Thank you for reviewing! Well, I tried to do Jiraiya's death. But it just didn't work. I actually liked the way Iruka and Shikamaru helped Naruto then and didn't see anything for Kakashi to do after that, so... I skipped it. Sorry. I make up for that in this chapter, anyway, I'm pretty sure- it's time for Kakashi to die (and get brought back, of course). Kakash's revival was already spoiled for me when I got to the part in the anime when he died (thanks a lot, Eric...), so his death didn't make me AS sad as it would have otherwise. Thus, I tried to make this not AS sad as the last chapter by giving it a happy ending. Also, a bunch of quotes from Pein are floating around in here... too bad I have no idea when he actually says any of them, so I may have Naruto remembering something that Pein hasn't actually said yet. Oh well :D Enjoy!

(Fixed the problem where there was a stupid worthless line tacked onto the end of the chapter. I swear, I had already deleted that...)

"There's nothing harder to accept than the deaths of those you love. So you believe they could never die."

...

"Is Kakashi-niisan on a mission?"

"…"

"…I see."

It was Pein's words and Tsunade's non-answer that gave Naruto's clone his mission.

Because Pein was right. He wouldn't accept it, because he believed that he would never die.

Just like Jiraiya...

It was a selfish mission, a personal desire in the midst of an invasion on the village that he loved and the destruction of everything he had ever known.

But Jiraiya was already dead. Naruto couldn't- wouldn't- take another one of his precious people dying. He would not take Tsunade's word for it.

The clone's desperate search ended when he turned and caught sight of one body, just one among dozens scattered throughout Konoha. It was Kakashi, and he was dead.

The clone dispelled just as Hinata was killed right before Naruto's very eyes, and he saw his friend and his sensei dead at once. The light left Hinata's pale eyes in the same moment that he saw Kakashi's broken and exhausted body, abandoned and all alone in the ruins of Konoha. Kakashi's blood- Hinata's blood- it was all the same, precious person dead gone forever, dead dead dead-

Because of that man standing above Hinata's body.

"Do you hate me?"

Naruto saw red.

"It's all right, Naruto."

How could it be all right? They were all dead.

"Just unseal me. I will kill Pein for you. All of this agony- it is unnecessary. I can make it all go away."

Why not? It was logically wrong, it was something he wasn't supposed to do. It was a Bad Thing. But everything, everything was wrong. What harm could one more wrong do?

He raised his head to stare dully at the seal. Kyuubi purred, egging him on.

"Come, Naruto. If you release the seal, then I will take over. All of this pain and responsibility will disappear. Let me free. All those who have hurt you will die, and you will be with those you long for."

Ero-sennin…

Kakashi-niisan…

Everyone was dead. Why shouldn't he be dead, too?

Naruto stood on shaky legs. He walked forward to touch the thin sheet of paper. Kyuubi's growl of anticipation was so loud it shook him to his core as he gripped the tiny little scrap, the only thing holding back the mass of power that made everything possible. Just one little movement, and this would all be over.

Just as Naruto began to tear, a hand slammed down over the seal, preventing him from achieving the peace just out of his reach.

Naruto let the hand move to grab at his wrist, pulling him back away from the seal to stand before the cage. It didn't register that someone else was inside his mind, nothing registered at all. Was he supposed to be shocked? How was he supposed to react?

Naruto raised his head because he felt like that was what he was supposed to. His eyes ran along a distinctive white and red coat, reading the words Yondaime Hokage emblazoned on the cloth before they reached a man's face, a face that was too familiar and for all the wrong reasons. Naruto felt for a split second that he was looking in a mirror but no, that wasn't it. He head seen this man before, and it wasn't in a mirror.

His mind dully recalled the moment. The memory, once locked behind a Sharingan jutsu, now came forth without resistance, as Naruto stood within the confines of his own mind.

This was the man Kakashi had called his father.

Yondaime Hokage…

Tou-san…

Kyuubi gave a thunderous roar. "You…" the beast snarled, baring massive teeth and snarling from behind the cage. "Yondaie Hokage!"

The Hokage turned to stare at the beast, not even flinching when the fox threw its body against the bars and howled in anger. "Come here!" Kyuubi hissed. "Come here, and I'll rip you to shreds!"

"In that case, I think I'll stay over here."

Naruto blinked. What was the Hokage doing here? What was his father doing here?

The man turned back around to face him as Kyuubi growled again. "He's a loud one, isn't he? Let's go someplace quiet." He snapped, and just like that, the cage was gone, Kyuubi was gone, the seal was gone, everything was gone. Naruto had enough left in him to be surprised, but only just, when the darkness surrounding him melted into white and gold, a tranquil setting of peace and safety.

"You're quiet," the Hokage observed, and Naruto turned to look at him again. "Aren't you surprised to see me here?"

Naruto nodded numbly, because he was. He was also a bit upset that the man had shown up when he had. He'd been just about to escape this world, and then he decided to show up for the first time in his life?

Some father.

"I wove some of my Chakra into the seal, so that if you ever reached eight tails-"

"You are my father."

The Hokage blinked. The man tilted his head to the side as Naruto repeated the words again, frowning at how they felt in his mouth, at how the words 'my father' sounded on his tongue. He was talking with his father.

"Yes, Naruto. I am your father."

Naruto slowly shook his head, trying to clear it, then stiffened. "No," he whispered, then repeated it, louder. "No. You are not… I won't call you that. Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-niisan, Ero-sennin- they raised me. You- you just sealed this thing inside of me!"

The Hokage opened his mouth, but Naruto was angry now, and he wasn't going to let this man, Hokage or father or not, stop him. "You bastard! You sealed Kyuubi inside of your own son! Why?! Ero-sennin and Kakashi-niisan, they're dead because of that!"

"I know, Naruto. I watched from inside of you-"

"I don't care! I don't care if you know it or not; they're still dead! Because of you, because you sealed Kyuubi inside of me! Do you know what I had to go through because of that?! Everyone hated me, I didn't have anyone and the whole village wouldn't have even cared if I died! And then I had Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-niisan and Ero-sennin, and they cared about me and helped me get stronger, but it didn't even matter because this group called the Akatsuki came after me and my friends, because they want Kyuubi, and they fought for me and they died for me! I wasn't strong enough to protect them after everything they did for me and now- now they're gone, like Sasuke, except not like Sasuke because I'll never see them again and why am I talking about Sasuke, you don't know who that is, but… but…"

Naruto opened his mouth but no more words tumbled out; he couldn't speak anymore, his emotions were too conflicting, his memories fighting with each other for supremacy. His father was suddenly here, he was meeting his father for the first time- he was supposed to be happy. But his father was the reason Kyuubi was inside of him, and the reason that his master and his niisan and his friends were dead.

He didn't know what to do and he didn't want to have to do anything. For a moment, he wished he could just tear off Kyuubi's seal and fade away, die, give up all of his responsibilities and pain in favor of peace.

Your death will bring peace.

There is no such thing as real peace! It's impossible as long as we live in this accursed world!

Only through pain can you find peace!

Tell me, Naruto. How would you find true peace?

True peace.

What Jiraiya had always sought.

What Kakashi had longed for, but believed impossible.

What they and every single person in Konoha had died for- Pein's search for true peace. How could death bring peace?

Naruto didn't believe that it could. But they were dead, the people he cared about were dead. And Pein wasn't. He had to kill Pein for killing them, but- but that wouldn't bring them back. Even if he killed Pein, they'd still be just as dead. And Jiraiya… Jiraiya would have wanted peace, not revenge. Always peace, never revenge.

"Naruto? Are you all right?"

Naruto looked at his father in slight surprise, his voice pulling him out of the memory of Pein. The Fourth Hokage looked almost concerned, a strange emotion that Naruto found familiar. It was the same look he had seen on Jiraiya's face, on Kakashi's, on Iruka's- and it was that concern that set him off.

His fist was moving before he realized what he was doing, and it connected with his father's stomach in a powerful blow that took with it all of his hate and rage, a fury he didn't even know why he had- for the past act of sealing Kyuubi into his own son or for Jiraiya and Kakashi, he didn't know, he didn't care, he just wanted to hit something. He wanted to hit what was responsible for this and stomp it into the ground until it was nothing more than dust, the dust that his village had been reduced to.

