the youkai could crush him effortlessly under a single paw.

Kakashi looks down at him with golden eyes that are easily larger than Sakumo’s entire head.

“Go!” he growls in a deep, resounding voice. “Finish the mission. I’ll make sure they’re safe.”

Sakumo doesn’t need to be told twice, and he sprints away as the massive wolf takes a protective stance over Shoya’s and Narumi’s unconscious forms. As he does so, he hears the wolf spirit let out a thunderous roar that echoes throughout the rocky plains.

He chances one final glance back at the Iwa nin and sees that their previously steady approach has come to an abrupt halt. Looks of trepidation are now coloring their faces, almost as if they could hear the deafening howls as well. Sakumo assumes that Kakashi has layered a henge over his true form, thereby allowing his presence to be detected by the opposing shinobi. The wolf spirit shouldn't be in their line of sight just yet, but the Iwa nin must be able to tell that there’s something dangerous up ahead. They must realize that there’s something out there that they are utterly unequipped to handle.

Sakumo has no idea as to what Kakashi's intentions are, whether they entail fighting the Iwa shinobi, distracting them, or retreating to safety. Nonetheless, he trusts that the youkai will prioritize his teammates' well-being and stabilize their conditions as soon as he's able to. Kakashi is no healer, but he should have enough basic first-aid skills to make use of Shoya's pack of medical supplies.

Sakumo slips past several more scouting parties and makes his way deeper into the Land of Earth, a tremendous worry now taken off his shoulders. Although he was prepared to cast aside the mission only minutes prior, he can’t deny that this assignment is still of the utmost importance.

Konoha needs to know immediately if Iwa is indeed preparing to invade by way of Kusagakure. Timely precautions could save countless lives if Iwa has already begun placing its shinobi into formation. Given what Sakumo’s team had already observed thus far, it does appear that Iwa is harboring ulterior motives. Their travels through Kusagakure had led them to uncover a number of temporary campsites that were cleverly concealed throughout the countryside, not to mention the telltale signs of Earth Release jutsus.

All signs had pointed to the presence of an atypical number of active shinobi in the area. 

While suspicious, these findings were ultimately inconclusive, hence why Sakumo’s team had made the calculated risk of crossing into the Land of Earth. Had the rumors held any truth, the three expected to discover a deliberate pattern in how the Iwa nin were stationed there, perhaps a web of three-man teams stretching back to Iwa that could, in time, serve as the early trappings of a supply line.

Sakumo observes as such during his solo investigations, noting the specific arrangement and spread of the shinobi encampments across the mountain range. Although his overall findings strongly suggest that Iwa is unwilling to maintain the current state of peace, their plans still appear to be in the stages of infancy. The rival nation's intentions may already be apparent, but its numbers certainly aren’t. Truth be told, Sakumo was left with the impression that there were only slightly more shinobi stationed out there than usual.

Even still, there's no question as to the vital nature of this intelligence, and Sakumo turns back as soon as he's seen enough to confirm his theories. However, it isn’t until he’s reached the border that Sakumo realizes there's another pressing issue at hand, namely that he has no way of getting in touch with Kakashi and the others now.

It turns out, however, that there’s no need for such concerns as Kakashi is the one who finds him. Sakumo hears the colossal wolf approaching before he actually sees him, the earth quivering with each step he takes. On his back are Shoya and Narumi, whose condition appears to have improved considerably now that their wounds are cleaned and bandaged.

If Sakumo didn't know any better, he might've said that Kakashi looked relieved to see him. To be fair, it is a little challenging to interpret the facial expressions of an oversized wolf. 

“You’re back." The youkai wastes no time with chatter, coming to a stop before Sakumo. “Hop on, it’ll be easier this way.”

Sakumo doesn't need to be told twice. He leaps up and settles himself down between his teammates, taking care to avoid tugging on the youkai's white fur.

This is a first, the wolf spirit offering him a ride, although Sakumo would assume that the situation had simply never been dire enough before. Shoya and Narumi might seem to be in a more stable state, but they are still in need of prompt treatment from Konoha's medical-nin. He imagines that Kakashi will be able to cut down their travel time by a substantial margin.

What Sakumo doesn’t expect is for Kakashi to push off the ground in a leap that propels them at least fifteen feet in the air. But they don’t stop there. Kakashi rises higher and higher as if gravity no longer existed.

He can fly?

Sakumo feels his stomach lurch as they rocket above the treetops, the landscape below them shrinking at a rapid rate. By the time Kakashi stops ascending, the trees look more like tiny bushes at this height, the lakes and rivers appearing as little more than puddles and trickles of water.

Kakashi’s true form has no wings or anything that would even suggest that he’s capable of flight. And yet they're soaring through the sky, hundreds and hundreds of feet from the earth. It's been quite a few years since Sakumo was truly surprised by anything, but he’s genuinely struck speechless at this. He spends most of the journey in stunned silence, keeping a watchful eye over Shoya and Narumi to ensure that they don’t fall off of Kakashi’s back.

The wolf spirit begins his descent shortly after crossing the border into the Land of Fire and eventually touches down in a secluded area of forest approximately thirty miles outside of Konoha. Sakumo carefully transfers his unconscious teammates from the youkai's back to the ground, Kakashi shifting back into his human form once he's done so.

Only then does Sakumo begin to ask the many questions that have been plaguing him. 

“How did you know where to find me?” The mission parameters were highly classified, and Sakumo doesn't remember telling Kakashi where he was going.

Looking remarkably unbothered, Kakashi taps the back of his own head in response.

Sakumo mimics the action, slightly confused. He brushes his fingers through his hair until they catch onto something that’s been stuck there. Sakumo dislodges the unknown item and holds it up to his face to get a closer look.

Paper?

It’s a simple paper doll, not unlike the kinds that children will cut out in chains. Except this one has a seal, one that Sakumo doesn’t recognize, drawn carefully in black ink. It only takes a few seconds for him to piece the clues together.

“You used this to keep tabs on me?” Sakumo inquires, although his words are closer to an accusation than an actual question. He knows what the answer will be.

Kakashi only shrugs in response.

“And for how long have you been doing this?” he asks. Sakumo isn't sure if he wants to know the answer though.

The youkai takes a moment to ponder this as if this was just an unremarkable, everyday action. “Maybe a few months now, I’m not entirely certain. I believe it was when we started going on missions together," he replies, completely unabashed.

Sakumo sighs. If Kakashi hadn’t just rescued him from an impossibly dismal situation, a lecture about boundaries and privacy would most definitely be in order.

“I am technically your bodyguard,” Kakashi points out mildly, likely sensing Sakumo’s growing exasperation. “It was specified that I’m supposed to keep an eye on you, and I think you would agree that the job is far easier if I know exactly where you are.”

"You're impossible." Sakumo lets the conversation drop for the time being, recognizing that there's little point in arguing further and instead elects to change the topic.

“Why exactly did you come?" he asks, remembering the reason why Kakashi had initially stayed behind in Konoha. "You were supposed to be meeting and training with that genin team. What happened to that?”

Kakashi frowns in thought as if the detail had slipped his mind. “Oh, that didn’t go anywhere," he explains, waving a hand dismissively. "The injured genin decided that he still wanted to be a shinobi, and his teammates agreed to wait until the next Chūnin Exams. Apparently, he’s projected to make a full recovery.”

“So you decided to follow me instead,” Sakumo states flatly.

“Well, I just tagged along to see what you were doing and only jumped in when the mission started going downhill.” Kakashi gives him a challenging look at that. “Tell me, what was your plan for dealing with the Iwa nin, and did you have one that was going to keep Konoha off the hook?”

Sakumo merely shakes his head. Kakashi is going to be insufferable because of this, but there’s really no ideal way for Sakumo to argue against it either. He’s not especially eager to inform Kakashi that he was prepared to forsake the mission entirely.

However, there are far more important matters to contend with, such as the fact that Shoya and Narumi are finally coming to. It takes a few minutes before both are fully coherent and by then, Kakashi has already transformed back into Yuto.

Ever the dutiful shinobi, his teammates' first order of business upon regaining consciousness is to inquire about the status of the mission as well as the events that transpired while they were out cold. Sakumo didn't have the chance to properly formulate an explanation for them, but he finds that the lie spills from his lips quite easily. It also helps that the story he spins isn’t actually too far from the truth.

Sakumo tells them that Yuto and several of his other summons had drawn the Iwa nin away from their location, providing him with the opportunity to complete their assignment. Upon returning, he had then administered medical attention while his summons aided in transporting the two of them back to the Land of Fire. To cap it off, Sakumo concludes this informal report with a quick summary of his own investigations into Iwa's movements.

Shoya and Narumi accept his words without any signs of suspicion, although it's worth noting that neither would have had any reason to doubt Sakumo in the first place, especially with Kakashi as Yuto helping him to flesh out the tale in a plausible manner.

And from there, the four set off for Konoha with no one else the wiser.

Chapter Text

Sakumo had predicted that his mission would bring its fair share of aftereffects.

Konoha was naturally very concerned about the status of Iwa’s movements following his debriefing. However, there wasn’t much that they could feasibly do at this point. While Iwa’s presence in Kusagakure was certainly problematic, Konoha couldn’t justifiably intervene unless foreign shinobi were to infiltrate the Land of Fire itself.

At the same time, Konoha could hardly pass along this information to Kusagakure without revealing that they had entered their territory and the Land of Earth without authorization from either party.

Still, Sakumo certainly hadn’t expected this.

Around two weeks after he's returned from his mission, Sakumo is summoned to the Hokage’s office for a briefing regarding his next assignment. Apparently, Iwa had recently lost a number of its scouting teams to what was presumed to be a pack of feral wolves roaming the border.

No one had yet to lay eyes on any of these beasts, but the deceased shinobi had all borne bite marks and claw marks consistent with that of a wild animal. Due to these highly unusual circumstances, Iwa had initially requested aid from Kusagakure in order to further investigate these attacks.

However, Kusagakure realized very quickly that they were both out of their depths as neither nation possessed the specialized manpower necessary for such an endeavor. Given that Konoha was home to a number of notable kekkei genkai, trackers, and animal summons, both Iwa and Kusagakure agreed their assistance could be highly beneficial to the operation. They had proposed a joint mission between the three hidden villages, subtly implying that the two would owe Konoha a significant debt.

In light of Iwa’s clandestine activities, the Hokage had considered the joint operation to be a valuable opportunity in terms of both diplomacy and information gathering. Officially, Sakumo will be one of the shinobi assigned to this mission due to his ninken and his skills as a tracker. What Iwa doesn't know is that Konoha is also sending Sakumo because he was actually there in the Land of Earth only two weeks ago.

It's all Sakumo can do to keep a straight face during his meeting with the Hokage, and he leaves the office in a state of utter bemusement.

One thing he does know, however, is that this whole affair is somehow Kakashi’s doing.

“What did you do in the Land of Earth?” he hisses incredulously at the youkai currently seated at the kitchen table.

Kakashi glances up from his book, looking mildly amused by his query. “You’ll have to be a little more specific. I did plenty of things on that mission.”

Sakumo rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean. Why did the Sandaime just inform me that Iwa has been experiencing a string of highly vicious wolf attacks along the border between Kusagakure and the Land of Earth?”

“Well,” Kakashi begins, marking his place before setting the book back down on the table. “When I took care of that scouting team, I made sure to dispatch them a little differently than usual, just so it wouldn’t look like a shinobi was responsible. So, it may have appeared as if they were killed by a pack of wolves."

If Sakumo didn’t know any better, he might’ve said that Kakashi looked almost proud of this line of thinking.

"But then, I thought a wolf attack in an area not known for having many wolves might be cause for some suspicion," Kakashi carries on casually as if he was simply discussing the weather. "So I asked several of the local spirits to carry out a few more attacks on the subsequent scouting teams for good measure."

“Those youkai, they agreed to do you a favor just like that?”

From what Sakumo has observed thus far, it does seem as though Kakashi is a spirit of notably high rank. Still, it is a little surprising to find that other youkai would be so ready to do his bidding.

“Yes, that’s what happened,” Kakashi answers with a straight face. “Or maybe I just threatened to eat them if they refused to do it. It’s up to you.”

Well, that would certainly be enough of an incentive.

“That's beside the point though,” Sakumo continues dryly. “While it may not necessarily be suspicious, wild animal attacks are still rather noticeable. Couldn't you tell them to reel it back a little bit?”

Kakashi shrugs. “I suppose. I’ll be back in around an hour in that case," he declares, rising to his feet.

“Wait!” Sakumo shouts, realizing that he only has a few seconds left before Kakashi transforms into his wolf form and departs. “Konoha is going to send me and several other shinobi to the border to help Iwa and Kusagakure with this issue. You should pass along the message then.”

“Fine by me,” Kakashi agrees, looking slightly perplexed. "I'd just like to point out that I could let them know and have it taken care of by the end of today. You’ve seen how fast I can travel.”

Sakumo has, and he doubts that he’ll ever forget the sight. The fact that Kakashi can fly is not something that will easily slip his mind.

However, the mission itself is one that could be politically advantageous for Konoha, so he'd rather not have Kakashi address the issue right away. There would no longer be any reason for the three villages to send out their shinobi if the problem is resolved this afternoon, and having Kakashi wait until the operation itself is underway makes Sakumo feel like he still has a slight modicum of control over this situation.

Sakumo won't be Konoha's only representative though; he along with several shinobi belonging to the Hyūga, Uchiha, and Inuzuka clans will make up the delegation from Konoha. Shoya and Narumi would have been assigned to the mission as well were they not still in recovery from the injuries they sustained during the previous mission.

Still, it’s all that Sakumo can do to keep himself from laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

Konoha is sending him on a diplomatic mission to the very same place in which he nearly triggered an international conflict. He will be arriving to aid a nation that he was spying on only a few weeks ago, and he’ll be there with the sole purpose of solving a problem that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for him. Or rather, there wouldn’t have been a problem at all if Kakashi hadn’t needed to pull him out of trouble during that last mission.

In all honesty, Sakumo isn’t even sure how this mission will even play out seeing as there is no dangerous pack of wolves to be found. Shinobi generally don't enjoy embarking on purposeless assignments, so this endeavor could lead to any number of interesting or even disastrous results. 

Either way, he might as well see if he can make the best of this bizarre scenario.

Four days later, the Konoha shinobi travel to the designated meeting point on Kusagakure’s side of the border where they convene with the delegates from the other two villages, four Iwa nin and six from Kusagakure.

The introductions are cordial, albeit with a strained undertone. However, no one seems to take any of the tensions to heart. It’s perfectly understandable seeing as their home villages had fought bitterly against each other not too long ago during the Second Shinobi War.

As everyone appears eager to move past the uneasy small talk, they quickly transition into developing a strategy to sweep through the surrounding area. Sakumo requests permission to go off on his own, claiming that Yuto is most effective as a tracker without the interference of unfamiliar scents. No one voices any heated complaints, so he splits off from the rest while the others are still dividing themselves into groups of two and three.

Sakumo follows Yuto for around a mile before the gray dog vanishes without warning into a puff of smoke. From it emerges Kakashi who continues walking ahead of him without missing a step.

“So this is when we round up all of the youkai that you intimidated?” Sakumo asks, presuming that they’re now well out of earshot of the other shinobi.

“This’ll be easier than that," Kakashi replies, shaking his head. "I did personally threaten those youkai, but I also had an acquaintance monitor them to ensure that they were actually following through. We'll meet up with her instead, and she can tell the others to lay off the attacks.”

“Her” turns out to be a youkai that takes the form of a young woman with dark chin-length hair. She’s indistinguishable from a human in terms of appearance, although her pink kimono would likely draw attention outside of formal ceremonies and festivals. The butterfly ornament in her hair is also rather conspicuous given that it’s large enough to cover the right side of her face.

“Benio,” Kakashi calls out, raising a hand in greeting.

Benio’s visible eye widens comically at the sight of them.

“Madara-sama! Why have you chosen such a scrawny form?” she splutters, gaping at Kakashi in disbelief.

Sakumo tries to disguise his laugh as a cough, but Kakashi takes her comment in stride.

“It’s what the situation calls for," he carries on. "Listen, the low ranks need to stop with the attacks. They’re drawing too much attention now.”

If Benio has any issue with this instruction, she doesn’t show it. “Very well,” she agrees, her expression composed once again. “Should they be sent elsewhere then?”

Kakashi shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. They can do whatever they want as long as they stop attacking the humans.”

“Noted,” she replies coolly. “It did seem like some of them were starting to have a little too much fun anyway.”

With that matter settled, Benio’s attention shifts away from Kakashi to Sakumo, her visible eye fixing onto him with undisguised curiosity.

Sakumo resists the urge to fidget under her intense gaze as it’s one that's beginning to border on unnerving. He feels a bit like the test subject of a science experiment, especially because it seems like she hasn’t blinked all during the past few minutes.

Of course, his discomfort is hardly assuaged by her next words.  

“So, this is the human,” she purrs. “Are you sure that you wouldn’t rather—“

“You can’t eat him Benio,” Kakashi interrupts in a tone of voice that is far too laidback for Sakumo’s peace of mind.

“How dull,” Benio remarks with a slight smile. “Well, I’ll let the others know, and I’ll do you the favor of not telling them about how undignified you look now.”

Kakashi rolls his eyes, but Benio isn’t quite finished yet. “—out of all the guises you could have used, and you're walking around like that when your true form is as majestic as it is.”

The wolf spirit only shakes his head in exasperation. “Until next time, Benio.”

With that cue, Benio’s entire form seems to vanish into her butterfly ornament which now shimmers with an almost blinding pink light.

Kakashi and Sakumo watch as the butterfly, now mobile, flaps its wings a few times before fluttering away over the treetops.

Sakumo looks around a bit awkwardly, having expected a far more complicated process. “So, that’s it?” he asks for lack of a better option.

“Mm-hmm”

“I didn’t realize this would be so quick to fix,” Sakumo admits. “You do realize that we’re not scheduled to reconvene until three more days, right?”

“Excellent,” Kakashi declares, clearly not fazed by this at all. “That’s plenty of time for a nap.”

“We should travel a little further though, so it looks like we’re still doing something,” Sakumo advises. “We don’t want to risk another team stumbling across us just sitting around.”

Kakashi, fortunately, agrees without protest. “Alright, then.”

Still, Sakumo can’t help but note that he doesn’t sound particularly concerned about that at all. “Let’s at least go up to the top of that waterfall,” he suggests, pointing towards a series of cliffs off in the distance. “We can set up camp there.”

“How do you and Benio know each other anyway?” Sakumo broaches the topic as the two of them are making the trek up to the clifftop.

It’s not often that they come across a youkai that’s actually acquainted with Kakashi, and Sakumo would be lying if he said that he wasn’t intrigued about the wolf spirit’s past.

Kakashi doesn’t respond right away, likely determining how to answer the question with as little information as possible. “It’s somewhat of a long story,” he eventually discloses. “In short, the youkai that she serves was in a bit of a tricky situation a while back."

“And?” Sakumo prompts as that still explains very little.

“So, I ended up helping out,” Kakashi continues, quite neutrally at that. “Nowadays, I’ll typically see her when the other youkai go out to the forests and drink. Benio drops by every now and then.”

“You drink?” Sakumo remarks, actually a little taken aback by this piece of information. Even though he knows that Kakashi is actually ancient in age, the thought is a rather jarring one seeing as the wolf spirit is presently taking the form of a young child. Also, Sakumo wouldn’t have expected for youkai to even be interested in alcohol at all.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve had enough sake to drown the entire village of Konoha.”

In the end, Kakashi manages to spend much of the next three days napping. Sakumo instead uses this time to explore, partly to keep up appearances and partly because he’s actually never gotten the opportunity to journey through Kusagakure at his own leisure. The scenery in this region has been quite lovely, an added perk that makes the next few days a rather enjoyable experience.

However, this little grace period comes to an end quickly enough, and the two of them begin to make their way back to the meeting point as scheduled on the morning of their third day.

Kakashi has reverted back to his dog disguise by the time they reach where the others are waiting. There, they find no shortage of disgruntled faces, even with only half of the shinobi present. Naturally, the past few days have not been fruitful for any of the assembled shinobi save for Sakumo and Kakashi.

Each returning team fails to report any conclusive leads, and no one seems pleased by the prospect of communicating these nonexistent developments back to their respective villages.

An uncertain silence settles over the group once the final team has shared its unsuccessful investigations, one that continues until an Inuzuka kunoichi eventually speaks up.

“Nothing about this makes sense,” she vents in frustration. "I mean, it’s true that wolves are territorial and can travel pretty far in a short amount of time. But they don’t really like humans or trust them. You’re normally very unlikely to encounter any, and it’s even rarer for them to attack.”

Her ninken, who looks just as agitated, voices his agreement with a sharp bark.

Sakumo jumps in at this opening, spying an opportunity to turn the conversation to his advantage. “However, we can’t ignore that there are a few factors that can prompt wolves to abandon those habits,” he points out while pretending to be deep in contemplation.

“Leaving food around and traveling too close to dens can make wolves feel more comfortable around humans,” Sakumo muses as he begins to pace back and forth. “This is why most civilians tell their children to keep their distance. Because once those wolves have gotten over that fear, they might begin to view humans as prey.”

He gives a slight shrug, attempting to present the image of someone who’s currently piecing clues together. “And as for why we haven’t come across any on this mission, we might have frightened them away for the time being. We’re a fairly large group of people after all.”

Sakumo carefully watches the others’ reactions from the corner of his eye as he rattles through this list of theories. He might be imagining it, but the shinobi from Iwa seem to look more and more uncomfortable with each word he utters.

Traces of guilt, perhaps?

It’s surprising that they would be so transparent, but it’s possible that Sakumo is only able to pick up on their tells because he actually knows what’s really going on here. Or perhaps he's gotten better at reading human emotions after spending over five years interpreting Kakashi's cryptic expressions. Whatever the reason, maybe this will make them reconsider their previous strategies. After all, planting hidden teams of shinobi in other nations will likely seem quite unappealing if they believe that feral wolves could attack them at any moment.

And despite the unsatisfying results, the time has come for everyone to return and report back to their respective villages. No one likes to leave an issue unresolved, but the mission parameters had only called for the assembled shinobi to investigate the claims. Moreover, it would be utterly impractical to extend the mission when absolutely no leads have been found.

As it turns out, Konoha isn’t terribly bothered by the initial lack of results anyway.

To the surprise of everyone but Sakumo and Kakashi, the “wolf” attacks do begin to decrease in frequency shortly after the conclusion of the joint mission.

On a completely unrelated note, Konoha’s spies have also reported that Iwa has begun to withdraw the unauthorized forces that they’d previously stationed throughout Kusagakure.

Sakumo truly hates to give Kakashi any kind of credit for this, but it looks like a crisis has indeed been averted.

Chapter Text

So maybe Sakumo and Kakashi had gotten a little carried away with themselves in the meantime. Even though Sakumo was allowed to have Kakashi accompany him on his personal missions, they probably shouldn’t have taken that as blanket permission.

But Kakashi was growing bored with all of the simple, lower-level assignments. So Sakumo began to take the youkai on slightly higher-stakes operations, and it more or less escalated from there. They’d done this all rather gradually, which is probably why no one at the Mission Assignment Desk had managed to pick up on it until now.

Still, they might have taken it slightly too far this time. Even though the mission was a resounding success, Sakumo can see why everyone else has been expressing such a mixture of alarm and disapproval.

In their eyes, he did just take his six-year-old son along on an S-rank assassination mission. Sakumo would like nothing more than to defend his actions but revealing that Kakashi is actually a wolf spirit who’s been around for centuries is unfortunately not a viable option for him here.

Sitting across from them, Hiruzen Sarutobi looks distinctly less than impressed with this turn of events.

At least Sakumo can’t technically be charged with insubordination for this.

The Hokage had never actually given him explicit orders as to what kinds of missions Kakashi was and wasn’t allowed to go on. He had probably assumed that such an experienced jōnin would be reasonable enough to judge these things for himself. But little does he know, Sakumo hasn’t been making rational decisions for a while now. To be truthful, much of his common sense had flown out the window the second a wolf youkai had broken through the front doors of his home.

The Sandaime regards the two with a stern gaze. “I hope that I don’t have to communicate to you how inadvisable that was.”

Sakumo and Kakashi nod even though they aren’t repentant in the slightest. There was no actual risk associated with bringing Kakashi along on any of the aforementioned operations. In fact, Sakumo would argue that bringing a formidable youkai as backup greatly increased the chances of a successful mission. Although the rest of Konoha is hardly aware of that, so Sakumo and Kakashi really should’ve tried to be more subtle about it.

“In light of the circumstances that were recently brought to my attention, a jōnin-sensei will be assigned to guide Kakashi. They will have missions of their own to attend to.”

The obvious translation is that Sakumo is no longer allowed to take Kakashi on his own missions anymore.

Shaking his head as if he's experiencing second thoughts, the Hokage continues. “This should in no way be considered a reward for your actions. But the fact that you managed to even survive on such a mission proves, at the very least, that you are worthy of the rank of chūnin.

The Sandaime exhales deeply, disappointment written into every line on his face. “However, I must remind you that behavior of this sort in the future will not be looked upon lightly. Both of you are expected to conduct yourselves in a manner befitting of your rank.”

He closes the file containing their mission report with a sense of finality. “If that is clear, then the two of you are dismissed.”

“That didn’t go the way I expected,” Kakashi remarks as they leave the tower.

“Actually, I figured something like that was bound to happen,” Sakumo admits. “While chūnin aren’t supposed to be sent out on A or S-rank missions either, it would be even worse for them to admit that a genin was there. This kind of hasty promotion makes your presence a little more legitimate.”

Kakashi frowns. “Why not pretend that I wasn’t even there in the first place then?”

“That would seem like the sensible action to take,” Sakumo acknowledges. “But despite how questionable it looks, omitting your involvement from the mission reports wouldn’t be advisable. You generally want to keep those records as accurate as possible because certain details could always become crucial in the future.”

The wolf youkai’s expression, however, suggests that he still fails to see the point of all this.

“For example,” Sakumo continues, “it’s important to keep a note of everyone that a shinobi has encountered during a mission because there’s always a possibility that they might reappear later down the line. It ensures that the relevant information can be shared with all who require it."

Sakumo glances over at Kakashi to make sure he’s still listening before carrying on. “Regardless, if you’re listed as a genin there, then the Hokage’s judgment might be brought into question by anyone who happens to read the mission report. If a genin wasn’t even approved to be on that mission, then your presence reveals an egregious lack of oversight on Konoha’s part.”

“But,” he points out, even as Kakashi rolls his eyes “it wouldn’t look any better for them to claim that they did in fact permit a genin to participate in such a crucial, high-rank operation. Konoha’s administration would be seen as willfully careless."

Sakumo shrugs matter-of-factly. “We may never know for sure, but I suppose that you being retroactively designated as a chūnin for the mission makes the situation appear ultimately more acceptable if a bit unconventional though.”

Kakashi gives a derisive snort in response.

“Human posturing is so needlessly complex,” he comments, sounding equal parts amused and exasperated. “It's so much easier for spirits. You simply know who the strongest one is already, and if that's ever unclear, you fight it out to know for sure. You lot should give it a try.”

Judging by the smugness of his tone, Sakumo would guess that Kakashi has been on the victorious side of a number of those bouts.

“Still,” Kakashi continues, moving back to the previous subject. “It is curious that they decided to put a stop to this. From what I could tell, shinobi usually have little inclination to alter a successful formula. And this call obviously wasn’t made out of concern for my personal safety because they already made me, someone who is supposedly a child, a shinobi.”

“The fact that all our assignments were so successful is likely the main reason why we didn’t face any severe repercussions," Sakumo speculates. "I would imagine that they’re more concerned about one of us becoming emotionally compromised down the line.”

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, appearing almost skeptical of this theory. “That’s an actual issue for shinobi? I’d have expected that to be more of a civilian problem.”

“You’d be surprised,” Sakumo remarks. The statement is a bit rich coming from him though. As someone who was fully prepared to risk an international incident for the sake of protecting his friends, he has no right to pass any judgment on this.

Sakumo resists the urge to laugh at the inherent irony of his words and instead carries on with his explanation. “It’s always an associated risk when working with family members or close friends. While shinobi might coordinate more effectively with their loved ones, they can also lose the ability to act rationally when their life is at stake.”

He barely holds back a snicker at that. 

“The Sandaime probably wanted to nip that in the bud before it could become an issue for the two of us,” Sakumo concludes, exchanging a meaningful look with Kakashi as if to say I know.

The Hokage’s decision would have been admirably forward-thinking if it hadn’t been made to solve a problem that didn’t and wouldn’t exist. With one of them a highly skilled jōnin and the other an immense wolf spirit, neither feels the impulse to excessively fret over the other’s well-being.

Of course, there’s also the fact that Kakashi could easily get them out of trouble should the need ever arise.

The youkai lets out a derisive snort. “Well, what’s done is done. I’m going to have a new sensei now, regardless.”

On top of it all, it’s likely to be some hapless jōnin who’s been dragged into teaching him. From what the Sandaime had conveyed previously, Konoha hadn’t expected to have a sensei for him for another few years at the very least.

Kakashi just hopes that they weren't scraping the bottom of the barrel in their haste. Things could get quite tiresome indeed if that is the case here.

Likewise, this will also serve as an even more intensive test of his ability to blend in as a human.

Now Kakashi would like to believe that he's already achieved mastery over his disguises as he'd previously refined his human form with the assistance of several sensors among the Hatake shinobi. By the time of Kakashi’s departure, it was nearly impossible to distinguish between his creations and actual people.

Furthermore, Kakashi’s illusions have only strengthened since then. Sakumo had cautioned him about the various shinobi clans who possessed enhanced abilities of perception back when he had first settled in Konoha. Accordingly, Kakashi’s current disguise is crafted to withstand the scrutiny of dōjutsu such as the Byakugan and Sharingan.

It’s served him well thus far but there’s always an underlying risk, especially when introducing close and prolonged contact with other shinobi.

But for better or for worse, Kakashi receives confirmation within the week that his new sensei is to be a jōnin by the name of Minato Namikaze. His theories are confirmed upon their very first meeting as Kakashi observes that Namikaze appears to be quite young, looking only around ten or so years older than the age Kakashi is claiming to be.

Very likely a last-minute enlistment then.

Kakashi surveys his new teacher thoughtfully, taking note of the young jōnin’s clear sense of apprehension. However, that might be more due to Sakumo’s influence than anything else as he’s sizing up Namikaze in a manner that’s probably more aggressive than necessary.

He’s not entirely sure why though considering that Sakumo had previously confirmed that Namikaze is regarded as one of Konoha’s rising stars. At the very least, Kakashi can be assured that his sensei is likely to be competent to a certain degree.

Overall, he supposes that he could do worse.

________________________

On the other hand, Minato isn’t quite sure how to feel about this sudden change of circumstances. He had always planned on becoming a jōnin-sensei, but he never expected the Hokage himself to draft him as a teacher before he had even reached the age of twenty.

The only upside is that his age might not be as much of an issue here given that his student is also unusually young. His apprentice will be none other than Kakashi Hatake, a child who holds the distinction of being the youngest shinobi in Konoha’s history.

The Hatake clan heir has a rather interesting reputation in Konoha. While many already consider him to be the finest of his generation, the overwhelming consensus in the village is that Kakashi is undeniably odd. There isn’t exactly a single defining characteristic that people have objection with, rather it appears to be the various smaller details about Kakashi that puts everyone on edge.

It’s the mask he constantly wears and the way his words are far too sharp to be coming from a child, even a highly advanced one. It’s how he adopts new skills effortlessly and displays far more awareness than a child his age should possess. It’s that uncanny glint in his eyes that makes it seem like he's privy to a secret that no one else knows.

Even his former sensei isn't immune to these feelings. Minato, naturally, had informed Jiraiya of this new development in his career, but the Toad Sage's excitement upon learning that Minato would be a sensei had abruptly shifted to dismay upon learning who his student would be.

His expression was one that Minato had never witnessed before, some odd combination of dread, irritation, embarrassment, and suspicion. Jiraiya had also refused to elaborate any further, and given the way his eye was twitching, Minato had felt it advisable to drop that line of questioning.

Needless to say, this had all left Minato feeling reasonably uneasy about his new apprentice.

But as it turns out, his first meeting with Kakashi Hatake had not gone as badly as he initially feared. The newly promoted chūnin had introduced himself politely with none of the shenanigans that others had reported when encountering the clan heir.

Speaking with Kakashi’s father is what truly brings him anxiety though.

He feels unusually insignificant in the face of the famed war hero. Minato’s own peers may regard him as a genius, but Sakumo Hatake is about as legendary as shinobi come. And while the White Fang had only been cordial, Minato can't help but feel that the elder Hatake is threatening him in some kind of manner.

It’s certainly not typical for a student’s parent to also be present during their first meeting with their jōnin-sensei, but it’s possible that Kakashi’s especially young age was enough cause for an exception in this case. Or perhaps Sakumo simply wished to attend out of his own volition.

He’s not sure of the reason, but Minato still makes a mental note to ensure that he’s already out of the picture should anything ever happen to Kakashi. He has a sneaking suspicion that Sakumo Hatake would hardly hesitate to flay him alive.

Of course, Minato's brain decides to be extremely uncooperative and chooses this very moment to recall one of the more grisly rumors that used to circulate about the Hatake clan. Now every clan has a few tall tales surrounding them, and this happens to be a particularly old one dating all the way back to the Warring States Period. It's an especially outlandish fable, but the rumor holds that the Hatake clan used to consume the flesh of their vanquished enemies. Still, Minato has to remind himself that it’s merely baseless gossip that was tossed around during a time in which all clans were enemies of each other.

Probably.

Brushing the thoughts of cannibalism aside, Minato swiftly changes the subject so that he can focus on anything but those morbid rumors.

“I’ve been told that you already met my former sensei, Jiraiya.” He addresses Kakashi as cheerfully as he can muster in an effort to both further the conversation and to potentially piece together exactly what it was that had Jiraiya so spooked.

Kakashi smiles. Or is that a smirk?  

It really is difficult to tell with the mask.

“That I did. Please ask him how the baths are for me.”

Ah.

Minato holds back a laugh. “I’ll pass along the inquiry,” he agrees, trying and mostly failing to hide his smile.

Kakashi must have caught his old sensei peeking around and merely poked fun at him because of it. Really, Minato should’ve known that it had something to do with Jiraiya’s own juvenile behavior. It’s quite an amusing scenario to picture, but the smile slowly slips off his face as he’s struck with a second, slightly more sobering thought.

Because how did Kakashi know what Jiraiya was even doing?

Minato might’ve been tempted to disregard it all as simply an instance of playful teasing, but Kakashi is not even seven years of age. The fact that he had the knowledge and insight to both discern Jiraiya’s intentions and taunt him over it is still rather startling.

Konoha already regards Kakashi as a prodigy, but Minato gets the sense that his young student might be even craftier than he’s letting on.

And standing here in front of the two Hatake, Minato also has a sneaking suspicion that it won’t be long before he’s praying for his sanity.

Chapter Text

If Minato still has any of his hair left by the time he’s reached the age of thirty, he will consider it to be a tremendous victory.

It’s not as if he was wholly unprepared for any of this considering his long-held intentions of becoming a jōnin-sensei. Furthermore, Minato, unlike many, had no illusions regarding the many difficulties of teaching, fully acknowledging that it was a far more challenging task than the average individual was led to assume.

Still, he’s fairly certain that teaching was never supposed to be as difficult and taxing as this.

First of all, Minato had presumed that he would be a little bit older than he currently was at the present moment and with a little more experience under his belt before being enlisted as a sensei. Second, he had envisioned himself instructing a group of three genin freshly graduated from the Academy, hopefully bright-eyed and eager to learn.

That would have been the best-case scenario, of course, but Minato still recognized that he would likely need to be patient and encouraging in the event that his students were more on the recalcitrant side. He was ready to mediate any squabbles that broke out among the members of his team, and it wasn’t even that Minato had expected for his students to be difficult. Rather, he was merely well aware that personality clashes were commonplace when instructing young people.

Perhaps he’d been a little naïve in thinking that he could prepare for many possibilities that lay in wait for him, but Minato had genuinely considered himself well-equipped to handle issues of that sort. It’s just that he’d never imagined that he would be dealing with the likes of Kakashi Hatake, a six-year-old chūnin who manages to conduct himself as if he’s dreadfully bored of and highly intrigued with the world all at the same time.

But for better or for worse, Minato is now in charge of educating and guiding the very child who was advanced enough to become a fully-fledged shinobi at the highly improbable age of five.

Although he had never met Kakashi prior to this, Minato was well aware of the young Hatake’s reputation. It was difficult not to be, not when Kakashi was a near infamous figure in Konoha at this point. Almost everyone knew of the prodigy who supposedly wore the shrewd gaze of a strategist and moved with the fluidity of a seasoned fighter.

While this had struck Minato as a bit of an exaggeration, he knew that these claims, at the very least, must have been rooted in the truth. After all, the Hatake clan heir wouldn’t be Konoha’s youngest shinobi if he wasn’t exceptionally skilled in his own right. Still, it was rather disarming to actually meet Kakashi himself because the boy seemed both stranger and yet more normal in person. Aside from the mask and silver hair, his appearance wasn’t particularly unusual. Yet, it only takes ten minutes of conversation for Minato to pinpoint why so many in the village find Kakashi so off-putting.

Frankly, children are expected to behave in a certain manner, and this holds true for shinobi and civilians alike. They’re thought to be playful and naïve, forthright and often tactless. However, Minato very quickly realized that Kakashi will frequently play to and subvert these expectations to his advantage.

His student especially seems to enjoy using his age as an excuse to say the kinds of things that only a child could get away with. Only Minato is quite certain that Kakashi is fully aware of the exact meaning and impact that his blunt statements hold. It's something he continually keeps watch for in order to avoid being outmaneuvered by his own student.

Of course, that’s not all that Minato has observed about Kakashi. He’d picked up on something else during their first meeting, in fact, something that others likely wouldn’t have even concerned themselves with. Still, Minato couldn’t help but notice that Kakashi’s chakra signature was also quite unusual. While it’s unsurprisingly similar to his father’s, it also seems to carry with it its own mass of contradictions.

There’s an almost muted nature to Kakashi’s chakra but also a distinct sense of something that Minato can only describe as wildness. The youngest Hatake’s chakra stores are also small, predictably so given his age, yet he’s left with the impression that there’s somehow more than he can actually perceive. One way or another, Kakashi’s chakra feels slightly off.

But regardless of how puzzling it may seem, his student’s odd chakra is hardly Minato’s primary concern at the present. Teaching him and keeping him engaged is.

What's more, Minato is at a severe disadvantage in this regard given that he’d had no time to prepare lessons, training exercises, drills, or any of the like in advance. He was not even able to review Kakashi’s file in full due to the hastiness of this whole arrangement, so Minato’s initial plan had been to skip past the basics and jump straight into missions given that Kakashi was already a chūnin.

He would later discover, following a more in-depth perusal of his student’s records, that this approach would not be as effective as he had previously hoped. Because it turns out that Kakashi has already accompanied his father on numerous missions, even attending an S-rank mission and returning, against all odds, without a scratch.

Now Minato had never gotten around to reviewing the official mission report itself so he can’t quite verify that claim. But if that’s true, that is simply terrifying.

And for some inexplicable reason, no one had felt it necessary to share this information with him beforehand. Because if Kakashi has been going on assassination missions and other assignments where lethal force is the norm, then Minato’s own hastily made plans certainly won't measure up. He can hardly expect Kakashi to look forward to catching lost pets, cleaning rivers, repairing fences, or weeding gardens after the likes of that.

So Minato’s solution for the time being has been to run field training exercises for Kakashi and cajole as many of his fellow shinobi as he can into taking part. He’s also gotten into the habit of scanning through the list of mission assignments each morning and claiming any combat-oriented missions as soon as they become available.

Although it’s not specifically the combat experience that Minato is seeking here since these kinds of assignments are already commonplace for his student. Rather, he’s using them as a means of introducing Kakashi to basic strategies and formation or even permitting him to take the lead on planning when the situation permits.

Overall, these missions and drills have gone about as well as he could have hoped for. That is to say that they are fulfilling their purpose of keeping his student occupied while Minato develops a more comprehensive plan for Kakashi’s training, which is no small feat in and of itself.

From just this brief period of time, Minato can firmly conclude that Kakashi’s rank is a well-earned one despite his young age and his tendency to favor unconventional approaches among other things. It’s something that baffles Minato to no end, but it’s difficult for him to argue as long as concrete results are still produced.

Although, Minato has discovered that there is some mercy to be found in this world because Kakashi has been more or less receptive to this type of instruction. He wouldn’t go as so far to say that his young student is always engaged in their lessons, but he is immensely thankful for the small victories he can get since he doesn’t want to know what the consequences of a bored Kakashi Hatake would be. Minato seriously doubts that Konoha would be prepared for the certain chaos it would entail.

Sometimes, Minato feels as though he’s been assigned some monumental task that will ultimately prove to be impossible in time, like a hapless farmhand ordered to quell the rising tides of a flooding river with little more than a tattered plank of wood at his disposal. He thinks he might one day be swept away by a surge of rushing water, all the while wondering how he’s come to feel so unnerved by such a small child.

What he should be doing is reminding himself that his student is only six years old; the stakes are not so dire and should not feel as such. It’s almost too easy to forget, however, when so much about Kakashi doesn’t add up.

Just last week, he had witnessed a rather puzzling interaction between Kakashi and one of the Inuzuka’s ninken. This was after he and Kakashi just returned from a mission that had concluded in an unusual manner, although that admittedly had nothing to do with Kakashi himself. The assignment itself was only a C-rank, just a simple matter of apprehending a group of bandits that were repeatedly robbing the stores of a warehouse that belonged to a nearby farming village.

As such, Minato and Kakashi had positioned themselves on the roof of the warehouse and lain in wait for the bandits, promptly cutting off the exits once the thieves had appeared. It was clear from the start that Minato’s and Kakashi’s opponents had little combat experience beyond roughing up untrained civilians. It should’ve been simple.

But much to everyone’s regret, a stray exploding tag had somehow made its way over to a stack of crates. Unintentional destruction of the client’s assets would’ve been unfortunate enough on its own. However, these crates were filled to the brim with dried hot peppers and had proceeded to detonate on contact.

Three seconds was all it had taken for the pulverized bits of pepper to permeate the entire building in a burning, choking cloud of red dust.

It may have been child’s play to detain the bandits after that, but Minato would have preferred almost any other turn of events. He’d managed to shield his own eyes at the last second, but a few inadvisable inhales had been enough to leave him with a painful cough that had lingered until the next morning. He supposes he shouldn't complain too much seeing as the bandits were not so fortunate. Their eyes were still streaming by the time he and Kakashi had trussed them up and dropped them all off with the village head. In all honesty, Minato thinks they might’ve turned themselves in voluntarily in exchange for medical attention.

Kakashi, in contrast, had fared remarkably well throughout the ordeal. Minato can only imagine that his mask was able to serve as a makeshift air filter since he barely seemed perturbed by the entire situation.

Their subsequent return to Konoha was equal parts awkward and uncomfortable. They had trudged through the village, covered head to toe in the excessively spicy powder, drawing no shortage of winces and odd looks. Minato could hardly blame them, not when their very presence was turning the air hazardous and hurting the sinuses of everyone in the vicinity.

Their path had taken them near an Inuzuka dog who had snarled aggressively as they drew near, likely agitated by the abrasive smell that was emanating from them. Minato was prepared to intervene and offer reassurances to its shinobi partner who was likewise approaching with an irate expression on his face. The last thing he wanted after everything that happened was to unintentionally antagonize a fellow shinobi. With luck, Minato would’ve been able to explain the reason for their overbearing scent and apologize before things got too heated. However, his student beat him to the punch.

And it turned out that Kakashi’s plan, for some inexplicable reason, was to growl back at the dog.

This wasn’t the silly kind of noise that most people make when imitating a growl. This was a guttural sound from the back of his throat, the very noise a predator might make to warn and intimidate a weaker animal.

His eyes had narrowed into slits, and even though the lower half of Kakashi’s face was covered by his mask, Minato wouldn’t have been surprised if his teeth were also bared behind the dark fabric.

But much to Minato’s astonishment, Kakashi's approach had actually worked. The formerly incensed ninken seemed to wilt from within, whining and backing away as its ears flattened against its head.

The Inuzuka shinobi was just as taken aback as he regarded his ninken partner with a newfound sense of confusion. It was at this point that Minato decided it would be prudent for them to make their exit, and he ushered Kakashi away before the shinobi could redirect his attention back to them.

Kakashi had behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, shrugging matter-of-factly in response to the incredulous look that Minato hadn’t quite hidden in time. As the two of them resumed their now brisk pace down the street, Minato could barely stop himself from gawking openly at his student.

“When Sakumo started training his ninken, a lot of them didn’t want to behave at first,” Kakashi had said in response to his unspoken question. “Growling back at them helps to show them who's in charge. You’re communicating to them in a language they’re familiar with. It’s the one that comes naturally to them, so they’ll take you more seriously from there.”

That explanation seemed quite reasonable on the surface. However, it would only prove to be yet another source of bewilderment later on as Minato would spend a not insignificant amount of time pondering why Kakashi had chosen to refer to his father by his first name before ultimately deciding that he must have been mistaken.

He had to have misheard him, right?

Minato shakes his head in agitation, something that he's been doing much more frequently nowadays. He’s not fond of this feeling at all, always being thrown off guard and constantly left with the impression that he’s missing something. This really couldn’t be healthy, having a student leaves him second-guessing every thought like this.

Although, that’s not even getting into the issue of Kakashi’s father. Minato is still half-convinced that Sakumo Hatake is plotting to kill him or is at least entertaining the notion despite Jiraiya’s attempts to reassure him otherwise.

Minato isn’t persuaded just yet, no matter how many times his former sensei insists that the war hero is truly a calm and easy-going person at his core. The well-being of Sakumo’s only son lies in Minato’s capable if not especially experienced hands, so he’s almost certain that the White Fang will have something particularly unpleasant reserved for him should he make a disastrous mistake in Kakashi’s education.

He doesn’t bother sharing any of this with Jiraiya though. The Sannin regards Sakumo quite highly even if he is still a bit leery of the man’s son.

His opinion certainly hadn’t improved after Minato passed along Kakashi’s message about the baths. To be fair, Minato will admit that few people would be pleased about being reminded of the time a very small child caught them in the middle of a blatant lie. At any rate, Jiraiya tends to make himself scarce whenever Kakashi is in the vicinity or simply mutters under his breath whenever his name is brought up.

Still, none of this actually changes the fact that Minato is more or less on his own in this endeavor. At this point, he just tries to refrain from thinking about how strange his life has become.

He hasn’t been particularly successful on that front.

Just a few months ago, Minato had felt quite self-assured. He’d considered himself well-prepared to face the circumstances that life brought him. Now, he feels as though he’s bracing himself for some unforeseen yet inevitable event. Minato just doesn’t know if it will arrive in the form of his student who is far too cunning for anyone’s good or from his student’s father who may or may not be waiting for him to make a monumental blunder so that he can put an end to Minato’s time on this earth.

Forget about thirty, Minato will consider himself lucky if the stress hasn’t caused his entire body to shut down within the next year.

Chapter Text

On any other day, Kakashi would normally be training or embarking on a mission right about now, but Minato has decided to give him the day off for once. Now the wolf spirit would like nothing more than to spend his leisure time sleeping, but there is an errand of sorts that Kakashi has been putting off for quite some time.

Because of this, he’ll be using this break to take Sakumo out of Konoha and into the forests to meet some of the youkai who reside a little closer to the village. There is a practical reason for this. Now that Kakashi is officially under the supervision of a sensei, it’ll be much more difficult for him to keep an eye on Sakumo who is a veritable beacon for hungry youkai.

At the very least, Kakashi needs to introduce Sakumo to a few of the local spirits so they’ll know not to have him as a snack. After all, it would be highly inconvenient if Sakumo got eaten at this point in time.

Fortunately, they won’t need to concern themselves with the possibility of running into Minato as the young jōnin will be spending the day with his “not girlfriend” on their “it’s not a date, we’re just having lunch together!” Out of all the things to try and conceal, Kakashi doesn’t understand why Minato seems so bashful about his relationship with the red-haired girl, particularly when he’s doing such a poor job of it.

Maybe it has something to do with the girl herself, Kushina Uzumaki. Kakashi’s interactions with her have been infrequent, but he’s gathered that she’s a bit of an anomaly amongst the other shinobi in ways that don’t include her extremely exuberant temperament and what seems to be an excessive level of interest in ramen. Rather, it’s the immense chakra reserves in combination with a few other details that have given him pause. Kushina is most definitely human, but Kakashi has a sneaking suspicion that she might have more in common with him than anyone else in the village…

Or perhaps the whole charade is just another one of the ever-evolving habits of human courtship rituals. It could be that the two will drop all pretense once they’ve grown tired of hiding their affections. However on second thought, this entire ruse could simply be the result of Minato’s naturally flustered state of mind.

Such a temperament would usually spell trouble, but Kakashi supposes that Minato isn’t too bad for a jōnin-sensei. Now Kakashi can quite literally smell the fear rolling off of him, but Minato does an admirable job of appearing composed in spite of it. Another point in Minato’s favor is that he’s intelligent enough to realize that talking down to Kakashi would be highly inadvisable. That’s a mistake many other shinobi have made, assuming that Kakashi will behave in a certain way due to his supposed age. But Minato understood this from the very moment they met.

