"Hold still, or you'll bleed even more, boy."
Madara had forced the Hatake to remove his upper clothing and the older male stitched Kakashi's open skin with a needle. The younger male hissed in pain.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"If you thrash around, I probably will. Now, sit still. I need to check on your wounds.
'This is nothing. I feel more pain when Rin...'
Kakashi gritted his teeth as he hissed out in pain again, not just physically, but mentally.
Rin...
Madara stepped back, examining the boy,"...you're done with injuries...sit up, boy."
Kakashi did as he was told and glared at old man,"...You're not exactly great with medical ninjutsu..." He mumbled under his breath.
The elder smiled grimly as he raised a bony finger and pressed at Kakashi's chest,"I'm not meant to be a medic. I was meant to kill others, boy. Besides, I need to keep you in shape for my plan... Tsuki no Me."
"Tsuki no Me..?" Kakashi gazed, completely puzzled," I didn't say I was going to help you with anything..."
"Boy, you're underestimating who I am. I can kill you at any time. If you are to be let go, you would have nowhere to turn." Madara growled, making Kakashi flinched at the harsh tone. The boy came to understand that the elder was right. He couldn't return to Konoha. He couldn't turn anywhere.
"Besides, I need your help; I am planning a genjutsu on the world, using the moon."
"That's impossible. The moon? How would you do that?" Kakashi was in utter disbelief as he sat up straight, scratching at the bandages that clung to his bare skin.
"Nothing's impossible, boy," Madara scoffed, placing the medical materials back in the kit.
"Then tell me how. How can the moon cast a genjutsu? It's theoretically impossible. It sounds childish."
"Maybe...it is impossible... to shut you up, boy."
Kakashi scowled, and stood up from the bench and grabbed his navy shirt, placing it back on before muttering, "Why should I help you on a plan that sounds utterly insane? At least, it's supposed to sound reasonable..." The teen turned to Madara,"Maybe you're just a crazy old man, after all."
The elder towered over the boy and seethed, "You will be part of my plan. I have helped you, now it's you that has to return the favor."
Kakashi scoffed as he walked towards the exit, "Like, you're really going to do anything."
Madara snapped his fingers and to Kakashi's surprise, a girl, at least a year younger than him had intervened, pinning him to the floor. Wincing in pain, he struggled with his attacker and spat out, venomously, "Don't touch me..."
"If Madara-sama tells you to be his servant, you are to do what he says!" The girl snapped, digging her menacing, sharp fingernails into his flesh.
The Hatake boy had logged her features. Cerulean eyes, jet black hair that settled to her waist, a fierce face she had...
In other words, she looked like an angel that fell from the sky...But, she was attacking him, so it didn't necessarily count.
"Get off of me." He snapped, trying to push the insane female off of him.
She didn't budge at all. Instead, she pressed hold of his wrists, leaning in to only snarl, despicably, "You Konoha shinobi... This is the reason why I loathe you all. Selfish, and non-self-sacrificial..."
"Former." The Hatake grunted as he pushed her off, only to push her towards the ground, using the same move on her and gazing at her deep, blue eyes,"...I no longer care for Konoha, so do not even mention the name of that place..."
The girl glared up at the boy before giving a hard and vicious kick that sent the teen tumbling back. She slowly got up, dusting herself off and walking towards Madara,"Who is this low, self-esteemed, piece of garbage?"
Kakashi eyed the girl with an irritated glower. He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest before muttering,"...Who are you calling garbage?"
"You are, scum!"
"Now, now, my children..." Madara complied, crossing his arms over his chest,"This older man cannot listen well over the screaming of mindless youths."
Kakashi silenced himself, but the girl continued to chastised Madara with complaints, "Who in their right mind would you just pick up from the battlefield, Madara-sama!? You're crazy enough to do that! And this boy, he doesn't even respect you!" She jabs a finger at Kakashi, a look of fury was written across her angelic face.
