Chapter One: In the Beginning are the Ashes of the End

"Pick it up, pick it all up. And start again. You've got a second chance, you could go home, escape it all... It's just irrelevant." – Medicine; Daughter (A/N: Music will be provided throughout as a soundtrack for this work. You're welcome to enjoy it or leave it)

KAKASHI HAD LEARNED many things over the years, had even prided himself on his reasoning and on his ability to formulate strategies and carry them out. Yet all this information, all the various tidbits and minutia that he had gathered, pointed to a singular, grim conclusion. His life had been savaged; the fleshier, healthy portions ripped away by the ravages of war. He was a hypocrite in every sense of the word.

He was lower than trash. Kakashi was not leaving his teammates behind; instead, he was completely forsaking his ideals. To wallow. It was only for a few moments—moments were all he had—but his complete inability to fight at the moment had overwhelmed him. While the self-loathing and pity wasn't entirely misplaced, the self-degradation would do little to quell the battle that was undeniably warring on with or without him.

He supposed he was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, anyway. He'd failed to take on a simple Genin team, let alone command the ANBU troops as the Hokage had asked. He was no longer that commander of death as he had been in his youth. He'd tried his best but it was for naught. The men and women he'd been assigned to lead lay slaughtered at the hands of Naruto's sworn enemies and the various minions and allies of that horrid group.

Kakashi shifted his weight onto the ball of his right foot as he watched the battle beneath him. From his perch atop the head of Hashirama, he had quite the view. Akatsuki hadn't succeeded in collecting all of the bijuu, but they'd managed to gather the help of the other villages in order to conquer Konoha. They had forced the villages into submission by force, though Iwa had limped along willingly enough. Kakashi was sure that some of the villages had been scared into submission, electing to survive the wrath of Akatsuki's ideals, but that knowledge gave him no peace. All of the previous battles had been horrendous; the sounds of hundreds of ninja dragging in their last ragged breaths in one droning death rattle was something he had hoped would fade with time. He wondered if there would indeed be time for it to fade. If there was, would that choking, gurgling leave him? Or would it always remain in the background, a droning gasp for life? The imagery… this he knew would never leave him.

Precious Lee had been one of the first to parish, though the quickness of his death did not render it any less valiant. To see the young, spandex clad ninja struck down in a vicious flurry of ninjutsu that not even Kakashi himself could have escaped caused a throbbing ache to originate in the pit of his chest. The masochist in him knew that he should have shunshin'd with the boy to give him a chance to keep fighting. Lee had taken down two hundred of the enemy forces before dying to protect the Hokage. It had been a most personal loss for Kakashi, who respected both Lee and Gai for their constant perseverance. Gai had been furious. Kakashi remembered the ripple of chakra that had roared across the clearing, the sound of guttural pain that had scarred the air. His friend had killed the offending party faster than Kakashi even thought possible.

Kakashi ground his teeth as he recalled how he watched the battle rage on. Another one was killed before unyielding and damnably perfect gaze. He saw every cut with perfect, analytical precision. He knew which arteries had been sliced and how deeply. The blood trickled past Kiba's lips as his body gave way. Kakashi wondered absently how he himself would appear as he died. Not nearly as valiantly, he supposed.

The deaths had collected in a myriad of ways until nearly everyone was gone. Watching them die had surely been the worst part. Fighting side by side with them to ensure their safety… he knew he had failed. Each and every time… he had failed. There were just so many of the enemy and so little of them.

The sound of battle was still full in his ears. Konoha was gone and yet the fighting continued. For what? Kakashi watched as Naruto clashed with the remaining ninja. By now only the strongest were left. How ironic that he remained. Kakashi was too injured to fight further. Death was imminent. He was sure. He would have stayed to fight but Naruto would have only died faster trying to protect him. He at least owed his student the satisfaction of taking out as many of the crooked men as possible. The Hokage's job was to protect the village, even it only existed as an idea after the destruction of the tangible structures.

