spoiler/warning: character death

Chapter 20

Kakashi moved silently through the trees as he wondered how this mission that had started so well and had gone so horribly wrong.

Had it only been yesterday morning that he had officially become a jonin? It seemed a lifetime ago now. Minato-sensei and Rin had given him gifts to celebrate his promotion, much to his chagrin. Obito had flushed and muttered about not knowing what to get him even after scouring the village for days looking for the perfect gift. Kakashi had assured him that he didn't need or want a gift. He had half-jokingly suggested that Obito being on time for once would be gift enough. They had laughed and then started their journey towards the Land of Grass in high spirits despite the danger they were walking into.

They had encountered a lone Hidden Stone scout. Kakashi, eager to test his newly-developed Chidori in combat, had insisted on being the one to lead the way. Minato had saved him and warned him against using his Chidori again. It had stung almost as much as the sword wound beneath his arm. He'd worked so hard to develop a new jutsu and now he couldn't even use it. He knew Minato was right – the Chidori made him move too fast to ascertain an opponent's counterattack. It was still an incomplete jutsu. That didn't do much to lessen his disappointment. He trusted and respected Minato so he listened and promised he wouldn't use Chidori again. Not until he had perfected it.

The next morning Minato had left them, heading towards where Hidden Stone troops were invading to help on the front lines while Kakashi led the sabotage mission to Kannabi Bridge. Someone of the Yellow Flash's caliber appearing on the front would serve as a distraction for the enemy. They had made good progress towards their goal when they'd been ambushed by two more Hidden Stone shinobi. Kakashi had been so focused on his fight with the first one that the second had managed to sneak behind them and subdue Rin before they'd noticed him. He and Obito had tracked them to a nearby cave. Obito was currently watching the entrance they had found while Kakashi scouted the area to make certain there were no more unpleasant surprises or traps awaiting. Obito had been impatient and wanted to rush straight in to rescue Rin. Kakashi had convinced him to wait in order to make certain they knew what awaited them inside. He had gotten careless once. He couldn't afford to be careless again. Not with Rin as a hostage.

Not seeing any sign of more shinobi or traps, he retraced his steps rapidly. His heart pounded in his throat as he moved silently through the bamboo forest. His first mission as a jonin and a squad captain and he'd already had a teammate kidnapped. Fortunately, the shinobi who had taken her had underestimated his tracking skills. They had been able to track them back to where they had stopped – probably to interrogate her. The cave seemed to be nothing more than a convenient stop, not a long-term base or camp and there was no indication of a larger force nearby.

As he approached the large tree where he had left Obito to keep watch, he sensed something was wrong. He scanned the area. Nothing seemed to be amiss. Was he just being paranoid because the Stone shinobi had gotten the drop on them? No, he thought, that wasn't it. His father told him to always trust his instincts. If they were telling him something was wrong then something was wrong. He needed to take stock and analyze the situation and figure out what about it was bothering him. He'd do that as soon as he rejoined Obito. Maybe he had seen something while Kakashi had been gone.

As Kakashi pushed off the ground to jump up onto the branch where Obito waited he saw it. A blur of indistinct motion behind his teammate. He was already throwing a kunai even as he called out a warning. The blade hit, sending the kunai that had been about to plunge into Obito's back flying off into the trees. Kakashi's momentum sent him crashing into the attacker hard enough to send the other shinobi stumbling back and off the branch. Kakashi already had another kunai in his hand as he spun to face the Stone shinobi, who had regained his footing in a nearby tree.

"Not bad, brat," he admitted grudgingly.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked Obito.

"Y – yeah." Obito swallowed hard. He hadn't even noticed the shinobi behind him. If Kakashi hadn't been here, he would be dead.

"Damn, some sort of camouflage jutsu. Stay alert!" Kakashi warned as the Stone shinobi disappeared from view. He sniffed the air; the other had even masked his scent. He was good. "We're going to have to locate him by sound alone."

"Right."

