ALIVE AND AWAKE
Days later, as Aoi was tending to the injured man in the shed under the careful watch of Takeshi and another Tora tribe member, the three of them were surprised when they heard a soft groan, seeing the Shinobi opening his eyes. They seemed more focused this time, immediately looking straight at the white-haired girl, who smiled gently at him as the other Tora member ran out, no doubt to alert her father that the outsider was conscious.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, stranger," she said, putting a calming hand on his good shoulder when he tried to get up. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you…"
"Wh-" the man started to say, but he was interrupted by a violent bout of coughing as a result of his dry throat when he tried to speak. Aoi quickly brought a cup of water she had nearby to his lips, lifting his head to help him drink, and the coughing subsided after a few seconds.
"Better?" She asked, setting the cup down, and he nodded, looking over at her with his mismatched eyes.
"Yes… thank you…" he said, his voice slightly hoarse, and he then asked, "Where… am I?"
"You're in my village," the young woman said, still smiling, "Do you remember me telling you my name?"
His eyes shifted as he tried to recall what had happened before he had collapsed. "Aoi?" He said uncertainly, and she nodded.
"So you do remember…" If he was able remember something as faint as that, it was a good sign that he didn't have a concussion.
"Who is he?" the man asked, eyeing the wild stranger sitting against the far wall who gave a very feral smile in return; reminding him of ninja from the Inuzuka clan.
"That's Takeshi Tora; he helped me carry you here and fended off a Shinobi who was after your life," Aoi told him, smiling over at the wild-looking young man that the silver-haired Shinobi had asked about as Takeshi's grin grew.
"Heck yeah, I did. I got to keep his sword, too." Takeshi said, pulling out the blade from his waist as he showed it off. "Had to fight some of the guys from taking it, but the broken nose Daichi gave me was well worth it since I got a good excuse to beat the living crap out of him."
Their conversation was interrupted as an average sized man with short brown hair and amber reptilian-like eyes entered the room, carrying what looked like a medicine bag in his hands. As normal as the man's appearance was to Aoi and Takeshi, the silver-haired man seemed to jump a little, staring at his eyes that reminded him of another snake-like man. In return, the newcomer stared at the Shinobi's eyes in wide-eyed shock.
"... Please don't tell me you're related to a man known as Orochimaru…" the silver-haired man said softly, staring at the brown-haired man in a mixture of uncertainty and panic.
"Hmm… Orochimaru… It's a relatively good name, but I don't know him. Is he a friend of yours?"
The silver-haired man shook his head, relaxing again now that his initial panic was gone, as he said, "No, he's a traitor to my village. He's wanted for the killing and illegal experimentation of many Shinobi and civilians, as well as his own students..." Looking up at him, he continued saying, "Your appearance reminded me of him… Especially around the eyes."
"Well, I will apologize for scaring you. I understand that, outside our village, my appearance would certainly raise a few eyebrows. Though I can't say I'm the only one with unique eyes." Osamu commented, referring to his exposed left eye, and the silver-haired man quickly brought a hand up to that eye, his eyes widening in panic as he seemed to realize something.
"My headband! Where is it?!" he asked, his tone laced again with fear and anxiety, as he looked around at the interior of the shed he was in until Takeshi handed him the piece of cloth and metal. "Thank you… I almost never take this thing off…" he said, tying it back around his head in a way that caused it to cover his unusual eye.
"While I am not a ninja like yourself, I understand that is a very special eye you have there; how did you come to possess it?"
"... It was while I was on a mission…" the silver-haired man said softly, his exposed eye looking down into his lap with a mournful look on his face. "I… I was with my team… We were caught in a trap, my… my original eye pretty much beyond hope of recovery…" he swallowed, even as the others listened with a mixture of macabre curiosity and dread. "My friend… he was crushed under a pile of stone… He… gave his Sharingan to replace… my damaged eye…"
Takeshi glanced over at Aoi as the stranger told his story, finding it sad that someone who looked the same age as his friend had already experienced something so horrible at his age.
"I'm supposed to protect people…" the silver-haired man said, seemingly to himself, "How can I protect others if I can't even save my own friend…?" Kakashi's monologue was quickly stopped by a sharp whap to the back of the head, surprising… everyone.
