-1Thank you for stopping by to read my fanfic, The Return to Konoha. For starters, I am not Kishi and I don't own Naruto, so as amazing as the story may be, its still only my fiction. Disclaimer done? OK. The main story takes place 13 years in the future when Naruto and Sasuke are 28 years old. It follows Sasuke on his first attempt to return to Konoha 15 years after his desertion, and follows Naruto returning from a mission at the borders of the Fire Country. The story is also largely comprised of flashbacks that take place immediately after Chapter388 in the Naruto manga, so you have to be careful to deviate from the real story at this point in the timeline. OK, enjoy!

Chapter 1 - The return

"I used to be something once. I used to be a great shinobi from Konoha. My life had a purpose back then. It was the purpose of revenge. What a wasted life it was. I knew my cause was righteous. My brother deserved to die and it was my destiny to be the one to take his life. It didn't matter what I did to get stronger, or who got hurt as a result. I fled from my home to pursue these ends. I sought power from my greatest enemy, as well as the enemy of my village. I didn't care what it meant to my friends or my comrades. I was righteous. What a child I was. What a foolish child."

"Get out of the way beggar!" shouted a tall man pulling a cart. "Get movin or get off the road!"

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't see you there." Responded the homeless looking man. I was kind of lost in my own mind and didn't see or hear your approach. You see, I'm blind."

"What does it matter to me? You are in my way and I need to move these wares. Now, GET OUTTA THE ROAD YOU BUM!" the man shouted angrily.

"Heh, Id be careful of the way you spoke to me" Replied the seemingly homeless man. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I would make you pay for your disrespect!"

"Oh yeah?" the tall man replied. "I think I've heard that name before. You see, Konoha is on my route. Actually, I was just headed there. I am pretty sure I remember hearing your name in conversation some years back, but that's impossible. They spoke of one of the greatest shinobi from the village. The last living descendant of the Uchiha clan. BAH! Surely you are not him. The Great Betrayer of the Leaf Village? You are trash, not a legend. Now move!" The man shouted as he began to pull his cart again, but was once again stopped when the beggar failed to move out of his path. "I said get out of the way trash before I have to move you myself!"

"I warned you about your disrespect." Said the beggar claiming to be Uchiha Sasuke. "Now I will teach you some respect." Sasuke turned around and pulled back the hood of his dirty cloak, revealing a bandage that ran across his face, covering the eyes. Sasuke sprung and launched a side kick for the tall man's side, only for his misjudged kick be caught by the large man.

"Psh. Uchiha Sasuke you are not." said the man. "That clan was known for its martial skill. You are a disgrace of a man, not a proud shinobi!" The man pulled Sasuke's foot closer and threw a punch that connected with Sasuke's face, knocking Sasuke to the ground. "Psh. Better find a new name trash." The man laughed as he pulled his cart past and continued down the road.

Sasuke rolled to recover from his fall, landing at the side of the road. As he pulled himself to his feet, he said to himself, "I used to be someone." as he continued down the road toward the place that he used to call home.

The once great shinobi from Konoha. The genius of his class, now 15 years after he deserted his home, reduced to a blind beggar that is lucky to find food and a dry place to sleep. Now 28 years old, he retains little of the skill that he once possessed. Nearly a decade ago, his mystical Sharingan eyes were taken from him. When he lost his eyesight, he realized that he had become so reliant on his Sharingan eyes to learn and utilize techniques, that when they were taken from him, he didn't even know how to use many of those techniques anymore. As it turned out, the techniques that he copied and learned with the Sharingan, required the Sharingan for Sasuke to perform them properly. With only a very basic list of techniques that he had learned when he was at the academy without the Sharingan, and a complete loss of sight, he was reduced to being a defenseless as a child. Even his other senses, had been impacted by his loss of the Sharingan so much that to this day, Sasuke can scarcely locate an opponent with any accuracy, much less engage in combat. Today, he has decided to try to seek forgiveness. He hopes that the one person that he finally realizes was his own friend, will take him in as the friends that they used to be. That person is Uzumaki Naruto.

