Reconnaissance Only
Kakashi enters the Hokage’s office, setting his sights on Minato-sensei. The Hokage’s ceremonial hat was hung up on the wall, scrolls hung up on the walls. Kakashi leans over the Minato-sensei’s workspace, “Your desk is a mess, you know?”
The fourth Hokage gives a weak chuckle, “I’ve been busy pushing papers, that’s for sure!”
His pupil takes a closer look at his sensei. “Your organizational skills leave something up to the imagination. Are you feeling alright, sensei?”
Minato’s eyes widen in surprise, “Of course I am, Kakashi. That’s kind of you to think of me.” Kakashi starts grabbing the papers haphazardly. “Wait a moment, what are you doing? These are confidential!”
“I was in ANBU, you know,” Kakashi keeps the heat out of his voice that he had previously about Minato meddling in his assignment there, pulling him out. “I can’t give you my report if you have no room on your desk.”
Minato tries to keep his hands on the papers, but to be honest, he doesn’t try very hard. Kakashi takes only minutes to put them in their respective piles based on how pressing they are. “Low level mission, higher ranked missions, village changes,” he points out each pile. Minato nods, murmuring a quiet thanks to his student.
He clears his throat, changing subjects, “So, how was your assignment?”
Kakashi glares at him, taking a couple steps back from the desk now that it no longer looked as if a hurricane had whipped through. Watching over a feudal lord’s daughter’s birthday party was hardly an A-rank but had risen to that height due to political status and a couple of threats directed at the lord. “Here’s my report,” Kakashi answered, throwing the scroll to him. Minato caught it smoothly.
Guy had also been assigned to watch over the party. The man was positively radiant at having an assignment with Kakashi. He had talked to him incessantly, about the garden, repeating how the house seemed kind of empty, offering Kakashi some redecoration advice “free of charge”, about how the spring of youth was upon this young lady as well as she celebrated her birthday, etcetera.
Kakashi volunteered to write the report and give it to the Hokage, quick to extricate himself following the mission and get away from all of that energy. Seriously, if that man kept just being there and looking at Kakashi with those eyes that seemed to see all, Kakashi wasn’t going to be able to keep any of these more depressed emotions he was contending with under control. He needed control. If Kakashi lost his tenuous hold on this grief, he didn’t think he could recover.
“I heard that there’s been someone practicing a lightning jutsu on our training grounds,” Minato throws out there.
Kakashi meets his eyes, “Oh really? That’s interesting.”
Minato keeps that same placid smile, and raises his brows, “You’ll have to show me soon.” Kakashi’s cheeks warm at the idea of explaining the jutsu’s origins. Whenever Sakumo came up, Minato and Kushina would get this look on their face. Kakashi didn’t need their pity or whatever that was. He just had to deal with it. Sakumo was gone. Dead. End of story.
“It’s nothing, really,” Kakashi dismisses.
“We could do a ninjutsu spar,” Minato offers. Kakashi’s brow twitches. Minato looks like the cat who ate the canary, entirely too pleased with himself. Team Minato often would have ninjutsu spars between the members. Kakashi had loved it, and couldn’t truly contain his excitement from practicing one on one with the Yellow Flash, or trying to best Obito or Rin in a match.
“That would be fine,” Kakashi says, looking casual about it. He resists the urge to fidget.
“A ninjutsu spar, huh? I would be interested in watching!” Guy announces his entry. Kakashi rolls his eye.
“Guy, I said I could turn in the scroll myself,” Kakashi admonishes lightly, unable to completely hide that he enjoyed Guy’s company. His words held no heat in them.
Minato interrupts Guy’s retort. It was going to divert into bickering if he didn’t snip it at the bud right now. “I asked Guy to join us here.”
“Why? Is there a cat up a tree you want us to go and get down together?” Kakashi drawls.
“Ensuring the safety of a political leader’s family is important.”
“That cat might belong to a feudal lord. Instant A-rank!”
Minato brings his hands up. The Hokage’s chakra envelops the trio, making the room safe from anyone who may be listening in.
“What I wanted to tell you both about is a little more complicated than that.”
