"You're late, Kakashi." Stated Rin with a scowl, her arms folded across her chest.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Sorry about that." He said. "I had to save some children in a burning orphanage along the way."

"Mhm, I bet you did." Said Rin.

Kakashi quickly changed the subject. "So, are you ready to go?" Bad idea on his part.

"Of course I am. I've only been waiting for an hour for you to show up." Rin grumbled, but then sighed. "Let's just go."

Not wanting to prolong her anger, Kakashi agreed.

The two young shinobi walked along the streets of Konoha, the warm sun shining down from the heavens, and not a single cloud in the blue sky. There was a slight breeze, ruffling Kakashi's spiky silver hair and tossing the leaves to and fro.

Kakashi had his hands in his pockets, playing with some spare change. "So where do you want to eat?" He asked, since he and Rin were going on an official date.

Rin thought for a moment. "I'm actually craving some Ichiraku's right now."

"You don't want-"

She cut him off. "I know, I know, it's not the most romantic place to go eat, but it's what I want."

"Okay, okay, that's fine with me." He said, and chuckled.

The couple arrived at the ramen shop only to find their sensei Minato already there with his wife and his son, Naruto.

"Oh, hey guys, what are you doing here? On a date or something?" Asked Minato, only for his wife to smack him on the arm.

"Don't embarrass them." Kushina whispered vehemently.

"Okay, okay don't kill me." He whispered back. Louder, he said, "Hey, guys, come have a seat over here, next to me." Kakashi and Rin sat. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Kakashi and Rin looked pretty uncomfortable. Minato smiled inwardly, remembering his own teenage years spent with Kushina, how people had looked at her strangely for choosing to go out with an orphan boy with no family, while she had come from the prestigious Uzumaki clan of the Hidden Whirlpool. He remembered Jiraiya embarrassing him just like what he was doing to Kakashi right now.

Kakashi spoke up. "We were planning on hanging around town and then watching the sunset near the Great Forest. We heard it was especially beautiful over there, and so we figured why not go see it."

Kushina smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, Kakashi." She looked at her husband and frowned. "Minato, you should take some lessons from your student here."

Rin laughed and Minato blushed. "Hey, that's not fair." He retorted. "I would do stuff like that, but it's not my fault you like sleeping all day while I watch Naruto."

Kushina snorted. "That is so not true Minato-"

"Oh it's true. And, I've never told you this babe; but, you snore. It's pretty noisy. That's why Naruto woke up the other day, and I lied and told you that it was my fault, even though I knew that it was your snoring that woke him."

"Oh yeah? I snore? Well you're the one that drools in his sleep!"

"No way!" Minato shot back. "That is a cruel, cruel lie and you know it. Take it back."

Kushina turned her head and crossed her arms. "Nope."

Minato bent close to Kakashi and whispered in his ear, "This is why you never get married."

Kushina hit him. "What are you saying about me?"

"I said marrying you was the best thing I've ever done." He said in a serious tone.

"Oh." Kushina said, letting her arms drop. "Well… you're not so bad either."

"Thanks, babe that means a lot. At last, I finally know that you deeply cherish me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, buddy. Deeply cherishing is going a little far."

Kakashi and Rin sat awkwardly, listening to the couple mock argue. It was entertaining, sure, but they had come to Ichiraku's on a date, and so Kakashi ordered food for himself and Rin, all the while Kushina and Minato continued to bicker childishly.

"You always leave your socks on the floor!"

"You're hair always clogs the shower!"

Kakashi and Rin ate silently, trying to ignore the sounds going on around them.

"Hey, you wanna get out of here?" Kakashi asked Rin.

She laughed. "Yeah I think I do."

Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ

Rin laid her head on Kakashi's shoulder, as the two watched the sun slowly descend, and the horizon lit up with the colors of sunset.

"Beautiful…" Kakashi said in awe.

"Yeah, the colors are so pretty." Rin said.

Kakashi hadn't been talking about the sunset though.

"Hey Kakashi…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…"

"What?"

