-2 days later-

Kushina was strolling through the forest during the afternoon on a clear day. It was mildly cold-strange weather for the summer. It was nearly the conclusion of August, after all. She stretched her back. An almost ominous presence lurked through the air. The kind that portrayed an anonymous being who stalked in the shadows as you walk through town on a cloudy night. Suddenly she came to a halt, and felt something half her height bump into her back.

"Huh?" She glanced over her shoulder to see her ubiquitous nephew standing there, blinking at her in equal confusion. "Hi there!" she greeted happily.

"Why're you talking to me like I'm a kid?" Kakashi asked, pouting in dismay.

"Because you are one. What're you doing?"

"...Nothing."

"Do you always walk THIS close behind me?" Kushina laughed when the boy blushed and broke eye contact. She remembered what had happened previously. Her faltering smile was noticed by the young Jonin, who tilted his head in question.

Kakashi had been trailing behind his aunt like so since that rainy evening. The look on his face when Kushina would be absent for more than a minute was breathtaking. Like a premature child being dropped off at the bus stop on his first day of preschool. Panicked. Afraid.

No, he acted like he did when he first moved in with his aunt.

Once the Habanero would return, Kakashi would chid and chid him until an apology was given. His most recent nightmare had really injured him, Kushina concluded. But the jinchuriki could not succumb the thought of what he had sobbed for, of what her student had feared and forced her to vow against. Her death.

Just hearing the term sent a foreign chill down her spine. She hadn't the slightest clue what it was like to die. Was it painless? Would she cry in spite of herself or for the ones she loved? Or would she smile, viewing the experience as freedom? Would she be alone when death gripped her? It would be an atrocity if Kakashi bore witness...

The two were walking through the forest later that same day. It had been two hours since they left their campsite. Kakashi was getting tired and a little dizzy, but remained silent. Kushina was walking ahead, being the vigilant eyes and ears of their party.

Suddenly, Kushina paused. Kakashi, failing to acknowledge it, walked straight into her back again, bouncing back in surprise before looking up at the back of her head.

"Sensei?"

"Sh." The Habanero peered to the right, then left, scanning the perimeter with meticulous eyes. Another soft rustling in the trees and shrubs made her snap her neck around. "Hide," she suddenly ordered, panicked, "now."

There was a rhythmic stomping in the distance. Heavy footsteps trudging their direction. Kushina saw a huge, muscular monstrosity heading her way. He already saw her, so running was not an option. She lashed out a kunai and prepared herself.

Kakashi's hands grew clammy as he watched his aunt fight this massive person. Her red hair seemed brighter with every move she made, every evasion method. Suddenly, the enemy snatched her by said hair and slammed her into the ground. Kushina was about to get up when he positioned himself on top of her, a stained cleaver ready.

"Die, bitch." he said.

Kakashi panicked. He knew Kushina-Sensei told him to hide, but he yearned to do otherwise. He watched in horror as the monstrously muscular perpetrator rose the blade high and rammed it down hard. Luckily, Kushina caught a hold of the tip.

He saw the irritation and struggle in Kushina's face. Her own hands were clutching the knife, her palms and fingers being sliced and cut terribly. At any second, if her strength evaded her, the blade would slip from her grasp and stab into her neck. Kakashi could see her growing weary.

The culprit urged the weapon downward, and Kushina's palms were spilling blood. She winced slightly, a small vein appearing in her left temple that hadn't gone unnoticed. She thrusted the knife towards the man, making the butt smack into his nose.

Kakashi's eyes widened. Then a sharp sting traced his number code. He held onto it and clenched his teeth to keep quiet. Its outlines were broadened again with blood and purple light. Looking up, he discovered that his aunt and the enemy were outlined in the same hue. Kushina winced again and more blood spilled. She grimaced, though her grip did not lessen.

Suddenly, another compulsion forced him to stand. Rage filled his blood; every beat of the heart forced forward the bitter intent to kill. Blood, he wanted blood. Like a ravenous beast, he growled, catching the notice of the two shinobi.

