Confluence

By Violet Garnets

Chapter Five: Preparation

o-x-o-x-o

Even before he opened his eyes, he smelled all the ruin and decay.

The stench of death permeated the air. Bodies littered the ground, each one decorated with gruesome injuries. The body closest to him had been split in two: the muscles spilled out slowly, peppered with bits of shattered bone. Streams of blood came from all directions, ending in a dark pool around his legs. Somehow he knew he was the one who had caused all this carnage.

He looked out across the field, forcing himself to ignore the endless rows of corpses. A brilliant sunset greeted his eyes, an ironically pulchritudinous image. But a tall shadow blocked the sun itself. He focused his vision on it. There, dark eyes stared at him, the expression unfathomable. He held his breath as their eyes locked, battling for…something.

"Why?" He shouted. The word hung in the air, filling up the palpable silence. "Why? I thought--"

"Thought what, Shigeru? That a stupid verbal contract would hold up between our two clans? Che. How moronic."

A realization hit him. His hands shook. "This...this isn't about our clans, is it?"

The man shook out his pitch-black hair, a sly (pained, cold) smile on his lips. "You figured it out, did you?"

"I can't stop time, Ryuji! I can't change what happened!" Despite himself, his voice betrayed all desperation. The wakizashi felt heavy in his hand.

"Ah, yes. That's true." The man named Ryuji looked at his hand, turning it back and forth. "But if you had done nothing, none of this would've happened. You could have avoided so much suffering."

Then, before he even realized it, Ryuji had moved and he felt a sharp blade pierce him from behind. He choked, tasting iron. Warm blood coursed down his body and soaked his shirt. He dropped his own sword; it made a sickening splash as it sank into the pool of blood.

Ryuji whispered into his ear, the warmth of his breath a fatal contrast to his frigid tone. "In the next life, remember one thing: think before you act, Shigeru. Perhaps we'll be friends then. Enjoy your final hours." Everything turned black, and he felt himself falling forward, forward into—

Kakashi jolted awake, his hand clutching his chest. He gasped for air. Sweat matted his silver locks across his forehead.

"Shit." Again, again, always these dreams. But this...nothing had sent such terror through him in a while. Being seriously hurt had never been anything unfamiliar to him. But he knew two things:

1) that same blow killed him, or his dream-self, or whatever;

2) The one named Ryuji was an exact copy of one Uchiha Sasuke.

Now this wasn't something to be ignored. He stood up and got ready immediately, unable to put this off any longer.

o-x-o-x-o

"Godaime-sama," Kakashi said as he gave her a curt bow.

The woman crumpled up a handful of papers and growled. "Something important, Kakashi?" she said through grit teeth. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy."

The jounin barely noted her anger. He had other things on his mind. "Has there been any news concerning Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked, his tone low and serious.

Tsunade's shoulders dropped as her eyebrows rose, curious. "What now?"

Kakashi set his eyes firmly on her, to ensure he had her full attention. "I heard rumors around town…that he has murdered children. They are only civilian rumors, but nevertheless—"

She interrupted him with a sigh, her chest heaving. She propped her elbow on the table. "Naruto heard, didn't he?"

"…Yes, Hokage-sama."

"My informants have told me nothing. They apparently lost his trail in the northwestern borders of Earth Country. He and his group were still pursuing Kirabi, last we knew, no civilian casualties caused by the Uchiha thus far. Some missing-nin and hunter units have fallen though."

Kakashi didn't notice his shoulders were tense until he felt them sag back into a more relaxed position. So…not children, not quite yet… "Thank you for informing me."

"I only told you so you could pass the information onto Naruto. We don't need his mind split right before he presents to the council."

"Anything about that?"

"I will know when you know, Kakashi."

"I'd like to go into the old archives of the Hokage, if that is permissible."

"Excuse me?" She looked up with curious eyes, taken aback by the sudden change of subject.

"There…there is something I'd like to look up."

"I need to know what it is before I allow you anything, Kakashi," she said, folding her arms.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I want to know the Uchiha lineage— before the formation of Konohagakure no Sato. I know the Hokage archives must have something about it."

Her expression didn't change. "Why?"

"I had a dream." He shrugged.

"So this is for personal curiosity?"

"No. It's for Naruto." Kakashi surprised himself. The words came out before he had a chance to think about it. "I— I just think it's important to follow up on, that's all." His hand came up to scratch at the back of his head and he chuckled sheepishly.

She looked at him in the same, confused way for a while, but it eventually became a smile. "Alright then. But remember…old secrets are in that library. Don't look where you shouldn't."

"I understand. I won't endanger myself unnecessarily."

"Move along then."