"Do you think that we are…" Rin broke off and screamed. "What is that thing!"

Kakashi stood up and saw what Rin was seeing. He immediately went into a battle stance. "Rin… go get help, now!"

"B-but-"

"Now!" Kakashi snapped.

Rin ran away as fast as she could, her mind in a panic. What was that creature… and why did it have Obito's face?

Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ

Kakashi cursed. "Who are you and what do you want!"

The creature before him looked like some kind of plant, with a big mouth-like appendage towards the top that split down the middle to reveal two different looking halves of the same body. One half was pitch black with a single, lifeless, green eye; the other half looked just like Obito Uchiha, down to the unruly black hair and the goofy smile.

The thing responded with laughter. "Me? I'm a nobody, Kakashi. Just Uchiha's black sheep come back from the grave."

"You're not Obito… you can't be. Obito is dead… release this genjutsu and fight me without playing these mind games!"

"You think I'm playing mind games with you…Kakashi? Wronnggggggg! This is me in the flesh, Obito Uchiha!"

"Stop it! Obito Uchiha was crushed to death! There's nothing left of him!"

"You think so eh? Tell me, did they ever retrieve a body?"

"It doesn't matter! No one could have survived that cave in! No one! Now stop these games and fight me!"

The thing sighed. "Fine, fine. After all that is my reason for coming here in the first place. I mean, watching you with Rin was cute too, but I really, really want to fight you."

Kakashi pulled his headband up. "Sharingan!"

"Oh-ho, mastered my sharingan did you? You're smarter than you look, Kakashi."

"I'll show you!"

Kakashi dashed forward and swung a swift roundhouse kick aimed for the creatures head. But the thing caught his foot effortlessly with one hand and threw him back where he had come.

"Was I finished talking? I don't think I was. Now, please, let me continue."

Kakashi rose to his feet as the creature kept talking. "As I was saying, you're smarter than you look. For a non-Uchiha to be able to use the sharingan… that takes…some skill. So, let's see how long you can keep that usage up. Oh, and I know I haven't properly introduced myself, so here I go. My name is Obito Uchiha, I like teamwork, and I try to do a good deed every day; I like my teammates Kakashi and Rin, and I'll do anything to keep them safe." Then "Obito" laughed maniacally. "Nah, I'm really just kidding. Although you can call me Obito, I hate Kakashi and Rin, and I try to kill someone at least once per day; you know, practice makes perfect as they say."

"You're crazy." Kakashi said.

"Hmm… you might be right. But let's end the small talk. I really want to kill something right now, and it looks like you're the only thing available."

"Works for me." Kakashi smiled, before he ran at Obito again. He threw two shuriken, then attacked Obito while he blocked the projectiles.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Kakashi blew the ball of flame toward Obito, but Obito countered.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" The bigger fireball engulfed Kakashi's own fireball and headed straight for him.

Kakashi made hand seals. "Water Style: Water Wall!" The fireball sizzled out.

When the water fell back to the ground, Kakashi couldn't see his foe. His sharingan suddenly tracked movement above him.

"Earth Style: Mountain Hammer!" Obito's whole body was covered in stone, and his landing point was Kakashi.

Crap!

Obito knew that he had hit Kakashi head on, but when he got up from the crater her had left, Kakashi's body disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Obito heard a screeching sound.

The real Kakashi flew at Obito, his hand charged with lightning chakra.

"Chidori!" Kakashi's hand plunged strait through Obito's chest, spraying blood on the ground behind him.

Obito laughed once more, as if he didn't realize that he had a hand sticking out of his back. "Good, Kakashi, good!" Then he crumbled away into dirt.

A Mud Clone? Thought Kakashi. My sharingan didn't detect a clone?

Obito came up from the ground and gripped Kakashi's ankle. "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" He pulled Kakashi downwards into the earth.

Kakashi whipped out a kunai and stabbed Obito repeatedly in the hand, until he let go. Unfortunately, Kakashi was already calf-deep into the ground.

I have to get out quickly! His mind yelled. Crap!

