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Chapter 5


Early in the morning a masked man arrives at the gates of Konoha. Genma watches as the supposed to be dead man comes in front of him and whispers to him to not let anyone know he is alive.

Nodding his head, the senbon sucking man lets his once close friend back into the village still in aghast as to how this man is still alive.

The spiky silver haired man walks through the village and wonders where everyone is. Perhaps there is a festival going on the other side of town, where he had seen the rather large tent set up. That's where everyone is.

The man walks toward the Hokage building and notices the newly added sculpture to the Hokage Mountain. A man with whiskered cheeks and spiky blonde hair, an exact replica of his father, two sculptures down is now carved into the mountain.

The Silver haired man smiles to himself and thinks "finally the twerp made it onto the mountain, but how did he do that in the few months I was gone?"

The masked man was looking for one person through the village, a woman with pale brown eyes. She was nowhere to be found. The masked man avoided all questions from the few people that weren't attending that festival and headed towards the Hokage's office. There was only one person who would know where the pale eyed woman was and that was her adopted brother, who according to the monument was now the Hokage.

A blond haired blue eyed man sat in the Hokage office staring out the window when he dropped everything he was holding and ran out the building towards the masked man.

"KAKASHI SENSEI YOU'RE ALIVE?" he screamed pinching himself and the masked man to see if this was more than a dream.

"Where is she? Naruto is she alright? I need to see her," asked Kakashi.

In a flash the young Hokage grabbed his former sensei and transported them both into the Hokage office.

"She's alright. After the incident she decided that she couldn't live in Kohana anymore. I didn't want to let her go but there was nothing I could do to stop her. She moved outside the town in a personal plot that I gave her. She comes into town every so often and is still considered a Kohana member but she's distanced herself from everyone. It's been five years, sensei and so much has changed in her," said Naruto.

"Five years, I've been gone for five years? But where I was it only seemed like a few short months had passed. No wonder you've made it to being Hokage" questioned Kakashi.

"Where have you been for all of this time? We looked everywhere for you. Every year we assigned multiple teams to find you. We found your mask and hitai soaked in blood and no sign of you at all," asked Naruto ignoring the comment that said he was still almost dead last.

"I was trapped in the alternate dimension. Someone pushed me inside my Sharingan attack and I was locked in there instead of Madera. I swear I'm going to kill who ever made me lose five years of my life. It took me a while but I figured out a way to get out of the dimension and in that I also made myself stronger," explained Kakashi.

Naruto sighed and got off of his chair. He walked up to his brother-in-law and hugged him. Five years of not seeing someone so close to him was bad, especially since Kakashi was like a father to Naruto in the times he was his sensei.

"Naruto, I mean Hokage-sama, I'll give you a full report later. But right now I need to find her," said Kakashi.

"Well you better hurry. It's been five years since you've been declared MIA or KIA. You know the shinobi law that if a spouse is killed or missing then the husband or wife cannot remarry until after five years. Kakashi, Arune's five years are finished as of now and today is her wedding. Yasuo that asshole is marrying her today. I swear he's had his eye on her since that mission and tonight she'll be his wife if you don't hurry," said Naruto.

"But why doesn't she just say no to him. I mean she must still love me right?" asked Kakashi thinking that there was something wrong with the picture.

"She has no memory of you since after Shourai," Naruto paused realizing that Kakashi had no idea who Shourai was.

Kakashi however wasn't paying attention to any of the information about Shourai. He was stumped as to how his beloved would not have any memory of him. He had known her since they were children, was it possible to forget him without forgetting her life?

Kakashi ran out of the door and knew his destination.

That rich ass Yasuo was the one who set up the tent. He knew that Kakashi hadn't been able to give Arune a large wedding. Kakashi knew that the shortest way to the tent was through the Hatake property, so he cut through there.

As he approached the small area on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, he saw a small boy, around five years of age floating in center of the riverbank. The little boy did not seem to be breathing or swimming for that matter of fact. Being five years old, the boy had probably reached for the ball that was floating in front of him and fell into the river.

