When Kakashi came to, the first feeling that struck him was one of weakness. Then, warmth (and more confusion).

So he didn't die after all. Kakashi wondered if he should be happy or sad about that.

He tried to open his eyes, only to find that the lids wouldn't move. A wave of panic swept through him, enhanced by his still in battle-state mind, and he attempted to thrash and flail.

So he didn't die after all.

To his relief, he could control his limbs to some extent. They felt awkward as if he was in a body that wasn't his own (an entirely realistic possibility), and on top of that, leaden, as if moving through a heavy fluid. Past that, Kakashi had apparently lost his senses.

What's going on?

After the initial shock and adrenaline wore off (though it never did, really), his thoughts felt muddled and unclear, and alarmingly, Kakashi liked the feeling. A lukewarm, placid sensation enveloped him, and he sighed in appreciation. He was at peace, something he hasn't experienced since the beginning of the war.

So when a shift disturbed him, he was irritated. A bright light flashed in on his dark haven, painful searing into his eyelids. He squirmed and kicked with all his might; he didn't want to leave! Kakashi liked it there, it was so nice and warm and comforting and-

A chill enveloped him as something pulled on him, bringing him out to the light. He shivered, and there was an overwhelming sense of loss.

Fear and anger, emotions he usually was able to bury deep, suddenly welled up and tears came pouring out.

Kami, he felt like a pubescent teenager. "Oh, here comes the waterworks."

Kakashi cried like he never had before, both out of root fear of this new place, and later surprise that he actually lost control enough to make a noise so loud and raw.

After a few throat searing screeches, Kakashi managed to tone it down to a few sniffles, and actually paid attention to his surroundings. He couldn't see all that well; everything was a big blur. He heard a multitude of voices: people rushing around shouting out orders, a nervous-sounding person (who he guessed was the one holding him) that seemed to be trying to be soothing, and, the most nerve-wracking, a woman screaming herself hoarse.

Kakashi could smell anesthetics and blood as if he was in a hospital. Makes sense, considering that he had probably been heavily injured from the fight. He wondered what happened while he was gone...though he still felt confused about how small he felt and why he was being held and swaddled in blankets like a young child.

The woman's screaming soon stopped and was replaced by heavy gasping. Kakashi was passed over to what he guessed to be the woman's hands, judging by the erratic breaths blowing on his face. She had brown hair, Kakashi mused absently.

"Kak...i...I...lo..." she murmured, and Kakashi strained his ears to hear. For some reason he felt like something important was happening.

Suddenly, the hands holding him stiffened and jerked, and he was quickly caught and transported away as the woman began screaming again.

As he listened to the sound with a new feeling of dread pooling in his stomach, new, rough hands cradled him, unhindered by gloves like the first person, touching his face.

Kakashi felt somewhat embarrassed at the way these strangers were treating him, and squirmed, turning to see this person's face. It seemed to be an uncommonly big blob...with white hair that looked a lot like his own...

His confusion mounted, overpowering the sleepy haziness he felt before, and bringing a sense of sharp focus.

Was he in some kind of genjutsu? But with the Sharingan...wait, where the hell was his Sharingan?

After a few minutes of panicking, Kakashi came to the conclusion that this was definitely an illusion. How else could he have been reverted to his baby self (if it even was himself)? Even if he couldn't really tell what was traumatizing about this...past the overwhelming feeling of vulnerability.

But, his mind helpfully supplied, if this was an illusion, how come you're not dead yet?

Mentally, Kakashi sent out a wave of his own chakra in order to see if it was a jutsu.

And wouldn't you sense someone else's chakra being disrupted, his mind added, and why was it so hard to send out that one wave of chakra?

Apart from the hands holding him stiffening, nothing happened. Kakashi tried again, ignoring his rational mind for a second. With a start, Kakashi noticed he was getting immensely dizzy and exceedingly tired.

Chakra exhaustion?

But he barely did anything! It's not like he really was a baby...right? It was just a genjutsu.

