So me again, with yet another rewrite and translation of one of my own stories. Which is much faster to do than writing a brand new chapter for A Different Life (WHICH I AM DOING!) So, well, yes, this is old Team Minato, minus Obito, sadly, going to Hogwarts...

Ugh, it's two in the morning, just go and enjoy it.

The Lonely Track

"People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges"
Joseph F. Newton

For what seemed the thousandth time that night, a sigh was heard throughout the office. With barely a shift in his posture, the old man got rid of the paper he was reading. He really wasn't ready to sign a war commitment with yet another country. He pushed some smoke out if his pipe, briefly wondering why they sent war agreements between themselves anyway, as if it would be too rude to just arrive without warning, despite it being, ironically enough, a war.

The old man tensed slightly as he felt a rather powerful rush of chakra, and he felt the guards behind him do the same, tightening their muscles and preparing their weapons for attack.

There was a loud smacking sound, and suddenly there was another old man in the room, long midnight-blue robes descending from his frame and spilling on the floor around his feet. This time, the male with the pipe got up from his chair, impassive face never betraying his emotions as he signaled for the young guards to remain calm.

Studying the long white beard and the pointed hat that the seemingly older man sported, the other frowned. The blue eyes behind those half-moon spectacles clearly waited for something.

"Who are you?" were the first words that came out the mouth of the man with the white and red hat. "How did you get past my ANBU?"

The older man actually brightened, the rest of the occupants of the room noticed. The Hokage had pretty much threatened him, and a happy smile had actually formed on his lips.

The blue-eyed male cleared his throat, giving a simple step closer to the desk the village leader had been sitting behind.

"Greetings, Lord Hokage." The stranger said, the slightest bit of an accent that was not from the hidden villages present. The alluded tightened his lips. From the Outside, then? "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I come here with a request."

Going from the older man's twinkling eyes to the document next to his dark-skinned hand, the Hokage sighed once again, and motioned for the confused ANBU to relax slightly. At least this was not a matter of the upcoming war.

Instead, the Hokage grabbed his pipe with his left hand and left it on top of his desk, blowing one final cloud of grey smoke from his mouth.

"And what would this request be?" He asked, professionalism slipping into his voice as he sat back down on his chair.

The oldest male stepped forward; arms folded close to his chest, but slowly extended them in front of him.

The old Hokage heard every word that came out of Dumbledore's mouth, quiet through the whole tale except to interrupt when he had questions about the odd reality from the part off the Outside the wizard came from, which was always replied with a seemingly playful 'Where I am from, it is shinobi who are a fairytale', which of course led to questions about the man's knowledge of the Konoha village.

But Sarutobi understood. Mostly. Some kid was in danger, and he needed protection, along with the whole school he was attending. He thought about it for a few minutes, in which the older male's twinkling eyes were made painfully obvious, and couldn't help a smirk coming forming on his face. This Potter boy needed bodyguards, but the danger seemed in no way immediate, and his shinobi could also use some protection from the war. He could deal with this.

"Very well, I'll give you three of my shinobi to protect your school. They are among the best of the village." The Hokage agreed, then turned to the masked men behind him. "Toad. Go get Wolf and Shrike, you three will be leaving tonight," He eyed the old wizard, who nodded in correspondence. "Tell them to pack for a little more than a year."

The masked man paused, blond hair barely shining in the dim light of the office. "Shrike, sir?"

The white-and-red clad man nodded, turning to meet the expressionless eyes of the porcelain mask. "Ah, yes, she is newly appointed, but you know who she is." A pointed look was sent in the blond's direction, and the man immediately nodded, and almost unnoticeably jumped out the window.

The ANBU first stopped in a small apartment, but did not enter. Instead, he stood outside, banging his knuckles against the window to wake up the occupant of the home.

It was a few minutes of patiently waiting on the windowsill before a young girl came into view, brown haired disheveled and violet eyes blearily looking for the source of the racket. Her sight finally fell on the masked man, and she ran towards the window to open it, allowing the blond in.

"Minato-sensei?" She asked, stifling a yawn. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes traveled to the clock, which marked an hour on the morning she had never be awake to see in her life.

"Hokage-sama requested us for a mission. It's guard duty, and you need to pack for a year, since it's really far away. Oh, and use your ANBU uniform," The man replied, grinning at his student's baffled face as he ruffled her hair even more. "Meet me at my house, yeah, Rin-chan? I need to wake Kakashi up, and he's been running a fever since he returned from his last mission."