Obito was already coming up from the ground and making hand seals. "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakashi felt the heat from the attack, but he didn't give in. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" Kakashi sank downwards, the hairs on his head getting singed as the fireball passed over him.

Made it… He thought thankfully. Then he used his jutsu to tunnel underneath Obito and grab his ankle like Obito had just done to him. But Obito somehow managed to avoid his grasp and slip away. Kakashi jumped out of the ground and threw a shuriken where he thought Obito would be, but he saw the shuriken spiral pointlessly away at nothing.

"Behind you!"

Kakashi gasped as a devastating kick landed on his back, sending him face down on the ground, his nose smashing against a round rock and breaking with an audible crunch.

He groaned in pain, his mouth rapidly filling up with warm, coppery blood. He coughed once and spit out a long plume of thick, bloody saliva, strings of which hung off his chin and lips.

"Had enough, Kakashi?" Obito taunted.

Kakashi stood on shaky legs. "Never." He said boldly and charged again at his enemy.

Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ

Minato was still at Ichiraku's when Rin burst into the shop, panting heavily. "Sensei, help quick!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

Minato went over to her, Kushina and Naruto temporarily forgotten. "What's the matter? What happened?" He questioned.

"Kakashi… he's in trouble! There's something attacking him."

Minato's eyes widened. Not again… He thought.

"Where is he?" He grabbed her shoulder.

"W-we were near the Forest of Death." She stuttered out.

Minato sighed in relief. He had a Thunder God Seal in the Forest of Death.

Kushina spoke up. "Minato, what's going-"

He cut her off. "I'm sorry Kushina I have to leave; if you could, please get some ANBU sent to the Forest of Death." He turned to Rin. "Grab my hand and show me exactly where you guys were." Just like that, they were gone in a flash of yellow.

Kushina took Naruto and left in a hurry. She headed straight for the Hokage mansion.

Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ

When Rin opened her eyes, and she was no longer at Ichiraku's. Instead, she was in the Forest of Death, her eyes taking in the tall trees towering and swaying ominously, the wind groaning and the leaves whistling. The canopy above them blocked out most of the sun, plunging the forest into murky darkness.

"Well, where is he?" Minato asked.

Rin used her sensory powers to detect Kakashi's chakra signature; it was faint, but still visible. "This way" She said, going off in Kakashi's direction.

Moments later, the two came upon Kakashi fighting off the plant like creature from before. His face was a bloody mess, and he was clutching his right arm absently.

"Kakashi! Fall back!" Minato ordered.

Kakashi turned his head to Minato's voice, and, in doing so, couldn't see the attack headed straight for him. The plant-like creature's foot connected with Kakashi's shoulder, sending him spinning away into the forest.

"Sensei, please help him!" Rin screamed, but Minato wasn't even there.

The former Hokage emerged from the shrubbery, holding a battered Kakashi in his arms.

"Rin, take Kakashi and leave. Now." Minato ordered in a serious voice.

Rin took Kakashi from her sensei's hands and held him gently. She dashed off, all the while examining Kakashi's body for injuries. His right arm was broken and he was cut and bruised all over while his nose was slowly leaking blood and mucus down the rest of his face. His face mask was cut and slashed, but still his lower features were obscured. His one sharingan eye blazed with red fury.

"Rin… I have to fight him…" Kakashi whispered.

Rin shook her head, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Kakashi, I'm taking you away from here."

"Rin…"Kakashi grabbed he sleeve of her shirt with a death grip. "Please, just heal me here…I need to fight him…and finish this." Never had his voice held so much pleading.

"Kakashi, I-"

"Please."

Rin sighed, defeated. She lowered Kakashi to the ground and began to heal his wounds, her hands glowing green.

"Sensei is going to kill me." She said.

Kakashi managed a weak smile. "Thank you. Thank you, Rin."

Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ Ɵ

Minato was furious. This creature Zetsu had dared to attack his loved ones again? He was simmering, his blue eyes changing into the red eyes of the Kyuubi. He could feel the demon's chakra flowing through his system, powering him up.

