Chapter 11: Tales of Ba Sing Se Part 2
Tale of Kakashi
Inner Ring of Ba Sing Se
The silver haired jounin had surprised his former students and their younger friends today by actually getting up before them. The reason was…it was the anniversary of his friend, Uchiha Obito's death. He was no where near Konoha to get to his fallen friend's grave in time. So he had to settle for making a makeshift ceremony. Kakashi was perched on a roof of one of the many green rooftops of the Inner Ring of Ba Sing Se reading his perverted book before he sighed.
'Well, Obito, got to get some gifts and things to honor you,' Kakashi thought as he leapt off the building, trying to blend into the crowd. 'If Rin-chan was here, I wonder what she'd say of my team…hell; I wonder what Sensei'd say…'
He sighed as he continued walking down the streets to get to one of the main market places of the lower ring. He had to chuckle at the thought of his old teammates and teacher. How he was the constantly rule pushing guy, and Obito was the guy who was always late and making excuses, and Rin always created a buffer between them. He sighed as the nostalgia set in.
"Sorry, sorry, a lady dropped her contact on the street and I helped her find it," the spiky haired Uchiha Obito said as he grinned behind his goggles as he walked into the mission assignment room where Sandaime Hokage sat with Jiraiya of the Legendary Three at his side.
"That's no excuse, Obito," Kakashi had said, his arms crossed and he sighed. "The mission briefing started thirty minutes ago."
"Hey, hey, calm down," their female teammate with orange hair and red tattoos on her face, Rin, said, holding her hands up as Obito growled at Kakashi. "Sensei…"
"I know, Rin, I know," their sensei, the future Yondaime Hokage said with a sigh. "Obito-try to arrive a little earlier, I know you're trying to help people but for briefings in makes it inconvenient for your teammates."
Kakashi began grinning at that. "…and Kakashi, Obito always has a good excuse for being late that is always confirmed."
At that, the silver haired chuunin sighed. "Alright sensei."
"Now, since there is a lull in the war now…you have three D-Ranked missions in a row, Team 12," Sandaime said as they were handed the paperwork. "Oh, and Kakashi, your sensei nominated you for the Jounin Exams, they'll be coming up in two months."
Obito looked at his teammate in shock. Kakashi just shrugged and Rin clapped.
"Congratulations Kakashi-kun!" Rin said with cheer in her voice.
"Yeah…great job," Obito said with a huff.
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at the memory. He and Obito never got along…and sometimes their rivalry was funny. He was a lot like how Sasuke was…and Obito was a lot like Naruto. Rin seemed to be a mix of Sakura and Hinata. And their sensei…had already all the qualities to become Yondaime Hokage.
He walked towards a kiosk, selling decorative candles. He bought two black, mourning ones, and one red one. Handing the vendor the money, he placed what he bought in a basket before walking off again. He bumped into a woman carrying a baby, which started crying.
"Oh, sorry about that," Kakashi said as he looked at the baby, who looked at him. "Watch this."
With that, he used a henge to change his face into a funny face. The baby began laughing and the woman smiled.
"Thank you…he can be such a handful at times."
"Not a problem," Kakashi said with a grin under his mask, and he rubbed the baby's head. "If you'll excuse me, I have some more errands to run."
"Of course, and thank you again."
Kakashi nodded with a smile, and began walking again. He began to reminisce when he, Rin, and Obito first became a Genin Team under the future Yondaime…
After receiving their Jounin Sensei, Team 12 met near training area nine. The tall, blue eyed, blonde haired man, dressed in a chuunin flak jacket and wearing ANBU gloves and black pants smiled at his new students. On his forehead, his hiate-iti gleamed under the noon day soon and he looked at the young Kakashi, Rin, and Obito.
"We shall begin in introducing ourselves to each other," the future Yondaime began as he looked at them. "What are your goals, your dreams, likes and dislikes?"
"Ano...my name is Rin," Rin began as she pursed her lips. "I want to become a great medical nin like Tsunade-sama, tell a certain person I…like him…and I like sweets, nice boys, and memorizing medical stuff. I dislike mean and/or annoying boys."
