Summary: Kakashi is a bundle of issues and easily the least well adjusted of his students.

It's why when the young boy stalks up to Obito and viciously punches him in the nose, he isn't particularly surprised. KakaObi Time travel w/ Outsider POV

#10 fic for my bad things happen bingo card. prompt was broken nose.

is that all you got?

Sometimes in the dead of night, when Kushina is snoring loudly next to him, he thinks about his genin team.

He thinks about Rin the least, not because he cares for her the least or because she's unremarkable, but because she has her life together in a way the two boys don't. She comes from a stable clan with a loving home and she has grown up kind and considerate. She sees others suffering and goes to help them, regardless of their circumstances. She smiles and means it.

He thinks about Obito and feels a twinge in his chest. The young preteen is one of the most optimistic people Minato has ever had the pleasure of meeting. He's chronically late with everything he does, but his heart is always pure with his intentions. He laughs at himself, never taking anything too seriously. Minato thinks this, and yet he also sees when the smile slips slightly, a vague sort of depression coming over Obito's features. The boy lost his parents before ever knowing them and his grandmother tries her best, bless her soul, but she is old and Minato can see the strain taking care of Obito has on her. She wouldn't give up the boy for the world, but Minato knows a hyperactive kid like Obito must make her feel old beyond her years.

He thinks about Kakashi and he wants to cry. Kakashi has gotten a poor lot in life, so young and so repressed. Minato wishes, with all his might, that he could have been there for Sakumo all those years ago. He wishes he could have convinced the older man that he didn't have to kill himself as some type of redemption. That his actions were honorably meant and that it was everyone else who was wrong. Unfortunately, Minato can not go back in time. Instead, he is stuck in the present where a young Kakashi follows the rules religiously, scorning anything and everything that isn't part of a handbook. He wishes he could have kept the boy from finding his father's cooling corpse. He can't, though. Kakashi is a bundle of issues and easily the least well adjusted of his students.

It's why when the young boy stalks up to Obito and viciously punches him in the nose, he isn't particularly surprised.

Oh, he wasn't expecting Kakashi to hit Obito at that exact moment, but with how emotionally unstable he is, Minato knew to expect something like this eventually. Kakashi and Obito clash far too often for there to be no physical violence between them. Minato tries to keep it to mild sparring, but it seems that his efforts are no longer working. It's just unfortunate that it's during one of the Hokage's monthly genin team inspections.

"Kakashi!" Minato shouts, immediately rushing to intercept the incensed boy. He's pulling his fist back for another blow and Obito looks far too dazed to realize that Kakashi is going for another hit. Obito's nose is already bruising, blood trickling out of both of his nostrils.

"Obito-kun!" Rin cries out, dropping to her knees, immediately getting to work on Obito's broken nose, worry in her eyes.

"Oh, my," the Sandaime says faintly, an eyebrow raised in shock. He doesn't attempt to interfere, leaving Minato as the sole adult in a situation that has gotten out of hand far faster than he expected it to.

"Kakashi!" Minato scolds as he pulls the boy away from a shocked Obito. "What on earth has gotten into you?"

Kakashi scowls in response, dark eyes locked on to Obito's vulnerable position. He fights Minato's hold, though he doesn't do a very good job at it. He can maybe escape if he really wants to, but he seems to be letting Minato hold him back. "He deserved it," Kakashi spits in response.

"Fair enough," Obito groans in pained acceptance, his words slurred and nasally as he flinches under Rin's gentle hands.

"You're an idiot," Kakashi tells him, his anger burning away slowly as he finally stops fighting Minato's hold.

"That's not a reason to hit him!" Minato chastises Kakashi, completely bewildered by the boy's actions.

"It really, really is," Kakashi insists, huffing. He shrugs off Minato's slack grip, once more stalking up to Obito. Minato's eyes widen and he stumbles after his student, not wanting him to hurt his teammate any further. Obito blanches at Kakashi's approach, his face quickly growing white. Rin looks hesitant, almost defensive as Kakashi crouches down next to the injured boy. "You're an idiot," Kakashi tells him once more, though his voice has taken on a softer tone. Minato slows his approach, worry sparking in his mind.

Obito pouts at Kakashi, his lip sticking out only for him to wince at the pain the motion causes. Kakashi lets out a sigh that makes even Minato feel exhausted, before he pulls a cloth out of his pocket, wetting it with water from the canteen stepped to his thigh. He gently wipes at the blood dripping from Obito's nose, a soft look on his face as he stares into Obito's eyes. "I need you to not be an idiot," Kakashi whispers to him, his voice so soft that Minato almost misses his words.

Obito stares at him, his eyes wide, as his face gains color once more, going from pale shock to perplexed embarrassment. His cheeks pink slightly under Kakashi's care, a look Minato was used to Obito giving Rin.

"I'm very confused," Minato shares, resting his hands on his hips as his two students continue to stare into each other's eyes.

Rin looks just as uncertain as he feels, confused by the intensity between her teammates. She glances up at him, sharing a commiserating look before she stands up and slowly steps away from the entranced pair. She stops next to him, watching the silent pair in fascination. "What's happening?" Rin asks no one in particular, her head tilted in interest.

"I have no clue," the Sandaime shares from behind them. Minato jumps, having completely forgotten that the Hokage was supposed to be inspecting their squad.

"I'm so sorry," Minato tells him, embarrassed. "I really don't know what's gotten into those two."

"Hm," the Sandaime hums in amusement, a strange twinkle in his eyes. "Well, I think I best come back another day."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Minato sighs in relief, giving the man a small bow as he takes his leave. Hopefully the next time the Hokage showed up to evaluate their squad, he wouldn't have a student physically assaulting his teammate.

Glancing back at the still captivated pair on the ground, Minato feels his hopes rise slightly. The look the two are sharing sure doesn't look like they want to punch each other...

'Oh, my,' indeed.

:D title from Mr. Big Shot by Anarbor. so in case you didn't quite get it, Kakashi and Obito are both in their younger bodies. Kakashi punches him because Obito is an idiot and Obito takes it with grace because ok yeah fair. then they stare at each other with unresolved sexual tension, except they're children so it just leaves everyone uncomfortable and confused.