Chapter 2: The Shadow of His Smile

Everything had happened in a blink of an eye. He had ran, full throttle, at a masked ninja then his hand abruptly found itself plunged through flesh and bones. He hadn't meant it. He didn't mean to... he meant to stop. But, at his given speed and lack of finesse in footwork, he found himself at the mercy of God. A splutter of blood gurgled from her cracked lips, and he trembled in fright.

Had he? No... certainly not! She was supposed to go back to the village - where it was safe! Damn it, damn it, damn it! His mismatched eyes widened in shock-horror - she was... bleeding. Rin was... bleeding.

"K-Kakashi,"

Soft spoken, not an ounce of bitterness left her tongue. Kakashi remained comatose; a living statue. His bloodstained fingers trembled with overwhelming guilt reverberating through his body. Then the cackling of his newly-dubbed Chidori eventually subdued abandoning him to the cruel reality with the vestige of his comrade's life on a whim.

Rin... he mouthed.

Kakashi felt every muscle in his body contract. Respiration toiled in his lungs. He couldn't breathe. His arm was heavy, embedded too deep, trapped in a mélange of blood, tissue, organs, bones. Punctured. Jagged.

It was already too late. She had drawn her last breath and spoke the last syllables she could muster. With a prolong grimace, Kakashi withdrew his hand from her chest and drew her in for solace. His lips trembled as he felt her frail body against his, just leaning over his small frame in vain.

He didn't want to at first - but he wasn't left with a choice - he had to let her go.

"RIN!"

Kakashi came awake panting and thrashing, drenched in cold sweat and shivers. His face nestled in his clammy hands, chest falling and rising, heart pulsing in an erratic tempo, tremors creeping down his spine. It was nothing but a sensation, dread convulsing inside, suffusing veins and arteries, blood poisoned and chill, orphan of memory and origin. He was trapped in a harsh -

"What is it, Kakashi?" A soft voice inquired not too far from his position. "A-Are you... alright?"

Immediately he broke out of trance. That voice... Horrified, he slowly glanced back up with widened eyes. Mismatched eyes met innocent soft hazel. "You..." he had began before he refrained himself from speaking any further.

That couldn't be. This... this...

"Kakashi, are you alright?" she further inquired, the tinge of worry became blatantly obvious. "It's me-"

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

"-Rin Nohara." she smiled gently then took delicate steps toward him, as if he was a nervous fawn.

Jaw-hard, tensile, he shuddered. "..No... you-"

"Hmm?" Rin had sat down at the side of his hospital bed, then cocked her head to the side with a meek expression.

Sweat clung on his skin, dripped in dips and crevices, hair damp, matted against his scalp. A slacked expression contorted into fear, and in a whitewash of anxiety Kakashi whipped his head side to side, looking for any sharp objects he could get a hand of. A scalpel came to his peripheral.

"You should calm down!" Rin urged, gripping him by his shoulders, refraining him from leaning in to clutch the potential weapon.

Kakashi was silent. She had awfully warm hands. On the contrary from what he felt in the nightmare that had clutched him. He broke out of trance when she cupped his naked cheek in a loving manner. A rueful smile etched onto the surface of his lips, only for a split second. His own hand laced on top of hers as he resigned a sigh.

"Rin," he breathed, treasuring every syllable that rolled off his tongue. I'd almost forgot... this is reality.

"You're safe now, Kakashi." she reassured softly, as if she were talking to a child. "You're here in Konoha."

His lip quivered but he caught it with his teeth, bitterly sinking his teeth in delicate flesh. His hand clutched onto hers tightly, refusing to let go, afraid to let her slip from his grasp again.

"Yeah... I'm home."

~O~O~

Jiraiya is a man known to be prone to make unwise decisions. One would be smart enough to learn from their mistakes. But not the gallant, it only adds fuel to his fire of curiosity.

The night had just become auspicious - late as it is - for shenanigans that could cause him dearly, a limb or two, on any other day. However today wasn't like any other day. Because of Dan's abrupt arrival from his mission, Tsunade has generously made allowances for Jiraiya's mischief.