"It's not my fault that your Madara-sama wants me to be part of his silly Moon plan." Kakashi states with a disgruntled snort.
The girl stares down at him with icy, blue eyes as she exclaimed in a clipped tone, "It's not silly. It's Madara-sama's dream. And he is going to achieve it, even through death."
Madara-sama can cast the strongest genjutsu." She took a step towards, jabbing a finger into Kakashi's chest, "You better not screw any damn thing up. You are staying, and if you leave, I will allow you to leave dead."
"Either you're screwed in the head or the old man manipulated you," Kakashi scowled, "It doesn't sound reasonable. The whole world will cast under a genjutsu. What's the point? It won't be reality, anymore. It's not true peace."
"Would you rather have others kill each other by the throats? Or would you want them to have a reality of their own, any of it as they wish...? They will never live among war again. It's like their dream of what they would achieve." The girl chimed her eyes solely staring at the Hatake.
Kakashi grunted under his breath, still thinking that the plan was just some plaything of an idea. If he stayed, he would have to help the two maniacs with a worthless plan. But if he left, not only would Konoha be in search for him, but he would have this girl tailing him around.
He glanced up with dull, mismatched eyes, "I don't think one can achieve that stupid plan, even if your strongest genjutsu user."
"It doesn't matter what you think. We are just here for Madara-sama. There is no other reason to think of it." The girl spoke out bitterly, her voice similar to icy fire.
"I appreciate you knocking some sense into him. By the way, Kakashi..." Madara gazed up at the silver-haired teen and patted the female's shoulder once more before his eyes curved up in an old devious smile, maybe the only smile that Kakashi has ever seen from the old, senile fool, "This is Hotaru. Hayashi Hotaru, and she will be working at my side, as well as you would."
Kakashi had to admit, her name was delicate, considering she was a vicious female with no respect of other males except for the old hag, Madara, and she was overall attractive.
Maybe pretty wasn't the exact word, but he would still think about it.
Kakashi had hit the ground with a single grunt. There was going to be so many damn bruises on his body after this training regimen.
"Keep up, Hatake. You're slower than Madara-sama when he eats his meals!" Hotaru snapped her pose graceful as she watched Kakashi irritatingly stand up. Exhaustion had brim his stance, and the Hatake muttered, "I don't see why I have to train with you. I'm better off alone."
"And it proves you're just a weakling that goes off solo on every damn mission..." She pointed out, her eyes narrowing.
"Hunh, maybe you're right on that. I am a weakling; that's exactly what happened weeks ago." He agreed, his eyes crevassing into a regretted expression, "And maybe that's the reason why my comrades died? Thanks for pointing that out, Hotaru-chan."
The girl blinked and slowly allowed her hands to trail back to her sides,"...Your friends died because of your decisions with missions...?"
"Yeah, it seems that way." Kakashi stated, bitterly as he stared at his hands that were completely bandaged from last training's regimen.
"Then learn from your damn mistakes. Blaming one's self, it will only bring you down. Our mistakes gives us wisdom to become stronger." Hotaru stated, raising her fists up and gazing back down at Kakashi,"Now fight like a man, Hatake."
He scowled at her choice of words before continuing to train with her. Her statement evaded his mind and soon dispersed as her foot connected with his stomach, sending him flying towards the ground once more.
"...dammit, I can't believe I'm letting my ass be single-handed by a girl, especially a girl like you." Kakashi muttered, sitting up and rubbing the many bruises on his forearm.
"Then you should start training up, and beat me, Hatake." Hotaru stated, wiping sweat from her brow and lending out a hand to Kakashi for him to stand up, "Because we need your strength for Madara-sama to achieve his goal."
The silver-haired teen stared at her hand for several moments before taking it and pulled himself up,"...Hotaru, I was wondering... How did you even meet Madara?"
She hesitated, her lips pursing slightly at his questions before her back faced him and her response left Kakashi even more confuse, "I do not speak of my past. And I never will."