But Jiraiya wouldn't want him to- but, damn it, Jiraiya was dead!

Naruto blinked and was jerked back out of his memories of death again. There was his- his father, standing before him, clutching his chest and wheezing. Naruto still didn't know if he wanted to scream at him or hug him.

A moment passed in stunned silence before the Hokage slowly straightened up, expression a bit hesitant. "Well… I guess I deserved that. I don't think I could just come back and act like a father after Kakashi and Jiraiya have done much more for you than I ever did." The blond smiled sheepishly, but truly seemed apologetic, and Naruto still didn't know whether to be happy or sad. "I'm not them, though. Sorry. I know them being here would mean much more to you than I do, but- I can't make that happen. My purpose here is just to stop you from releasing Kyuubi- and I don't even have long to do that. My Chakra will fade soon."

Naruto reached down to trace the seal on his stomach. "I… I won't unseal him," he whispered, fingers clenching into the rough fabric of his jacket. "I know that… that's not what they would have wanted. But- but they're dead! Why should I keep doing what they want? I don't want this anymore! It's too hard!" He released his shirt from his fist and shook his head, taking a frantic step back. "I- I can't do this. I can't- what do I do? Someone tell me what to do!"

His father spoke quickly, carefully, each word weighted with true purpose. "Naruto. I know that you miss them. But you can not give up just because they are gone. Not just because they wouldn't want that- because they died for you. If you give up, then everything Konoha has gone through has been a waste. Even more than that- Naruto, I believe that you are the one who can accomplish what Pein will fail in. He wants peace but all he has brought is destruction. You want peace but would never kill like he has to get it. And… there is another reason that I am here, another reason that I sealed Kyuubi inside of you."

"Huh?"

"Kyuubi's attack on Konoha was planned, Naruto. …The masked Akatsuki member was responsible. And I sealed Kyuubi inside of you because I was not enough to kill him. Kyuubi's power was enough, but I needed someone who could control the beast- and almost no one is strong enough to do that. You were my son, though. I had faith that you would be strong enough. I'm sorry, because I know you must have suffered for it, Naruto… I wish it could have been done another way…"

"I'm sorry, because I know you must have suffered for it, Kakashi… I left behind too many regrets. Well, one regret- you. I didn't think there was another way-"

"I don't need any apologies," Kakashi interjected smoothly. "We're both dead now. The need for that is gone." He let his eye crinkle up into a masked smile. The mask was probably redundant now, but it had followed him along into the afterlife anyway.

His father smiled as well. "You're right. Apologies have no place among the dead. …Regrets, though… do you have any, Kakashi?"

Kakashi was a bit surprised when he found himself shaking his head. "…No," he murmured, almost disbelieving. His life had been one of regrets. How was it that he didn't have any now that it was finally over?

He began talking it out aloud, trying to understand it. "I mean, there are things I wish I had or hadn't have done. I wish I could've stopped being such an ass earlier in my life, so Obito wouldn't have died. I wish I could've gotten Rin back to Konoha- Kushina, the Uzumaki… maybe they could've done something about the seal so she wouldn't lose control over the Sanbi. I wish that I had taken care of Sensei's son earlier than I did; not let down his parents. I wish I had taken better care of Sakura and stopped Sasuke from leaving. But… regrets… I feel like they've all been taken care of. By… by… Naruto."

Sakumo nodded slowly at that. "Minato's son. …You know, Minato was one of the reasons that I could- well, you know. I knew he would take care of you. Probably better than I ever did."

Kakashi scoffed. "I didn't return the favor very well, that's for sure. Mianto-sensei would've been a wonderful father- I was just kind of bumbling along the way, making mistakes left and right. I think Naruto taught me more than I taught him."

Sakumo's dark eyes widened, and then he laughed- he just started laughing. Kakashi frowned in confusion. But his father just kept laughing. When the man finally recovered enough breath to speak, he managed, "Ka- Kakashi, that's normal. That's what being a father is. Learning on the way and making mistakes."

