Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Chapter 37

All over the Shinobi world battles stopped as people dropped like puppets with their strings cut. When checked most were dead but a few still lived and Medics quickly went to work to keep them alive. They wanted answers and their best option was the fallen enemy, some who had once been friends. Would they wake and be back to themselves?

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Itachi pulled Sasuke back as medics flooded the room, following Tsunade's barked orders as they began fighting to save Kakashi. Itachi grimaced as he saw a medic fighting to restart the man's heart, another trying to get him to breath. From where they stood he could see a vacant grey eye staring at nothing and he made sure to keep Sasuke turned away.

As one called out there was nothing more to be done Sasuke jerked away and ran to the bed, scrambling up to kneel over his teacher. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the plea coming out almost silent as he begged for Kakashi to come back. He repeated it, over and over, each time gaining volume and soon the team was forced back from the bed as wind began whipping around it. Sasuke called up the power of the earth and opened himself to it as a channel, his hands planted on Kakashi's chest.

Itachi could only watch in awe as his baby brother began to glow with power, head thrown back as the light flowed up through the room and into him before flowing down into Kakashi's body.

Tsunade kept the team back and watched as Sasuke fought for his teacher in a way they could not. Kakashi's body jerked several times on the bed and then suddenly the glow turned into a blinding flash. When it faded Sasuke was slumped over Kakashi, a breathing Kakashi.

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"Report." Tsunade commanded.

"All controlled shinobi are either dead or comatose." Ibiki answered. "Hatake?"

"Alive." She answered and he nodded.

"The team sent to Kumo is back, the village is empty as are most of the nearby villages. No signs of violence, they simply all got up and left." He shook his head. "All of the teams are reporting empty villages all over the lands."

Tsunade considered the options of what to do. "We know Sand still stands, what of the other three great villages?"

"Kirigakure is in bad shape but still occupied. Iwagakure, is in better condition. We found Kabuto among the dead shinobi, without Orochimaru and Kabuto, Sound has scattered. There are a lot of unaligned ninja now."

"Alright, keep the border guards on alert. I want to see Itachi, Anko and Gai as soon as they can be found." She ordered and he left. She glanced out the window, was the worst over or was that to come with the five largest villages in disarray? At least she'd been able to reintegrate Itachi easily in the mess. There had been dissension, especially thanks to Danzo but Itachi had given her the information needed to have the warmonger arrested for treason, he was now dead. She looked up as Anko entered.

"Hokage-sama?"

"I have a S-rank mission for you, we're just waiting for your teammates." She answered. A few minutes later Itachi appeared and bowed. Finally, Gai arrived, having been on a patrol outside the walls. "I am sending the three of you to the last known location of Harry Potter. There is risk, it was there that Kakashi was infected, however with what has happened I feel certain Potter has managed to break whatever was causing it. You are to find him and bring him home, for healing or burial." She ordered and three grim faced shinobi nodded before leaving to prepare.

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"There was a camp here." Itachi knelt, Sharingan revealing more than the normal eye could detect. "It has been gone for a long time."

"Think this is where Kakashi…?" Anko shivered slightly, that thing was worse than Orochimaru's seal.

"Most likely." They made their way deeper into the jungle until they eventually found a rather ominous cave opening. Anko summoned her snakes and sent them in first to scout for danger before they entered, it took days to scout out the various chambers until they began in a tunnel with shattered stone through it. They came to the end to find shattered black stone that made their skin crawl and then Itachi moved to the back and knelt down, rolling something…. a person. "Harry." His fingers felt for a pulse and for several long seconds there was nothing but then…. "He's alive." He was shocked but he gathered him in his arms and stood. They left the cave and set up camp a good distance away where Harry's condition could be better ascertained. The cuts that had to have come from the stone were bound although most were healing already as he had obviously been laying there since the army was stopped. He was pale from blood loss so they forced some blood pills and water into him but none of them were medics and didn't want to risk harming him with anything else. As the strongest Gai took Harry, securing him to his back, and the team took off as fast as they could for home.

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Tsunade stared at the young man on the bed, she was shocked that he was still alive considering the blood he had lost. There were signs of a fractured skull that had almost fully healed as well as several ribs and his leg. They had rehydrated him and given him blood but now she wasn't sure what to do. He seemed to be healing on his own but he was still unconscious, why? There was no medical reason.

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Sasuke sat beside his brother's hospital bed, watching over him. He had fully healed but still not woken. Hokage-sama had forbidden him to try anything since he was still sore from saving Kakashi-sensei, who also hadn't woken.

"He'll be fine." Naruto whispered as he entered the room. "Nothing can keep Harry-sensei down."

Sasuke nodded and then dug through his bag and drew out a few bronze burnings which he set up around the room. He then set Rosemary in some, Thyme in others and also Lavender. All herbs used in healing and purification. He knew his brother had spent the last year fighting something very evil and he could still sense that evil in the room. Both boys snapped to attention as an elderly man enter. "Hokage-sama." Sasuke greeted solemnly even as Sarutobi ruffled Naruto's hair.

"How is your brother Sasuke-kun?"

"He hasn't woken yet and Tsunade-sama won't let me try anything. The herbs are to aide in healing and banishing evil."

"There is evil?"

"Yes sir. I think whatever he did to stop it means some of it backlashed onto him."

"Indeed. Your brother is strong, he will recover."

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It hurt. He hurt…. who was he…everything hurt…. he didn't want to hurt...

"Please wake up soon Kakashi-sensei."

What was that…. who…. Kakashi…. he was Kakashi. And with that memory flooded back in a flash of pain and he groaned.

"Sensei?" An excited yet worried voice called, Naruto. It was Naruto.

He struggled to respond, to wake, and finally his eye opened to a blurry world. "…n…Na…."

"Sensei! You're awake!"

Finally, his vision cleared and he saw the head of sunny blonde hair. He tried to move and winced in pain but found he couldn't move.

"I can't untie you, you tried to hurt yourself before. You really scared us. I'll go get Tsunade Baa-chan!" And with that he was gone.

He closed his eyes, the light hurt, so he'd probably been out a while Tried to hurt himself? What had happened? He couldn't remember.

"Brat?" Tsunade called, seeing he was lying as still as always but then a grey eye opened slowly and she was relieved to find him focused on her. "Welcome back." He swallowed hard and his throat worked but nothing came out. "Don't try to talk." She got some ice and gave it to him to suck which he did. "You've been in here for quite a while so don't try and push it. Can you nod?"

Kakashi considered it and then slowly moved his head. It hurt but he wanted answers.

"Okay. Do you know who you are?" She asked and he nodded slightly. "Who I am?" another nod. "The blonde brat from before?" She grinned at the nod. "Do you remember what happened." No nod. "Do you remember leaving on a mission with Potter." And again, no nod. "It's not unusual for memory close to something traumatic to be gone or take time to come back. I'm going to release you but I don't want you trying to move too much. It's going to take time for you to recover. I can tell you that your kids are fine, Itachi is back in the village and has been watching over them. Harry completed the mission but was injured, he's in a room down the hall, he's not in any danger." She quickly added as she removed the bonds from his legs and then his arms before moving to the ones across he chest and hips. "I'm glad you're back with us, it was really touch and go for a while. Get some rest." She left to check on other patients before returning to the Tower. She was relieved he had woken and seemed himself. The results had not been so good for others, many had woken with no memory at all, others had no memories past childhood and others woke and were nothing but living dolls. Now if Potter would just wake up and tell them what the hell had done this.

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"Greetings my Master…."

He stared at the figure before him and swallowed. "Oh Merlin."

TBC….