The plan he concocted wasn't exactly his best. After all, he had just thought about it just then. It was needless to say that his plan was dangerous. It was always dangerous when it involved Tsunade.

He plans to watch from afar, through the window and witness her outrage. Having Dan suddenly enter in her outburst would be an icing on the cake as well. Dan isn't ignorant to the fact that his girlfriend has an unbelievable streak for violence, but he isn't exactly accustomed to it.

"And you said you would never heal me," Jiraiya teased after Tsunade bandaged him up, repairing the damage she had previously inflicted on him. "Admit it - you love me."

She grimaced, throwing a rolled bandage at him softly. "Don't get ahead of yourself, you pervert."

He smirked back.

The gallant pervert has always indulged in conversations, such as this, with his blonde teammate. She possessed a sharp wit, volatile temper, strength which rivaled over a hundred, and not to forget she had those curves. Everything about her was a fantasy.

Jiraiya has undeniably written a myriad of words over his time as a novelist, all intertwined with linguistic features to make the strokes of black ink on his paper come to life. Yet, no matter how many words he has accumulated through countless amounts of reading, he still couldn't find a way to fully capture his teammate's beauty.

Pulchritudinous. He thought with a slanted grin, messily scribbling it on the crumbled paper of his.

Tsunade was looming behind him with an arched brow of confusion. "What does that mean?" she asked, leaning against Jiraiya's back.

The man chuckled with high pride. "Oh, who would have thought a word like this could stymie your brain. And here I thought you were a genius."

A soft taunt, a childish one at that. Tsunade resigned a huff as she continued to rummage through her drawers for the discharge papers she needed to sign.

Jiraiya deposited the crumbled piece of paper on Tsunade's desk. He ripped another piece of paper from his spare notebook, scribbling three things on it; something that a medical ninja like Tsunade could get in a heartbeat. It was a daring mission he signed himself off to. If it was successful, he was going to treat himself to a mixed hot springs area. If it was a failure though, he was pretty sure he'd wound back on the hospital bed, barely breathing.

"Do you require my help, sweet Hime?" he asked gently, looking over his shoulder.

She blinked at him and narrowed her eyes into slits, "What are you up to?"

He had forgotten just how reminiscent of a butcher knife her eyes could become when she was suspicious. Suddenly the entire plan seemed a tad bit more hazardous and not entirely thought out. He even heard his own gulp ring in his head.

"N-Nothing," Jiraiya wore a strong façade, one that's sure to rub off if she kept up her scrutinizing glare. "Can't a man help out a woman in need?"

She decided not to answer him because arguing was too childish in her place of work, and there was a pile of paperwork that needed to be finished. She was more than positive something was afoot, she also knew a chakra-coated fist into his gut would be enough to spill the beans of his scheme, but she remained perfectly composed. In a way a small part of her wanted him to humor her, he's always had a knack for those things. And after such a tiring day with countless patitents, she needed a little bit of his stupidity.

But she heard the wooden chair pull back. Followed by a small sound of clothes being fastened. He was leaving.

"Well," Jiraiya pushed himself up back up on his feet, disheveling his hair further with a sigh. "If you ever change your mind."

Tsunade silently watched her teammate plant another paper on her desk. She remained polite and smiled at him as a way of saying goodbye, he kindly returned the same gesture. Swiftly, with a triumphant grin settled on his face, he vanished with a howl of leaves.

Out of morbid curiosity, the blonde medical ninja unfolded the paper from its sealed state. She knew it was not a good idea - but she was stubborn, a trait she both loved and hated with burning passion.

5 – 7 – ∞

"What's that in your hand, Tsunade?" Dan asked from behind as he leaned down to prop his chin on her shoulder, delicately yet affectionately. Lightly, like feather, his hand gripped her unoccupied shoulder, gently caressing it to ease the tension welling up. "Looks like it needs to be deciphered."

Tsunade growled lowly with a stern glare. She should have known better, damn it. That man. She should have known by now. He has never changed ever since the day they met. "It doesn't matter."

