This chapter takes places in a bunch of different segments all moving forward in time. I needed to bridge the gap between timelines. I think it came out fine, I just wanted to apologize in advance in the event of confusion.

Chapter 4

It was the closest Zabuza had been to Konoha since he'd helped Kakashi sneak in. He'd strayed intentionally, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. This route didn't cost him anymore time, but there had been other paths he could have taken. He was on what was probably one of his last missions for Kirigakure. They hadn't linked him to the disappearance of the 'captive Kunoichi', and he'd even managed to casually point them the wrong way, but his absence had raised suspicions.

It was a clear night, the moon bright in the sky as Zabuza skimmed the tree-line. It made for a much more appealing landscape this Kiri's. No wonder they'd all loved their village so much. The richness of the forest, with the village just a silhouette in the background, spoke to the care the residents of Konoha must have given the trees and wildlife.

Crash

Zabuza instantly concealed his presence as he landed on the nearest tree branch, frozen. Fighting?

Boom

"Katon: Zukokku!" Zabuza was forced to leave his perch as a massive fireball created a small clearing in the stand of trees. He could hear the clang of kunai being deflected, and then-

"Rasengan!" There was a bright flash of blue light, that faded as quickly as it had appeared. Then there was silence, save for someone panting. Zabuza fought the urge to move closer. The fight had clearly been ended, but the other Shinobi would still be on guard.

Crash

He'd been in enough fights to recognize someone being hit to the ground.

"Think I'd...go down...in a single shot?"

Another series of explosions.

These explosions were probably paper bombs, little good they did.

"You'll have to do a lot better than that!"

Zabuza was frozen, listening to the series of explosions and crashes as two Shinobi far above his own level fought.

And then there was an explosion that rocked the very earth, and a roar that defied human expectations.

Zabuza looked up to see a giant orange fox with nine tails tearing up the woodland.

His heart stopped for a long moment before remembering that the nine-tails was Konoha's original Bijuu-not Rin's. And then he realized that he had far more immediate things to worry about. There was an anguished cry from the battleground, and then a Shinobi passed by almost directly over over him.

He stayed where he was for a long minute before poking his head out. Both Shinobi were gone, one apparently fled when the fox appeared, the other must've headed toward the village. On the ground, in the middle of the cleared space, was shattered white mask next to a pile of threads. Some kind of clone, maybe?

He could see, and even faintly hear, the sounds of battle, as Konoha took up arms against the beast. He could hear the sounds of Konoha falling to it, as well.

This was what Kiri would've unleashed on the village? This was...was...wrong. Zabuza was an assassin, and a good one. He wasn't self-righteous, he didn't give a damn who his targets were-though he privately felt most of them probably deserved what they got-and yet...standing here, watching this?

There was a puff of smoke, a flash of light, and then the beast was gone.

Just like that.

Zabuza sat down, his sword clinking as it hit the ground.

He sat there for a long time, not really thinking about anything, hearing distant cries and screams as Konoha Shinobi tried to save those injured in the attack.

If the beast had been released, it meant somebody had probably died.

He wondered who had been fighting here. Kakashi probably knew, but the last thing he should do right now was go to Konoha dressed as a Kiri Shinobi.

No, he had to move on. Continue his mission. Pretend he hadn't been here. Not try to find out who had died. Not come back and try to see the list the Konoha ANBU would no doubt put together, of who had fallen to the beast during its short rampage. The list would probably be disproportionately long for the amount the time the beast raged. But they wouldn't be on it. He was sure of that. Had to be, or else he'd come back and do something stupid, and probably get himself killed.

They were fine. They had to be.

He had to leave. Again. He couldn't stay and help. Couldn't.

He left.

With even more to regret.

The funeral was a somber event. They had been happening for a week now, and would continue well into the month, as the reinstated Sandaime was adamant every Shinobi had earned one. But the burying of the Yondaime and his wife was village-wide, and would be the only one taking place today. Kakashi stood next to Rin, Obito on the far side. They each held one of her hands, pretending not to notice her slight shakes as the coffins were lowered into the ground. They'd declined to speak-none of them trusted themselves enough to get through a speech. It was one of the first times Kakashi could remember being treated as his actual age. Nobody expected him to be the adult, to make a stirring speech about his friend, his mentor. They let him be sad, and recluse, and just patted him on the shoulder and told him how sorry they were.

