Chiisai cautiously raised her hands up in defeat. As Kakashi stepped towards her with hand in his pocket, Chiisai flexed her fingers. Air instantly flew from her palms, propelling Kakashi against a tree with a sharp crack. She flexed her hands once more, causing tree branches to wrap around the jonin before he could retaliate. The shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She turned to face the real Kakashi as he came down with kunai in hand. Chiisai narrowed her eyes as she fixed her gaze on him. The ninja stopped in midair, unable to move as Chiisai guided him down slowly. He watched helplessly as tree branches encircled his limbs and neck, making sure he was rooted in place. Once secured, she focused her eyes on the sky, leaving Kakashi writhing against his wooden restraints.

"They weren't exaggerating," Kakashi said calmly. "Your abilities far exceeded my expectations."

"Lucid dreaming really does have its advantages," she responded as she lifted her arm up to the cloudy sky. "I guess reminding you that you're in a dream won't help, will it."

"So you are insane."

"Possibly."

Chiisai clenched her hand. The ground began to tremble, the air quaking as thunder emanated from above. She pushed harder against the dream, ramming her power into it over and over again, trying to break Kuroi's hold on this make-believe bubble.

The wind whipped her hair up, the trees bent in obedience, and the air rumbled in defiance as she mentally attempted to cut into the dream. Finally, with sweat beading down her face, the sky started to bow towards the earth, moaning like a boat tossed at sea. But the dream was of Kuroi's doing, and it could not easily be broken. The clouds dipped further and further, finally slowing as the pressure became too great. "I can do this," she wheezed as she shut her eyes. "I'm more powerful than him."

A ripping sound shrieked over the wind, and she looked up to see a crack rift through the bowed blue sky. Giving a cry of relief, she squeezed her hand harder, causing the crack to expand upwards. Just a little more pressure, and it would all be shattered…

The wind was knocked out of her as she flew forward. Her concentration vanished, leaving the crack hanging in the air as the sky set back into place. Chiisai hit the ground hard, rattling her small body as she skidded on the grass. Cursing under her breath, she rolled on her back and blew a gust of air from her lips, pushing away whoever was attacking her.

"Now!"

Someone grabbed her arms, dragging her back. Chiisai closed her eyes, shutting off the rising panic. Instinct kicked in, of missions long passed while under the Third. She willed wooden spikes to burst from her arm, digging into the hands that had a hold of her. There was a grunt but the person only clamped harder on her wrists, refusing to let go. A shadow flickered across her face, growing larger with each second. She glanced up to see someone coming down with hand signs at the ready. Her lungs filled with oxygen as she let out a sonic blast that rippled through the air and hit the opponent. Furious, she let out fire from her hands, causing the other person to jump back with a cry as the flames singed his skin. Now free from her captor, Chiisai willed herself to become invisible. She sprinted away silently, planning a counterattack as she shielded her already invisible self in the underbrush.

"Nice plan, Kakashi. You okay, Rin?"

"I'm fine," she nodded.

"It's not finished yet," Kakashi said. "The bingo book was way off. She's stronger than any of us ever imagined. She doesn't need hand signs."

Chiisai's eyes widened at his words. Her father was using Kakashi to kill the only thing standing in his way- her. She took a deep breath, trying to keep a level head in the midst of this chaos. Dying was not an option.

"Well, let's see how well she does with my Sharingan," Obito chimed with a half grin.

"Be careful," Rin warned.

Chiisai groaned inwardly. Since the dreamer actually possessed Sharingan, it was likely someone with Sharingan in the dream…

"I got her!"

Chiisai made a run for it, trying to recall how she handled dream missions when she worked under the Third. It usually ended badly when it came to Sharingan users.

They all came at her, their bodies silhouettes as they sped towards their target at an inhuman speed. She raised a hand, stopping them in midair. But Obito was gone. Suddenly, something grabbed a hold of her waist, capturing her arms as well. "Gotcha," Obito whispered as he stepped out of his dimension.