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(scene changes to another road at the same time)

At the same time on another road walked another man. It was the Sixth Hokage of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto. He was returning from a brief mission to drive a small army from the Fire Country.

"It almost makes me miss the good old days when the bad guys were actually something to be afraid of. Almost makes me wish Akatsuki was still around." He said with a smile to his student and son Uzumaki Kakashi. Sharing the same blond hair as his father, he was a spitting image of Naruto in his own childhood days minus the whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Of course, the other greatest difference between them, was the blank white eyes that he had gotten from his mother. He wore knee-length black shorts and a mesh short-sleeve shirt under his tailor-made dark red utility jacket. It was the same color as his father's. His mother made it special for him and even built in the inside hidden pockets where he keeps his candy and gum. Instead of the typical forehead protector headband, he had a plain dark red bandana with the Konoha Leaf on the front. As it turned out, little Kakashi couldn't stand the color orange. Even at the age of 2, when Naruto tried to dress him in an outfit like he wore when he was a kid, little Kakashi screamed until his outfit was changed. Now at the age of 7, he was the top Genin at the Ninja Academy, Even though considering his demeanor, it was hard to believe. He has the same carefree, funloving personality that his father had at his age, and pulling pranks and raising hell are already a specialty of his. Yet, beneath that seemingly dense and happy-go-lucky personality, was a genius without comparison. Already he has been recommended by his instructors to participate in the Chuunin exams, but at the behest of his mother, he has yet to attend. "If I was a strong as you are when I was your age, I could have saved myself and the village a lot of grief." Naruto followed with a smile.

"Ah, C'mon dad!" little Kakashi shouted back. "I'm nothing compared to you. I'm just a kid! Even just back there, all I could do was just sit back and help point out where those guys were hiding. You did all the work!" he said as he chewed on his trademark, massive wad of bubble gum.

"Oh Kakashi, you should never think like that." Naruto said as he stopped and crouched in front of his son. Naruto grabbed his shoulders and continued, "If I had thought like that when I was your age, I never would have become who I am. You are a lot more talented than I ever hoped to be at your age! You have such a natural talent that puts me to shame in so many ways. Kakashi, you are my son, and I will see that you get all the opportunities that I didn't as a child. You will be great some day. Maybe even Hokage like your dear old dad."

"Sure thing dad." little Kakashi replied with a smile. "I'll make you look bad old man."

"Hehe, You had better kiddo." Naruto stood back up, dusted off his jacket, and threw Kakashi upon his shoulders as they continued the long walk back to Konoha.

In fact, the man that is Naruto today is little like what he was when he was a kid. He still has the same old whiskers markings and those deep blue eyes that he was always known for. He wore his hair a little bit longer than he did as a child, but around his forehead protector, it puffed out in all directions. However, gone are the days of pulling pranks on the villagers and the Sexy Jutsu. Gone are the bright orange jumpsuits that he wore and the frog shaped coin pouch he carried. These days he wears a long white jacket that strongly resembles the white jacket worn by his own father Namikaze Minato. He wears the coat over his black knee-length pants, black long-sleeve shirt and dark red utility vest. All this covered the summoning tattoos that blanketed his arms. Those tattoos hide a legendary arsenal of special weapons, some of which are have never even been in the hands of any other person. With the same Konoha Leaf forehead protector proudly on display above his brow, this is the Hokage of Konoha. A life filled with intense challenges, tragic losses, and endless training and conditioning has created the man that walks this road today.

"Dad? Can I ask you something?" asked the blond haired child to his father.

"Of course Kakashi! What do you wanna know?" Naruto replied.

"Where did I get my name? Mom wouldn't tell me and she said it was up to you to tell me. She said it was your story to tell and not hers." Little Kakashi carefully stated.

Naruto hung his head solemnly, slowed his pace, and sighed as if he had been dreading this day his whole life. "I had hoped you would be a little older when I told you that story Kakashi." Naruto quietly answered.