As for the lessons themselves, he’s found them mildly interesting. Minato is very much out of his depth here, but it hasn’t stopped him from investing a considerable amount of effort into his education. So Kakashi wouldn’t say that the arrangement is a terrible one, and he’s even managed to learn a thing or two regarding contemporary shinobi combat tactics and procedures.

Also, watching Sakumo scare Minato nearly witless is always worthwhile entertainment. As of late, he’s adopted the practice of radiating just the slightest amount of killing intent whenever he encounters the youth, claiming that it’s only for the purpose of testing Minato’s resolve. Nevertheless, Kakashi suspects that Sakumo is enjoying the whole charade a little too much for that.

________________________

Meanwhile, Sakumo isn’t sure how much enthusiasm he should hold in regard to the day’s excursion as he follows Kakashi’s meandering path through the woods.

Even after more than six years of residing with a wolf spirit, Sakumo admittedly doesn’t know very much about youkai. He's made his own observations, but Kakashi, to put it simply, isn’t the type to be forthright with information. It’s actually the opposite as he typically imparts knowledge on a need-to-know basis, and Sakumo would respect that preference a little more if that information wasn’t also something that could be highly integral to his overall well-being. Just a few words of caution would go a long way in making him more alert to potential threats.

A key example of this occurs roughly halfway through their hike when Sakumo abruptly feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He whirls around and comes face to face with a veil of white mist that swiftly disperses to reveal Kakashi. He's looming over Sakumo in his fully-fledged wolf form, his massive jaws clamped firmly around a writhing black mass that most closely resembles a cloud of smoke with huge eyes that are somehow both bulging and flat.

Kakashi bites down forcefully, giving his head a violent shake as the entity thrashes about in a futile attempt to free itself. Sakumo hears the other youkai let out an agonized cry before it finally dissipates into a swarm of ink-colored butterflies that scatter harmlessly throughout the trees. The wolf spirit spits out a few insects from its mouth with an air of palpable disgust before transforming back into the masked silver-haired boy he normally appears as.

“Just give them a punch, huh?” Sakumo remarks dryly, watching as the wisps of smoke gradually dissolve into the sunlight. Now that he’s focusing, he can just detect the fading impression of malice that had emanated from the youkai. The closest thing he can compare it to is killing intent, but even that doesn’t quite capture the feeling that had come over him.

“So ones like those are a little more troublesome,” Kakashi admits, wiping his mouth on the inside of his mask.

“Troublesome, how?” Sakumo prompts as they resume their trek through the forest. That could mean a number of very different things given how Kakashi is equally prone to both understatements and overexaggeration. Of course, that’s on the occasions he actually deigns to provide an explanation.  

“Hmm?” Kakashi glances in his direction. If Sakumo didn’t know any better, he’d think that the youkai had already forgotten about the encounter.

“Oh, this spirit consumes sadness,” Kakashi explains as if this were an extremely unexceptional trait to have. “It would’ve possessed you so that it could feed off of your negative emotions.” He smooths his mask back over the lower half of his face. “I wasn’t interested in dealing with that.” 

Sakumo blinks, feeling a slight pang of gratitude in spite of Kakashi's flippancy. “Well, thank you regardless.” He tries to keep his tone light, but a bit of sincerity makes its way into his words despite his best efforts.

Because he does mean it. Sakumo has been doing reasonably well for the past few years, but there was a time in which he genuinely hadn’t cared whether he lived or died. Between the Second Shinobi War and the losses that had preceded Kakashi’s arrival in Konoha, that black fog youkai could’ve easily had itself a feast.

“Save your thanks,” Kakashi sniffs dismissively. “It would’ve been a pain to deal with otherwise.”

Kakashi frequently says these kinds of things, but Sakumo knows that the youkai is not nearly as indifferent as he claims to be. He still remembers their very first meeting during which Kakashi had admitted to feeling sorrow over the Hatake clan’s near extinction and ultimately agreed to remain out of pity for him.

Even if those details had somehow slipped his mind, the fact that he’s still here years later speaks volumes. While Kakashi technically does have something to gain through this arrangement, it’s highly unlikely that the youkai would’ve stuck by his side for this long if self-interest was his only source of motivation.

Sakumo shakes his head slightly, his next exhale carrying the ghost of a chuckle. This outing was already shaping up to be an interesting one. He supposes that he had wanted to learn more about youkai, and despite how indisputably unnerving that sentient smoke cloud was, he’d gotten exactly that.

If nothing else, Sakumo now knows that certain youkai will feed off of human emotions rather than flesh. Although that’s not to say that all spirits are ravenous beings. From what Kakashi has mentioned, there are plenty of spirits who don’t eat humans, and many pose little threat whatsoever. Some apparently don’t care enough to even be around humans at all, although this probably isn’t the case for the youkai that Kakashi is taking him to meet.

Sakumo just hopes that Kakashi had at least warned the other spirits about his arrival. Whatever the case, it almost seemed like he was looking forward to the events of today. Maybe this is a form of relaxation for the wolf spirit, an occasion in which he doesn’t have to pretend to be a human. It must’ve been quite some time since Kakashi was last able to do this since Sakumo remembers him mentioning offhandedly that the last gathering he attended had taken place before he came to reside in Konoha.

Kakashi quickens his pace, and Sakumo notices his demeanor brighten ever so slightly. They must be close then, and after a few more steps, Sakumo can also pick up on the sounds of relaxed voices filtering through the trees.

Soon after, the owners of those voices come into view, all seated in a loose half-circle on the grass. He and Kakashi scarcely make a sound as they draw closer to the eclectic collection of figures, but the group turns in their direction all the same.

Their reception is calmer than Sakumo had expected considering that the assembled youkai likely haven’t seen Kakashi for over six years. None of them seem terribly shocked by Kakashi’s human disguise either. There are a few bewildered expressions, or at least what Sakumo assumes to be bewilderment, but nothing as dramatic as the spirit they’d met in Iwa during that joint mission. Benio was her name if he recalls correctly. It’s possible that she informed the others since Sakumo sees that she's present as well.

The most overt response comes from a spirit that takes the form of a beautiful woman dressed in an ornately colored kimono. “If you were going to take a different form,” she remarks, regarding him with the eye not covered by her dark blue hair, “why couldn’t you have chosen to look like a woman?”

Much to his surprise, Kakashi forgoes a retort and instead takes a seat around the outer edge of the circle. Sakumo trails after him only somewhat awkwardly, unsure as to what to do. While Kakashi had not bothered to explain exactly what this gathering would entail, Sakumo had initially assumed that the wolf spirit would at least introduce him to his peers.

As that obviously hadn’t happened, there’s little else for him to do besides follow along with the rest of the proceedings. He watches the youkai chat amongst themselves and startles slightly when an ox-like spirit presses a cup into his hands and fills it with sake.

From the looks of it, one of the attendees had managed to get their hands on a few casks of high-quality stock, and Sakumo would guess that the group has already made substantial headway through its supply. He wouldn’t have expected it to be the case, but it seems that inebriated youkai behave similarly to inebriated humans.

Kakashi almost seems to be enjoying himself, taking generous sips of his sake as he engages in small talk with the other youkai. Sakumo, meanwhile, regards his own cup with apprehension. Thankfully, the wolf spirit quickly supplies him with the answer to his unvoiced question.

“That’s safe for you to drink,” Kakashi mutters under his breath. “And no, you won’t be beholden to a youkai just because you've consumed food or drink that they’ve offered.”

Sakumo takes a reserved sip in response, noting its rich flavor profile. This one carries sweeter notes compared to the varieties he's had in the past, but he’d much rather keep a clear head at the present moment. The odd assortment of individuals is difficult enough to comprehend without the influence of alcohol.

There’s a green-skinned creature that can only be a kappa with its turtle shell and water-filled dish atop its head. The two that Kakashi refers to as the mid-ranks consist of the ox-like youkai and another spirit with a single eye and a horn protruding from the center of its forehead. Both are dressed in dark gray kimonos and for the most part appear to be relatively mild-mannered in temperament. Another youkai in a green kimono has a disproportionally massive head that’s almost as large as the rest of his body. His face almost reminds Sakumo of a mask with its huge eyes, small mustache, and exaggerated features.

Those spirits are in stark contrast to the youkai with much more human guises such as Benio and Hinoe, the youkai who had ribbed Kakashi when they had first arrived. Hinoe alternates between drinking and smoking tobacco from her pipe, and Sakumo notes that she is the only one to do so.

The atmosphere of this get-together is overall a casual one with multiple conversations occurring at once around the circle. There seems to be no other purpose for this gathering aside from leisure as the subjects of these discussions are surprisingly mundane, ranging from youkai that they’ve seen, to food and drink, and even the weather. Hinoe, however, eventually brings up a topic that draws everyone’s attention.

“Oh, have you heard?” she remarks offhandedly. “There’s an exorcist that’s been poking around.” She lifts her pipe to her lips. “What a bothersome little thing,” she drawls in disdainful fashion.

“Really now?” Kakashi inquires, the beginnings of an intrigued glint appearing in his eyes.

Sakumo’s interest is piqued as well although he presumes that it’s for a different reason than Kakashi’s. As is the case with most youkai-related matters, he only knows the bare minimum regarding exorcists. Kakashi had mentioned some time ago that humans with enough spiritual power could learn to seal away, bind, or banish youkai. But this all seems to mean something to the spirits present.

“Looks to be one that’s not aligned with any clan,” the one-eyed mid-rank pipes in.

“Meaning that he must be dreadfully incompetent if nobody wanted him,” Benio clarifies, evidently taking note of Sakumo’s curious expression. Fortunately for him, she doesn’t seem to share Kakashi’s aversion to explaining things. “Humans with enough spiritual power to perceive youkai are few and far between, so exorcist clans are usually quick when it comes to snapping up anyone not already affiliated.”

The afternoon sunlight shimmers off of her butterfly ornament, and there’s a split second in which its wings seem to twitch. “The fact that this one is still roaming around on his own…” Benio lifts her sake cup to her lips. “Well, there must be a reason why the major clans haven’t recruited him.”

“Arrogance is what I think,” the other mid-rank offers. “He’s trampling around the area like he owns the place, but I doubt he could even seal away a fly. We’ve been steering clear for now.”

That doesn’t completely add up to Sakumo. “Why bother keeping your distance then?” he asks, the question slipping out involuntarily.

Fortunately, none of the youkai appear to be offended by his query although most seem surprised that he’s even spoken up.

“There’s a possibility that he could get others involved,” Hinoe explains. “Exorcists tend to run in the same circles. If he were to get wind of us…” She gestures elegantly with her pipe.

“Not something we can risk, so we’re staying out of his way!” The kappa chirps in a high-pitched, almost childlike voice. “The more powerful exorcists could actually do us harm though.”

The other youkai murmur in agreement at this, but Kakashi suddenly affixes Sakumo with a knowing smirk. “I have an idea as to what we could do for the rest of the day.”

Sakumo isn’t sure what to make of the expression he can see on the visible half of Kakashi’s face.

“Let’s go look for this exorcist. It’s always been my opinion that time used for crushing imbeciles is always well spent.”

Chapter Text

The two of them depart soon after that pronouncement, but not before Kakashi leaves the assembled youkai with a message that essentially boils down to the fact that none of them, in any circumstances, are to eat Sakumo.

They take a slightly different route than the one that they had followed before, a lesser-used path that will take them to where the mid-ranks reported last seeing the lone exorcist. Now that they have embarked on their self-imposed mission of tracking down the interloper, Kakashi deems it appropriate to supply Sakumo with a more in-depth lesson regarding exorcists and what specifically it is that they do.

“Exorcists,” Kakashi begins as they pick their way through an overgrown field, “are not just humans with the spiritual power to perceive youkai. They are individuals who have dedicated themselves to combating spirits.”

“And those would specifically be the youkai that are harmful to humans.” Sakumo phrases this statement as a question rather than a declaration.

Although he can only see the back of Kakashi’s head, Sakumo knows that the wolf spirit must be ruminating over his next words. “More or less,” he finally responds. “Plenty of youkai prefer to keep to themselves, but some are a little more malevolent.”

“How so?”

“They’re mostly interested in consuming humans for sustenance, usually not much more than that.” Kakashi relays this in a way that suggests he means for this piece of information to be comforting.

But if that was his intention, then it’s very much undercut by his next words. “There are other ways that spirits can bring humans harm. The Mushikui, that’s the one we ran into earlier,” he clarifies in response to Sakumo’s unspoken question. “It only feeds off of negative emotions. Of course, some youkai can go as far as to curse or even possess the bodies of unsuspecting humans.”

Sakumo isn’t sure if he wants to know what happens to the humans unfortunate enough to find themselves in such a predicament. Kakashi, meanwhile, takes a momentary pause to kick away a particularly large stone in their path before resuming his explanation.

“There are several methods that an exorcist might employ when dealing with a youkai. Their options are ultimately dependent on their own ability and how powerful the spirit is, but a common approach is to seal the youkai away in something like an urn, a statue, or another artifact to prevent it from hurting anyone. Others will purify or place wards over an area to banish spirits or to prevent them from entering a particular place, and the more powerful ones will even go as far as to destroy a youkai entirely.”

A slight scowl creases the visible portion of Kakashi’s face at that last sentence, and Sakumo can only imagine that he considers such methods to be overkill. It must be grating to speak of the techniques utilized against his brethren, but this is a prime opportunity for Sakumo to learn a little bit more about the world that he’s lingered on the edge of for so long.

As such, he takes care to phrase his next question with as much tact as he can manage. “From what you say,” Sakumo begins, watching for the wolf spirit’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, “it seems as though individuals with spiritual power could go most of their lives without encountering a malicious spirit. So what motivates those people to make the jump to becoming an exorcist then?"

It turns out that Sakumo’s concerns were for naught, however, as the wolf spirit appears to take his query in stride. “Well, like shinobi, exorcists also have clans. They’re actually quite similar in that regard and are just about as pleasant to deal with.”

Sakumo lets out a wry chuckle at this. He can hardly claim that being a clan of one, technically two now, doesn’t come with its benefits. As the sole figure of authority, he’s no longer required to fret over propriety or make concessions in the name of appeasing the old guard. It’s actually quite an advantageous position as Sakumo holds the autonomy of a free agent while enjoying access to all the accumulated resources that his ancestors have amassed throughout the years. Clans undoubtedly offer support and solidarity, but these frequently come at the cost of individual independence. Sakumo takes a brief moment to wonder if exorcist clans might experience similar issues before turning his attention back to Kakashi’s explanation.

Just in time as well since Kakashi has resumed his spiel, seemingly unconcerned as to whether or not Sakumo is still following along. “Spiritual power typically runs through families, like a kekkei genkai but far more unpredictable. Many exorcists are actually born into the role, but the ability is also known to spring up randomly across general members of the population. Never among shinobi though.”

“Well, almost never,” Kakashi amends, nodding in Sakumo’s direction.

“Why is that?” Sakumo asks, despite knowing that it may not be the best idea to diverge too far off-topic. With Kakashi, there’s always the possibility that they’ll never return to their original line of conversation. It’s happened before.

The wolf spirit gives a half-hearted shrug, his eyes fixed ahead of them. “I would say that it's something to do with chakra. My guess is that chakra and spiritual power are essentially competing senses in that regular use of one limits the capacity of the other. But exceptions obviously happen, I suppose.”

“Anyway,” Kakashi carries, for once taking the initiative to bring their discussion back on track. “Humans who are not already under the protection of a clan might join out of self-preservation. Those with a large amount of spiritual power have a tendency to attract spirits to them, the benign and the destructive.”

Sakumo can already see the inherent problem there, but he has a feeling that there’s something else to it. Kakashi’s posture is as relaxed as ever, but it almost seems as though he’s choosing his words carefully.

“For those not born to a clan, the ability to see spirits can cause them to become shunned in their own communities.” Kakashi heads towards a thicket of trees and gestures for Sakumo to follow. “Perceiving things that no one else can is not an ability that’s ever been received well by others. Those humans are frequently labeled as either liars or lunatics. So they come to resent and blame the spirits they see for their plight. After all, they would otherwise be accepted by their peers if it weren’t for the youkai around them.”

Somehow, Sakumo gets the impression that Kakashi is speaking from experience, that the wolf spirit has personally seen these very same events unfold, witnessed firsthand the collective ostracization of a human who was both gifted and unfortunate enough to see youkai. He can’t think of a plausible reason as to how Kakashi would’ve attained this knowledge otherwise. It’s not the kind of thing that one could learn solely by observing in passing. He knows that Kakashi had not encountered shinobi prior to stumbling across the Hatake clan, but Sakumo wonders if there were ever any other humans he’d come to know along the way.

There’s no use dwelling on that, however. Because if there’s anything that Kakashi is reluctant to discuss, it’s his past. Although, Sakumo highly doubts that his reticence stems from the typical reasons like unpleasant memories or anything of that sort. Kakashi, simply put, just isn’t the type that enjoys sharing details about himself, and Sakumo has learned that the best method of obtaining any kind of information is to save his questions for the rare occasions that he’s in a talkative move.

“Is that what it is then?” Sakumo presses on. “Do exorcists just view youkai as the enemy?”

“Not necessarily,” Kakashi responds. “It’s more that they strongly dislike what they cannot control. Exorcists are perfectly content to utilize youkai as servants after all. Such spirits are called shiki, and they'll pledge themselves to exorcists for a variety of reasons. Some youkai will become attached to certain exorcists and therefore dedicate their existence to them. Others might only agree to be bound into service because it provides them protection from other youkai or exorcists.”

Sakumo ducks under a low-hanging tree branch. “That’s not what our arrangement is, is it?”

It’s undoubtedly a foolish question. He highly doubts that Kakashi could ever be convinced into becoming any human’s shiki, but Sakumo would still like to have definite confirmation that he isn’t inadvertently keeping the wolf spirit here against his will.

“Hardly.” Kakashi lets out an amused snort. “As if you could ever order me around. No, what we have is a nonbinding alliance, a deal based on word and word alone. Granted, the vast majority of youkai are not inclined to go back on their word anyway.”

“Not willingly, at least,” Kakashi adds, almost as an afterthought.

Sakumo is suddenly struck with the urge to thank Kakashi for staying with him regardless, but the more pragmatic voice in his head tells him that levity would be more appropriate given that Kakashi seems to be allergic to any form of sensitive emotion.

“Figures that you’d never stand to be anyone’s lapdog.”

Kakashi lets out a disdainful huff at that. “I’m far above the pay grade of most exorcists out there,” he declares, “although many don’t even realize. Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent them from being as irritating as they are.”

Kakashi stops abruptly in his tracks, tilting his head back to regard the grassy hill looming before them. “Case in point, I believe the fool we’re seeking out is just up ahead.”

Despite the other youkai’s assertions of this exorcist’s incompetence, Sakumo still finds himself extremely underwhelmed. Because on the other side of the hill is a gangly, nondescript boy who looks to be around seventeen or eighteen years of age. He’s honestly not sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this mousy-haired youth who, upon a second glance, also seems to lack a cohesive sense of fashion.

Shinobi have a tendency to adopt eclectic clothing styles, but this boy’s decision to pair his overly long coat with knee-length pants and heavy boots comes across as an especially misguided choice. Regardless, this unfortunate state of dress has seemingly done little to impede the exorcist’s self-assured gait. Even without taking into account the disparaging comments made by Kakashi’s youkai acquaintances, Sakumo easily recognizes the familiar demeanor of a young person whose sense of confidence is far from justified.

As Kakashi had neglected to mention any kind of plan as to how they would confront the exorcist, Sakumo mentally prepares himself to go along with whatever impromptu scheme he’s cooked up this time. But to his surprise, the wolf spirit merely strolls forward until the two of them have encroached within the exorcist’s line of sight.

The youth looks utterly bewildered by their presence, leading Sakumo to wonder if he even recognizes them as shinobi. There’s a brief moment in which the three are sizing each other up before Kakashi breaks the tension with a matter-of-fact shrug.

Then, a puff of swirling mist materializes from out of nowhere and a fifteen-foot tall wolf stalks forward, malice dripping from every inch of his form. The boy lets out a startled yelp, stumbling backward as Kakashi bares his teeth in a snarl. The youth's cries quickly transition into whimpers as he narrowly avoids a vicious swipe from the youkai’s massive claws. He staggers away on shaking legs, only to nearly lose his left arm to Kakashi's snapping teeth.

It’s at this point that Sakumo deems it necessary to intervene. As wolf spirit rears back for a third strike, he darts behind the terrified teen and knocks him out cold with a swift jab to the back of his head.

Kakashi rolls his massive eyes at the loss of his entertainment but transforms back into his human guise all the same.

“So what now?” Sakumo puts forth this question cautiously. It’s possible that Kakashi’s appetite for bloodshed has already been sated, but he can never be too sure.

Unfortunately, his hopes are dashed by the wolf spirit’s reply.

“I say we kill him,” Kakashi declares in all seriousness. “That’s generally my policy for dealing with exorcists.”

“I hardly think the situation calls for that here.” Sakumo gestures towards the youth’s unconscious form. “He’s barely an adult if that.”

Kakashi makes no attempt to disguise how unmoved he is by Sakumo’s rationale. “I don’t care in the slightest. I would never get to kill anybody if I thought like that.”

“There are better options though,” Sakumo points out. “If you eat him, there’s always the possibility that other exorcists will investigate his disappearance. But if he’s alive and only frightened, the others would just assume that he’s cowardly in addition to being incompetent.”

Kakashi lets out a drawn-out sigh. “Fair enough,” he concedes in a bored voice. “But let’s take his things. If he wakes up without his possessions, he might assume that this was only an elaborate plot carried out by bandits.”

Sakumo doesn’t argue with this, primarily because it does happen to be a reasonable, and most importantly, nonlethal line of thinking. He begins rifling through the exorcist’s pockets and pack while Kakashi offers his input on what items he should take.

“Keep those seals,” the youkai instructs. “Those are for purification, they might come in handy.”

It seems that despite the youth’s ineptitude, he was reasonably well-equipped for the outing. However, at the bottom of the exorcist’s bag is something that sticks out from his other items.

“What’s this?” Sakumo muses, holding up a white hat with a pale orange ribbon tied at the base. “I have a feeling that this didn’t belong to the kid.”

He hands the hat over to Kakashi who lifts it to his mask-covered nose. “It didn’t,” Kakashi confirms, a slight frown crossing over his features. “A youkai has handled this very recently. I’d say this was in another spirit’s possession for a good while and that the exorcist likely took this away from it.”

An idea spurs forth in Sakumo’s mind. “Do you think that youkai is far away from here?” he asks.

The wolf spirit shakes his head. “No, it’s actually fairly close by, just a few miles to the south of us." Kakashi’s eyes narrow in suspicion. "Why do you ask?”

“Let’s return it then,” Sakumo suggests in lieu of a direct answer, setting off before the wolf spirit can raise any objections.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Kakashi follows after Sakumo’s retreating back.

Chapter Text

Even though Kakashi is quite disgruntled to find himself undertaking such a task, he still leads Sakumo over to where he had detected the owner of the hat. Albeit he’s grumbling under his breath for most of the walk, but Sakumo wouldn’t expect anything less.

The two come to a stop at a small clearing in the forest that’s bordered by trees on all sides. Sakumo scans the area in curiosity, there’s no one else here as far as he can tell. He shoots a questioning look at Kakashi who in turn lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“You can come out now,” Kakashi addresses to what looks to be the empty air.

For a long moment, it seems as though his words have failed to find an audience, but a small face eventually peeks out from behind a wide tree trunk.

The youkai appears as a young boy, looking no older than seven, with dark blond hair that reaches his shoulders. He’s dressed in a plain, rust-brown kimono, and his wide brown eyes dart around nervously as he shuffles out into the open. A pair of fox ears peek out from underneath his hair while a brownish-orange tail swishes behind him in an anxious rhythm.

Sakumo would like to think that he’s reasonably well versed in regard to the wide array of forms that a spirit can take. There are ones that present themselves as attractive humans and ones that adopt far more grotesque guises. Some youkai are like Kakashi, massive and bestial in form, whereas others come across as a hybrid of human and animal. Still, he’s seen others even more peculiar in appearance including a giant pink owl-like creature, a masked spirit with an overly long neck that could twist itself into loops, a humanoid youkai with black voids in the place of its eyes, and a spirit that resembled a seven-foot-tall pile of white fur wearing a blank white mask.

However, this youkai is possibly one of the most endearing ones he’s encountered so far.

Evidently tired of waiting, Kakashi breaks the silence with a sound of impatience and nods his head in Sakumo’s direction. “He’s got something for you.”

Sakumo reaches into his pack and pulls out the hat, kneeling on the ground so that he can hand it over to the fox spirit. “I was informed that this belonged to you.”

The boy’s face lights up in an instant, all previous signs of fear vanishing. “You got it back!” he cries, clapping his hands together in delight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The fox boy takes the hat from him and holds it tightly to his chest. “I thought I would never see it again!” he squeals, bouncing up and down in his excitement.

“How did you lose your hat?” Sakumo asks, smiling instinctively at him as he gets to his feet. It’s difficult not to when the youkai acts just the way an energetic child would.

“It was that exorcist!” The fox spirit’s eyes are now round and indignant. “He kept looking around for youkai, so I ran and hid. But I didn’t have enough time to grab all of my things. I left it on the ground, and I saw him take it.”

“But…” the boy muses, “you were able to get it back. So you must’ve beat him in a fight for it,” he reasons, nodding to himself. “Wow, you must be strong!” he exclaims, his voice now filled with amazement.

Sakumo is a little taken aback by the open admiration, but given the threat that exorcists can pose to youkai, he imagines that anyone capable of besting one would seem quite formidable in their eyes.

“We don’t have to hide now that the exorcist has been defeated, and that means I can go back to my favorite places!” the boy exclaims happily. “Oh, I can show them to you! Do you want to see them?” he asks, turning to Sakumo with shining eyes.

While the expression on Kakashi’s face suggests that he’s not interested in the slightest, he doesn’t show any other outward signs of protest.

Regardless, Sakumo gladly accepts the invitation, and the fox spirit grabs his hand, leading him forward while Kakashi trails silently behind them. The boy takes them around the area, cheerfully pointing out the trees he likes to climb and his favorite rocks to relax upon. It's during this tour that Sakumo takes the opportunity to formally introduce himself and Kakashi, although he's not entirely sure that the young youkai had fully understood what exactly a shinobi was though.

The little fox has just finished showing them the stream in which he catches most of his fish when the bushes to their right begin to emit a distinct rustling sound.

Sakumo turns towards the disturbance to find that the source of the noise is two youkai that bear a remarkable resemblance to the mid-ranks he’d sat alongside this morning. However, this ox-like spirit has dark green skin while the one-eyed one is bright orange in color. The spirits from earlier were also quite genial in disposition whereas these two appear to be far more bad-tempered.

“What do you think you’re doing, talking to humans like that?” the green one jeers at the boy. “What a sorry excuse of a youkai you are!” the other chimes in.

Sakumo is facing the little fox, so he sees the look of irritation that flickers across his small face, his amber eyes darting towards a fist-sized stone that’s lying on the ground within arm’s reach.

Kakashi, however, beats him to the punch. He’s standing before the two spirits in a flash, towering over them in his wolf form before anyone else has even had the chance to move. In the next second, the now terrified one-eyed spirit is clamped between his jaws, and Kakashi flings the orange youkai into the ox-like one with a forceful shake of his head.

Both spirits are sent flying from the impact, crashing and tumbling over each other into the underbrush. There’s a brief moment of silence before Sakumo hears the two of them let out a collective scream that gradually decreases in volume as they presumably flee in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.

The boy’s face is glowing in wonder as Kakashi shifts back into human form, but the wolf youkai pays him no heed.

“I found them irritating,” Kakashi offers as an explanation, but his words do little to diminish the fox spirit’s amazement.

“Are you okay out here on your own?” Sakumo asks, his voice now tinged with concern. It might not be entirely safe for him if the other youkai’s heckling is a common occurrence.

The little fox turns his awestruck eyes back to Sakumo. “I’m fine!” he reassures him earnestly. “I usually mind my own business and chase away the mid-levels every now and then when they’re being annoying. But what he did will probably make them stay away for a while!”

Sakumo smiles back at him. Again, it’s difficult not to in the face of such enthusiasm. "That’s good to hear. But if you’re ever having any trouble you can always look to me for help.”

"What if I’m not in any trouble?” the fox spirit asks, his eyes now equal parts hesitant and hopeful.

“You can come and see us anytime you’d like,” Sakumo promises. He’s not sure if the fox boy even knows where or what Konoha is, but he suspects that youkai have the ability to sense or locate others across long distances. It would certainly explain Kakashi’s uncanny knack for finding him no matter how far away he might be, even without the assistance of tracking seals.

“I might be out on a mission or busy, but I’d still be happy to see you if you catch me while I’m in the village. And if I’m in the area, I’ll try to stop by.”

Kakashi lets out a long sigh of exasperation.

The little fox beams. “Okay, I should get going now. I’ll see you soon!” He scampers away, pausing briefly to wave at them as he departs.

Sakumo waves back until the boy has disappeared from their line of sight, and with that, he and Kakashi begin to head back toward Konoha.

They’re a few miles out when Sakumo realizes that he doesn’t even know the boy’s name. That particular subject had never come up which implies that he either doesn’t have one or isn’t intent on sharing it. From what Sakumo has gathered throughout his limited interactions with spirits, neither possibility would be particularly unusual.

It's something that Kakashi had previously alluded to as well, that a youkai could be on friendly terms with another spirit for decades without ever learning their name. On the other hand, there are also youkai who will purposefully withhold their names, only sharing it with the ones they’ve come to trust. When Sakumo asked why, Kakashi’s answer had been cryptic. He’d muttered something about how names held power and left it at that.

But judging from how trusting and unguarded the fox spirit seemed, Sakumo suspects that he’s merely one of the many youkai who are nameless. Despite the boy’s obvious vulpine features, there was very little foxlike about his demeanor. Folk tales warn of fox spirits for their cunning and deceitful nature, but this boy had been nothing but earnest.

Sakumo wonders if the same is true for other fox youkai and is opening his mouth to ask Kakashi when the other speaks up instead, his voice oddly flat.

“What was that back there?”

“What are you talking about?” Sakumo retorts lightheartedly. He’s not sure what’s brought this on, especially since Kakashi has scarcely uttered a word in the past hour. “I can’t be friendly every now and then?”

Instead of answering, Kakashi glances behind them, roughly in the direction of where they had left the little fox. His expression isn’t one of irritation as might be expected, but rather something that almost rings of concern. Sakumo, however, can’t imagine what could possibly have Kakashi worried though.

He fixes his eyes on the wolf spirit, expecting some kind of explanation. But Kakashi continues onward, his eyes impassive.

“Never mind, it’s nothing,” he finally mutters in response to Sakumo’s staring. “I would just recommend that you refrain from taking in every odd youkai that you happen to stumble across.”

If Sakumo didn’t know any better, he might’ve written this off as Kakashi just being in a sullen or even possessive mood, but there are indeed several reasons as to why it would be far more advisable for him to limit the number of youkai he comes in contact with. Sakumo has noticed, based on own his observations and Kakashi’s offhand comments, that youkai have a tendency to congregate in the same areas. A lone spirit settling in a new location could easily attract a number of others before long, both the harmless and the deadly.

Given that much of Sakumo’s time is spent in Konoha, he really shouldn’t make a habit of encouraging youkai to come and visit him. Although Kakashi seems quite certain that nearly all shinobi are incapable of even perceiving spirits, that’s not a theory he’s eager to test. Even if they were to remain unseen, an unexpected influx of youkai would undoubtedly spell trouble for a number of parties. After all, not all spirits are accustomed to being near humans, and any subsequent incident could always prompt exorcists to investigate.

Really, it’s a fluke that none of these considerations apply to Kakashi. As an uncommonly powerful youkai, he’s uniquely equipped to both counter exorcists and to discourage most unfamiliar youkai from approaching. Moreover, Kakashi has been living amongst humans for quite some time now. Sakumo wouldn’t go so far as to say that he’s blending in or being subtle about it, but he’s certainly demonstrated an awareness of what he can and can’t get away with. To this day, no one in Konoha has the slightest suspicion that Kakashi isn’t actually human.

At this point, Sakumo could simply acknowledge and agree with Kakashi’s suggestion. But because he can’t resist the urge, he quips back, “Good thing I’ve decided to stop after you.”

The affronted expression on Kakashi’s face is a sight Sakumo will treasure for the rest of his life.

Chapter Text

Up until this point, the overwhelming majority of Kakashi’s time in Konoha has been spent solely in the company of Sakumo. This arrangement had conveniently aligned with his agreed-upon objective of supporting and ensuring the safety of the last member of the Hatake clan, and in the seven years that he’s been Kakashi Hatake, this practice was also one that seemed reasonable to the rest of the village.

Human young, after all, tended to remain in close proximity to their parents, especially in the earliest years after their birth. It’s only later that they grow more comfortable with venturing out and intermingling with those outside of their close family members. But as a prodigy, Kakashi was leaps and bounds ahead of the other children in Konoha. The difference couldn’t be more stark with Kakashi already an adept shinobi at a time when other five-year-olds were still learning how to read. Remaining by his apparent father’s side for a little while longer was perfectly understandable when none of his peers could hope to match his accelerated development.

It was only logical that Kakashi should exclusively interact with those he was on par with, and that happened to entail the village’s shinobi population. At least, those were the conclusions that the citizens of Konoha could draw given the information that was available to them. That Kakashi was actually a powerful wolf spirit simply wasn’t a notion that anyone had the capacity to conceptualize or plausibly entertain.

The point was that there was little need for Kakashi to even be in close proximity to other children during his first few years in the village. His unprecedented talent and skill had attracted enough attention from the adults as it was. However, circumstances have shifted with the passing of time, and it seems that the little ones of Konoha have been growing in their awareness of the world outside of their immediate needs.

The children, many of whom are now attending the Academy, have begun to explore and seek out the company of those they like and those that fascinate them. But in an unexpected turn of fate, several seem to be specifically interested in him.

This little gaggle of students is the most active during Kakashi’s solitary training sessions. He suspects that the children feel safer this way as they tend to make themselves scarce whenever he’s out with Minato or Sakumo. They’re likely daunted by the prospect of approaching too closely to a trained jōnin. Kakashi lets out an ironic chuckle at the thought. Never mind the fact that he’s far worse than any shinobi in the village.

Kakashi hasn’t taken it upon himself to determine the identities of his followers, especially since there appears to be quite a few of them. It’s not always the same children each time, and some have only dropped by for one quick peek and haven’t returned since then. Still, he’s gathered that there are at least two or three regular ones who like to make a habit of stopping by.

He would normally be far more irritated by the persistent spying, but Kakashi supposes that this is likely a sign that he should be socializing with his peers. Or rather, socializing with the tiny creatures that would be his peers if he was actually the age he was currently claiming to be. Kakashi knew this was a task that he’d be expected to undertake sooner or later as others would find it odd if he never interacted with anyone outside of Sakumo or Minato. The Academy would’ve been the ideal environment for acquainting himself with others, but Kakashi simply didn’t have the patience to subject himself to such a mind-numbing affair.

Now he finds himself in a bit of an awkward situation as most of the seven-year-olds in the village are already familiar with one another. Kakashi and Sakumo had initially hoped that some of the children would begin to introduce themselves to him as is typical for their age. However, his reputation appears to have kept them at a distance despite their obvious interest in him. Kakashi, in lieu of acquaintances, has instead acquired a small group of admirers. It’s an unwelcome turn of events, one that’s not particularly conducive to his goal of passing as another human.

He's supposed to be seen as one of them, not as someone to fawn over. While devoted followers certainly satisfy the ego, they’re also tiresome and annoyingly observant. Kakashi hardly intends to slip up in front of any of them, but concealing his true nature might not be so simple in the future if this little horde continues to watch and regard him as someone different and exceptional. It’ll only increase the likelihood that one of them will notice and fixate on something that he doesn’t want them to.

Kakashi is untangling his shinobi wire under the shade of a large tree, one that's located on the very edge of the Hatake clan grounds, when he hears a telltale whisper emanating from the underbrush. For the third time that evening, he resists the urge to look in the direction that he knows the children are hiding in. They’re honestly doing a dreadful job of going undetected.

Even if Kakashi’s hearing was only on the level of a normal human’s, he wouldn’t have been able to miss them. He’s spent the past hour pretending to be unaware of his audience, but he can’t help but notice that this is the closest his watchers have dared to come thus far. In fact, they are dangerously close to encroaching on clan territory.

There are a few ways that Kakashi can manage this situation, but the biggest question lies in whether or not he should acknowledge them.

Is inviting your stalkers in for tea the polite thing to do?

Either way, Kakashi still doesn’t have a firm grasp of the intricacies of human manners as he generally finds the rules of social interaction to be far too complex and tiring for his liking. He ultimately elects to leave them be for now before packing up the rest of his supplies and heading home for the evening.

Still uncertain as to how to proceed, Kakashi decides that Sakumo’s input is likely necessary and poses those very same queries to him the next morning. Perhaps he should have waited until after breakfast as Sakumo nearly chokes on his tea from what seems to be a mixture of surprise and amusement.

Kakashi’s nose wrinkles in disgust, but Sakumo appears unashamed by this display, only pausing briefly to clear his throat before replying.

“Normally, the answer to whether or not you should acknowledge a stalker is always a resounding no.” He carefully wipes down the rim of his cup with a cloth napkin. “But since they’re only children, their interest is likely innocent.”

Sakumo’s demeanor is thoughtful as he begins to mop up the excess tea from the table surface. “Since you don’t attend the Academy, I think this could be a good opportunity for you to integrate yourself into their friend group. If you do go for that, you’ll need to be careful about how you approach them so that you don’t scare them off instead.” He raises a finger. “Personally, I think you should really have a few friends your age.”

Kakashi lets out a derisive snort. “They’re closer in age to you than me.”

“You know what I mean.” Sakumo looks like he’s utilizing every ounce of his self-control to keep himself from laughing.

The youkai shoots him a disgruntled look in response. No outward expression is visible on Sakumo’s face, but Kakashi knows that he’s snickering internally, no doubt entertained by the idea of the wolf spirit struggling to get along with small children.

As little as Kakashi is looking forward to it, Sakumo, unfortunately, does have a point. Kakashi will have to make a decision regarding his little group of followers. He has the option of befriending them or chasing them off, but he needs to put an end to their spying and preferably soon at that.

In all honesty, Kakashi would much prefer to keep his association with humans to a minimum, but even he recognizes that connections will be invaluable if he’s going to remain in Konoha for the long term. So he’ll refrain from scaring the little ones away for now, but Kakashi first needs to determine whether or not these humans are even worth getting to know.

The first phase of his plan involves training outside of the clan compound in less isolated areas, places where observers can easily conceal their presence. Or at least children who know very little about covertness can hide in the bushes and naïvely assume that no one will know that they’re there.

For the sake of his own pride, it's worth mentioning that even an experienced shinobi with a specialization in espionage wouldn’t have been able to escape Kakashi’s notice.

After a few minutes of stretching, Kakashi purposefully positions himself in the center of the clearing before generating a small mass of lightning between his palms. The arc of electricity crackles and churns, spilling from his hands out in front of him where it coalesces to form a wolf-shaped entity.

Several gasps of surprise and awe ring out as the blinding white creature charges forward at his command, tearing into the trunk of a nearby tree and showering the surrounding area in an explosion of splinters. Kakashi strolls up to the mess of charred timber, allowing the lightning construct to dissipate so that he can better appraise his handiwork.

While Kakashi cannot deny that the unique abilities of shinobi hold a certain appeal, there’s something to be said about the joys of physical combat. Sakumo seems to hold a similar opinion given his inclination toward his specialized tantō, but a part of Kakashi has come to prefer the simplicity of a kunai. Using a small handheld weapon to slash precise cuts through his opponents has turned out to be a passable substitute for his lack of claws in human form.

However, he’s yet to find a method of attack that brings the same sense of satisfaction he gets from biting down on a cowering enemy’s body and flinging their helpless form off into the distance. Kakashi has a wealth of time at his disposal, but he suspects that some things simply can’t be achieved in a guise as small as this one.

But that’s beside the point.

What is of importance is that a week of these training exhibitions is enough for Kakashi to ascertain exactly who these children are. Multiple ones have stopped by, but he’s noticed that there are three who seem to make it a point to watch him train.

The first, and by far the most conspicuous, is a child he actually recognizes. It’s Gai, a scrawny boy with choppy black hair who always seems to be wearing the same green jumpsuit. Sakumo is on friendly terms with Gai’s father, Dai, and the two will often pause to chat whenever their paths cross. Gai was present during their most recent encounter, but Kakashi had paid him very little attention back then. From what he can recall, the boy had been dejected due to his less-than-stellar performance during the Academy’s latest entrance exam.

Gai, predictably, does an especially terrible job of hiding himself whenever he watches Kakashi train. He tends to observe for short periods of time, ten minutes at most, before charging off in enthusiasm, trampling through the woods at breakneck speed. Although, Kakashi has noticed that Gai now seems to move in a manner that’s less ungainly than before. Perhaps he’s made it into the Academy after all.

The other two children tend to come as a pair. One is a brown-haired girl with purple rectangular markings on either side of her face. While she’s probably the most inobtrusive of his watchers, she also seems to be the most elated at seeing him train. As for why this is the case, Kakashi has very little idea.

Then there’s the blundering one who always seems to be wearing the same pair of hideously colored orange goggles. He’s an Uchiha, the clan symbol on the back of his shirt makes that clear as day, but Kakashi has never witnessed anyone who strays so far away from the archetype of the traditional Uchiha.

While members of the clan bear a reputation for haughtiness, this boy appears to be earnest and immature. The Uchiha are famed and feared for their exceptional skills in combat and powerful dōjutsu, but Kakashi has an inkling that this boy is far more likely to trip over his own feet than throw a halfway decent punch.

All in all, these past few days of casual investigation have informed Kakashi that the children most intrigued by him also appear to be rather odd in their own right.

For humans, they don’t seem too terrible. Kakashi won’t approach them just yet though, he’ll wait until they have a little more training under their belt.

Maybe when they’re a little closer to graduating, but they might do.

Chapter Text

If Minato were a braver man, he might venture to say that he’s reached a respite amid the chaos that surrounds him. Of course, by chaos, he means the excessive amount of anxiety that Kakashi and Sakumo Hatake manage to bring him on a near-daily basis. He has no way of knowing how long this reprieve might last, but Minato is slightly more confident that this arrangement will not end in an unsalvageable disaster.

It’s not as if the two were even hostile before, but he feels less like he’s waiting for a blade to drop over his head every time he interacts with them. Or maybe Sakumo is still planning on killing him, and he’s simply grown desensitized to the prospect at this point. Whatever the reasons, Minato feels somewhat better about the whole ordeal which is probably the best that he can hope for.

The odd behavior hasn’t stopped by any means though. Minato certainly hadn’t expected it to as he strongly suspects that the strangeness is merely a core tenet of Kakashi’s and Sakumo’s personalities. On the contrary, Minato wants to say that the absurdity has actually increased to the extent that he could probably make a list of everything that’s not quite right with Kakashi.

One might argue that Minato is hardly being fair to his student. After all, the tendency for shinobi to develop eccentric personality traits in response to their stressful and dangerous lifestyles is all but an open secret. Minato also has the distinction of having had Jiraiya as a sensei, so he’s no stranger to the kinds of unusual quirks that can spring up over time.

Kakashi, however, is quite young, and all signs point to him having always been this way.

At the very least, Minato is reasonably confident that his student respects him to a certain extent. Not that there was any behavior to indicate otherwise before now, but the sense of unease that he used to feel has diminished significantly as of late.

Kakashi still has an unfailing ability to catch him off guard, typically by saying the last thing Minato expects him to. He seems particularly fond of answering questions with outlandishly bizarre remarks, remaining deadpan all the while. Sometimes, he’ll go so far as to make an excessively blunt comment to someone who does not appreciate it in the slightest.

And it’s because of this, Kakashi’s penchant for rubbing people exactly the wrong way, that limits the pool of shinobi Minato is willing to run training exercises with. Early on in Kakashi’s apprenticeship, he had recruited several young chūnin to assist in simulating a battle with uneven numbers. While the training session itself had played out reasonably well, Kakashi had seen fit to leave one of the chūnin with a small piece of advice towards the end.

“You should hold off on trying to fight with your chigiriki until you’ve at least gotten the basics down. You’re really just a liability in this state.” He’d relayed this matter-of-factly, either oblivious to or utterly unconcerned about how the other boy’s ears were turning an impressive shade of crimson.

In all fairness, Minato considered Kakashi’s assessment to be quite accurate. He had personally noted no fewer than five instances in which the chūnin narrowly missed hitting himself in the head with the weighted chain of his weapon. Yet it was clear that the youth hardly appreciated this candid criticism, especially coming from someone who had to be at least six years younger than him. Minato imagines that this suggestion would’ve prompted much less rage had it been voiced by a jōnin such as himself.

Needless to say, the field exercise had ended with Minato physically holding back the enraged chūnin in order to keep him from lunging at his student. Kakashi, meanwhile, had watched this all unfold with an amused glint in his eye, leaving Minato no illusions as to which party was truly benefiting from his intervention. From that point onwards, Minato had elected to only include agreeable jōnin in their training exercises. He could at least count on them to be more level-headed than freshly minted chūnin.

But even when Minato isn’t worrying about the possibility of Kakashi angering a short-tempered shinobi, his student still manages to bewilder him at nearly every turn. What’s concerning is that, half of the time, he doesn’t think that Kakashi is even trying to do so.

He still remembers a combat exercise he’d developed shortly after being appointed as Kakashi’s sensei. Minato had requested several jōnin to conceal themselves around the training ground before asking Kakashi where their opponents were likely to be hiding.

He’d intended for his student to reason out the most strategic positions for an enemy to be, but Kakashi had instead responded with their exact locations.

“There’s one around a hundred yards southeast from us on the other side of the river. Another is in that tree thirty feet to our right, and the last is hiding underground just a few steps to your left.”

“Oh, you’re a sensor as well!” Minato had remarked, slightly surprised by this new piece of information. Although he probably shouldn’t have been. Given Kakashi’s wide array of abilities, it stood to reason that he would have a knack for sensing as well.

Kakashi’s reply was nonchalant and inexplicably so. “No, I can smell them.”

Minato had simply blinked at him, dumbfounded, the answer not making any sense to him at the time. It still doesn’t now.

Because Kakashi didn’t seem like he was joking then, but Minato also knows that even for shinobi with enhanced senses, pinpointing precise locations based on scent and scent alone is highly improbable. Also, how could Kakashi possibly smell anything through that mask?

Kakashi, predictably, had offered no clarifying information, instead choosing to track their opponent’s movements through the treetops as if he had never said anything strange to begin with. Despite his confusion, Minato had decided against inquiring further and elected to carry on with the exercise.

To this day, he’s still not certain whether or not his student is a sensor. Kakashi could just as easily have utilized a combination of calculations and strategy to make a highly accurate guess. Both are conceivable options.

Minato runs a hand through his hair as he pushes aside those thoughts in favor of focusing on his present task, completing a mission at the bequest of a small village located in a rural area of the Land of Fire.

A priceless heirloom in the form of an ancient urn had been stolen, and ever since the theft, the villagers have reported incidents ranging from property damage to physical attacks. The village council was concerned that the perpetrators might have some background in shinobi training and sent a request to Konoha for assistance in combating the thieves and recovering the urn.

As assignments go, it’s not exactly a standard one. An apprehension and retrieval mission is typically accompanied by a little more information on the adversary in question, but it hadn’t appeared to be a terribly difficult one regardless. Minato did find it a little odd that no one in the village was even able to lay eyes on the culprits though.

Upon arriving in the village, he and Kakashi are promptly taken to speak with a village elder who more or less reiterates the information already included in the mission scroll. They spend the remainder of that day and the next gathering information, visiting the damaged sites, and speaking to the villagers who had been attacked. But despite their efforts, the two are unable to obtain any concrete information about the perpetrators or their possible whereabouts and subsequently resign themselves to performing a methodical sweep of the entire village.

This isn’t shaping up to be an invigorating mission by any means, but Kakashi, much to Minato’s surprise, seems to be taking a little more interest in the assignment than he usually does.

After two days of searching and stakeouts, Minato and Kakashi finally make headway as they comb through an abandoned house situated on the outer edge of the village.

The two of them had only just split up when it happened.

Minato was facing the other way, but there was no way he could have missed the flash of blinding white light. It had originated from the other side of the hallway and was bright enough to leave him blinking away afterimages. But when he turns, he only finds Kakashi standing in the middle of a doorway.

His student appears to be unharmed, so Minato is more confused than anything else as he draws closer. He peers over Kakashi’s shoulder to find that the room before them is completely empty save for a few scraps of paper and what looks to be scorch marks on the floor.

Kakashi gestures casually towards the bits of paper. “It looks like a trap that was specifically designed to blind and disorient any intruders.” He looks surprisingly unperturbed by what’s just happened. “Some combination of flash paper and modified exploding tags would be my guess.”

Although Minato nods his head at Kakashi’s conjecture, he can’t help but feel somewhat disquieted by the situation. Something just isn’t adding up. The trap, first and foremost, is like nothing he’s ever seen. The light itself seemed to course with a power of its own, a bit like natural energy but still not quite, giving off a sense of something primal yet pure. Almost cleansing in a way.

Then there’s the fact that Kakashi seemed to be completely unfazed by the radiating beams of light that had to have appeared right before his eyes. The brightness was severe enough to make Minato wince, and he had been standing on the opposite side of the house. The only possible explanation that Minato can plausibly entertain is that Kakashi just might be more accustomed to blinding lights due to his lightning affinity.

That’s probably it.

Minato lets out a long sigh. He’s probably being overly paranoid, but he still gets the sense that he’s missing out on a key piece of information.

