"Move and you die."
Sasuke told the Raikage when the latter tried to move away. Needless to say, being in an open field with an opponent who can use long-range techniques is a huge disadvantage. Ei wasn't stupid enough to know his position. One wrong move and his head might be sent to another dimension.
"MOVE AND YOUR HEADS WILL GET WARPED!"
Sasuke shouted now. There were Frost shinobi who were slowly approaching them, trying to assist the Raikage and recapture SasuKe. Ei understood what Sasuke meant and signalled the Frost shinobi to stand down. He's confident that he could speed his way into the forest for cover but he was curious as to what this situation was all about. He expected that Kakashi would resist arrest. He was even betting on Kakashi and Sasuke working together but this - Sasuke protecting him – was not expected.
"Get out of my way Uchiha Sas-"
"Stop talking and listen." Sasuke interrupted; he knew he didn't have much time. "I escaped on my own. Kakashi found me in half-dead in the snow and he rescued me. " Sasuke turned around. Even with his eyes closed he knew where to face. "He has no ill intentions. He is doing this because of me."
"How did you ESCAPE?" The Raikage's voice was rising. How does someone break the five Kage's barrier seals? Moreover, how does someone even break the Ice Release imprisonment technique to produce the chakra to break the barrier seals? If Sasuke had done it by himself, if he had broken out of the prison on his own volition, that would make him an outlaw. As such, he can no longer be protected by the law of the land. He has withdrawn his right to fair trial. For this, death was the only thing waiting for him.
"If there should be death here today," Sasuke ignored him. "Let it be mine."
Sasuke never intended for anyone to get hurt. He felt like such a fool for trusting the world again. He actually believed that the reason for the Kage's absence was they were fighting an enemy. He even escaped to help them. He felt like such a fool for almost dying in the process and have his former sensei save him. He could guess that Kakashi was here because he didn't trust him enough to do the right thing. What hurt the most is that Kakashi was right not to trust him.
"Let it be my judgement."
He deserved to die. What made him think that he deserved to live? What made him think that a good deed could erase a million bad ones? If ever he does get a chance to live, what life could that be? If you could call it living? Everything he had – Itachi, his brother who loved him – was gone. What was waiting for him there?
"I…"
He deserved it.
"…embrace death."
This was the one thing Kakashi feared. For Sasuke to lose hope, that was Kakashi's defeat. What he will do next would be an afterthought. He might lose hope and kill himself. He might lose hope and kill others. But for Sasuke to lose hope in humanity, to lose hope in his comrades, to lose all hope for living, that was Kakashi's defeat.
Seeing Sasuke now, begging for his own death, it broke his heart. What kind of sick and cruel world was this to turn a boy into such utter despair?
Kakashi has seen death, exposed to it every day, lived with it, bathed and thrived in it, since he was little. That is the reason for his nonchalant attitude towards life and death. His heart had hardened and his soul was bitter. But he had died once and was given another chance at life. There is still something that he had to do, something good that he might contribute to the world so he was brought back. He had purpose still and for Sasuke to think that he had none, that was what broke Kakashi's heart.
Kakashi would understand. He once told Sasuke that the person he loved most does not exist, that those people have already been killed. His father, his teacher, his teammates, all of them. Everyone he loved was dead for a very long time. He had been alone for so many years; he knew what loneliness feels like. He was a lone wolf; growing up alone taught him how to handle everything by himself.
Kakashi has blamed himself for everything too and up to now he still believes for this to be true. That is why visits their graves, talking to them and remembering them. Their keepsakes – Sakumo's blade, Obito's sharingan, Rin's med kit, Minato's kunai – remind Kakashi that he is never truly alone despite having lost the people he loves.
All these thoughts were racing in Kakashi's mind as he sped towards Sasuke and Ei. He needed to execute the plan despite all the glitches. Sasuke was asking for death and Ei might be willing to give it to him. Whatever Ei or Sasuke was planning to do, Kakashi won't let them.
In a matter of seconds, Kakashi was face-to-face with the Raikage. Ei was charging at him at full-speed, ready to smash him to the ground as soon as he gets hold of him. The Raikage even got hold of his collar and -
"Kamui!"
Almost instantly acting on reflex, Kakashi uses kamui on the space in front of him, successfully warping the Raikage into another dimension. He used the Raikage's speed against him; he was so fast that he ran towards the wormhole.
Kakashi didn't linger and immediately went to Sasuke.
"If you want the Raikage back, tell Tsunade to come see me at the Underground Fortress." Kakashi announced to the Frost shinobi when he arrived at the clearing. At the sight of him, the Frost shinobi held their ground. At any other situation, a shinobi would attack regardless of how strong the opponent was. However, since his hostage was the Raikage, they were left with no choice but to yeild.
"And get away from Sasuke."
Kakashi hurried to get to Sasuke's side. Some of the Frost shinobi had put chakra chains all around his body. From what it looks like, Sasuke had used what strength he had left to forcefully open his eyes. That would explain the why there was blood mixed with tears in Sasuke's room back at the fortress. He had forcefully opened them too back then.
"Sensei…" Sasuke felt his presence.
"Release!" Kakashi kneeled down to remove all the chakra chains around him. He was supposed to scold the boy, shout That was dangerous! What do you think you are doing? or You shouldn't have done that! How can you be so reckless? but he couldn't, not when Sasuke called to him in that soft, tender voice. He wanted to be disappointed at the boy but he couldn't, not when Kakashi heard everything that Sasuke said to the Raikage. All he could do was to scoop him up, lay him at his lap and ask –
"Are you alright?"
Sasuke had managed to surprise Kakashi again today when Sasuke sat up slightly, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and sorrowfully say "I'm sorry" before collapsing against his chest.