Wild-filly: Yes, yes, I know that this update is well overdue, but so's my sleep debt and there're only 5 weeks until school finishes, so I promise that there will be updates more frequently after the 22nd November – the date of my last exam… Many thanks unto everyone who has continued reading and reviewing my work – I love you all!

Disclaimer: Don't own don't sue

By the way: This chapter contains SPOILERS of a sort; the fourth Hokage's kind of dead already in this fanfic, so it's just Kakashi, Obito and Rin in the group. All that is said and done in this chapter will be kept as accurate as possible regarding the manga, however not everything is as it happened, since Okumen Gokurakuchou doesn't fit at times. Please don't lynch me for editing the manga somewhat! I love the original manga to pieces, however since it doesn't fit into Okumen Gokurakuchou, I have had to alter little bits here and there. Since a few people contacted me asking for clarification, I decided to make life easier for everyone by including the doctored arc within the fanfic itself – enjoy!

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Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 21

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The Third was still reluctant to send Kakashi off again, but in all honesty, there wasn't much choice involved. Many Shinobi had been sent off to different battlefields, or enlisted into spying missions: even Shinobi inferior to Kakashi were placed in dangerous situations. It would be ridiculous to exclude an ANBU captain from such a war, based only on a little psychological issue. Any general would say the same thing. Even the Hokage couldn't hold his ground for too long on the matter.

Kakashi only dimly acknowledged the details of his mission; some little task: espionage; sabotage; and with his old Genin team under him no less. The Hokage obviously didn't want him to get too stirred up; nothing else would explain the minor nature of the task. Something else irked him though; the girl, Rin, was agreeable enough, but Obito was by far the most pathetic excuse for a ninja that he'd ever come across. Unlike Kurotaka, Obito was a legitimate Uchiha and also unlike Kuro, the boy seemed completely incapable of using any competent technique. Apart from complaining that was – Kakashi was fairly sure that most opponents would rather run away, hands clamped over their ears, than put up with that cry-baby's nonsense. The goggles that he wore clamped over his eyes failed to protect their owner from all kinds of "dust" that seemed to manifest and force his eyes to become teary, always during the most difficult times. A remarkable affliction.

Kakashi yawned, teasing at his forehead protector glinting on his forehead. He seldom wore it during missions, since the last thing you wanted was a glittering piece of metal on your head to both give away your position and serve as a target. However, since the nation was at war, it was more important to distinguish yourself as friend or foe, rather than be attacked and asked later. Usually in the afterlife.

"Kakashi, it's good to see you again". A familiar female voice chirped from the forest scrub, a Kunoichi with white bands decorating her face stepping nimbly from the shadows. She stood slightly shorter than Kakashi, a medic-nin by trade and swifter than she was strong. Her medical jutsu however, never failed to assist where her physical strength left off.

"Hai". He nodded in response to her. She smiled and turned back towards the woods from which she had come. "Obito should be coming. At least he said he was".

Typical. Kakashi rolled his eyes and carelessly surveyed the surroundings, sheltered from the attentions of other Shinobi by a cover of deep foliage. Perhaps it seemed a little paranoid to meet up here of all places, but one could never be too careful these days. The minutes oozed by, Kakashi's temper stoking to a great heat. Of all the useless Shinobi-wannabes to be stuck with, he had to be saddled with this one. Rin grinned over at him.

"I have a present for you, Kakashi-kun, for becoming a Jounin, that is".

"Hai?" He blinked. It hadn't occurred to him that she knew about his taking the exam. He watched her with surprise as she reached back into her belongings and pulled out a medical pack, a wrought charm sewn into its cover. His eyes bent into a smile. "Thank you". The cheerfulness was short lived though, as they continued to await the arrival of the last member of their group. An hour trickled by, with Kakashi's annoyance steadily stoking itself into boiling flames of ire. At last a great crashing arose from the bushes and out flew the useless Shinobi in question, breath heaving in great heavy gasps. "Did I just make it in time?"

Kakashi felt his teeth gritting despite his normally demure temperament. All of the events of the past month; his injuries, Akiraka's illness, Kurotaka's absence… his head clamoured with thoughts so much more necessary than this petty little mission. Obito wasn't a bad person, he knew that, but somehow he just couldn't apply it to his words.