However, Minato's anger didn't prevent him from noticing that something was off. Before, Zetsu had had one black and one white half. Now, there was no white half; instead, there was a human looking half with what appeared to be…

Wait… It can't be! Obito?

"Is that really you, Obito?" Minato asked.

The response was dark laughter. "I don't know, sensei, can't you recognize me?"

"What happened to you?"

"Oh, you mean, my hideously disfigured face? The face that was ruined in that rockslide? Well, I would tell you the whole, long, boring story, but I'm sure you've heard it all. It pretty much boils down to this: I was trapped alive in a rockslide all because you couldn't save me. 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' just wasn't fast enough to help his rookie squad."

"Obito, this can't be you. There's no way the Obito I know would attack his own comrades."

"The Obito you knew? Ha! Let me tell you something: while I sat in darkness, my body broken, pain wracking every nerve in me, I had plenty of time to think. And I hated for the first time. I hated myself for stopping to push Kakashi away from danger. I hated him for looking down on me, thinking he was better than me all the time. I hated Rin, for never showing me any affection, for shunning me when all I'd ever done was love and protect her. I hated you for leaving us alone in the first place. I hated my clan for being embarrassed of me just because I wasn't the epitome of the 'Uchiha' name. I hated everything, and I couldn't wait to die. But, for some reason, I remained alive. Maybe it was the gods, giving me a second chance, I don't know and I don't care. I remained alive, even though my right side was crushed and I was breathing out of one lung, in the dust polluted, dank, cave air. Even though I was sitting in a pool of my own blood, and my left eye was burning with pain where Rin took out my sharingan.

"I survived sensei. I survived, and someone found me. I later found out that it was Madara Uchiha. Madara-sama healed my body, repaired me, and made me whole again. He could feel my hate, and he sympathized with me, and he took me into his care. He used forbidden techniques to restore me, to take away the damage done to my body; before I knew it, I was like new again. He even gave me two complete sharingan to replace the ones I had…lost. I do Madara's bidding, and in return he makes me stronger and stronger. He is my sensei now. All you are is an obstacle in my way, and I once I finish killing you, I'll hunt down Kakashi and Rin and kill them…slowly and painfully."

"Obito…you…" Minato was stunned. But, he knew what had to be done, and this…thing was no longer Obito Uchiha. Minato clenched his fist. "You must be stopped."

"Hahahaha! Oh, you'll try." Obito said, grinning maniacally. "You'll try."

Obito's eyes flashed, and were replaced by two perfect, three tomoed sharingan. "You'll find that I'm no longer 'Uchiha's black sheep'." He promised, still grinning.

He's lost his mind… Thought Minato.

No, the Kyuubi spoke up from within Minato. He's simply given himself over to his hatred. I can feel it seeping from his skin like a disease…It hovers over him like a giant cloud; his hatred is indeed great.

Well, it doesn't matter to me, because he's not leaving this place alive. Minato thought menacingly.

"Let's go, sensei!" Obito's hands were a blur. "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" He arched back and blew the enormous attack toward Minato.

Minato dodged the attack, only for Obito to come up behind him.

"Fire Style: Consuming Touch Jutsu!" Obito reached out and touched Minato's shoulder, which promptly lit on fire and spread across his entire body.

"Ha!" Obito exclaimed, only for "Minato" to go up in a puff of smoke, leaving a charred log in its place.

"Wind Style: Unseen Blade Jutsu!" Minato swept his hand across in a swift cutting motion, and invisible wind chakra swept through the forest, toppling trees and sending various animals fleeing for their lives.

However, Obito was too good to be defeated that easily. He had seen Minato building up chakra in his hands with his sharingan, and so he used his space-time ninjutsu to hide within the ground, avoiding Minato's attack. He waited for the right time to strike.

Minato jumped onto a tree branch, scanning about for his foe. He thought he saw something when…Obito burst forth from the tree, his fly-trap jaws opened for the kill.

