Disclaimer: The author does not own, nor claims ownership of, the Naruto franchise. The following is a non-profit work of fiction. All characters not original belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the animation studios having contributed to the production of the anime. All copyrights and trademarks are credited to their rightful owners.
Summary: Hatake Kakashi; from prodigy, to pariah, to elite, to legend, to traitor. His mind was as quick as his blade and he knew at once that there was more to the Uchiha clan's butchering than it being a mere 'test of capacity'. And so he spoke, and so he was branded: S-rank nuke-nin. No more a silent assassin, no more a killer from the shadows, Kakashi breathed the air of freedom and laid bare all that he was capable of to mark the world as it had marked him.
General Warning: This work of fiction has appropriately rated 'M' due to the presence and prevalence of the following depicted details: gore, violence, verbal violence/abuse, strong language, disturbing insinuations, sexual themes and innuendos, psychopathic/sociopathic behavior and/or mentions/recollections of rape, harassment and/or abuse of any nature. If any of the aforementioned features triggers the reader, it is strongly suggested that they read no further than this statement.
Alternate Universe Explanation: I was deep in thought about potential pairings for Kakashi, and drew up blanks. I managed to eventually shortlist a few, but realized that he would have to be involved in international affairs quite a bit. That left two options: Hokage, or S-rank criminal.
It wasn't until much later that I was contemplating whether or not Kakashi had figured out the truth of the massacre or not, because a) he is far from stupid and b) I figured he knew Itachi well enough that the guy wouldn't turn on his family, traumatize his brother, and then give the shitty explanation of wanting to 'test his capacity.' Then it clicked and I pushed it in.
I always considered Kakashi to be at his absolute peak when he was an ANBU Captain, and then during the periods leading up to and during the Fourth War. And there came my thoughts of 'what if Kakashi never slacked off?' I slowly began molding him into a legend, which was somewhat farfetched, but badass enough that I kept at it.
Danzo, of course, prides himself on secrets, and doesn't trust Kakashi to keep them.
And then came all the possibilities regarding Kakashi in Akatsuki, Kakashi in Kiri, Kakashi as a bloody fucking legend, and out went this fic.
The Fanged Calamity
By Xyphrost
Prologue:
Having Experienced Freedom
"Kakashi-senpai," a smooth voice, slightly effeminate but still male, greeted. Young, Kakashi noted, and confident.
There were very few people who address him as that, and even fewer that could do so with that tone.
Kakashi grinned, downing the rest of the sake in his cup in a single go before setting it down on the bar top. He spun in his seat to greet his former subordinate back.
"'Tachi-kuunn," Kakashi greeted back enthusiastically, squinting his eyes as his lips pulled back in a wide grin, silently taking in the thirteen-year-old's appearance. Well, Kakashi amended, fifteen now. Hard to believe it's only been two years.
Uchiha Itachi observed Kakashi with wry amusement visible in his eyes, a small smile playing at his lips. Kakashi absently noted that he wore a black cloak with red emblazons in the form of clouds. Itachi took a seat beside Kakashi, accepting the cup of sake that Kakashi offered him with a slight inclination of his head. He generally didn't have sake, but that had changed somewhat over the years. One of Kakashi's and Shisui's few success regarding the stoic boy, to be sure.
"I see you've had too many cups, senpai," Itachi remarked, noting Kakashi's behavior.
"Careless, Itachi-kun," Kakashi chided, a smirk pulling at his lips. He grasped the bottle and gave it a little shake. He saw realization flicker in the younger shinobi's eyes; the bottle was mostly full. "This," Kakashi said, pouring himself another cup, "is only my second cup." He put the sake cup to his mouth, regardless of the mask between the porcelain and his lips.
That didn't stop Itachi from taking a jab.
"Like I said," Itachi said wryly, "too many cups."
"Ouch," Kakashi said, taking a sip with a crease of his brow. "So, my little kouhai; what brings you to Wave Country?"
"I could ask the same of you, but I already know you'd just left Kirigakure. Your exploits brought you much attention, senpai. Wasn't it the rule of the ANBU to keep discretion?"
Kakashi grinned.
"It was, but when your moniker used to be the 'Copy-Ninja', you would tend to get quite frustrated when that arsenal of jutsu was far too destructive for the likes of your job." He shrugged. "Much as I despise Danzo for throwing me out of the village, I'm still quite glad because I no longer have to hold myself back. Fighting the war was probably the most exhilarating thing I've done these past twenty-three years," Kakashi admitted, grin turning wry.
"Still. It seems you've changed over the past two years. A war usually serves to subdue a person."
Kakashi shrugged, finishing his cup before setting it down on the counter. He grasped the bottle, silently offering to pour Itachi another cup. Itachi rejected with a shake of his head.
"Like I said, freedom was a nice experience," Kakashi said, choosing to keep the sake aside to focus on the conversation. "Though, it seems like you haven't changed at all, my accomplice," he mocked, though the mockery wasn't directed towards the Uchiha.
"On the contrary," Itachi countered calmly, smile still tugging at his lips, "I'd like to think I've changed quite significantly. And, if memory serves, I believe the Bingo Book entries have explicitly stated that it was you who was my accomplice – I still fail to recall what exactly it was you did to earn your position as my accomplice that night, on that note – and not the other way around."
Kakashi paused to recall both his and Itachi's Bingo Book entries.
"Huh," Kakashi intoned amusedly. "It seems you're right."
"Aren't I always?" Itachi's polite smile morphed into a smirk.
Kakashi made a show of leaning forward to look at the sky outside the entrance to the bar.
"Funny," Kakashi stated, a fake frown creasing his brow. "I remembered I was pretty sure when I said the sky would fall the day Uchiha Itachi gained a sense of humor." Kakashi shrugged, reverting to his position. "Too bad."
Itachi's smirk grew wider.
"For the record, though, I think deducing the truth about the massacre was enough for Danzo. And a couple of other dirty secrets regarding Shisui's death." Kakashi frowned. "Decrepit old fart's a bloody gold mine of dirty secrets, now that I think about it."
Itachi's expression hardened briefly, but then he was back to his previous countenance with a brief nod.
"I'll hear more of this later." Itachi hadn't posed a question. Kakashi fought the urge to grin. It seemed his kouhai had grown a bit more backbone.
"Anyways," Kakashi began, "I take it back. You have changed."
Itachi raised a curious eyebrow in question.
"Your fashion tastes were bad when you were still in Konoha; they've grown bloody terrible now," he clarified with a smirk of his own. "What's up with the cloak?" he then asked, a frown once again adorning his forehead.
"That's partly why I'm here," Itachi mentioned, instantly adopting a more serious look.
"Business, huh?" Kakashi closed his eyes with a sigh of regret, before opening them to show the eyes of a former ANBU Captain.
Itachi nodded.
"I'm extending an offer from the Akatsuki to you. Join us, Kakashi-senpai."
For a moment, Kakashi was silent, staring at Itachi with an unreadable expression.
"What's in it for me?" he asked once the moment had passed, shifting slightly. He was only just made acutely aware of how restrictive the shoddy brown cloak he'd worn to avoid suspicion on the streets was, if it came to a fight between him and Itachi. His Sharingan spun slowly, taking in all details he would need in case of an escape.
An organization strong enough to reel in someone like Itachi, whose reputation for having slaughtered the Uchiha clan was very – very – well-renowned, was dangerous. Extremely so. Powerful, to be sure, and since it was obviously involved in ninja affairs yet not even known to him – he hadn't even heard of the name – indicated that a rejection of the offer was not going to end well for him. They'd sent Itachi to him because the two were familiar with each other, but they wouldn't be bold enough to reveal their signature – the cloud motifs on the black cloak – without being confident enough in his ability to take down other S-rank threats. Just how much had Itachi grown in the short period they hadn't seen each other?
"A goal worth fighting for, if you accept," Itachi said, expression giving nothing away. Kakashi frowned at the lack of information; that last phrase had confirmed his suspicions.
