Heylo again: another fic offering! First attempt at a chapter fic ... Once more, it is unbeta-ed, so apologies for mistakes and whatnot. Reviews would be fantastic! Copyright of Naruto belongs to the creator. Thanks for reading - enjoy!

Summary: A story of healing, adventure, and a second chance at life.

Ninja: Survivor

Chapter One: The Struggle to Konoha

His own uniform was long gone, but the shirt he had taken from the killed guard was long enough that it covered his whole body. At first he had intended to take the ninja vest, as it provided more safety, but it had simply been too heavy to bear. And the almost overwhelming urge that dominated his mind, that pushed him forever onwards: Remember who you are. Get back to Konoha and tell the Godaime. You cannot fail.

So here he was. Racing through the forest as fast as his short legs could allow, as fast as his battered body could bear. His Konoha hitae-ate, the only thing they had left him, probably the only thing that had kept him clinging on to the shreds of his sanity, had been used as a bandage around the worst of his injuries. Even still, it had been seeped through with blood hours ago.

Bloodied fingers and palms too small suddenly missed the grip of the next branch he was aiming for. He fell heavily, his body creating a large 'thud' as it impacted with the ground. The pain ripped through him, the flimsy shirt providing next to none protection, and he screamed. The agony wouldn't subside. The oblivion of merciful darkness loomed, beckoning, and he almost surrendered gratefully. Almost. But something prevented him from succumbing, something that was … himself? kept repeating: Remember who you are. You must get back to Konoha and tell the Godaime. You mustn't fail.

So he struggled on. Somehow he pushed himself up, somehow he forced himself to keep moving forward. And somehow, miraculously, he made it. Five days after he had escaped that hell hole, already taxed beyond what he could endure, he had made it back to the gates of Konoha. Not the main opening gates, of course, but one of the sentry posts solely for ninjas.

About ten meters short of said gate, he tilted his head up wearily, looking at the sky, and was surprised to see that the stars were out. He hadn't noticed that it had become night. Too late did he realise that it was a bad move. Losing what little balance he had left, the word spun crazily on its axis and he once more fell hard to the ground. This time, he couldn't get up.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." He heard one of the guards mutter the technique. Seconds later, strong arms had sat him back up and were doing a quick diagnostics on him. He recognised the ninja as Aoba, wearing sunglasses even in the dark of the night, and leaned trustingly into the man.

"Morino-san, he's badly hurt." Aoba spoke up urgently, voice carrying through the night skies and silence. "I can't even begin to figure out what's wrong with him. He needs medical attention."

The voice that replied didn't even sound fazed. "Well, he'll get none until we can prove he's one of ours. Many a nation has fallen for this ruse, and Konoha'll not be one of them."

Aoba tensed, but realised that Ibiki was right. He had grown a soft spot for children after being in contact with them for so many years. "I'll just put a stasis jutsu on him then. You can ask him the questions." His hands lifted to form the seals, then stopped as he saw the outline of something around the torso of who his Kage Bunshin was holding. Pulling it out then completing the jutsu, he exclaimed in surprise and dismay. "Morino-san! He's wearing a Konoha hiate-ate!"

Ibiki swore and was beside Aoba's Kage Bunshin immediately. Taking the hitae-ate, he examined it closely before sliding to his knees and scrutinising the body in front of him. "You've been tortured." He said matter-of-factly. "I can't see why anyone would torture someone like you, so there must be extenuating circumstances of which I am not aware. You also have a Konoha hitae-ate. This is what we're going to do. Either you're going to tell me everything right now, or you're going to tell me the clearance codes that give you the authority to speak with someone higher up. If not, I'm just going to put you out of your misery, consequences be damned." He was no newcomer to torture, but this was some of the worst he'd ever seen.

Remember who you are. You must get back to Konoha and tell the Godaime. You cannot die. The fallen ninja opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. With a sudden feeling of dread, he realised that his vocal chords were too dry to get the passcodes he had spent hours repeating in his head as a mantra to keep him going. Deciding to draw the codes in the dirt instead, he leaned over, only to fall so helplessly that his face would have hit the dirt if not for Ibiki catching him. His whole body trembled with exhaustion and tears welled into his eyes as he realised he could do no more. He was going to die.

But he had promised he wouldn't. Promised. Promised he'd remember who he was, promised he'd get back and tell the Godaime, promised he wouldn't die. So think. Think. Something they could use to identify him, something that would get him to the Godaime even without the codes. Think.

And finally, summoning every ounce of willpower he had left, he forced out the beginning of one croaked word "Gen" and put a finger in the corner of his mouth. Then he slumped back, allowing his weight to be supported by Ibiki.

"'Gen'? And what's that stupid action he's doing?" Ibiki was not amused.

Aoba snapped his fingers. "Morino-san, I think he means Shiranui Genma. The finger in the corner of his mouth must be mimicking the senbon."

"Shiranui?" Ibiki replied. "Didn't Tsunade-sama put him on …" His voice hardened. "Get him."

"Sir." Aoba teleported out.

The remaining two kept silent in the forest, one too exhausted yet relieved his plan had worked, one's mind racing at the implications this could bring.

A mere few minutes passed before Aoba returned, followed closely by Genma. Upon arrival, the tokubetsu jounin put two fingers between his own fourth and fifth ribs, sending a small chakra flare. His eyes widened and he leapt for the two on the round. "Ibiki! It's him!"

Ibiki's face paled. "Aoba, get Tsunade! Then send out the white dove flare! Genma, hold him, feed him chakra, keep him stable. I'll teleport the three of us!" He roared immediately. Ibiki then shrugged off his enormous trenchcoat and draped it around the ninja Genma had identified.

Aoba had gone by the time Ibiki started saying the word "Genma". Ibiki and Genma followed almost immediately, sending the emergency hospital ward into an uproar.

Upon seeing them, the medic-nin in charge of the graveyard shift immediately flared a healing jutsu into his hands, intending to ease the pain of the one Genma was holding, but the trench-coated Ibiki stopped him. "He needs the pain to focus. We must wait for Tsunade-sama. Just ease his throat a little so he can talk."

"I'm here." Tsunade ran into the room, before stopping dead. "Oh dear Gods …"

Genma let go as his charge struggled to stand on his own. A cough had blood running down his shirt, and when he opened his mouth to speak his words were but a harsh rasp. "Godaime. Captured. Tortured by Ibiki's captors. Turned into this, mind included. Tried to keep mind to tell you. Hatake Kakashi. Mission completed."

You did it. You remembered who you are. You got back and told the Godaime. You didn't die. Well done. You can let go now.

And he collapsed.

Silence reigned for a second as everyone looked down the unconscious and dying Hatake Kakashi. The Copy Ninja, now but the size of a four-year-old, severely tortured, boy.

TBC ... ? The introduction of a couple, and the fight to save Kakashi's life ...