"If I wanted to hear someone pitying themselves, I would've gone to the Tiger tribe after they lost to Takeshi here…" Osamu said darkly, ignoring the look he received from said Tora. "Plus, a young man such as yourself should not be dwelling on such thoughts until you have something to truly regret in your life."
"... Like your friend using you to commit suicide?"
Osamu's dark look softened at the tortured expression the silver-haired man had on his face, but remained stern. "I may not have known your friend, but I've known shinobi who'd rather take the blow of a friend than that of an enemy's when the odds were against them… Am I correct?"
Kakashi sat still for a moment before slowing nodding his head, his single eye not looking into his as he did so. He had known others who had also died in battle, but they hadn't been people who killed themselves… and weren't an individual he had promised to protect on the deathbed of another friend.
"It's ok to feel sorrow, Brave Shinobi," Aoi said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, "But don't let the past keep you from being able to fly…"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Two days later, many of Kakashi's wounds were on their way to properly healing with the care of Osamu's medicines and Aoi's patience to help him; all of which Kakashi was grateful for. If he hadn't been in their care, the road to recovery for the amount of injuries he had would've taken longer to heal, let alone know if he would ever fight again.
Now that he was getting better, the event of meeting with the council of Elders could not be put off any longer, and that was why Kakashi was now sitting before them, sitting seiza on the floor as five elderly men and women watched him with determined eyes.
Aoi's father, Hiroto as Kakashi had learned his name to be, sat beside him, though was not far from being as tense as his shoulders stood square and his jaw tight. No emotion could be seen past his silvery-blue eyes as he looked upon the five who governed their clan.
The first to speak was an older man who looked well into his eighties and wore a heavy feather cloak. "Hiroto of the Swan tribe… you bring before us an outsider from the world that which we broke away from. Why is this?"
"My daughter, Aoi, found him unconscious in the creek that runs through our lands, Elder of the Washi tribe," Hiroto told him, his voice level and calm. "He had been found heavily wounded and so close to death she thought him among his ancestors at first."
Another older gentleman wearing soft earth colors and long necklace made of snake fangs spoke up, his eyes shut from age. "Ah.. little Aoi. How is she doing these days? I'd love for her to visit me-"
"Quiet you old fool. Can't you see we're in a meeting to discuss more important matters!?" An older woman whose long grey hair showed signs of being beautiful in her youth spoke harshly beside the snake elder, the long skirt she wore bearing the symbol of a horse as the man beside her meekly apologized and the elder on her other side cleared his throat.
"Does the stranger have any words to speak during this council? I'd like to hear."
All eyes fixed on the silver-haired ninja as he sat straight and began to speak. "Honored Council," Kakashi said, his tone soft and respectful from years of practice talking with his own village's council, "I have heard from Aoi why you would prefer to live without anyone from the outside world knowing of your existence… and I completely understand. Many clans within my own village in the past have come to us to flee from wars and strife in other lands; the wife of my teacher came from a land that is now no more because of war. I do not intend to bring war to your lands, and I would like to prevent war from coming as much as I possibly can… I have no wish to force suffering upon anyone." He looked at each of the Council members for a few seconds, then, his exposed eye closing, he said, "Even if that means that I must stay here, isolated from everyone I ever knew, for the rest of my life. I have no family to return to, only comrades."
After hearing all what he had to say, Kakashi watched as they talked amongst themselves and couldn't help but wonder what fate had in store for him. Everything he had said was true, just like Aoi had recommended him to say, since telling the truth was his best option of hoping to make it home.
Kakashi's musings were interrupted by a comforting hand placed on his shoulder, turning his head to see Hiroto who gave an encouraging smile as the council seemed to come to an agreement.
"Kakashi Hatake of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, we have come to our final agreement that we shall let you leave our village to return to your home. However, this must be so if a party selected by us leaves with you to speak with your leader."
Kakashi lowered his head in respect. "I accept your terms," Kakashi said, bowing his head to them as he closed his exposed eye.
0o0o0o0(TIME SKIP)0o0o0o0
Three weeks after the Council meeting, Kakashi was finally recovered enough to travel as they rode by horse to the village gates of the Hidden Leaf. The teenager was met with many disbelieving stares as many had thought he had died while he and his party was led to the Hokage Building.