Kakashi crouched low to present a smaller target, straining his ears, trying to detect sounds of human movement over the sounds of the forest. He and Obito made certain they were always facing so they could watch the other's back. There! An imprint of feet and a faint blur of motion -

"Obito! Behind you!" Kakashi lunged, aiming his kunai for where he expected the shinobi to be. His kunai glanced his side but didn't strike anything vital. The Stone shinobi took advantage, slashing upwards with his weapon. The blade caught Kakashi in the face, slicing up from his cheek through his eye. He screamed and clamped a hand to his face.

"Kakashi!" Obito cried, alarmed by the blood pouring from between Kakashi's fingers. "Are – are you alright?" He cursed himself for saying something so stupid. Of course Kakashi wasn't alright. Tears welled in his eyes. His friend had been hurt protecting him.

"Yeah," Kakashi said shakily. He concentrated on breathing as Obito helped him to sit up. He was in agony and didn't dare think about the damage that had been done to his eye. He had to stay focused. They needed to take out the enemy shinobi and rescue Rin. Nothing else was important right now. He noticed the blood-stained kunai laying nearby. "He's good. He got rid of the kunai stained with my blood so I can't smell it. Stay alert."

Obito nodded, pushing up his goggles and rubbing his sleeve over his eyes, grateful that Kakashi hadn't mentioned the tears. He scanned the area carefully. Kakashi was kneeling behind him, obviously in pain. The young jonin was attempting to locate the enemy but it was clear he was struggling. Blood dripped from between his fingers, soaking his sleeve as it ran down his hand.

Kakashi's hurt bad. Dammit! He saved my life twice just now! I can't keep relying on him! He needs me to protect him now and I have to do it, no matter what!

Obito saw something moving towards them. It was man-shaped, but blurry. He didn't stop to question it. Determined to protect his friends, he thrust his kunai forward. It sank into a body, which became fully visible as the jutsu was disrupted.

"How…?" he gasped. "Those eyes! What…?" He slid to the ground, dead.

Obito turned back to Kakashi.

"Obito! Your eyes!"

He stared at his own hand for a moment. He realized what he was seeing was his chakra moving through it. "I can see chakra," he muttered. "I guess my Sharingan awakened." He knelt beside Kakashi as the other boy doubled over in agony. "Kakashi!"

"I'm okay," Kakashi said through clenched teeth. Obito knew he was lying but now was not the time to argue. "I think my left eye is gone for good. It doesn't matter." He fumbled in his pouch with the hand not clamped to his face. He held up the med kit Rin had given him. "I can fix myself up well enough with this. We need to save Rin!"

Nodding in agreement, Obito helped Kakashi bind his wound, trying not to look at the gruesome injury.

"We encountered two earlier – I'm betting the one we took out yesterday was the third member of their squad - so there should only be one left," Kakashi said as Obito wound gauze around his head to secure the bandages over his ruined eye in place. "I didn't see any sign of him outside so it's probably safe to assume he's in that cave with Rin." He tucked the med kit away as he stood. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this!"

The next few minutes were a blur. With a rush of adrenaline, Obito and Kakashi entered the cave. They fought and injured the final enemy shinobi and released Rin from the genjutsu they had placed her under in order to attempt to get information from her.

"You two make a good team," the Stone shinobi said as he recovered enough to get to his feet and face Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. He grinned cruelly. "But you're still only brats. You're standing in the palm of your enemy now." He wove an earth jutsu and the cave began shuddering around them.

"This is bad!" Kakashi said, realizing that the shinobi intended to bury them alive. "Run for the exit!"

They ran toward the cave entrance as the walls began falling in and rocks began falling around them.

"Kakashi!" Obito cried, noticing his teammate suddenly missing. He spun around to find Kakashi sprawled on the ground, knocked unconscious by a falling rock that he had failed to notice due to his new blind spot. Seeing a boulder about to crush Kakashi, Obito ran to him, grabbing whatever part of him he could reach and hurling the limp body out of the way. Rin's scream was suddenly cut off as a crushing weight bore down upon him…

Kakashi stirred, trying to figure out why he was sprawled on the ground, surrounded by rubble and the air thick with dust. His head throbbed and he couldn't seem to open his left eye.

