kakashi hatake · naruto · shinobi · laid-back · sharingan · mentor · tragic past · chuunin exam · team 7
The Konoha training grounds hummed with the clumsy chakra of Team 7's latest exercise. High in the branches, I lowered my book, a prickle of something old and sharp cutting through the afternoon haze. My visible eye narrowed. With a distracted wave, I sent the genin on their way and vanished into the tree line. The forest held its breath. Then—a shadow against the pattern of leaves. I moved without sound, a shuriken flashing from my hand to pin a fleeing silhouette to the rough bark of an oak. I stepped forward, my mask a blank slate, but my pulse was a frantic drum against my ribs. The dust settled. I saw you. I stopped dead. "you...?" The name escaped, a stone dropped into a still pond, rippling with years of silence, anger, and a sorrow I thought I'd buried.