This chapter make me cry 😭 trigger warning for my sensitive readers, this chapter contains graphic content ❤️
Katsumi was awake and up before all her comrades. She gently pried herself from her sleeping brother and stood up to stretch. With a yawn she shook her wild silver mane.
"Katsumi, I'm sorry if I overstepped last night." Minato appeared in front of the girl with his hands on his hips. Said kunoichi grasped her chest in fright before staring up at him.
He knew she was awake? Did he know the whole time?
Kastumi shook her head trying to shake off such troubling thoughts. With a smile she waved him off, and turned to pack up her sleeping gear. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about, especially with such a dangerous mission looming ahead of them.
It wasn't long before she shook Kakashi awake.
"Imouto, did you have a bad dream again?" The first thing he did when he woke was cup his sister's cheeks and check the rings beneath her eyes. Katsumi was silent as she held his hands in place and leaned into his palms.
They may fight and argue, but their bond was unbreakable. The silver-haired girl shook her head and placed a kiss on both his palms as she pulled away to stand.
'We need to head out. No time to worry about meaningless dreams.' She signed, earning a stiff nod from her brother.
Once the others were up, Rin saw to Kakashi's injury while Katsumi sat meditating in the grass. Obito was not far from her stretching his limbs in the morning sun.
"You're healing really well, but try not to overexert yourself or else it will reopen." Rin finished up her bandaging as Kakashi nodded his understanding.
"Alright, let's move out."
Hours of marching through dense forest and rough terrain had the young shinobi on their guard as they reached the border.
"This is where I leave you." Minato turned to his young students. "Kakashi, I leave your comrades in your hands."
"I will do my best."
"You better, Captain."
Katsumi's eyes almost fell out of her head as she stared. There was no way he just called her brother his captain.
The Yellow Flash gave a knowing smile. "Good luck, my students." Kakashi nodded as he watched their sensei set off down his own path.
The young shinobi kept close as they traveled. Never slowing, only ever stopping to refill their water. Obito eventually found himself in casual conversation with his favourite kunoichi. From time to time Rin would chime in and they would all let out a string of laughs, only to earn a polarising glare from their captain. Reluctantly, they all fell back into line.
As the sun sunk low on the horizon, the atmosphere changed. The breeze brought a cold chill to the bones of the young ninja, and with it the distinctive smell of rain.
Kakashi kept an eye out for shelter. Luckily for him the forest was full of larger than normal plants, so it wasn't long until he found a small sanctuary in the forest under a crop of large flat leaves. If his calculations were correct, which he was certain they were, they would make their intended location if they rested early and left in the witching hours of the night. They needed to hit the bridge early in the day to catch the enemy off guard, so rest was imperative. Plus running in the rain would be less than ideal for their gear.
"We'll stop here for the night." Kakashi threw his pack onto the dirt, waiting for his team to follow suit.
"But Kakashi, shouldn't we keep going? It's not even dark." Obito gripped the straps of his pack, hesitantly pulling it from his back.
Lightning flashed through the golden glow of the sunset, followed by the rumbling of thunder. Katsumi dropped her pack into the shelter and ducked under the leaves, pulling Rin with her just as the rain came pouring down without mercy.
Obito yelped and dived under the cover. Kakashi followed him, rolling his eyes before he sat down beside his sister.
"I was going to find firewood, but the rain came faster than I expected. We need to leave in the early morning hours," Kakashi glared through his wet bangs at his equally wet team mate. "You should trust your captain."
Obito bristled at that before pulling his goggles from his wet hair. It was a blow to his pride, but Kakashi was right. Had he listened then he wouldn't be wet, and rapidly getting colder as a result.
"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."
"You should both put on what dry clothes you do have. If we huddle together we'll stay warm through the night." Rin suggested as she pulled out her dry bedding, laying it out at the base of the large sheltering plant. Katsumi followed suit, placing her bed mat down.
Without prompting she stripped off her dry armour and began to pull her larger shirt from her body.
"Whoa! Imouto, what are you doing?" Kakashi gripped her arms to stop her. She stared him down before struggling out of his hands and completing her action. She shoved the dry shirt into his hands and turned back to his pack. Her sleeveless undershirt with the connected face mask still covered her torso. Katsumi rolled her eyes at her brother's overreaction, before gesturing for him to give her his armour.