"Alright, you Kakashi?"
"I'm Hatake Kakashi; I really don't have any dreams or goals, just to be a shinobi even greater than my father. I will follow the rules to the letter to reach my goal so I won't be disgraced," the young Kakashi replied (making Kakashi grimace in the present at his younger self) as he looked to the ground. "I like shinobi who follow the rules, I despise shinobi who don't."
Their sensei pursed his lips at that. This would take a lot of work. "And you, Obito?"
"I'm Uchiha Obito, my dream is to unlock my Sharingan and be acknowledged as a hero to my clan!" Obito told them as enthusiastically as Kakashi's future student would have. "I love ramen, pretty, nice girls, and my parents! I hate guys who think they're all that and really aren't."
"You are 12, and you still haven't manifested the Sharingan. Are you sure you have Uchiha blood?" Kakashi asked him in a sneer. "And all the Uchiha's have been near the top of the class, if not the top. You barely passed, are you sure you can even be a ninja?"
Obito froze, and then bore his teeth in anger. "Say that again, bastard! And I will forcefully remove that mask, and your teeth from your face!"
Their sensei quickly diffused the situation, with Rin's help. "Okay…my turn. I have only one dream and goal, to become Hokage and lead this village. I like ramen, sweets, love my fiancée, and this village. I dislike extremely early mornings and paperwork."
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at Yondaime's likes. When he was younger, he had raised his eye's unbelievingly at their sensei's goal, the same one that his pupil now had. Back then, he thought how absurd it would be for his sensei to actually become Hokage, being from neither a high ranking clan, he was one of the last of his family in fact, could even reach that rank. True, the Yondaime was an extremely skilled Jounin, developing several techniques he would become famous for, as well as teaching under the legendary Sannin Jiraiya. However, with no clan to call his own, it was like he was begging to not achieve his goal…
…boy how wrong was he. Kakashi smiled faintly again before walking off to his next stop.
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Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se
Later that day, Kakashi had entered the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se. He had commissioned an artist there to draw an ink portrait of Uchiha Obito after handing him a photograph. The artist was quite surprised at the photograph, and requested if he could keep it. However, Kakashi had declined since that was the only copy of his late friend on his person.
"B-But sir, such an object…I've never seen the likes of it before!" the artist said as the jounin handed him the money for the finished portrait. "Not even the best artists can draw this accurately!"
"Sorry, but this is the only copy I have on me," Kakashi said with a smile as he took the portrait from the artist. "I'm sure someone will come in one day with something similar."
The artist sighed as he took the money and bowed as the silver haired jounin bowed in thanks and he quickly put the portrait of his friend in his pack. He walked out of the artist's shop and looked up at the sky. Several birds, some sparrow-keets and a normal hawk flew over him, and another wave of nostalgia hit him.
It was Team 12's first real mission. They were exiting the village on a C-Rank Escort for one of Konoha's largest munitions merchant from the border of the Grass Country to the Fire Country, and all the way back to the safety of Konoha's gates. Grass Country was one of the stronger minor Ninja Villages, as well as Fire's closest ally, and with the Third Shinobi War in full swing…such important targets would be hard for either Kiri or Iwa to pass up.
Their sensei walked ahead of his students, his skilled, analyzing blue eyes keeping an eye on every movement. Although an attack on them would be unlikely, this far away from Konoha's gates…it never hurt to be careful. Kakashi was also being careful, the 'White Fang' strapped onto his back would be unsheathed at a moment's notice in case he needed it.
Obito's black eyes scanned the area as well, behind his goggles. However…they focused on Rin and he blushed. Rin looked at him and sighed, and he noticed he was still looking at her and gulped. She looked away and continued walking.
It took a day to reach the border, where they met the Grass Ninja. "It is good to see you alive and well, Yellow Flash."
