AN: Maa, Windchime started feeling neglected, so it bugged me to publish a new chapter already. :3

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Double Déjà Vu


Kakashi gently pushed the blond off him, trying to get a good look at their surroundings. Naruto beamed at him and rubbed his jacket sleeve across his eyes vigorously, all the while babbling "You're alive you're alive you're alive sensei you're alive!"

"Sorry for the scare," Kakashi's voice was quiet. Naruto gave him a one-armed hug this time, still smiling. But the jounin could feel his student's immense relief and the need to reassure himself that Kakashi was really really alive, in how the arm around his shoulders squeezed a little tighter for a moment.

"Hmm... if I'm alive, that means the plan failed," he remarked, with a rueful tilt of his head. Naruto smacked his shoulder and half-scowled at him.

"Idiot," he grumbled. "I don't care about the stupid plan. You're alive. And if you do anything like that again I swear I'm going to—"

There was a huge boom as all his Kage Bunshin were destroyed in one blow, and Naruto scowled. "Ugh, I really wish he'd just go down and stay down already..."

"So you survived, Kakashi," Hiruko snarled, stumbling to his feet. "But the solar eclipse has not ended yet. I still have the Heaven and Earth conditions. Kakashi, I'll kill you and take the Human condition!"

The missing-nin flung out a huge amount of what felt like chakra, which exploded outwards, bursting straight through the roof. Large pieces of broken rock rained down from above, and the floor beneath them began to crack.

"What the – " The blond exclaimed.

"Run for the exit, Naruto!"

Kakashi tried, and failed, to ignore the horrible feeling of déjà vu.

This is Naruto, not Obito, he told himself firmly. Something like that would never happen to Naruto.

They made it out of the strange building just as it exploded. Kakashi reached out, panic rising in his chest, and grabbed Naruto's arm. He held on with a desperately tight grip, refusing to let go even as the blast sent them both flying.

Naruto barely managed to form his hand-seal, yelling "Kage Bunshin!"

Kakashi was surprised and very much relieved when, instead of crashing painfully to the ground or being hit by huge pieces of debris, they landed fairly safely. It was a slightly bumpy (and very orange) landing, filled with the poofs of dispelling Kage Bunshin.

"Creative," he remarked, faintly amused despite the situation.

"Heh." Naruto grinned at him as they took shelter behind a wall of clones, who simply used Rasengan on any flying objects which came a bit too close. "So, how are we going to deal with the Orochimaru-wannabe?"

There was no response.

"Sensei?" Naruto prompted absently as he peered through the settling dust, trying to find the others.

"Naruto, you have to get away from me."

He whipped around in surprise, and inhaled sharply.

Kakashi was bent over as if in great pain, hands gripping his head tightly.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Now, Naruto," he grit out.

Naruto crouched on the ground beside Kakashi, a firm arm supporting his shaking body and concerned eyes searching, trying to find out what was wrong. The silver-haired man's head suddenly snapped up, and Naruto stared in horror at the unnatural, flickering red glow in his right eye.

"It's... his puppet jutsu... Run – he can – use me... kill you – Naruto, run!"

The jounin shuddered violently, and began to thrash against his grip. Naruto felt himself flung off.

"Kakashi!"

He barely registered the pain in his shoulder as he landed on the ground, hard.

"Damn it!"

Kakashi gave a terrible scream of agony as he ripped off his hitai-ate and clutched at his head, trying to fight the cursed puppet jutsu.

But you know it's useless, don't you? Hiruko's poisonous voice whispered in his mind, full of vicious triumph. That is the reason you chose to use that time-release jutsu in the first place, to sacrifice your own life as a last resort to kill me... because you knew there was no way to resist my jutsu's absolute control.

A scarlet eye-shaped mark glowed eerily on his bare forehead.

And you failed to destroy me, didn't you? Hiruko cackled. Give up fighting against this already. It's useless. You have been marked with my jutsu for years, Kakashi. I'll let you watch, as I use you to kill him.

Kakashi struggled even harder, refusing to let himself be controlled anymore, refusing to become a danger to his own comrades, most of all to Naruto

(Naruto, who had chosen to come after him and insisted on saving him from his willing self-sacrifice, despite having to weigh Konoha's safety against the life of one shinobi, despite having to go against all the obstacles Kakashi asked the Hokage to set against him, including even his friends.)

But he could feel it. It was useless. He was already losing, slipping away—

(Nonono stop don't I must not I must not no dammit stop stop STOP!)

With one last cry of despair, he fell still.

In the end, it was still useless.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright? Answer me!"

Naruto approached the man cautiously, a feeling of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. Kakashi was slowly pushing himself up.

He turned, and blank red eyes met horrified blue.

Damn it.

"I won't let you have him..." Naruto growled at the long-haired missing-nin who stood atop the rubble. "I won't let you take him, you bastard!"

Hiruko actually had the audacity to laugh in malicious glee.

The sound of electricity, crackling and chirping like a thousand birds made the blood freeze in his veins. Naruto forced himself to turn around.

"I've always wanted a one-on-one spar with you, sensei," he smiled bleakly. "But not like this. Never like this."


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...I sincerely apologise to Kakashi for throwing him into such situations all the damn time. x_x

Ah well! I hope you liked this chapter? :3 Reviews would be lovely, thanks. ^_^

~rakku(: