Author's Note(s): Thank you to everyone who's read this story so far! This will be the last chapter (but don't worry, it has an actual conclusion at the end), seeing as I've finished writing everything that I really want to explore in writing this. I'm aware that there are some obvious canon timeline inconsistencies at the end, but for the sake of this story, I decided to ignore those canon details to further enhance the plot.

On a different note, would any of you be interested if I wrote a completely original (non-fanfiction) story? I'd be posting it somewhere else, of course (such as FictionPress or Wattpad), but I'd figure out a way to link to it/share my FictionPress/Wattpad author name on here so you'd have access to it. I do a lot of independent fiction writing, but I don't often post it anywhere online. I have a few ideas, but if anyone has suggestions/requests for genres for this, tell me! If you're interested, let me know in a review or PM!

-Update 18/02/04: Did you know that only 1% of the readers of this story have left a review? Contribute to raising that number, and I'll be eternally grateful!-


Kakashi cursed as a sharp pain shot through his hand, flinching back from the burning stove. It was the second time he'd burnt himself that morning, in a simple attempt to make breakfast. Along with the burns, he'd managed to end up with several cuts across his hands, from misdirected knives.

It had been two days since he had been discharged from the hospital, and stubbornly turned down his mentor's offer to stay with him and Kushina for a while, as he adjusted to his new 'situation', as Minato had called it. Minato had also insisted that Kakashi take the next week off of training, to give himself more time to rest, though Kakashi had little intention of doing so - the one day of skipped training yesterday was already wearing on his nerves, a deep sense of unrest stirring within him from his idleness.

An hour later, Kakashi set out into the crisp morning, his pace uncharacteristically slow as he started down the street with a cautious stride. After the poison's sudden assault on his body, a week in the hospital had seen to it that said poison was entirely cleaned from his system. Now, with his chakra control having returned - albeit unused for the past two weeks, and rather unsteady - Kakashi found himself drawing on it as a vague sense of security. With no vision to guide himself with, he paid close attention to the chakra signatures around him, which allowed him to, for the most part, avoid crashing into anyone - although he still did, several times. Sticking to the walls of the buildings around the village, Kakashi didn't have much trouble finding his way to the training grounds; over the years, his feet had seemed to subconsciously memorize the path.

The training field was empty, judging by the lack of chakra signatures. With a quiet sigh, Kakashi made his way to the team's regular meeting spot - he had arrived first, as usual. Two minutes later, the field was graced by the sound of another's approach - no, two others' approaches, Kakashi corrected himself as the chakra signatures flickered into his recognition.

"Kakashi!" Kakashi was quick to identify Rin's cheerful voice as the one that had called his name, and he turned to face the general direction from which she approached, with Minato at her side.

"Kakashi, you're here," Minato mused, with only a slight hint of surprise, "didn't I tell you to rest for the next few days?"

Kakashi gave no reply to that; his Sensei already knew the answer.

"What happened to your hands?" Rin inquired in wake of the silence, eyeing Kakashi's bandaged hands with concern.

"Oh, nothing. They're fine."

"Then why-?" Rin begun, however she was immediately interrupted.

"I'm fine, Rin."

"Kakashi-" Minato begun, however he, too, was interrupted.

"I just burnt them this morning - I'm fine."

Rin, of course, wouldn't take Kakashi's insistence as an answer. Without hesitation, she took the boy's left hand in her own, unwrapping the bandages that had been hastily applied. The girl frowned as the fresh burns and cuts beneath were unveiled, however she set to work silently healing them, and quickly moved on to Kakashi's right hand.

"Kakashi!" Obito's bright cry travelled across the field as the Uchiha broke into a run, soon coming to a panting stop by the other three.

"You sound almost happy, baka," Kakashi remarked dryly, almost sensing the Uchiha's wide grin drop into an indignant scowl at his words, as though it were a physical sensation.

"I-" Obito seemed at a loss for words, and settled for an aloof 'hmph'.

"Well, let's get started," Minato announced, and set to work explaining the day's training exercise.

"Alright, any questions?" Minato inquired once finished explaining, and was met by three negative responses. "Good. Everyone, to your positions! Kakashi, stay here for a minute."

With clear reluctance, Kakashi remained in the field as Obito and Rin took off into the woods.

"Yes, Sensei?" Kakashi prompted, crossing his arms with impatience.

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Kakashi? If you want to take a few more days to rest and recover, no one's pressuring you to get back to training so soon."

"I'm fine, Sensei."

"Kakashi..."

"I'm fine, okay?! You don't need to treat me like some amateur genin! I can deal with this, okay?!"

"Kakashi, I didn't mean- I just- I just want to help you, Kakashi."

"And I don't want your help, Sensei!"

"But do you need it?"

Kakashi gave no reply to that, lowering his head with a darkened expression.

"Meet me here tonight, 7:00."

Kakashi flinched at the sudden knock at his door, rising from his spot seated at his table after a second and approaching the door.

"You said 'meet me'," Kakashi begun as he opened the door, having already sensed Minato's chakra signature.

"It's 7:30."

"I-"

"It's not very like you to be late, Kakashi."

"I- I didn't know what time it was," Kakashi admitted, his voice strangely quiet.

"Oh."

Minato shook his head at his own lack of sense - of course Kakashi wouldn't know the time. But...

"This morning?" Minato questioned.

"When you do something every day for years, Sensei, it just becomes a part of you. I don't need a clock to know when training starts."

"Right. Well, soon enough, this will be a part of you. Every night at 7:00, meet me in the training grounds."

"What's the point of this, Sensei?" Kakashi asked dully, stepping out of his apartment and locking the door before he and Minato set off down the street together.

"I'm going to train you. Like you said, Kakashi, you're not some amateur genin. You're a jounin - you have skill, potential. If anyone can overcome this, you can. It'll take a while, but I have faith in you, Kakashi. Soon enough, you'll be fighting like you always have."

Just as with Obito's smile earlier that day, it was almost as though Minato's signature smile was tangible, seeming to lift the weights from the air around them, replacing them with a glimmer of light, that managed to find its way even through the dark walls that Kakashi had found himself trapped within. Somehow, that glimmer of light chipped away at the shadows, until finally, a crack spread, and the darkness shattered, and fell away.

A while it did take, and many times, Kakashi was tempted to drop it all - to turn his back on the way of the ninja, and live out an ordinary citizen's life as best he could. However, not once did Minato allow him to give up in such a way.

Just under a year later, Kakashi departed on his first solo A-rank mission since the incident. Although he came back bloodied and beaten, he surely wasn't broken - it seemed his hard work and training had paid off, after all.

A year after that, when Minato met his end, Kakashi was crushed, but still, Minato's lessons remained within him, and he refused to give up, after coming so far.

In the beginning, Kakashi had but feared the dark. It was overwhelming, a world much too big for his mind to comprehend, and yet so small that it seemed to cave in and crush him.

Now, Kakashi embraced the dark - and truly saw the light clearer than ever before.