"On C'mon dad! Tell me! I'm 7 years old you know! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Little Kakashi whined as he crossed his arms and stuck out his lip, just like his own father had done when he was a child. "You're gonna have to tell me eventually anyway so you might as well tell me now."

"Hehe. A grown man at the age of 7 eh? You know its kinda hard to take a grown man seriously that still spits whenever he speaks through the toothless hole in his mouth from the lost tooth he had lost a couple of weeks ago." Naruto laughed as he poked fun at his son.

"EERRGG! Just tell me already! Or I'll.. I'll.. I'll beat you up by gosh!" little Kakashi shouted in anger.

"Hmm. Well when you put it that way.." Naruto began to reflect upon his former sensei. "You see this tanto Kakashi?" He started as he pulled the short blade from its scabbard under his jacket. "This belonged to Hatake Kakashi, the man you were named after. He was my sensei when I was young. It was a family heirloom that was passed down to him by his father, and since he never had any children of his own, he passed it down to me on his deathbed." Just then the blade started to emanate a dark red and white swirling chakra. "It is a special blade that sharpens itself by channeling the chakra of the user. When a member of the Hatake family wielded it, it only emanated a bright white chakra. In my hands, it radiates both red and white. Here you go Kakashi, its yours now son. I think it would be right to put it in your hands, seeing as you share his name. I know that if he were alive today, he would be even more proud of you, then he was of me." Naruto handed the blade to little Kakashi and gave him the scabbard.

"WOW!" Kakashi gasped as he grabbed the blade. "Its so light!" Just then the blade started to radiate the white chakra that it was known to do. "Thanks dad! I'll keep it safe. You can count on it!" He responded proudly with a smile as he placed it back in the scabbard and fastened it to his side. "But how come it glows red and white when you hold it, but only white when I hold it?"

"Well, that's a long story with a difficult explanation son. I'll tell you another time." Naruto answered.

"How did he die?" Kakashi asked his father carefully. Having been raised in Konoha, he was well aware of how the world worked, especially the shinobi world. As much as Naruto was somewhat caught off guard by the question, he wasn't surprised.

"Well, it was 13 years ago." Naruto started. "We were on a mission to try and rescue a former friend and shinobi from Konoha."

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(flashback to the Leaf Village team's first encounter with Tobi)

Naruto rose from the water's edge, where he was just kicked by the mysterious Akatsuki member known as Tobi. Just as the team got into attack formation, Tobi disappeared from the branch that he had just been perched on.

"Hello Kakashi. Long time no see." Tobi whispered as he appeared behind Hatake Kakashi with his kunai drawn across his victim's throat. "Its been a very long time so I don't entirely blame you not to recognize my voice, especially from under this mask." Just as Naruto hurled himself into action to save his sensei, Tobi disappeared again, only to reappear back on the branch where he stood moments ago. "A jumpy little Jinchuuriki aren't you kid? Better put a leash on your pet before he gets himself hurt himself Kakashi."

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, puzzled and somewhat in shock.

The rest of the team stood shocked to have just seen one of Konoha's best, just nearly have his life taken in the blink of an eye. "Still don't know who I am? Hmm. Maybe I can think of a clue to help you guess. Ah yes! How about trying to remember where you got that eye? Does that ring a bell…my long lost friend?."

Kakashi and Yamato stood in absolute disbelief and confusion, not believing the claims of the mysterious Tobi. Yamato had known for quite some time that Kakashi had gotten his eye from his late former teammate and friend Uchiha Obito. "LIES!" Kakashi shouted in anger. "He died so long ago! HOW DARE YOU CLAIM TO BE. . ." as Kakashi paused wondering how this man seemingly knew where he got his Sharingan eye. "Wait, how do you ... ?"

"How do I know? Because I gave it to you fool!" Tobi answered as he reached behind his head and unbuckled his spiraling mask. As the mask lowered, the expression on Kakashi's face changed from confusion to anger and sorrow, all in the same moment.

"But, . . . you were . . " Kakashi stammered as he tried hard just to stay on his feet.

"WHAT?! DEAD? HAAAHAAA! GUESS NOT! " Tobi shouted with a sinister laugh, just as Kakashi dropped to his knees! The mysterious man had resembled the face of his long lost comrade. "Oh, don't cry Kakashi. You will ruin my eye! I know that I'm not as pretty as I used to be, but considering how much those rocks weighed, its amazing that I have a face at all!" His face was riddled with scars covering his entire right half of his face. As he lifted an eye patch covering his left eye, he revealed a blank eye socket. "Now you see Kakashi, it's time to give me my other eye back." Just as he recovered his left eye with the patch, his right eye changed into the Sharingan known to belong only to the Uchiha. In an instant, the entire team of Konoha that had their eyes fixed on their opponent at that moment, succumbed to a paralyzing jutsu from the Sharingan. All except Kakashi, who had already raised his forehead protector to reveal his own Sharingan. Tobi jumped from his perch and walked slowly toward Kakashi. "Now we can do this one of two ways. Either give your old friend his eye back, or your old friend takes it back from you. One way you will live and we can chit-chat like the buddies we once were. And the other you die? Well lets just say that we wont be talking anymore the other way. Either way, I will have my eye back, and you will have a little harder time reading."

"You can't be Obito. He died beneath that pile of rocks so long ago." he cried. "This has to be a genjutsu." he thought to himself.

"Heehee! Oh no! Its not a genjutsu Kakashi. This is reality." Tobi answered with a terrifying cackle, as if knowing exact what Kakashi was thinking. "You left me for dead back then. You always underestimated me Kakashi. Now you pay for that mistake." Tobi continued to walk with a focused eye, kunai at hand.

"Obito would never... YOU ARE NOT OBITO! YOU CANT BE HIM!! OBITO IS DEAD!" Kakashi shouted in anger. For the fist time in years, he has let his emotions get the better of him, and in a move that Naruto himself was prone to, he jumped toward his opponent, kunai in hand.

The exchange lasted mere seconds. Kunai and shuriken lay all over planted in the surrounding trees. "I'm disappointed Kakashi. Jumping in with such simple Taijutsu and these little weapons? How did anyone ever consider you to be a great ninja?" Standing with kunai pushing against each other, the two stood face to face. His raw emotion had been such that even advanced combat tactics escaped Kakashi's mind for the moment.

"Don't think its that simple." Kakashi replied in a sweat. Just as Tobi spun around and planted his kunai in Kakashi's chest, a puff of smoke appeared and Tobi was left holding up a small log. At that moment, Kakashi appeared behind Tobi with his Hatake family tanto drawn to the back of Tobi's neck. The pure white chakra began to radiate from the blade as it did in the hands of a Hatake wielder. "Whoever you really are, it is time that you drop your charade, and reveal yourself now."

"A replacement jutsu? How basic. It's almost funny! HAAHAAHAAAA! Do you mean to leave me for dead yet again Kakashi?" Tobi cackled, his voice not showing the least amount of concern for the blade drawn across his neck.

"You are not him, but I can ill afford to have you die just yet Akatsuki scum." Kakashi breathed heavily as he spoke. "I need you alive for questioning."

"Your mistake Kakashi. Your last mistake." Tobi muttered. Just then he turned to face Kakashi with no concern about the blade at his neck. Tobi grabbed for a kunai under his cloak and put it to Kakashi's side in a move so fast, that even Kakashi was caught off guard. "You will not kill me again Kakashi, and that is where you will fail." Tobi continued as he shoved his kunai deep upward through the lower robs of Kakashi's chest. "And this is where you die!"

"Gu-hulp!" Kakashi gasped as blood spilled from his mouth as the blade pushed through his skin and into the center of his chest. "NOOOOO!" He screamed with a gargled voice as he pushed his blade through the neck of his foe, only to fall through his noncorporeal body to the ground below."