"Don't touch her, Obito!" Rin yelled, her brown eyes wide a she landed on the ground.

But it was too late. Chiisai's skin lit up in flames, burning Obito before he could release her. She yanked away from his grip as Obito's clothes caught fire.

Rin made several hand signs, using a water style jutsu on Obito as fire consumed him. Kakashi continued after Chiisai, an unyielding determination set in his cold eyes. Chiisai took one quick glance at the sky, how black lines cut through it as if it were a mosaic. If she could just concentrate long enough to permeate through the dream barrier, then there was hope for her after all. And Obito seemed bent on capturing her, not killing her. Was Kakashi supposed to deliver the final blow?

Placing her hands on the ground, Chiisai drew up earth and rock, flinging them at Kakashi. She lifted up a rock dome that layered over her twice up, around, and below her feet. She redirected her mind back to the breaking sky, commanding it to crumble. But it wouldn't give under her quaking heartbeat. She took on last deep breath, blocking out everything else. Like paper torn from a book, so was the sound of the sky pulling apart from itself. Another sound struck the air, and only then did she realize it was not her doing.

Electricity exploded from the rock wall, causing Chiisai to fall to the ground. The three ninja appeared before her. Kakashi stood at the head, electricity emanating from his hand, illuminating the broken dome and the fear written on her face.

Her hand pushed forward, stopping them all. She let the wall around her fall as she backed away from her enemies. But the woman's mentality wasn't holding up like before, and within a few moments the three were on her again.

She only saw Kakashi's onyx eyes and the coldness of his expresison. There was only contempt in the eyes of the person she no longer knew. "Kakashi," she breathed. "Don't do this, Farm Boy."

Obito glanced at his comrade, his eyebrows furrowed with anger. "Why are you hesitating, Kakashi? Do you know how many people she's killed?"

Yet Kakashi continued to linger, searching Chiisai's eyes, his eyebrows raised slightly. With one last effort, she pressed her mind against the sky. It heaved a groan as the ceiling of the dream finally shattered. "Damn it!" Obito cried. He drew a kunai as the dream world crumpled down around them. He stepped in front of Kakashi as Rin evaporated away, along with the backdrop of the dream. Obito raised his kunai, the edges of his frame disintegrating as the weapon came down on Chiisai.

Blood spewed, a gasp breaking through the rumbling of the torn sky. Obito gaped down as a hand protruded from his chest.

"You're not real," Kakashi's tone was grim. His eye now spun with his Sharingan, and he yanked his headband down. The white-haired ninja staggered, breathing heavily as they were left in darkness.

"I…I thought you were going to kill me," Chiisai whispered.

Kakashi shook his head. "I almost did."

She stood up slowly. "Sorry about that. I had trouble, uh, finding you," she didn't meet his gaze. "Here, let me help." Chiisai rose awkwardly on her tiptoes and placed a hand on Kakashi's forehead. He blinked in surprise, his eyes slowly clearing as he watched her, their faces inches apart.

"There," she smiled as she removed her hand. "Feel better?"

"Thanks," he nodded. "Now what?"

"Now," she grabbed his hand, "we have work to do."

"What happened while I was stuck in that dream? The Chiisai I remembered wouldn't say such a thing," he half teased.

She gave a small snort. Itachi's words echoed in her mind as she said, "The Chiisai you knew finally got sick and tired of wallowing in self-inflicted guilt. My father chose his path, and now I've chosen mine." She frowned up at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He smiled. "It's nice to see you as yourself is all. Where is Kuroi?"

"Um…" She looked around. They were in the grey void again and still holding hands. Chiisai immediately stepped out his grasp. She raised her hands, changing the scenery back to a field of red poppies. "I'm not sure. I'll try to sense him, but I'm a bit rusty. You should practice too."

"Hmm?"

