Okay, unexpected attention, lol.

HybridTrash13: Haha, yeah. Such excitement. There's much more this chapter though, so I believe you'll like it. And I wouldn't really call it a dream…but I would also call it a dream. Really it was meant to be perceived as actual interaction between the living and dead, and thus a memory gap. Thanks for your review. :3

ChameleanEyes: More fight scenes this chapter. Thanks for your review! :3

pixy: You'll see this chapter. Thanks for your review. :3

jenjen14 (guest), Guest, Xeno (guest): Thanks for your guys' reviews. :3

An OC returns! If you've yet to read TOWIB, you'll have to know that the OC had black eyes, but in this story he has green. There's a reason behind that. It'll be revealed later.

I updated the story early a day early because I proofread it much quicker.

Original chapter word count: 4.8k~

Recommended songs: Saika, Last Resort (Original & Eliminate remix) by Papa Roach, 3rd Planet by Modest Mouse, Prayer of the Refuge by Rise Against, Savior by Rise Against, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran.

Enjoy! :3

Chapter 3: Aichmalophobia

Kushina wasn't a brilliant fūinjutsu user compared to her ancestors, but she was damn good compared to what was around today.

She understood barrier fūinjutsu, and she could make one in the spur of the second with just her chakra, but it would be released a mere second after due to instability.

Her defenses were struggling, too. The jōnin she was facing was severely injured, continuously breathing heavily due to the stab in her chest. Her face was coated in sweat and pale, and the man made of rock looked just about done. Two were dead, and since there were only three in Kushina's range of senses, she assumed that the fourth was a medic and merely hiding, or just not around.

Wires lashed out at her, followed by a rain of shuriken that were on fire. Kushina dodged the attack, only getting a mere cut on her forearm. She used the tiger seal. Chakra flowed, and was pulsed. A purple barrier with many unreasonable corners shot out, the charging rock man being thrown away thanks to the blast force of the barrier.

The barrier, then, disappeared.

The weaponry ninja charged Kushina, a sword red and hazy with heat in his hand. He jabbed it at her, but she leaped up in the air and chunked kunai at him. He ducked, because they were angled to hit only his head, and Kushina took the chance and fall of her leap and land on his neck.

Sadly, it worked.

His face hit the roof with a loud crack, and the weight of her body breaking his neck. It caused instant death, and his chakra signature was gone. She frowned a little, though, dodging slashes of wire and using the barrier method when the ninja strings tried to wrap around her. These Iwa-nin were pathetically easy to kill. Why? She didn't know. Were they that desperate? At least Konoha goes by quality instead of quantity.

She ignored it, though, weaving through hand seals. She spat out six large bullets of water, adding the spice of her own ninja wire and shuriken. The bullets were dodged clumsily, the shuriken getting pulled out of the bullets with a yank of Kushina's arm. The rock man took the hit, though the weapons bounced off the rock-hard skin of his back.

The Iwa kunoichi charged this time, closing in on the Uzumaki and instantly engaging in a taijutsu fight. Kushina gritted her teeth. Taijutsu wasn't her strong suit. Never was and never will be. It wasn't her clans strong suit, either, though there have been legendary taijutsu users of the Uzumaki—but she wasn't one of them.

All she did was dodge. The other kunoichi was sluggish in her movements, though, and taking that to a certain degree of her advantage, she aimed to slam her palm into the woman's wound. Her palm had multiple random cuts on it, but when looking closer it could be read as a scatter fūin—a fūin that has scattered characters. It was a blood seal, though, and the shock that the fūin would shoot would certainly give the Iwa kunoichi a fatal blow.

But her wrist was grabbed at the very last second. The Iwa nin yanked Kushina forward, jabbing her knee into the Uzumaki's stomach.

Kushina coughed in surprise, all air leaving her system. She didn't have time to recover, though, because a kunai came down on her and stabbed her in the middle of her spine.

The Iwa kunoichi, however, cried out in surprise when she was suddenly yanked back by her short hair. She was slammed head first into the roof with the strength of a monster, and she was very quick to die.

The rock man leaped in for a surprise attack, but Kushina's helper was quick to smash a fist into his chest, the force shifting his organs and damaging them with the force of a bijū.

