Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake (はたけカカシ, Hatake Kakashi) is a shinobi of Konohagakure's Hatake clan. Famed as Kakashi of the Sharingan (写輪眼のカカシ, Sharingan no Kakashi) and the Copy Ninja (コピー忍者, Kopī Ninja), he is one of Konoha's most talented ninja, regularly looked to for advice and leadership despite his personal dislike of responsibility. To his students on Team 7, Kakashi emphasises the importance of teamwork; he himself received this lesson, along with the Sharingan, from his childhood friend, Obito Uchiha. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kakashi becomes Konoha's Sixth Hokage (六代目火影, Rokudaime Hokage, literally meaning: Sixth Fire Shadow).

Early Life

Because his mother died when he was very young, Kakashi was raised during his early years by his father, Sakumo. Sakumo was famed throughout the shinobi world, having saved Konoha on at least one occasion; Kakashi in particular revered his father. During one of Sakumo's missions - after Kakashi was enrolled in Konoha's Ninja Academy - Sakumo made the decision to save the lives of his teammates rather than complete the assignment. The mission's failure had disastrous consequences for the Land of Fire, causing many in Konoha, including the teammates he saved, to vilify him for abandoning his duties. Disgraced, Sakumo committed suicide. Seeing what his father went through and determined not to make the same mistakes, Kakashi decided that following the Shinobi Rules must always take priority.

In the Academy

In the Academy, Kakashi earned top grades, earning him recognition as a prodigy and the best of his generation. Ultimately, he became very popular amongst his peers. With his talents soon being recognised, at age 5, Kakashi graduated from the Academy at the top of his class in a single year. Upon becoming genin, he and his classmates, Rin Nohara and Obito, were teamed together under the leadership of Minato Namikaze. In the anime, Minato gave the team a bell test at its formation, assigning the three to take the two bells he kept on his person. Minato often held back less against the prodigious Kakashi than with Rin and Obito so they couldn't obtain the bells without teamwork. Unfortunately, Kakashi realised this, only using Obito and Rin as a means to an end to obtain the bells. Nonetheless, Minato passed them because they accomplished the goal of the test by working as a team. Minato did encourage them to improve their teamwork afterwards, a message that Obito and Rin took to heart, but fell upon deaf ears with Kakashi. Team Minato would go on many missions during its career, but Kakashi's devotion to the rules often made him difficult to work with; Obito, already jealous of Kakashi's natural talent and popularity, was frequently at odds with him about this behaviour. At age 6, Konoha officials allowed Kakashi to compete in the Chūnin Exams with his team, which he passed by defeating Might Guy and became a chūnin.

Third Shinobi World War

Konoha eventually became embroiled in the Third Shinobi World War. As part of the war effort, Team Minato was assigned to destroy the Kannabi Bridge in Kusagakure in order to cut off Iwagakure's supply line. Minato was needed on the front lines at the time, leaving Kakashi, recently promoted to jōnin at age 12, in charge. Before embarking on the mission, Minato and Rin gave him presents to celebrate his promotion; Obito forgot to get him anything. Shortly after entering Kusa, they encountered an Iwa-scout, Mahiru. Kakashi tried to eliminate him with his new jutsu, Chidori, but the attack speed left him vulnerable to counter-attack, forcing Minato to step in, save Kakashi, and kill Mahiru himself. Before leaving them, Minato advised Kakashi to not use the Chidori again.

ANBU Career

Because he'd lost two teammates in such a short timespan, his role in Rin's death, and his failure to honour Obito's last request by protecting her, Kakashi dropped into a depression. In the anime, many believed he purposely killed Rin to prevent her from leaking information, earning him the nickname "Friend-Killer Kakashi". Many, especially those in Anbu believed he would kill a comrade without hesitation if it was for the sake of completing the mission. He would also spend his days avoiding friends and former classmates and at night he would be haunted by dreams of himself killing Rin again. Minato, now the new Hokage, tried to help Kakashi emerge from the darkness he'd fallen into after Obito and Rin's deaths by assigning him to the Anbu in order to have him close in an attempt to alleviate his pain.