A large explosive detonating resonated in the background as he gazed upon his student. Long ago had the student surpassed the teacher… if Minato could see his son now, would he have been proud? Would he despair from the beyond or rejoice at the opportunity for reunion?

Reflexively, Kakashi looked away when Naruto shrieked in pain. It was not a sound borne out of physical pain. Forcing himself to look, Kakashi spotted his pink-haired student. Blood spilled like wine. The pain in his chest hardened and he was sure that any moment it would break, that something had to break. She was careening through the air, shock painted onto her delicate features.

Kakashi pushed chakra into his feet and lurched off of the monument. He caught her before she could hit the ground, her head supported by the bend of his elbow. Her eyes were heavy on his skin and he struggled to land with the same grace as he had caught her.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura smiled gently, tears carving paths through the grimy soot covering her cheeks. "I—" 'I thought you were dead.' She didn't have to say it.

"Shh… Save your strength," Kakashi pleaded. He pushed his hitai-ate up, off of his eye. 'I'd rather it be me.' "You need to get better so you can help Naruto-kun, ne?"

She smiled sadly. His tone had been so desperate. She repressed the urge to wheeze, feeling the warmth of her blood soaking through the material of her shirt. Her breath caught, a slight gurgle in her throat, when she realized his hand was moving towards his mask. "What… Sensei?"

Kakashi sucked in a shuddering breath as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Did she not notice that her blood was collecting in the corners of her mouth? "I thought you might want to—" he exhaled and it sounded like he'd been punched in the stomach "to see, before—"

A racking sob escaped him, much to his chagrin. Ninja were not supposed to cry. He couldn't make himself say it. The words just wouldn't come out. Sakura smiled, gentle as always, reaching up with the last bit of her strength to touch his cheek.

"Don't cry, Kaka-sensei. Ninja don't cry."

He chuckled thickly, brushing the bloodied hair from her face. "Liar. You're crying, too."

"Tears of happiness are okay, remember?" she whispered. Kakashi scrunched his eyes shut, ashamed of himself. He wanted to beg her to hold on, to keep fighting. She was ready to go—probably glad to go after fighting for so long. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"For what?" he retorted, fiercely, his eyes boring into hers. "I haven't done a single thing I should have. I wasted it all— I wasted it. I should have done so much more."

Sakura smiled at him, blinking her big green eyes at him slowly. "But I know you will."

She died with that infernally serene smile on her face, leaving him no opportunity to inquire as to how she knew he'd fix things. Kakashi's voice was no longer his own and he could do little to contain the screams of loss. He'd known they would die. There was a world of difference between knowledge and experience. Experience ached and quivered with its rawness. He had experienced the death of many a comrade in war. None had ached like this—this was a hot poker to the eye.

The sounds of battle were narrowing in on him. Kakashi slowly turned his body around, every move sending ripples of pain through him. His time was nearing, as was Naruto's. He could feel the distinct ripple of the Kyuubi's chakra as it cut through the air. Even then, it was not enough. Naruto's strangled cry was loud, jarring. His body slammed into the ground, a crunching shock that Kakashi felt as much as he heard.

Kakashi forced himself to move, fighting against death every step of the way. His body was ready to give out, but he was not—not until he saw Naruto. There were words to be had.

The enemy ninja had disappeared, though Kakashi did not know why or even care why they had gone. It was not important. He gasped in pain as he collapsed onto the ground next to Naruto.

Naruto coughed; it sounded wet. The blood was already pooling in his lungs. Kakashi drew on the last dregs of his strength to pull Naruto into his lap. The boy peeled his lips back in a cheeky smile. "You look like crap, Kakashi-sensei. Sakura thought you were dead…"

"I couldn't hang around to fight with you. I was worried you'd overextend yourself trying to protect me," he whispered.

"Yeah well… I guess this makes up for it," chuckled Naruto, wincing as his ribs protested. "Never thought I'd see the day… You'd have found a girlfriend sooner if you didn't stay all covered up, ya know."