"No, because you're late!" He snapped. He didn't want to be here. He wished that he wasn't here. The temptation to ditch both Rin and Obito and take off after Masurao and Kurotaka; two capable Shinobi; was almost disturbingly high. In spite of this, he forced himself to be civil, changing his tone to one more condescending than annoyed.

"What time did you think we were meeting? If you're a fully fledged ninja, you should naturally follow the rules and regulations strictly!" Kakashi almost choked on his own words, but knew that there was a lot of truth within them. Not only regarding his own father's experience in this matter, but also in the actions that he was thinking of committing. His father hadn't been thanked by Konoha for abandoning his mission for the sake of his comrades, therefore Kakashi himself had to accept this fact as well.

Obito snorted, offended, "Have you no kindness in you? I had to stop and help an old lady…"

Rin snickered quietly, "can't you two ever give it a rest? You're on the same team remember, and we have a mission to go on!" Kakashi nodded towards Rin, but dryly commented, "You're too easy-going towards Obito…"

"And who are you to judge?" Kakashi smirked beneath his mask at the indignant Uchiha. There was a startling similarity between his and Kurotaka's pout. "This is a very important day for me, since I'm leading our mission into Earth Country".

"Why you?" Obito glanced over at Rin in confusion, who answered his question with an exasperated sigh. "Kakashi was accepted as a Jounin a few days ago, so he's the leader of our 3-man team, instead of sensei". A silence enveloped all three, Kakashi staring unseeingly at his feet, of course. This was their first mission without the Fourth to guide them. Clearing his throat, Kakashi decided to break the pensive atmosphere.

"The Earth country's Shinobi of the Hidden Rock are invading the Hidden Grass, so we are to provide support to the Hidden Grass by sabotaging the enemy advance". Sabotage was not a particularly bloody event, nor would it be too demanding on a Shinobi such as Kakashi, hence the Hokage's decision to send him on this mission. "We are to destroy the bridge behind enemy lines that is used to bring supplies to the front, and then withdraw swiftly". Obito and Rin nodded in agreement.

With that, the three took off, loping ninja style through the forest at a respectable cruising speed. Kakashi let the breeze roaring in his ears call his mind into a soft state of unquestioning blankness. Perhaps this truly was just what he needed – something to take his mind off of the events of the past few months: something that was completely normal to him, which he had been trained all of his life for. There was a monotony in the work that was almost therapeutic.

An hour eased by, Kakashi still jogging serenely in front of Rin, with Obito bringing up the rear. Despite the fact that the scenery was persisting in being of the tree variety, he could feel that they were leaving familiar territory, entering the Earth Country. He raised one hand and slowed, Rin and Obito following his lead. In a tentative line the three walked, Kakashi's eyes calm and alert. They were in an unknown and hostile environment, despite the peaceful blanket of natural sounds that cloaked the forest. Birdcalls could well be enemy Shinobi making contact, a cracking branch the shifting of weight in order to attack. Kakashi jerked to a halt, silently motioning for the other two to follow suit.

Something was surrounding them. He could feel its presence as invasive as though it were leaning over his shoulder: patches of silence in the copse that should have been filled with the chirps and rustles of creatures going about their daily affairs. "There're at least twenty out there… probably Kage Bunshin". He hissed to Obito, now crouched at his side. "You two hang back, I'll take care of these".

Rin frowned, "shouldn't you be the back up? We can help too".

Kakashi grinned cockily at her, "not necessary. Finally I've an opportunity to try out my new jutsu". Obito blinked curiously as Kakashi took his leave, straightening up and stepping forward confidently, one arm stretching downwards. He hadn't tried this attack for some time now; he just hoped that it wouldn't drain him too deeply. A bead of sweat trickled into a groove in his forehead, furrowed there by effort. White-hot sparks flashed from his lowered hand, clutched at the wrist by his free arm to steady it. The warm rush of Chakra engulfed his palm, causing both Rin and Obito to murmur in surprise. They'd never seen this move before, and rarely one of its calibre.

A high-pitched shrieking arose from his hand, burning with blue-white Chakra and giving rise to its namesake; One Thousand Birds. He charged. All of the speed that he'd kept in reserve was pulled out, effortlessly exposed as he sprinted around the clearing towards the first silent area. A startled Kage Bunshin lurked behind a towering mushroom, an example of primitive fungus that had been left to thrive in the woods for so long that it surpassed some trees in height. Kakashi plunged his burning hand deep into its chest. One down, nineteen to go.