But Minato wasn't there. He threw a seal-wrapped kunai and used his Thunder God technique to teleport behind Obito, just like he had done to the White Zetsu in their last fight.

He formed a Rasengan, but that's when the Black Zetsu spun and backhanded Minato across the jaw viciously. Minato jumped back, jaw already sore.

How did he see me? Was it a lucky guess?

They cover each other's blind spots. The Kyuubi observed. You have to find a way to overwhelm both of them.

"Earth Style: Stone Spear Jutsu!" The Black Zetsu launched the projectile at Minato, piercing his chest above the sternum.

But Minato disintegrated into weightless wind.

"Wind Clone!" Black Zetsu warned.

The real Minato was far behind Obito-Zetsu, analyzing his enemy. The creature had the same basic form as before, except the White Zetsu had been replaced with Obito. Obviously, the addition of Obito had given the whole creature more speed, power, and knowledge, plus the sharingan and fire style ninjutsu; the original Zetsu had solely used earth style. Added to that, Obito was much more battle-savvy that the original White Zetsu, who Minato had defeated fairly quickly. Obito must have endured some battle training under Madara.

Minato wasn't afraid though, because he had a plan.

"Summoning Jutsu: Toad Summon!" Gamakibi, the acid-spitting toad croaked, waiting for a command.

Minato threw one of his three-pronged kunai at Zetsu, his plan already in motion. Obito dodged the obvious kunai, waiting for Minato to teleport near the seal-marked weapon. Instead of teleporting, Minato threw two more kunai at Obito, which he dodged once again.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two Minatos teleported, one on Obito's right, one on his head, and each of them had a Rasengan in his hand.

Which one is the real one? Obito asked himself, but then decided it didn't matter.

"Fire Style: Consuming Touch Jutsu!" Obito extended both his arms and touched both Minatos, but they both disappeared in puffs of smoke as fire ignited them.

"Collaboration Jutsu: Acid Air Bullet!"

The jutsu tore into Obito, blasting him back and melting the skin off his body.

Then: "Rasengan!" Minato dove through the trees connecting solidly with Obito's chest.

The hybrid creature plummeted downwards, landing hard on its back.

Minato landed lightly on the balls of his feet next to it.

"This is it, Obito." Minato formed another Rasengan.

"Yes, sensei… This is it!" Obito screamed, his eyes widening. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Minato was suddenly in a strange world, buried under heavy rocks, his breath coming laboriously. He knew that he was in a genjutsu, but that didn't change the fact that he couldn't move.

Need some help? The Kyuubi taunted. I can break this genjutsu for you…just peel the seal…

I think I'd rather die. Minato shot back.

Maybe you will…

Suddenly the illusion was gone.

I can't let you die that easily…what would everyone think of me if my vessel was so easily dispatched?

Hmph…thanks. Minato mentally grunted.

The Kyuubi chuckled from behind his prison.

"H-how did you break free?" Obito asked, perplexed. "There's nobody here to break my genjutsu!"

"That's where you'd be wrong." Minato said, and immediately the Kyuubi's shroud formed around him, covering him in bubbling red chakra. "Are you ready to fight for real?" His voice gained a deep, guttural undertone.

Obito rose, his wounds already healed. "Don't get too cocky, sensei; I still have some techniques up my sleeve… Amaterasu!"

Obito's right eye bled, and black flames materialized wherever his eye pointed.

"Tch." Minato dodged the black flames, as Obito followed him with his eye.

The fire of Amaterasu ate up the thick, ancient trees as if they were simple paper, and the whole forest was quickly engulfed in unquenchable conflagrations.

He'll burn down the whole forest if I don't finish this soon…

"Gamakibi!" Minato yelled to his summon. "Attack!"

The toad shot out from the forest, spitting globules of acid at Obito. Obito cursed and back stepped, as the acid splatted at his feet, melting through the ground where he had just been.

Minato came up beside him, slashing out with his unique kunai, cutting deep into Obito's arm. As the blood flew, Obito looked at Minato and willed more black flames toward him. But, as the flames started to materialize, Minato teleported away with his Thunder God Technique.