She walked off, leaving the Hatake to stand only by himself in the middle of the training grounds.
Obito allowed his fists to connect with the wooden dummy, his pain and rage all focused on the object as he hammered it down.
Oblivious bruises and scars had etched into the Uchiha's knuckles. Blood had soon appeared and slipped down his palms in rivulets as he pounded the wooden dummy.
The thought of Rin, Kakashi, and him altogether had painted a fresh venue in his mind. It only made him feel more pain, and more conscious of what reality really was. And he hated thinking about it.
He could never forgive himself for letting himself grow weak. And because of that, Rin and Kakashi had passed away.
The wooden dummy had broken into many splinters and chunks of wood after the harsh pummels that were thrown from Obito. He panted hard, catching his breath and stared at his bloody knuckles.
'I should have been the one that died. I should have stayed dead and see the both of you; Rin, Kakashi.'
His throat had closed as he emitted a choked sob, tears freely sliding down his cheeks as he let out his sadness that had built inside his heart. His body shook from the cries that escaped his still healing body.
His life was a regret. One big, bullshit of a regret.
Obito collapsed in a heap, on the ground, not caring about anything around him. What was life? What was reality?
Where was his will to forget all about the grief he had learned from...?
His thoughts were interrupted as a warm, firm hand was placed on his shoulder. Just by sensing the presence of the person, Obito wiped his tears with his arm before murmuring,"...What is it that you came to see me, Minato-sensei..?"
"I came because I was worried you would do something stupid, Obito..." The blonde adult smiled sadly as he gazed at his broken student; the only student he had left to care for.
"...Well, I'm fine. You don't have to look over me anymore. I'm an adult. I can look out for my own." Obito's words had cut through Minato like a hot knife. The Uchiha knew what he said was painful, considering how Minato flinched at the teen's words. He knew that his sensei was the most broken out of all. He knew that Minato was the one suffering the most. He was probably the one who suffered every single moment, knowing that he could have done at least something to help his other dead students.
"...Obito, if you still have your head wrapped around their deaths... You have to let it go..." Minato placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and giving him a small, but saddened smile,"...They are probably looking down on you, thinking you're an idiot for mourning them for so long..."
The Uchiha bit his lower lip, muttering lowly,"...Gomen, it's just...I..." He trailed off. He could just imagine the irritated look on Kakashi's face, scolding and lecturing him. And Rin... She would laugh; like she always did. His lips curved upwards, slightly and nodded towards his former teacher,"...I won't forget about their deaths, but I'll make sure they wouldn't die in vain..."
Minato had took this as a good sign as he gave a pat on his student's shoulder one last time,"...You...Uchiha Obito, have the necessity to become a jounin-sensei."
Several Years Later
Several shinobi from the village of Konohagakure had scouted the regions near Kiri, still in search for the missing Hatake.
Minato just couldn't give up. He had hope that his student, Kakashi was still out there. The boy was strong enough to live through war; he couldn't have just died for an unknown reason.
Even if the boy did die, Minato wanted to find the body. His student should deserve a funeral in which everyone would come to respect him.
So here, three grumbling chuunins were in search for the last of the Hatake heir, yet they could have just stayed home to drink sake, or possibly gamble at the town, Tanzaku.
"I can't believe the Yellow Flash wanted us to find Sakumo's kid! He's been missing for two goddamn years! Either he's dead, or he doesn't want to come back to the village! End of discussion!" One of the irritated chuunins, Kyoto, complained.
"Minato-sama just feels bad because he already lost his other student..." The other chuunin, Mitsui, pointed out,"That talented medic kunoichi... Maybe he wants to find Sakumo's kid just to make sure that he hasn't lost another one of his students..."
