Betareading done by DemonicWhispers
Falling In Reverse
Kakashi was tree hopping in urgency, alarmed and keeping all his senses open.
They had no idea. None of them expected that – the betrayal from the person they were honored to call their friend. Even with all their paranoia and caution, they waltzed right into an ambush. Only their honed skills through many years training and hardship saved their lives.
Kakashi gritted his teeth.
It's not like it was the first time they were stabbed in the back; they should have suspected. At the very least, took the possibility into a consideration. Betrayal stung. An aching emptiness after seeing your ally selling you out was impossible to get used to. The jounin didn't even want to start thinking about how Minato was feeling right now, his sensei gone through enough of that shit to fill several lifetimes.
"Dammit," he muttered, quickly scanning his surroundings as he flew by. "Where are you two?"
Their team got separated by enemies after the initial explosion, and it had been more than an hour as Kakashi was searching for Minato and Obito to no avail.
Suddenly, the ninja noticed a brief movement in his peripheral vision. He instantly pumped chakra into his feet and catapulted himself from the tree branch the moment he stepped on it, smoothly landing on the forest floor already pivoting on his heel, his hand shooting out to draw his katana.
"Relax, Kakashi, it's me."
The silver-haired man paused with a half-drawn blade and zeroed on the figure in the tree. "Obito," he exhaled, relaxing his tense muscles and letting the sword slide back into its sheath.
"What? Little Bakakashi was worried about me?" the other ninja teased with a smirk as he touched the ground next to his teammate.
"As if," Kakashi scoffed, causing Obito to pout. "Have you seen sensei?"
That question wiped any mirth present on the raven's features. "No," he shook his head. "Do you have sensei's kunai? I lost mine in an ambush."
"Yeah," Kakashi replied, quickly turning around and narrowing his eyes at the bush. But it was only a breeze ruffling the leaves. He pulled out the three-pronged kunai from his pouch and stared at the seal on its handle. "I activated the Hiraishin formula, but so f–" The words stuck in his throat when the feeling of a blade sinking into the lower part of his back caused his mind to screech to an abrupt halt. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting the Sharingan eyes of his friend, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Obito growled in frustration when a wooden log dropped down in the place of Kakashi. He looked at the weapon in his hand and his lips stretched into a macabre parody of a smile. There was blood on the blade, so his fellow ninja didn't completely come out unscathed before performing a replacement jutsu.
Once the fallen Hiraishin kunai in the grass caught his attention, Obito's smile widened even further. The Uchiha expanded his senses and soon it picked up the chakra signature of his silver-haired teammate. A spark of excitement jolted throughout his body. This would be a thrilling hunt!
Kakashi tried not to think about it, he really did. It turned out to be an impossible feat when he could feel the blood seeping from the wound.
The wound that his best friend had caused by stabbing him in the back. Literally and figuratively.
It made Kakashi feel nauseous. It was like the whole world was suddenly spinning around too fast to comprehend, but he was standing still. He felt dizzy and, at the same time, numb. Dread twisted his gut into a painful knot.
Had Obito truly betrayed them? Betrayed Kakashi, betrayed Minato-sensei, and all the others? Was that even possible? What about Rin and Kazuki? If, and that was a strong 'if', Obito was a traitor, did they know?
The pain and heaviness in his muscles grew with every passing moment, but Kakashi ignored it as he rushed through the forest.
Perhaps, it was the unknown ninja's fault. Maybe, he used some weird jutsu to mess with the Uchiha's mind; the kid didn't appear to like him very much. And he did try to convince them that he was a bad person. This could be that man's plan to divide them like Minato had guessed.
Kakashi needed to find his sensei.
The ninja grimaced when vertigo momentarily overwhelmed him at his movements. It seemed that the kunai missed any vital spot, but the injury still bled profusely and had to be looked at if he didn't want to bleed out.
Suddenly Kakashi jumped down, several shurikens embedding themselves into the spot on the tree branch he previously occupied. He quickly turned around with a kunai in hand and instantly froze on the spot once he saw his assailant.
