A/N: Okay, while trying to write two, 10-page papers is tough, I'm back with this next chapter! :D Kind of a downer… but I won't say more than that. Enjoy.


Chapter Eight

Explosions everywhere. Rubble raining down. Screams and cries of the innocent people of Konoha. And Iruka found himself right in the middle of it. There hadn't been any warning. It was just a normal day until all of this started happening. He didn't know where Naruto was or Lady Tsunade or anyone; he had been helping civilians into the village's emergency bunker. Yet, when it became clear that he was no longer needed, Iruka went out into the fray on his own… because he also had no idea where Kakashi was.

Iruka could feel his heart slamming against his ribcage. Comrades were littered all around him, trapped under the debri of Konoha's buildings. He looked at every single face as he ran, and none of them were masked. His breathing became labored more out of panic than exertion. He wanted to know that Kakashi was okay, that they could be side by side in this fight.

Iruka got his wish, but in all the wrong ways.

He finally saw the silver-haired jounin in the heat of battle. Iruka watched in horror as Kakashi fought a man with orange, spiked hair and the most unsettling, purple eyes. Spikes protruded from the man's face and arms. Iruka then witnessed the familiar black cloak that Kakashi's foe wore. The red clouds couldn't be mistaken. It was the Akatsuki, unleashing their assault on the village.

The glow of Raikiri radiated from Kakashi's hand as he advanced toward the mysterious enemy. However, in an instant, Kakashi was blown away by a force that shook the very ground. Iruka gasped as rock and dust swirled around him. A mushroom cloud bloomed in the sky above them. Iruka looked around frantically.

Finally, when everything cleared, he could see Kakashi emerge from under a pile of wood planks. The man of Akatsuki stood at a distance, perfectly untouched. Iruka would no longer watch. He wouldn't be a bystander.

"Kakashi!" Iruka called.

Kakashi didn't hear him, for another Raikiri was released towards the enemy. The orange-haired man deflected it without even raising an arm.

Suddenly, another Akatsuki member landed behind Kakashi. This one was bald, yet he possessed the same purple eyes as well as the spikes piercing his skin. Iruka tried to yell again, but this newcomer attacked with bombs that sprouted from his hand.

Kakashi was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. But, Iruka knew better. Kakashi was much faster than those weapons. He appeared, summoning Raikiri again to strike the bald man. The cloaked man ducked. Iruka gasped. Did this man have eyes in the back of his head or something? No one could have avoided Kakashi's attack so easily.

The two Akatsuki members now stood across from Kakashi. Sweat formed at Iruka's hair line. He should step in, now. Kakashi would have a hard time fighting those two alone. Before Iruka could react, the bald man discarded his cloak, revealing a hideous monster with six arms and a huge saw of some sort. The orange-haired one then held up his hand. Out of the blue, he sucked Kakashi toward him. Iruka had no idea how the enemy was doing it. Even as Kakashi used a chain from his knapsack to hold on to, the force became too strong.

The bald man's saw sliced straight through Kakashi. Iruka felt tears running down his cheeks as he nearly cried out. Then, Kakashi disappeared in a burst of light. It was a Lightening clone. Iruka sighed with relief. Yet, that was too close of a call. He had to intervene.

At the same time he advanced, the giant fists of Choza and Choji smashed into the earth, crushing the bald Akatsuki member. Other reinforcements appeared behind them as Kakashi tossed some rubble off of himself. Iruka ran towards him.

"Kakashi!"

"Iruka!" The silver-haired jounin exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to find you." Iruka said, helping him up.

The cloaked man charged. The other ninja used various weapons to subdue him, but they were pushed away yet again. Another cloud of dust exploded around them. The enemy was still proceeding towards them. Kakashi launched a kunai with a smoke bomb attached to it. The Akatsuki member was surrounded with smoke as everyone retreated.

Kakashi, Iruka, Choza, and Choji now sat together behind a large piece of wall. Kakashi then explained the man's abilities to Choza. This was where Iruka first heard the enemy's name: Pain.

"I have an idea." Kakashi then said to the Akimichi. "I need your help."

"What are you planning?" Iruka demanded.

"Just keep your distance." Kakashi told him as their eyes met. "Choza and Choji are crucial to this plan, but you can come in if we need reinforcement."

"I'm not going to stand here and just WATCH you all fight. We're in this together, Kakashi."

Kakashi took Iruka's hand roughly, to the surprise of all present. The Sharingan user looked deeply into Iruka's eyes.

"Please. Stay. Here." he pleaded softly.

Although he was extremely unhappy about it, Iruka stayed out of the fight. He could barely see what was going on, since the smoke bomb's haze still lingered. He heard Choza and Choji attack together; then, he saw the blue hue of Raikiri. They could have ended it.

When the air cleared once more, Iruka barely contained a scream. Choza and Choji were both unconscious. Pain remained unharmed. And Kakashi was trapped within the ruins. Iruka could see blood trickling down Kakashi's face and Pain's lips move as he spoke. Now it was really time for Iruka to intervene. He raced towards Kakashi.

Suddenly, Kakashi's head whipped back. He had been hit with something. Iruka urged his legs to move faster. He prayed that Kakashi wasn't hurt. He prayed with everything he had. Pain fled as Choji stirred. Then, the bald man came to. The next few moments flew by in an instant.

Iruka reached Kakashi just as the jounin's eyes slipped closed.

"KAKASHI! Don't you do this to me!" Iruka yelled, placing his hands on Kakashi's shoulders. "Don't you leave me! Not now!"

Katsuyu approached them, latching herself onto Kakashi's back.

"Please do something!" Iruka begged the slug.

"I… can't." Katsuyu managed in her small voice.

Iruka shooed Katsuyu as he tried to pull Kakashi out of the rubble. "Then I'll have to do something! He won't die like this! I won't let it happen!" Once he freed Kakashi from the pile of stone and laid him down, Iruka ripped the jounin's mask down, disregarding Katsuyu's presence. He clamped his mouth on Kakashi's, hard.

"Iruka-san!" Katsuyu protested.

"I'm not giving up!" Iruka responded as he forced his palms into Kakashi's chest. He counted the pumps furiously in his head. "Get Sakura, Ino, any medical ninja available!"

"But they will be needed elsewhere."

Iruka's lips met Kakashi's once again as he exhaled powerfully. He checked for a pulse and felt nothing. He resumed pumping.

"I won't give up, Kakashi." he muttered. "I know that you'd do the same for me." He continued relentlessly for a good ten minutes until Choza and Choji returned. Yet Kakashi's pulse didn't.


A-Anyways. T_T I hope you guys liked it.