A week earlier:
"This place makes me think about the mistakes I've made in the past… and I've made so many of them. I come here so very often and yet I feel like it's not enough." Kakashi stared at the plaque; he'd long realized it was only a placeholder, really. In his mind's eye – in Obito's eye – he saw his old team, reunited. He mused here about what he should've done – about what he could've done. He was secretly relieved nobody was around to tell him he couldn't have done anything different; that really didn't help.
The white-haired shinobi was aware that he couldn't fix the past, of course; all too aware. He thought of that mistake, and why he was in this place so often – to drag his finger across the name of his lost teammate, to think about how Obito gave up half the sight of the world to him.
Kakashi wasn't sure how long he'd been there today – it didn't matter. He was probably late again. It didn't matter. For these brief periods that he spent here, staring at the honoured dead, he felt like he wasn't so alone in this violent and unforgiving world.
He was sure few could understand the sentiment – there were not many shinobi even in this town who have lost both their teacher and teammates so early, especially since it'd been some time since there had been a major war. Minato-sensei, Obito, Rin-chan. Each of their names was on this plaque, and others like it. Kakashi rubbed at his burning eyes, though tears would not fall.
He finally turned away, shaking his head. It was about time to retrieve his new genin team; he'd failed every team so far as none had even gotten close to the kind of teamwork that even his team had when they first started, and that had been pretty abysmal. Kakashi was the odd one out, then, a stickler for regulations and entirely too serious about everything. He supposed Obito at least taught him the error of those ways, in the end. He laughed slightly behind his cloth mask as he thought of which of Obito's many lame excuses he'd use today. So many choices!
He distractedly pulled out one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha books. He'd read them all, so he really didn't need to read it again, but it felt right and some of the lines were endlessly enjoyable. He chuckled slightly as he strode blindly towards the academy, taking in the calm and relaxed feeling of a village at peace. He walked by a bum passed out in the street, reeking as if he hadn't bathed in a week; there were a pair of kunoichi bickering a slight distance further, apparently over clothing. A nasty feral cat hissed from a side-alley, its fur matted and a reddish ribbon hanging from its back. Business as usual in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Konoha - perhaps the last companion that had been there since his youth, that hadn't changed on him. Kakashi couldn't help but feel slightly humbled as he walked through the narrow streets, seeing so many people enjoying their lives, oblivious to the hardships that shinobi protected them from. The village was greater than him, and yet it relied on his help to remain as it was - vibrant and alive.
Arriving at the school he was scheduled to be at some hours ago, Kakashi heard something odd – he heard yelling. He immediately recognized the voice of Uchicha Sasuke, last survivor of the Massacre. The last Uchiha, after a fashion. The jōnin carefully slid open the door, noting that only two people were present: Sasuke and a pink-haired kunoichi with tears in her eyes, who looked fearfully at her irate teammate.
"I don't know what you did, but we need the dead-last back! Our sensei could be here at any moment! I know I did nothing, so who else could have done it?"
"Ahem," Kakashi tried; the Uchiha deigned to glare at the new arrival briefly before he continued staring at the girl with malice. She had to be Haruno Sakura, undoubtedly. The latter had turned to Kakashi, paling, her hands shaking wildly.
"S-Sensei?"
"Hello, anyone listening?" Kakashi tried a second time, finally attracting the attention of Sasuke, who had seemingly not realized his sensei's identity before. The silver-haired shinobi sighed deeply – this would be another fail, probably. Where was the last of the team? "Where is your third teammate, Uzumaki Naruto?"
"He's missing!" Sakura said with a squeak. "He was here one moment, then he wasn't! He was acting all strange, a bit sickly - then it was like that speed technique that jōnin use!"
Kakashi frowned. He had heard something about little Naruto learning the Kage Bunshin technique – perhaps a dispelled clone?
"Hn." Sasuke added, and Kakashi rolled my eye.
"Where was the last place you saw him?"
"He was right here," Sakura said, pointing at a chair at the side of the classroom, which now only held a discarded hitai-ate. "Naruto wasn't doing anything special – I think he was planning to prank you, actually, before he complained of feeling ill – and then from one moment to the next he was just gone. Just a little smoke, like Kawarimi, but he didn't use any hand signs."
