Author's Note: So, just because I love all of you, I'll tell you now in case you didn't catch it before. There are SPOILERS. They're not plot-essential to the series but they do play an impact on some characters. You have been warned.

An S-rank mission was where it all began.

Kakashi couldn't hide his surprise when he was called to the Hokage's office and handed a white, blood spattered scroll. His gaze flicked between the scroll and the Hokage, confusion clear in his expression. "Hokage… I'm not well enough for a mission." His previous assignment had left him with a near-fatal wound that had stubbornly refused to heal. In his condition, another mission could easily cause problems, and the Hokage had been informed of this. So why is he assigning a mission to me so soon?

The Hokage chuckled, amused by the unusual worry Kakashi was expressing. Normally, he was raring to go. He understood his concern, but the young jonin could handle this mission without fear of fighting. "Kakashi Hatake, the greatest 18-year-old jonin in this village. Surely you can handle recon?" If he'd managed to rise to the top at that age, the mission would be no problem, injury or not. "Now, open the scroll."

Kakashi sighed in resignation, knowing that he couldn't refuse. He examined the scroll, searching the seemingly seamless surface for a means of opening it. The only thing that marked it, aside from the crimson stains, was the symbol for chi, or blood. An Anbu blood seal. Having recognized the seal, he lifted his thumb to his mouth and bit the tip sharply. A tiny dot of blood appeared, welling up and threatening to run down his finger. He hesitantly pressed it to the seal, watching as it ran through the symbol like water through a canal. Once reaching each corner, the symbol seemed to simply burn out of existence, releasing the seal.

The scroll fell open, extending about a foot before reaching its end, exposing the hastily written report. Holding one end in each hand, Kakashi began to pour over the contents, wondering what could require such high security measures. As he read, his expression changed from indifference to one of disturbance. The Blood Village was... Destroyed? But I was there just a week ago. As if wanting to remind him of his previous visit, his torso began to ache where he'd been wounded before and it took extreme control not to drop the scroll and clutch his chest in pain. And now, they want me to...

He quickly closed the scroll and tossed it on the desk, knowing that it would be disposed of later. He turned his gaze to the Hokage, his expression unreadable but anger clear in his voice. "Lord Hokage, this is-"

"Yes, yes. I'm sending you back. You're the only one who knows anything about that place, Kakashi. You must go." The Hokage couldn't meet Kakashi's eyes; he was doing such a terrible thing, and it was obvious that the young ninja wanted nothing to do with the mission.

The shinobi stood silent a moment, clenching his hands into fists by his side for a moment before speaking through clenched teeth. "I understand. I will leave once the sun sets." Kakashi bowed shortly, hiding his irritation behind a forced smile, and turned to go, wanting nothing more than to leave that office. As he shut the door behind him, fighting the urge to slam it shut, he let out a huff and began plotting out the things he would need for his trip. A few days in that rough country would require a decent amount of supplies. Glancing upward, he could tell there wasn't much time until nightfall. He headed towards his home, already listing out the supplies he would need. This trip would only last a few days, but it would seem much longer to Kakashi.

Darkness plagued the land, the moon constantly obscured by the dark clouds that were spread across the sky. The road was silent as Kakashi walked, only the gentle taps of his footsteps and the occasional flip of a page disrupting the peace. He was acutely aware that he was being followed, though he didn't know by who, so he'd put up the appearance of an unaware traveler. It could've simply been the Anbu testing his skill. With one hand he held a book, blank on the cover, while the other rested in his pocket, a kunai tucked into the sleeve in case a fight arose. He was seemingly unaware but perfectly prepared for any threat.

I didn't think the Blood Village was this far away… He'd been traveling for hours, and it must've been well past midnight already- probably closer to dawn. The scenery offered no hints to his location, as it was all dense forestry and the occasional puddle of black water. He'd stopped at one of these puddles before, examining the pink lotus that floated on the murky surface. Kakashi found it strange that a flower could grow in such thick water, but his thoughts were more focused towards getting to the village and getting his mission over with so he could return to the Leaf Village. Not a very shinobi-like thought, but that was Kakashi.

Red and yellow light began to filter through the trees, notifying Kakashi that dawn had broken, yet he still hadn't reached the village. He slowed to a halt next to a murky puddle. Snapping his book shut, he slid it into his pouch and crouched next to the water, reaching out a hand and plucking the pink lotus. "You're the one that started this," he said softly, twirling the flower between his fingers and he straightened up. He had been trapped the instant he leaned over to look at the plant.

He placed his palms together, folding the fingers to form a hand sign used for basic chakra control, the lotus trapped in the indentation his fingers made when pressed together. "Release!"

The forest melted away to reveal the charred ruins of a village, and Kakashi found himself standing at the entrance gate, the path now behind him. He had planned to make a snide comment about how whoever had cast the genjutsu should've been more careful about repeating surroundings, but he was caught off guard by the desolation in front of him.

The ground was completely black with ash and blood and littered with countless numbers of burned bodies. Shallows trenches were running with crimson rivers, some of them still fresh. Buildings had crumbled like dust and were alive with black flames that showed no sign of ceasing. The air was thick with smoke and the scent of blood, so thick that Kakashi could almost taste it even through his mask. He had to fight the urge to gag; the scene was repulsing, even to a ninja like him.

He wandered through the village, searching the bodies for any sign of who had caused the damage, though they were too badly burned for him to gather any useful intel. There were no marks, no cuts... Just burns. The black flames could provide some answers, so Kakashi sealed them in a special sealing scroll he had been given. He would turn it over to the Anbu when he returned. He continued his search, turning his attention to the other buildings.

By the time night had fallen, Kakashi hadn't gotten any more information from the destroyed village. He knew he had scanned over some things, but he hadn't been able to examine them for long without losing focus. I'm just too paranoid. I can't focus because I'm tired. He still felt eyes boring into his back with every move he made, and it unnerved him. This place bothered him in the first place, and on top of all that, he was physically drained.

He took up a watch position against the base of a large, blackened tree, sitting on the ground with his back resting against it. This would allow him to rest his body at least, since he couldn't sleep. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and this was better than nothing. The enemy could return. He'd need to be prepared.

Kakashi let his gaze wander to the sky, where the moon rested, illuminating the village below in an eerie white light. A gentle breeze blew through the village, carrying wisps of grey smoke away in its current. He'd rather be home, but he had to admit as he sat watching the leaves drifting down that this place was peaceful enough. It was sad circumstances, but-

Wait… Leaves? These trees are barren!

He immediately tried to leap to his feet, but his body wouldn't respond. He was paralyzed. "Damnit… Genjutsu!" He muttered to himself, trying fruitlessly to force his hands into the sign to release the technique. Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? I should've expected a double attack. But there weren't any signs...

Cursing his ignorance, Kakashi resigned himself to watching the world unfold around him through a narrowed gaze. In a whirlwind of leaves a figure appeared, its hand clad in pale green chakra. A medical-nin, huh. The stranger approached his still body, crouching down just a foot away and reaching out a hand to lift his chin as his head fell forward. Through his darkening sight, Kakashi could make out a few features; this was a woman, with short, dark hair and dark rectangles marking her cheeks. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he recognized the woman, and after a moment he was able to choke out a feeble "R-Rin?"

The woman smiled almost sadly, leaning forward slightly and pressing her free palm against Kakashi's chest, the green chakra brightening as she performed an unseen jutsu. "Sleep now, Kakashi."