Minato Namikaze. His sensei and something akin to the father.
There was no doubt of who he was, a unique hair color and the warm and usually calm chakra signature were a dead giveaway. But why, why he was attacking? He could clearly see that it was Kakashi.
It took the silver-haired man only a moment to shake himself from his stunned stupor, survival instincts kicking in full force, but the blond was already right in front of him, his own blade going straight for his student's throat.
Kakashi's hand was only half-way to block the attack…
…when without any warning, Minato was smashed into the ground when someone descended on him like a heavenly wrath incarnate. The yellow chakra shroud shaped as a full-length haori flared behind the person, demonic red eyes with slit pupils blazed with the heat of fury, and the lips were pulled back into a ferocious snarl as a white screeching Rasengan tore into its victim's flesh, burying him deeper into the soil, killing on spot.
The unknown ninja lifted his head, and Kakashi unwillingly shuddered when his eyes met those bloody red irises. Some kind of chakra claw grew from the teen's shoulder and shot towards him. He managed to stumble one step back before it latched at his vest and shoved him to the side. Naruto flew past him, another wind induced chakra ball already forming in his palm.
Kakashi turned around just in time to witness Obito following their sensei's fate. He was slammed into the tree with an inhuman strength, the advanced version of Rasengan shredding his guts with ease. The tree cracked under the pressure and toppled over, shards of splintered wood flying everywhere.
The jounin didn't even know what to feel or think. Everything happened so fast – in a span of a minute – that his mind was left to scramble for some kind of reaction. Blood loss didn't help in this matter. But before Kakashi could gather his bearings, the blond ninja hissed in disgust, leaping backward from the corpse of his best friend.
…or what supposed to be the deceased Obito. Right in front of the man's eyes, the skin started to melt, the chunks of it slipping away from the unmoving body until it revealed only a white human-shaped figure with a pale green hair.
"I hate these things!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking his arm that just a mere moment ago was inside said thing. "Goddamn tree…" he muttered, inspecting his hand with a frown. "I know that they aren't really– Oi!"
Kakashi's eyes widened once his brain processed what exactly he was seeing and he looked at the body of his sensei. An unrecognizable mess of a white carcass was the only thing lying there. The feeling that these two weren't Minato and Obito was uplifting, happiness instantly washing over him.
"You okay?"
The man's gaze snapped back on the stranger and he actually let out a soundless breath of relief – the kid's eyes were normal again. Well, as normal as they could be while a cloak of the visible chakra surrounded one's person. Kakashi watched as the boy's expression twisted into a genuine concern with the edge of something else that he couldn't identify.
This ninja was an enigma. A very strong enigma. Kakashi doubted that he would be able to handle him alone, not with the raw strength and speed the teen just demonstrated. It seemed that he was also fully healed from whatever battle he had been in just a day prior, so a rapid regeneration might be added to his growing list of skills.
Naruto was getting evidently more anxious when Kakashi didn't answer him outright. "Maybe I should–" He was about to move closer before he suddenly paused and glanced to the side. "Dad is coming," he said, but then scowled and added with a lot more bitterness in his tone, "I mean… Minato is coming. …What? Where?"
Kakashi blinked. Was that directed to him? However, the young ninja was not even looking at him. He now stared at the opposite direction with an intense frown etched on his features.
"I can't believe that we're going for that Uchiha…" Naruto mumbled after a moment, already turning to leave. "I'm moving, moving, 'ttebayo! No need to get your fluffy tails in a twist."
As Naruto jumped into the tree, there was a pop sound, and Kakashi found himself staring at the exact copy of the boy, minus the chakra shroud. Without all the grime and blood covering his whole person, he resembled the adult version of the boisterous little blond Namikaze, whiskers and all, so much. Too much. It made his heart ache.
"You need any help?" the clone asked, still keeping his distance from the injured jounin as to not appear threatening.
"No," Kakashi responded curtly, finally putting down the kunai he was still clutching in his palm, but keeping an eye on the possible enemy. Though, he realized that if the young blond wanted to harm him, he would have already done that while the original was still here. In fact, it seemed that he owed him his life.