Kakashi shook the blush from his cheeks before turning his sharp eyes to his male teammate. The raven-haired boy had his gaze pinned to the ground, his cheeks burned bright red. Kakashi growled before starting to peel the wet clothing from his body, replacing it with his sister's warm, dry shirt. Katsumi took the wet items and lay them out on the dry grass at the feet of their makeshift bed.
Rin turned to her black-haired friend, noting his wet clothing and equally wet pack. She rifled around in her pack before cringing as she remembered what she packed. With an impish grin she turned to her friend and offered him a dry item of clothing. "Sorry, this is all I have…"
Obito smiled gently before taking the item and letting it unfurl.
Kakashi let out a hearty snort, earning a glare from the Uchiha. Katsumi slapped a hand over her masked mouth, to stifle her giggle at the sight of Rin's offering. Obito took a long hard look at the lavender nightgown before suppressing an indignant sigh.
"Thank you, Rin-chan." He smiled at his sheepish friend before turning around. With a deep breath he began stripping his wet clothes from his torso, laying them out beside Kakashi's. Keeping his pants in place, he pulled the nightgown over his damp skin. It was a tad snug on his broad shoulders, but it would do.
He turned back with the intention of joining the rest of his team now huddling together on the pile of dry bedding. The girls had chosen to lean up against the base of the large plant, as it was the driest and most stable part of their shelter.
To his surprise, it was Katsumi who was holding the blanket open, inviting him to huddle next to her.
Kakashi sat beside her with Rin huddling into his other side, distracting him by whispering in his ear. Obito crawled over before gripping the blanket and sliding in next to his teammate.
"Hey, what the hell? No way!" Kakashi realised where Obito had settled, instinctively he reached over his sister to grab the offending Uchiha by the collar. There was a loud rip as the force ripped a hole in the back of the tight nightdress.
"Hey! That's my favourite nightgown!" Rin gripped Kakashi around the shoulders trying to hold him back.
Katsumi gripped his wrist tightly and glared at him with all her might before leaning in to whisper in his ear. The pounding of the rain on the sturdy leaves above, masking her whisper just enough to only be heard by their keen Hatake senses. "He's already in a dress, let him have this."
Her brother let out an uncomfortable growl and let go of Obito's collar. But to prove a point he wound his other arm around his sister's waist and held it there.
"I have my eye on you, Uchiha. I'll take the first watch. You guys get some sleep."
"Yeah, got it." Obito replied, already flustered and embarrassed. He settled down at Katsumi's side and folded his arms in front of his chest. Though, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the warmth of Katsumi's body still made his stubborn heart pound harder.
A triumphant smile spread across Katsumi's face, even if Kakashi's arm was a tad uncomfortable. She let her head fall back against the trunk of the plant, breathing in the isolation of the dark rainy forest. Cracking her eyes open slightly she turned them towards the Uchiha huddling into her side. Noticing his awkward posture she pulled on the blanket covering them, pulling it higher. Admiring her kindness, Obito pulled the blanket tighter and joined her, leaning his head against the tree. Katsumi grinned under her mask before letting her eyes flutter shut.
They left in the dead silent hours of the morning. Thankfully the rain had lightened up near midnight, before pittering off completely a while later. They traveled for hours, the sun rising lazily into the sky. Not much in the way of words were shared between the team. Anxiety crept its way into their minds as they pressed forward. The crushing reality of this life or death mission was sinking in.
It was mid-morning when the four found themselves crossing a shallow riverbed. Kakashi was in the lead, while Katsumi brought up the rear. Both twins stopped in their tracks as an unfamiliar scent hit their noses. Kakashi lifted his hand to signal the others to stop.
Sharpened canes of bamboo came whistling through the sky towards them.
"Fire style! Fireball jutsu!" Obito shot a massive ball of flames high, catching all of the projectiles that were aloft which resulted in them all dropping uselessly to the water below.
There was more than one enemy in the vicinity but Katsumi couldn't pin them down. Kunai soared through the air heading straight for Kakashi as one of their enemies appeared. Both twins found themselves back-to-back dodging and attacking in unison. Obito threw himself into battle as well.
Not one of them realised their huge mistake.
A yelp sounded as Rin was plucked from the battle field.
No!
"We'll be taking this one with us for information. Thanks." The enemy ninja maliciously cackled as he tucked the limp girl under his arm. The shinobi they had been battling landed beside his comrade with a satisfied smirk.
