At the beginning

Minato leaned back against a tree and let his gaze wander over Kakashi's team training. As promised, he stayed by his side. The first meeting the previous day had gone surprisingly smoothly, without any unpleasant incidents. However, Minato had noticed that the sensei was not particularly enthusiastic about temporarily taking Kakashi into his team. Fortunately, he did not voice his concerns and seemed to accept the situation without resistance.

Yet, Minato did not miss the subtle signs of dissatisfaction. There were fine nuances, like the slight favoritism shown towards the other two team members. For Kakashi's sake, he stayed in the background and observed quietly, knowing that it would make the boy uncomfortable if he intervened. Minato was sure that Kakashi could sense the jonin sensei's disapproving attitude. The disapproving glances directed at him would not go unnoticed – Kakashi was far too observant for that.

The two students, Yumi and Kaito, although not from the major clans, were talented shinobi. They showed no particular interest in Kakashi but accepted him better than their sensei. At least they did not throw disapproving glances his way and included him in the training. However, that was the extent of it: they excluded Kakashi from their private conversations and ignored him. During yesterday's lunch break, Kakashi would have stood alone if Minato had not sat with him. On the other hand, Minato was not surprised; the two were older than Kakashi, and he hoped that was the reason.

Minato would have preferred to take over the team himself, but the other jonin, Kenji Aburame, known for his cold and strict demeanor, had already made it clear during the nomination that he would remain the sensei. Although he did not say it openly, Minato knew that Kenji doubted his ability to prepare the team adequately for the Chunin Exams. To avoid conflict, Minato kept his distance and watched from afar.

Minato was pulled from his thoughts when Kenji stood next to him. His gaze remained fixed on the training ground, his expression unchanged. "The Hatake brat is quite talented for his six years," Kenji remarked coolly, leaning against the tree beside Minato.

"That's Kakashi," Minato corrected firmly, emphasizing Kakashi's name. He did not like the way Kenji spoke about him.

The Aburame gave Minato a fleeting glance before returning his gaze to the training. "They have a good chance of passing the exam," he noted, then sighed heavily. "It's unfortunate what his father did and how it put us in this situation. Hopefully, the boy hasn't inherited his father's bad habits."

Minato's fingers twitched slightly, but he remained calm, his gaze fixed in the distance. "Kakashi is not responsible for his father's actions. Sakumo broke the rules, but he also saved lives – that was a courageous decision," he defended quietly. Despite the ten-year age difference and belonging to one of the larger clans, he felt a strong urge to support Sakumo and Kakashi.

Kenji remained silent for a moment before looking at Minato. "A child always looks up to their parents. We can be glad that he is your student and under your influence," he said quietly, then pushed off to return to the training ground. Minato stared after him with angry eyes but held back his words.

"Let's call it a day! Yumi, Kaito, come to me! Kakashi, clean up the training ground!" Kenji called out instructions loudly, and Minato felt his hackles rise. He bit his lip to avoid an impulsive reaction.

Minato watched as the three nodded and obediently did as they were told. Yumi and Kaito ran towards their sensei while Kakashi began to gather the stray shurikens and kunais without a word. A look of sympathy crossed Minato's face as he watched the young boy.

"You two did well. Keep it up, and you'll pass the exam," Kenji praised with a small smile. "We're done for today. See you tomorrow."

"Hai, Sensei! See you tomorrow!" the two chorused, turning to leave the training ground.

The Aburame turned to Minato. "Coming to the bar?”

Minato simply shook his head, turned away, and walked towards Kakashi, who was still cleaning up the training ground. Without saying a word, Minato began to help him. Kenji just shrugged and left the training area.

As they collected everything together, a heavy silence hung between them. Minato wasn’t sure what to say. He doubted his actions—perhaps he should have intervened when Kakashi was asked to clean up alone. But he feared Kakashi would feel uncomfortable if he had interfered.

Suddenly, Kakashi stopped and looked at Minato. "They don’t like me," he said coolly, resuming the task of gathering the last kunais. Minato turned to him and watched silently. What could he say? Lying to him would be unfair—Kakashi was too perceptive for that, and Kenji had made his disdain abundantly clear.

