Kakashi ran after leaving Konoha. He was now a missing-nin. He soon reached the border of Hi no Kuni. He was near Nami no Kuni.
He'd left an ANBU hideout here. Omitted from even his reports to the Hokage. No one knew of its existence other than him.
The nature of his missions necessitated such a hideout.
Konoha could never be implicated.
If he ever got caught sabotaging another village, he had to declare himself rogue, lest he becomes the cause of another war.
Many smaller villages and even Suna and Kiri could blame their downfall on him.
Never had he thought he'd end up here after an inside job, taking the fall for someone else. He, the friend killer, sacrificing his life for someone else! Most Konoha shinobi would find that pretty hilarious. They would also believe that he was the murderer in a heartbeat.
Itachi murdering his own clan was illogical to people. Itachi was such an outstanding kid, such a great person. He was kind to everyone. Such a person, murdering their kin, was illogical to people.
Kakashi doing the same thing, however, was very logical to them. He was a shut-in. Nobody saw him in the village other than Guy and his ANBU team.
His father had been held responsible for starting the third great war. He already had killed comrades. So why wouldn't he do it again?
"Like father like son," they'd say.
They'd probably find a way to blame him for the Kyuubi attack as well. They knew the Sharingan could control the Kyuubi, and he had the Sharingan. Most people also widely accepted that he was the best user of the Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha. Something even most Uchiha would begrudgingly agree to. After all, he was called Sharingan no Kakashi, and no Uchiah was given that Epithet. They'd blame everything on him if they could.
They would pin every major defeat of Konoha on him, if that were possible, just to alleviate their own guilt. They would pin all the blame of the massacre on him just so that they could feel better about themselves, about their ignorance and oppression of the once-great clan.
He reviled the shinobi system that led to this. The shinobi system that he was a product of. The worst part, he supposes, is that he is the problem as well.
He had willingly destroyed the lives of thousands of others. All of Suna was now going to suffer because of him. Thousands were dying in Kiri, partly because he decided to make what was already bad much worse. Waterfall barely had the money for their kunai. He could go on and on about the lives he's destroyed.
All for what?
For Konoha?
No... He hadn't done anything for Konoha in the past eight years.
Everything was done in a misguided attempt trying to kill himself through battle.
The hideout was the same as he'd left it, under too many layers of genjutsu and seals to count. If someone didn't know that there was a usable hideout here, they wouldn't find it. Hell, most people wouldn't find it even if they did know it was here.
He bypassed them easily and entered the place. There were so many cobwebs. There were seals all around that alert him if anyone else were there.
He didn't have a lot of cash on him. Not a lot of food either. He had expected to find himself in his apartment, come morning, not in a hideout.
The rations in here wouldn't last him longer than a week. Not if he wanted to be able to fend off other shinobi.
For now, he crashed onto the couch he had left in here. He needed to find some jobs, as a missing-nin.
Over the past few years, not only had he sabotaged foreign villages, but also the missing-nin. His efforts had made it nigh impossible for missing-nin to find missions.
To think that the things he's done all those years would finally achieve their purpose, if only by starving him to death.
He laughed. What else could he do? He would now have to take A-rank missions for C-rank prices.
He was a missing-nin now. The fact had just begun sinking in. The gravity of it started to sink in. His friends would now be hunting him. He'd have to fight people whom he had called comrades a few hours ago.
He just couldn't stop laughing. He removed his ANBU mask. Threw it down, broke it. He took out his headband.
Taking a kunai, he severed the leaf on the headband.
Once something he took pride in, now a liability to him.
He needed to remove all seals placed on him during his ANBU career.
So he made a clone.
His clone started the painful process of removing all the seals on him. Took him a while.
But once it was done, Kakashi felt a form of freedom.
Now, he'd have to place new seals on himself.
New seals to keep him hidden. Seals that would keep him safe. A seal to absorb all chakra hit at hit and a seal that repels all physical attacks using the user's chakra.
This hadn't been tried before, so he'd try it on a shadow clone first. If it worked, he would be able to stay alive for a while.
He started placing the matrices for the seals. After he was done, he made a small fireball in his hand and hurled it into the clone.
As he hit the clone, the seals glowed a bright red before exploding outwards.
Kakashi was pushed back by the force of the explosion. He winced as he got back up.