Obito stared in shocked fascination. He was well aware of Kakashi's skills, but had seldom seen them in practise. The three had been on many missions together, however it had always been sensei who had taken care of the larger troubles. None of them had ever been placed in enough danger to merit using such an attack. His eyes were distracted, following Kakashi's rampage as again and again he plunged his sparking hand deep into the torso of a recurring ninja, each time disappearing in plumbs of smoke. Kage Bunshins, he mused, however it failed to occur to him that the creator of the illusions was probably closer than he thought.

Kakashi pounded across the clearing, each Bunshin now moving out to confront him; each Bunshin speared easily with the Chidori. The mechanical nature of the task was almost soothing, in a vaguely bloodthirsty way. He was dimly reminded of his two comrades, standing uncertainly at the sidelines, glancing back as he heard a shout from Rin. He tilted his head back, one eye widening as he saw one of the replicated ninja, crouched low before Obito, as though they were about to attack. How could he have been so careless! Obito had frozen, eyes shot with fear, arms trembling, useless. There was no way that Kakashi could make it back there in time. He half turned, pivoting away from his own target, even as one of Rin's kunai hurtled towards Obito's attacker, piercing their spine. The Bunshin flickered and died in a cough of smoke, Obito still standing, shaking. Kakashi heard Rin's chastising call to the other Shinobi, but didn't register it; he turned to face his own opponent, only to see a katana spiralling towards him.

Because of the angle of his head, he narrowly missed being decapitated by the blade's arc, a stream of blood spurting from his right shoulder. His eyes widened even further, pain and warm blood drenching his sleeveless black gi. That distraction had been costly indeed. The Chidori flickered, threatening to die out, but he stretched forward desperately. 19 down. The blue sparks died and he sagged, a thudding of footsteps drumming towards him. The Kunoichi knelt before him, Rin's demure expression was marred with concern as she hunched over his shoulder, hands glowing with Chakra while she fought to seal his wound closed. Yet another injury to add to the list, and he hadn't even incapacitated the target yet.

From the shadowed cover of a nearby tree, the ninja whose Bunshins had fallen victim to Kakashi's rampage frowned. At that last moment he had been about to counter that cocky kid, but he had just missed. That and his position could have been discovered. His blood ran cold as an unmistakable swish of metal, one kunai thrown from the clearing, rushed towards his ear. He never had a chance to dodge it. Kakashi laid his arm back on the ground, eyes sagging half closed with fatigue. The Chidori had been more taxing than he'd expected.

Obito glared critically down at the injured ANBU. "You shouldn't use that jutsu again – it's a thrust concentrated all on one point. You might have the destructive power and speed, but because you're going so fast you can't see your opponent's counter. It's an incomplete jutsu".

Kakashi stared back, eyes smouldering with rage. "And compared to the 'jutsu' that you performed?" Obito stepped back, face writ with annoyance. "There was something in my eye…" Again with that flimsy excuse.

"If you don't learn how to do anything other than run your mouth, then your mind will become weak, oh 'elite Uchiha'". Kakashi snapped. The anger and frustration within him was seeping with venom, his words poisonous. Before he could continue his tirade though, Rin stepped forward, hands on hips.

"Can you two remember nothing that sensei taught us? The most important thing to a Shinobi is teamwork! He always repeated this, and even now, when we are to honour his memory, you can't even respect it". Her words cut to the bone, Kakashi paling as he looked back up at the young medic-nin. The Fourth would have been disgusted at them both for their bickering, even as they sat uncovered in enemy territory. He felt suddenly dirty, sullied by his own careless words.

"Fine". Kakashi muttered, rising to his feet. He stared blearily back at their trail. "Let's move out. We've still got a mission to complete".

