INU knew his place. If Kakashi was Konoha's tool, then INU was Konoha's claws. Tools did complicated work. Claws had one purpose – to rip and tear the enemy.

He met Yamato at the city gates. Yamato looked at those hard, alert eyes, and he felt cold and afraid. He'd never seen them without the ANBU mask, but he knew what he was looking at.

"Kakashi?" Yamato asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ready for action," INU said, with a voice a full octave lower than Kakashi's. "Let's go."

Yamato followed him. He had no choice, but he wondered if he'd return from this mission. "You're not Kakashi." he asked. "You're INU, aren't you?"

INU glanced back. "I was needed. I came. You've worked with me before."

All ANBU had to harness strengths that were dangerous and frightening at times, but something had happened to Kakashi on his last ANBU mission, and Yamato had had the misfortune to be present. He remembered that mission, when Kakashi had sunk so far into his ANBU identity that he couldn't come back, when those dark, hollow eyes had looked more through him than at him. When he had to remind INU to clean the blood off of himself after he had ripped through 20 men as if they were nothing. INU had stopped and irritably cleaned himself, as if such a mundane chore were unimportant, as if he hadn't pulled other men's entrails off his clothes.

Yamato had tried to talk him down, wondering the entire time if he was about to die. He could have fought Kakashi. He would have lost, but he could have fought him, enough to flee if he was lucky. But INU would slaughter him.

INU had realized Yamato was frightened. "Don't worry," he'd said. "You're a comrade. You're safe with me."

But Yamato had felt as if he was walking on dynamite until he managed to get home and take INU to the Hokage's office.

As soon as he'd seen INU, Sandaime had stood and walked to him. "Kakashi, what happened?"

"The mission was successful, Hokage-sama," INU said.

"Step outside. I want to take Yamato's report, and then I'll take yours."

As soon as the door was closed, Yamato told the Hokage what had happened.

"It sounds like he's about to snap," Sandaime had said. "There are procedures in place for this, but we need to get him to a safe place so he can recover. He could kill hundreds of people if he isn't contained quickly. I want you to let him in, but stay outside in case I need you."

Yamato stepped into the foyer. He was used to seeing Kakashi flirt with the secretary or lean against a wall lazily as he waited to see the Hokage, but INU stood ramrod straight, staring forward.

"He's ready for you," Yamato said.

INU stepped into the Hokage's office, and Yamato felt a sudden surge of chakra. He ran into the office, expecting to have to help his Hokage fight his senpai, but instead he saw the old man bending over the unconscious form of Kakashi, pulling open his good eye and looking into it. Only the white was visible with a part of one pupil peeking out from the eyelid.

"He's out," the Hokage said. "It didn't take much. He's strung more tightly than a guitar string right now."

The medics came and took him away. It was a month before he was released from the psych ward, and the next time Yamato saw him he had lost so much weight as to look anorexic.

"Domo, Yamato," he'd said. "I'm not sure I would have come back from that."

And now Yamato was stuck with INU again, and he didn't know why.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inoichi paced in Tsunadae's office.

"What you're asking me to do is beyond illegal, Hokage-sama," he said. "It's murder."

"You'll be using a condemned prisoner," Tsunade said.

"It doesn't matter," Inoichi said. "That jutsu is so forbidden that anyone who uses it will be executed by my clan. Any jutsu that requires a living sacrifice is forbidden to us, and that one requires complete sacrifice."

"It brings justice for your daughter," Tsunade said. "I think you'd want that."

"What does Ino have to do with this?" Inoichi asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke is to be the living sacrifice," Tsunade said.

"That…changes things."

"I'll give you time to think it over," Tsunade said. "We need to find a corpse to get donations for an eye transplant for Sasuke before the transformation takes place, but don't wait too long. Gai is stable for the moment, but his body is so badly damaged I don't know how long he'll live. He could have years, or only a few days."

"I don't need time," Inoichi said. "Ino was my life. She was my precious baby girl. If I can use Uchiha Sasuke's body my revenge is complete. I'll do it."

Tsunade saw the intensity in his eyes.

"You do realize though that it's likely not to work," Inoichi said. "It's only been done 5 times, and 4 of those times the subjects committed suicide afterwards."

