Chapter 25

What Lies Beneath It All

Throughout the journey from the shack, to where the remainder of the group was located, Ibiki's mind continued to supply all sorts of possible outcomes. In most of the scenarios he and Bear would catch up with the others only to find Wolf had indeed resurfaced and killed, or otherwise maimed, the rest of the Leaf shinobi. So, when they finally caught up to the group, and they saw so many of them seriously injured, their minds instantly assumed Wolf was the cause.

That thought needed to be adjusted however once he saw that Kakashi was lying calmly on his stomach with both Shizune and Iruka working on his latest injuries at the far side of the clearing. Ibiki knew that Wolf would never be so understanding about Iruka touching him, and that fact alone led him to think perhaps Bear's fears might indeed be unfounded.

Still – one glance at the Yamanaka made it clear the man wasn't entirely convinced yet. In fact, the waves of tension coming from the ANBU were almost enough to make him doubt his own evaluation of the situation. Ibiki placed a hand on Bear's shoulder and wordlessly conveyed the need for the man to reign in his emotions before they approached the Copy-ninja. From one moment to the next, the oppressive tension faded away.

They slowed to a walk and approached Kakashi. At this distance it was easy to see the latest damage to the Copy-ninja. A long, jagged gash ran the length of Kakashi's back – and he could see it was taking the skills of both medics to attempt to piece the skin back together. Their concentration was such that they hadn't noticed his or Bear's approach. The same could not be said for Kakashi – as his visible eye curled into a smile once they came to a stop.

"Glad to see you up and around again Bear. Are you well?"

Ibiki saw the ANBU tense slightly at being addressed, but the man kept his tone neutral in his reply. "Thank you for your concern – but I have recovered enough."

Bear's decision to not use a name in his response didn't go unnoticed by Ibiki – or the Copy-ninja...if the crease along the man's brow was anything to go by. This wasn't the time to confront whether this was Kakashi or Wolf directly, so Ibiki decided to try to change the topic slightly.

He caught and held Kakashi's gaze. "Why is it that every time I see you lately Kid, you're being patched up?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Probably because you keep showing up too late for the fights, Old Man."

Iruka stopped what he was doing and leveled a glare between the two of them. "If you keep moving around like that Kakashi this isn't going to work!"

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Heh – you heard the task-master Ibiki. We'll talk more once Iruka-sensei is done feeling me up."

The chunin's face turned an interesting shade of red – but he smiled in response to Kakashi's words before returning to his task. Ibiki couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange even as he motioned for Bear to follow him. Once they were far enough away, Ibiki paused to get a better look at the rest of the scene.

Nearly every single Leaf shinobi showed the signs of battle, but all of their injuries appeared to have received at least cursory attention. He noticed Issanni sitting watch over what was obviously the dead body of the young woman who'd raped Kakashi. Tenzou was nearby with bandages covering his head and his right arm in a sling. His ANBU mask was nowhere to be seen, and the young man's attention was fully on the medics working on Kakashi.

Ibiki scanned the area until he saw the rest of the Copy-ninja's pack gathered in a regimented group – half of them facing in, while the rest were facing out – obviously guarding something. Ibiki walked toward the mutts and was greeted by a low growl of warning from more than one of the beasts. Whatever they were guarding they weren't taking any chances. Ibiki frowned and was just about to walk away when Kakashi's voice rang out.

"Let him see the prize Pakkun."

The brown pug at the front of the pack stepped aside. "You heard the Boss...let him in."

Ibiki was still amazed at the loyalty of Kakashi's nin-hounds, and it made him wonder just what the trade off was for such devotion. When the wall of fur parted, it took Ibiki a few moments to register what it was he was seeing. The black-haired man lying on the ground matched the description Wolf had given him of Akuma, but the man was covered in what could only be chakra. By the look in his glazed violet eyes, he was in excruciating pain. Ibiki had never seen or even heard of such a technique in all his years as a shinobi. He couldn't begin to fathom how much raw chakra was likely needed for such a skill. He rubbed at the back of his head and wordlessly walked back to where Bear was waiting for him.

