AN: This is my third chapter in what I think is like an apocalyptic Konoha with an angry Uchiha in charge! I haven't had any reviews yet so I am hoping readers are enjoying this somewhat. I have enjoyed planning and writing this so far anyway.


Chapter 3

Kakashi reluctantly took the young ruler's advice and rested over the next week. His head did hurt and he had used a lot of chakra and energy during the war. At the ripe old age of 30 he already felt too old for the shinobi life style. Perhaps he would be able to retire if Sasuke really did manage to keep the peace. After all, if their ruler was their dictator and enemy at least the different villages wouldn't be fighting each other anymore: they would be united in their hate for Sasuke.

Although he had slept since being knocked out in battle, Kakashi slept a lot more that day after his two former students left him to it in his apartment. Kakashi couldn't help but wonder just why Sasuke needed him at full strength and dreaded the possible reasons at the same time. He really didn't feel like being forced back in a type of ANBU or being some sort of body guard. He also feared Sasuke would set him tasks or missions that involved assinating Sasuke's enemies- some of which could be Kakashi's friends.

Sakura visited Kakashi that night and brought him some fruit to help replenish him. She was a sweet girl and once again Kakashi was struck by well she was keeping herself together all things considered. Yes, she had cried a lot but she had always been quite emotional; and the love of your life murdering your best friend and then humiliating you was something that warranted emotion, even if she was a shinobi. Kakashi had long passed the days when he believed shinobi should act that emotionless robots, carrying out missions pretending they didn't care. Not that he showed much of his feelings himself. It was stupidly ingrained in him not to since childhood.

Sakura stayed and sat beside Kakashi well into the night. They both read, him Icha Icha (though he didn't really have the heart for it at the moment, but what else was there to do?) and she a magazine. When it reached midnight she rose to leave.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's late, I had better go."

"Oh?" Kakashi bit his lip beneath the mask. He didn't want her to go; he didn't want the loneliness to return. He feared the dead would come to him in his dreams.

She hesitated. "Yes... I should really. I have an early start tomorrow."

AH- the hospital. Kakashi wondered who had landed themselves in there. Gai must have after using the right gates. That had to be the reason his eternal rival hadn't been to see Kakashi yet.

"Well my flat is closer to the hospital, isn't it? You could stay..."

She turned her worried gaze on her sensei. She nodded. "Sure, sensei. I can sleep on the sofa."

"Oh no, have my bed, please. I don't mind sleeping on the floor. I have been in this damned thing for days."

She chuckled. "That's because you are injured and recovering! I wouldn't dream of taking a patient's bed- what kind of nurse would I be?"

"So you're here as a nurse?"

"No I am here as your friend!"

They both fell silent then. Niether of them had ever referred to the other as a 'friend'. They had always been sensei and student. In the time since Naruto and Sasuke had left the village they had grown closer. Since the war they had overstepped the line of colleagues into something else. Sakura had finally set what Kakashi never had: the girl was more than his student now. She was his friend. He looked to her for company almost as much as Gai. Not that he really sought Gai's company: Gai always found him.

Before Tenzou had been taken, he and Kakashi had also been friends... no he couldn't think of him now, taken to the sand village to have kami only knows what experiments done to him. He only hoped Sasuke had put some limits in place on the snake sanin and his assistant.

He tried to rid himself of such thoughts and gave Sakura's hand a squeeze. "Yes, one of my few. Thank you, Sakura. For everything. I am glad I woke up to find you beside me. This new world holds little else for me. The old world didn't have much more. You've grown into a fine woman and a strong kunoichi."

She blushed at the compliment. "Thank you...Kakashi-kun."

They both giggled at his new title before she grabbed some spare blankets and settled in the next room. "If you need me I'll be out here. Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Goodnight, Sakura."


The rest of the week was dull. But Kakashi was grateful he didn't have to go to Sasuke yet. The young man unnerved him now, he struggled to see the boy in him he once knew. And the way he'd looked at Kakashi... he couldn't quite read it but it made him feel ill at ease.

Kakashi didn't want to stay cooped up in bed either so he went for a walk around the village. Things seemed to be getting back into some kind of rhythm or order. Market stalls were already back and citizens trading. The academy would be re-opening soon- though with an emphasis on self defence rather than attacking since there would supposedly be no more need for children to grow up as weapons to a village. Kakashi wondered how soon it would be until it seemed like the war had never even happened. Until life without a gambling-addict hokage and blond knuckle-head ninja disturbing the peace became normal. He let out a deep sigh.

He decided he would check on Sakura and see what her new post had brought her. He supposed it must be nice to have a place in this world, even if Sasuke had been the one to choose it for her. Kakashi could only hope that his own one would work out. Working directly for Sasuke... what on earth could the boy want him for?

The hospital was hectic, but not as bad now as it must have been when they had first returned from the war, when Kakashi had been asleep. Kakashi vaguely remembered how manic it had been after Pein's attack on the village. It seemed like half the village had been admitted then.

Sakura was tired but she beamed at his approach. "Kakashi!" She waved. "You won't believe it- I hadn't mentioned it before because I didn't want to worry you- Gai-sensei woke up this morning. He tried to leave to find you, but I erm, had to take precautions in the interest of the patient's own safety." She ended on a sheepish note.

"You punched him, didn't you?"

"He wouldn't listen to reason!"

"He is too weak to leave the hospital but he was fine to take a knock of the head?"

"On the arm actually! But that besides the point. He had to learn the consequences of trying to escape on my watch. Lee is with him now. You should go join them, he would be happy to see you."

