CHAPTER 1: THE SCROLL

Heavy rain pounded the rooftops as lightning split through the steel grey cloud. Thunder boomed and rumbled, shaking Konoha mercilessly. The rain found a new energy, making the path along the rooftops and closed canopies almost impossible. Another angry rumble distracted Kakashi for a moment who nearly slipped from the slick tile, but regained his footing quickly. The weather in the village had been unusual for this time of year, but not completely uncommon. It was the persistence that was strange; Konoha often experience unannounced storms which would pass as quickly as they would arrive, but not this time. In the past few days the weather had closed in over the village and had only gotten worse since.

Kakashi slid to a halt at the end of a tiled pitch, crouched, teetering on tiptoes as lightning burned the air in front of him. The ground below exploded and Kakashi cursed as he was momentarily blinded. His ears rang and blue stars danced in his vision. He squeezed his right eye shut, and regained his balance. He had been about to make the leap to the next roof, which he noted wasn't too far from Sakura's place. Her roof was hidden behind a taller building, but he could sense her just the same. Her chakra stirred from resting, most likely from the lightning's proximity and consequential clap of thunder which rattled glass and shook the tile of all nearby buildings. Her chakra quietened and, like the rest of the village, she returned to sleep.

Kakashi could now make out the silhouette of his goal. Lightning flashed insistently above the monument, illuminating the four gargantuan faces carved into the rock. There was a strange energy surrounding the Hokage's headquarters. No obvious change in activity levels for this time of morning, but an alertness that caught Kakashi's attention immediately. He quickened the pace, bounding over a rooftop every few seconds until he reached Tsunade's office balcony. The summons had read 'immediately' and Kakashi hadn't had an excuse not to make good time, but she wasn't inside. The office was dark and empty. Sensing tense chakra signatures from above, Kakashi scaled to the top of the tower.

Three ANBU crouched on one knee, head bowed, with their backs to Kakashi. Tsunade stared out over the village. She hunched slightly, arms held wide on the railing, tapping monotonously on the dripping metal. Her loose coat and hair blew wildly in the wind and lightning split the swirling steel clouds once more. Two ANBU flanked her, one leaned over to talk in her ear. Her finger froze in mid tap, and her hand slowly fisted. Her back rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath. Kakashi stood next to the last ANBU in the row.

Yamato stepped toward the crouched party, he glanced expectantly to Kakashi, who, realising what he was silently saying, crouched, feeling his knee instantly freeze.

'We have received some intel that needs immediate and decisive attention.' Kakashi almost looked up at the man he had spent the good part of ten years serving with, but he didn't. It wasn't like Yamato to sound so tense, but he sounded more than anything like he was in shock. The emotion which he was usually so good at reining in was threatening to run unchecked.

'Lady Hokage … our Hokage … Lady Tsunade asks that you pledge yourself again to the Village of the Leaf, its people and its prosperity. We have a responsibility to the cultural memory of this village. We exist to serve, and to protect our home and every soul which lives, or has ever lived within our walls. We have a responsibility as servants of this village to ensure the continuity and longevity of our way of life as a free people. We forsake acceptance and understanding to protect our people. We understand that this life means sometimes doing things –'

'Get to it, Captain,' Tsunade snapped from her position at the rail. Her voice was cold as ice, hard as the colour of the clouds swirling overhead. 'We don't have time to sit around reminiscing over what a good job you people do. I need an answer. Do you pledge your life to the village, wholly and without question?' They were ANBU. It was a requirement of the initiation that you hand over your life, will and mind for the sole purpose of village security. Why now was Tsunade repeating the initiation? This had nothing to do with Kakashi, and he considered the possibility that he had made some sort of mistake, that Tsunade could have summoned him by mistake and that he wasn't meant to be there at all.

Open strap sandals stopped in front of Kakashi. Her toenails were red; last week they were blue. If he looked up, Kakashi knew he would be met with challenging golden eyes. Her voice was low, but had lost none of its hardness as she repeated the words. 'Do you pledge your life to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, to its people and its prosperity?'

'Yes,' the operatives chorused. 'We are the Leaf. We serve the Leaf and protect all that it stands for, forsaking all others. We live as Leaf and die as Leaf. We are the Leaf.'