"Good to see you too, Marakina," their sensei said as he bowed to the Grass Ninja, who was roughly the future Yondaime's height, however he had brown hair and black eyes, and two katana blades attached to his hip, next to his kunai pouch. "What's the situation on the front?"
"Becoming desperate, my old friend," Marakina said with a sigh. "We're barely holding the line now, even with Ame's reinforcements. Kiri's added bulk to Iwa's war effort is making their forces breach the 20,000 mark."
Their sensei pursed his lips. Konoha's forces were depleting rapidly, they could barely organize 5000 Shinobi now days. With the added reinforcements from Rain, Waterfall, and Grass, as well as from Suna, the allies barely topped out at 12,400 shinobi. Since Kumo was staying out of the ware for now…who knew how long that would stay.
Kakashi noticed the merchant rubbing his arm slightly. "Sensei, our client seems to want to leave the area."
Their sensei nodded, and he bowed to the four Grass Ninja. They leapt into the shadows, leaving the four Konoha Shinobi to escort the munitions merchant back to their village. However, as soon as the Grass Ninja crossed the border, twenty-two Iwa Shinobi surrounded them.
"Damn, they were waiting to ambush us!" one of the Grass Ninja yelled as he pulled out a kunai.
"We have to distract them," Marakina said as he unsheathed both of his katana blades. He channeled his chakra into them, and they began to spark up slightly, like electricity was being channeled into them. "We have to take as many out as we can, give enough time for the Yellow Flash to return to his village."
The ninja engaged each other in a vicious border skirmish. The outnumbered Grass Shinobi fought bravely, but one by one, they were cut down. Iwa Bushins (Rock Clone) and Kage Bushins engaged each other, and clouds of smoke and the sound of smashed rock were heard miles away, quickly being picked up by Team 12's sensei's ears.
"Defensive formation one!" their sensei ordered as he took out a kunai.
The three genin formed a triangle defensive formation around the munitions merchant, kunai drawn. Their sensei then sensed movement, and held up his hand only to see a dozen shuriken launched at him. His blue eyes had focused on blocking the kunai and counter attacking. Five Jounin level Iwa Shinobi and seven Chuunin Level attacked the one Konoha Jounin.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" their sensei yelled as he created twenty shadow clones with ease. He then flew threw another series of seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
With that, two, five meter tall battle toads were also summoned, which would even the odds considerably. Kakashi glanced over, expecting his sensei to be breathing hard from the use of so much chakra, yet the blonde haired Jounin looked like it hadn't affected him at all.
The battle was joined. An Iwa shinobi managed to get threw the defensive line, but just barely, and made a mad dash to the Konoha aligned munitions merchant. Kakashi was right in his path, and he blocked the enemy shinobi's kunai with his own, and with one swift movement, unsheathed his father's 'White Fang' with his left hand and counterattacked. The short sword glowed brightly as it slashed threw the Iwa ninja's Flak Jacket, inflicting a fatal wound with just one swipe.
"Wow! Sensei's amazing!" Obito gasped as he watched his blond Jounin Sensei engaged five of the Iwa Jounin at once in a viscous taijutsu battle.
The Yellow Flash dodged a kick and countered by sticking his kunai right into his assailant's chin, inflicting a fatal wound on the enemy ninja. Quickly taking out his kunai, the blond Jounin tossed the bloodied weapon into the throat another attacker. In less than thirty seconds, three of the enemy ninja were dead threw the actions of Kakashi and Konoha's Yellow Flash.
Rin slammed her fist into one of the Iwa Chuunins attacking her, trying to get to the munitions merchant. In desperation, she slit the elder ninja's throat, and her eyes widened in realization on what she just did. The Iwa Chuunin gargled in pain as blood squirted onto the girl's face, and the young kunoichi was in a state of shock at what she just did.
"Rin-chan, watch out!" Obito yelled as he tossed a handful of shuriken at an attacking Iwa Chuunin, hitting the enemy right in the face. Rin had dropped to the ground, clutching her head. "Sensei, Rin-chan looks like she got hurt!"