Kakashi sighed, unable to stem the tears of grief. "Naruto… this wasn't how this was supposed to end. I… I failed you and I'm sorry I didn't do more—"

"Ne, it's okay, Kakashi. I just wish I could have protected my precious people. I failed." Naruto smiled up at him, eyes watery and voice sad. "We both could have done a lot differently, ne?"

Kakashi smiled wistfully and sobbed. "So much."

"Kakashi-sensei… Thanks for being there for Sakura. I—I know it hurts but just close your eyes. Lay down and close your eyes. We're almost done, you know." Naruto's words cut into him like a blade. Kakashi brushed Naruto's hair away from his hitai-ate covered forehead and pressed a kiss to the smooth metal.

"You deserved more, Naruto-kun. More than anyone ever gave you."

Kakashi twisted, turning to plop down on the ground next to Naruto. He wheezed as his mind finally allowed his body to submit to the stress placed upon it.

Naruto lazily turned to him. "Sensei… if you could do it all again, what would you do differently?"

Kakashi smiled lightly, studying the formations in the dark clouds above. "Everything… I'd save everyone I possibly could. Especially you. Don't tell Sakura-chan but you were my favourite."

Naruto giggled until he choked on the blood that was leaking into his throat and lungs. "I knew it! Which is good, considering what I'm about to do…"

Kakashi looked to his right, forming a double chin as he tried to study Naruto's face. He found no discerning details to explain what Naruto meant. In fact, the young man's breathing stopped and his heart-beat slowed to a near non-existent pulse. Kakashi felt the crushing pressure within his chest break and his world gave way to black, deafening darkness. His will to survive evaporated. Without it, his world crashed down around him and the darkness consumed him. He accepted it wholeheartedly, wondering what Hell would look like.

His previous notions paled in comparison.

"Sorrow found me when I was young. Sorrow waited, sorrow won." –Sorrow; The National

PAIN CONSUMED EVERY aspect of his being. His body was being ripped from him. His mind was fracturing, the pain of staying intact causing subtle breaks in the carefully composed walls and compartments he'd built into his mind over the years. All of his memories coursed through him but he remained in the darkness.

Sparks in the abyss gave birth to a greater image. He could see Naruto's body as he lay lifeless on the ground. 'If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?" Naruto's disembodied voice echoed hollowly in the background as Kakashi watched the scene begin to rewind. Naruto was slammed into the ground again and again and again. He watched as Naruto lifted off of the ground, the memory playing itself backwards. Naruto's question was garbled, the words coming out in reverse.

He hadn't even been there for this part of the fight. Kakashi could feel himself sucking an anguished gasp into his lungs as he watched Sakura's body catapulted through the air by the tremendous force of one of Deidara's devilish "art" bombs. So much suffering… even as he watched the torrential onslaught of painful images, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how and why he was seeing these things. This was not the same vantage point from which he's viewed his student's abuse…

His confusion evaporated just as suddenly and he was seeing things that he remembered again. Sakura's tear-streaked, soot covered face as she told him not to cry… the feel of her hand on his cheek… the smell of Naruto's burnt hair as he watched the life fade from his eyes… it still hurt to see. It hurt more to watch this time because he knew it was coming but he couldn't force himself to look away.

Kakashi's depression lifted for a moment as the scenes disappeared but it returned full force when he saw his beloved village razed to the ground. Scenes of deaths that he didn't even recall witnessing but had remembered hearing about flashed before him, some more gruesome than others, but each one painful to watch. Kakashi could feel the whispers of tears on his cheeks as he watched Gai's passing. It was long, drawn out and completely honorable. Gai did his utmost to protect Naruto.

After accomplishing the superhuman feat of opening the gates, he charged, evading the many swipes of the large cleaver of a sword, even laughing at Kisame's surprise expression. Then Kisame had stabbed forward with his massive sword. It easily cut through Gai's stomach, exciting the other side of his body. Gai's momentum propelled him forward. With the last of his energy, Gai used two kunai to effectively decapitate the dreaded ninja. "Ah, the passion of youth… Naruto! Like a phoenix, you must rise above my ashes with the power of your youth!" Naruto promised that he would. Gai slowly bled to death as Naruto ran off to seek vengeance for his fallen comrade.