Senju Tsunade sighed in relief when the rock man fell. She was quick to gently get the kunai out of Kushina's back, getting around to healing it.

The wound was shallow, and wasn't deep enough to damage spinal cord nerves. That was relieving.

"T-Tsunade-hime," Kushina murmured in surprise. "You're here!"

"Yes, now quiet and keep still," Tsunade snapped. "You are lucky that woman didn't manage to hit your nerves, or else you wouldn't be able to walk or feel your legs to a certain degree."

Kushina's eyes widened. "Damn, dattebane," she whispered.

Minutes passed, and the wound was stitched and wrapped up. "I know that you-know-what will be able to handle the rest, but the stitches are for just in case," Tsunade said. "Take it as easy as you can. No matter your healing abilities, back injuries can still leave behind aches and scars."

Kushina slowly stood, nodding and dipping her head in thanks.

But the conversation that might've continued was interrupted when Sakumo came into view, landing next to the duo women. He was frantic and battered, close to panting desperately.

"Kakashi is safe," Tsunade instantly informed. "He's been taken to a shelter with Minato."

"A shelter?!" Kushina echoed. "That's not a good idea! Those jōnin tried to kidnap Kakashi and managed serious injuries dattebane!"

Sakumo's eyes widened, panic blinding him into a jittery mess. "What?!"

Clouds had become murky, and the tang of blood was heavy in the air. The air was moist and cool, the smell of smoke and fire was just as strong as ever. A tint of rain could be picked up, though, and it kind of calmed Kakashi in some strange way. But it wasn't much later that it fell, soaking everything in an easy few seconds.

Kakashi was just barely staying awake. He kept his eyes cracked open, but he was always having to close them and completely losing consciousness at least every few seconds. His fingers and toes were freezing cold, and his body felt heavy despite the fact that it was Minato who was moving.

But his senses picked up threatening movement from an enemy. They were lying in wait a few yards ahead, their chakra hidden enough to escape the inexperienced senses of the blonde.

Kakashi raised his injured arm, muscles weak and slow. He did his best, pushing even further past the tolerance his young body could take.

Only a yard away, and he finally managed to yank at Minato's shirt. But it wasn't enough. The enemy leaped out, destroying the rhythm of the blondes leaps across the village with a punch.

Minato was flung across the path, his back hitting the corner of a restaurant that threw him into an alleyway. The enemy was dressed in a hooded outfit, his hands covered up by gloves and his feet by zori. A kunai showed in his hand, minty green eyes sharp with the fires of vengeance. The blade glinted dangerously, rain bouncing off of it.

Kakashi turned his head towards the man, whose movements slowed as the blade was aimed right for his stomach in hopes of gutting him. Kakashi blinked, eyes dragging left and right. The raging drops of rain slowed down dramatically, lightning flashing and the loud cracking following.

It made Kakashi drown in memories of the night he found his father—the bright light of lightning flashing across a pool of blood, the ominous sound of thunder shaking the windows and the mind-numbing thought of his father dying…it was all way too clear.

But the blade passed by his side, merely stabbing through the air as Minato stepped away. It all happened in slow motion, though, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder why. He didn't have the Sharingan, did he?

The hooded man charged the duo again, his kunai lashing out with speed unparalleled. It was aiming for Minato's throat, and Kakashi could clearly see this with his assumed Sharingan.

So he moved.

He pushed himself up with weak strength, his back facing the green-eyed man. The kunai was a mere few millimeters from reaching its target, and it hit.

The familiar pain of a slash shocked his small body, going from shoulder blade to shoulder blade with warm blood of a living person. The world around him sped up once more. He was extremely dizzy, and he felt like gagging. He honestly didn't understand why he felt so shitty. He's dealt with ridiculous blood loss before, so why is he struggling now?

He felt his head get yanked back in the shock of the attack, the sturdy arm of a man wrapping around his waist. He couldn't do anything. He was in pain, and the world around him was dark after he was tucked in close to the chest the sturdy arm might've been connected to.

…Why is the world spinning so quickly? Buildings are blurring…why is so dark? I can't see very well… Kakashi thought sluggishly. He felt a major pain over his shoulder blades, his breathing rasping and stretching out heavily. He felt the world around him moving, the sounds drowning out and leaving nothing but a low pitched ring in his ears. He reached up and touched the chest of whoever was carrying him, and the unfamiliar feeling a stranger's muscles was what met his palm.