The Yellow Flash looked back, and what looked like the 'Body Flicker' technique, he appeared near his female genin charge, and frowned. "She's in a state of shock!"
Kakashi frowned at his teammate. They were ninja, killing an enemy was supposed to be expected. He dodged a punch from one of the remaining Iwa Jounin, and stuck his blade right threw the jounin's heart, surprising the older shinobi. The silver-haired genin yanked his sword out of the chest of his enemy, letting him drop the ground-dead.
"Retreat!" one of the remaining Iwa Chuunin ordered, and the remaining Iwa Shinobi fled into the safety of the trees.
Team 12's sensei frowned, and dispelled his bushins and summons. Kakashi and Obito walked over to check on Rin. The girl was breathing sharply, and their blond Jounin looked at the boys.
"Okay, Rin-chan is unfit to travel at the moment; one of you has to carry her until she can walk under her own power again," their sensei told them, and Obito immediately volunteered.
"We should just leave her," Kakashi stated in monotone, making his teammate snarl.
"What was that? She's our teammate, and we should never leave a teammate behind!" Obito argued as their sensei put the catatonic kunoichi on the young Uchiha's back.
"The mission is our primary concern, having a teammate who can't walk will slow us down," Kakashi said (making his current self again frown at this part of the memory) as Obito continued to frown. "However…since she is not dead or completely incapacitated, we…should take her with us."
Their sensei smirked. "When we get back home, you three will have a test that I should have gave you at the beginning."
"Test?" Obito and Kakashi asked at the same time. "What test?"
"The same test Jiraiya-sensei gave me, and that Sarutobi-sama gave him, Tsunade-sensei, and Orochimaru-sensei," the future Yondaime replied as they all kept walking down the path with the client.
A few hours later, they were back at the gates. Rin was walking again, though she was still shaken up for actually killing an enemy. Kakashi had begun lecturing her on what a proper shinobi was, yet Obito kept cutting him off.
"Lay off her, Kakashi-teme!" Obito yelled angrily, giving the 'honorific' Naruto would give Sasuke in the future.
"N-No…he's right," Rin said as she talked quietly. "I…am a kunoichi…and as such, I should expect to kill my opponent…"
Kakashi grinned under his mask, but his sensei cleared his throat. "However, disabling an opponent should be your primary concern. Killing your opponent is your last resort."
"Yes sensei," the three of them said in monotone, and they followed him into the village, next to their client. First C-Rank Mission, success.
He smiled at the memory, and realized he was burning daylight by going into nostalgia. With that, he leapt up to a nearby building's roof and began sprinting and leaping from building to building to the Inner Ring of Ba Sing Se.
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Inner Ring of Ba Sing Se
At his last stop, he picked up a very expensive bottle of Rice Wine. It wasn't sake, but it'd do for the toast he would have. As he walked out of the liquor store, he bumped into an old man, knocking him down. They both spilled their stuff, and Kakashi grinned under his mask.
"Sorry about that, really wasn't looking where I was going," Kakashi said as he put the rice wine into his pack again, and the candles and portrait back into his bag.
"Not a problem, it seemed we were both in a rush," the old man said as he picked up his thin candles, and Kakashi helped him pick up a picture.
"Who is this?" Kakashi asked with an amused grin.
"…my son. He died in the war years ago," the old man replied as the silver-haired jounin handed him back the picture. "Thank you." He then noticed the jounin's headband.
"Not a problem sir," Kakashi said as he finished picking up his carefully gathered late offerings. "I take it's the anniversary of your son's death as well as my friend's? And…by the way you looked at my forehead protector, you probably ran into one of my students."
"Oh, your students, and you're very observant," the old man said with a grin. "A teenager with blond hair and girl with long blue black hair visited the teashop where I work today. My name is Mushi, and you are?"
"Kakashi," Kakashi said with a smile. "Those two were on their best behavior, correct?"
"Yes, and they had a delightful chat with my nephew," Mushi said with a smile. "We're newly arrived in the city, and he has…trouble making friends. He misses his old life."