There were so many deaths. Naruto, Sakura, Gai, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino. All dead. Every single person he could think of was dead. Even the Sunagakure ninja that Gaara had sent and accompanied to aid Konoha were dead. Even the Sand Siblings themselves had perished in an effort to defend their beloved friend. Nothing remained. Akatsuki had won, even without stealing Naruto's bijuu.

Kakashi wilted as his mind began to rewind, playing through various painful images. Was he really so wretched? Is this what his eternity was to be – reliving his failings as a human? He lost count of how many friends and loved ones were violently slaughtered before him. He hadn't known there were even that many people he had such affection for. How strange that he'd felt so alone for so much of that time. At long last, he was eye to eye with Obito and then the boy was whisked away. He felt the clutches of death around him.

Throughout all of it—the deaths and deprived imagery—he felt as though his body was being torn apart in increments and then rammed back together again. It was like being compressed and torn apart simultaneously. If he wasn't dead already, he was sure the massive overload of pain stimuli would have friend his brain.

After what felt like an eternity the world went black. Peace. Finally, Kakashi exhaled miserably, wishing that he could just be at peace again. It'd been so long… The sound of a chair scraping against dry hardwood floor roused him from his pensive state. Odd. Kakashi strained to hear more sounds but gathered nothing useful. Something was wrong with his hearing. He was dead though, so he supposed he couldn't do much in the way of controlling his senses.

Did he have a body? Kakashi struggled to regain situational awareness. He couldn't tell if he was lying down, sitting up, or even present. Kakashi wanted to scream. He was surprised when the sound of a thin, wailing cry pierced the air. The ugly sound did little for the pounding and throbbing sensation coursing through his entire body. He could only describe it as the worst hangover he'd ever experienced.

'That's odd,' he mused, almost forgoing his anger. He was so bogged down with fatigue that it was hard for him to remain coherent. When he felt a pair of overly large hands grip his shoulders, he didn't object. Was he being gripped by a demon? Was he facing his judgment?

"Kakashi-kun, wake up. You're having a nightmare…" commanded a comforting, gravely voice. Kakashi winced when his world was flooded with light. That voice…

That face. Oh, no. 'God, tell me this isn't happening.' Kakashi was panicking internally as he looked down at himself. His form was miniscule.

"Was taking that stupid test worth it if you're going to wake up every night having terrible dreams, hmm?" Kakashi whimpered at the sound of the voice. It'd been so long.

"Tou-san?" Kakashi couldn't trust his senses. Surely this wasn't real. Sakumo blinked in confusion, noticing his boy's surprise at seeing him. He tilted his head to the side, letting out an 'oof!' of surprise when Kakashi's tiny frame latched onto him. The boy's death grip actually hurt. He was only six, but already a Chunin and had a terribly strong grip.

"Are you alright?"

"I had a bad dream. I dreamed that you died and everyone else died." Kakashi didn't care if this was a bizarre illusion before he passed over to the other side. He'd already forgiven his father for committing suicide. Throughout his life, it was something he had considered rather frequently but put off for one reason or another. He wished things had been different.

Sakumo gave Kakashi a gentle squeeze before pulling back to grin lazily. "Shinme, I'm not going anywhere." A gentle smiled formed on Kakashi's lips at the sound of his old nickname. It meant 'bud,' referencing his family's long history of farming. Sometimes his father would call him 'me' for sprout, but Sakumo knew that Kakashi was embarrassed by it and used it expressly for that reason.

"I know I'm supposed to be a big kid now, but… can I sleep in your bed tonight? Just this once?" Kakashi bit his lip, wondering what Naruto would say if he could see the state that the thirty-two year old was in now. He repressed the sadness that pressed down on him, crushing down on his chest like a weight. Sakumo nodded drowsily, flipping Kakashi up onto his shoulder too quickly for Kakashi to protest.

