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Kakashi
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Kakashi always finds himself here, no matter the day, no matter the year. It is reassuring to know this site still exists, that it will always exist, the only place where nobody seeks him, where he can process everything, all the deaths he's witnessed, the share of responsibility he bears for every one of them. The morning, when the sun is not quite up yet, is his favourite time. Everything is grey except for the first ray of light that pierces through the trees and always lands on the same spot, on the same stone. His team's stone… His old team's stone.
At that thought, Kakashi sits on the green grass still wet with dew and brings his knees up to his chest, then applies his chin to them, arms wrapped around his shins. Every day, he has the same feeling, the same fear that settles deep in his stomach. What if soon he finds their names on that rock? And what if something were to happen to Sasuke? Where would his name appear?
In those moments, Kakashi looks more like a boy than a thirty-year-old man. A lonely boy with fears he cannot control. It never lasts very long, however, and he quickly returns to his aloof attitude and resumes watching the students he still has from afar. Because he ought to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
He remembers the way Sasuke looked at him that day, with the same lost eyes he had worn on one other occasion, on a bridge and with an unconscious pink-haired girl in his lap. The eyes of someone who had lost everything again. And Kakashi said nothing, did not even move when his student deserted the village and sold his body to their number one enemy.
Lazy.
The wings on Sasuke's back had startled Kakashi, so it took him a minute to notice the blond boy floating, face down, in the center of the stream. The black-haired boy made his way up the cliff, and, instead of following, the sensei grabbed Naruto by his drenched orange jacket and hauled him back to the shore. A sobbing Sakura hurried to assess the blond's condition as Kakashi dropped next to them with a sigh and buried his head in his hands, somewhere down between his knees.
Everything that happened that day could have been prevented if only Kakashi had been a better man. If he had listened and been willing to put Sakura in a jail cell for the most part of her thirteen-year. But he didn't. Instead, he focused on taking care of Sasuke's seal and went soft with his female student.
He brought them back that day (minus one), left them in good sannin's hands and went missing for a while. He returned to the Anbu force, spent most of his time out of the village and when he was home, few could find him - except for his blond student. So, when he learned Naruto was leaving to train with Jiraiya, Kakashi must admit he felt relieved. And when he also realized his other student was avoiding him, he relaxed.
Because, to be honest, a part of him had hoped that, after everything, Sakura would have given up her shinobi career and returned to her family's bakery. But on the contrary, as he would eventually learn, in Tsunade's hands, Sakura became obsessed with her training, doing nothing but healing and breaking and healing and breaking again. She learned how to shatter bones with one pinky toe and heal broken ribs between two ramen bites. Around a year later, when Kakashi would finally summon the courage to face her, she would be a completely different person and a chūnin at that.
Sometimes, he misses her innocence, her bright smile, her eyes full of life. But this new Sakura has become his best friend, his little sister; a bond he would have never thought possible has formed between them. And they have to thank the Uchiha brothers for that.
Kakashi runs a hand through his unruly silver hair. What good it does to mull over old memories like that? His fingers reach the cold stone next, and he brushes the names of the people he longs to see one more time. How he wishes Sasuke's name was there too. It would be easier for everyone to move on, knowing he wasn't with them anymore because he couldn't come back, not because he didn't want to.
"Kakashi."
The said man keeps his eyes glued to the names, unbothered by the sudden appearance of the busty woman.
"Hokage-sama."
Tsunade steps away from the shadow of a stone, dark circles adorning her features, making her look older, like her actual age. As she walks closer, Kakashi notices her tense shoulders, and with his trained nose, he can tell she's been drinking more than usual.
"What we talked about, you remember?"
He crosses his arms and leans on the stone, his hip bouncing close to the names he can't stop thinking about, feeling like if he touches them, it will make everything better.
"I remember."
A shadow obscures the sun for a second, and a gust of wind tangles with his silver hair. He watches, mesmerized, as Tsunade's blond locks swirl in front of her voluptuous figure. His fingers itch for a familiar orange book, but her answers redirect his attention to her.
"It's time."
An explosion creates a slight earthquake underneath their feet. Soon, the smell of sake mixes with something else… smoke. Kakashi tries to turn his face towards the disturbance, but Tsunade grabs his masked chin and holds it in place. She locks eyes with him, and for a second, everything stands still. Then she squeezes his face a little tighter, and his gaze falls to her painted lips as they form one last word.
"Now."
Another explosion resounds closer. Tsunade runs towards it, leaving Kakashi behind. With the gears in his mind working relentlessly, his body drags him in the opposite direction.