Within seconds the piece of paper was annihilated by raw strength. With a huff she leaned back and her lover welcomed her, arms snaking around her waist, reeling her in further against him.

"Are you sure?" Dan quirked an eyebrow up when Tsunade's chest rose again as she expressed ragged sighs. "Don't you think the Hokage would have wanted to know what that content said?"

"Not if he wants to find out Jiraiya's girth, length, and how he could practically go on for eternity."

"Oh," the Jōnin's mouth was left hanging low, unable to fully respond. "No wonder why women always want a piece of Jiraiya."

Tsunade roared out a laughter, chest rising and falling above Dan's arms. "Did he tell you that?" It was rhetorical, she already knew. The two have had been dispatched to several missions together. It wouldn't be a surprise if Jiraiya had started to tell him the tales of his conquest. "And you actually believed him!"

"Well.. he seemed pretty adamant about it,"

"You are such a fool, Dan."

Her lover's eyes traced back to the other crumpled paper lying around on the table, completely deserted. "What does the other piece of paper say?" He withdrew his arms from Tsunade, much to her dismay, and sauntered towards the desk with curiosity.

"I'm not entirely sure," a soft reply that feigned interest. Knowing Jiraiya he's bound to have written something more perverted. Another alternative is that he has scribbled a bunch of large breasts across the page.

He straightened out the paper, momentarily bracing himself for more perverted jokes, but the paper was used for one word: "Pulchritudinous..." he read out in a mutter.

Tsunade folded her arms. "Oh yeah, he refused to say what it meant." It somewhat surprised her that Jiraiya left such a note. Then again, it may be a lewd word.

Dan cheekily smiled at her when she pouted slightly. "It's cute to know that even you can be clueless at times, Tsunade."

She pouted even more like a child deprived from sweets. "Tell me what it means then." she grumbled.

"It's an ancient word which describes an aesthetically pleasing person - someone who possesses great beauty." he elaborated, another smile resurfaced. "For such a beautiful meaning, the word sounds ugly, don't you think?"

Tsunade clutched at his arm before she leaned her head against the slope of his shoulder. "That man, stupid as he acts, can be romantic with words."

"Do you think he's writing another novel?"

"Most likely," she replied. "Probably a tale filled with heroism and women."

Dan looked at the paper, rereading the word in his head. Dan is not ignorant of the gallant's feelings. He knew who exactly this adjective was meant for. But he dismissed such thought when he felt Tsunade's body press against his ever so slightly.

He smiled. "Whoever he's describing must be so beautiful. Not even this word can salvage his chances of ever portraying such beauty."

The paper was discarded in the black bin that sat beside Tsunade's desk.

"It's a shame..."

From afar, Jiraiya inspected the occurring events with his binoculars - his calculations were all wrong. She didn't bring Hell on Earth. If anything she looked content beside Dan. And he stood there with a loving stare downcast on her as he stroked the bangs away from her face, leaning in closer, whispering inaudible things that made Tsunade blush furiously before she playfully punched his arm.

The gallant hopped off the tree, retracted his binoculars into his inner pouch and headed down to the mixed bathing areas.

He didn't win his own bet, but he didn't lose either...

~O~O~

Kakashi's eyes were fully fixated on his dominant hand: clench, flex, and roll. It functioned just as well yet it didn't feel... similar. Power pooled in all of his chakra points ready to be released; the feeling was sensational. Deep phantom black mist clouded the young prodigy's eyes as he glared at both of his hands shaking at the sheer amount of power it withheld.

"This power... this feeling; I like it." he muttered under his breath, unintentionally shredding out a light grin.

The masked boy stretched out his arms, groaning softly as he did so. The pain which was so acute in his shoulder blade seemed to have subsided. Kakashi flinched at the realization that he could no longer acknowledge the pain. Such an injury, normally, would take up to two days to fully heal. However it's only been a matter of hours and his body felt good as new.