Naruto furrowed his brow, but said nothing, deciding to silently wait for his counterpart's father. The quiet voice of Kakashi startled him.
"Thank you."
The teen's lips curled up into a gentle smile and his eyes softened. "I'm just glad that I was on time," he said before his expression changed into one of sorrow. "Many have been lost because I was too late…"
That smile, the tender look in those cerulean eyes, the sadness mixed in with guilt, the chakra so warm, free, and swift, like a spring's wind, playful but able to turn deadly within a moment's notice – the similarity to Minato struck Kakashi hard. He gawked at the boy in shock.
He couldn't be the real Naruto, could he?
Minato landed in front of Kakashi, falling into defensive position. He could smell blood and that added to his growing worry. The blond shot a quick glance over his shoulder: his student was sitting on the ground with his first-aid package lying next to him, but didn't appear to be mortally wounded. Letting just a tiny bit tension leave his shoulders, Minato glared at the thing that called itself Naruto.
"Don't bother attacking, I'm just a shadow clone, 'ttebayo," the teen spoke. His voice was laced with irritation as his blue eyes observed the older man with great intensity.
'Dad, dad, look what I can do! Shadow Clone Jutsu! …Eeeeeeeeh?! That wasn't supposed to happen, 'ttebayo!'
Unbidden, the memories rushed to the forefront of his mind, and Minato bit the inside of his cheek, narrowing his eyes on the so-called Naruto. Now wasn't the good time to wallow in his grief, pain, and guilt, if there even was a good time for such a thing. So, he pushed it all back to the deepest layers of his psyche and glanced at Kakashi again.
The silver-haired ninja nodded, confirming the unknown's words.
"I have a message from the boss," the clone stated. "He wants to speak with you and will be waiting with your… third member." He motioned at the direction to where the original Naruto went.
"Speak about what?"
"We have a theory," he replied before simply puffing out of existence, not giving any further explanation.
The plural form didn't go unnoticed by Minato and his mind whirled with possibilities. Was he referring to the original user and his clones or perhaps there was someone else with the impostor?
Taking a deep breath, he spun around, immediately dropping into a crouch. "Where? Let me see." His student didn't complain and lifted his shirt, exposing the patched-up injury on his back. Minato frowned, inspecting the quick patchwork. "How?" was another clipped question. "Was it–?"
"No," Kakashi cut off his sensei in a hurry. "To be honest, the kid saved my life." He sighed. "These white things looked and felt exactly like you and Obito, and he knew what they were. He intercepted them before they could kill me."
Minato raised an eyebrow, his gaze wandering towards the strange, unfamiliar white bodies.
"He's very powerful," the silver-haired jounin said slowly. "His speed and power are incredible. And he can use Rasengan, too. The advanced version of it, to be precise, combined with the wind chakra. Rather easily, it seemed."
The older man's head whipped back, an expression of surprise and disbelief plastered on his face.
While the first version of Rasengan was purely chakra manipulation at its finest and thus possible to copy, the one of the higher level, combined with nature's element, was an entirely different thing. Many tried, but as far as Minato was aware, he was the only one who could do it without Rasengan blowing into his face. And it still felt like an unfinished jutsu.
"Sensei," Kakashi called softly, "I think we should speak with the kid. He might really be Na–"
"No."
The sole uttered word cut off anything the younger ninja had to say. It had been years, but Minato was still hurting greatly from the tragedy that struck his life. The wound of the loss was still raw and bleeding.
"No, Kakashi," the older man repeated, his voice steeled with an authoritative finality. "We both know that it's impossible, and I will not delude myself into thinking that I can get my son back. I buried him – both of them – with my own hands. They are gone. Now," he said sternly, standing up, "we need to get Obito. Are you well enough to move?"
Kakashi sighed. Of course, he knew that, but somehow his instincts were telling him otherwise, and if he ever learned anything during his time as a ninja, it was that a smart ninja should always listen to his gut feeling. For now, he decided not to confront his sensei. There were still a lot of pieces missing from the puzzle by the name of Naruto Uzumaki.