"Hey," came a weak voice. "Are you guys okay? Kakashi? Rin?"

Kakashi jerked upright as he remembered the fight with the Hidden Stone shinobi and the cave-in. His breath caught in his throat in a horrified gasp. Obito lay on the ground nearby, his entire right side crushed beneath a massive boulder. Stumbling to his feet, Kakashi threw himself at the huge stone, trying to move it off of his friend. It didn't budge. He tried again, straining his muscles to the limit.

"It's okay, Kakashi," Obito said. "I can't feel my right side anymore. It's completely crushed."

"No! Obito, just hold on! We're going to get you out of here!"

"I don't think… I'm going to make it…" Obito was beginning to struggle to get his words out.

"Stop talking like that!" Kakashi cried. "Save your strength."

"Kakashi," Obito said softly. "I finally thought of a gift for you. You know, for making jonin. I couldn't think of anything to get you before. But I think… I think this will be good."

"Okay. You can give it to me back in the village," Kakashi said, eying the boulder and looking around for anything he could use as a lever to help move it. Kakashi only knew a few earth-style ninjutsu and they were all too risky to try with Obito pinned as he was.

"I – I'm giving you my Sharingan…"

Kakashi froze at Obito's words. He turned slowly. "No!"

"Please, Kakashi." Obito gasped. "I want you to have it. I'm not going to make it. This way, I'll be your eye and see the future with you." He struggled for a moment, trying to get air into his crushed chest. "Rin, please use your medical ninjutsu and transplant my Sharingan – the entire left eye – into Kakashi."

"Right," she nodded, wiping away her tears. "Kakashi, come here. We have to hurry."

Kakashi couldn't move. He stared, unseeing, his entire body trembling. Rin got up and went to him, taking his hand and prodding him over to Obito. He was shaking his head as he knelt beside his friend, trying to deny what was happening. He was barely aware of the pain as Rin removed his ruined eye and placed Obito's into the socket. Followed by the soothing of her medical ninjutsu healing the injury and attaching the new eye. It took several minutes for Kakashi's vision to clear as his brain adjusted to process what he was seeing with the Sharingan.

There was still one enemy shinobi left. Kakashi knew he needed to be dealt with before they could attempt to rescue Obito. If he knew they had survived, he could finish the job and crush them all from outside.

"I'm going to take down that last shinobi before he can tell anyone else about us," Kakashi said. "Then we can work on getting Obito out of here!" He looked around and saw the ceiling now had an opening large enough for him to fit through. He gathered himself to jump.

"Kakashi… promise me… that you'll protect Rin," Obito said, his voice barely audible.

"I will. I promise. You'll help too once we get you out of here. Just hold on!"

Using his chakra to propel himself, Kakashi leapt upwards. He landed on the mound of rock and dirt that had once been the roof of the cavern. He spotted the last Hidden Stone shinobi sitting nearby. He drew a pair of kunai as the man, sensing him, turned.

"Still alive, huh." His face twisted into a cruel, ugly grin. "Shinobi shouldn't cry. Even if you are just a brat. Let's finish this, crybaby!" he taunted, seeing the tears that streamed down Kakashi's face from his new eye.

Kakashi ignored the taunts. His face set in determination, he hurled himself towards the enemy. They exchanged blows, the sound of metal striking metal ringing in their ears. One of Kakashi's kunai went flying off into the trees. He let out a frustrated growl. Due to his small stature, Kakashi was at a disadvantage in close-quarters combat. He was strong and agile for his age but he simply couldn't match the brute strength of a fully-grown shinobi. His opponent was fast but Kakashi was beginning to learn to anticipate his moves with the Sharingan. Still, he needed to get some distance so he could end this.

"Running away?" the Stone shinobi sneered as Kakashi jumped into the trees. "It's too late for that, brat!"

Kakashi wove the hand signs for the Chidori. Lightning chakra gathered around his hand as the shinobi appeared before him, bearing down with the intent to finish him off for good. Kakashi leapt straight for him, not noticing his smirk as he assumed Kakashi was launching a suicidal frontal assault. The smirk turned to wide-eyed shock as Kakashi's hand pierced his heart. Kakashi dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, as the body of the last Stone shinobi fell to the ground, unmoving. Legs shaking, he climbed back to his feet and stumbled back to the opening at the top of the pile of rubble.

