The Bonds Through Time
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Massacre that Didn't Happen
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Kakashi
In the back of his closet, the traditional robes of his clan hung forgotten. The last time he'd worn the Hatake insignia on his back had been at Minato's funeral, but those robes from six years ago were much too small on his six-foot tall frame. Instead, he wore the robes of his father, Sakumo Hatake, dead now for the past fifteen years.
His father had a bulkier frame than Kakashi, but they were of the same height. The robes fit him surprisingly well and Kakashi was reminded that he wasn't a lanky teenager anymore himself. It made sense that he'd seemed to fill out himself seemingly overnight, he'd be twenty-one in less than two months.
It was so faint, but he could just barely detect the lingering scent of his late father's aftershave— sandalwood. It soothed his nerves more than he thought it might. When he'd first allowed himself to be involved in the mess with the Uchihas and with his time-traveling teammate, there was no way he could imagine just how intense everything would become.
Kakashi had been minding his business for these past six and a half years serving as a tool for Anbu. He thought he killed off all his emotions between the assassinations and the seduction missions. When he brought Tenzo out of Root and into the regular Anbu, that had been the start of the old, caring Kakashi that had died the day Rin died. And when Itachi had been put on his Team Ro, another ember of his old self — the desire to protect others from harm started to stir. And then Sakura Haruno had invaded his space, traveled back through time to grab him by the short-hairs, and claim the withered remains of his blackened heart- burnt to ash from his chidori.
And now he had a whole clan to protect — the Uchiha. Obito's clan. And he had a clan to revitalized — his own clan — the Hatake.
Only an hour ago, he'd left Shisui's house in the Uchiha district after planning with his future Team Seven how to best protect the clan from Danzo's retaliation. There was little doubt that after he was stripped of his power officially, he'd use his personal Root mercenaries to carry out his nefarious plans of genocide. Danzo was the type that if he couldn't have his way, he'd raze everything in his destructive wake.
Naruto had left over three-hundred clones back at Whirlpool and Sasuke would continue to move the clan members incapable of fighting to the caves. It made Kakashi feel ridiculously proud knowing that his future team were literally protecting an entire clan from annihilation. And they were strong! His father had beaten the original Sannin in battle. Kakashi didn't want to pit himself against the Neo-Sannin.
And now, Kakashi had to do his part. He sat between Shika Nara and Tsume Inuzuka. Across from him sat Lords Hyuga and Akimichi. Others at the table included the clan heads from the Abarame, Yamanaka, and of course the old warhorse Danzo Shimura. While he was the youngest clan head, Kakashi was also the only one that really knew the reason behind the meeting. He inwardly seethed at Danzo's smug posture with his arms folded over his chest — one visible and the other bandaged. Scattered throughout the room, Anbu stood guard. Kakashi recognized most from actual Anbu, but he wouldn't have been surprised if some were in fact Root members.
Then the door opened for the gathering to reveal the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and trailing behind him were Fugaku Uchiha, Taki Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha. The look of utter disdain Fugaku sent Danzo was palpable.
"If we had known you were bringing an entourage, I would have done the same, Lord Uchiha," Hiashi Hyuga stated, his lavender eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Highly inappropriate," Danzo agreed.
"I have invited the Anbu Commander Taki Uchiha and my nephew Shisui to serve as witnesses, not as representatives of my clan," Fugaku explained. He took the seat on the right side of the table while Hiruzen seated himself at the head.
"Anbu Commander?" Danzo scoffed. "That position is already taken."
"Unfortunately, not all the clans are represented. Lady Tsunade Senju is unavailable, but we still have a quorum," Hiruzen explained. "Thank you, everyone for attending. I am here as representative of the Sarutobi clan, not as the Hokage. Lord Fugaku, if you please?"
"The Uchiha clan wishes to voice their official complaint against Danzo Shimura in his hate crimes against us in his attempted murder of my nephew Shisui Uchiha, the murder of Kagami Uchiha, and theft of Kagami's Sharingan," Fugaku started, with no preamble.
The gasps of shock around the room almost made Kakashi dizzy with all the Oxygen being sucked in. He quickly caught Shisui's gaze and nodded his head in a sign of encouragement.
"Preposterous!" Danzo scoffed. "Where is your proof?"
"I witnessed Shisui after your attack, Lord Danzo," Kakashi stated. "His body was poisoned by the insects of a former Abarame clan member whom was part of your Root forces— his code name was Tiger. I know this because I'm the one that caught Shisui as he fell from the cliff once his energy was expended and one of my teammates managed to save him from the poison using advanced medical ninjutsu."