Where did he go? Obito looked around; his Mangekyou eyes straining for find his former sensei.

He heard a whoosh, and saw a three sharingan headed for him. Then he heard Minato's voice. "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" The three shuriken multiplied to hundreds, but Obito couldn't be taken so casually.

"Amaterasu!" Black flames consumed every single projectile.

An arm made up of the Kyuubi's chakra slammed into Obito from behind, knocking the breath right out of him. He crashed into a tree, splintering it and sending it falling to the forest floor with an impact that shook the ground.

Two more chakra arms gripped Obito, squeezing him, putting so much pressure on him that he thought his eyes were going to pop out of his face. But he escaped by using his time-space ninjutsu to sink away beneath the ground, and then popped up right where he sensed Minato to be.

However, Minato somehow knew he was coming, and so Obito received a well-aimed kick straight to the face, breaking his nose and some of his teeth in the process. He gagged on the blood and the feeling of his tongue sliding across the jagged remains of his front teeth.

Minato was merciless. Another fist of chakra smashed into Obito's chest, breaking a few of his ribs, overloading his mind with fresh pain.

Minato teleported behind Obito, picked up his head, and banged it down on the ground repeatedly, relentlessly. When he was done, he formed a Rasengan and delivered it straight to Obito's head, the spiral energy sphere ripping apart his skull and splattering brain matter onto Minato's face.

He panted and let himself sit down. He blinked at the sight before him, realizing the depths of his released anger. Is this what I'm capable of?

It isn't over yet. The Kyuubi brought him out of his reverie.

What are you talking about?

Your enemy still stands…

Minato heard more laughter.

Suddenly, he was transported to his mindscape, where the Kyuubi resided. However, he wasn't alone. Obito was there also, his Mangekyou eyes blazing.

How are you even here?

The advantages of the sharingan, sensei…Now Kyuubi, come out!

The Kyuubi's chakra bubbled and frothed until it formed into a visible shape. It spoke: Only an Uchiha could ever command me like that! And what do I see in my lair? My host…and an Uchiha!

Obito looked the Kyuubi in the eyes, and his sharingan began spinning. You will not give any more of your chakra to this man… you will hide until this battle is over.

The Kyuubi didn't respond, although its eyes reflected Obito's own.

Then the visible aspect of the Kyuubi's chakra disappeared, and Minato was back in reality.

He looked at his hands, and the Kyuubi shroud was gone.

"What did you do?" He called out.

Obito's voice answered. "Oh, nothing, I just cut you off from the Kyuubi's chakra. Now you fight without the beasts help."

"I'm going to kill you, once and for all." Minato swore, as the body that he had hit with the Rasengan disintegrated into dirt. "Gamakibi!"

More acid flew through the air, but Obito buried himself underground. The toad hopped around searching for its target.

"Gamakibi, behind you!" Minato shouted, but it was too late; Obito rose up and smashed Gamakibi with one fist, making him poof away.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!" Minato shot his condensed chakra at Obito, which he somehow dodged again. Minato's air bullets blew holes out of trees, and dispersed Amaterasu throughout the forest even more, while at the same time failing to hit their intended targets.

Minato cursed. He needed to stop those black flames now, or Konoha itself might eventually be in danger. He turned his back to Obito and pulled out a scroll from a tool pouch on his back. Unraveling the scroll, he bit his thumb and wiped the blood straight down the scrolls entire length. "Sealing Jutsu: Vortex Seal!" He held the scroll out and it sucked up all the black flames, till the forest was rid of every trace of Amaterasu. Then he closed the scroll and returned it to his pouch.

He panted heavily, the sealing having used up a lot of his chakra. Why didn't Obito attack me?