Kakashi chuckled as his father carried him into the room that Kakashi had begun to avoid after his father's death. Sakumo plopped down on the bed and Kakashi rolled off of his shoulder and onto the mattress. He rolled onto his side and studied his father. The lines of his face were gentle, though his body was solid as a shinobi's body should be. Kakashi poked him in the ribs, smiling wryly as the ninja jolted back away. Ninja were trained to fall asleep on command. Sakumo rolled onto his side and gazed at Kakashi who bore a neutral expression.

"Eh? Was I snoring?"

Kakashi giggled in spite of himself and then frowned. This body wasn't used to being a lazy, emotionless tool. He smoothed out his features and then shook his head 'no.' "Do you… no matter what happens, I love you. I just needed to tell you that."

Sakumo smiled and tilted his chin forward thoughtfully. "I love you too, ya persistent little guy. Was your dream really that bad? You haven't willingly said you loved me in two years."

"Shinobi are to be in control of their emotions at all time," recited Kakashi. He'd stuck to that after his mother had died. His father's death had cemented that even further into his head, especially due to the circumstances behind the man's suicide. "But I just…. I realize that I don't say it enough and I don't want to ever regret that I didn't tell you enough. If you die…"

"You know, I expected to hear you say that when you got married, or when you have your first great loss. Not at two-thirty in the morning when you're six years old. I don't know if this maturity of yours is a blessing or not." Sakumo wrapped him a hug, then sighed drowsily. "Your mother would be so proud of you, even if you are an emotionally stunted weirdo."

"I pour my heart out to you and you're making fun of me?"

"All because I love you. Now get to sleep, shinme, I have a mission in the morning and you have group training."

Kakashi closed his eyes, curling into his father's side. 'Ugh. At least this isn't real. Minato-sensei's training was also incredibly rough.' Eventually, the sounds of his father's deep breaths lulled him into sleep. He was pleased that there were no dreams to disturb him, only darkness. He highly anticipated that he was to experience something disturbing after this gentle reprieve.

[.-_-.]

KAKASHI WAS WRONG. It was one of the rare times that he was completely and utterly wrong—usually he had at least an indication to his guesses, but this time there was no such thing. He was just wrong. This was evident as fact when the near-comatose boy was awoken by a flurry of kunai.

Kakashi's younger body wasn't as adept at sensory perception, but his mind was still as sharp as it had always been. Being paranoid had some perks. He rolled out of bed without a sound, leaving the kunai to pierce the headboard. He muttered a string of expletives and his father cut him off with a backhand before he could finish the vulgar phrase.

"What have I told you about your language?!"

"I don't remember!" snapped Kakashi, trying to gather his bearings. The world was spinning. "Dammit, I thought this wasn't—"

He broke off, realizing that he couldn't go spouting on about how he thought he'd been dreaming or experiencing some weird illusion the night before. He'd already had a hellish migraine before being back-handed with enough force to send him flying. His father, an experienced Jonin, picked up on the strange phrasing. "Didn't think what?"

Kakashi paled, his mind reeling as he tried to come up with a coherent response. The problem was that he couldn't and his head ached so terribly he couldn't think properly. If he had indeed time-traveled, why in the hell had he come back to this point? What was so significant about this time?

"I…" The pain in his head spike dangerously. "Oh." A dark haze fizzled around the edges of his vision and he crumpled to the floor.

Pushing his gray hair out of his face, Kakashi struggled to sit up. He froze when he heard the low growl of a voice he felt he should recognize but couldn't. The deep, gruff tone almost frightened him. "Before you turn around, just know that if you laugh I'm going to bite off each of your toes and then the rest of your foot!"

It was obvious he was no longer with his father. "Where am I?"

"Your mindscape. Now turn around. I swear if you so much as chuckle I will make mincemeat of whatever bits of you I can reach first. I'm not sealed inside you nearly as well as I was inside the boy."

Intrigued, Kakashi forced himself to his feet and turned around carefully. At his feet was a two-foot tall fox, snarling at him with all the rage it could probably muster. It would have been terrifying had it not been so small. Kakashi repressed the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips, grimacing a little when the fox gnashed its teeth convincingly.