After the funeral, while Rin and Obito comforted each other, Kakashi climbed up to the Hokage's office. The door was ajar, and Hiruzen was in there alone, puffing on a pipe and staring out an open window. His Hokage garb was lying over the chair, and he stood in normal clothes. Kakashi walked up to him with a word, leaning on the window sill.

"...Is the baby...ok?"

"Well read, aren't you?" Hiruzen took a puff on his pipe.

"No, they had just told us. The seal weakens during childbirth." Hiruzen nodded.

"Naruto is fine." There was a long pause, before Hiruzen turned to look him in the eye. His expression was sad. "And he's a Jinchuriki."

Kakashi closed his eye, holding in a fresh wave of feeling. He'd wondered-with both Minato and Kushina dead, there had been no other eligible candidate.

"I'm afraid the bad news doesn't stop. I'm instituting a village-wide ban. Nobody is to tell Naruto that he is a Jinchuriki." Kakashi started to nod his understanding, but the Sandaime wasn't finished. "And no one is to tell him of his parentage."

"What?" Kakashi didn't bother keeping his voice in check, and in moments they could hear Rin and Obito hurrying up the stairs. "Why!?" Rin and Obito entered, staring at the two of them.

"Safety." Was Sarutobi's simple response.

"What does knowing who his parents are have to do with anything!?" Rin's hands flew to her mouth as she understood.

Sarutobi looked down at him. "It's all the information you needed, isn't it?" Kakashi started to yell, but stopped. Circumstances aside, Sarutobi was right. Anyone who knew any details about that night could figure out that Naruto was the only possible candidate for the Kyuubi. He would only be safe from the other villages if his involvement was concealed, even from him.

Sarutobi turned to address all three of them. "So long as Jinchuriki are viewed as weapons of war instead of people, the nations and villages will always treat them as such. Naruto will not have an easy life, but it will still be his this way. You already know the kind of restrictions that are put in place." He gave a meaningful look to Rin. "If Naruto finds out on his own, then that's fine. But that's different than carrying those burdens from birth. And mind you-even if he finds out he's a Jinchuriki, you are still not to tell him about his parents. He...he won't understand. And he'll have enough expectation placed on him already."

"You're making a lot of assumptions about a newborn." Obito's mouth was a hard line, his voice much colder than normal.

Sarutobi suddenly seemed much, much older. "Danzo would have him raised in a cage. It was the best I could do," He whispered.

Rin slowly nodded. She was barely allowed out of the village now, and with what had just happened, those restrictions were likely to only get tighter.

"I'm not saying you aren't allowed to see him," Sarutobi said. "Please, give him company, and love. You just can't tell him."

Rin nodded again. "Where is he?"

"The infant ward in the hospital. You'll know him when you see him."

Rin nodded a third time and left without another word, Obito close behind her. Kakashi didn't move. After he was sure they were gone, he turned back to the Sandaime.

"Have you...have you learned anything? About-"

"No. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"...Neither do I."

"Do you still want to join the ANBU?"

"Yes."

"Then you will."

"...Thank you." And without another word, he turned on his heel and left the office. He should've gone to the infant ward, should've joined his teammates in looking after their Sensei's child.

Instead, he went up to the cliff, and sat out of sight, not far from where Minato's face was carved out of the rock. And for the first time in a long, long time, he allowed himself to cry.

It was the first mission they'd been allowed on in over a year. Rin could rarely leave the village, and Obito was her de-facto bodyguard, in and out of the village, with Kakashi off in the ANBU. What Obito received on his return were angry glares, suspicious murmurs, apologies and tears, and so commonly, he would hear just how lucky he'd been. Sometimes sarcastically, sometimes not. And he wouldn't understand why.

Why? Why would you do this? Why, Itachi? WHY!?

It was all he could think of for a long time. Less than a week after Shisui's apparent suicide-witnessed only by Itachi-the entire clan, save for himself and Itachi's little brother, Sasuke, was slaughtered. Kakashi had been waiting for them at the entrance to the clan's grounds, and had tried to keep Obito out. He'd been sincerely sickened, honestly trying to help, but Obito had punched him anyway.

