Chapter 55

— Kakashi —

The Copy Ninja sat under the tree reading the newly released third installment of Jiraiya's Icha Icha series. Today was the day of the Chunin Exams, and at the current moment, he was waiting for his students to arrive.

What a wild thought that was.

If you told Kakashi half a year ago that he would not only be early to meet-ups but also stop spending as much time at the Konoha Memorial Stone, he would have called you delusional.

Yet, here he was, finding himself… at peace.

It was a weird feeling.

Ever since the death of Rin and Obito, and later Minato and Kushina, Kakashi had closed himself off. He is doing missions because he was ordered to do them, but he has no real purpose in life. Hell, he could have gotten his neck slit open, and he'd likely thank whoever did it for finally bringing a somewhat meaningful end to his entirely tragic life.

But things now… they were different.

Kakashi has a genin team. One he was tasked by the Hokage to look after.

Initially, Kakashi wanted nothing to do with them. In fact, he wanted to ditch them the first chance he got. When the Hokage ordered him against that, he planned on doing the absolute bare minimum to fulfill orders and return to his dull life. On top of that, he never intended to grow close or even develop a hint of affection for any of them.

He knew where that led him in the past and what would likely happen if he grew fond of them.

They'd die horribly, and he'd watch it happen… If not, kill them himself.

So, he didn't want anything to do with them beyond the Hokage's orders. Barely spending time with them, barely showing affection.

Though, in the time he did spend with his genin, he realized such a thing was impossible.

Naruko Uzumaki is the hyperactive, knuckleheaded kunoichi with dreams of grandeur and a will to achieve them. She bothered him every chance she got. She wanted knowledge that she knew he had and constantly would want to test herself against him, a Jonin, to see where they were, especiallyafter the Land of Waves.

Kakashi had to have spent a hundred hours sparring against Naruko over the 2 months they'd all spent in the village. And with each spar, Kakashi could see more and more of both of her parents in the young blonde. More so Kushina.

He hadn't opened up to her, but her will to be the strongest and her burning passion and optimism had made it impossible for Kakashi not to care about her. At least somewhat.

Satsuki Uchiha is a cold and calculating girl on the outside but a warm and quiet pleasure to be around on the inside. At least, that's what Kakashi observed when she spent time with Lei, Naruko, and Hinata.

When Satsuki was with Kakashi, she bore her hatred at him. The hate of Itachi Uchiha that she felt so deep in her heart came to the surface and was all directed at Kakashi. Though, he didn't mind such a thing. If it calmed her down, he was all for it.

How Satsuki looked at Kakashi changed once he helped her unlock her sharingan thought. They would train together, not sparring nearly as much as Naruko, and he would, but he would teach her a number of the jutsu he learned over the years, and she would apply it to her current arsenal.

Their exchanges were typically quiet, but as more and more time passed, Satsuki opened up more and more. She wouldn't openly talk about her clan and the massacre, but when he would give her jutsu, she'd actually thank him.

Which was a huge improvement. He'd take what he could get.

Then, the big head-scratcher, Lei Senju.

… Where does he even start with that boy?

Lei was the glue that held his team together. He was the kind of kid who'd crack a joke in a bad situation but would through down all restraint when someone else made a joke at the expense of his team.

He wasn't unlike his father in that regard, but the difference is the potential Lei has.

Wood Release, and not anything artificial like Yamato, but actual Wood Release, no different from Lord First, Hashirama Senju.

Kakashi couldn't help Lei when it came to that; all he could do was give the boy some water jutsu when he asked for some, but typically, there wasn't anything Kakashi had in regards to water release that wasn't already held within the Senju library.

So, of all Kakashi's students, Lei had learned the least from him.

Yet Lei was hands down the strongest, and while he wasn't the one Kakashi could relate to the most, he was the easiest to converse with.

When he talked to Satsuki, it felt like he needed to step on eggshells lest he lose any progress with her.

When he talked to Naruko, he barely understood what the hell she was saying half the time, and when he talked back and explained concepts to her, she wouldn't understand what he was saying. It was like they had a dialogue barrier, and that barrier was intelligence.

With Lei, it was smooth. The boy would talk about either jutsu he's learned or improvements he's made, or they'd talk about random stuff like Icha Icha.

Kakashi had to admit the time he spent with all three of them simultaneously was… pleasant. As much as he tried, he couldn't avoid feeling something for his students. Their personalities were so different, yet they worked so well together, bringing out parts of him that he hadn't seen in years.

As Kakashi sat under the tree and the memories of all he and his students had done together from the first meeting to this moment, he couldn't help but feel something.

And for the first time in years-

He smiled.

Not a fake, forced smile, but a true, genuine smile. He wasn't happy with his life; all the trauma he experienced told him he may never heal completely-

But it was a start.

"Wow, you look really comfortable, Kakashi-sensei." A familiar knucklehead observed. Three bodies flickered in front of him. All three of his students stood there looking prepared and confident for the exams ahead of them.

"I am; I had hoped you all would take a bit more time. I wanted to finish this section."

"Ah, let me see where you are." Lei walked over and took a peak at the book. "Damn, man, you aren't even close to the end."

"I like to take my time." Kakashi half-smiled under his mask. Then, he stood up and grew a bit more serious. "Are you all prepared?"

"You know it!" Naruko grinned, flexing her smooth bicep and patting it. "We're totally gonna be promoted, believe it!"

Internally, Kakashi praised the three of them. He knew they'd pass the exam. They could pull off a bad performance, and Lord Third would likely pass them anyway.

"Good, then perhaps you should head off." Kakashi's eye met his book, and he flipped the page.

"Aren't you going to give us words of encouragement?" Satsuki raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Isn't that what a sensei is supposed to do?"

"The will of fire is to have faith in oneself and others and ultimately spread that faith onto the next generation," Kakashi answered before his body flickered away. He didn't say good luck; they didn't need it, and he wouldn't explain his meaning to them, partially because he didn't feel ready to, but anyone reading between the lines could decipher his intent.

He believed in them, but he'd never tell them that, or at least not now.

If they were even half as intelligent as he thought they were, they deciphered that, and hopefully, it motivates them to get through the first and second rounds.

Kakashi paused in his step toward his destination. The first round… the written exam.

He'd have to pray for Naruko.

Kakashi continued walking the path until he reached his destination. He stopped and looked at the sight he had seen daily for the last decade or more of his life.

The Konoha Memorial Stone.

His eyes immediately locked onto the names 'Obito Uchiha' and 'Rin Nohara,' yet he felt… different today.

Every time he would come, he'd usually spend most of his time apologizing and telling them how much he wished to reunite with them, but this time…

He didn't want to talk about their deaths and his tragic past. Instead, he wanted to talk about the moment his life started changing for the better and what it brought about after that.

"Obito… Rin… Let me tell you the tale."