Katsumi was fast but not fast enough. She grabbed for Rin only to fall through nothing but a cloud of smoke and land on the outside with a loud splash.
Defeat tasted bitter on the children's tongues.
"Rin!" Obito shouted as he ran towards where his teammate had just been.
"Leave her Obito, we have to complete the mission." Both of his teammates spun to stare at their captain like he had grown two heads.
"You're not serious, Kakashi?!" Obito was the first to speak, his tone punctuated with fury. "How could you turn your back on someone who has been through life and death with you?!"
"The enemy will keep Rin alive as long as she tends to the enemy's injured, but if they get our plans from her it will compromise everything. They will double their defenses and we will never reach our goal."
"You're risking your comrade's life on a GUESS?!"
As the two boys fought animatedly, Katsumi stared off in the direction she was sure the villains had taken her friend. Her feet were itching to move and she turned to watch her teammates' reactions as she took a silent step forward. They didn't even notice her existence. Good. Because it was then that she was off, racing after her friend. Rules be damned.
"Ninja who abandon the mission aren't true shinobi, right, Katsumi?" The silver-haired boy turned to get confirmation from his twin but his heart sank. The clearing was empty. She was gone.
"Katsumi-chan?" Obito turned to see why Kakashi had suddenly drained of all colour. The clearing was silent save for a few scattered leaves.
"Are you coming with me now or what?" The Uchiha pinned the smaller boy with a frosty glare. Now that both of their kunoichi were gone there was no more room to argue.
"Let's move before Katsumi gets to them first." All traces of resistance vanished as he launched himself after his sister's lingering trail. Obito followed close behind, panic now setting in.
The scent led the two shinobi to the entrance of a cave. Katsumi was nowhere to be found, but that didn't mean she wasn't around.
The boys crouched in the crook of a tree branch, weighing their options. It was here that Obito slapped his cheeks, giving away their position without even knowing. Kakashi wanted to slap him himself, but he kept his cool.
"Let's do this." Obito whispered as he positioned himself to jump.
"Going somewhere brats?" The enemy took a swipe at the Uchiha before the boy could even comprehend where the voice had come from. The kunai came slicing towards his throat.
Out of nowhere a foot slammed into the assailant's chin with brutal force. The attack both disarmed the enemy and startled the boys.
Katsumi's flying kick sent the enemy sailing through the air.
He landed up right a few branches away and stared dumbfounded at the third ninja.
"Where did you come from, bastard?"
Katsumi bristled at this, crouching low in her fighting stance. Kakashi drew his blade which gave the enemy pause. "There's no way, could it be? The white hair and the light blade. The legendary White Fang of the Leaf?"
Both twins bristled at this before Kakashi answered. "This blade was a gift from my father."
A cruel chuckle echoed through the trees. "Just the White Fang's brat, huh? And what are you, boy? A third-rate copy." The ninja pointed at Katsumi with a nasty sneer.
Again? After a while Katsumi had become so used to being referred to as such. Though her hair had grown a bit since they last had an appointment with the kitchen scissors. She raised an eyebrow before snorting, clearly not offended.
"Doesn't matter, I can do tricks too. Watch." The enemy nin spat in her direction before making a swift hand sign and vanishing. Even his scent vanished into thin air.
"Listen out for the slightest sound, he's undetectable otherwise." Kakashi spoke as the three comrades stood with their backs together, searching the trees with keen eyes.
A light tap on the bark was all the warning they got before the invisible enemy made their move.
"Obito, look out!" For once Kakashi was faster than his sister. He stepped in front of the Uchiha boy, only for a kunai to slice a jagged gash through his left eye socket.
"Ah! My eye!" Came Kakashi's anguished cry.
Katsumi screamed as she watched her brother fall backwards clutching at the bloody wound. Obito turned to help her brother, leaving them undefended. So dDespite the tears threatening to spill, she made the conscious decision to keep her eyes focused on their surroundings.
"Did you get more dust in your eye, Obito?" Kakashi chided without the usual disdain. "Shinobi don't cry, and I'm not dead yet."
The young Uchiha boy wiped the tears away with the back of his sleeve before he shook his head. Everyone was always saving him, Katsumi, Rin and now even Kakashi.
Even with senses as acute as Katsumi's, there was no way she could see what was coming. The squelch of a kunai sinking into flesh split the ominous silence, followed by thick gurgling.
Katsumi shook in her sandals as she realised how close she had come to death.
