Kakashi is the son ofSakumo Hatake, a genius renowned as "Konoha's White Fang".[13] Little is known of his mother other than that she died at a young age.[14] After successfully passing his entrance exam to join the Academy, he met Might Guy, who despite Kakashi belittling Guy's lack of any natural talent as Guy failed his exam, quickly came to like Kakashi. Sakumo also warned his son to not take his own training or Guy lightly, as he may one day surpass Kakashi.
A young Kakashi finds his father dead.
Later, Sakumo fell into disgrace after choosing to save his comrades rather than complete an important mission, which caused the nation and the village to suffer a great loss. Dishonoured, Sakumo took his own life after suffering a deep depression and drop in his skills; this experience made Kakashi determined to lead his life strictly by the ninja code.[15] Hailed as a prodigy and the best of his generation,[16][3] Kakashi quickly became very popular among his peers and at age 5 he graduated from the Academy early in a single year at the top of his class.[17] He then joined a teamalongside Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara under Minato Namikaze's command. They were given a final test to earn their full genin status; take one of two bells from Minato. As Kakashi realised that meant at least one of the three would fail, the young ninja each began to fight by themselves. Quickly being overwhelmed by the sensei's much greater skill, Kakashi came to the conclusion that only together could they even hope to defeat Minato. Kakashi managed to get Rin and Obito to work together with him, ultimately allowing Kakashi to get one of the bells. Seeing the team succeeded in the true goal of the test — team-work — Kakashi and his classmates officially became Minato's students.[18]
During his time as Minato's student, Kakashi and his fellow students became well-acquainted with Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Growing fond of the young trio, Kushina would regularly help with their training, most noticeably bringing them homemade food for them.[19]A year later, Kakashi became a chūnin after facing and defeating Might Guy during the third stage of theChūnin Exams.[20] He later became part of a one-sided rivalry with Might Guy. In the anime, with Kakashi's growing reputation as a genius, Guy approached Kakashi quickly announced his desire to challenge him. While initially Kakashi was completely indifferent to the overzealous Guy's request, Guy continued to pester Kakashi until he finally gave in to Guy's request. Despite Kakashi beating him in every challenge, including various forms of marksmanship, taijutsu combat, and even physical comparison, Guy became only more determined to defeat Kakashi. Seemingly warming up to Guy, he continued to accept Guy's various challenges (including eating contests and Rock, Paper, Scissors), ultimately giving Kakashi a record of 49 wins and 50 losses.[21][22]
Third Shinobi World War
See also: Kakashi GaidenSoon after becoming a jōnin, Kakashi was assigned to lead his team-mates Obito and Rin on a mission that would benefit Konoha in the ongoing Third Shinobi World War. They were to destroyKannabi Bridge, which was being used by Iwagakure forces to move into Kusagakure. This would also be Konoha's first huge offensive move in the war. On their way to the bridge, Rin was kidnapped by two Iwagakure ninja named Kakkō and Taiseki. Obito immediately suggested that they rescue her, but Kakashi disagreed on the basis that they needed to complete their mission, opting not to make the same mistake his father did in his mission.[23]
Kakashi using Chidori for the first time.
Obito would not hear of it and stubbornly left to save Rin, but not before mentioning that he believed Kakashi's father, the White Fang, was a true hero. Shortly after parting ways, Kakashi reflected on Obito's words and Rin's prior kindness. He realised that his father was not wrong after all, which prompted him to join Obito in the rescue effort. Kakashi arrived in time to save Obito from Taiseki, using hisfather's blade to combat him. Despite the two-to-one disadvantage, the more experienced Taiseki was able to attack and injure Kakashi, who took the blow that was intended for Obito, giving him a permanent scar while also ruining Kakashi's left eye to such an extent that Kakashi was left with only one good eye for the duration of the mission.[24]
Kakashi saving Obito from Taiseki.
Obito's will to protect his comrades caused his Sharingan to awaken which in turn helped kill Taiseki. After finding Rin and defeating Kakkō with Obito's help, Kakashi freed Rin from the genjutsu before their opponent attempted to trap them in a cave-in. While trying to escape, Kakashi was hit by a rock, which he didn't notice because of his bandaged eye, causing him to fall. Obito pushed Kakashi out of the path of a huge falling boulder, getting himself crushed instead. This resulted in the right side of Obito's body being crushed beyond repair.