________________________

Kakashi had realized that the culprit plaguing the village was a youkai the second the elder had shown them a picture of the stolen urn. The ornate vessel stood around a foot and a half tall and was tarnished with age. It looks like it might’ve been made out of solid silver, but the most telling detail was the innocuous paper seal affixed to the lid. From there, it had only taken Kakashi seconds to piece together the probable turn of events.

An exorcist, most likely a figure of authority in the village, must have sealed the spirit away quite some time ago. The following generations, unaware of what it contained, had likely treated the vessel as a prized heirloom until someone had broken the seal. Kakashi imagines that the initial perpetrators were bandits who assumed that the urn held a treasure of great value. But when they had opened the lid, a ravenous youkai had broken free, devouring them so that nothing remained.

With the responsible party identified, it’s only a matter of time before they complete their objective. Kakashi could technically finish the mission at that very moment, seeing as he knows exactly where the spirit in question is hiding. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait until they stumble across the youkai’s haunting ground since he can’t explain any of this to Minato.

Several days later, their investigations have brought them to the spirit's lair on the outskirts of the village. Kakashi wastes no time locating the room the youkai is lurking the second that Minato’s back is turned.

It's a grotesque-looking one, with stringy white hair partially concealing its overly large eye and mouth. The spirit’s lone eye widens in alarm as it catches sight of him, but it’s much too late for it to do anything.

Kakashi pushes his forehead protector up to reveal a glowing mark on his forehead that hadn’t been there a second ago. It’s the same curved symbol that appears on his forehead in his true form, and from that marking bursts forth a blinding flash of purifying light. The youkai writhes in vain as it's engulfed by the light, its huge mouth opening in a soundless shriek before it finally withers away.

None of this, however, escapes the notice of Minato who whirls around and rushes over at the sudden disturbance. Kakashi, his back still turned, surreptitiously pushes his forehead protector back down onto his face as the still glowing symbol on his forehead fades.

Although clearly perplexed, Minato ultimately accepts Kakashi’s explanation. He had hoped to banish the spirit in a less conspicuous manner, but Minato’s attention is fortunately redirected upon the discovery of the missing urn in the next room. If nothing else, village elders are elated to see the urn back in their hands. It also means that Minato and Kakashi have fulfilled at least one of their assigned objectives, and after a few days pass without any further incidents, the two of them are free to return home.

________________________

While the assignment was technically completed, Minato still finds himself troubled by its lack of resolution, a sentiment that his student does not appear to share.

It’s not often that he completes a mission with such an unclear picture of what has transpired and rarer still for him to be left with nothing but his own speculations. It’s possible that the thieves believed the urn to be of value and began terrorizing the villagers in retribution upon finding it empty and worthless. The urn's lid was slightly ajar when Minato stumbled across it, and the elder had likewise confirmed that there had never been anything stored inside of it. As for why the attacks had stopped so abruptly, it's possible that his and Kakashi’s presence had frightened the culprits away.

This is all a very plausible series of events, so Minato doesn’t understand why his reservations refuse to be quelled. There’s no conceivable reason for him to feel this way, especially since no lasting harm came to anyone involved.

Minato drags his hand over his face, the air exiting his lungs in a discontented huff. He should try to learn from Kakashi’s example and stop asking questions.

It would probably go a long way in keeping him sane.

Chapter Text

Throughout the past few months, Kakashi has come to discover that Minato possesses far more mettle than his appearance would suggest. Regardless, he thinks he can be forgiven for his initial assumption, considering that Minato is a rather unassuming youth of average height.

Kakashi recognizes that he himself hardly appears formidable in this state, but his present disguise has been specifically designed so as to not overly stand out. Naturally, his true form is a completely different matter. Anyone fortunate enough to catch sight of it would have no misconceptions as to the extent of his power. Minato, on the other hand, only has his somewhat unimpressive form to speak of.

Appearances aside, Kakashi had originally anticipated that a young and relatively green jōnin like Minato would have called it quits long before now. It was one of the reasons why Kakashi and Sakumo had decided, independently of each other, to test his limits. If Minato did turn out to lack the necessary fortitude, Kakashi would much rather be aware of this sooner than later. He was hardly interested in learning any more names than he had to during his tenure in Konoha.

While Kakashi wouldn’t say that Minato has taken his and Sakumo’s behavior in stride, he has handled the circumstances far better than the vast majority of people would. What's more, he’s made substantial improvements since the start of his teaching position. Minato barely flinches upon seeing Sakumo now, and he also appears far less frazzled by the intermittent youkai-related oddities that have transpired thus far.

After the mission with the spirit in the urn, Kakashi had gotten the idea of recruiting the assistance of local youkai during their missions. He’s kept their involvement to a minimum, primarily questioning them as witnesses or requesting that they keep tabs on certain individuals of interest. Their abilities could certainly be used in far more creative ways, but Minato has grown slightly more suspicious of his antics as of late. At the moment, he seems to believe that Kakashi has developed a penchant for talking to himself.

There have been several occasions in which Minato had narrowly missed catching him in the act. The most recent incident had occurred during their previous mission as Kakashi was questioning a youkai that resembled a small rock with the likeness of a face carved onto its surface. He was just about to ask the little rock youkai about the humans who regularly passed through the area when Minato had suddenly burst through the row of bushes behind him.

The jōnin hadn’t said a word as he extracted himself from the thicket, several leaves still stuck in his hair. His eyes had swept over the area in a slightly erratic manner, but he was only met with the sight of Kakashi lounging underneath a tree with several small stones littering the ground near his feet.

Minato would later spend the majority of the trip back to Konoha shooting bewildered looks at Kakashi when he thought the other wasn’t paying attention.

After returning to the village, it only takes a few days before they’re summoned for their next mission. Their first objective entails escorting the son of a merchant back to his home village. Kakashi had wondered what was so special about their client for him to require two shinobi as chaperones, but a brief meeting with the son, a young man by the name of Shun, told him everything that he needed to know.

While Shun seems to be a reasonably amiable person, Kakashi doesn’t think he’s ever come across a more absentminded human being. It’s a level of inattentiveness that’s downright dangerous, and Kakashi fully understands as to why Shun’s father was so adamant about hiring a guard for him. He honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Shun managed to walk off the ledge of a cliff while lost in thought.

Thankfully, Shun otherwise makes for a rather easygoing traveling companion and voices no complaints about being guarded by shinobi who are both younger than him. While shinobi place far more stock in skill than age, this practice is not always accepted by the civilians who contract their services. There have been multiple instances in which Kakashi and Minato have had to reassure clients that they were both highly qualified for the mission in question, and these disputes have sometimes given rise to further tensions throughout the assignment.

On the contrary, the scatterbrained man is quite eager to engage in small talk on the rare occasions that he's actually paying attention to the world around him. Neither Kakashi nor Minato is surprised to learn that Shun has a usual attendant who is tasked with accompanying him in almost all circumstances. The duo had been embarking on a vacation of sorts throughout the Land of Fire when they received an urgent message from Shun’s father.

It had requested for the immediate return of his bodyguard, and Shun had elected to remain in Konoha for the time being so as to not prolong his retainer’s return journey. He’d even offered to make the trek home by himself, but his father had insisted otherwise and arranged for an escort. Given that Shun has nearly fallen into the river on two separate occasions, both Minato and Kakashi consider that to be a wise decision.

But despite their client’s tendency to inadvertently wander into hazardous situations, the two manage to return Shun safely home where he will once again be under the watchful eyes of his usual minders. However, their mission is far from finished as the two are then summoned to report to Shun’s father, Kento, for a briefing regarding their second objective.

Kento, as the two quickly learn, is a rather prosperous merchant who’s accumulated much of his wealth from dealing in fine silks. The middle-aged man has grown quite content with his business ventures, enough so that he’s arranging for his oldest daughter to take over the operation in roughly a decade’s time.

His success, however, has given rise to its own set of troubles as Kento had been recently tipped off by an informant regarding a rival’s plot to sabotage him. He’d wasted little time in sending for Shun’s attendant as he required a skilled operative to further investigate these claims. Kento had also hoped that the guard’s absence would encourage Shun to remain in Konoha where he would be removed from the conflict.

However, Shun’s insistence on returning had led Kento to realize that he could hire shinobi to assist with his predicament, especially after the informant reported that his rivals were prepared to raid his stores and eliminate his entire family.

In the time that it had taken Shun, Minato, and Kakashi to arrive, Kento’s informant had already determined that a group of mercenaries were likely to launch an attack sometime in the next few days. Kento’s retainers have been tasked with guarding his family home and primary warehouse while Kakashi and Minato are instructed to remain on the lookout and confront the intruders as needed.

They spend the first two evenings observing from shadows, taking careful note of how the mercenaries are steadily converging in the surrounding woods. There’s a sense of restlessness that seems to emanate from the hired swords, and Kakashi knows that it’s only a matter of time before they make their move.

Sure enough, the mercenaries strike on the third day. It happens in the early afternoon, not the dead of night as Kakashi and Minato had originally expected, but it ultimately has very little impact on their plan. They’d already decided that it would be prudent to first eliminate the squads assigned to attack Kento’s home and then flank the larger unit that would later arrive as backup.

The first group they subdue with ease, but the second proves to be more of a hindrance.  

Minato and Kakashi had initially intended to dispatch the mercenaries before their reinforcements could make their way over. While the two are more than capable of managing large numbers of opponents, facing them all at once would substantially increase the mercenaries’ opportunity to sow damage.

However, this current set of foes is far more adept than the first, and annoyingly so. It’s clear that the mercenaries are merely here to waste their time and slow them down. Kakashi can tell by their evasive movements and defensive formations, and while none of their adversaries are shinobi, they’re still experienced enough to be a thorn in his side.

Any large-scale jutsu would easily clear them out, but they’ve been asked to avoid unnecessary damage to the surrounding area. This leaves Kakashi with few opportunities to get a proper hit in, restricted as he is by the limitations of his tiny human form.  

Overall, this battle brings with it the same sense of frustration one gets when trying to swat an elusive fly. Kakashi knows that he will prevail, but the process of securing his victory is taking far too long for his liking. A brief glance in Minato’s direction confirms that the jōnin is facing a similar issue.

Situations such as these call for more unconventional measures.

So Kakashi steps directly in front of his opponent’s sword, allowing it to skewer him through the torso.

As tactics go, it’s quite an effective one. Most enemies are usually taken by surprise when their foe deliberately moves into the trajectory of their attack, and even the most stoic of opponents rarely bother to defend themselves after dealing what appears to be a fatal blow to their adversary. In any case, this technique almost always gives him the decisive upper hand in combat.

It's also a strategy that brings no actual harm to Kakashi either. While his human form does sustain injury, this is a purely cosmetic feature as other shinobi would find it amiss if he didn’t bleed after being cut.

A normal human might find themselves disemboweled by the slash of a blade, but Kakashi wouldn’t even feel any pain. Regardless of how grievous the injury might appear, it’s no more detrimental than cutting grooves into a plate of armor. Any harm inflicted to his human form is merely superficial, and given Kakashi’s mastery of his various guises, it’s all damage that he can easily repair.

As he’d expected, the mercenary blinks in surprise upon finding his sword lodged in Kakashi’s stomach. Kakashi takes full advantage of this opening and cuts his foe’s throat with a quick, fluid slash. His opponent falls lifelessly to the ground as Kakashi casually pulls the bloodstained sword out from his own torso and drops it unceremoniously onto the grass.

It’s at this point that Kakashi would erase the injuries to his human form, leaving behind only his torn shirt as evidence of the wound’s existence. But in this particular instance, he doesn’t get the opportunity to do that.

Because Minato spins around at that very moment, his eyes widening in horror as he surveys the scene before him. Kakashi freezes on the spot, realizing that he must make for a gruesome sight with blood still spilling convincingly from his midsection.

The jōnin moves before Kakashi can even begin to formulate an explanation. Minato lunges for Kakashi as their last opponent keels over, a kunai embedded in his chest. He scoops Kakashi up in his arms and hightails it away from the clearing, dread painting every inch of his face.

Minato otherwise maintains his composure as he scans the surrounding area for any sign of the incoming reinforcements, but Kakashi can hear the panicked racing of his heart from where he’s cradled against his chest. Unseen by the jōnin, Kakashi’s face twists into a dissatisfied grimace behind his mask.

That hardly went as planned.

Chapter Text

Kakashi scowls at this sudden turn of events. All the while, Minato dashes through the forest at breakneck speed, the trees whipping by them in a dark green blur.

There’s no convenient way to explain himself out of this one, not when Minato is clutching Kakashi tightly in his arms, holding him so as to not aggravate his “injuries.” Because from his perspective, Kakashi is bleeding out after having been run through with a sword.

This was hardly his intention. If Minato had turned around a second later, he would have only seen a dead mercenary and Kakashi with his ripped shirt. Just another moment and Kakashi would’ve been in the clear. But now, it’s only a matter of time before Minato realizes that Kakashi isn’t actually dying.

His options, naturally, are quite limited here as he can’t pretend that his wound is the result of a genjutsu. For that to work, Kakashi would’ve needed to repair the damage to his form the second Minato had laid eyes on him. But even that would not have been without its flaws. A genjutsu alone wouldn’t have cut a hole through his clothing, and such a telling detail would’ve likely captured Minato’s notice.

Given the present circumstances, the most effective option would be for Kakashi to attempt to place a genjutsu on Minato, one that would suppress his memory of the scene he just witnessed. However, the idea of this doesn’t quite sit well with Kakashi.

Kakashi is very much aware that his and Sakumo's conduct has had a somewhat detrimental impact on the young jōnin's mental state. He also knows that Minato’s trepidations were only augmented by his own perceptiveness. It must have been highly unsettling for him to realize that there was something peculiar about Kakashi, but unable to isolate exactly what it was. And as a human with no preexisting knowledge of youkai, how could he ever hope to?

Manipulating him further seems a touch too cruel, especially when the problem was brought about by Kakashi’s own carelessness. It’s difficult to justify such an invasive approach when taking that into consideration. Also, Kakashi has never cast a genjutsu of this sort before, so there’s no guarantee that the illusion would even take hold. The potential repercussions of its failure would no doubt be severe.

All the while, Minato tirelessly continues his desperate sprint, completely oblivious as to Kakashi’s internal deliberations. It would appear that despite all the turmoil that he’s brought him, Minato does truly care about his well-being.

Kakashi supposes that settles it then.

He’s going to do it.

“Wait,” he finally speaks up. There’s a slight hitch in Minato’s footfalls, and Kakashi doesn’t need to see the jōnin’s face to register his surprise. He can hear it in Minato’s stilted exhale, can feel it in the frantic thrum of his heart.

“Put me down.”

________________________

Though their enemies may have been vanquished, Minato still curses himself for every single error he’s made up until this point. He and Kakashi see a substantial amount of combat on their missions, but it’s mostly limited to tussles with common thieves and the like. It was rare for them to encounter trained adversaries, as was typical of the lower-ranked assignments allocated to them.

Minato should have called for a retreat the moment he realized that the mercenaries were experienced in combating shinobi.

Kakashi is exceptional, yes, but he’s still only a child. Minato doesn’t know exactly how much fighting his student was involved in back when he accompanied Sakumo on missions, but he’s never seen Kakashi fight in a situation in which his life was truly in danger. Unskilled bandits and fellow Konoha shinobi don’t make for particularly threatening opponents. And while Kakashi may already fight like an elite soldier, the level of risk is never zero. Technique and ability don’t always translate perfectly to the field.

As a jōnin and as Kakashi’s sensei, Minato should have considered this before Kakashi was even wounded. That brief oversight has now struck back in full force, and he now finds himself in the dreadful position of having to carry his mortally injured student to safety.

But even that itself was a mistake, Minato realizes because he should have immediately applied pressure to Kakashi’s wounds in order to stem the flow of blood. What he had done instead was to seize Kakashi in his arms and flee the scene, a decision that could result in further harm to his student. Given that Kakashi was stabbed through his midsection, Minato can’t rule out the possibility of a spinal injury. He might have inflicted irreversible damage by moving him so abruptly.

However, that line of thinking brings him to an even more dismal revelation, namely that there is little he can actually do. Minato possesses nothing but the most basic of medical supplies, and Kakashi’s wound is one that would require drastic intervention. What his student needs is a capable medical nin, and Minato, despite his many talents, never had a knack for healing.

And yet he continues to run, even though it is almost certainly a futile endeavor. Minato had initially sprinted away in hopes of putting a safe distance between themselves and the incoming mercenaries, but Kakashi might not have that long left. Even if he does manage to hold on until then, Minato is still unable to provide Kakashi with the aid that he so desperately needs.

He allows himself a brief moment to squeeze his eyes shut before pushing aside his feelings of regret. Regardless of what happens, all that Minato can do now is to try his hardest to save his student. He’s readying himself for one final burst of speed when a somber voice cuts through his grim reverie.

“Wait.”

Minato doesn’t quite flinch in surprise, but he does come close to it. He hadn’t even realized that Kakashi was still conscious, much less lucid enough to speak.

“Put me down.” It’s a request from Kakashi, raising his voice for the first time since he was wounded.

Minato feels his face twist in confusion.

Why here of all places?

While it’s true that Kakashi confuses Minato to no end, his student also prizes efficiency above all else and never does anything without an underlying reason. Stopping now brings them no benefit and could jeopardize both their safety and the mission. There’s no way that Kakashi isn’t aware of this.

“Please,” Kakashi adds. His voice is subdued in a way that Minato has never heard before.

Unless he already knows that this is it for him.

While still a child, Kakashi is far from naïve. He’s likely accepted the fact that his wound is all but fatal under their present set of circumstances. There’s little else that he can do at this point aside from waiting for the end, and Kakashi must not want to die amid the chaos of a hopelessly frantic retreat.

Minato lets out a shaky breath. At the very least, he can make sure that Kakashi’s last requests are honored.

He doesn’t say a word, not trusting his voice to remain steady, but Minato gradually slows to a halt upon identifying what seems to be a fitting spot.

The trees are spaced further apart here, and sunlight filters through the leaves in wide beams of light. Minato can even hear the faint sounds of a stream splashing in the distance. It’s as peaceful of a place as he could’ve hoped to find.

Minato gingerly lowers Kakashi to the ground, taking care to be as gentle as possible. The bleeding has slowed significantly, but the fact that Kakashi has yet to register any pain all but confirms the lethality of his wounds. His student’s expression has remained unreadable through this all, but Minato still backs away in an effort to give him space.

He wasn’t even ten steps away when it happened.

An explosion of white smoke obscures Kakashi’s entire body as well as the tree he’s lying under. Then the smoke clears as abruptly as it appeared, unveiling a sight that causes Minato to reel back in astonishment.

It’s a white wolf, an enormous creature with bright red markings on its face, standing in the space Kakashi had just occupied. The beast stares directly at Minato and opens its mouth, but instead of emitting a roar or a growl, it speaks in a low, echoing voice.

“How interesting,” it rumbles. If Minato didn’t know any better, he might’ve said that the monstrous being looked almost intrigued.

Regardless, he blinks several times in succession as if it would cause the image before him to change, even rubbing his eyes for good measure. It isn’t uncommon for shinobi to encounter ridiculously large beasts, particularly for those with animal summons like himself, but Minato is certain that this wolf is something else entirely.

While this creature has no chakra that he can sense, Minato is almost inclined to believe that it is indeed real given that there are none of the usual signs that would point to this being the result of a hallucination or genjutsu.

“So you can see me after all,” the beast continues, apparently unconcerned about Minato’s flabbergasted state.

“What, what is this?” the jōnin splutters. But even as the words leave his mouth, an answer is already beginning to take shape in his mind.

The wolf, Minato realizes, had materialized exactly where Kakashi was resting, and his student is currently nowhere to be found. One possible explanation is that Kakashi has simply vanished into thin air, only for this mysterious wolf to inexplicably take his place. Or he could entertain an alternative conclusion, one that would require Minato to reevaluate everything that he thought he knew about Kakashi. Strangely enough, his student’s various idiosyncrasies are almost less concerning in that regard. Because if Kakashi is the wolf, then it’s likely that he’s not human but rather some other kind of entity entirely.

As a premise, it’s no less absurd than the first, but he also can’t deny that there’s something about the creature’s demeanor that is unmistakably familiar. Something about the sharpness of its gaze, like it’s waiting to pass judgment.

“You’re… Kakashi,” he finally utters, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

He feels quite foolish upon saying it out loud, but the wolf only rolls its huge golden eyes. “I would think that would be obvious,” it huffs.

“But how…?” Minato trails off. His mind, which had been previously racing in panic, has now come to a screeching halt upon having his conjectures confirmed.

The beast, Kakashi, elects to respond with a question of his own. “What do you know about youkai?”

Minato stares back at him numbly, completely lost for words. This is almost too much to process. Only minutes earlier, he had been under the impression that Kakashi was dying. One would think that Minato would be experiencing a far more intense reaction, but he can only muster up a sense of dull bewilderment at this point. Maybe the relief of finally having an answer has overridden any other feelings he would have otherwise felt. It also could be that he no longer possesses the emotional capacity he had prior to meeting Kakashi.

Even still, that single answer has raised a whole host of new questions.

How has a youkai, a creature of folklore, managed to masquerade as a human, much less a shinobi, for this long? The idea would be less farfetched if Kakashi had been a perfect stranger to Konoha with no existing background or history to his name, but he’s a clan heir to boot. It probably wouldn’t be possible, not unless…

His next words leave his mouth without his permission. “Is Sakumo a youkai too?” Minato asks, balking almost immediately at his lack of impulse control.

Kakashi seems to find this question to be a surprising one if the twitch of his ears is any indication, but he replies all the same. “No, he’s human. But he’s known ever since I began residing in Konoha roughly eight years ago.”

Again, this response clarifies very little. Minato opens his mouth again but finds himself cut off by a second puff of smoke that ensconces the youkai, shielding him from view once more. This time it fades away to reveal the silver-haired, masked child now free of injury.

“Before we get into any of this,” Kakashi begins as he holds up a finger, “I would like to point out that we still have a mission underway. I recommend that we address those matters first, and then I can explain afterward.”

It’s a reasonable proposal, but Minato still has to squash down the urge to insist otherwise. He has no way of knowing if Kakashi will hold up his end of the deal, but his student isn’t wrong about needing to complete their assignment.

“Fine,” Minato allows. “Let’s finish this up then.”

________________________

It’s late afternoon by the time Kakashi returns home. Sakumo, perusing a mission scroll, gives him a nod as Kakashi heads toward the back room to unpack his supplies.

“Oh, by the way,” Kakashi calls over his shoulder, “Minato knows.”

Sakumo looks up from his reading at that.

“Eh, figures,” he replies with a shrug before turning his attention back to the scroll.

Chapter Text

Even though the curiosity is nearly eating him alive, Minato manages to toss that feeling aside in favor of completing their remaining objective.

Due to the delays from Kakashi’s “injury” and his student's subsequent disclosure that he was actually a youkai, the third and largest group of mercenaries have made significant ground by the time Minato and Kakashi have returned. This third unit is rather close to Kento’s property, but they thankfully haven’t split up to attack just yet. It would have been nearly impossible to prevent them from sowing their intended damage if they were already laying siege to both the home and warehouse.

Flying through the dense foliage, it’s not until Minato lays eyes on the mercenaries that he realizes that they have yet to even decide on a plan. He's spent the past ten minutes trailing after Kakashi who doesn’t seem to think it necessary to discuss these kinds of things beforehand. But considering the events that have recently transpired, Minato has no issue with letting Kakashi take the lead for now.

Kakashi appears to be fairly confident about their prospects anyways as they survey the mercenaries from their vantage point up in the treetops. Minato turns to Kakashi, awaiting his instruction.

“Wait for them to scatter,” is all Kakashi says to him before he leaps down to land lightly in front of the assembled force.

The group turns towards Kakashi as one, and their collective surprise is unmistakable as they take in his appearance and subsequently dismiss him as any kind of threat. And Minato can’t blame them. A young child generally doesn't come across as a formidable adversary, even one that bears a shinobi forehead protector.

A particularly dour-faced mercenary, one that Minato would guess to be the leader, scoffs openly as the others begin to snicker. He launches himself at Kakashi, naturally assuming that such a small child would have few ways of defending himself.

Minato had expected Kakashi to sidestep the attack seeing as it was well within his abilities to do so. From there, it would have been child’s play to use the enemy’s misplaced momentum as an opportunity to strike an incapacitating blow. The logical next step would be to initiate an immediate offensive on the remaining enemies who would be undoubtedly startled. But Kakashi doesn’t react at all, allowing the mercenary to seize him by the throat and lift him into the air.

Feet now dangling at least a foot from the ground, Kakashi stares at his opponent impassively.

The man sneers at his lack of resistance, likely interpreting it as weakness. “How pathetic, calling upon children to defend you.”

Minato would normally be rushing to provide aid in any other situation, but he has a feeling that this is all a part of the plan. He has a clear view of Kakashi’s face from his vantage point, and he's almost certain that his student is concealing a gleeful smirk underneath his mask.

Whether or not the mercenary senses his Kakashi's mirth, he’s evidently decided to forgo playing any games. There’s a sickening crack as his hand tightens around Kakashi’s throat, but the amused glint in the youkai’s eyes doesn’t waver. The man’s jaw drops, an expression of confusion and horror slowing manifesting itself on his face.

“What a shame, you pushed it too far,” Kakashi chides him, utterly unperturbed by what should’ve been a crushed windpipe at the very least. “You might have lived otherwise.”

With these words Kakashi’s eyes shine, his previously dark irises suddenly a glowing gold. And that image is the very last thing the mercenary sees before he’s crushed mercilessly by an oversized white paw.

Minato must admit that the mercenaries had been rather forward-thinking in their plans, almost admirably so. But none of their preparations had accounted for a twenty-foot tall wolf spirit materializing in their midst.

Kakashi manages to trample approximately a third of their numbers in his initial assault and begins swiping at the remainder with deadly sharp claws. Meanwhile, Minato takes care of the fleeing ones, most of whom are too stunned to even defend themselves effectively. Within a few minutes, the last of the mercenaries have been defeated.

Kakashi, looking human once more, gestures in the general direction of Kento’s home.

“We should be able to leave as soon as we’ve reported back in.”

Minato nods in response before following, still feeling somewhat in a daze.

And Kakashi is correct. Kento is no short of overjoyed to hear of their success. Minato’s and Kakashi’s actions have struck what will likely be a debilitating blow to Kento’s business rivals. His competitors will have little incentive to retaliate further from here on, especially since hiring such a large number of mercenaries must have decimated their assets. And even if Kento’s rivals do manage to scrape together enough funds to launch another assault, he’s wealthy enough to hire more shinobi defenders.

Kento sends them off jovially while Mai, Shun’s serious-faced older sister, gives them a polite nod as they leave their home. Shun, on the other hand, merely lifts his hand in an absentminded wave, barely looking up from the book he was engrossed in.

It’s not until the two are several miles away that Minato finally allows the gravity of the past hour or so to sink in. He pauses in his tracks, pressing his fingers against his closed eyes as if he’s trying to ward off a headache. Vaguely, he hears Kakashi’s footsteps slow to a stop as well.

“I need explanations,” Minato pleads, his voice slightly muffled by his hands.

He’s recently learned that youkai, spirits thought to only exist within legend, are very much real. Furthermore, that revelation had been preceded by those dreadful moments in which Minato had believed that Kakashi was gravely injured and bleeding out in his arms.

And now… now Minato doesn’t know what to think.

“Moving past the very existence of youkai...” Minato mumbles, mostly to himself. “I mean, I’ve seen proof of that myself so there’s no point trying to dispute that.” Minato pauses, attempting to better organize his scattered thoughts.

“I suppose my main question is this. So you’re a youkai, pretending to be a shinobi.” Minato turns to Kakashi, wanting to see his reaction firsthand. “Why? And how is Sakumo involved in this?”

If Kakashi is perturbed at all by the directness of his questions, he shows no sign of it whatsoever. “Those two answers actually go hand in hand,” he responds matter-of-factly.

Taking note of Minato’s intrigued expression, he continues without further prompting. “I’ve been around for quite a while, so this isn’t the first instance in which I’ve lived amidst humans. I happened across the Hatake some time ago, back when they were still a powerful and flourishing clan.

They were… fascinating, the most interesting thing I’d seen in decades.”

To Minato’s surprise, the youkai sounds almost fond as he reminisces. But he remains silent, not wanting to distract Kakashi as he’s recounting his tale.

“So I requested to stay so that I could learn from them, and I offered to protect the clan from those who might wish to harm them. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, but it was also one that was no longer necessary once they decided to join the village of Konoha. We parted ways, and I left them with a scroll that they could use to alert me if they ever found themselves in dire trouble.”

Knowing that the Hatake clan has been whittled down to two members, technically one considering Kakashi is actually a youkai, a feeling of trepidation begins to stir in Minato’s chest at his words.

Likewise, Kakashi seems to grow more somber even though the tone of his voice remains unchanged.

“For decades I heard nothing. Until almost eight years ago, Sakumo summoned me completely by accident as he was cleaning out the main house. After all, there wasn’t much else he could do following the death of his wife and infant son.”

Minato blinks in surprise. The circumstances of Kakashi’s and Sakumo’s meeting were quite anticlimactic in comparison to what he had been expecting, although admittedly no less tragic. Minato can’t even begin to imagine the agony of losing the people who were most precious to you. Distracted as he is by this terrible possibility, he almost misses Kakashi’s next words.

“At that point, I felt that assisting one Hatake was at least better than none.” Kakashi glances over in Minato’s direction as if noticing his brief spell of inattention before he continues to speak. “And Sakumo was open to having the company of another around. And given that a stranger’s presence would have raised suspicion, I adopted the guise of his son in order to better integrate myself into the village.”

“That’s it?” Minato blurts out, filled with both comprehension and confusion following Kakashi’s explanation. “That’s the only reason you’re here in Konoha, acting as a shinobi?”

Kakashi merely shrugs. “Youkai have a different perspective on these kinds of things. It’s about all there is to that.”

The account is a bizarre one to be sure, but it all makes a little too much sense given everything Minato has already heard about and witnessed of the Hatake. He shakes his head, feeling somewhat weary from the massive amount of information that he's been entrusted with.

“What do you plan to do now?” Kakashi inquires, redirecting the conversation with a question of his own.

Minato frowns, not quite following his train of thought. “What do you mean?" he asks.

“Well, you don’t have to continue dealing with this. Of course, no one would believe you if you started spouting off about youkai. But you could probably find some excuse for the Hokage and pass me off to another unsuspecting jōnin-sensei.”

Deciphering Kakashi’s intentions is never an easy feat. Still, Minato senses that the youkai is giving him a way out, a chance to disengage himself from the bedlam that he had unwittingly inserted himself into.

“I can’t say that any of this has been easy,” Minato begins, speaking honestly. “But I think things will be better now that I’m in the loop.”

Kakashi’s eyes flicker in his direction, but he otherwise shows no expression on his face.

With an unexpected burst of conviction, Minato carries on. “Either way, you can’t tell me that youkai exist and not expect me to ask more. Everyone’s heard tales of spirits that could change form, but I’m almost absolutely certain that using chakra is not an ability that youkai typically have.”

And despite the wide range of emotions that Minato has gone through today, it seems that he can still find it within himself to feel excited about the prospect of learning more. There's so much that Kakashi can tell him.

“I suppose that’s fine by me,” Kakashi replies in a cool voice before turning to head in the direction of Konoha once more.

It might be Minato’s imagination, but he thinks he sees Kakashi hiding a small smile behind his mask.

Chapter Text

Now that the veil has been lifted so to speak, Minato is surprised at how little has changed. He and Kakashi carry on as usual with no alterations made to their regular training schedule. In fact, Minato actually finds it easier to teach Kakashi now that he knows his student isn’t even human.

Judging by what Kakashi has mentioned and the skill he’s already displayed, Minato guesses that the youkai had mostly likely achieved jōnin level long before the village’s founding. Accordingly, Minato can forgo the fundamentals that he would normally be drilling to death if Kakashi were any other child.

There’s no longer a need to concern himself with Kakashi’s safety either, not after Minato has witnessed firsthand how the youkai seems to be invulnerable as far as stabbing, maiming, and jutsus are concerned. Now he recognizes that there could be other means of harming a spirit, but he highly doubts that any of the opponents they'll be facing are capable of it.

Although, that hardly means that the shinobi around Kakashi won’t get injured. And seeing as how Minato would've been woefully unequipped to handle the situation if Kakashi had actually been mortally wounded, he acknowledges that the two of them could benefit from more extensive medical training. Minato is fortunately able to find a staff member from the Konoha Hospital who's willing to provide them with a few brief lessons on field medicine and emergency care.

Kakashi is quite attentive during the instruction, leading Minato to believe that his prior assumptions were correct. Given that Kakashi previously accompanied Sakumo on his own missions, Minato guessed that his student had at least the ability to perform basic first aid. However, he also suspects that Kakashi hadn’t needed to learn beyond that level due to Sakumo’s status as a highly-skilled jōnin. The likelihood of severe injuries would’ve been slim, and the same could also be said for Minato's and Kakashi’s missions from here onwards.

But depending on the Academy graduation schedule, they could expect to have two more additions within a few years. After the false alarm with Kakashi, Minato wants to ensure that any new genin assigned to his team will be in capable hands. And now he’s aware that his student is actually an entity older than the very concept of hidden villages, Minato would be a fool to not utilize Kakashi’s knowledge and ability as resources.

While he had previously worried about how he was going to keep three young and inexperienced genin alive, Minato now knows that he only needs to fret over two. So from here on, he might actually have an easier time than other jōnin-sensei. Kakashi may appear indifferent on the surface, but Minato is fairly certain that he can count on the youkai to keep a watchful eye over his future teammates. Whoever those two graduates will be, Minato just hopes that they won’t be too disconcerted by Kakashi’s various oddities at first.

Now that he knows the truth, Minato is almost taken aback by how much less off-putting his student’s behavior is. Although the truth is admittedly outrageous, it is reassuring to have confirmation that he wasn’t losing his sanity before. Of course, it likely helps that Minato is now privy to the explanations that he previously would not have comprehended. Albeit, Kakashi doesn’t volunteer much information of his own accord, be he seems reasonably open to answering the questions that Minato has for him.

Following that eye-opening mission, the two were approximately halfway back to Konoha when Minato recalled a curious comment that Kakashi had made during their previous conversation.

“You sounded surprised that I could see you. Why is that?” he asked.

Kakashi's pace had slowed slightly as he glanced back over his shoulder at Minato. “Most humans are unable to see youkai, hence why the existence of spirits is not common knowledge.”

Minato had wilted slightly behind Kakashi's back, feeling a little embarrassed to have asked a question with such a painfully obvious answer. Thankfully, Kakashi continued speaking without a hint of annoyance.

“Seeing youkai is dependent on one’s spiritual power. Only a handful of humans possess enough to do so, and this ability is nearly exclusive to non-shinobi. This isn't really important, but it’s been my theory that a shinobi’s frequent chakra use results in extremely small stores of spiritual energy.”

The youkai had frowned slightly at that, tilting his head in thought. “I don’t know for certain, however. Before, I was convinced that it would be impossible for a shinobi to perceive spirits, and I was clearly wrong about that. Even still, this makes you one of only three shinobi that have been able to see me, and the first was one I met years before Konoha was even founded.”

Temporarily overlooking the news of his own rarity, Minato had immediately begun to consider the implications of Kakashi’s words.

“So…” Minato mused out loud. “The very first must’ve been one of the Hatake shinobi you resided with before, and the second has to be Sakumo then.”

He received a nod from Kakashi as confirmation. The youkai had paused, allowing Minato to fall into step alongside him before elaborating.

“Spiritual power and, by extension, the ability to perceive spirits, tend to run in families. The members of the Hatake clan were far more sensitive to youkai than any other shinobi I had previously encountered. And once I discovered that Sakumo was the last of his name, I believed that no other human in Konoha would be capable of seeing youkai, much less my true form.”

“Especially,” Kakashi added almost as an afterthought, “because high-level youkai are far more difficult to perceive than your run-of-the-mill spirit. That’s why I was surprised that you could see me.”

Minato bit back the urge to let out an exasperated sigh.

Because of course Kakashi was one of the more formidable youkai out there. It certainly wouldn’t do if he were simply a spirit of average power, not when he was already masquerading as the most impressive prodigy Konoha has ever seen. No, Minato doesn’t know why he would have ever expected anything less.

However, Minato managed to squash down that feeling in an effort to preserve his own sanity and instead turned his attention to another question that Kakashi’s words had raised.

“I honestly can’t say why I would even be able to see any kind of youkai though,” Minato responded, frowning in confusion. “I know very little about my family history, but I feel as though word would’ve gotten around if there was someone who was capable of seeing spirits.”

Kakashi hadn’t appeared too perplexed by his words, brushing off Minato’s bewilderment. “Well, Sakumo thought the same at first. He had no idea that his ancestors had made a pact with youkai generations ago. Either way, spiritual power isn’t strictly hereditary. Sometimes it crops up at random.”

And that had been the first of the many discussions that resulted from Minato’s various queries.

From there, Minato had inquired as to how Kakashi was even able to perform jutsus and pass as a shinobi in a village full of sensors and dōjutsu users. The youkai’s subsequent explanation outlining how he would channel natural energy to replicate chakra use made Minato’s head spin. He still needs to remind himself to request written diagrams detailing how exactly Kakashi even developed such a process.

Minato is admittedly a curious person, and he usually quells that feeling by fiddling with and developing new seals. But now that he knows of youkai, he can’t help himself from wanting to find out more. It’s all he can do to prevent himself from peppering Kakashi with questions.

How many kinds of youkai are there? Have they all existed for centuries? What powers do youkai hold? How do most youkai regard humans? Do the legends of youkai have their basis in truth?

Upon reflection, Minato supposes that quite a bit has actually changed.

Although one more thing he hadn’t accounted for was how often he would be dragged into issues he’d much rather leave alone.

Sakumo joins Kakashi and Minato for lunch following their usual training session one afternoon. Kakashi can’t recall the name of the restaurant, but the seating arrangement provides its customers with open access to the street. Because of this, he has an unobstructed view of the people milling about and walking down the village path.

As Minato and Sakumo engage in small talk, Kakashi’s eyes alight on a figure he recognizes. It’s Danzō, the aged councilor, striding past the various citizens on the street.

Kakashi’s next words are rather abrupt, spoken almost automatically as he cuts off whatever the other two had been conversing about.

“Tell me, is it normal for a human to bear the body parts of another?” he asks.

Next to him, Minato starts choking on his broth. Sakumo reacts instantaneously, clapping him on the back with what seems to be excessive force. Minato nods his thanks but gives a slight wince once Sakumo is no longer looking in his direction, likely wishing that the elder Hatake hadn’t bothered to help.

But Sakumo’s attention is on Kakashi now as he considers the youkai’s unexpected question. “Organ transplants aren’t uncommon and may be used to save one’s life or greatly improve the quality of it. However, I have a feeling that you’re talking about something slightly different.”

“You’d be correct,” Kakashi confirms. “The ‘parts’ I’m referring to are ones heavily imbued in chakra. And I know this because the councilor has a number of them quite literally up his sleeve,” he explains, gesturing towards Danzō’s departing back.

Minato lets out a strangled sounding squawk that is ignored by both Hatake.

Kakashi would say that he generally feels quite neutral towards the majority of Konoha’s population. However, there are a few things about the councilor that he is not fond of. For one, Danzō reeks of arrogance and deceit.

Furthermore, the councilor has also been repeatedly attempting to find opportunities to speak with Kakashi throughout the past few months. After insulting Danzō at their very first meeting, the elder had given Kakashi a wide berth for quite a while. But something has changed recently, something has caused Danzō to take an unusual amount of interest in Kakashi. And there is a hunger in the elder’s visible eye, a thirst for power that the youkai does not like.

“That sounds like it could be kekkei genkai theft then,” Sakumo responds in a thoughtful voice. “Such a serious accusation would require concrete proof should you wish to make one. If Danzō is scavenging from other shinobi, I’d agree that he needs to go. But it certainly won't be easy finding everything you’d need.”

Minato begins shooting anxious glances at the various people in the vicinity, clearly alarmed by the ease at which Kakashi and Sakumo are having what is a borderline treasonous conversation out in the open. His worries are hardly unfounded as casual eavesdropping is rather commonplace in a shinobi village.

However, the people of Konoha have long learned to turn a deaf ear to Kakashi’s conversations, a collective decision likely made to preserve their own peace of mind. At this point, Kakashi could probably describe in-depth plans to assassinate the Hokage in public without anyone reacting. Not that he actually has any present intentions to bring about the death of the Sandaime off course.

“This is a respected elder we’re talking about here though,” Sakumo continues. “Are you sure about this?” he asks.

“Danzō has become rather irritating as of late,” the youkai admits. “Still, I would say there’s no need to go to much effort. I could just follow him to find out what he’s up to and kill him if necessary,” Kakashi points out matter-of-factly. “But we can go ahead and try things your way.”

With that, Minato finally abandons all pretense and buries his face in his hands.

Chapter Text

The three have since relocated to a secure room located on the Hatake clan grounds, a measure that Minato had insisted on should they intend to carry on their discussion.

Sakumo considers this to be wholly unnecessary. No one, absolutely no one, in the entire village of Konoha is particularly keen on overhearing Kakashi’s conversations. And even if someone was listening in and heard what they were saying about Danzō, it still wouldn’t be the most unusual discussion that Kakashi has had in public.

However, Minato had looked to be on the verge of hysterics at lunch. So here they are, in a mostly empty room with its walls very nearly plastered in privacy seals.

“Start at the beginning please,” the youth insists as he inspects a seal for the third time in the past ten minutes. “How exactly were the two of you able to arrive at the conclusion that Danzō has committed kekkei genkai theft?”

Kakashi shares a prolonged look with Sakumo who simply shrugs. The youkai lets out a sigh, mentally calculating the amount of time such an explanation might take.

“I assume the village of Konoha sees some value in Danzō,” Kakashi begins. “I personally wouldn’t understand it. Someone as conniving as he is shouldn’t be left unattended or even alive in my opinion.”

Although he does his best to hide it, Sakumo notices a curious expression cross Minato’s face as if he wanted to ask a question but decided against it. He wonders if Minato is wondering how Kakashi has determined that the councilor is not one to be trusted. After all, it’s a question that he himself would have under normal circumstances.

Aside from these new allegations of kekkei genkai theft, Sakumo doesn’t believe that Kakashi has any definite evidence of Danzō’s deceitful nature. However, he trusts in his convictions. If the youkai declares that the councilor is up to no good, then he will believe in his assertions. In all the time that Sakumo has known him, Kakashi has had a certain “sense” about others. Sakumo doesn’t know what it is as he’s never bothered to ask, but the youkai hasn’t been wrong to his knowledge.

“Throughout the past few months,” Kakashi continues, “I was left with the impression that Danzō was attempting to seek an audience with me. Now I naturally avoided him to the best of my ability, but he managed to approach relatively close on a few occasions. Because of this, I was able to notice that there was something different about him today, something that hadn’t been there a month ago.”

The youkai lets out a huff of distaste.

“If he’d minded his own business, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to notice,” Kakashi comments with a roll of his eyes. “But whatever Danzō has done, he is currently in possession of organic material that he was most certainly not born with.”

Sakumo frowns in contemplation. “Do you know what specific body parts these might be?” Considering that the elder’s usual manner of dress conceals his form quite effectively, Danzō could very well be hiding anything under that robe.

He glances in Minato’s direction with that thought, noticing that the youth hadn’t spoken a word since Kakashi began his explanation. Minato, however, no longer appears as distressed as he was earlier and merely looks to be deep in thought. So Sakumo redirects his attention back to the youkai.

“Oh, I would be willing to bet that they’re eyes,” Kakashi responds without hesitation. “Nothing else would be that size or shape. Although, I do wonder why his left eye socket remains empty if that’s the case…”

“Eyes?” Sakumo echoes. “Then he’s certainly gained those by some manner of theft. If he isn’t using them for the explicit purpose of sight, the only eyes valuable enough to bother implanting into yourself would be dōjutsu. In Konoha, that would be the Sharingan and the Byakugan.”

Sakumo’s face grows grim as he continues. “Those clans guard their eyes intensely, and that’s to put it mildly. The Hyūga clan brands its own kinsmen with cursed seals with the justification of preventing the Byakugan from falling into unauthorized hands. Entrusting someone outside of the clan with a dōjutsu simply isn’t something that’s done, not even if that individual is a respected elder of the village.”

“I had guessed as such,” the youkai comments, now scowling. “However, I did sense something strange about his right arm as well. It seems to be the area in which the eyes themselves are embedded, but the arm itself is like nothing I’ve ever encountered before…”

Before Sakumo can reply, Minato chooses this moment to break into the conversation.

“So, we know that Danzō is very likely engaging in illicit experimentation and stealing kekkei genkai for his own use,” Minato recapitulates, running his fingers through his hair. “What can we do with this though? It’s not that I don’t believe you Kakashi, but I don’t think we can allege anything based on the little information we currently have. Especially when we wouldn’t be able to explain the reason behind our accusations.”

“You’re right about that.” Sakumo acknowledges, leaning back in his chair and frowning as he ponders their limited options.

Kakashi, however, looks unworried. “I’ll just tail Danzō for a few days to find out what he’s up to. I highly doubt that he’ll be able to see spirits.” And with that, the youkai has departed before the other two have even finished processing his words.

Sakumo has an absurd image of Danzō being followed around by a twenty-foot-tall wolf and fights to urge to laugh. Meanwhile, Minato seems taken aback by the abrupt end to their meeting but doesn’t look to have any complaints with Kakashi’s plan. Neither does Sakumo for that matter. Throughout the years, he’s found that the youkai’s plans, while confusing at times, are usually quite effective.

Sure enough, the three reconvene approximately two days later with Kakashi bearing much of the critical information they were seeking.

“I saw red eyes, so he’s definitely been pilfering Sharingan from the Uchiha,” Kakashi reports, settling down on the empty chair across from Minato and Sakumo. “He has at least three implanted in that arm of his with what looks to be room for more. And if that arm isn’t the product of another experiment, I’ll eat the Hokage Rock.”

“So what now?” Minato questions, looking both weary and determined in response to the news.

“We could try talking to those involved in this,” Kakashi carries on, his nonchalant tone contrasting greatly with Minato’s demeanor. “After all, Danzō probably didn’t sew those eyes into himself. And who in this village has shown an obvious interest in body modification?”

“Orochimaru, and technically you too,” Sakumo remarks, remembering Kakashi’s first encounter with the snake Sannin. Their discussion then had been the first indication as to why it was so unwise for the general public to listen in on Kakashi’s conversations.

“So it’s almost certain that Orochimaru was the one who aided Danzō with the transplants,” the youkai reasons. “There aren’t many shinobi in Konoha who possess the scientific background for it, and I believe even fewer would have the discretion to engage in such experiments.”

“If we’re going to try and get information about Danzō through Orochimaru then we might want to bring Jiraiya in for that part.” Sakumo looks to Minato at this. “Do you think he would be willing to investigate?”

“As unconventional as my old sensei may be, he wouldn’t accept corruption of this level.” Minato takes a deep breath before his next words. “I think asking him is our best option.”

Several days later, Sakumo and Minato approach Jiraiya with their reservations about the elder. It had taken them a while to decide on just how much information they should share with the Sannin. They needed to be specific enough to encourage Jiraiya to look into the issue, but too much detail might raise his suspicions. It wouldn’t do if Jiraiya grew skeptical of their claims.

The two eventually settle on a story that is unexpectedly close to the truth. Sakumo and Minato simply explain that they were troubled with the elder’s recent interest in Kakashi, especially after Kakashi reported that he sensed something strange about Danzo’s chakra. During that initial meeting, the two make effort to convey that they would prefer for their concerns to remain in confidence.

Sakumo guesses that Jiraiya has his own misgivings about Danzō based on how readily he agreed to investigate the elder. However, Jiraiya soon finds that he's unable to obtain any incriminating evidence without alerting the Sandaime, and by extension Danzō, of his actions. While Orochimaru had admitted to working directly with Danzō, he was not willing to disclose any additional information. For weeks, Jiraiya would continue to see little headway as a result of his lack of resources and Danzō’s own craftiness. Overall, it seemed as though Kakashi’s, Sakumo’s and Minato’s decision to take a subtler approach was producing little in the way of results.

In the end, it is Kakashi who proposes an efficient if highly unconventional solution.

“Why not kill Danzō first?” Kakashi asks in all seriousness. “That way Jiraiya doesn’t have to tiptoe around Danzō or the Hokage in his investigations anymore. He can take his suspicions about the elder up with the Sandaime or simply request to look into the circumstances surrounding his death. It should be much easier to uncover the full extent of Danzō’s actions if he’s already out of the way.”

Minato and Sakumo stare at the youkai with identical expressions of astonishment.

Kakashi merely sighs in response to their startled faces. “Let me put it this way. If we are successful in exposing Danzō’s crimes, he will be executed. From what I understand of your human rules and customs here, I can’t imagine Danzō coming out of this alive given the level of his transgressions. So if the desired outcome leads to his death then why not take care of that now?”

Sakumo is accustomed to Kakashi’s unusual behaviors and ideas for the most part, but advocating for the assassination of a high ranking authority figure in the village is certainly a new one.

But the suggestion is not one they can effectively argue against, not after Kakashi’s closing remarks.

“It could even appear as though Danzō has died from natural causes. There are youkai out there with the ability to drain one’s life force. Even shinobi and medical professionals would assume that he passed away from old age.”