His eyes narrowed. He still had chakra, and he could use it.

Kakashi channelled chakra through the tenkutsu of his arm, letting it stream out of his fingertips. It was easily transformed into Raiton-worthy chakra, and the man stopped moving, hunched over and shaking from the sudden pain of a strong electrical shock.

The Hatake could see through the opening the apparent cloak allowed. He turned his head to the side. He could see his father—his father, standing resiliently, his sword unsheathed and his chest heaving from the effort of travel. The eld Hatake's eyes met Kakashi's, and Sakumo froze.

The child slowly blinked. He waved it all off like it was nothing, though, the pain of the wound on his back acting as a distraction, so he looked away.

"Sleep," Obito's voice sounded. "It's better to stop fighting. You'll die at this rate."

Kakashi didn't want to, though. He didn't want to fall in Iwa's hands. But unconsciousness sounded very good at the moment, and he could go for some rest. His dizziness felt like it was going to be the cause of his death because it was so fucking annoying.

But the cold hand of his dead spirit Uchiha friend brushed against his cheek. "This'll teach Sakumo a thing or two," Obito murmured in reassurance. "The village as well, I believe."

Kakashi sighed quietly, his head rolling. Mirth bubbled up and rushed through his veins, though the emotional energy burst could barely reach his knees. It sounded interesting. He could use Ijigen no Jutsu once more if he wanted to, though it wouldn't be a very good idea. So he just closed his eyes.

But his very last thought shook him into an uneasy unconsciousness.

I don't want to be held hostage.

Sakumo did his utmost best to stay as calm as possible chasing after Minato. Tsunade had orders to heal and defend only, which was ridiculous, so she had to branch off. Kushina had to take it easy, and travelled at a slow pace that Sakumo couldn't handle.

He could sense his sons chakra. It was very weak, almost gone, but it flared to a brimming light sensation that washed a happy warmth over the eld man before fading into the weakness that caused clutch.

A cloaked man had landed roughly on a rooftop, and Sakumo didn't recognize him. The Iwa symbol on the man's cloak was what he was looking for, and instantly, Sakumo landed only a few feet away with weapons unsheathed. The rain made it difficult to see the man's face clearly because water kept getting in his eyes. Adding on to the fact that the man was wearing a hood and keeping his head low, it made it near-impossible as a matter of fact.

But, through the cloak where it parted, Sakumo could clearly a silver head of hair. Red eyes turned and looked at him dead in his irises, causing him to freeze with fear.

Fear of the Sharingan.

However, he knew that the man kneeling before him with a shaking body held Kakashi in his arms.

And Sakumo knew for a fact that neither he nor his wife had Uchiha within them.

So, if Kakashi did, then how?

The hidden Hatake looked away, the glowing red of his eyes fading. His body seemed to relax into oblivion, and instantly, the chakra almost faded completely.

Sakumo's eyes widened. He was quick to charge, but the man lashed out a fist and shattered the eld Hatake's arm that held the sword. The man, then, disappeared, and left behind the aftermath of a petite invasion lead by a small force of quality rather than quantity.

Kushina was worried. She could no longer sense Kakashi, and Minato's chakra signature was alarmingly weak. Sakumo seemed to have lost some significance in regards to signature strength, symbolizing injury, though it wasn't severe or concerning, and she continued.

She reached the general area of Minato's faint signature, landing in the muddy pathway. She looked down at least five alleyways in total before she saw the blonde leaning against a wall, his hand on his forehead and his breathing uneven enough to be classified as hyperventilation.

Kushina was quick to rush up to him. She wiped rain out of her face and propped him up against the wall, her hands on his shoulders. His eyes were wide and looking into oblivion, and sweat and rain water seemed to act like a second skin because there was so much. "Minato!" she called. "Minato!"

It took her a slap to get him to snap out of whatever daze he was stuck in. He stared at the Uzumaki before him, his head swaying and his eyes glazing over with exhaustion.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she questioned. "Where's Kakashi dattebane? I can't sense him."