The girl nodded, though still obviously a little confused, and she gave the man a wave with the hand before both retired to their own directions.

After that, the blond went into his own home, taking off his sandals and mask, and leaving them carefully on the floor. He walked as quietly as he could while stretching his arms, which were stiff and sore from all the time he had spent unmoving in the Hokage's office.

He opened the door to his room, the wood barely creaking. Once in there, he grabbed his usual backpack before rummaging around his room for another one, remembering he needed to pack for a whole year. A pang of sorrow attacked his chest once he found it, and he held it in his hands before sighing, moving on to go through his clothes and picking up other utilities he would need. As he packed the last of his kunai, he looked out the window, knowing the memorial stone to be somewhere beyond it. He would need to take the kids. Say one final good-bye to Obito before they had to leave for such a long time.

Frowning slightly at the thought, the blond man placed his bags on the floor of the hallway outside his room and opened the door right in front of the one leading to his bedroom. He then considered waking up the small person resting on the bed, but decided against it. Kakashi was ill, and though he was sure the boy could pretend in front of that strange old man, he wasn't about to allow him to pack on his own when he needed rest.

Thankfully, Kakashi's largest duffle bag was in plain sight, still somewhat filled with things he had used on his last mission. Minato arranged the clothes that were already inside and threw in a couple more things, along with all the weapons he could find in the room. He wasn't actually sure of how many kunai, shuriken and senbon the boy owned, but the blond assumed he had most of the boy's equipment, judging by the sheer number of pointy-ended iron tools he had packed, was now safely in the duffle bag.

He picked the bag and threw it over to where his own were, aware that there was nothing particularly delicate in there that wasn't being protected by the large amount of clothes. Having finished that, the man picked the one thing that was crumpled in a mess next to the young teenager's bed, making sure it was in condition before laying it over the desk next to the window.

Minato walked over to the bed once more, sitting next to the slumbering silver-haired youth. Gently, he shook the boy's shoulder. He noticed the heated skin, but forced himself not to wipe his hand of the salty moisture that had wet his palm.

"Hey, Kashi-chan. Wake up." He whispered when the slight shaking didn't work. Exhausted dark eyes opened slowly, blinking up at the blond.

"Minato?" Asked the boy, though his body didn't move an inch. In that moment, the blond blistered at the Hokage's choice on shinobi for this mission. Rin, he could understand, it had been long since she was last on a mission like the one they had been given. But Kakashi had just returned from a month-long assignment, and had been chakra depleted and sick since then.

He looked at the still-healing scar over the youth's left eye, and had to control his mouth from twitching in despair. He removed his hand from the boy's shoulder, leaving the other one on top of the pale arm, to caress the gray hair away from Kakashi's face.

"Yeah," He replied, bending over slightly so he could grab the younger male in an awkward hug to pull him to a sitting position. "We have a mission. ANBU gear required." The blond paused, looking at the teen's disoriented expression. "It's a yearlong. I already packed for you".

There was a pause. "Now?"

The man wanted to say no, because his former student looked so utterly worn-out, face shining with cold sweat and black irises that clearly had fogged with exhaustion. Even his reaction time was out of the place, which was very, very rare for the boy.

He nodded, though, because that was his job, and got up from the bed as he pulled the short thirteen-year-old with him. He handed Kakashi his black clothes just as the doorbell rang.

"Dress, okay? We're going to the memorial stone before we leave." He ruffled the teen's hair, his blue eyes becoming a tad worried when the younger male didn't react to the contact as he usually did.

But he got up, trusting the youth to dress himself as he half walked-half ran to attend the call, barely remembering to pick up his and Kakashi's bags and bring them to the living room before opening the door to find his female student there, ANBU uniform in place save for the bird-mask that hung from one of her two white bags with the aid of a red string.

He nodded and stepped aside, allowing the teenage girl to come into the house. She looked much more refreshed, her hair combed and eyes free of much of the sleepiness they had been plagued with earlier. She smiled at him; a sad smiled reserved for when they were alone and could mourn Obito's death and worry about Kakashi's overly-obsessed mission taking.

The girl allowed her lightest looking bag on the table, the heavier one remaining securely strapped to her back.

"Hey, sensei, do you know what the mission's about?"

