I totally apologise for my absolute suckiness as Japanese 😭 Thank you Ms lady muffin for your correction! I have edited my work! These chapters have been sitting half done on my phone for about 3 years now, so I am happy to finally publish them. I find it very hard as a person to dwell on things, so thats why I often don't flesh out grief scenes. But I tried my hardest! I have this entire story planned from start to finish, its just actually putting it to paper thats the hard part. The plot may seem a little mangled but trust me when I say everything happens in this fic for a reason. I hope you enjoy my little world.
Beta read by the legend katydid001 ❤️
Their arrival and victory was celebrated by many. It was a great victory for the Leaf.
Though it was apparent that the team themselves didn't feel the same way.
The next day, the vigil for their fallen teammate was held. Rain drizzled miserably down the stone monuments as Katsumi stared off into the misty distance. Kakashi stood beside her, his hand held faithfully in her own. On his otherside was a bawling Rin, tucked into his shoulder, crying without shame. The young team were flanked by their respective senseis.
The crowd behind them was made up of dark-haired Uchiha. And in front of them sat a framed picture of their fallen comrade.
Katsumi knew that she should be crying. She should be screaming and falling to her knees with the sorrow she felt inside. But she couldn't even look down at the photograph. Her brother's hand felt cold in her own, absent of its usual warmth. She felt overwhelmingly broken.
She allowed her eyes to wander the sea of faces behind her. Immediately she regretted it as the sight of the stoic Uchiha had her body throbbing with sorrow.
Shisui watched as his friend turned her gaze to the crowd. The only action he had seen her make since they had been begun. His heart sank when he noticed the emptiness so clear in her eyes. Her eyes never met his, instead she whipped her head back to the memorial ahead.
Katsumi found herself reaching up to touch her necklace through the fabric of her vest shirt. It sat there as it always did. Hidden. Safe.
With a deep breath she ripped her hand from her brother's and turned away from the grave stones. She made a scene as she pushed away from her sensei and ran from the ceremony, ignoring the eyes following her through the rain.
She ran as fast as she could, pushing chakra into her legs to move faster; away from this cruel reality.
Her muscle memory carried her along her path, tears trailing down her hot cheeks. She ran through the forest, leaping up into the branches above. Katsumi didn't stop until she found herself approaching an all too familiar tree. Without another thought she leapt onto the branch, slipping into her usual spot.
But the space beside her felt cold and empty. It was only then that she finally let out a gut wrenching sob. She cried out into the sky high above the village below, letting her grief mix in with the tears of the sky.
This pain was all too familiar. Her father's death was still a raw wound in her chest. She pulled her wet mask from her face and the necklace from within its confines. The shimmering pendant was a stark reminder of love she didn't even know she felt.
So that was it, huh?
Reality came crashing down around her as she realised why Obito was so special to her. She loved him? And now he's gone?
Why do those she holds dear slip through her fingers?
She should have been faster, smarter, stronger… Guilt hung heavily around her neck. Maybe it should have been her under that rock. The young girl cursed her own weakness.
Another fit of sobs wracked her tiny frame as she brought the pendant to her lips. It was as if her nightmares had permeated into her reality. Nothing made sense anymore. She couldn't even look her own twin in the eyes without being reminded of their sorrow. Even though he kept that eye closed, the fresh pink scar caused her even more painful flashbacks.
At first she had been angry with the fact that Obito's eye now resided in her brother. But she knew that it was exactly the type of thing Obito would have done, and why he had apologised before she collapsed.
Those few moments under Obito's genjutsu were fresh in her mind: the feel of the bark under her palms, the smell of candy apples and fireworks in the air, a hand in hers and the sound of Obito's chiming laughter.
Though when her eyes snapped open she was cold again. Her glassy gaze lingering on the empty space beside her.
Days turned to weeks. Yet even as the time passed the pain did not ease.
The Hatakes, as a bloodline, weren't very good at expressing their sorrow.
Kakashi didn't bring up the incident and neither did Katsumi. Then again Katsumi didn't say much of anything nowadays. Whispers had become far and few between, even her signs lacked enthusiasm.
Every time he tried to cheer her up, he noticed that her gaze never went higher than his chin. Even though she would hold him close, he knew his eyes caused her pain.
The Uchiha clan had decided to let Kakashi keep Obito's gift, though honoured by the privilege, Kakashi didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.
His own twin couldn't even look at him.
They still trained together, cooked together, and dressed together. But it was clear things had changed.
Katsumi had not set foot in the Uchiha compound since she disgraced herself at the memorial. Too embarrassed and emotional to search for a friend that would remind her so powerfully of her loss.