Looking at the scarred ground underneath where the clone stood, he thought to himself, Thank god that was just a clone. Despite the failure, the seal is still going to be useful. An explosion seal on someone else... Explosive clones for the chakra cost of a regular shadow clone... The possibilities are endless.
He wrote down the seal matrices on a separate piece of paper. He'd need it for future experimentation.
Now, he needed to eat some food.
He staggered his way to the closet where he'd put scrolls with rations. He opened it and started eating.
The food was tasteless.
God, he wished he could just sleep. He hoped that this entire day would turn out to be just a bad dream. That he was still returning from his mission sabotaging Suna. That none of this shit happened.
Like I'll ever get that lucky.
He crashed on his makeshift bed so this day would finally end for him.
The next day,
Kakashi woke up early in the morning.
His biological clock waking him up after four and a half hours of sleep. As soon as he woke up, he wanted to take a shower.
But then he remembered, this hideout had no plumbing to speak of.
He'd need a long line from a source of water for that. If he got a long line of water, he'd have to cloak all of it.
If he cloaked something that long, there would be genjutsu and seals for a very long distance, and it'd be a dead giveaway to his location. He couldn't afford that.
He'd need to go to the beach or a nearby stream for a bath. He groaned in frustration. The life of a missing-nin was not easy. He almost regretted what he did to missing-nin all those years as ANBU.
Almost being the keyword.
Fortunately, clothing would never be a problem. There were enough clothes in the closet.
He performed his daily warmup routine before doing some harsh physical training. He had to be at his absolute peak if he came across anyone who could find him. He couldn't train in ninjutsu here. He didn't want to destroy what little furniture was here. He'd need to find a nice clearing to train in peace without alerting anyone. So until that time came, he'd have to double down on taijutsu.
After about two hours of physical training and taijutsu training against his clone, he stopped and decided to go to the nearest stream. It took him a few minutes to find a secluded stream. Once he reached there, he stripped bare and entered the stream. The cold water around him made him feel relaxed. He stood there within the water, as the sun rose, to a new day. After bathing, Kakashi washed all of his clothes from yesterday, dried them, and soon, he was back in his hideout.
He now needed breakfast. He also needed a mission. While he could get the former at his hideout, he'd have to go out for the latter.
Fortunately, he knew just the place to get both.
There was a shady bar-restaurant in a nearby town. It served as a hotspot for missing-nin and the naive fools who came here with missions for the missing-nin.
Kakashi loved these naive fools. They went to missing-nin thinking that a hidden village would never take their mission.
Oh, how wrong they all were! His own career, all of it off the records, somehow, was proof that Hidden villages didn't have any standards for missions.
So, he went there to take advantage of these naive fools.
He went to the town, walking like he owned the place. As he walked, few people recognized him. They stopped in their tracks. They stared at him, in awe, in anger, but mostly, they were afraid.
Soon, he was at the bar. As he opened the door, the bells attached to it jingled, alerting the workers that someone had come in.
Most of the patrons didn't notice him at first. But some did, and they stopped in their tracks just like the people on the streets.
In a short while, the entire bar was staring at him silently. If their stares could kill, Kakashi would be dead. He walked to the counter, exuding confidence. He looked at the server at the counter and said, "Give me the best food you've got."
The man, pale with fear, took his first chance to get away from Kakashi.
From his back, Kakashi heard, "This bar doesn't serve Konoha scum like you."
Kakashi turned around to see a burly Kiri nin, with a sword, with other missing-nin behind him. Kakashi just looked at them, pointed at his slashed headband, and eye-shrugged.
The Kiri-nin said, "Do you seriously expect us to believe that? That Kakashi Hatake, student of the fourth, would go rogue?"
"Yeah. In fact, I even killed a majority of the Uchiha clan." Kakashi said with an eye smile.
"I don't buy it. Why would you?"
"Because I wanted to."
"Just kill him already! He's killed so many of us." shouted someone from the back.
"He can't beat all of us." shouted someone else. There were multiple shouts from these guys.
Kakashi found out hilarious that these guys believed they could take him on. He was S ranked for a reason. He started laughing maniacally.
"What's so funny?" asked the Kiri nin in the front.
Kakashi just laughed and turned around and said, "Bring me my breakfast. I'm hungry."
The Kiri nin put his arm on Kakashi's shoulder and tried to turn him around. Kakashi just moved a little, put his arm behind the guy's head, and then slammed it into the counter, destroying the counter and leaving the missing-nin sprawled on the floor.