It's not a genjutsu, so stop hyperventilating!

In a small corner of his mind, Kakashi wondered if it was normal to hear voices after being reborn.

(The screaming had stopped, but he didn't pause his racing thoughts acknowledge it)

Once he acknowledged that yes, he was definitely a baby, Kakashi felt strangely calm. Okay, he could deal with this. And if this was a time travel situation...

Depending on how far back he was, he could save all his precious people, could stop the war, could make everything better...

The huge face above him swam to the front of his mind, and he looked up to peer at it. His heart stuttered.

The man holding him was his supposedly dead father, Sakumo Hatake.

The woman that had been screaming was his dying mother.

He just heard his mother die.


what the-

where am I?

what is- who is that?

...

Father-?

No, he's dead.

But that looks like him-

He died, remember? Years ago. He's supposed to be long gone.

Pretty sure that we're not supposed to be a baby, as well.

Maybe a relative?

Looks too similar-

Yeah, some other Hatake. Who said they all died, anyway?

The Hokage.

Yeah, well, he's dead too, so-

Brutal.

So maybe a genjutsu- but didn't he die

...

isn't he heyouImeyou

Us or him?

both

...

he died. i saw him die. there was- there was that mission and then glares and he got angry and suddenly there was

blood everywhere dripdropdripdropdri-

and a tanto

(gleaming silver- ha, silver)

and he wasn't dead but blonde

(sunshine)

said he was so he hadn't known what to think and wait he was dead too

so he shouldn't think

but isn't this thinking so what-

Are we dead?

Yes.

Are we alive?

Yes.


The next few weeks were spent planning and plotting.

Well, at first Kakashi had spent the days in a numb state.

One couldn't blame him. He had just come back from the dead, from the middle of one of the most devastating war ever (or maybe that was just his opinion). And instead of joining his dead family in the afterlife, fate decided to screw him over and make him time travel.

(Or so he assumed. Who knows, maybe he was in a Tsukuyomi or something and this is all fake.)

(Maybe it's selfish, but for now, he's going to pretend it's real.)

(It is real.)

Kami, just the idea of it was enough to make his head spin. Not to mention the possibly destroy-the-whole-universe-worthy repercussions. Not to mention that he should be dead.

Kakashi still couldn't get over that. He had almost accepted his fate (as much as one could accept their fate while flying through a forest at neck breaking speeds). He was ready to die, almost ecstatic about it, though that was dampened by worry of those he would have left behind.

Kakashi must've scared his father with how quiet a child he was. He couldn't help it - he had a lot to think about. Added onto how his father was alive...well, who could blame him if he wanted to keep him for as long as possible?

Sakumo must've already been worried enough. From what Kakashi gleaned from conversations in and out of the household, Kakashi's flare of chakra hadn't gone unnoticed, and for him to have been just born was all the more frightening, especially with his son's definitely unchildlike behavior.

As a result, Kakashi was extremely clingy to his father, and in turn, Sakumo was extremely protective of his son.

Kakashi didn't mind - much. He was really eager to get up to date on training but was too young to actually get anywhere with it.

Hell, he could barely stand up, and embarrassingly enough, had to be carried everywhere. All he could say was 'gurgle' and 'blah'. Added on to that, he still couldn't see right, despite his eyes having opened properly a while ago. Everything was still blurry, though much clearer than before.

The next few weeks were also spent learning how to take control of his body, especially his motor reflexes(he was too used to moving as an adult jounin).

(Oh, the horror of diapers, burping, bed-wetting...what would they say if they saw the great Copy-nin like this? Not even mentioning teething..it was almost equivalent to some of the methods in T & I.)

Kakashi also spent the time planning out everything he was going to do. He wasn't a genius for nothing, it was remarkably easy to compartmentalize his new brain and old memories, putting away the worst and bringing up the most useful. He crafted a tentative plan in his head, knowing that he couldn't change too much because it will debilitate his future knowledge.