"Kakashi, hide! What're you d-" Kushina snapped, enclosing her fingers around the knife's head. The enemy's constant thrusting subsided-he watched the young Jonin with confusion in his eyes. The kunoichi stared at her nephew, noticing something...different in his eyes.

Kill-Kakashi's sharp eyes targeted the now puny man. He had chosen his meal, now he had to pursue it. It was tunnel vision. That bastard was going to pay! No one-nobody-was to touch Kushina!

Kill-A thump was heard throughout the forest, and Kakashi cried out and held his forearm, bending over in agony. Kushina's eyes enlarged. It seemed the two adults had forgotten their previous battle. "Get. Off. Her."

When Kakashi glared back up at the enemy, he slowly got off Kushina and walked slowly in the opposite direction, watching the boy the entire time. The Habanero did not seem to notice-she was petrified by the dangerous eyes of her student. The eyes of an animal, of a savage.

The hunter recoiled and took off running in fear. He prayed in his head to The Lord.

"Kakashi-" Kushina was frozen in position, leaning on an elbow as if the man were still on top of her.

But the young Jonin too started sprinting after the coward, sprinting faster than physically possible for a kid whose been deprived of food and proper exercise for almost a month.

"Kakashi!"

All the boy saw was red. All he heard was red. All he knew was red. His thirst for blood grew tremendously unbearable. Beyond the rage and despise that encompassed him was malice. All the recurring emotions in which he had experienced united as a bundle of masochism. He thought of his mother, his father, his grandfather. He remembered what Kushina had said back in the village, calling him arrogant and ungrateful. Everything negative and horrible-fueling the flames of gluttony and murderous intent that sustained his heart.

Devour-Fury swelled in his chest and he propelled faster. Once the man was within a few feet's distance, he withdrew the kunai Kushina had given him before he dislocated his elbow. Using an ounce of chakra, he dashed forward and stabbed it into the the back of the man's neck.

Watching him fall forward while shrieking in pain, Kakashi yanked it back out, climbed on top of the man, and continued stabbing him in the most lethal areas: his trachea, his head, his eyeballs, his heart. Everywhere and anywhere. Blood drenched the two of them. With each stab came an undying satisfaction. Eventually, he threw away the weapon and clawed viciously at the massacred corpse.

By the time Kushina caught up, the enemy was just a bundle of blood and torn flesh and muscle, yet Kakashi did not seem to realize it. He proceeded to brutalize the body, showing no signs of stopping. She froze, restrained by the traumatizing sight. "Kakashi!"

A pair of mismatching, deranged eyes shot through the elder Jonin. Putrid acid in his leer-greed and gluttony making the contrasting irises glow. He was finished with the unfortunate bastard. Now he was yearning for Kushina's blood.

Kakashi focused a remarkable amount of chakra. The Habanero recoiled when he charged toward her with Chidori as if it had appeared out of nowhere. 'Shit!' she thought.

When Kakashi was about to ram his jutsu through her heart, she grabbed his wrist and drew it away from her body and spun him around. With the boy facing the other direction, she placed a knee in the center of his back and drove him to the floor. Now, she was literally kneeling atop him, similarly to a farmer taking down a bull for branding. It happened quicker than comprehensible.
Kushina pressed two fingers to Kakashi's pulse in his neck to interrupt the flow of his blood and chakra. And she did not let go, no matter how much the boy struggled and bit into her other wrist that was rammed into the dirt floor for stabilizing. Kushina could feel the blood emerging, but did not ease her grip.

In seconds, Kakashi fell limp in his aunt's arms. His malicious countenance had faded to a peaceful, but very much in pain expression, similar to how he always appeared when lost in the realms of slumber. Relaxed and tranquil as another's blood dripped down his face and stained his clothes. Kushina left him on the floor, stepping back.

