Author's Note: I have already written 10 chapters of this one before posting it, so I have to finish it at least through Shipp. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews!
Chapter 1: Homecoming
The young woman grabbed the edge of the rock and peeked over, down to the overgrown grass below. Her eyes darted across the patch, looking for any sign of movement.
"Are you looking for him again?" a man asked from behind her.
"Of course." the woman whispered, never letting her eyes shift from their search.
"It's been two days…." the man sighed. The woman bit her lip, keeping faith in her endeavor. A flash of red caught her attention. She reached down to a blade of grass, gently tracing her fingers along the fresh blood that stained it. Her fingers twitched, apprehensive about every shake of the blades. She took a deep breath and pushed her hand down deeper into the green, groping for the familiar feeling. A smile crept across her lips.
"There you are." She cried out in pain when she felt it: the sensation of two white hot needles poking into her hand.
"What's wrong?" The man rushed to her side. She could feel his hand on her back, but she kept her eyes tightly shut as she forced her fingers around perpetrator's scaly body. The man let out a small gasp as she pulled her hand from the depths of the grass. A violet serpent clung to her hand with its fangs. It wrapped the length of its body around her arm, releasing for only a second to let out a terrifying hiss, before digging its fangs back into her flesh. "What are you doing? Release it!"
"It's okay…." She shakily pulled the small serpent closer to her body. She reached down to the small purse sitting next to her, digging through it for a jar of ointment and bandages. She slowly began treating the wounds on the body of the serpent: gently cleaning and wrapping them. When the last wound had been nursed, she stood and began walking.
"Where are you going? We need to treat that bite!" the man called after her. She could hear his footsteps steadily following her, and she just smiled.
"In a minute." She stopped at an old, abandoned building, just on the outskirts of their village. The woman bent down to look into the crawl space below the house. She smiled at the white snake sitting atop a nest of broken eggs. "I found him." The woman gently pulled the violet serpent off her arm and released him. He moved as quickly as his injured body could take him, dipping into the safety of the nest. The white snake's golden eyes bore into the woman, like it was memorizing her—every detail of her being, both physical and spiritual. "Take care of yourself, okay? There have been more eagles here than before. I'll keep looking for the others." She stood, dusting off her skirt, and suddenly flinched at the pain in her hand. It was beginning to burn more and more.
"You should take your own advice." the man stated, coming up behind her. "Let me see it." He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist and lifted her hand up. His thumb pushed against the swelling near her wound, and she cried out again, squeezing her eyes shut and turning to bury her face in his shoulder. "It's alright." He brought her hand up to his face, and she felt his lips push against the puncture marks, sucking out the venom she had been injected with. She opened her eyes just a crack. The sun was setting behind him, casting a shadow that left his face obscured. But she could see his eyes carefully observing her pain-stricken expression. His eyes were so beautiful.
"I love you."
"Are you really okay taking this risk on your own, Kakashi?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked the silver-haired jōnin, taking only a moment to glance up from the paperwork in front of him.
"It's the least we can do." Kakashi replied with a shrug of his shoulders, his hands still casually buried in his pant pockets. The aging Hokage looked so small behind the heavy responsibilities of his office desk. Hiruzen's pen stopped moving.
"The least we can do…." the Hokage repeated, eyes glazed over with memories of the past. The old man's shoulders slumped visibly as he sighed and leaned back in his chair. His brows pulled together, drawing deep creases across his forehead to his receding, grey hairline. "Is that really all we can muster?" he mumbled under his breath, asking no one in particular.
"It doesn't seem like much," Kakashi answered anyways, "but it means a lot to her."
"When does she want to come?" Hiruzen's voice felt distant.
"The night of his graduation."
"I see…." A few moments of silence passed before Hiruzen let out another heavy sigh and pulled himself up from his chair. "Come with me, Kakashi."
"Where are we going?" Kakashi asked, following the old man out of the office building.
"Perhaps a bit of insight into your newest squad would do you good." Hiruzen said.
"I'm not naïve enough to go easy on them because of personal feelings." the jōnin warned.
"Don't give me that upset look. Humor me." So Kakashi did. He followed the Hokage to Naruto's apartment. A messy little space filled with empty cups of ramen and expired milk. The polar-opposite of his father. Kakashi had known Minato to be meticulous. A real perfectionist. It was hard to believe they were related. They made their way to Sakura's house and got dragged into an hour-long conversation with her doting parents. When they finally managed to break free, the Hokage led him to a new apartment building. Kakashi made his way up the stairs and into the tidy space of Sasuke's apartment.