It hadn’t taken long for Kakashi to locate a suitable youkai, one that could absorb a human’s spiritual energy to the point of death. And with the promise of a fulfilling meal, it took even less time for Kakashi to convince the spirit to pay a visit to Konoha.

Thankfully, Kakashi is more than powerful enough to ensure that the other youkai wouldn’t feed off of anyone else during its time in the village. Even so, he advises Sakumo and Minato to keep their distance once the youkai enters the village gates as strong spiritual power like theirs could always prove to be an enticing distraction.

The three had also discussed the possibility of manufacturing alibis for the day of Danzō’s death but ultimately thought better of it. With the elder seemingly passing away from natural causes, no one would even be searching for a culprit anyway. Furthermore, Jiraiya was the only one in Konoha who was aware of their suspicions regarding Danzō, and he was more than shrewd enough to see through such a ruse.

So Kakashi, Minato, and Sakumo go about their daily routine as usual. Except when night falls, Kakashi shifts into his true form and leads the other spirit to the elder’s quarters. Alone and unsuspecting, Danzō doesn’t realize anything is amiss until he is very nearly drained. With the objective accomplished, the two youkai leave Danzō’s now stone-cold form where it had crumpled onto the floor.

And the uproar following the discovery of Danzō’s body is unlike anything Konoha has ever witnessed.

Chapter Text

Months later, the bedlam raised by Danzō’s death has not subsided in the slightest.

The day that Danzō’s corpse was found, a messenger was sent to retrieve the elder after his absence was noted from his usual duties. Said courier had immediately called for help after stumbling across Danzō’s collapsed form on the ground and determining that there was no sign of life from the cold body.

The medical personnel who arrived next on the scene had proceeded to cut away the elder’s robe in order to better determine a cause of death. Instead, they were confronted with the unmistakable sight of three Sharingan embedded in an unnaturally pale arm, the once crimson irises now clouded over.

This had been the cue for Jiraiya to spring into action. With evidence of Danzō’s wrongdoing clear as day, the weary and somber-looking Hokage had promptly authorized the Sannin to conduct a full investigation into the deceased elder’s actions. As they all would very soon realize, kekkei genkai theft only scratched the surface of Danzō’s illegal practices.

Being a respected and valued figure, Danzō had possessed a great deal of authority in regard to the inner workings of the village. For instance, the elder was entrusted with leading Root, a highly secretive shinobi force that embarked on only the most covert of operations. What Danzō was not permitted to do was to recruit the organization's members through a combination of kidnapping and brainwashing, even poaching children from the prominent shinobi clans. Naturally, the Sandaime found himself facing no shortage of incensed clan heads.

As for the illegal experimentation, Orochimaru had apparently become a rather pivotal figure in the wake of Danzō’s death. With the elder gone, the snake Sannin suddenly became far more inclined to share the finer details of Danzō’s unauthorized procedures. Although, it soon became clear that Orochimaru had conducted several unsavory experiments out of his own accord.

The Hokage, however, seemed prepared to overlook his former student’s transgressions provided that he testified extensively about Danzo’s actions and cooperated fully with Jiraiya’s investigations. Either way, Kakashi predicts that there will be a number of eyes on Orochimaru for some time to come.

As a result, countless council meetings have already been held to address and remedy the many consequences of Danzō’s misdeeds. From disbanding Root to weeding out the loyal members of the elder’s network, the council will have its hands full in the near future.

Kakashi is actually somewhat curious about these proceedings, but his assumed age naturally leaves him locked out of such matters. Such a small detail would hardly be enough to stop him, however. He could always sneak in and eavesdrop, but the prospect of sitting through hours and hours of bureaucratic proceedings hardly appeals to him. The youkai would much rather receive a condensed debrief from Sakumo later.

As the Hatake clan head, Sakumo’s presence is expected at these council meetings. Minato too has found himself drawn into these matters as Jiraiya has enlisted his help in dealing with the remnants of Root. Evidently, the methods Danzō used in order to condition a sense of undying loyalty in his forces have left a number of young shinobi utterly unprepared to function in daily life.

For the past few weeks, Minato has been aiding Jiraiya in placing former Root operatives in environments that are intended to facilitate their rehabilitation. Some of the children are placed with shinobi families while others are residing in civilian homes. Some are placed alongside other ex-Root members whereas others are placed on an individual basis. As it’s all a rather time-intensive process, Minato was required to reduce the frequency of their training sessions for the time being.

Kakashi doesn’t particularly mind this turn of events, but he does need to find other activities to occupy his time. He’s walking back from the training grounds one afternoon when he hears the ever-familiar sounds of excitable children arising from a nearby shrub.

His little fan club seems to have seen an increase in members now that Kakashi has been spending far more time training alone. Kakashi also supposes that the political upheaval of Danzō’s death could be another contributing factor. If any of those young humans are clan children, it’s likely that they’ve been left to their own devices while their family members are occupied with the fallout of the recent scandal.

Now that Kakashi thinks about it, there does appear to be a greater number of Konoha children underfoot as of late.

And that gives him an idea.

If the adult shinobi population is going to be scarce for the time being, then this could be a convenient opportunity for Kakashi to better integrate himself amongst the other children in the village. Given that he’s resided in Konoha for around nine years now, this is admittedly something he should have done long ago.

Furthermore, the current batch of Academy students could be graduating in as little as a year. It would be sensible to at least acquaint himself with the ones who have the potential to become his future teammates. And this is something he can get out of the way during these comparatively uneventful times.

So Kakashi decides to start with the duo, the boy and girl who have consistently been his most avid observers during his individual training sessions. He might as well approach these two since he's already had a few interactions with Gai.

Several months ago, the jumpsuit clad boy had all but confronted him on his way home from a training session. In actuality, Gai had attempted to follow Kakashi for almost a week, but the youkai was able to give him the slip each time. Kakashi had taken pity on him after several days of this and eventually allowed the exuberant and determined child to “find” him.

Kakashi had tuned out most of the boy’s words during that interaction but gathered that Gai wished to challenge him in order to prove his own ability. He had turned down Gai’s request, partly because he was curious as to what the boy’s reaction would be. But to his surprise, Kakashi’s rejection had only seemed to energize Gai judging by his shouted convictions to train even more intensely from hereon. The whole affair is more than a bit bizarre, yet Kakashi can’t deny that Gai is a rather amusing individual. Overall, he’s curious as to where this might lead.

Even so, Kakashi has yet to converse with the clumsy Uchiha boy and the girl with the purple markings. Considering that they still haven’t tired of watching him train, the two of them could prove to be adequate companions.

Following one of his afternoon training sessions, Kakashi departs on his usual route back to the Hatake clan grounds. Except this time he listens carefully, waiting for the sound of the two children’s footsteps. Once Kakashi hears them leave in the opposite direction, he takes to the treetops, tracking the students’ path as they make their way out of the woods. He leaps from branch to branch before dropping lightly to the ground just eight feet to the right of the children.

“Oh, hello,” Kakashi calls out to the startled humans, pretending as though he hadn’t intended to land so close to the other two. He sets his pack on the ground as if he had stopped to rearrange its contents.

The two, however, seem too taken aback to speak, so Kakashi decides to take the initiative and introduce himself.

“I’m Kakashi,” he offers even though the other two almost certainly know his name already.

The girl is the first to recover. “My name is Rin,” she stammers, suddenly looking quite nervous. “I’m Rin Nohara, and that’s Obito,” she adds, hastily gesturing towards the Uchiha boy next to her.

The two wait for Obito to speak, but he seems dumbstruck. In that moment of silence, Kakashi’s eyes flicker towards the pair of orange goggles resting on the Uchiha’s forehead.

Now that prompts a reaction out of Obito.

“Why are you looking at my goggles like that? What about them? You think they’re stupid, don't you?”

The boy spits out the question with as much aggression as he can muster, but Kakashi can easily pick out the undercurrent of insecurity hidden just below the false bravado.

In Kakashi’s honest opinion, the color of the goggles is quite hideous. However, he’s gathered from his time in Konoha that the children do not take well to blunt criticism. They’re actually not unlike youkai in this regard.

So Kakashi instead makes an effort to respond as diplomatically as he can manage. “I think goggles are a fairly practical addition since, as a Uchiha, your eyes would be considered far more valuable than most. They would also serve as an extra line of defense against any enemies who would want to gouge out your eyes or blind you with an irritant.”

Judging by his bewildered stare, Obito doesn’t seem to know how to react to his words. Rin appears to be of a similar mindset as well.

But they don’t appear angry, so Kakashi takes that as a cue to continue.

“However, goggles can also be a hazard in hand-to-hand combat. If you're wearing them, a blow of significant force could leave you with more extensive injuries than if you didn't have them on at all.”

“That’s… that’s helpful advice,” Rin finally replies, shooting Obito a pointed look.

“Thanks, I guess,” the boy blurts out hurriedly.

While that didn’t go too terribly, Kakashi does admit that he probably could’ve left out the part about eye-gouging in retrospect.

The youkai wracks his brain for a new topic, hoping to resume the conversation before the silence grows too awkward. However, it appears as though Obito has already gotten over whatever reservations he may have initially possessed.

“How did you learn to perform all those jutsus back there? Is that something that we’ll learn at the Academy?” he asks excitedly.

Obito’s animated expression as he says this contrasts dramatically with the panicked look that simultaneously shoots across Rin’s face. She evidently hadn’t expected Obito to reveal that the two of them were essentially spying on Kakashi.

This, however, is something that Kakashi has known from the start, so he takes Obito’s question in stride.

“I honestly doubt it,” he answers. “I never went to the Academy anyway.”

The Uchiha seems to deflate at this so he adds, “I could try showing you a few techniques some other time if you’re interested.” Kakashi honestly doesn’t know if either of them will take him up on his offer. But if they’re brave enough to accept then he’ll try to find something appropriate to teach them. Maybe Sakumo would have some ideas.

The other two look startled albeit not in an unpleasant way. Even so, Kakashi thinks it prudent to extract himself from the situation. He has a feeling that he might end up overwhelming the children otherwise. That is if he hasn’t done so already.

“Well, I should be heading back now,” Kakashi states, picking his pack back up off the ground.

Obito and Rin don’t say anything but step back, allowing him to pass. The youkai supposes he’ll find out soon enough whether or not he’s frightened them away.

Kakashi takes his leave, sensing two sets of eyes boring into the back of his head as he does so. He normally wouldn’t bother with this, but he turns slightly to wave over his shoulder before disappearing into the trees.

Surprise registering on their small faces, the two children smile and wave back at him.

Chapter Text

Something strange had happened during Minato’s latest assignment. Well to be exact, it had actually occurred when he was on his way back to Konoha after completing the mission.

Minato had initially welcomed the task, finding it a relief to be out of the village for the first time in over a month. He had been spending much of his time overseeing the rehabilitation of former Root members and finding them therapeutic environments in which they could recover. The ideal scenario would've been to place the children in familiar settings with family members or individuals they were bonded to. However, determining the identity of the various Root agents was no simple feat.

Some children bore distinctive physical traits or kekkei genkai that clearly linked them to specific clans of Konoha. A few more children were recognized by concerned relatives or loved ones, but most cases were far more complicated. Many operatives could not even recall their own names as a result of Danzō’s conditioning, and it soon became apparent that the elder must have recruited orphans or other children who wouldn’t have anyone looking for them.

However, one unidentified girl not only remembered her name but also a fairly clear memory of an aunt who resided in a village not too far from Konoha. Minato had been assigned to escort the child, Miki, to that village in hopes that the aunt still resided there. If they found that to be no longer the case, the two would then attempt to determine where she might have gone.

Minato was fortunately able to locate her, a middle-aged woman by the name of Hanae who had nearly dropped her groceries at the sight of them. With her hands shaking from the shock, she quickly explained to Minato that she had lost contact with Miki and her family almost a year ago. The last word Hanae had received from her younger sister and brother-in-law was that the two of them had fallen quite ill.

Hanae had received no further correspondence from that point forward. However, she was unable to travel to Konoha herself as she was caring for an elderly neighbor at the time. Hanae had subsequently spent the past few months beside herself with worry, not knowing what became of them. And while she was saddened to hear of her sister's passing, it appeared as though seeing Miki had lifted a tremendous weight from her shoulders.

Minato could tell that Miki felt slightly anxious due to her missing memories, but she seemed to find comfort from having a familiar figure again. Accordingly, Minato was able to depart soon afterward with few reservations about leaving Miki in the care of her aunt. By the time he said his goodbyes, Hanae was already outlining her ideas for how they could arrange Miki’s bedroom.

Given the commotion of the past month, Minato had adopted a more leisurely pace than usual for his journey back home. The day itself was quite a lovely one with its cloudless sky and warm breezes, so he had stopped briefly atop a grassy hill not too far from the edge of Konoha. From this vantage point, Minato had a clear view of the rivers crisscrossing the forested valley below.

Also situated in the valley was the dilapidated ruins of Futaba, a small settlement that had flooded and sunken into the earth several decades ago after heavy rains struck the area. Twenty or thirty years ago, Futaba would have housed a thriving community, but a lone house with its caved-in roof and crumbling walls was all that remained in the present. Within a few weeks, that too would be submerged by water once the early summer rains had set in.

But upon a second glance, there seemed to be something else there in front of the abandoned home. Focusing intently, Minato was just able to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a shadowy silhouette down below.

The way it moved… it had almost looked like the figure was waving its arms in the way that someone might call for help. Minato had moved closer almost automatically in an attempt to discern what exactly he was seeing.

And that’s when it happened.

He had lost all awareness for a brief moment. One second, Minato was staring out at the derelict village. The next, his body had pitched forward involuntarily, the ground swerving upwards to meet his face.

Minato had luckily managed to right himself in time, regaining his balance before he made impact with the ground. He straightened himself and scanned the surrounding area as if trying to seek an explanation for his temporary lapse. But there was nothing there, no discernible reason for what had just occurred.

With a growing sense of confusion setting in, Minato had made his way to Konoha once again. Although he couldn’t help but notice that he felt oddly fatigued all of a sudden. Despite that, he still decided to meet Kakashi for their training session that afternoon, making a mental note to stop by the hospital afterward if the feeling hadn’t subsided.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, however, Minato finds that this strange series of events hasn't ceased. Usually, Kakashi doesn’t acknowledge his presence until he begins speaking, but this time the youkai looks up at Minato and frowns as he approaches.

“There’s something different about you,” Kakashi states matter-of-factly as he walks towards him.

And out of nowhere, the youkai headbutts him, hard.

Stunned from the impact, Minato doubles over but otherwise manages to remain standing. However, someone else does fall, letting out a cry of pain before landing on the ground.

“I knew it,” Kakashi declares, sounding slightly smug as he walks over to get a better view of the newcomer who has suddenly appeared in their midst. “You smelled different.”

Minato turns around as well, not fully comprehending the events that are unfolding around him. He watches as the third figure, a young woman with tousled, light brown hair slowly gets to her feet. Her hair just reaches her chin, and she’s wearing what appears to be a dark haori over a yellow kimono.

It’s not until he sees the paper mask covering the upper half of her face that he realizes that the woman is a youkai. She must be the one responsible for what happened to him earlier.

“Why did you possess him?” Kakashi questions in a short voice, turning his attention back to the spirit.

“I’m terribly sorry,” the woman apologizes in a quiet voice. She turns to face the two of them, and Minato notices that her mask depicts an inked illustration that resembles a bird.

“My name is Tsubame.” She addresses Minato now, looking at him directly. “I was unable to leave the bottom of the village on my own. When you were there, I took the chance and possessed you. There’s just someone that I must see!” She bows her head deferentially, but her voice has risen to an impassioned pitch.

Minato opens his mouth and then closes it, unsure as to how he should respond to apologies from the one who had possessed him. Thankfully, Kakashi doesn’t leave him floundering for too long.

“And why is that?” Kakashi cuts in, his eyes narrowing as he regards the other youkai.

“I’ll only impose on you for a short while,” Tsubame replies. “May I tell you my tale?”

Kakashi lets out a long sigh but settles himself against the tree trunk behind him.

Taking that as permission, Tsubame starts to speak. “In a very distant past, I was a baby bird…”

With this very first sentence, Minato is tempted to unleash a barrage of questions. How often is it for common animals to become youkai? Is there a transformation undergone to become a spirit or have some youkai always existed as youkai? He bites his tongue, however, assuming that Kakashi wouldn’t appreciate any interruptions.

Tsubame carries on as she takes a seat on the grass opposite them. “One day, I fell from the nest, and a human found me and placed me back inside. But my parents were frightened by the human’s presence and abandoned the nest. My four siblings died one by one, leaving me alone and filled with sorrow. And eventually, I turned into a demon.”

Aside from a touch of wistfulness and regret present in her voice, Tsubame does not show any sign of unease as she describes what must have been a dark time for her.

“But then, a young boy began to leave me food every single day. I’m certain he thought me to be a stray dog or cat,” she adds with a slight smile. “Still, his human scent reminded me of the kindness of the one who had so carefully picked me up. After the village flooded, I was able to rest peacefully thanks to him.”

Finished, Tsubame looks between the other two in what Minato presumes to be an expectant manner. While he personally finds this account to be a rather tragic and touching one, Kakashi looks as bored as ever.

Tsubame seems to sense his apathy as her serene demeanor shifts to something slightly more anxious. “I need to see him.”

“What do you know about this person?” Minato asks, surprising himself with this interjection. Kakashi sends Minato a sharp look that he does his best to ignore

“Not much,” Tsubame admits. “I only know that his name is Taniozaki and that he used to live in Futaba.”

“I see…” he responds, feeling his confidence draining away. A name isn’t very much to go on, not when Futaba has been abandoned for over two decades. He looks at Tsubame’s hopeful face, wracking his brains for a way to convey this to her.

But Kakashi, unexpectedly, is the one to spare him from that prospect. “We can try to track down this Taniozaki, he states, his voice impassive. “I think Sakumo once mentioned that almost all of Futaba moved to Konoha after the flood. It’s likely that this Taniozaki still lives in the village.”

Thankfully, Kakashi’s assessment turns out to be quite accurate.

The two find that Taniozaki, now a graying library worker, does indeed live in Konoha. From there, Minato and Kakashi only need to point Tsubame in Taniozaki’s direction as he heads home for the day.

Tsubame lets out a gasp of delight at the sight of him. Elated, she dashes down the street to Taniozaki only for him to walk straight past her. She tries again, this time rushing forward and stopping almost directly in his path.

Taniozaki’s eyes slide past her.

All the while, Minato can see that Tsubame is attempting to speak to him, but her words appear to go unheard.

His heart sinks at the sight.

Tsubame seems to realize the futile nature of her actions as she stops, now crestfallen, to watch Taniozaki’s departing back. It’s not until he rounds the corner that Tsubame turns to Kakashi and Minato, her face expressionless.

“Thank you for your aid,” she says politely. “I was finally able to see him again. That’s… that’s all that I wanted.”

“But-“ Minato starts, feeling that the encounter can’t have been what the spirit was searching for.

“I will have to return to Futaba soon,” Tsubame continues, speaking over him “The village will be underwater again before long.” With that, she bows her head in thanks and disappears into the trees.

They may have achieved their objective, but none of this is sitting well with Minato. The two of them stand in silence for a moment before he turns to Kakashi.

“We have to do something,” Minato insists with an unexpected amount of conviction. “Is there anything else we can do?”

The wolf spirit gives him an incredulous look.

“Why are you being so needlessly noble?” Kakashi complains with a roll of his eyes. He looks almost disgusted with Minato. “Aren’t you supposed to be a shinobi, not some folklore hero?”

Minato doesn’t know why he feels so strongly about this, but he presses on.

“Are there any other options available? We don’t necessarily have to bend over backward for it,” he adds, hoping to convince him.

Although he still looks slightly exasperated, Kakashi obliges.

“Well…” he muses. “Given that Taniozaki was aware of Tsubame’s presence as a child, I presumed that he would have still retained some sensitivity to youkai as an adult. It surprises me that he can’t see her now.”

Kakashi frowns as if contemplating the best way to explain the issue at hand.

“Spirits like Tsubame don’t possess enough power to make themselves visible to the average human. But certain seals, sigils, or items of power can temporarily allow a youkai to either take a human form or a visage that can be perceived by all.

“That’s great-“ Minato starts, but Kakashi cuts him off.

“The problem is that all of these methods would require a significant amount of preparation. Tsubame will have to leave in just a few days, I don’t believe we have enough time.”

“So that’s it then,” Minato responds, now feeling downcast. “There’s nothing we can do to help her.”

“I didn’t say that,” counters Kakashi. “How’s your genjutsu?”

It’s unorthodox, the idea that he and Kakashi hatched, but Minato can’t deny that it’s effective as a workaround. They take only a day to hammer out the details before Kakashi tracks down Tsubame, requesting that she meet them that afternoon.

The three of them once again find Taniozaki as he’s walking home from work. But this time, Minato casts a genjutsu over the man. As illusions go, this one is rather mundane and simple. The vision he’s implanting in Taniozaki’s mind is essentially one that depicts reality itself, except it also shows Tsubame standing before him. Following Kakashi’s instruction, Tsubame addresses Taniozaki as she had before. Meanwhile, Minato communicates her words to Taniozaki via the genjutsu, and he responds in kind. Through this method, the two are able to hold a conversation of sorts.

Tsubame doesn’t speak with Taniozaki for very long, telling Minato that he can end the illusion after only a few minutes. Once the genjutsu is released, the library worker continues on his way. Taniozaki won’t remember anything particularly out of the ordinary, just a soft-spoken young woman who greeted him and thanked him for an act of kindness he showed her years ago.

With Taniozaki gone, Minato opens his mouth to ask Tsubame if the interaction was what she was seeking but turns around to find her no longer there

The only sign that Tsubame was ever present is the gentle sound of fluttering wings fading into the distance.

Chapter Text

Obito huffs in disappointment as his attempt at creating the Great Fireball Technique fizzles out for the fourth time that day. He turns to Rin and Kakashi, both of whom are looking on from a few feet behind him.

“How was that?” he asks, panting for breath.

“That was great!" Rin assures him, clapping cheerfully as she does so. "I really think you’ll get it soon.”

Obito brightens up instantly at her words. Rin starts to smile back as well, but Kakashi shoots her a look that makes her falter. The Uchiha, on the other hand, is oblivious to this exchange as he’s nearly tripped over a stray kunai in his delight.

Taking advantage of Obito’s preoccupation, Kakashi whispers furtively in Rin’s ear. ”I understand that encouragement is often beneficial, but I would advise against misleading him.”

The only reason why Kakashi is even bothering to bring this up is because he and Rin have been watching Obito for a significant portion of the afternoon, and she knows as well as he does that the Uchiha is nowhere near success.

“There’s nothing wrong with helping Obito feel better about himself either,” Kakashi continues, “but he might grow even more frustrated in the long run depending on what you say.”

The brown-haired girl looks startled as if she had never considered the possible ramifications of her reassurances.

Nevertheless, Kakashi doesn’t feel any guilt about bringing this to her attention. He doesn’t expect Rin to adopt his advice immediately, but it seems prudent to plant the thought sooner rather than later. If he’s learned anything from his interactions with children, it’s that young humans can be just as bull-headed as youkai.

As both species are primarily guided by their emotions, spirits and human offspring are often inclined to develop fixations. They have one-track minds, and it's difficult to shake their attention if something catches their eye. And just from watching the two children before him, it’s evident that Obito has already latched on to Rin.

Given the little snippets Obito has shared about his home life, Kakashi presumes that he’s no stranger to being alone and overlooked. He doesn’t know how long Rin and Obito have known each other, but it’s obvious that much of his emotional well-being depends on her. He shoots glances at Rin when he thinks no one’s watching, listens intently to every word she says, and visibly brightens whenever she pays him attention. Kakashi supposes that this is what the humans would refer to as “puppy love.”

Rin obviously values Obito’s company as well, and it’s likely that they will remain important to each other in the future. However, Obito’s infatuation has essentially rendered him reliant on her for moral support. There’s a chance that he might grow out of this feeling, but Kakashi suspects that it will only intensify in the future.

Hopefully, it won’t progress to a full-blown obsession. He’s witnessed more than a few youkai fall prey to their lastest fixation and subsequently dedicate decades of their existence to it. And those spirits were awfully bothersome to be around when in such a state. Now Kakashi isn’t entirely sure how such an obsession would translate for a human, but he knows that he isn’t interested in dealing with that either.

All the while, the two young children are completely unaware of the potentially complex implications of their relationship. It's quite easy for Kakashi to pick out these little issues they’re facing, and he supposes that he can help them along since he has a vested interest in their well-being. After all, Rin and Obito are amongst the few who were even brave enough to approach him directly. If anything were to happen to them, Kakashi would be required to start the entire process over again.

So when Obito turns to Kakashi for his response, he makes an effort to ensure that his feedback is critical but not cruel.

“I think you’ve still got ways to go, but there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that,” Kakashi comments casually as Obito’s hopeful expression sobers. “Often you just need time, and you have plenty of that since you’re still a student.”

And Kakashi wholeheartedly believes that this is the most beneficial statement for the frustrated Obito to hear at this very moment. Reassurances like Rin’s may raise his spirits temporarily, but they will ultimately discourage him later. If Obito takes Rin’s words at face value and believes himself to be just on the verge of a breakthrough, he will only be more dejected after it takes him another two weeks to successfully perform the Great Fireball Technique.

What he needs is a set of realistic expectations.

“Easy for you to say,” Obito mutters back, but the ire isn’t directed at Kakashi himself. The Uchiha doesn’t appear to be terribly downcast, so Kakashi assumes that he’s at least recognized the truth in his words. “You can do everything perfectly from the start.”

And there it is.

Standards and norms tend to become rather skewed in a shinobi village such as Konoha, and Kakashi fully acknowledges his own role in feeding into that warped perception. But even if one were to ignore his ridiculous graduation record, there would still be enough advanced children to make Obito feel inadequate.

Being an Uchiha likely doesn’t help matters as the clan has a reputation for producing shinobi who are talented from a young age. So even though Obito displays a reasonable amount of ability for this point in time, he still regards himself as a failure in comparison to his peers. Lately, he’s been voicing his insecurities more and more often with each unsuccessful attempt at performing the jutsu.

At the same time, Kakashi is gratified that Obito feels comfortable enough to even gripe at him. It wouldn’t do if every single one of his peers was skittish in his presence. Even though Kakashi had never really blended in due to presenting himself as a prodigy, having zero acquaintances of his own is something that would have certainly drawn the wrong kind of attention.

Rin and Obito had gotten over their initial trepidation rather quickly once Kakashi had formally introduced himself. The two still continued to hide in the bushes as they watched Kakashi during his individual training sessions. But after only two more days of their usual routine, Rin and Obito had evidently mustered enough courage to approach him themselves.

And to Kakashi’s surprise, they had actually come to him with specific areas they wished to work on.

Obito was seeking pointers on nature transformation as he had apparently begun to lag behind his classmates at the Academy. He’d noticed that Kakashi was capable of utilizing all five basic nature transformations and hoped that he might have useful advice or a secret trick up his sleeve. Obito had looked slightly crestfallen when told that practice was simply the most surefire answer, but he noticeably brightened after Kakashi offered to oversee some of his training.

But unlike Obito, Kakashi doesn’t believe that his current skill level is an issue of major concern. The Uchiha isn’t doing that badly, and chances are that he will be able to progress more rapidly in the future. Granted, Kakashi does recognize that Obito could definitely benefit from a more efficient and more organized training regimen.

He’s noticed that Obito tends to alternate between various techniques and jutsus in a haphazard manner, not seeming to realize that focused work in a single area would be a more productive use of his time. And when he does concentrate on one specific task, he overdoes it and devotes hours of his time to achieve little headway. It’s all quite unfortunate, really, because it seems as though Obito’s rush to get better is only hindering him.

Kakashi can’t say that he understands his impatience, but time does pass differently for him, especially for a youkai as old as he is. Obito should be around nine or ten years old, so even a few months of waiting probably feels like an eternity to him.

Thankfully, Rin appears to be a reasonably well-adjusted and sensible child. She, on the other hand, was looking for someone who could help her in academics. As a prospective medical nin, her coursework included human anatomy, extensive chakra theory, and healing techniques in addition to the Academy’s core curriculum. Lately, Rin had been struggling to find a partner who could review the material with her. Considering that Obito and the rest of her peers struggled to even pronounce the words in her medical texts, Rin was very much alone in her studies.

Back when Kakashi resided with the Hatake clan, he had studied basic human biology and chakra theory as part of his efforts to create a human form capable of performing shinobi techniques. Because of that, he doesn’t mind quizzing Rin on medical terminology or procedures while they watch Obito practice running through his forms.

But now that Kakashi thinks about it, these meetings will likely become more infrequent now that Minato is nearly finished assisting Jiraiya. Suitable placements have been found for almost all of the former Root agents, so the two of them should be able to resume their usual schedule soon. Kakashi wonders what Rin and Obito will do once it does.

Would the two of them feel comfortable stopping by with Minato there?

However, Kakashi is distracted from that thought by Obito’s next remark.

“It takes me forever to get things right,” he grumbles. “Is there even anything you’re not good at?” Obito asks, frowning at Kakashi.

It’s a good question, to be fair. Kakashi certainly possesses all of the qualities that an elite shinobi is required to have. He has his faults, of course, but Kakashi acts strategically so that those shortcomings do not become a hindrance. But then again, the truth of the matter is that Kakashi is even more powerful than Obito believes. Although he highly doubts that the Uchiha would appreciate this piece of information.

“Well, you could say that I tend to fail when it comes to not making people angry,” Kakashi answers honestly. “I would wager that the ability to not antagonize the ones around you could prove to be an instrumental skill on a number of missions.”

Kakashi had considered giving Obito a compliment but decided against it, knowing that the boy might interpret it as a comment made solely out of pity.

Hopefully, his statement regarding his own ability to engender ire will prompt Obito to think about how he, in contrast, is generally well-liked by the community. From what he’s heard, this is due to Obito’s regular habit of tirelessly aiding the citizens of Konoha in their everyday tasks. Likeability certainly shouldn't be overlooked as a strength. That kind of altruism has the potential to inspire a powerful sense of loyalty in others.

And given the contemplative look on Obito’s face, he may have succeeded in his objective.

“Also, for many reasons,” Kakashi adds, “you shouldn’t use me as an example.”

“How come?” Obito asks as he turns his attention back to Kakashi, sounding genuinely curious as to why such a thing would be so inadvisable.

But Kakashi pretends to not have heard the Uchiha’s question. If Rin and Obito intend to spend any amount of time with him, then they’ll need to get used to not having the majority of their questions answered.

“Why don’t you take a break?” Rin chimes in, presumably trying to distract Obito before his confusion at Kakashi’s lack of a response can shift to irritation.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kakashi echoes. An important aspect of training is recognizing when you’ve reached your maximum output for the day and therefore knowing when to rest. If Obito is reasonable enough to listen now, there may be hope for him yet.

For one moment, it looks as though the Uchiha will protest.

But Obito settles down next to them with a sigh, peering over Rin’s shoulder to get a better look at the diagram the other two were reviewing.

Chapter Text

After embarking on a weeklong mission outside of the village, Sakumo is finally back in Konoha. He had departed from the main road as soon as he passed through the village gates, making his way through the surrounding woods.

But instead of heading directly to the Hatake clan grounds, Sakumo makes a detour towards the training area that Minato and Kakashi tend to frequent. Given the time of day, he expects that the two of them will still be out there.

Sure enough, he can hear the telltale sounds of their voices filtering through the forest as he draws closer to the training ground. From what Sakumo can tell, the two have finished wrapping up the final item on their agenda for today and are now discussing potential plans for an upcoming mission.

“You could just let me eat them,” he hears Kakashi suggest matter-of-factly. “It’s been a while since I last got to eat a human.”

“Umm…” Minato's now baffled voice carries through the trees.

Sakumo can only imagine the expression on the youth's face right now, especially when he’s not sure how much Minato even knows about youkai. Now Kakashi had mentioned that the two encountered a swallow spirit a little while back, but this could very well be the first time that Minato has ever heard about youkai consuming humans, let alone that Kakashi has eaten humans before.

“When was the last time you ate someone?” Minato asks uneasily with the tone of a person who isn’t sure if he actually wants to know the answer.

“Well, when was the last time I went off on my own during a mission again?”

Minato makes a sound reminiscent of a small animal getting crushed underfoot.

Sakumo steps through the last row of trees and into the clearing, not bothering to announce his presence. Forewarning was hardly necessary considering the other two shinobi should have already noticed him approaching, and Sakumo is fairly certain that Kakashi had detected him when he was at least a mile away.

Sure enough, neither show any sign of surprise at his appearance. Kakashi gives him a nod while Minato raises a hand in greeting, still looking a little flabbergasted by his student's disclosures.

“How was the mission?” Kakashi asks, evidently recognizing that Minato is not quite ready for conversation just yet.

“Successful, more or less,” Sakumo responds with a shrug. “We were able to identify a few of Danzō’s foreign contacts, but it looks like his reach didn’t go that far outside of Konoha. I’d say he had yet to make significant inbounds there.”

“Jiraiya thinks the same,” Minato pipes in, having recovered swiftly from his initial shock. “As extensive as Danzō’s corruption was, it seems that he was only in the early stages of whatever he was planning. Thankfully, we don’t ever have to find out where he might’ve taken things if given the opportunity.”

Sakumo opens his mouth to voice his agreement. But before he can say anything, a small, reddish-brown blur hurtles across the clearing in their direction. He braces himself for a possible attack, only to relax upon recognizing the figure.

The fox ears and tail are unmistakable after all.

The little youkai, looking the same as when he and Kakashi had last seen him, darts forward to wrap his arms around Sakumo’s legs in a quick hug. Sakumo notes with amusement that as enthusiastic as the fox spirit is, he appears to have enough self-preservation to recognize that Kakashi would not appreciate a hug.

The fox boy steps back, beaming at the two of them. “I found you! I wasn’t sure how long it would take me, but I did it!” His eyes alight on Minato, and he turns to him in excitement. “Oh, I don’t know you! Who are you?”

“That’s Minato, he’s a friend,” Sakumo responds, getting the sense that the fox spirit doesn’t require an in-depth explanation.

Minato, in turn, offers his hand to the little fox who shakes it eagerly with both of his own. Considering that this is likely the third youkai Minato has ever interacted with, he looks to be taking the fox spirit’s sudden arrival in stride. It probably helps that Minato has been fortunate enough to only have met spirits that are both benign and humanlike in appearance. Also, the fox boy’s childish demeanor surely doesn’t hurt either.

“Why are you here?” Kakashi cuts in, frowning at the fox spirit.

The little fox's response is as cheerful as ever. “You said that I could visit any time, so I did!”

Sakumo smiles at the fox boy’s unbridled excitement. “It’s a little unexpected, but I’m happy to have you here. Maybe we can find something fun to do. It might take a few days before I have the free time though.”

“That’s okay! There’s plenty of things I can do until then!”

“Don’t get careless now,” Kakashi warns. “You won’t be invisible to the other humans in the village. They’ll only see you as a common fox, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get into trouble with them.”

The little fox nods earnestly. “Don’t worry, I won’t!” he assures him before scampering away into the woods again.

Kakashi sighs, his mood seeming much heavier than it was before the fox spirit’s appearance. Minato appears to notice the wolf spirit’s change in temperament as well judging by how quickly he bids them goodbye and leaves the training ground.

“What’s the problem?” Sakumo asks when the two of them are alone, remembering Kakashi’s odd demeanor when they had initially met the little fox. “I’m just making friends.”

For a moment, Sakumo is convinced that Kakashi will ignore him, and this will just be one of the many questions that he'll never get the answer to. But after a long sigh, the youkai replies.

“That’s exactly what I was concerned about,” Kakashi finally answers, his voice curiously flat.

Sakumo blinks in surprise, not having anticipated that response.

“I’ve seen humans come and go time and time again,” Kakashi elaborates. “But the little fox is young. I don’t believe he understands how comparatively short your lifespans can be.”

“You live and die in the blink of an eye,” Kakashi states simply. “Any human friends the fox spirit makes will be gone before he knows it.”

“I… see your point,” Sakumo admits.

In all honesty, he hadn’t expected Kakashi’s attitude to result from a sense of concern for the fox boy. And it's difficult to fault his reasoning either. Sakumo can’t imagine that the childlike fox spirit would take well to losing his new friends.

However, he does disagree with Kakashi’s approach. It could just be because his time is naturally limited as a human, but Sakumo considers isolating oneself to be a rather morose way of living, even if it is done to avoid the pain of loss.

“At the same time, I think it's too late to stop now, so we might as well go through with it," Sakumo points out. “Not unless you’ve got the power to remove memories as well.” He tacks on this last sentence mostly as a joke, but he never really knows with Kakashi.

The wolf spirit rolls his eyes at that. “Well, someone will need to have a talk with the little fox eventually, and it looks like it’s going to be you. Kakashi doesn’t look much happier about this turn of events, but his tone of voice suggests that he’s at the very least reconsidering. “He’ll entertain himself with exploring the village for now, but it won’t be long before he resurfaces.”

“I expected that to be the case,” Sakumo agrees. “I wonder when we’ll see him next?”

It turns out that Minato finds out the answer to this question soon enough.

“Why is it following me?” Kushina hisses at him, her eyes looking slightly wild at this point.

Minato turns around and fights the sudden urge to laugh.

Trailing after them is the fox spirit, gazing at Kushina with adoring eyes.

Only the prospect of Kushina’s inescapable wrath prevents Minato from letting his amusement show

Of course.

A fox spirit. And the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

There’s little mystery as to why the little spirit would become interested in Kushina of all people. But Kushina, who does not know of youkai, is undoubtedly uncomfortable by the fox’s attention.

With that, he turns to his anxious girlfriend. “Let me try something. I think he’ll run away if I get closer.”

Minato walks up to the fox boy, attempting to whisper as surreptitiously as he can manage. “It’s good to see you, but now’s not a great time. Could we spend some time together later?”

Thankfully, the little fox nods amiably and scurries away. Kushina breathes a sigh of relief once the fox boy has exited their line of sight.

The rest of their walk continues in an uneventful fashion, but Minato spends most of it mulling over a question that has suddenly taken root in his mind. More accurately, he spends the remainder of the day thinking about it as well, finally voicing his question to Kakashi during their next training session.

“Am I allowed to tell anyone else about the existence of youkai?”

Kakashi responds quite matter-of-factly, not even looking up from the shuriken he’s inspecting. “There is no rule, and I’m certainly not a gatekeeper dictating who is and who isn’t allowed to know. As an individual with the ability to see youkai, disclosing that information is your prerogative.”

“Most stay silent and don't tell another soul unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Kakashi explains, now testing the sharpness of his kunai by stabbing its point into a tree trunk. “There’s typically no reason to enlighten someone who's incapable of perceiving the truth though. For example, Sakumo didn’t say anything because there was simply no need to.”

Minato bites his lip in unease. He had hoped that Kakashi’s answer would provide him with a resolution, but it’s only brought him more uncertainty.

Should he tell Kushina?

Minato wants to build a future with her, and he can’t imagine hiding something that has become such a significant part of his life as of late. While Kakashi claims that their run-ins with youkai should be few and far between, Minato can’t help but feel that it won’t be the case.

“Hey Kakashi,” Minato begins, turning towards the youkai. “You mentioned that certain seals could allow youkai to be seen by humans, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he answers, now regarding Minato with an inquisitive look. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you think I would be able to experiment with some of those seals?”

Chapter Text

Several days after the fox boy’s arrival in Konoha, Kakashi, Sakumo, and Minato manage to scrounge up enough free time to show the young spirit around the village. And given the pleasant weather, the three decide to cap off the day by taking the little fox up to the very top of the Hokage Rock.

While the trek to the stone heads can be a difficult trail for the inexperienced traveler, their combined party of youkai and shinobi manages the steep paths with ease. Sakumo leads the way up with the elated fox spirit hot on his heels.

Kakashi elects to hang back with Minato, possibly because the little fox appears to be in a particularly inquisitive mood. Minato can’t really blame him, however. It seems that the spirit has never even heard of hidden villages or shinobi before and is now taking it upon himself to learn as much as he can about these new concepts.

“So these Hokage… You said that they’re the ones who lead all of the shinobi in the village, right?” Minato overhears the fox boy ask.

Sakumo gives an encouraging nod in response to the spirit’s curious expression.

“Well, what exactly is a shinobi then?” the little fox inquires innocently, looking up at the Hatake clan head.

The jōnin freezes in his tracks for an infinitesimal moment, no doubt scrambling for an explanation that will downplay the bloodier and more unsavory aspects of their occupation. Meanwhile, the fox youkai, utterly oblivious to Sakumo’s internal panic, waits patiently for his answer.

“So-“ Sakumo starts, but he cuts himself off, obviously deciding against what he had originally planned to say. “You see…” he tries again before abandoning that attempt as well.

Kakashi lets out an amused snort, prompting Sakumo to shoot him a dirty look over his shoulder.

It’s odd to see Sakumo Hatake, one of deadliest combatants in the entire Second Shinobi War, looking so flustered. It may be easy to forget how powerful Sakumo is due to his easygoing personality, but Minato wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Iwa and Suna shinobi still tell their children cautionary tales about the White Fang in order to frighten them into behaving. 

To Sakumo’s credit though, it doesn’t take the famous war hero too long to come up with an appropriate response.

“Shinobi serve the villages that they reside in and do so by carrying out assigned missions,” Sakumo replies with the expression of a man who is choosing his words very carefully. “We might be asked to guard a person of interest, deliver and retrieve items, or defend a certain area,” he elaborates, wisely not mentioning the lethal force that shinobi are authorized and often commanded to wield.

The little fox nods thoughtfully. “I see.”

Minato imagines that Sakumo has just breathed a huge internal sigh of relief. And fortunately for him, the fox spirit seems satisfied with his response and promptly shifts his line of questioning to much more innocuous topics.

“Why would shinobi take the time and effort to carve such huge faces onto the mountain though?” the fox boy asks as he gestures in the general direction of the monument the four are traveling towards.

While Sakumo explains that the stone faces are supposed to represent how the Hokages watch over Konoha, Minato casts a glance around the area to check for any stray passersby. There’s no one near them, not that Minato actually expected anybody to be here at this time. Still, he prefers to be cautious in scenarios such as these. It would be quite a hassle to explain themselves if word got around that he, Sakumo, and Kakashi were engaging in conversations with a common fox.

“Oh here,” Kakashi suddenly speaks up as if just remembering something, handing Minato a scrap of paper that was tucked in his front pocket.

Minato takes it and brings the paper closer to his face for a closer look. It looks to be some kind of symbol carefully outlined in ink. A shape that resembles an eye is situated in the middle of two concentric circles. The ring between the two circles has been divided into six equal sections, and smaller symbols have been drawn in each of those segments.

Given that he had asked Kakashi about seals for viewing youkai just a few days prior, this can only be one thing.

Minato raises his eyebrows in surprise. “That didn’t take you very long at all.”

“It was something I was already looking into,” Kakashi admits. “After that swallow spirit barged in for help, I thought it might be useful to have something of the sort on hand. It's referred to as a youkai circle, but this one is also incomplete.”

“What do you mean?” Minato asks, examining it more closely. It doesn’t look unfinished to him, but he really wouldn’t know considering that this is a seal he’s never laid eyes on before.

“Well, it’s a bit of a tricky situation,” Kakashi explains. “The text that I found this youkai circle in was a particularly ancient one, so portions of the page had already crumbled away. I managed to copy down everything that I could discern and filled in the rest through guesswork. It does work, but it’s also rather unpredictable in its current state.”

Minato’s confusion must be obvious because Kakashi continues on after one quick glance at his face. “So this seal functions in a very specific way. It must be drawn or etched onto the ground. A youkai that passes over the seal will become visible to any human, even if they have no spiritual power at all. The issue now is that the circle seems to weaken if you try to draw it any larger than it is here. It’s very unreliable. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“Is there anything that can be done to make this more effective?” Minato asks, now frowning to himself. Things don’t seem very promising if Kakashi wasn’t able to figure it out.

Kakashi, however, doesn’t appear to be too concerned. “That’s where you come in. I think the best solution might be to stabilize the circle with fūinjutsu. Since the seal is supposed to be for Kushina, it might be helpful to incorporate an element of chakra. Now it's important to note that spiritual energy and chakra do not mix. But youkai circles don’t actually require any spiritual power to use, so I think it would be a worthwhile angle to pursue.”

Minato nods his agreement and begins folding up the piece of paper. But Kakashi’s next words cause him to look back up in surprise.

“I will warn you that youkai circles are a prohibited technique,” the wolf spirit advises, his voice now quite serious. “In fact, any mechanism that allows someone incapable of perceiving youkai to actually see them is considered forbidden.”

“I’m not an exorcist, so I don’t care either way,” Kakashi quickly adds in response to Minato’s alarmed expression. “It’s highly unlikely that you’ll run into any of them to begin with, and you should be able to handle the situation on the off chance that you do. But youkai are a different matter. There are certainly some spirits out there who would not take very kindly to you using that seal. If you’re lucky, they will politely ask to stop.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Minato mutters to himself as he tucks the seal away into the pocket of his flak jacket. He’ll need to be careful when experimenting on it then.

The two fall into silence once more, Minato now pondering the implications of these new developments. He’s certainly glad to have the seal, but this means he’ll probably end up having to delay his current project yet again. It’s been a dream of his to replicate the Nidaime’s Flying Thunder God technique, and he’s been working towards that goal for quite a while now. Minato’s speed is already exceptional, but adding a teleportation jutsu to his arsenal could make him near unstoppable.

But despite the incredibly practical applications of Tobirama Senju’s famed technique, Minato has been forced to push back his research multiple times during the past few months. There really wasn’t anything he could’ve done otherwise, not after Jiraiya had conscripted him to help manage the fallout of Danzō’s death.

Almost absentmindedly, Minato pats the pocket that he placed the seal in. He supposes that it’ll be some time before he’ll be able to fiddle around with teleportation seals again.

Figuring out the youkai circle should be his priority now. Minato hates keeping any kind of secret from Kushina, and he knows that he’ll be much more at ease once he lets her in on the secret. But Kushina can’t see youkai on her own, so there’s no point in informing her now when his only evidence exists in the form of a rather erratic seal.

But he pushes those feelings aside for the time being because they’ve now reached the very top of the Hokage Rock.

The little fox exclaims his delight at the impressive sight of Konoha laid out before them. He shoots off like a dart, scampering over the massive stone heads while Sakumo hovers behind him.

Minato has been up to the Hokage Rock several times now, but repetition does nothing to diminish the breathtaking nature of the view. He settles himself down on the stone in a little nook between the Nidaime and the Sandaime, taking it all in. Meanwhile, Kakashi heads in the direction of Sakumo and the fox spirit, trailing lazily after them.

The four of them don’t stay atop the mountain for too long, just around an hour or so. While the sunset is especially stunning when viewed from the Hokage Rock, the little fox had intended to set out for home before darkness fell.

After making their way back down, the fox boy bids them farewell and promises to come back as soon as he’s able. Sakumo and Minato both wish him well and send him off with warm smiles. Kakashi, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly appear enthusiastic, but overall seems to be much less put out than he was the day the fox spirit first arrived in Konoha.

All in all, the day’s activity was a pleasant experience. Certainly an unexpected one, but a nice one nonetheless. It had allowed Minato the opportunity to take his mind off of all the duties expected of him, especially when he's facing far more than he could have ever predicted.

Aside from Minato’s responsibility of serving Konoha and bettering himself as a shinobi, he’s been assigned a youkai in disguise as a student, he’s helped to expose Danzō’s treacherous deeds against the village, and he’s participated in the extensive and tiring process associated with its aftermath. To top it off, there’s also his growing relationship with Kushina to consider and the obligations that he has to her.

And speaking of responsibilities, Minato has yet another one to add to his now considerable list. Oddly enough, this might be the one that makes him the most anxious, even if it’s arguably one of the more mundane ones.

In all honesty, Minato is slightly surprised that he still has the capacity to feel nervous, even after everything the Hatakes have put him through. But regardless of how he’s feeling, this is still something that he needs to do.

So a few weeks later, he finds himself walking calmly down the hallway, only stopping when he’s found the room he’s searching for.

Minato steps into the classroom, eyes scanning the rows of desks until he’s pinpointed the faces he’s looking for.

“Rin Nohara? Obito Uchiha?”

The two genin jump slightly in their seats, looking up at him in surprise.

Minato smiles down at their startled, expectant faces.

“My name is Minato Namikaze, and I’ll be your jōnin-sensei from today onwards.”

Chapter Text

His new student’s reactions weren’t what Minato had anticipated as he was operating under the assumption that neither genin would know who he was. While Minato is regarded as an exceptional jōnin, he’s hardly a household name at this point. Yet Rin and Obito had appeared to recognize him, at least to a certain extent. Oddly enough, the two also appeared to be somewhat pleased to see him.

The two seem polite enough, greeting him rather timidly and nodding after Minato informs them that they will be immediately departing for the training grounds.

“So we’ll be running through your first task there, and that’s where you’ll meet the third member of the team,” Minato explains as they leave the Academy building.

Minato had initially planned for Kakashi to accompany him to the Academy but decided against it after remembering Sakumo reference Kakashi's popularity amongst the school-age children. Not wanting to create a disturbance for the other jōnin-sensei, Minato instead asked Kakashi to wait at their usual training ground while he picked up his new students. Hopefully, the youkai will still be there when they arrive.

Rin and Obito appear to be promising genin. He just hopes they’ll be able to get along with Kakashi. Nevertheless, all Minato can think about is Kakashi’s unfailing ability to provoke others into a rage. The youkai simply has a knack for phrasing his words so that they elicit the maximum amount of offense.

