Tobirama/Kakashi - 9.1
Tobirama held on to his younger teammate as he dashed through the wild forest, senses on high alert for any pursuers. Kakashi was conscious, but still recovering from being thrown against that tree.
"Kakashi?" he asked, a little out of breath from the running.
Tobirama felt the muscles of the arm he had pulled around his shoulders tense. It looked like Kakashi was finally coming to and trying to pull himself up.
"You can let go now."
Tobirama paused long enough to disentangle himself from Kakashi and let him stand on his own power. As they were preparing to jump off again, Kakashi suddenly pushed him back with a chakra-enhanced shove, just in time for a stray kunai to safely fly past between them.
"Those guys are too close! We cannot waste time, Kakashi!"
"Right," the Hatake agreed, following the other man as best as he could. He was not as fast as Tobirama - he doubted anyone, not even the Hokage, could come close - so, despite the fact that the Senju had slowed down for his benefit, the pace was such that the gap between them was slowly increasing.
Kakashi made a decision.
"Tobirama!" he called out. Ahead of him, the other merely tilted his head to indicate that he was listening. "I don't think I can outrun them, but you can. I'll stay behind and keep them busy while you make your escape."
"The hell you will," Tobirama snarled. "Keep running, Kakashi! If we get to the point where one of us has to sacrifice his life for the other, then the person doing that will be me!"
Kakashi was surprised at the vehemence of the statement. "But my duty is..."
"And mine," Tobirama cut him off before he could say any more, "is to make sure that Konoha has a future. You, Kakashi, your entire generation, are that future, so don't give up just yet! We're getting out of this."
"I understand. But I will not leave any friends behind if I can help it! That is my duty!" Kakashi promised.
For a moment, the declaration caused a surge of frustration in Tobirama. Didn't the kid understand he was trying to keep him safe? Then the Senju realised that this attitude, too, was part of what being a Konoha ninja meant.
Out here, they were equals and both had the same goals. They were Konoha ninjas, not Senju or Hatake and none of them more important than the other. The era of warring clans and of fighting desperately to hold on to a future was long past. Back in the comfort of the village, it was easy to remember, though it seemed that, under strain, old habits and patterns had a tendency to surface.
"Very well," Tobirama conceded.
"I counted sixteen ANBU before," Kakashi offered. If Tobirama wanted to go down fighting, then, no matter what, Kakashi would help him in any way he could. He was already mentally calculating how many weapons he had on him, considering his backpack had been left behind.
"Yes, that matches what I sensed back there too. Let's make their lives hard for them, all right?" Tobirama said as he pulled out of his pouch a pair of explosive tags and a roll of ninja wire.
Kakashi smiled. "I like the way you think."
Continue...