"I see you're doing well,"

The languid voice reverberated across Kakashi. It was very distinguishable, turning around to acknowledge his presence wasn't necessary. "Minato-sensei," he spoke.

The blond man settled on the edge of the hospital bed with a smile laced with ruefulness. "Are you doing better now? Does your body still ache? Are you alright?" He asked in a frantic manner, startling the silver-haired child in the process.

"Sensei," Kakashi drawled. "I'm fine. I might even get discharged tomorrow morning. As for my injuries," he stretched his arms, relieving the remaining tension that was ebbing in his muscles. "It's healed pretty quickly."

Minato's apologetic facial expression eased into something softer, more relieved looking. His sapphire orbs regained its normal hue. Delicately, he placed his hand on his student's shoulder, smiling lightly. "I'm glad that you're okay. I just wish-"

"Being injured in missions is a normal occurrence - it's the life of a shinobi." Kakashi reasoned evenly. The calmness of his voice was as tough as steel, but it held enough gentleness to soothe Minato's contrition. Finally, the masked child smiled. "I'm a ninja, aren't I, sensei?"

The older ninja laughed. "Of course you are, Kakashi."

"This injury will serve as my learning curve; to ensure this kind of incident won't happen again."

Minato placed his hand on top of the child's head, ruffling it slightly until strands of silver began to messily mat together in a disheveled state. He's always known that the boy was strong, especially for his age, but to remain optimistic was - once - an oblivious territory for the child. Normally, the child would be spiteful towards himself, claiming that he was still too weak.

But the Kakashi he was staring at wasn't reprimanding his skills or prowess. Instead, he remained perfectly content.

"Get well soon." Minato finally said, standing back up. The child nodded as a response, nothing more.

Before the dubbed Yellow Flash could disappear, a violent roar vociferated outside in the corridors: "Minato, where are you? I know you're hiding, dattebane!"

"Kushina!" He shrieked before he clumsily rummaged through his pouch, looking for his special kunais. In a frantic manner, the blond hurled the projectile through the open window, saluted to his student and disappeared.

By the time Kushina had charged in the hospital room, it was already barren of Minato's presence. She looked at Kakashi who feigned innocence and ignorance of the matter. He looked up from the book he was reading, cocked his head to the side as if to ask for her reason to be in his room. "Kushina-san,"

Her lips curled into a twitching smile as she desperately tried to hide her inner rage. "Kakashi-kun, have you seen Minato?"

"Sensei?" he played dumb. "I thought you would have killed him by now."

"In due time, Kakashi-kun." she replied in a deadly manner.

Minato meandered in the busy streets of the Hidden Leaf, hands shoved deep in the swells of his pockets, whistling lightly as he walked. Running away from Kushina certainly isn't easy - she's an Uzumaki! They can't be fooled so easily.

Besides, it wasn't entirely his fault that he was conned into infiltrating the women's hot springs area. Jiraiya was just sly enough to change the signs outside. In truth, he thought he was in the men's area.

Saying he didn't appreciate the view would be a lie, though. He's a man, after all. Thinking back, that could be seen as biological research! Yes, it was all for science. He ruffled his hair irritably, he was getting too influenced by his master. He was even starting to think like him! Honestly...

Coolly, he continued to blend in with the crowd in a calm manner. It wasn't until a pang of killing intent became tangible in the atmosphere that his step stopped mid-way. Minato looked over his shoulder and saw nine locks of scarlet tresses defying gravity with red chakra profusely seeping out of her system. One pair of eyes gleamed ominously, and a vein in her forehead throbbed.

It wouldn't be ridiculous to say that Kushina held reminiscence of the infamous Kyūbi.

"Minato, we're not done yet!" She bellowed.

Before she could push through the crowd, Minato had already ran away in a scurried motion.

~O~O~

In the dark seclusion, where limited amounts of silver illuminations shone through the curtains, Kakashi undressed from his casual wear and slipped into his newly-washed uniform. He began to cover his ankles with bandages before he fitted his feet into his blue sandals. Kakashi then carefully knotted his forehead protector behind his head, after he slung the straps of his father's precious tanto over his shoulders.