She just noticed that her heart was pounding as hard as it was during her earliest missions as a small Genin. Her breath was heavy; every exhale demanded an inhale. She watched her nephew with wide eyes, with bemused eyes, with terrified eyes.

Kakashi...no, that was not the Kakashi she cherished. That was not the grumpy, wayward, astounding young ninja he trained and lived with. It was not her child. Oh no, that was some surreal, unearthly, unwelcomed...thing inside the boy's blood-stained body. Kushina swallowed a warm phlegm and forced it down. After some time, she scooped up the boy and took him to a nearby creek to wash him, ignoring her bloody hands.

Kushina took a moment, considering her next move. She sighed, and rubbed her neck. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but," Kakashi glanced at her as she approached him. She reached into her weapons-pouch and retrieved a cigarette. "Seems like you could use one." She handed it to the boy.

"Is this a test?"

"No, why-...No."

When Kakashi reached for it, she jerked it back and gave him a stern look. "And let's...not tell Papa about this. Or Minato. Got it? Like, ever. I am highly against this, but just this once, I'll allow it."

"Are you sure you want to keep secrets from your family?" Kakashi's droopy eyes blinked once.

That paused Kushina-her wide eyes darted to the right in thought. Did she really? She could already hear her lover and father scolding her.
"Y'know what," she shoved the cigarette into Kakashi's hands, "just do it, okay? I don't even know you're doing it, alright?" To ensure the statement, the elder Jonin turned her back to the oblivious boy, crossing her arms before sitting down as if she were shunning him. She gathered her thick ponytail and ran her fingers through it. "I have no idea, got me?"

The young Jonin blinked a few times, glanced down at the cancer stick in his palms, and back at his teacher's red hair. "Uh, Sensei? You seem really stressed out over this."

"I can't hear you."

"What're you doing?"

"Combing my hair. What're you doing?"

"I'm starting to think you need this more than I do."

"Need what?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He could not help but think that this was all some ruse. But he did not care; a smoke sounded like heaven. "Jesus...Ya got a lighter?"

Without so much as a glance, Kushina reached into her vest pocket and plucked out a silver lighter. She handed it to the boy over her shoulder. "Sure, but I don't know why you'd need one."

"Of all people, I can't believe you're letting me do this." The young Jonin held the cigarette's filter between his teeth as he carefully lit it. The tip immediately spewed chemical toxins into the fresh air.

"Do what?" The woman returned the lighter to its proper place, stubbornly refusing to turn around.

"Why do you have cigarettes on you, Sensei?" Kakashi exhaled before speaking. "I thought you quit after I became a Chunin."

Kushina sighed heavily. She tensed up her shoulders and rubbed one of them-a gesture known as a odd mixture of shame and embarrassment. "I wouldn't say I quit completely. I've stopped for the most part. But sometimes, things get rough. Y'know?"

"Yeah?" Kakashi suddenly felt guilt in his chest, spiralling out of control. "Is...is it because of me?"

Kushina was silent for a moment. She eyed Kakashi over his shoulder with a smirk. "It's hard to say, kiddo. It's just life in general, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Y'know, bills and work and all. It just gets to me sometimes."

"Does Ani know?" Kakashi could feel the putrid smoke easing his muscles, his mind and soul. Mellowed, his eyes were slit to their natural shape, and he blinked lazily as he stared into the crystal-clear water.

Kushina braided her ponytail into a fat twist, then unraveled it. "Yeah, Nani knows. He's still trying to get me to stop-so's Dad. I've been smoking since I was fifteen-it's kinda helpless now, don'tcha think?"

Kakashi glanced at her. His aunt, who was becoming more and more human by the day. The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of the Hidden Leaf Village, reduced to smoking when duty got rocky. "Y'know," he took a long drag, "I know it's kinda hypocritical for me to say, but...I think you should stop, too."

"I know I should." Kushina admitted. "It's a temporary release from a fleeting problem with a permanent result. That's how Papa puts it."

"...Well, that's a wordy way of describing it." Kakashi said. "Didn't you tell me that when I was ten?"