"Yeah, I'll manage," Kakashi replied, hauling himself up. "Let's go."
Naruto glared at one of the dead White Zetsus, the rage still burning strongly under his skin. He hated these things with passion. It wasn't hard to deal with them, Kurama's ability to sense the negative emotions was invaluable in weeding out the clones, and they were pretty weak, but the young Jinchuuriki despised their skill to morph into anyone so flawlessly. To make friends and allies doubt each other, to think that your precious person betrayed you – that was the worst act in Naruto's book.
"How peculiar."
Naruto swiveled around, the kunai he took from Minato sliding fluidly from his sleeve into his palm. He found the possible enemy in an instant... and blinked in surprise.
It was Tobi. He wore a simple purple lined black cloak and a very similar orange mask with a spiral pattern focused around his right eye, but it also had the hole for the second eye too.
Naruto's gaze flickered to the motionless Obito, lying right next to Tobi's left foot. "How is that even possible?" he asked out loud to nobody in particular.
"That is a good question, indeed," the masked man replied, and while his voice was different, it still made Naruto's blood boil. "You," the man pointed at the teen, "should not exist anymore, but here you are."
The Jinchuuriki scowled, but said nothing. He just stood there, poised and attentive, and observed the new enemy.
Tobi tilted his head slightly to the side like trying to work out a riddle. "An anomaly," he stated calmly. "Alas, not so important in the grand scheme of things."
"He probably did not witness us working together and therefore does not know about me yet," Kurama noted with a distinct tone of amusement.
A wicked and cocky smirk pulled at the corner of Naruto's mouth. "We're just gonna see about that, aren't we?" he asked.
The man stared at him. "Regardless what you want to do, you're powerless to change this grand plan that is already in motion," he said in a dismissive manner as he turned to look at the Uchiha. "Now, I will claim what I came here for."
Tobi reached for Obito, but before he could grab him, the latter's eyes suddenly shot open, revealing two spinning Sharingan. The raven slashed a kunai at the enemy's outstretched hand, then rolled away and jumped to his feet. Confusion flashed across his face when he unexpectedly staggered, his doujutsu fading away. Unable to keep himself upright, Uchiha knelt down, still trying to maintain his defence, but it was clear as day that something was very wrong with him.
Tobi glanced at his hand. Ignoring the shallow cut on it, he reached for Obito again. At that moment Naruto's shadow clone popped right in between them with a wind Rasengan already forming in its palm. The masked man leaped backward to avoid being hit by it and immediately shunshined away when hundreds of tiny wind blades shredded the spot he had just occupied, not even sparing a nearby tree and causing a big cloud of debris rise into the sky.
Naruto released the kunai out of his teeth where he temporarily had held onto it so that he could make hand seals for a wind jutsu, and grabbed it from mid-air. His hardened and concentrated glare never wavered from a black-clad figure, now located up in a tree.
"No wonder you took care of my… companions. It appears that you might be worthy to play with," Tobi declared, though his voice was still emotionless and dull as it was from the beginning. "But the cavalry will be here soon, so I make myself scarce. Till we meet again." With the last glance towards the Uchiha, he was gone.
"This is bothersome," Kurama said thoughtfully after a few minutes when they were sure that Tobi was really gone.
"How can Tobi exist, 'ttebayo?!" Naruto yelled in frustration. "When he," he jabbed his finger at startled Obito, "is here!"
"Calm down, brat!" the Kyuubi barked out angrily.
The blond stilled, then let out a breath, brushing a hand through his hair. "This is so confusing…"
"It is obvious that the identity of the masked man is different here," the great fox pondered once he felt the boy relax.
Naruto frowned. "Pain and the rest of the Akatsuki might be around, too," he muttered. "But I still think that we should just–"
"No, Naruto. We already discussed it," Kurama interjected. "You need to think about the consequences. This is not our world, and we know next to nothing about this one yet." After a moment, he added in a grumble, "I cannot believe that I am stopping you from killing an Uchiha…"
The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched up from the irony his tailed friend just pointed out, but it quickly faltered as his gaze fell on Obito again.
