Author: esthete-of-the-world

Chapter 7: Authority of the Gods

Kakashi drifted awake gradually. A fever was heating up his brain again and his throat ached with dryness, but he tried to go back to sleep anyway. The carriage creaked and groaned but something pleasantly warm was pressed up to his side. Kakashi was about to just accept it and open his eye when Minato sighed.

"Nothing. This is one of the most valuable scrolls we've ever gotten from Kirigakure, and not one mention of Jinchuuriki or the three-tails."

"Jiraiya-sama will find it, Minato. He's the most talented intel agent on the continent. He'll find that seal, just you wait."

"I know Kushina… I just feel so helpless. Sensei's out doing all the work and all I can do is try to keep everyone else off their backs. I couldn't even keep my own students safe in the first place. What kind of Hokage am I?"

"Hey enough of that talk! You're a wonderful Hokage and a great teacher, you hear me? What happened with Rin-chan wasn't your fault. Thanks to her they were able to come back alive and we need to focus on that. Sure, they both came back with some, uh, additions, but they're alive!"

Minato-sensei laughed weakly. "Additions are one way to put it. Kakashi may have the most immediately dangerous problem, but both of them have a long road ahead of them. Do you know how long the Leaf tried to bring back the Mokuton before the experiments had to be shut down? We don't know who made Obito the artificial part of his body, or even how they did it. But no matter what kind of procedure they used the First's cells won't accept just anybody. It really is a miracle he was able to survive."

"I always told you he was special, dattebane!"

"Quiet Kushina, they're sleeping!"

"Hehe, right… You know, they just look like regular boys napping like that. But from now on, neither of them will really ever be normal. Not even by shinobi standards."

"I don't remember you ever being "normal" Kushina, and it suited you just fine."

"I know! I never said it was a bad thing! Just... a little lonely, sometimes."

"Well you said it yourself, we just need to fill them with love. They'll need lots of support, both of them, from us and from each other."

Kushina snorted, "I think they'll be getting plenty of support from each other, if how they're snuggled up is anything to go by."

"Hey, don't tease! They hated each other until Kannabi remember?"

"We didn't like each other when we were young either."

"For the record I always liked you. You were the one who called me a weakling all the time."

"For the record you were a weakling there for a while. But still, I think they will be great partners. Kakashi's going to have a rough time as a Jinchuuriki, but Obito has the Sharingan and the Mokuton. He's practically built to control Bijuu. They'll be unstoppable one day."

"Unstoppable, huh? You know together, they just might be."

They were quiet again after that. Kakashi dozed and thought about what Kushina had said. Obito the lazy, perpetually late idiot as his partner? The idea was crazy but appealing. He knew he could trust Obito with his life- he'd already saved it twice over. And if his Wood style and Sharingan could control the Sanbi maybe he wouldn't hurt anyone. Kakashi was still kind of confused about the whole "support" thing though. Yeah he understood the concept of being there for your comrades… but the way Kushina put it made him think that wasn't what she was talking about? He'd ask Minato-sensei about it later.

Just as he was beginning to nod off again the carriage jolted violently and Kakashi jumped, hiking his hia-ate onto his forehead. Something flopped into his lap. Obito, who he realized had been sleeping on his shoulder, mumbled sleepily then froze.

"ACK! SORRY!" He yelped, leaping to the other side of the bench. His face was bright red.

"It's... alright?" Kakashi wasn't the biggest fan of people touching him but it wasn't that big a deal. In fact it didn't bother him much at all, because Obito was warm and his stubborn-as-fuck fever was still making him shiver.

"Just! Sorry. Um. Yeah. The door is uncomfortable to sleep on so… sorry."

"... it's fine."

Obito sat on the very edge of the seat, almost pressed against the window. Kushina looked amused at the whole thing; Kakashi still wasn't sure why. Maybe she knew why Obito was acting weird?

"So Sensei, are we close yet?" Kakashi asked to break the for-some-reason uncomfortable silence.

"We're about an hour out. You two were asleep for a while."

"Aww, an hour still?" Obito whined.