The silver haired man ran to the side where the boy was and dove in to save him. Fighting against the rigid pulses coming from the downhill river the silver haired man grabbed the boy and took him out of the water. Seeing how the boy was now shivering and completely wet the silver hair shinobi wrapped the boy in a spare shirt and wiped him off. The little boy was fairly cute with little dimples but there was defiantly something different about his eyes. Both of them were normal looking eyes but had slight redness in them. Curious the man moved in closer to see them but noticed that the kid was wearing an id tag around his neck. The man reached the id tag and read the information on it. The boy was near fainting so Kakashi needed information about him.

"So your name is Shourai huh? Well mister what were you doing so far away from your house? And where are your parents?" asked the silver haired man.

But before the boy lost consciousness altogether, he whispered "Otou-san".

"Father? Why is this boy calling me father?" asked Kakashi. Then it clicked. Naruto had mentioned something about Arune forgetting about his existence because of some Shourai. Maybe it was this child? Maybe this child was his child?

The masked man snapped out of his thoughts to see the marks and cuts on the young boy's body and face. This was no accident; it was a plan to murder the poor boy and disguise it as an accident. There was no way that Kakashi could send this child back to its parents especially in this state of physical condition.

Kakashi picked up the boy and decided to take him to his own house. If there was a place where the boy would be safe it would be where no one had lived for in five years. Letting his heart pinch a bit, Kakashi knew he would have to let his Arune wait a bit longer to be re-united with the person she loves. Kakashi could only hope that his wife would wait for him a little longer.

Once home, Kakashi took the little boy's soaked clothes off and searched through his drawers for warmer clothing for him. The little boy was covered in water and Kakashi took it upon himself to dry him off. Thank fully, Kakashi had dried off the boys lungs with a healing jutsu that he was thought when learning to walk on water.

As Kakashi dressed Shourai, he summoned Paakun and told him to tell Naruto what happened and not to tell anyone he was back in Konoha. If Kakashi was still alive then Arune couldn't marry Yasuo anyway. At least not if the Hokage knew. A married woman couldn't get married again to someone else unless a divorce is given, and everyone knew that Kakashi wouldn't let the first woman he ever loved away from him.

Paakun sensed a familiarity in the little boy. The boy was the same as Kakashi and his mistress. Paakun who had been passed down to Arune knew that this was both his masters' son.

"Kakashi, you should probably check out who this kid's parents are," he let slip before going to deliver the message to Naruto.

Kakashi bent over the little boy to see the id tag again.

The tag clearly stated something that Paakun knew.

Name: Shourai

Mother: Arune Neoma

"This boy is my son. Is that why he called me father? But if Arune doesn't know me then how does he know me?"

Kakashi pulled his little boy into his chest and kept him close.

His first born had grown so much. Kakashi felt like a failure though.

"My boy, I've been an awful father. I wasn't there for your birth, the first word you said, the first time you walked or anything. But I promise I'll be there for you from now on," Kakashi promised his sleeping son.

xXx

Arune sat holding a handkerchief to her face. Her son had been gone for the past five hours. Yasuo said he didn't find him and everyone in the town had gone out to search for the boy. Naruto had even been informed but he said that he really couldn't send anyone out to look for the boy because it was only five hours that the boy was gone.

In reality Naruto was told that Shourai was with Kakashi. But since Kakashi didn't want anyone to know that he was back, Naruto had promised Kakashi not to tell anyone.

"Naruto-sama, there was blood found by the riverbank and pieces of Shourai's clothing. We believe that he might be there in the river," said one of the shinobi deployed to find Shourai the next morning.

Naruto was sitting with Arune the next morning when the shinobi had told them of the blood and clothing found from Shourai.

Naruto stood up. Kakashi hadn't mentioned anything about Shourai's blood and clothing.

Both Arune and Naruto ran with the shinobi to the riverbank to find Shourai.

Once they reached the river bank though, Arune couldn't see her son at all.

"Shourai, how could you? My baby you can't leave me. Please don't leave me again. Please my baby come back to me," Arune cried holding her baby's ripped suit.

A scene played in Arune's head and she was taken to a point of her life where she had lost another loved one, causing her to faint.

Naruto ordered the Shinobi around him to get her to the hospital and to clear out the place. He himself however went to the closest house nearby- Kakashi's.

xXx

Shourai woke up wrapped in his father's embrace. Five years of being deprived of such fatherly affections had caused the young boy to crave even more of it.

Pulling his warm out from under the pillow, Shourai lifted his father's mask and tried to see his father's face clearly.