"What happened to the fifth?" Tsunade asked.

"He was executed with the ninja who used the jutsu."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Yamato traveled with INU he began to relax around him. He didn't know why INU was present, but he seemed content to travel silently, looking straight ahead. They quickly finished the assassination, using Kakashi's Sharingan to see into the heavily guarded compound. The ninja clan that owned the compound were masters of chakra traps, and only the Sharingan allowed them to infiltrate it to get to their target.

They traveled two days, moving as quickly as possible and stopping only to eat and rest briefly. The morning of the third day Yamato woke before INU, but he was happy to see Kakashi instead of INU.

The change was obvious. INU had woken with no sign of sleep confusion or other normal morning shortcomings. INU always sat up straight immediately upon waking, performed his morning hygiene and breakfast routine silently, speaking only when necessary.

But that morning Kakashi sat up and ran a hand through tangled hair. He yawned and stretched, cracking his back and grimacing.

"It's good to see you," Yamato said.

Kakashi grunted in reply.

"Why was INU here?" Yamato asked.

"Because I needed him," Kakashi said. "He's gone. Don't concern yourself."

Yamato left it alone, but he wondered if he'd seen that last of INU. He certainly hoped so.

When they reached Konoha Yamato asked Kakashi, "it was a simple mission. The report can wait. Do you want to get some coffee?" He felt reluctant to leave Kakashi before discovering what had driven his friend to psychosis again.

"I have something important to take care of," Kakashi said.

"Is this something the same something that made you need INU?" Yamato asked.

"Let it go Yamato."

"Ok, Senpai. If you need me…"

"Noted. I'll see you around."

He hurried to the hospital, hoping that he wasn't too late. When he'd woken up without INU he'd had trouble hiding his distress from Yamato. Don't be too late. Don't be too late, he thought as he approached Gai's room.

The room was empty, clean, and ready for the next patient. The bright sunlight streaming through the window mocked him.

Kakashi went to the nurses' station. "I need to know what room they moved Maito Gai into," he said. They might have moved him to the Home.

The nurse looked through a few files. "I'm sorry, but he passed away yesterday."

She said something else, but Kakashi wasn't listening. He left the hospital in a state of shock, trying to make sense of it all. Yesterday, he thought. It was such a small amount of time, as if he could almost reach back and grab it, twist it into the right shape.

Sakura saw him wandering toward the door with his hands in his pockets and a blank look on his face.

"Sensei?"

"Huh? Sakura?"

"I guess you heard," she said. "How are you?"

"When is the funeral?" he asked.

"Two days," Sakura said. "Sai, Naruto, and I are going together. Why don't you come with us?"

"Sure," Kakashi said.

He decided to give Tsunade his report so he could get it out of the way and climb into a bottle of whiskey. He waited in the foyer, looking out the window at the bustling village.

A ninja left Tsunade's office, and he drew Kakashi's attention simply because even though he'd never seen him the man seemed as if he belonged there.

He was an average looking fellow, dressed in camo with messy black hair spilling out over his hitai-ate. His face was almost completely covered, and only his eyes showed over a mask that looked almost like Kakashi's. A deep scar through the nose and passing through the eyes was matched by one that came into view just under one eye passing back under the mask. The eyes were an unusual shade of grey, and very sad.

Kakashi couldn't have said why the man drew his attention. Except for the mask and scars he was an average looking fellow. Something about him reminded Kakashi of Obito, but he couldn't say what.

The stranger seemed startled when he saw Kakashi, and seemed as if he wanted to speak to him, but he turned and left.

He was standing in the doorway looking back at the stranger when Tsunade said, "in or out Kakashi."

He gave his report to Tsunade, happy that she was too busy for a personal meeting. She motioned to her inbox, and he tossed the mission report on top of Yamato's and left.

Dodged a kunai there, he thought. He didn't want to answer questions.

He made his way slowly to a bar on the seedier side of town, adopting a henge of a larger, balding man – someone unlikely to be approached by strangers. He didn't see the ninja with the scars following him.

Even at his worst he didn't get very drunk in public, at least not alone. He didn't drink much at any rate, and allowing himself to lose control in public seemed like inviting a kunai to the back.

