Kakashi

Biodata

Background / History

Intervention during the Uchiha crisis

Kakashi initially intervenes under Hiruzen Sarutobi’s orders to bring the confrontation between Root and the Uchiha under control. He orders Root’s squad to disarm, then steps aside rather than stop Sasuke and the villagers from marching to the Hokage Building. Seeing Sasuke’s injuries makes him reconsider White Fang’s fate and the village’s appeals to the “greater good” 3.

During the ensuing investigation, Kakashi prevents a captured Root ninja from taking poison. He publicly reads the document recognizing Sasuke as Uchiha clan head and agrees to follow at a distance when Sasuke goes to confront Itachi. He also intercepts a concealed pellet containing a message about an operative inside the clan 4 8.

Kakashi increasingly supports investigations conducted jointly by ANBU, the police, and clan representatives. He helps free Shinji at the Old Well, accepts a joint operation against Root’s financial network, and is assigned the first round of an internal ANBU review 15 23 29.

Discovery of the White Fang cover-up

Hiruzen orders Kakashi to monitor Sasuke’s movements, contacts, and statements. While conducting that surveillance, Kakashi enters Sasuke’s study and finds records concerning his father’s death 31 32.

The files identify Root’s rumor campaign against Hatake Sakumo, its dissemination through civilians and Academy instructors, and the Hokage Building’s refusal to publicly clear him. They also record the withholding of survivor benefits. Kakashi initially suspects forgery, but Sasuke supplies payment references and a preserved memory of Danzo ordering the rumors to continue while relying on Hiruzen’s silence 33.

Kakashi then pledges to follow Sasuke’s orders. He agrees to submit his surveillance reports to Sasuke before sending them to Hiruzen, preserving his apparent loyalty to the Third Hokage while concealing Sasuke’s activities. His condition is that Danzo be handed over alive once Sasuke has finished extracting information from him 33.

Confrontation with Obito

When the masked intruder enters Sasuke’s study, Kakashi uses Lightning Blade to strike during a moment of materialization. Sasuke identifies the attacker as Obito Uchiha and connects him to the Nine-Tails Incident, Minato’s death, and Rin’s death 50 51.

Obito attempts to destabilize Kakashi with remains from Rin’s battlefield. Sasuke explains that Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside her and intended to unleash it in Konoha; Rin deliberately entered Kakashi’s Chidori to prevent that outcome. Kakashi struggles to maintain his composure and repeatedly demands answers from Obito himself 52.

Obito twice reaches for Kakashi’s transplanted left eye. The two eyes’ ocular powers react across the room, causing Kakashi severe pain and nearly making his knees buckle. Despite this, he continues fighting alongside Sasuke, Fugaku, and Neji 52 53.

A broken section of Obito’s mask finally exposes his face. Kakashi asks why he never returned and whether he caused the Nine-Tails Incident, but receives no direct admission. After Sasuke stops him from pursuing Obito, Kakashi promises to investigate Rin’s death. He also confronts Sasuke over being deliberately positioned as a witness and emotional target 54.

Reorganization of ANBU

Kakashi’s break with Hiruzen becomes increasingly public. He demands the Internal Affairs Archive’s duplicate key, secures records for the joint investigation, and helps arrest Matsui Takashi after the deputy commander invokes the “White Fang Precedent” against him 43 56.

During Hiruzen’s impeachment, Kakashi places his ANBU Internal Audit Investigation Officer token beside the petition and requests suspension of the Hokage’s authority over the Old ANBU Unit. Further investigation reveals that benefits associated with Sakumo’s case were diverted into Root’s private treasury 72 78.

Sasuke subsequently appoints Kakashi ANBU Captain-in-Chief. His mandate divides former personnel into three groups: Root-linked operatives to be detained, compromised personnel to be reviewed, and those with clean records to enter the reorganized ANBU. All missions must be filed with the Council of Elders 86.

Kakashi later gives up the designation “Hokage’s Direct ANBU,” arguing that it allowed missions to evade review. He cites his father’s classified case and withheld compensation as reasons not to preserve that arrangement 149.

Major operations

During Madara’s meteor assault, Kakashi requests permission for the Four Kage to withdraw; Sasuke refuses. Kakashi subsequently orders all positions evacuated when a third meteor begins forming. He later rescues wounded shinobi from falling debris and requests large-scale Fire Release against the flowering forest, explicitly warning that the attack could also reach the Kage and wounded 227 230.

In the battle over Madara’s natural-energy supply, Kakashi leads the defense of the Array Discs. A prepared Flying Thunder God formula extracts him from Madara’s grasp, after which he returns to protecting the network and coordinates the switch to segmented chakra transmission 236.

Appearance

• Wears an ANBU mask during his early assignments, sometimes fastening it to the side of his face 3 29 33.
• Normally conceals his transplanted left Sharingan beneath his forehead protector, raising it for combat or observation 26 52 57.
• Carries a short blade and later wears the reorganized force’s new token at his waist 16 149.

Personality

Kakashi begins as a restrained operative who follows Hiruzen’s orders without automatically defending Root. His decision to disarm Root and allow the public march precedes his formal break with the Hokage, showing that his doubts emerge before he learns the full truth about Sakumo 3.