"Sasuke's father, Fugaku Uchiha, was very strict." Hiruzen said, looking around the perfectly kept room. "It seems the boy has inherited his discipline." But Kakashi noticed something else in the room. He picked up a framed picture of Sasuke's family. He ran his thumb across the torn corner.
"Just like Itachi." Kakashi finally replied.
"Yes, I remember him well. I assigned him to your ANBU squad for that very reason. The boy was a natural genius. I knew he would take to the role."
"Perhaps too well." Kakashi set down the picture and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Now I need you to look after the younger one."
'What? Like it's supposed to be my second chance?" the jōnin scoffed.
"I understand this is hard for you. But you are the only Leaf shinobi remaining with a Sharingan. If Sasuke activates his, you'll have to teach him to master it." Hiruzen was adamant.
"Of course, I will." It wasn't a conversation the Hokage needed to have with him. Kakashi had promised her he would. "She used to say, 'the shadow of tragedy follows this eye.' She called it a curse on her people. I wonder if it might be best not to activate the Sharingan at all." Hiruzen stared at Kakashi, deeply considering his perspective.
'Are you really okay taking this risk on your own, Kakashi?' Hiruzen's words rang through Kakashi's mind as he sluggishly made his way down the Ninja Academy hallways. The building was dead silent, save for his lone footsteps. Risk. It was an interesting choice of words. There was very real risk involved. She was a rogue ninja, after all. He mindlessly turned a corner. If Kakashi wasn't careful, he could be followed by the ANBU Black Ops and implicated in assisting a defector of the village gain entry. Kakashi reached for the classroom door and began to slide it open. If she wasn't careful, she could be killed. But neither of those situations were his main concern. A sudden thump against his head pulled Kakashi out of his trance-like state. He glanced down at the falling chalkboard eraser and tried to piece together what had happened.
"WHAHAHAHA!" an uproarious laugh reminded him he was no longer alone with his thoughts. "I got him! He totally fell for it!" a boy's voice choked out between snickers. It was a childish prank: a blackboard eraser wedged at the top of the sliding classroom door. Perhaps even more embarrassing was the fact that Kakashi fell for it. He focused his attention on the laughing boy: blue eyes, spikey blonde hair, a bright orange jumpsuit, and a loud, hyperactive personality. Naruto Uzumaki.
"I'm so sorry, sensei! I tried to stop Naruto, but he wouldn't listen!" a girl with distinctive light pink hair and green eyes quickly apologized. Sakura Haruno. Before he bent over to pick up the eraser, Kakashi's gaze momentarily drifted to the last individual in the room. Sasuke Uchiha…. In the quick blinks of his eye, Kakashi could have sworn he saw her sitting in that desk in place of Sasuke. The same straight black hair, except Sasuke's hair was short. Her hair reached her lower back. The same choppy bangs that fell into their eyes, except Sasuke's eyes were cold. Her eyes had always been kind and full of love. The same delicate facial features that made them both so popular, except Sasuke's face was fixed into a seemingly permanent scowl. Her features had always been adorned with a seemingly permanent smile. He could remember a time when he was able to draw perfect parallels between the two Uchiha. What a shame… he thought, tightening his grip on the eraser with one hand, and brining the other up to his chin as he glossed over his sadness with a gleeful tone.
"Hmm…how can I say this?" Kakashi wondered out loud. "Based on my first impression…I hate you all." He could see the young ninjas' shoulders slump with disappointment. "Well, follow me." Kakashi mumbled. "No point staying cooped up in this room any longer." He led the three young graduates to the rooftop of the academy. "Take a seat." he instructed, leaning up against the railing of the roof to face them. They stared at him, eagerly waiting for him to continue. It was clear they had been handheld entirely too much at the academy. He crossed his arms. "Alright," he started with a sigh, "why don't you introduce yourselves? One at a time."
"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura asked. "Well, what are we supposed to say?" Seriously?
"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies," Kakashi began listing with a mundane tone, "things like that."
"Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?" Naruto chimed in. "That way we can see how it works."
"Me?" Kakashi asked. "O…." He thought for a moment and decided not to reveal too much about himself. It was unclear whether they would even pass his test. What would be the point of making any connections this early on? "Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake. I'm the kind of person who doesn't talk about my likes and dislikes."
"Huh?" Sakura and Naruto's mouths hung open with surprise at his callous attitude. He was probably far more straightforward than any of their instructors at the academy.
"My dreams for the future are none of your business and," Kakashi continued, ignoring their outburst, " I have lots of hobbies."
"That was totally useless," Sakura whispered, turning to Naruto and Sasuke, "all he really told us was his name."