"A- a father?" he protested, shaking his head. "No, no- hardly! I didn't even speak to Naruto until he was ten, and, even then, I had my missions, and I didn't even- I just- you know, talked to him, let him stay with me if he wanted to, took care of him on missions after he graduated- nothing special. I just… tried to do what Minato-sensei did for me for him. But I don't think it worked very well. Sensei, he- he just seemed to know what he was doing. Most of the time, anyway."

Sakumo chuckled quietly. "I think you're idolizing him. Besides, it's the thought that counts. I'm sure Minato's son appreciates you, at any rate."

Kakashi kept silent. Perhaps Naruto had once appreciated him, he didn't know, but now… he'd died and left everything to him. Sasuke, fighting for Konoha- two responsibilities still left behind. He worried about how Naruto would fare in Pein's invasion, then shook his head. As long as Naruto stayed away from Konoha, he was safe.

But, surely he would find out soon what had happened. And then what? If there was one thing he could count on from Naruto, it was that he would rush into battle first and ask questions later. When he found out that Pein had killed him, and who knows who else… there would be no stopping him.

"I'm worried," he eventually confessed aloud. "The way I see it… Naruto's going to end up trying to fight Pein. Um, the man who killed me. But he killed Jiraiya- he invaded Konoha as just an army of seven and… gods, he's strong enough to destroy the village. And, knowing Naruto- he could get angry enough to lose control of Kyuubi. …Which is probably exactly what Pein wants. And I know that Naruto is strong, but he's not strong enough. Maybe to fight just one of Pein, but if he gets angry he'll end up fighting all six. He'll die."

"Don't be so quick to judge what he'll do. Unless you've really changed, Kakashi, you're not so rash and easy to manipulate- and from what you've told me, you practically raised him."

"Not me," Kakashi cut in hurriedly. "He had his Academy sensei long before me, and also there was Jiraiya. Don't give me any credit-"

"Regardless," Sakumo chuckled, shaking his head, "surely you have taught him something over all these years. Do you really think he would just place everything on revenge and ignore the rest of the world? What about his friend that you told me about, Sasuke, who did the same thing?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I'd like to think that I at least taught him that revenge… isn't worth it. But it's pretty obvious I failed with Sasuke. Probably did with Naruto, too."

"Or maybe Sasuke just didn't want to listen to you. You said he wanted revenge long before you ever met. Maybe he didn't care what you had to say, because all he had ever wanted was revenge. Naruto- I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you find out how he will handle what's happened. In fact, I'm sure of it."

When Kakashi remained silent, Sakumo sighed and shifted to stare into the flickering fire. "In any case, I'm proud of you for being a better father… and a better person than I was. Don't give me that look, Kakashi. I took the coward's way out. You… you had much more of a reason to do it than I did, but you didn't. I know I had practically no hand in raising you, but I'm still proud to say that you are my son."

Kakashi looked away into the fire himself. "…Perhaps I didn't say this while you- er, we- were alive, but… I ended up being proud of what you did, too. On that mission, I mean. …One of the many things Obito taught me that I learned too late."

"It seems that we both learned many things too late."

"Naruto… I have faith in you. Whether you can forgive me or not for sealing Kyuubi inside of you, I will always have faith that my son can do this."

Naruto's mouth fell open.

He… what?

He worked his jaw for a couple of seconds before he finally managed to speak. "You- you… have faith in me? But… why?! You don't even know me!"

The blonde smiled, an honest expression of happiness and truth. "That's what a parent does, Naruto. They have undying faith in their child. I have undying faith in you."

Naruto felt his emotions conflict again, a roiling ball of disagreement that would hardly let him breathe. His father… his father believed in him. His father, the Fourth Hokage, believed in him.

Jiraiya believed in him. Kakashi believed in him.

Konoha depended on him.

Right. Konoha.

The village may not still be standing, but there were those who had not been killed. Jiraiya, Kakashi, Hinata- they weren't his whole world. Sakura was there, and Iruka, and Lee- his friends were still there. If he died now or let Kyuubi take over, then he would be letting them down, and the sacrifices Jiraiya and Kakashi and Hinata had made would be for nothing.