So it is with a mild sense of trepidation that Minato enters the training ground with his new students trailing after him.

Kakashi, he notes with relief, is still there, lounging under a shady tree in the clearing.

“Hey, it is you!” Obito exclaims upon catching sight of Kakashi.

Rin’s voice is almost a squeal in her excitement. “Hi Kakashi! I’m so happy we’ll be on the same team!”

“Oh, I thought it would be you too,” Kakashi remarks mildly, marking his page in the book he was reading before walking over to join them.

Minato’s eyebrows furrow in confusion at this exchange. He honestly wasn’t aware that Kakashi was even on speaking terms with any children. As developments go, it’s an unexpected but not unwelcome one. It seems like Minato won’t have to worry about Kakashi inciting his teammates into attacking him at the very least.

This could play out better than he had envisioned.

“It looks like the three of you have already met, that’s good,” Minato starts, directing a pointed look a Kakashi who seems to be pretending that nothing is amiss.

“We can skip past the introductions then. Now as the two of you have just graduated from the Academy, I’d like to run a little exercise with the three of you.”

Minato holds out two little silver bells that are attached to a string. “Your objective is to take one of these bells from me, and I’m going to give you all one hour to do this. If you can’t manage to get your hands on a bell, then it might mean that you're not ready to be a shinobi just yet.”

The key to the bell test is ensuring that its participants don’t see through the ruse. It only takes the slightest bit of doubt to reveal the cracks in the logic of the premise. From there, it’s a simple task to piece together the hidden objective. Minato watches his students’ faces carefully as he speaks, searching for any indication of suspicion.

Two-thirds of his team is taking this seriously. Rin and Obito are reacting as expected, their faces somber as they take in his words.

And then there’s Kakashi.

It’s remarkable how expressive Kakashi’s face can be when half of it is concealed by a mask at all times. Minato genuinely doesn’t recall ever having anyone look this unimpressed with him before.

He had never expected to fool Kakashi, and he was certain that the youkai would pick up on the exercise’s true purpose. However, Minato had still elected to not inform Kakashi about the bell test in advance, a decision that he is now beginning to regret. Things could become very challenging indeed if Kakashi is going to be in one of his difficult moods.

But Minato smiles at his team, taking care to not betray any of his apprehension. “Your hour starts now!” he proclaims before taking to the trees.

As soon as his back is turned, however, Minato’s expression slides into a grimace.

This might not go so well after all.

Kakashi resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course.

Of course this is the exercise, a “secret test of character” designed to determine if its subjects are willing to help others at a possible cost to themselves. Does Minato think that Kakashi has never heard of them?

Youkai are more than fond of these. Would you help a lost child in the woods on a rainy day or pick up a cane for an elderly man when you’re in a hurry? Performing a selfless deed or showing even the tiniest amount of kindness can prompt a spirit to aid you in your own time of need.

Kakashi is a little surprised that Minato would administer a test like this. He would’ve figured that shinobi, even genin, would be able to see through such a charade. Although now that he thinks about it, human children do have a tendency to take things at face value, especially if an authority figure is telling them so.

That seems to be the case here as Rin and Obito still appear slightly taken aback by Minato’s pronouncement, shooting furtive glances at each other if not entirely sure what to do.

The youkai frowns slightly. There are several courses of action that he could take, but he wants to catch up with Minato before he makes his decision.

“I’m going to go scout ahead. I’ll catch up with you two in a little bit,” Kakashi declares, leaping up into the treetops before Rin and Obito can even say anything.

It doesn’t take long for him to locate the jōnin. Minato looks up and immediately groans upon seeing Kakashi perched in the branches like a particularly smug cat.

“Alright, don’t hold back now,” Minato says with an expression of pure resignation.

Kakashi smirks, making no attempt to hide his amusement. “It’s like you borrowed the premise from an old folk tale. I would know.”

“It’s a tradition…” Minato mutters, his voice trailing off.

“I assume that you don’t want me to take charge of this exercise,” Kakashi continues as if hadn’t heard him.

“No,” Minato sighs, “I’m not testing you. Because that would imply that I could actually get rid of you,” he adds, shooting an exasperated look at Kakashi.

“Don’t complain now, you had your chance to get away and decided not to take it,” the youkai answers loftily, looking utterly unperturbed.

“Wait,” Minato speaks up, now remembering his moment of confusion from earlier. “How do you even know Rin and Obito anyway?”

“It turns out that the shinobi children of Konoha apparently enjoy stalking those that they find interesting,” Kakashi replies offhandedly. “Those two seemed to be some of the more promising ones. They were looking for a little extra help on schoolwork and ninjutsu.”

“I… see,” Minato responds with the voice of someone who doesn’t quite understand but would also rather not inquire further.

“Well, the fact that the three of you know each other changes things considerably, Minato muses, moving onto a different topic. “And Rin’s and Obito’s familiarity with each other is an interesting factor as well.”

"In an ordinary scenario, the bell test determines whether or not three individuals will combine their efforts even if one is supposedly guaranteed to fail.” Minato gestures towards the bells attached to his belt. “Here, I think we’re testing to see if Rin and Obito would be willing to work with you.”

“How so?” Kakashi asks, looking somewhat interested.

“Those two have to be aware that you’re leagues ahead of them in skill,” Minato reasons. “They might decide that their best chances of getting a bell would be to band together against you. Of course, that wouldn’t actually work,” he acknowledges, “but it would be a valid strategy from their perspective.”

Kakashi nods. “Alright, so let Obito and Rin take the initiative and see if they’re willing to cooperate. I can do that.”

“Sounds like a plan,” answers Minato. “I’ll likely remain around this area, so no one has to spend too much time tracking me down.”

With that settled, Kakashi hurtles back into the foliage in search of the other two. As it turns out, they haven’t traveled very far from the clearing. He jumps down from the tree branch to land directly in front of Rin and Obito, causing both to jump back in surprise.

“I’m back. He’s approximately fifty yards northeast of us,” Kakashi announces.

Rin takes a second to respond, her voice a little high pitched from the shock. “Oh, that’s good.”

“So, what do you plan to do?” Kakashi prompts since Obito still appears a bit dumbfounded.

“Well, Minato-sensei is a very skilled jōnin,” Rin begins cautiously. “I don’t think we would have much of a chance on our own, but we might be able to get a bell if we work together though.”

“Sure, why not?” Kakashi agrees casually.

Both genin frown slightly at his tone but neither seems terribly bothered by it. They’ve evidently grown accustomed to Kakashi’s matter-of-fact manner of speaking.

“I think a simple formation could work,” Rin proposes, her face slightly subdued with apprehension. “We could have two people providing a distraction while one tries to get the bells. We could also try going in all at once, but I think we might get in each other’s way."

“And sensei probably has some kind of special technique for dealing with a lot of people at once,” Obito jumps in, looking a little more animated now that Kakashi is on board. “So we can sneak up on him and catch him by surprise instead.”

Rin now appears a little more confident as well. “I think that it would be best for me to be one of the ones running interference, but I’m okay with any role,” she offers.

“So who’s going to take the bells?” asks Obito.

Seeing an opportunity, Kakashi cuts in. “Obito should do it.”

“Wait, me? Why not you?” the boy splutters, clearly not expecting to be volunteered at all.

“Because he’ll expect it to be me,” Kakashi explains. “I’ve been a shinobi for the longest out of the three of us, so it would make sense for me to take point. You also have the fireball jutsu down now, and that will be especially effective at close range.”

“You want me to set Minato-sensei on fire?” Obito asks incredulously.

“No, you don’t need to actually direct the jutsu at him,” Kakashi elaborates, even though he knows that a jōnin like Minato is more than capable of avoiding a freshly minted genin’s attack. “A distraction would be sufficient.”

Obito appears mollified by this. “Okay, let’s do this.”

The three small shinobi creep carefully through the forest to where Kakashi last saw Minato. Sure enough, the jōnin is still there, waiting for his students to appear.

Rin turns to her teammates who each give her a nod. Frowning in concentration, she takes one deep breath before taking aim.

A kunai sails through the air, embedding itself in the earth only a few inches in front of the jōnin’s feet. As Minato turns in the direction of where the projectile originated, an arc of lightning shoots just over his right shoulder.

Now on alert, Minato turns slowly in place to see Rin and Kakashi leap out into the open. They immediately fall into position, circling him in an attempt to close him in. Rin continues with a barrage of kunai, aiming to contain rather than hit. Meanwhile, Kakashi alternates between lightning bolts and pressurized jets of water to cover any openings that Minato might take advantage of.

Obito watches from his hiding spot, waiting for the jōnin to turn his back to him.

Now!

Obito charges towards Minato, only for him to take notice and sidestep the lunge easily. Now off-balance, he topples over and comes up empty-handed. Obito scrambles to his feet to try again, diving at Minato who looks more than prepared for him now. But this time the Uchiha exhales a plume of fire that rockets forward, forcing Minato to dodge to the left as Obito hurtles directly towards him.

From Kakashi’s vantage point, he can clearly see Minato’s face break into a wide grin as Obito flies under his outstretched arm and reaches.

The Uchiha tumbles to the ground for a second time, rolling several feet from his momentum. Obito pushes himself up into a standing position and looks up to see that Rin, Kakashi, and Minato have all stopped in their tracks to watch him. He stares down at his closed fist and opens it gingerly, seeming unsure of what he might find.

“I… I got it,” Obito says slowly, holding the bells in the air as if he can hardly believe his eyes.

“Well, well.” Minato looks extremely pleased with this turn of events.

“You’ve all passed. Welcome to the team.”

Chapter Text

Due to the unusual nature of his graduation, Kakashi had never actually performed a D-rank mission before. As there was no genin team available then, he had simply accompanied Sakumo on his own missions. So even before Minato was assigned as his jōnin-sensei, Kakashi had already embarked on plenty of C-ranks, quite a few B-ranks, and even several A and S-rank missions until the Hokage got wind of it.

It’s somewhat fascinating to see what kinds of assignments are contracted out to beginner shinobi, what chores that civilians trust the trained children of the village to carry out. However, that interest wanes rather quickly.

“If I have to lay eyes on that cat one more time, it will never be seen again,” Kakashi declares emphatically after one particularly irritating repeat assignment.

Obito and Rin chuckle a little at that as they nurse their scratches, reasonably assuming that Kakashi is making a joke.

In contrast, the expression on Minato’s face appears to be one of absolute dismay. It looks as though he’s just remembered that Kakashi is actually a wolf spirit with few qualms about eating humans, youkai, or any creature in between.

Following that comment, the team is conveniently not assigned to any missions that involve capturing live animals ever again.

The four had adjusted reasonably well into a unit from the start. After Obito had successfully taken the bells, Minato explained the test’s purpose and complimented the two exhausted and delighted genin on their performance throughout the exercise.

“The two of you did very well,” Minato had said with a warm smile. “Rin, that was a solid strategy you developed there. It was simple, and that’s often all you need to carry out your objective. Obito, good job at putting yourself out there. And your Great Fireball Technique is quite powerful for your age.”

Kakashi looked up from his pack with an amused expression at that. “Well, we did train with Obito-”

“You threw wooden boards at me while I practiced!” Obito had cut him off in an outraged tone.

“Now Rin threw some too,” Kakashi replied mildly as the kunoichi in question hid an impish smile behind her hands.

Sakumo had been dismantling one of the dilapidated houses on the Hatake clan grounds around that time, and Kakashi saw an opportunity to repurpose the old building material by using them for moving target practice.

Granted, he had neglected to warn Obito of what he was doing in advance, instead choosing to toss planks in his direction as soon as he saw an opening. But as displeased as Obito was from the initial surprise, he quickly understood Kakashi’s objective for it all. And he ended up keeping his complaints to a minimum after Rin joined in on the fun.

Once they had moved past Obito’s lingering irritation, Minato had quickly established a daily schedule for the team to follow. The afternoons consisted of various training exercises while the mornings were dedicated to whatever D-ranks were available to them.

Obito and Rin aren’t terrible working partners and make competent enough teammates. Minato seems to be relieved by the lack of friction anyway. Kakashi supposes that any reasonable person would be apprehensive about pairing two fresh genin with a shinobi that already has a reputation for causing uproar. The higher-ups of Konoha had likely designated Rin and Obito as Kakashi’s teammates as soon as it was apparent that the three would be able to get along.

So far, the closest thing they’ve had to conflict was Rin’s and Obito’s initial confusion over the minimal attention that Minato shows Kakashi during their training sessions. Seeing as they can’t admit that Kakashi actually achieved jōnin-level skill decades before Konoha was even founded, the two justify this by claiming that Kakashi’s early graduation, chūnin status, and missions taken with Sakumo have left him with a mastery of the basics.

Minato and Kakashi will need a new excuse once they start embarking on higher ranking missions with increased levels of risk, but Rin and Obito readily accept this initial explanation.

But even though Kakashi acknowledges that Rin’s and Obito’s company is overall acceptable, their missions are still dreadfully boring. And despite the fact that Kakashi agreed to take part in this rather monotonous routine, it hardly meant that he wasn’t looking for opportunities to make things a little more invigorating.

The trouble began when Minato decided to officially introduce his former sensei to his new genin team. Or to put it more accurately, his team of two genin and one chūnin.

“I thought it was about time that I introduced you all to my own sensei,” Minato explains after Rin and Obito arrive at the training ground to find Jiraiya waiting for them as well.

The two are predictably awestruck at meeting one of the famed Sannin. Jiraiya, as expected, basks in the attention and even demonstrates a few choice jutsus that Rin and Obito marvel over. Jiraiya, who seems to be enjoying the break from his regular duties, is his usual jovial self throughout the introduction.

At least he is until Kakashi joins them.

Given the animosity that Minato’s former sensei holds for Kakashi, he had asked the youkai to arrive a half-hour later than usual. Unfortunately, it appears that Kakashi either wasn’t listening or deliberately chose not to heed his request. Minato is inclined to believe that the latter is the case here. However, both possibilities are equally likely knowing Kakashi.

While Jiraiya doesn’t say anything, he very pointedly avoids looking at Kakashi upon his arrival. Gone is Jiraiya’s cheerful demeanor, and he departs with a terse goodbye only a few minutes later. None of this escapes Rin’s or Obito’s notice, but they manage to hold off on their questions until after the training session has concluded.

“Is there a reason why Jiraiya had such a reaction to Kakashi?” Rin asks hesitantly as they clear up the debris from their target practice.

“Oh,” Kakashi answers nonchalantly, almost certainly smirking behind his mask. “I caught him sneaking around the women’s bathhouses years ago, and he’s been a bit put out by that ever since.”

Both Rin and Obito look quite outraged by this breach of privacy, or rather as outraged as children their age can be.

“He shouldn’t have been there to begin with!” Rin declares indignantly while Obito nods his agreement. “How is he allowed to get away with that?”

Minato frowns, trying to wrack his brains for an explanation as to why his former sensei’s crude behavior is permitted. However, it seems as though Kakashi was more than prepared for this question.

“Shinobi often adopt a few eccentricities when they grow in age and experience. And if they’re particularly skilled, people in the village tend to be a bit more permissive of their quirks even if they do fall on the more disreputable side,” Kakashi clarifies, continuing his usual trend of phrasing things in the bluntest of manners.

Rin looks less than satisfied with this line of reasoning. “Well, that still shouldn’t be excused,” she mutters under her breath as she packs up the rest of her belongings.

“I know,” Minato acknowledges with a sigh, making a mental note to talk to Jiraiya about it soon. As fond as he is of his former sensei, Jiraiya can hardly be considered as a good influence for actual children.

“He’s been a bit better about it lately,” Minato remarks. That much is true. After Kakashi first caught him in the act, Jiraiya had been much less flagrant in his snooping. And managing the recent chaos surrounding Danzō and his death had left Jiraiya with little time to engage in his usual “extracurriculars.”

“I’ll have a word with him if it happens again,” he assures his students nonetheless.

Obito and Rin appear somewhat mollified by his words as they depart from the training grounds. But then there’s Kakashi. Minato can’t help but feel unnerved by the glint in the youkai's eyes.

Sure enough, the following day brings Minato news of an unusual incident that had left Jiraiya with minor to moderate injuries. The Sannin was apparently lingering around the women’s bathhouse when a lone exploding tag had appeared from nowhere and fallen onto the ground in front of him. The ensuing explosion, one that had thankfully not resulted in any injury or property damage, had alerted the women who were bathing inside.

That they were displeased to find Jiraiya in such a damning location would be an understatement.

Minato had his suspicions from the start, but they were confirmed after Jiraiya later relayed that his inability to make a quick getaway was due to the uncharacteristically muddy ground outside of the bathhouse.

It appears as though more talks are in order.

Kakashi seems to recognize this as he hangs back after their next training session while Rin and Obito are heading home for the day.

Minato cuts to the chase. “If the three of you are going to toy with Jiraiya, please refrain from disrupting the daily life of the village. As inappropriate as his antics are, you need to keep things contained for everyone else’s sake.”

“No promises,” Kakashi replies cheerily.

However Minato doesn’t sense any feelings of objection from him, so he lets it be.

“How’s your progress on the youkai circle?” Kakashi asks, abruptly changing the topic.

“It’s been challenging,” Minato admits. “The seal is like nothing I’ve ever worked with before. I’ve been trying to alter it so that chakra can be channeled through it, but nothing’s taking so far.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi muses, “that’s not surprising. You’re essentially trying to rewire the way the seal itself functions. Even though the youkai circle is the most accessible and surefire way to perceive spirits, it still has very limited scope in its intended manner of use.”

Minato sighs. He supposed that would be the case. “Just to check again, there aren’t any better options?”

“Having you alter the seal is the most efficient option,” Kakashi clarifies. “Searching for a complete youkai circle wouldn’t be worth the time or effort. Not only is it unlikely that I would be able to find a finished version of the seal, you would probably still need to make adjustments to it anyway. I assume that you want to provide Kushina with something more convenient than a seal that she would have to draw onto the ground and wait for a youkai to pass over.”

“That’s the plan,” Minato confirms. “I want this to be something that she can readily activate at will.”

Kakashi looks thoughtful at that. “Seeing as that’s your goal, I think you should concentrate on adding to the seal to make it receptive to chakra instead of altering its existing content. It already functions well, provided that you don’t enlarge the seal."

“That sounds like a worthwhile plan,” Minato replies even as another part of him mourns the state of his spare time for the coming months. “Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to fix this up. Do you think after everything that’s happened, things will be calm just for once?”

Of course, life rarely does play out that way.

Chapter Text

There’s an unusual amount of panicked screaming in the village this afternoon. The day had progressed normally enough up until that point. Minato had given them the afternoon off, citing the necessity of taking breaks every now and then. Sakumo and Kakashi had been bringing home groceries when the unexpected sounds of a commotion had caught their attention.

The two immediately change course to head in the direction of the racket, one that seems to be originating from the Academy.

Kakashi and Sakumo reach the street that leads up to the school and round the corner, only to come to a halt once they take in the spectacle before them.

Thankfully, no one appears to be injured, but the sight is no less bizarre for that.

The Academy lawn is completely littered with tree branches, many of which seem to have spontaneously sprouted from the ground itself. There is what looks to be some sort of wooden sphere half-embedded into the earth, one that’s made up of numerous tree limbs that have entwined themselves together into a single knot. On top of all that, Kakashi notices that inside that wooden construct is what appears to be a child.

The Academy employees have already taken quick action in an attempt to contain the situation. One teacher looks to be consoling the child inside the globe, although Kakashi can’t imagine how much success she’s having seeing as how the gaps between the branches are beginning to shrink in size. Several more staff members are clearing the area and untangling the students who have been ensnared by the stray branches.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that’s not normal,” Kakashi comments nonchalantly as they observe the chaos in the schoolyard.

“I hope that pun wasn’t intentional,” Sakumo mutters back. “But no, that right there is an exceedingly rare ability that was thought to have died out decades ago. The Shodai was the last known shinobi to have possessed the Mokuton.”

Rin and Obito walk up at that moment, no doubt attracted by the growing commotion. From the looks of it, the two had been frequenting the food stalls that lined the nearby side street.

“Is that Tenzō?” Rin asks, frowning at the small figure just visible from within the nest of twisting branches.

“Oh, that is him!” Obito exclaims, pointing with his yakitori. “It’s that weird kid with the really creepy-”

Rin silences him with a sharp look and a forceful smack on the arm.

Kakashi glances at Sakumo who barely seems to have noticed this exchange. Instead, he’s studying the small swarm of people that’s beginning to assemble around them, likely searching for someone in particular. After a few seconds he gestures at someone in the crowd to come over, evidently having found the person he was looking for.

Jiraiya picks his way through the throng over to where Sakumo, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito are gathered. Upon reaching them, the Sannin visibly recoils at the sight of the three children before turning his attention back to Sakumo.

“Is this from what I think it might be?” Sakumo asks, gesturing towards the scene unfolding before them.

Jiraiya nods. “I’m almost certain. He’s one of the children that were adopted after Danzō’s death. Minato’s on his way right now, so he'll be able to confirm that once he gets here.”

“I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!” Minato appears before their group right on cue, looking as if he’d sprinted the entire way there. Still panting for breath, he looks between everyone gathered there, from Sakumo’s serious visage to Rin’s and Obito’s curious faces.

Kakashi supposes that his own expression reflects an emotion somewhere between apathy and slight interest. And then there’s Jiraiya, who despite his stoic countenance, is very obviously trying to avoid looking at either Obito, Rin, or Kakashi. Minato pretends not to notice his former sensei’s behavior and instead addresses the two genin.

“Rin, Obito,” he states kindly but firmly. “They’re probably going to start clearing out the area soon. It’ll probably be best for the two of you to go ahead and head on out.”

While neither appears particularly pleased by this instruction, they depart if somewhat reluctantly. Obito and Rin do shoot inquisitive glances at Kakashi before leaving, but they seem to have concluded that Minato must have decided against giving him orders due to Sakumo’s presence.

With his youngest students gone, Minato cranes his neck to get a better look at the Academy lawn.

Kakashi notes with mild surprise that the school staff have actually made significant progress in a rather short amount of time. They’ve successfully cleared the perimeter of the other children, and the teacher conversing with the student inside the wooden structure appears to have made noticeable headway as well. Around half of the branches surrounding the child have receded, clearly revealing a brown-haired boy around the age of seven or eight.

“That’s Tenzō for sure,” Minato declares, frowning in concern.

Jiraiya raises his eyebrows. “So you were able to find out his name after all.”

“Not really,” Minato admits. “There was a mix-up in some of the files, and we thought his name was Tenzō. By the time we learned that it wasn’t the case, that the Tenzō named in the documents was almost certainly deceased, he had already grown attached to it.

Minato lets out a long sigh. “We let him know of course, but he wanted to keep the name.”

“Who are his parents again?” Jiraiya asks.

“He was,” Minato starts before pausing to think. “Well, he was taken in by Daisuke, the carpenter, and his wife Junko. The messenger that informed me should’ve sent notice to them as well.”

“The carpenter, you say?” Jiraiya chuckles. “His family might actually see this as a boon. Do you think they would appreciate the ability to spontaneously create wood out of nothing?”

Minato ignores the comment, the look in his eyes suggesting that he’s not in the mood to appreciate humor right now.

“I hope Tenzō still recognizes me,” he mutters under his breath, heading towards the two people still remaining in the schoolyard.

Kakashi watches Minato approach them, first speaking with Tenzō before addressing the teacher. His words evidently have their desired impact as even more of the remaining branches begin to fall away from the boy.

Meanwhile, an anxious middle-aged couple has just arrived on the scene. They can only be Tenzō’s adoptive parents given their level of panic as they frantically scan the faces of every child in the vicinity. The two eventually spot Tenzō who has just managed to extract himself from the wooden orb and rush towards him, their faces filled with concern.

With Tenzō now in their arms, the two turn to Minato and the teacher as they presumably inquire about the events that had led up to this ordeal. Minato looks as attentive as ever, answering the parents’ questions in a professional and calm manner. However, Kakashi knows him well enough to recognize that he’s feeling more than a little agitated at the moment.

Kakashi doesn’t envy him one bit.

Soon after Tenzō departs with his family, Sakumo and Kakashi leave as well, the two having remembered that they were still carrying their groceries.

Most of the other schoolchildren and bystanders are vacating too, but Minato can still feel the beginnings of a headache creeping in.

Orochimaru had disclosed that Tenzō was the only surviving test subject of a specialized experiment, one that’s sole purpose was to create individuals capable of using the lost kekkei genkai. However, most had assumed the objective was one that was destined to fail. Either way, this was certainly not the ideal way to find out that the trial was in fact a success. Now Minato can’t deny that the fiasco had ended reasonably well. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the Academy itself or any of its surrounding buildings. But that hasn’t stopped the whole incident from creating a nightmare of complications.

It’s a bit ironic that the instigating act had been quite an innocent one. One of Tenzō’s friends had apparently decided to scare him with a good-natured prank, hoping it might encourage the other boy to lighten up a little bit. Unfortunately, Tenzō’s shock at seeing his friend erupt from the earth right in front of him was evidently enough to awaken his latent ability.

His initial fear had caused the tree branches to explode from the ground, surrounding him while snaking around the other students in the vicinity. However, the panic of suddenly being enclosed had triggered even more branches to grow around him and spread throughout the schoolyard. The tree limbs hadn’t started to withdraw until the teacher began helping Tenzō calm down.

“It’s just, who could’ve guessed that we would ever have another Mokuton user in the village?” Minato lets out a weary sigh.

“Maybe I should try to send word to Tsunade,” Jiraiya ponders out loud. “She’ll know the most about it. Although..." his voice trails off. "Maybe I should go in person though, that kind of information is a little too sensitive to be sent through a letter,” he reasons.

Minato nods his agreement although he’s silently praying that Jiraiya isn't planning on asking him to come along. He’s got enough to do already.

Thankfully, his former sensei doesn’t appear to be thinking upon those lines.

“Do you think Orochimaru would be willing to come with?” Jiraiya muses. “And what are the chances that he would be allowed to if so?”

“As long as you’re there and promise to keep a watchful eye on him, I think the mission would be approved. I feel that the council is more inclined to trust Orochimaru now considering how cooperative he was throughout the investigations,” Minato responds, only half paying attention to the conversation now as he braces himself for what’s to come.

This is going to take a while.

And Minato is proved correct as the sun is already starting to set by the time he’s finished speaking to the Academy staff, the Hokage, and everyone in between. They still need to touch bases with Tenzō and his parents before long so as to hopefully prevent another misadventure like this one from occurring again. Strategies will need to be implemented in order to keep Tenzō as calm as possible until he gains better control of the Mokuton, and they’ll also need to develop a protocol to follow in the event that those methods are unsuccessful.

Minato yawns as he draws closer to his apartment building, vaguely noticing the rudimentary chalk drawing of some kind of made-up creature drawn in front of the path leading up to the entrance. It must be the work of some of the children who live in the building or possibly some of the neighboring ones. He’s too tired to speculate any further.

However, the sight that greets him upon opening the door brings him to a complete stop. The wooden floor is covered in ink-black footprints, the marks outlining a clear path down the length of the hallway.

Looking up and down the corridor, Minato desperately wants to believe that the prints have resulted from the actions of a particularly obtuse and careless tenant. But all the evidence seems to point in the opposite direction. Upon closer inspection, he notices that the marks are much too large to belong to any human being and bear six toes instead of the usual five.

And from the floor above him, Minato can hear the thundering sounds of something very large moving about.

Chapter Text

As exhausted as Minato feels, he still has the wherewithal to recognize that it would be inadvisable for him to go upstairs by himself and confront whatever creature is roaming around up there. Admittedly, he hasn’t met very many youkai, just Kakashi, Tsubame, and the little fox boy. But even from the floor below, Minato can sense that this one is different.

This one gives off an aura that feels almost like malice.

There seems to be no sign of a disturbance aside from the footprints, so Minato wagers that the other tenants in the building should remain safe in the amount of time it takes for him to find backup. And if not, he remembers Kakashi previously mentioning that most spirits tend to leave average humans alone anyway.

So it’s with a drained groan that he turns on his heel to step back outside. Minato trudges over to the Hatake clan grounds, knocking on the front door with no regard as to the late hour.

It’s Sakumo who answers the door, looking quite perplexed to see him standing there.

“There’s a youkai wandering around my apartment building, and I think it might be one of the not-so-nice ones,” Minato deadpans in lieu of a proper greeting.

Sakumo raises an eyebrow. “That sounds like a problem.”

Kakashi pokes his head out into view at that. “Hmm, that’s rather unusual. What did it look like?”

“I... didn’t actually see it,” Minato admits, now wondering if he’d acted a bit hastily. “Just its footprints, a lot of them actually. And then I came straight here.”

But Kakashi is unfazed by Minato’s lack of concrete information. “Well, let’s go see then,” he replies, seeming oddly chipper for this time in the evening. He steps under Sakumo’s arm and past Minato to head out into the night.

Minato frowns, not knowing what to make of this eagerness but also feeling reassured that he’s at least being taken seriously. Sakumo simply shrugs and makes to follow the youkai, and the three of them set off with Kakashi leading the way.

It isn’t until they’re halfway to his apartment that Minato realizes he never told Kakashi where he lives. For some reason, he’s not even remotely surprised by this.

They arrive at the apartment building, and Minato is relieved to find that the situation appears to have remained stable in his absence. In fact, the only difference he can see is that the chalk drawing from before has apparently been washed away.

“Where did you say the footprints were?” Kakashi asks Minato as he unlocks the front door.

Minato swings the door open wide. “Trust me, you can’t miss it.”

Sakumo’s eyes widen at the sight of the dark footprints blotting the floor. Kakashi, who is now inspecting one of the marks, looks as though his suspicions have just been confirmed.

“I didn’t go any further, but I did hear it moving around up there,” Minato adds, pointing up at the ceiling towards the second floor

“Lead the way,” remarks Kakashi, his expression uncharacteristically serious now.

They’re greeted with the exact same sight upstairs, the footprints littering the wooden planks like splotches of ink. But there’s nothing else, no massive youkai lumbering around as Minato had initially expected.

Kakashi strides down the length of the hallway, examining the wooden panels carefully before turning around to address the other two. “So,” he states offhandedly. “I can tell you that the youkai here earlier is gone now.”

“For good?” Minato asks even though he knows that things are never that easy.

Kakashi shakes his head. “Hardly. Once a youkai enters a home, it’s usually rather difficult to remove. This one is likely laying low for now, and it’s definitely one that you don’t want to run into.”

“So what happens next?” Sakumo cuts in, looking quite concerned about the prospect of a dangerous youkai roaming free in the village.

“I think I might know what we’re dealing with,” Kakashi muses, turning to Minato. “Did you see any graffiti anywhere around the building when you first came home?”

“Actually,” Minato remarks with surprise, remembering the chalk drawing from earlier. “There was something before I came to get you. But it’s not there anymore. Did the youkai leave that?”

“Not every scribble a spirit leaves actually means something, but we should come back in the morning to check. I’ll be able to know for sure what we’re dealing with then,” Kakashi clarifies, the floorboards creaking as he walks back over to where Minato and Sakumo are standing.

“Sounds like a plan,” Minato mutters as he suppresses a yawn. He’s more than ready for this day to be over.

But Kakashi isn’t finished just yet.

“One more thing,” he adds, “I would recommend against you staying here for the time being.”

Minato feels his heart sink. “Why? And what about everybody else in the building? Are they safe?”

“The rest of the humans here should be fine for at least a few days. You, on the other hand, run the risk of turning into a midnight snack should the youkai return while you’re asleep,” Kakashi answers in his usual straightforward manner.

Minato sighs, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. He can’t really argue with that. “Okay, but I still need somewhere to sleep. I can’t ask Kushina, she’ll want to know what’s wrong with my place.”

“We could release a swarm of insects in your apartment, so you could tell her that you have a bug problem” Kakashi suggests, his tone of voice implying that he is completely serious about the idea.

Sakumo shoots him an exasperated look. “Or you could stay at the clan compound,” he offers. “You could take a room in the main house. And one of the smaller houses should also be suitable for visitors. Those might be a little dusty, but that can easily be fixed.”

Minato can only blink in response, a bit dumbfounded by this unexpected display of hospitality.

“Just grab everything you’ll need for a couple of days and we can go,” Sakumo instructs in a patient tone.

Clearly he must look as pathetic as he feels because Sakumo decides to take even more pity on him.

“We’ll wait outside,” he assures Minato as he seizes Kakashi by the shoulder and begins to steer him outside.

Once at the Hatake clan compound, Minato elects to settle in one of the small cottages located around three hundred yards away from the main house. It’s likely that decades have passed since the cottage was last inhabited, but it’s still fully equipped for visitors. A few creative applications of a wind jutsu later, and the little house is just about sparkling.

Although Minato is fairly certain that Sakumo and Kakashi would be courteous and welcoming housemates, he just wants to have some space and silence after a day like this one. But above all else, he needs sleep.

Upon waking up the next morning, Minato’s first order of business is to send word to Rin and Obito informing them that their training session for the day has been canceled. The next thing he does is return to his apartment building along with Kakashi and Sakumo for further investigation.

And sure enough, the drawing is back. The illustration is a simple one that resembles something that a child would create. It depicts a creature with a blocky L-shaped body, two arms, and two legs. The drawing is fairly unadorned as well, only including a pair of eyes and two concentric circles on the creature’s chest area.

Following a closer inspection of the graffiti, the visible portion of Kakashi’s face twists in irritation. “I was right,” Kakashi declares disdainfully. “This spirit is called Karime. Once he finds a house he likes, he moves in and brings misfortune to its current residents in hopes of driving them away.”

“What exactly does he do?” Minato asks, now concerned about the welfare of the others in the building.

“Karime will start by damaging property,” Kakashi waves a hand at the grassy area in front of the building, “like trampling flower beds or upending gardens. Then he’ll eventually cause illness and injury to befall the house’s inhabitants.”

“And can we stop him?” prompts Minato.

“He’ll need to be exorcised. But there will likely be some collateral damages,” Kakashi warns.

While certainly not ideal, Minato can’t allow a malicious spirit to sabotage his neighbors either. “I suppose I’ll have to deal with it.”

“Well, that’s settled.” Kakashi’s tone, however, gives Minato the impression that he isn’t quite seeing the full picture. “First, we’ll need to set up a room.”

Minato is already searching for his keys. “We can go to my apartment. You can let me know which one works best.”

As the three reach the second floor of the apartment building, Minato catches a slight movement from the corner of his eye. He turns, almost involuntarily, and finds himself face-to-face with the most grotesque entity that he’s ever laid eyes on.

The creature is a muddy brown and easily reaches seven feet in height. It has a pair of small beady eyes in its head, but the majority of its facial features are located elsewhere. On its torso are two massive eyes, a nose, and a gaping, drooling mouth filled with huge square-shaped teeth.

He’s frozen for a fraction of a second before two pairs of hands yank him backward. The three sprint down the hallway towards Minato’s apartment which is thankfully located in the opposite direction from the ravenous-looking spirit.

Minato unlocks his door as swiftly as possible, slamming it shut once all three are inside.

“What do we do?” Minato is almost shouting out of shock.

“We can do it right here,” Kakashi answers, gesturing towards an empty patch of floor in the living room. “But a human has to perform the exorcism. It can’t be me.”

“I’ll do it,” Minato volunteers before Sakumo can even say anything. “This is my apartment building after all.”

While Sakumo’s expression suggests that he’s tempted to argue, the obvious time limit at hand appears to discourage him from doing so.

Kakashi meanwhile carries on with the instructions. “So you’ll need a brush, some ink, and quite a bit of paper.”

“I’ve got plenty of that, what's next?” Minato emerges from his office, brush and ink in hand as he carries a thick bundle of paper wedged underneath his left arm.

“Cover the floor with the sheets of paper.”

Sakumo takes the stack of paper from Minato and begins scattering the sheets so that they form a layer on the ground.

“Draw two concentric circles on the paper, ones large enough to stand in. Write the characters for exit on either side of the inner circle. Have the second character face the door because you’ll want the spirit to step on it when he enters.”

Minato does so, feeling a bit thankful that the exorcism at least involves materials he already possesses. Once he's finished, he looks up to see that Kakashi has unlocked the deadbolt on his front door, opening it ever so slightly.

He turns to address Minato once more. “Then you have to kneel in the middle of the circles so that you’re also facing the door. Place the handle of the ink brush between your teeth and wait for the youkai to enter the room.”

As Minato gets into place, Kakashi settles into a crouch to his left while Sakumo does the same on his other side

The three shinobi freeze as one as an unearthly cackle echoes down the hallway.

“There you are…”

The sounds of heavy footsteps begin to grow louder.

“Once Karime comes in, command him to leave.” Kakashi’s voice is much lower now as they all listen for the sprit’s approach. “If all goes well, Karime will be exorcised once he crosses into the circle.”

“How do you know all this?” Minato mutters back.

Kakashi predictably doesn’t respond.

“I’ve been chased out before, I won’t let it happen again!”

“He’s almost here,” Kakashi whispers.

The door creaks open, and the monstrous being folds and unfolds his distended body in order to fit through the doorway. With another guffaw, he staggers towards the three of them.

“This place is not yours. Leave!” Minato orders with as much force as he can muster.

Karime continues forward, but Minato remains steady.

As the youkai crosses the outer edge of the seal, a vision that does not belong to Minato flashes before his eyes. But he ignores it in favor of the chaos currently unfolding before him.

Beams of white light burst from underneath Karime’s foot the instant he touches the seal. An unseen force appears to be pulling the youkai into the ground, sending the sheets of paper flying into the air. And all the while, Karime is howling and writhing as he begins to disappear amidst the blinding light.

“I’m falling, I’m falling,” he shrieks before vanishing completely in the intensifying light.

“Get down!” Kakashi suddenly shouts, and they all dive to the ground.

It feels as if the air inside could no longer be contained by the room itself, leaving the windows the only point of escape. The ensuing blast shatters every single pane of glass, propelling countless shards and scraps of paper through the window.

Once the light has dimmed, the three of them carefully get to their feet as dust and more bits of paper slowly rain down from above.

The room is in absolute disarray. Aside from the windows, the walls are cracked and riddled with holes. The door has been blown off its hinges as well while all the furniture inside displays varying degrees of damage. Minato turns on the spot slowly, taking it all in.

Sakumo claps him on the shoulder. “Well, at least you already have that house set up.”

But Minato barely registers his words, still staring at the destruction in abject horror.

How is he going to explain this to his landlord?

Chapter Text

It turns out that having Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang himself, the hero of the Second Shinobi War, speak to your landlord on your behalf is a huge point in your favor.

In any other scenario, Minato is certain that he would’ve been kicked out of his apartment before even getting the chance to plead his case. His landlord had never been particularly enthusiastic about Minato researching fūinjutsu indoors in the first place and would likely have jumped at any opportunity to evict him.

But Sakumo had stepped in before Minato could even do anything, immediately providing an explanation to his landlord who had rushed upstairs after the exorcism rocked the entire building. Sakumo had apologized profusely, claiming that the explosion and the resulting damages were entirely his fault as several exploding tags had inadvertently fallen from his pack when he was opening it.

He had delivered this lie with such confidence and conviction that Minato himself could have taken it as the truth if he hadn’t actually been there. And even if his landlord had possessed any reason to doubt Sakumo, Minato suspects that he would’ve had little inclination to argue against one of the most famous and powerful shinobi in Konoha.

Something that also helped was Sakumo assuring his landlord that he would cover the cost of all the necessary repairs and even compensate him for the inconvenience. His landlord had little grounds upon which to argue as a result of this, meaning that Minato would be permitted to resume living there once the repairs were complete.

Once his landlord had left to contact the necessary repairmen, Minato began to thank Sakumo fervently. But the clan head had brushed off his words of gratitude, citing that Minato wouldn’t have had to deal with youkai in the first place if it hadn’t been for him and Kakashi. He instead instructed Minato to gather as many of his belongings as he needed, informing him that he was welcome to stay at the Hatake clan grounds until the damages to his apartment were repaired.

And to top it off, Sakumo even offered to take over his duties as a jōnin-sensei for the next week so that Minato would actually have the chance to sort out this mess and work on something for once.

Minato had accepted this proposal gratefully as he himself had been contemplating the idea of having another shinobi serve as a substitute teacher for a couple of days. So much of Minato’s time had been dedicated to teaching, leaving him with few opportunities to address his other obligations.

He might have considered asking Jiraiya to stand in for him if it weren’t for that fact that his former sensei can hardly bear to be in the same room as either of his three students. Either way, Sakumo’s offer is extremely welcome, especially with all of these recent developments. As an added bonus, Minato might even be able to get to work on the youkai circle if he has enough time.

So while Kakashi and Sakumo are setting out for the training grounds, Minato remains at his desk inside the cottage where he begins tackling the paperwork he’d been neglecting. Sakumo had informed Minato that his plan for the coming week was to teach Rin and Obito the basics of kenjutsu, his own area of expertise, as well as some general weapons training. His students will be in good hands.

Minato just hopes that Rin and Obito aren’t too intimated by the war hero.

Sakumo suppresses a laugh upon seeing the stunned expressions on Rin’s and Obito’s faces. It can best be described as a combination of astonishment, awe, and the slightest bit of terror.

He wonders what stories the two genin have heard about him.

“Hello,” he greets them. “Since Minato has quite a few things to deal with at the moment, I’ll be taking over your training for the next week.”

Sakumo didn’t think it was possible, but Rin and Obito look even more surprised now.

“I think we all know of each other,” Sakumo continues, hoping that the two won't be spending the entire week in this nervous state. “But I don’t believe we’ve formally met. So I’m Sakumo, Kakashi’s father.”

Rin and Obito murmur out their introductions in turn, appearing marginally less petrified now.

“Just to get a sense of where you are, the two of you have learned how to tree walk and water walk, correct?” he asks.

Both genin nod, but Sakumo notices that Obito looks a bit sheepish as he does so.

Kakashi picks up on this as well.

“Obito almost has water walking down. He just takes an unexpected plunge every once in a while,” Kakashi explains, a hint of a smile flashing across his face.

“That’s completely fine,” Sakumo assures Obito whose face has reddened quite dramatically at that. “That’s more than enough for what we’re planning to do.”

Rin pats her embarrassed teammate on the shoulder in a consoling manner.

“This week I am going to teach you kenjutsu,” Sakumo announces as he unstraps his own tantō from his back.” As he does so, he sees Obito’s eyes widen in fascination at the sight of his signature sword.

“The tantō is one of the most commonly used weapons among shinobi. Now you might never end up carrying one yourself, but it can still be beneficial to know the basics of how they’re used,” he explains. “And of course, learning how to defend against one is just as important.”

Sakumo gestures to the equipment he brought in preparation for today’s training session. “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything you’ll need.”

He hands each genin a practice tantō to use, taking note of how eager Obito appears in comparison to Rin’s slightly more cautious demeanor.

Kakashi, meanwhile, has taken a seat underneath what seems to be his favorite tree in the clearing. As he's already competent with a sword, he’ll be participating for demonstration purposes a little bit later.

“Is this right?” Obito asks, frowning down at the weapon in his hand.

“You’ll want to switch your grip so that your thumb is the closest finger to the hilt,” Sakumo advises as he adjusts the sword for him. “Holding it the other way limits both your reach and range of motion.”

Rin looks somewhat puzzled at this. “Why is it that a reverse grip is often used for weapons like kunai but not for swords?”

“Good question,” Sakumo responds. “So a reverse grip is generally most effective when grappling or in very close range combat. If you have a kunai, holding it that way can be effective as a defensive tactic or provide you with more power in the case of a downwards strike.”

Rin listens with rapt attention while Obito has actually retrieved a kunai from his pack to mimic the motions that Sakumo is describing.

“Oh, I see!” Obito’s face lights up. “A kunai is short enough that it doesn’t make as much of a difference to hold it this way since you’re either close to your enemy or throwing it.”

“That’s essentially it,” Sakumo replies. “Swords allow you to keep an opponent at more of a distance, and a reverse grip generally doesn’t permit you to reap the full benefits of the weapon’s length. You also can’t defend from overhead attacks nearly as well.”

He indicates his own weapon. “But a tantō is a short sword that can also function as a knife. The grip you use should be guided by your objective, whether your intent is to stab or slash. We’ll be using it as a sword to start off, and that means staying away from the reverse grip.”

Sakumo next demonstrates a few of the key cutting movements and has Rin and Obito copy the motions with their practice swords. He walks around them as they practice, calling out pointers and making adjustments to their form.

“Use a little less force in your dominant hand, Obito. You should only be guiding the blade. Rin, try using only your left hand for a bit. Can you feel how the weight of the weapon gives it its speed and force?”

Once they grow accustomed to the movements, he’ll bring out a few tatami mats for the two to slice at. Now this weeklong lesson can in no way be considered comprehensive training. But if either Rin or Obito ever find themselves on a mission with only a tantō on hard, they will at least be capable of using it without injuring themselves.

Sakumo ends the day with some brief instruction on the best practices for protecting oneself from a sword.

“If you’re completely unarmed for whatever reason and your opponent is carrying a tantō or a similar weapon, your best chances of survival lie in retreat. Of course, that’s not always possible. You might be cornered or have somebody that you need to defend.”

Looking tired but nevertheless attentive, the two genin nod.

Sakumo glances at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, only to find that the youkai appears to be dozing against the tree trunk.

“If your only option is to engage,” he continues, “do not try to block as it opens yourself up to attack. You can be stabbed without even realizing it, so try to keep your distance and keep moving if possible. It’s best if you can stay out of the way, catch your opponent off guard, and stun them. And if the situation comes to it, don’t attempt to fight for the blade itself. Instead, try to lock down the arm that’s holding the weapon.”

The next few days progress in a similar vein, except Sakumo has Kakashi stand in as an opponent for Rin and Obito once they've moved on from stationary targets. From there, he has the three of them simulate various scenarios that might occur during a sword fight, recommending certain tactics while discouraging others.

“You didn’t need to parry there. Be as efficient as possible in your actions, and avoid unnecessary movement.”

“Keep the sword in front of you this time, there you go! Now close in on him.”

“Obito, don’t spin around. That only exposes your back to the enemy.”

“With multiple opponents, it’s often a good idea to switch between them to keep them separated. You don’t want them to converge on you.”

“You have an opening now that Kakashi is in range. It would be a good time to make use of a secondary weapon while his blade is occupied.”

Obito mimes pulling out a kunai from his belt and pretends to stab Kakashi with it, only for Kakashi to flop face-first onto the ground and remain there.

Rin and Obito stare at their teammate’s motionless form with identical expressions of bemusement forming on their faces.

Overall, Sakumo considers these lessons to be going reasonably well.

Minato has been having a refreshingly productive week thus far.

It had only taken him a single morning to finish sorting out the complications regarding Tenzō. During a meeting with Tenzō’s parents and the school administrators, all three parties agreed that Tenzō would likely benefit from daily meditation to reduce his stress levels until he could control the kekkei genkai. Furthermore, the Academy staff had shared the evacuation plan that they would use in the event that Tenzō inadvertently unleashed the Mokuton at school again.

With that taken care of, Minato could continue working on the youkai circle. And if he’s successful there, he might even be able to renew his efforts towards deciphering the Flying Thunder God technique. That alone might make the destruction of his apartment worth it.

Either way, Minato is fortunate in that he hadn’t kept anything irreplaceable in his living room. Although Sakumo has insisted on replacing any damaged furniture anyway and from what Minato can tell, he seems determined to substitute his broken possessions with even nicer pieces.

Kakashi had later informed him that his initial plan would've had them taking steps to minimize the amount of property damage caused by the exorcism.

“I’m familiar with the kind of destruction that an exorcism causes,” the youkai admitted as workers began to sweep up the glass shards that littered the apartment floor. “The original idea was to clear one of your rooms of furniture, open the windows to prevent them from breaking, and then line the floor and walls with wooden panels to protect them.”

But of course Karime’s unexpected appearance had prevented that.

Still, it is reassuring to know that neither Kakashi nor Sakumo intended to cause excessive damages to his home.

“How did that youkai even get into Konoha in the first place?” Minato wonders out loud, realizing that he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to voice that question before. “I thought you said that spirits tended to steer clear of shinobi and hidden villages.”

Kakashi had frowned at that. “That is what usually happens. My best guess is that one of us caught the attention of Karime when we were outside the village, and he simply followed whoever it was back to Konoha. From there, he must’ve decided that he liked your apartment building more.”

“So he went to all that effort to trail after one of us and claim a new home, not even considering the possibility that we might have been able to drive him away?” Minato asked with incredulity.

“Karime is one of those spirits who will never learn,” Kakashi answered with a shrug. “He’s been exorcised many times before."

Minato supposes that at least explains the vision he saw when Karime stepped onto the seal, likely an image of the previous person who exorcised the spirit.

He scratches out an experimental symbol that he was attempting to incorporate into the youkai circle, giving it up as a bad job. However, Minato’s distracted by a noise just to his right. He looks up at the window by his desk and sees Kakashi on the other side of the glass, unlatching and opening it from the outside.

“Doors exist,” Minato states pointedly, but there’s no real heat in his voice. This cottage is Hatake clan property after all, and Sakumo is being very generous in allowing Minato to stay here.

“Yes, I’ve heard of them,” is Kakashi’s deadpan response.

Minato ignores this remark, instead choosing to inquire about the day’s training session. “So how are Rin and Obito doing?”

“Neither are doing terribly,” Kakashi replies, which is his way of saying that his teammates are doing well. “Rin is still neutral towards kenjutsu, but Obito seems quite taken by it. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he were to take it up more seriously in the future.”

“That’s good to know,” Minato comments, making a mental note of that for the future. If Obito does decide to pursue this interest, it’ll be easier if Minato already has a list of specialists to refer him to.

