A/N: Happy Birthday, Kakashi! September 15th! (It was SUCH a struggle to get this chapter out in time for our favorite Silver-haired Shinobi's birthday).
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Chapter Fifteen: Catch you when you fall
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The Hokage's office was a familiar place to visit for Shisui Uchiha, however, his father's rich chocolate eyes were so wide, he worried they'd fall out of his head. "Dad, try to at least act a little cool," Shisui whispered. "It's not like you've never been here. You are an elite Jonin— a hero of the Third Ninja War."
His father's face flushed. "Sorry. I just didn't think I'd ever be invited here again. I've spent more of my life as a depressed drunk than a hero." He sighed heavily. "Poor Sakumo. I understand him more day by day."
Shisui wasn't sure what his father meant by the latter comment. He had only heard of one Sakumo in Konoha— Kakashi Hatake's father. The poor man's soul had been crushed— wait— did that mean…
"Taki and Shisui Uchiha, thank you for taking this time to meet with me," Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted them. He paced behind his desk, hands behind his back, gaze focused on his feet before he turned towards them. "I understand there is unrest within the Uchiha. I am routed repeatedly by those that wish to insult and demean your clan." His lips pursed in anger. "The role of Hokage is powerless with the council and Daimyo ignoring my advice and since I already stepped down once, I am afraid to rally against them. And it is clear to me that they are intent on insulting and antagonizing the Uchiha — looking for an excuse. But in my experience, if you keep kicking a downed dog, eventually that dog will muster the rage to attack."
"Lord Third," Taki said, bowing deeply. "I am so honored to be invited here. It's a true miracle what the Namikaze woman did! It's not surprising that someone of Lord Fourth's clan would show up in this time of need."
"Yes, I suppose," Hiruzen agreed absently. "I'm told you passed the physical for active duty, Taki. Long ago, you served on my Anbu — are you willing to do so again?"
That news surprised Shisui. He thought that Itachi and he had been the first Uchiha members of Anbu. He had no idea that this father had been Anbu — he never saw a tattoo.
"My wife is dead and my son is a proud shinobi of the Leaf," Taki said. "And I assume Shisui is in Anbu or else you wouldn't have asked me about Anbu." He rubbed his left upper arm. "I burned away the tattoo years ago — I'd fallen so far from grace, Lord Hokage."
"Indeed your son is a valued member of Anbu," Hiruzen admitted. "Don't worry about the tattoo. Your father was my most trusted friend. Kagami's loss is still a deep wound in my heart. And I know that both you and your son carry his Will of Fire in your souls. Taki, will you do whatever you can to stop an Uchiha uprising?"
"I will not be a part of an uprising," Taki promised. He looked over at his son briefly, then back at the Hokage. "Lord Third, maybe you can speak with Lord Fugaku?"
"And tell him what exactly," Hiruzen challenged. "That the leaders of Konoha will continue to humiliate the Uchiha every chance they get? That they won't stop until they are impoverished and broken of their pride and further ostracized by the main part of the village?" He shook his head. "I understand the dissatisfaction all too well." He gestured towards Shisui. "How did the conversation with Lord Fugaku go for you and your friends?"
"I'm working on a solution, Lord Third," Shisui said. "But my Uncle wasn't exactly concerned about the havok such an attack might create. So many of the clan are embittered. They fought side by side other shinobi in the Third Great war serving this country, and were injured and suffered when the Nine-tails attacked like everyone else and to be treated like piranha?" Shisui shook his head. "We are a prideful clan. One of the two founding clans of the village. It is unforgivable for some the way the clan has been treated lately. I think due to the pride, even if an uprising is doomed to failure, it must be attempted to find peace in those angry hearts. Or perhaps they would rather dry trying to attain the modicum of respect from the rest of the villagers — and not fear."
"And those others are helping you on this solution?" Hiruzen asked, implying Itachi, Sakura, and Kakashi.
"As best they can," Shisui said. He laid his hand on his father's shoulder. "I think Dad would be great in Anbu, Lord Third, but I ask for a little time. We need to settle our clan business first, if you will."