"NNNNOOOOOOO!" Shouted Naruto as he broke the jutsu enough to let out a scream.

"Oh?" said Tobi as he turned to face Naruto. "No? OH YES JINCHUURIKI! OH YES!" Tobi laughed maniacally.

Just then, Naruto began to radiate the red-orange chakra of the Kyuubi and started to move through shear force and willpower. "KAKASHI SENSEI! GET UP!" Naruto shouted as his form began to show the demonic characteristics that manifested when he drew heavily upon the Kyuubi chakra.

"I don't have time for this." Stated Tobi with an annoyed eye roll. "As entertaining as it would be, I don't have the time to play with you right now Jinchuuriki."

"Hello Kyuubi no Youko. It seems like an near eternity doesn't it?" There stood Tobi at the sealed gates of Naruto's subconscious. Naruto stood motionless against the far wall behind Tobi.

"YOU! I KNOW THAT CHAKRA! COME TO SET ME FREE ONCE AGAIN UCHIHA MADARA?"thundered the Kyuubi from behind his prison bars. Naruto's eyes widened as he had recognized this name from his previous encounter with Sasuke.

"No. I have better plans for you that don't involve your rampaging around just yet beast." Tobi calmly answered. "For now, I cant have you interfering."

"YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!" shouted the Kyuubi as he slashed at the man standing before him, claws just making it through the bars. Just then the Kyuubi seemed to fall into a sleep before Tobi's stare.

"Now then, that's done." Tobi said as he vanished from Naruto's subconscious. Back to the battlefield where Kakashi lay impaled through his side. Naruto, being left without the aid of the Kyuubi, fell again to the affects of the paralyzing jutsu. "I'll even let you watch Jinchuuriki Naruto. I'm not here for you. Not yet anyway." as Tobi smirked. Tobi turned back toward Kakashi and dropped to his knees. Kakashi tried to reach for his tanto but Tobi just swiped it away, grabbed his hand and broke it at the wrist.

"AAARRUUUUHH!" Kakashi screamed in pain as more blood coughed from his lungs.

Tobi grabbed Kakashi's head by his hair, and held it up to his own. Staring eye to eye with Kakashi, he slowly pulled Kakashi's ear toward his mouth, and whispered these words. "Well, you were right by the way. I'm not Obito. He is merely my vessel. I will give you the respect to know your killer. I am Uchiha Madara, and I need your eye back where it belongs; In the hand of a true Uchiha." Madara reached for Kakashi's Sharingan eye with his thumb and first two fingers, and plucked it from Kakashi's eye socket. Kakashi's screams of pain did little to influence Madara's movements as he dropped Kakashi to the ground. Almost as suddenly as he appeared before the team, he vanished. Immediately afterward, the team snapped out of the jutsu that made them witness to Kakashi's slaying.

"Naru..to." Kakashi muttered as he coughed blood from his lungs. "Come here.. Naruto."

"Hold still Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed as she ran over and rolled him to his back. She placed her hands above his chest and began to try and heal the wound. "I only need a little time! I can heal you!" She cried as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Yamato-sama! I need you to remove the…"

"No Sakura, its too ..late." Kakashi breathed with great difficulty. Sakura continued despite his words. "Naruto, come here." Naruto walked to and fell to his knees at his sensei's side. "I want you to have this. It belonged.." Kakashi struggled to make his words as blood continued ro run up his throat. " This belonged to my family, and now I want it to belong to you. I never had a son of my own, but I've come to think of you almost as my own. I know you will protect it." Kakashi reached for the tanto, but it was out of his reach.

Naruto grabbed the tanto, placed it back in Kakashi's hand, and closed his hands around the handle. "I. . I cant take that. Its yours and it belongs to the Hatake clan. I . . I don't deserve it. I couldn't protect you…. I failed you! I cant take it!" Naruto cried at his sensei's side.

