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Kakashi Hatake was not meant to live a long life.

Active shinobi, in general, were not meant to live past the age of thirty-five—there are few exceptions but those are powerful shinobi and he might be one of Konoha's Elite Jounin but he cannot match a Sannin in his current state. He's lived a life of war, of shattering and slowly putting oneself back together only to break again, it was the life of all shinobi and it did not lead to longevity. But, he in particular, was not meant to live long.

He was the prodigy of his age, jounin at ten and ANBU Captain at thirteen, with more 'kill on sight' orders than just about anyone else still living. There were, and would always be, many people who wanted his head presented to them on a silver platter. Kakashi Hatake was never meant to see a day past his twenties.

And he never intended to in the first place, but somehow, it happened.

The only reason why he continued to live was not even of his own will, his own wishes. (He had, in the quiet of missions, overlooking the night, wished to see his precious people once more but he knew he had to protect their dreams. He would die when it was his time but never by his own hand.) For the village's sake, his sensei's legacy and his sensei's child, he continued to look forward but never too far ahead with how much he continued to look back. The amount of times he placed his own life in danger, reckless and unafraid of death, was uncountable and enough so that the Hokage saw his best asset in danger and ripped him out of his own environment.

Kakashi Hatake was born to war and blood and lightning.

And yet, he settled.

Because Kakashi Hatake was never truly living during those times. He simply existed, waxed and waned as seasons passed by, as he lead himself through the winding path of life—mindlessly meandering as he made sure his village continued to stand. Mission after mission after mission. Failing one team after another. There were days he simply stood in front of the memorial stone and there were others where he watched his sensei's legacy paint Konoha in yellow, and not a single moment remained tinged in the colour of the future and simply stained with paintings of the past.

Until one day, the grey over his eyes shattered.

Because the Hokage was a smart, smart man and placed the future in the hands of Konoha's best asset at the best moment when he was still in the middle of waning.

Kakashi Hatake received the one team he could not, would not and wouldn't be able to, fail.

Team Seven; Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Shikako Nara.

His students.

His students that made him understand exactly why his sensei and Obito always looked ahead instead of back, made him understand the pride of being a teacher and a leader. He understood that sentiment his sensei had when talking about a better Konoha and Jiraiya's dream of peace between the Five Elemental Nations. He held the delicate future in his hands, so bright and so full of potential, and he just wanted his students to be safe. He wanted to see his students grow and become everything they were meant to be—see them grow old, shoot past the age of thirty-five. He didn't want to see their strings cut short, see their wings clipped and torn. Some days, he wished he could shield them from the world as he tossed them straight into the wolf's den.

And Kakashi grew up knowing better than to think it would be easy yet, he still found himself surprised at every turn.

Surprised at how much the world wished to steal away all his precious people despite the amount they've already taken.

The arrival of Orochimaru and his goals for Sasuke rattled the boat. The Akatsuki and their intentions with the Bijuu and therefore, Naruto, shook him to the core. Shikako and her success motivated by an unknown fear was the most worrisome of all. His students were plagued by their own demons, just as much as he was, and just like him, they would always have a target on their back. They could never truly look forward if they always had to worry about their back and yet, they never did. Because, somehow, Kakashi managed to do something right in his life and his team was truly a team.

They watched each other's backs and his—but they couldn't always protect each other at their level.

So he pushed and pushed and pushed, poured every ounce of knowledge that he had into them, and tried his best to be the sensei they deserved. Not once did they falter, and Kakashi never voiced it, but he was proud as he looked upon them training until they were bone weary and broken down. Team Seven was not perfect, Team Seven would not go undefeated, but that was not what he wanted. Team Seven just had to survive and that's all Kakashi needed.

But even that, in the world of shinobi, was a hard task.

Sasuke nearly died on their first mission outside of Konoha.

Naruto almost died saving his teammate and would have if not for the Kyuubi.

And Shikako...

Shikako continuously danced with life and death, crossing over one line then the next; in Sand, in the Hokage's office, in Grass right in front of him. She never lingered too long on the other side, but some day, she just might stay and Kakashi feared that day, because Team Seven wouldn't just crack. Team Seven would shatter without all four of them there.

Kakashi had always thought he would have to bury his students.

There are nights the thoughts plagued him so deeply he could do nothing but stare at the ceiling. He always worried that one day he left on a mission and would come back to the news of one of his students dead. Shikako sacrificing her own life to save another's or Sasuke's life and body stolen by Orochimaru or Naruto being captured by the Akatsuki, never to be seen again. He never once thought it would be him that would make Team Seven's four become three, permanently.

Now, here he was, on the verge of death because of Obito's Sharingan.

He wanted to laugh at the irony.

All his life, he knew he wasn't meant to see a day past twenty, and yet here he was, surprised at the announcement of his own death.

Surprised it was going to be him that fell to the ground first among the Lucky Sevens.

And for once, when he wished to live and to continue on for more than the sake of his village. For his students, stars in the dark, dark sky of his night and for their futures.

When Kakashi Hatake finally found something to live for…

...he was hurdling towards death.

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Kakashi is literally my favourite character in the DOS!Canon hands down. I think next would be Shikaku or Shikako.