"Very well. It sounds like you may still have hope at preventing bloodshed. How much time do you need?" Hiruzen asked.
"Just a few more weeks," Shisui said. "It should all be over before the end of summer — one way or another. And it's not so much preventing bloodshed, as it is minimizing it."
The Third spoke with the father and son for a while longer before dismissing them. Shisui had also received a summons to speak with Danzo that evening. He was nervous about the meeting, knowing in Sakura's timeline it resulted in his death. He and his father decided to enjoy some ramen at the little diner— Ichiraku. If things went wrong, at least he would have had a nice last day spent with his father.
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Sakura hopped anxiously from one foot to the next. She had her antidote secured inside the pouch strapped to her thigh. She had a second antidote sealed inside a scroll within her pack. Kakashi hadn't arrived yet. She didn't know what kind of mission he had that day and it took all her willpower to not hang out with Itachi on the nearby cliff. She'd worked hard to mask her chakra so that even the Uchiha genius couldn't notice her.
She needed to be vigilant. She had excellent chakra control. She could catch Shisui as he came tumbling down. Kakashi had more practice with such moves, he'd done it to her countless times over the years, but if he didn't get here, it would be up to her.
The sun was settling over the horizon and the night sky started to appear. There was a whoosh in the air that sent the leaves around her fluttering. Sakura turned, but saw nothing.
"Did you miss me?" Kakashi had appeared right behind her, his muscular chest flush against her back and his hand with the long, talented fingers fell gently upon her shoulder.
Sakura sighed heavily and allowed herself to relax against his strong frame. He'd disturbed the leaves purposely so as not to startle her. "You always arrive when I need you," she whispered.
"Good to know." Kakashi rested his chin on top of her head, they fit together perfectly. He slipped his second hand around her waist, holding her securely. "The cliff right above?"
Sakura nodded.
"We've got this, Sakura," Kakashi said, his voice oozed with confidence. "I'll catch him when he falls. Where is your treatment center set up?"
"I've got a pallet hidden within a dome I created out of earth," Sakura explained. "I've sterilized the area and turned it into an impromptu surgical bed. I've gathered water, herbs, salves. I'm hoping we just mostly have to deal with the poisoning and not a lot more."
"And when it all goes smooth, we're off to the hideout to await your — our — friends?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura nodded. It was so confusing for the poor guy. "I could be wrong and no one is coming, but I really think that Naruto, Ino, and Sai will come."
"I'll definitely come. I mean future me," Kakashi clarified. His hand tightened marginally at her waist.
"No, I don't think so. You're too important to the village. You wouldn't risk it for me," Sakura argued.
"I don't care if I'm the Rukodaime or if I'm the janitor at the Anbu prison in your timeline. I would definitely travel through time for you," Kakashi protested. "What about Itachi's little brother?"
"No idea," Sakura said with a shrug. "I haven't talked to Sasuke in two years."
"I see. Well, I have these next two days off. And then," Kakashi said, turning Sakura to face him. He lifted her chin to meet his right-eyed gaze, his left eye closed. "Then you and I will need to report to the Hokage. It would seem that Jiraiya gave Lord Third a glowing report about you."
Sakura snorted. "Maybe it was my restraint in not maiming him." She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Kakashi's chest — his forest green flak jacket pressed against her. She definitely preferred him in the blues and greens. He was just too serious in all the grays and blacks. "I've never just killed someone in cold blood. I've been in war and I've fought terrorists. So it's not that I haven't taken the life of someone."
Kakashi's arms slowly snaked around her and he rubbed between her shoulder blades gently. "A life in shadows is not for everyone. It's for people like me. You are meant to blaze in battle and serve as a beacon of hope."
"That's not me." Sakura shook her head and just breathed the scent of him. He didn't smell like usual — not like sandalwood. Today Kakashi smelled of pine forest and fresh earth. "That's Naruto — definitely Naruto. He can literally glow a bright yellow-orange. He's like the personification of hope."