He turned around and, acting on pure impulse, added, "You've got ink all over your face. It's a good improvement." Kakashi then bolted out the door. It was most unwise to remain present after such a comment. True to form, Tsunade yelled a string of unintelligible curses after the jounin.

o-x-o-x-o

Kakashi opened the door and the faint smell of aged paper wafted out, signaling that he had found the correct room. The number of scrolls and books daunted him; they seemed to stretch on forever. Luckily it was not his first time there. Moving with a quiet purpose, he made his way to the history scrolls. The ones about the Uchiha contrasted with the others, as someone had emblazoned an elegant fan upon all of them. With a delicate touch he unwound one of the oldest.

He read it out loud, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "The Uchiha derived their name not only from their specialization in fire jutsu, but from the massive uchiwa their clan used back in the pre-nation centuries."

Kakashi's shoulders sagged. He didn't need this obvious information. But he trudged on.

"The Uchiha's ancestors were known as the Ishin no Kodomo-- the same Ishin clan who would later spark the Great War of Pre-History, the Ishin, Ankoku, and Eien clans leading at the forefront. The descendants of the infamous instigator, Ishin no Kodomo no Ryuji, then renamed themselves the Uchiha, in light of their newfound affinity with fire jutsu.

"From here on, not much is known of the war. It raged for many years, until the Hakken (later known as the esteemed Senju Clan) arrived, tipping the scales. The rest is common history, as Senju Hashirama would later ally himself with the Uchiha and together they founded Konohagakure no Sato."

Here the text ended. Kakashi shook his head. He gained a bit of valuable information, but it wasn't nearly enough. He read it again. Wait a minute...Ryuji? Were they one and the same, the Ryuji of his dream and the one of history? He let the scroll slide down a few inches from his hands. The idea was...nearly unimaginable.

But supposing that dream-Ryuji was this historical figure and he looked like Uchiha Sasuke...then who was dream-Shigeru, the man whom Kakashi dreamed himself as?

"Kakashi-senpai?"

The jounin turned around to see Yamato at the door. He mentally shook off his thoughts. "Yo, Tenzou."

The man pointedly ignored the use of his real name. "The Council requests your presence."

"Ah. I'll come along then." In honesty, he was rather disappointed. The elders were taking him away from rather valuable information. But…Naruto came first.

The hallway was devoid of people as Yamato and Kakashi made their way to the meeting hall. The jounin could tell his companion was itching to ask questions, but considering how easy it would be for someone to overhear...

"Everything's ready, Yamato. No need to worry," Kakashi said, adding the slightest inflection of boredom.

Yamato's shoulders relaxed a bit. "Really?" he asked. "But the expectations..."

"I believe in this absolutely." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "In fact...it's been a while since I've been so sure of something."

They walked in silence as the black-haired man processed the secret Kakashi had just confessed. "Thank you," he finally breathed out.

"It's really all your work. I just did some refining."

Yamato shook his head, and Kakashi got the feeling that he was out of the loop on something. "No, it's not that. It's just...good."

Kakashi stopped walking. "Wait, what?"

The Mokuton-user smiled his classic, cryptic smile. Kakashi, despite having an excellent one himself, had always been rather envious of that strange smile. "It's nothing," Yamato said, brushing the matter off. "We're here now." Yamato gave a little bow, almost apologetic, and he walked away briskly.

Kakashi groaned inwardly. All of these strange secrets the world refused to share with him...and now he had to face a group of people he would rather never see.

"Welcome, Sharingan no Kakashi," they all echoed one another. Kakashi stifled his urge to roll his eyes. Of course they'd call him that. He made a sort of noise, a noncommittal greeting.

"We've been expecting you."

Duh, he thought to himself. This was getting boring already. A flicker in the corner caught his attention. He spotted a bandaged hand peeping from the shadows. Of course Danzou would be here. If Danzou would only make his presence known, Kakashi would jump at the chance to strangle the old monster with his own hands…for all the hurt he caused Naruto. Unfortunately, like the others in the room, he had to force himself to pretend that the Root leader did not exist.

Homura spoke first. His raspy voice grated on Kakashi's ears. "Is the demon container controlling himself?"

"As always." Kakashi clenched his fists. "And he has a name: Uzumaki Naruto."

"As we're well aware," Koharu responded, her voice as calm as an autumn day. "Do you believe him capable enough to remain in this village without endangering its people?"

"He never endangered anyone to begin with!" he snapped. Kakashi then realized he was shaking, the muscles in his neck bundled together. The elders looked at him with an expression that signaled a sort of surprise. He took a deep breath. "But he's more than ready to show you that. He has the Kyuubi under control, since that is all you care about."

"We care about the safety of this village, Hatake-san," Koharu said. "But if he is ready, we will see the both of you tomorrow in the morning. Under our judgment, we will decide whether he passes or not."

There was a scoff from behind them. Kakashi turned around to see Tsunade standing there, her arms folded. "And if you decide he does not pass?"

The two responded immediately. "Then he will die."

"What?" Tsunade and Kakashi shouted.

"That makes no sense!" Tsunade gasped. "That would not eliminate the existence of the Kyuubi!"

Homura shook his head. "Based on new information about the Akatsuki's plans, we must pass on the demon to someone more capable of controlling it."

