An Unknown World

Pain

"I'm going alone".

What...?

Obito's fists unclenched, his arms at his sides as he fell to his knees. Tears still streaming down his face. He was unable to speak. Rin held the same emotionless look as before, just staring downwards seemingly deep in thought.

My heart was throbbing as if it was going to explode. Sensei's voice ringing in my ears with the last words that he spoke. Was I even breathing? I couldn't tell. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Nobody moved or made a sound. Minato looked as if someone had shoved a kunai through his chest.

He couldn't do this, he can't go alone without us to back him up. What is he thinking? He can't leave his team behind on such a dangerous mission. He NEEDS us in case by some miracle we make it through the gates...how would he finish the mission alone? He....

My thoughts trailed off as realization hit me...

He was going to sacrifice himself to save us. If he were to die, we could get a chance to sneak through while attention was on him. He knew that he could put up enough of a fight and draw enough attention to get us inside undetected...He was going to be the one to die.

I took two steps away from my spot against the tree. I had to say something. I had to do something. I can't let Sensei sacrifice himself.

But isn't that what we do as shinobi...whatever we can to complete the mission...dying in battle was honorable...abandoning the mission was shameful, even if you must leave behind a teammate, completing the mission was priority...

Why did I suddenly hate that? I loathed it. I was so set on that being the only way. The SHINOBI way, my shinobi way... I couldn't let my Sensei sacrifice himself for me... he had everything to live for, he can't leave Kushina behind, one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, he could become the next Hokage even. I can't let him throw that all away.

"No." I said the word without even having to think about speaking. "I'm sorry Sensei...but I will be ignoring your orders this time...I will not let you do this". I was shaking, I have never lost my cool like this in front of my team.

Minato raised his head, fire behind his eyes once again as he stood up and walked towards me.
He placed his hand on my shoulder. "You will obey a direct order from your Sensei Kakashi". He smiled ever so slightly "I won't go down without a fight I promise". He was trying to reason with me, out of all of us he knows I would understand his decision, I was a true shinobi. I would follow the rules.

Suddenly, I pushed his hand from my shoulder and threw a punch at his body as hard as I could. Trying to put any amount of strength I had in the moment directly at him. My right fist made contact with the palm of his right hand.

I threw another toward the same spot. Not surprisingly it was also blocked, this time by the palm of his left hand. He gripped both of my fists tightly. "What are you doing Kakashi?" he looked confused.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS SENSEI". I was screaming at him. I felt my mask being soaked by tears. I was crying. I hadn't even noticed. I was just full of rage and needed to let it out. "IF I INJURE YOU, YOU CAN'T GO". I didn't even know what I was doing anymore. I focused all of the chakra that I needed into my arms and yanked them away from him. I jumped back a few feet. Tears streaming down my face, I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN". I was still yelling. What made him think that he could sacrifice himself to save us. He had no right to make such a decision. I was a Jonin just like him. I should be the one to sacrifice my life to keep them alive. They needed Minato-Sensei; they didn't NEED me.

All of my chakra was being channeled into my arm, running to my hand next to my body. I could already feel the sparks on my fingertips after not even a second of channeling. All I had to do was make contact. How was I going to do that to the fastest man in Konoha? I had to try.

"STOP IT KAKASHI" Rin screamed from across the clearing where they had been sitting.

It was too late.

The sparks were flying from my hand and I lunged as fast as I possibly could at Minato-Sensei. He didn't move. Why wasn't he moving.

My Chidori attack hit him full force in the stomach sending him flying backwards into the tree that I was once was leaning on, splinters of wood flying in all directions.

Obito and Rin were looking at me with horrified faces. Rin was now crying. I made her cry...
I fell to my knees and let all of my rage flow out of my body. I was sobbing and pounding the ground with my fists.

"Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!" I screamed at the ground. "LET ME GO INSTEAD...I HAVE NOTHING TO LIVE FOR LIKE YOU DO SENSEI...EVERYONE IS GONE...MY MOTHER, MY FATHER..." My eyes shot open, still stinging from the tears built up behind them.

My father...

He couldn't abandon his comrades either...I was just like him now...putting my feelings before the mission...I was already scum in the eyes of my Sensei...and my entire village after this.

"You're wrong Kakashi". A hand fell on my shoulders from behind.
I looked toward the tree where Minato-Sensei had been. He was on the ground still, but with a puff of smoke he was gone.

A shadow clone...

"You have an entire life ahead of you, all of you do...I cannot let that go to waste." He sighed. "I have lived longer than many shinobi in the village, it's your turn to be great".

I wiped my face with my arm, no longer crying, and got to my feet. His hands falling from my shoulders. I turned and looked him in the dead in the eyes. I could see his sadness, I could feel his pain, he didn't want to die as much as we didn't want him to.

I clenched my fists once again, but instead I spoke the words that my best friend once told me.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

A look of pure shock fell on his face. I could only imagine the faces of my teammates. I would never be the one to say such a thing. I Kakashi Hatake was done following so closely to ridiculous out of date rules. I am not a mindless killing machine.

My mind was overflowing with determination. "I am a ten-year-old Konoha Jonin, Son of Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang... I will not let my comrade die".

Minato-Sensei looked away from me and walked back toward the riverbank. He turned his head and looked back.
"Let's go then".

I looked over to Obito and Rin. They were both staring at me with smiles on their faces.
"You heard Sensei, let's get going". I said, as if nothing just happened. As if they didn't just witness the whiplash of emotions that I let out in a matter of minutes.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and started walking toward Sensei.

Rin behind me whispered almost inaudibly.

"There's my Kakashi..."

I sighed. I felt better, like a weight had been lifted from my body. I felt like I could take on the entire world alone and come out on top. I felt like my father, and for the first time since he died, I didn't hate that thought at all.

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