"He won't hesitate to do what he said," murmured an amused voice to the left of him. Kakashi glanced to his left, recognizing the amused chuckle that followed the warning.

"Naruto? You're—we're dead. What is this?" He scratched the back of his head, watching dumbly as the fox sauntered over to Naruto, sitting back on its haunches.

The fox licked its lips. "This," the fox purred, "is your mindscape. However, it's far less imaginative than that idiot's. He had me in a sewer cell—"

"Hey! I couldn't change that! That was the seal—"

The fox snarled, cutting him off. "You didn't try too hard you ingrate! Now hush, the adults are talking."

'I'm not sure that I'd consider you an adult,' thought Kakashi, raising a brow.

"Respect your elders, Hatake! I'm centuries older than you," snarled the fox.

Kakashi lifted his hands in a sheepish gesture. "You heard that? Sorry, I hadn't realized I said anything."

"You didn't!" Naruto laughed and stepped forward, clapping Kakashi on the bag. He attempted to give Kakashi a noogie and the older man allowed it for the sake of familiarity. But we are inside your head! So… we kind of hear everything you say. Or, more accurately we're sealed into the area between your shoulder blades. Do you remember when the village was destroyed?"

Kakashi nodded, trying to repress the onslaught of painful images. He was horrified when just a hundred yards away, a large body of civilians appeared. He watched silently as they were destroyed by one of Deidara's bombs. It physically hurt him to watch that take place.

"Sorry, it's a side-effect of being in here. You create the scenery when you think of things because they just tend to appear. They go away when you stop thinking of them, but we won't. When you were injured and Sakura-chan was healing you, I had her knock you out so I could put a seal—"

"You what? Dammit, Naruto—"

"Listen." Naruto's voice echoed loud and clear. It was the voice of authority that Kakashi had rarely seen the blonde use. This was a matter of importance and it was better for him to shut up and listen to what the kid had to say. "I put the seal on you so that it could store chakra from both the Kyubbi and me. In the event that I would die, it would react and all of the Kyuubi's chakra would be used to perform the jutsu that required the seal and intentions that you had. It was a last ditch effort to protect Konoha and now we have that chance.

"I sealed you with the Eien Fuschichou Fuuin. I had to die to give it to you. Kurama supplied the power but I made the primary seal for it before I performed the final seal. That gave me time to store the chakra. I needed to make sure that I had enough when I did it, though, because I knew that I would have to wait until I was on the brink of death. It has to be a selfless death, ya see. Even if I wanted to do it I couldn't have sent myself back. I didn't have the foresight to perform the tasks necessary anyway. I also… I know you didn't always do the right thing with the training of the group. I admit I used to resent you for it.

"I thought that you didn't like me and couldn't stand me, but I… I did speak to Gai-sensei as the war got worse and it wasn't until I talked to him that I realized just how screwed up your situation was. You were just like me. Almost, anyway…"

Kakashi stared at Naruto blankly for a moment before the visible bits of his face erupted into a thinly veiled contortion of rage. He leaped at Naruto, his fists closing around the boys throat before Naruto could protest. "This isn't a game, Naruto! You can't just do this to people! I don't want to live through this again! I wanted to die! I was ready to die! You know I'd follow to the end of the freaking world but…. Do you even…"

Releasing the sputtering blonde, Kakasih turned around and crouched down. He covered his head and groaned in frustration as he tried to process the information. "You didn't even ask me. Didn't you ever wonder why I never talked about my family?"

Naruto stared at the floor, a sad frown marring his handsome features. "I figured you didn't talk about them for a reason, but… it was a risk I had to take."

"A risk? It's my fucking life, Naruto! You can't just—"

"Yes I can, Kakashi. As Hokage, it is my job to protect the village." Kakashi could tell that Naruto's eyes were watery with tears and that the younger man desperately wanted his forgiveness. He was too angry to care.