He was tempted to just say 'screw it' and do whatever it takes to save everyone he loves, but his rational side won out. As much as it tortured him to admit, he knows that doing so could make them all end up with a worse future than before.

Kakashi also decided that he would graduate at the same age as he did before, which meant moderating himself. He had at first considered graduating earlier, but that meant more unneeded attention. Since last time Danzo only bothered him when he was much older, Kakashi should be fine. And if Kakashi were to wait for later...well, Kakashi selfishly wanted to see Minato-sensei as soon as possible.

Because of his lack of motor skills, Kakashi's speech was botched, and he hated the sound of it. As a result, he refused to speak (uh, make baby noises) in public, and only occasionally in private. Sakumo, in a near amusing fit of worry, had once brought him to the hospital to make sure that he wasn't mute. The medic-nin had declared him as just an unusually silent child. So when he finally did speak proper words, it came out as a surprise.

He was all of two years old and had been planning the moment for weeks.

They were at the dinner table, Sakumo quietly chatting about mundane things about his day that Kakashi was never required to respond to. Inserted in between were subtle stories of chakra and his missions (Though it was nothing too gruesome, it still made him frown that Sakumo was gearing him up to be a good little shinobi so early on).

Kakashi had waited for a lull in the conversation, having planned this moment a while earlier. His first word was "Father", and it led to his first sentence "Father, pass the salt."

(In public at least; his real first word had been "Damn", and was in private (a fact he was grateful for, because how would Sakumo have reacted?))

Sakumo froze, and just stared at Kakashi, who stared back with the same half-lidded expression he used when he was older.

"Pass the salt," Kakashi repeated.

Sakumo dropped his fork and latched onto his son, twirling him around in the air like a top, exclaiming and ignoring the younger's struggles.

Kakashi's next words were "Father, you're choking me!"


He was going to save him this time, the boy thought fiercely. Him, and sensei, and teammates and colleagues and kohais and genins and everything he loved (and cursed- they should change the name to Everyone-Who-Even-Talked-To-Him-Killer Kakashi but that doesn't matter)- he will save them all.

None of them would die as another mark under a list of tragic deaths. None.


A month after, and Kakashi was running around the house. His first birthday passed quickly.

A month after that, and Kakashi was finally potty trained.

And then, right before his second birthday he was brought to the hospital.

Kakashi's sight had been deteriorating, a fact that Kakashi had barely noticed (he put it off as normal baby side effects - he didn't know anything about kids). Until he walked straight into a wall. Numerous times.

After sitting his son down and hearing about his son's worsening vision, Sakumo took the young boy straight to the medic nins.

Kakashi felt odd in the place, as the last time he had been there was at his birth, which wasn't a pleasant experience. Throughout the whole checkup, he had to fight the urge to flee.

After everything was done, they all went off to the side and muttered, shooting glances at the young Hatake boy. It worried Kakashi because he didn't remember anything like this in the Old Timeline, as Kakashi had dubbed it after several confusing paradoxical circles.

A nurse came over to where the pair were sitting with a nervous, yet reassuring smile.

"Um, Hatake-san," she started, wringing her hands. "We have the results."

Sakumo sat up straighter, Kakashi mimicking him. "Yes?" he asked nervously.

"Well, we found that there has been what is most likely a birth defect." The first dregs of dread appeared in Kakashi's stomach. "Kakashi-kun had too much chakra in his eyes." A bad taste filled his mouth. "While this would be fine on a Uchiha or a civilian since he is neither and has already started training...well...as a result, his vision will steadily worsen, until he...uh, won't be able to see at all." His heart dropped.

Oh.

Won't be able to see at all.

"What?"

"Hatake-san, your son soon will be blind."

Won't be able to

see

He ran out of the room, followed by Sakumo's yell of "Kashi!"

Run, run, run, maybe then it'll go away

Can't see can't see, watch the branch

won't see won't ever see them

again

Run, run, run-

"Kakashi!" A harried Sakumo finally found his son curled up in the corner of a training ground (though how he knew how to get here, Sakumo didn't know). "Kashi..."

