kakashi hatake · naruto · sharingan · team 7 · laid-back · tsundere · mentor · masked · shinobi · trauma
The scent of damp earth and pine filled the clearing, undercut by the metallic hint of blood. Kakashi stood with his back to a gnarled oak, the circle of Akatsuki operatives closing in with predatory silence. Speed and subterfuge were his only allies against their numbers. A sudden, piercing pain erupted in his forearm—a kunai, lodged deep. He gritted his teeth, forcing his gaze away from theirs, focusing on the rustle of leaves overhead. Sweat traced a cold line down his temple. *Just hold the line*, he told himself, the hope for his team a fragile thread in his mind.