Work Text:
Kakashi was dying. His breath was uneven, rough and inconsistent. His chest went up and down slowly. They could see it begin to sputter. He was dying and no one was doing anything. The wounds too big and grotesque. His chest had been ripped open by his opponent in an attempt to thwart his escape. His team stood there, for a second, in absolute shock before the medic began her rescue attempt.
She could see the blood pooling around his mouth under the mask, darkening it. Her hands shaking from the panic.
Sakura had spent years learning the inner workings of the body, learning what made it work or fall apart. She had spent countless hours with her hands elbow deep in a person’s chest.
However, she was not ready for this. One thing was working a shinobi who you didn't know, someone who you had no connection to. Another thing was having to work on a person so close to you it should not be allowed. Kakashi was family. He was friend, mentor, brother, confidante, and father all in one. How could she keep sane enough to objectively assess the situation.
She takes a deep breath.
The other two stand behind her, in shock, as she begins.
“Hand me the gauze,'' she demanded.
No answer. The silence rings loud.
The medic turned to see what was taking them so long. Both men were still. Their eyes in a different place, in a distant memory. The shock still limiting their movements. Their chests rising and falling too fast, both winded from carrying their teacher’s body while being chased through the woods.
Perhaps they were thinking of better days. Of c-ranked missions and ramen stands in the sun. She could see their eyes losing hope. Neither were very well versed in medical speech but they knew by the tremble in her voice and the amount of blood on her hands that it wasn't good.
She did not have the luxury of losing herself in such memories. She had to save their teacher’s life.
Snapping her fingers she demanded harshly, “Hey! We don't have time for this! Hand me the gauze or he’s gonna bleed out!”
Snapping out of their trance, eyes focused, the men began to assist the medic. Both on their knees now.
A flurry of hands trying to be in the right place at the right time. One handing her what little medical equipment she had prepared for this mission. The other helping her keep his heart beating.
It was no use.
His heart was giving out. The damage was too much. Maybe if they were in the village where she had better medical equipment and machines to restart his heart.
But they were not in the village. They were in the middle of the forest, hundreds of miles from the closest hospital.
Their teacher’s heart gave one, two, three beats and then, none. The blonde boy gasped. A sob stuck in his throat as his eyes began to fill with tears. The other boy stood still. His hand still hanging in the air from handing the medic the gauze. Eyes wide, a hint of red beginning to develop.
The three stood there. In awe, or shock or something just as terrible as death.
One second. Two.
The medic moved. Ripped her gloves off and began to work. Her hands trembled, soaked in blood.
Her hands glowed a pale green and her eyes grew wide in concentration. She could not make any mistakes. She had only ever seen this done one other time. If she erred even once, not only would she kill her teacher for sure but she would also pay the consequences of her actions.
She could not let him die. Not him, not now, not like this.
The two boys saw the medic begin her work.
“He’s dead,” the blond whispered.
“What are you doing?” the dark haired boy asked the medic, his breath raspy like he was trying not to speak to loud. She could see a drop of blood near his chin.
“I’m saving his life.” she says. At least I think that’s what I’m gonna do.
Confusion marred both their faces. Then, the blond seemed to understand what was happening. The memory of another body, cold, lifeless, a flash of sand and then life again.
“You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, right?”
He had only seen this procedure done on one other occasion. But he knew the consequences of performing it.
“You can’t! You’ll die!,” he cried scrambling to try and stop her.
“If I don’t, He will die!”
The other boy, the one with eyes the color of night, looked between the two arguing.
“What is she doing?”, he asked the blond. The dark haired boy had already missed out on many experiences with his teammates. He was slightly annoyed about being kept in the dark.
“I don't have time for this! Give me some space to work,” the medic said rapidly.
“No,” the dark-haired boy said. “He knew the consequences of the mission. He knew we were going in blind. Kakashi wouldn’t have wanted you to sacrifice yourself for him.” He ignored the small but loud voice in his head that told him, it wasn't just Kakashi who would not want her to sacrifice herself. He would not admit it outloud but if it came down to letting Kakashi or the medic live, he knew what his choice would be.
“I’m not letting him die!”she yelled breathlessly.
The medic continued her work. Making his heart beat until it no longer needed assistance.
And like that, after hours on the road, they finally arrived at the village gates. Four ninja, all covered in blood and grime, but all of them alive. Though only three were conscious.
~~~~~~
Their teacher lay on the hospital bed. His breath now even. The color back on his face. He was visibly better. A man brought back from the brink of death.
On the other side of the curtain stood his team. Three young shinobi who were his pride and joy. Three kids who he had seen grow into vital members of their village in their own ways.
Three adults who were currently engaged in a battle of glares.
The blonde and the dark-haired boys directing their eyes to the medic, who was pretending not to feel the intensity of their disapproval, or rather ignoring it.
“You could have died! Wait until I tell Tsunade! She is going to be so angry with you!” The blonde rambled on in a hushed whisper, “How could you even think to do something like that? Kakashi is going to be furious!”
“He will get over it.” the medic replied sternly, he better, she thought.
The dark-haired boy scoffed, his eyes rolling.