Instead she focused her time on training mercilessly, with and without her sensei.
Kushina noted that her prodigy made swift progress, but her student seemed to have more and more injuries everyday: split knuckles, bruised and battered limbs, all from overworking herself in her spare time.
Though, she couldn't blame her. The feeling was all too familiar to the red-haired kunoichi. Train the pain away.
Though understanding did not change the fact that Katsumi's overworking could get her killed in battle, as she would be quicker to fatigue. Even though she had expressed her concern many times, her message just wasn't getting through to her stubborn ward.
To combat this problem, Kushina pushed for the Hokage to assign Katsumi to messenger missions. And tried her very best to keep her workload small.
War, on the other hand, waits for no one.
A month later, Kakashi and Rin were assigned to an intelligence gathering mission in the Mist Village. Katsumi was stationed to meet the pair upon arrival at the Leaf border with the mission objective.
But here she was waiting at the boundary with no sign of either of them. An hour had passed and she was starting to feel uneasy. Missions were never timely endeavors, but sitting and waiting made Katsumi feel helpless.
Anxiety nawed at her as she waited. Every second passed in her mind like the obnoxious ticking of a pendulum clock.
She debated her options, but with the loss of her friend, her patience was as thin as paper.
Finally her nerves got the best of her and she could no longer take it. With a deep breath she took off in the direction of the Mist Village, her nose to the wind for any sign of her brother.
She traveled a good long distance before she started to doubt her own nose. Stopping in her tracks she pulled a scroll from her pouch and unfurled it in front of her. She pulled down her mask and pricked her thumb with one of her sharp canines. The pain did not even register as she completed the summons.
Her faithful pup sprung through the smoke with a happy yip which Katsumi immediately silenced with a finger to her lips. Minori was immediately on guard, coming to heel at her master's side. Katsumi quickly packed the scroll and turned to her pup with a serious expression.
"We need to find my brother. Now, Minori." Katsumi stood and nodded down to her nin-ken, who immediately nodded back to her. They took off without another word.
A mile down the trail Minori caught a distinctive smell in the air. She let out a small yip before veering violently to the left. Katsumi adjusted her course on a dime, used to her nin-ken's patterns and signals.
Darkness crept through the forest and mist was heavy in the air. Now Katsumi could smell Kakashi too, but not Rin.
Big red flag.
Minori slowed to a stop and stuck her nose to the ground. Katsumi knelt beside her, the fatigue of the miles of running had taken its toll on her breathing, though she fought to keep silent.
"There are about fifteen strangers in a clearing ahead. Kakashi is there."
Katsumi nodded. "Any sign of Rin?"
Minori sniffed the air and nodded. "Faint, but affirmative."
Katsumi noted the heavy smell of blood and the distinct sound of blades clashing. Not far ahead of them.
"Minori." She held her pup's face and looked her in the eyes. "I need you to go back and find Minato-sensei. Lead him here. Stop at nothing. Got it?"
Minori looked up at her master with large solemn eyes before licking her face and taking off the way they came.
Katsumi should have told someone before taking off, but who knows if she would have even found them alive.
Katsumi crept silently forward peeking out from behind a thick tree trunk. The scene in front of her was straight out of a nightmare. Kakashi stood with his back to a trembling Rin. Their clothes were damaged and they were clearly outnumbered.
Without thinking she flung herself out of the darkness and into the clearing, her movement only a streak of silver to the enemies.
With a crack of her whip and a jolt of lightning she sent the closest 3 enemies flying backwards.
"Katsumi?!" Both kids cried out as Katsumi landed at her brother's side. For the first time in a long time the twins locked eyes, the past forgotten in that moment.
"You don't understand-" Rin began but was cut off by a Kiri ninja.
"So this is your backup? Another child, huh? Pathetic." The collective mocking chuckles of the enemy resounded through the otherwise silent night.
"Take them out."
Katsumi didn't even see the blow coming. An enemy ninja came at her swinging his katana with the intent to kill. Time slipped slowly through her fingers, everything seeming to move in slow motion. She dropped her whip and brought her arms up to block. The blade sung as it collided with Katsumi's thick armoured vambrace, followed by a grunt as Katsumi's kick sent the ninja hurtling backwards.
The next moments were a blur of movement. The child-twins traded blows with their enemies, a single objective in mind.
Protect Rin.
Katsumi copped a flying kick to the stomach, sending her skidding across the ground. She spat on the grass, her saliva tinted red.
It was only then did she hear that Rin had been screaming at them as they fought.
"You don't understand! I'm a monster!"
Monster? Katsumi was blinded by a flashback of one of her darker nightmares. A symbol swirled around and around in her mind. This was it, the scene from her nightmare.
