I've been in my Kakashi obsessed shit again and I have some thoughts:
Kakashi doesn't own his moral compass to Obito or Obito's words, he was raised with those morals, Sakumo had the same ones, what Obito's words do is force Kakashi to re-evaluate his choices.
We see that in the manga, Obito went alone to save Rin because he COULDN'T CONVINCE Kakashi, Kakashi chose for himself.
I think this is an important distinction, usually Kakashi's morals or way of life are attributed to Obito's own morals back then, and Kakashi would agree with that, here is essential to distinguish that there's a difference in between what a character says and what a character show us to be.
Kakashi is a great example of this in many ways. One of those is this idea he has that he is "trash/scum" because he once didn't immediately jump to save a teammate, but WE KNOW HE ISN'T TRASH! We know it because this man tries time after time to save his people and people in general. This man has an inmense respect for others and their sacrifices (Haku a clear example), he is kind and he cares so much for others is fucking hilarius to me the dissonance between what Kakashi think he is like and what we see him being.
This man suffers loss after loss after loss but never punishes others for those loses, and he could! He could blame neighbouring countries for Obito and Rin, Kurama for Minato, Konoha for his father, but he doesn't. He takes all of that as the result of the reality of the world he lives in, and all he can do is try save and protect others as best as he can, because 1) others deserve to be saved and protected and 2) because those he saves could be the ones that bring change to the world (he sees that hope in the new generation).
While he never thinks HE can be the one bringing those changes, he still thinks changes can be made!
This man becomes not only Hokage, but probably the most pivotal Hokage in Konoha's history (so far, as Naruto's story is still being told), he was one of the most important Kages socially and economically speaking (for the changes he brought into those systems), and he STILL thinks he was just a footnote in history. Just an instrument paving the path for the future generations, which he was, but he was that because HE DID, because HE SHOWED, and because HE WAS DIFFERENT!
Obito, back then, knew little about living with the consequences of the choices one makes in the world they were part of. He was young and quite innocent, he wanted to be Hokage so his own clan would accept him, and that was all. Simple and pure, but also very childish (as it should be).
His knowledge of consequences was anecdotal. He knew Sakumo killed himself because of what happened after he chose people over mission, but he didn't have to live with it, he didn't suffer from it.
Kakashi did.
Kakashi might have been a child himself, but he had lived years with the hate of the people and the wound the death of his father caused. All because Sakume made that one choice.
For Kakashi, obviously, his father chose wrong. If failing the mission and saving the people causes hate and death, then the right choice must be failing the people and saving the mission. In his mind, the choice has already been made. There's only two possible answers. One has been proved wrong, only one left.
And then the time comes, a mission and a lost teammate, and he doesn't even think about it. The answer is clear. Until Obito pushes him to reevaluate and it is then when Kakashi, once again, thinks about it. What is worthier for him, the mission or the people? And he arrives at the conclusion that he is willing to fail the mission and live with the hate of the people of Konoha and even with the hate of his teammates (something that happened to his father), but he is not willing to live failing his people without even trying. Kakashi, at that moment, choses what his path in life is gonna be, it is represented by Obito's words, but because he agrees with them, because it was what he was raised with, and ultimately because they represent what he can live with regardless of the consequences for him. From that moment on Kakashi stays on curse over his own chosen morals, he doesn't deviate, no matter how dark his life becomes, no matter how much loss he went through, he has finally arrived at a conclusion of what's right to him and he respects it.
Why do I know these morals are his and not Obito's? Because the moment Obito is in Kakashi's shoes he shows us what his morals are really about!!