That night brought little peace. The wound on his shoulder had not been shallow, but thankfully Rin's healing powers would keep it closed and free from infection. He had no incentive to return to the nazi who had purged his last set of wounds. Wrapped in a sleeping bag, Kakashi stared sleepily up at the stars for the first time in weeks. He wondered where Masurao and the others were at the moment. How they were doing on the battlefield. Kuro would be holding her own just fine, but Masurao himself tended to be a klutz at the worst possible moments. Hopefully they were looking out for each other. He turned over restlessly, wincing at his shoulder pulled, stretched at the gash. He should be doing something practical, not hanging around here just to destroy some bridge. A little way off, he could make out the reverberating of voices. Obito and Rin were talking. Probably about him, judging by the whinging tone in Obito's voice.

It wasn't just because he was missing Masurao and Kurotaka that he was being so abrasive to Obito. That ninja's flagrant disrespect for the rules was just an accident waiting to happen. He stared sightlessly up at one particular star, its light flooding his vision as his mind sought thoughtless oblivion. Anything other than the thoughts that were coming to him now. But there was no avoiding them.

His father. Konoha's White Fang. Hatake Sakumo. A Shinobi who was as respected as the Three Legendary Sennin. A genius. A Shinobi who was dishonoured for abandoning his mission in order to save his team-mates' lives. A failure. The bitterness seemed to writhe within his belly as he thought about the whole twisted circumstance. In the end, even the friends he had saved had damned his father for his actions. He was ostracized, and then committed suicide, unable to live with the guilt and rejection. That was the fate that Kakashi himself could face should he abandoned this mission to aid his other team. That was the fate that could befall anyone who did not follow Konoha's rules to the letter. Obito was as vulnerable as Kakashi himself.

It could have been Kakashi's imagination, but Obito seemed to be regarding him with a careful air that next morning. He decided to ignore it. The sooner the mission was over, the better. The three paced their way carefully deeper into the enemy territory: the closer they came to the heart of the country, the more dangerous it would become. Kakashi was leading the group across a river, balancing on Chakra footholds on the water's surface, when a hailstorm of wooden projectiles burst overhead.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Obito's great fireball roared up to meet the deadly hail, burning away the weapons to flakes of ash. Kakashi braced himself. He had faintly detected the attack before it had come, yet had not been able to anticipate it. This was a formidable foe indeed. Another barrage of weaponry surged towards them, thrown by a flitting blur. Kakashi's eyes flowed the blur's path, completely unaware of the second ninja behind him, not until a shriek caught his attention. He spun around and stared in horror.

Rin hung limply in the arms of an aged Shinobi, their face hard as the man sceptically surveyed the two comparatively juvenile opponents before him. "We'll look after this one". The man's voice was mocking, Rin still lolling helplessly in his grasp. She was either knocked out or under a genjutsu of some sort.

"Wait!" Kakashi shouted in dismay, however both Shinobi flickered out of sight, carrying Rin away with them. Obito gave a yell of fury and dove forwards as if to give chase, teeth bared with determination.

"Obito, don't go after them!" Hideous thoughts clawed at Kakashi's mind. It's my father's fate all over again. They're going to torture her like Akiraka was tortured, but if I save her, it'll be Obito and I on the rack. Who can win in this vicious circle?

"What the hell are you saying?" shrieked Obito in disbelief, eyes searching Kakashi's own in surprise. "What about Rin?" he didn't understand; he couldn't understand. Obito had never experienced anything quite like Kakashi had.

Kakashi closed his eyes weakly, speaking in a deadpan voice. "The two of us will resume the mission. We'll leave Rin for now: the enemy wants to know our aim. They won't kill her yet. Besides, luckily, Rin's a medic-nin, so even as a prisoner she should be treated well, provided she looks after the enemy's casualties, that is. More importantly, the issue is the enemy discovering our aim and preparing for an attack. If that happens, the mission will become too difficult". The words burned his throat, but could not have been printed any more accurately on a textbook. It was a perfect, but inhuman answer.

Obito's face was taut with anger, "none of this involves Rin's safety! What if those two aren't going to look at this intelligently? Then what! It's more important to rescue Rin than to finish the mission". He stared stubbornly back at Kakashi, resistant to any vile logic that Kakashi had offered him.

"As a Shinobi… sometimes it's essential to sacrifice your companions for the accomplishment of the mission. That's a 'law'. If the mission fails, the war will continue and many more sacrifices occur". Kurotaka. Masurao. Akiraka. Otou-san.

"That's just speculation! Just for that, you'd simply throw away a companion who's been with you through thick and thin? One who saved our lives with her medical jutsu?"

