bestie i NEED to know what's up with gai in your rotted leaf au
Well, first off he's quieter.
Like, Gai may appear to not know how he comes off as, but he does. It's just that he has the self-confidence to know that there's nothing wrong with a love of life and a tacky jumpsuit. Tactless words, however...
Yes, Konoha is currently very unyouthful! It has very low morale, an unethical traitor scientist recently returned like nothing happened, and a general air of mistrust between people who should be comrades!
Konoha is also currently very unyouthful! Itachi killed many of them, and then Kakashi killed almost all of the rest!
Gai is much quieter nowadays, in this Autumn.
Second, he understands where Kakashi is coming from! His logic is valid to Gai... but it is not sound. Gai understands how Kakashi could believe that life is suffering, but Gai rejects that premise, and so, rejects the conclusion.
If Kakashi had come to Gai before he did anything, Gai would have made him see that killing Gai when they were both Genin would have prevented Gai from the achievement of becoming the Taijutsu Master he is now, and would Kakashi really take that from him? And so, Kakashi would have broken out of his mindset, and possibly even agreed to see a Yamanaka, and Gai would still have his eternal rival.
But Kakashi killed all those children, and to break him out of the mindset that let him do it would be to simply break him. There is no cure, now that the symptoms have progressed so far.
Right now, his rival is the happiest he's ever been. Kakashi has returned to an almost childlike innocence because the world finally makes sense, and all the bad things in life have a simple solution that Kakashi doesn't even have to rely on other people to use.
There is no malice here, only madness.
But a rabid dog doesn't become safe just because it's not aggressive.
And once the symptoms of rabies start showing, there's only one thing you can do.
Gai and the ninken agree: Kakashi needs to be put down.
(Ironic, isn't it?)
Third, have some Gai Facts!
Fact 1: He is not a Sensei. (Team 9 graduated a year before Sasuke, who graduated at 12. Sasuke is 7 when the Uchiha Massacre happens. Sasuke is 8 or 9 when Rotted Leaf starts, 18 months after the Uchihan't, (well. was 8 or 9.), making it 2-3 years before Team 9 would have graduated and gotten Gai as a Sensei.)
Fact 2: He is in communication with the ninken (they both think Kakashi is a Good Dog who has been Infected By Rabies)
Fact 3: He's one of the most mentally healthy people in Konoha (as per all my au), but given that this is the Rotted Leaf? That's about as mentally healthy as one of canon Kakashi's good days.
Not that much to say, except that despite the script calling for Iruka to be the one to take down Kakashi (for story reasons), I really think Gai would be an acceptable alternate (for character reasons)...