"You look concerned Ibiki." Bear's tone made it clear there'd be no denying it.

"I am. Although everything Kakashi has said or done to this point leads me to believe Wolf is not in control of his mind, I have too many unanswered questions to accept that we are safe quite yet."

Bear nodded his head sagely. "Very well. We will examine him once the medics are done. Ibiki – are you prepared to carry out the Hokage's order if it turns out that Wolf has returned?"

Ibiki scowled. "You know better than to ask that question Bear."

Again the ANBU nodded, and the two remained silent as they continued to watch the Copy-ninja from afar.

-- --


Kakashi allowed himself to relax under the gentle touch of Shizune and Iruka, so when the first stick of a needle through his flesh occurred he was more than a bit surprised. He'd kept from doing more than hissing through his teeth at the sensation, but that was enough to alert his caretakers of his displeasure.

"Ah – sorry Kakashi-sensei...we should have warned you that we'd need to stitch you up until we recover a bit more chakra."

Iruka's tone of voice made it clear the man felt terrible about the oversight...and who was Kakashi if he didn't take advantage of such a golden opportunity to cause the chunin to squirm a bit more?

"Mah – don't worry about it Iruka-sensei...you can stick me anytime."

Iruka's reply was almost instantaneous. "I've told you before Kakashi...you aren't my type."

He chuckled. "You know, Sensei – you seem to pin me down quite a bit for someone who's 'not your type'...hmmm? Maybe subconsciously you really do have a soft spot for me."

Shizune's barely contained laughter was followed by a rather sharp tug on the stitches being placed. When Iruka spoke again his words were significantly clipped.

"The only soft spot where you're concerned, Kakashi Hatake, is your head!"

Kakashi was truly enjoying how much fun it was to mess with the chunin...so who was he to stop now? "I'm sure you can make it hard again if you try Iruka-sensei."

"WHAT?!? I...I...dammit Kakashi! I didn't mean that head!"

Shizune's laughter broke free – and soon Iruka tugged one final stitch tight before storming off to presumably cool off. The Hokage's aide pressed a bandage onto Kakashi's back, and slid her arm around him. She carefully eased him up until his was more or less upright.

Kakashi turned toward her until he caught the medic's eyes. "Was it something I said?"

Shizune smirked and then tried to switch to a more serious look. "You really shouldn't do that to poor Iruka. He can never tell when you're being serious or not."

Kakashi couldn't help chuckling. "Heh – that's half the fun."

She shook her head at him. "You know what? Lady Tsunade is actually right – you are hopeless!"

"Ah, true – but I am still cute."

The medic-ninja smiled, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Just try to take it easy until we get you back home, okay? You aren't the only patient Iruka and I have after all."

Kakashi made sure to look apologetic. "I'll do my best Shizune."

The smile faltered on the medic's face and she lowered her gaze to stare at her hands, which were now clenched in front of her. "I am so sorry I couldn't do the same for your children Kakashi."

He frowned at how distraught the woman seemed. Kakashi shifted his gaze to where the body of the young woman lay and sighed. He returned his attention to Shizune.

"No one could have foreseen the enemy breaking into the protective pod. After all, it had never been done before."

She lifted her gaze until her tear-filled eyes were in view. It was clear to him that she hadn't been aware of that bit of information. He smiled at her gently.

"Shizune, if anyone had thought it was a possibility, they never would have put you in that situation. Consider this – if even I was captured by Akuma, how could I possibly think less of you for falling to the same man?"

Kakashi could see her trying to find fault in his logic, and he patiently waited for her to reach the inevitable conclusion. When at last she did...her shoulders relaxed and she smiled sadly at him.

"Regardless of what you say Kakashi – I am still sorry you lost your children."

He closed his eyes. "Thank you Shizune."

Kakashi figured it would do him no good to argue about whether or not he viewed the miscarried fetuses as his children...so he left that to the medic to decide. He figured it was time to change the subject once and for all.