So when he ordered his third double whiskey he ignored his better sense. What does it matter if I get stabbed now? He didn't realize he had become too drunk to hold the henge until he found himself looking in the bar mirror at his own reflection.

He remembered too much that he didn't want to remember. Half of the reason he was in the bar was to forget. To forget that the only person who had truly understood him was dead.

All of the stupid challenges, the amazing sparring sessions, that one and only kiss. It all haunted him.

He didn't leave until the bar closed, and he staggered outside, unsure of which direction his house lay. He slurred something at the bouncer who pushed him out, and promptly had to hold the building to keep from falling.

The world spun around him, and it finally made it through the alcohol fog in his mind that he was in trouble. He made his way in what he hoped was the right direction, stumbling behind buildings and through alleys to avoid detection – or so he thought. He couldn't have fooled an academy student.

He was in an alley behind a small mini mall when he fell, landing on a broken liquor bottle. He looked in numb confusion as a stream of blood flowed from his hand, and he blinked stupidly as he tried to think of what to do.

"You should be more careful," he heard, and he looked up to see the blurry figure of a man standing over him, a familiar man.

"Obito?" he asked. "You're dead. I killed you. Did you come to make peace?"

"No. I'm not Obito." The man knelt, gently removed the large shard of glass from his hand, and pulled bandages from Kakashi's pack, wrapping his wound. "This will do until you can get to a medic tomorrow."

He lifted Kakashi, pulling an arm around his shoulder and almost carrying him home. Kakashi asked no more questions, having to use all of his focus to walk.

When Kakashi woke in his bed hours later he wondered who had brought him home, undressed him down to his pants, and helped him into bed. He vaguely remembered something about an alley, and how hard the walk home had been. Someone had been with him, but he couldn't remember who. He definitely remembered the hand injury.

God that was dumb, he thought as he pulled the blanket over his head to hide from the morning light through his blinds' slats.

He went through the day in a sort of haze, going out once to the corner store for some food. He saw the stranger again, not following him, but still too conveniently nearby. Something about the stranger made him bristle. He couldn't say why. He hadn't been aggressive or rude in any way. There was just something about him that Kakashi didn't like, something that screamed danger.

He didn't put much thought into it. The sour grief left by Gai's death took up all the available space in his brain. He didn't care when Tsunade told him that he was taken off the mission roster until he gained weight and passed a physical, or when he saw Sai and Sakura holding hands as they walked.

I guess she changed her mind, he thought. He would usually be amused, but he felt numb inside. It was wrong for the sun to shine, wrong to hear people chattering happily as he walked, as if there could be any joy in the world.

He almost skipped the viewing, but he knew he'd regret not seeing Gai one last time. It was rare to be able to view a ninja's body in the funeral home. It was more likely that their remains would be too torn up for an open casket funeral.

The lump was gone where the machinery and pumps had replaced Gai's stomach. He had been put into one of his green jumpsuits, but his face was wrong.

Kakashi hated when people said a corpse prepared for a funeral "looked so natural". Gai looked as waxy as any prepared corpse.

"Goodbye old friend," Kakashi said. "I wish I could have been there at the end, but it's one more thing I was late for."

He saw the stranger on his way home, and he was sure he was being followed. I'll have to ask Tsunade-sama about him. He might be a new ANBU that was told to tail me because of INU. He was sure Yamato had included INU's appearance in his report. He couldn't blame him; it was his duty.

She needn't have worried, in his opinion, but if she was taking INU's appearance that seriously he should probably talk to her. He decided to wait until after the funeral. He hated funerals, the finality, the panicky feeling of loss. He wasn't in the frame of mind to deal with his temperamental boss.

Gai's funeral was late in the afternoon, so he had worked through the hangover in time to go. Naruto and Sakura both wept for Gai, but Naruto also kept a close eye on his Sensei.

"Sakura, Kakashi looks bad," Naruto whispered. He had a dazed, lost expression, and he stared at nothing in particular.

Somehow he escaped Naruto's attention, and after the funeral a breeze and a swirl of leaves signaled his departure. Naruto decided against searching for him. Sakura looked too miserable to leave alone, and Sai stood by helplessly, unable to help his hurting friends.