"Is he -?" Rin asked, noticing Kakashi had returned.

"Dead," Kakashi confirmed. He peered inside the remnants of the cave, hoping his new vantage point would give him a better idea of how Obito was pinned and hopefully find a way to free him. He felt drained and shaky. Had he put too much chakra into his Chidori? He couldn't take the time to worry about it now and instead turned his full attention to solving the problem of freeing Obito.

His attention diverted, he failed to notice the group of Hidden Stone shinobi who were approaching their position rapidly.

Sakumo's heart seized upon seeing the enemy shinobi converging on his son, who appeared not to have noticed them. Kakashi lay on top of a pile of boulders, his back to the approaching enemy. He reeked of blood, at least some of it his own. Desperation and a burst of chakra gave Sakumo the surge of speed he needed to cover the final few meters. Drawing his tanto, he leapt heedlessly into the midst of the Hidden Stone shinobi, slashing viciously at anything that moved; his need to protect his child overriding everything else.

It was over almost before it had begun. Sakumo's appearance had caught the Stone shinobi completely off guard. Several were cut down before they even realized he was there and more fell before they could react. Lightning chakra crackled around his blade, leaving a white trail in its wake. A few managed to attempt a clumsy – and useless - defense. Those who tried to flee were cut down by the remainder of Sakumo's team.

"Dad?" Kakashi was sitting upright, staring at the carnage. He had sensed the enemy shinobi but before he could react, there had been a blur of silver and familiar lightning chakra and the Stone shinobi had begun to fall like wheat before a farmer's scythe. Kakashi stared at his father blankly, trying to reconcile his presence here. Wasn't he supposed to be patrolling the Land of Fire's border? What was he doing so far in enemy territory? Was he hallucinating?

Sakumo straightened, looking around to make certain none of the enemy would be getting up again. He absently wiped the blood off his blade before returning it to the sheath on his back. He turned to face his son. Kakashi looked rather shell-shocked, wide-eyed and what was visible of his face above his mask was pale. A fresh scar ran vertically through his left eyebrow and continued down his cheek. His left eye was no longer dark grey but red and black.

Sharingan!? Sakumo thought, shocked. But how? There is no Uchiha in our family lineage and the Sharingan does not appear outside that Clan. Oh no! Obito!

"Kakashi!" came a muffled, feminine voice before Sakumo could question his son to the location of the rest of his team.

Kakashi spun towards the sound, disappearing into the mound of dirt and rock. Startled by Kakashi's lack of response and his sudden disappearance, Sakumo issued quick orders for his team to secure the area and keep a lookout for more of the enemy. A moment later he had dropped into what appeared to be a collapsed cave. Rin was kneeling with Kakashi standing beside a huge boulder. Tears streaked Rin's face. Kakashi was blocking his view but Sakumo caught sight of the hand clutched in Rin's.

Oh no…

"Kakashi, Obito – he – he's –" her voice choked off.

Sakumo moved closer. It was as he feared, Obito was crushed beneath the boulder. He wasn't moving and Sakumo couldn't sense his chakra. Rin raised her tearstained face at the movement as he approached. Kakashi didn't react at all. "Kakashi, get Rin out of here." Sakumo kept his tone gentle, but commanding. He reached down and pulled the girl gently to her feet. Kakashi looked at him blankly, as if he hadn't understood a word of what Sakumo had just said. "Go on. Take Rin outside. Now."

Rin's touch on his arm seemed to snap him out of his stupor. He nodded woodenly and took her hand, helping her out of the collapsed cave. Sakumo knelt beside Obito and felt for a pulse. Nothing. He bowed his head, one hand clenching into a fist as he silently cursed the war that had dragged on long enough to force the Hidden Leaf to send her children into it. He allowed himself only a brief moment to mourn for the kind-hearted boy before leaping clear of the cave himself. Grief would have to wait.