She extended her hand out to demonstrate. A purple butterfly appeared above the palm of her hand. It fluttered to the nearest flower, its wings leaving a silvery trail behind it. "What you believe, you create," she explained. "You should practice in case something happens, like making a weapon appear."

"How do you do it?"

She placed a hand on her hip. "Well, picture what you want in your mind- its smell, size, dimensions. And then summon it as if you were releasing chakra...I think."

He shrugged and replied, "Seems easy enough."

"It's more mental control than anything." She added, "This place is a mental battleground. Hopefully we've learned our lessons." They both had now saved each other from themselves and the dreams placed on their minds.

Kakashi shook his head and curled his hands in fists. His voice was low as he replied, "The mission almost failed because of me."

Her lips formed a tight line. "We both made mistakes, but what matters now is that we're together and can prepare." That's something a comrade would say, right?

He paused, his eye fixed on Chiisai. His expression slowly softened, his hands relaxing by his sides. "Well then," he nodded, "let's prepare."

She nodded. "Now go ahead and try to create something small." She placed a hand on her chin. She rocked on her tiptoes and back to the heels of her feet before saying, "Like mochi ice cream."

"Mochi…" His reply was unenthusiastic.

"It doesn't matter what kind," Chiisai crossed her arms. "Just picture it, how it looks, tastes, smells." She stepped closer, showing a chocolate mochi ice cream in her hand. "Believe in the mochi and its existence. Feel how cold it is?"

Raising an eyebrow, he repeated, "Believe in the mochi?"

"Discriminating it's existence, Farm Boy. I'm disappointed." She shook her head. She threw her dessert in the air, where it expanded, grew wings, and transformed into a bird. "Maybe that was too much to start out with," she mumbled to herself as she watched the bird fly away. "Maybe a feather would be easier. Or a small rock."

"Maybe this?"

She blinked back at Kakashi. In his hand sat a single rosebud, its petals as red as his Sharingan. She picked the flower from his hand, feeling the petals with the tips of her fingers. The rose sat silent between him. Kakashi gazed at Chiisai, his eye softening. The rosebud slowly vanished, leaving no trace of its existence. Chiisai tilted her head to the side and said, "I'm surprised it disappeared so quickly. You usually don't get so distracted. So I guess work on that." Turning away, she plopped down in the poppies. "I'm going to try to sense my father."

Sighing to himself, Kakashi took one last glimpse at her before returning to his training.

Chiisai placed her hands on her knees. Her body became aware of her power, of it flowing through her veins, pumping through her heart as she breathed slowly, letting her muscles relax. The swirling energy within her rose and fell with each inhale and exhale. With her eyes closed, she could practically see it, the colors almost lighting up behind her eyes. It traveled past her, the connecting energy searching for its counterpart across the plain of her mind, yearning to reconnect with what was stolen. It stretched on and branched off in jagged directions, seeking other minds that were connected. A rising ache formed in the back of her skull as she sensed the trapped villagers, and beyond them...

A darkness rose up suddenly, overpowering the strand of energy linking back to her. Her body shook, her skin paled, and her heart sank in the dread that suddenly enveloped her, weighing her down. It was like facing Koshuu again, feeling his grip on her wrists, the darkness caressing her as the man's words reminded her of someone long gone, of her father-

Chiisai's eyes bolted open, cutting off the link. With a quick breath, she stood on her feet and turned to Kakashi. "Farm Boy, we have a- What are you doing?"

Kakashi lay in a floating hammock, his hand holding Icha Icha Paradise. His creations disappeared upon looking at her. He landed on his feet, concern crossing his face. "What is it?"

"A welcome present."

A shrill cry rang out from afar then. The oily creature barreled towards them, turning everything to ash in its path. The black blob of a monster faced them, larger than before. Its shadow towered over them, and the mere presence of it seemed to chill the air.

A large sword suddenly appeared in Kakashi's hand. "Well," he said to Chiisai, "it looks like we have work to do."