A/N: Wow, I'm just kinda in awe. I never imagined so many people would like this so much. And I'm super sorry about my absence these past few months. I literally had 1000 words written after the last chapter but never got around to finishing it. D: I just added to it since it's been so long and you guys deserve more. So sorry if its kinda choppy and stuff but I really just wanted to get SOMETHING out at least.

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing *shrugs*

Enjoy~


Somewhere in Fire Country

"Honestly, Sakumo-san, we will take great care of the rest of the work for the season."

He sighed, "I know that Kasumi-san, it just has been so long, and I don't want to burden you—," She cut him off with a laugh, rolling her eyes along with it.

"Please, sir, your work as overseer of the farms is mostly done for this month, and anything that crops up I can finish. And you only work in the fields so you wont get bored, we'll be fine."

"And if—,"

"If your son shows up we'll treat him as an honored guest, but like you said, he'll be away for some time, and you have planned this for years. He will not hold it against you, if he is as good a son as you have been saying."

Sakumo definitely didn't pout, "But—,"

"Now get going, Sakumo-san."

A sigh left his mouth for the third time that morning. "Very well Kasumi-san, I shall abide by your wisdom as always. Take care, and tell the rest of them that I'll be back soon."

She gave him a small smile, "I will, now shoo."

Sakumo picked up his pack and went slowly over to a chest by the door. He opened it slowly then removed the cloth from the top. Setting it aside Sakumo stared down at the sword that was almost a twin for the one he had given his son. This one only had one name though, his long deceased wife's. She had come to his village in her youth to learn the ways of the sword. Ryoko was fierce and determined in everything she did, always giving it her all.

That passion was the reason he had fallen in love with her after all, and the reason he could in the first place. If she had not had the drive to learn kenjutsu Ryoko would never have come to his village. He had spent years teaching her the ways of the sword, and in secret she had taught him of chakra for more uses than just his sword. How to mold it to his will and use it as ninjutsu.

He brushed his fingers over the sheath gently before gripping it, standing, and swiftly attaching it to his hip. It felt good to have a piece of her by him again, for it had been too long. Giving a nod to Kasumi, who was looking at him curiously, he strode from the room taking a breath as sunrays warmed his face. The next half of the day was spent split between walking and jumping through trees, chakra swarming to his feet. Though Sakumo hadn't used chakra in a few years, it still came back to him as easily as breathing.

Around midday he took a break, relaxing against a tree. His eyes flicked to the left momentarily, "Come out, I know you're there and you've been following me since the village."

There was a pause before three forms came out from the bushes. One was a huge bulldog with a gruff demeanor; another had kanji written on his forehead and long ears, and the last, strangely enough, was sporting sunglasses. Two of them barked, and the one with sunglasses stepped forward, "Yo."

Sakumo stared in bewilderment.

"How'd ya know we were here?"

Blinking, he tapped the side of his nose, "Smell." It was a trick his wife taught him that had taken a while to master but was dead useful.

The dog made a sound in the back of his throat before nodding in acceptance. "Hm. Boss would not be pleased to know we let our guard down because of underestimating someone. We did not know of your heightened senses. Then again, we weren't trying as hard to hide from you."

"And why were you following me? Should I be expecting an ambush? I haven't known anyone to use nin-dogs other than Inuzuka since my wife and those were summons. So unless Inuzuka's have been teaching their nin-dogs to talk…" His eyes narrowed, "You must be Kakashi's ninken."

Though most people didn't carry their summons's scrolls around with them, Ryoko had picked it up on the way to Konoha before they had been attacked. If someone had come upon the body later, and found Kakashi, it only made sense that they would take whatever was left as well. The part of him that had doubted Kakashi was truly his son, and not a relative of a rare (unknown) escapee, was relieved. A smile bloomed on his son, his son. Although it hadn't mattered much before, as he would take anyone into his family that proved to be a Hatake, it was still a euphoric feeling, knowing that Kakashi was his.

"Yep. Boss didn't want to leave without making sure you had back up if needed. He's been makin' waves in the shinobi world for the past couple months, didn't want enemies to take you by surprise." The bulldog at his side huffed and the sunglasses one chuckled, "Indeed, Bull, it seems that Boss was worrying for no reason again." An amused glance was shot towards Sakumo, "He likes to pretend otherwise, but Boss is a mother-hen once someone's accepted into his pack."

"So," Sakumo started, "His name is Bull? And you two?"

