Kakashi sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, the faint glow of the communication seal flickering against his fingertips. The parchment smelled faintly of ozone and ink-a scent he'd come to associate with home.

Minato's neat handwriting shimmered across the scroll as it formed, each word appearing in real time.

I'll have the medical corps prepare the shipment immediately. But the fact that the venom's still active... Kakashi, that worries me. You said it's growing?

Kakashi exhaled, rubbing at his temple. Growing was an understatement.

He dipped his brush into the ink again, his reply steady despite the fatigue weighing down his body.

Snape isolated the strain. It's intelligent, evolving with every host cell. He's holding it back for now-but it's not enough. I need chakra-infused reagents. Dried bloodroot, white bellflower, phoenix sage bark if they can spare it.

The ink shimmered for a moment, then Minato's response appeared, faster this time.

We'll send everything you've listed. I'll have Shizune consult on potential interactions with potions. Just... hang on, Kakashi. You're not alone in this.

Kakashi stared at the final line a little longer than he meant to.

He wasn't alone-but sometimes, in the quiet of this strange, magic-filled castle, it felt like it. Snape was brilliant, cold, and sharp-minded, but he worked in a world where chakra didn't exist. To him, this venom was a biological anomaly. To Kakashi, it was something far crueler-an enemy that learned.

He folded the scroll with careful precision, pressing the sealing mark to lock it. The light dimmed, fading into parchment once more.

He leaned back against the wall, closing his eye for a moment. His body still ached from the last flare-up; his chakra flow felt sluggish, distorted.

But at least now, there was a plan.

If Minato sent the herbs-if Snape could combine wizarding alchemy with shinobi medical theory-then maybe they could find a way to outsmart this thing before it consumed him from the inside out.

He glanced toward the window, where the lights of the castle shimmered in the distance.

"Just a little longer," he muttered. "I can handle this."

The words sounded confident.
But deep down, Kakashi wasn't sure who he was trying to convince-Minato, Snape, or himself.

---

Kakashi leaned back in the shadowed corner of the corridor, watching Umbridge glide past with that sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face. She was everywhere lately-hovering in classrooms, scribbling notes on parchment, marking professors' performances like some sort of inspector. Every movement she made radiated control, and Kakashi's gut told him it wasn't just about rules or oversight.

He flexed his fingers, thinking. Hogwarts was supposed to be a school, not a Ministry showroom. And yet, it felt like Fudge wanted a full-scale revamp of everything here. Which was... strange. Very strange.

Why now? Kakashi wondered, tilting his head as he observed her from a distance. Was it really just about bureaucracy, or is there something more?

He couldn't help but think about the bigger picture. Alerting the wizarding world that Voldemort had returned shouldn't have been treated like a crime. He remembered the last summer, the chaos, the danger, and the trust-or lack thereof-placed in Harry. And now, Dolores Umbridge, Ministry-appointed, roaming the castle like a shadowed sentinel, enforcing rules that didn't make sense...

They're overreacting. But why? Kakashi thought, the familiar tension in his chest growing. The answer wasn't obvious, but his instincts told him one thing: he needed to be careful, and keep Harry close. Hogwarts had suddenly become far more dangerous-not from magic alone, but from those in power.

---

Kakashi stood at the edge of the courtyard, hands buried in his pockets, watching the scene unfold with the same blank calm that had unnerved half the school by now.

Dolores Umbridge, pink and smug as ever, was standing in front of a trembling Sybill Trelawney, her wand raised like a judge's gavel. A crowd had gathered, whispering furiously as trunks and crystal balls were unceremoniously dumped at the professor's feet.

It was a spectacle - loud, cruel, and completely unnecessary.

Kakashi sighed softly through his nose. So this is how she consolidates control, he thought. Fear and humiliation. Classic.

He'd seen leaders like this before - the type who didn't conquer through strength but through suffocating control. And while Trelawney might have seemed a little unhinged, Kakashi knew better than to dismiss her. A seer's gift was unpredictable, but when real, it was powerful. Dangerous, even.

Hermione had scoffed at Divination from the start, calling it "nonsense." But Kakashi had learned long ago to listen to those who spoke in riddles about fate. He still remembered the eerie accuracy of Trelawney's prophecy last year - the red spinning eye, the son of sorrow. She wasn't wrong.

When Dumbledore appeared, sweeping between the two women like a sudden storm, Kakashi's shoulders eased slightly. His calm voice carried across the courtyard - firm but measured - forbidding Umbridge from expelling Trelawney entirely.

But even as Dumbledore placed a steadying hand on the sobbing woman's shoulder, Kakashi could tell. This wasn't mercy; it was containment.

He watched the crowd disperse, watched Trelawney being led back inside, and felt that quiet, familiar dread settle in his chest. Hogwarts wasn't just under Ministry control anymore. It was under siege.

---

Hermione caught up with Kakashi just outside the library, her arms full of books and parchment - which, for her, wasn't exactly unusual.

"Kakashi!" she hissed in a low whisper, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was around.

He paused mid-step, tilting his head. "You sound like you're about to confess to a crime, Hermione."

She huffed, cheeks puffing slightly, but her eyes were blazing with that fierce, unstoppable determination he'd come to recognize. "Not a crime - a solution."

He raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue.

Hermione took a quick breath. "The Ministry's interfering in everything. We can't practice real defensive magic anymore, and if something happens-if You-Know-Who really is back-we'll be helpless. I was thinking... we could start a group. Just us students. A secret one. We could train ourselves."

Kakashi's visible eye curved faintly - an amused glint sparking there. "A secret defense class?"

She nodded quickly. "Exactly. You've seen the way things are going. We can't rely on Umbridge. We'll learn real spells, real defenses-everything she won't let us touch."

He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, pretending to mull it over. In truth, he already knew his answer.

There was a reason he liked Hermione Granger - she reminded him of home. That same quiet fire that resides in all Leaf Ninja: brains, bravery, and a stubborn refusal to stand by while the world burned.

Finally, he gave a small nod. "I'd say it's a good plan. Risky, but... good."

Her eyes lit up. "So you think we should do it?"

"I think," Kakashi said with a faint, knowing smile, "you already decided that before you asked me."

Hermione blinked, then smiled back. "Maybe I just wanted to know if you'd approve."

He chuckled softly. "I don't approve of many things, Hermione. But rebellion, when done smartly..." His eye crinkled. "That, I can get behind."

Hermione grinned - a rare, mischievous spark flickering in her usually composed expression. "Then it's settled. I'll talk to Harry and Ron tonight. We'll find a place to meet."

"Make sure it's secure," Kakashi said, though his tone was far from stern. "And don't tell anyone who doesn't need to know. Secrets are only safe when shared with the right people."

"I know," she said, practically bouncing on her heels. "This is going to be brilliant."

Before he could say anything else, Hermione gathered her books, turned on her heel, and actually skipped down the corridor - curls bouncing, parchment fluttering like excited wings.

Kakashi watched her go, a faint huff of laughter escaping him despite himself. "Shodai help us all," he muttered.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, shaking his head with quiet amusement. Of all the things he'd expected to find at a magic school - dragons, cursed quills, Ministry spies - a know-it-all rule-breaker with the enthusiasm of a genin on their first mission was not one of them.

He'd never thought he'd be entertained by someone so delighted to break the rules.

---