"I do, actually." The blond replied, motioning for Rin to take a seat in one of the sofas as he sat on the floor near the doorway, putting on his sandals once more. "But let's wait 'till we get there. You won't believe a word I tell you." He paused for a few minutes, sharpening his hearing in case the fever-hampered boy needed help. "Anyway, we'll visit the memorial first. Say 'see you later' to Obito."

"Oh!" The young woman brightened "Maybe when we get to where we're going we can make some sort of memorial to him too?"

The blond smiled at her for that, clearly willing to do it if it was allowed by Dumbledore, who seemed to be not only the client, but also the person in charge of the place they were going to. He nodded at her at the same time Kakashi descended the last of the steps leading to the living room.

Both girl and man turned to him, studying his sleep-deprived eye (which was pretty much the only feature they could see of his face) and the way his damp hair had lost some of its usual spikiness. The boy, in turn, stared back at them, fastening the last clasp of his grey chest armor.

"How are you doing, Kakashi-kun?" Asked the girl, a kind smile spreading on her face. The alluded didn't reply, simply stood there for a few seconds before walking over to the door.

Seemingly following a silent command from the feverish boy, the other two got up from the couches, and took their backpacks from the coffee table, Minato asking Rin to carry the lightest of his own as a favor.

The blond then walked up to the gray-haired youth, who was putting on his own sandals and tying his wolf mask tighter to his waist with clumsy, weak movements. He kneeled next to him, a strong arm bringing the boy closer to him, who in return attempted to frown but failed.

"I'll carry you. You'll need some strength for when we meet the client." For a second, it looked like the young ANBU would resolutely refuse, but then he seemed to think better of it, and instead grabbed the tanto that had replaced his father's broken one and allowed his head to rest against his former teacher's shoulder.

Grinning at his triumph, the man turned to the only female in the house, wanting to share his joy, and the girl could do nothing to stop the giggle that came over her. She nodded at him, fastening the last strap of the adult's backpack to fit her own shoulders.

Minato tightened his hold on his former student's shoulders and placed his other arm under the boy's knees before standing up, lifting the boy with practiced ease.

With flicking the lights off and locking windows and doors, the trio made their way to the memorial stone, where they silently paid their respects and promised their fallen teammate they would be back as soon as they could. Rin, of course, did remind the black gravestone that she had the Uchiha's favorite pair of googles in her backpack, so he, too, could be with them to where they were heading to, if the young teen so wished.

Bidding their farewell, the three shinobi bowed before the stone and began the long way towards the Hokage Tower, Konoha's warm air hitting their bodies in the opposite direction as if the village was begging them not to leave.

The blond man was actually forced to wake Kakashi up three times during the race towards the Tower, much to the dismay of the older male because the only thing he wished in that moment was for the boy to be in bed and resting, just like he should be.

"Don't worry, Kashi-chan, once we get there I'll make sure you get some real rest." Murmured the man before lightly kissing the teen's mouth over the black mask he always wore.

Just before entering the Tower, Minato placed Kakashi on his own feet, smiling slightly when the boy's stand didn't waver. The three of them then arranged their porcelain masks over their faces, all of them a more than a little tired for not being able to sleep. Rin gave Minato's backpack back to its owner, who once more adjusted the straps to fit him, deciding that for his own good, Kakashi should not carry any weight that was not his own body.

They jumped through the window silently, only to be greeted by two old men, their faces far less severe than what Minato had last seen them.

The Hokage stood up, formally presenting the blue-robed man to the couple of teenagers. Then, with a motion of his hand invited them to move in front of his desk, next to the oldest male. The three complied, Minato standing just slightly in front of the other two, marking his position of leader.

"The mission will remain unranked." The dark-skinned man began, causing the oldest ANBU to tense. Unranked missions were far more dangerous than S-ranks, precisely because no one knows exactly what to expect. "Your goal will be to protect a school created for young wizards, located on the Outside. The main subject, is one Harry Potter. No one must find out of your identities, save for your name and age if you wish to give them away, unless you decide it is for the success of the mission." The old man extended a picture, that had been given to him by Dumbledore, on the desk, but none of the shinobi made to grab it. "Are there any questions?"

The gray-haired youth gave a tiny stepped forward, but froze. He must have heard wrong. He must have. It had to be the fever finally taking over his thoughts. There was just no way he would believe this wizard thing. If he did, they might remove him from the ANBU forces, deeming him mentally incapacitated.