"With how many people being uprooted, I can see why he'd want to return home to someplace familiar," Kakashi stated as he began to walk off. "Have a nice day, Mushi-sama."
"Have a nice day yourself, Kakashi," Mushi said as he bowed, and walked off in the opposite direction.
As Kakashi neared the final part of his journey for that day, it was the Outer Ring of Ba Sing Se. He walked up the wall, then hopped over to the other side and looked for a suitable place. The farmland was large, yet there was a patch of forest about a mile away from where he was standing. As he walked there…he remembered Obito's final moments.
"…of course, in the world of ninja, those who break the rules are trash…" Obito told him before he went off to rescue Rin. "…but…those who don't care about their comrades are worse than trash…"
Kakashi scowled; his hand still over his wound under his flak jacket. He panted…and he made his decision, he turned around to follow Obito. He leapt off, quickly finding Obito's scent.
Obito had found out the Iwa Ninja base, and was standing on top of large tree. He was crouching on the tree branch, starting to psyche himself up. After slapping his face, he gazed at the hole where the Iwa Ninja took his teammate.
'Found them…stay calm…' Obito told himself as he looked out at the hole. He gulped and took out one of his kunai, preparing himself for combat with jounin level shinobi.
In the base, one of the Iwa Shinobi, a tall man with puffy, yet spiky hair glanced back as he felt the young Uchiha's chakra signature. He turned to his tall, muscular, cap wearing, white haired partner, who rose his hand, pointing two fingers up to the sky. He then looked up at the tied up Rin, who looked like she was in a daze.
"I'll sort it out…" he told his teammate. "In the meanwhile, continue with the genjutsu…and get the information out of her quickly."
With that, he activated his stealth jutsu and blended into the surrounding area. Rin twirled her head as the genjutsu was put on her on an even greater intensity. The Iwa Nin cupped her face and grinned in a leer. Such a beautiful girl…he thought.
Obito snarled as he prepared himself. "Right! Let's go!"
"To where…?" an ominous voice asked from behind him, and he slowly turned around to see someone peel off the bark.
The attack was cut short, and he saw blood splatter behind him. As he finished turning around, he saw…Kakashi, White Fang drawn, delivering a powerful, potent diagonal slash into the enemy Iwa ninja's chest. The Iwa Ninja gasped in surprise as blood flew out of the damaged part of the Iwa nin's flak jacket.
"Ka…Kakashi…you…why?" Obito gaped as his teammate landed, and their Iwa Ninja opponent crashed into a branch on another tree.
"Hah! I can't leave it all to a crybaby ninja like you alone!" Kakashi told him enthusiastically. Under his mask, he held a grin…one that he hadn't used in a long time.
'…Kakashi…' Obito thought, amazed as he tried to get his jaw to work.
"Silver-hair and that blade of white-chakra…impossible…you…" the Iwa ninja muttered as his eyes closed. "'Konoha's White Fang?'"
Kakashi continued to crouch, yet he flinched at his father's nickname. He lifted his father's tanto and smirked.
"This is a memento of my father…" Kakashi told the Iwa Ninja, holding the White Fang, ready to strike again.
'The most important thing to a shinobi is to be a tool to complete a mission,' Kakashi had lectured Obito time and time again before this moment. 'Emotions are…unnecessary things.'
"Kakashi…you…" Obito started, and the Iwa Ninja then made a hand seal.
"…I see…the 'White Fang's' brat…there is no need to worry in that case…" the Iwa Ninja said as he began to fade into the bark. "Ninpou: Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Camouflage Concealment)."
With that, the Iwa Ninja completely vanished. Kakashi's nose then twitched, tracking the enemy ninja's scent as well as a bloodhound. However…the scent vanished shortly after. His eyes shot back to Obito.
"His scent has been completely removed. I'll only be able to track him by movements in air currents and sound," Kakashi told his teammate, his eyes moving left and right.
'Of course…' the Iwa Ninja thought, quickly picking Obito to attack.