"What happened? Where's Namikaze?" That there had been no sign of the blond jonin concerned Sakumo. Had something happened to him, forcing his team to try to carry on by themselves?

"We split up," Rin explained. Kakashi was unusually quiet and still, even for him. He looked as if he was about to pass out. "Minato-sensei went to distract the Hidden Stone shinobi on the front lines. We continued on. I was captured by the Hidden Stone shinobi and brought here. Obito…" She swallowed hard. "Obito…" She gestured helplessly to the mound of boulders.

Hearing the tears in Rin's voice snapped Kakashi back to the present. Obito! He thought. Hold on! I won't abandon you! He flung himself at the mound of earth and stone, clawing at it with his bare hands. He ignored the pain as the nails tore and his flesh was scraped. He needed to rescue Obito. He was trapped under the debris. He had saved Kakashi's life. Kakashi couldn't let him die. Realizing there was no way he could move the stones with his bare hands, he wove the hand signs for an earth jutsu, slamming his palm onto the ground. The jutsu caused the ground the heave, throwing the boulders and collapsed earth haphazardly.

"Kakashi –" Sakumo began. He whirled, drawing his tanto as another chakra signature appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Minato halted in his tracks as a cold blade pressed against his throat, his hair standing on end from the lightning chakra pulsing through it. "Dammit, Namikaze!" Sakumo snapped, lowering the blade. He had nearly killed the man.

To his credit, Minato took the appearance of Sakumo's team in stride. "What happened?" he asked as if he hadn't just nearly been beheaded. He knew it was bad. Rin's face was streaked with tears and Kakashi appeared to have gone insane, rocks and earth hurling around him. Obito was nowhere in sight.

The rest of Sakumo's team gathered around as Rin finished filling them in on what had occurred since their team had split up. Isamu gave Sakumo a questioning look, his gaze flickering to Kakashi, who was still desperately trying to remove the mound atop his friend. Sakumo nodded once and went to his son. He grasped Kakashi's wrists to prevent him from trying another jutsu. Mismatched eyes stared up at him in confusion.

"Stop, Kakashi," Sakumo said softly.

"I – I have to get to Obito! He's trapped!"

"Isamu will help. He's an earth-style ninjutsu user. Come away and give him room." He guided Kakashi back to where the others waited, deeply concerned. Kakashi had never lost anyone close to him before and it was clear he was not handling it well.

It took a few minutes for Isamu to uncover Obito's body from beneath the boulders and earth that covered it. Jiro knelt beside him, checking for any sign of life. Kakashi and Rin looked on helplessly. Jiro looked up and shook his head. There was nothing he could do. "The best we can do is destroy the body. That will keep the Hidden Stone from getting their hands on his Sharingan."

"No!" Kakashi screamed. "No! We – we have to take him home!"

"Kakashi," Sakumo said, placing his hands on Kakashi's shoulders and forcing him to look at him. "We cannot carry his body all the way back to the Hidden Leaf. We have to move fast and light."

"No…" Tears streaked Kakashi's pale face. He looked stricken and very, very young. "Obito – he – he - pushed me out of the way!"

Grief combined with guilt, Sakumo realized grimly. It was a powerful combination. One that could lead his son down a path of self-destruction of he wasn't careful. "Then do not dishonor his sacrifice by allowing the enemy to claim his kekkei genkai," Sakumo said.

Kakashi flinched as if struck. Minato took a half-step toward them, opening his mouth to protest Sakumo's harsh words. The words died in his throat under the White Fang's icy glare. Sakumo was not a cruel man. His heart ached at seeing his son's pain and mourned the loss of a young life cut tragically short. He wanted nothing more than to comfort his son, to leave the war behind and let him mourn his friend. But they were shinobi and still on a mission deep within hostile territory. They couldn't afford for Kakashi - or any of them - to go to pieces now. Later, back in the village, he could mourn properly. Now he needed to remain focused. Minato bowed his head, understanding what Sakumo was doing, even if he hated it. His instinct was to comfort and try to soothe the hurt but he knew the other man was correct - Kakashi needed to pull himself together and Sakumo's sharp tone would cut through his grief better than Minato's soothing.