With a slight smile, Kakashi turned to Minato. "It's okay, Sensei. They won’t always be my team," he said calmly. Minato bit his lip and avoided Kakashi’s gaze. He was supposed to be the one reassuring and encouraging Kakashi. "I just wonder how we’re supposed to pass the Chunin Exams. We need to work together as a team to make it," the silver-haired boy noted, his serious tone conveying more than his words.

Minato felt that Kakashi had matured even more since learning about his participation in the Chunin Exams. A comforting smile played on Minato’s lips as an idea came to him. "Come with me," he said, extending a hand to Kakashi.

Kakashi eyed the outstretched hand warily, then looked up at Minato with narrowed eyes. "I’ll come, but I’m not a little kid who needs to be led by the hand," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Minato chuckled softly. "Come on, trust me," he said gently. Kakashi regarded him skeptically for another moment before reluctantly taking Minato’s hand. In the next instant, the training ground was empty.

***********

As they found solid ground again and Minato released Kakashi, the boy stumbled slightly. With a chuckle, Minato bent down to support him. "Sorry, I should have warned you. It can be a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it."

Kakashi's eyes darted to Minato. "We used your teleportation jutsu, didn’t we?" he asked.

Once Minato was sure Kakashi was steady, he let go and nodded. "Exactly!" he confirmed as he stood upright. Kakashi had never consciously teleported with Minato before—only once, when he was unconscious after their first mission outside the village.

Curiously, Kakashi looked around to see where they had landed. Meanwhile, Minato had already started walking. "Come on, let's sit on that bench over there," he suggested gently, pointing to a nearby bench.

Kakashi immediately followed Minato. "Why are we here on the Hokage Rock?" he asked curiously as they both sat down, the bench offering a wide view of the village.

Minato leaned back and looked down at the village. "I’ve told you before that this is my favorite spot to think and find some peace," he said with a contented smile.

Kakashi nodded and directed his gaze towards the village. Minato let the silence settle for a moment before turning to Kakashi. "I wanted to answer your question, and I thought we'd have more peace here," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You’re right that you need to work as a team, but I don’t think that will be a problem. The others will work with you, even if it doesn’t always seem like it. They also want to pass the exam."

Kakashi’s gaze grew distant as he began to swing his feet slightly. "You’re probably right," he said briefly, his voice quiet and thoughtful.

"If the exam is structured like in previous years, the third part will consist of individual battles. And looking at your training, I’m sure you’ll manage," Minato said calmly, trying to encourage Kakashi. He was confident that the other two members of Kakashi's team had the talent to go far.

Kakashi nodded in response but said nothing. Minato let his eyes wander over the village, giving Kakashi a moment to gather his thoughts. His own thoughts returned to the training session, and he wondered if he should have reacted differently. He hoped there wouldn’t be any further incidents in the coming days.

Suddenly, Minato felt the urge to talk to Kakashi about it. He turned to the younger boy. "I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when he made you clean up alone," Minato apologized, though he wasn’t sure if Kakashi had even expected it.

A comforting smile flashed across Kakashi’s face, hidden behind his mask, but Minato knew his student well enough to recognize it. Kakashi shook his head slightly. "You don’t need to apologize, Sensei. It’s okay, it’s just what the others do too," he explained quietly, then let his gaze fall to the ground.

Before Minato could react, Kakashi continued. "But I'll prove it to all of them!" he said determinedly. "I'll show them what I can do, and then they won’t talk about me or my father anymore." He paused briefly, and Minato thought he saw a hint of sadness in Kakashi's eyes. "Then everything will be like it used to be," Kakashi murmured so quietly that Minato barely caught it.

Minato regarded his student in silence, needing a moment to process Kakashi's words. He had suspected that Kakashi might have such thoughts, and a painful pang went through him. Minato knew it wouldn’t be that simple. People wouldn’t change their minds so easily and would likely continue talking about Kakashi and Sakumo.

Doubts rose in Minato. Should he be honest with Kakashi and prepare him for possible disappointment, or should he let him keep this glimmer of hope? Minato wasn’t certain. Perhaps Kakashi was right and people would be impressed by his performance. Maybe it was better to let him hold on to that hope.

Minato lowered his gaze and spoke with a firm voice. "Of course, you'll show everyone at the Chunin Exams. I have complete faith in you!" He felt Kakashi's gaze on him and smiled as he looked into his eyes. "I’m really glad you’re my student and friend," he added, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder to emphasize his words.

