"A front isn't enough though.."

Yamato held his cup close, soaking up the warmth of the fresh tea and regarded the middle distance with a frown.

"He needs to process and accept what happened, not during the mission of course, but the sooner he learns that he needs to deal with the emotions he packs away for the sake of a mission or others, the better he'll be in the long run."

it was speaking from experience again and one of the few lessons that Kakashi had been strict with, even if it wasn't with himself. Yamato had suffered from the complete opposite until the Jounin had pulled him up on it; blood on his hands had little affect on his younger self and it was a worrying trait that Kakashi talked him out of, making sure he understood the weight of every death, that they had meaning.

It didn't always help him sleep at night, but it was enough to keep him grounded, to keep him human in the worst day's they'd shared.