"I see… But I don't know the details. I'd accepted quite a few tough tasks during the rebellion, but never without knowing exactly what I'd been in for."
"This isn't a contract," Itachi smiled, somewhat sardonically. "You'll be part of the organization, fighting solely for the goal we hope to achieve. You won't be a hired knife, so to speak."
Kakashi's lips thinned.
"Pay? Lodgings?"
"Consider us a model of a hidden village."
"There's ranks?"
"Not strictly speaking."
A brief pause.
"You're being deliberately vague. How illegal is the work going to be?"
"For now? Nothing serious."
"'For now?'" Kakashi mimicked, not letting his worry show. "What exactly does that mean?"
"Nothing beyond ordinary mercenary work."
"Wait. Let me rephrase, then. How illegal are we going to get, internationally?"
"The kind I'm going to have to kill you if I reveal how."
"You think you can take me? I'd been turning the tide in a losing war for eighteen months, Itachi-kun, and that often involved other S-rankers. Juzo Biwa was a target of mine after he betrayed the rebels. Integrated some of the metal from Kubikiribouchou into my own ninjato."
"Explains why we couldn't find him. He was a target."
"Dealing with S-ranks, are we? Interesting. Even then, he wasn't much of an issue. I'd earned my new moniker quite justly."
"Regardless, I wasn't just sent here because of my familiarity with you."
"I suspected as much…"
"Will you accept?" Itachi finally cut back to the main point. Kakashi knew him well enough that he was irritated. His voice hadn't changed, neither had his posture, but the stiffer interjection was enough of a give-away.
Kakashi contemplated for a moment before grinning widely.
"How long do I have to make my decision?" he asked curiously.
"Leader-sama expects us back in two days," Itachi answered, and Kakashi could see in the Uchiha's black eyes that some of the annoyance had ebbed away. Couldn't be having that now, could he?
"Us?" Kakashi mimicked, grin growing sharp. "Very telling, Itachi-kun."
A crack finally appeared in Itachi's demeanor as Kakashi watched his lips purse together slightly in displeasure. Kakashi was sure that if he grinned any wider, his face was going to break.
"Should you accept, we'll leave tomorrow morning at eight," Itachi stated after taking a deep breath.
"Should I accept?" Kakashi mimicked once again. "We both know that you fully expect to return there with me in mint condition." He paused to reconsider. "Or not, apparently. Actually," Kakashi stated, injecting quite a bit of smugness into his tone, "I'm going to test that. You've tempted me greatly, Itachi-kun. I'm curious as to what exactly it is that has you so on edge whether or not I come back with you. What kind of punishment could possibly frighten the most legendary of kinslayers?"
Itachi's eye twitched. A single twitch, but a violent one. Kakashi felt more than a little of his sadism grow. The Uchiha prodigy opened his mouth to speak but was abruptly cut off when Kakashi stood and stared down at Itachi with a self-satisfied smirk, his Sharingan spinning mockingly slowly.
"Meet me seven miles west of town at quarter to eight, Itachi-kun. You'll have my answer then."
Kakashi had been quite restless the night before. He'd been on his way to seduce someone into sharing his bed until morning but lost himself to his thoughts by the time he'd spotted a pretty target; a blue-haired young mother, he'd noticed, but that was about all before his thoughts had inevitably returned to Itachi and the offer.
Akatsuki, he'd thought. Dawn. Simple, idealistic, and surprisingly wide in regards to what it could mean. Dawn of a new era? Maybe the leader of the organization had considered Senju Hashirama as his role model? From eternal warring to subservient fear was what the fabled Princess of the Fruit had brought. Then came her son, the Sage of Six Paths, who'd brought about an era of learning and peace from the unending fear.
And his sons afterwards warred between each other, and thus began the long reign of the brutal clan wars. Descendants of his sons, the Uchiha and the Senju, finally put an end to the constant slaughter under the Shodai Hokage's and Uchiha Madara's banner. Peace lasted… For about all of a decade.
The cycle of war began once again, and that was precisely what they were living in at the moment.
Did this man style himself the next legendary revolutionary? The previous were all revered as demi-gods, the Rikudo Sennin elevated perhaps even higher. They all had had great power. All of them.