"I made sure to." Kushina remembered. She established rules almost immediately to protect her baby. "What was I supposed to do, as a new parent?"

Kakashi looked at her in a confusing way; his expression was a synergy of surprise and bemusement that created dumbfound. Kushina blushed and looked away, covering her face with one of the red strands that ran along her face. Parent...She hadn't considered herself to be a parent in such a long time, since Kakashi stopped calling her Oba a few months ago. Adoptive or not, she was legally, with Minato, Kakashi's parent, and she needed to learn to embrace the title once again.

The two Leaf shinobi briefly met eyes, then immediately darted their gazes elsewhere, awkwardly. The slices were no longer bleeding, but left purpled bruises that were tender and could break if struck.

Kushina cursed and took the cigarette from Kakashi, "Dammit." She took a long, much-needed drag and let the chemicals attack her lungs in sweet bliss. Kakashi blinked at her actions. It was like hanging out with his boys back home, chilling and doing stuff they weren't supposed to.

Kakashi wanted to tell her what he was feeling, how he truly felt about her. A solution to mend their shared pain. For so long he had sentenced his emotions and inner thoughts to wander the hidden chambers of his mind without the luxury of sunshine. For too long, he had expressed one opinion through aloof speech while feeling the exact opposite. Waiting for the right moment to say something, and then never saying it. Lashing out in spite of himself.

He was done with it-finished with being this despicable person. He wanted to, for once, say that he loved his aunt without it being a response to her saying that she loved him. "Ob-AGH!"

Kushina jumped in a start. "What?!"

Kakashi was leaned over on one side, balancing on his hand. "Something bit me or...something!"

Kushina blinked in oblivion. "Something bit you?"

"I think so...! On my leg...!"

The jinchuriki studied his face, then the source of the sudden pain. His left leg. The sight was appalling. There were over twenty sticks stuck in his calf, stabbing deeply in his skin. His skin grew pink and red as a result. She gently tried to pull one out, but Kakashi panicked and took his leg back.

"GOD, dammit...!" he cried out. "What are you doing?!"

Kushina stomped out her cigarette and put her hands on her hips. "Well, they've gotta come out! They're porcupine spikes!"

Evidently, there was a porcupine scrambling away from the two in fear of the screaming. Kakashi looked where his aunt pointed. "Hey! You little bastard-"

"Yelling at an animal isn't gonna help you, y'know!" Kushina admonished.

"Then what am I SUPPOSED to do?!"

"Sit STILL and let me take them out!"

"It hurts!"

Kushina slammed her fist into Kakashi's head, right on top. The younger Jonin saw stars for an instant. "Don't you think I KNOW that?!" The jinchuriki cringed at her own display of monstrous strength. She patted her nephew on the affected area. "S-sorry, honey."

Kakashi swept her hand away, dismissively. Kushina put a hand on her hip, looking closely at the spikes. "Alright, let's get these out."

"I don't think I want to-"

Anticipating resistance, she tackled Kakashi, pinning him face down in the grass and sitting on his legs. The spikes sticking out of his calf were swaying with their movement. The points were lodged deeply in his skin. She made a face in disgust. "Okay, just try to stay calm."

Kakashi turned the upper half of his body to face her. "Whaddya mean stay calm?" he urged. "You just sat on me!"

"I have to." Kushina plucked out one stick as quickly as she could.

Kakashi's body jolted in the sudden pain. "OW! Jesus!"

"Sorry, sorry." The jinchuriki cringed. She knew she had to be careful not to further damage Kakashi's skin. Kakashi buried his head in his arms. He was already needle-sensitive, but this just made it worse! The sight of his pin-cushioned leg was appalling. Haunting.

So, slowly that day, Kushina pulled out a total of forty porcupine spikes from Kakashi's leg. What made matters worse for him, she applied the dreaded hydrogen peroxide on the area.
Kakashi swore if he saw another porcupine in his life, he'd drive his foot up its ass.