"You don't have a right to complain," Kakashi said, pulling his knees to his chest in a futile attempt to get warm, "If you hadn't held us up for so long we'd be there by now."

"Hey! I wasn't that late!"

"Yeah. You were."

"I can't believe you're still such a jerk."

"Knock it off you two," Minato admonished, and Kakashi was quiet. Before it had always been Rin to play peacemaker between them. Obito shut his mouth too, still crunched up against the opposite side of the carriage, pouting. Sure he may have the Sharingan and Mokuton now, but Obito was still the same idiot as always. The thought would be almost comforting if said idiot wasn't supposed to help him tame a fucking demon. Would Obito really be able to handle him? "Unstoppable team" indeed. He did want to be able to pair up with him… but maybe Minato-sensei and Kushina were being a little too optimistic about it.

After that Kakashi just tried to fall asleep again. Obito was still being weird and avoiding him, Kushina had this strange bemused look on her face and he really just wanted out of this situation. If he physically could he'd get out and walk but as things stood all Kakashi could do was nap.

When he woke again it was to an ex-Uchiha shaking his shoulder. Kakashi blinked his good eye and sat up. Sensei's Hokage cloak was around his shoulders and he pulled it tighter.

"What are you looking at?" Kakashi asked irritably. First Obito wakes him up, then he just stares at him, face a little flushed. Did he get Obito sick after all?

"Nothing!" His voice was more high-pitched than usual. "Just we're here. Sensei and Kushina went ahead with some ANBU to make sure it's all clear. And I was gonna show you where your room is."

"Do I have to get up?" Kakashi definitely didn't whine, at all.

Obito laughed at him. "Yeah. Good thing you're in the hime room because you're such a drama queen."

"The what room?"

"The princess room. It's for the like clan leader's daughter or niece or whoever. I think the last one to stay there was Mikoto-san right before she got married."

Right, they're putting him in the most defendable room. Kakashi hoped it was secure from the outside and the inside. "Lead the way then. I want to go back to sleep." Kakashi got out of the carriage a little shakily, Minato's cloak trailing behind him. Maybe he should show a little more respect to the symbol of Konoha's shinobi leadership. Nah, too tired.

"You want to go to bed already? We just got here! The sun just went down and you were asleep all day!" Obito pointed at the sky as if that supported his point, even though by the position of the moon it had been dark a good half hour already.

"Just show me where the room is," before I pass out, he added silently. He was feeling a little wobbly but he was determined to get there without any help. Kakashi was not going to look that pathetic in front of Obito.

The Uchiha summer manor was the biggest building the Jonin had ever seen, second only to the Daimyo's castle and that he'd only seen from a distance. The carriage had been parked outside a formidable wall surrounding the estate. A gravel walkway stretched in front of them over bridges and past koi ponds until finally meeting the building proper. No one was in sight but Kakashi could vaguely smell the trails of people who'd entered already.

"You… wanna take a break or something?" Obito asked after a few laboriously slow minutes. Fuck the Uchiha and their ridiculously huge summer houses and stupid hundred mile long gardens.

"No, I can do-" A wave of nausea hit him and he tripped. Before Kakashi could fall Obito was there, catching him on his back. Kakashi slapped a hand over his mouth, tasting rancid water and trying not to throw up. God this was humiliating. Why did it have to be Obito there to see him like this? Fucking Sanbi was trying to steal his dignity before it killed him. At the thought Kakashi thought he felt something shift in the back of his mind and he scowled.

"Alright, that's it," his friend said determinedly, grabbing him under his thighs. Oh no.

"Wait wait wait, hold on Obito-"

"Shizune told me that if I get you sicker she'll make sure that I end up in bed too. I'm carrying you." Obito hoisted him up, Kakashi barely keeping the Hokage's robe around his shoulders. He buried his burning face in Obito's shoulder. This had to one of the most mortifying things to ever happen to him, and that included some "competitions" with Gai that would never be spoken of. At least Obito's back was warm. For the first time in what seemed like ages his shivering stopped.

"Geez Bakakashi, you're so light! What are you made of, feathers?" Teased Obito.