"Okay, your turn. On the right, you first." Kakashi cut in, motioning to the blonde. Naruto instantly perked up and began fiddling with his headband.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! What I like is ramen," Kakashi's gaze softened a bit as the boy rambled on and on about ramen. Does he think about anything other than ramen? "and my dream…is to surpass the Hokage. And then the people of this village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody—somebody important!" It was the first meaningful interaction Kakashi had with the boy, and he could instantly see how Naruto had burrowed his way into her heart. He's grown in an interesting way. Nonetheless, you would be proud.
"Hobbies?" the jōnin asked.
"Pranks, I guess." Naruto replied with a shrug. …mostly proud. Kakashi corrected his previous thought.
"Next." Kakashi's eyes moved to the young, brooding Uchiha situated between the two perky ninja.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are lots of things I dislike, and I don't really like anything." Sasuke started. "What I have isn't a dream, but an ambition: the resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man." 'Look after him, Kakashi. Don't let him fall victim to this curse.' Kakashi's eyes narrowed with disappointment in himself as he heard her words echo through his mind. I'm sorry.
"Okay, and lastly, the girl."
"My name is Sakura Haruno, and the thing I like…" the pink-haired girl paused and let out a small giggle. "I mean, the person I like is…." Her green eyes darted between the ground in front of her and Sasuke as she let out another series of high-pitched squeals and giggles. "My dream for the future…and hobby…."
"Things you dislike?" Kakashi asked, trying to hurry her along. Girls this age are more interested in love than ninjutsu.
"Naruto." Sakura responded in a much heavier tone, causing the blonde ninja to hang his head in defeat.
"Good, now that introductions are out of the way, get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll have our first mission."
"What kind of a mission?!" Naruto asked excitedly, jumping to his feet.
"It's a survival exercise." Kakashi replied.
"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice." Sakura protested. "We already did this stuff at the academy. That's how we got here."
"This is not like your previous training." Kakashi corrected, growing impatient with the group.
"So, uh…what kind of training is it then?" Naruto prodded. A sinister giggle left Kakashi's throat.
"Hey…that's a normal question. What's so funny?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion at their silver-haired instructor.
"If I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." Kakashi replied. He was sure they could hear his smile in his tone, despite the mask covering his face. "Of the twenty-seven graduates who came here, only nine will actually be accepted as genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy." His tone was serious now. "In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass or fail test, and the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent." He stopped to observe their shaken expressions and resumed his light-hearted tone. "See? Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it?"
"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! What was that graduation test for anyways?" Naruto yelled.
"O, that? That was just to select candidates who might become genin…or not."
"What?!" the blonde shrieked.
"That's how it is." Kakashi shrugged. He pulled out three pieces of paper and began handing them out. "I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five AM and bring your ninja gear." He took a moment to enjoy the fruits of his psychological torture and turned away from the group. "That's it, you're dismissed." He stopped for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. "O, and tomorrow you better skip breakfast…or else you'll puke. That's all." He quickly departed, leaving the group anxiously awaiting their fate. It might have been a bit cruel, but perhaps it was just because he was cranky. Nothing they presently felt could compare to the anxiety that brewed in his stomach as he quickly made his way to the front gate of the village.
"Kakashi?" Kotetsu Hagane called out upon seeing his senior. He scratched his head full of spiky black hair and adjusted the strip of bandage across the bridge of his nose as he checked his deployment list. "I don't see you on the roster for today. Are you heading out for personal business?"
"I wish." Kakashi replied, walking over to Kotetsu's booth and holding out a scroll. "I met with my new genin team today and got roped into running an errand for Lord Third when I reported back." Kotetsu opened the scroll and let out a small laugh as he checked the official seal.
"That's what you get for trying to finish early. No wonder Asuma always keeps his team so late on the first day." Kotetsu smiled and handed the scroll back to Kakashi.
"He's got the old man figured out, that's for sure." Kakashi tucked the scroll back into his pocket and gave Kotetsu a wave. "See you." He was off again without another word, carefully observing his surroundings as he moved through the forest. 'Are you really okay taking this risk on your own, Kakashi?' Any rational person would have been afraid of getting caught by the ANBU Black Ops, but that was hardly a concern for Kakashi. It didn't seem as terrifying as the prospect of seeing her again. It had been so long. There were so many emotions and memories that he had successfully squashed down inside of himself. He could feel them bubbling up the closer and closer he got to their meeting point, and he wasn't sure he was ready to face them. He instinctively raised his hand, dipping his fingers into his mask and brushed them against the vertical scar on his left eye. Obito…. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself. It was pathetically shaky. He stopped at the halfway point and pulled another scroll out of his pocket. He nicked his thumb against a kunai knife and ran it down the length of the paper, leaving an uneven trail of blood against it. Combined with a few hand seals, Kakashi summoned a group of ninja hounds.