Kakashi sticks his head into the window, craning his neck to get a better look at the stacks of paper cluttering Minato’s desk. “Any progress there?”

“A little bit,” Minato answers with a slight frown. “I think I’ve managed to identify a general concept that would work, but it looks like it could take a while before I get it right.”

A gleam appears in Kakashi’s eyes at this. “So I had a thought,” he declares. “I don’t know that much about youkai-related seals, but there are other spirits who do have that kind of knowledge. I could arrange for you to meet them.”

While Minato’s first instinct is to refuse on the grounds that youkai have already brought enough mayhem into his life, something stops him from declining outright. Maybe what he needs is some outside help. This could be a good opportunity to make significant headway on the youkai circle.

“Well…?” prompts Kakashi.

He also can’t deny that he’s intrigued by the prospect of meeting more youkai. Minato lets out a sigh, hoping that he won’t come to regret this decision later.

“Sure, why not?”

Chapter Text

Eight days after the impromptu and rather explosive exorcism, Minato’s apartment is almost completely back to normal. Once the floorboards are fitted in, all that’s left will be to move all the replacement furniture back inside.

Minato himself looks to be far less agitated after his week off, and Sakumo seems to have enjoyed his brief tenure as a jōnin-sensei too.

Kakashi is hardly an expert in these matters, but Sakumo had taken to teaching quite well. He did a respectable job of introducing kenjutsu to the two genin and adopting an instructional method that suited both Rin and the slightly over-enthusiastic Obito. Had it not been for the Second Shinobi War, Kakashi believes that Sakumo could’ve done well as a full-time jōnin-sensei. But that’s beside the point anyway.

Something far more relevant to the matter at hand is the agenda for today as Kakashi has been coordinating with the Dog’s Circle for the past week to arrange a little gathering of sorts. They’ve settled on this afternoon which turns out to be rather convenient timing for those residing in Konoha.

Now that the weeklong kenjutsu training has concluded, both Sakumo and Minato are free to travel outside of the village for the weekend. Team Minato’s regular training sessions are scheduled to resume the following week, providing Rin and Obito with the opportunity to recover from the past week’s rather intensive instruction.

“So these are the youkai that won’t eat me, right?” Minato asks in a wary voice as Kakashi leads them all towards the meeting site.

Kakashi assumes that Minato is remembering Karime and just how close he had been to the monstrous youkai’s teeth.

“Oh no, a number of them would be all too ready to eat you,” Kakashi answers honestly. “I’ve just told them that they’re not allowed to.”

And that’s as good of an assurance as any considering that none of the other youkai are particularly keen on incurring his ire.

However, Minato’s anxious expression clearly indicates that he's in disagreement.

“I’ve known them all for quite a while,” Kakashi elaborates. “Their reliability can be questionable at times, but I can trust them with that at the very least. I gave them the same instructions for Sakumo anyway, and he’s still here.”

Minato nearly trips over a stray stone as he shoots an alarmed look in Sakumo’s direction.

Sakumo merely gives a nonchalant shrug in response. “After a while, you just come to accept the fact that there are some youkai who are more than capable of eating you.”

“But on to more important matters,” Kakashi continues, a slight edge of impatience in his tone. “Make sure you don’t reveal that you’re working on the youkai circle specifically.”

Although Minato doesn’t appear too pleased about it, he permits the change of topic. “Right, because it’s a forbidden technique. I remember.”

“So take these instead.” Kakashi places a few slips of parchment in his hands, all of which bear a number of indecipherable characters scrawled in ink.

Minato examines these pieces of paper with a frown. “What…what are these?” he asks, not recognizing any of the symbols used.

“Standard protective talismans,” explains Kakashi. “They’re used to purify a specific area and drive youkai away. But those are weak enough that they wouldn’t give any of the Dog’s Circle any trouble, even when activated.”

“Oh, I see,” Minato replies, evidently catching his drift.

“Exactly. Show them those instead, and you can ask if they have any advice on how to modify them so that they’ll respond to chakra.”

Minato places the talismans in his pack, taking care to ensure that none of them flutter away in the gentle breeze.

“Alright, this way.” Kakashi indicates for the other shinobi to follow him down to the riverbank.

“So out of the youkai that we’ll be meeting,” Minato inquires, “who should I be asking about these seals?”

A thoughtful look crosses over Kakashi’s face. “I would say that Hinoe would be your best resource for this. Although, it’s possible that a few others could also have some useful input,” he adds.

Kakashi ducks around a large cluster of bushes. “There they are.”

Around ten youkai are lounging in a circle on a small grassy slope overlooking the nearby stream. The assembled spirits let out a collective shout of welcome as Kakashi approaches, but this cheer quickly morphs into curiosity at the sight of Sakumo and Minato.

“Oh, you’ve found another one, have you?” Hinoe remarks, regarding Minato with an amused look.

“You could say that,” Kakashi acknowledges offhandedly before his demeanor shifts to one of interest. “Now what do we have to drink?”

As the mid-ranks begin showing him the various bottles of sake they’ve procured, Kakashi notices Sakumo gesture for Minato to take a seat at the circle. Minato seems to be taking this reasonably well, although it likely helps that most of the youkai here are not terribly shocking in terms of appearance. Kakashi supposes that Chobihige, with his mustache and overly large head, is probably the strangest looking one here.

Regardless, the conversation quickly resumes once they all have a drink in hand. Minato looks slightly self-conscious sitting between the mid-ranks and Hinoe but relaxes noticeably once he retrieves the protective talismans and begins consulting with the other youkai.

Benio, meanwhile, turns her attention to Sakumo. “And you, you’re still around.”

Sakumo appears to be far more at ease than the last time Kakashi brought him out here. “That I am,” he answers casually, taking a sip of his sake.

“You did manage to chase away that pesky little exorcist,” she muses. “I suppose that’s a promising enough sign.”

Judging from Sakumo’s expression, it appears that he doesn’t quite recall the incompetent exorcist that had led him and Kakashi to meet the little fox spirit.

However, his confusion seems to clear after only a brief moment. “Right!” Sakumo answers, the realization dawning on his face. “I remember now. That was five, almost six years ago.”

“Yes, not that long at all then,” the kappa chimes in from across the circle.

These meetings tend to last as long as the drink does, and considering that Chobihige had managed to return with three more casks of sake, it appears that this get-together will likely last throughout the night and into the next morning.

They’ve had quite a large turnout this time with even Misuzu stopping by in the late afternoon. Minato had been shocked speechless at the sight of the colossal bull spirit, but he had recovered quickly enough to be able to ask for his advice on altering youkai-related seals.

Kakashi takes it upon himself to thoroughly enjoy the occasion seeing as he’s not had many opportunities to do this lately. Many of the spirits in the Dog’s Circle prefer to give hidden villages a wide berth, making frequent meetings difficult to arrange. So Kakashi allows himself to lose track of the time. He’s only pulled back to the present after Benio gives him a meaningful nudge and points towards something on the other side of the circle.

He follows her line of sight, only for his eyes to land on Minato who appears, for all intents and purposes, to be out cold on the grass.

Kakashi sighs and gets to his feet. “How drunk is he?”

Having also taken note of the current situation, Sakumo joins Kakashi before Minato’s unconscious form.

He shoots Kakashi an accusatory look. “I thought you said that you were going to keep an eye on him.”

“Hmm, I did say that didn’t I?” Kakashi responds in a noncommittal tone. “How much did he even have to drink?” he asks, turning to Hinoe.

She gestures towards the four small bottles next to Minato as an answer.

Sakumo blinks, nonplussed. “That’s it? It’s not very much.”

Kakashi holds up a bottle, carefully inspecting the label. “And the alcohol content is rather low as well.”

“That’s really all he had?” Sakumo asks the mid-ranks, both of whom nod in confirmation.

“Well, I don’t claim any responsibility then,” Kakashi declares. “I fail to see why it is my fault that Minato has the alcohol tolerance of a small child.”

“Disregarding that,” Sakumo continues with a pointed look in Kakashi’s direction. “What should we do? Are we going to carry him back to Konoha now?”

“I say we wait until he regains consciousness," Kakashi suggests. “If he wakes up in the village after everything that’s happened, he might assume that this was all a dream.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sakumo asks, slightly doubtful of the wolf spirit’s claim.

“If that’s the case, do you want to be the one who has to convince him that this,” Kakashi sweeps his hand around the assembled youkai in the clearing, “was real?”

“Okay, we’ll wait here then.”

As he says this, Sakumo stoops over to examine the collection of papers at Minato’s feet. “Oh, it looks like he was working on something else here.”

Kakashi frowns, unsure as to what that could even be. He hopes that Minato hadn’t started to work on the youkai circle in front of everyone here.

Sakumo takes one look at the parchment and grimaces almost immediately. “You know what, I’m just going to hold onto these for now,” he mutters as he pockets the papers.

“Why, what are those?” Kakashi asks, now intrigued.

“I don’t know very much about fūinjutsu,” Sakumo admits, “but it looks like Minato started tinkering with some very volatile elements here. I’ll return them when he’s sobered up.”

Minato supposes that he’s quite fortunate in that he only woke up with a mild headache in the morning. Nonetheless, coming to is a rather surreal experience given that he’s surrounded by such an eclectic group of individuals. Some of the spirits here merely resemble humans in elaborate dress while others possess animalistic features like horns and pointed ears.

But Minato can also recall more youkai, ones that no longer appear to be at the circle upon second glance. Those had been especially memorable. One had looked like a living daikon radish wearing a robe, and another was absolutely massive and had a bull’s head, jet black skin, and light purple hair.

Had he imagined those?

“I’m sure this will come to me eventually, but would someone please brief me on what’s happened here?” Minato requests with a rueful sigh.

“I believe you passed your limits on sake earlier.” Sakumo says this with a straight face but Minato suspects that he’s on the verge of laughter.

“That explains some of what I remember,” Minato mutters, rubbing his eyes. “So the enormous bull creature, that wasn’t real then.”

Kakashi lets out a snort at this. “No,” he answers, “Misuzu is very much real and would likely be offended that you thought he was a figment of your imagination.”

The wolf spirit is making no attempt to conceal his amusement now.

“He might even be tempted to curse you for that,” Kakashi continues, his voice unmistakably gleeful. “He’s cursed humans for far less.”

Minato hopes Kakashi is just poking fun at him now.

Sakumo rolls his eyes at this. “Alright, let’s give him a break now.”

Unfortunately, it seems as though Sakumo’s mercy has its limits because he turns back to Minato and remarks, “I take it that you don’t drink often. And you’re twenty-two, right?”

“You see, Kakashi gave me quite a bit of trouble throughout the past few years,” Minato gripes, the alcohol having limited his capacity to be polite. “I didn’t think adding alcohol to the equation would help in any fashion.”

This of course only opens himself up to more teasing from Kakashi.

“So did you think alcohol would be helpful for missions? Don’t we have a C-rank next week?”

“That’s enough from you,” Minato retorts, trying to ignore Kakashi’s infuriating smirk.

At least Sakumo has the good graces to pretend that he’s not laughing at him.

Now that his memories of the previous day are growing clearer, Minato vaguely recalls making a breakthrough in terms of the youkai seals.

However, he can’t say for certain if the whole ordeal was worth it.

Chapter Text

Only after returning to Konoha does Minato realize just how productive the entire outing was. Granted, it was difficult to accurately discern the net benefit of the youkai gathering at first. His memories of the occasion had remained hazy throughout the morning, only coming back to him in the early afternoon.

But once he had a clear head and was back in his own apartment, Minato was able to unpack everything that he worked on during the previous day.

Well, that is almost everything.

Minato was apparently in an inventive mood after he was three drinks in and had developed a number of rather unorthodox seals, none of which could be considered safe to store indoors. As Sakumo had already confiscated said seals while he was unconscious, Minato allowed him to hang on to them for safekeeping.

Considering that accidental activation could be nothing short of catastrophic, Minato is not inclined to bring those particular seals inside his newly repaired apartment. He’ll reclaim them when he actually has the opportunity to work on his many side projects. But for the time being, the seals are currently residing in a lockbox left in one of the empty houses on the Hatake clan grounds.

But before Minato had gotten recklessly experimental that night, he had indeed made several promising breakthroughs regarding the youkai circles. He had hardly expected this to be the case however. Since Kakashi didn’t have much specific input to provide on the circle, Minato had actually underestimated the extent to which the other spirits would be able to help him. As it turned out, they had quite a bit to offer.

Hinoe was especially helpful, even sharing with Minato a few scrolls from her own personal collection. While not particularly familiar with chakra or its function in fūinjutsu, she was able to indicate several key sections of youkai related seals that were generally receptive to additions and alterations.

Before, Minato had tacked on various conduits and elements to the youkai circle at random, unaware of what features of the seal did what. Now that he has a better idea of how each segment functions, he can form a more defined plan and focus his work on a few fundamental areas.

Three hours of experimenting later, Minato has already been forced to scrap two of his previous plans on account of their not insignificant downsides. However, he’s hardly discouraged by this, not when he's made more progress today than he has in the past few months. And as an added bonus, this bout of trial and error was accompanied by far less disorder than his usual fūinjutsu research.

His first idea ended up diluting the circle’s power due to the incompatible seals he had layered on top of each other. Minato’s second attempt appeared promising at first, but it soon became apparent that his modifications would cause the circle to burn out after only a few uses. 

The overall objective now is to incorporate a construct into the youkai circle that will render it dormant until chakra is channeled directly into it. Upon activation, Minato intends for the seal to project a nearly imperceptible image of the youkai circle onto the ground around the user. So as long as chakra is directed into the seal, it should, in theory, allow its user to see any youkai within approximately a ten-foot radius.

Minato reaches what he thinks can be called success in the late evening with the modified seal remaining stable and performing as expected. The projection of the youkai circle is as subtle as he had hoped, only remaining visible for a moment when first activated. Although, Minato does note that the amount of chakra required for the seal to function is rather sizable, far more than he had anticipated. But this seal is for Kushina’s use after all, and Minato surmises that she could still activate the youkai circle for hours on end without even breaking a sweat.

However, Minato soon realizes that there is a new issue at hand. He generally prefers to run his created seals through a trial period in order to determine their efficacy. In an ideal situation, Minato would be able to do the same here before handing the youkai circle over to Kushina. But this is not an experiment that Minato can easily run tests for seeing as he’d rather avoid revealing the existence of youkai to those not already in the know. And testing the seal’s effectiveness on either himself or Sakumo would, unfortunately, tell him nothing since the two of them can already perceive youkai unaided.

He’ll give himself another week and a half to try and figure something out. But if Minato can’t come up with any alternatives in that time frame, he’ll just have to give Kushina the youkai seal and hope for the best. Either way, that will all have to wait until he’s returned from the team’s latest mission.

While Minato isn’t sure of the exact number of C-ranks that Kakashi has been on, this will only be the second for Rin and Obito. Their first had been rather uneventful, just a routine assignment in which they had apprehended a group of thieves disturbing a small village only sixty miles southeast of Konoha.

In contrast, their present mission will be taking them well outside of the Land of Fire itself. Their client, a local shopkeeper by the name of Misato, is actually a citizen of Konoha herself. However, her aunt and uncle reside in the Land of Rivers where they run an inn in the small mining town of Sannozuka. And as her relatives intend to expand their establishment, Misato is sending over a shipment of high-quality finished lumber as a gift to them.

Minato’s team has been assigned to guard the shipment to the inn and to assist with construction once they arrive. As missions go, this one looks to be a rather straightforward and simple one. There is the possibility of some conflict, but whatever they face should be limited in scale.

They will, however, be a little closer to the Land of Wind than is generally advisable for Konoha shinobi. While none of the shinobi countries have ever been on fantastic terms historically, the relationship between Suna and Konoha has contained a bit more vitriol than that of other nations.

But it shouldn’t be a pertinent issue either way. Even though Sannozuka is somewhat close to the border, Suna itself is located much deeper into the Land of Wind. And from what's stated in the mission directives, the chances of them running into another village’s shinobi should be nearly nonexistent.

The next morning sees them leaving Konoha with the shipment in tow. Their party is a sizable one, consisting of four shinobi serving as escorts and eight civilian workers managing the cargo. Larger groups can often be cumbersome for travel, but Minato doesn’t mind. In this particular situation, their numbers seem to be functioning as an effective deterrent to those who might’ve otherwise been inclined to give them trouble.

Thankfully, the paths are navigable even with large quantities of lumber in the picture. They reach the Land of Rivers within two days and begin to enter the rockier, more mountainous regions of the country after three. Four days have passed by the time they arrive at the valley that serves as the northern entrance into town.

As he walks along the valley floor, Minato suspects that a river had once flowed between the two cliffs. The earth underneath his feet is cracked and dry while the bases of both cliffs show signs of weathering consistent with flowing water. The valley itself is not particularly long, less than two miles in length, so their party reaches the inn in under an hour.

Once there, the civilian workers deposit the shipment and depart while the shinobi introduce themselves to the innkeepers, Etsuko and Shohei. It very quickly becomes obvious that the community does not see many shinobi judging by how taken aback Misato’s aunt and uncle are at how young Rin, Obito, and Kakashi appear.

The two take the surprise reasonably well, however. Shohei quickly defaults back to his businesslike demeanor as he outlines their plans for construction and the roles that each of them can take. Etsuko proves to be a capable overseer, but Minato soon learns that she’s also rather insistent on cooing over his students whenever she’s around them.

Despite this, they’re able to remain professional for the most part as they get to work laying down roof shingles, fitting wooden panels, and reinforcing the structural beams. Although, Minato does notice that all three of his students have a tendency to look for the nearest large object to hide behind whenever they see Etsuko coming. Even Obito is beginning to look overwhelmed by the near-constant displays of affection.

And thanks to their collective experience from D-ranks, none of them are unfamiliar with construction work. Shohei had installed the framework of the new wing beforehand, so they’re able to complete their section within a matter of days.

Still, Minato can’t help but feel that something is not quite right throughout their time in Sannozuka, that he's missing out on a key piece of information. He doesn’t suspect any ill will on the part of Etsuko or Shohei though. The two of them are far too open to be capable of that kind of deception, and the client for this mission is a loyal Konoha citizen as well. There should no reason for Minato to be feeling this wary, and yet he's hesitant to dismiss this hunch. However, nothing has gone amiss, so there’s nothing left to do but to bid the innkeepers goodbye and set off in the direction of Konoha.

It’s late afternoon by the time they reach the valley, the setting sun casting much of the area in shadow. None of them are particularly inclined to engage in conversation given that the four of them are rather weary and quite eager to return home at this point.

“Do you smell something?” Kakashi poses this question out of the blue, breaking the silence as they trudge along the valley floor.

Obito lets out an impressive yawn. “No, and I don’t know how you can smell anything with that mask. But miners use a bunch of different materials and chemicals don’t they?”

“But why would there be a smell over here?” Rin ponders with a frown. “The mines are to the southwest of town.”

“It could be anything then,” Minato replies as a feeling of unease begins to overtake him. “Let’s just keep moving.” The sooner they leave the happier he will be.

The four have reached the center of the valley when it happens.

Two explosions sound in unison with an earsplitting crack, one at each end of the valley.

Shards of rock immediately begin to crumble and splinter from the sides of the two cliffs, obscuring the valley’s entrances in smoke and rubble. All four of them stop in their tracks, Minato turning on the spot in search of some kind of explanation. But it doesn’t stop there. Two more explosions go off slightly closer to them this time, and Minato understands what’s happening.

It’s a chain reaction, one leading right to the middle of the valley where they are.

Minato scans the surrounding cliffs, searching for any possible means of escape even though he doubts that any exist. Each subsequent explosion draws nearer and nearer, and from the looks of it, the entire valley will soon detonate.

Whoever is behind this has planned it well.

They mean to trigger a rockslide so immense that even experienced shinobi will be hard-pressed to escape. Scaling cliff faces would normally be child’s play, but not when nearly every solid surface has been charged to explode.

They’re going to die here.

Well, all of them but Kakashi. As a youkai, he’ll certainly remain unharmed, but there’s nothing that can be done for the rest of them.

Minato turns to look at Obito and Rin who are frozen in place, their faces clouding with fear and dread as the latest round of explosions begins.

Kakashi only lets out a displeased huff as he’s suddenly enveloped by a cloud of smoke. The other three jump back in surprise, watching in astonishment as an enormous white wolf emerges from the mist.

Rin lets out a startled scream. Obito turns white as a sheet.

“Just get on and I’ll explain later!” the transformed Kakashi growls, his voice now several octaves lower. 

Kakashi’s true form may be massive, but Minato doubts that the youkai will be able to adequately shield them from the final blast. And even if he tries to climb out of the valley with them on his back, they'll almost certainly be hit by debris anyway.

But he heeds the instruction nonetheless, leaping onto the wolf’s back with Rin right on his heels. Obito, however, still seems incapable of movement.

The wolf spirit makes a sound of impatience and grasps the boy firmly but carefully in his jaws. With a toss of his head, Kakashi flings him onto his back so that Obito lands to the left of Minato with a startled yelp.

Kakashi roars over the sounds of the shattering stone. “Whatever you see or don’t see, do not let go!”

“Make sure they don’t let go!” he orders Minato.

Not inclined at all to argue, Minato nods and throws his arms around Rin’s and Obito’s shoulders for good measure.

As the explosions begin to close in on them, the wolf spirit raises himself onto his hind legs as if preparing to lunge.

And then he pushes up off the ground, soaring straight up into the air.

Chapter Text

As they rocket upwards, Minato shouts out a few choice words that he normally wouldn’t have used in the presence of children.

Since when could Kakashi fly?

They’re around ninety feet up in the air when the final explosions rock the earth below them, emitting a massive mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke that blankets much of the valley itself.

Kakashi climbs even higher, and the four of them suddenly find themselves surrounded by a puff of mist that dissolves as abruptly as it had appeared. Minato might have disregarded this entirely given the absolute mayhem occurring around them and presumed that they had simply passed through a low-altitude cloud.

However, Rin’s and Obito’s reaction leads him to believe otherwise. The two gasp almost immediately and look down in panic as if they can no longer see the enormous wolf that they’re gripping onto for dear life.

“Where did he go?” Rin shrieks, her voice shrill with terror. Obito, on the other hand, has yet to utter a word and looks like he might actually be on the verge of fainting now.

Minato tightens his hold on the two of them for good measure before responding. “He’s still there!” he shouts over the sound of the rushing wind. “Just hold on and be careful!”

Fortunately, neither of them needs to be told twice.

Even so, Minato doesn't know why Obito and Rin are no longer able to see Kakashi. He had initially assumed that the two could also perceive youkai based on their reactions to Kakashi’s transformation. Their response had led Minato to believe that they could see everything that he was seeing, but that simply doesn't appear to be the case now.

Is it possible that Kakashi did something that would make him visible to them when they were in the valley? Minato does recall Kakashi mentioning that he possessed several other guises, ones that could be perceived by just about any human since the vast majority of people lacked the spiritual power necessary to discern his true form.

Whatever the reasons, Kakashi only flies for around seven more minutes before beginning his descent towards a small forest approximately thirteen miles east of Sannozuka. The immense wolf touches down with a surprising lightness, letting his momentum carry them forward a few more steps before coming to a complete stop.

He then tilts his head to face the passengers sitting on his back, regarding the three with a huge golden eye.

“Alright, get off, all of you” Kakashi grumbles.

Although the wolf spirit's tone sounds benign, they slide off his back immediately. None of them require any additional chiding, not when Kakashi currently possesses teeth large enough to bisect a grown man.

Obito takes a seat as soon as his feet hit the forest floor, practically collapsing onto the grass. Rin, although her own hands are shaking, rushes over to make sure he’s alright.

After confirming that both of his students are physically unharmed, Minato turns to Kakashi to find that he’s already turned back into a silver-haired shinobi child.

“Well, someone clearly wanted us dead,” Kakashi comments in a tone that is far too nonchalant. “Although, the methods were somewhat crude,” he says with the air of someone discussing the weather.

Minato, however, can easily pick up on the underlying meaning in his words, and it’s not an implication that he’s particularly fond of. They have to take their current location into consideration, and there aren’t many other parties in the vicinity that would wish harm upon Konoha shinobi.

His next words are chosen quite carefully because of this. “I’m almost certain that Suna still bears a grudge from the Second Shinobi War,” Minato acknowledges, deliberating keeping his language vague.

It matters not that there is no one else here to hear them converse as merely giving voice to these theories is dangerous enough.

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Kakashi replies in kind. “Sakumo has mentioned several times that he’s still not allowed to set foot in Suna.”

That actually sounds quite odd to Minato, and Rin's and Obito's puzzled expressions suggest that they also agree. Even for a shinobi as notorious as Sakumo Hatake, that’s still a rather severe restriction during a supposed time of peace.

“Well,” Kakashi clarifies, taking note of their perplexed faces, “it’s more that it just wouldn’t be worth the hassle of every shinobi there trying to kill him the second they laid eyes on him.”

While that kind of vitriol is fairly characteristic of Suna, Minato still finds it unlikely that they would go to such lengths just to target such a small and otherwise unremarkable team of shinobi. And yet such a highly coordinated effort could’ve only been executed with prior knowledge of their mission in mind.

Minato lets out a sigh, shaking his head slightly in agitation. “Whoever was behind this scheme was quite invested in it. And it would’ve been successful if wasn’t for-” he cuts himself off abruptly, suddenly reminded of yet another major revelation.

“Have you always been able to fly?” Minato asks, almost in an accusatory manner as he turns back to Kakashi. “And why am I only learning about this now?”

Kakashi, unabashed as ever, simply shrugs. “The situation never warranted it before, but this kind of scenario seemed serious enough to justify revealing that among other things.”

Minato can only roll his eyes in response as Kakashi, having already moved on to the next order of business, turns to gesture in the direction of Rin and Obito. “While we’re on that note, I was thinking that genjutsu could be an option, but-”

“You know what,” Minato interrupts him, already feeling the beginnings of a headache settling in. “I’ll leave that to you.”

The wolf youkai actually looks a little surprised by this. “Is that so?” he inquires, his eyebrows raised.

“There are some pressing matters that I need to attend to,” Minato points out, “like figuring out who wanted to blow us all up. Just stay here, keep an eye on those two, and I’ll go sort this out.”

Kakashi glances back at his teammates, almost as if considering them in a new light. “I suppose I can do that.”

________________________

It’s not until after Minato departs that Obito fully recovers from the shock.

“Are you a summons?” he exclaims as soon as Minato is gone, rounding on Kakashi in a sudden burst of excitement.

“What?” Kakashi scoffs, “No.” That’s certainly one of the more foolish assumptions he’s heard.

“Is your shapeshifting a kekkei genkai?” Obito carries on, not missing a beat, “Oh, is it a Hatake clan thing?”

On second thought, maybe it was better when Obito didn’t talk. Kakashi has clearly underestimated the boy’s capacity for stupid questions.

Fortunately for Obito’s overall well-being, Rin chooses this very moment to cut in with a comment of her own, one that is thankfully sensible.

“You’re not human,” she declares, a contemplative look in her eyes.

Kakashi immediately directs his attention to her instead, his face impassive but regarding her with interest all the same.

"What would make you say that?" he asks in a tone that is as neutral as can be, neither confirming nor denying her claims.

A nervous expression flashes over her face, but Rin, to her credit, doesn't back down.

"It, it was the little things that you would do,” she begins, and the words are all but spilling out now in her anxiousness. “It was very very strange, but that's all it ever was." She shakes her head slightly, and Kakashi wonders if recent events are prompting her to recontextualize every interaction she’s had with him thus far.

Rin takes a deep breath, almost as if she’s steeling herself for battle. “And then you go and do something that no shinobi is capable of doing.”

Her hands, while steady now, are clenched into fists.

Does she fear his reaction? Surely she realizes that Minato wouldn’t have left her and Obito with him were that the case.

She meets his eyes, her purple markings in stark contrast to her paper-white face.

“So that’s why,” Rin concludes with a sense of finality.

Kakashi lets the silence build for a moment, his expression still emotionless.

"Well, you're correct,” he answers lightly.

It’s quite unceremonious, really.

But Rin lets out a breath that she seems to have been holding in for the past minute. Behind her, Obito flails his arms as if he's having some kind of fit.

Kakashi had considered hiding this from them, possibly with a genjutsu or just through excessive lying. But Rin’s proven herself to be sharp enough. She’s a medical-nin who, by design, was required to complete an extensive study of human physiology. It honestly shouldn’t be surprising that Rin was able to pick up on the details that Minato and Obito might have initially overlooked.

Most importantly, Rin is reasonable, a trait that seems to be unfortunately rare these days. Unlike many, she actually has the wits to recognize that a conclusion is the most logical option no matter how absurd it initially may seem.

Kakashi spins on his heel, hands shoved in his pockets as he contemplates.

Hmmm, how best to say it then?

“Let’s just say that the tales of folklore hold far more truth than most realize,” Kakashi divulges, his back still turned. Still, he tilts his head off to the side so that he can watch for their reactions out of the corner of his eye “Especially those pertaining to youkai.”

Understanding slowly dawns on Rin’s face like a rising wave. “So that’s what you are,” she murmurs as Obito splutters in disbelief. “How exactly did you end up here then?”

And there it is.

Kakashi sighs, turning back around to face them.

It’s always this part that’s the most annoying, and this being the fourth time that Kakashi has had to explain his existence to shinobi means that Rin and Obito are going to receive a more abridged account than the rest.

“There’s not much to say,” Kakashi begins, and if he appears slightly cross here then it’s just not something he can help right now. “I became acquainted with the Hatake clan years before Konoha was even founded, and I later came back to find only Sakumo there.”

That there has to be at least seventy, eighty, maybe even ninety years of events condensed into a single sentence.

“His wife had recently given birth, but neither she nor the child had survived,” he continues, barely pausing to take a breath. “I elected to stay in the village, and we decided that the best way for me to do that was by pretending to be his son.”

Kakashi just hopes that the two are actually following along. He’s not feeling particularly inclined to repeat himself if they’re not keeping up.

Maybe it’s not too late for a genjutsu after all.

Both their expressions suggest that they do have more questions, but Rin at least seems to recognize that this particular topic is currently closed for discussion.

So, she switches tactics, her nerves from earlier now gone apparently.

“You became invisible as we were flying, but it seemed like Minato-sensei could still see you. Why is that?” Rin asks as Obito nods enthusiastically in the background.

Kakashi lets out a long sigh at that, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Of course it would be too much to hope that they would just leave it at that.

“Well, a great deal of spiritual power is required to see youkai. It’s an ability that’s rare among the general population and even rarer for shinobi. Sakumo and Minato are the only ones in Konoha who can actually see youkai,” Kakashi drones dispassionately. “Back in the valley, I layered a henge over myself so that the two of you could see me properly.”

Kakashi details this information as if he’s ticking off the items on a list, hoping that it’ll be enough to satisfy their curiosity. He's genuinely going to begin making things up if he keeps on having to explain the existence of youkai to humans.

Judging by Rin’s frown though, the pieces still aren’t adding up for her. “But how can you use chakra if you’re a youkai?” she asks.

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Kakashi answers with yet another sigh, making a mental note to just spin a nonsensical story the next time someone asks.

“The short story is through a combination of natural energy, chakra theory, a little studying, and some practice. If you really want to know, I might explain later,” he adds.

He probably won’t though. He never explained it to Minato, and he had asked plenty.

“Wait, is this why you wear a mask?” Obito jumps in, looking as though he’s had some great epiphany. “Is your face not normal because you’re a youkai?”

Kakashi lets a beat of silence pass throughout the clearing, almost unable to believe that this has been Obito’s takeaway from this entire ordeal.

“No, that’s not it,” Kakashi explains with a sense of patience he didn’t realize he possessed. “It’s just a face and not even a real one at that.”

“Really?” asks Obito, his eyes wide with curiosity.

“Or I could be lying,” Kakashi carries on, not quite able to resist the urge to toy with Obito now that the opportunity has arisen. “Human faces are difficult to mimic. Maybe there is no face underneath my mask,” he suggests offhandedly. “This is only a form after all.”

“So that giant wolf, is that what you really look like?” Rin mutters quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

Kakashi nods in response. “Human form is what I stick to nowadays, but I do take on other appearances occasionally.”

“Oooh, what other forms do you have?” Obito jumps in, lighting up in excitement.

Part of Kakashi regrets revealing this bit of information because Obito proceeds to pester him about his other disguises and does this up until Minato returns several hours later.

________________________

It’s early evening when Minato finally gets back to them.

“And what did you decide?” Minato asks meaningfully as he walks over to where his students are sprawled on the grass.

Kakashi presumes that he’s trying to speak as ambiguously as possible in case he hadn't informed Rin and Obito about the existence of youkai. “I told them,” he replies, stretching as he gets to his feet.

Minato raises his eyebrows at that, glancing at the relatively calm Rin and Obito.

“I assumed that it would be useful information for them to know should missions like these become a regular thing,” Kakashi answers with a shrug. “That way no one needs to panic if I get stabbed or something like that.”

The disgruntled expression on Minato’s face suggests that he’s vividly recalling the circumstances that led to his own discovery of youkai.

He shakes his head and moves on though, likely because rehashing that subject now won’t do anybody any good. “So, it turns out that I was on the right track.”

Rin, Kakashi, and Obito all look toward Minato with interest.

“You might be surprised by this,” the jōnin quips dryly. “The perpetrators were a group of warmongers originating from the Land of Wind.”

“None of them are directly affiliated with Suna though,” Minato clarifies, anticipating the obvious question.

“Anyway, they were under the impression that a large-scale conflict was something they could profit off of since they happened to produce weaponry, armor, and similar supplies. They certainly would’ve found their coffers full, especially if they sold to both nations.”

His tone is even, but the traces of tension in Minato’s shoulders leads Kakashi to assume that the process of extracting this information had severely tested his patience. The spots of blood on the inside of his sleeve cuffs also suggest as much.

Minato lets out a long exhale, the hints of exasperation shining through more clearly now. “And the only reason they knew a single thing about our mission was because of Etsuko. Apparently, she was quite excited about the whole thing and ended up telling anyone who would listen about the team of Konoha shinobi that was coming to help them with the construction of their inn.”

“Speaking of which,” Minato holds up a finger as he diverges slightly from the present topic, “that’s something we should take up with our clients more. There’s no need for them to remain completely silent about upcoming missions, but it’s probably best if information regarding the assignment itself is shared with as few individuals as possible.”

“I’ll make a note so that it’s included in our mission reports,” Rin chimes in helpfully.

Minato smiles in thanks before continuing. “Anyway, once they realized that Konoha nin would be coming, that bunch waited in Sannozuka for us. While we were busy helping Shohei and Etsuko at the inn, they spent the next few days planting black powder and other explosives all throughout the valley.”

“I get it,” Obito says quietly, his expression now uncharacteristically somber. “Once we left back through the valley, all they had to do was to set off the explosions.”

“Konoha would’ve come looking for us if we didn’t come back.” Rin continues his train of thought. “I assume they would've set traps for the search team as well. Was that in their plans?”

Minato’s grim nod is enough of a response on its own. “Not only them but also for the next team that came to investigate and so on. After enough iterations of this, Konoha probably would have assumed that Suna was behind it and made a formal accusation.”

He shakes his head slightly at the thought of it. “Well, you know the history between the two villages. I doubt that Suna would’ve taken it well.”

“So as foolish as the group’s motivations were, the plan itself was one that was likely to succeed,” Kakashi muses.

“Yes, it does seem that way,” Minato admits grudgingly. “There is a chance that Suna could prove they had nothing to do with it, but, in all honesty, I think there’s a greater possibility that they would've escalated things even further.”

“But let’s not compliment those bastards any further,” he remarks with a grimace.

“What did you do with the culprits then?” Kakashi asks, picking up on the fact that Minato had returned alone.

Oh, I dropped them off in Sannozuka after I got my answers,” Minato explains almost matter-of-factly. “The village head and his guards will be keeping an eye on them.”

“No one there is particularly happy with them anyway. Not only did they destroy one of the main entrances into town, but they did so using the black powder they’d stolen from the miners.”

The jōnin runs a hand through his hair, looking as if he’s ready for this day to be over already. “Once we get back, Konoha will also need to send word to Suna to inform them of this incident. I know the Kazekage doesn’t exactly hold any warm feelings towards Konoha, but I highly doubt that he would appreciate anyone trying to stir up a war on his behalf.”

“So we can leave now?” Obito asks, rising to his feet with an overly loud yawn.

“We’re ready to go,” Minato confirms. “It’ll take us a while to get back at this rate. Although,” he continues pointedly, “there is a way that we could return much more quickly…”

Kakashi shoots him an unimpressed glare. “Fine,” he huffs before transforming once again into a twenty-foot-tall wolf, making sure to include the henge as before.

“This can be to commemorate a one-of-a-kind mission,” Minato suggests as the three vault onto the wolf spirit’s back for the second time that day. “It’s not often that you potentially defuse an international conflict during a mission.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident about that,” Kakashi comments matter-of-factly, his voice now a gruff and resonating sound that rumbles through the trees. “You might be surprised.”

“If that isn’t a joke, I don’t want to know.”

Chapter Text

For obvious reasons, drafting up the mission report proves to be quite the complicated matter. Minato had already sent a brief notice to the Sandaime detailing both the trap and the attempted plot upon returning to Konoha, but the four of them are still required to write up a full account of the events that transpired.

And as they will no doubt be forced to omit certain key details of the assignment, they all gather at Kakashi’s home to ensure that their claims align.

They're able to settle on a story after a brief discussion, deciding to report that the four of them had grown suspicious and instead sent out a team of shadow clones into the valley ahead of them. Once the clones had dispersed amidst the ensuing explosions and rockslide, Minato had then rounded up the perpetrators while the other three waited outside of the village.

With that decided, all that’s left is for them to fill in the remaining details and provide the standard identifying information. They spend the next few minutes working quietly until Kakashi breaks the silence.

“How old am I supposed to be?” Kakashi asks out loud, looking around at the others as if they might know the answer. “I’m twelve now aren’t I? Or is it thirteen?” 

Minato puts down his pen and stares at Kakashi with an expression of utter bewilderment. “I genuinely don’t understand how you’ve managed to keep this all a secret for so long,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief. “How do you keep saying things like that and still get away with it?”

“Wait, how old are you really then?” Obito interrupts, his eyes lighting up in interest.

“Older than everyone in this house combined,” Kakashi declares offhandedly. “Anyway,” he turns back to Minato as Obito presumably begins to mentally calculate the ages of everyone present. “It hinges on the expectations you've set for yourself. I think there was really only one instance in which our conduct truly came under question.”

Minato frowns slightly at this, not entirely sure if he should even be surprised. “Do I even want to know what that was?” he asks as Obito nods vigorously in the background, evidently having given up on his counting.

“It’s not even a big deal," Kakashi shrugs, leaning back in his chair so that it tilts at a precarious angle. "Since there was no teacher for me once I became a genin, I was allowed to accept assignments alongside Sakumo until one was available. I imagine that the Sandaime had intended for this to apply to lower-level missions only, so he was naturally displeased upon finding that I had accompanied Sakumo on an S-rank assignment.”

“Fortunately, there weren’t any repercussions aside from the Hokage’s disapproval, and Kakashi ended up getting promoted to chūnin because of it.” Sakumo elaborates, walking into the room with a bowl of sliced fruit in hand.

“Also, you’re twelve,” Sakumo informs Kakashi as he sets the bowl down in the center of the table. “But you’ll be thirteen before too long.”

“This explains so much about your shinobi profile,” Minato mutters under his breath. “Also, I’m guessing this was why I was called in to be a jōnin-sensei so early.”

“Well, I suppose that's the case," Sakumo chuckles as he leaves the room, doing his best to pretend that he's not laughing at Minato's expense.

Minato lets out a resigned sigh before turning his attention back to his report. However, his renewed focus proves to be short-lived as he sets his pen back down after only a minute of writing.

“That reminds me,” Minato speaks up, regarding all three of his students, “we should be trying to get all of you promoted fairly soon.”

The three of them look up at this pronouncement, Rin and Obito with surprise and Kakashi in mild interest.

“Is there a certain age at which it’s supposed to happen?” Kakashi inquires, his curiosity slightly piqued now. “Since Academy students tend to graduate between the ages of eight to twelve and all.”

“Not exactly,” replies Minato. “In terms of becoming a chūnin or jōnin, hidden villages usually seek to promote their shinobi as soon as they meet the qualifications.”

Kakashi barely holds back a scoff at this. He should’ve expected nothing less from the village that made him a genin at the age of five.

“If we’re going by that, a promotion is very much overdue,” he instead remarks, his tone matter-of-fact. “I met the requirements before there was even a village to speak of. Remind me, how does one become a jōnin anyway?”

“One way is a field promotion which, of course, is far more common during an ongoing conflict,” Minato explains, clasping his hands on the table in front of him.

“But for you, there is a simpler method. As your sensei, I would put forth a recommendation for promotion and have Sakumo back that up.” Minato gestures in the direction of the elder Hatake. “Then it would be up to the Hokage to either grant or deny the request.”

“Although,” Minato adds as an afterthought, “it is possible that he would have you run through a few aptitude tests first. You would be the youngest shinobi in village history to request a promotion to jōnin.”

“Really?” Kakashi says, a faint trace of amusement in his eyes. “I would have two records to my name then.”

“It’s worth mentioning that I generally wouldn’t suggest for a family member to vouch for you,” Minato elaborates. “The arrangement might seem to lack impartiality due to your supposed age, but I think we can get away with it in this case.”

Kakashi nods in agreement as he absentmindedly crosses off a word in his report. “Because Sakumo is an honorable fool and everyone knows that."

“I heard that!” Sakumo calls out from the next room.

“You say that as if I care,” Kakashi retorts, not even bothering to glance away from his scroll.

Minato elects to ignore that exchange in favor of moving on to the next matter at hand. “Of course, there are still Rin’s and Obito’s promotions to consider.”

Rin looks up from the apple slice in her hand, her expression perturbed. “But how can we participate in the Chūnin Exams when Kakashi has already been promoted?” she asks. “You have to enter as part of a three-man team, don’t you?”

“That is true,” Minato acknowledges. “We would need to find a third genin who isn’t already part of a team, likely an early graduate from the Academy.”

“Ugh, I get nervous just thinking about it,” Obito interjects. “You’re so lucky Kakashi, you didn’t have to go through the exams. Sensei, could you-”

“Accidently take you and Rin on an S-rank mission?” Minato cuts Obito off before he can get too carried away. “Since I’d like to avoid getting court-martialed, the answer is no.”

Obito deflates slightly at this, and Kakashi can’t resist the opportunity to poke a little fun at the situation.

“Don't worry, you should be able to pass as long as you act like a selfless fool,” he chimes in facetiously. “That seems to be the standard that Konoha holds its shinobi to nowadays,” Kakashi continues, grinning as he ignores the unimpressed looks that Minato and Sakumo are throwing his way.

Now that his true nature has been revealed to Rin and Obito, Kakashi is almost surprised at how little impact it’s had on his relationship with them. There's no denying the obvious shock the two went into at first, especially in Obito's case. Although in retrospect, they likely would've panicked far less at his sudden transformation had it not also accompanied a harrowing near-death experience and an unexpected voyage through the skies.

In fact, Obito and Rin had almost seemed more taken aback by his banter with Minato than anything else. He and Minato had mutually agreed to uphold the pretense of a somewhat respectful student-teacher relationship when in their presence, but the events of the prior mission had prompted them to fully abandon that charade. It had taken a little time for the two of them to adjust, but Rin and Obito have since grown accustomed to their persistent back-and-forth.

All things considered, Kakashi supposes that not much has actually changed from Obito’s and Rin’s perspectives. They've known for years that Kakashi was an extremely powerful and especially peculiar shinobi. That much is still very true, but they just happen to know the reasons behind it now.

Still, Kakashi could certainly do with fewer questions from Obito though. The idea of fantastical spirits and mythical entities had been one that greatly excited the Uchiha, and he was quite disheartened to find out that he was not actually capable of seeing them. Minato was quick to assure him that this ability only encouraged youkai to either pester or eat you, but it had done little to diminish its allure.

Obito's disappointment had eventually abated, but it was unfortunately replaced by a sense of enthusiasm that Kakashi finds to be nothing short of tiresome since the Uchiha has taken it upon himself to pepper him with question after question whenever the opportunity arises. Now Minato had also done something similar at first, but he at least had reasonable queries. Obito, on the other hand, manages to find the most ridiculous topics to bother him about.

Rin, thankfully, has taken in these developments rather gracefully. Kakashi had expected as much after seeing just how quickly she was able to piece all the clues together, but he suspects that she still needs a little more time to fully adjust to all the various revelations of the previous mission. Even after obtaining definitive confirmation, she sometimes seems to forget that Kakashi isn’t human given how she still startles slightly whenever anyone alludes to his true nature.

The four of them take only fifteen more minutes to wrap up their mission reports, Kakashi doodling in the margins of his own as the others finish writing. Rin and Obito depart for their respective homes soon after, but Minato hangs back to make a request of Kakashi.

“So you’re looking for youkai that are preferably small and won’t cause any harm to humans?” Kakashi asks, frowning slightly as he considers this odd inquiry. Given that Minato knows better than to purposely seek out spirits, Kakashi can only assume that this has something to do with the youkai circles that Minato has been experimenting with.

Minato nods intently, “If that’s possible, and if you can bring them into the village.”

Definitely to do with the youkai circles then.

“Hmm," Kakashi replies with a shrug. "I’ll see what I can do.”

He should be able to locate a few spirits that won’t take too much offense to the forbidden techniques.

The next morning, Minato arrives at their usual training ground and finds that he is not the first one there.

There are two creatures that he can only assume are youkai, standing there in the middle of the clearing, looking almost as if they’re waiting for someone.

Neither is especially large as spirits go as both only come up to around a foot and a half in height. Both youkai are also rather rabbit-like in appearance. The one on the left has light brown fur and wears a pink and white robe, its long ears protruding from two holes that have been strategically cut along the top of its hood. The other spirit has white fur with pink-tipped ears and is dressed in a light brown kimono and pale haori.

“Hello!” the hooded one chirps as Minato approaches.

“Hi,” Minato replies, a bit hesitant in his confusion. “What, um, what brings you here?” 

“Madara-sama asked us to come!” the white rabbit chimes in.

Minato blinks in bewilderment before realizing who they’re referring to. Although his first instinct was indeed to think of Konoha’s traitorous founder, Minato does have a vague recollection of hearing Kakashi’s youkai friends call him by that very name. That little piece of information had been only one of the many surprising developments of the day, so it had quickly slipped his mind back then.

Still, Minato hadn’t expected for Kakashi to act so quickly on his request. As luck would have it though, he hadn't come here empty-handed. Minato rifles through his jacket in search of the youkai seals and is just about to introduce himself to the spirits when he hears Kakashi’s voice from behind him.

“So," Kakashi calls out as he approaches. "You’re testing out the youkai circles, aren’t you?” 

“That’s right,” Minato confirms, having extricated three copies of the seal from his pocket. “Since Rin and Obito now know about youkai but aren't able to see them on their own, I thought that the two of them could be test subjects for the circle." He holds the seal up to show Kakashi the completed version. 

"All I needed after that was a youkai," Minato finishes, feeling quite pleased now that his efforts are starting to come to fruition.

Kakashi’s perplexed frown is not the reaction that he was expecting.

“So you just needed any spirit to test it out then,” Kakashi says, glancing towards the rabbit youkai. “You do realize that I could’ve filled in for this.”

“What do you mean?” Minato stops in his tracks to stare at Kakashi. “The seal’s influence only extends to around a ten-foot radius. Your wolf form is much larger than that.”

“Yes, but that isn’t a fixed element,” Kakashi responds with the air of someone who's been forced to explain simple concepts to a small child. “I can make myself small enough to fit inside a single room or be as large as a house.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Minato asks, already feeling his blood pressure beginning to rise.

“You never asked,” Kakashi shoots back, completely unbothered in the face of Minato's growing irritation. “I assumed that you wanted to test the circle on other youkai as some kind of control group.”

“When do you ever answer questions though?” Kakashi’s assumption had been a fairly reasonable one, but Minato chooses to focus on the other matter at hand.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Most questions are stupid, that’s why I don’t respond,” he scoffs. “But if you don’t ask them, how am I supposed to know if they’re inane or not?

Minato feels a strong urge to scream at the sky, but the arrival of Obito and Rin reminds him that he still has some dignity left to uphold. It does help that the two are quite eager to participate in the test, Obito practically bouncing up and down in anticipation. Minato spends a few moments getting everyone situated before he hands each of them a seal, instructing the two rabbit youkai to stand directly in front of Obito and Rin.

“Alright, just take the youkai circle and start channeling your chakra into it…”

“Oh, there it is!” Rin nearly drops the seal in her surprise but smiles hesitantly upon studying the spirit more closely. “It’s kind of cute.”

Minato is finding it difficult to read the expression of the hooded youkai, but it doesn’t appear offended at the very least.

“Wow!” Obito exclaims, looking between the two spirits in fascination. “So this is what it’d be like!”

The white rabbit youkai regards Rin and Obito with what appears to be amusement. “Are all humans so easily entertained?” it chuckles to itself.

Meanwhile, Obito turns to Minato, his eyes shining in excitement. “Can I keep this? Can I keep this?"

Minato does end up allowing them to hold onto the seals, but only after they’ve promised to not use them unnecessarily. Just one use of the seal had significantly depleted their chakra stores, and it wouldn’t have taken much more to drain them completely. However, Obito and Rin are aware that there’s no point in using the seal in Konoha, and Minato trusts in their sense of self-preservation.