Knowing he was dying, Obito requested his Sharingan be a belated present to Kakashi and instructed Rin to implant his left Sharingan into Kakashi's lost eye. Rin complied, and as soon as the surgery was completed Kakashi used his new Sharingan to perfect his Chidori and kill Kakkō. He then returned to Obito to see if there was anything he could do for him, but alongside Rin was forced to leave him. With the help of Minato, they ultimately completed their mission, allowing them to mourn Obito's apparent death.[25]
At some point during this time, Kakashi signed a summoning contract with the ninken. Later, in the anime, Kakashi and Rin's team was given Might Guy as a replacement. It was during this mission that Kakashi and Guy found true trust and team-work with each other, and where Kakashi famously split a lightning bolt with his Chidori, giving birth to its new name Lightning Cutter.[26]Later, during another mission, Kakashi met a young girl named Hanare of the Jōmae Village who was lost. He taught her about how the clouds can help her find her way and find her teacher.[27]
Kakashi killing Rin with Lightning Cutter.
Sometime after the events at Kannabi Bridge, Rin was taken captive by Kirigakure. With the help of his nin-ken pack, Kakashi was able to track her down.[28] Kakashi was able to rescue her, but not before she was forcibly made the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails. While returning to the village, they were ambushed by jōnin and Anbu-level Kiri shinobi.[29] Rin, who knew about Kirigakure's plan to unleash the beast on Konoha, begged Kakashi to kill her. After he refused, Rin waited for Kakashi to attack, and intentionally got in Kakashi's path,[30] culminating in a tearful Kakashi piercing through Rin's chest with his Lightning Cutter, leaving the Kiri-nin stunned and Kakashi himself devastated.[31] Shortly afterwards, Kakashi and Obito — still alive and witnessing it from behind the scenes — developed their fully-matured Sharingan and subsequently awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at precisely the same time.
Exhausted and overwhelmed with sorrow and grief at his part in Rin's death, Kakashi lost consciousness and passed out while Obito, whose own rage and grief manifested itself in his new wood based abilities, went on a rampage and brutally killed all the Kirigakure ninja.[32] Though Kakashi technically was the one who killed Rin, Obito left him alive, and he was later found by Konoha reinforcements.[33] In the anime, despite his growing career, Kakashi was still haunted by having killed Rin with his own hand, having nightmares and visions that visibly shook him. Since then, Kakashi avoided his fellow classmates. When Minato was elected Hokage sometime later, feeling that Kakashi needed a new direction in life following the loss of Rin, he assigned Kakashi to join the Anbu despite his student's young age under his direct command.[34]
Post-War
Kakashi and his fellow youths are forbade from fighting off the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha.
After the conclusion of the war, Kakashi worked hard at his new position and quickly built a famous reputation during his first year in Anbu. However, much of it came from his cold-hearted and ruthless approach in battle, stemming from his bitterness at losing Rin. Likewise, many people had a misconception that Kakashi killed Rin purposely for the sake of preventing her from leaking information, earning him the nickname "Friend Killer Kakashi".[35] Eventually, he was promoted again to Anbu captain and leader of Team Ro that responded directly to the Hokage. Later, Kakashi learned from Minato that Kushina was pregnant and was entrusted to protect her during her jinchūriki-induced ten-month pregnancy. Kakashi followed this order very faithfully and never let Kushina out of his sight, constantly monitoring her from the shadows, even when she was with Minato, making his presence meaningless.[9] Kakashi would often visit Rin and Obito's respective graves in the Konoha Cemetery and the Memorial Stone, cleaning their tombstones and bringing them flowers. On one such occasion, he visited Rin's grave and told her that their sensei's child would be born soon and left to go to the stone, unaware that Tobi was watching him and overheard Kakashi reveal where Kushina would birth her child.[36] On the night of Kushina's due-date, Kakashi felt an ominous presence in the air. Soon after, the Nine-Tails appeared.[9] During the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Kakashi and the rest of his peers were barred from participating in defending the village by Shinku Yūhi and other senior shinobi for their own safety as the younger generation.[37]
While Kushina and Minato managed to seal away the Nine-Tails, they and many others perished from the attack. After Hiruzen was chosen to resume his duties as Hokage, Danzō Shimuraapproached a grieving Kakashi. He pointed out that Kakashi was unable to aid his late sensei and possibly save him because of Hiruzen's orders. Convinced in Danzō's reasoning, Kakashi grew to resent Hiruzen and felt that he was not fit to lead the village, deciding to take Danzō's offer to join the Anbu Root division and spy on Hiruzen for Danzō. During a delivery, Kakashi was attacked by a boy codenamed "Kinoe" who could use Hashirama's Wood Release. Danzō broke up the fight, revealing to both they were under his orders.[9] Knowing that only the First Hokage was supposed to have the Wood Release, Kakashi sneaked into the Hokage Residence to investigate. Soon after, Kakashi was approached by Hiruzen. Despite the intrusion, the Third Hokage presented Kakashi with the records of the Wood Release, explaining that in the past it was attempted to recreate the First Hokage's Wood Release, but consistently ended with failure and death of the subjects, ultimately ceasing the research and deeming it forbidden.