"I have a hunch it's the two of you," Kakashi murmured. "I—I feel hopeful around you. It's weird. I've not allowed myself to feel in so long. It makes it easier when you're a tool for shadow business."
"You're also a beacon of hope. You keep your wits about you — always. You never panic. You're so damn smart — always have a strategy or two or three or ten." Sakura hugged him once more and then moved to step away from Kakashi.
Kakashi's arms didn't loosen. "I doubt that I never panic. I've just tried to not care about anyone too much to allow myself to panic. I've already lost my family and my team, Sakura. I have grown attachments to you, Itachi, and Shisui and I'm destined to lose all three of you."
"No. We are going to save Shisui tonight. And Itachi— will have a very dark road in his future, but you never truly lose him. And as for me — I'm right here, silly." Sakura looked up at him, feeling her eyes water and trying to keep her emotions in check. She realized that this Kakashi is no different from her Kakashi — kept careful distances because he cared too much. He had the best heart and yet was the deadliest of warriors. She had to stop thinking about him like two different people. Kakashi was Kakashi.
"I lose you in the future when you foolishly travel back to here. And I'm about to lose you here when we lock away these memories. Sakura— you're— you're my partner," Kakashi explained. He raised his hand to her face and cupped her cheek against his palm.
"It's probably just the hormones talking," Sakura whispered. "We—had an awful lot of sex in a short amount of time."
"Hm." Kakashi let his hand fall away from her face and stepped back.
The sudden gulf between felt them immeasurable and it made Sakura want to reach out, but she resisted. Kakashi did not belong to her. Maybe she could be with him one day, but this was his time.
"Itachi's at the cliff," Kakashi observed. "Now we wait."
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Even being forewarned hadn't been enough for Shisui Uchiha. He knew Danzo was treacherous and coveted his Sharingan. Still, he'd somehow managed to be poisoned by the Root shinobi in the Tiger Mask. Danzo had snatched away his left eye and only with extreme poise, did Shisui managed to access enough chakra to body flicker away.
The pain was excruciating and he could feel his mental faculties struggling against the toxins flowing in his blood.
He'd found Itachi meditating quietly at their special place — the cliff that rose high above the ravine.
"I thought you weren't coming," Itachi said, standing quickly. "Are you okay?" He stepped towards Shisui and his eyes widened in horror. "What happened to your eye? You're bleeding!"
"Danzo — he poisoned me with that Anbu in the Tiger mask," Shisui explained. "Took my eye. But, you know about the Mangekyo Sharingan. I acquired it shortly before we met all those years ago when my friend and rival in my old team died. It was my fault he died, I could have saved him, but I chose not to. That action, it caused such an intense emotion, it unlocked these ocular powers."
"I don't understand why you're telling me this. If you've been poisoned, we need to get you an antidote. Isn't this why the kunoichi traveled back? To save you?" Itachi demanded, his hands fisted against his sides. His normally cool assessing onyx eyes had shifted to crimson Sharingan in his distress.
Shisui shook his head slightly. "She came to save you, Itachi. You and Sasuke. I was never part of the plan. But we can still salvage this situation. I couldn't convince your father. But maybe you can! You need the M.S.. If you kill me, it will unlock."
"What?" Itachi shook his head. "Look, I know some basic medical jutsu, let me see what I can do!"
"Itachi!" Shisui ordered. "I am your superior officer and I order you to push me off this cliff. End my life so that you will awaken the ultimate power of the Sharingan. Only you can save this clan of ours."
"Why?" Itachi whispered.
"Because you are the only one strong enough to do this. Only you can save our clan and save the village from those threats that are just whispers now. You are the hero the Leaf needs." Shisui stepped towards the edge of the cliff.
Itachi was before him and clutched onto the front lapels of his shirt. "I don't want to do this. Surely, we can get you help."