"What's going on, Kakashi?" Pakun, a small pug with a gruff voice, asked.
"I need you all to spread out in this area and make sure no one is tracking me. Pakun, you stay with me. The rest of you, report if you sense anything suspicious, even a hint of the ANBU Black Ops." Kakashi explained. The hounds scattered without another word, leaving only Pakun behind.
"Is everything alright?" the pug asked, tilting his head slightly with concern for the jōnin he had known for so long.
"We'll see." Kakashi muttered under his breath and began moving again. He pulled his headband up, revealing his usually hidden left eye. Despite not having used it in battle for months, it never ceased to amaze Kakashi how quickly his borrowed eye would adapt and return to full vision. Pakun watched him frantically glancing around his surroundings. "There!" Kakashi jumped down from the high tree-tops into a tiny clearing in the woods.
"There's nothing here, Kakashi." Pakun said, sniffing around the clearing.
"Nothing you can sense." Kakashi replied. "But I can see her with my Sharingan."
"See who?" Pakun asked, raising his brow at the jōnin, whose gaze had not moved from the center of the clearing.
"It's been a long time." a silvery voice called out. Pakun jumped when he saw a flurry of leaves kick up from the forest floor. They twirled elegantly in the air, coming together to shape a woman.
"Is that really you?" Pakun asked, taking a small step forward as the woman fully materialized. Though she only opened her eyes slightly, it was all Pakun needed to see the vibrant red of her Sharingan, even through her thick, black lashes. "I see…genjutsu that can only be detected by another Sharingan."
"It's been too long." Kakashi agreed. Her red eyes moved from the pug to Kakashi, and he felt the full force of his anxiety hit him. He let out a ragged breath as he reached up to cover his left eye. He caught a hint of sadness in her eyes as they returned to their usual onyx state, but she quickly covered it up with a faint smile. Kakashi was surprised. By every measure, she had grown into an exceptionally beautiful woman: her waist length black hair was as silky as ever; her face still held all the same delicate features that so many of their classmates had admired; her body…. Kakashi's eyes momentarily drifted down. Her thin, silk kimono tightly hugged her curves, and as she crouched down to pet Pakun, her right leg poked out from the slit in the skirt wrapping, exposing the top of her thigh. She had always been well-endowed, but there was still noticeable growth in her breasts since the last time he saw her. Stop it. He bit his own tongue hard, forcing himself to return his eyes back to her face. She looked up at him as she stood and walked closer. Her smile grew wider as she leaned in to observe him.
"I thought so…." she whispered.
"W-what?" Kakashi asked shakily, afraid she might have caught his inappropriate behavior.
"Your eyes are different." she replied. "They're kinder."
"Kinder?" It was a strange thing to say. Was it supposed to be a compliment?
"They were so cold after…" she hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath, and Kakashi could see it clearly now: there was a profound grief in her. It slipped to the surface no matter how hard she tried to cover it. Her eyes had changed, too. The orbs that had been so full of joy and love were spilling over with anguish. "I—I was just worried about you."
"I guess I'm just getting soft in my old age." Kakashi offered with an awkward scratch of his head. She laughed at his bad joke.
"I'm glad the ANBU didn't change you." She gently took his arm as they started the journey back to the Leaf Village.
"Actually, I'm not in the ANBU anymore."
"You're not?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.
"I was reassigned to the standard forces as a jōnin leader." She giggled. "What's so funny?"
"O, nothing." she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "You were always impatient and a strict disciplinarian, even as a kid. Your squad must be pretty tough."
"They've all failed my entry test, so I've never had the chance to see what kind of a squad I would manage."
"All of them? What was wrong?"
"None of them knew how to work as a team…." Kakashi said. A heavy silence fell over them. He paused for a moment to listen to the crunching of leaves under their footsteps, afraid of her reaction to the next part of his news. "Sasuke's been assigned to my squad this year." She stopped in her tracks, and Kakashi felt his heart sink as her hand gently pulled on his arm. If the choice had been left up to him, he would've been too terrified to stop walking and face her. His shoulders hung slightly as he looked over them to see her stunned expression.
"Y—your squad? Is it—I mean, could he still be reassigned?" It was like a dagger in his gut.
"No. The other teams are full." He heard a sigh leave her lips, and suddenly that faint smile was back again.