"Shizune – how are the others?"

That seemed to snap her back to herself as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly – I'm starting to think the Hokage owes me and Iruka some serious raises for all the injuries you lot have managed to rack up this time around."

Kakashi chuckled. "Well – you can count on my support when you suggest it to her. Just do me a favor and let me heal up a bit more before you tell her."

Shizune frowned. "Why wait?"

He smiled. "Because it will be easier for me to duck whatever she throws at you once my back heals more."

The two shared a comfortable laugh while she finished wrapping a protective layer of gauze around his torso. Once finished, she left him to go and check on the others.

She wasn't gone more than a minute before Kakashi saw Ibiki and Bear approaching. Their body language alone was enough to set him on edge – but still, he didn't let it show when he gave them a two-finger salute.

"Yo, Ibiki...Bear."

Neither man acknowledged his greeting and Kakashi felt his apprehension increase a bit more. Bear moved to sit behind him, while Ibiki positioned himself directly in front of him. Kakashi frowned.

"Last I knew I hadn't tried to kill anyone from Konoha in awhile – so would either of you like to explain just what's got you on edge?"

Ibiki's brow furrowed. "I would have thought you'd figure out what had us edgy, Kakashi. Are you losing your touch?"

He shrugged – only wincing slightly as the motion tugged at some of the new stitches across his back. "Everything has happened so fast over the past day Ibiki, I think you should be glad I even know who I am anymore."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed. "That is the question...are you sure you know who you are?"

Kakashi started to laugh – but when Ibiki's expression only grew darker he stopped. "You can't be serious."

"Can I assume you performed the jutsu on Akuma?"

He scratched at the back of his head in obvious confusion at the question. "Of course I did. What's your point?"

Ibiki's eyes never left his own. "Where did you happen to pick that one up?"

"Akuma used it on me during the trip back from Hyoukai Yobou."

"On you? Or on Wolf?"

Kakashi was about to laugh off the questions until he finally realized why the Torturer was so worried. He frowned. "Shit...does this mean the seal cracked?"

Bear's voice from behind him did nothing to reduce his growing anxiety. "That's what we need to find out. Do not fight this."

Those words were the only warning Kakashi received before he felt the intrusion into his mind of Bear and Ibiki's essences. His first instinct was to disconnect from the strange pulling on his mind – but Bear's stern warning kept him from doing so. His consciousness spun slowly until he was aware of being in a place that looked vaguely like the warped tree-scape from his previous entrapment within his mind. The same black twisted trunks reached toward a blood-red sky – but now there was no sign of the wards that had trapped his alter-egos on the precipice they were currently standing on. In fact – in the very center, where at one time the various versions of Wolf were held at bay, there was now a deep black hole.

As they watched, the gaping hole was closing in on itself – erasing all sign of its existence. At the far edge, Kakashi saw one pale hand grasping to the rim – a task made all the more difficult as the surface continued to move under those fingertips. Before he even registered his own movement, Kakashi was at the rim – staring down into the face of himself as he was when he had first joined the ANBU. He was barely fourteen – and the scar running through his left eye still stood out starkly against his pale face. It wasn't until he'd turned twenty that the scar finally started to look a bit less angry.

Kakashi's gaze followed the thin form of his younger self to see why the youth wasn't using both hands to climb back up. The answer lay in the fact his free hand was clenched tightly in the shirt of the youngest version of himself – while that tiny boy's hands gripped onto the older boy's arm with a white-knuckled death-grip.

Kakashi met the eyes of his younger ANBU self – without another thought he reached down and took a firm grip of the young man's wrist just as the fingers lost their grip on the edge. One quick yank brought both versions of himself onto firmer ground. He'd just released his hold on the boy's wrist when the hole surged shut – a faint howl from its depths the only sound heard until the hole sealed completely. A moment later found Kakashi falling to his knees as wave after wave of memories slammed into his awareness. When it was over, he was left gasping with the two remaining Wolfs staring at him in concern.