"Shut up," Kakashi mumbled into his back. "I haven't eaten in a few days."

"Well you feel like you haven't eaten in months. Did you get smaller while I was away?"

"Idiot. No, you just got bigger. Using Mokuton to grow is cheating."

"It is not cheating! I grew four honest inches this last year, doctors said so."

"I grew too."

"Really. How much?"

Kakashi didn't answer.

"Ha, you're such a liar."

"I didn't even say anything."

"I'm always going to be taller than you Kakashi. Just accept it."

"That's ridiculous. You're older than me and I haven't had my growth spurt yet."

"You just keep telling yourself that."

"I can still beat you in a fight."

Obito turned his good eye at him and grinned cheekily, "Right, and who's carrying who again?"

"Not right now. Obviously. Stupid. Shut up." Kakashi hid his face that was just red because he had a fever. That's probably why he was having such a stupid conversation too. The fever. Right.

"Here's your quarters Kakashi-hime," Obito mocked, sliding open a door decorated with delicate pink sakura blossoms. The room was made of pale wood and the walls were painted with springtime nature scenes. One wall was made up of screen doors, opening to a moonlit courtyard and a pond. Another wall had two closed doors in it, with a dresser between them. A low-set couch facing a table was on one side of the room, across from large bed and nightstand with a tray of food and water on it. Obito set him down gently on the bed's pale pink and red silks. Kakashi made short work of stripping off Sensei's cloak, his hia-ate, and shoes. He wished he had something else to wear besides his funeral clothes. Obito hovered awkwardly, looking at the painted fans hanging from the wall.

"Where are you staying then?" The Jinchuuriki asked, half hoping he would leave so Kakashi could eat and go to sleep.

"Well Sensei and Kushina-san got the master bedroom, and Shizune took the other good room across the courtyard… I was thinking I'd take that one," he jabbed a thumb at one of the doors in the room.

"That's a bedroom?" Kakashi slid under the cool silk blankets and wished they were thicker.

"Uh, yeah. Traditionally it's for the princess's bodyguard or maidservant, but it's actually really nice. And I'm supposed to stay near you to help keep you under control so… guess I'm your bodyguard, Hime-sama."

It probably wasn't possible to put more sarcasm into the word, but despite his teasing Obito turned red. Kakashi wasn't completely sure why.

"Yeah yeah you idiot. Now will you leave me alone so I can go to sleep?"

"As you wish," he grinned, bowing deeply. Kakashi chucked a decorative pillow at his head and he finally left, chuckling.

When he was gone Kakashi tugged down his mask and chugged the entire pitcher of water, picked all the vegetables out of the food, took the pills that were left for him and tried to fall asleep. Despite his exhaustion he couldn't relax. It had been a long day. Between Rin's funeral, Danzo, Sanbi, the long carriage ride and Obito acting strangely- it was a lot to process. At least the three-tails had been quiet most of the day. Kakashi wondered if that was a good thing, or if it was just biding its time.

After some time tossing and turning, a bath started to sound amazing for some reason. It had been ages since he'd had a proper one. Kakashi got up and investigated the other door in his room, and found had his own huge, spotlessly clean bathroom. On a shelf was a folded pile of his clothes that someone must've packed for him. To have his stuff set out already the Uchiha must have servants there year round, and good ones at that. Kakashi had never stayed anywhere with its own serving staff but wasn't opposed to taking advantage of it.

After scrubbing himself almost raw (he swore he could still feel blood matted in his hair and on his hands) he tried to just relax and not think too hard about the day. Not that that was entirely possible. Kakashi knew he had stay as calm as possible so just he settled into his steaming hot bath, trying to sift through the day with some sort of logical detachedness. But it wasn't long after he hit the water that he was nodding off. Kakashi decided to get out before he fell asleep in the tub. God, that would be embarrassing. He got dressed in a sleeveless black shirt with a mask attached and some boxers and crawled into the silken bed, clocking out immediately.

"Kakashi? Hey. Kakashi. Wake up."