Sai saw Sakura and Naruto leave alone and watched them walk away. He pulled out his book and began to read, looking for some kind of advice to help him.

He found Sakura later by Lake Uchiha, sitting alone on a park bench. He stood by the bench awkwardly.

"You were hard to find," Sai said.

"I didn't want to be found," Sakura said.

"The book said that oftentimes when a friend is in pain they need someone to console them," Sai said. "I would do that if I knew how."

"I know you would," Sakura said. She moved over so he could sit beside her, but when he didn't notice her hint, she patted the bench. "You could sit with me," she said.

Sai sat by her. "Is…is this helping?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. She held his hand and sat quietly. Day turned into dusk, and they watched the sun set over the lake.

"Sakura, I think I'm supposed to kiss you now, but I don't know anything about that."

"That's ok, Sai. It's enough that you're here. I'm not ready for anything like that, anyway."

"That's good," Sai said. "I don't think I am either."

"It just seems so wrong," Sakura said. "Ino and Gai Sensei were so strong."

"No one is strong enough to live forever," Sai said.

Sakura leaned her head on Sai's shoulder, not noticing the panicked look on his face.

No one looked for Kakashi, but it was just as well. He abandoned his usual haunts and left Konoha, walking past the treeless barrier that allowed all approach to the village to be under surveillance. As soon as he reached the forest he hopped into a tree and watched the sun set. He called Pakkun and settled into the crook of a large branch.

Pakkun said nothing, simply snuggling onto his Master's chest and whining a bit as he sensed his misery. Kakashi petted him as if he was a mortal dog, stroking him softly while he listened to the night sounds of the forest.

The next day he received the summons he'd been expecting, and he greeted Tsunade with the appropriate amount of respect, but it was difficult to hide his irritation.

"Something bothering you, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked. Her eyes were challenging.

"That ninja I saw coming out of your office seems to be following me," Kakashi said. "Are you having me tailed for some reason?"

"And why would I do that?" Tsunade asked. "Could you possibly tell me what you might have done that could have made me feel that you need my attention?"

INU, Kakashi thought.

"I know why. It's about INU, isn't it?"

"Actually, I didn't tell him to follow you. I just wanted to see if you'd be honest with me. I just read Yamato's report. That jutsu is incredibly dangerous. I understand it caused you a lengthy stay in the hospital when you used it last time."

"I am in control, Hokage-sama."

"Then why did you need that jutsu for a simple mission? You know to let the mission director know if you're incapacitated in any way. You were necessary for the mission's success, but he might have chosen another partner for you, someone closer to your own strength."

"I didn't consider that," Kakashi said.

"Of course not. I'm concerned about you. I found the reports from your last ANBU mission. I'll certainly make allowances for grief, but you experienced a psychotic break. You're lucky you came back to us at all."

"I was never in danger this time. I brought out INU so that I could focus on my mission. It was necessary, or I wouldn't have done it."

"And why was it necessary?"

"Because I knew the days I would be gone would possibly be Gai's last days alive."

"I see. I'm sorry you lost that time together. However, that jutsu is far too dangerous. I forbid you from using it again."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I also called you to talk about the man you mentioned. I told him to make your acquaintance. I guess he's still a little awkward in his situation. He's a new ninja that came from a small village about a day north. He manifested some wild chakra abilities during a boar attack, and I think he has great potential."

"Why do you think he needs to meet me?"

"Well, he is a Hatake, and I thought that since you're family you could help him. I want you to take him as your student."

Kakashi bit his lip in frustration at the effort to keep his tone respectful.

"Yes, Hokage-sama, is there anything else?"

"No, except to say that I'm sorry for your loss. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."

Kakashi left in an even sourer mood than when he'd been summoned.

He tended to prowl at night if he couldn't sleep, so he ended up at Gai's grave at two in the morning. His grave had been placed next to Lee's, which wasn't surprising. It had taken Gai years to get over his death, and neither of them had family.

The freshly turned earth over his grave was covered in flowers. Kakashi laid his own bouquet of irises beside them.