"That was Rin's duty". So cold, yet within the ice was a shard of truth in the words. He stared blankly back at Obito, but somehow didn't even notice nor evade the arm sailing towards him. Obito's fist smacked Kakashi heavily on the jaw, sending him sprawling backwards through the sheer force of the blow. He fell limply, partially drained by his own words, partially stunned by the blow itself.

"I definitely can't stand you!" Obito's face contorted with fury, even as Kakashi stared expressionlessly back at him. "Whether you hate me or not, I'm still your commander".

"Then why do you refuse to help Rin? Only you have the strength to save your companion!" Obito was shaking him by the collar now, a fact only dimly registered by Kakashi's brain. It was all clamouring too heavily. He wanted to help, he had to help – but to abandon the mission would only mean suffering. He couldn't do it for Kuro, so he couldn't do it for Rin. "If you let your emotions run free and fail your mission, you'll regret it in the future. A Shinobi must kill his emotions; you must understand that too". He hissed the words as though expelling toxins from a wound.

Obito's face was awash with shock, anger and even a trace of sorrow. Kakashi continued, his eyes as cold and dead as stone. "The most important thing to a Shinobi is to be a tool in order to complete the mission. Emotions are unnecessary things". As his mouth released the words, images of his friends swam into his mind. He couldn't abandon his mission, not even for them. Whatever he was feeling for them, he couldn't let those feelings get before the needs of the village. That much had become clear to him.

"Do you seriously think like that?" Disbelief rode prominently in his voice, Obito's eyes searching Kakashi's face for some sign of emotion. He let none be shown. Kurotaka… what was he to do? What could he do?

"Yes, I do". Obito turned away, eyes scornful. "Those in the ninja world who break the rules and regulations are called trash. Of course I know that. But those who don't care about their companions are even worse trash". Kakashi stared at him, surprise now flooding into his own pupils. How could one so incompetent see things so easily?

"Anyway, if I'm that kind of trash, I'll break the rules! And if that's not being a true Shinobi, then I'll crush the ideal of being a Shinobi!" He paused, glancing back at Kakashi. "I think that the White Fang was a true hero". Those soft words alone riveted Kakashi to the spot, as though he had seized hold of an electrical cable with his bare hands. With that Obito stalked off, head high as Kakashi turned and staggered away in the opposite direction, eyes flooded with amazement. Numb, he slumped against the roots of the nearest tree, mind swimming with Obito's declarations and his own ponderings.

His father had abandoned a mission for the sake of his friends. He had been ostracized and eventually killed himself. Akiraka had been tortured to the point of madness, accepting her own demise as her righteous fate. He himself had faced the opportunity to run away and join his companions on the front lines, but he hadn't. Why? He had thrown away his affections, his compassion, purely because it was written on some dusty old scroll and upheld by those who had never had to utilise the principle. Obito had ignored it all. Obito, who cried in combat and had yet to awake his Sharingan. It was Obito who had realised the simplicity of the situation before he, Kakashi, the genius son of Konoha's White Fang, had even found an answer.

He blinked, eyes flicking from their glazed state. He had been a mindless drone for too long.

The woods flashed past him, sprinting through the scrub and nimbly dodging between randomised trees. A clearing was looming large, shouts and metallic clashes screaming in his sensitive ears. There was no way he was going to back down now. He leapt into the open. Obito was there, standing before Rin, bound and held in a Genjutsu even as another ninja materialised before him, ready to strike. A flood of adrenaline poured into his system and he leapt, drawing his katana as he did so.

With a shriek of pain, the ninja fell back as Kakashi vaulted clean over Obito's head, katana curved in a deadly downwards arc. Blood spurted between the ninja's armour and Kakashi straightened, standing before Obito. He could tell that the other Konoha Shinobi was staring at him incredulously. "Kakashi…why?"

"I can't trust a cry-baby ninja like you to do this yourself" He growled back in response, quietly thanking the other ninja in his mind. He wasn't quite willing to admit to Obito that he had been right just yet. Obito blinked and then steadied himself as their rival ninja dissolved into the background.