The prodigy stepped closer to the window and forced it open. With haste Kakashi jumped out of the window and left his hospital room unoccupied.

Kakashi entered his abandoned private training halls which had gathered dust over the past few years. He locked the wooden door behind him and glanced around at the equipment which were neatly tucked in their shelves, casing and posts. For a while he indulged in the nostalgic feeling welling up in his heart.

After Sakumo's death Kakashi refused to visit the compound again. He treated it as a place that was taboo within the walls of the village. He never darted his gaze to the street that led to his compound nor did he even feel compelled to visit, to make sure he maintained its condition. To him, his home died along with his father.

After Pain had ruined the village, however, Kakashi visited it at once and found nothing but a pile of rubble. A rueful feeling had been etched into his heart ever since. He should have preserved the last strand of memory he had of his father, but it was too late then. It wasn't too late now - he could start again, live in the compound again... maybe.

Softly, Kakashi strapped on two leg weights around his ankles which rivaled the weight of Lee's. If he had been in his original form the leg weights wouldn't have been such a burden. But in his current form he found the weights to be a hindrance to his performance. He was supposed to be a shinobi, a ninja accustomed to pain, rigorous training and circumstances. A few weights shouldn't have bothered him.

But it did.

His body was still a boy. It felt far too delicate to undergo the practice he had initially planned for himself in the hospital. It didn't matter how refined his mind has become, his body was simply not willing.

Kakashi summoned forth his shadow clones - twenty of them - before he prepped the kunais and shurikens in place on top of the training hall. Inhaling lightly, his onyx eyes snapped open with a glare at his shadow clones who stood adjacent from his position.

"Two minutes," he whispered to himself. "I must finish them in two minutes."

At the get-go the shadow clones rummaged towards Kakashi, and the kunai and shuriken traps from above triggered.

Pandemonium blazed forth in a chaotic manner.

Quickly, Kakashi surged his feet with an unbelievable amount of chakra to burst his way towards the clones, saber intact. He dodged the first of projectiles from above before he slashed through the first shadow clone. With such lithe movement Kakashi managed to duck from the kick of his shadow clone with just enough momentum to bury his fist into its stomach, unintentionally landing a fatal blow which hurled the clone back to another two.

Five kunais shot again; another ten shurikens projected.

In a rhythm: the first kunai was smoothly caught and used to deflect to other incoming weapons. A clone lunged itself on him, a futile attempt to restrain him. Kakashi kicked the shadow clone down onto the ground before he catapulted his tanto, that was surged with electricity, towards the next clone.

Another set of weapons fired. His glance turned into a hardened glare.

Five clones had already circled around him, and fifteen kunais and shurikens were set of above him. Suddenly, Kakashi's eyes widened and his Sharingan spiraled forth, settling into the three tomoe stage. The red pool pulsed and the hue gleamed through the shadowed seclusion. Everything became more vibrant. The mundane colors grew stronger, more prominent. Even the tiny tendrils of chakra that were emitted out of his clones' systems were detectable.

His vision was clearer. Crisper. Sharper. Deadlier.

The first clone attacked. The set of projectiles came closer.

Kakashi swerved sideways from the punch before he managed to grab a hold of its wrist. At the given second, Kakashi hurled his clone to the air to act as a shield against the shuriken and kunai. He then grabbed the next closest clone by its face, slamming it down into the floorboards. The surface caved slightly as the wood splintered against the raw impact, catching the masked-boy off-guard momentarily.

He didn't anticipate for his attack to be so strong, so brutal. A torrent of untamed power just released from his muscles by its own accord.

Within his peripheral range Kakashi saw one last weapon shot sharply at him. With the power of the Sharingan he felt as if time slowed down, granting him enough time to evaluate his overall surrounding - to create a destructive counterattack. He caught the kunai, twirled it in his index finger, and then palmed it into the next clone's abdomen. Streaks of lightning shone from within until the edge of the blade pierced clean through flesh and bones.

Instant kill.

