Tangled Web

AU-ish story set in Kakashi's youth. Hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know.

I own nothing. Nothing.

Chapter One

"What the hell is taking Bakakashi so long?" Obito grumped as Minato looked down at his student with a frown.

"You were late too, Obito," Rin mentioned as the Uchiha grumbled before the kunoichi looked to their sensei, "Minato-sensei, Kakashi is never late for a mission."

"I know," Minato agreed, glancing towards the area that Kakashi's home lay, "Alright. Let's go."

"Where?" Obito asked, standing from his crouch.

"To the Hatake residence," Minato replied, "We are meeting earlier than we've ever met. The power went off in Kakashi's home sector last night and I bet his alarm didn't go off. Let's go wake him up."

"Yes! With a bucket of ice water," Obito crowed before pouting as Rin slapped at him.

"None of that, Obito," Rin fussed, "Kakashi is late due to an accident. You're late because you lose focus and forget about the time like the big silly you are."

Minato tuned out his two students as he hurried his steps. Kakashi Hatake was always early and never late. Something didn't sit well with him and the feeling stayed with him once he reached the Hatake compound. The place was quiet.

"Kakashi," Minato called as he rapped on the front door, "Kakashi, open the door. Your team has been waiting on you."

"Maybe he's back at the gate and we missed him?" Rin suggested as Obito frowned and looked behind him.

"Wouldn't we have seen him or felt Kakashi's chakra signal?" Obito questioned before pounding hard on the door, "Oi! Bakakashi, you're late! I know you're in there! Get up and open the door!"

"Obito," Minato sighed before pausing with the wild boy as Kakashi's door swung open from the pounding.

"Sensei?" Obito asked, seeming to now feel an uneasiness.

"The door hasn't been tampered with so perhaps our teammate simply forgot to lock it," Minato hummed, looking over the door carefully, "Stay here. I'll get Kakashi."

The blonde walked in and frowned, trying to sense anything amiss. He looked and saw Kakashi's sandals so the boy was still here, but he couldn't pinpoint the boy's chakra signature. This was strange.

"Kakashi?" Minato called and then sighed as he turned to see Rin and Obito following, "What did I tell you?"

"My fault," Obito volunteered, "Kakashi's shoes are here so I…kind of told Rin lets go ahead in. Sorry, Sensei."

Minato smirked at the two and realized that he was probably being too cautious. That was until Rin gasped and pointed at where Kakashi usually ate once they entered further into the boy's home. The low table had a bowl of half-eaten rice, cup of what looked like tea, and an overturned bowl of miso spread across the surface and spilled on the floor. Kakashi's chop sticks were also scattered beside the table as if hastily dropped.

"Ice cold," Minato bit out, feeling the cup and sticking a finger into a bit of the spilled soup, "This is from yesterday. Rin, Obito, on alert and do not move. That is an order."

"Hai," the two echoed as Obito pulled out a kunai, sensing the jonin's unease.

Minato pulled out his own kunai and traveled further into the home. Bedroom was undisturbed and Kakashi's futon was not unfolded. The nin frowned at finding a window open in a room that Kakashi never entered. The room where he'd found his father.

"What is this?" Minato thought as he checked the rest of the rooms before easing to the study where Kakashi liked to keep his books, "Where is my student?"

The jonin slid the door open and saw what looked like a war zone. Books, furniture, and papers were scattered everywhere. He didn't see Kakashi, but then he froze when he saw a familiar hand sticking out from underneath an overturned couch that lay in the corner of the room.

"Kakashi!" Minato gasped, vaulting over some obstacles and worked to move the couch from the smaller boy, "Move, damn you. Kakashi! Can you hear me? Uhn, move!"

The grown man got the couch lifted and off of his student only to find Kakashi lying far too pale and unconscious on the floor with a worrying bloodied forehead. There were also clear signs that the boy fought hard judging by the battered and ripped condition of his clothes and bruised skin that he could see despite the child's mask.

"Oh, my God. Please be breathing," Minato hissed as he rested his ear to the boy's chest and felt the small rise and fall showing he was still breathing with a weak heartbeat.

All signs were clear that Kakashi had been attacked, making Minato's blood boil.