Minato's eyes became wide, his eyes darting left and right frantically in denial about how he had failed to protect Kakashi. "G-gone," he stuttered. "Gone. I-I don't know—I don't know, I don't know—I-I can't, I…" His breathing quickened again, his bloodied hand grabbing Kushina's wrist. He stared down at the ground, chest heaving and limbs shaking.

"Calm down," Kushina said. "Calm down! Calm, down. Please? I'm right here, you don't need to worry. It'll be okay. We'll clear this up. I promise. And I never break my promises—remember, dattebane? I'll bust a volcano if I have to, and you can pick up the pieces like always. Kakashi will live. We'll get him back. He will live, and you will be known as a hero to him no matter how much you've failed."

Minato's jaw tensed as he somewhat calmed down. He looked back up at Kushina, swallowing and breathing shallowly. "K-Kushina-chan…" he murmured breathlessly. "Kushina-chan…his—his eyes; Kakashi's eyes…"

The Uzumaki cupped his face. "What about them?" she asked gently.

Minato blinked multiple times, his voice quivering. "He—he had…he had the Sharingan. The—they were red—red and bloody red and…they—they allowed him to save me f-from the man who took him. He—he t-took a hit—stopped my throat from being c-cut by that g-guy."

Kushina's eyes widened. She felt her chest tighten in alarm. She's seen the wounds he had already. They might've been tended to, but there was a lot of lost blood. Maybe a bit too much. Taking a hit that was meant to slit a throat had to be deep and damaging.

And then there was the dōjutsu.

This…this was not good. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to keep Kakashi safe and sound. She was supposed to keep him anxious-free best she could. She was supposed to stop him from trying to kill that rat that was never there. She was supposed to protect him from his astrophobia. She was supposed to let him eat ramen and enjoy the time Sakumo was away to the fullest.

Booming thunder made her blink out of it. She wrapped her arms around Minato's neck, wet hair of red and yellow getting into her face. She sighed loud enough to be head over the loud potter patters of the heavy autumn rain. "It's okay. He'll live. He can't die." She stared up at the sky for a second, rain getting in her eyes more than once. "He won't die. I will get him back dattebane. You can count on me."

The world was very distant, sound blasting in Kakashi's ear one second before being replaced by a roaring sound that persistently stayed until the sound erupted in his ear again and became ridiculous to identify. His vision was something he had difficulty processing and the mere fact that everything was a blur of light told him that he was barely conscious.

The rough feeling of metal on his wrists made him open his eyes completely, though he was dead exhausted and could barely move. His chakra wasn't coursing throughout his system and he could feel an oxygen mask over his face. His line of vision was dark around the edges, and he was heavily breathing for air that was conveniently provided by the oxygen tank.

"Aw, look, the little Hatake baby is awake," a voice sneered.

Kakashi blinked tiredly and turned his head towards the origin of the voice. A man with black hair was leaning against the entrance of what seemed to be a hospital room, but it was easily structured like a cell. The shackles around his arms and the basic fūinjutsu to cut off the flow of his chakra was basic, but he was far too tired to attempt to break it, and when he looked around the room of the hospital he was in, there was no IV or blood bag.

They were neglecting the fact that he needed a blood donation. It was expected, though. They wanted to keep him on the brink of constant health risk because he was a hostage.

"What? Why are you staring? Do you think you can beat me now?" the man ridiculed.

Kakashi blinked again, but didn't reply. His head rolled back to its original spot.

"Tch, whatever," the man growled out. He turned and left, slamming the door closed.

The young Hatake could feel the presences of Iwa shinobi in the ceiling and right outside the wall. In fact, shinobi were surrounding him everywhere, stretched out for miles and mixed with the weak signatures of civilians bustling about within Iwagakure.

A shaky breath escaped his mouth.

He was a hostage—the one thing he never wanted to happen to him ever, and it was happening for the sake of morality. Obito's words were always spoken with a silver tongue, but sometimes his speech would be rougher than a mountain climb.

It was amusingly frustrating.

But it was trusted.

Kakashi just really hoped that he would get out of this as soon as Konoha could move. But, sometimes, when a person is being held hostage, one is to never pursue.

He's done it numerous times, and he really, truly, faithfully hoped that his situation wasn't the type to be left behind to ruthlessly for the sake of a war that could've ended some time ago.