"I guess I win," he said, "but i would have rather lost this challenge."

The crunch of grass that was brittle with frozen dew alerted him to an approach from behind. It was him. That damn stranger. Kakashi hated how familiar he seemed, how open. No ninja should walk with such an open stance. Something about him seemed off, gangly like a teen still unused to dealing with his body after a growth spurt.

"Really?" Kakashi asked. "You see me by my friend's grave and decide this is a good time to approach me?"

"We need to talk," the stranger said. "It's very important."

"I know who you are," Kakashi said.

"You do?" the stranger asked. "I thought you'd be glad to see me."

"Why would I? The country branch of the Hatake Clan disowned me when I was a child. They even sent a clan elder to inform my father than we were disowned. After all this time a Hatake manifests some wild chakra and they send you to me? Do they think that just because I've become powerful they can just step back into my life, that I would welcome one of them after they abandoned me?"

"That's not it at all," the stranger said.

"I've been ordered to train you, so I'll do it, but don't expect anything other than what I'm ordered to do. You should go back to your clan. You're far too old for training like this."

"Kakashi, you don't understand…"

"Don't speak to me so informally," Kakashi said. "You will address me as Sensei. Is that clear?"

A long pause almost brought on another bout of temper from Kakashi when the stranger said. "Yes Sensei. Forgive me for intruding on your grief. I will find you at a more appropriate time."

"Be at Field 6 tomorrow at dawn," Kakashi said. "Until then, fuck off."

His new student bowed slightly and left. Kakashi realized he didn't know his name, and he didn't care.

He dragged himself to the training field at 8 to find his student doing calisthenics. He moved awkwardly, more like a civilian than a ninja.

"You haven't had any training, have you, Hatake?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, I just arrived," his student said. "We really need to talk somewhere more private."

"None of that," Kakashi snapped. "Just show me what you did to the boar that attacked you."

Hatake pushed chakra into his hands, and it flowed out unevenly. "That was all," he said.

"You should be in the Academy," Kakashi said. "I don't know why Tsunade-sama stuck me with you."

"There's a very important reason for that," Hatake said.

"You think too much of yourself," Kakashi said. "You aren't important. Your genetics are. She just wants another member of the Hatake clan to be a ninja. The white chakra is limited to our clan, and not many of us can be ninjas."

He handed Hatake an Academy text. "Read chapter one and meet me back here tomorrow at dawn."

"But Kakashi…"

A sharp look stopped him. "But Sensei…"

"Look, Hatake, I'll train you, but you have to start with the basics. Dismissed."

Hatake watched in dismay as Kakashi turned and left. "Well, that could have gone better."

When Kakashi found out that Sakura, Sai, and Naruto had left with Yamato for a mission he felt anger that he knew was irrational. I can't expect them to wait for me. I need to get ready for missions myself. At least I could be away from the country cousin for some time.

Hatake watched Kakashi as he walked. He hadn't bothered to hide his presence before, because he'd wanted to be seen. But now he slipped among the shadows. He wasn't the sneakiest of ninjas, by any means, but Kakashi was getting sloppy in his pre-occupation with his own problems.

I'll have to talk to him about that, Hatake thought. But how to get him alone? The cemetery is out. That's for sure.

The next day was Sasuke's execution. Very few people knew that the man that was led gagged and bound through the streets of Konoha wasn't Sasuke, but another condemned criminal. Tsunade's henge was good. Ibiki didn't even know. She had made sure that it was a complete secret, and as they covered the criminal's head with a bag before beheading him she hoped her plan would work. She had ordered "Sasuke's" mouth gagged, on the pretense that she didn't want him to spread any more of his venomous lies.

The crowd never suspected, and they cheered as the criminal's head was cut off. Tsunade couldn't help but feel an ugly satisfaction, glad that the business was over.

Anyone who could get away from their jobs was as close to the execution area as they could be. Food stalls had been set up, and the place seemed to have a carnival atmosphere.

Kakashi felt none of the elation that others seemed to embrace, but none of the others had been close to Sasuke. He was glad Sakura and Naruto were out of town. He didn't want Sakura to embrace that dark joy of revenge, and it would have hurt Naruto to see his village behave so barbarically, even if it was justified.