"Wha-what?" Kakashi sprang up, startled out of a dream, hearing splashing and feeling cold water running down one side of his face. Had Obito spilled water on- oh. Oh. He was. In the bath. What they fuck? Why was he…? His clothes were still on?

Obito looked like he was trying his hardest not to bust a lung laughing.

"Uh, good morning. Are you… having a nice bath?"

"I. I don't remember how I got here," Kakashi tried to sit up and retain some sense of dignity. He'd fallen asleep partly in the water which only made it worse. One side of his hair had dried funny and was sticking up and the other half was plastered to his face. The water was freezing. He pushed the sopping hair out of his good eye.

"Did you sleep here?"

"I… think so?"

"Oh. I see." Obito was able to keep a straight face for a few more seconds before his mouth twisted and he descended into hooting laughter. "I can't- believe. You fell asleep," he managed between breaths, "In the tub. With your clothes on. Pft hahahaha. You look. Ridiculous."

"Shut up, idiot. I didn't mean to." snapped Kakashi, standing up and grabbing a towel. Being half drenched somehow made it more uncomfortable. Shivering violently, he wrapped the towel around his shoulders and pulled the plug out of the bottom of the tub.

"I know. It's still. So funny." Obito rested his hands on his knees like it was taking a physical effort to laugh at him that hard. "The genius Jonin Kakashi looks like a drowned rat. Oh gosh I wish I had a camera."

"Fuck off." Getting out of the freezing water made him feel worse and Kakashi wavered a little stepping out of the tub, dripping like. Well. A drowned rat. Fuck you Obito Uchiha.

"Okay. Okay sorry. I'm done," Obito managed, wiping tears out of his eyes. "Do you need a change of clothes or something?"

Kakashi glowered at him.

"Geez, sensitive. But seriously, how did you run a bath in your sleep? I didn't know you sleepwalk."

"I don't sleepwalk. I took a bath last night before I went to bed. And then, forgot to drain it, and got back in I guess. Now will you get out? I'd like to get dry clothes on."

"Yeah okay. Okay. I actually came in to tell you they're putting lunch away. I kinda freaked out when you weren't in your bed."

Kakashi sat down and tried to rub some water out of his hair. "The ANBU would've noticed if I left my room. And even you could tell if they'd all been killed or something."

"ANBU are guarding your room?"

"Yeah. Can't you sense them? And didn't I tell you to leave?"

"Grr… you win this round, Bakakashi. I'll be back later. Don't fall asleep in the tub again!"

"I'm not going to."

Obito grinned and left. After a moment Kakashi exhaled loudly, changing his clothes and drying his hair. Why did it seem like Obito had to be the one there for his worst moments? Well, maybe not all his worst. Kakashi thought back to when Minato-sensei had walked in on him after he broke the mirror in the hospital. Wait a second. The mirror. He'd cut up his knuckles pretty bad, but… He held up his right hand, still wound in sodden bandages. It didn't hurt at all. Quickly he unwrapped it, revealing completely unmarked skin.

But the cuts weren't even a day old. Was this the Sanbi's doing? So the bastard turtle makes him so sick he could barely walk, and heals his wounds at the same time? What the hell?

It's your own fault for not being able to handle my chakra.

Kakashi tensed, towel in hand. Fuck, this guy again. In his mind's eye he could see the Sanbi, crouched behind his delicate (but still intact) cage.

"So you can read my thoughts, then?" He muttered.

Wouldn't you like to know.

"What do you even want?"

To break out of this midget of a vessel.

"If you could do that you'd have done it by now, wouldn't you? I can tell the seal's still intact, you sorry excuse for a demon," he growled.

You brat!

A sudden burning heat shot through his body. Kakashi barely had time to tug down his mask before he lost the contents of his stomach onto the bathroom floor. His head felt on fire but his body shivered violently, vision going blurry.

"Bastard..." Kakashi ground out, before choking up more water than he could possibly have in his system.

Don't you mouth off at me. That's what you get for interrupting my nap.