"What if I don't want to do this? What if I can't do this? Everyone I know dies! Everyone I get close to dies…" Kakashi flopped down to the floor, a humourless laugh escaping him. "You know, I thought this was hell when I woke up. It is, in a way."

"Grow up, Kakashi!" snapped Naruto. "I know this sucks—I admit. It really sucks. But what would you have me do. I had a chance to protect Konoha and I took it. You were the only one fit for the job. Why? Because you don't want it. If you think for a second I'm doing this for selfish reasons, then you're wrong. I gave up my life—almost gave up my sanity for this village. You only get one shot to do this and I…"

Kakashi looked up, tugging his mask away from his face so that he could use the arms of his sleeves to wipe away his tears. "You what?"

"I can't be Hokage again…" Naruto sank down to the ground next to Kakashi. "I can't. I don't want it. You have to see the people who died. I had to send them to their death. I killed them…"

Kakashi sniffed loudly, wrapping an arm around his student. "You and your father are so alike that it scares me, gaki."

"I wish I got to know him." Naruto smiled sadly.

"Me, too…" Kakashi sighed, looking on as the Kyuubi fox chased valiantly after his own tail. It was so completely and utterly ridiculous that they had to laugh in spite of themselves. Kakashi sighed again when Naruto rested his head on his mentor's shoulder. "I thought of him as my own father, you know. I never said that to him, but … he was the closest thing to a dad that I could remember. I should have been the one to tell you, to take care of you. I just couldn't. It hurt so much to have to look at you and know that you were his son and I could do nothing. Hiruzen couldn't allow to me to teach you anything more than what I did or his counsel would've tried to have you exterminated as a threat to the village. Danzo was always trying to get his hands on you when you were little… it was a lose-lose situation. I should have done more. I should have defied their orders. I almost got you killed so many times. I had all those chances to save people and I didn't… because of my own stupid ideals I didn't—"

"But you will, Kakashi. I put the seal on you beforehand for another reason. It could read your emotions. It's an old seal, invented by the Shodai Hokage. Why you think you were drawn to the statue during the Battle at the Valley of the End? I knew you were there. I knew you were alive. Sakura-chan knew all about my plan .She was the only one. She actually suggested you. I almost sent her back, so that she could save Sasuke-tee, but she said I was selfish and that was a stupid reason to send her back. I guess you were the only one who could change all the things that needed to changing. Even if you don't want it you deserve it—you deserve to be able to fix it."

Kakashi smiled lightly as he eyed the white space beneath his feet. The white faded to green and the grass began to form. "Sakura-chan, she the saviour of Team Seven. How ironic that we always thought her the weakest. She had the most strength of us all in the end. Therefore, the first addition to this place will be a tree in her honour. Hmm. Maybe a forest instead."

Naruto scrambled away from Kakashi, jumping to his feet just so he could stomp angrily. "You baka! I brought you back here to give you another chance and you give her the forest?"

Kakashi looked up, completely unsurprised by the outburst. He was pleased to see that Naruto wasn't actually angry. "Ah, but I'm fixing everything for you, eh? Although… there's so much more that I can fix now. How did you … how did you bring me back here?"

"Heh, it wasn't hard," chuckled Kurama. "I just had to find a somewhat significant date. I didn't want to bring you back while you were sitting on the toilet or something. How anticlimactic would that have been? So, I picked this date. I'm not completely ruthless. Being sealed up inside of that damned cage all the time… I tell ya it pissed me off more than anything. But, I digress. Naruto wanted you to have to have a chance to fix your own life since you're saving the village. He promised me that this would save my ass as well, so I agreed to grant him the opportunity. IF you even think of screwing things up, I swear to the Lord that I will rip your gonads—"

"Hey, hey, let's not go there, eh?" propositioned Kakashi, repressing the urge to cover himself with his hands. "Thanks—you have no idea what this means for me."