When he returned home he made a simple lunch, which he didn't eat. Instead he sat at the table and tried not to remember. He couldn't help it. His mind kept going back to that night after Asuma's party, when he was drunk enough that he'd let Gai hold him, nuzzle against his neck and pull his mask down.

I should have said yes, he thought again, but he'd stopped Gai as he moved in for a kiss. They locked eyes for several long seconds, and Gai had left. They had pretended it hadn't happened after that.

He had just made the decision to go back to the bar that night when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hatake?" he asked. "You'd better have a damn good reason for bothering me."

Hatake stepped inside, pushing Kakashi backwards. "I have to talk to you, and I can't do it where we might be overheard."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked. "What could possibly be so important that you have to tell me?"

"Kakashi, it's me, Gai."

Kakashi looked into grey, intense eyes, and he decided he must be talking to a mad man. There was a history of mental illness in the Hatake clan.

"Ok, I don't know what's going on here, but you're obviously delusional."

"I'm serious! And I can prove it."

"How? Tell me something that only Gai would know."

"I wish you had said yes."

Kakashi's eye widened.

"I know neither of us told anyone what almost happened after that party," the stranger said.

Kakashi shook his head. "There's no way anyone but Gai could know, but it isn't possible."

"I can't tell you how it happened, or someone that helped me might suffer."

Kakashi's brain refused to accept it. "You can't… this…" he stammered.

"Kakashi, are you ok?"

"No. I…" He stopped as he felt weak and shaky. "It can't be true."

"Sit down," the stranger said. "You look like you're going to faint."

Kakashi fell onto the couch. "Head between your knees and breathe deeply," the stranger said.

Kakashi complied, too stunned to do anything else. The stranger put his hand on Kakashi's back. "That's it, just breathe. You haven't been taking care of yourself again, have you?"

Kakashi didn't have the chance to respond as he fought to stay conscious. When the dizzy spell passed and he looked up into intense gray eyes he tried to understand. "Gai? It's really you, isn't it? But I saw your body."

"I know," Gai said. "I can't tell you what happened. Just believe me and accept."

Kakashi sat up and reached for Gai's mask. Gai caught his hand. "No! No one can ever see what's under the mask! Ever!"

"I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter," Gai said. "After you rest we can talk more, and don't argue with me. You look horrible."

"I can't argue with that," Kakashi said. He stood, feeling stronger but having to admit that Gai was right. He had been neglecting his health.

"Wait," Gai said. He pulled Kakashi's headband off and put it over his eyes. He pulled down Kakashi's mask.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked.

"Can't let you see my face," Gai said, before Kakashi felt rough lips on his. He returned the kiss, pulling Gai close to him.

When Gai pulled Kakashi's headband off he had put his own mask back on, hiding everything but his eyes and the scars crossing them.

Kakashi touched the skin by Gai's left eye, feeling the rough scar. "Whose eyes are those? Whose body is this?"

"Mine, now," Gai said. "I was sworn to secrecy."

"I can respect that," Kakashi said. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"I'll never feel young again," Gai said, "but I can still be a ninja, and teach. And we can be together."

He grinned and said, "Yosh!" but the grin faded. "I can't feel the old enthusiasm. I don't know if I ever will again."

Across the village Sakura stood in front of Ino's grave. It was ornate, with a couple of two foot tall roses carved out of pink marble. Ino's parents had paid more than Sakura made in months for Ino's headstone.

She wished she could hide her emotions better, that she wasn't crying, or that she could forget what had happened, but the scene played over and over in her mind.

Sai stood beside her, quiet and strong.

"I wish I could be like you," Sakura said.

"Odd," Sai said. "I was just thinking that I wish I could be more like you."

Sakura took his hand and allowed herself to feel safe in his presence, to accept his solidity and strength.

"I suppose this is it," she said. "This is what we all get eventually. A grave and some memories."

"Yes, but we don't have to go there alone," Sai said.

"Did you read that in your book?" Sakura asked.

"No," Sai said. "I figured that out by myself."

Konoha slept, for the most part. It moved on without the dead, absorbing them into its soil as it absorbed their lives into its people.