HAPPY EARLY NEW YEAR! :D

I decided to write this. There aren't many explanations. Some ideas pop inside my head and I have to keep track of them.

Their reactions may be too OOC, but I needed something. Enjoy and review!

Don't own Naruto. I don't even look like Kishimoto.

Chapter 1: Betrayal

Minato Namikaze bit his lip. It couldn't be. It just… couldn't. But all the evidences pointed to the only person he never thought would do something like this.

His last living student, Hatake Kakashi.

The ANBUs he assigned to investigate found strands of silver hair on the ground next to three corpses. The other two had some lingering chakra that could be only Kakashi's. They were three jonins, a chuunin and a retired shinobi and the only things they had in common was their hate for the Hatake. The five ninjas still thought that the Third Shinobi War continued because of Sakumo and, when Kakashi was younger, they scorned the little chuunin.

Was it possible that Kakashi (now ANBU captain with a flawless record) planned their deaths after all these years?

But he remembered what happened to Hiruzen when the old man held tightly on the hope that Orochimaru could be changed. Minato remembered the Sandaime's horrified expression when the Snake Sannin was caught experimenting on little kids. And how much he suffered when Orochimaru was declared a nukenin.

'But Kakashi isn't Orochimaru,' a part of Minato's brain pointed out. Could the Yondaime hope that his student would change for the better?

"Minato, you look terrible," Jiraya stated when he entered the Hokage's office in the evening, "what happened?" The Toad Sage just returned from an extended spying mission and he didn't expect to see his student look like someone died.

(Well, Hiruzen and Kushina did. The Kyuubi's attack was six months ago and Minato was still mourning while taking care of his newborn son)

The blonde took a deep breath. "This evening, the ANBU found Kakashi guilty of five murders. All the clues are plausible and the reason would be revenge. They scorned him because of Sakumo, so he took their lives." Jiraya had every reason to exclaim "WHAT?"

It was impossible that someone could keep grudges for ten years! But when Kakashi had ever been normal? The prodigy could do almost anything for all they knew. And they were some of the people who knew him better…

Minato looked up worriedly. "What should I do, sensei? Do you think… Kakashi really did it?"

Kakashi was strolling towards his apartment when he saw his sensei heading towards him. "Hello, Min-" the words never left his lips. Minato grabbed him and disappeared in a blur of colour.

The sixteen-years-old stumbled a bit (who would suspect a random teleport?) in the Hokage's office before someone caught his arms and hit behind his right knee, making him fall. Kakashi's wrists were tightly grasped and held behind him.

He glanced up at Minato. "Sensei! What are you doing?" he frantically asked. What was this all about?! The blonde looked too somber for Kakashi's liking. "Did you kill these five shinobis?" the Hokage questioned, tossing five photos in front of his student.

"I didn't, Minato-sensei. Why do you ask me?" the Hatake was getting really worried now. He didn't even see these people since he was eight! "Would you have killed them if you could?" the blonde asked again. "I don't kill comrades, even if they deserve to," he answered truthfully. Why was Minato questioning him? The Hokage frowned and looked over Kakashi. He shook his head.

The grip on the Hatake's wrists tightened and he was suddenly pulled upright, his arms still behind his back. Kakashi caught a glimpse of his 'captor'. "Jiraya-sama!" he exclaimed, "What's going on?!" The Toad Sage looked like one would at a funeral and remained silent.

"I won't do the Sandaime's mistake," Minato whispered, taking out one of his Hiraishin kunai. Kakashi's eye widened. They were trying to kill him! Sensei believed he would be like Orochimaru! "Sensei! Sensei, I'm not Orochimaru!" he desperately screamed, "Believe me! Why would you suspect that? I didn't kill those five people! Sensei! Please!"

Meanwhile, Minato was solemnly walking towards Kakashi, kunai still in his hand. He looked at the Hatake's wide onyx eye: it held more emotions and pleads than the silver-haired boy would admit. Let me go. I didn't do anything. It continued to plead. Minato winced: he was now sure that this eye was going to plague his nightmares. Still, he couldn't put his love over his duty.

He felt extremely guilty when he noticed that Kakashi was trembling slightly. Slowly, the blonde lowered his student's hitai-ate in a way that it would cover both his eyes. He placed the kunai on the Hatake's neck and was about to slice…

…when he was hit in the abdomen by Kakashi's kick. He had moved his weight towards Jiraya and hit hard in his desperation to break free. He slipped from the Sage's grip with a burst of electricity and shunshined out of the office.

Minato was too shocked to run after him.

Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal… it was Kakashi's only thought as he ran towards his apartment. He moved his hitai-ate on his forhead, exposing both eyes. He noticed he was crying and his sight was blurry. He couldn't believe what happened: why did his sensei try to kill him?! He was like a father to him, he took care of him, he fussed every time he got injured…

Tears were flowing freely from his mismatched eyes. 'If I don't have a place in Konoha…' he packed quickly whatever he would need (supplies and weapons) and everything he could take with him: he took Jiraya's books and almost picked up Minato's Hiraishin kunai before remembering his function and abandoned it on the bed.