The time traveler furiously wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, unsure as to why he was reacting so emotionally.

Maybe because he may never be able to see the world again, never see all the smiling faces of his loved ones. Maybe because he may not be able to become a ninja.

Maybe because everyone will die again and it's all his fault because he is blind-

"Hey." Sakumo gently lifted the hands from Kakashi's face. "Look at me."

"Why? It's not like I'll ever be able to see you again." The bitter remark was out before he could take it back. it hung in the air silently, oppressively.

"Kakashi." Sakumo's voice was near a growl. "Don't you dare give up like this."

Kakashi just stared at the ground.

"There are other ways to see."

The words made him spin around to stare at his father.

"With chakra," The White Fang continued, growing more and more nervous, despite his firmness earlier. "You can sense chakra signatures. With enough practice, you can essentially see without the use of your eyes. I have a friend who can help. He knows how to deal with bli- people like you." he flinched away from saying the b word, but plowed on, knowing that he was starting to ramble. "You'll be able to see, just differently. And much more efficiently, too, along with-"

A small body plowed into his, catching Sakumo in the chest and making a small grunt sound out.

"Let's go home," A small voice whispered, and Sakumo felt himself melt. It was a start.


"Kakashi? You should get to sleep."

The boy, nose buried in a thick book, just waved him off. "I will eventually."

Kakashi ignored the look his father sent him. Ever since getting 'the news', Kakashi has been spending every waking moment researching.

Sakumo passed it off as him trying to fix it, sending him pitying looks whenever he found his son with a book on chakra theory on hand. The only reason he didn't stop it, Kakashi supposed, was because it helped him become a better shinobi.

"Kakashi," Sakumo said sternly.

Kakashi glanced up at him, contemplating the pros and cons or whining at his father. Eventually he sighed and closed his book obediently.

"Fine." Sakumo said nothing about the boy's less than respectful tone, to happy that he got Kakashi to go to sleep.

Kakashi headed off to his room, mind reviewing all he had learned so far.

Kakashi had accepted- well, at least known- that he was definitely going to be blind a few chapters into the first book he read. What he was looking for was why.

What made this birth so different that he was actually blind when in his previous life he was perfectly fine?

Was it an alternate universe? It's true, that would be the only way this is all happening without some sort of paradox coming and swallowing them all whole.

Did Obi- Tobi actually succeed in his Moon Eye plan and had made Kakashi blind to keep him from becoming a shinobi and ruining his life? Then why hadn't he had just killed him?

Or was it an aftereffect of him being reborn? Perhaps he retained his chakra system from before, just resized to that of a baby, and his chakra system still pooled chakra into his eye for the Sharingan. Due to him having literally nonexistent chakra in birth, he was fine at first. Then as he grew and more chakra coursed through his systems, his eyes became worse with the extra chakra, eventually resulting in blindness.

The last theory was the one he was most inclined to believe in, though the first was a close second. The Tobi one...well, hadn't they already stopped him a while ago?

Aside from speculation, Kakashi attempted to adjust to his deteriorating sight. He had started to memorize where everything was in the house, touching everything and anything to familiarize himself with the settings.

He had just gotten used to the layout, and was reassuring himself that maybe he could do this when he slammed into a chair.

"Wha-?" He fell back onto the floor, hard. For a few seconds he just stared ahead, not blinking.

His father had just left for a mission. Before he left, he had shoved his chair unthinkingly out from under the table in his hurry to grab some last minute supplies.

Kakashi thought about the unknown object in front of him and his efforts to remember his environment.

Much to his immense embarrassment, he burst into tears.

Damn his emotional young body.

Despite his attempts, he couldn't calm himself. For some reason, that careless mistake had ripped a hole in his view of the world, making it unknown and dangerous. The steady map in his head he had been building had collapsed.

So he cried.

He really hoped he could learn that chakra sense soon. For now he'll return to books.


Um. Here.

Next one may come in a month. Or year. Or maybe a week if I feel good.