Kakashi stood in the training area, watching Emil Blonsky and Carl Creel battle a swarm of drones lent by Fury for their training.
There was the occasional crash as drones fell. Kakashi's mind though was elsewhere as he reflected on his recent trip to Clint's Iowa farmhouse. It was relaxing. Images of Clint playing with Cooper and Lila flashed in Kakashi's mind, stirring memories of training with his father, Sakumo. And how Sakumo used to play with him even though he was a bloody and stoic child.
'You'd want me to have a family too, wouldn't you, Father?' His thoughts wavered, then he shook his head, forcing his focus back to the present.
Blonsky and Creel were improving, their unique abilities—Blonsky's Abomination strength and Creel's material absorption—making them formidable.
Kakashi knew they were skilled enough for solo missions, but they were not a team yet and count not function as one yet either.
Kakashi had noticed Creel's lingering fear of Blonsky's Abomination form, the way his eyes darted nervously when Blonsky transformed.
To build their cohesion, Kakashi had assigned them what he would call D-rank missions of this world, the kind he and his students had endured as a genin. They were basic, but effective.
Their first mission had been community service: cleaning an isolated beach of its trash. Blonsky and Creel had used their super strength to haul debris, moving piles of litter with ease.
Creel made his complaints more vocal,
'He wanted to be Captain America, not a garbage man!'
But one sharp look from Kakashi and his sharingan had silenced him.
The second mission was stealthier: finding lost cats without being seen by the public. Both had to rely on their human forms, no monstrous transformations allowed. Blonsky's thoughts were focused.
Now, in the training area, Blonsky and Creel fought the drones together, their movements more coordinated but still rough.
Creel, his skin gleaming with absorbed steel, smashed a drone, smirking.
"See? I took down more drones than you. Don't slow me down next time."
Blonsky, in his Abomination form, growled, "Please. If I wasn't covering you, those drones would've fried you."
Kakashi could see them competing for glory and all.
'They're competing, not cooperating. Time to teach them the lesson.' He stepped forward, "Impressive. I asked you to perform together in a team to be more efficient. But let me ask you both something… what happens in the field when it's not just drones? What happens when lives are on the line? Would you still be competing against each other?"
Creel's smirk faltered.
Kakashi's voice grew firm, "I've seen it before. People chasing glory, thinking strength is enough. In the end, it never is. Out there, if you break protocol, fine—you'll be called reckless. That makes you a liability."
Kakashi continued, "Fury or SHIELD or mostly I would give you missions and tell you that completing missions should be your priority and you should stick to the rules. I've seen it before. People chasing glory, thinking strength is enough. In the end, it never is. Out there, if you break rules, fine—you'll be called reckless. That makes you a liability."
Kakashi's tone hardened, his thoughts flashing to Obito, Rin, Minato, his students and finally his father.
"The mission matters. But your team—your friends—matter more. You'll find out soon enough that in this line of work, there will be times when all the power in the world won't save you. But your teammates might."
Creel's thoughts were sobered. 'Teammates…' He glanced at Blonsky, his fear lingering but softening. 'Maybe he's not just a monster.'
Kakashi's voice grew sharp, "But if you turn your back on your teammate? If you abandon them when they need you most… you're worse than reckless. Worse than scum. Because then it's not just your failure. It's theirs too. And sometimes, people die because of it."
Kakashi's voice softened, but his words carried weight. "You want to prove yourselves? Do it by watching each other's backs. That's the only way you would survive in impossible situations."
He turned to leave, hands in his pockets. He threw one last line over his shoulder. "Remember this: the mission matters, but the person next to you matters more."
Creel watched him go, "…Man, he's intense. Where does he even get stuff like that?"
Blonsky leaned back, arms crossed as he remembered his own military days, "He's not wrong. In the army, it's the same. Orders are one thing, but leaving a man behind? That's the one rule you don't break."
Creel's thoughts were curious, his fear easing. "So… you actually agree with him?"
Blonsky nodded, his voice gruff. "Yeah. I've seen it. Doesn't matter how tough you are—when bullets are flying, you're only as good as the person covering your back. Forget that, and you don't last long."
Creel's thoughts settled, his perspective shifting. "Guess we will not be so different from the army, then."
Blonsky said, "Difference is, in the army, we had drill sergeants screaming it into us. This guy? He just keeps hammering one thing—teammates, teamwork. Like it's the only rule that really matters."
Creel's mind flicked to the beach mission, his complaints now feeling petty. He recalled Blonsky hauling a rusted car frame while he cleared plastic bags, their combined strength making it quick.
'Maybe he's not so scary. Besides, It seems like we are teammates now.'
Blonsky's mind drifted to the cat mission, 'We worked well. Could be better.' He glanced at Creel, his thoughts grudgingly respectful. 'He has got potential, if he stops whining.'
Creel's voice broke the silence, his thoughts curious. "Think we'll get a real mission soon?"
Blonsky grumbled, "Hope so. I'm done with cats.
--------Author Notes---------
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