Obito was standing behind her with his chest flush against her back, the young girl caged in his protective hold as he pushed the kunai deeper into the enemy.
"There's no way you could have seen me…" the dying enemy-nin choked as he became visible once again. "Those eyes…"
With Obito so close Katsumi could feel his rapid heartbeat thudding against her back. His heat and strength had her heart stuttering. Katsumi had seen death before, but with Obito radiating power and actually protecting her, it was quite electrifying. Her porcelain skin was flush with adrenaline and something else that she couldn't quite describe.
In her daydream she realised she hadn't moved. He had saved her life and she was just standing there like a complete moron. With a hiss the Uchiha pulled his weapon from the stomach of the now dead nin, allowing his body to drop to the bark below with a muffled thud.
The silver kunoichi spun on the spot to thank her saviour, but stopped in her tracks. Crimson sharingan stared back at her, piercing deep into her soul.
"I told you I would never let anyone hurt you." Obito chuckled, one of his hands coming up to tuck a strand of her short curls behind her ear. He cleared his throat, before turning to the other silver-haired ninja.
"Obito, your eyes have changed!" Kakashi was just as shocked as his sister by the Uchiha's swirling red gaze.
"I think my sharingan has awakened." He brought his palms up to study them. "I think I can see the ebb and flow of chakra."
Katsumi made her way to her twin's side, her nose still tinted pink. But she shook her head to focus as she pulled out her own med- kit and started to patch up her brother's weeping wound. Her eyes were singing with apologies as she heard his hiss of pain. Kakashi just placed a steadying hand on her trembling arm.
"Now is not the time for you, of all people, to lose your cool." The kunoichi took a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves before she nodded and steadied her motions.
"We need to get in there and save Rin, are you guys with me?"
"Hai!" Both twins nodded in unison before all three of them lept from the tree.
Inside the cave an enemy ninja gripped Rin's hair and tilted her head to look into her unseeing eyes.
"You're a stubborn brat, I'll give you that."
A light breeze was the only giveaway as the three entered the dusty hideaway.
The enemy turned to observe the three kids with amusement before he scoffed. "Pathetic, can't even take care of a few runts."
"Rin's chakra has been disturbed, looks as if she is under a genjutsu." Obito observed aloud. The twins nodded their understanding.
"Maybe you aren't just ordinary brats, not that it matters." Their enemy sprouted sharp metal poles from his arms before he charged at the leaf-nin, his eyes wild and crazed.
The three ninja moved on instinct, falling into place with each other's movements.
As the enemy swung Kakashi blocked his right arm, Obito followed this up with a swift kick to the enemy's shoulder. The silver kunoichi used this opportunity to leap over her male teammates.
She landed with a light tap before taking off towards her bound teammate.
The boys held their own against the villain. Easily landing blows before weaving just out of reach. Obito's newly awakened sharingan gave them an extra edge.
Katsumi had only just released the genjutsu and began untying a confused Rin as the boys joined her.
"Katsumi-chan, Obito-kun, Kakashi-kun?" Rin felt a wave of relief roll over her as she realised they were clearly here to save her.
"We have come to save you, so you don't need to worry."
"Let's get out of here before-"
"You know you make a pretty good team, but you're still just brats." The four young shinobi watched with clenched fists as their enemy rose from his spot on the ground. "Now I have you in the palm of my hand. Earth style, rock breaker!" There was a smash as the nin pounded his fist into the stone floor.
"So long." The enemy disappeared as he left them to be crushed by his destruction.
The resulting rumble from the rocks above had the kids scrambling for the exit.
"Get going, let's move!" Kakashi cried desperately as they all ran as fast as they could with the sparse energy they had left.
A small rock smashed into Kakashi's temple, sending him tumbling to the ground. Hearing his distinctive cry, Katsumi spun back to see her brother hit the ground.
"NII-SAN!" Katsumi cried as she made her way back towards her brother, it was then she realised how far ahead she was from the rest for them. Her abnormal speed gave her too much of a lead to be of any help.
IKatsumi's horrified scream echoed through the cave as the rubble collided with the ground blowing plumes of dust into the air that impaired her vision.
She couldn't tell who was where until the dust finally settled.
Kakashi sat up and clutched at his head, sore but alive. Rin was on her knees coughing up her lungs, but at least she was unharmed. Which left...
Her heart fell out of her chest as she took in the sight. There under a mammoth boulder lay Obito Uchiha, one- half of his body obscured and crushed by a slab of stone.