"Just don't mess it up, Kakashi," said Naruto, clapping him on the back. "It's not gonna be easy. You can't tell anybody but those we approve of. Or it will cause major consequences. If you run about and tell everyone and someone stronger comes along and kills them... well you know how that works. The Yamanakas aren't the only ones who can study the mind posthumously. It's a risk we can't afford. Now when Konohgakure is on the line. No one below Jonin and no one who isn't instrumental in fixing it. In short, not your father. At least, not yet. Whether or not we tell jiji is up for debate, but I think it's best to see the layout of this point in time and see whether or not that will make things overly complicated or not. "

Kakashi nodded, preparing to eject himself from his mindscape.

"Oh, one more thing Kaka-sensei! You're going to need to retrain your body."

Kakashi paused, digesting the statement. "Aa, I already noticed the differences. All of my training is gone. I have to relearn it all.

"Yeah," agreed Naruto. "It wasn't a time jump but a literal reversal. Once in a lifetime deal, ya know. The bijuu together conferred on the matter and donated their strength to Kurama so that could pass on that power. Madara harnessing their manifestations was just a portion of their being; their soul is apparently an entirely separate thing. It's a little over my head even now. But they lent their power to Kurama and he lent it to us… You were the only one who fit the prerequisites. You can only do this jutsu with the power of the bijuu, your own life, and someone with the intentions of good. Bijuu aren't evil. They're just selfish and somewhat crude at times, especially considering their age."

Kurama grumbled and began to snap at the hem of Naruto's pants. Naruto laughed and patted the fox on the head, yelping when the fox snapped down on his fingers hard enough to draw blood. Kakashi wasn't sure how that worked—the whole bleeding part—but he didn't have the energy to ask.

Naruto shook his hand as though he'd touched something hot flinging the red matter. "But yeah, time jump wouldn't have worked because then you'd be your own age in your time line and we couldn't have a Sakumo look-alike wandering around with a Sharingan, now could we? So don't mess this up. You can't go back again. Your brain can't take it—it almost couldn't take it this time. We had to compress and literally un-grow your body which took an enormous amount of effort- especially on Kurama's part. The effect hit him, too, and that's why he's so small. I don't know what it will look like for him as you grow, whether he'll get bigger or stay the same size. I obviously haven't done this before…"

"This… is going to be hard." Kakashi sighed, studying the ground as though it possessed inherent value. "How am I supposed to face everyone? The minute I saw my father all I could see was him killing himself. When… When I see everyone else I'm going to think of them dying as well. What do I do about that?

"Well… only thing I can think of is to creep around and spy on everyone. Get your emotions out of the way, if possible. Treat this like ANBU. A longterm mission behind enemy lines. You are an interloper. This type of intimacy with death will not get easier, only different. I don't know what will happen when I encounter these people—I will do my best to keep my own emotions in check. Based on what just happened with your dad, I think it's safe to assume that I can experience and see what you do. I hope my emotions don't influence or interfere with yours. You're going to relive your life and make it better. Take solace in that. Okay?"

Kakashi nodded, smiling briefly. Neither Naruto or the Kyubbi could see the smile beneath the fabric covering before Kakashi withdrew from his mindscape and back into his conscious state. He was surprised to see that his father was crouching over him, concern etched into the soft lines of his face, as though he'd only just fallen. It felt as though he'd been gone for hours, despite the obviously short passage of time. That was fortunate.

"I think you hit me a bit too hard," he chuckled, attempting to play off the situation and his strange behaviour. "Maa, we should get some breakfast before we go off to work and training, eh?"

Sakumo nodded, grinning as they both stood up. Kakashi's stomach clenched and he remembered that today was October 5th. His dad would be dead by June 13th if he didn't begin to outmaneuver that awful mission. As he followed his father down the hall with his disconcertingly small legs, Kakashi wondered if 251 days was enough time to save Sakumo's life.

Author's Note:

True to my word, here it is. Let's keep moving forward. I really do need a good beta or few to help me get this together. I'm more interested in doing the story justice than updating quickly, so please be patient. Quality over quantity all the way.

If you have good music suggestions for this story, please let me know. I'm debating whether or not I should just have one per chapter or if I'll add in the music as I feel like it. We'll see.