Ibiki and Bear were at his side immediately – each staring toward those remaining versions of Wolf with unhidden suspicion. Ibiki's voice in his ear made him realize just how worried the others likely were.

"What did they do to you, Kakashi?"

He turned to face the torture expert and forced a smile onto his face. "It wasn't them, Ibiki. I just wasn't expecting the memories from the others to hurt quite so much."

He sat back on his knees and looked up to where Bear was staring back at the two remaining versions of Wolf warily – as though expecting them to attack at any moment. Kakashi sighed and forced himself to his feet and then he stood between Bear and the two boys. The ANBU met his gaze with a challenging glare from behind the porcelain mask.

"Bear – before you question why I would possibly choose to save them, let me ask you this...once that hole closed up on the versions of Wolf it had trapped, the memories that had triggered their creation merged with my mind." He paused and looked toward the boys. "You saw what just those more recent memories did to me. What do you think two of my oldest memories would do? What do you think that very first creation of Wolf would do to my mind?"

Bear remained silent – obviously running Kakashi's comments through his brain before offering up his opinion. At last the man nodded once and then moved to where the two boys were still sitting perfectly still. Kakashi was about to ask what he was doing when Ibiki moved closer and drew his attention away momentarily.

"Kakashi – I can accept that the destruction of the eldest Wolf would explain your knowledge of Akuma's jutsu. But what I still do not understand is what caused the hole in the first place."

Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "I've been trying to puzzle that out myself, Ibiki. All I can come up with is how I stopped hearing his voice around the same time I evidently died...at least according to Iruka and Chuutetsu. Perhaps the hole has something to do with that."

"That would be correct Kakashi." Bear's voice no longer held the edge of suspicion to it. "I have witnessed such a phenomenon before while in the mind of a dying shinobi...and these two boys have confirmed the time-line for the hole's appearance."

"What would have happened if Wolf had been the dominant mind at the time of the death?" Ibiki's blunt question startled Kakashi and he found himself anxious to hear the answer.

Bear shrugged. "We wouldn't be having this conversation – as I doubt Wolf would have permitted us near him. But to answer your implied question, Ibiki, Kakashi's persona would have been devoured by the blackness once and for all."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them – because Kakashi knew that if that had been the outcome, the two standing within his mind likely had orders to end his life rather than allow Wolf back into the Village of Konoha. At that moment, the two remaining versions of Wolf cautiously approached them. The ANBU Wolf stood protectively in front of the child and addressed all three of them.

"I assume you won't take our word that we do not intend to try to take over this mind again...so what exactly are your plans for us?"

Kakashi had to resist the urge to chuckle. He'd forgotten just how straight forward he'd been at that age. He wondered how people like Asuma, Ibiki and Raidou ever saw beyond his bluntness to be his friend back then.

Bear surprised them all by kneeling until he was face to face with the youngest version of Kakashi. The ANBU placed one hand on top of the unruly mop of silver hair and ruffled it in a way that caused the boy to pout and try to pull away from the hand. Then Bear stood and stared directly at the young man who still wore the battered ANBU uniform Kakashi remembered donning right after his fourteenth birthday. When the Yamanaka spoke, his tone left no room for argument.

"Kakashi – I see no purpose in restricting these boys at this time. But you will come to Headquarters once a month for me to personally check on them – and you. Is that clear?"

Kakashi looked at where the two younger versions of him were staring at Bear in obvious shock at the judgment, and he knew Bear's decision was the right one. "Heh – who am I to go against an ANBU's order?"

"Good – then I believe we are finished here."

Kakashi moved to where the two youths were standing and placed a hand on each of their shoulders – squeezing gently to show his thanks for helping him survive two of the worst times of his life. With that he turned back toward the others and signaled he was ready.

The return to the physical world was much smoother this time without any resistance from his Wolf personas. Still – Kakashi found himself a bit unsettled when he opened his eye to find Iruka staring into his face – considering Ibiki had been the one in front of him when he'd gone under. Iruka's concern was evident in the way the tanned chunin's eyebrows were pinched together and it was beginning to set him on edge again. He'd need to do something to fix that.