Kakashi spares Kinoe's life.
Hiruzen also explained that recently, several people, from children to adult, have gone missing with suspicion that someone was resuming the research. He reluctantly expressed that any replication of the Wood Release could have saved the village from the Nine-Tails' attack. Realising that Hiruzen truly cared for the well-being of the village and that Danzō knowingly kept a valuable asset in the Wood Release child a secret, Kakashi told Hiruzen of Danzō's plan to assassinate the Third before he could resume power. The following day Kakashi went in Hiruzen's place to lure out the assailants, one of which was Kinoe. Kakashi easily defeated him, but chose to spare him, knowing he would be valuable ally in the future. Later that night, Kakashi requested to resign from Anbu, feeling unworthy from have betrayed the Third's trust even once. Hiruzen however insisted that Kakashi's assistance was needed during these time, having said so to Minato himself. Ultimately, Kakashi agreed to stay working as Hiruzen's right-hand man and told him of Kinoe.[38]
Kakashi unable to stop Orochimaru.
Later, Orochimaru of the Sannin was discovered to be responsible for the disappearance of Konoha citizens and was attempting to escape the country. After Orochimaru escaped the Third Hokage and company's ambush, Kakashi intercepted him as he left his hideout, only to be swiftly outmanoeuvred by the older ninja. Taking advantage of Orochimaru's love of snakes, Kakashi and Hiruzen used a backup plan to let a snake get close enough to Orochimaru and detonate an explosive tag inside its mouth, severely injuring the Sannin. Despite the handicap, the malice in Orochimaru's eyes alone was still enough to freeze Kakashi in his tracks, allowing Orochimaru to escape. After regaining his composure, determined to not let Orochimaru leave the country, Kakashi summoned his ninken to find the missing-nin. Kakashi soon found an underground cave.[39] Once inside, he was attacked by the Iburi clan, loyal servants to Orochimaru. Using their unique ability to become smoke, the clan quickly subdued Kakashi. Kinoe, who was a welcomed guest, convinced them to let Kakashi live so he could interrogate him.
While talking alone, Kinoe revealed that like the Third Hokage, Danzō too viewed Orochimaru as too dangerous to let leave the country. The Iburi leader Gotta, heard this while spying and quickly sought to kill the two Konoha-nin. However, one of the clan members, Yukimi, chose to save Kinoe, and by extension Kakashi, as she was convinced Kinoe was her brother Tenzō. After Yukimi left Kakashi behind to leave with Kinoe, Kakashi found his way outside, but was quickly attacked by Gotta. Ultimately, Gotta's smoke form became his undoing because of his weakness to wind. As he died, he begged Kakashi to get back Yukimi, who was very valuable to Orochimaru. Kakashi soon found Yukimi and Kinoe, telling Kinoe that they needed her to capture Orochimaru. Having grown close to her, Kinoe instead ran away with her.[40] Quickly catching up to them, he explained that Yukimi's blood could bestow Orochimaru with the Iburi clan's smoke transformation, meaning Orochimaru would go to the cave. Overhearing that, Yukimi slipped away and returned to the cave. Recognising that Kinoe cared for Yukimi like Kakashi did for Rin, the two agreed to work together to save her. Upon the duo returning the the cave, Orochimaru killed all the Iburi in his search for Yukimi, finally capturing her. As the cave began to collapse Orochimaru decided to escape, leaving Yukimi as her body then began to destabilise, but the spirits of the Iburi used their power along with Kinoe's Wood Release to re-stabilise Yukimi, finally allowing her to enter the world without fear of the wind. Kakashi decided to leave and not report anything about the Iburi or Root's involvement.[41]
Kakashi and his ninken during his Anbu days.