"This poison has done me in. Please, Itachi, don't let my death be in vain. It needs to mean something, brother." Shisui reached weakly for Itachi's cheek, his hand trembled. "All you have to do is push. I would never ask you to stab me — we saw what that did to Hatake. Your life is hard enough, my kind and compassionate best friend. Write a letter. They won't believe a suicide note. Tell them I've left the village. I can no longer be confined by these petty squabbles between clan and village. You can mimic my handwriting."
"Please, find peace," Itachi whispered. He shoved Shisui over the side of the cliff and then fell to his knees in despair as the fire behind his eyes burned into his retinas.
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Kakashi felt the descent of Shisui more than saw it. He opened his Sharingan eye and was able to find the dwindling chakra of his friend. He leapt onto the steep sides of the canyon and snatched Shisui from his deadly spiral. He set the boy next to the ravine and then snuck back into the forest.
Sakura slid a vial into Kakashi's hand. He was faster than her and he would administer the basic anti-toxin once the scene was clear. She'd gone over the best place to inject and the best technique. He was still troubled by their earlier conversation and about the feelings he'd developed for the woman. Tonight was the first part of her mission which meant her mission would be over soon and she'd vanish from his life — like everyone else he cared about. He didn't want to go back to his hollow existence or empty home.
No sooner had Kakashi hidden within the trees, Itachi peered over the edge of the cliff. Itachi stared at Shisui's unmoving body for a solid two minutes before he moved away. Perhaps he was surprised that there wasn't an explosion of blood and gore. Though, he doubted if the young Uchiha wanted to think about it too much. He was probably experiencing a crippling headache if his Mangekyo Sharingan just awakened. Kakashi remembered the excruciating pain in his head as well as in his heart when he'd ended Rin's life.
The moment he pierced through her heart and obliterated the left side of her chest, he'd felt such despair.
Sakura tapped his shoulder and Kakashi body flickered to Shisui's side and plunged the syringe into his arm like Sakura trained him.
A single dark brown eye blinked up at him. "Who knew I was such a good actor, eh?" Shisui coughed and blood trickled out of his mouth.
Sakura was at their side moments later. She pressed her fingers against the pulse point in his neck and wrist. A surge of healing green chakra rushed through Shisui's system. "This is bad," she murmured. "Take him to the dome before Itachi decides to come back."
Kakashi created a Shadow Clone in the form of Shisui to leave at the side of the ravine. Then he scooped up the younger ninja and hurried towards Sakura's make-shift surgical site.
"Take off his shirt," Sakura ordered. She was doing something with a bowl of water, pouring some sort of substance inside it and then raising the liquid into the air in a swirling vortex that reminded him of the rasengan.
Kakashi had removed Shisui's shirt and the boy was covered in a cold sweat, his skin looked awful — an ashen grey with purple and red bruising all over.
"It's not only wasp venom," Sakura muttered. "It's a necrotizing factor like with a brown recluse and a neurotoxin like a black widow. I didn't know the Abarame's had access to arachnids too."
"Could be unique," Kakashi suggested. "Individualized concoction rather than clan-based."
"It was Danzo's Tiger Anbu," Shisui explained. He began to shiver, his teeth chattering.
"Don't talk," Sakura ordered. She stuck a thick braided cord of leather between Shisui's teeth. "Bite down on this. I don't want you severing your tongue or cracking your teeth. Focus on the leather braid. That's all I want you to do. Try to stay awake, Shisui. I've got you. This isn't even half as strong as Sasori's poison."
Kakashi didn't know who Sasori was, but he wasn't eager to cross paths with him either. Sakura raised the medicinal water that glowed green and brought it over Shisui's body and then repeated the movement forever it seemed. The liquid would run over the heart then through a different part of his body. The purple diamond seal on Sakura's forehead glowed eerily while she worked under the spectrum of the Sharingan.
"I'm cleaning out his entire blood supply — every vein, artery, capillary. I'm going through his lymphatic system," Sakura explained. "I'm repairing the necrotic tissue of his muscles."
Kakashi sat there, feeling completely out of his element while he watched her.