Kakashi leaned forward until their noses almost touched. "Boo!"

-- --


Iruka's eyes went wide and he stumbled backward to land unceremoniously on his backside. Kakashi barked out a sharp laugh at his over-reaction and he knew his face had to be bright red with embarrassment. Ibiki's voice brought him out of his moment of shame.

"Kakashi – if you keep trying to kill the chunin I'll have a hard time convincing the Hokage that you aren't Wolf."

The Copy-ninja turned toward the scarred man and frowned. "It's not my fault Iruka keeps presenting me with so many opportunities!"

Iruka could feel his blood boiling at the way the two jonin were going on about him as though he wasn't there. He would have thought he'd managed to gain at least a bit of respect from them by now. He was about to scold them both for their rude behavior when he was saved the trouble.

"Kakashi – if I'd known you were going to abuse Iruka so badly I never would have told him how to find you in the first place!"

Iruka's anger melted away almost immediately as he jumped to his feet to greet the civilian medic. "Chuutetsu!"

The medic looked tired – but otherwise no worse for wear. Shikamaru was at his side – his hands shoved into his pockets as his sharp eyes took in every injury his comrades had sustained. That thought reminded Iruka that they still had far too many injured to make this an easy trip home. Fortunately, Shizune seemed to be of the same mindset...and she approached Chuutetsu from the other side of the camp.

"Ah – Chuutetsu. Would you be willing to give me your opinion on a few of the injured? I'm afraid Iruka-sensei and I have used up more chakra then expected and will have to rely on your skills a bit more than anticipated."

The older man smiled warmly at the Hokage's aide. "It would be my honor, Shizune. Lead on."

Iruka sighed. He'd have to catch up with the man later. Meanwhile he figured he'd get back to what he'd been doing before Kakashi's latest stunt. He turned toward the Copy-ninja and scowled at the idiot.

"Kakashi – if you do anything so childish again I think I'll just leave the patch right where it is!"

That seemed to catch the man's attention. "You've figured out a way to get the thing off?"

Iruka sighed. "Yes, Kakashi – contrary to popular belief I do actually have some level of skill higher than the pre-genin's I teach."

"Iruka – I never meant to imply you lacked skill." The serious tone of Kakashi's voice took Iruka by surprise.

"It's okay, Kakashi. I'm used to it." He reached one hand toward the patch that still covered Kakashi's left eye. "Now, hold still so I can see if my hunch is right about this thing."

Before he could reach his goal, the strong fingers of the Copy-ninja's hand wrapped around his wrist, halting its progress. "Iruka...it's not okay. You've proven yourself at every step of this mission and I should have acknowledged it long before now."

Iruka knew his eyes had gone wide with the shock he was feeling at the elite jonin's words. Did the man really mean it? He narrowed his gaze in suspicion. Or was this just one more of his sadistic games?

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. May I finish what I started now?"

He saw Kakashi's eye crinkle to show he was smiling. "Yes – please."

Iruka wasn't sure how to take that answer – as he realized his words could be twisted into a perverted meaning once more. Still – he decided it was best to simply ignore the man and concentrate on the task once more. His hand was released and he ran the tip of one finger around the edge of where the leather patch met Kakashi's skin. As he'd expected, the seal was beginning to weaken. Whether it had to do with the length of time since its creation, the distance from the Hatake compound, or some other factor he had yet to take into account, all Iruka knew for certain was there was now a chance that some of the basic seal skills the Third Hokage had taught him when he was a teen might actually come in handy.

He smiled to himself at the thought of how patient the elder Sarutobi had been when he spent precious hours with him instead of ignoring him like so many others had once he was orphaned. He knew the man would have been pleased to see his lessons would be used to aid Kakashi – another of the orphaned children of Konoha.

Iruka focused a very small stream of his remaining chakra along the border of the foreign seal and worked it between the seal and Kakashi's skin. He heard his patient grunt a bit in discomfort, but he continued the task until his stream of chakra completely worked its way under the patch. With an audible pop, the patch worked loose and fell to the ground.