Forsaking all others.

'Do you pledge your life to the Leaf?' Her voice was a hiss. The other ANBU, whatever their role, were not required to retake a binding pledge.

'That bad, huh?' It was not a challenge, or wilful show of independence. If it was that bad there was no decision to make. She didn't want to overtly state her intentions, but it was becoming obvious that Kakashi's summons had not been a mistake. She stamped her foot. Kakashi stood. Her eyes were narrow under furrowed brows. Her lips were tight, her jaw even tighter. Her arms were stiff at her sides and her hands were fisted with white knuckles. Rain streamed from the brim of the Hokage's hat she rarely wore. Yamato stood at her side. His eyes behind the expressionless cat mask were hard and intense. Such a foreign look on a familiar face. Kakashi knew eyes like that. He had seen them countless times on numerous occasions, on the faces of numerous friends and enemies. He had seen them in the mirror too. Eyes he could barely stand to look at.

'We are the Leaf,' Kakashi began, remembering the words distinctly. 'We serve the Leaf and protect all that it stands for, forsaking … forsaking all others. We live as Leaf and die as Leaf. We are the Leaf.'

Tsunade's glare flickered before she stormed to the front of the company. Yamato and the other operatives followed.

'Time is not something we have right now. Once we get started, that's it. The pledge you have all just reinstated is lifelong. There is no quitting this time. You're in it until the mission is complete, or until you are killed. That is the reality of the situation.'

This was open-ended? Intelligence gathering and espionage, maybe infiltration? But of what? Who? The Akatsuki? Who could have seasoned ANBU so on edge?

Kakashi couldn't help himself. 'What mission?' His curiosity was getting the better of him.

Tsunade's glare snapped to Kakashi. She swiped her hat as her eyes swept over the rest of the party.

'You will be fully briefed this evening.'

'What level?' This sounded S rank. Possibly even –

'You will be briefed tonight. Be back here at six sharp,' Tsunade shouted over the rumble of more thunder. 'Don't be late.'

It was later than Kakashi thought. The distorted light tricked him into believing it was still early morning, but the village was awake. Shops opened for trade despite the weather and brave souls, unable to escape daily duties, rushed through the streets, sheltered dismally under weak umbrellas. Kakashi dropped to the ground down a side street near a tea house, suddenly overcome with the urge for sweet dumplings. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Technically, being reinstated meant he didn't have to think for himself anymore, and technically he didn't have to think about any of this until six tonight, but his curiosity was winning.

Tsunade couldn't get away from the fact that this was an ANBU ranked mission, but she didn't like their robotic obedience. Kakashi hadn't had anything to do with Black Ops for over four years, but he remembered everything like a rotten barb ripping at his conscious. Tsunade was aware of his past, obviously, and had made the logical choice.

He pulled a dumpling from the skewer and savoured the taste. He had a feeling these might be his last dumplings, and so would enjoy every last morsel. A lack of security was evident in the village centre. There was no strong presence, which suggested Tsunade was biding her time as much as she could. She didn't want to alert the villagers to the situation before it was absolutely necessary. A smart move; peacekeeping would distract from the larger problem. Kakashi pulled a second dumpling from the skewer and sipped his tea, forcing himself to stay in the moment, surrounded by villagers and normal life. He was sure that after tonight, how tense the Hokage was, that he would not be experiencing normalcy for a while.

'Kakashi-sensei!' Naruto called. He grinned and landed on all fours on the table, face to face with Kakashi. 'You're out! I thought you'd never get out of there. Say, Sensei, I was wondering …' he grinned again and took a skewer of dumplings, downing them in one go. 'I was wondering –'

'Get off the table! What are you, some kind of animal?' Sakura chastised, fisting Naruto so hard in the head, he slammed into the floor with an audible 'wump'. 'Seriously, Naruto, just because you were raised in the wild doesn't mean you have to act like it. Sorry, Sensei, I tried to stop him.'

'It's alright,' Kakashi said, reeling from the sudden assault on his eardrums. 'Don't worry about it.'

Sakura gave Kakashi an indignant glare. 'You shouldn't encourage him, Sensei,' she said as Naruto sat heavily next to her, rubbing his head and scowling. 'How will he learn?'