"Get the fuck out of my head," he growled, then pushed on the heavy presence in his mind. It was a strange feeling, purely instinctual, but he almost felt the Sanbi slide out of his consciousness like sludge. It was gross. After a moment his vision cleared, his stomach firmed up, and his fever cooled marginally. So he could push the Sanbi away at will? Or did it leave of its own accord?

Kakashi rinsed the mess on the floor down the drain, washing his mouth out with water and pondering what he'd learned. So his sickness was caused by the Sanbi's chakra directly, and the beast could force more into him whenever it wanted. It also said something about a nap… what was it talking about there exactly? If only his head would stop aching he'd be able to think straight.

Suddenly the door shook. "Kakashi! Did you spend the NIGHT in cold water while you have a FEVER?"

Fuck. Obito must've spilled to Shizune. Damn him.

"Morning Shizune."

"Open this door!" She sounded more exasperated than mad. He forced himself to his feet and unlocked the door, leaning heavily on the threshold.

Shizune's brows scrunched together as she inspected him and the sour-smelling bathroom. Obito was behind her, grinning nervously and rubbing his neck. Both were wearing more traditionally-styled clothes than normal that they'd supposedly nabbed from somewhere in the mansion, with Obito's empty eye covered by a simple piece of cloth.

"Oh for heaven's sake. You look worse than last night. Don't you know that cold water is about the worst thing there is for a fever?" Shizune grabbed his wrist and steered him back to bed. The light in the room was blinding; it had to be close to noon already.

"I can't believe you told her, Obito," he accused his friend bitterly.

"Hey, I never said I wouldn't. Besides it's hilarious! I couldn't not tell her." Obito plopped on the foot of his bed with a bounce. Shizune took his temperature and some other medical stuff he didn't pay attention to.

"Traitor."

"Idiot."

"Shut up both of you, I'm trying to listen to his breathing!"

According to Shizune his temperature wasn't as high as she'd expected, but that Kakashi was still to stay in bed until further notice. Which wouldn't have been so bad, if Obito didn't insist on sticking around to "keep an eye on him". His friend was not sit around kind of person. Obito wandered around his room, then into the courtyard and back, or sat on the couch tapping his foot. They hadn't had a lot of time just the two of them yet either. Kakashi wasn't sure what he was supposed to talk to him about, if anything. Weren't friends supposed to be able to have non-uncomfortable silences? Or something? Or maybe it was just Kakashi who felt like that. There were just things he felt like needed to be said between the two of them, but he wasn't sure what those things were or how to breach that topic… Was he overthinking this? He was probably overthinking this. Fuck.

Obito for his part just kept yammering on about something or other. He wouldn't stop nagging Kakashi about drinking enough water or eating something, when he wasn't mocking his awful bed-hair. Bath hair more accurately. It was giving him a headache.

"I would go to sleep if you'd stop pestering me. Don't you have anything better to do?" Kakashi muttered, adjusting the heaven-sent cool rag over his forehead.

Obito deflated a bit. "Sensei said he'd help me with my Mokuton but he and Kushina went out this morning and aren't back yet, and Shizune's with the other medics trying to find out more about Turtle Flu."

"Turtle flu is a ridiculous name for it. It's chakra poisoning more than anything else."

"I know, I heard you tell Shizune. What happened anyway? You look a lot worse than you did earlier. Like, terrible." Obito flopped down next to his bed, resting his back against it and playing with some child's toy he'd found.

"Thanks for that," Kakashi said wryly, "And it's because it talked to me again."

"Turtle-san did? What did he say?!"

"Said I couldn't handle his chakra then something about waking him up from his nap."

"Oh. Then what did you say?"

"I called him a sorry excuse for a demon. Then he forced more of his chakra in me I think, and it made me sicker."

Obito turned to gawk at him, nervous but half-laughing. "You called him a what? And I thought I was the stupid one. Why would you piss off Turtle-san? He's just gonna make you feel worse!"

"Yeah, I get that now. You try having some asshole demon reptile messing with your head, see how you like it."

"Sorry..." Obito mumbled morosely, then blatantly tried to change the subject. "Hey, I've been working on my new Sharingan power a little bit."

