Time Travel? What The Fuck?

Chapter 5: Reflections

Genin. What a nightmare.

That was Kakashi Hatake's thought as he made his way towards the Hokage tower. His hair was singed slightly at the edges from the giant wind-aided fireball the boys had thrown at him (and wasn't that surprising, genin using elemental affinities), and his pants also had some soot on them from the exploding tags the Haruno girl had set off. No genin team had even come close to what those three had managed today. Not with the strategizing, the skill, or the teamwork. And he had been thoroughly humiliated by it. On top of that, he hadn't even had a chance to read his favorite book, Icha Icha, so that had been a blow. All in all, he smelled like smoke and had the disposition of a cat dunked in water - which is to say, very sour.

But it hadn't all been bad. The three hadn't scoffed at what he'd told them about teamwork. They'd taken it in with serious expressions, like it was the most important thing to being a ninja.

He reflected back on that conversation.

"Do you know what this stone is?" He asked, walking up to the memorial stone. Instinct drove his eye to search out a familiar name. Obito Uchiha.

"It's a memorial," the Haruno girl spoke up. "For all the Shinobi killed in the line of duty."

Kakashi nodded. "That's correct." Shooting them a quick glance, he was pleased to find that all of them had either relatively somber or pensive looks on their faces. Good, at least they had respect for the fallen.

"The names of my best friend and sensei are carved into this stone," he went on to say, missing Naruto's flinch and Sasuke's narrowed eyes. "They died fighting for this village, and for the beliefs they held."

He turned around to face them. "Do you know what it is?"

The three shared a cautious look before shaking their heads.

"In the Shinobi world, those who break the rules are considered scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." He glanced down at Obito's name again. "I learned that lesson the hard way. But you three will know it well by the time I'm done with you."

A strong wind blew through the clearing, and for a long moment the only audible sound was that of leaves rustling in the morning breeze.

"Alright." With a glance back, Kakashi noted that it was Naruto. "But you didn't need to tell me that. Because I'll never abandon my friends no matter what. I'll always protect my precious people, even if it kills me, y'know!"

The look he gave was hard and determined. For a second, Kakashi saw Obito in him, the way he looked right before going back for Rin. It was unwavering, and more than he would have ever expected from a fresh genin.

"I'm glad," was all he could reply with.

Kakashi was snapped out of his memory when he suddenly found himself before the Hokage tower. Right, he had to report that they'd passed.

Because they'd beaten him – him, Kakashi of the Sharingan, the Copy-Cat Ninja. Kakashi of a thousand jutsu. They'd beaten him – with tricks.

Grumpily he way his way up the tower, glowering all the while at anyone who made eye contact with him, before stepping into the Hokage's office.

"Team 5 failed, Lord Hokage," one of the jōnin sensei reported. Ah, they had already started, then. Kakashi sidled in and took his place towards the back of the room. Hiruzen nodded at the jonin's account and wrote something down on a scroll before dismissing the man and going on to the next one.

"Team 6 did not pass," the next jōnin reported, with a slightly frustrated expression on his face. Oh boy, what had his team done to earn such a reaction, Kakashi wondered. Probably nothing worse than his own, he figured.