Kakashi had chuckled. A man reeling in S-ranks – and apparently without any dissent, if the lack of news regarding the deaths of S-rank nuke-nin was attributed to that – was definitely very powerful. A single S-rank shinobi could level an entire village if given sufficient preparation. An organization that consisted of them? And a man who could then control such subordinates? Frightening to imagine, to say the least.
Perhaps he was the next Senju Hashirama. Time would tell, that was certain. Even if he refused now, he was sure he'd be feeling Akatsuki's effects a few years down the road.
A presence registered in his immediate vicinity and Kakashi dragged himself out of his thoughts.
"I see you made it, Itachi-kun," Kakashi said, smirking. He idly watched as Itachi took note of the lack of the brown hooded cloak he'd worn yesterday. He'd decided on keeping it tucked away, because the next few minutes were sure to be… interesting.
"I see you didn't leave Kiri without a memento," Itachi remarked at his new outfit. It was true, he supposed. He wore his own simple half-sleeved black shirt – with the exception of being longer at the top to count as a facemask – and a similarly colored pair of leg wear. That was simple enough, and he had a pouch strapped to either trouser leg; it made for easy access to weapons considering he'd trained himself to be ambidextrous.
The real detail of note was the dark grey flak jacket, however – a Kiri jounin flak vest without the shoulder pads with its front zip opened. It was a gift he'd worn once his ANBU flak vest had been shredded during training. The red scarf wrapped around his neck at that moment had survived, it seemed; unsurprising since it managed to survive the roughest of his ANBU days. Quite a coup for Kiri, to have put some sort of claim on the current deadliest name in the elemental nations. And he was going to test how Itachi matched up with his reputation.
"No, I didn't," Kakashi agreed after a brief pause as he observed Itachi in return. It seemed that the Uchiha was still in the same attire he'd met him in the day before. "Are you sure you want to keep the cloak on? It's going to be restrictive."
"Is that your answer, then?" Itachi asked, eyebrow raised. "You refuse?"
Kakashi smirked.
"Not precisely," he said nonchalantly, pulling out a pair of fingerless gloves from his pouch and slipping his fingers through them with a graceful deftness. He unsheathed the ninjato strapped across his back with one hand and reached into his weapons' pouch once again. "Though you aren't too far off."
Itachi's eyes widened slightly when a sharp tinkle resounded throughout the clearing.
"We're going to do this the old way, Itachi-kun," Kakashi mentioned, smirk growing wider as he held up a single silver bell. "You want to leave this place with me in fifteen minutes? You're going to damn well work for it." His Sharingan spun lazily in his eye socket, mocking.
Itachi closed his eyes.
"I see," he spoke softly. His eyes snapped open, colored a blazing red as the tomoe of his Sharingan spun rapidly.
Kakashi grinned at the challenge and stuck the bell at his waist. He twirled the ninjato in his hand, sending a stream of chakra into the blade. The weapon that once used to be Hatake Sakumo's famed Sabretooth glowed a bright white.
"Come, then, Itachi-kun," Kakashi said, grin gaining a sharp edge. "I have many reputations which people expect me to keep up with. The Yellow Flash's student, the White Fang's son, the Snake Sannin's legacy, the Bloodbathed's accomplice…" His tone was almost wistful as he listed off monikers of legends, dead and alive. And then the dreaminess fled his voice and out came the hard edge of a knife. The grin then disappeared, and there remained the stony countenance of a man who'd slaughtered thousands.
"But I'll show you exactly why I stepped out of their shadows as the Fanged Calamity."
Author's Note: Leave a review on the way out, maybe? How does the idea sound? I went with a time-skip because I'm still cementing the details of Kakashi's branding as an S-rank. Help would be much appreciated in that regard. Kakashi is, as of now, paired with Terumi Mei, though that is a small, small way of describing their relationship. There won't be the same kind of 'traditional' pairing that you would expect from other fanfics. This is far more interesting to write about. I even know exactly where to take this 'pairing!'
-Xyphrost