"Kakashi. Long time no see."

The Hatake blinked and turned his head towards the origin of the voice, blinking slowly when he saw a brunette with minty green eyes standing before him.

Obito suddenly manifested, a deathly glare on his face as he stared in the eye of the unknowing shinobi. He growled anomalistically. "Hashimoto…"

"Tsuchikage-sama."

Ōnoki looked up from the file he was going through and checking, his old dark eyes landing on his shinobi battle and office assistant, a male brunette with minty green eyes, fairly tanned skin and a pretty blue diamond tattoo on his forehead. He was somewhat tall, and he wore the standard Iwa-nin attire. "Yes, Hashimoto?" he responded.

Hashimoto stared. "Jiro says that the Hatake is awake," he reported. "Do you want me to see to it?"

Ōnoki nodded. "Please do," he said. "Make sure Jiro is completely healed—"

"Not completely, but his wound will never fully heal," Hashimoto stated abruptly. "Send him on that mission. I won't be able to."

The Kage nodded again. "I see," he murmured sadly. "May he be forever remembered. Summon him and go handle Hatake."

Hashimoto bowed, leaving the office without another word. He walked down the hallway, hurrying to where Jiro was waiting. The dark haired male ninja was waiting, his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall.

Jiro looked at Hashimoto. "So? What now?"

Hashimoto pulled out a scroll, handing it over. "Give this to Konoha," he said. "Your condition can make you brain dead at any given moment. Not to mention you got punched by Tsunade. Your organs were damaged, and honestly I'm shocked that you're still alive. But…you know what that means."

Jiro looked down at it with a thoughtful, sad look. "I understand," he murmured. "Thank you for your time." He dipped low and respectfully before turning away and leaving in a rush.

Hashimoto blinked after the man. He was feeling indifferent toward Jiro's case. He's done that kind of thing numerous times in numerous positions, and the Iwa-nin was no different.

So he made his way to the hospital. Kakashi was held there, in a room only shinobi can access. Hashimoto was assigned as his doctor, since nobody else really wanted to be involved with the Hatake Clan in general. That was understandable. Sakumo was a very scary man, and if his weakness was targeted, he would either die easy or kill voraciously.

Such a gamble scared people. Hashimoto has seen many more scary things, though, and Sakumo might as well be scaled as a verdant child on the things he's seen. But Hashimoto wouldn't be so arrogant.

He stepped into the room Kakashi was held captive in. Shinobi were quick to filter out at the flick of his hand, leaving him with the boy alone. He smiled, remembering the silver head of hair vividly. "Kakashi…long time no see," he spoke.

The child turned his unmasked face towards Hashimoto, eyes disoriented and confused. He was breathing slowly and heavily, his heartbeat a tad too fast for his current condition. His chest rose slowly, and he looked pale.

Hashimoto sat down next to the chair that was placed next to the hospital bed, a sly smile stretching across his face. "Do you remember me?" he inquired. "I remember you."

Kakashi stared, but recognition flashed across his face. He didn't talk, though, he just stared in question.

"How am I here," Hashimoto voiced flatly. He smiled. "It would seem that Ijigen no Jutsu actually happened within Mugen Tsukuyomi."

Kakashi blinked in surprise. That…would make sense. Mugen Tsukuyomi targeted individuals, and while the one that was cast on his other-dimension friends was altered from its original, the said alteration couldn't have been major. The genjutsu was more than large scale. Too much time would be consumed to make such a drastic change.

"I'm the compensation for Ijigen no Jutsu," Hashimoto continued. "For every time it's cast, the user gets transported. They can predict what's happened, since the dimensions are the same in multiple aspects just as much as they are different. Therefore, to restore balance, there is an adversary. I am your adversary. I know your story, why you're here—why there's a cold spot following you around." He smiled evilly. "Uchiha Obito…oh, how I'm starting to hate him. He's probably the one thing that will see the ending of every bitter attempt an Ijigen no Jutsu caster does. I won't be able to. I'll be killed off."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"I'll come back, of course, since you left information of Ijigen no Jutsu back in your original dimension," he went on. "Another desperate or curious shinobi will see to it that Ijigen no Jutsu happens once more, and therefore I will roam as an adversary once more."

