A/N: Since I am headed into another lockdown I have finally had some time to indulge some old hobbies.

I have been re writing a lot of my old pieces after accumulating all my old pieces and been gradually sliding them back together.

I read a lot of fanfiction when I am having a hard time, and I know these are old ships but to me they haven't completely sailed. I had an epiphany of how to readjust the ending of this one. It still could be quite a long process but, progress is progress.

Be safe in these crazy times,

Sharinganillusion x

Ataru woke a slight pounding in his head to aromas travelling down the hallway from the kitchen in the morning light. It made up for the reek of dried blood over his own clothes; from the impromptu surgery the day before. Huffing, the teen stripped while crossing the kitchen to the bathroom.

Kakashi looked up at the movement dropping the wooden spatula in the process. He took in the teens back, littered skin covered head to toe in sealing jutsu markings. The bold black markings a thing of terrifying beauty. Beautiful marks, terrifying capacity. The teen had been completely covered up till this point he wouldn't have guessed he was hiding such marks.

"Ataru, explain the sealing marks." He demanded, Ataru stopped in confusion in his half-asleep daze, "Oh, these, Okasan studied seals obsessively, I adapted some of them, much like the 100 Healing Mark…. most of them are transport seals; for particular weapons or items." Biting his thumb, the boy activated a seal on his upper radial with a 'poof' a couple shuriken released, "Much like Lord Fourth Hokage's this one brings me my marked weapons…" Kakashi's masked face hid his gaping look, touted as a genius of his era this child had clearly superseded his own ability. "As long as I have a slither of chakra; I am never without a weapon…" he shrugged, "the others have varying roles."

The teen continued to the shower without a backward glance, Kakashi bit the inside of his mouth. He turned to the unopened box from the floorboard. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be a simple there and back trip.

Dishing up the plates, Kakashi sighed, as Ataru returned fully clothed and mission ready for the day. He smirked as he noticed he had put on one of Konoha flak jackets that had been hanging in the wardrobe, a bit aged but sturdy. It had been one of the ones Sakura had claimed off him years prior.

Flashback…

"No, Kakashi, I will not have it! You will not see fit to nearly kill yourself and then expect me to patch you together!" her cheeks flushed in compassionate anger, as he held a white cloth in surrender. "But, Sakura-chan…" Her eyes hardened at his nickname for her, "Don't 'Sakura- chan' me, Kakashi- sensei," she growled, he flinched thinking of all the non 'sensei' activities they had participated in. He looked at the bandage she had lovingly wrapped around him the night before when he had returned from his mission. "Kakashi, you are important to Konoha. And, to me… you cannot be reckless with your body. What would you do if I wasn't here?"

Kakashi had embraced her; lowering his mask to capture you her mouth with his. Pushing his love through his motions in a way his words could convey alone.

Little had he understood her foreboding warning.

The Hatake Clan men stood before the box. Lifting the lid they found some unexpected things, Sakura had put in some photos of her genin days, and some of after the war. Ataru had never seen his mother as vibrant as she was in her genin days. She sparkled and carried herself without the frenzy of desperation he had always associated with her. Kakashi sighed, clutching a picture of him with the three genin after the Land of Waves mission. They were different people back then; he would never have predicted where or how they would all get to where they were. And, how for a second time he was the last one standing from his team.

Ataru held a picture of his parents before the war and one after; the one before the war with Uzumaki Naruto whispered the hope they had. Ataru had heard enough stories of him to understand that he was the true hero of the Shinobi Alliance. The same age as Ataru was now and he brought down a Goddess hell bent of destroying the world. He brokered peace between the Five Shinobi Nations through 'sheer willpower' as his mother had described it. His mothers jade eyes glittered like he had never known them. Whole. Complete.

"Why is Sasuke not in most of these? She never spoke of him much." Kakashi grimaced at the memories, even with everything Sasuke had done Kakashi had no doubt that Sakura would have made it her mission to be in the light in Sasuke's life beyond the war. "Sasuke was in a dark place, for a long time. Your mother loved him. If he had survived, I am sure they would have gone on and married…"

Ataru gave him a weird face, "The way she spoke of you I doubt it…" Kakashi sighed, he had no doubt Sakura loved him with every inch of her being. He also knew that there was no way she would have set her heart on him if Sasuke was alive. "Her and Sasuke were bonded in a way that your mother would never have considered anyone else, we were brought together by compounded grief and desperation it was losing our teammates that led to us to being together. Clinging to the last of our team."

When Ataru compared the masked shinobi in the picture with the man before him; he saw a man with one less eye but, mostly unchanged. Except, that the one before him clearly carried a level of sadness that could not be measured.

The photo of both shinobi post war was obviously taken by someone outside the pair.

To an unknowing eye it looked nothing more then a professional photo of two shinobi side by side.

To the careful knowing eye, there was little hints in the way fingers sat a little low on hips, or how shoulders touched closer then necessary like a wave of familiarity and desperation to remain close.

Kakashi picked up a small wooden box opening it to reveal the imitation Rinnegan. It was crystal and sparkled with unique crafting it must have taken a hell of a lot of research and craftmanship to build it. He frowned, it had Uchiha chakra trace marks through it, ''How is that even possible?" he whispered. He picked up a scribbled note in the lid, it was old and tattered but, the handwriting he recognized, but it wasn't Sakura's…

Tsunade's Apprentice,

As per our agreement this piece was crafted … I thank you for your contribution to my research.

"Orochimaru."

Ataru frowned at Kakashi as if he were mad, "No ones seen Orochimaru since the war, how is that even possible?" Kakashi grimanced, "Konoha has had eyes on his lab since the war, it isn't common knowledge through the other Lands of the Alliance but, he's basically on house arrest."

"I know how to get to him."

The Nara Clan; despite the painful loss of Shikaku Nara during the war; Shikamaru had transitioned into his fathers roles competently. Kakashi sat to the side as Ataru opposed the General of Konoha's Militant Force on the shogi board. Shikamaru was always quietly spoken, he had become more so since the loss of his first wife Temari to childbirth and his first born son, Shikadai.

Despite his competency in his roles, he was a shell of the man he used to be. He was bitter and sharp with comrades. He commanded through fear. Post War had not been kind to the strategist. He had become overly bitter, and unnecessarily mean that many left avoided him.

His second wife could barely stand him, it was no secret that TenTen had only married him because she had found herself pregnant to him. As a Unit Commander in ANBU, she was as dark and bitter as he was these days. Their daughter Shikako as bright as her father, a making in his image with her mothers rounded brown eyes. She was a jonin and worked underneath Ino. She was a product of her parents' marriage, angry and spiteful. She could lead with an iron fist if she wasn't loyal to Konoha she would make a terrifying enemy.

They were a ruthless and effective team nothing like the Nara Clan of ages old. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho had not made it to this generation.

"I want a pass to Orochimaru's lab." Kakashi stated, Shikamaru took a drag of his cigarette as he mulled over the child's move. He hadn't found a competent shogi player since his mother had left the village.

"That was the last thing Sakura requested of me." Shikamaru stated,

Kakashi held firm, "She was looking for answers as am I…" Shikamaru shrugged, "Ino told me you were working on something. Is it a threat to Konoha?"

"Nothing, immediate, but it feels like something I need to follow up." Shikamaru smirked at Ataru's next move.

"Climbing Silver, not a move I have seen for a while, not one I would recommend." Ataru looked the General in the eye, "Against a stronger opponent a sacrificial play is sometimes required."

Shikamaru turned to Kakashi, a small glimpse of the old Shikamaru buried under his empty stare.

"You can have your pass."