"Who's next?" said Kakashi as the server came to him with his breakfast.
The food he was served was ramen. That was good. He hadn't had ramen in a long time. He'd relish this, even if it's not going to be as good as Ichiraku's.
Kakashi chuckled as he took the chopsticks in his hands and said, "Itadakimasu!" Before starting the ramen. A moment later, he was done. The bartender was charmed with his heart beating for Kakashi's face.
Kakashi winnked at him.
He then turned around and said, "I asked, who's next?"
All the missing-nin screamed and charged at him. Kakashi snorted at their lack of organization. If they worked as a team, they might have been a good warm-up for him. Kakashi masterfully evaded all these ninja, correction, so-called ninja. Ducking under a punch, moving out the way of a kick, rebuffing the odd kunai or sword. It was so darn easy.
He let them take as many shots at him as they wanted to in the first minute. Evading them all with practiced ease. After one minute got over, he said, "My turn!"
He now started to retaliate. The odd nudge here, the slap there, a push here, a pull there, a kick here, a punch there, and soon all these wannabe missing-nin were on the floor, writhing in pain.
He looked at them all and said, "That wasn't even a warm-up." He took out his wallet to pay and asked the guy at the counter, "How much for this breakfast?"
The server said, "50 ryou."
Kakashi looked at him and said, "Put it on my tab." He then looked at the patrons who hadn't attacked him and were cowering in fear, most likely the naive fools here for a mission. Then someone else came inside. A man in his early forties, he looked like a noble. So most likely, an estranged noble wanting him to kill another noble to get his position back. This was the kind of mission he needed now.
The newcomer asked, "Is this where you go for missions?"
Kakashi just eye-smiled. He told the newcomer, "Come sit down with me. We can discuss this mission that you have."
Soon they found themselves in a secluded corner of the restaurant.
Kakashi called the server and said, "Bring this gentleman the best food you have."
The server nodded and left to prepare another bowl of ramen for the newcomer.
Kakashi took his time to look at the newcomer. The newcomer had aristocratic features. He had a sharp chin, a well-defined jaw, brown eyes with a bit of yellow in them.
He felt like he should know this man but couldn't quite figure it out.
He then asked, "What mission do you have for me?"
"I need you to assassinate the present Fire Daimyo and put me up in his position," said the guy.
Wouldn't that be interesting! However, it was out of his client's range.
He said, "While that would be interesting, let's stop joking, shall we?"
The man just looked at Kakashi with his solemn face and said, "I want you to assassinate the present Daimyo and make me the ruler of Hi no Kuni."
Kakashi realized that he wasn't joking. He truly wanted Kakashi to eliminate the current Daimyo.
He asked, "You really thought that going to a random bar would get you a shinobi to do that?"
"Not really, but I don't have any other choice. I can't go to any hidden village, the price will be far greater than what I get, and Konoha will arrest me and execute me as soon as I enter. So I go around looking for someone powerful, praying to the sage that I find someone."
Kakashi said, "You're the Daimyo's brother, aren't you?" He was much leaner now than he was when Kakashi had last seen him. No wonder it took Kakashi a short while to figure out. This man was starving in his exile.
"I am," he replied, "six years ago, my father was assassinated by some shinobi. And I was framed by them. The investigator Konoha sent did not believe me, claiming that the evidence all pointed to me having hired the shinobi to get the throne for myself. I was exiled from Hi no Kuni. I am taking a huge risk to my life by even being here."
Kakashi started laughing maniacally at this point. He couldn't believe this was really happening.
The Daimyo's brother said, "I know you don't believe. Not many do... But I request you to take the mission nonetheless. I can provide you with anything you wish upon my return to the throne."
Kakashi just couldn't stop laughing.
Kill the Daimyo...
The thought was so darn funny...
Because he'd done it before and framed this man in front of him. Kakashi couldn't stop laughing at the irony of the situation.
The Daimyo's brother said, "I request you to help me."
It took Kakashi quite a while to stop laughing. Kakashi finally asked, "You know why I was laughing?"
The Daimyo's brother said, "Obviously, you don't believe me. Why else would you be laughing?"
Kakashi maniacally eye smiled and said, "I believe you alright...