His father had sacrificed himself for Konoha, he realized with a jolt. He could not let the village down now. Not when so many people had died for it and for him. If it had persevered through wars and Kyuubi, then it would survive the Akatsuki. Naruto would not let it be destroyed.

But that was the living. And Naruto had a rare moment with the dead right in front of him.

Logic said to be angry at his father. Logic told him that man wasn't worthy of being called a father and that Naruto should curse and scorn him for being the reason that they were all dead.

But logic and his heart seemed to be having a disagreement, and Naruto had never been able to follow what his mind whispered was right over what his heart screamed was.

But his heart was too conflicted to decide.

A bond worth having is a bond worth protecting. Any bond that's strong, that can withstand… this- that is a bond worth having.

It took a few seconds for the strong memory to translate into a smile, but it did happen. Naruto slowly nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. He was now a student with two dead teachers. The least he could do for them was practice what they preached, and fight for what they believed in. What they had raised him to believe in. Peace and bonds- the two went hand and hand, and Naruto was not going to let either slip through his fingers.

"Tou-san."

His father's blue eyes widened in surprise at the title, but Naruto just continued to smile.

"I don't know you very well, but I think you have to have been a good person, if Kakashi-niisan cared about you as much as he did- if you can believe in me, even when all you know about me is that I'm your son. And Niisan may not have taught me much in terms of jutsu or techniques, but he did teach me everything about being a good ninja- a good person. He taught me that a bond is something special and rare to have, and I should cherish the ones that I have managed to find. I don't know why you sealed Kyuubi into me, and I haven't met you until now- but if you can care about me, then I can care about you. It's… what Niisan would've wanted. What I want."

His father's face slowly softened, finally relaxing into a smile of his own. "That… does sound like Kakashi," he admitted in a soft voice, then reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. "What are you going to do? About Pein?"

"I don't know. But… I can't just kill him. That proves his point about war and suffering and hatred being an unbreakable cycle. No matter how much I hate him- I can't kill him. And even if I tried- everyone would still be just as dead. Killing him won't bring them back. And, my- the people he's killed, they wouldn't have wanted me to take revenge over peace, anyway."

The look on his father's face was peculiar. Naruto wasn't quite sure what that small smile and the light in his eyes indicated; it wasn't an expression he had seen very often and it wasn't one that he knew what to do with. He shifted awkwardly until his father spoke again, warm voice filling his heart with something he had always wanted but never thought he could hear.

"…I'm proud that I can call you my son."

I'm proud to call you my student.

I think Sandaime would've been proud you've come this far. I know I am.

Naruto had never believed that he would reach the day when he could have masters, teachers, and his parents be proud of him, but it was as good as he had imagined it could be. In those days before he had met Iruka and he had imagined what it would alike to have parents- he had never imagined this.

And this was better than anything he ever could have believed would happen.

Naruto raised his eyes when he saw his father's form begin to waver and flicker. He opened his mouth in protest, then slowly shut it and nodded. He was no stranger with loss. If he had already lost almost everything, then he wasn't going to complain about this, not when he was lucky to have even got this short moment with his father.

His father's face betrayed both pride and sadness when his form wavered again, and the hand on his shoulder tightened. "I have to go soon."

Naruto nodded. "I know."

"…I know your mother would have been very proud of you, too."

The mention of his mother opened up a whole new realm of questions that he wanted to ask, but there was no time- no time for a single one. His father was already fading.

The Fourth Hokage managed one short message before he disappeared entirely. "I'm glad that you and Kakashi had each other, even if it wasn't for very long. I'm glad that Jiraiya found such a worthy disciple to pass on his nindo to. And I'm glad that I can say that my son is not just a good ninja- he is also a good person."

Naruto felt his heart swell with happiness until he was convinced it would burst, and it took him a moment to regain enough control of himself to speak. Just before his father disappeared, he called out to him. "Tou-san. When you see them, tell them… not to worry. That I've got it from here. They did their part. …And… that I love them and won't forget them."

His father smiled again, right before he disappeared entirely. His voice echoed, remaining behind for a moment, before it faded as well.

"They know, Naruto…"

"I can not forgive you."

Nagato's answering smile was not exactly triumphant, it was sad, but the sickly redhead look victorious all the same.

"I hate you, and I want you dead."