Kakashi did just that. While Sakura got back to work he headed to where she had pointed him. Gai was in a bed at the far-right end of the room, Lee sat on a stool beside him talking animatedly. There was a photograph of Neji on the windowsill next to the with some incense burning.

Neji. Kakashi thought. Obito had been the one too... how could Gai even look at Kakashi again now, let alone remain friends with him. If Kakashi had stopped Obito when he had the chance Neji would still be...

Gai caught sight of his long term rival and friend. He beamed at him and tears sprung into big eyes beneath a still-hideous bowl cut. The other side of war didn't make Gai's hair anymore appealing. Kakashi smiled, glad to see some familiarity in his friend's whacky style.

"Rival!" Gai bellowed, causing the other patient's to grimace.

"Gai." Kakashi smiled and plonked himself down on the end of his friend's bed.

Gai pulled him into a hug that should have been so tight for man who had been unconscious until only that morning.

"How are you, rival? Are you OK?" Gai started looking at his body and prodding him all over, for some unknown injuries.

"Hey, that should be my line!" Kakashi chuckled. "You're the one in here, dumb ass."

Gai smirked. "Ah. You are quite right. If it wasn't for Naruto..."

Silence fell which was unusual when one spends time with Maito Gai. The bedbound ninja patted Kakashi on the shoulder. Kakashi hugged him. "We have both lost a precious student to this war. May they find happiness in the other world."

"They sure will," Gai said confidently. His warmth spread to Kakashi a little then. Kakashi turned to Gai's other student in the room.

"I'm glad to see you're doing OK, Lee."

"Thank you, sir! I am doing what I can to help those who suffered worse injuries than me. Sakura-chan has promised to find me a place here to help out for the time-being."

"That sounds nice."

Gai patted Lee on the back proudly.

"I was hoping to leave here soon, but your pink haired student has other ideas. She won't sign me out for a while now."

"Well you body must have taken some damage using the eighth gate..." Kakashi looked other his friend. Gai did indeed seem weak. His breathing seemed laboured and his colour was paler than usual.

"Well have no fear; I won't doing that again."

"Good."

"Or any of the gates for that matter."

"Oh? Why?"

This was odd. Gai had relied on the gates for years. He had saved Kakashi's ass countless times in a pinch with them.

"Sakura-chan says that if I use them again...I will die."

Kakashi's eyes widened. He looked to Lee who nodded confirmation sadly.

"It's OK, Kakashi. My insides chakra network was pretty torn up after an attempted suicide move. Maybe it is better this way; I couldn't rely on them forever, they were damaging my body for years. The springtime of youth had to come to an end..."

"It hasn't ended yet, believe it!" Kakashi suddenly jumped it, unintentionally sounding like his old student. Gai laughed.

"Maybe you are right. Maybe youth will bloom again. I am still the best Taijutsu mater in Konoha after all. And Iruka has already been by and offered me a place at the academy teaching taijutsu to the young ones. The emphasis is on self-defence now I believe. And civilians can learn that also so I will be teaching them too."

Kakashi smiled. He was happy for his friend. But he couldn't help but feel a little lost that they wouldn't be on missions together anymore. They had made such a great team. Gai had always managed to cheer him up and keep him from losing himself in the dark depression that had constantly threatened to take over in their teenage years.

"Kakashi," Gai said, suddenly serious. Kakashi looked up at his friend as Lee fluffed his pillows. "I heard about Obito from Sakura. I'm sorry. To lose your best friend all over again..."

"It's OK. I am still confused about how I should feel in all honesty. And it wasn't for Obito... Minato-sensei, Kushina-san and Neji..."

"Let's not go down the path of blame. Sasuke is managing that perfectly well for all of us."

Kakashi nodded. "I can't deny that even after all that has happened I still can't hate Obito. I still love my friend and will always think of him as such." He paused and met Gai's eyes. "But you know Gai, you are wrong about one thing."

"Huh?"

"Obito was never my best friend. That spot was always filled by my eternal rival."

Kakashi had expected a thumbs up, a crushing hug and river of manly youthful tears. What he didn't expect was Gai to blush and watch him silently with watery eyes. The silence was soon broken with Rock Lee's manly tears instead. The boy bowed to Kakashi and shook his hand to commemorate his youthful acknowledgement.

When he calmed down Kakashi turned back to Gai, who was still watching Kakashi. "I will visit again tomorrow and every day until my week is up, with some healthy snacks. You need to get your energy back if you're gonna get out of Nurse Sakura's clutches. But no super spicy curry. It's too soon for that."

"I look forward to it, rival!" Gai gave him a thumbs up. "And what do you mean 'when your week is up'? Where are you going?"

Kakashi shrugged and tried to act like it was no big deal. "Sasuke wants me to work directly for him when I've fully recovered. No idea what I'll be doing. I just hope it doesn't involve long missions, I don't have the heart for it anymore."

Lee and Gai exchanged a look.

"A most honourable position, Kakashi-sensei," Lee bowed again. "It is most worthy being sought after by a Hokage."

Gai on the other hand watched Kakashi with concerned eyes, a hand scratching his chin. "Just be careful, Kakashi. That boy is ruling on his bitterness and old grudges. Rumour is he is commissioning a huge memorial statue to the slaughtered Uchiha and to Itachi. Try to avoid getting dragged into the boy's feuds."

Kakashi nodded. "You don't have to tell me. I witnessed first-hand what direction his 'revolution' was taking when he killed his team-mate and best friend. I don't know why he allowed me and Sakura to live in all honesty. Somehow I doubt his motives for sparing us were pure."