I'm laughing because I was the one who assassinated your father and framed you. I'm laughing at the bloody irony of this situation. You coming to me to request me to do the same thing your brother came to me for."
"You must be kidding, ninja san... My brother would never do that." said the Daimyo's brother in shock.
"Oh, he did alright. Unlike you, though, he had the guts to go to the Hokage with his request." Kakashi said with an eye smile.
Kakashi looked at the man's shocked face. He always took pleasure in seeing shocked faces like that. He said, "If you look at the records of Fire Nation, you'll notice that every time rulership changes hands, there is a significant policy change. Konoha always ends up getting a better deal somehow. Even though Konoha has never been directly involved in policy and law-making negotiations. Why do you think that is?"
Getting no answer, he continued, "That's because, of the five Daimyo who have died since the formation of Konoha, all have been assassinated by Konoha."
The Daimyo's brother's eyes widened, "That's not possible. All of them died through a congenital disease which drove them insane."
"Then why do you think only the ruler had ever had the disease? If it was congenital, then shouldn't the brothers of the rulers have the disease as well?" asked Kakashi.
"Maybe it is like a Kekkei Genkai. Some kids get it, some don't," said the Daimyo's brother.
"They were all poisoned with Manganese. Their food was doped with it in vast quantities. It drove them insane and forced the doctors to medically kill them because they were a danger to their family and to themselves.
"Konoha itself doesn't have any records of this. But it turns out, every Daimyo who had their father killed wrote their actions out in their journals, which their children managed to find.
"Your ancestors were dumb people. Something about wanting to find peace with their heinous actions," he scoffed as he continued, "Of course, that's just one explanation...
"Reality though is that Konoha left the only records of any this happening nearby where someone who wanted the throne would find it...
"I was also the one who planted the journals where your younger brother, now Daimyo, would find them. I also put a mild genjutsu into his mind that amplified the inner desires in his mind. I got him into positions where he'd perceive the power of Daimyo.
"I took that small wish in his mind to become Daimyo and turned it into an obsession. And then, I put those records of his ancestors' actions into his grasp.
"Once that was done, he was in Konoha, demanding that we do the same and make him Daimyo.
"And four weeks later, your father was dead...
"But your brother wanted you and the serving version of the Guardians 12 out of the way. Since he liked neither of you. So he asked for a visible assassination.
"So we complied. Soon, your father was dead. You were framed. The Guardians 12, fired and replaced for incompetence...
"Your brother took the position he wanted so dearly."
"I don't believe you. You're a missing-nin!" shouted the man, not believing a single word that came out of Kakashi's mouth.
Kakashi smiled under his mask and then raised his hitai-ate.
The Daimyo's brother reeled back. He knew he had recognized this man in front of him. Who wouldn't? He said, "Sharingan! In just one eye with a scar! You're Kakashi Hatake, student of the legendary Yondaime!"
"Yes, I am. Could have probably been Hokage if I stayed longer and wished for the position," replied Kakashi as he brought down his forehead protector.
"I defected just yesterday, you see... Anyway, I'll take your mission, soon-to-be Daimyo Itanaka Madoka."
"Just tell me one thing. Itanaka san, why did you want me to assassinate him if you didn't believe he was responsible for the first assassination?" asked Kakashi.
Itanaka said, "My brother is driving the nation into an economic downfall. There has been little development since he took the throne. All he does is lavish around, using what revenue we get for his personal gain! He is not a good ruler."
"Ah... You're a good man Itanaka. I almost feel bad for framing you." said Kakashi
"Almost? You're almost feeling bad?! Because of you, I had to spend years in the wild, fending for myself in foreign regions!" screamed Itanaka.
"You don't want to make me angry, Itanaka-san. I can kill you just as easily as I killed your father. Besides, I'm your only ticket back to the throne," said Kakashi dourly. Itanaka's face paled as he reeled back in fear of Kakashi.
Kakashi then said, "Well, Itanaka-san, we'll meet again in a week. Then, we'll travel to the capital of Hi no Kuni.
By the way, pay my tab as well in this restaurant" and got up to leave.
He heard Itanaka calling to him about how Kakashi shouldn't be ordering him around or something. Kakashi didn't really care.
This mission was going to be good for him. He'd perfect his new justu, Denji Myakudo [Electromagnetic pulse], his time in the fire nation capital along with the seals to prevent any damage before going to shinobi-infested areas...