When there was a knock on his door that evening, he hadn’t expected it to be Kakashi of all people who had come to see him. His usually withdrawn student—who always declined dinner invitations, seemed annoyed when he had to spend time with his team, and was the first to leave once it was over—was now standing at his door, asking for a conversation of his own free will.
Of course, Minato let him in. It seemed like there was something very important he needed to talk about. His behavior was strange—if not outright concerning. Minato didn’t know the silver-haired boy like this. He seemed almost shy and hesitant, far too quiet. Normally, he was outspoken and know-it-all.
Now he sat at the kitchen table, nervously swinging his legs and fidgeting with the fabric of his sweater. His eyes darted around restlessly, as if looking for an escape. Minato could tell right away that something serious was bothering him.
He remained calm and didn’t let his concern show. On the contrary—he casually prepared some tea while mentally running through what could be troubling his student. Maybe something had happened between him and the team again, or perhaps he had fought with Obito. Maybe a villager had said something unpleasant—though those comments had become rare and Kakashi usually ignored them. Whatever it was, Minato was glad Kakashi had come to him.
When the tea was ready, Minato poured it into two cups and turned to Kakashi with a smile. “I hope the tea’s okay. It’s all I have right now—I haven’t had time to go shopping,” he said with a gentle smile, placing a cup in front of Kakashi and sitting down across from him.
Kakashi gave a small nod and carefully wrapped his hands around the warm cup. His gaze remained fixed on the rising steam.
Minato watched him silently for a moment. When several minutes passed without Kakashi saying a word, he quietly cleared his throat and decided to start the conversation himself.
“So… I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
Kakashi immediately looked up at him. “Sorry, Minato-sensei, but I didn’t know who else to talk to,” he admitted quietly, lowering his eyes again, uncertain and hesitant.
Minato quickly raised his hands in reassurance and gave him a calming smile.
“That’s not what I meant. You don’t need to apologize,” he said in a firm but gentle voice, then slowly lowered his hands again. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked softly.
Kakashi was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. “Actually… it’s kind of stupid,” he mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Minato raised an intrigued eyebrow but didn’t press him, giving Kakashi the space he needed. It was obvious how hard this was for the boy to talk about.
Eventually, Kakashi spoke again, his gaze fixed firmly on his teacup.
“I don’t really know how to start… Like I said, it’s actually kind of stupid. And you’ll probably laugh at me.” His fingers slowly traced the rim of the cup as he searched for the right words.
“I…” He hesitated, took a deep breath, and continued quietly,
“Obito loves Rin. Rin loves me. I mean, not officially—but it’s pretty obvious on both sides. You love Kushina. And I know Asuma’s got his eye on Kurenai.”
Kakashi paused again, his eyes shifting restlessly.
Minato furrowed his brows slightly—he still wasn’t sure where his student was going with this. Maybe Kakashi had fallen in love and was looking for advice. Or maybe he returned Rin’s feelings and was afraid of how it might affect the team’s dynamic.
Before Minato could follow that train of thought, Kakashi continued.
“It kind of seems… normal—that a man and a woman love each other and end up together. And being in love, it seems like it’s supposed to be a good thing. I mean, you and Kushina… you’re always happy together.”
He paused again, his voice softening.
“Rin smiles when she looks at me. Obito lights up the moment she’s nearby. Asuma has that dumb grin whenever he talks about Kurenai, and…”
Kakashi trailed off again, letting out a frustrated breath. Then his shoulders sagged slightly, and he lowered his gaze.
“I think… I’ve fallen in love,” he finally admitted—quietly, almost shyly—and turned away as if ashamed of his own words.
Minato raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then offered a soft smile. It was unusual—not just that Kakashi was talking about this at all, but that he had come to him of all people.
“That’s a good thing,” Minato said encouragingly, leaning forward slightly.
“So? Who’s the lucky girl?”
Kakashi hunched his shoulders, as if trying to shrink into himself, and muttered,
“Well… that’s kind of the problem.”
Minato leaned back comfortably, still smiling.
“You’re afraid to talk to her and want to know how to go about it? No need to worry—I can help with that…”
But before he could finish, Kakashi interrupted him quietly, almost hurriedly:
“I think… I’ve fallen in love with a boy.”
For a moment, silence fell between them as Minato blinked in surprise, looking at his student.
“Oh…” he said softly, trying to process the unexpected turn—not because he thought it was a bad thing, quite the opposite. It had just caught him off guard.
Kakashi seemed to misread Minato’s reaction and immediately stood up.
“Sorry for bothering you,” he murmured quickly, turning to leave, eyes averted.
But before Kakashi could take a single step, Minato was already up and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Wait,” he said calmly. “That’s not what I meant.”
His voice was soft, almost pleading. “Please stay, let’s talk about it.”
His grip was light but steady—just enough to let Kakashi know he genuinely wanted him to stay.
Kakashi didn’t move for a moment before his shoulders finally slumped and he murmured quietly,
“Am I… weird? Or crazy, Sensei?”
Minato’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly shook his head. He gently placed a hand on Kakashi’s arm and turned him slightly to face him. Even though Kakashi kept his gaze lowered, Minato began speaking in a calm voice,
“You’re not crazy, and you’re definitely not weird. Why would you even think that?”
Kakashi sighed softly and shrugged.
“A man loving a woman—that’s supposed to be normal. But a man loving another man… that’s probably not.”
Minato was beginning to understand why Kakashi had come to him with this.
No one had ever really explained love or sexuality to him.
Despite being a prodigy—a genius of his generation—Kakashi had never spent much time thinking about such things. Probably because they’d never seemed relevant to him.
But now, having fallen in love for the first time, he was starting to ask himself questions. Questions he had no answers to—and no one he could ask without fear of judgment.
“How about we just sit down, drink our tea, and talk?” Minato suggested gently, offering a calming smile. “You can ask me anything that’s on your mind—don’t worry, nothing has to be embarrassing.”
He gently placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and guided him back to the chair. Kakashi hesitated for a second, then let himself be led and sat down again.
“First of all, you don’t have to worry. It’s completely normal for a man to love another man—just as it’s normal for a woman to love another woman. Your feelings don’t make you strange or broken.”
He looked at Kakashi firmly but kindly.
“They’re your feelings—and they’re valid exactly as they are. I understand it might be confusing, especially if this is all new to you. But that’s okay. It’s a process. And over time, you’ll figure out what you truly feel.”
He wrapped his hands around his teacup and spoke a little more softly.
“The important thing is that you allow yourself to feel these things—don’t push them away just because you think they’re wrong. Because they’re not.”
Kakashi looked down at his teacup, quietly taking in Minato’s words. After a long moment, he finally spoke up in a soft voice,
“And… how do I know if it’s really love? If I really love someone? Or if I actually like guys?”
Minato hummed thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair.
“Love is hard to put into words,” he began calmly. “To me… it’s a beautiful feeling. You think about that one person all the time, you want to be near them, protect them. And when you think of them, it feels kind of… strange. Like a tingling sensation, sometimes almost like a sickness—but a good kind.”
He chuckled softly, then tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, as if lost in thought.
“Whether you’re really into boys… only you can figure that out, Kakashi. There’s no universal answer. But in time, you’ll start to notice who you’re drawn to—whether it’s boys, girls… or maybe both.”
He looked back down, meeting Kakashi’s eyes with an encouraging smile.
“And whatever you find out—it’s completely okay. There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when it comes to feelings. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Kakashi sighed in frustration and slumped further into his chair.
“Why does it have to be so complicated?” he muttered, clearly annoyed, as he glanced over at Minato.
“I should just focus on my training and the missions ahead. Instead of dealing with this kind of nonsense.”
Minato laughed softly and leaned forward slightly.
“Seems like it’s bothering you more than you’re willing to admit—otherwise you wouldn’t be thinking about it so much.”
His voice stayed calm and understanding.
“Let yourself feel it, Kakashi. Only when you accept your emotions can you learn how to handle them.”
He knew how much his student tended to bottle things up. But the fact that Kakashi had come to talk about it at all—that was a good sign.
“Do you want to tell me who the lucky one is?” he asked with a gentle smile.
Kakashi closed his eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath, then opened them again. His gaze dropped to the cup in his hands.
“I think that’s the next problem…” he murmured quietly. He hesitated again, took another deep breath—and then finally said it:
“It’s Obito.”
Minato blinked in surprise. He hadn’t seen that coming. Kakashi had never seemed particularly fond of Obito—on the contrary, he often looked annoyed with him, especially because Obito rarely took the rules as seriously as he did.
That Kakashi had fallen for him—of all people—was unexpected. But the longer Minato thought about it, the more he understood what was weighing on his student.
Obito clearly had feelings for Rin—that much was obvious. And that alone made it likely he wouldn’t be interested in a boy.
“Love can be the most beautiful feeling in the world,” Minato said gently, offering Kakashi another encouraging smile, “but sometimes… it’s also the one that hurts the most.”
Kakashi gave a silent nod, still staring down at his teacup. A few quiet moments passed before Minato suddenly clapped his hands together and stood up.
“You know what helps best with heartbreak?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
Kakashi shook his head and looked up at him curiously.
“Distraction!” Minato declared. “We’re going to the training ground and doing a few rounds together.” He knew exactly what Kakashi needed most right now—a good training session to clear his head, push his body, and forget everything else, at least for a while.
Kakashi looked at him skeptically for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the wall clock.
“You must have more important things to do at this hour,” he mumbled.
“Nonsense!” Minato said with an encouraging smile. “Come on, this will do you good. Besides, it’s been ages since the two of us trained alone. I’d really enjoy it.” He walked toward the front door and gestured for Kakashi to follow.
Kakashi sighed quietly and eventually followed Minato. But just as he bent down to put on his sandals, he paused and lowered his gaze.
“Sensei?” he murmured. “Please… don’t tell anyone. Especially not Obito.”
Minato stopped and looked at him with a gentle smile. He placed a comforting hand on Kakashi’s arm and gave it a brief, reassuring stroke.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. And remember—you can always come to me. Whether you want to talk or just need a little distraction.”
Kakashi nodded silently and started putting on his sandals. Minato watched him with a soft smile on his lips—grateful that his student trusted him enough to share something so deeply personal.
At the same time, he could feel just how much Kakashi was struggling. Even if the boy would never openly show it—let alone admit it—it was clear how deeply his feelings for Obito affected him. Especially now that he was starting to realize… those feelings might never be returned.