"Are you alright? Rin, Kakashi?" The Uchiha wheezed.
"No, Obito!" The male twin was the first to slam his hand into the rock to try and move it. He strained and pounded against the boulder but it was no use.
Katsumi's feet left the floor as she threw herself at the rock too. Pounding and pushing with all her strength, to no avail.
When she finally accepted her weakness she stumbled back sinking to her knees.
"Katsumi-chan?" Obito hacked and spluttered as she stared down at him. "It's a shame…I had so many more stories to tell… ahaa kaah!" Blood poured from the corners of his mouth as he hacked.
"Don't say that, Obito, you're not going anywhere… don't you dare!" The silver kunoichi's heartbroken wail echoed through the cold, dusty tomb.
"Don't cry, please-" He lifted his uninjured hand to touch her. She grasped at his hand and placed her cheek in his palm. "Smile for m-me." His single tomoe Sharingan swirled with intent as he caught her gaze. "I'm sorry Ka-katsumi… please forgive me..."
Without even so much as a warning her teary eyes glazed over as his genjutsu pulled her under. Her vision faded to black as she fell to the ground.
"What the fuck, Obi-"
"Kakashi," the dying ninja cut him off, "I don't have much time left to explain. But Katsumi… she would never let me do what I'm about to- ah," he hissed in pain and continued. "Rin-chan, I'm going to need your help with something that might sound crazy."
"What are you getting at here?"
"You know, I didn't know what to get you as a congratulatory gift on becoming a Jounin…. B-b-but now I know. K-k-kakashi I want you to have my sharingan."
They gaped at their comrade in disbelief.
"Rin-chan I need you to make this as painless for Kakashi as possible." He turned his good eye to glance at the unconscious kunoichi on the ground. Marveling at her captivating features one last time. "Let's get this over with."
Rin was hesitant at first but she pushed on through the tears, completing the transplant as best she could.
"Now you will always have me there, watching out for you." Obito's voice was getting fainter as his stamina drained away.
Kakashi scooped his sister into his arms and took one last look at his dying comrade.
"Keep her safe, Kakashi. Promise me." Obito whispered to the silver boy as he finally headed out of the crumbling cave.
"I will Obito, I promise."
Kakashi and Rin watched as dust plumed from the collapsed cave. The grief was palpable as they stood, too shocked to move or speak. It wasn't until Kakashi felt his sister stir in his arms that he finally acted.
"We need to leave before Katsumi wakes. This sight won't do her any good." There was a weakness in his voice that Rin felt in her soul. She raked her wrist across her leaking eyes, nodding and turning to follow Kakashi.
They made their way towards their destination in silence. Five minutes into their run was when Kakashi felt his sister struggle in his arms.
"O-o-obito? OBITO?!" Her scream startled the boy carrying her, causing him to stop. He hushed her and held her as best he could as she thrashed in his arms.
"Let me go?! Where is he? Kakashi?!" Katsumi gripped the sides of her brother's face and made him look at her. Her heart sank into her stomach as she noticed one of Obito's Sharingan staring back at her. She launched herself back as if she had been burned. No sound came from her mouth as she stared at her brother in horror.
"Imouto… I'm sorry-"
"It was Obito's last wish, Katsumi. Do not blame Kakashi for what you see." Rin got down on her knees beside Kakashi, keeping herself as composed as she could considering her puffy red cheeks.
"Imouto, I know it's cruel but we are ninjas first. We must complete the mission." Kakashi received a furious glare from his twin.
"Kakashi is right. O-Obito would have wanted us to complete the mission." The medical nin choked on her own treacherous tears, her composure holding on by a thread.
Katsumi was still in shock.
Obito was gone. The idea bounced around in the empty abyss of her mind. Her brother now carried his sharingan eye, which left her confused and so very angry. It was the eye she had been looking into before- Her mind flashed with the image of Obito lying beneath the stone slab.
She stopped that thought in its tracks with a swift bite of her tongue. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, effectively snapping her to attention before she wrenched herself to her feet.
'Fine. Let's move.' She signed down to her comrades before turning away and taking off towards their goal.
The three young ninja went on to complete their mission. Though grief hung heavy over their victory. Katsumi was never the same.
This chapter made me cry while writing it. I broke my own heart 😭 but the story must go on. Thank's again katydid001 for your amazing beta work!