"You now possess my ability," the Kyuubi spoke again. "Can you feel anything evil in this human?"
The teen stared at the Uchiha long and hard. "No," he finally admitted reluctantly.
"Do you recall the presence of Obito Uchiha from our own dimension?"
A low grunt that escaped Naruto's throat was the only answer Kurama needed to know that the brat got the message he tried to convey.
Despite being a ninja and a host to the greatest of Bijuu, Naruto never truly felt hate towards any other person or wanted to kill anyone in cold blood. It took Obito Uchiha burning down the world to awaken both of these emotions in him. There was no middle ground for the young Uzumaki; he either loved or hated with every fiber of his being.
Kurama did understand his Jinchuuriki's worries, but with so many uncertainties, he didn't want to lose an opportunity to gain allies in this new world by allowing the boy – no, both of them – to succumb to their bloodlust. Someone needed to keep the little blond idiot from doing something very stupid, and it surely wasn't the said idiot himself.
Naruto glowered at the man with his arms crossed in front of his chest, but didn't move nor show any other signs of wanting to attack him, keeping a safe distance from him.
Obito put his hands into a non-threatening position and was about to say something when Minato and Kakashi dropped right next to him. His eyes widened and he scrambled to stand up, but vertigo hit him in full force and he would have planted face first into the dust if not for Kakashi grabbing him just in time.
"Easy, Obito, it's just us. Are you hurt?" the silver-haired ninja inquired, already scanning his friend's body, looking for any visible injuries.
The raven squinted at him, looking dazed. "You're the real ones, right?"
Kakashi's eyes wandered to a few white remains scattered around and an understanding crossed his features. "Yeah," he assured with a smile, eyes closing instinctively so that the other man could see. "I was also attacked by these things looking exactly like you and sensei."
Obito frowned, focusing his bleary sight on his teammate. "You okay?"
"More than you. What happened?"
"You– I mean the one who looked like you injected something into me. It's hard to control my chakra or even to keep myself from falling asleep."
Minato broke from his staring battle with Naruto and eyed his student instead. "It sounds like a heavy tranquilizer, but we should let Rin examine you two as soon as possible." His gaze moved towards one of the white corpses. With his brow furrowed, he quietly wondered, "What exactly are they?"
"White Zetsu."
Naruto's voice drew the attention of all three ninjas.
"At least, that's what we call them where I came from," the young blond elaborated. "Zetsu can alter his form and chakra signature, creating a complete copy of another person and replicating their abilities to some degree." He glared at one of those things. "Perfect tool for turning allies against each other."
Minato's eyes narrowed into stormy blue slits, shining with suspicion. "And how do we know that you're not one of them?"
"My partner," Naruto deadpanned without skipping a beat. "It's impossible to imitate him."
His words seemed to alert Minato's team. "And where is this partner of yours?" the older blond asked carefully.
"It is better to show them instead of merely explaining," Kurama suggested, his voice a pleased purr rather than his usual deep baritone.
Naruto's lips stretched into a mischievous prankish smile as he quickly flashed through the familiar sequence of hand seals.
Minato, Kakashi, and Obito fell into defensive stances with their kunai at a ready, prepared for anything the unknown ninja could dish out. However, they could have never prepared for what he actually did.
A huge cloud of smoke appeared next to Naruto, and instantaneously the three of them were drowned in an inhumanly malicious, sickening bloodlust that made their bodies stiffen against their will and their hair stand on end. A strong presence began to settle upon them, a force that threatened to overwhelm their minds by its weight alone. A bunch of tails emerged from the cloud, fanning out behind the orange form of the fox-like creature, broad and predatory. The bloody red, demonic eyes snapped open and pinned them in place with cold efficiency.
Kurama cocked his head up and pulled his lips into a vicious grin, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth in all their glory, as he spoke low and slow, "Greetings, humans."