Regardless, the experiment has made it clear that Minato’s altered youkai circle does indeed work as intended, and with that settled, it means that there’s no need to delay things for any longer.

Hence why Minato now finds himself in Kushina’s home, nervously fidgeting on the couch as she sits across from him. Kushina looks slightly confused at the proceedings, but that’s likely due to the fact that they’ve been sitting in relative silence for the past few minutes.

Minato had asked Kakashi to meet him here too, but he’s evidently running late. Whether the wolf spirit has been delayed or is purposely tardy, he doesn’t know. Either way, he might as well get on with this.

He takes a deep breath just as a knock sounds on the front door.

“Kushina, I have something to tell you.”

Chapter Text

“Kushina,” Minato begins, even as he hears the sound of a second knock starting to hammer at the door. “What would you say if I told you that there are things out there that most people can’t see?”

Kakashi is waiting for him just outside, but Minato was worried that if he hadn’t said it then, there was a possibility that he never would’ve said anything at all.

Kushina’s normally expressive face is now unreadable, and she studies him for one agonizingly long moment before finally opening her mouth to speak.

“Where, where are you going with this?” She draws out this question with the air of someone who’s choosing their words very very carefully. “Is this your way of telling me that you’ve started hallucinating?”

“No, I—” is all that Minato is able to get out before he’s interrupted by a third and even more forceful knock.

He rises to his feet, letting out a lengthy sigh as he does so. “Sorry, I should get that.” He might as well, they've already gotten off on the wrong foot anyway.

Minato makes his way to the entrance, the uncomfortable weight of Kushina’s gaze heavy on the back of his neck. But just as he’s reaching for the handle, the door swings open to reveal Kakashi on the other side with the little fox spirit in tow.

“Hi!” the fox boy chirps, his cheerful disposition in complete contrast to Kakashi’s mild exasperation.

Minato spares a brief moment to smile at the fox youkai before rounding on Kakashi. “You’re late,” he hisses under his breath, trying to keep his voice low enough so that Kushina won't overhear.

Kakashi, unfortunately, has no such concerns. “It’s only because somebody got distracted by the food stalls on the way over here,” he complains and rather loudly at that. He punctuates this remark with an accusatory look at the fox boy who gives a sheepish smile in response.

“Alright, that doesn’t matter,” Minato whispers impatiently. “Get inside, both of you." He ushers the two youkai through the front door and into the living room while very pointedly ignoring Kakashi’s gripes.

Kushina, who’s watching this all unfold, presently wears the expression of a woman who’s unsure as to whether or not her boyfriend has actually lost his mind.

Unfortunately, Minato can't say that he blames her for that. He can only imagine what this must look like.  

Things had gotten off to such a terrible start. Minato genuinely doesn’t know what had possessed him to phrase his words in such a manner, but he managed to make it sound as though he was experiencing delusions.

Then, there was the matter of Kakashi’s arrival which seems to have brought Kushina no shortage of confusion. Because why would Minato decide to invite one of his students to attend what had initially appeared to be a serious conversation between the two of them?

And if that wasn’t bizarre enough, it must also look like Kakashi is currently holding an extremely excitable fox under his arm.

“Hello… Kakashi.” Kushina finally says, and Minato can’t help but notice the way that her eyes are now glued to the fox spirit.

She stares for only a few more seconds—though it feels much longer—before tearing her gaze away. Kushina turns back to Minato once more, a million questions in her eyes.

That’s probably his cue to pick up from where he left off.

“Back to what I was saying.” Minato resumes, somewhat lamely. He sinks back down into the seat he’d previously vacated and steels himself for what he’s about to say next. “There are entities out there, ones that are invisible and pass among others undetected.”

Kushina's eyes flash in alarm. “Like ghosts?” she very nearly yelps.

Minato winces inwardly at how poorly this is all going. “Not exactly, but that’s closer.”

He throws a frantic look in Kakashi’s direction. “Aren’t you going to help me explain?”

There's an undercurrent of panic to his voice that he isn’t fully able to hide, but Minato isn't desperate enough to plead with the wolf spirit just yet. Still, any aid would be greatly appreciated about now.

Kakashi, however, is completely unsympathetic to Minato’s plight. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to do this already?” He looks far too relaxed right now, slouched over in one of Kushina’s armchairs as if he didn’t have a single care in the world. “You’re on your own for this part.”

The more immature part of Minato's brain longs to argue back, but he swallows his biting remarks in favor of attending to more practical matters like clearing the air before Kushina decides that he’s completely and utterly lost his mind.

“Okay,” he declares as an emotion that feels suspiciously like defeat washes over him. “We're getting nowhere with this.” Minato gets to his feet for a second time. "I think it’s best if I show you.”

This pronouncement causes a furrow to appear between Kushina’s brows. She looks up at him, her piercing eyes searching every inch of his face.

Minato wonders what she sees there.

“Alright then,” she agrees.

Her words are hesitant, almost as if they were physically difficult for her to utter, but Minato had hardly expected anything else. She hasn't tried to leave yet, and that has to count for something at the very least.

On second thought, that might have more to do with the fact that this is her home.

Minato silently beckons for the fox spirit to come closer and gestures for him to stand in the center of the room so that Kushina has a clear view of him. As the fox boy shuffles into place, slightly bashful under the weight of Kushina’s forceful stare, Minato extracts a copy of the youkai circle from his front pocket.

Everything will change from this point forward. But in what way, Minato doesn’t know.

He allows himself one deep breath before handing over the seal to Kushina. “If you channel chakra into this, things will start to make a little more sense.”

Kushina’s expression is doubtful, and for good reason. Minato knows what this must look like to her, a convoluted mishmash of fūinjutsu with no discernible purpose. Poorly designed seals are ineffective at best and lethal at the very worst, but Kushina heeds his instruction in spite of that and gently places the palm of her hand onto the slip of paper.

Even if Minato hadn’t bothered to test the circle with his students beforehand, Kushina’s sharp intake of breath would’ve been confirmation enough that it worked.  

“What!?” she all but shrieks in surprise at the sight that’s now been revealed to her—a young child, one with the ears and tail of a fox, that’s appeared in place of the small forest creature that stood there only seconds prior.

“Youkai,” Minato hears himself say as her head whips between him and the fox boy in confusion. “They exist.”

“They exist,” he repeats. “They exist, and I can see them.”

And with that, Kushina’s expression of bewilderment melts away to pure shock. “You can’t be serious,” she exclaims. “No, you can't be…" Her eyes are sweeping around the room as if she expects someone to jump out and tell her that this is all part of an elaborate practical joke.

“Spirits are real,” Minato insists, even as she shakes her head in disbelief. “There aren’t many around Konoha, and very few people can actually see them.” He pauses to allow another breath to circulate through his lungs. “But I’m one of them,” he states simply.

Minato points to the youkai circle in Kushina’s hands. “That seal that I've made, it can allow anyone to see them though.”

"You're... not kidding then." Kushina has gone back to staring at the fox boy who’s begun to fidget nervously from this renewed attention. The edges of the seal crinkle as her fingers tighten around it, and she mutters something under her breath before tearing her gaze away from the fox spirit.

Minato braces himself for what’s to come, but Kushina only raises her index finger. "I need a moment," she declares, and her voice is measured now, neutral even as she looks back down at the youkai circle.

He has no reason not to comply with her request, so he watches as Kushina traces her thumb over the inked lines. She’s been oddly subdued thus far, at least by her standards anyway. He’d gone into this knowing that there was always the possibility that Kushina’s reaction could border on the more explosive side, so he can’t really complain about how things have unfolded.

There’s still plenty of time for things to change, although it seems that Kushina is processing these revelations inwardly if the look on her face is any indication. She seems to be running through nearly the full gamut of human emotion, and Minato takes note of the varying shades of astonishment, confusion, and disbelief that color her features. But eventually, her expression reforms into something that could almost be described as impassive, and Minato goes still, sensing that a verdict is at hand.

Sure enough, Kushina raises her head, and her eyes hold in them a resoluteness that sets his teeth on edge.

“What you’ve told me, it doesn’t sound like it could be possible.” Kushina’s voice rings with a sense of finality, and Minato’s heart immediately sinks into his stomach. He almost misses her next words entirely, too preoccupied with how his world seems to be crashing to pieces around him.

“But I’m also certain that what I’m seeing is no illusion.” Kushina lifts the hand that’s holding the youkai circle to point at the fox boy. “That is real, and this seal,” she continues, “it’s not one I’ve ever seen before, but it makes me think that you might just be telling the truth.”

Minato feels as though the blood in his veins has been chilled and then suddenly rethawed. He watches dumbly as Kushina traces a finger over the youkai circle in interest.

“I don’t recognize the main figure you’ve used,” she admits, a slight frown crossing over her face. “But I know that this section here is projecting that image outwards.” Kushina taps the inked lines for emphasis. “This seal changed what I was seeing just now, it turned the red fox into a little kid with fox ears. That matches up with what you said.”

And with that, she looks back at Minato, her mouth curving into a gentle smile. “I believe you.”

It’s now Minato’s turn to gawk in silence.

“What?” he squawks once he’s regained the ability to speak. “That’s it?”

The laugh that Kushina lets out is slightly strained and higher-pitched than typical, but the sound carries no less joy than it usually does. “What else is there to say?”

She rises to her feet in a single fluid movement before stepping forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug. “So it turns out that you’ve got one really weird secret, but you’re still you.”

Minato can scarcely believe that this is happening, even as his own arms encircle Kushina. 

"Also, I thought that you were going to tell me that you were actually dying or something like that," Kushina admits sheepishly, her words coming out in a rush. "That or you were pretending to be insane to cover up the fact that you were dying in order to get me to break up with you."

"Ah," Minato says in understanding, the rest of the pieces falling into place. No wonder she had taken the truth so well then. It turns out that the key to achieving a peaceful resolution was to scare her half to death first.

“Seriously, it felt like you were getting ready to plan your own funeral.”

“Sorry.” Minato's mouth twists into a rueful smile. It was never his intention to cause her unnecessary worry.

Kushina pulls back to give him a light swat on the shoulder. "It’s okay. But give me some credit though," she chides. "Look, I could tell that you've put a lot of time and effort into crafting this seal. This is what you’ve been working on, right?” she guesses, a warm shine to her eyes. “All so that you could let me know.”

“Yeah,” Minato breathes as he runs a hand through his hair. "I was thinking that if you wanted to use the youkai circle on a more regular basis, we might be able to alter it so that you could draw it on your skin like a temporary tattoo. I’d definitely need your help with that though.”

“Sounds like a fun project—,” Kushina starts to say before cutting her sentence short, a look of realization now dawning upon her face.

“Wait a second.” Her head swivels around, fast enough to give Minato whiplash. “You followed me before, didn’t you?”

She directs this question towards the little fox who, up until now, had been standing there patiently throughout the duration of their conversation.

The little fox jolts in surprise, almost as if he wasn't expecting to be addressed directly. “Sorry!" he blurts out as his feet begin to shuffle nervously. "I saw you that day and just thought that you were really interesting and strong.”

Such a complimentary remark would likely have come across as flattery had it been uttered by anyone else, but the fox boy’s eyes are wide and guileless in a way that has Kushina practically cooing at his answer.

“Oh, I can’t be angry at that, you’re just too cute!” she exclaims. “What’s your name?”

It's a question that Minato had thought was quite straightforward, but the little fox appears rather perplexed by this query, wringing his small hands as if he’d never been asked this before.

“Do you not have a name?” Kushina asks, her voice incredulous. She shoots a disbelieving look around the room. “Does he not have a name?” she repeats. "How does he not have a name?"

“Every entity has a true name,” Kakashi chimes in out of nowhere, and Minato nearly jumps in surprise, having almost forgotten that the wolf spirit was even there. “But not every youkai has a name for others to call them by."

Minato frowns in confusion, unsure as to how those two statements could coincide.

Kushina, on the other hand, has drawn a very different conclusion from Kakashi’s words. “So can I give you a name then?” She addresses the little fox eagerly.

Bewildered, Minato looks to Kakashi for guidance. “Is, is that, can she do that?” he asks.

“There’s no problem,” Kakashi drones, sounding utterly unconcerned about the matter at hand. “I myself have gone by various different names throughout the years. If you’d like to be pedantic, the name ‘Kakashi’ is just one that Sakumo gave to me.”

“Great!” Kushina cheers, clapping her hands in excitement. “I like the name Menma.”

“Kushina, I—” Minato starts to say, but the rest of his words are drowned out by her enthusiasm.

“Your name is Menma,” she informs the fox youkai who looks nothing short of delighted at this pronouncement.

The newly dubbed Menma beams back at her. “I like it!”

Kushina’s grin nearly triples in size. "Yeah!” she crows. “It's not like we could have you running around without something to call you by. Now that—" 

She cuts herself off for a second time, her features creasing in confusion. 

“Hold on.” Kushina pauses in place before turning to Minato with a quizzical expression. "What does Kakashi have to do with this again?”

“Oh, we did leave out that part of the explanation,” Minato mutters under his breath, only now realizing that he’d never actually mentioned the very specific role that Kakashi plays in all of this.

“You left that out,” Kakashi pipes in unhelpfully.

Minato rolls his eyes in exasperation. “Kakashi is a youkai who’s pretending to be Sakumo’s son so that he can stay in the village with him,” he relays dryly. “He can also transform into a wolf, but only in times of emergency apparently.”

Kushina seems to consider his words for a brief second before evidently deciding that it’s better not to dwell on them.

“It sounds like there’s a long story behind that..." she prompts, looking between them both.

"...And clearly one that nobody wants to explain to me right now,” she concludes after neither Minato nor Kakashi elects to offer any additional information.

“But that’s okay!” she carries on, their lack of explanation having done nothing to dampen her cheerful mood. “Come on, this is exciting!”

Minato lets out a heavy exhale. The entire ordeal has left him feeling a bit lightheaded. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kakashi yawning in exaggerated fashion.

Kushina, meanwhile, has already redirected her focus to Menma. “So you were here in the village. What have you done so far?" she asks, a lively glint in her eyes.

“Oh, um, we went up to that mountain, the one with all the giant faces in it.”

“That’s it?” Kushina looks indignant in a way that makes Minato feel as though he’s done something wrong.

Menma nods earnestly, the very picture of an expectant child.

“Well, that’s nothing!” Kushina stuffs the youkai circle up her sleeve, presumably so that she can maintain a continuous chakra flow without the use of her hands.

“Come with me!” Her exuberant cry rings throughout the room as she all but charges out the door with Menma hot on her heels.

Kakashi trails after them as well after a brief moment of consideration, looking mildly interested in the proceedings.

“This may have been a mistake,” Minato mumbles to himself as he watches them go.

Chapter Text

Sakumo isn’t exactly sure how it’s come to this.

His home has somehow become a base of sorts, one that serves as a meeting place for Kakashi, Minato, Rin, Obito, and occasionally even Kushina. Although Sakumo does suppose that it’s a fairly natural progression of events, all things considered.

Minato has always been leery of discussing confidential topics out in the open, despite Sakumo’s and Kakashi’s own lack of concern regarding the matter. The village has long since learned that listening in on Kakashi’s conversations is a highly inadvisable endeavor that's detrimental to one’s peace of mind, but Minato still recoils every single time the subject of youkai is brought up in public. It’s gotten to the point where he even considers the training grounds to be too risky for such conversations.

On the other hand, it does make sense that Minato is seeking out extra precautions now that his girlfriend and all of his students are involved in this whole affair. And since most of the stress in the young jōnin’s life can in fact be traced back to Kakashi, Sakumo has little issue with everyone congregating in his dining room every once in a while.

As the one who’d initially invited Kakashi to stay in Konoha, it’s the least that he can do.

That’s how it had all started. But now, it appears as though the group is beginning to gather at his home for far more mundane matters

Kakashi and others have the day off from training, but Minato had still asked for them to meet briefly in order to discuss the new developments regarding their upcoming promotions. Sakumo certainly understands the need to have these conversations, but he’s not entirely sure why the four had decided to convene in his living room on the couch opposite him.

“There really hasn’t been a push for Academy students to graduate early for quite some time,” Minato explains to Obito and Rin. “Right now, it looks like the next batch won’t become genin for another two to three years.”

“So does that mean we’ll have to wait that long then?” Rin asks, looking slightly worried at the prospect. Given her status as a medical-nin, Sakumo imagines that her opportunities for advancement could easily be hampered by any delays in her promotion.

Obito appears just as concerned by this if the way he’s drumming his fingers on the armrest is any indication. “And what if those graduates are already on their own three-man teams by then?”

“It won’t come to that.” Minato is quick to assure them otherwise. “There are two, maybe three students who are considering early graduation, but it’s a toss-up at the moment. If one of them does graduate, we’ll see whether or not the three of you can train together as a team.”

“And if not?” prompts Rin, not sounding completely reassured.

“Then I’ll see if we can try for a field promotion.” It’s apparent that Minato has given quite some thought to this. “We might be able to arrange a sequence of B-rank missions to serve as a test instead. That’s only as a last resort though,” he tacks on upon catching the hopeful look in Obito’s eyes. “I’d much rather you two enter the exams.”

There’s little else to discuss aside from that, and Minato dismisses his students shortly after so that they can enjoy their day off. Rin and Obito bid the rest of them goodbye before heading out, apparently off to pick up some groceries for Obito's grandmother. The door swings to a shut behind them, and Sakumo assumes that Minato has also left until a startled squawk draws his attention.

“What is that?” Minato splutters and Sakumo pokes his head out of the kitchen to see him pointing an incredulous finger in Kakashi’s direction. The young jōnin is frozen in place as he gazes in horror at a book that’s appeared in Kakashi’s hands.

Sakumo frowns, trying to discern the words printed on the orange cover. He can’t imagine though what kind of book it would have to be to merit such a reaction. “What does that say? Make-Out Paradise?”

Kakashi calmly snaps the book shut before holding it out in front of him to show Sakumo the title. “I believe this is deemed as ‘adult literature’ or something of the sort.”

He lets out a light chuckle as if the concept itself is one that he finds humorous.

His nonchalance, however, does nothing to temper Minato’s hysterics. “I can’t believe—!”

“Wait, how do you know what that is?” Sakumo cuts Minato off in his tracks, examining him with a renewed sense of curiosity.

Minato instantly turns beet red, and his eyes flicker towards the front door as if he’s contemplating his chances of escape.

Sakumo and Kakashi both regard him in silence, their expressions deceptively mild.

“Jiraiya’s the author.” Minato discloses this as if the words are physically painful for him to say. “He might have asked me to edit some of his works before I told him to take it somewhere else.”

Sakumo raises an eyebrow. Somehow, he doubts that this is the full story.

“It’s because I read his first book!” Minato insists. The memory is apparently a mortifying one judging by the flush that’s steadily creeping up the side of his neck. “It was an adventure novel, and Kushina and I really enjoyed that one.”

“The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, was it?” Kakashi muses. “It certainly wasn’t bad,” he acknowledges after another moment of consideration. “Still, I felt that there was a general sense of resignation that pervaded most of the narrative. It seemed to detract from the novel’s intended theme at times.”

Minato blinks in bemusement, evidently caught off guard by this piece of literary analysis—so much so that he seems to have forgotten what he was going to say next.

However, Sakumo can attest that Kakashi could be a surprisingly avid reader at times. During his early years in Konoha, back when he was pretending that he was too young to be doing anything of importance, Kakashi could often be found working his way through the compound's collection of books. Sakumo can only imagine that the youkai was making up for lost time. There must have been quite a few developments in human literature since the last time he had opposable thumbs.

“I will say,” Kakashi admits in a rare moment of honesty, “I did initially pick up the books thinking that they were something I could use to poke fun at Jiraiya with.”

“The fact that you’re laughing at it will probably be insulting to him,” Minato points out. “But really, just reading it in his presence should be enough to unnerve him.”

A slight frown crosses over Minato’s face after he says this, almost as if he’s wondering why he would even bother to give Kakashi advice on how best to torment his former sensei.

“Well, read what you want,” Sakumo tells Kakashi, “but you can’t take that book out in public for at least three more years.”

“Why is that?” Kakashi asks. He seems genuinely puzzled as to why that might be the case.

“Because when you’re sixteen, I can plausibly claim to have lost all control over you.”

That’s not exactly the full truth, but Sakumo isn’t interested in informing him precisely why it would be so objectionable for a child to be reading adult material outside in broad daylight.

“If you say so,” Kakashi replies. His unconcerned tone suggests otherwise, but that’s about as close as Sakumo can get to agreement anyway.  

“That reminds me, Kakashi,” Minato cuts in as if he’s suddenly in a great hurry. “I wanted to mention this to you.”

Sakumo doesn’t miss the twitch of Minato’s eye as he says this, and he wonders if there’s actually something urgent that requires discussing or if the other jōnin is simply attempting to change the subject to one that doesn’t make him want to disappear below the surface of the earth.

“Do you remember Tenzō?” Minato asks. “The one who could grow trees out of nothing,” he adds after his student displays no signs of recognition.

“I guess." Kakashi thumbs through the novel, presumably trying to find his spot from earlier. “What about him?”

Minato seems to have doubts regarding whether or not Kakashi actually remembers, but he carries on regardless. “Well, he might be graduating soon. If he does, he may start training with the team so that he can enter the Chūnin Exams with Rin and Obito.”

“Really, that’s the plan for him?” Sakumo remarks in surprise. “I thought that the Academy would’ve wanted to keep him at pace with everyone else.”

“That was initially the idea.” Minato lets out a prolonged sigh. “But he’s rather advanced, even without accounting for the Mokuton. He’s been outpacing the others by a good margin, and his teachers also feel that he would be ready for it. Really, it’s a small miracle that he’s been able to do so well considering all that he’s been through.”

This brief explanation is apparently enough to open the floodgates as Minato promptly begins to elaborate in ways that neither Sakumo nor Kakashi had asked for.

“And he needs one-on-one instruction in order to control his abilities, the kind of attention that he can’t get in the Academy or when he’s on a team with two other genin.”

Sakumo nods along, but he's not sure if Minato is even taking any of it in. He doesn’t appear to have noticed that Kakashi’s attention has already been reclaimed by the novel.

“But no one wants him to fall behind either,” Minato continues as he waves a hand in emphasis. “So if he’s open to it, we’re considering having him graduate early so that he can try for a promotion and then train individually under a jōnin. That way he can take as much time as he needs before joining a three-man team.”

“Sounds like a solid idea,” Sakumo interjects once Minato’s spiel has come to a halt. “Who would teach him then?”

Konoha isn’t exactly brimming with suitable candidates. After all, it would take an exceptional shinobi to manage a kid with a long-lost kekkei genkai.

“Tsunade, hopefully,” Minato answers, and Sakumo can feel his eyebrows raising in surprise. “There’s really not anyone left in the village that has any concrete information about the Mokuton, so Jiraiya and Orochimaru are tailing her around the shinobi nations to try and convince her."

“I didn’t realize that’s what they left for,” Sakumo remarks. “What do you think their chances are in getting her to come back?”

“I believe that she will either agree to return or injure the two so severely that they’ll decide it’s no longer in their best interests to follow her.”

Sakumo supposes that’s probably as good of a guess as any.

Minato turns his attention back to Kakashi at that, an uncharacteristically stern look in his eyes. “If this whole thing plays out and gets approved, I expect you to be civil. Tenzō has been through a great deal already.”

“You’re always thinking the worst of me, aren’t you?” Kakashi’s tone is nothing short of petulant as looks up from his book with an expression of feigned indignation.

Minato’s long-suffering stare is an answer in and of itself.

“I know I’m abrasive,” Kakashi acknowledges, “but I’m not cruel.” A beat passes. “Usually.”

Minato doesn’t even bother to reply to that and simply stalks out the front door, shaking his head as he does so.

“Shinobi just don’t respond the same way as normal humans,” Kakashi complains as the door closes behind him. “It’s not nearly as satisfying.”

“And here I thought you were doing a respectable job of keeping everybody on their toes.” Sakumo chuckles as he returns to his earlier task of straightening up the kitchen.

Kakashi rolls his eyes dismissively. “That’s nothing. Your little lives are nonsensical to the point where even the children here are already accustomed to the absurdity. Everyone’s reactions have been disappointing in comparison.”

“Out of curiosity, what are you looking for?” Sakumo asks. He’s not expecting a response but Kakashi answers almost immediately.

“More running and screaming, for one. I’ll never pass up an opportunity to make others cower in fear.”

The corner of Sakumo’s mouth curves upward as he shakes his head. He would’ve left things at that, but something about the way Kakashi had said that had stuck out to him. 

“Compared to who?” he asks, the implications of Kakashi’s previous words jogging an old memory of his. It reminds him of something else, a similar thought he’d had in the past.  

“You specifically said that shinobi are disappointing in that matter,” Sakumo says, restating the yokai’s comment from earlier. “So what other humans have you been around?”

Kakashi goes still for a moment before turning to regard Sakumo with a cool stare.

“Hmm, who knows?”

________________________

“I apologize that things didn’t end up working out with that genin,” Minato addresses Rin and Obito in a sympathetic tone. “And I’m sure that Kakashi is sorry as well,” he continues, his voice sharpening as he throws a meaningful look in the youkai’s direction.

Team Minato had spent the past few days collaborating with a potential teammate, a ten-year-old genin by the name of Haru. He was impressively agile for his age and had shown enough potential to warrant an early graduation. But while he passed the Academy's qualifying tests with ease, he was still completely unprepared to deal with the likes of Kakashi.

The poor boy had stormed off less than ten minutes ago in the middle of their training session.

Kakashi, the instigator of the situation at hand, simply stands there with the air of someone who’s trying not to laugh. “Look, if he can’t withstand basic criticism, then he’s in no way fit for a promotion.”

At this point, Minato honestly believes that Kakashi is simply immune to all forms of shame.

“Graduating early hardly means that you’re immune to error,” Kakashi points out. “And the two of you trained with him for almost three days,” he says, turning to address Obito and Rin. “Tell me, did you enjoy working with him?”

“Nope.”

“Not especially.”

Minato runs a hand through his hair and tries not to think about the way it'd grown increasingly disheveled as the day progressed. “Well, there might be another genin that could join us soon, so don’t be too discouraged.”

But neither Rin nor Obito seems particularly crestfallen by this setback. They must’ve found Haru more irritating than they initially let on.

Now that their training session has been rendered moot, the only thing that Minato can do is move on to the next order of business which also happens to concern his most exasperating student.

“Kakashi,” Minato calls out, even though he's resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. “For your jōnin promotion, you’ll be reporting to the Academy four days from today. The Hokage has also requested that you demonstrate several advanced jutsus as part of the test. Do you have some prepared?”

“Of course.” Kakashi looks almost offended that Minato might’ve thought otherwise.

That’s hardly enough to convince him though. “They need to be techniques that other shinobi can replicate in theory,” Minato stresses. “It can’t be a youkai thing, like the one where you call lightning down from the sky or something like that.”

He’s only seen him do it once before, when Kakashi had used a lightning strike to disable a group of bandits that he wasn't in the mood to tussle with. The entire phenomenon would’ve appeared completely natural too if it weren’t for the fact that the bolt of electricity had spawned from a cloudless, blue sky.

“They have nothing to do with spirits whatsoever,” Kakashi assures him. “Besides, if I show them that, someone might actually figure out how to replicate it. You shinobi already manage to pull the most ridiculous abilities out of your—“

“Kakashi!” reprimands Minato.

“What?” the youkai asks, an amused glint in his eye. “You didn’t even know what I was going to say.”

However, the innocent expression on Kakashi’s face fools no one.

Chapter Text

“How much longer do you think it’ll be before he gets here?” Rin asks absentmindedly as she ties a blade of grass into intricate knots.

She looks to either side of her and prods each of her teammates with a toe after neither responds to her question.

“Who knows?” Obito mumbles as Kakashi gives a noncommittal shrug.

The three of them are currently lying down in the grass at their usual training ground, waiting for their jōnin-sensei to arrive. Rin looks to be in the process of weaving several pieces of grass together while Obito painstakingly cleans the smudges from his obnoxiously colored goggles.

Kakashi finds himself letting out a yawn even though he's well aware that it’s far too hot to sleep comfortably out here.

Normally, genin students might take the opportunity to squeeze in some extra training if their sensei was running behind schedule. Two-thirds of Team Minato had done this at first, back when they weren’t sure how long they might be left waiting.

But now that they know that Minato could be running anywhere between ten minutes to an hour late, the three of them had decided instead to use that time for leisure. There was only so long that they could stretch their muscles or cycle through warmups before they risked overextending themselves.

Of course, Kakashi was never bothered enough to engage in either of those, but it wouldn’t do if the others were already fatigued by the time Minato did actually show his face.

His tardiness had been far more manageable and predictable in the beginning. However, they've now reached the point where Obito is starting to beat Minato to their training sessions.

“Do you think Sensei’s coming later because you’re a jōnin now?” Obito lowers the goggles and angles his head to peer in Kakashi’s direction. “Are you supposed to be teaching us something?”

Obito’s eyes widen slightly as he rolls onto his side and stares at Kakashi with a panicked look on his face. “Is this a test? Are we failing?”

Kakashi lets out a derisive snort, but Obito looks no less alarmed, having no idea as to how he should interpret that.

“I’m sure it’s because of the Flying Thunder God technique that he’s working on.” Rin is quick to reassure Obito, no doubt attempting to stop him in his tracks before he can get too worked up.

“Remember how he said that there’s a lot of problems that can pop up whenever he’s experimenting?” she reminds him, her eyes still affixed to the grass fabrication in her hands, “and that those problems are ones that he needs to fix right away?”

“Oh, right.” Obito breathes a sigh of relief before rolling onto his back once more.

As the other two fall silent, Kakashi debates the merits of moving to a shadier part of the training ground. It’ll certainly be cooler underneath a tree, but the grass there is markedly less comfortable with all the twigs and sticks littering the ground.

Although if taking a nap is out of the question, is relocating really worth the effort?

“I wonder if Sensei needs any help,” Rin muses as she plucks a few more strands of grass from the ground. “I know that we’re not experts on fūinjutsu, but working on such a big project by yourself has to be difficult.”

“Well, you can always ask him if you’re concerned,” Kakashi mutters, stretching his arms out in front of him as he holds back another yawn.

Rin shoots Kakashi a look to confirm that he isn’t just being facetious before returning her attention to her craft project. “Alright, I will," she replies cheerfully.

Obito’s mind is on completely different matters, however.

“Would Sensei be offended if we started bringing snacks to eat as we wait?” he wonders out loud. The goggles slip from his grasp as he says this, and Obito lets out a surprised squawk as they smack him in the face.

“As long as you’re not eating an entire meal when Minato-sensei shows up, I don’t think he’d mind,” Rin advises. “Is your face okay?”

“It’s fine.” Obito rubs his nose and winces. “And I guess you’re right,” he acknowledges, his voice slightly muffled by his hand. “It just gets boring out here.”

“At least we’ve never had to wait for over an hour,” Rin points out in a placating manner. “And Sensei is probably really busy between his research and Kushina."

A confused expression crosses over Obito’s face. “Wait, what about her?”

“He told her about youkai, didn’t he?” Rin reasons. “Their relationship must be a serious one then. I’m pretty sure that they plan on getting married someday.”

“Really?” Obito frowns, and it’s evident that the thought hadn’t even registered to him before now.

“From what I've noticed,” Kakashi chimes in, “you generally wouldn’t share such a substantial secret unless it was with a life partner.”

Rin nods in a knowing fashion as she weaves a few more blades of grass into place. “That’s what I thought too.”

Kakashi closes his eyes as a cloud drifts over the sun and casts some much-needed shade over them all. Provided that the cloud remains in its current position, he might actually be able to fall asleep. However, Kakashi finds himself cracking open an eye after Obito elects to break the silence with yet another question

“So do you think Minato-sensei will get married first or figure out that jutsu first?” Obito squints and peers through the lens of his goggles, now inspecting its surfaces for scratches.

Rin takes a second to consider this. “I don’t know,” she admits, the corner of her mouth twisting slightly as she does so. “Sensei’s around the age that people normally get married, but not everyone is in a rush. Then there’s the fact that he’s trying to rediscover a technique that was only ever used by the Nidaime.”

“We could place bets on it,” Kakashi suggests, idly tracking the path of a dragonfly that’s zipping through the air above them. 

There’s a brief moment in which both Rin and Obito go still before they turn in his direction, regarding him with a sentiment that borders on trepidation. “Would it just be a regular bet or does that constitute a formal deal with a youkai?” Rin asks in a hesitant voice.  

“Hmm, it could be either,” Kakashi replies, thoroughly enjoying the quiet expressions of alarm that flicker across their faces. “That’s what makes it fun.”

Of course, that’s hardly the case here. A verbal agreement with a spirit is no more binding than one made between humans, but Obito and Rin don’t need to know that. It’s nice to be able to keep them on their toes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi notices Rin subtly shake her head in Obito’s direction as if to say don’t do it.

“Speaking of youkai,” Obito abruptly exclaims in a dreadfully transparent attempt to change the topic, “I’m still jealous that Kushina can use that seal to see them all the time!”

This matter is one that has bothered Obito to no end, and now Kakashi and Rin are the ones exchanging sidelong looks. Because even though this is a blatant effort to steer the conversation elsewhere, it’s still a subject that Obito is irritatingly passionate about.

Obito waves his goggles in front of him as he gestures animatedly. "Why does the circle have to use so much chakra?” he complains. “It would’ve been nice to be able to see youkai since I still haven’t unlocked my Sharingan and all.”

“For the last time,” Kakashi drones, despite knowing that Obito is bound to bring this up again. “There are no other youkai in Konoha or in its immediate vicinity. There’s nothing to see here.”

“But still…”

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Spirits are either pests or simply aiming to eat you. You are missing nothing,” he insists.

If it weren’t so aggravating, he might’ve been impressed at the way that Obito manages to fret over imagined concerns while completely disregarding the very real and significant threat that spirits bring. The Uchiha is almost entranced by the very thought of youkai, and Kakashi would be lying if he said he never regretted enlightening Obito of their existence.

In all fairness, it would’ve been far more of a hassle to keep it all a secret from his teammates. Still, nobody else was this annoying about it.

Sakumo and Rin had approached the matter quite similarly, going about the situation in a methodical fashion once the initial shock had worn off. Every now and then there might be something that’ll take them by surprise, but their reactions are generally reasonable and measured.

Minato was highly inquisitive at first, but his questions had gradually tapered off over time. Partly because Kakashi ignored roughly half of his queries, but also because the answers he did receive seemed to leave him progressively more unnerved. By the time Minato had begun his work on the youkai circle, he’d already come to the conclusion that the information Kakashi tended to offer was usually detrimental to his own sanity.

And even after all these years, it’s still relatively easy to throw him off.

As for Kushina, Kakashi does have to admit that their most recent confidant has made circumstances a bit more lively as of late. She had taken it all in stride and thrown herself wholeheartedly into this newly discovered world of youkai. He does wonder how much of that initial enthusiasm was born of relief since Kushina had originally expected Minato’s confession to be something far more upsetting than it actually was. Kakashi can hardly blame her for that assumption though, not when Minato was acting like he was about to be sentenced to death.

But the impromptu tour around Konoha with the fox boy had made for a reasonably entertaining outing. Not only was he introduced to several establishments that he was previously unaware of—including a dango shop that he will be frequenting in the near future—but Kakashi had also appreciated the opportunity to visit lesser-known landmarks such as the stump of the old tree that had nearly fallen on top of Minato when he was only fourteen.

Although if Kushina does intend to stroll around with the youkai seal at the ready, she will need to be warned about the more harmful spirits that populate this world. At the very least, she should be made aware of the kinds of youkai that are to be avoided at all costs. That would mean another visit out to the Dog’s Circle is in order, but it might be advisable to wait until Minato and Kushina are actually married.

Hinoe has a type after all.

Kakashi rolls over so that he’s lying on his front, face down in the grass. Whether or not he succeeds in falling asleep, he’s making the decision to not move a muscle until Minato gets there.

Of course, that’s when he hears the sound of a voice calling out to them.

“I’m so sorry about that!” Minato shouts as he sprints over to where the three of them are clustered. “I can’t believe I keep making you three wait for me.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sensei,” Rin assures him as the other two slowly stretch and get to their feet. “Were you working on the Flying Thunder God technique again?”

Minato’s responding smile is equal parts grateful and sheepish. “Thanks for being patient, and yes, I ran into a little problem there.”

“Were there any explosions?” Obito asks eagerly, his face lighting up in excitement.

“Nothing like that,” Minato chuckles. “It’s much more mundane, but a bit trickier to resolve.”

Kakashi wonders if today’s delay has anything to do with why Minato is covered head to toe in wooden splinters.

Rin seems to be curious about that as well. “So what was the issue this time?”

“Anyway,” Minato carries on as if he hadn’t heard her, “we’re going to have a new genin training with us starting next week.”

Unsurprisingly, no one looks to be particularly ecstatic about the news after what happened with the last one.

Obito seems especially unenthused by this. “Oh, is it someone we know?” he asks with the air of someone who’s just laid eyes on an abnormally large insect.

“I believe so,” Minato says, much to Rin’s and Obito’s surprise. “He’s a little younger, but the two of you probably crossed paths with Tenzō at the Academy. If you haven’t met before, he was the boy with the Mokuton you saw that day.”

“What?” Obito splutters in undisguised dismay. “He’s going to be working with us!”

“Don’t be immature, Obito,” Rin scolds him almost immediately. “He could be a good teammate for all you know. It doesn’t matter that you think his eyes are creepy!”

Minato almost seems to deflate, his previously cheerful expression slowly sliding off of his face as he watches their exchange. “Anyway,” he carries on but with notably less energy than before. “Tenzō should be joining us in a week, but I’ve asked him to stop by today so that he can meet everyone. He’ll be taking his graduation tests a few days from now."

The jōnin-sensei sighs as he regards his students, two-thirds of whom now appear apologetic at the sight of his downcast expression. “I know it can be difficult to work with someone new, but this is necessary for your promotion. Tenzō is very capable, but he will be expecting the two of you to lead since you have far more experience than he does.”

Rin and Obito nod earnestly as Kakashi pretends not to notice what’s going on.

The smile Minato gives them is far more weary than the one he was sporting only minutes prior. “Thank you,” he says before glancing over his shoulder, having caught sight of Tenzō approaching from the other side of the training ground.

“Just behave!” he hisses at the three of them as he waves the boy over.

Chapter Text

Minato would be the first to admit that the meeting between his students and Tenzō could’ve played out better. That isn’t to say that it had gone badly.

It just hadn’t gone well.

In all fairness, Minato should’ve provided Rin and Obito with advance notice instead of having Tenzō suddenly show up that day. It was fairly clear in the way they conducted themselves that neither of them had expected their newest team member to arrive so quickly.

Obito had seemed incapable of looking directly at Tenzō, instead mumbling a half-hearted salutation to the grass. He’d spent the majority of the meeting fidgeting with his goggles and pretending to clean off nonexistent bits of dirt from its surface.

Rin, meanwhile, had glared at Obito throughout his introduction and for a good five minutes afterward. Her glower had vanished by the time it was her turn to greet Tenzō, but the irritated look was still fresh in her eyes.

And judging from his expression of mild alarm, Tenzō hadn’t realized that it wasn’t him that Rin was upset with. Minato imagines that he likely left the meeting assuming that Rin either detested him or was simply an irate person in general. Neither option could be further from the truth, but as a first impression, this could be a difficult one to shake.

By some peculiar and nonsensical twist of fate, Kakashi was the only one who managed to introduce himself in an appropriate manner. In all honesty, it was almost eerie to see Kakashi acting nothing but professional as he greeted the slightly bewildered Tenzō.

Unfortunately, Kakashi’s normal conduct had only served to emphasize the strangeness of Rin’s and Obito’s. Minato’s own introduction, while still acceptable, was somewhat harried due to the circumstances.

Overall, the affair had been an awkward one.

Tenzō, however, still seems open to joining the team, and by that, Minato means he had not immediately gone to the Academy administrators and informed them that he no longer wished to graduate early.

Minato can only hope that he lasts longer than the first.

Haru was a bit arrogant and a little oversensitive in the face of criticism, but Kakashi had also gone out of his way to wind the boy up over the course of those three days. Although, the youkai may have only taken it to such extremes because of Haru’s slightly condescending attitude towards Obito and Rin.

But as tempting as it may be, Minato is hardly inclined to place all of the responsibility onto Kakashi. He's well aware that team dynamics can be quite sensitive to any form of change, particularly when young people are involved. Even if Haru had been perfectly polite, he still might not have meshed well with the others.

Minato had even contemplated the merits of not having Kakashi present at all during these training sessions. There’s a part of him that suspects that Obito and Rin would have an easier time coordinating with a relatively unfamiliar genin without Kakashi’s ever-disruptive influence. This would’ve been easy enough to arrange as Minato highly doubts that Kakashi would object to skipping training for a week or two in order to give the others time to adjust. Sakumo had even offered to have Kakashi accompany him on his own missions if he grew too bored in the meantime.

Yet for some unfathomable reason, Minato would still prefer for Kakashi to be present. Well, he knows the reason, and it boils down to the fact that the wolf spirit is often right about things. It's quite infuriating to be honest, and Minato isn't sure if it's just one of his many youkai-related abilities or if Kakashi is simply that perceptive.

Regardless of why, he can't help but admit that Kakashi is quite effective and accurate when it comes to discerning the gist of one’s character. There's also something to be said about the unconventional perspective that the wolf spirit provides. It's a unique sort that Minato presumes can only be gained from centuries upon centuries of existence, and after he's actually taken the time to sift through Kakashi’s vague and often insulting commentary, he finds that the youkai’s insight can be rather useful at times.

Even though it may not be the most advisable course of action, he'll have Kakashi remain with them for the time being.

Minato just hopes that things don’t go too badly. It doesn't even matter to him if Tenzō gets promoted or not, the exams will be a worthwhile experience for him either way. He’d just rather avoid putting the poor boy through any more setbacks if possible.

Tenzō, to everyone's immense relief, has a very limited recollection of the first phase of his life, those early years in which he was scarcely more than a test subject. However, the Mokuton is still a tremendous burden to bear, especially when the boy has so little understanding of how to use it. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but Tsunade’s insight and guidance could be instrumental in getting Tenzō on the right track.

It might be a long shot, but Minato and the Academy staff are simply hoping for the best at this point.

There is some cause for hope as he’d received a letter from Jiraiya who claimed that Tsunade was beginning to reconsider her stance on returning to the village. Although a very welcome development, Minato is still not inclined to put too much stock in his former sensei’s words as his subsequent message was mostly dedicated to various complaints regarding his bruised ribs. 

He shouldn’t get too ahead of himself here as his students and Tenzō could always prove to be incapable of working together. Either way, Minato arrives at the training ground a week later in order to definitively determine whether or not he can successfully wrangle the four diminutive shinobi that have been placed under his care.

As he waits for the others, Minato naturally finds himself reflecting upon Kakashi’s tried and true talent for angering the various young shinobi he crosses paths with. After all, there was many a time in which he had to physically place himself between Kakashi and whichever child he managed to infuriate.

Although Minato wouldn’t say he’s worried about Tenzō growing frustrated with Kakashi or even Rin and Obito. Tenzō genuinely doesn’t strike him as someone who’s easily riled up, even if Kakashi was purposefully trying to ridicule him. He’s more concerned that Tenzō might feel dejected if he's unsuccessful in integrating into their team.

Fortunately, their second meeting goes much more smoothly than the first. It goes without saying that Minato had expected this to be the case given how low they'd previously set the bar. This time, Rin and Obito are both hesitant but civil. Tenzō is similarly timid, but Minato isn’t terribly worried about the awkwardness of their interactions as that can eventually be remedied with familiarity and proximity. Most importantly, Tenzō appears to have forgiven everyone for their odd behavior last week.

What Minato does not expect is for Tenzō to hang onto every word that Kakashi says.

The youkai is more or less his usual blunt and irreverent self, having toned down on the insults, but something about Kakashi seems to draw the quiet boy in. Minato honestly isn’t sure what it is that has Tenzō so transfixed. It’s rather bizarre to witness if he’s being honest, but Minato supposes that he shouldn’t be that surprised to find that Kakashi is, in fact, capable of getting along with others. 

Kakashi had somehow managed to befriend Obito and Rin before they were even assigned to be his teammates, and he was evidently charismatic enough to convince the Hatake clan into making a deal with him decades prior to this. Not to mention, Minato supposes that Kakashi must not be terrible company if Sakumo has kept him around for this long.

Speculation aside, Minato is far more confident in his students' prospects now that everyone appears committed to coordinating and working as a team. Given the current state of their abilities, the three should be able to make a strong case for their promotion at the upcoming exams.

Rin, of course, is an exceptional medical-nin whose calm disposition is of great assistance in planning and developing strategy. And even though it wasn’t strictly required of her as the team’s healer, she’s made substantial improvement in her hand-to-hand combat skills since becoming his student.

While Obito has yet to unlock his Sharingan, his fireball jutsu holds an impressive amount of power for a shinobi his age. His sense of self-doubt does occasionally rear its head during times of stress, but Minato has noticed that the Uchiha has extremely keen instincts for combat otherwise.

As for Tenzō, he possesses a solid foundation in taijutsu, nature transformations, and stealth. His earth and water jutsus are a fitting complement to Obito’s fire nature, and his stoic demeanor suggests that he would make for an effective scout or lookout. He does, however, lack sufficient command over his kekkei genkai and will therefore have to refrain from using it during the exams.

Although it turns out that not everyone was aware of this.

“Wait, you won’t be using the Mokuton?” Obito exclaims, a look of dread spreading over his face.

Tenzō shakes his head solemnly. “I don’t have enough control yet.”

“We’re doomed,” Obito laments as he holds his head in his hands. “This was going to be hard enough without Kakashi but now—”

“Obito!” Rin cuts him off with a sharp look. “You should be a little more optimistic. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Kakashi lets out a half-amused snort, prompting everyone to turn in his direction "Oh, it’s nothing," he proclaims theatrically. "It’s just that there’s little point in fussing over how strong others might be or how weak you are in comparison."

Minato personally believes that this statement is a bit rich coming from him, a formidable wolf youkai who somehow managed to become Konoha’s youngest-ever genin, chūnin, and jōnin. But Kakashi seems to be building up to a worthwhile message, so he holds off on interrupting. 

"I've always been of the opinion that anyone can be taken down if the right circumstances align, regardless of how strong they fancy themselves," Kakashi continues. "No one is ever safe, I mean just look at Danz-"

“Moving on!” Minato interjects a bit too loudly. “What Kakashi is trying to say is that power alone isn’t the most important thing. You’ll need to apply your wits to ensure that you’re using your strengths effectively.”

This is something else that Minato has had to watch out for as of late, ensuring that none of his students reveal anything that they shouldn’t. Rin and Obito have grown quite accustomed to Kakashi’s inhuman nature while Kakashi himself regularly discloses information that should be left confidential. Now that Tenzō has joined them, Minato finds that he has to be on constant alert in case he needs to talk over them or change the subject at a moment’s notice.

It's an added bit of hassle that Minato could honestly do without, especially since he already has his hands full preparing his students for the exams. There are a number of approaches that a jōnin-sensei could adopt, but Minato has decided (after confirming that Tenzō already knows how to tree and water walk) not to introduce any brand-new material into their curriculum. Instead, he feels that their time is better spent on reinforcing and refining the techniques they're already familiar with.

After all, the Chūnin Exams are not strictly a competition but rather an occasion for genin to showcase their abilities. Entrants who keep this in mind are much more likely to be promoted for their efforts. It’s something that Minato has sought to emphasize throughout their various lessons, the necessity of thinking critically throughout the entirety of the process.

Of course, their opportunities to do as such will be few and far between if their fundamentals aren’t even up to par.

He first has them practice communicating through covert means and tests their ability to do so while identifying concealed enemies in the field. Once they’ve achieved proficiency there, Minato progresses to mock battles to ensure that the three are comfortable watching over each other’s backs and fighting as a unit. Then he and Kakashi begin to spar with each of them in turn, providing feedback so that they can effectively build upon their strengths and account for their weaknesses.

For instance, Rin can handle herself in close quarters but is unlikely to fare well against brawlers. She’ll want to fall back in such circumstances so that she can continue to heal herself and the others if needed.

Obito’s attacks presently hold the most power and range out of the three, but he might find himself struggling against particularly nimble adversaries. He could attempt to circumvent this limitation by striking first or closing his opponents in.

Tenzō, although reasonably well-rounded, is still at an obvious disadvantage due to his smaller size. He, like Rin, should avoid matchups that depend heavily upon brute strength.

These are all very basic concepts, but Minato has them rotate throughout these various exercises in the weeks leading up to the exams. A casual observer might’ve assumed that they were jumping from lesson to lesson without rhyme or reason, but Minato has his reasons for structuring their training in this way. 

While the specific content of the exams changes with each rendition, Konoha does tend to recycle similar themes throughout the respective rounds. The first stage is often designed to be a test of intelligence and resolve while the second round generally assesses a team’s effectiveness in combat. The final stage, of course, has almost always consisted of one-on-one tournament battles. In fact, Minato can recall few instances in which the exams didn't follow this format. 

Of course, none of the jōnin-sensei are actually permitted to convey any of this to their students.

When the morning of the Chūnin Exams finally arrives, Minato has all four of his students meet at their usual training ground so that he can see them off properly. It’s not strictly necessary for them to do so, but Minato thought that they might draw a sense of comfort from the routine.

The nerves seem to be getting to all three of them regardless, some more so than others as their expressions range from nervous excitement to pure trepidation. Kakashi, meanwhile, alternates between looking bored and offering words of advice that carry varying degrees of helpfulness.