As the accompanying shinobi knocked on the door on the top level, a voice Kakashi knew well on the other side allowed them to enter where they were greeted by the sight of a relatively young man in his early twenties with golden blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. Those same blue eyes widened in shock and surprise when he saw the silver-haired teenager.
"Kakashi?! You… The last report I had heard about you said that you had died in battle!" the man said, standing from his seat at his desk. "How…"
"Lord Fourth, I did not die in the battle… but I may have perished afterwards if it weren't for these people, Aoi and Takeshi especially," Kakashi said, motioning to the group of ten people behind him. The Council of Elders had chosen the five leaders of each tribe of their clan, as well as a warrior from each, and Aoi had been sent because she had been the one who had found Kakashi and taken care of him for most of his stay in their village. "However, they had allowed me to return with a few conditions…"
At this, the blonde's eyebrow furrowed in hesitation. "And what were those conditions?" the Hokage asked, looking around at the ten strangers, and he saw the white-haired man step forwards.
"Our Elders wish for us to write up a treaty between our clan and your Village as a whole," he said, and blue eyes widened in surprise. "We do not wish to be in your war, nor do we wish to be your enemies. We wish only to live our lives in peace, without the threat that others will come hunt us down."
"That's all?" he asked, and the white-haired man nodded, his eyes closing. "And what are your names, if I may ask? I know our own council is going to have a field day with this..."
"I am Hiroto Hakucho, of the Hakucho tribe of the Kaiju Clan," the man with white hair said, looking at him again. Motioning to a white-haired teenage girl at his side, he said, "This is my daughter, Aoi."
"I am Osamu Hebi of the Hebi Tribe," a brown-haired man with amber snake-eyes introduced, folding a hand over his chest in respect. Motioning to a man next to him with dark gray hair and green snake eyes, he said, "And this is Benjiro Hebi, one of my tribe's healing-warriors."
"I am Ayumi Uma of the Uma Tribe," a woman with red-brown hair and gentle brown eyes introduced, bowing slightly with her hands clasped together. Holding a hand out towards a young man with black hair and ice-blue eyes that stood next to her, she continued, "And this is Makoto Uma, one of my best scouts."
A man with tawny brown hair and sharp yellow eyes spoke next, "I am Chieko Washi of the Washi Tribe." He motioned towards a young woman with black hair and golden eyes next to him, "And this is Kasuke Washi, one of my best scouts and fighters."
Finally, a larger man with black-streaked orange hair and bright amber eyes said, "And I am Katsuo Tora of the Tora tribe, and this is Takeshi Tora, one of my most promising young warriors." The one he had motioned to was the young man with brown-streaked black hair and fiery amber eyes that stood next to him with a large, toothy grin.
"It's nice to meet each and every one of you. And Aoi-san, thank you for saving Kakashi's life; I know my wife would be saddened to not see him at our dinner table every now and then…" Minato said, wincing at how upset she had been when they had initially thought Kakashi had been dead.
"It was not just myself, Great Hokage…" the white-haired teen said softly, smiling. "Takeshi helped as well; another Shinobi had presented himself when I found him and had been intent on killing Kakashi-san, and Takeshi assisted me in protecting him."
Minato's brows furrowed again at this, but his smile remained on his face at being called 'great'... his wife could go on all day how much of a dunderhead he was and no one wanted to argue with her should she get a hold of her knife set…
"You bet I helped carry Kakashi's hide back with us! I got a pretty nice weapon out of it too," Takeshi said, bringing out the sword he had claimed from the Shinobi's corpse when they went to bury him, "I had to fight the others for it, though."
"Which didn't seem to bother you, Takeshi…" Aoi commented, smiling knowingly at her long time friend and brother-figure as he rubbed the back of his head.
Their playful banter put a genuine smile on Minato's face, seeing them act like a family despite being on a diplomatic mission to establish ties with his Village; if he hadn't known better, he could mistake them for a few of his closest friends. But the sword did strike a chord in the shinobi, recognizing it as the style of weapon ninja of the Hidden Stone used. Knowing this, he would probably have to order a look out for any Stone ninja looking to avenge their fallen comrade.