His father’s case transforms his attitude toward authority. Initially unwilling to believe Hiruzen’s involvement, he eventually insists on evidence rather than personal assurances. He also becomes capable of using the bureaucracy against his former superiors: preserving records, establishing investigative jurisdiction, and submitting misleading reports to protect Sasuke’s operations 33 40 43 57.

Sakumo, Rin, Obito, and Minato remain powerful emotional vulnerabilities. Kakashi threatens Sasuke if the White Fang evidence proves false, nearly acts alone against Matsui, and loses crucial moments of composure during Obito’s attack. Nevertheless, he accepts intervention from his allies and continues fighting through the pain in his left eye 33 52 53 56.

His loyalty to Sasuke is disciplined but not unquestioning. He objects to being used as bait, attempts to intervene when Sasuke faces the Raikage’s killing blow, and raises concerns about battlefield casualties and Madara’s growing power. Even so, he repeatedly carries out Sasuke’s orders once the decision is made 54 107 227 235 236.

Abilities & Skills

Sharingan

Kakashi possesses Obito’s transplanted left Sharingan, obtained in connection with the Kannabi Bridge mission 52.

• Tracks rapid movement and chakra changes, including Sasuke’s improved speed and Obito’s activity inside the study 48 50.
• Helps him assess unfamiliar fighting styles; he warns that Killer B’s irregular sword trajectories may not be reproducible merely through observation 126.
• Remains vulnerable to interference from Obito’s matching eye. Their ocular reaction causes acute pain and briefly compromises Kakashi’s movement 53.

Lightning Blade and Lightning Release

Lightning Blade is Kakashi’s principal demonstrated offensive technique.

• Strikes Obito when he materializes and blocks escape routes during coordinated attacks 50 51 53.
• Splits Kakuzu’s Earth Release hardening and cuts through Earth Grudge Fear threads 93 94.
• Pierces the Human Path’s chest in a lethal ambush 167.
• Severs an underground facility’s main line through rubble 204.
• Intercepts an incoming Limbo attack after Sasuke supplies its location 233.
• Combines with ANBU Lightning Release to arrest wooden spikes threatening an Array Disc 236.

Earth Release

• Uses Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to defend an Array Disc against Madara’s Susanoo. The wall is cut apart, requiring Kakashi to continue the defense with Lightning Blade 236.

Investigation and Intelligence

• Conducts covert surveillance, infiltrates secured rooms, and uses a personal reporting code 32 33.
• Preserves financial records and classified orders as evidence rather than allowing unilateral ANBU custody 43 56 78.
• Draws on old ANBU records to recognize historical personnel and identifies Yamanaka Fū in trafficking evidence 17 203.
• Records Sasuke’s chakra consumption, movement, recovery, and ocular performance during combat testing 48.

Command and Training

• Oversees ANBU screening and the removal of Root-linked personnel 29 86.
• Handles live-arrest exercises for police recruits and is assigned to prepare Naruto’s training plan 48 89.
• Coordinates formations, evacuation orders, medical-team relocation, and sealing-network defense 213 227 233 236.

Equipment / Items

• Short blade / ninja blade — Carried during ANBU operations 16 40 163.
• Kunai — Used to stop Koharu from leaving an unfinished review 89.
• ANBU mask and forehead protector — Conceal his identity and left Sharingan respectively 29 52.
• Record Scrolls — Used for investigative documentation and Sasuke’s combat measurements 45 48.
• Messenger hawk — Carries reports toward the Hokage Building 33.
• ANBU audit token and new command token — Represent his investigative appointment and subsequent reorganized role 72 149.

Relationships

• Hatake Sakumo / White Fang — Father. Discovering the organized campaign behind Sakumo’s death drives Kakashi’s rejection of Hiruzen’s authority 33 71 149.
• Sasuke Uchiha — Commander and political ally. Kakashi swears obedience after reviewing the White Fang evidence, while remaining uneasy about Sasuke’s manipulation and battlefield risks 33 54 235.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Former superior. Their relationship collapses over Sakumo’s case, surveillance orders, and the use of ANBU against Sasuke 31 33 43 57 72.
• Shimura Danzo — Target of revenge. Kakashi demands an opportunity to receive him alive after learning that Root engineered the rumors against Sakumo 33.
• Obito Uchiha — Former teammate and donor of his left eye; later an enemy. Kakashi seeks answers about Rin and the Nine-Tails Incident while resisting Obito’s attempts to exploit his guilt 52 53 54.
• Rin — Former teammate whose death burdens him. Sasuke reveals that she deliberately entered his Chidori to prevent the Three-Tails from being unleashed in Konoha 50 52.
• Minato Namikaze — Teacher. Revelations about Obito’s involvement in Minato’s death intensify Kakashi’s determination to confront him 50 51.
• Naruto Uzumaki — Training responsibility and battlefield ally. Kakashi protects him during Obito’s attack and restrains him from reacting to provocations at the summit 89 174 196.
• Fugaku Uchiha — Fellow defender of Sasuke. Fugaku shields Kakashi during the ocular interference and helps prevent him from walking into a trap over Matsui 53 56.
• Shikaku Nara — Investigative and command partner. They cooperate in the Root purge and maintain the Allied front during Sasuke’s pursuit of Kabuto 78 214.

Notable Quotes

“All I know is that Lord Hokage ordered me to bring the situation under control. Right now, you're the situation.” 3

“I only believe the evidence.” 57

“Regret doesn't mean innocence.” 57

“I only know that the old system left him no chance to defend himself.” 149