"Where…is he?" Obito asked as the Iwa Ninja crept behind the Uchiha, trying not to make a sound. However, he made a barely audible tap was heard by Kakashi, the sound of blood falling.
"Obito! Behind you!" Kakashi warned his teammate and he blindly leapt into the enemy's attack.
His left eye was slashed, blinding him in his left eye. The blood flew out of his wound as he stumbled back. Kakashi crashed to the ground next to Obito as more blood squirted out of the slash.
"AH! My eye!" Kakashi yelled in pain as he put his hand to the wound and closed his eyes shut.
"Kakashi!" Obito yelled as he ran over to his friend, who had slumped against the ground and began to moan in pain. The Uchiha put his hand on the White Fang son's shoulder. "Kakashi, hey Kakashi! Are you alright?"
"Ugh…yeah…" Kakashi replied as he slowly lifted his hand off the wound. "The enemy…he's skilled…he's already quickly gotten rid of the kunai with the scent of my blood on it…"
Tears of guilt began streaming down Obito's face from behind his goggles. He was so stupid…he should have been the one to take that attack, not Kakashi. His friend glanced back at him and chuckled.
"Dirt in your eye again?" Kakashi teased as he turned to look at the young Uchiha with his good eye. "Shinobi don't cry…and I'm not dead yet."
Now that comment pissed Obito off, and he lifted his goggles off his eyes and wiped the tears off. He began to remember what his sensei had told him about the constant tearing up with his goggles on.
'You were wearing your goggles, so you couldn't have gotten something in your eye. If you don't control your mouth, not only your mouth but your mind will also become weak,' their Sensei lectured the young Uchiha earlier in the mission.
'I'm always mouthing off…' Obito thought as he continued wiping his face. 'Everyone's always just having to save me…I'm nothing but a loser…but…'
"Don't let your guard down!" Kakashi chided the young Uchiha while their opponent watched the scene.
'Even if these brats are our opponents…I won't take any risks. I'll do it cautiously…' the Iwa ninja thought as he started creeping towards the two Konoha Ninja.
Obito didn't reply to Kakashi like he normally would do, he just continued to think. 'I believe the White Fang was a true hero…those who don't care about their companions are worse than trash.' As he thought that, he lowered his hand from his eyes and a change happened. 'Those words alone…I don't want them to be just mouthing off…'
The wind howled as the Iwa ninja began his attack on the two of them. Obito squeezed his fists as he turned around.
"DIE!" the Iwa Ninja roared as he went on the attack. However, Obito finished turning around, dodged the strike…and retorted…with the Sharingan blazing.
The Uchiha read his movements, despite his cloaking jutsu still active, and slammed his kunai right into his flank. The small blade pierced the flak jacket, and impaled itself in the Iwa Ninja's lung.
"Obito…you…" Kakashi started, his eyes widened in surprise at his friend's activation of the Sharingan.
The Iwa Ninja's jutsu gradually began to fade as he began to die. "H…How? I shouldn't…have been seen…" he then looked down at Obito. "Wh…What…those eyes…?"
With that, the Iwa Ninja dropped to the ground, wheezing as his life left him. A few seconds later, he died, from the combination of his wounds and chakra exhaustion.
"Now…" Obito said as the Iwa Ninja died. "I will protect my companions!"
"Obito…you…those eyes…" Kakashi said in wonder as the Uchiha looked at his hands.
"Yeah…it seems like the Sharingan…" Obito said as he continued to look at his hands. "I can see the flow and movement of chakra…"
Kakashi then winced; the pain of his head wound hit him again. He groaned in pain as Obito rushed over.
"Are you okay? Kakashi!" Obito asked as he knelt beside his friend.
"Yeah…" Kakashi replied after he groaned in pain, trying to open his eye. "It seems like my left eye is completely useless…" he then reached for his belt…and grabbed the pack Rin gave him. "I have this that I got from Rin…-chan. With emergency treatment, we can do it quickly. Let's rescue Rin-chan right away!"