"Thank goodness." She was happy? It didn't make sense to him.
"You're okay with this?" he asked.
"Of course, aren't you?" she returned.
"I—I didn't think you wanted….." He tried desperately to form the words. Her brow drew up in concern as he tried to stammer out his message. "After what happened with Obito and Rin, I thought—" She quickly interrupted him by placing her hand softly on his masked face.
"That wasn't your fault." she assured.
"We both know that isn't true."
"I wouldn't want it to be anyone else." Her voice was adamant. "I was so worried about who his teammates and squad leader would be. We both know what the dangers are." Her hand slipped from Kakashi's face, and she snaked her arms around his torso. He instantly reciprocated her hug, finding a comfort that had been lost to him for many years now. "I'm so relieved you're going to be guiding him." 'What I have isn't a dream, but an ambition: the resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man.' Guilt oozed up inside of Kakashi. He had already failed her. He worried that her faith in him was misplaced. Would he really be able to free Sasuke of the hate that consumed him?
"Naruto is his teammate." A heavy silence hung between them.
"The village elders are okay with an Uchiha so close to the Nine Tails?" she finally asked.
"Lord Third believes Sasuke's Sharingan will be vital to helping Naruto control the power of the Nine Tails."
"His Sharingan?" Her composed face was suddenly flushed with horror. "He's activated it?"
"No, not yet." Kakashi quickly corrected. "Definitely not." Another sigh of relief left her lips. "You still think it's a curse?" Her eyes were gazed over and staring off into the distance.
"More than ever." she barely whispered.
"Kakashi," Pakun spoke up, "we're getting close."
"Thank you for all your help, Pakun." the Uchiha woman said with a gracious bow. "I can take it from here." She reached over her shoulder to grab the hilt of the massive sword she carried around. It bumped against the equally large scythe on her back.
"Don't you get tired of lugging those around?" Kakashi asked. She smiled and shook her head as she unsheathed the blade and sliced her thumb on it. It was then that Kakashi noticed the peculiar nature of the steel: one side had a summoning contract with the Ninja Cats of Sora-Ku engraved onto it, and the other had a summoning contract with the Colossal Serpents of Ryûchi Cave. Her cut thumb left a trail of blood behind on the Sora-Ku contract. She held the enormous blade with her right hand as she weaved the summoning signs with her left hand alone. Manipulating chakra with minimal hand seals, single-handed seals, or no seals was an incredibly rare ability, even among elite clans like the Uchiha. In their absence, Kakashi had almost forgotten how powerful they were: Fugaku Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha…and her. It had felt impossible to catch up with them when he was younger, and now as he aged, the gap in their talents only seemed to widen. She dropped down on one knee and placed her hand on the ground. A summoning seal appeared, bringing with it two cats.
"Denka, Hina!" Pakun called out, walking over to sniff the felines. "It's been so long."
"Pakun!" Denka, the light brown male cat in a blue kimono, exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Kakashi turned his attention to the female cat in the red kimono. She gingerly approached her master.
"M-ma'am…are you—" Hina quickly cut her question short when the Uchiha woman raised her hand, her beautiful face affectless.
"I'm fine." she assured, sliding her sword back into its sheath. "I'm going back to the Leaf Village."
"Did something change?" Denka asked with a burdensome look on his face.
"No, nothing." she replied. "Which is why I need your help. Sneak in under cover and make sure no one is tailing me."
"Understood." the cats called out in unison, taking off toward the village ahead of her.
"Pakun, are you still scheduled to take over guard duty for the gate in a few minutes?" Kakashi asked.
"I am." Pakun confirmed. "I'll see you both there." And with that, the small pug took off toward the village ahead of his master.
"How do you plan to sneak in?" Kakashi asked. She pulled a scroll out of her sleeve and laid it open on the ground in front of them.
"Through the front gate." she replied casually, loosening the sash that held her sword and scythe. The hilt of the scythe hit the ground with a heavy thud, and with a few more single-handed seals, the weapons were absorbed into her scroll and tucked back into the sleeve of her kimono.
"That would be a lot easier if your picture wasn't in the Bingo Book." he pointed out. She smiled and held up half a seal, transforming into an old woman in front of his eyes. "So, this is what Shisui had to look forward to." Kakashi joked. A witch-like cackle left her throat.
"Let's go, sonny." She gingerly grabbed his arm and Kakashi shook his head.
"Kotetsu is the sentry today."
"And?"
"What? You don't think your former student is going to recognize your chakra?" the jōnin pushed.