"Kakashi, can you hear me?" Minato tried again, but Kakashi didn't seem to hear him or understand what was going on as he remained limp and still, "Kuso! Rin, get in here now!"

Footsteps sped down the hallway and Rin ran in with Obito right behind. The two gasped at the room, but Rin turned serious when she saw Kakashi's injuries.

"Move," the kunoichi ordered as Minato stepped back and she began her medical jutsu, "He's got internal bleeding, broken ribs, severe bruising, looks like a broken arm, and a pretty serious concussion. No spine fractures that I can sense, but it feels like he's been nearly crushed by something heavy since his muscles have damage."

"Can he be moved?" Minato asked then frowned when the girl shook her head, "Obito, get to the hospital and get a medic nin now. Don't be late!"

"Hai, Sensei!" Obito agreed and sprang away as Minato bit his lip.

"Oi, Minato-san!"

"Thank God," Minato hissed as he hurried to the living area, "Shikaku-san, is that you?"

"Hai," the Nara agreed, frowning at seeing Minato so harried as he walked around the corner, "Why did I just see one of your students take off like fire was burning his feet? Has something happened?"

"Kakashi's been attacked here in his home," Minato reported as the nin growled, "He's bad off and can't be moved to the hospital without some experienced healing. Rin is doing what she can while Obito fetches a doctor. I need these perimeters checked. I think the person may have gotten in here from the western window."

"Got it," Nara said, moving to the door, "My team is outside. We'll do the perimeter. House clear?"

"Yes," Minato bit out and stepped quickly to get back to his students, "How is he, Rin?"

"Not good," Rin muttered, looking determined, "A rib has pierced a lung and is too close to his heart. Kakashi, put up a good fight, but whoever did this was brutal and much bigger than he is."

"I've seen him take down larger opponents in the past. Kakashi is not taken down lightly so how did this person do this?" Minato growled, worrying as he noticed fresh blood staining the floor around the boy's head, "Is he bleeding from the mouth?"

"I'm trying to shift the rib without doing too much harm," Rin whimpered, "He'll die if I don't, but I'm causing other damage."

"Just concentrate," Minato instructed as he watched Kakashi's face pale further, "Keep him alive until help arrives."

"Hai, Sensei," Rin agreed.

Time felt like it was crawling, but Minato instantly felt better when Lady Tsunade burst into the room and shoved Rin to the side as she bent over Kakashi. Minato didn't say anything as his former teacher jerked him from the room while two more medic nins hurried inside with Obito on their heels.

"Tell me everything," Jiraiya ordered with serious eyes, glaring at his former student and stayed silent until Minato had finished, "I see. Shikaku and his team found evidence of a trail leading out from that opened window, but there is no trail leading in."

"Kakashi doesn't usually allow visitors," Minato hummed with a shake of the head, "He's become withdrawn from others since he lost his father. This all seems odd to me."

"Well, the perpetrator had to have been allowed entrance through the front door by Kakashi himself," Jiraiya continued, "From what I can work out, the attacker might have grabbed your student while he was eating dinner last night and dragged him in here where Kakashi was able to get away and put up a fight prior to being subdued. Do you know who might have had a vendetta against the Hatake brat?"

"Don't," Minato snarled, making his teacher raise an eyebrow, "Kakashi isn't a brat and I don't like one of my students insulted when he is in there so grievously injured. Just don't. I have no idea who would do this to a child. Not even a shinobi child, Jiraiya."

"We'll have to determine if this is an outside job or someone within the village," Jiraiya huffed before stilling as he and Minato moved out of the way while Kakashi was carried on a stretcher by the two medic nins out of the room towards the front door, "Is that a neck brace he was wearing?"

"It is," Minato hissed, "Rin said there was no spinal damage."

"He's got a fractured disc in his neck from the blow to his head that was too small for an inexperienced medic like that genin to pick up on right away," Tsunade bit out as she walked up to the two men, "I'll be able to heal that good as new, but it will take time so we don't damage the boy's spinal cord. Also, the head injury is very worrying. I can't stay long since Kakashi will need me, but find the bastard that did this and make him or her pay three-fold, understood?"