Over the years, Kakashi became well-known amongst all the Five Great Shinobi Countries for the extensive use of his Sharingan, gaining him a reputation as "the man who has copied over a thousand techniques", hence his nickname.[42][43] Three years after Orochimaru's defection from Konoha, one of his secret labs was discovered. Knowing the potential traps inside, Hiruzen sent Kakashi to investigate. There, he met up with Kinoe again, who was on a mission of his own. Inside the lab, as Kakashi found to his horror some kind of snake creature, Kinoe attacked Kakashi, as his mission was to retrieve Kakashi's Sharingan for Danzō. As Kakashi tried to reason with Kinoe, saying that missions should never overshadow loyalty to a friend, Kinoe retorted this, noting that Kakashi killed Rin. Enraged by that remark, Kakashi quickly overpowered Kinoe. Still viewing Kinoe as a friend and ally to the village, Kakashi chose to bring Kinoe to the Third Hokage.[44] Before he could, one of Orochimaru's snake experiments escaped its test tube and attacked the duo. As Kinoe was taken captive, Kakashi managed to slay the creature. While saving Kinoe, the creature's corpse began emitting a poisonous vapour which quickly infected Kakashi. Kinoe got Kakashi out safely and, having accepting Kakashi's words, Kinoe gave Kakashi an antidote and chose to abandoned his mission. After Kakashi regained consciousness, reading Kinoe's letter, he realised Danzō would not tolerate insubordination, Kakashi quickly went to the Third Hokage for help. Giving Kakashi a summon request to be delivered to Danzō, he went to Root headquarters, where the guards claimed Danzō was somewhere else. Not believing them, Kakashi used his Sharingan to learn Kinoe was taken to be implanted with a cursed seal. Kakashi quickly found Kinoe and freed him, only to be surrounded by Danzō and his men. Before Danzō could execute Kakashi on the grounds of trespassing, Hiruzen arrived to vouch for Kakashi coming. Sparing Kakashi of any punishment, Hiruzen turned his attention to Kinoe and convinced Danzō to turn him over to his direct command. Later, Kakashi welcomed Kinoe to his squad, insisting that Kinoe now go by his chosen name of "Tenzō", which he happily agreed to.[45]
Three years later, Itachi Uchiha, another prodigy even younger than Kakashi was at the the time, joined Anbu as part of Kakashi's team. While Kakashi's men doubted letting such a young child join, Kakashi noted Itachi's exceptional capabilities. Later, Kakashi and Itachi were assigned to a mission of observing a meeting between Konoha and the Land of Woods. They were tasked to kill the Land of Woods' Prajñā Group if they betrayed the Konoha-nin after an exchange of scrolls was made. When the Wood-nin revealed their treachery, Kakashi and Itachi swiftly defeated them. Afterwards, Kakashi congratulated Itachi for his excellent performance. Also watching Itachi's merciless approach made Kakashi realise the dark side of being in Anbu, telling the young Uchiha the importance of friends.[46] Two years later, Kakashi and Itachi were assigned to spy on the Uchiha clan under the continued suspicion that they played a part in the Nine-Tails' attack years ago. Later, during another Anbu mission, Itachi approached his senior, asking his opinion on honouring a dead friend's request, to which Kakashi firmly say one should always do so.[47]
Later, when Itachi was promoted to Anbu captain himself, the youngest in history, Kakashi openly congratulated his former subordinate. He was quickly met up with by Yūgao Uzuki. As Kakashi was already her senior and mentor, Yūgao was thrilled to announce that she was the new replacement for Team Ro and working with Kakashi. Afterwards, Kakashi was called upon the Third Hokage to look into the repeated infiltration of Konoha by an unknown individual without setting off thevillage barrier warning. Kakashi was given the locations of key points that erected the barrier in hopes of finding any weaknesses or changes. While sent as a non-Anbu, once looking within the Uchiha district, Kakashi quickly realised the disdain the entire district had for him, a non-Uchiha. Later, Team Ro was mobilised to the Uchiha District, under orders to pacify the Uchiha before civil war could happen. When Kakashi was shocked to discover the complete annihilation of the proud clan, save for its youngest member, Sasuke. Danzō then appeared, explaining that Itachi had long since begun to despise his clan, even taking the late Shisui's Sharingan in a pursuit of greater power, and ultimately decided to kill the clan off. Horrified to hear what his friend did, Kakashi began to lament at his inability to help Itachi avoid such an outcome.
After 10 years, Kakashi gives up his Anbu mask, ending his career in it.
Later, feeling similar regret to Itachi's recent actions, feeling it was a mistake to put a kind heart like Itachi's in Anbu, a remorseful Hiruzen called upon Kakashi. While applauding Kakashi for his superb work in Anbu over the past ten years, Hiruzen decided to relieve Kakashi of any further service, fearing that Kakashi's heart would only darken from the experience, and was instead appointed a jōnin sensei.[48]Kakashi would go on to test many genin but would never pass any of them due to their inability to live up to his expectations of working as a team.[49] In the anime, this stemmed from the shame of him never having shown true team-work with his own rookie team. He would use various methods to test true loyalty and cooperation between his students, constantly showing no signs of doing so. When Kakashi began to doubt his methods as Minato himself overlooked Kakashi's original lack of team-work, several of Kakashi's former potential students began to prosper from his actions, showing true loyalty to their allies as Kakashi originally intended, thanking Kakashi for his help. Kakashi was happy his students learned to value team-work, reaffirming his faith in his methods.[18] He once had a mission where Iruka, his team-mate at the time, was injured and decided to become an instructor at the Academy. When Iruka was having doubts about being the home room teacher of Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi served to remind him of his real reasons for wanting the post in the first place.[50]
