In Danger
Minato reached for the doorknob of his apartment when suddenly an Anbu appeared beside him. He immediately paused and looked down at the kneeling Anbu. "What's going on?" Minato asked curtly, his voice tinged with fatigue. He longed for rest. The day had dragged on endlessly, and after the exhausting council meeting, a mountain of paperwork still awaited him. A glance at the clock told him he probably wouldn’t make it in time to wish Naruto goodnight.
"I need to inform you about something," began the Anbu, pausing briefly before continuing. "It concerns Kakashi."
Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise, let go of the doorknob, and turned to face the Anbu. "What about him?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
The Anbu quickly reported what had happened and how tense Kakashi had seemed. Minato listened intently, his worries about Kakashi growing stronger. Something was wrong. Something was troubling the boy, and Minato couldn’t wait any longer. Determined, he resolved to speak with Kakashi immediately. His own fatigue was secondary—Kakashi was now more important than anything else.
Minato nodded to the Anbu and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for the report. Please remain on alert and ensure that Kakashi and Naruto continue to be protected," he ordered calmly, dismissing the Anbu with a gesture. Then he opened the door and stepped into his apartment.
Minato gently closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. The atmosphere of his home enveloped him like a familiar blanket. He let his gaze wander down the hallway before deciding to check on Kakashi right away.
In the living room, his eyes fell on the photo of Team 7 on the shelf. A brief moment of memory crossed his face before he collected himself and moved on.
Minato quickly found Kakashi in the kitchen, tidying up. Relaxed, he leaned against the doorframe and gave Kakashi a tired smile. "Thanks for looking after Naruto today."
Kakashi paused and turned to Minato, casually shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't have anything better to do at the moment," he replied, setting the kitchen towel aside, his gaze fixed on it. "Your dinner is in the fridge. Naruto and I have already eaten; he was so tired that I put him to bed an hour ago."
Minato nodded gratefully, but he didn't move from his spot. His gaze remained on Kakashi, who looked away. "You noticed that I had the Anbu watching you," Minato stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I did," Kakashi confirmed, looking even more nervous. "Don't you trust me, or why are you having me watched?" he asked coolly, without looking at Minato.
Minato scrutinized the younger man for a moment, then sighed softly and shook his head. "You know that's not the reason," he explained calmly.
Kakashi shrugged and then turned his visible eye to Minato. "Then what is the reason?"
"I'm worried!" Minato said directly, fixing Kakashi with his gaze.
His expression remained inscrutable. "And why are you worried?" Kakashi asked, revealing nothing of his feelings. He looked at Minato intently, his eye showing slight uncertainty.
"If I'm honest with you, will you be honest with me?" Minato asked calmly, noting the growing uncertainty in Kakashi's eye. The silver-haired ninja hesitated with his answer and turned away from Minato. He grabbed the towel and started wiping the kitchen counter. A sigh escaped Minato, and he decided to get straight to the point. "What's wrong with you, Kakashi? Something is obviously bothering you. One of the Anbu told me that you attacked them."
Kakashi continued his work while responding, "I don't like being followed. I just wanted to defend myself."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "We're in the village; who would harm you here?" he asked, noting the slight twitch in Kakashi's body.
Kakashi quickly finished his task and hung the towel on a hook. "You can never be too careful," he commented, then turned to Minato. "Excuse me, but I'm quite tired and would like to go to bed now."
"We're not just ending this conversation. I want to know what's going on with you!" Minato demanded, pushing himself off the doorframe to stand upright.
Kakashi briefly avoided Minato's gaze before directing his eye back to him. Anger flickered in his visible eye. "You're not my father! I've managed just fine without you this past year. I don't owe you anything!" His voice trembled slightly with anger and uncertainty.
Minato involuntarily flinched. He hadn't expected this reaction. "Kakashi?" he murmured in surprise.
With an exasperated groan, Kakashi tried to push past Minato, but Minato quickly grabbed his arm. "Hey! You can't just walk away now; we need to talk about this!"
Kakashi pulled away from him. "I'm not interested," he muttered, hurrying down the hallway.
