The Red Flash

New Faces, Old Friends

Kakashi

As he stood waiting in the middle of the training yard, the clock hit 7 AM, the first to arrive was his favourite redhead, who looked surprised to see him so early despite feeling his chakra from his house.

Kakashi just waved at Naruto as they stood in silence, waiting for the others. Sasuke came after 30 minutes when the Emo noticed Kakashi standing in the middle of the training yard. He murmured something under his breath.

"Kakashi-sensei has come early; this must be the end of the world."

Sasuke sat near a tree and started doing push-ups while Naruto drew something in a scroll, probably Fuinjutsu.

After ten minutes came Sakura, even before walking close, the scent of her perfume took the whole Training yard, Kakashi just stared emotionless at Sakura. At the same time, Naruto slightly shook his head in disappointment.

"Kakashi-sensei, you have come early," Sakura said, not hiding her surprise. The sensei said nothing; instead, he closed the book he was reading; this was the cue for both Naruto and Sasuke to walk close.

"Sakura and Naruto, look behind you." Kakashi pointed behind them, and they quickly spun around, but there was nothing there. However, when they turned back to their sensei, Kakashi put them in a Genjutsu with his Sharingan, and they fell asleep.

Seeing this, Sasuke instinctively unleashed his own Sharingan, but the young Uchiha was confused when Kakashi simply brought his headband down and covered his Sharingan eye.

"Now that they are out the way, you and I need to talk," Kakashi informed his Uchiha student.

"Couldn't you have just swung by my house afterwards instead of knocking them out with a Genjutsu?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"No, too much trouble. I will be talking with them just like we are about to." Kakashi explained, "Now that we are alone, I need to tell you... to give up on your revenge."

That had been the last thing Sasuke had been expecting to come out of Kakashi's mouth.

"In this line of work, I have seen just how bad it can get for ninjas like you... In the end, those that tasted revenge were not satisfied... it ended in tragedy. You'll only hurt and suffer more. Even if you get your revenge, all you will be left with is emptiness."

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped at him furiously, his Sharingan blazing, "What the hell do you know?! How could you possibly understand me?!"

"Easy, just try to Calm down, Sasuke," Kakashi said coldly.

"What if I were to kill the one that you love the most?! Maybe then you would understand just how I feel!"

"That would work, but unfortunately for me, no such person exists." Kakashi smiled at him, "They have all been killed already." He stated but didn't mention that his most precious people were a snake mistress who liked blood, the redhead behind him, and a guy who didn't shut up about youth.

Sasuke's Sharingan faded away as he stared at his sensei in shock.

"I know the pain that you feel, Sasuke. I have lived through a war, and I have lost everyone important to me." Kakashi informed him sadly, and he placed a hand on the young Uchiha's shoulder, "I've tasted revenge. I killed the man that murdered my best friend, and all I felt was emptiness and sadness."

Sasuke shrugged off his arm, and he shouted, "Then what am I supposed to do, huh?! Revenge is all I have! I need to avenge my clan! Itachi, my older brother, slaughtered them all in cold blood! Including our parents! All to test his powers, and you are saying for me to let that go!"