"He won't." she said confidently. "I've been suppressing my chakra since I left the village. I only recently began releasing it again. I doubt anyone outside of a select few Hyuga could pinpoint it."
"Six years?" he asked. "You've kept it suppressed for six years?"
"Give or take."
"Then why now?"
"Kakashi…." She pulled on his arm, urging him to begin the journey back to the village. "It's time. C'mon."
Kotetsu gave an aggravated sigh, switching positions in his chair again.
"What a slow day…." he complained to himself. "Hm?" He perked up a bit when he noticed his returning comrade approach the gate. "Hey, Pakun!" Kotetsu called to the sleeping pug.
"H-huh?" Pakun jerked awake.
"Who's the old lady with Kakashi?" he asked. Pakun stood and stretched, jumping down from the wooden booth to get a better look at the approaching jōnin.
"No clue." the pug replied. The pair watched Kakashi slowly lead the elderly woman to the booth.
"This is where you'll fill in the entry paperwork." the silver-haired ninja explained. "Just let Kotetsu know who you're here to see, and he can help you with the rest. I'm sure your friend will be excited to see you after so many years."
"I'll need your name first, ma'am." Kotetsu said with a pleasant smile.
"Kameko Oba."
"And who are you here to see?"
"My old friend, Biwako Sarutobi." the elderly woman replied cheerfully. Kotetsu exchanged a shocked look with Kakashi.
"The third Hokage's wife?" Kotetsu confirmed.
"Yes, I know she must be awfully busy, but if she can spare even a moment to catch up with me—"
"N-no, it's not that…." Kotetsu said with a sullen look on his face.
"We're sorry to be the ones who have to tell you this…" Kakashi started," if I had known that's who you were coming to see, I would've told you when we met."
"Tell me what?" the old woman asked.
"Biwako passed away about twelve years ago…." the dark-haired chūnin said.
"O dear…." The old woman brought the sleeve of her kimono up to her face, patting dry the few tears that had slipped from her doleful eyes. "I wish…." She sniffled. "There were so many things I wanted to share with her."
"Would you like to visit her grave?" Kakashi asked. "I can take you there."
"Would you really, child?" the old woman glanced over at him. "I've burdened you greatly today."
"Not at all." the jōnin assured, exchanging a quick nod with Kotetsu, who began furiously filling out paperwork. He handed the woman a scroll and gave her a sad smile.
"Here's your visiting paperwork. We just need to have our ninja hound, Pakun, inspect you and you'll be free to enter the village. The pug perked up at his name being called and circled the woman, sniffing the air around her.
"She's clean." Pakun said in a gruff voice, jumping back up to his spot on the booth table.
"Thank you for your help." The woman gave a gracious bow and took Kakashi's arm, letting him lead her into the village. She smiled once they were out of earshot. "He's grown, hasn't he?"
"Just physically." Kakashi joked. "He's still a chūnin. Much too immature to be promoted to jōnin."
"I supposed I wasn't much of a mentor." she sighed.
Kakashi glanced up at the cats that had been running across the roofs behind them. They certainly fit in well.
"Do you mind if we stop to get some flowers?" the old woman asked.
"Sure." Kakashi replied, leading her to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. The woman picked out an assortment of white lilies and red roses, taking them to the young blonde girl that was working the counter.
"Wow, these are beautiful!" the girl said with cheery blue eyes. "Are they for someone special?"
"Yes," the old woman replied with a small smile, "someone very special."
"We should hurry." Kakashi reminded, cutting their conversation short.
"Of course." The old woman paid the young blonde girl and was off with a wave, carrying the bouquet of flowers close to her chest. Kakashi led her to the cemetery, to a row in the far back where she dropped to her knees, gently picking the weeds off the neglected gravestones.
"Shisui's parents?" the silver-haired ninja asked. The woman nodded.
"He loved them deeply." She moved to her own parents' graves, noticing their cleaner condition as she placed their flowers. "Did you do this?"
"No, he comes by often to clean them. He never stays too long, but he always makes sure they're clean."
"I can't wait to see him…." the woman said with a smile, moving to the Killed in Action Memorial. She sat before the stone and ran her fingers across one name: Shisui Uchiha. "I'm so sorry, my love." Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out the apology. "In the end, I was completely useless."
"Shisui may not have intended for things to turn out this way, but he would never blame you for it." Kakashi reassured her. She seemed unconvinced by his logic. She placed the flowers and moved her finger to the next name: Obito Uchiha.