"A camouflage jutsu", Obito murmured. Kakashi glanced around. "Even the scent has disappeared". A movement near the ground behind Obito. He leapt, diving around Obito to counter the blow. A strike seemed to erupt from nowhere, he tried to counter, missed. Something slid through his skin, tearing his left eye and spurting forth a stream of blood. The pain was incredible, Kakashi falling back in shock. It felt as though the very pupil had been sliced in half, watery blood bubbling beneath the ruined lid. Obito knelt beside him, eyes watering. "Kakashi? Are you alright?" There was panic in his high voice.

Feeling as though the slightest movement would cause his eye to rupture, Kakashi gingerly responded. "This enemy is very skilled. Quickly. Dispose of the kunai with my blood on it". It would serve as a target at least. Obito still stood there, salty tears bleeding quietly from his own eyes. Kakashi sighed, glancing at him from his one good eye. "Something in your eye again? A Shinobi doesn't cry, besides, I'm not going to die yet". Obito pulled off his goggles and scrubbed at his damp cheeks, as Kakashi returned his attentions to their battlefield. "Don't let your guard down".

Suddenly though, as if in a daze, Obito had straightened. Kakashi stared curiously at him. Obito drew a kunai without warning, striking something unseen. A low cry issued from thin air. He had struck their enemy blindly? Kakashi started in surprise. Obito grinned. "I will protect my friends" he remarked, voice steadier than it had ever been. The eyes he turned to smirk at Kakashi with were the same bloody scarlet as Kurotaka's. Kakashi's good eye widened. At last Obito was coming into his own strength. "It's the Sharingan" murmured Obito in awe, "I can see the flow of Chakra". Kakashi nodded. This would be of exceptional use. "My own eye is useless", he commented dryly. "I can bind it up with bandages from Rin's medical pack, but we have to rescue her quickly!" Obito grinned, helping Kakashi to gently hide his eye behind a soft gauze wrap. It wasn't going to help much, but at least the bleeding would stop.

The one remaining opponent was crouched in front of Rin. It would seem that they had placed her under a jutsu in hope of drawing out information from her without too much effort. Both Kakashi and Obito stood side by side. He'd never approached an opponent in quite the same fashion. "We've already beaten one of them", Kakashi whispered, "but this one has high speed. We need to act carefully!" In an apparent contradiction to his words though, Kakashi surged forwards, Obito right at his heels. Their opponent dived, coming parallel with Obito's forward assault. The Sharingan widened. Even with his new ability, Obito was still hesitant. Kakashi swept in from above, katana drawn once again and flashed in a cutting arc. Not even wasting the momentum of his leap, Kakashi used the falling ninja's back as a springboard to get over to Rin.

Hands clutched in a seal, he broke her spell. Her eyes flew open, stunned to find Kakashi and Obito kneeling before her. "We've come to rescue you!" Obito gasped, breath heaving. Kakashi nodded, eyes bright. "Let's get out of here". Before he could turn to make good the statement though, a grinding of rock underfoot caught his attention. Behind them, their opponent was not so incapacitated as Kakashi had intended. His gravely tones caught Kakashi's attention, turning back in horror. "Indeed… that was a good combination attack, but you're still just brats". A toothy grin spread over his face, pale from blood loss. "You're now right in my hands".

"Doton! Iwa vado kuzushi!"

The rock face above them began to tremble. Kakashi cursed. An earth attack to loosen the boulders encroaching the area above them; at such a height and breadth they'd be difficult to avoid. "Quickly!" The group charged forwards, dodging the flying rubble and spinning boulders. Kakashi sprinted, however the loss of his left eye was making dodging a difficult procedure. Every swerve he made seemed to tae up more time and energy than he had to spare.

An almighty blow from nowhere. A dull, deadening pain on the side of his head. A rock had struck him in his blind spot! He could feel the numbness spreading as consciousness slipped away. The sandy ground raced up to meet him even as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Rin and Obito's shouts of concern seemed far away, but he was forcing himself back into awareness. Now was not the time. They were going to be crushed to death if they stopped for him. Another pain. Something or someone had knocked him flying, sending him crashing into Rin. There was a tortured shriek, a deafening clatter and then nothing more.

Awareness slowly returned, precious seconds dragged out. Kakashi forced his right eye open, what had happened to Obito and Rin while he was out of it? He stared ahead, eye stretching in utter horror.