Why? Why why why!?

He hadn't been close to the clan, even before he'd given Kakashi his eye. Despite his skill as a Shinobi, he'd come into his Sharingan relatively late, and his attitude didn't mesh well with the more serious countenance the clan carried. He hadn't been inside the clan's territory in a long time.

He would still do everything in his power to kill Itachi if he ever found him. He didn't even think his chances were that slim. There was something he'd learned, on the morning after that fateful night, in the blood of his kin, that made him understand, a little bit, why Itachi might've been willing to go through with it.

Power came from tragedy.

Kakashi had felt it too. Rin would later tell him they'd been following him into the building when Kakashi had suddenly seized up and collapsed. He was fine, of course, but this new power, whatever it was, wouldn't come to him the way it came to Obito. This was an Uchiha power, and even if Kakashi could use it one day, that day was far into the future.

I am not Itachi. I am Obito.

He was a good person, that's what he kept telling himself. What Rin kept telling him. He and Itachi were night and day. He had friends who were like family, people he would protect and care for. He could never have, would never have done what Itachi had. Never would've hurt his family.

Sasuke was alive. Alive, and far worse off than Obito was. Not interested in his company, either. Obito's negative reputation in the clan had spread far more, and was far worse, than he'd been led to believe. Sasuke wanted nothing to with 'a pathetic wreck and flunkie' like him. A 'waste of an Uchiha.' It hurt.

He didn't give up though. Sasuke would know somebody cared for him, even if he didn't want Obito around.

Sasuke would know he wasn't alone.

"Hello, Naruto! Can I come in?"

It was Rin, like it always was. She used to come with Obito, but he'd been chasing Sasuke around lately.

"Ok," He called, not moving off his bed. He'd already eaten his ramen, and couldn't be bothered to move. The door clicked opened and closed, and he could hear Rin walking in. She sighed, and moments later, a shirt hit him in the face.

"Come on Naruto, you can at least put them in the basket." He threw the shirt away from him.

"I'd probably just miss." There was a creak as Rin sat down next to him.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, please. We've seen you practice. Your aim is just fine."

"I'm one of the worst!" Naruto turned away from her and curled up into a ball.

"Naruto, you're 6 years old."

"Obito said-"

"Obito says a lot of stupid things. You shouldn't listen to most of them," Naruto giggled in spite of himself. Rin always made him feel better. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He hadn't been crying, but he'd been close to it.

"But Kakashi became a Chunin really really young, right?"

"The rules were different then. With the war, everyone was advanced early. Besides, I know you don't like listening to Obito talk about how much worse he was at everything, but he does have a point. Obito became one of the best ninja in the village because he was chasing after Kakashi."

Naruto didn't see much of Kakashi. He'd come along with Rin and Obito a few times, and had actually spent the day with him once, just the two of them, but he was always off on missions.

"But I'm not getting any better," he muttered, remembering why he'd been upset in the first place. "I can't do my transformations right, and most everyone can make at least one clone!"

Rin seemed to be thinking hard, her hand resting on his shoulder. She visited him all the time, and she was almost always in the village. He'd wondered if it was like having a big sister, but whenever he'd tried to ask someone, they'd told him to go away. Nobody in class would talk to him either. He didn't understand why.

"Naruto, do you want to practice with me?"

"Huh?" He looked at her, confused. "With you?"

She smiled. "Yeah. I know it's normally Obito, but I think I might be able to help better with your Chakra control." He had the strange feeling that he was missing something, but that feeling was overtaken by excitement.

"You really think you can help me?"

"Yep! And we can do it right here." She turned to face him fully, crossing her legs on the bed. Naruto Mirrored her, and she took his hands. "I think your problem is that you're actually using too much Chakra."

"Too much?"

"You put a lot of effort when you cast the Jutsu right? You have a lot of Chakra, so you're actually drawing on too much. You're overdoing it, not the other way around. Jutsu have a specific amount of Chakra they're supposed to consume, so why don't we practice drawing forth juuust enough Chakra?"