Stone ninja didn't have the best reputation of being the nicest guys, being able to hold a grudge for generations.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Before the council was called, Minato dismissed Kakashi since he didn't have to be present during the meeting and still needed to be seen by a doctor at their hospital, so both he and Aoi were allowed to leave since the teenage girl was enthusiastic to see more of the Hidden Leaf.
"... and I'm simply asking why we should make a treaty with a people we didn't know existed until recently." Minato heard the voice of an older woman say, his eyes following it to one of the three members of the council. Koharu Utatane, a woman in her late sixties, was possibly the most pessimistic woman he had ever met; she always had something negative to say when in concern to something outside her comfort zone. Her partner, who was nodding along with everything she was saying, was Homura Mitokado. His glass was either half-full or half-empty depending on how he wanted to look at it. Which also kinda irritated Minato.
Which brought his attention to the third member of the Council; Danzo Shimura, a man who went by many names and was in charge of the darker side of the Leaf village that also supported the Leaf as its backbone in regards to the deeper pits of security. His appearance was why many referred to him as the 'War Hawk', with many injuries constantly covered in bandages and always walking on a cane; his proof of how much he had sacrificed for his village.
Looking out of the corner of his eye, Minato saw that the two Tora Tribe members were growling softly, tic marks all over their foreheads, and the two Uma Tribe members seemed to be silently seething while glaring flaming daggers at the doors. If looks could kill, the three council members would be over 9,000 feet under.
'This is going to be a long meeting… Kushina, please save me some of your homemade cooking…'
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"So, how big is Leaf Village?" Aoi asked Kakashi, her ice-blue eyes wide in wonder as she looked around. They were walking through a more market-oriented part of the village, some of the others looking at Kakashi in shock as they passed by.
"It's rather large…" he told her, nodding to another Shinobi that they passed by, said person staring with wide eyes as he continued walking… and Aoi winced when he walked face-first into a pole.
"Why is everyone staring at us when they see us?" she asked, and the silver-haired teenager looked around, seeing for the first time how those who noticed them were just staring.
"They probably thought I was dead," he said offhandedly, shrugging. "I had gone missing after the last battle, nobody seeing me for nearly a month… It's pretty easy to see why they would think me dead in our line of work."
"Well, at least now they know that you're still here," Aoi said, smiling softly at him. They passed a few more shops, some of them catching Aoi's interest, but she passed them by, knowing that she had no money with her.
"Kakashi!? Is that you, my eternal rival?!" The two slowly turned around to see a young man barreling towards them with a bowl cut hair style, bushy eyebrows… and a bright neon green jumpsuit with blazing orange leg warmers.
"Uh… who's that guy? And why does he seem to know you?" Aoi asked nervously, as she and Kakashi watched him drawing closer at a fast pace. She didn't even notice her friend making a couple of hand signs just seconds before the new person was about to tackle him.
In a puff of smoke, just as the green-clad man's arms closed around where Kakashi was, the silver-haired ninja vanished, replaced with a bright orange cat that instantly started to hiss and yowl and claw at the man's face!
Aoi was startled at the sudden appearance of smoke, looking to her side when she felt Kakashi leading her away by the arm away from the screaming man. "That, Aoi, is Might Guy. I wouldn't pay too much attention to him by the way… he's earned the ire of plenty female ninja over the years…"
"... O-kay…" Aoi said slowly, glancing back before looking at Kakashi again as he flinched at her gaze. "So… where's this doctor you're supposed to be seeing?"
"-And to your left, you'll see the Hokage Mountain!"
"Kakashi."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"... Seriously, why do you prefer this to going to an actual doctor?" Aoi asked, as she re-wrapped the bandages around Kakashi's chest. "I mean, seriously…"
"Would you believe me if I said I don't want the nurses to have a reason to unmask me?"
"... I've already seen your face, Kakashi…"
"And that just proves how much I trust you more than those fangirls…"
"... I had to take your mask off while you were unconscious to stitch that cut on your face and to repair the mask itself."
"... Still."
"... You're so stubborn…"
Their playful banter went on, not knowing a dark eyed child watched them from behind a tree, his curious gaze on the back of Aoi's head. Kakashi's right eye, however, noticed the boy out of the corner of his right eye.