"Although he is the son of our esteemed Yondaime," Koharu added, "he is but a young one, with little command over his actions. He himself is not a liability to this village, but his recklessness could destroy us all."

The Hokage sputtered, completely at a loss for words. "But—"

"Never." The word seared the room and a dark silence enveloped them all. They all stared at Kakashi. His expression was nearly the same monotonous and bored look he always carried, but the murderous intent boiling up within him could not be hidden. "Naruto will prove you wrong. There is no question about that. See us at the training grounds tomorrow morning."

Without another word, he turned on his feel and calmly strode out— as calmly as he could. If he didn't have his years of experience, he probably would've have destroyed the all of them with his Raikiri without a second thought.

Yamato caught his eye as he walked out the building, but obviously Kakashi couldn't hide his emotions as well as he liked, as the Mokuton user made no movements but nodded in his direction. People instinctively kept their distance from him as Kakashi made his way away from the godforsaken place the Elders housed in. Before he knew it, he found himself in front of the memorial.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Damn it." He sat down on the ground, his weight on his arms as he looked up to the sky. "Obito…why are they morons? Why am I such a moron?"

He should have expected this. Considering all things, why didn't he expect that the consequence of Naruto failing was death? They had already exiled him, against all good reason. This was only one step farther, the most logical step in their ridiculous minds. He understood that. And yet…

"I hoped," he breathed out, his eyes widening in quiet realization. "I hoped, didn't I?"

The silence agreed with him; he let out a chuckle, although it sounded more like a gasp than a laugh.

He hoped. He put groundless faith in someone. When was the last time he truly believed in another? The image of three young genin with varying personalities and interrelated futures entered his mind. Right. The Chuunin Exams for Team 7 would be the latest. But before that? The images in his head faded, blurred, and Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to find any more in recent memory.

He supposed he could ponder over whether that was a blessing to him as a shinobi or a pity to him as a human being, but such answers were irrelevant. The important thing was that, somewhere along the line, he had begun to hope again. That terrifying feeling fluttered in his heart, and somehow he knew that hope scared him even more than love. It wasn't love that made people doing stupid things; it was the hope that they could love, or be loved. Hope led to regret, in the end. He thought of the roads his first and only team eventually took. He had hoped they would pass the test and become powerful ninja, and they did. But… now Sasuke walked a path far from those he left behind, while Naruto and Sakura struggled to keep it all together and fruitlessly bring things back to the way they were.

"Obito...are you laughing at me? I bet Rin is. She's laughing at me, the foolish survivor."

The wind whistled softly and the leaves rustled.

Yet that same wind brought back the sound of steel and screams, the pictures of a set of angry eyes and corpses strewn about like food for the birds.

"Think before you act, Shigeru."

Kakashi shuddered, despite himself. His chest tingled as he recalled the vivid feeling of a sword running through it.

"If you were here, Obito, I'd ask you about all this. Surely you would have known something about Uchiha history." Kakashi looked up and paused. "Then again, you were such a numbskull, maybe you would have been useless. But…I know you'd help, at least."

He sat there for hours, rifling the facts through his head and making mental lists, trying to piece it all together. His dreams, his episode at Ichiraku, and the archives of Konoha…all these small things he couldn't connect, but he knew that something was there.

It was late afternoon when he decided to go and finally break the news to Naruto. He had given the boy a break, knowing that Team 10 had recently returned from their mission and they were the only team Naruto had yet to properly visit. The blonde boy had mentioned something about taking them to the new barbecue restaurant, so Kakashi decided to try his luck there.

Sure enough, the four of them sat in front of the place at one of the outdoor tables, enjoying the late summer air. Choji predictably kept eating steadily, a small smile on his face as he watched the others. As beautiful as ever, Ino played with her chopsticks as she talked animatedly with Naruto, who looked rather upset over something. Shikamaru shook his head, and Kakashi had no doubt the boy had just muttered the word 'troublesome'. Sai apparently had joined the band as well; he let his lips curve slightly upwards when no one was watching. Seeing them like that, so lost in their world, Kakashi hesitated in approaching them. Instead, he shifted so that the corner hid him from their view while giving him full sight of their actions.

o-x-o-x-o

Wah, as Oci. kindly pointed out to me, I forgot to mention why I didn't bring up Kakashi's mask in the last chapter if they had dinner together. Simple answer: he didn't eat again. The man's gone on many a mission without meals, so I doubt another dinner would kill him. Besides, it's my fic and I can do what I want! Kidding. I'm not the best when it comes to continuity, but it's thanks to you lovely people that I try my hardest to keep it all together.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! No Naruto, and it was mostly Kakashi-centric, but that's because I'm switching point-of-view from next chapter onward. As I'm sure you all have noticed, Kakashi's dreams are rather important, so feel free to share your theories on what the hell is going on!

As always, reviews, concrit, and even a hearty flame will be appreciated.

Ja ne,

Vi