"Got it," Minato agreed and then blinked as he saw Rin and Obito watching them with wide eyes while Lady Tsunade took her leave, "You two go home. Kakashi is in good hands and Jiraiya and I need to investigate to discover who might have done this. Our mission is officially canceled until our teammate heals. Go."

"We want to help, Sensei," Obito blurted, lunging forward to stand before the two jonin, "Kakashi is our teammate and drives me crazy, but he's our Bakakashi. We want to bring the attacker to justice too."

"No," Minato denied, "The attackers skills are more advanced than either yours or Rin's. Go home or wait on news of Kakashi's condition at the hospital, but you are to leave now which is a direct order from me. You two are not to get involved in this, understood?"

"Hai," Obito and Rin sighed together and walked sadly away.

"That was needed, Minato," Jiraiya soothed, seeing his former student's shoulders sag, "Kakashi's skill levels are pretty advanced to be taken down like this. Those two would be in over their heads if they stumble upon whoever did this. Let's go over this house with a fine tooth comb."

Minato nodded as he followed Jiraiya back into Kakashi's home. He'd find the one responsible for this…and he'd make him or her pay for daring to touch one of his precious students.

oOo

"This isn't fair," Obito whined as Rin sighed while they sat waiting to hear anything about their teammate since the boy had been rushed straight into surgery, "I want to find the scum who did this and not sit around doing nothing."

"Me too," Rin whispered as Obito paused to look at her in shock, "This isn't right. Kakashi should have been safe. He was home and eating his dinner and then someone hurt him and I'm…I'm so angry!"

"Whoa there," Obito gasped, placing a hand on Rin's trembling arm, "Calm down, Rin. Anger is not like you."

"It is when those I care about are attacked," the girl snapped, jerking her arm away before sighing, "I'm sorry, Obito. I'm not angry at you."

"Have you two been here the whole time?"

The two genin glanced up to see Lady Tsunade striding down the hallway.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Rin agreed, racing to meet the kunoichi as Obito followed, "How is Kakashi?"

"He's in critical condition, but reacted well to the surgery. We won't know if he'll pull through until Kakashi wakes up since his head injury is so severe," Tsunade advised as the two children flinched, "That brat is a fighter, Rin-san, and will not give up his life so easily. As long as he continues to respond to his healing, Kakashi should be fine with time."

"Can we see him?" Obito questioned, "Please, Tsunade-sama."

The lady frowned before gazing at the two, begging faces before her.

"Fine," Tsunade finally agreed, herding the children forward, "But only for a minute. He's unconscious, but doesn't need to be disturbed."

Obito glared angrily as Rin choked beside him when they were allowed to look upon Kakashi in his room. Their teammate had a bulky brace strapped around his neck as well as a cast on his arm. Bruises and bandages were everywhere they could see that wasn't covered by the blankets over Kakashi and one eye was swollen shut above the breathing mask he wore that was dark enough to obscure his face.

"He looks pretty bad now because of the bruising and swelling, but his internal bleeding, ruptured lung, and the broken ribs have been healed," Tsunade soothed, "His heart wasn't damaged, thanks to your intervention, Rin-san, and the bandage around his head is because of the concussion he sustained."

"Why the brace on his neck?" Rin fretted, "Did I miss something?"

"There was some small fractures in his neck that only an advanced medic nin could trace," Tsunade explained as the genins gasped, "I've got the healing process started and the brace is only to keep his neck still and in the proper position to continue to heal. You two need to leave now, but know that Kakashi is strong and has made it through the worse of his treatment thus far, okay?"

"Hai," Obito and Rin echoed and bowed low to the kunoichi, "Thank you for all you've done."

"Now, now," Tsunade chuckled, ushering the kids out with a blush, "Be off with you two and stay out of trouble. Tell your sensei to come and see me when he can so I can update him on your teammate if you see him."

Obito glanced to Rin once Lady Tsunade had left them in the hallway. Rin looked tense and angry.

"Don't worry, Rin," Obito soothed, "Minato-sensei is going to make the person pay for what's been done to Kakashi."

"No," Rin denied, "We are, Obito."

To be continued…