"Now, do you see, Naruto? The unbreakable cycle of-"

"But I will not kill you."

Both Nagato and Konan stared in surprise. The blond before them was different than the shinobi who had lost control of himself in the ruins of Konoha. He stood tall and determined, the weight of death no longer hanging on his shoulders, blue eyes clear and sure.

Naruto nodded and continued slowly, his voice steady and calm. "If I fight you now, then all I will be doing is proving you right about- about everything. About peace being unobtainable and this cycle of hatred being unbreakable. If I do that, then everyone you killed in Konoha, everyone who died- they died for nothing. And I won't let that happen. My master wanted peace, and I will find it. I will finish what he could not."

"Why?" Nagato asked hoarsely, thin voice disbelieving and unnatural eyes wide. "How can you be so confident in this, still? How can you not hate me enough to kill me, after what I have taken from you?"

"I do hate you enough to kill you. I will never forgive you for what you have done to my friends and my village. But… peace is more important than my own revenge. I want peace, because- because I never want anyone else to feel like I do now! Peace means there is no war. Peace means there is no senseless death and violence, peace means no more people will have to watch their friends and loved ones die. My master wanted to stop that- and now that I've felt pain like you wanted me to, I understand why. And that is why I can not kill you. Because this unbreakable cycle of hatred and war- I will break it! I will not let you and the Akatsuki create an illusion of peace where everyone is too scared to fight, because that's not true peace! That is not true peace, and that is not what my master wanted!

"I will not kill you because I will not let my master, my friends, my niisan- I won't have let them die in vain. I will find peace. I will find it! And if you still insist on trying to take me because you want Kyuubi, I will fight you, because I will not let you succeed in your quest for false peace.

"I can not kill you because I loved the people you killed. My love for them is stronger than my hate for you, and that is why that I will seek peace and not revenge. Because that's what they would have wanted, and that is what will give their deaths meaning."

Kakashi didn't know what to expect when he opened his eyes and saw blue sky.

He was dead. He had been dead. So… what was he doing here?

"Senpai!"

He blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. What the…

Yamato was kneeling next to him, expression frozen in a rictus of shock. His pale face glistened with sweat and his short hair and skin were caked and smudged with dirt, but he looked uninjured- and it was only then that Kakashi remembered that his kohai had had a mission and hadn't even been in the village when Pein had attacked.

Right. He had been somewhat relieved…

Kakashi tested his muscles, half afraid that he would find nothing there and that he was just some spirit sucked back into the world. But no, his body was there and he could move and he found himself sitting upright and looking around in confusion.

Hadn't he died in Konoha? Where was Konoha?

Kakashi's view flipped as he was suddenly tackled to the ground, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him, their owner pulling them both down to the dirt. "I thought you were dead!"

So did I…

Yamato withdrew a few seconds later, shaking a bit, almond shaped eyes downcast. "S-sorry. I just…" The Mokuton user swiped at his face with a trembling hand, scrubbing at sweat and mud until Kakashi snagged his slightly red hand and pulled it back.

He stared at the slight burn in worry. His teeth bit onto his lower lip and he raised his head to look at his kohai, still lightly fingering the burn. He recognized that injury. "This is…"

Yamato looked away.

Kakashi steadfastly ignored the guilt he saw in his eyes and stood immediately. "When? How bad?" he asked tersely, dusting himself off as Yamato stood as well.

"It was a f-few hours ago. I felt Naruto go straight into six tails- we knew something was wrong, that Konoha had to have been attacked, so Anko stayed behind and I came back as fast I could. It didn't matter… it was only about half an hour later when he… he… nine tails. He got nine tails, Senpai."

Kakashi felt his blood run cold.

Nine tails. Nine.

Naruto.

"Then- then what?!" Kakashi managed, panic taking over as he desperately grabbed at Yamato's hand again and turned it over. There was no seal, none- there had to be something else, or that seal would still be there, the number nine emblazoned into pale flesh.

Yamato shifted uneasily. "...About an hour after that... the seal vanished. He didn't downgrade like usual; just from nine to zero. ...Kakashi-senpai- there's no way that can happen naturally. And considering who he was fighting... I think that..."

He's dead.

Kakashi shook down to his very core.

No, Yamato was just lying, he was lying, that's it, he was just-

He's dead.

Or maybe he was just late, yes, that's it, he downgraded from nine to zero in a freak occurrence and now was just very, very late or lost or-

He's dead.

Kakashi numbly gasped, faintly aware that he was barely breathing. He felt almost lightheaded and dizzy and Naruto was dead and couldn't really think that well and Naruto. Was. Dead-

He shook his head forcefully, trying to deny it, refusing to accept it. Naruto could not be dead. Not again; he would not lose another- never again. Father Obito Rin Sensei Na-

No! He's not dead!

"Where are we?!" he gasped as soon as he could speak, looking around desperately for anything he could use to prove that he just wasn't dead. "Where is Naruto?!"

Yamato shook his head helplessly. "I don't know, Senpai. When I got back to the village, he was already gone. They said he lost control against Pein and ran, taking the fight out of Konoha. But if you- if you're a-alive, then… then… he must have won, Ka-"

"How do you figure that?! There's no rule saying if you kill the enemy, then everyone he killed comes back to life! I don't- …Yamato… you said- are we in Konoha?!"

Yamato nodded slowly, seemed confused before understanding lit his eyes. "Oh. Right. I guess you must have… died before Pein- um, he destroyed the village, Kakashi-senpai."

Kakashi stared in disbelief.

He what?

Kakashi looked around again, this time with the realization that he was in Konoha. The rubble, the dust, the cracked stones- gods, this was his village. How could this have happened?

He finally managed to shake his head and calm himself. He still felt slightly odd, removed- in shock. But he had only two responsibilities- the first, to protect Konoha, the second, to protect his precious people.

It certainly looked like he had failed in respect to his first one. But his precious person was still out there.

He shook his head again, turning to move through the wreckage and doing his best to not look too closely at the destruction. "I'm going to get Naruto."

Yamato stared in shock. "S-senpai? ...Naruto is-"

Kakashi didn't even look back. "I'll find him. I'll use my nose or just follow the trail he and Pein must have left. I'll find him somehow, Yamato."

"But, Kakashi-senpai-!"

Kakashi took one final breath before preparing to leap into the trees. His muscles were still stiff and aching from death- gods, he had just been dead- but he ignored the pain. Relished it, even, because pain meant he was alive. "He saved me, Yamato. Somehow. I'm not going to sit here and wait for someone else to take action, and I am not going to return home without him. He is alive until someone finds a body."

Yamato stared helplessly after him as the jounin disappeared.

Naruto really, really wanted to get home. He didn't want to be passing out.

But that's what it felt like was going to happen. He was lightheaded, it was getting hard to see, and it felt like every step took a lot more energy than it should. Kyuubi growled quietly within him, thoroughly locked away and sealed up; not a hint of his Chakra was leaking through now to help.

Just this once, Naruto would've been more than grateful for the demon fox's aid, because he wanted to get home now. He needed to get home right now to see if what Nagato had said was true.

But it seemed like his body had other ideas.

Why was the ground moving up to his face? The ground wasn't supposed to do that.

Oh. The ground was softer than it should be. And warm. And shaped weirdly. And it was still moving.

"Naruto?"

It spoke, too. How strange.

Wait.

"Naruto?"

That wasn't the ground. That was…

Naruto smiled and buried his face in Kakashi's neck.

It was sometime later, when they weren't that far away from the outskirts of Konoha, that Kakashi stopped. They sat together in the waning light, listening to the distant sounds of chaos and reconstruction that they could not yet see.

It didn't take long for Naruto's thoughts to turn into words, words that he spoke while staring out at the forest with a distant look in his eye, the jounin beside him not looking his way either. "Nagato was right, you know."

"Hmm?"

Naruto remembered then, that Kakashi had been dead when the Akatsuki leader had explained his true motives, explaining matters of eternal peace and unbreakable revenge. That he didn't know who Nagato even was, only remembering him as the man that had destroyed his home and taken his life. So Naruto explained it all for him, though it didn't sound quite so eloquent and powerful in his raspy, tired voice and simpler, less confident words he used when compared to Pein's- Nagato's- declarations.

"He was right," he finished with again, lowering his head to stare at the earth. It was scorched in one place, and he wondered when and how it had happened in the previous battle that had destroyed the village without truly taking a single life. "About... everything, really. Or almost everything. The way he was going about it was wrong, but peace, revenge, hatred... we've both seen Sasuke. He doesn't care about who or what he hurts, just so long as he gets his revenge. And I know I'll always forgive him, but others won't, and if he hurts them then they'll try to hurt him and- and it will never stop, will it? Not just for Sasuke. For everybody." Naruto shook his head faintly and swallowed, allowing his shoulders to slump with the weight of the burden they'd just received. "I meant what I said to Nagato. I will find a way to get what he and Jiraiya wanted. But... he was also right in asking me how I was going to do that. Because I have absolutely no idea."

It was silent after that. Kakashi didn't make any reply except to just breathe. Naruto actually glanced over at him to make sure he still was- because no matter how much time passed, he would never forget the horror and the memory of seeing Kakashi dead- and he found the jounin sitting just like he was, still staring out into the forest. After a moment under Naruto's scrutiny, he spoke, uncovered eye distant. "You didn't kill Nagato. Why?"

Naruto blinked, then managed a weak smile. "I wanted to. I don't think I've ever wanted anything more than that, but..."

"He killed Jiraiya, me, Shizune, Hinata- destroyed your home- tried to kill you. In this cursed system of ours, that's considered more than enough provocation to kill someone. So why didn't you do it?"

Naruto glanced at Kakashi knowingly. The jounin was pushing, looking for the right response. Well, Naruto had been looking for the right response, too- any sort of a response, any sort of answer to just how the hell he was going to fulfill his promise. Kakashi had better be going somewhere with this... "I didn't do it because I knew it wasn't worth it. If there's anything I've learned from watching Sasuke, it's that revenge is not worth it. Even with it right there in front of me... it wasn't right. Killing him wasn't going to bring you back, or me any happiness. Killing him would just be proving him right- that revenge and hatred were inescapable, and human nature would never allow for peace."

"You didn't kill him because you could chose peace over revenge."

Naruto shrugged at that, looking back at the forest. He heard Kakashi finally turn his head to look at him and speak again. "You made the choice yourself. Now you just have to convince the rest of the world to make it, too. Nagato took everything from you, just like Itachi took everything from Sasuke. Only you made the opposite decision he did. Naruto... after what you've done today, you'll be able to convince Konoha. And after that? Just the rest of the world. You'll be able to do it because you've already made the impossible choice. Convincing others to do it won't be anywhere near as hard as making it yourself."

Naruto sucked in a surprised breath. He raised his head, turning back to Kakashi, to find that the jounin had pulled his mask down and he could see him smiling. Kakashi's uncovered smiles always took him by surprise; the innocent, joyful expressions that almost no one ever saw contrasted sharply with the indifferent manner the jounin tried to project, but right now, Naruto saw nothing but happiness and confidence on the man's face.

Confidence in him.

Kakashi probably hadn't expected to be tackled in a hug, but it happened anyway, and his bare mouth opened in laughter as he rolled so he was on top. "Nicest resurrection present I've gotten," he joked, and Naruto stopped this short of smacking him upside the head.

"It's the only one you're ever getting. I'm not bringing you back to life again, you hear? So don't you dare think of dying again!"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Wouldn't dream of it." He glanced out in the direction of the village, heaved a sigh, then stood. "Well, we'd better get going. Any later and I'm probably going to be declared an enemy of the village if I keep them and their hero separated any longer."

Naruto beamed up at Kakashi, and he let the jounin walk a few steps before glancing back at him. "You coming? Or am I going to have to carry you piggyback all the way home?"

Naruto reluctantly climbed to his feet, somehow unable to break Kakashi's gaze. The jounin quirked an eyebrow at him, tilting his head to the side. "What? I got something on my face?"

He chuckled at that, ducked his head, and when he looked back up, it was to smile softly at Kakashi. "Thanks, Niisan."

Kakashi blinked. He stood there, just staring at him in the silence, then nodded and smiled back.