Kakashi felt his guilt ooze up again, and he opted to keep a respectful distance. "It wasn't your fault." It was like she could read his mind. It suddenly hit him how stupid he must have sounded a few moments ago, trying to argue away her guilt. The old friends repeated the condolences to each other, hoping that it might make a difference in the grief they were both feeling. A practice held in vain. They would remain fixed in their positions: they were failures. It was all they saw in self-reflection. They had failed over and over again, until all there was left to do was express their deepest regrets at the graves of the victims of their shortcomings. Yet, when they looked at each other, there was nothing but adoration. She saw a nobility in Kakashi that she had known in few others. And Kakashi saw a bravery in her that he could only dream of obtaining. But those truths only held form in the hearts and minds of their owners. As soon as they escaped their lips, they fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. The two friends went through the ritual, nonetheless, hoping one day their sentiments might penetrate the other's walls. "There." she said, placing her last few flowers. "I'm ready to go."
"I'll take you to him." Kakashi helped the woman up and led her to an apartment complex.
"He wasn't allowed to move back into the house?" she asked as they made their way to the top floor.
"No, the Uchiha District is closed off to this day." Kakashi replied, jiggling a key in the apartment's front door. He wrestled with it for a bit before the door gave, and the pair entered the well-kept space. No sooner had Kakashi closed the door that the woman released her transformation, returning to her former beauty. She walked through the apartment, running her fingers across the furniture, and stopping to observe the framed picture on the living room shelf. Her smile fell when she noticed the torn edge of the photograph. Everyone was present with beaming grins, but one had been exiled. The only hint that he had ever existed was the remainder of his hand on Sasuke's small shoulder.
"Tell me, Kakashi: how is he really?" the woman whispered.
"Angry." Kakashi answered honestly.
"He never used to be like that." she muttered, tracing his young face in the picture. "He was such a happy child."
"Can you blame him?" Kakashi wondered if he would feel any differently.
"No." she replied, setting the picture back on the shelf. "But I won't let him fall victim to this curse." Kakashi perked at the sound outside of the apartment door. The woman nodded, allowing the jōnin to take his leave through the window. She took a few steps toward the door when she no longer heard a key rustling in the lock and couldn't help but to smile when she felt a kunai pressed up against her back.
"Don't move." the boy's voice ordered. She held out her hands in cooperation. "Who the hell are you?"
"Do you really not recognize me, Sasuke?" she called sweetly. She heard him take several steps back and turned to face him for the first time, flashing a gentle smile. Sasuke's eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat.
"W-what ar—" his voice broke. She could see his eyes beginning to well up. So, she held out her arms for him.
"Is it so strange that I would want to congratulate my little brother on his graduation?" she asked. Sasuke bit his lip in a feeble attempt to hold back the tears that were freely trailing down his face now. He dropped the kunai knife and ran into her arms, choking back his sobs as she cradled his head and held him close to her. "I know." she cooed softly in his ear, running her fingers through his hair with one hand and rubbing his back with the other. She placed soft kisses on the crown of his head.
"Where have you been?" he whimpered. Guilt overwhelmed her. He had been in so much pain.
"Forgive me, Sasuke." She felt him tense at the line that had been repeated to him his entire childhood. If he had indeed forgiven each one of those misgivings, Sasuke was undoubtedly the most merciful person alive. "I'm here now." He pulled away from her embrace, just enough to meet her gaze, and gently pushed the tips of his fingers to the skin beneath her left eye.
"You look like you've been crying." he pointed out through sniffles.
"How can you tell?" she asked, amazed by his acuity.
"Your eyes were swollen like this when Shisui died." he replied, tearing his onyx orbs away from hers and resting his head on her shoulder. "Why are you sad, Midara?"
"I was so far away from you." Midara replied. "Tell me everything that's happened."
Sasuke woke to the smell of breakfast—actual warm breakfast. He kicked the blankets off his body, practically running to the kitchen. He smiled at the site of his older sister preparing the table for him.
"O, I was just about to wake you." she said with a kind smile of her own.
"What's all this?" he asked, taking a seat and letting her fill his plate with eggs and fruit. "Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat before the survival exercise today." She let out a small laugh at his concern.
"I promise it won't hurt." she assured.
"Really?" he raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. She nodded and he moved his eyes back to the plate. It did look awfully tempting. "Well…okay." Sasuke scarfed down the delicious meal and began preparing for his day. "Will you be here when I come home?" A sad look passed over Midara's face, and Sasuke retreated into the emotionless shell she had found him in the day before. "When can you come back? For good?"
"I don't think I can ever come back for good."
"Why?!" the young Uchiha demanded. "You'll be safe here! I'm strong enough to protect you now!"
"You're my little brother. Shouldn't I be protecting you?" Midara asked.