Rin and Sakumo killed themselves! Kakashi even had more reasons to go ballistic because it was the hate of the Konohans that drove his father to his death! Rin instead? Rin was actively protecting Konoha and its people!! What's Obito's reaction? Let's attack Konoha, let's free the Kyuubi in it, let's kill the wife of our sensei, let them suffer like I'm suffering. He had good morals until they were tested and then everything fell apart because he didn't have conviction, those words he said to Kakashi, for Obito, were only words. That's also why he thinks Naruto will eventually abandon his morals too, he thinks that if Naruto experiences enough pain he will choose the same answer he has chosen. Kakashi admits that that is a possibility, but Kakashi is also proof that despite the amount of losses you can keep yourself true to good morals! He even explains how! You keep loving! You keep connecting with people. You keep caring. And no matter how big the hole in your heart gets, YOU KEEP FILLING IT, WITH MORE PEOPLE, WITH MORE LOVE, AND WITH MORE CARE! Kakashi knows because he did it first! Kakashi also knows Naruto won't fail because HE (Kakashi) WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR NARUTO! And he won't be the only one!
Even more! In those last chapters of the manga we have Kakashi expanding on his moto: "In the world of shinobi, people who break the rules are trash, the ones who don't treasure their friends are worse than trash, and the ones who don't treasure their friend's feelings are even worse than that."
At that moment Kakashi is completing the separation between Obito and himself, between their philosophies of life. And because these are words Kakashi is telling to Obito they are also completing the circle between them, as it is now Kakashi who is pushing Obito to reevaluate his choices.
Honestly, Kakashi has a (tested) strength of character that few fictional characters have, the fact he thinks so little of himself probably adds to my love for the character, even if I would wish for him to get over it a bit, he really deserves a bit of self love, but I don't know if it would work. If the, kinda, God of your people tells you "You did good, without you I don't know if we would have succeeded" and your reaction is "Oh, I did nothing, it was all these kids and my friend"... I don't know if you'll ever get over your low opinion on yourself. Sad, really sad.
In minato lives fics,it's so funny when minato reprimads fugaku for putting itachi in anbu at 11 when he put his own student there at 13, my man , you should follow your own rules first.
It never fails to sadden me when I think of a young Kakashi, not even old enough to drive by our standards, being forced by his own circumstances and upbringing into the position of a ruthless assassin. A position where he was constantly mocked and ridiculed for the exact opposite of the things his own father was mocked and ridiculed for, a constant reminder of his father’s suicide. Never able to truly be with his father or teammates but their ghosts always following.
Heartwarming: after long and arduous battle against the oppressive regime of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the human rights activist Orochimaru had managed to take down the tyrant at a great cost to himself, and LGBTQ+ people are returning to Konoha🤗🌈
On the photo above: a man who was forced out of the village by the cruelties of the regime as a child is finally coming home to reunite with his little brother😭🙏along with him is his ex-Kiri partner, both are wearing matching rings on their ring fingers😍
Like and repost for more positive stories about post-Hiruzen Konoha💕
Also in canon Obito doesn't know about Sakumo's death until Kannabi bridge so he thinks Kakashi is being coddled for no reason and that’s why he reacts like that. I was gonna add more scenes and reactions of them but I chose to focus on Kakashi and Minato.
I love the dynamic between them and poor Minato is just trying to help but there's only so much he can do with a deeply traumatized genius child soldier.
Minato, has been a jonnin since he was 14, talking to 14 year old jonnin kakashi: Wow buddy. you've had a REALLY rough couple of months. what do kid geniuses like…..murder? Muder for the state? when I was your age I LOVED killing people for faint praise and horrified respect. you should join ANBU. If i wasn't made a sensei I TOTALLY woulda joined ANBU and, uh. well. you're my favorite student! I would NEVER make you a sensei so young! that would be cruel. I want 100 men dead by the time you get back from this mission and if anyone sees you no they didn't either kill them or yourself. But most importantly, have fun =)
Do you have recommendations for plot heavy/ cool worldbuilding fics with anbu kakashi ? I just finished reading anbu legacy and that might be the best fic i've ever read and now I need to fill the void left....
dededos
dailybridgerton
baratheonpilled
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