But Rin had stepped up, too, demanding an explanation. So was it not his imagination? A light touch on his arm broke him out of his thoughts, and he barely heard the explanation given to the kunoichi as he saw Minato's porcelain mask looking at his directly, one hand firmly clasping his arm worriedly.

He looked away, just in time to see the strange elder who claimed to be a wizard pull out a wooden stick and a very disgusting-looking apple from inside his robes. Rin was grateful for the ANBU mask right then and there, otherwise he would have shown their client a very noticeable look of revulsion.

Tapping the apple with the stick, the man turned to announce transport was ready, and extended the expired fruit towards them giving them instructions. They did what they were told, touching the offending food with a single finger while the Hokage still completed his instructions.

"We shall keep in contact!" Was the last thing they heard before feeling a hook attaching somewhere behind their navels and suddenly pulling them away from the office.

Their ninja's world became a blur of colors and sounds and smells, and before they knew it they had been slammed on the ground, not having expected the fall. Minato, who was the only one who had managed react in time, immediately jumped to his feet, and not much later he felt Rin kneeling on the hard-wood floors, one of her weapons pulled out to defend herself in case of need.

It was only then the blond realized they were in a... house. Or so it seemed to be, though it was much creepier than all the ones he had been in. Dumbledore stood in front of them, looking not at the duo but somewhere behind them.

"Kakashi!" The blond exclaimed under his breath, turning to see the gray-headed teen just barely attempting to get up from the floor. Oh, yes, he really wished for this fever to pass soon. He pocketed his kunai, feeling much safer than what he thought he should behind Rin's protection, and aided the boy in getting up.

By the time he returned his attention to Dumbledore, the old man was speaking to a group of people in a language he didn't understand, though none of the unknown adults seemed to be convinced of what he was saying. The old man turned to them just a little bit, pointing at them with his wand and then back to the other people in the room, who Minato assessed as much weaker than what they seemed.

"Oh, don't you worry. They will only stay a day. Enough for me to warn the rest of the teachers about their arrival."

The blond was surprised to find out he had actually understood the man this time, and quietly got to his feet at the same time the kunoichi of his team did, pulling along a Kakashi that was struggling to get his legs to stop shaking so he could stand by himself.

"Oh, fine! But Albus, if the children find out about this…!" The plump, red-headed woman didn't finish her sentence because she was already motioning at them to follow her.

They stood still, turning to their client, who nodded at them without bothering to give an explanation as to what was going on, apparently believing that a simple smile would be enough for them. But apparently it was, because the next thing they knew was that they were following the woman upstairs and into a room with four beds waiting for them inside.

She ushered them in, and Minato barely remembered to turn around and thank her before she closed the door behind her, hurrying to get away from them.

Feeling somewhat secure inside the room, Rin dropped her luggage next to one of the beds, not bothering to change from her uniform before flopping down on top of the covers. Minato, on the other hand, took the time to help the still dazed Kakashi out of his uniform and into his pajamas before laying him on the mattress next to the one he would be occupying.

"Just rest, all right? Hopefully you'll be much better tomorrow." He told him, leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the forehead.

He then changed his own clothes, aware of the fact that Rin was already fast asleep, and threw himself in the mattress he had chosen for himself. He made sure there was some barrier around the door by means of a jutsu, which would tell him if there was danger nearby, and then allowed the darkness to finally take him.

In their deep, tired slumber, neither shinobi dreamt that night.

Shrikes are a species of birds, which are very violent when it comes to their eating habits, despite their pretty and peaceful appearances.

And, this is about a month and a half after The Kanabi Bridge mission, where Obito died.

'Kay, so… I know I write "grey" with the british/Canadian/everyotherspeakingcountrytha tisnottheUS English, while verbs such as "realize" are written in US grammar. This is because I'm Mexican, and while I prefer some words to be written like they should be, those verbs just look weird to me written with an S.

Also, about Kakashi being shorter than Rin, I do believe he is, in the manga. Either way, at 13-14 is when boys barely start getting taller than girls, so yes, Kakashi is shorter right now, but he will grow taller. Unless you guys want him to stay the same throughout the whole story, or that they both grow at the same rate, meaning he will grow, but Rin will still be taller by the end. Your call.

asdfasdfasdf, rushed ending.