Iruka found Rin on the roof of her apartment building. He didn't say anything at first, just walking up and leaning on the railing next to her.

"Nice view, isn't it?" She wasn't really looking for an answer. And she knew why he was here. But he'd have to go through the motions anyway.

"It is. You come up here a lot?"

"Every night there's nice weather. And some nights there's not. Depends on my mood."

"Mmm. Naruto did very well in class today."

"Did he? That's good."

"Talked a lot about how you helped him with his Chakra. Tried to tell everyone he just had more of it than them."

"To be fair, he does."

"Be careful, Rin," He said, standing up straight and looking at her. "You know the edi-"

"Do not presume to tell me anything, Iruka Umino," Her tone was sharp, cold, and entirely different than anything he had ever heard from her. He was shocked into silence. "I was one of the very first to hear that 'edict'. I told him nothing about the fox. But do not tell me to refuse to help that boy. Do not tell me not to care for him, and if anybody should be careful," she stepped even closer to him, "It should be the teacher who treats him no better than the bullies in that classroom." He stayed frozen as she walked off the roof, and it wasn't the door swung closed that he allowed himself to breathe.

He forgot who she was sometimes. Rin had been through war, kidnapping, and two months of survival in hostile territory. She was a war hero who had had an impact on the medical field second only to Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, and nobody messed with Tsunade.

What had he been thinking?

He stayed up on the roof for nearly an hour, thinking about what had happened and what she'd said. He'd have to think on it.

Was he...really that bad?

He was being followed, and he knew it. That was the strange part. Zabuza had called up the mist nearly 5 minutes ago, but whoever had been tracking him was still on his tail. If they were that good, he shouldn't know exactly where they were. 30 feet behind him, just out of his field of vision, by the treeline. There was nothing for it. If they were alerting him on purpose, they'd be ready for him. If they weren't-well, they had it coming.

His sword was already in his hand and moving before he'd completed his turn. The shadowy figure split in half-and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. And right behind the severed clone was Kakashi, leaning against a tree, a book in his hand.

"Come on strong, don't you?" He asked, not looking up. Zabuza sheathed Kubikiribōchō, crossing his arms and glaring at the man.

"You got taller."

"You didn't."

"I was already 6 feet tall. What were you expecting?" Kakashi shrugged, moving away from the tree.

"Already a B rank criminal? You didn't waste time." The book in his hand was a bingo book, which he snapped close and stashed in a back pocket.

"We need to talk." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"We do?"

"We need to talk." Maybe it was something in his voice, but Kakashi seemed to take him seriously.

"Alright," He gestured for Zabuza to lead the way.

He didn't let down the fog the whole trip, so Kakashi was forced to stay close behind him the whole way. His hideout was concealed beneath a large, old tree. He hadn't built it, but it had empty when he stumbled upon it, and decided to make it his. He'd never met the owner.

"Haku!" He called, releasing the fog as he followed Kakashi in. The boy hurried out of his room, skidding to halt when he saw Kakashi, his eyes going wide.

"Um-" Haku started,

"Go keep watch," Zabuza barked.

Haku obeyed, walking past them without a further question.

Kakashi watched him go. "You're looking after kids too?"

"Not exactly, but that's not-wait, 'too'?"

There was the barest trace of a blush above Kakashi's mask. "My Sensei's kid. Rin does most of the, ah...everything. But I stop by from time to time."

"Uh….huh…Anyway-"

"Wait," Kakashi said cutting him off. He rummaged in a pouch before pulling out a very full bag. He tossed it to Zabuza, and it jingled when he caught it. Opening it, he saw that it was full of coins-gold coins.

"I was the only one who might run into you." Kakashi said. "So I've been carrying that around for awhile now."

"This is from...all of you?"

"We thought you deserved it. Well-it was Rin's idea, but we agreed." Zabuza stared at the gold for what seemed like a long time before he remembered why they were here.

"So-you're all alright?"

Kakashi stared at him. "Uh...yeah?"

"It's just that-I was there. When the fox attacked."

Kakashi crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "And you were just...worried about us?"

"What-do you know what 'Rasengan' is?"

The color drained from what little of Kakashi's face he could see.

"That's-that was my Sensei's technique. The Yondaime."