"I did nothing to the dead-last," Sasuke said haughtily, his eyes ablaze with indignation. "Haruno must have done something."
"I doubt any of you genin have the ability to make people vanish," Kakashi pointed out in exasperation. "Well, if he disappeared from here, I'll go see if I can find him. You should remain here while I go to the Hokage to see if he has seen Naruto."
"Why would the Hokage know that?" Sasuke asked, but didn't get an answer as Kakashi sped away. He'd made it most of the way out of the hallway before he heard what he had been expecting: A shrill scream in the distance.
"Hey! YOU'RE LATE!"
"Merely lost on the road of life," Kakashi murmured to himself with a smile as he jumped across roofs towards the Hokage Tower, . A knot formed in his stomach as ever worse possibilities fought for dominance over the obvious explanations. Naruto vanishing into thin air could mean very many very bad things. He forced himself to ignore the eerie feeling of dread that was starting to settle on him without any clear reason and sped on, confident his new student had simply seen fit to skip his first day as a genin. The unlikelihood of that did nothing to settle his nerves..
The Hokage tower wasn't particularly busy; Kakashi sneaked a peek around the corner and noticed Sarutobi reading a very familiar book. The jōnin strode in without announcing himself; it was not really needed, asthe so-called 'God of Shinobi' undoubtedly heard him coming from when he entered the tower, if not sooner.
"Kakashi? Can I help you?" The Hokage asked carefully, acting apologetic about being caught reading Jiraiya-sama's excellent literature.
Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, staring lazily. "I am missing the loudest of my students."
Sarutobi caught on immediately - to be expected. Kakashi would not come here had he sensed the boy anywhere near - and Naruto was rather noticeable. The Hokage worriedly took out one of his precious tools - a glass ball used for spying on people in the village, when needed. Kakashi idly wondered if it could be used to look into the Hot Springs. He rubbed his headband, feeling the Sharingan eye beneath it twinge. It always did react to stress, so it was no wonder. On the other hand, perhaps Obito was warning him against his impure thoughts. Kakashi snorted at that concept.
The Hokage was bent over the ball - Kakashi couldn't make out anything in it, but then he wasn't really trying to. If Sarutobi couldn't find Naruto using this tool, then nobody could. He began to sweat a little as the minutes ticked by, perspiration also appearing on Lord Hokage's forehead in beads. He noticed the faint glow of chakra from the old man's hands - for it to be visible in its base form, the Professor must be using quite a lot of it. Finally, the Hokage slumped back in his chair. A chill ran down Kakashi's back at the lost look in his eyes.
"Kakashi..." Sarutobi began, before hesitating. "I couldn't find Naruto anywhere in Konoha. I pushed the orb to its limit - as far as I could make it search. It reacts to any living thing. This shouldn't be possible. Uzumaki Naruto is no longer anywhere in the Land of Fire or a good distance around it. I'm afraid to say it, and I'll have to confirm it - but it's more likely that... he is dead."
Kakashi froze, his fears becoming reality and the feeling of dread intensified. Even by his most generous calculations, Naruto couldn't have left more than a day or two ago, at most, if the one that had been in the classroom was merely a clone. To leave the Land of Fire entirely in that time was not possible for a rookie genin - any genin, really - and Naruto was known as the dead-last for a reason. Which really only left one possibility. He almost sank through his knees. He'd lost sensei's son.
Sarutobi retrieved a scroll from his desk and spread it open - it was covered in a complex seal-array, far more intricate than Kakashi had ever seen. "This is one of Minato's designs; it was supposed to be handed to Naruto in due time, and it's linked to his chakra." Sarutobi frowned. "If I can activate it, it would suggest that Naruto's chakra is still within its huge range. If it doesnt..." The Hokage trickled a little chakra into the design, and it suddenly flickered brightly; after a few moments of shuddering light it doused again - nothing happened. The Hokage sighed and sat back in his chair, the life seemingly draining out of him.