"Are you… ok? Kakashi…Rin…" Obito's voice heaved in strangled, dusty gasps, chest pinned beneath a massive boulder. Blood splattered the ground, mixing mustard coloured dust into sickly brown pools. Only the left side of his torso and face were visible, face wracked with pain and streaked with blood. His own blood. He had pushed Kakashi out of harm's way at the expense of his own life.

"Obito! Shit…" He was on his feet before he was certain of anything else. Fingers scrabbled underneath the massive rock, Kakashi threw his weight against it. Come on, move. Had to free Obito. Had to get him out of there. The wretched thing wouldn't budge, merely sending a shower of dust down to cloud in Kakashi's face, eye irritated and already threatening to water uncontrollably. Obito coughed.

"That's enough…it's ok Kakashi… I guess it's over for me. The right side of my body is almost smashed… there's no feeling in it". His voice was strained, matter-of-fact. Kakashi could not tear his eye away from Obito's own. He had done this. It was his fault that Obito had come to this. He sank to the ground, one fist beating the earth in a futile expression of exasperation. Rin shuffled to Obito's side, uncomprehending. "Obito…why…" Her face was a portrait of shock, tears building in pearly beads at the corners of her eyes.

"From the beginning… if I'd went along with you and rescued Rin, then none of this would have happened!" Kakashi's eye was screwed tightly shut, cursing himself over and over. Not again. Not another one to be lost. Akiraka's mind. Now Obito's life… He wouldn't stand for it any longer. There was no way that he was going to let this happen again. "What kind of a commander… what kind of Jounin…" He didn't deserve the honour with which he'd been saddled.

"Hey… no… forget it". Obito's voice stopped him. "I'm… the only one… who didn't give you a present… for becoming a Jounin". Kakashi stared at him in shock. Why think of that now? Was it delirium that came with blood loss?

"What would be good… I was thinking", Obito continued, "… and now I've come up with it… don't worry… it's not useless baggage". He stared Kakashi in the eye intently. "It's this Sharingan of mine".

…………

Four days ago it had all happened. Kakashi stood silently at the black marble monument at the edge of the training fields. He knew that one day his own name would probably be carved there, alongside all those other Shinobi whose lives were lost in the name of Konoha's security and innocent lives. Sometimes their bodies were never recovered. Some of them didn't eve have a true grave of their own. It was strange to see the words 'Uchiha Obito" carved there now. Strange to think that all of those years spent training together, competing and loathing each other's company had come to this. Despite all of his best efforts to look down on the "elite Uchiha" over the years, he now did the exact opposite. He had never had a friend quite like Obito, and probably never would. Even if he stopped coming to mediate at the memorial stone, he couldn't forget. Not when the permanently bloody eye stared back at him in the mirror. He had taken to covering it; not out of shame, but respect. That and the fact it drained his Chakra the instant it was uncovered. He had not mastered control of his unruly pupil quite yet.

Now what? The Third Hokage had honoured Obito and congratulated both Rin and Kakashi, but things would never be the same. Kakashi was not going to blindly follow orders any more. Obito had taught him the folly of those actions. It was time that he recognised his own emotions and used them as his strength.

Kakashi lowered himself gently onto the grass, staring quietly at the statue with his one black eye. "I'll never let my comrades die…" The words rolled softly off his tongue, and he knew that he'd be using them again.

"Kakashi-san?" A tentative voice trilled over the field. Kakashi inclined his head towards the sound. It was one of the Kunoichi from the Academy. She lived in the same building as Kurotaka. He rose lightly, brushing off the grass from his gi. "Hai?"

She strode swiftly over to him, one hand on her forehead to shield the sun from her eyes. "I just thought you should know that Yumenimo Kurotaka's back. She fell asleep in her doorway because she lost the keys on her last mission. I heard you asking after her the other day with Miss Shiro, the landlady".

Without even pausing to thank her, Kakashi sprinted off, heart pounding in his head. He loped through the winding streets, brushing past the crowds of villagers going about their daily affairs without a backwards glance. Someone might have called his name at some point, but he didn't stop to follow up the issue. Weaving through the sodden alleyways, he invented a shortcut to Kurotaka's apartment by hurdling a washing line, trespassing through three gardens and scaling a convenient pine tree in order to drop into the doorway. Thankfully the gargantuan Miss Shiro was nowhere to be seen. With a deft flick of his wrist he "unlocked" the doorhandle permanently and sprinted up the stairs. It occurred to him that he didn't actually know which floor Kurotaka lived on, however as a less-than-melodic drone of snoring filled his ears, he was left with few doubts.