He reaches Sakura's small apartment in no time and enters through the kitchen window. His foot hit an empty bottle, and the sound drags the pink-haired girl out of her room. "That's my beer," he says, taking in her appearance. She's wearing her training outfit, comprising an oversized green t-shirt and spandex shorts, her hair tied into a high ponytail.
"What?"
"We're leaving. Let's go."
She reaches for her pouch on the dining table. "Is this about the explosion? What's happening? Another of Naruto's stupid pranks?" Then she puts on her boots by the front door. "Or is it your weird way of telling me you want some company?"
"Yes. I don't know. I would never take part in one of Naruto's pranks. And I always crave your company, Sakura-chan, but now, we have to go."
He wastes no more of their precious time and jumps through the window. As he hops from rooftop to rooftop, Sakura's subtle footsteps echo behind him. He leads her to a familiar building, but as they land on the balcony, the door yanks open, and Naruto stumbles forward against Sakura, who, not expecting this, gets propelled backward against Kakashi's chest.
"Ah, my favourite students, still annoying me after all these years."
Sakura mumbles a small apology before turning to her blond teammate, arms crossed over her chest. It doesn't take more for Naruto to apologize with a sheepish smile.
"We don't have time for this. Naruto, we're leaving. Now. They're here for you, and I won't let them get to you. You hear me?"
Sakura glances at him with widening eyes but doesn't say a word as Naruto jumps on the railing.
"They're here? For me? They're exploding things, maybe people, because of me? I'll kill them! I won't let them destroy Konoha! Not again! I'm not a coward. I'm staying!"
He's about to jump when Kakashi grabs him by the front of his shirt and yanks him back.
"The situation is different. Not everyone in the village is on your side anymore. This is Hokage's order. We're leaving. Let's go."
He exchanges a look with his female student, who, after nodding, hurls Naruto forward by the tip of his ear.
"Kakashi-sensei said now, Naruto. So, it means right now."
A second later, the three of them are running for it, getting closer to the training grounds, the woods, and the outskirts of the village, and Kakashi cannot help feeling like all of this is just too easy.
And maybe he's jinxed it because a second later, he deviates from his course as a kunai tries to reach his heart. He doesn't have to glance behind to know who's after them. He guesses cloaks with red clouds or masks with animal faces.
A sudden purple explosion redirects Kakashi's attention forward. He knows they can't avoid it, so before everything turns dark, he inhales deeply.
"Poison! Hold your breath!"
He turns at the sound of Sakura's voice and nods at his student, thankful she isn't only smart enough to notice the poison but also to warn Naruto.
They have to slow down inside the smoke, and Kakashi can tell their assailants are closing in on them. He speeds up and lets the air engulf his lungs as he escapes the poison.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
Narutos appear from everywhere, some even morphing into copies of Sakura and himself. His silver hair bounces around him each time his clones land on another branch.
Kakashi sighs. If only regular threats were following them, he thinks, glancing back and avoiding another weapon aimed at him. You would have to be foolish to believe that these bastards can fall for such an easy trick.
"Naruto. Save your chakra. We don't know for how long we will have to run."
He lifts his headband, letting his Sharingan loose. They are out of the village but not out of trouble, and Kakashi is about to retaliate when a delicate touch on his elbow stops him mid-way.
"Save your chakra," Sakura whispers in his ear. "Do you trust me?"
He glances at her, and his mismatched eyes lock with two viridian orbs.
"I trust you with my life, Sakura. You know that."
She smiles and glances at Naruto, who somehow heard the conversation and nods at her.
"We have to make them think you guys are actually Naruto's clones."
He frowns. "What about you?"
A kunai passes between them, and Sakura pushes herself to the left before returning to his side.
"I promised Tsunade yesterday that I wouldn't give up on the Leaf. I'll find another way back to you; don't worry."
Naruto turns around and hurls himself at her, but she keeps on running, so he misses her and ends up in a tree. He stays there a second, stares in silence until a kunai embeds itself in his tree, a few inches away from his face. He hurries back to his friends then, but remains behind, his gaze lost in the movements of Sakura's pink hair.
"Sakura-chan. You won't sacrifice yourself. Not for me."
A sad smile stretches on her pretty lips. "Who said anything about a sacrifice? Listen, we have to do something, Naruto. They can't have you, and you know it. Kakashi is better suited for keeping you safe; he knows how to keep the Kyūbi at bay. But someone has to go. I'll use my superhuman strength, away from the rest of the group. It should make them doubt, and hopefully, they will split in half."