Zabuza let out a heavy sigh and sat down.

"I was skirting the forest when I heard him fighting."

"Fighting?" Kakashi echoed, sitting down next to Zabuza.

"He hit his opponent with that technique-guy must've went down too, because the fight stopped. But...he got back up. They kept going for a little bit, and then the fox appeared. The guy he was fighting took off and...I guess he did too."

Kakashi swore quietly as he leaned back in the chair. "Zabuza…" He hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. And I mean anyone."

Zabuza met his eye, and after a long moment, nodded. And for the first time in years, Kakashi spoke of their hidden enemy. And for the first time ever, he explained what had happened up on Myoboku.

Zabuza was quiet for several minutes after he finished, digesting the new information.

"Who...uses the Bijuu themselves as playing pieces? Even if they're just beasts-which a lot of people don't believe-they're some of the most powerful beings in existence."

Kakashi just shrugged tiredly. "I don't know. If I did, we'd be way better off." He closed his eye for a long moment, then stood up. "I should get going."

"What mission are you on, anyway?"

"Hunting a B-rank criminal. Very elusive. Think he might have a hideout underground, but damn if I know where."

Zabuza snorted and stood up next to him. "Sure you'll make it back? You look ready to drop." The offer was there, even if Zabuza would never actually say it. Kakashi looked tempted too, but shook his head.

"Thanks, but if I'm out all night and don't find you, it'll look bad on my record. Best to just drum up some evidence you moved on from the area."

"Thanks." His voice was, for once, free of sarcasm. ANBU were trouble.

"Who's the kid, anyway?"

"Haku? His whole clan got slaughtered a while back. Before he was born. He's supposed to have a powerful Kekkei Genkai, but it hasn't surfaced yet."

"A sole survivor of a brutal slaughter with a Kekkei Genkai? Bring him by the village sometime, I know some kids who have that in common."

"Wow."

"To be fair, Naruto's a Jinchuuriki, but the point stan-Uh, that's supposed to be classified too."

Zabuza laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as they walked toward the door.

"I'll make sure to tell your superiors. Assuming they've defeated me and are about to kill me. What's your call sign?"

"Well I'm not telling you now."

Haku dropped from the branches of the tree.

"ANBU will be running a follow-up sweep of the area, you know."

Zabuza waved a hand at him as he gestured for Haku to go inside.

"I know, I know. Won't be the first time I've shaken ANBU."

Kakashi eyed him, and Zabuza snorted. "I won't kill any of your comrades. Don't worry."

"I'm strangely not reassured," Kakashi said dryly.

Zabuza turned to go back inside his hideout, before he paused and looked over his shoulder.

"See you around, Kakashi."

"See you around, Zabuza."

And then the Konoha Shinobi was gone.

Zabuza sent Haku to bed without a word of explanation, and the boy went without a word. He always did what he was told.

He sat at the table as the lamps died, staring at the sack of gold, until there was no light left to see by.

Then he went to sleep.

It wouldn't be the last time Kakashi and Zabuza crossed paths. While Kakashi never took another mission to go find Zabuza-after his 'failure'-his missions took him all over the neighboring nations, as did Zabuza's roaming. They never met on such friendly terms again. Zabuza would send Haku away the moment he identified Kakashi, and it was apparent that his Kekkei Genkai had appeared. More than once, they'd found each other at odds, after the same bounty, or one of them had a staked interest in deposing or maintaining an authority figure. These incidences turned into a sort of game between them, a competition. They would intentionally take on similar assignments. Zabuza tended to get bounty's first, but Kakashi was better at manipulating events to keep or dethrone politicians.

It only got nasty when Zabuza's notion of 'depose' had translated to 'kill'. Kakashi had been forced to play bodyguard, and the clashes had started getting intense, with no end in sight. Then the fool had tripped down a flight of stairs and died. It had taken a long time before Kakashi believed it had been an accident. Next time, they'd played Shogi. Kakashi had won, though it had been a closer match than he had expected.

The Sandaime had been pressuring him to leave the ANBU for some time, but it wasn't until he'd learned about Zabuza's involvement-almost certainly Rin's work, who was annoyed at how Kakashi was conducting himself-that he both understood why Kakashi had stayed in so long, and how to get him out.