"Close your Sharingan, Kakashi. As soon as I'm done, we need to go to the cave. He'll still be weak and I'll need you to carry him." Sakura never looked up from her work. "Preserve your chakra."
The Ninken slunk over towards their dome and peered within. They gave Kakashi an askance look and he gestured for them to continue patrol.
"Morphine. There's some in my kit," Sakura explained. "Inject it into his arm just like you did the antidote, please. I already measured it out, so just give him the whole amount. He shouldn't lose consciousness with it, just be in less pain. I can't calm down his pain receptor nerves while working on his circulation."
Kakashi almost snorted. She's in the middle of this complicated medical miracle and she still is saying please and explaining everything to him. He riffled through the kit and found the one clearly labeled.
More than five hours passed before Sakura sat back with an exhausted, yet satisfied look on her face. Shisui's skin was pale, but there was no longer any bruising. His breathing was no longer shallow. Kakashi pressed his finger against the carotid pulse — it was strong.
Sakura smiled at him, her lips trembled. "Okay, maybe it was a little harder than I thought. And maybe the morphine did make him unconscious, better from the narcotic than from pain."
"You spoke more than I thought you would during the process," Kakashi said quietly. He pulled his water canteen off his hip and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She drank the cold water greedily. "At the hospital, I talk a lot during surgery. There's always medics wanting to train under me and the nurses need to understand what I'm doing so they can assist."
"Who taught you this technique?" Kakashi asked. "Your master that taught you that," he said reaching over and gently tapping her diamond seal. Her skin was clammy. He would't be able to carry her and Shisui.
Sakura shook her head. "I taught myself. I'm kind of boring — I read medical and science journals all the time. I know all the medicinal herbs in the five great shinobi nations."
"Do you need to rest? You don't look good," Kakashi pointed out.
"I'll rest when we get to the cave." Sakura gathered her things and sealed them away in a scroll before tucking it into her backpack. She laid her hands on the ground and released her dome and then shrugged her arms into her backpack's straps. "We need to go. I'm fine, Kakashi. You and I have done much more with much less chakra than this. Besides, I can just release my seal if we get into any trouble."
Kakashi said nothing. He gathered the sleeping shinobi and positioned him on his back. Sakura took Kakashi's backpack and slung it over her other shoulder and off they went.
Two hours later, Kakashi's clone had been discovered and four hours later, it had been destroyed when the Uchiha Military Police officer had started to examine it.
Two hours after that, they arrived in Whirlpool. Kakashi followed Sakura to a cave. The nearby ocean waves were soothing. Early morning birds cawed nearby. Sakura stumbled once they reached the cave. She righted herself and began to set up pallets on the floor.
Kakashi set Shisui down and Sakura was immediately at his side, checking vitals and bringing water to his lips. Shisui was functional enough to drink the water slowly. He murmured something and smiled briefly before falling back asleep.
"I can't believe he just smiled." Kakashi frowned. He leaned against the wall of the cave. He was tired, but he wasn't exhausted. Sakura was exhausted. He wanted to hold her and give her comfort. He created a quartet of Shadow clones to monitor the perimeter. "You need to sleep."
Sakura nodded. "Wake me in four hours and I'll take over watch." She did an earth jutsu and revealed a strange stone-like artifact that looked like a turtle. She placed it on a large stone slab in the center of the cave and then repaired the damage to the cave floor.
Kakashi didn't agree or disagree. He merely watched as Sakura fell unconscious in two minutes flat. He had no intention of waking her. He'd gone days without sleep before, he could handle a double shift of watch duty.
Her friends would be there — his friends — before too long. Shisui was missing one of his eyes. Kakashi knew that meant Danzo had it. He would need Sakura to help him infiltrate Root after all, under the Hokage's permission. As an Anbu member she had better ability to visit Root — less likely to be killed on site. He wouldn't involve anyone else from this time— too danger for them.
Kakashi wasn't about to let a weapon like a Sharingan end up in the hands of Danzo. He still remembered how the old man had argued to the bitter end to try and steal Obito's eye. It had been Fugaku Uchiha that had made sure Kakashi kept his friend's gift.