Obito paused for a second and then a confident grin appeared on his face. "Right!"
In the Iwa Ninja hideout, the remaining Iwa Ninja, identified in the Bingo Book as Kakko, held a perverted grin as he ruffled Rin's hair. He bent down and looked at the dazed kunoichi in the eyes.
"You're unexpectedly stubborn…" Kakko said as he looked at her. Suddenly, he heard a pair of footsteps coming from behind him, and he glanced back. To his surprise, he saw Kakashi and Obito standing there, and the Uchiha had his Sharingan blazing angrily, and he sighed and stood up. "Everyone's useless…"
Obito's Sharingan focused on Rin, and he saw a different pattern in her chakra, and he snarled. Squeezing his fists, his left eye turned to Kakashi.
"Rin's chakra flow is irregular…completely different from yours and mine," Obito said in a snarl, bearing his teeth at the Iwa Ninja.
"She could have been put under a genjutsu," Kakashi speculated, his own anger building. "…it was probably to get information out of her quickly…"
"Hm…you're no ordinary brats…" Kakko said, surprised.
Obito sank into a horse stance and Kakashi reached for his White Fang. They both crouched as the Iwa Ninja looked at them, unconcerned.
"We've already beaten one, but…this one moves at high speed. Be careful," Kakashi told the Uchiha, who nodded.
"Right!" Obito yelled as he sunk lower.
The young silver-haired Jounin unsheathed his blade and began running next to his teammate. Kakko grinned and he pulled his arms back and spring loaded blades shot out above his wrists. The three shinobi clashed, and the Iwa Jounin back flipped and dodged their attacks. He then focused on Obito, whose Sharingan read the movement and he pulled back dodging the scissor-slash, planting his hand on the ground and he prepared himself for a counter attack. Kakashi covered him however, already leaping into a attack, the White Fang ready to strike.
'Die!' Kakko thought as he went in to attack Kakashi, but Obito's Sharingan read the movement.
With that, Obito leaned back, and threw out a double kick at the Iwa Jounin. He leaned on his grounded hand and kicked back the Kakko's arm and slammed his feet into the Iwa Ninja's wrists, leaving him open for an attack. Kakashi had taken advantage of this even rose the White Fang over his head and dropped it, hard, over the afro Iwa Ninja's shoulder and collar bone. Kakko crashed onto the ground as the young silver-haired Jounin slammed his foot onto his back to land behind him.
Kakashi ran to the dazed Rin, who was still under the effects of the genjutsu. The jounin held up his hand and two fingers, and focused his chakra.
"Kai!" Kakashi yelled out, shattering the genjutsu on Rin. The fog over the girl's eyes faded, and she blinked twice.
"Kakashi…Obito?" Rin asked as she strained in the binds.
"We came to save you Rin! It's alright now!" Obito told Rin cheerfully.
"Right, we'd better get out of here fast!" Kakashi told her as he smiled underneath his mask. Rin smiled gratefully at them.
Kakashi began to grimace as the memory began to take a downward spiral to Obito's death. He had placed the three candles in a triangle formation, the black ones, representing Obito and Yondaime on the bottom, and the red candle representing Rin, who hadn't passed away but has been MIA since the 7th year after Yondaime's death were all lit.
He put two stones behind the black candles, and popped the cork on the rice wine. 'Sorry guys it's not sake, but it's the best I could get here…'
With that…he poured the wine over the rocks, representing his old friend and sensei's graves. He had heard a quote once 'no one who has reached nirvana should go on without the taste of good sake', and he sighed.
"Indeed that was a good combination…but you're still just brats," Kakko said as he winced and got onto his feet. "You're right in my hands…" With that, he flew threw the hand seals. "Doton: Iwa Yado Kuzukushi (Earth Release: Rock Lodgment Destruction)!"
With that, several rocks above Obito, Rin, and Kakashi dislodged from the ceiling of the cave. They looked up with shock in their eyes, hesitating to run.
"Oh, damn!" Obito yelled angrily as more rocks began to fall.