Naruto still bore the evidence of his last run-in in the Sound. Sasuke's assault on Naruto's chakra network meant he wasn't healing at the remarkable rate he normally did. The white around his left eye was reddened and veiny, the bruising along his jaw had faded but was still fairly visible. His chakra felt different, almost wild, almost arrogant. It was a mixture of his usual cool energy and a deeper, darker force. There was nothing to worry about though; his chakra would equalise eventually and he would be back to normal.

'Kakashi-sensei! Hey, EARTH TO KAKASHI! Snap out of it, would ya.' Naruto was an inch from Kakashi's face. Sakura pulled at his jacket, trying to drag him back to his seat.

'Naruto! You idiot, stop it. Leave Sensei alone.'

Sakura was different from only a month ago. Her training with Tsunade had paid off in bounds. That had been apparent when they had sparred a while back before Squad Seven's departure to the Sound. She didn't carry herself in that childish manner anymore. She had grown up, no doubt, but she still had a long way to go. Thinking with her fists, letting her emotions rule her, and her arrogance and pride were all things that hadn't changed much. Granted that side of her had somewhat been pacified after the exams, but it hadn't been eradicated completely.

Naruto waved his hands in Kakashi's face, snapping him back to reality.

'Did you say something?'

Naruto glared at him. 'You always do that. I'm trying to ask you something important and you just stare off into space like I'm not even there.'

'Sorry.' It was all he could think to say, but Naruto seemed satisfied.

'So, me and Sakura were wondering if you wanted to –'

Yamato appeared next to Kakashi and spoke into his ear. 'The briefing's been moved. Let's go.' He disappeared.

Naruto and Sakura looked confused, but there was no time to explain. 'Sorry guys, I have to run,' he said as he stood. 'I forgot I promised to help Tsunade with her … paperwork. Well, see ya.' He waved and left them there. Naruto called after him. Hopefully Sakura would keep him under control. Hopefully Naruto wouldn't get too curious.

Kakashi reached the Hokage's tower in no time. He swung down from the branch, entering through the window and moved to the back of the company.

'Okay. Listening up. Captain Yamato will brief you on what's happening. Captain? Please,' Tsunade said. Yamato took a scroll from his tool bag and unrolled a small section.

'Mission: preserve Konoha. Rank: X. Primary Target: unknown. Secondary Target: unknown. Associates: unknown. Threat Level: Catastrophic. We have received an X-rank threat to Konoha. The threat has been verified and is classed as absolute.' Yamato was reciting from memory now. He held the scroll tightly by his side. 'We don't know who issued this threat; analysis on the scroll –' Yamato turned to Tsunade who handed him a small black scroll. 'Hasn't matched any known agents so far. It's like it doesn't exist.' He stared at the black scroll, holding it in his fingers like it was poison. 'Each of you will read the scroll in turn, and then you will be issued with your orders. There isn't a lot of intelligence gathered so far, but it is authentic, that much we know.'

Yamato handed the scroll to the first operative. He unrolled it and began reading. Instantly he stepped back, the scroll rolled from his fingers. Each of the other operatives had a similar reaction to the scroll; they were physically in shock. Tsunade seemed unfazed, almost expectant of the reaction, so too did Yamato as he picked the scroll up and handed it to Kakashi. The other three were slowly regaining composure. If they had been anyone else, they probably would have been asking questions and a lot of them by now. But, ANBU don't ask.

Kakashi opened the scroll.

Instantly he was transported to a hellish world of destruction and despair, full of screams and anger and anguish. The brutality and cruelty of the scenes were undeniable. Children were ripped from their parents and slaughtered in front of their very eyes, but the enemy was invisible. Buildings lay in ruin; bodies and destruction littered the landscape. Blood flowed freely, staining the ground. The sky rained down with fire.

And then …

Nothing.

A void of history and person and state and experience. Nothing remained in the aftermath of that hellish place.

Kakashi dropped the scroll and shoved his hands in his pockets to mask the shaking. It was the end of Konoha. Nothing would remain. It would be erased from history.

The extinction of the Leaf from all memory.