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"Kakashi," Sakura growled, sitting up and seeing the early morning light at the cave's entrance. "You didn't wake me." She turned towards him and was met with a weary charcoal gaze. "I'm fine now, you get some sleep. I'll make breakfast and I'll wake you if I notice anything."
"I'm fine," Kakashi protested. "If I sleep, my shadow clones disappear."
"Who's the medic?" Sakura asked. "You need sleep. I'm pretty sure we're fine, but you can ask some of your Ninken to be on patrol."
He was using his ninja hounds a lot lately. Though, the dogs seemed to enjoy the work. "Alright." Kakashi summoned some of his pack and then feel asleep almost immediately.
While most of the pack went wandering around the area, Shiba came up to Sakura and snuggled against her while she made breakfast. She checked on Shisui and he was afebrile and his breathing was normal. He would still probably be unconscious for several more hours — mostly the affect of the morphine than anything else at this point.
With a plate laden with food, Sakura gently tapped Kakashi's shoulder. She'd let him sleep for three hours — two complete sleep cycles. "Food," she offered. "You can go back to sleep after if you want."
He shoved down his mask and devoured the breakfast. He then slipped his mask in place, his gaze on the turtle artifact. "It's glowing."
"Oh! Its activating!" Sakura rose to her feet. "It should be them, but there's always a chance—."
"That someone else might come through," Kakashi agreed, finishing her sentence.
Five shadowy figures started to flicker encircling the stone turtle and the slab
Young Kakashi had eight shuriken positioned between his fingers. "It's okay, Kakashi — it should be our friends."
Then a blond energetic bundle flew towards Sakura.
"Sakuraaaaaa!" An overjoyed Naruto rushed towards her and tackled her to the ground, rolling so as to absorb the weight and she was balanced on top of him. "I missed you! Why the heck are you being so reckless?"
"Naruto!" Sakura cried, relieved and a little winded.
He reached up and tugged her blond hair. "Now we really do look like cousins! Which we are!"
Sakura chuckled. "Sorry, Naruto. Namikaze is just the name I picked for a cover."
"No, your mom is a Namikaze. We really are cousins." Naruto's cerulean eyes watered. "I mean, I'd thought of you as a sister for years now, but I mean this is even better!" He sat up, but still hadn't released Sakura from his hug.
Sakura felt her own eyes water. "You can let go of me now."
Naruto shook his head, his gaze drifted past her.
"Okay, it's deactivated. You can release her," older Kakashi's lazy drawl announced.
Naruto immediately released her. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. We didn't want to risk you vanishing again."
As soon as Sakura stood, young Kakashi shifted so that he was standing right behind her. "Are these your friends?"
"Yes, we're good, you can relax," Sakura told him.
"Anbu never relax," Kakashi said — the older version. His piercing smokey eyes zeroed in on Sakura across the distance, shifting between her and his younger self.
"Sakura." Sasuke stated, his voice hoarse.
She stared at him in surprise, never imaging that he'd follow her back in time. It had been nearly two years since she'd heard from him. "Sasuke-kun?"
"Forehead!" Ino started to lunge for Sakura, but Sai held her back, eyeing young Kakashi warily. "You've had us all worried sick! What in the world are you doing? Trying to re-write history!"
"She already has," Sasuke said quietly. His mismatched onyx and lavender eyes landed on Shisui. "He should be dead." He looked back at Sakura, eyes swirling with more emotion than she'd ever seen. "We need to talk."
Sakura's eyes roved over her friends— all of whom had been her teammates for one mission or another. Naruto was excited. Ino was relieved. Sai was worried. Sasuke was overwhelmed. And Kakashi—Sakura had no words for the intense emotion she could see in his charcoal gray eyes.
Young Kakashi pressed some of his shuriken into Sakura's hand. "I'm going to watch the perimeter." He leaned down to whisper, his masked lips tickling against her ear. "I'll be back in half an hour. Try not to do anything — rash." He stepped back and sauntered towards the cave exit
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