An Unknown World

Happy Birthday

I arrived, probably an hour late, to the Hokage's office. The door was already cracked open when I approached the threshold.

"Come in Kakashi." He said as I walked through the door and took a knee, bowing before standing back up, meeting Lord Third's gaze. "I apologize for being late." I said. He already had expected it, but I always apologized out of respect.

His face was starting to age ever so slightly, wrinkles spreading lightly along the corners of his eyes. "No need for that, I have a mission for you." He was quite serious, not that it was any different from the usual, but this time it felt different.

There was a knock on the door behind me. "Come in you two, thank you for joining us." I didn't even have to turn around to know who was behind me. Her smell had never changed from the first day that we met, I don't know if it was perfume of some sort or if she always just smelled like cherry blossoms. "Thank you for having us Lord Hokage" Rin said. Her voice had matured since the last time I had seen her. I stood still as she walked to my right side before bowing respectfully, Minato-Sensei appeared on my left doing the same.

Why were they here? Surely, he didn't think...

Lord Hokage cleared his throat. "I need the three of you for an important mission." He was looking directly at me as if the others didn't exist. He was trying to gauge my reaction to what he just said, but I kept the same stone straight face, making sure not to so much as wince. "It is a low-profile mission, but important none the less." He turned and was looking at Minato-Sensei now. "I need you to deliver a scroll to the village hidden in the sand, they are waiting to exchange intel with us. You three will go and make the exchange." He stood and crossed his hands behind his back.

"Understood." Minato-Sensei spoke for the first time since entering. "We head out in the morning team. Meet at the gate before sunrise." His voice was stern, as if he expected one of us to argue. He wasn't wrong to think so.

I got onto one knee again, bowing my head toward Lord Third. "Sir, with all due respect, I request to be excluded and replaced on this mission." I kept my head down as I spoke, showing him that I was serious.

"Kakashi. Stand up." Minato-Sensei spoke with the same stern tone as before. "You will not disrespect the Hokage's orders." I didn't move, letting the silence between the Hokage and I intensify. I acted as if I didn't hear my Sensei speak to me a moment ago. I couldn't let this happen, but I also had to be professional about it if I had any chance of him considering my request.

I could feel him looking at the top of my head. "Do you believe this to be the best course of action Kakashi?" I rose my head to meet his gaze. "Yes, I'm sorry Lord Hokage, but even with such a simple mission, I cannot guarantee it's success on my own behalf." I could hear Rin breathing unevenly as if she was going to start sobbing, but I couldn't look over at her. "I feel that someone else would be a better fit." I continued.

He turned and looked out the large windows behind him, looking out over the village. "I suppose that could be arranged." A shocked look crossed my face as I bowed my head again. "Thank you Lord Third."

"You are dismissed Kakashi. Thank you for your time." I stood and nodded even though he couldn't see me. I snuck a glance at Rin out of the corner of my eye as I turned to leave. A single tear had run down her left cheek, her head looking toward the floor. I don't have any idea if she was upset or relieved, but I felt that I had made the right decision. A hand grabbed my right shoulder as I headed for the door. "Meet me at the training grounds." Minato-Sensei said quietly enough that only I could hear him.

I was in huge trouble.

...

I hurried to the training grounds, the last thing that I needed was Sensei being mad that I wasn't there when he arrived, even if he wasn't going to make it until after me anyway. I threw myself down on the grass in the clearing and folded my hands behind my head. I looked up at the clouds and sighed. What a mess I just created for myself. I don't want to abandon my former teammates, but I also didn't think it would be a good idea for Rin and I to do a mission together, we didn't even know each other anymore. If it hadn't been for the same purple markings on her cheeks, I may not have recognized her. Three years really makes a difference when you haven't seen someone. Her hair had grown significantly, flowing over her shoulders. She had to be almost a foot taller than she was before too, she was almost the same height as me now. I'm about 5'6" which is tall for a 13-year-old.

I didn't realize how much time had passed, I must have drifted to asleep while staring at the sky, because I felt a soft kick to my ribs and noticeably jumped. "Kakashi, get to your feet." Minato-Sensei was staring down at me and he looked frustrated. I pulled myself to my feet and shoved my hands into my pockets meeting his gaze. "What were you thinking back there? Do you know how that looked?" He was clearly angry about how I acted toward the Hokage and I could understand why. It was disrespectful of me to challenge his commands.

"Sensei, I can't...No, I won't make Rin go through having to work that closely with me for the week that that mission would take." I said with a bit of sass. He knew why I denied the mission. Minato-Sensei glared at me. "You could have waited until we were dismissed. She didn't need to see that."

He wasn't talking about the Hokage. He was talking about Rin. I was confused. "What do you mean? Why does it matter." I scoffed. "I don't need this, I'm done here." I turned to leave. I had turned off those feelings long ago, even when I saw the tear on her face back at the Hokage's office, I felt nothing.

"Are you that cut off Kakashi? I thought you were better than that." He said behind me. His tone had softened. I turned and looked over my shoulder at him. "I stopped giving a damn a long time ago Sensei, this isn't anything new." I turned and walked toward the trees, heading away from home and toward the mountains along the edge of the village. The only place that I could ever find peace, my sanctuary.

I jumped through the trees trying not to think of what just had happened. What did he know anyway? He didn't have to suffer the way that I did the past few years. I only saw Sensei when we had missions or when we were put on the same patrol, but I was good at putting on a front that I was fine.

A flash of yellow passed my left side, Minato-Sensei landing on a branch a few feet ahead of me. I stopped and stared at him. "What do you even want?" I said. His stare was cold, and he was holding a large envelope in his left hand. "Happy Birthday, Kakashi." He said, holding the envelope out in front of him.

Happy Birthday?

I had forgotten my own Birthday. Not that it mattered. Fourteen years old felt just like the same as all the other years. I stepped forward and took the envelope from him. "What's this?" I said. It was clasped closed with a string wrapping around it. "Take a look when you get to where you're going." He wasn't done being angry with me, but he wasn't fighting me anymore either. "Take care of yourself, come to me when you're ready." With that he disappeared back into the forest.

I headed forward until I could see the rough rock wall through the trees. As I reached the edge of the forest, I climbed to the top of the tallest tree. A small waterfall was flowing down the side of the mountain wall in front of me, I quickly jumped the small gap between the branch and the water, breaking through to the other side and into a cave like tunnel. This was the only place that I could go where nobody would find me, my father showed it to me when I was very young, just as his father had shown him. I walked deeper into the cave until I could see light peeking through a narrow opening in the rocks. It was wide enough to slide sideways through to get to the other side.

There it was, the best view that anyone could ask for. The cave opened and looked out over the entire forest that surrounded the back side of Konoha, far above the trees, you could see for miles upon miles.

I laid back against a rock that had me facing out toward the sunset, I was still holding the envelope, it had only gotten a few splashes of water on it from the waterfall. I laid it down on the ground next to me, I don't know what it is about this place, but it puts my mind at ease, and I had no desire to find out what my present was in this moment.

I felt myself drifting off to sleep again. The events of the day swirling in my mind. I would figure out the contents tomorrow. No need to worry about anything else tonight.

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