"Naruto." Kakashi breathed as the rest of the team could only watch on. "You were my best student Naruto. This was not your fault. He is . . ." Kakashi coughed more blood from his chest. "He is Uchiha Madara. You have such greatness in you Naruto, but you are no match for that man. Not now, you aren't ready. You and Sakura both need to become stronger yet." Kakashi coughs up more blood as he tries to speak. "But you will be. Now, take this, its the last gift I can give to you. Its up to you now Naruto." Kakashi lurched and coughed up more blood before turning his eye to Sakura. "Aah, Sakura. You have such greatness in you, but you need to know that for.. for yourself. There is.." as he continued to cough up more blood. "There is nothing left that I could teach you. Lady Tsunade will make you greater than I could have ever hoped." He paused as he once again looked at his students, and with the last of his breathes, spoke these words. "Don't let Sasuke become like that monster. Don't let him.." he coughed up one last mouthful of blood before falling limp to the ground, his one eye still open.

"NNNOOOO!!!!"" shouted Sakura. "I CAN SAVE YOU KAKASHI SENSEI! I CAN . . I CAN . ." she screamed as she tried to heal the wounds that had already run their course. Yamato walked over and laid his hands on Sakura shoulder.

"Its too late Sakura. He is gone now." Yamato spoke quietly. "There is nothing more that you can do for him besides remembering and honoring him and his memory."

Naruto leaned over toward his fallen sensei's head, and placed his hand over Kakashi's head. Slowly, he ran his hand over and closed Kakashi's eye. His own eyes clamped shut tight, only letting the tears run through. His breathe grew heavy and shaken, his teeth clenched tight. The combination of rage and sorrow shown upon his face.

Among the rest of the tem members, remained absolute silence. A combination of respect and sorrow. Hinata's own eyes filled with tears that streamed endlessly down her cheeks at the sight before her.

Moments later, Naruto's tears halted, and his face relaxed as he slowly stood up and turned toward the woods.

"Narutoo!" Cried Sakura as tears continued to stream down her face. "Don't.. don't go Naruto. Don't leave me too." She cried out as her voice gave way to silence. "I can't lose you too."

Naruto halted his movement and slowly turned around and faced the group. Eyes that only seconds ago streamed tears, were now devoid of all emotion. Lips that seconds ago, quivered and shook from the sadness, now were still. With his deep-blue eyes, he looked calmly at Sakura. "This wont happen again." he spoke quietly before his eyes fell to the ground. "I failed to protect him, I failed to protect us all. I cant let this happen again." Naruto started to turn back toward the woods.

"Naruto!" Shouted Sakura. "There was nothing.."

"NO!" Naruto stopped her mid sentence with an angry shout. Without turning around, he now showed the kind of rage that would make most men run in fear. His eyes turned a deep red and his fangs began to appear as the demonic chakra returned to his system. "This wont happen again!" He growled as he jumped into the forest away from the team, leaving the team standing around Kakashi's dead body.

"I'll go after him." Snapped Kiba as he turned toward the woods to pursue Naruto.

"No!" Ordered Yamato. "Give him a little time. Just keep track of him from a distance for a while."

Kiba nodded his head in obedience and waited a few seconds before proceeding into the woods to follow his comrade.

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(back to the road headed for Konoha)

Naruto walked quietly with his son now walking at his side again. A single tear fell from Naruto's eye as they walked in silence for a few minutes. Naruto wiped the tear from his cheek and perked up to save face in front of his son. "Yep. He was a great shinobi and a great man." Naruto said with a forced smile across his lips. "That's why we gave you his name. It is the greatest honor I could give to his memory. I know you will do his memory justice Uzumaki Kakashi."

Little Kakashi could only look up at his father's smiling face with sadness in his own expression. He could tell that the smile that his father was showing was fake. "I hope so father. I hope I can earn my name."

Author's notes: OK, well this is the slight revision of Chapter 1 - The Return. I added little bits here and there, and made some corrections. I also added some extra spice to Kakashi's death scene. Upon re-reading it, I really felt that I didn't do his death justice.