Yamato picked up the scroll and put it on Tsunade's desk. 'The analysis team has been able to authenticate at least one aspect of the scroll. This is a memory. We don't know whose, but somehow, they were able to imprint a physical manifestation of this nightmare onto the scroll. That means, this has already happened. We don't know when, but if you were somehow thinking this is a hoax. It isn't.'

Yamato handed out a new set of scrolls. 'They stay in this room, so memorise your orders. When you do, dispatch immediately.'

Yamato handed Kakashi his scroll. One by one, the ANBU disappeared as Kakashi unrolled his scroll. He unrolled it further. Unrolled it to the end …

'I need to have a word with Kakashi,' Tsunade said to Yamato. Yamato nodded, taking the black scroll and leaving the room.

Kakashi tossed his scroll on the desk. 'The last time my orders looked like this, a lot of people I … a lot of people died.'

'We are in the same situation.' She picked up the blank scroll. Purple flames engulfed it and it burned away to nothing. 'But this time you play a different role. Later today, there will be an assembly of the Council. Depending on the success of this mission, two courses of action are possible.' Kakashi waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. She slumped in her chair and pulled the hat from her head, before taking a sake bottle from a drawer and poured two cups. After a moment, she gulped Kakashi's untouched offering as well.

'If I don't know what I'm doing –'

She scoffed and poured more sake. 'At this stage, you don't need to know anything. We have eyes on the Akatsuki, our spies in the Sand and Lightning have reported nothing. Orochimaru is deep underground. It seems we're facing an invisible, impossible enemy.' She huffed and bunched her fists. 'We need to focus our forces here. We need every capable soul here to protect the village.'

Tsunade leafed through a small black book, turning a page to Kakashi.

Sasuke.

'Find him.'

'He's gone,' Kakashi said bluntly.

Tsunade chose to ignore the anger in his voice. 'Find him, Kakashi and bring him back.'

'He's even more dangerous than his brother at the same age. It's not going to be –'

'You can't handle one sixteen-year-old kid? You're slipping, Kakashi.'

Kakashi wanted to join in the joke, but he wasn't in the mood for mirth. Every mission so far involving the retrieval of Sasuke had failed. The most recent ended up with Naruto in hospital and Sasuke disappearing off the radar. Kakashi had his work cut out. He wasn't just dealing with Sasuke, but all the power and cunning of his master. Until very recently, Orochimaru was the holder of Sasuke's leash. Kakashi was under no illusions; the power Orochimaru had bestowed on Sasuke, mixed with Sasuke's own deadly arsenal was going to prove challenging.

Tsunade templed her fingers, tapping the indexes together. 'We have something he wants.'

'He only wants one thing.'

Tsunade's golden eyes swept over Kakashi, after a moment she looked away and poured more sake.

'You have Itachi?'

She sipped the sake. 'Use whatever means necessary, but don't kill him.' She took a small vial from her desk and held it out to Kakashi. 'If he's stubbourn, this will fix that.' She dropped the vial into Kakashi's hand. It was filled with a bright green liquid.

'It took me months to come up with that, so don't blow it. I don't have anymore.'

'What is it?'

'A blinding serum. Well,' she scoffed, 'that's the simple version. Think of it like white blood cells, but it only attacks specific kekegenkai. Don't get it anywhere near your eyes, I don't need yours destroyed as well.'

Kakashi wondered how long she had been planning on bringing Sasuke down, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he pocketed the vial.

'I can't stress enough how crucial it is that Uchiha remains alive. There is no option. If he kills you –'

'Someone else will take my place.' Kakashi had heard of Tsunade's ruthlessness and felt a pang of privilege that he got to experience it firsthand. He wanted to believe she wasn't serious, but one look at the hard glint in her eye soon dispelled any doubt he might have. Kakashi needed no further evidence; she was the Hokage, and she would do everything in her power to ensure the survival of her village.

'What are you planning to do with him?'

Her eyes played over Kakashi's face; there was a split second of doubt, a slight twitch of her right eyelid, before her lips hardened into a line. Only Kakashi would see it. Only he could.

'Go,' she said finally. Kakashi stopped in a tree and looked down through Tsunade's window as she took another bottle from a drawer. Her hand shook as she lifted the cup to her lips. She threw it across the room, it smashed into pieces against the door.