"Another student, my ass. We've been out of Konoha for two weeks, and there is still no sign of the dumb kid!" The crankiest among the chuunins, Towa, muttered, his agitation showing, clearly,"I can't stand another damn minute away from Konoha. All three of us have families that are waiting for us, yet we're here, being assigned a mission to search for a kid that is either far away from this area or dead."
The two chuunins mumbled, somewhat agreeing to their comrade, but continued to search about the forestry grounds.
"...Fifteen more minutes. In fifteen more minutes, if we can't find the kid, we go home." Kyoto finalized their decision and the three scatter amongst the area to look.
And nearby, an ominous shadow had hid and watched the three men search diligently for this silver-haired male. His left eye shone a crimson glower and watched his prey scour out in search to complete their assignment.
The individual smirked, lips curved into a malicious form before landing lightly on his feet after dropping from the high branch of a tree.
'So they've finally consider to search for me, ne?'
Mitsui cursed as he picked several thorns out of his palm. This was a drag for him, to search a kid who may have die-
He halts to a stop, only to notice that the atmosphere was much more... foggier than before. There was a thick mist that had settled in the area. It was utterly rare for a thick fog to settle so quickly. Why didn't he notice this while walking?
Cautious of what may happen to him, and the approach of anyone, he pulled out a kunai. His hands trembled with the sense of fear by his side. He wasn't an incredibly strong shinobi, why the hell was he stuck in a scenario like this?
"K-Kyoto? To-Towa-san?" Mitsui held the blunt weapon close to him, the only thing that was able to protect him. "It better n-not be y-you two who's pranking on m-me! It w-would be b-bullshit to stab either of y-you!"
There was an eerie silence that followed after. The brunette's skin crawled with goosebumps and at the sound of a snap of branch breaking, Mitsui hurled the kunai in the sense of direction, "Show yourself!"
The mysterious figure stepped out from the shadows. Mitsui couldn't tell who the individual was; all he could define was that the structure was of a male, and this person was hooded.
"I don't want to cause any trouble, s-sir. But my comrades and I are l-looking for a child name of Hatake Kakashi..." The brunette tensed, exhaling a shuddering breath.
The hooded individual took a step forward, his arms moving to cross over his chest and a low chuckle escaped his masked lips, which made Mitsui's legs quiver underneath him, "Hatake...Kakashi? I know that name..."
"Y-You do?" Mitsui stepped forward, a relieved expression released his overwhelmed panic. Maybe, this man could help him find the troublesome Hatake boy. "Have you seen him around here? This area was where he was last seen."
"I have seen him, actually. You're in luck, good sir." The hooded male responds in a lethargic tone. His lips curve upwards to form a malicious smirk and the mysterious individual grabbed the poor chuunin by the throat.
Mitsui gagged and clutched the man's arms, in hopes to free himself from the psychotic male's grasp,"L-Let... go of me... bastard!"
The hooded being chuckled lightly, before pulling down the hood from his jacket; he didn't even bother letting go of Mitsui.
And to the chuunin's recognition, the mismatched eyes, the mask, the silver hair. This was none other than...
"Are you at a lack of words, Shinobi-san?" The deceitful edginess of the silver-haired man came drawling out in a playful tone. Mitsui stifled an inaudible muffle.
He tried swiping the man's arms from his throat, and Mitsui coughed out," Y-You're K-Kaka...shi... B-Bastard..."
His hazel eyes lost light and his head hung down, in which his body limped as well. The rogue shinobi had squeezed the air out of the chocolate-haired chuunin. He had choked the man to death
Mitsui was dead.
Kakashi allows his grasp to loosen from the man; his mismatched eyes flickered upon the deadened look on the chuunin's face.
Konoha was weak.
The Hatake turned away from the corpse and bound up in the trees. He should probably send a message to Konoha. It would be quite the entertainment to watch the village go into panic.
He hid his chakra and followed the remaining chuunins that went off to search for him.
Why did Minato send shinobi to look for him?
Gnashing his teeth, Kakashi sped through the tangled branches of trees and settled underneath one of the chuunins, Towa.