The clones retreated to a defensive stance: the circular formation. With a small huff, the prodigy's legs changed gears as he ran towards the remaining clones. He evaded the kunais with ease, twisting in mid-air before landing in the middle of their circle of defense. Darkened eyes gleamed and with a silver slash all of the shadow clones disappeared with puffs of smoke.

"Damn it!" Kakashi scowled.

His sharp vision was rendered obsolete due to the white shroud left by the clones. He closed his eyes and relied on his hearing instead. Thirty projectiles in total had just been released.

Kakashi on rolled the floor and dodged the first wave. Hurriedly, he grabbed a hold of his tanto from the ground to use it to slash away the incoming weapons. He gritted his teeth, maneuvered backwards and threw his saber at the flying projectiles.

Kakashi leaped back to space himself out and summoned forth his infamous Raikiri on his hand. Sharp cackling burst forth, shredding a more vibrant blue shade on his palm. The electricity sizzled, growing more ferocious by the second. To the extent that the chirping of a thousand birds became roars in the wind.

Kakashi lunged upwards, meeting the remaining projectiles head on. His scarlet pair pulsed, swirled, reddened.

Within milliseconds, he stretched his limb out.

And it was over.

There was a chaotic clash between metal and electricity. Followed by deadly silence. Kakashi softly landed on the surface with his jutsu dying on his hand. He wiped the sweat tracing its way down on his forehead as he heaved heavily. The tomoes rotated with languor until the blackness of his eyes were what remained.

He clicked his tongue irritably as he clenched his fists tightly. That wasn't good enough. His movements were too careless. The battle took four minutes to be completed. An appalling result.

He needed more speed. More strength.

Irritably, Kakashi spun out another kunai from his pouch. "One more time!"

~O~O~

He couldn't remember the last time it was this difficult to breathe. Every inhalation took a little more effort than the last. He had grown weary from the training regime he underwent that night. To the extent that his body had collapsed from fatigue. At first Kakashi counted the seconds that had passed to fill his void. But it all transpired into minutes and hours.

It had been two hours forty-three minutes and eleven seconds, since he was sent to the ground. And he hasn't tried to get up ever since.

Tentatively, he drew within himself and checked his chakra levels: low, but slowly rising. Kakashi chuckled to himself, he really had outdone himself this time. Up until now he was still doused with fatigue.

After inhaling lightly, Kakashi flexed out his arms and legs as he uncoiled his fingers and toes. Through time and patience to rehabilitate, his vexed muscles had started to lax, as the fine wrinkles marring his pale brow disappeared.

He rose back onto his feet to lean onto the nearest wooden post, stumbling back lightly. What mess has he gotten himself into? Reverting back into the past, saving the comrades he already knew was supposed to be dead. Of course he wanted to save them! He wanted to but...

...Obito was a better option than he was.

A susurrus encroached in his wake of dilemma and regrets. The village was coming to life. He clicked his tongue before he moistened his chapped lips. Hastily, he tightened the knot of his forehead protector and pulled up his mask by its hem as he sauntered out of the training hall.

There wasn't time to wallow in petty regrets. He was already here. Obito has already sacrificed himself - and his power - for this moment. He can't afford to waste this opportunity. Drifting into space to question his caliber as a ninja would be betraying his promise to Obito.

He has already failed him once. His eyes narrowed, never again.

Kakashi pushed the door open, pausing mid-step. He had just remembered, he didn't return to the hospital in time.

"Tsunade-sama is going to kill me."

~O~O~

"That kid better prepare for his funeral. Because when I get my hands on him, he won't be able to see the light of day again!" Tsunade snarled.

Dan decided to stay awfully quiet for the time being. Seeing that he couldn't calm her nerves, he didn't see the point in trying. As of right now, he felt as if he was as treading on thin shards of broken glass. He stared at her, quiet and unblinking, irises abysmal and umbrous, merged with his pupils, until the gold of her eyes gone dark, like heated metal.