He got as far as pulling up his father's hitai and seeing both of his father's eyes clearly. His eyes were closed while his breath was easy. Shourai could tell though that his father was awake.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" asked Kakashi letting his grip loosen on the child.

"Better. Did you save me from sinking in the river?" choked out Shourai. Nearly five years of not talking had made his voice very scratchy and his voice box very raw.

"What's wrong with your voice? Is it normally like this?" said the Copy Nin wondering what his son was going through.

"Actually this is the first time I've ever talked to anyone. For the past four and a half years I've never been able to speak. My voice was cut off. I think according to my medical records it had to do with a hit mom got when she was pregnant with me," said Shourai.

"So this entire accident that led me to you also caused your voice to return. Wow, so the prophecy was right. My child is a blessing," said Kakashi pulling Shourai up into a comfortable position on the bed.

"Otou-san, that was no accident," the boy said after recovering from the blush that graced his face when he was called a blessing.

As Shourai explained the events that occurred to him and his mother over the past four and a half years, Kakashi came to one conclusion.

"That bastard, so he's the one that caused you and Ruin so much pain," Kakashi tightened his fist.

"But for now we need to change your bandages and get you some food. We can't do anything until you're all better. Now be a strong boy and be patient until I get some more information about Yasuo and his plans," said Kakashi while going into the kitchen to get breakfast.

But as he expected there was not a morsel of food in the house. It had been closed down for the past five years and although Naruto had done an exceptional job at keeping the house clean, there was no food.

As if on cue Naruto appeared in the living room of the grand manor.

"Sensei, is Shourai alright? I know you said that he's with you but my shinobi found his blood and clothes by the riverbank outside. What happened?" asked Naruto.

As Kakashi explained the entire situation, Shourai came out of the room. Even though he had been beat up pretty badly by Yasuo and nearly died, his father had done a pretty good job patching him up. A soldier pill had to be taken in order for Shourai to even get up off the bed but now he was able to move around with the spare crouches that his father had in the house.

As Kakashi explained to Naruto what happened, Shourai sat by the window trying to figure out a way to lock Yasuo up.

"So what you're saying is that Yasuo tried to kill Shourai. But the only problem is that I can't lock him up and bust him because I don't really have any evidence," sighed Naruto.

Everyone sat glum and thinking of a way to trap Yasuo.

Shourai had voiced out an opinion causing Naruto to gasp and then scream about how he got his voice back; leading to another half hour of explanation.

Suddenly Naruto leapt up and grinned, "Guys just leave it to me. I have a way. But for now, everyone lets have some food."

Naruto ran out of the house and went straight to his favorite ramen store. Apparently they did take out now.

As the three sat and ate, Naruto explained the plan to them.

xXx

Arune sat in Shourai's room. It had been two days since her beloved son had disappeared.

Her flesh and blood was missing and it was believed that Shourai had drowned in the river. It was utterly sad. Her poor baby was lost and alone in the world and she couldn't do anything.

"Arune, love, don't worry. Even though Shourai is dead it'll be ok. We can have another baby it'll be fine. Seriously Arune, tomorrow we'll be getting married," said Yasuo.

"Yasuo how dare you say such a thing. That's our baby. Our poor baby boy that they keep saying is dead. I'm not marrying the day after our baby is gone. What the hell is your problem?" snapped Arune while pushing Yasuo away from her. There was no way that she was marrying that man the day after her baby was pronounced dead.

"Settle down love. It'll be fine. I think that we can wait until next week to have our wedding. Now just come here and try to get some sleep. Even though Shourai might be dead I'll still be here forever. I promise," said Yasuo while cradling Arune in his arms until she fell asleep.

Once she fell asleep he left her on the bed before heading out to the balcony that was in Shourai's room for when he came home late from his missions.

Yasuo did a few hand signs and suddenly summoned some strange creature.

"So I want you to find out if that boy is actually dead. Make no mistakes this time. Another thing, make sure that there's no trace of my involvement in his death," he said before both of them disappeared into thin air.

xXx

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. This is the August installment of Forever Love. School starts in about two weeks so thanks for understanding.

I'll try to update more frequently when I get the chance especially if there is some time between classes or something. But I assure you that before my birthday- September 23- you'll get an update. Maybe two depending on the review count.

Thanks!