He turned, and Obito wasn't there. He must be hiding again…

"I'm right here, sensei!" Obito was right in his face, his Mangekyou eyes shining with insanity. Minato made the mistake of looking into those eyes…

And he was once again plunged into a genjutsu; this time he was floating in a pool of liquid, in wan light. Minato felt hands pulling at his clothes, at his back, tugging him gently down. He closed his eyes as his body went under; and he sank. When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by bodies, thousands of bodies. They were in various stages of decomposition, and all of them were covered in blood and gore. One body had ropy intestines spilling out of his chest, while another body was missing a head; another body had no eyes, and another one had no arms. It was sickening, even to a veteran like Minato.

These are the people that you've killed, Minato… These are the people whose live you've ended, whose families you destroyed… Behold the carnage that came from your actions, and the souls that have been reaped by your hands… The bodies started to stand, each one moaning a different name. They grabbed Minato, plucking at his arms, his legs, his hair, his chest.

With growing horror he realized that the liquid he was in was blood.

Minato screamed, but just as he thought that he would go insane, the genjutsu stopped, and he was thrown back into the real world, gasping and shaking, cold sweat covering him from head to toe.

He heard a screeching sound, like metal on metal… He lifted his head, and there was Obito; but Obito had a hand sticking out of his chest, and the owner of the hand was Kakashi.

"So it wasn't an illusion…I'm sorry, Obito." Kakashi withdrew his hand, and blood gushed onto his face and neck.

"C-curse you, Kakashi…" Obito mumbled, blood leaking from is lips.

"I'm sorry, Obito." Kakashi said again. "I failed you back then, and I failed you now. Please forgive me."

"Die…" Obito tried raising his hand towards Kakashi, but it fell limply at his side. He heaved one great sight and breathed no more.

A single tear fell from Kakashi's eye. He stared at Minato, a haunted look etched upon his eyes. "Sensei, I-"

"It's okay, Kakashi. You did what needed to be done. That wasn't Obito anyway, it was…something else."

"He cursed me with his last breath…"Kakashi whispered. "What does that say about me?"

Rin went up to Kakashi from her hiding place. "Kakashi…let's go. None of this is your fault." She hugged him.

"But it is…it is my fault. Maybe I should have died in that cave-in instead of Obito…"

"Kakashi!" Minato barked. "Snap out of it! Obito died long ago, and that thing that you just killed might have looked like him, but it was not him! Understand?"

Kakashi's eyes cleared and he exhaled a slow, shaky breath. "You guys are right…this wasn't Obito."

That's when ANBU finally arrived on the scene, Kushina trailing behind them.

"Minato-sama! Are you alright?" A man with a monkey mask asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not sure about my student though…" Kakashi fell to his knees.

"I couldn't heal everything…" Rin said.

"That's alright, Rin, you did well under pressure." Said Minato before looking at the monkey masked ANBU. "Please, take my students to the Leaf Hospital, I'll be fine here."

One of the other ANBU's gaze drifted over to Obito's corpse. "What about that thing?" He pointed.

"Take it to the Hokage immediately and tell him it's of the utmost priority. Have the Medical Team start working on an autopsy."

"Yes, sir!" The ANBU saluted, and hefted Obito's corpse over his shoulder.

"The rest of you can go." Minato told the ANBU. "I don't need any help."

"Yes, sir!" They saluted and ran off with Kakashi and Rin in tow.

That left Minato alone with his wife. Kushina crossed her arms. "So…have anything to tell me?"

"Nope." Replied Minato.

"Then what was this all about? Kakashi is injured, you're covered in battle wounds… you're telling me nothing happened? Whose corpse did I see getting hauled away by the ANBU?"

"It was the corpse of an enemy…that's all. He attacked Kakashi, and that Rin came to me for help. The thing is dead now, and that's all that matters…"

"Why do I have the feeling that you're hiding something? And why did that corpse look so familiar?" Kushina questioned.

"I don't know, babe." He answered both her questions. "C'mon, let get out of here." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

She sighed. "Fine, Minato, don't tell me. But answer me this: why was Kakashi crying?"

Minato paused before answering. "I think he was reliving some bad memories."

"Hmm…maybe. I hope he'll be okay."

"Yeah, he'll be fine." Said Minato. "He is my student after all…"