"Kakashi? What are you looking at?" Aoi asked, turning to look. She caught sight of the little boy, and she smiled, hearts forming in her eyes. "He's so cu~ute!"
As the boy was being smothered, unsuccessfully getting away, Kakashi watched with humor as a second dark haired boy appeared also behind the tree and stopped at the sight of his cousin being hugged. "Hey, Shisui-Kun. Sorry about this; Itachi was too cute for Aoi to handle…"
"... I see…" The white-haired woman was unfamiliar to the eight year old, but if Kakashi was comfortable around her, Shisui saw no reason to be stiff around her…. Plus watching his younger cousin get pressed into her chest as a blush dusted his cheeks and reached to his ears was priceless.
"Aoi, why don't you let the poor kid go… I'm pretty sure he's trying to tap out.." Kakashi said dryly, seeing thin arms tapping out like wrestlers during the match when one gave up as Itachi's face was going blue.
"Oh! I am so sorry!" Aoi cried out, letting the child go as he quickly ran behind his cousin, peeking around shyly. "It's just… a bad habit I've always had since I was a kid; every time I see something cute, I want to hug and cuddle it. My father tried breaking the habit, but all he ended up doing was giving away all the rabbits and squirrels I brought home."
"Wait, you did what?" Kakashi asked, a little laugh escaping him, his exposed eye closing in a happy look that Aoi had come to realize meant he was smiling.
"... What? Is it that surprising?" Aoi asked, her head tilted in a cute way as she looked at him curiously; Kakashi's face heating up at the cute action that caused his voice to silence, his lips moving much like a fish until his junior noticed his plight.
"While I know first hand how cute Itachi can be Miss, he's definitely not a rabbit or squirrel… more like a wolf cub who has yet to grow into his claws." Shisui said, earning a small punch from Itachi that actually had some bite to it. Yup, definitely a wolf.
"A wolf?" Aoi said, tilting her head to the other side now, "I've been thinking Kakashi seems a lot like a wolf to me… The way I found him and how he looks reminds me of a story my father used to tell me as a child…"
"A story? What's it about?" Itachi asked curiously, coming from behind his cousin as he walked closer to Aoi as she smiled as his childish curiosity; children his age were her favorite.
"Well it's a story that's been passed down my family for generations about a girl from my village and a wolf she found injured…" And like that, any hesitation Itachi had held about the woman instantly vanished, letting his actions fall back to that of a normal five year old as Kakashi and Shisui listened, not wanting to ruin the moment. "Long ago, a young girl was fetching water from the river when she saw a large wolf in the water, covered in wounds from head to tail. Feeling empathy for the wolf, she brought him back with her and nursed him back to health. Over time, the two became close friends, but the day soon came for the wolf to leave. However, he didn't; instead the wolf transformed into a beautiful man with silver hair like the stars in the moonlight who had descended from the heavens, and told her he had been touched by her kindness that she, a mortal woman, would care for a beast. For her kind deed, he asked her to be his wife." Itachi's eyes were wide with wonder, amazed at the story and wondered why he hadn't heard this story before. "My people say that the Wolf-man and his bride were the first tribal leaders of my clan…"
When Aoi had finished telling the story, Kakashi laid his head on his forearms and sighed. "No matter how many times I hear you tell that story, I never get tired of it."
"But it looks like you put my cousin to sleep…" Shisui said teasingly, eyeing Itachi who had fallen asleep on Aoi's lap. He couldn't remember the last time the younger Uchiha had actually acted his age, but it was nice to see him so relaxed for once. "Looks like I'm gonna have to carry him home so his parents don't have a fit…." Shisui said, turning his back to Itachi so he could carry him on his back. "Well Aoi-San, it was nice to meet you. Later Kakashi!"
"So, Kakashi…" Aoi said, looking over at the silver-haired teenager, "Do you think their meeting is over yet?"
"Knowing Katsuo-San and Ayumi-San…. Who knows… Guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to check though. Minato-sensei- I mean Lord Fourth is pretty good at settling things." Kakashi said as the two walked back to the Hokage Building; both unaware how much their futures were about to change because of this fateful event...