“Look, I did what I thought was right. I knew what I was doing. I couldn’t just let him die.”
“You nearly killed yourself”
“Yeah! What would we have done if you had died? What were we supposed to tell him if he woke up and found you dead beside him?” the blonde asked.
“Enough! You two don't understand.”
“Understand what? That you have a deathwish?”
Scoffing, the medic returned, “What? You wanted me to give up and just look for a place to bury his body? Skip along and tell the hokage her best shinobi is dead and then waltz home for a nap?”
“That is not what we are say--”
“No, you two just don't get it! You don't understand Kakashi’s role here” She was beginning to grow angry with them, when before she was frustrated.
“What?”
The medic stood there, exasperated. These idiots really didn't understand.
“Do you two even know who he is? Like, do you understand that Kakashi is much more than just our teacher?”
Both men stood there deliberating her inquiry. It seemed like a redundant question for them. They knew Kakashi. They knew him better than most people. He had shaped them into the people they were today. Kakashi had, at one point in their lives, been a teacher, friend, rival, confidant, and mentor to all of them.
“To you, Kakashi is a childhood memory. A memory of learning a new jutsu or getting words of encouragement. But Kakashi existed before he was tasked with leading Team 7! Have you ever stopped to think why the 3rd made him our teacher? Hell, have either of you ever asked him anything that didn't have to do with you?”
Silence.
“If you hadn’t been so self absorbed and paid a lick of attention to someone other than yourselves you could have learned that Kakashi was in ANBU Black Ops for a long time. That he was a student of the 4th Hokage. Kakashi has completed more successful A-rank missions than any other jounin in the village. Did you know any of that?” she demanded.
A look of shame came across the boys’ faces. The blond reddened and the other boy averted his gaze.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“Kakashi is much more than just our teacher. He is a model shinobi. He is what every shinobi strives to be, whether they are from the village or not.”
“Still, risking your life like that..” the blonde hedged, the anger gone from his voice.
The medic was still. Her head lowered. Hands in fists. They still didn't understand.
“After you two were gone, he and I were still here,” she said in a whisper.
The room became solemn. The mention of a time when their team was being shredded from the inside out was not pleasant. It was painful for all of them to remember.
“Kakashi went back to taking missions, so we didn't see each other often but he always checked up on me once in a while. He always had something good to say about my training. Always encouraged me to be better.” her voice became smaller as she continued.
“One night they brought him into the hospital. I was the medic on duty,” she paused, getting her bearings, “he was half dead. I had never seen so much blood before. That night, I had to restart his heart five times.”
The boys couldn’t keep their eyes off her. A feeling of guilt and shame spread through them both.
“We didn’t know--”
“That’s right, you didn't know.” She snapped.
“You don't know how many times he’s walked into my hospital half dead! How many times I’ve had to stitch his wounds, or heal his burns. You don't know how many times he saved my life during the war.” the medic was trembling. The emotions brimming to a crescendo. She had been holding much back from the boys. Their teacher’s life and death struggle had simply broken the dam.
The boys stood still. The energy in the air sparking.
Taking a deep breath, the medic’s head rose up.
“Lady Tsunade is stepping down soon.” She said abruptly. Continuing, she explained.
“You” -pointing to the blonde- “are not ready to be Hokage” she said.
Realization dawned on them both.
“She wants him to be Hokage?”
“Yes.” She whispered.
“You two might not think him a good candidate but Kakashi has always been the model to follow for shinobi in the Leaf. It’s about time he stepped up.”
The boys were quiet for a long time.
Both boys were known for focusing so much on their own issues, they had forgotten that the world didn't always revolve around them.
They could see now that losing Kakashi would have been an incredible blow to not only the morale of the shinobi but would have also affected the relationships that had already been built during the war. People respected Kakashi. And it wasn't only Leaf shinobi who looked up to him, ninja from other villages who had fought side by side with him had developed admiration for him. Kakashi hadn’t been made the commander of a company for nothing.
Before the war, Kakashi had developed a reputation. A bloody one. Most ninja knew of “friend killer Kakashi” or as he was most famously known “the copy ninja”. However, during the war, those who fought alongside him came to see that Kakashi was a much more complicated individual. He was always late, but strangely he always seemed to appear when you needed him most. He was nonchalant but he wasn’t silly. He didn't brag about his achievements, but somehow it was hard to think him any less impressive. He was quiet yet he was never talked over. He believed himself inadequate but his opinion was always highly valued. And if the ninja who fought with him had learned one thing, it was that he was loyal. Kakashi never left anyone behind. He had been left behind by his loved ones far too many times to let others go without a fight.
It was this that made him the perfect candidate for Hokage. He was young enough that the new generation of shinobi would follow him, especially considering he mentored three of the most powerful shinobi in the Leaf, and he was also experienced enough that the older generation felt comfortable leaving him in charge.
They finally understood why the medic had risked so much in order to save his life.
~~~~~~~~
That night, four shinobi resided in a hospital room. All four knew that the morning would bring along with it serenity, contentment and relief.
So, as Kakashi slept, his legacy watched over him.