Kakashi remains silent. He doesn't want to admit it, but her plan could work. She has the most potential of survival because of her healing abilities, and, once they find out about the lure, they'll probably keep her alive, as she is Tsunade's apprentice, an essential asset for the hospital, thus for Konoha's citizens.
"Be careful," he says at last. "We will try to reach Gaara. If you can, please meet us or at least let us know you're okay. Our sanity will depend on this."
He holds her gaze until Naruto engulfs her in a weird hug, half-carrying her as he continues to run. "We'll meet again. Soon. I love you, Sakura-chan."
She laughs one last time, her smile never reaching her eyes, and makes her way to another duo of Kakashi and Naruto. She casts one last glance at her team before departing with the clones.
"I love you too, guys."
Another Sakura replaces her beside Naruto as the blond asks his clones to scatter in every direction. When Kakashi glances behind, he sees some of Danzō's men following the lure, but most of them keep their focus on Naruto. Three figures cloaked in Akatsuki robes stand in the middle of the crowd, to Kakashi's dismay.
But at a sudden feminine shout and the shaking of the earth beneath their feet, the group reduces again. However, that doesn't seem to faze the three Akatsuki members, and Kakashi's Sharingan glimpses at two crimson eyes.
"Itachi," he murmurs, making Naruto tense. "I wonder why he didn't tell the others about Sakura's plan. He must have seen through it."
Naruto curses before waving some hand signs. More clones appear, and, accompanied by Sakura's copy, they charge at their pursuers. The blond and his sensei hasten their pace.
"We can't confront Itachi and his shark, plus these other guys," Naruto says, and Kakashi nods before creating two clones of his own.
"You're not as dumb as I remember. Hyūga is a good influence."
Naruto's laugh echoes in the forest, and a smile makes its way to Kakashi's hidden lips.
But the pair quickly falls silent again. And after a while, the sensei and his student have managed to put enough distance between them and their assailants. At first, faint explosions and shouts could still be heard, but the forest soon turns quiet as Kakashi's anxiety grows. He notices the sunset; they've been running for half a day already, and somehow, it doesn't seem like they'll be able to stop any time soon.
Kakashi is now trying to convince himself that it isn't Itachi following them and that they did a great job at outwitting their pursuers, but something feels wrong. He can only hope Sakura is okay because if not, it would be his entire fault. He shouldn't have said yes, knows it was risky, even if she is a powerful kunoichi. But now, what's done is done, and Kakashi has to remind himself that the mission comes first.
"I have to say that I am not surprised at all, senpai."
Kakashi comes to a stop and pulls Naruto back by the shirt. Three silhouettes in black and red cloaks are standing in front of them. When he meets the woman's glare, his blood chills. "Wolf?"
She smirks, but Itachi settles on ignoring him.
"You knew it was a suicidal move, and yet, you let her go. The mission comes first. Am I not right, senpai? The village comes first. No matter the cost. Such a waste of talent. I heard a lot of great things about her."
"Bastard! She's not dead, don't talk about her that way. You don't know her. She's stronger than those stupid traitors!"
Itachi hums as the sharklike man beside him bursts out laughing.
"Naruto, relax, don't fall into his trap. Stay calm and keep your emotions in check. We cannot risk letting Kyūbi take control. Not now."
He hears his student sigh, takes it as a good sign and turns his attention back to the Akatsuki members in front of him—one problem at a time, Hatake.
"I guess you know a thing or two about sacrifices and the village coming first, Uchiha."
Even with his mismatched eyes staring at the blue man beside Itachi, Kakashi's Sharingan registers the slight tension in the Uchiha's shoulders and the subtle twitch of his foot at the teasing.
"She always gives, with nothing in return, and after all those years, you all still take advantage of that."
Kakashi's attention snaps back to the young woman. Her short hair, once black, is now almost white and contrasts with the dark brown of her bushy eyebrows. She peers at them through long eyelashes and her eyes, almost black, seem to wear all the hatred of the world. Even if he can still recognize Wolf behind all the changes, there is something different about her.
"Is it really Wolf?"
Naruto's voice wavers as if he doubts it too.
"Not that you would care," Kakashi settles on answering her initial statement after a while. "If I remember correctly, you despised her and her civilian heritage."
"Oh, no. You're mistaken. You did kill Wolf," the woman answers, picking at her nails. "And I couldn't care less about that clan supremacy bullshit."
"Who are you, then?"
Kakashi isn't stupid; he already knows the answer to Naruto's question. There is just one person who could use someone else's body, one girl who would know their team dynamic.
"You're Nezumi Hana."
Naruto's gasp echoes in the forest, but before Kakashi could ask him to better hide his emotions, the girl replies.
"I am, Kakashi-sensei."