"Everyone, get out of here quickly!" Kakashi ordered as he cut Rin's binds and the all began to run as fast as they could.
From his blind spot, a grapefruit sized rock slammed into the back of the silver haired jounin's head, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. 'In my left eye's blind spot…' he thought as he drifted into unconsciousness.
"Kakashi!" Rin cried as she looked back to her crush who was about to be smashed by the falling rocks.
Obito snarled and turned back, scooping up his unconscious comrade and as a rock fell directly above them, he tossed Kakashi away. After he did that, he tried running but the entire ceiling collapsed on him.
Kakko looked at his work and grinned. "…they were awkward sources of information…but I didn't have any choice…"
Kakashi stirred, his remaining eye opening slowly and then it focused on…Obito. His eye went wide in shock and disbelief.
"…are you okay…? Kakashi…Rin…?" Obito asked weakly.
"Obito!" Kakashi yelled as he got up and ran over to his friend. The Uchiha was crushed…his right side was completely crushed and blood was streaming down his lip. His Sharingan was still activated, and the silver haired Jounin tried lifting the rock that was crushing him in a desperate attempt to save the young Uchiha's life. "Shit!"
"That's enough…it's okay…Kakashi…it looks like it's over for me…" Obito told Kakashi weakly. "The right side of my body is almost completely smashed…there's no feeling in it…"
Kakashi continued to pant as he tried lifting the massive stone that was crushing his friend. Tears welled up in Rin's eyes. "…no…this…why…?" Obito then coughed up blood and she ran over. "Obito!"
"DAMN IT!" Kakashi roared as he slammed his fist into the ground and he began quivering in rage, anger, and guilt. "I…from the beginning, if I'd gone with what you'd said and rescued Rin…something like this wouldn't have happened!" Obito panted and remained silent for a few seconds. "What kind of commander? What kind of Jounin…?"
"Hey…no…forget it…" Obito told them, and Rin looked up at the dying Shinobi with tears streaming down her face. "I'm…the only one…who didn't give you…a present…at your Jounin Celebration…right Kakashi?" Kakashi looked at him in shock. "…what would be good? I was thinking…and now…I've come up with it…" He looked at the still shocked Jounin. "What? Don't worry…it's not…useless baggage…it's…this Sharingan of mine…"
Kakashi and Rin looked at him in shock and he smiled, blood still trickling down his lip.
"…the people in the village…what they must have been saying…you're a great Jounin…" Obito said as he smiled at his friend. "That's…how I feel…please accept it…"
Rin rubbed her face and frowned. She…wanted Obito to live. She wanted it so badly…
"Rin…with your medical ninjutsu…please take out my Sharingan…and implant it…in Kakashi's eye…"
"Kakashi, come over here!" Rin ordered after she finished wiping the tears off her face. "So we can start quickly!"
Kakashi looked down at Obito, but stayed silent. He slowly crawled over to his dying friend, who gave a smile.
"…I'm already going to die…" Obito said as he coughed up more blood. "…but I can become your eye…and see into the future…"
Kakashi stared at his dying friend, and then closed his eyes and reached him and Rin. He closed his eyes and the young medical ninja performed the operation, translating Obito's eye into his destroyed one. The Jounin winced as Rin carefully pulled out his dead eye. With care, the young medical kunoichi's hand glowed green and gently took out Obito's eye.
Rin ordered Kakashi to come closer, and prepare for some pain. She opened his eye socket and connected Obito's Sharingan to his optic nerve. He winced as she probed the nerve. She checked her work, and Kakashi blinked his new eye. He…he could see her chakra on her hand…and tears started to drop out of his new eye.
'I hope I am using your eye correctly, Obito…' Kakashi thought as he opened his Sharingan, and poured himself some of the rice wine, and drank it. "…Sensei, I am taking care of…Naruto. He will become the Shinobi you wanted him to be…"
With that, he poured the rest of the contents of the rice wine onto the makeshift graves of Obito and his sensei, and looked up into the sunset.
To be continued…