Kakashi made a face and looked away. "You’ve been acting kind of weird lately, Sensei," he muttered, a slight frown on his face.

Laughter burst from Minato’s lips as he withdrew his hand and threw his head back. "Coming from you, that’s something!" he retorted with a wink. Kakashi chuckled softly and looked at Minato. It was just a brief moment, but sometimes those moments were the most precious.

Despite the circumstances, today had actually been a good day. Minato couldn’t remember the last time they had talked so intensely, especially with Kakashi voluntarily sharing his thoughts. The boy had withdrawn more and more into his shell in recent weeks. Perhaps the small hope Kakashi held, that things might get better afterward, was helping him come out of his shell a bit. Minato just couldn’t bring himself to explain that things might not get better. He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do.

**********

Minato sank onto the couch and pulled Kushina onto his lap, surprising her so much that she squeaked as he held her tightly and kissed her. When they broke apart, she eyed him suspiciously while still sitting on his lap. "Why are you in such a good mood? For the past few days, I've only seen you with a grumpy face."

Minato hummed softly as he leaned back, relaxed. "I thought it was time to show and tell you again how much I love you. I'm sorry you’ve been a bit neglected these past weeks. After the Chunin Exams, we’ll do something nice together," he promised with a warm smile.

Kushina looked at Minato for a moment, her cheeks slightly pink as a delicate smile formed on her lips. "It's okay, Minato! Don’t worry, I can handle it, and I know quieter times will come. I love you too!" she said gently, running a hand through Minato's hair before her expression turned serious. "How did the training go today?”

Minato’s expression also turned serious. "What can I say? Kenji Aburame obviously doesn’t like Kakashi, but he probably had no choice but to take him on.”

Kushina slowly slid off Minato's lap and sat beside him. "What happened?”

"During training, he came over and talked to me. He thinks like everyone else that Sakumo made a mistake and blames Kakashi for it. At the end of the training, he made Kakashi clean up by himself while he called Yumi and Kaito over to him. The two of them still don’t really pay attention to Kakashi, although they accept him in training. I hope it’s just because of the age difference," Minato explained, leaning forward a bit.

"I understand," Kushina murmured, shifting a bit, her eyes narrowed with worry. "How did Kakashi take it?”

Minato looked out the window, his forehead deeply furrowed. "He took it better than I expected. He seems unfazed – at least he acts like it. But I think it still hurts him. However, he has a goal in mind." He turned back to Kushina. "He told me he wants to pass the Chunin Exams to prove to everyone what he can do. He hopes they’ll stop talking about him and Sakumo then. Kakashi wishes for everything to go back to how it was before the mission.”

Kushina's eyes were briefly shadowed by sadness. "Do you think it will be that easy?" she asked quietly.

"I'm afraid not," replied Minato, his voice tinged with frustration. "The hatred runs too deep in people. Yes, they'll talk about Kakashi becoming a Chunin at six years old, but that won't make them forget Sakumo's actions." He looked back at Kushina, his eyes filled with regret. "As much as I wish for it to be as Kakashi imagines.”

With a sigh, Kushina leaned back into the couch. "It won't be easy, that's for sure," she remarked, turning her head to Minato. "Did you tell him?" she asked, her eyes searching and concerned.

Minato shook his head, casting a helpless glance at Kushina. "Should I have told him? I think it's good for him to have this hope. Today, he laughed for the first time in weeks. I couldn't bring myself to do it." Minato sighed, uncertainty visible in his eyes. "Seeing Kakashi laugh again was precious to me.”

"I understand what you mean. I probably wouldn't have been able to either," Kushina said, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. "But I'm not sure if it's right to let him believe that, only to potentially disappoint him in the end." Her voice was soft, her eyes filled with worry.

Minato wrapped an arm around Kushina's shoulder and pulled her gently closer. She immediately leaned into him, and Minato began to tenderly stroke her hair. "Let's just believe that Kakashi is right," he whispered, his eyes closed as he savored the moment of tranquility. His thoughts raced, and he tried to calm them. "Let's enjoy the evening now," he suggested. "I could get us something to eat."

"But only if it's ramen!" Kushina said with a mischievous smile.

Minato laughed, pulling her even closer and nodding in agreement. "Anything you want!" he replied with a warm smile.