"The teleporting? Or the phasing through objects? That was from your Sharingan right? I was going to ask about that. Sorry, I know you can't talk about what happened before because of the seal so… yeah," Kakashi finished lamely.

"Yeah…. guess we both got seals, huh? But it's alright, I can talk about my Mangekyo!" Obito gushed, face brightening. "It's really cool, even if I haven't figured it out all the way yet. I'm getting the hang of the intangibility a little bit! But I haven't really practiced the teleporting yet. I'm afraid I'll accidentally teleport somewhere really far away and not be able to find my way back."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Hey, have a little faith in me will you? I got us back to the village didn't I?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Obito narrowed his eye. "Are you being sarcastic again?"

Did he really come off as sarcastic that often? "No, I mean it. Thanks for not leaving me out there."

"Well I wasn't gonna..." Obito stopped, then puffed out his chest and put a smug look on his face. "I was never going to leave you there! People who abandon their friends are worse than trash. I can't become Hokage if I can't even do that much!" He touched his forehead, trying to adjust non-existent goggles, a familiar gesture.

"Guess you can't. Anyway, about your Sharingan. Did you look for anything about its abilities? There might be something about it here or in the village."

"Yeah, Shizune and I looked through some old records here to see if an Uchiha has had this power before, but we couldn't find anything on my specific one. Maybe there's more in the clan library back in the village but I don't think I'll be heading back there anytime soon, so…" Obito shrugged. "But that means I get to name it! So then I started looking through some old story books, and I found something that works. It's this old legend about a monk that was given a power for like, being super priestly or something? But it gave him the ability to be invincible to any mortal attack, and he could go to the god's world whenever he wanted. And I'm not sure if the place we passed through was really another world or dimension or whatever, but it kind of fits! In the story the power came from the gods, so they called it the Authority of the Gods, Kamui. Shizune liked the name too but I thought I'd get your approval before it's official."

"Why my approval? It's your power."

Obito blinked. "Oh right, I didn't tell you yet. I figured you had enough to deal with and Sensei agreed."

"Tell me what?"

"I'm ah… pretty sure you got it too. In your eye."

Kakashi shot up, washcloth falling off his face. "I got Mangekyo? But I thought that was a really rare power only a few people could unlock. I'm not even an Uchiha! And I haven't used it like you have, and… there's just no way."

Obito shrugged. "Maybe you can't use it yet because you're not an Uchiha? 'Cause I saw the design in your eye. And Mangekyo is rare, but I don't think you have to be some genius Uchiha to unlock it. Heck I was able to do it." Obito looked away. "To unlock it… you have to kill a person close to you."

Kakashi's eye widened. "Kill a… But that doesn't make sense. You didn't kill Rin. I did." His voice was flat and uncompromising.

"She was protecting me when it happened! So in a way it's like I killed her too. You just have to feel responsible for the death. And I do." Obito looked down.

"But you shouldn't. She came back for me because I'm the one who got captured. And because I couldn't control the Sanbi. It's not your fault."

"I still should've been able to save her! You aren't taking all the blame for this. I won't let you." Tears pricked at Obito's eye, mouth set in a stubborn frown.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "You're persistent. Fine, can we just drop it for now?"

"For now, yeah. You have a lot going on right now." With an uncharacteristically soft smile Obito picked up the wet rag and moved to put it back on the Jinchuuriki's forehead.

"You do too… what?"

Obito was staring at his face, fingers still on the washcloth. At being called out he turned pink and glanced away.

"Uh, sorry. I... haven't really seen your eye! I mean, the one that was my eye."

Kakashi touched his left eye unconsciously. "Right. I've been taking care of it. I mean I've been learning to use it as much as I can." He opened his left eye so Obito could see it and was rewarded with a stab of pain. Wincing, he palmed at the eye socket.

"Sorry. I can't use my chakra at all right now." He couldn't do any Ninjutsu, even summon his dogs. It had only been a few days but just knowing he couldn't see them made him miss them already. "You know you can have it back if you want it."

"It's alright. I haven't stopped trusting you with my eye," Obito grinned.

Kakashi uncovered his eye and was quiet. After a moment his friend spoke.