He'd offered to take Zabuza off of Konoha's watch list.

It wouldn't remove him from the bingo book, or affect how other villages treated him, but Konoha ANBU would no longer actively hunt him. It wasn't a whim-based off what he'd learned from Rin and Obito about the man, as well as looking over Kakashi's interactions with him, he honestly believed Zabuza posed no threat to the village, whatever his track record. Kakashi had agreed.

His games with Zabuza had been a kind of fun, and had, in fact, comprised a majority of his missions over the past few months, as he'd volunteered instead of getting assigned, but the rest of the ANBU work was weighing on him. Sometimes, sabotage and deposition steered dangerously close to assassination, and morality could be obscured in a few of the assignments that had been given to him.

"Why did you push for me to leave the ANBU so much, anyway?" He was, for the first time in a long time, dressed in traditional Shinobi garb, his headband slanted down over his eye, and the standard flak jacket over his normal clothes.

Sarutobi took a long puff on his pipe before answering. "I know you didn't like some of the assignments that got assigned to you, but the main reason? In all honesty, Kakashi, you were bound to get caught eventually."

He felt his feet heat up, and was thankful the Sandaime allowed him to keep his mask on. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," the Hokage muttered. "But-onto other matters. You've been a Jounin for a long time Kakashi."

"I...suppose…" Being young or being in ANBU didn't mean he hadn't held the title for a decade now.

"I've been thinking, maybe it's about time you took on some of the responsibilities that come with the role." There was a long moment of dead silence after that. Kakashi knew exactly what the Hokage meant.

"Can we put Zabuza back on the lis-"

"No."

Rin had woken him in the dead of night without explanation. Obito was already with her, looking troubled, and Kakashi had his gear on in seconds. Rin had just gotten back from treating Iruka at the hospital, and Mizuki was in prison.

They found Naruto in the same clearing he had defeated Mizuki. He was sitting on a stump, his legs drawn up to his chest. He looked up at them when they dropped down.

"You knew." He'd clearly been crying, his eyes red and his voice hoarse.

Rin just gave a sad smile and sat next to him. "Yes."

He looked up to Obito and Kakashi, who nodded in their turn.

"That's why we wanted to look after you," Obito said, walking over and ruffling his hair. "We couldn't tell you, but-we didn't want you to be alone." Kakashi didn't say anything, just studying Naruto. The boy had been calmed down considerably by Iruka, but it was clear he wanted to be mad.

"I know what it's like," Rin whispered, taking Naruto's hand. "And having a few friends can make all the difference."

"You think you know what it's like!?" Naruto jumped up away, away from her, almost backing into Kakashi. "To-to have a monster inside you? To be a monster!?"

"Naruto!" Kakashi voice was stern, and Naruto started, looking almost straight up to see him. "You have the Nine-Tails. Rin has the Three." Naruto was frozen, his mouth open slightly, as what Kakashi said registered with him.

"You're going to catch flies, silly," Rin said, walking over to him. He looked at her, evidently regretting his outburst. "Yes, I'm the Sanbi's Jinchuuriki. It's how I was able to help you with your Chakra control when the others couldn't." She giggled. "Iruka tried to scold me that night. Said I should be careful what I teach you."

"He did?" Naruto's eyes were wide. He'd seen Rin mad before, only once, and he couldn't imagine anyone bringing that down on themselves.

"And regretted it." There was a very self-satisfied note in her voice, and she winked at the boy. "But I guess he must've learned his lesson."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, laughing. "Guess so. Did-were you not allowed to tell anyone either?"

"Kind-of. Only a handful of people actually know I'm a Jinchuuriki. It's a much better kept secret then your case."

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We would've told you if we could."

Naruto looked up at him, and after a moment, nodded. "I...ok."

Rin offered him her hand, and he took it, walking with her out of the forest. Obito and Kakashi exchanged a look, and he shrugged, the Uchiha walking after them. Kakashi watched them go, sticking his hands in his pockets.

For all the time the two of them had spent with Naruto that he hadn't, he was now going to be stuck with him for a long time coming.

Thanks for reading!