Jiraiya landed behind Kakashi and placed a hand on his shoulder before swinging down through Tsunade's window. He would calm her, he would make sure she didn't panic and do something rash. It wasn't up to Kakashi; Jiraiya had it under control. Tsunade's panic was justified. The scroll had shaken him as well. The images of Konoha's destruction were real and absolute, Kakashi could not ignore them. They ate away at his thoughts, crushing any hope that it wasn't real.

Kakashi couldn't stop the frustration and anger from once again taking control. He thought he could contend with the inherent darkness Sasuke had inherited thanks to his brother's legacy, and that fighting against a tainted Uchiha will would have proven difficult but not impossible. Kakashi had welcomed the challenge; Sasuke was like him. On the brink with the darkness threatening to consume him and destroy him completely. Kakashi understood some facet of Sasuke's motives, but hoping Sasuke would also recognise those same motives in Kakashi was stupid. Sasuke, blinded by his agenda, couldn't resist the lure of Orochimaru's promises. Kakashi couldn't offer Sasuke anything; Sasuke had said as much the last time they had met.

Kakashi opened the cupboard in his bedroom. Danzo had appointed him as Squad Seven's sensei. Had he also known Kakashi couldn't resist the challenge of training the last of the Uchiha? Had it been a consolation prize for dismissing him from ANBU? Kakashi had tried and failed to mould Sasuke. What could he really have taught a child of natural kekegenkai in the first place? Danzo had wanted a pawn, stripped of will, willing to do as he was bid, but it backfired and Sasuke was now lost.

Sasuke's arrogance, combined with Orochimaru's stain was a volatile mix. Having something that dangerous even contained in the village was not a smart move. Sasuke would not come willingly, much less help the village no matter what Tsunade had to offer him. If Tsunade had Itachi, that alone still might not be enough to entice Sasuke. But Kakashi would find him; he needed to confirm that Sasuke was truly beyond help. If there was any chance that he could be saved, Kakashi would take it.

Kakashi pulled the black uniform and grey armour from the cupboard and got dressed. He picked up the dog mask, faltering for a moment. Had he really failed that badly? His first and last students were no longer his; the three of them had been gifted to the Sannin in turn. He had failed to stop Sasuke leaving, had failed to stop Naruto going after him. Sasuke was in the bingo book as a Class-A criminal and threat to the Leaf. Kakashi had taught them nothing.

He slipped the mask over his face and turned to leave the room. The picture of the original Squad Seven stood on the table next to the picture of Kakashi's squad as a genin. Obito grinned in the picture. How could the same blood that ran through his veins manifest so differently in Sasuke? Obito was kind and generous. When Rin … he didn't turn to revenge, he didn't turn his back on his comrades and abandon everything in pursuit of his own agenda. Kakashi had failed to stop Sasuke, had failed to recognise and halt his self-destruction in time.

Kakashi stepped onto the window ledge.

Obito's name was not prominent among the names in the long list carved into the stone. The carving had lost its sharpness over time. He didn't want to be a hero; he didn't want to be immortalised. The memory of that night sliced fresh anger and regret from Kakashi's heart. The mistake could never be undone. Obito had died because of Kakashi's arrogance and confidence. Sasuke had so easily abandoned the village and his team. He was blinded by his own agenda and Kakashi was blinded too. Sasuke didn't heed the advice Kakashi had given to him. Kakashi hadn't seen it coming; he could only blame Orochimaru to a point. The mark feeds off darkness, Sasuke had to possess the darkness in first place.

'Heading out?' Jiraiya asked, leaning against the memorial. 'Naruto was looking for you. Apparently, he wanted to ask a favour, but I can see you're too busy for that stuff.' He waited for an answer, but Kakashi remained silent. 'He and Sakura have a brilliant plan, you know.'

'And what would that be?'

'They want training against the sharingan so they can bring Sasuke back. I guess they'll have to wait a while though.'

'I guess so.' Kakashi turned from the memorial.

'Kakashi …' Jiraiya's eyes were dull, his mouth worked as he chewed the words over in his mind. 'Don't listen to Tsunade. If it gets too hot, get out.' He slung a thumb at the memorial. 'They can do without you for a bit longer. We need you here, okay.'

Kakashi nodded and leaped into the trees lining Konoha's boundary.