Hello to new readers and old readers of my other stories. I have also posted this story on an AO3 account. Hope you all enjoy.


Kakashi yawned, wiping his eyes and taking a moment to stare up at the early light shining through the branches above him, his back aching slightly from sleeping on the hard ground. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, embracing the rare quiet moment in what had been a stressful few months. God, I hate war, he thought bitterly, I'd forgotten how much everything hurts-

Kakashi froze.

Slowly moving into a sitting position, he carefully reached and felt his uncovered left eye. His hiate-ate was not in its familiar slant and yet his vision was normal, indicating that it was no longer heightened by the sharingan. Kakashi's breath caught in his throat, just how long had he been unconscious?

"Kai!" Kakashi subdued the rising panic as neither the thick forest or his normal vision disappeared. When it became clear that he was not under any genjutsu, Kakashi began frantically rubbing his eyes again, his skin protesting under the pressure as he somewhat foolishly attempted to reactivate the kekkai genkai. It's not actually my kekkai genkai though, Kakashi rationalised, his eyes beginning to water and the skin around his eyes turning an angry red. Maybe Obito -

Obito.

Kakashi lurched forward onto his hands and knees as a wave of painful memories hit him. Blood. Rage. Betrayal. Obito.

He… he killed me.

The boy he had spent years mourning and honouring his memory, his friend, had killed him. Breathing heavily, his arms shaking as they struggled to hold his weight, Kakashi reached for his eye again. What's going on? I died… I'm sure of it. I'd know too, since I've died before, Kakashi paused. …Can I die? Shaking his head, eyes still burning from the manic rubbing, Kakashi breathed deeply before moving back into a sitting position and assessing his surroundings. He needed to regather some level of rationality; his body had not reacted like this to an undesirable situation in a long time.

He appeared to be on the outskirts of a training ground, although he did not recognise which one. It does look like Konoha, Kakashi frowned, observing the forest. Something in the back of his mind whispered Infinite Tsukuyomi, the grand plan of Obito and Madara Uchiha, but the silver-haired shinobi dismissed it almost immediately. He had died. Despite his conviction, a small part of him wondered if he would even be able to recognise if he were in fact caught in that moon bullshit. Sighing, Kakashi stretched out his limbs and stood with mild difficulty, noticing his attire for the first time.

Kakashi frowned in confusion at the presence of arm guards and lack of jōnin vest, What-

"Ah, there you are Kakashi!"

Kakashi whirled around and swore he felt his heart stop. KaikaikaiKAIKAIKAI, he thought frantically, unable to move as the familiar blond jōnin made his way towards him from the other side of the training ground. Namikaze Minato was exactly how Kakashi remembered him, complete with the carefree smile and bright blue eyes.

Minato continued, briefly oblivious to Kakashi's inner panic, "We were starting to get worried, Obito was sure something terrible had happened for you to be later than him." Minato laughed good-naturedly but Kakashi couldn't help but flinch at the mention of the Uchiha, "Have you been training by yourself?"

Kakashi didn't respond. Or rather, he couldn't. His throat had constricted and he could scarcely breathe let alone talk because this was so real and his sensei was right there. He let out a choking noise that sounded too much like a sob for his liking, causing Minato to pause and properly take in his student. Kakashi's wide eyes were red and aggravated, his hair dishevelled, his hiate-ate loose, and his clothes covered in dirt and grime.

"Kakashi…?" Minato started gently, moving closer to him, "Is everything alright?"

Those kind eyes that exuded so much concern and care proved too much for Kakashi, who not for the first (or second) time today panicked and did the first thing that came to mind. He shunshined away. Not knowing where he was or where he was going, Kakashi came to a stop in another clearing, his heart racing. Despite the extreme speed in which he left Minato, Kakashi knew that his old sensei could easily catch him if he wanted to.

I seriously need to pull myself together, Kakashi thought, groaning. He reached and felt his left eye again, running his fingers over the skin that had been scarred for so long but was now smooth. This was not ideal. Or is it? A part of him whispered, the part of his mind that insisted on replaying those painful moments of his past over and over until it was all he could see when he closed his eyes. He knew those memories would haunt him forever, and he had wished that he could go back and protect those that meant the most to him. He had died, Kakashi was certain of that, but had some divine power given him a second chance? When he had absolutely nothing to deserve it?

He wanted this to be time travel, but he was hesitant to be too hopeful. It could only otherwise be an incredibly elaborate genjutsu, Kakashi looked around the new clearing, recognising it as training ground three, but no one is this good. The greatest genjutsu user he had known was Uchiha Itachi, but he had died (again; poor Itachi) before the fight with Obito, and Kakashi was pretty sure that not even Itachi could pull this off.

Now that he had some form of his bearings back, Kakashi supposed he should go home and get his shit together before Minato stated looking for him again, as the blond was clearly giving him some time to collect himself. He probably thinks I've finally lost it, Kakashi sighed and began the familiar trek back to the village from training ground three. Considering that it appeared he was in the past (or at least some version of it) before the awful Kannabi Bridge mission, Kakashi made his way to his old apartment, taking as many backstreets as possible in order to avoid seeing anyone he knew. He would have to face them eventually, he knew that, but he wanted to be at least mildly prepared before possibly seeing familiar faces like Asuma, Jiraiya and Shikaku. Not to mention the girl he killed and the boy who killed him. Fuck. Considering the way he just bolted upon seeing Minato, maybe some meditation was in order.

But first, Kakashi thought as he disabled multiple traps and entered his rather plain apartment, I need to figure out how long I have before everything turns to shit. He made a beeline for the bathroom mirror and even though he knew what would greet him, he couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of his reflection.

He was young. Very young. His skin was clear and smooth and his eyes brighter than they had been in a long time, although still mildly irritated from his early morning panic attack. Pulling down his mask, he reached behind his neck and felt for a small but deep scar he had received on a mission to Suna; a reminder of how the smallest distraction (his annoyance at Obito) could cost him. His fingers brushed over the scar, though it was more of a healing cut at this point, and Kakashi deduced that he must be at least twelve years old.

Feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion, he deliberated whether it was acceptable to sleep when it had only been daylight for barely two hours. It appeared that dying did not result in feeling well-rested. Minato would come looking for him eventually, he was too much like a worried parent not to, and Kakashi supposed that his twelve year old self actually choosing to be in bed rather than train would support any excuses of sickness to explain his earlier behaviour.

Kakashi dragged himself to his bedroom and buried himself in the covers, his mind not reflecting his body's weariness as it continued to work into overdrive. He was thirteen when he made jounin and led the mission from hell, he needed to find out how much more time he had… To what? Save Obito, when he knew what he could become? Who was he to say that a different future event wouldn't trigger the same results? Maybe this was just who Obito was; idealistic and vengeful.

Groaning lightly into his pillow, Kakashi determined that such thoughts could wait until he didn't feel like he had just died.