Rounding the spiral staircase, taking each stair four at a time, Kakashi finally halted on the fifth floor, the polished wooden passage littered with grubby kunai, muddy clothing and a sleeping Kunoichi, curled up outside her door and snoring as though she hadn't slept for a month. Despite the fact that the amount of noise she was creating could have classified as noise pollution in a dodgy neighbourhood, Kakashi crossed the passage and scooped her up in his arms. Uncertainty was a thing of the past now.

Jerked from her noisy slumber, Kurotaka's midnight blue eyes blearily opened, bloodshot from sleep deprivation. She stared in wonder back at Kakashi, eyes half-open. "Kakashi-kun… what happened to your left eye?" He shook his head, silver hair falling into his original eye, however he was without a free hand to remove it. Kuro snickered, brushing it away for him. "Are you going to say anything to me?". Her hand rested on his shoulder, scratched in criss-crossed red patterns from an attack from some kind of shrubbery.

He blinked, words pelting across his brain from all angles. You care for her, you like her, you may even love her, you don't want her to be hurt, you want her to be happy. He stuttered. Which of these was right? One thought pressed him above them all. His iron ore pupil sought out her navy-blue, held it there and he spoke, voice soft and hesitant.

"I'm afraid I'll have to sit you down, all my scars are pulling and it hurts".

The fatigue in her eyes flashed, replaced with annoyance. "That's the best you can think of? Well I've missed you too Kakashi". She pulled herself out of his arms, stumbling back to the floor and standing up, glaring defiantly back at him. "What the hell were you thinking, picking me up like that if you're just going to dump me down again?" Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. He cursed himself. He'd come off wrong again. This time there was no room for error.

"Kurotaka…" She stopped and stared at him, one eyebrow arched haughtily. "What now, oh eloquent one?"

In one movement he stepped forwards, one hand rising to his mask and the other to her face. Her eyes widened in surprise as one fingerless-gloved hand rose to her eyes, only to stop and stroke the length of her cheekbone. Kakashi gritted his teeth nervously, then, before he could lose his nerve, swiftly pulled his mask down and caught her lips with his own. It was the single most terrifying moment of his life. Never mind the times when he'd been on the wrong end of a jutsu or knife; this one was much more frightening. His eye closed with embarrassment, mouth still on hers; warm and soft. It was a peculiar sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. Kurotaka seemed frozen in front of him, her own lips rigid. Neither of them seemed to know who should make the next move, who should relax first. Had he not been the one in the situation, Kakashi would have probably laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. He opened his eye nervously, only to see her own eyes closed, almost as if she were considering the act.

Then she opened them, pupils an unreadable smoky blue now. Kakashi broke the kiss, about to step back when she grinned at him. "You're still hopeless at expressing yourself". He hadn't noticed her arms that had snaked behind his head, and now caught him, fingers entwining themselves in his short silver tresses and pulling him towards her. She brought her mouth to his own and again, the warmth and softness of the contact, but this time also a certainty. She broke the contact briefly only to return to him, mouth opening slightly. He didn't know what possessed him, or what cue his mind took, but he responded by opening his own mouth and delicately tasting her lips. The tip of his tongue gently tracing the curve of her mouth, her own tongue coming to meet him in a similar embrace, then her mouth closing. Her eyes opened, glowing with warmth as they looked back into his own. His knees were as weak as if he had been running the full day, and judging by the shaking from Kuro's body, she was experiencing the same thing.

"Kakashi-kun", she savoured the word. "Far be it from me to take your place in the Inappropriate Commentary Stakes, but you happen to be both standing on my foot and just in front of my landlady".

…………….

Wild-filly: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter (apologies to those who have read the manga and tuned out for most of the chapter/didn't like my adaptation for the fanfiction) and with any luck I'll update soon.

Other news! Deviantart and I are no longer arguing! If you go to this link (remove the spaces) you will get to wild-filly's deviant art webpage and also find a coloured drawing of Kurotaka! More artwork will also be uploaded eventually, including some scenes from the fanfic. See you all soon! Please review!

www.wild-filly.