Minato dismisses his students shortly afterward, only taking a few minutes to ensure that they’ve remembered to bring all of their weapons and supplies. There’s little point in keeping them beyond that when they’re barely able to pay him any attention in their current state.

“Alright then, good luck!” Minato calls out as the three set off

Next to him, Kakashi raises his hand in an absentminded wave.

Chapter Text

Kakashi is unfortunately not free to go after Obito, Rin, and Tenzō have left.

Instead, Minato drags him along to the Jōnin Standby Station to wait out the first stage with him and all the other sensei. Kakashi’s presence there is met with several raised eyebrows, but it only takes a few moments for the other shinobi to recall that Kakashi is also a jōnin.

The sensei are lounging about the area, several of them chatting amongst themselves while others sit in silence. There’s a mix of men and women here who look to be around Minato’s age or older, and a number of them are affiliated with specific clans if the various insignia on their clothing are any indication.

Aside from that, Kakashi doesn’t know who they are nor does he particularly care.

Minato spends a few minutes engaging in small talk with his peers before he turns his attention back to Kakashi. The youkai groans inwardly, realizing too late that Minato has taken it upon himself to provide him with a rundown of the exam structure.

“The first stage is usually a written test of some sort,” Minato explains, not even bothering to check whether or not Kakashi is listening.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Yet I presume that you shinobi have managed to convolute even that.”

“Of course,” Minato replies, a flash of amusement in his eyes. “This line of work requires a specific manner of thinking, so we need to teach our students to adopt this mentality from early on.”

“Ah yes,” Kakashi intones dryly. “Indoctrination always does wonders on young minds.”

A few of the nearby jōnin-sensei give Kakashi an odd look at that, and Minato very deliberately moves the conversation along.

“Circumstances are rarely straightforward,” he points out mildly. “Genin need to remember to read between the lines and to not accept everything at face value."

“Well, I would argue that things aren’t straightforward because you lot have refused to let it be that way,” Kakashi quips back.

Minato ignores that remark as he’s now beginning to do with many of Kakashi’s side comments.

“Anyway,” he continues. “This stage tends to be uneventful, but it usually doesn’t last very long. We’ll get to watch the three of them in action during the second stage.”

“Right,” Kakashi drawls, glancing out the window and yawning as he does so.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

Kakashi simply hums in reply.

But true to Minato’s word, a proctor appears at the doorway approximately forty minutes later to both confirm the end of the first stage and announce the names of those who have progressed onto the next round. Rin, Obito, and Tenzō are among them.

Kakashi isn’t terribly surprised to hear that the three of them have passed. He wouldn’t describe any of them as natural geniuses, but they’re fairly clever for human children.

The jōnin begin to file out of the room shortly after this pronouncement, presumably headed towards the venue for the second stage. Minato takes a moment to exchange a few words with another sensei before gesturing for Kakashi to follow him outside.

Despite Kakashi's uninterested expression, Minato resumes his explanation as they fall into line with the other jōnin. “For the second stage, they’ll be pitted against another three-man team.”

“And where is this to take place?” Kakashi asks, having noticed that they’re heading toward the outskirts of the village.

“The Forest of Death.” Minato looks apprehensive in a way that he wasn’t during the first stage. “The proctors have partitioned off an area for the exam to take place in.”

“You know, I never did understand what was so deadly about that place.”

“They should do just fine,” Minato continues, although his tone of voice suggests that he’s trying to convince himself of this. “But it’ll be okay if they don’t. The members of losing teams can still move onto the third stage and be eligible for promotion.”

“Of course, it would be a shame if they were knocked out early though,” Kakashi muses. “Not only would the three of them be disheartened, but that also wouldn’t reflect well on your abilities as a sensei.”

Minato’s silence all but confirms that this is indeed the source of his concern. Kakashi supposes that he can understand his perspective, especially since all the other jōnin-sensei will be there to bear witness to their success or failure.

After all, the venue for this stage has been set up so that onlookers will have a clear view of every single battle. Each team will start at the opposite ends of a designated zone, and from what Kakashi can tell, the objective is to simply fight the opposing squad into submission.

Team Minato is set to face off against a group of three boys, all of whom have their forehead protectors tied back as bandanas. While they look to be around the same age as Obito and Rin, all three are physically larger. Otherwise, it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not this is an even matchup without any additional information regarding the other team’s skill sets. One of the boys is carrying a large gourd that’s strapped to his back while another wields a sword. The third and largest genin, however, is still empty-handed.

Nevertheless, Tenzō, Obito, and Rin show few signs of trepidation as they move into place and wait for the proctor to start the match.

“Begin!”

Obito makes the first move, unleashing a massive fireball that forces the other three genin to scatter. He and Rin charge towards the gourd boy while Tenzō uses the roaring flames as a cover to burrow beneath the surface of the forest floor.

Kakashi doesn’t understand what the gourd’s purpose is, but it evidently doesn’t lend itself to quick movements. The genin successfully dodges the kunai thrown by Rin, but that only moves him directly into the path of Obito’s tackle. Obito wastes no time pinning the other boy to the ground, and from there, a single punch to the throat is all it takes to remove him from the battle. 

The two remaining genin, however, are scarcely fazed by this early setback, immediately turning their attention to Obito and Rin who no longer have the luxury of surprise on their side. 

The largest one lunges at Obito but is knocked off balance by several small earthen spears that have erupted from the ground underneath his feet. The boy whips his head around, just in time to catch a glimpse of Tenzō before he disappears into the earth once again.

The genin lets out a snarl as he unsheathes a pair of kunai, his original plan clearly cast aside. He scans the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for any telltale tremors or ripples in the dirt in an attempt to pinpoint where Tenzō might spring up next.

Rin dodges a swing from the genin with the sword, twisting away as he careens past her. She’s trying to keep him at bay, but the boy draws closer and closer despite her best efforts.

The genin is preparing to deliver what probably would’ve been a finishing blow when Obito suddenly seizes him from behind, trapping his arms against his sides. Rin launches herself at him now that his weapon is immobilized, and the three of them tumble to the ground as one. The other boy wrestles furiously against Rin and Obito, but Kakashi doubts that he’ll be able to hold out for much longer when he’s outnumbered like this.

Tenzō, meanwhile, continues to tunnel through the earth, emerging periodically to strike at the third genin with kunai or more earthen spears.

Kakashi can only assume that his intention is to gradually exhaust the large boy from a distance. He’s managed to succeed at that thus far, but Tenzō’s luck runs out just as Rin’s and Obito’s opponent slumps over in exhaustion. A large hand encloses around his upper arm before he can dart away, and the boy flings Tenzō one-handed into the underbrush.

He crashes into the vegetation, his limbs flailing like a ragdoll before he eventually rolls to a stop in the dirt.

The other genin stalks over, kunai brandished high, but he only makes it two steps before the earth liquefies around his feet, the now muddy ground sucking him in until he’s waist-deep. The sludge-like earth slips through his fingers as he tries to pry himself out of the muck, but the members of Team Minato have already surrounded him.

Next to him, Minato lets out a breath that he must’ve been holding in for the past minute. Kakashi is a bit surprised that he remained silent throughout it all, but he supposes that the impulse to shout out pointers during the fight would’ve been too strong otherwise.

“Well done, all of you!” Minato congratulates his students as they emerge from the forest.

The three genin are too tired to even speak, letting out exhausted groans in lieu of a greeting. They trudge behind a now refreshed Minato, and Kakashi imagines that instinct is the only thing that’s keeping their feet moving along the path.

“It’s a good thing that the third stage isn’t until three weeks from now,” Minato remarks, looking quite spirited in light of his students’ respectable performance. “Back when there was more of a rush for promotions, they would hold the finals a few hours after the end of the second stage.”

Obito shakes his head vehemently. “Oh, I would’ve had to forfeit,” he insists as the other two nod in kind.

“You were right about needing to keep my distance.” Tenzō still sounds slightly short of breath. “There wasn’t much that I could do once he got a hold of me.”

Rin merely sighs as she prods at a large bruise that’s already beginning to blossom on her forearm.

Minato somehow seems more energized now, even as students grow closer and closer to collapsing with each passing second.

“Rest well, you three because we’ll be jumping right back into training. The one-on-one matches are up next, so it only gets harder from here.”

Kakashi can’t help but notice that Minato sounds almost gleeful about this. This liveliness stands in stark contrast to the utter dismay that’s now spreading across his students’ faces.

“Let’s get to work!” Minato declares, jovial as can be.

________________________

The weeks leading up to the third stage are marked by what is almost certainly the most strenuous and demanding training that Minato’s students have ever experienced up until this point.

Unlike in previous iterations of the exams, the genin have not been informed as to who their opponent will be for the first round. Initial matchups will be determined on the day of, so each entrant must be prepared to face off against a multitude of different capabilities and skill sets.

This makes Kakashi quite valuable as a stand-in opponent for sparring purposes, especially when granted permission to be as unpredictable as he pleases.

Minato has never seen Rin truly angry, but he believes that today’s training session might actually succeed in bringing her to that point. Her assignment for this afternoon is to land a hit on Kakashi who’s been dancing around her attacks for the past five minutes now.

“This is impossible!” she hisses after missing yet another strike.

“There’s a pattern to his movements,” Minato calls out. “If you can recognize it, you can disrupt his rhythm.”

Rin is at risk of being overpowered by her opponents as most of them will be physically stronger than she is. Precision and technique are where she does hold the advantage, and improving her speed could help her to turn situations to her advantage. There’s only so much that Rin can accomplish in this short amount of time, but fighting against a highly evasive Kakashi will do a lot to hone her agility and reflexes.

On the other hand, Minato has noticed that Obito still has a tendency to grow flustered in the heat of the moment. His defenses quickly deteriorate whenever this occurs, so Minato’s solution has been to have Kakashi launch surprise attacks that incorporate a wide array of weapons and fighting styles. Hopefully, these repeated ambushes will help to shake him of this habit.

“Sometimes, you need to account for disadvantages during a battle,” he advises as Obito extricates his left foot from a sinkhole that Kakashi had created in the earth. “Things won’t always go as planned, so it helps to have contingencies and to think creatively.”

When it comes to Tenzō, Minato just wants to ensure that his newest student can hold his own against older and more experienced opponents. Kakashi naturally comes in handy here as well, and despite the fact that Tenzō loses to him time and time again, he actually appears to be enjoying his matches with the silver-haired boy.

Minato is a little puzzled by this, and it takes him a few days to piece together a potential explanation for it.

He forgets because of how well-adjusted his youngest student is, but it’s likely that the people around Tenzō treat him quite gingerly due to his background. The discovery of his kekkei genkai can’t have helped matters, so it’s probably been quite some time since he was regarded as a normal child and not like he was made of glass.

Kakashi must be a refreshing change of pace since he couldn’t care less about all that. He fights Tenzō like any other opponent and regards him in the slightly dismissive manner that he reserves for everyone.

Whatever the reason, Tenzō has no issue with Kakashi essentially kicking him around the training grounds.

“Come on now,” Kakashi chides as he knocks the smaller boy to the ground with a leg sweep. “You keep projecting your next move. I knew the blow was coming before you even struck.”

“Tenzō, you’re shifting your shoulders before you throw out a punch. That’s how Kakashi can tell.”

Minato recognizes that it may be a little unfair to pit his students against a centuries-old wolf spirit, but this is likely the best form of practice that they’ll ever get.

On the day of the third stage, Minato and Kakashi set off for the venue with just the two of them, the competitors having arrived at a separate entrance an hour earlier.

“Can I heckle the other genin?” Kakashi asks as they file in with the other spectators.

“There’s no rule against it,” Minato admits even though he probably should’ve pretended otherwise. “However, it would probably be frowned upon. Bystanders usually stick to cheering.”

Kakashi looks distinctly less than impressed by this. “How boring,” he mutters as they take their seats in the stands.

The first round of matchups are supposedly determined by random draw, but Minato has his doubts regarding the veracity of this claim. It seems a little convenient that none of the entrants were pitted against their own teammates, but most of these pairings seem to be reasonably balanced all the same. 

Rin turns out to be the first of his students to go up, facing off against a gray-eyed boy with his hair tied back in a ponytail.

The match hadn’t gotten off to the best start as the other genin managed to slash her right arm less than thirty seconds after the signal. For a few minutes, it had appeared as though Rin would be the victim of an early knockout. She and the other genin seemed to be evenly matched in terms of fighting ability, but the injury was clearly sapping at her strength.

She had eventually dropped to a knee, clutching her arm and seemingly on the verge of collapse. Her opponent had lunged forward in order to capitalize on this opening, but Rin had struck without warning, landing a hit with the arm she had covertly healed while pretending to falter.

Her palm had slammed into the unsuspecting boy’s sternum, and the force of it was more than enough to knock him unconscious and earn her the win.

Tenzō’s first battle lasts all of about five minutes as he squares off against a kunoichi in red who forfeits almost immediately after getting dragged underground with an earth jutsu.

Obito seals his own victory with a clean takedown. Minato had gotten the impression that his opponent was afraid to engage him directly as he’d spent most of the fight trying to keep the Uchiha at a distance. But the other boy couldn't run forever, and the match was as good as finished once Obito had gotten into range.

Minato finds that he has to hold himself back from cheering too enthusiastically at his students’ victories. He would’ve been proud of them regardless of their performance, but he can’t deny that he’s especially pleased with how the exams have progressed thus far. Not every jōnin-sensei holds the distinction of having all of their students move on to the second round of the third stage, and the three have yet to lose a battle as well.

Of course, it’s important to note that victory is not a prerequisite for promotion, and their winning streak will eventually come to an end by virtue of the tournament format.

Rin ends up being the first of his students to be eliminated, but Minato isn’t terribly shocked by this. By the time the second round had finally begun, it was clear that Rin was still exhausted from her previous match and wouldn’t be able to fight for much longer. She did, however, succeed in forcing her second opponent, a bespectacled genin with black hair, to a tie.

It had been an unexpectedly aggressive brawl, one that had left both participants with their fair share of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Their battle had generated quite a bit of buzz for a second-round match, and Minato understands why as even he was startled by how forcefully Rin had slammed the other genin’s head into the ground.  

Tenzō’s next battle sees him facing off against a genjutsu specialist, one of the few to have entered this year’s exams. This match, particularly the first half, is considerably less eventful in comparison to the preceding ones. There was little to see during the first five minutes, only their motionless forms standing across from each other in deadlock.

Minato imagines that their mental battle must be quite furious, but there’s otherwise no indication as to how the match is progressing. At least there isn’t until his student suddenly surges forward, having broken through the illusions attempting to take hold in his mind.

It’s a turnabout, with Tenzō holding the upper hand now that the fight has moved to the physical plane. His opponent puts forth a respectable effort but eventually taps out after getting trapped in a chokehold.

However, Minato’s youngest student sees an end to his winning streak in the third round. His emphasis on improving Tenzō’s hand-to-hand combat means that he’s less experienced in countering ranged weapons, and Tenzō is ultimately knocked out of the competition courtesy of a senbon that's been laced with some kind of paralytic agent. Fortunately, the substance is not a long-lasting one, and he’s able to walk on his own less than twenty minutes later.

Meanwhile, Obito continues his strong showing throughout his second match in which he's paired against a boy with dark glasses who wears his forehead protector tied back like a bandana. Their battle ends up being one of the longest of the day as their matching specializations in both fire jutsus and taijutsu mean that neither holds a decisive edge over the other. In the end, it is the Great Fireball Technique that finally clinches Obito the win after his opponent proves incapable of shielding himself from it.  

Obito moves onto the fourth round after his third opponent forfeits halfway through the fight as the pain of her sprained knee proves to be too much for her to power through.

However, he eventually faces defeat at the hands of one of Chōza’s students, a genin by the name of Gai who was still inexplicably fresh even after three rounds of fighting. Obito, on the other hand, was just starting to show the first signs of fatigue and ultimately finds himself taken out of the running by a powerful kick from the jumpsuit-clad boy. He doesn’t seem too crestfallen by his loss though as he settles down to watch the final match alongside Tenzō and Rin.  

In the end, one genin is left standing, and Gai is declared the tournament winner.

As the deliberation begins, Minato and Kakashi, along with the other spectators, descend from the stands to mingle amongst the competitors on the arena floor. The genin swarm about the area with varying levels of excitement as they exchange both compliments and words of commiseration with each other.

Out of the corner of his eye, Minato notices Gai pushing through the crowd with a sense of purpose, and it takes him a few seconds to realize that he’s making a beeline for Kakashi. The exuberant boy shouts something that Minato can’t quite make out from here, and he automatically readies himself to intervene.

Kakashi, much to his disbelief, displays no reaction to his conspicuously noisy approach. Minato observes in quiet astonishment as his student allows Gai to seize him by the shoulder and shake him vigorously. Now Kakashi had extracted himself from his grip after only a few seconds, but Minato is frankly amazed at the fact that the exchange had occurred without any bloodshed.

He opens his mouth, intending to inquire about Kakashi’s relationship with Gai, but falls silent with the rest of the crowd at the sight of the Sandaime standing atop the raised platform at the front of the arena. The Hokage takes a brief moment to congratulate the assembled genin on their performance before he begins to read out the names of those who will be receiving promotions.

The crowd erupts into roars and shouts of celebration with the newly minted chūnin barely able to contain their excitement. A wide grin splits Minato’s face as he watches the elated expressions forming on his students’ faces.

While a promotion itself is a rather serious matter, it’s hard to deny that this is also a joyous occasion for the participants as they clasp each other's hands and cheer.

Even Kakashi allows himself to be pulled in for a hug.

Chapter Text

Minato is in the process of explaining the mechanics of the Flying Thunder God technique to his four students when a hand suddenly claps down on his shoulder and nearly scares the life out of him.

“I hear you’re to be married soon!” Sakumo Hatake’s voice is jovial and a bit too loud considering that he’s standing right next to him. “Congratulations,” he says, shaking Minato slightly.

“Thank you,” Minato responds courteously, even though he could’ve done without the minor shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see all four of his students pretending that they aren’t laughing at his reaction.

There are very few people who can actually catch Minato by surprise, but he’s not shocked to find that the White Fang is one of them.

“So she said yes, even after everything you told her,” Sakumo remarks, eyes dancing in amusement.

A wry smile splits Minato’s face. “Somehow, yes.”

Unfortunately, it turns out that Sakumo isn’t finished having a little fun at his expense. “Even after she saw the seals that you made,” he carries on, his expression still deceptively cheerful.

Minato grimaces slightly at the memory of her reaction. “Well, she was not particularly pleased about that,” he admits.

Kushina is usually enthusiastic about his fūinjutsu projects. She was particularly supportive of his efforts to convert the youkai seal into a functional tattoo and of his extensive research into the Flying Thunder God technique. However, those feelings did not quite extend to the seals he had crafted months ago while severely inebriated.

Minato had evidently spent that particular weekend in a highly innovative state as he’d developed several unique seals while drinking alongside Kakashi’s youkai friends. All of them turned out to be rather hazardous, so much so that Sakumo had elected to sequester those creations until Minato sobered up. But even after he’d returned to a more clear-headed state, Minato decided that he had no issue with Sakumo holding onto them for a little while longer.

Sakumo, however, had seen fit to return the seals to him several days ago, depositing the lockbox in front of the door to Minato’s apartment. He’s not sure why Sakumo had chosen that specific time, but Kushina also happened to be present that day. Her light-hearted curiosity upon seeing him gingerly prying upon the case had quickly shifted to outraged disapproval once she learned of the contents inside.

Minato hadn't even attempted to defend his actions as he had no illusions as to why Kushina was so disgruntled by his experiments. One of his creations was an exceptionally destructive exploding tag, another one was designed to expel forth a veritable inferno when activated, and the last was essentially capable of simulating a vacuum by way of draining every bit of air from an enclosed area.

On top of developing such highly dangerous seals with limited practical applications, Minato, in his drunken stupor, had also neglected to implement in them any kind of failsafe. The end result is the existence of several seals that technically aren’t safe to store anywhere because of how easily they could be set off.

“She thinks I’m an idiot,” Minato discloses, even as part of him wonders why he’s bothering to tell everyone this. “But that’s apparently not a disqualifying factor for her.”

Sakumo’s response comes in the form of a hearty chuckle.

Kushina is admittedly in a better mood now, but that might be more due to Menma's visit yesterday afternoon.

Minato had crossed paths with the fox spirit as he was heading to Kushina’s home for dinner. Menma was in the process of lugging an overly large basket of fresh fruit, but he still managed to give him a cheerful wave as he passed by. The shinobi had smiled in return, righting the basket slightly before it could tip over from the weight.

He imagines that Kushina had decided to send Menma off with a gift after buying too much produce at the market again. That or she deliberately bought an excess with the sole purpose of giving it to the fox spirit.

Kushina has known about youkai for quite some time now, but she seems no less excited than she was on the day she was initially informed of their existence. This is quite the atypical reaction as far as Minato can tell. He can personally attest to just how quickly his own feelings of curiosity and wonder were replaced by an underlying sense of dread. Rin and Obito seem to have adjusted for the most part, and Sakumo, of course, behaves as if youkai have always been a part of his life.

That’s hardly the case for Kushina as the novelty has not worn off in the slightest for her. She was positively elated to find out that fox spirits are capable of attaining a human form once they've grown in age and power. Kakashi had further clarified that it could take another few years before this would be possible, but Kushina is already counting down the days until she can introduce Menma as her distant cousin from a small farming village.

Minato personally has doubts regarding the wisdom of that plan, but they'll deal with it when that day arrives.

There are more pertinent matters at hand. In all honesty, they should really be getting on their way now that Sakumo has joined them. The six of them have been assigned to a weeklong joint mission to provide security for a town festival located in the southeastern region of the Land of Fire.

Considering that the group is composed of three jōnin and three chūnin, they’re actually a bit overqualified for this particular assignment. However, this arrangement was created for the sole purpose of providing Minato’s students, particularly Tenzō, with more field experience.

While Tenzō had qualified for a promotion, there’s no denying that he lacks experience in comparison to the other chūnin. It’s not strictly necessary for him to be brought up to speed as he’ll eventually join a three-man squad of his own, but Minato feels it would be best for Tenzō to get ahead while he has the opportunity to.

The Hokage was in full agreement with Minato on this. However, he did express his reservations about Minato's ability to manage four students, even with one of them already a jōnin. This was where Sakumo came in, as he offered to accompany Team Minato on their out-of-village assignments so that there could be an additional pair of experienced eyes watching over his students.

Furthermore, the addition of one more shinobi to their group meant that they were now eligible to take on missions that they previously wouldn’t have been qualified for. Minato is particularly grateful for this opportunity, especially now that Kakashi has progressed to giving Tenzō all sorts of questionable instruction during their training sessions.

“You need more force in your strikes.” Kakashi had declared one memorable afternoon. “How about this? Just stab me,” he suggested and his tone at time had implied that he was completely and utterly serious.

“Don’t listen to him,” Minato had immediately ordered, putting an end to that line of thinking before things could get out of hand.

That kind of behavior may be acceptable when only Rin and Obito are present, but Tenzō is supposed to think that Kakashi is still human. Inviting your teammates to maim you for demonstration purposes is decidedly not normal.

Kakashi has a tendency to produce his own sources of entertainment when bored, so these new missions will hopefully be enough to stave off those habits for now. Minato is maintaining a cautious level of optimism as their first assignment as a unit had gone well enough.

After all, the extremely wealthy family they were assigned to protect had made it safely through the country with the six of them easily fending off the potential assassins and thieves they’d encountered along the way. They had been grouped together for that particular mission, having disguised themselves as servants to give the impression that the family was unguarded.

In contrast, their present assignment as security detail requires them to both remain in uniform and disperse themselves throughout the area. The festival itself won’t begin for another two days, so they're currently surveying the village and its surrounding area in order to determine an effective system of patrols. The six of them are currently divided into two teams so that they can cover more ground: Minato, Rin, and Kakashi comprise one group while Sakumo, Obito, and Tenzō make up the other.

“Hold on,” Minato speaks up as a flutter of movement in the valley below catches his eye. There’s something about that cluster of trees that feels a bit odd to him. The motion of the swaying branches looks slightly unnatural, and there’s a spot of color that doesn’t quite belong amongst the green foliage. 

There’s no logical explanation for what he does next, but Minato finds himself stepping off of the path and venturing into the grassy field to investigate. As he does so, he hears Kakashi let out a sound of frustration before following him down.

“There’s a youkai there, right?” Rin guesses, trailing after them and looking a little resigned at being left out of the loop.

Minato isn’t sure what he’s looking for, but a few more steps is all he needs to confirm that his instincts were indeed correct.

There’s a spirit tangled in the brambles at the base of one of the trees, a youkai in dark robes with a face that resembles a knot of wood. The creature doesn’t have any eyes but rather a large hole in its head that resembles one. Its mouth, likewise, takes the form of a single slash on the surface of its face.

The spirit regards him with a curious look as Minato approaches but refrains from struggling as the shinobi carefully extricates its robes from the sharp thorns.

Once unfettered, the youkai steps back and gives Minato a polite bow. “It would have been quite difficult for me to free myself on my own,” the youkai declares in a low wavering voice that wouldn't have sounded out of place on an old man. “In thanks for your aid—”

“No,” Kakashi declares emphatically, cutting the other spirit off. “No favor. He doesn’t want anything in return. We will be going now." He announces this with a sense of finality as he gestures for Minato and Rin to leave.

The spirit frowns as it peers at Kakashi with its single eye. “Have we met?”

“No,” Kakashi replies flatly before walking off.

While neither Rin nor Minato has the slightest understanding of what's going on, they follow Kakashi's lead nonetheless. Minato finds that it's generally advisable to heed his instruction whenever youkai are involved.

“Care to explain what that was all about?” Minato asks once they’ve returned to the path.

Kakashi’s lazy attitude usually doesn’t waver unless they’re dealing with a potentially dangerous or unpleasant youkai, but this one hadn’t seemed malicious at all. In fact, the spirit actually came across as rather cordial given how grateful it was for Minato’s help.

“Despite its intentions, that particular youkai can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth, “Kakashi explains. “It conveys its gratitude by making the recipient grow younger in age.”

Minato blinks in bewilderment. “How much younger?” he asks, a bit baffled at the fact that some youkai's abilities apparently extend to restoring youth.

“You see, that depends.” Kakashi lets out a disgruntled huff. “Worst case scenario, you end up looking as young as Rin and lose your memories as well.”

“Alright,” Minato manages to say, surprised by the level of specificity provided. “Uh, glad we avoided it then.”

There’s a part of him that would like to inquire about the exact circumstances that led Kakashi to acquire this piece of information, but experience has told him that it would only be a waste of breath to ask. Regardless, a gift of that sort would prove to be quite problematic for anyone who already happened to be on the younger side. Aging in reverse would’ve very quickly thrown a wrench into their mission.

As well as his overall career as a shinobi. 

And his personal life too now that he thinks about it.

At least they were fortunate enough to dodge that complication. Minato could certainly do without the added commotion.

Although things have been progressing quite well ever since the Chūnin Exams. All of Minato’s students had received their promotions and can now take their time gaining field experience. Tenzō is also meshing well with his teammates and overall appears to be in good spirits.

On top of that, Jiraiya had informed Minato just last week that Tsunade had finally agreed to return to Konoha. It'll take a little while before Tenzō can be apprenticed to her though. They won’t be heading back to the village right away, and Tsunade will almost certainly want to take some time to readjust first. The last thing the Hokage wants is to toss a student at her the very second she steps foot in Konoha, and Minato doesn't mind serving as Tenzō’s sensei in the meantime.

All in all, things are going rather smoothly.

________________________

Kakashi has several complaints, and most of them stem from the Flying Thunder God technique.

From what he’s gathered, the jutsu grants its user the ability to teleport to a series of targets that have been marked by a specific seal. It’s admittedly impressive that Minato was even able to figure out the necessary seals to achieve this considering that the jutsu was last used generations ago. However, the technique in its current state is decidedly far from perfect.

While Minato is able to effectively teleport, his accuracy is still highly suspect as he’s subject to rematerialize anywhere from a few inches to a foot away from his intended target. Sometimes, he reappears inside of other objects like large stones or tree trunks, and whenever that happens, it falls upon his students to dislodge him from whatever solid material he’s stuck in. 

It's safe to say that none of the members of Team Minato could have predicted that this would be the outcome when Rin had initially offered their assistance.

“I’ve got the hatchet!” Obito shouts as he rushes forward, waving the tool in hand.

Rin gently takes the axe from the overexcited Uchiha before he can injure himself or anybody else with it. “We might need a chisel,” she notes, studying the scene with a shrewd gaze. “His foot is really stuck in the boulder this time.”

While the two of them have come to accept this peculiar new routine, Tenzō still doesn’t seem to know what to make of this.

As Rin and Obito help Minato pry his left foot out of the stone, Kakashi can hear Tenzō muttering to himself off to the side, apparently conflicted as to whether or not this is normal behavior.

It isn’t, of course, but it would be difficult to tell just from looking at Minato alone.  He seems to be utterly unembarrassed by the entire situation, so much so that one might assume that he’s lost the capacity to feel shame. It's all been a tremendous inconvenience, really.

Kakashi, however, has a sneaking suspicion that Minato is secretly enjoying this.

Chapter Text

“What’s that over there?”

Tenzō points and Kakashi follows his line of sight over toward a cluster of bushes nestled under a nearby tree.

The other boy peers attentively in the direction of the rustling shrub, and Kakashi would almost be impressed by his thoroughness if he wasn’t so bored out of his mind.

“Just an animal,” Kakashi confirms as he resists the urge to yawn. It’s a hare, to be specific, and it’s not even one that's big enough to be worth eating. A far cry from the quarry that the two of them are lying in wait for.

Minato had initially emphasized the unconventional nature of this mission, but Kakashi honestly finds this whole affair to be more on the tedious side. In all fairness, it’s likely that the novelty of the assignment is primarily due to its client. The village of Kiri is actually the one who’s put forth this mission, and this, supposedly, is quite the rare occurrence.

Kakashi can only assume that shinobi villages are typically too proud to request or accept aid from other nations, but Kiri had bucked tradition by reaching out to Konoha to ask if they would aid in apprehending several deserters of theirs.

Two teams of shinobi, together a total of six people, had recently defected, slipping away before anyone had even noticed anything was amiss. They’d been dispatched on separate missions outside of Kiri, so the group had simply abandoned their posts halfway through their assignments. Because of this, it’d taken several days before the higher-ups realized that six of their shinobi had bolted.

Kiri had immediately sent retrieval units to round up the fugitives, but they’d already lost valuable time, and all but one succeeded in eluding their clutches. But the recaptured shinobi, no doubt hoping to garner some leniency, wasted no time in revealing the group’s plans. Apparently, they had intended to sneak into the Land of Fire in hopes that Kiri wouldn’t risk following them there.

That, admittedly, was a clever line of thinking as hiding in a rival nation would certainly complicate matters for their pursuers. It would’ve been nearly impossible for Kiri to continue their search without drawing Konoha’s ire, and yet the renegades had still managed to underestimate just how crafty their former village could be.

Rather than risk instigating an international incident, Kiri had simply informed Konoha of the missing-nin lurking within its borders and petitioned the Hokage to send out a team to detain them.

Despite the rocky history that seems to exist between all hidden villages, the Sandaime had seen few reasons to refuse this request. He was hardly inclined to welcome any intruding shinobi, especially those that may or may not be responsible for the troubles currently afflicting the civilians living in the countryside.

The mission itself is also not a particularly dangerous or difficult one. The missing-nin are all fairly low-ranking shinobi, the group now consisting of only four chūnin and one jōnin. And to make circumstances even simpler, Kiri had even provided Konoha with the discretion to return them either dead or alive.

Accordingly, the Hokage had seen fit to allocate this mission to the expanded Team Minato. Their numbers should be sufficient to handle the Kiri nin, and the assignment would also provide Rin, Obito, and Tenzō with the opportunity to engage with enemy shinobi.

The six of them had split up into three groups in order to track down the deserters, each pair consisting of one jōnin and one chūnin. They also rotate these matchups once per day so that everyone has the chance to work with different partners.

Normally, team members would be grouped together with a little more care and consideration, but none of them are particularly concerned about being outmatched by these missing-nin. The most formidable shinobi at large was the jōnin, and he’d met a swift end courtesy of the newly perfected Flying Thunder God technique.

Minato had finished hammering out the specifics of the jutsu just last month, and this was long overdue in Kakashi’s humble opinion. The last time Minato had gotten himself trapped in something, the four of them had spent half a day trying to extricate him from a fence post.

It’s difficult to deny the jutsu’s utility though, despite how massively irritating it was to develop. The technique is capable of cutting down highly skilled opponents, and Kakashi is quite certain that Minato and Rin will succeed in detaining whichever missing-nin they happen to be tracking down today.

Even if they aren’t, the mission is still unlikely to last for much longer. Thanks to a series of traps and snares that Sakumo and Obito had fashioned a few days ago, there are currently only three Kiri nin unaccounted for. The defectors’ chances were always going to be slim, but they’re now outnumbered two to one. Their capture is simply a foregone conclusion at this point.

However, it appears that Tenzō still requires further convincing. He’s currently fretting over the likelihood of them accurately determining the location of a single shinobi hidden in the wilderness, but what Tenzō doesn’t realize is that Kakashi already knows exactly where this missing-nin is. He’s approximately ten miles away and is heading directly for the riverbank that Kakashi had purposefully stationed themselves in front of.

In order to justify this insight to Tenzō, Kakashi had made up some nonsense about calculating the most predictable point at which the Kiri nin would cross the stream. The other boy had readily accepted his story, but it seems to have done little to put him at ease.

“Just keep waiting,” Kakashi instructs. “There aren’t many places for that missing-nin to go with all six of us searching the woods. We already blocked off the path by the mountains, and if we’re wrong, we can always try again.”

For a second it looks as though Tenzō is going to protest, but he closes his mouth and merely resettles himself in his hiding spot behind the tree branch.

“So what’s the plan if the Kiri nin does come this way?” Tenzō asks, his voice quiet as he resumes his intent study of the surrounding area.

“I’ll be sure to immobilize him first.” Kakashi pauses for a moment, listening closely to the various noises echoing throughout the forest before continuing. “Follow my lead but stay out of range. He’ll probably try to fight back in some capacity.”

Best to keep Tenzō isolated from any potential attacks. At this point, injuries would be far more trouble than they’re worth.

Kakashi gestures towards the grassy area in front of the riverbank. “If he tries to escape, he’ll most likely attempt to go back the way he came. So be prepared to use either an earth or water jutsu to cut him off.”

Tenzō nods at the instruction, his face hardening in determination.

Ten minutes later, Kakashi hears the telltale sound of the missing-nin’s footsteps just before he enters his field of view. The Kiri nin is making quick ground and seems to be uninjured thus far, but he still looks ragged and anxious all the same. Overall, a rather unimpressive shinobi in appearance, but that tends to be the case with most humans anyway.

Kakashi does find it curious that none of the deserters had decided to band together. Their prospects would’ve been much more favorable were that the case, but it seems that there wasn’t a strong sense of loyalty between these missing-nin.

No matter, it makes the task significantly easier for them.

“Get ready,” Kakashi whispers.

The missing-nin has just crossed the stream and is approximately ten feet away from them when Kakashi uses an earth jutsu to halt him in his tracks. The ground underneath the man surges upwards, trapping him up to his waist.

Kakashi and Tenzō hop down from their hiding spot in the treetops and watch as the defector’s shocked expression quickly bleeds away to rage.

“Really?” the Kiri nin spits at them in frustration, trying fruitlessly to free himself from his earthen prison. “Kids?”

The man's arms are still free, but he can do little more than swipe ineffectually at Kakashi who’s standing well out of his reach.

“They not only sent brats after me but ones from Konoha?” he snarls, having now noticed the symbol on their forehead protectors.

“What can I say?” Kakashi’s tone is deceptively mild. “Your home village clearly decided that you weren’t worth their time.”

The Kiri nin seethes, and Kakashi smiles at him from behind the mask, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to rile someone else up.

“Everyone else is getting picked off,” Kakashi informs him, having decided that brutal honesty would be the quickest way of getting under the missing-nin’s skin. Out of the five Kiri nin they were assigned to track down, they’ve yet to capture any of them alive.

It’s funny how these things work out.

“The others weren’t interested in coming quietly, but it's all up to you though.” Kakashi takes care to point this out in the most condescending tone he can manage.

“Like you brats are actually going to kill me,” the man scoffs, his expression one of the utmost contempt.

Kakashi simply smiles at him once more, but this time he wears a leer that’s far more suited to a beast. He draws closer, the expression on his face unchanging.

“I wouldn’t go making assumptions if I were you.”

The Kiri nin’s eyes widen at this. His entire body stills, and the look on his face suggests that a tiny part of his brain might actually realize that Kakashi is far from an ordinary child, that there’s something more to him.

Perhaps he’s not as dense as he looks.

What the missing-nin does next actually catches Kakashi by surprise. It’d happened in an instant, the man’s fear transforming into outright panic in under a second. Still, Kakashi hadn’t expected this one to act so foolishly.

The Kiri nin attacks out of nowhere, striking with a kunai that he must’ve had hidden up his sleeve. The blade pierces Kakashi’s left eye, fracturing his eye socket and cracking his skull. Blood runs down his face as his head whips back from the force of the blow.

At least that's what would've happened had Kakashi possessed a genuine human body. It only takes him a few seconds to erase all signs of injury from his disguise and by then, Kakashi is already in the process of breaking the Kiri nin’s neck.

“Well, that’s this one taken care of.” Kakashi releases the earth jutsu, and the missing-nin’s body tumbles to the ground unceremoniously. “The rest are probably—”

It’s at this moment he remembers that Tenzō is still there, Tenzō who has surely witnessed the entirety of this exchange. Kakashi turns slowly, his eyes falling upon his teammate who, sure enough, is still standing there off to the side.

“What…?” is all Tenzō can get out. He looks to be frozen in place, his face stark white from shock.

Kakashi remains silent as he waits to see what Tenzō will do next, all the while sighing internally at this turn of events. He’ll have to provide the boy with some kind of excuse, but what he discloses will ultimately depend on Tenzō’s response.

“You know what?” Tenzō finally speaks up, a noticeable strain in his voice. He shakes his head, and an odd expression crosses over his face, one that seems to be a combination of disbelief, bewilderment, and hysterics.

It almost looks as though he’s smiling underneath all the confusion.

“Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

Chapter Text

Even after disposing of the Kiri nin’s body and sealing his head into a scroll, Tenzō remains mostly silent as they head back to meet up with the rest of the group. True to his word, he had asked for no further clarification as to what he had just witnessed.

Kakashi admittedly had divulged a little too much information back there, but he's not terribly concerned about this turn of events. He is curious though about how much Tenzō truly understands regarding what had happened back there.

Surely Tenzō could tell that it wasn’t the work of a genjutsu or shadow clone. But does he think that Kakashi has the ability to withstand a grievous, if not fatal, injury? Or does Tenzō have reason to believe that he isn’t actually human?

It is possible. After all, Rin had carried a few suspicions of her own before finding out the truth.

But even if Tenzō did have an inkling of Kakashi’s true nature, no one outside of Team Minato would even believe him. Furthermore, his decision to reject any and all further explanations means that he'll have no way of determining just how much the others are already aware of.

Either way, the two of them arrive back at base camp without issue. There they find that Minato and Rin were also successful in securing their target, leaving only one missing-nin left for the group to find. Since they all feel reasonably confident in their ability to apprehend the last chūnin before the end of the next day, they elect to settle in for the evening.

Tenzō remains quiet through this all, but that alone is hardly any cause for alarm as he was never a particularly talkative person to begin with. His reticence seems to be more contemplative than anything else, so the group lets him be with Minato only checking in with him briefly as they eat dinner.

“Everything alright there, Tenzō?” Minato calls out to him, craning his neck to get a clearer look at his youngest student’s face. “Did you run into any problems today?”

Tenzō startles slightly as he looks up. “Oh nothing,” he answers before glancing back down at his bowl. "Just... thinking."

His next words are almost inaudible, barely above a murmur. “Kakashi just did something weird.”

“Kakashi’s always doing that though,” Obito chimes in through a mouthful of food.

Minato ignores Obito’s remark. “What do you mean by that?” he asks, regarding Tenzō with renewed interest.

“I’m really not sure.” Tenzō looks almost embarrassed to admit this. “But I don’t think it actually matters.”

Minato shoots a questioning look at Kakashi who simply shrugs at him. The jōnin lets out a solitary sigh before turning back to Tenzō and notes that the boy doesn't seem especially troubled by the present circumstances. “You know what, that’s probably the best mindset to take.”

The next morning unsurprisingly sees the end of the final Kiri nin at large. Kakashi doesn't know if it was a complete accident that led the hapless shinobi to stumble across their camp or if the downtrodden man had simply wished to hasten his own inevitable demise. Whatever the reason, it had absolutely no effect on his ultimate fate as the missing-nin was all but bisected by a half-asleep Sakumo.

With the Kiri nin all accounted for (and their heads sealed into scrolls to serve as evidence of their deeds), the six of them can now make their way back to Konoha. There are technically a few more steps that must be taken before the mission can officially be classified as complete, but their work here is largely finished.

Following their return to the village, a Konoha messenger will travel to the border and hand off the scrolls to an envoy from Kiri. Once the identities of the five missing-nin have been verified, the two Kage will then confer about the appropriate level of compensation that will be provided for this unorthodox mission.

Their journey home is predictably a very laidback one with most of the team treating it as a leisurely, if somewhat lengthy, walk. They’re only a few hours in when Minato deliberately falls into step beside Kakashi, surreptitiously nudging his shoulder as he does so.

“So what happened?” he mutters, not taking his eyes off of Tenzō’s back up ahead.

Kakashi waves a hand in an unconcerned fashion. “Tenzō merely saw something that he shouldn’t have seen. It's of no consequence.”

Minato’s eyes narrow infinitesimally. 

“Okay, so I did something in front of Tenzō that I maybe shouldn’t have done,” Kakashi casually amends. “But it’s fine now. He doesn’t want to know more, and I will respect his request.”

Judging by the mildly exasperated expression that has spread over Minato’s face, a part of him likely wishes that he could've been afforded the luxury of this option as well. The disgruntled sniff he lets out as he walks away also suggests the same.

Even when they’re back in Konoha and going through their usual routine of training sessions and missions, Tenzō remains stalwart in his position. He continues to act as if nothing’s changed despite Obito’s increasingly unsubtle attempts to discern exactly how much Tenzō knows.

He’s unwavering, even after Kakashi himself decides to put the young chūnin’s convictions to the test. While the youkai doesn’t go out of his way to emphasize his nonhuman status, he is noticeably less careful than he would’ve been otherwise during their subsequent training sessions. It’s nothing terribly overt, just minor details like shrugging off blows that would’ve put any normal shinobi in the hospital or delivering punches that carry more than double the strength a child his supposed age should be capable of.

None of this, however, succeeds in provoking a reaction. Tenzō really does seem intent on ignoring it all, so things do remain the same in that regard.

In fact, the changes that the group does undergo are the ones that directly result from Minato’s personal life. No one is particularly surprised by that though. It stands to reason that a man who's getting married would experience a few disruptions to his usual routine. 

The wedding is an extremely small and quiet affair owing to the fact that neither Minato nor Kushina have any living family members residing in the village. Otherwise, Kakashi can hardly attest to whether or not the ceremony had adhered to tradition. The last time he witnessed a human marriage was long before the very establishment of hidden villages, and Kakashi can only presume that some of the customs have changed since then.

The sake at the very least was acceptable.

Sakumo steps in to supervise the team's training sessions during the two weeks of leave that Minato takes following the wedding. He resumes their kenjutsu lessons from before, much to Obito’s delight, and introduces the chūnin to several of the unconventional tactics and strategies that he had found useful during the Second Shinobi War. While they aren’t permitted to take on any out-of-village missions during this period of time, no one aside from Kakashi can claim to be bored throughout Minato’s absence.

As it turns out, very little changes upon Minato’s return either. It seems like Kakashi was the only one who had expected it to be this way though. Humans, from what he's noticed, have a tendency to overdramatize the impact that these kinds of events will have on their daily lives. But Kakashi knows better, he's seen it happen time and time again.

The biggest difference is that Minato is significantly happier living with his wife in their new home as opposed to his small apartment from before. Kakashi imagines that he's relieved to finally be away from his former landlord who had never seemed to forgive Minato for that one rather destructive exorcism they performed in the living room.

However, Kakashi does find himself privy to a new piece of information roughly four months after Minato’s marriage.

The jōnin pulls Kakashi aside shortly after the conclusion of that day's training session, a grave expression set on his features. “We need to talk,” he mutters under his breath. 

That itself wouldn’t have been particularly unusual, but Minato is casting furtive glances around the clearing as if to ensure that no other living soul is within earshot. It must be serious then if the jōnin is so determined to conceal this from everyone else. There are very few secrets between the members of Team Minato aside from the extremely obvious one that Tenzō is determined to ignore.

His interest piqued, Kakashi stares expectantly at Minato who has begun pacing about the training grounds in his nervousness. This annoyingly continues for another minute until the sound of Kakashi’s exasperated sigh brings him to attention.

“It’s about Kushina,” Minato declares, finally cutting to the chase.

“And?”

“There’s something that makes her very different from any other shinobi in Konoha, something that has to be kept secret,” Minato states cryptically. “And because of that, it makes childbirth a very very sensitive matter.”

Kakashi barely holds himself back from rolling his eyes. They'll be here until nightfall at this rate

“Because of her… condition,” Minato cuts himself off though, evidently dissatisfied with how he had phrased that. “Never mind that,” he shakes his head and starts pacing once more. “Let’s just say it could be extremely dangerous if things went wrong, or if the wrong people found out about-"

Minato suddenly stops in his tracks and spins around, looking as if he’s just had a revelation.

“Why am I even bothering to keep this from you?” he exclaims, his eyes lighting up. “It won’t matter to you, and you don’t care anyway! That’s perfect!” Minato laughs.

“Well, that’s generally the case for most things,” Kakashi acknowledges. “What is it?”

Without further ado, Minato launches into a long-winded explanation that Kakashi only half pays attention to. He mentions something about extremely powerful and volatile chakra entities, something about seals, something about a balance of power between villages, something about sealing said chakra creatures within other humans, something about Kushina and the critical role she plays in Konoha, and much much more.

“Stop,” Kakashi finally interjects as Minato starts to hit the eight-minute mark of his spiel. “What exactly do you want?”

“Kushina will need to give birth in a secret location outside of the village.” Minato sounds slightly out of breath now. “Can you just keep a watch over the safehouse while everything’s happening?”

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. “And squash any unauthorized individual that gets too close?”

“If you would please,” Minato confirms earnestly.

“Eh, sure.”

Kakashi won't pretend that he fully comprehends the significance of this request. But if Minato doesn’t want any unapproved humans to be around for the birth of his first child, then he will ensure that no living soul even passes through a five-mile radius of them.

And it’s for this very reason that Kakashi finds himself in the middle of the forest several months after that conversation, perched on a tree branch that overlooks an opening in a nearby cliff face.

A sense of trepidation seems to hang over all the humans there, and he can't help but notice that there’s no shortage of attendants present for the birth of this child. In addition to the mother and father, Kakashi also spies several healers, midwives, and even that irritable blonde woman who’s supposed to become Tenzō’s sensei.

Oddly enough, it seems that there's something else, something aside from the well-being of the mother and child, that's causing the humans to fret in this way. Everybody here appears to be fairly assured of their health and safety, but a small part of Kakashi wonders if this assumption is wise.

As a human with significant spiritual power, Minato does have a chance of passing along this trait to his child, and Kakashi’s own experiences have led him to notice that the mothers of spiritually powerful children do not tend to be long-lived.

Kakashi had never mentioned any of this to Minato though for one reason and one reason only. Namely that he does not recall Kanako ever having any trouble when giving birth to hers, and she had three of them. However, it is important to note that Kanako was healthy and strong. She was a beloved clan heir who thrived with the support of all the healers and medical-nin among the Hatake clan.

Sakumo’s former partner, the mother of the real Kakashi Hatake, had not survived, but she could’ve been a civilian, one that was naturally less resilient than a trained shinobi. She might’ve been sickly, her body could’ve been too fragile to bear a child. Kakashi wouldn’t know though since Sakumo had never once spoken of the wife and child he'd lost.

It could be that the act of birthing a spiritually sensitive child is something that only the most robust of mothers can withstand. If that were indeed the case, then strong shinobi like Kanako and Kushina would have nothing to fear. Kakashi personally suspects as much anyway.

He trusts that the gathered shinobi are capable of handling the proceedings. They seem to know what they’re doing, and nothing about their conduct suggests that they are anything aside from professional and competent. The parents are the only ones present who are distinctly less than composed, but that's to be expected. Kushina, of course, is undergoing the painful and uncomfortable process of childbirth while Minato seems to be tasked with maintaining some sort of seal throughout this all. Kakashi isn’t entirely sure of its purpose, but the attending party evidently considers this to be a crucial element of the birth itself.

But everyone remains calm, and their hushed voices eventually give way to soft cries, the very first vocalizations of a pair of newly functioning lungs. The sounds of relieved murmurs begin to filter their way out of the cave soon after that.

Kakashi waits around fifteen minutes or so before he drops down from the tree branch to land in his wolf form, this time a version small enough to fit through the cave opening. While no one but Minato is capable of seeing or hearing him in this guise, Kakashi doesn’t bother to venture far past the entrance, electing instead to observe at a distance.

He watches the now snoozing infant, securely cradled in its mother’s arms, and chuckles to himself.

It’s quiet for now, but this peace will only last for a short while.

“You’re going to give your parents a difficult time, aren’t you?”