Minato followed immediately. "Kakashi!" His voice grew more serious, but Kakashi wouldn't be stopped. He went into his room and slammed the door behind him.
Just as Minato reached for the doorknob, he heard Naruto crying—obviously woken up by the noise. Minato bit his lip thoughtfully and paused for a moment, staring at the closed door. Then, determined, he turned away and went to Naruto. He couldn't leave the little boy crying.
**********
Kakashi leaned against the closed door, listening to Minato's footsteps fade away. He exhaled a sigh of relief and moved away from the doorframe. It hadn't been fair to snap at Minato like that, but he had to end the conversation. With a deep sigh, he sank onto his bed and stared at the floor in front of him. His eyes slowly closed as he desperately thought about what to do next.
It was only a matter of time before Minato found something out – that couldn't happen. Kakashi was determined to handle the matter alone. He knew now that he couldn't delay any longer. He had to act and stop Danzo.
His gaze wandered to the window. An Anbu sat motionless in the trees, keeping an eye on him. By now, Kakashi was certain that Minato had placed Anbu to watch him and Naruto because he feared Danzo might retaliate against the Hokage's plans. Kakashi knew this fear was not unfounded, but the blonde didn't need to know.
Kakashi stood up and went to the table in his room. He grabbed his weapons pouch and carefully fastened it. Cautiously, he pulled out a kunai and looked at it for a moment. It had been Minato's gift to him upon his promotion to Jonin. For a moment, he clutched the kunai tightly before gently placing it back on the table. Then, he removed his hitai-ate from his left eye and took a deep breath. The resolve in his eyes was unmistakable – he had to shake off the Anbu.
With a slight smile on his lips, Kakashi turned, went to the window, and opened it silently. "Hey! I need your help!" he called to the Anbu crouched in the trees.
The Anbu promptly appeared and gracefully perched on the windowsill. "What do you want? I'm not here to tell you a bedtime story," he said with a hint of impatience in his voice.
"Maaah, I know that," Kakashi said lazily, closing both eyes. Then he opened only his Sharingan and cast the Anbu into a genjutsu. The Anbu went limp and almost fell from the windowsill. Kakashi quickly grabbed him by the collar, pulled him into the room, and gently laid him on the floor. "I'm sorry, but you'd only get in the way," he murmured quietly before turning back to the window, ready for the next step in his plan.
Kakashi glanced once more at the closed door and bit his lip thoughtfully. Doubt crept in about whether he should really confront Danzo. But the desire to protect Naruto and Minato – his family – outweighed everything. Resolutely, he straightened up, jumped out of the window, and set off towards Danzo, ready to give it his all.
***********
Minato quietly closed the door to Naruto's room. It had taken a while for the little boy to calm down and fall asleep again. Exhausted, Minato leaned against the door and rubbed his face. But there was no time to rest yet – the conversation with Kakashi was not over.
Pushing himself away from the door, Minato walked purposefully to Kakashi's bedroom. He knocked gently and waited for a response – but it remained silent. Frustrated, Minato sighed and knocked again, this time louder. "I know you're not asleep. I'm coming in now!" he called resolutely.
Slowly, Minato opened the door and peeked into the room. His eyes widened when he saw the Anbu lying motionless on the floor and realized that Kakashi was gone. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and fear gripped his heart. Breaking out of his shock, he quickly stepped into the room and knelt beside the Anbu. Carefully, he turned him over and checked his condition.
"A genjutsu," Minato murmured and quickly formed the necessary hand sign to release the jutsu. The Anbu immediately sat up and looked around in confusion. Minato didn't give him time to orient himself. In a serious tone, he asked, "What happened?"
The Anbu thought for a moment before replying, "Kakashi put me under a genjutsu. He asked for my help, and then I don't remember anything."
Minato frowned. Kakashi is responsible for this? His gaze swept the room and landed on the table, where he saw Kakashi's kunai. He stood up and picked up the kunai. "He doesn't want me to find him," he murmured, gripping the kunai tighter. If the silver-haired ninja was trying so hard to disappear, he was planning something reckless. Minato couldn't waste any time – he had to find his son.