Finally! A real mission again! Minato unfurls a scroll and Kakashi’s shadowy heart drops into his stomach. There were small drawings of the tailed beasts looking back at them. “We have located the jinchuriki for each of the tailed beasts, almost, except-“
“Except for sanbi,” Kakashi says, barely above a whisper. His hand. Rin. Blood. “…Kashi.” Minato watches Kakashi collect himself. The look in his eye reminded him of his persona from ANBU, the Hound. He looks back down at the scroll for a moment.
“Sanbi?” Guy echoes. Might Guy was not aware of the Sanbi’s presence that night with Rin. He didn’t have the full story, or all the details. Guy was of the belief that Kakashi should share only what he wanted to about that night. He trusted his friend and knew immediately that Kakashi did not kill Nohara Rin. He stills holds that belief to this day, despite never getting confirmation one way or another about the event.
“Yes, the Sanbi. The three tailed beast…The village of mist must have a jinchuriki picked out. If by some chance they don’t, and some other organization has it, we must know.”
“Where was the Sanbi last seen?” Guy asks, boisterous nature subdued. People thought that Might Guy only had one volume and energy, but Guy had many more layers and was able to become whatever the village needed.
Kakashi felt like he was underwater. Keep it together. Don’t lose it in front of these two. He answered mechanically, “Inside of Nohara Rin.” Guy makes a surprised sound, looking at Kakashi and then the Hokage. Despite the sound that escaped his lips, he keeps his expression guarded. “You want to know where it went after,” He supplies.
Minato nods. “Kakashi, if this is too much, this isn’t a mission you and Guy have to do. I have other plans in place if need be…” Minato-sensei continues speaking to them. Kakashi feels like he’s back in the bottom of the lake from the other night. The voices in the room are muffled. “Ka…Ka…Shi….”
He looks down at his hand. They both notice. “No. It’s fine,” Kakashi cuts off whatever further spiel Minato-sensei was supplying him with. Wasn’t this what Kakashi was already doing? Spending time in his father’s study, facing his mistakes? “I’m fine.” He tells the two faces to look at him, firmly. “I wouldn’t want anyone else on it.”
“This is the mission,” Minato appears next to Guy, handing him the scroll. Kakashi’s mouth goes dry. Guy shouldn’t be anywhere close to the Sanbi.
“You know, it’s not really necessary, for both me and Guy to take this mission. I would prefer to take it solo.” Kakashi reaches out an arm to grab the scroll from Guy. Guy smoothly keeps it out of Kakashi’s grasp. He lifts it straight in the air and gives Kakashi a look.
Guy looks troubled. Kakashi is causing that trouble. He doesn’t need to be there for this sort of mission. He doesn’t need to be on a mission with Kakashi where he could get him killed. The weight of the Sanbi’s presence even just by name weighed on his conscious heavily.
“You have demonstrated great teamwork together,” Minato tells them, giving Kakashi a hard look. “It would be in the best interest of the village if you went together.” His statement was a command, Kakashi could see it in his eyes. Do not go at this alone.
Any further complaints died on Kakashi’s lips. “Fine.” It was not fine. It was not fine.
“I would like for you both to leave at the end of the week,” Minato tells them. “And I expect you to come over tomorrow evening for dinner at the house.” He nods. “After our spar!”
Kakashi wants to grip his hands into fists, make sure that the blood he feels on them isn’t there. “Is that all?” He needs to leave.
Minato frowns, “Sure, Kakash-“
He left the room briskly. Minato fixes Guy with his gaze and the man slides the door shut. Guy looks at Minato, “Hokage-sama, I don’t mean to question your motives, however, Kakashi-o has been doing well as of late.” I would hate to see him retreat into himself again.
“Guy, how do you think he would react if he found out I gave this mission to someone else?” Guy grimaces in response, understanding Minato’s point.
“He is eating well, and besides the insomnia and nightmares I think he’s still having, he seems to be much better than when he was in ANBU.” When he was taking suicide missions. When Guy thought he lost him.
They nodded in solidarity to one another. They won’t lose their precious comrade. “I’ll keep him safe, Hokage-sama!” Minato gives Guy a kind smile, “and I will do my best to keep you both safe. Do not engage during this mission, this is purely information tracking.”
Guy affirms, “Yes. Information gathering only.”