Kakashi was shaking as the jutsu consumed Obito's body, turning it to nothing more than ash that blew away in the wind to scatter throughout the forest. Rin was crying softly but he couldn't bring himself to try to comfort her. Minato had one arm around her shoulders. His own tears had ceased. He felt hollow and numb. He was dimly aware of his father's hand on his shoulder, offering silent comfort and support. Everything seemed muted and very far away.

Sakumo caught Kakashi as he collapsed and lowered him carefully to the ground. Jiro knelt beside them, checking the unconscious boy over quickly as Minato and Rin moved closer anxiously. "I don't detect any serious injuries," he assured them. "Though his chakra is dangerously low. There's not much I can do for him. He should regain consciousness on his own in a few hours."

Sakumo nodded in acknowledgement. They were in the middle of enemy territory and Minato's team still had a mission to complete. He turned to Minato. "How far are we from Kannabi Bridge?"

"Not far," Minato replied. "A couple of hours at most, assuming we don't run into a large number of enemy shinobi." He crouched down beside Sakumo and unrolled his map. "We're here. Kannabi Bridge is here. I took out a large Hidden Stone force over there just before heading back this way to regroup with the rest of the team." He pointed to each location as he spoke. "According to our intelligence, there aren't any more significant forces in the area."

Sakumo glanced up at Michiko. She nodded; their latest intelligence indicated the same. Sakumo's mind was already working. "We came to warn you of that force. It appears you already knew. At any rate, your mission was to destroy that bridge. We still need to do so."

"We? What about your -?"

"We were patrolling the border though I have a certain amount of leeway should an opportunity arise to hinder the enemy. Your team is currently at half-strength." He didn't add that Rin wasn't looking too steady at the moment, either. "Taking out Kannabi Bridge could very well help bring about an end this war. We'll come along as back-up."

Minato was silently relieved. They could use the help. A team of elite jonin could very well be handy given how this mission had gone thus far.

Sakumo got to his feet. He hated war. "Rin," he said, "Can you travel?"

"Yes, sir." She wiped the dried tears from her cheeks as her face took on a determined look.

Sakumo motioned her and his team over. "We're going to destroy that bridge and hopefully end this damn war. Namikaze will take point - you know where we're going. Michiko will go with you. She's a sensor-type and can let us know before we stumble into a patrol." Minato nodded, not arguing as Sakumo issued orders. This may have been his mission, but he was not going to squabble over leadership. Sakumo was a brilliant strategist and had years of experience on him. He was more than willing to follow the man. Especially, he thought regretfully, since his decision to split his team appeared to have been a poor one. He had hoped to distract the enemy forces from their movements. Even though he had taken out a huge enemy force, he hadn't been here to protect his team.

Isamu helped settle Kakashi securely on Jiro's back while Rin adjusted his pack to fit her. At Sakumo's signal, Minato headed out first with Michiko. He sensed rather than heard the others following. Rin was next, with Isamu remaining at her side or slightly behind in order to keep a subtle eye on her. Jiro followed them, carrying Kakashi. Sakumo followed last, once again in his usual position as rear-guard, keeping an eye on all of his comrades.

Author's Notes: I know some of you absolutely hate me right now. I'm sorry! :( The Kannabi Bridge mission was something I've struggled with writing for a long time. It was actually one of the first scenes I wrote for this fic months ago. I initially wrote it so that Obito survived though it never felt quite right. After rereading and rewatching and thinking about it, I started wondering if it really would have turned out differently. In the series Kakashi always thinks that things would have been different had he gone after Rin with Obito right away so I initially used that as my basis. But the more I looked at it, the more it seems that it's his guilt talking more than anything. The more I thought about it, the less what I had originally written for this scene worked - it felt cheap and forced and obviously "fix-y" (Is that a word? It is now.).

Though, if it makes it any better, those seemingly only slight and insignificant differences in how this scene plays out from the cannon are going to pave the beginning of some pretty significant changes down the line. So far Sakumo still being alive hasn't influenced much outside of Kakashi's attitude... that's about to change. :)