"Name's Akino, I'm the only other one that was taught to talk other than Pakkun. But he's with Boss right now. Bisuke's the runt over here." Bisuke gave Akino a small nip to his leg for that.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. How many of you are there, if I may ask?" Sakumo released the hand he had on his sword, taking out a meal he had prepared earlier that morning. He dug in now that there was no reason to stay on guard.

"There are five others, so eight in total." Akino answered as he sat down. "Since there's no reason to hide anymore, mind if we travel with you? Boss told us to keep an eye on you while he's gone."

"I do not mind. I assume you can provide food for yourselves?"

The dog nodded, "Boss has shown us how to if we have need." Akino gave a nod to Bull and Bisuke, whom disappeared into the trees surrounding them.

He could still smell them circling around, most likely to guard or search the area. Sakumo hummed thoughtfully. "When did my son gain his summons?"

Akino pushed up his sunglasses making them glint in the sun. "He tried his first attempt when he was five to my knowledge."

"Five," Sakumo whispered, in awe. "So young. My Ryoko didn't get her summons till she was over twenty. Although, that may have been because she only found it then."

"Perhaps, but Boss has always been a prodigy. At least that's what his mentor said."

Sakumo's head snapped up, "Mentor?" He had refrained from asking where Kakashi grew up, because for all that they were related, he didn't have any right. It wasn't him that had been there for his son.

"Yes, the man who raised him," Akino said carefully, knowing that he was going to have to balance on a fine line between the truth and lies. "He was a great shinobi, and taught Kakashi most of everything he knows."

The white haired man heard the past tense and realized the man must have died. Perhaps that was why Kakashi had searched for him, for the last family he had. Sakumo had noticed at the time of their first meeting that Kakashi had seemed to know his own last name before they met. Was it because of the summons scroll? Hatake Ryoko was the last name on the list after all. Of course, there could have been other ways, as Kakashi had definitely done some information gathering before finding him.

"You said he was a great shinobi, but… was he a good man?"

"The very best." Akino stated solemnly.

Sakumo nodded, smile twisting sadly. He packed his things quickly and made sure all signs that he had stopped here were gone before setting out again. Days passed as they traveled this way, simple questions interspersed through the silence. It didn't take long before Sakumo came to know the dogs quite well. Akino he knew the best as he was the only one to talk, but Bull was prone to snuggling and Bisuke had a tendency to pop up announced. The dogs had given him a nod before they were in view of the village he was heading, and then disappeared.

The town was as bustling inside as it looked from the outside, and was known as a luxury tourist village that seemed to focus on gambling. Sakumo took a look around before finding a relatively inexpensive inn and dropped his stuff off for the night. He kept his sword strapped to his side and money pouch secured inside his clothes. Taking a deep breath he exited the inn and entered the busy streets.

Dusk was quickly approaching and people were lighting the lanterns and stringing them back up. There were a few electrical lanterns, but the town mainly used paper lanterns to give a better effect during the evening, according to a food stand keeper he had stopped by. It was interesting how much a difference in warmth paper lanterns could give. Sakumo sighed contentedly, but a part of him was still a bit lost as to what he would do here. The villagers and farmers under his employment had planned this 'vacation' for years but in all honesty he had been avoiding it. Taking time off only seemed to emphasize how alone he was, but now with his son back…

Sakumo smiled slightly.

A bit further down the street he went inside a decent looking place, a few card games going on in the back with a bar up front. He walked to a table in the back and nodded at the few men there as they paused to look at him, "Evening, may I join your game?"

One black haired man glanced over him and nodded back, "Next one's in a few. We'll call you over."

He bowed slightly in response and started towards the bar to wait. As he approached he noticed the barkeep arguing with a woman. "C'mon Haruto, one more."

"And as I have said before, until you pay off your tab I cannot allow it."

"Fine if that's how you're—," She paused suddenly, just as Sakumo had sat down a few seats away. "Jiraiya?"

Sakumo turned, surprised when she seemed to be looking at him. Her face fell slightly as their gazes met. "My apologies, you must think me someone else."

"Ah," Tsunade let out a soft sound, something between disappointment and interest. "Yes. From the side you look very similar." Her golden brown eyes turned back to her empty cup.

They sat in silence after he ordered his drink. A small sake bottle was set in front of him and he faced her, holding it up questioningly, "Join me for a drink?" When she gave him a narrowed look, Sakumo chuckled, "Merely to talk, I am not making any passes."

The woman moved to the seat next to him, and he got a closer look at her. Long blonde hair was pulled back into two low ponytails and a curious purple triangle sat in the center of her forehead. "I'm Senju Tsunade."