"It really scarred, didn't it?"

"Yeah. But," Kakashi's face heated up for no good reason, "I'm not bothered by it. The scar I mean."

Obito touched the scarred side of his own face. "Why not?"

"Because I got it protecting a friend. The Sharingan is because I couldn't stop you from being killed- crushed, I guess. But losing my eye in the first place? That wasn't a mistake." Kakashi twisted the sheets in his hands while Obito gaped at him like a dying fish.

"You... you dumb Bakakashi!" Obito threw his arms around him, half tackling him into the bed. Kakashi froze, bewildered by the attack and clueless how to react to it. Despite that a smile twitched at the side of his mouth.

"Obito. I can't breathe."

"Ak! Sorry!" When he pulled away Obito was pink faced and teary-eyed. What, did he not think his life was worth an eye?

"I do like the name though. Kamui," he said, changing the subject to something that he understood.

"Yeah! It's awesome. The Uchiha have a whole system for registering Sharingan abilities and names. I mean, assuming they'll let me put mine in now that I'm disowned." Obito rambled on about the Uchiha and why they were stuck up, face a bit pinker and demeanor more animated than before. In the middle of one of his sentences Kakashi nodded off again.

Jolting up, Kakashi woke in a flurry of half-remembered nightmares and adrenaline. Obito was gone. With some effort he blinked back images of Rin and tried to breathe.

"Good morning sleepy head. Or I guess, afternoon," said Kushina. She and Minato-sensei had opened the screen doors and were sitting facing the courtyard.

"You're back," Kakashi stated, settling back on the pillows. "Where's Obito?"

"He's out trying to get a hang of his wood style. Me and Minato went to go check out the area earlier. There's still some unrest around here from the war but we think it's safe enough." She got up and sat on the foot of his bed.

"So no Kiri around?" He asked. "That's who you were looking for right? I mean they aren't just going to let me keep their Bijuu, are they?"

Kushina and Minato were silent. It was a thought that had bothered him for a while, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up in front of Obito.

"Guess it was pointless trying to keep it from you. Sometimes you're too intuitive for your own good, Kakashi." Minato said contritely. "We don't want you worrying about it though. Kushina and I put up another barrier around this place while we were out, and besides I don't think they'll risk a war- which just might happen if they try and come after you now. Let us handle Kirigakure. You just focus on the Sanbi for now." Before he could reply Kushina was bouncing to a sit on his bed in front of him.

"Speaking of!" She said cheerfully, "Let's do a check-up while I'm here."

"A check up? Shouldn't you let a medic do that?"

"No silly, let's check in on the Sanbi! We need to track the decay of the seal and the only way to do that is to check it through your mindscape."

"Where the cage is? But I only see that when the Sanbi's awake," Kakashi said, sitting up and cross-legged, mirroring Kushina's pose. "And it's asleep right now. At least I think so. It's not talking and I feel alright so that's my guess."

"You can learn to enter your mindscape at will. Sometimes your beast will bring you there if he's being rowdy, but remember that it's your mind, Kakashi-kun. You control it. Now let's get a look at that seal while the sucker's asleep, eh?" She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and cracked her knuckles.

"... I'll try." Kakashi knew he was going to have to face the thing sooner or later, but he'd rather just leave it alone while he could. He was feeling better though, his fever was almost gone. Maybe the Sanbi was weakening? That was a little optimistic.

"Okay, now let's try to do this without waking him up. Keep your breathing even and concentrate on the Three-Tails' presence within you."

"But what if it wakes up and I lose my head again?" Kakashi tried to ask without sounding nervous.

"Did you forget what the Uzumaki's specialty is? I'll put that sucker right back in his place! Minato's here too for backup." Kushina put her hands on his shoulders. "Trust us, Kakashi. You'll be fine."

Swallowing his doubts, Kakashi nodded. He closed his eyes and focused on the heaviness in the back of his mind. Up until then he was consciously ignoring it but it was easy enough to find once he tried. All at once he had a sensation like falling and he was in.