Kakashi didn't say anything for a while, and neither did Sarutobi. It wasn't necessary - they both knew that something like this couldn't be fixed with words, or at all. Oh, Kakashi was certain that the Hokage would send out a search party to find Naruto. He had an inkling about what they'd find, though - Naruto's body, cold and dead, somewhere in or outside of Konoha. They knew the boy had recently found out about his burden, his curse - perhaps the boy had decided to run. Kakashi couldn't really blame him, all things considered. Whatever Naruto had done, it had not been enough, evidently. He'd likely been found - by a traitor, a foreign nin, perhaps even a missing-nin - and the boy didn't stand a chance against such odds.
"I am recalling Jiraiya to the village," Sarutobi said in a subdued voice. "If there is anyone who can track Minato's seal, it is he. Kyūbi would have not simply let Naruto die - the demon would have fought. We must know whether or not we are safe from the re-emergence of the Kitsune. I'll send out messengers as soon as I have an idea where to send them."
Kakashi wanted to curse at Sarutobi for focusing on the seal, but he knew the man was right. It was selfish to merely think of sensei's offspring as such, and to ignore the dangerous role he'd been imparted with. As a jinchūriki, Naruto carried the fate of one of the Bijū - the death of the creature had to be confirmed or they'd all have to get ready to fight another impossible battle. A battle that Minato-sensei had finished, last time, at great cost.
"Should we get Tsunade back as well?" he asked, knowing the answer. Sarutobi shook his head, as expected.
"She has left the village of her own free will. Send Pakkun to her, have him tell her what happened. If she chooses to return, she must do so willingly, not due to our persuasion. It would at the very least take Jiraiya's input, I believe."
Kakashi quickly callen Pakkun, his friendly nin-dog - he seemed quite put out with his master's harsh and commanding tone, ears drooping. He'd make it up to him later, Kakashi resolved. Sarutobi joined him as they left the tower.
"I will speak to the council - they must know the developments. None of the repercussions I can think of are good. If we have lost Naruto, perhaps it is the case that our greatest foe, the demon, has been revived. If Naruto has been taken, then we may have even greater problems." Sarutobi sighed deeply. "I fear that this will be the end of Konoha's era of peace, Kakashi. Civilians will notice Naruto's missing quickly - even decoys will do little to stop that. Rumour will spread quickly to neighbouring countries. Those kept at bay by the possible threat of a Kyūbi jinchūrikii will no longer be so constrained, since it's unlikely civilians will be quiet about it - nations will find an excuse to restart the old feuds. Without the Uchiha clan as well we are terribly weakened."
"Iwagakure, do you think?" Kakashi suggested - the nation had been a long-standing foe of most of the shinobi nations for ages - they'd probably try making trouble again; Sarutobi seemed to agree with that belief.
"We cannot stand against them now - we do not have the allies we would need, nor the elite soldiers to lead the fight, after such a long peace. I have you, but we both know that we will require more than the Copy-Nin to defeat Iwa once more, should it come to that. It worries me that our genin of today may have to pick up our slack if it comes to that."
"I hoped Naruto would be an adult before such a war would erupt," Kakashi admitted. "To step in those great shoes - I believed he could do it."
Sarutobi smiled thinly, tears close to the surface. "He told me he would be Hokage one day - every time I met him, really. He is - was - so much like his father."
"We will have to find the one responsible," Kakashi vowed with furious anger in a shaky voice. "If it is Iwa, then not a stone will be left standing of their village when this is done. Even if I have to pull each one off by hand. Nothing will stand in the way of that promise."
Sarutobi's eyes moistened further. The old Hokage laughed slightly, though. "I fear that this new nindō will clash with your habit of always being late, Kakashi. You might have to reconsider."
Kakashi shrugged. "I will find a way, Hokage-sama. I will find out what happened to Naruto - bring back his body, if that is how it is - and vanquish those who are responsible. Only then will I feel that the debt to my sensei has been fulfilled - if not entirely, at least in part."
He left quickly, leaving the Hokage standing alone on the path from the tower, looking decidedly frailer than usual. He would have to recruit Inoichi and Shikaku - they'd agree, Kakashi was certain. There were fewer greater minds in Konohagakure, and he was considered a genius himself - together they had to be able to find the truth. Perhaps he could convince the Ino-Shika-Chō trio to reunite once more in the pursuit of whoever was responsible for this.
First, though, he realized with a sigh, there was a two-man genin team he had to go fail.