Iruka took a close look at the eye he'd uncovered. The eyelashes were sealed shut from the moisture that hadn't been given the chance to evaporate and he quickly reached into his pouch for some saline to loosen the crust lining the lashes.

"Kakashi – don't try to open it quite yet. Give me a chance to clean it up for you first."

The jonin grunted his understanding and, at first, Iruka wondered at the man's lack of response. Then Iruka took a closer look at the skin surrounding the eye and he gasped. Everywhere his chakra had pierced the seal was red and raw – in some places there was even a bit of fresh blood flowing.

Iruka pulled his last jar of ANBU ointment out, and carefully smoothed the lotion over the irritated skin. "Sorry about that Kakashi. I hadn't realized it would hurt you like that."

"Mah – don't worry about it Iruka-sensei. If it means I get to use the eye again, I can handle a bit of discomfort. So where did you learn to release a seal like that?"

Iruka smiled softly while he soaked Kakashi's lashes in the saline solution until the crusted lids could be opened safely. "The Third Hokage used to teach me in his spare time. Now – try to open your lids – but take it slow. Tell me if it tugs at all."

"The Old Man used to do the same thing with me anytime my father was on extended missions – before I became chunin." Kakashi's lids slowly pulled apart to reveal the bright red of the sharingan.

Iruka stared as the three dark marks within the red started to spin around, and he hoped the eye was okay, even as it was quickly closed once more. "Is there something wrong Kakashi? Why did you close it again?"

The Copy-ninja chuckled. "Sorry – it's nothing against you Iruka – but I don't quite have enough chakra stores right now to keep it open for more than a moment."

Iruka should have remembered that. "Well - we should probably have Shizune check it to make sure, but I don't think there's any permanent damage."

He watched Kakashi glance around at the rest of the group and he couldn't help but follow the man's gaze. Small pockets of shinobi went about preparing to break camp. Others worked to get the injured ready for what they all hoped would be the last leg of their journey home. Although they all were focused on the tasks – occasionally a laugh would be heard coming from one group or another and somehow the sound managed to help Iruka push back all the horrid things he'd experienced over the past weeks. He turned back to look at Kakashi – only to find the man staring straight at him with such an intense look it made his breath catch in his throat.

After a few unsettling moments of silence Iruka finally found his voice. "Kakashi – I know you've had an unnatural fascination with me lately – but really...could you stop staring at me! You're making me think I have something sticking out of my nose!"

"Heh – sorry about that. I was just trying to figure out what in the world made you decide to join up for this mission." Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "I mean – even I know you don't particularly care for me as a person...and you've never been shy about pointing out my bad habits over the years."

Iruka felt his face flush at Kakashi's words, and he scratched at the scar along his nose while trying to find a way to explain what even he didn't quite understand. "Well – you see Kakashi...Naruto was so upset when he came back without you...and Sai...even Sai seemed distressed...and well – I couldn't stand seeing them hurting like that...so – well..."

Kakashi stared at him with disbelief plain in his eye. "So you rushed head first into an S-ranked ANBU retrieval mission because you wanted to make Naruto feel better?"

Iruka found himself nodding his head emphatically. "Well yes...and Sai too!"

Now Kakashi's eyes curled in absolute humor. "Oh yes – let's not forget about Sai. Thank you Iruka-sensei."

Now he was just confused. "Why would you thank me for reminding you about Sai?"

Kakashi placed his hands on Iruka's shoulders and laughed lightly. "Iruka-sensei, I'm thanking you for reminding me just why I fight so hard for Konoha. Now let's go home."

With that, the masked ninja walked over to join Chuutetsu and Shizune as they were helping the injured prepare to leave. Iruka just stared after the man...wondering for at least the thousandth time since he started this mission whether he would ever understand who exactly Kakashi Hatake really was...and realizing for the first time that it didn't matter – so long as the man was a part of Konoha.