'Minato, you were never there to help Rin and I. You were to busy with your own priorities. You never gave a thought of us... And that's why-'
The Hatake grimaced, his hand clenching against the sharp bark of the tree. He would never forgive Minato for it.
Rivulets of blood slipped down from his palm. The crimson liquid dripped down, plummeting towards the ground.
The drop of blood hits the puzzled chuunin, Towa, on the cheek. The chuunin wipes the splatter of blood with his thumb and inspects it for a few seconds before glancing up, only to be attacked and pinned down by a silver-haired male.
"What the hel-" Towa struggles to escape the grip of the strange attacker," Get the fuck off me you asshole!"
The chuunin kicks off Kakashi; he scrambles backwards and only had several seconds to stare at his predator.
In that matter of seconds, the last of the Hatake, dug his rusty kunai into Towa's gut. The crimson gore sprayed in every direction and the unfortunate chuunin drowned in his own blood.
The fluid stained Kakashi's clothes. The metallic, pungent smell overwhelmed his nose, but he ignored it.
Another chuunin dead, one more to go.
His senses perked as he notices the faint hue of chakra. Alas, the remaining Konoha shinobi was going to be dead in three... two... one...
The tip of his kunai pressed against the last of Konoha's chuunin's throat. The man shuddered, completely frightened and bewildered of the strange being that had attacked out of nowhere.
"It's too bad that Konoha sent weak ninja to go search for me. I was actually looking for a decent fight, but in the end, I get three squabbling shinobi that are supposed to be superior than me." Kakashi's tongue clicked in agitation as he shook his head with mock disappointment.
"Please, spare me!" The chuunin, Kyoto, cried out with mercy," I have a family that I need to take care of! Please!"
The silver-haired prodigy wrinkled his face in disgust. It was pathetic for any shinobi to plead for their life. Death was death. Living was living. Their fate depended on how strong they were or not.
Just like what had happened to Rin.
"I had a family as well, but it was certain that they were dead before I knew what had happened to them." The Hatake spat out, his tone brimming with bitterness," Konoha is a deplorable village. Your family will end up perished as well, if you stay in Konoha."
Kyoto jittered with abhorrence and implored once more," Please, I beg of you. I do not know your past or understand the grudge you have with my home, but I will make sure to carry your burdens in which I stay there."
For a moment, Kakashi hesitated. He tightened his grip on the weapon he held before muttering out in an incredulous tone," It's stupid of you of what you think that I have mercy for my enemies..." He plundered the kunai towards Kyoto's neck, ignoring the desperate cries of mercy...
The kunai Kakashi held, flung out of his hand and clattered onto the ground. Kyoto braced for the impact that had never came, and as the chuunin peeked open one of his closed eyes, he took image of a girl.
An alluring, jet-black haired female.
Kakashi tilted his masked face towards the cause of the interruption; his mismatched eyes narrowed with irritation in which he spat out with the sense of agitation and annoyance, "What the hell was that for, ne?"
"Madara-sama didn't send you out here to take a bloodbath, ahō." The girl stated with an unwavering tone, "You're dumb enough to get rid of all the men? It's good timing that I came to stop you."
"They were annoying me." Kakashi stated with a dull tone before letting his grasp go from Kyoto,"Maa, why did you have to intercept, Hotaru-chan?"
"You call me Hotaru-senpai, ahō." The girl hisses and jumps down from the tree branches, her feet landing lightly on the soiled ground.
"Madara-sama told me you were up to no good."
The lazy Hatake faces the female with a slouch posture, his hands slipping into his pockets, "Ne? And you believe everything what Madara says?"
Kyoto shivers as he scoots back, his spine running up with a tingly feeling of absurdness. 'These maniacs are going to kill me.'