"Not anymore! You don't need to run now. …I'll kill him if he tries to hurt you—if he shows up here. I'll find him, and I'll kill him. So, you never have to be afraid." Sasuke's words broke her heart, but Midara forced a smile. She motioned for him to come closer to her. He immediately moved forward, only to be greeted by the gentle tap of her fingernails against the metal of his headband.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. You'll understand someday." She pulled the young boy into a tight hug, and he held onto her, not wanting to let go. "I promise I'll come see you soon."
"When?" he pushed.
"Soon." Her arms tightened. "I swear on my life."
"I won't fail you." Sasuke vowed. Midara pulled away from him, cupping his face in her hands.
"Fail me?" she asked gently. "Sasuke, all I want is for you to live a happy life. No matter the path it takes, I will love you always." It was her vow to both of her brothers. "Go now, before you're late to your training." Sasuke hesitantly released her, glancing back over his shoulder before closing the apartment door behind him. Midara made her way to his closet and pulled out a bucket of cleaning supplies and a broom.
"These should do." she mumbled to herself before taking her leave.
What is she thinking? Kakashi stalked the Uchiha woman as she lifted the yellow police tape that blocked off entry to the Uchiha District. She glanced around the empty streets before turning a corner and stopping at a small, two-story house. She took a deep breath, bringing a key to the door and wrestling with the old lock. Kakashi scanned the surroundings to make sure no one else was nearby before following her into the house. He found her clearing off the thick layers of dust that had accumulated over the years. He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop the sweeping motion and look up at him.
"How long are you going to do this?" His voice was stern.
"I promised him I would keep it clean until he returned." she replied nonchalantly, trying to free her wrist from his grasp. The answer only made him tighten his hold.
"I told you I saw him die." She frowned at the emphasis he put on the last word and jerked her wrist away from his hand.
"And I told you I still felt his chakra."
"You did. We both did." Kakashi agreed before lifting his headband and revealing his Sharingan. "I feel it every day." Midara seemed transfixed by it, unable to form words. "All you felt—all we've ever felt is the phantom of his presence that lives on in me." She turned away from him and resumed cleaning. He gave a frustrated sigh before pulling his headband back over his scarred eye and picking up a small dustpan and sweeper.
"What are you doing?" Midara asked, peeking over her shoulder.
"You're going to clean no matter what. I might as well help." he muttered.
"Don't you have training to get to?"
"They can wait."
Midara did a final walkthrough of the house, wiping off the last bits of cleaning solution on the furniture.
"Perfect." she sighed with a small smile, picking up an old picture frame and taking a seat next to Kakashi on the bed. He wiped his hands with a towel and watched her trace the outline of Obito's face. "I'm going to take this with me." She stood and faced Kakashi. "Thank you…for everything." He gave her a small nod.
"Ready to go?"
"No." she laughed, hugging the picture frame to her chest, but made her way to the front door, nonetheless. Her hand grazed the doorknob, and she stopped in her tracks, turning to face the jōnin. "Can…can I see it one more time?"
"See what?" Kakashi asked. Midara gently pulled up his headband and ran her thumb across the vertical scar on his left eye. He lifted his eyelid slightly, exposing the brilliant red of his Sharingan. He closed it again when he felt her hand on the back of his head, pulling him down. Her lips gently pressed against the scar.
"Watch over Kakashi, Obito. Keep him safe."
Itachi stood at the edge of the cliff staring down at the flowing river below. I'm sorry, Shisui. He turned when he felt the presence of someone else nearby, relaxing only when he saw his older sister emerging from the forest behind him.
"How is he?" Itachi immediately asked.
"About as well as we expected." Midara answered with a weak smile. "Kakashi is his jōnin leader."
"Kakashi Hatake?" Itachi confirmed. She gave a nod, and a rare smile passed over Itachi's lips. "Good."
"Where's Kisame?" Midara asked, noticing the lack of shark scales and teeth.
"He's keeping an eye on the surroundings."
"I see." She made her way to Itachi and tenderly pulled back the strand of black hair that clung to his cheek from tears he had hastily wiped away before her arrival. She gave him a sad look, and he averted his gaze.
"Your eyes were always sharper than mine." Itachi noted. She held his face between her hands and forced his sight back on her.
"Why do you insist on carrying it all on your shoulders, Itachi?" He stared back at her, unsure of what to say. "Let me help you carry the burden." she urged. Itachi placed his hands over hers, pulling them away from his face.
"You have shouldered this burden your entire life, Midara." he explained, eliciting a sharp breath from his sister. "It's my turn to carry it."