Kakashi Hatake

Kato Osamu had not expected that his first mission under Minato Namikaze would be to head to the Cloud Shinobi battlefield...

Between the Land of Iron and the Land of Rice Fields lay narrow stretches of forest and mountains, now transformed into a battlefield between the Cloud Shinobi and Konoha.

The mountain winds here were fierce. Bracing against the howling gale, Kato Osamu followed behind Minato Namikaze.

Obito Uchiha was on one side of him, Rin Nohara on the other, and the four of them raced through the forest.

Though Obito Uchiha wore goggles and was already a Chunin, he was still just a child, always chattering away. Kato Osamu had no choice but to endure Obito Uchiha's resentful gaze and block his line of sight.

Two streaks of purple paint marked Rin's face, making Kato Osamu think of Jiraiya. The smile she gave Obito Uchiha also felt strangely familiar to him. There had once been a girl who smiled at him like that too...

"Hey, Kato Osamu, you bastard, don't peek at Rin!"

"Fine."

With no intention of arguing with Obito Uchiha, Kato Osamu nodded expressionlessly. The way he looked at him as though he were a child left Obito Uchiha deeply annoyed.

"Obito Uchiha, no more talking. We're about to leave the Land of Fire..."

Rin's voice was crisp. Though they had only been together for a few days, Kato Osamu felt that even Minato's orders might not have carried as much weight as Rin's words.

"Rin, I..." Obito Uchiha wanted to say more, but when he saw Rin's reproachful gaze, he hurriedly covered his mouth with a hand.

Obito Uchiha was a little dense, but he was not stupid. He knew they were about to enter enemy territory and said nothing more.

Only the howling wind and the faint sounds of the four moving through the woods remained. Kato Osamu stayed silent, sensing the changes around them.

After traveling for about an hour, Minato Namikaze lightly raised a hand, and all four stopped. With a hint of vigilance, Kato Osamu leaned lightly behind a large tree.

"Osamu, Obito Uchiha, Rin, once we reach the battlefield, there may be times when I cannot spare attention for the three of you. You must remain alert to the enemy at all times. I will transfer Kakashi Hatake over as the squad's vice-captain. If I am absent, the four of you are to immediately form a team."

"Yes, Lord Minato!"

"Osamu, we haven't reached the camp yet. No need to be so serious..."

Minato Namikaze's voice drifted over with a trace of amusement, but Kato Osamu remained silent.

"Minato-sensei! Why does it have to be Kakashi Hatake?!"

"Obito Uchiha, the village has limited Jonin. We can only transfer Kakashi Hatake here. Could it be that you, who wish to become Hokage, intend to disobey military orders the first time you set foot on a battlefield?"

With a teasing smile, Minato Namikaze looked at Obito Uchiha, whose mouth hung open as he struggled to find a retort, then rubbed his head.

"Rin, when you have the chance, talk more with Osamu about medical ninjutsu... Osamu is quite proficient in medical ninjutsu..."

"Yes, Minato-sensei!"

"No way! This guy is even more awful than Kakashi Hatake!"

"Obito Uchiha! Don't be rude!"

Rin lightly knocked Obito Uchiha on the head. He pursed his lips, made a face at Kato Osamu, then nodded sullenly.

"Got it, Rin..."

Minato smiled at the sight of obedient Obito Uchiha. With Rin serving as the glue, it seemed there was no need to worry too much about how the group would get along.

"All right, the camp is close. Take one final rest. After that, you must stay aware of your surroundings at all times. The enemy will show you no mercy."

"Yes!"

Konoha's camp was not far away. The last stretch of the journey went smoothly; they encountered neither enemies nor Konoha ninja.

But the fallen trees and terribly ravaged terrain told Kato Osamu that this war had entered a fever pitch from the moment the two sides first clashed.

Konoha's camp was filled with a grim, murderous atmosphere. The clouds of war had completely shrouded the entire front line.

"Minato-sensei disappeared again... When are we actually going to the battlefield..."

Each team had only been assigned a single tent. Because of the Cloud Shinobi's surprise attack, Konoha's fortress at the outermost border had already fallen into enemy hands.

The ninja originally stationed there had all been killed. Now they could only set up camp in a concealed location, temporarily using it as a strategic command center.

Ever since Minato brought them to the camp, he had vanished from sight. Even when they occasionally saw him, he was always in a rush, and they could barely exchange a few words.

"Obito Uchiha, don't be so anxious... Minato-sensei said we cannot take missions until Kakashi Hatake arrives."

Rin seemed somewhat uncomfortable living with two boys, or perhaps she was simply uncomfortable staying with Kato Osamu. She merely sat alone in a corner.

Kato Osamu could sense her gaze passing over him several times, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she never spoke.

"It's already been two days! What the hell is Kakashi Hatake doing?!"

Though he was happy to be with Rin, Obito Uchiha could not suppress his anger whenever he thought of Kakashi Hatake.

"He's here..."

Kato Osamu sat on the other side of the tent with his eyes closed, resting quietly. From Obito Uchiha's endless chatter, he had learned roughly who Kakashi Hatake was and what he was like.

Within his senses, a masked ninja about their age was slowly approaching their tent.

"Kato freak, what did you say? Who's here?"

Watching Kato Osamu sit motionless in the corner of the tent all day, Obito Uchiha had privately labeled him a freak.

"Obito Uchiha, don't just give people nicknames!"

As Obito Uchiha and Rin bickered, Kato Osamu turned his gaze toward the tent entrance. A youth with a somewhat gloomy look in his eyes and a short blade on his back gently lifted the tent flap.

"I think I heard someone call my name..."

Leaning against the wooden post by the entrance, the white-haired youth swept his eyes over Obito Uchiha and Rin before settling them on Kato Osamu.

"Ka... Kakashi Hatake?"

"You bastard! You bastard! Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

"Asshole!"

Obito Uchiha froze for a moment before charging forward, only for the white-haired youth to dodge him easily.

"Obito Uchiha, you seem to have gotten a little stronger... Though you're still weak..."

"Kakashi Hatake, you're finally here!"

Rin also looked somewhat relieved. She turned toward Kato Osamu, who still sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

"Kato-kun, this is Kakashi Hatake. From now on, he'll be our captain..."

"Kakashi Hatake, this is Kato Osamu, the new member of our team..."

Rin had always been trying to break down the barriers within the team, but she could never find an opportunity. Kato Osamu could feel the kindness in her heart.

"Konoha Genin Kato Osamu, greetings, Captain Kakashi Hatake!"

Kato Osamu stood and looked at Kakashi Hatake. Beneath those gloomy, dead-fish eyes lay a trace of wariness. It seemed he knew something; Minato Namikaze had likely already told him about Kato Osamu's identity as a member of Root.

"Kato Osamu... a Genin..."

Kakashi Hatake glanced sideways, surprise appearing in his eyes.

"Kato freak... Osamu... You didn't pass the Chunin Ninja Exams...?"

Obito Uchiha looked at Kato Osamu and nodded slightly, but a hint of sympathy entered his eyes, as though he had completely forgotten the displeasure of the past few days in an instant.

"The Chunin Ninja Exams are indeed difficult. Ordinary Genin really have a hard time passing..."

"Don't worry. I'll protect you on the battlefield!"

Obito Uchiha patted Kato Osamu on the shoulder, looking at him with the sympathy of a fellow poor student.

"You should worry about yourself..."

But Kato Osamu's somewhat cold words froze the smile on Obito Uchiha's face.