"I see it," Kakashi muttered slowly. The self that was in his mindscape crept forward carefully. Wet moss squelched beneath his bare feet, and the sour smell of a swamp dominated his nose. It was dark, yet the heavy mist in the air held an almost unearthly glow.

"Good," said Kushina from outside his mind, "Now try to find the seal. You should be able to tell where it is."

Like he could sense anything else. The Sanbi's chakra was like a beacon and he followed it as quickly as he could. The sooner he was out the better.

"Be careful. Only get close enough to see the damage, then come back."

Nodding slowly, he was aware of the mist thickening. An acidic heat burned at Kakashi's lungs and his breathing hitched.

"Stay calm. You're almost there."

A shape emerged out of the indistinct air in front of him. Silver bars, twisting and warped, stretched out on all sides. Something drew him forward, intoxicating.

"It's… dented and warped," he said carefully, so as to not break concentration. "More than last time."

"Okay. Can you see the lock? It should be in the middle."

He was already heading towards it. The other side of the cage wall was dark with murky water. It was the water that caught his attention.

"The lock, Kakashi. Tell me about the lock."

"Lock..." he trailed off. It was above him, to the side, but he didn't look at it. The water. Something was there, Kakashi needed to see it. He needed to go into the water, that was more important right now. In front of him was a gap in the bars almost big enough to fit through… if he just bent the bars a little more and opened it up…

"Kakashi! Kakashi, stay with me! What do you see?"

"The water… I need to..." He touched the silver cable. It was freezing to the touch. Something stirred the murky depths but Kakashi found he wasn't troubled by it.

"Get out of there! You hear me Kakashi? Your chakra's spiking! Get away from the seal! Get away from that damn water!"

He wished that voice would be quiet down. Didn't she know that opening the seal was more important? Hands burning with cold, Kakashi wrenched on the silver bars with all his might. There was a loud groan- then a sharp slap.

Suddenly he was snapped back into the bedroom. His cheek stung and his breathing was rapid. Kushina was holding his shoulders again and everything was hot and green-tinted, what was he doing here? The water, he needed to go back. Why were these people stopping him? Kakashi was confused and scared, he just wanted to be left alone.

Get back here brat! You were doing something useful for once.

Wrenching her hands away from him Kakashi tried to tell Kushina to just get away from him but it came out as a breathy growl.

"Kakashi! Stay with us here!" Another voice, Minato-sensei. He flinched away from him too, what were these people doing here, he needed to go back and open the seal-

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Chains wound around his wrists and torso, pinning him. Kakashi struggled.

"Push it back Kakashi. You can do it. Push it back, or you're going to hurt someone. Do you understand?"

Hurt someone… Rin's face flashed before him, tinged with green like Kushina's.

Kakashi tensed, then relaxed. No. If he touched that seal again people would get hurt. Obito, who he just got a second chance with. Kushina and Sensei, and Shizune, and everyone else.

It took longer than last time. Kakashi breathed in and out, pushing the panic and heaviness out of his chest with every exhale. Every time he almost gave up he remembered Rin and the people he needed to keep safe. Eventually the chains released from around him.

Kushina collapsed backwards onto the bed. "We are not doing that again," she said with a nervous laugh.

Swallowing thickly, Kakashi clenched his fists to stop his trembling. "I'm sorry. It got into my head and I couldn't think straight. I could hear you, but I just..."

Minato-sensei put a hand on his shoulder. "That's to be expected. The Three-Tails relies on Genjutsu more than any other beast. You did well, considering."

"Yeah, nice job controlling it, Kakashi! You barely needed my help." Kushina added. He got the sense they were just trying to be positive. Personally he thought he actually hadn't done that stellar a job, but kept quiet. At least one thing he had done right.

"I saw it," Kakashi said, "The seal. It looks worse than it did yesterday or the day before."

"How much worse?" Minato was somber.

"Compared to yesterday, and assuming that the rate of the decay stays the same..." Kakashi thought for a moment. "One day. Two, maybe. That's my best guess."

Minato-sensei nodded. "No time to waste, then. Jiraiya-sensei will get here in time. All we can do is wait."

Edited as of 1/29/15.