"Where the fuck do you think you're going, Konoha-baka?" The sharp blade of a katana managed to strike Kyoto, square in the right shoulder. The blade goes through the chuunin's flesh and shatters the bone, in which it hits the trunk of the tree as well.
The shinobi screams in utter pain and Kakashi sighs, rubbing the back of his head while taking a step back to observe the injured chuunin,"If you were going to kill him, you might have well strike him, painlessly, Hotaru-chan."
"It's Hotaru-senpai!" She hisses before twisting the blade in the man's shoulder and glaring right at his pained expression,"...Go back to where you came from. The shinobi you're looking for isn't going to come back."
"But he is right ther-"
Kakashi strides towards the man, kneeling down and eyeing him with mismatched orbs before muttering, "The Kakashi that Konoha knew, he's dead."
Kyoto's eyes fluttered in which the chuunin collapses in a heap, with the katana still intact in his shoulder. Before his vision blacked out, all he could see were two images of...villains. Villains that would eventually conquer and kill; Konoha was in definite trouble.
As well as the other villages...
"Ky...oto!" "Oi! ... oto-san! "Wa...up!"
Kyoto could hear the vague voices of... people. Both his ears rung and echoed, the noises that surrounded him. It was almost like he was in a dream...
"Kyoto-san!" One of the shinobi who was called out to retrieve the chuunin, shook Kyoto in a panicked state, "Kyoto-san! Can you hear me?!"
The male groaned, wincing slightly at his wound that was bandaged up. His eyes widened and he exclaimed in a hoarse tone, "Where's the other two shinobi?! Did you take them down?"
Several of the ninjas looked concerned and as well, query.
"Two other shinobi?" One of the males, Genma Shirunai, raises an eyebrow with thought and bites the senbon that hung out of his mouth,"...No. Our group only saw your bleeding ass here."
Kyoto frowns as the comment in which Genma had made a teasing joke out of, "No. Have you seen two rogue shinobi, both male and female?"
"Like I said, I saw your bleeding ass here! I didn't see anyone else but you!" Genma frowned and gazed at the chunin with a serious expression," Where's the other two? Mitsui and Towa?"
Kyoto blinks and bites his lower lip, he shakes his head pathetically and murmurs," I don't know where they are..."
"You don't know? What the hell do you mean you don't know? They're your best buds!"
"I don't know! We've separated trying to find the Hatake kid!"
Kyoto swallowed thickly his mind flashing back to the conciousness he had with the peculiar male that had assailed him. He remembered the silver-haired male kneeling down, muttering the sentence;
"The Kakashi that Konoha knew, he's dead."
"Genma, the Kakashi kid..." Kyoto inhaled deeply and was cut off by a frantic shinobi that ran into the two men,"Genma-san! Kyoto-san! Towa and Mitsui-!" The shinobi shook his head and his voice became a hoarse whisper, "They've been deceased..."
Kyoto shook his head, tears edging in the corners of his eyes. His comrades. Dead. They both had family they had left.
How cruel was this world?
Genma turns to Kyoto and grabs hold of the man's shirt collar, "Kyoto, do you know who did this?"
"H-He... th-the m-man..."
"Spill it out, Kyoto! I need the information to know! I need to know, who was the one responsible of Mistsui and Towa's death!"
"It was him!" Kyoto cried out, collapsing on his knees and wailing, "It was the target we were looking for! MInato's student! Sakumo's son! It was him!"
Genma froze. Him. Him. Him.
So he was still alive after all. A bastard he was to not return to Konoha.
"What in hell, are you thinking, Kakashi?" Genma asked with a hint of susurration.
What are you fighting for?
A/N:
A swift gomen for you guys! I haven't been able to update for... two years? Hot damn! My apologies!
This chapter is dedicated to and E3-FantasyandReality! Thanks to for getting me worked up and actually pushing myself to finish the chapter!
And thanks for E3-FantasyandReality for helping me correct and edit!
Sorry if I made any mistakes. This is a long chapter for you guys! R&R!