He quickly left Konoha's gates, his heart throbbing painfully because of his sensei's betrayal…

"He ran! He ran!" Minato frantically exclaimed while running in circles inside his office. What possessed him to try to kill his student? Jiraya had burn marks on his hands and was watching helplessly the young blonde. He was so worried that Minato would feel the same pain as Hiruzen that he didn't think Kakashi would escape like that.

All the clues pointed Kakashi as the killer of those five shinobi. And how could someone place fake evidence without anyone noticing? It was impossible with all the ANBUs involved in the investigation. Plus, the Hatake had a reason to do that: all they had on his defense was "he isn't the type who kills for revenge".

Minato ordered too late for the ANBUs to stop the silver-haired captain and they only found dead ends. The night couldn't end worse for the blonde Hokage.

The next morning

Kakashi's closest comrades were all in front of Minato. Which were Gai (who was crying desperately), Asuma, Kurenai (who were stunned), Genma, Raido, Yugao (who were even more shocked that their captain, of all people, abandoned Konoha) and Kitsune the ANBU Commander (who mourned his best ANBU's defection).

All of them kept screaming that Kakashi wouldn't do that, he was their teammate, their friend, their captain and 'hip and cool' eternal rival… Minato had a hard time controlling himself from doing the same and listening to their screaming. After they finished, the Yondaime spoke at the ANBU Commander: "Did your ANBU found anything during the night?" Kitsune shook his head.

"Wolf-taicho is the best tracker that ever stepped in the ANBU Headquarters," Genma whispered, "he won't be found if he doesn't want to." The day before he would have said it with pride, now he was frustrated about his captain's ability to cover his tracks.

"LET ME SEARCH MY ETERNAL RIVAL, HOKAGE-SAMA!" Gai cried out, "I'LL FIND HIM AND HE'LL RETURN…!" "He won't." a cold voice resounded from behind the shinobis.

Danzo stood in all his evilness at the door. "Hatake Kakashi killed five Konoha ninjas (that alone is punishable by death) and defected from the village. He will be declared a nukenin." Everyone in the room was looking at Danzo with different degrees of hate, but they couldn't deny what he said. Minato lowered his head. All the people who knew Kakashi only as 'Sakumo's son' and 'ANBU' kept repeating the same things. They saw only a shinobi who defected.

Not the hard work he did to leave his father's shadow.

Not the boy who changed through the war.

Not the captain he grew up to be.

Not the socially stunted but extremely loyal friend he was.

Jiraya told him that Sakumo's feelings are similar to Kakashi's: their way to deal with grief and guilt, their façade, their unwavering loyalty… the Toad Sage said that the latter could lead to disastrous decisions if it was denied and the two Hatakes were betrayed.

Sakumo committed suicide because the village he spent his life protecting scorned him. Kakashi abandoned Konoha because Minato and Jiraya betrayed his trust.

Danzo smirked to himself. He finally kicked out that troublesome Hatake! His ROOT shinobis managed to drop some fake clues on the corpses and Kakashi was found guilty. His neural poison did its work perfectly: Minato and whoever entered the office became more paranoid for the time being. The Yondaime almost killed the Hatake (Danzo wasn't even concerned that the brat was still alive!), the ANBU captain left Konoha and wouldn't be returning anymore (or for a really long time – he could still lose his mind).

Danzo felt like laughing evilly. Soon the Godaime's position would be all his.

Kakashi kept running south until he couldn't move and his legs were numb.

It was morning and he found himself in a clearing inside the woods. Every time he thought about his impromptu defection he felt his heart sunk: he has been betrayed. Betrayed by the people he trusted the most. He was basically alone now.

No. He still had his loyal pack of ninken. He nodded to himself and summoned his dogs.

"Yo, Kakashi. What's up?" Pakkun asked when the smoke cleared. The eight ninken looked around and noted the (mostly sealed) supplies on the ground near them. "Really, why are you here with all this stuff?" "Sensei tried to kill me," he whispered.

The pack was still. Did they hear that right? Kakashi's sensei attempted to kill him? That ever-cheerful blonde Namikaze Minato? He?!

"…Boss, are you sure?" normally, Pakkun wouldn't question the pack leader, but this was just too farfetched and unlikely. Kakashi numbly nodded and sat on the grass.

Bull whined and licked his masked face. The other dogs looked at each other worriedly and settled protectively around their pack leader. Pakkun sat on his lap and the Hatake started patting his head.

They would always be there for him. Always.

Rank: A

Village: Konohagakure no Sato.

Name: Hatake Kakashi

Kekkai Genkai: Sharingan

Specializations: Assassination and Tracking

Skills: advanced Ninjutsu, above average Genjutsu and Taijutsu

Status:

The jonin paused. He read again. What the hell? He tried to dispel a genjutsu. No, he read that right. He continued typing the page for the Bingo Book.

Status: Nukenin

A/N: I just wanted to write this. Duh.

Maybe Kakashi's reaction and Minato's decision is a bit OOC, but I needed something to make poor Kakashi defect.

And yes, I made Orochimaru's betrayal before the Kyuubi's attack. But Danzo still has Tenzo. This is an AU World where Kakashi will try to survive as a nukenin. And this time Naruto is alive! Weeee!

Write me if you want more of these adventures…

Beware of the Kitsune's rage!

-Shiiroi Kitsune21