"I'll tell you one thing," the blonde Senju Princess finally took a breather. The first one ever since Kakashi's reported disappearance. "When we have a child we're going to discipline them, and not let them do whatever they please."

"A child?" he flatly parroted. "Us?"

Tsunade grimaced secretly at her poorly chosen words. "Well," she turned on her heels to the door. "Shall we go back to the reception and see if Kakashi's there?"

Dan's face fell at the realization that she was, indeed, dodging his question.

"Wait until I get my hands on him," Tsunade darkly grinned, fist clenched hard. "That brat has done it now."

"If anything, Tsunade-sama, I'd like you to excuse my student just this once." A timid voice echoed through the room, followed by a gentle chuckle.

The older male Jōnin already had his kunai in his clasp, ready to charge at the given moment. It wasn't until he recognized the sunkiss hair flowing in time with the breeze that his stance eased. "Honestly," he sighed, withdrawing his weapon back into his pouch. "Doors are invented for a reason, Minato."

"I'm sorry, Dan-sama. I've gotten quite accustomed to slipping through opened windows."

"Clearly," Tsunade snorted. "But using the door once a while won't kill anybody."

Minato sheepishly ran his fingers through the strands of his hair, chuckling awkwardly in the presence of his superiors. "I'll keep that in mind, Tsunade-sama."

Dan walked closer to his fellow Jōnin and matched his smile. "So, what brings you by?"

"I've been asked to summon the both of you," he responded, clear blue eyes shadowing slightly. "Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-san are already in the Hokage's quarters."

Dan wore a look of concern. He glanced over his shoulder and shared one small eye contact with his lover before he nodded slightly. "I'll go ahead. I'll see there, Tsunade."

The long-haired Jōnin vanished within a second, leaving not even a smallest whiff of chakra to be sensed.

"Have you heard from your fellow student?" Tsunade asked, darting her eyes at the blond. "He escaped last night and hasn't still returned."

Minato shook his head. "If I did, I would have returned him to bed. Isn't Kakashi allowed to be dismissed out of the hospital by now?"

"Not without my approval." Tsunade sternly replied.

"Have you checked the Hatake compound?" Minato suggested finally.

"I doubt Kakashi would go there. After what happened to Sakumo, Kakashi has never visited his home again."

Minato agreed with a small murmur as he cupped his chin. "I think-"

"Tsunade-sama!"

One of the medical ninjas Tsunade had dispatched frantically ran in the room. "I found Kakashi!"

"Where?!"

"He's visiting Sakumo's grave."

~O~O~

Kakashi stared at the tombstone which marked the grave of the man he has most often called the White Fang, and far less often…father. But it wasn't always been so. When did I stop calling him father? The obfuscous membrane that coats his memory enshrouds the when but not the why. Kakshi could never forget that. After he committed suicide. Shame saturated on the flesh of his tongue, sizzles and suppurates, old-festered wounds and septic shock. Children are so facilely, so pathetically impressionable, and that is why he despises the child he has once been.

"Father," Kakashi said finally, tracing his engraved name with a trembling fingertip. The carved in kanji was crooked under the pad of his finger due to it being weathered by rain and wind.

Matured Sharingan manifested in his eyes as he wearily stared at his father's grave, fingertip slowly slipping out of the last engraved letter. He leaned his forehead against the cold tombstone. "I wish I could have traveled back three years farther more."

So I could also save you from your demise...

The grim memory was well engraved into his mind. From the scarlet liquid pooling on the wooden floorboards, to the lifeless corpse sprawled on the floor with a sharp-edged knife protruding through flesh.

Kakashi was nearly six when he first saw a corpse near at his feet - it was his father's. He stared in horror at the blade which was jagged out from his back which broke through tissue, muscles, bones and skin. A pool of blood spewed all over the wooden floor and hugged his bare feet, coldly.

He stared with teary eyes. Sakumo had been long gone by the time he saw him - no vestige of life present.

He wished he could overwrite that memory and rewrite it with another. But, as reality commanded, he must walk this journey alone. Completely and helplessly alone for the sake of the Shinobi World. He was not ignorant to the ideals of sacrifice without honor; he served in the ANBU for a decade, he abode that mantra through his service in the dark.