The young Hatake blinked, his head rolling back up to the ceiling.

"That wound on your back will scar," Hashimoto added. He stood up, staring down at the tired child. "Use it as a reminder—or, perhaps you can use to it open certain eyes to certain things."

Kakashi glanced at the brunette. He sighed. "Hmm," he breathed out. "Maybe…"

Hashimoto smiled. "Rest. I'm sure your father will be relieved to see that his lying son isn't totally dead."

"Sakumo."

The thirty-seven year old man turned his head towards the person, discovering it to be Tsunade. He blinked. "Tsunade," he said.

She smiled down at him.

He was sitting on a fallen beam of a building, cradling his broken arm and just staring. Kushina had arrived with news not even ten minutes earlier with an unconscious Minato. He knew that she didn't mention everything, but she did say that Kakashi was taken by a high-ranking ninja. It appeared that the objective of the invasion was to kidnap his son.

Tsunade sat down next to him. "I'm finished here," she said. "And I think you're the very last person who hasn't been healed or checked yet."

He nodded, turning his head away. He looked at the crowd, grey eyes studying how true her statement was. Everybody's wounds were minor, though there were a few who had minor to bad burns from the fiery explosions that took place earlier. Most of the worst damage done was simple gashes, broken bones, burns and very minor property damages. All the death happened on the other side.

Tsunade poked his cheek. "You look like a sad puppy, and it's really annoying," she snapped.

Sakumo smiled in amusement. "Do I?" he murmured.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Kakashi's been kidnapped," he said quietly. "Namely Iwa did it using this invasion as a catalyst."

Tsunade grabbed his broken arm, cutting away at the cloth to examine the swollen limb. "And you being sent to the battle field acted as an opening," she assumed.

Sakumo nodded.

"Does the Hokage know?"

"…Not yet…I learned this only a few minutes ago, and honestly I'm still processing it."

Tsunade sighed. She wrapped a thin layer of gauze around his arm, pulling out a cloth she had. She wrapped it up around his neck, careful to keep the wound from hurting. "Ice it," she said sternly, "and visit the hospital ASAP. Your bones were shattered. I can't treat it here with Shōsen Jutsu because there seems to be some stray chunks of bone in your muscles."

Sakumo stood up. "Thank you," he mumbled.

Tsunade stood as well. She looked him. "You're not fighting in that condition," she snapped.

"Well—"

"No. I'm not hearing it," she snapped. She slapped his back, her strength pushing Sakumo foreword with a complaint. "You should rest. Kakashi will be fine. Put some faith in us, will ya?"

"Who's us?" Sakumo shot back under his breath. He was reluctant to rest. He couldn't. His son was in the hands of the enemy.

"Who do you think?!" Tsunade shouted irritably. "If you weren't so beaten up already I would be kicking your ass!"

Sakumo chuckled nervously, putting his one available hand up. "Okay, okay," he murmured.

The woman stared with brown-hazel eyes that spoke of truth and the want of trust. "Here—listen to me," Tsunade said, beckoning her hand mellowly. "Kushina is very serious when it comes to her comrades. And from what I've heard, so is Minato. They're probably gonna want to run after and find Kakashi."

Sakumo sighed, opening his mouth to speak but it was clicked shut by the medic.

"I will follow them," she assured. "We can bring either one of your dogs or an Inuzuka along, but only for tracking. It'll be better to keep you here—safe and sound, because losing a parent at such a young age is a bad idea."

The Hatake blinked and turned his head towards her face. He knew that the blonde was speaking from experience. He sighed again, and knew that she was trying to make a point. He did trust Kushina, Minato and Tsunade, but he was a father before he was a friend.

"Don't give me that look," she snapped again. "Go to the hospital you little brat!"

Sakumo blinked monotonously. "I'm only younger by less than a month—"

"I don't wanna hear it! Now go before I beat your ass!" Tsunade shouted. She pushed him in the back with her foot, the strength assuredly getting Sakumo started on his walk to the hospital.

She huffed and crossed her arms, watching the grumbling man go. She really hated how stern he was when it came to relation and trust.

It was something she wanted to fix—and fix it she would.

(Because Dan suffered the same thing, and that was why he died in the second war).

"Hashimoto": "bridge support"