Katsumi spluttered and wrenched herself to her feet. She steadied herself as two Kiri nin stalked towards her, cackling maniacally. She reached for her whip, only to remember she had dropped it and she couldn't risk searching the ground to find it.
The wolf-nin reached into her pouch and pulled out Minato's gift. Swinging it into her grasp she sunk low into her fighting stance, before springing into action.
The enemies fell as Katsumi slashed and hacked at their weakest spots, her child body too small and dexterous to catch.
As she turned to assess the situation her mind froze. The scene in front of her was so familiar, it sent chills down her spine.
Kakashi was facing down a Kiri nin with Rin just off to the side, looking at Kakashi with pleading eyes. That was when Kakashi's arm lit up with the power of chidori.
Katsumi dashed forward as Rin's feet left the ground. Kakashi's attack heading straight for the middle of Rin's chest.
"RIN!" Katsumi screamed as she leapt for her friend. Blood splattered across their faces. Katsumi landed with a loud thump, her arms clutched Rin's shaking form as they skidded to a stop.
They looked back at a shaking Kakashi and the enemy ninja that his arm was now embedded in.
"You don't understand..." Rin's voice quivered as she spoke, tears spilt down her cheeks.
Kakashi pulled his arm from the corpse and turned to fight off the fast approaching Kiri-nin while Rin, with trembling hands, lifted her shirt revealing the weak seal holding the three tails inside of her.
The symbol. That seal. The one from her nightmares.
The silver-haired girl looked up at her friend and nodded. She wasn't about to mess up the one thing her dreams had prepared her for.
"I do understand Rin-chan." Katsumi's fingertips lit up a flaming blue, she hesitated with a deep breath before gritting her teeth.
A grunt left her as she rammed her fingertips into the skin around the seal.
Rin yelped in pain, before Katsumi's seal wound itself around the original one, effectively locking the beast inside of Rin until they could get to Kushina.
"It will hold until we get back to the village." Katsumi spoke as she gently released her friend from her embrace.
Rin gasped as her eyes caught a glimpse of something over Katsumi's shoulder. With speed ingrained deep into her muscle memory, Katsumi moved as fast as lightning to block whatever her friend had seen.
A blade hit the thick vambrace on Katsumi's crossed forearms. She caught a quick glimpse of Kakashi's fatigued figure looking on in panic, as he watched the Kiri-nin push the blade forward, trying to break through her block. If Katsumi made one wrong move they would get Rin and that was not an option.
"Katsumi!" A voice rang through the clearing causing Katsumi's heart to clench in a painful way. She turned her head only slightly, but it was enough to spot him.
There in the tree line was a dark figure, with wild black hair. Long black branches like tendrils were in the shadows around him. He was a cruel illusion of her frazzled mind. Obito ...Alive? Impossible.
That split-second of distraction gave the enemy the opportunity he needed.
The Kiri-nin retracted his sword and feigned a swing from the left. Relying on pure instinct, Katsumi moved to block the blow, only for another blade to ram itself through her chest.
Rin's scream set the sky ablaze as Katsumi's blood splattered across her face.
Obito let out an anguished cry.
Kakashi froze.
Time stood still.
Katsumi let out a pained yelp and stumbled backwards. She stared at the hilt of the blade protruding from her chest. All she could hear was her own blood pumping in her ears, as adrenaline rushed through her veins.
The Kiri ninja smirked before he kicked her hard in the stomach, sending her hurtling backwards. She flew through the air, her vision spotting as pain bloomed in her chest.
Someone caught her before she smashed into the ground.
"Katsumi-chan, stay with me." Obito's arms cradled the small girl to his chest as best he could. The blade made it hard to hold her, but he managed.
"Kakashi, Rin, we need help!" To Katsumi, Obito's voice sounded as if he was underwater. Her strength was fading fast, but she still managed to raise her shaking hand to touch his cheek. As if to confirm that his existence wasn't a cruel dream.
"Obito-kun?" She whispered. The feeling of skin under her fingertips confirmed that he indeed was real. A smile graced her lips before she suddenly let out a hack and blood began seeping through her mask. Obito was quick to wrench the mask from her face so she wouldn't suffocate. Blood poured from the sides of her mouth as she fought to keep breathing.
"Katsumi-chan. I came back for you. See? You can't go, please..." Obito whispered back, his tears dripping down his cheek landing on Katsumi's face.
The last thing Katsumi heard was a familiar howl in the distance, before the darkness finally took her.
So many god damn cliff hangers. I 100% blame my craving for the dramatic. Thanks for reading this mess! kia kaha