What made an ANBU shinobi complete was mentality - to discard all sense of self, to smother the merest scintilla of individuality. For the sake for the village, the future. They would follow the objective to each letter and execute it like so. It was an unspoken rule of Shinobi, especially in the ANBU.

What distinguished an elite from the mask-wearing, nameless mass was the juxtaposition of being part of the whole yet separate. To possess the rare quality of having all the answers, performing the task assigned in perfection while being cognizant of motives, catalysts, and consequences. Ignorance, blind devotion, was for foot soldiers or, as Kakashi reckoned, the fortunate amongst them.

Like his porcelain masked counterpart, Kakashi planned on taking on the burden of the Shinobi Nation to pave way for a brighter future. Where waging wars would be non-existent. Where peace will remain prominent through generations. Where there will be Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha.

"Baka-Kakashi,"

The masked ninja cursed inwardly at the presence of his fellow comrade standing several feet away from him. He didn't notice how deep he had submerged himself in his train of thought, until then. Discretely his red eyes retracted back to stone black, and he dried the few tears away.

"What is it?" he questioned, turning around with a forced smile.

Obito sauntered towards him and offered his hand out.

Kakashi stared. The Black Sheep of the Uchiha clan stared back.

The wind blew over the two, but neither decided to move.

"Stare all you like. I'll keep holding my hand out until you take it, baka."

His mask shifted, he was smiling. Slowly he reached out and grabbed a hold of Obito's hand. The Uchiha boy became startled at his bandaged hands which had speckles of blood seeping through the cloth. He remained quiet.

"I guess I do need your help, after all." Kakashi spoke cryptically.

"Wh-What?" Obito stared blankly. "Do you have pins and needles in your foot, or something?"

Kakashi laughed, and left it at that. "Where are we going?"

"Oh! Minato-sensei said he wants us to meet him and Rin on the rooftop. Remember?"

"For what again?" Kakashi inquired keenly.

Well, fuc-fudge. By the looks of it, lazing around for the past ten years, and purposely missing the time in rendezvous points has really taken a toll on him. He needed to get his problems together. He has already aroused suspicion among his superiors, because he couldn't keep up his façade.

Not that he could be blamed - the last time he saw them, they were dead! So, being a smiling goofball is nothing but being said, he didn't want any more attention being raised because of his tardiness.

"We're off to a mission!" Obito scowled. "Sheesh. Looks like it's not only your hair that's aged, you geezer."

Kakashi shrugged off his insult. He was accustomed to it. Naruto also had a knack for insults, especially during missions. Well, what do you know? Those two really are two peas in a pod. He smiled.

Both young ninjas motioned out of the graveyard in a quiet manner. Kakashi surreptitiously glanced at his teammate who kept his stare fixated up ahead. Maybe he won't be alone in this journey. Maybe in order to save this world, he'll need someone like Obito.

A fallen hero who dreamed of being the savior of this godforsaken world.

A/N: Alright, about the update that was posted last night - it wasn't a glitch or anything from this site. I did actually update (with a longer chapter as well, 11K!). And I am terribly sorry for deleting it! D:

However, a friend (and reader) of mine actually messaged me saying that the chapter was - in short - horrible.

The quality was writing was okay. But the pacing got too weird. Meaning, it was all over the place. I felt awkward updating yesterday with that chapter, but it was a now or never situation. So, I updated.

The consequence was that I had to delete majority of the chapter (about 7-8K) and go from there. This time I tried to make sure the pacing wasn't all over the place. With very little time I have on my hands, this is the best I can give you guys! I do hope the quality of this chapter was okay! :/

The pacing will definitely become quicker next chapter! This chapter just shadows Kakashi as a person and how he truly feels underneath the mask. Hence "The Shadow of His Smile". Despite the time-travel, Kakashi still harbors his regrets that inevitably shaped him into the character we know.

As always, thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews! It's so awesome getting them. :D

Exciled3