"Pleased to meet you," He smiled. "My name is Hatake Sakumo."


Somewhere in Ame

"I see." Kakashi pondered on the information that Obito had given him, thinking through his decision for a few moments though he already knew his answer. "I accept, but I have a few things I must do beforehand. I'll dig up some more info in the mean time if I'm able."

Obito grinned, black eyes glinting in the darkening sun. "Perfect. I'll see you around, Kakashi."

"So familiar already are we?" Kakashi couldn't help goading.

The man smirked over his shoulder, "Well, I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other. So we may as well not fight the inevitable. We're destined to fight off terrible evils and bond together while saving each other's lives. Its practically staple hero journey stuff."

Kakashi huffed out a laugh, "That so?"

"Definitely."

They shared a look of understanding before nodding goodbye. Then Kakashi saw something come to Obito, and he paused. "Say… Kakashi, can I ask one last question?" At Kakashi's pointed look the Uchiha laughed and glanced at the hitai-ate over his eye. "Why that? It's not like you have to wear a headband."

"This?" He said softly, touching his covered eye. Kakashi looked up at the sky, tired smile coming to his lips. "It's a message."

"A message? To who?"

He thought for a moment on telling him what he told Kinji at the mercenary station, but quickly discarded it. "Yeah, to my precious people and to myself. That even if we're apart, even if they cant understand, I'm not leaving them behind."

Sadness came over Obito's face for barely a second before changing into a quiet tenderness. "I think I understand," The man touched his own cheek and Kakashi just then realized there were two markings much like Rin's on each side but about half the size and dark orange.

Kakashi analyzed the look before turning to walk away, eyes suspiciously wet, "Later… Obito."

On the trip back to the small, desecrated village he put away the scroll sealed with Hidan's body and scythe. It took a few hours until he saw it in the distance. He hopped down out of the trees and entered the village, after a bit he heard a female voice that wasn't Asuga's. Kakashi sniffed the air and confirmed that there was another person with Deidara and Asuga before exiting the alleyway and into the center of the town. The circle had been washed away with a jutsu and most of the remains removed. It seemed as if the little sand-nin and his minion had been busy while he was away.

Bright pinkish red hair came into vision and his eyes widened, but he fixed his expression once Deidara turned to him, his whole countenance brightening. "Kakashi-sensei!" His little minion stopped in his advance towards Kakashi, face flushed. "I-I—,"

"Maa, look at how cute my minion is!" He smirked, patting Deidara's hair and making it poof up.

"You—!" Deidara started, only to be stopped by a small hand tugging on his sleeve. "Ah, right. This is Uzumaki Karin. We found her in the well."

"Hello," She bowed to him. "Nice to meet you Kakashi-san." Karin smiled, "So you are Deidara-senpai's sensei?"

Ignoring Deidara's sputtered rejections, Kakashi said, "Yes, I am."

Karin got a determined look, "Then I'm coming with you!"

"…Eh?"

"I want to be strong like Deidara-senpai!" With that remark, she grabbed a kunai and slashed through her Kusa hitai-ate.

"…EHHH?!" Deidara and Kakashi echoed, Asuga pinching her brow next to Karin.

"Karin-chan, I think you need to ask before you decide something like that for other people," Asuga tried to reason.

Karin narrowed her eyes and nodded to herself, as if making a decision, "You should take me along, and I can heal you. You're a missing-nin, meaning most places wont allow you into their hospitals. I have an ability to transfer my life chakra into others, I'll be useful to you, I promise!" When Kakashi didn't say anything she added, "please, I don't have anywhere else to go."

From behind her Deidara had crossed his arms and was giving him a look. Kakashi groaned inwardly. "Fine." Then muttered to himself wearily, "Why do I do this to myself? Somehow, this is going to be a disaster."


A/N: Did you really think I was gonna tell you what Obito and Kakashi discussed so easily? :3 muahaha

But at least there was some bonding? And Karin makes a decision while Sakumo meets someone interesting! :D

It's really time to move on from dark depressing things!

I was torn between Kakashi being called sensei or senpai by Deidara lol, but I decided on sensei since he IS teaching him and Deidara is on the same level as Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke now. If he ever calls him senpai, it may be in the future when they have an even closer bond. And while Karin may call Deidara 'senpai' he didn't really agree to it, so it's kinda one sided right now. Maybe I'm making a mess of all the honorifics or whatever, but oh well.

Don't know if Kakashi's ninken are actual summons, but I made them that way. ;)