The visible eye of Danzo narrowed. "The Namikaze girl."
"Namikaze?" Hiashi Hyuga repeated. "A relative of Lord Fourth?"
"Distant relation," Sarutobi explained. "Remove your eye patch, Danzo."
"This is all ridiculous," Danzo stated, not moving. A couple of the Anbu began to twitch.
"It does seem rather far fetched," Nara murmured.
"Did you not threaten to murder my seven year old son, if you my thirteen year old son didn't agree to kill the entire Uchiha clan? To prevent a supposed coup?" Fugaku pressed.
The tension in the room was so oppressive. Kakashi could feel the rise of murderous intent coming from not only some of the Anbu guards, but from Danzo himself. Shisui probably had the most murderous intent, as he was the most skilled assassin in the room, but as the professional he was, Kakashi couldn't sense his friend's emotions.
"Itachi Uchiha is a member of Anbu. His missions are of no concern to you, Fugaku," Danzo hissed. "Stick to your role with the Police."
"Anbu take orders from the Hokage, not you," Taki Uchiha stated. "Anbu Commander is given assignments from the Hokage and then is responsible for matching the task to the right team. The Anbu is not your personal army, Shimura."
"Remove your eye patch, Danzo," Sarutobi stated again.
Danzo stood abruptly from the table and Shisui was at his side less than a second later, having shunshined into position and snatched the bandage away revealing a three tomoe Sharingan.
"My father Kagami's Sharingan," Taki declared. "The Kotoamatsukami will no longer help you. After all these years, in your foreign body, the kekkei genkai of my clan has officially rejected you. Which is why you targeted my son."
"Cull!" Danzo shouted. Half the Anbu began to move, with or without the influence of the man's stolen Sharingan. They were quickly met with opposing forces of the other Anbu that weren't swayed by his command.
"I'll take that," Shisui stated grimly, reaching into Danzo's right eye socket and snatching away his grandfather's Sharingan.
Blood began to flow down the Konoha elder's face as his blood curdling scream filled the air. Then one of the Anbu flashed to Danzo's side and the two disappeared.
"Calm down!" Shisui shouted, his Sharingan spinning and the Anbu that had been influenced by Danzo's earlier command had regained their autonomy.
"After him!" Hiruzen ordered the Anbu in the room. He held his hand towards Kakashi and Shisui. "You two stay."
Fugaku cleared his throat, folded his arms over the table as if Danzo's treachery and subsequent escape hadn't just disrupted the meeting. "I have come to apologize to the rest of the clans. The Uchiha have been festering in resentment about being forced to the outskirts of the village and with all the budget cuts to the police. There has been unrest and a coup was considered — even until recently." Fugaku bowed his head in a deep apologetic pose. "It would seem that the person likely responsible for the Nine-tails attack a few years ago, has been popping up within the district to influence my clan members and was stoking the fires of resentment. But I come before you all as a father."
"We do not always get along," Hiashi Hyuga stated. "But the Uchiha are one of the four noble clans of Konoha. Your grievances should be voiced and we should work to make sure all citizens of the Leaf are treated fairly."
Shisui used a scroll to seal away the stolen Sharingan. He tucked the small scroll into the front of his flak jacket. "My grandfather's eye was able to manipulate others into doing whatever the user wanted."
"Danzo is missing the eye, but what about his arm," Kakashi pointed out. Sasuke had confirmed that Danzo's arms was covered in stolen Sharingans— collected over the years of MIA Uchiha shinobi who faithfully served the Leaf. He pulled out the journal he and his team had pilfered from Root. He slid it towards Sarutobi at the head of the table.
"His arm has been bandaged for years," Nara said.
"On page twenty, you'll notice Orochimaru's familiar handwriting," Kakashi advised. "He implanted the eyes of fallen Uchiha from the different battles in the Second and Third wars into Danzo's right arm using Hashirama cells to fight rejection."
"Pilfering from the Uchiha dead and then trying to wipe out our clan," Fugaku said, shaking his head in disgust.
"This is why we use seals on our branch members," Hiashi admitted. "Ever since that man from Mist stole an eye from one of our fallen soldiers in the Second War."
"Danzo may be trying to take Root to the district now to try to wipe everyone out himself," Aburame reasoned. He reached for Shisui. "I am sorry for what my clan member did— I suspect it was Yoji Aburame. He'd been abused as a child by his father and when Danzo recruited him, I did nothing to stop it. I should have protected the children of my own clan better. The poisoned beetle is extremely painful. I'll have to meet this medic, I didn't realize it was possible to stop the poison."
"Yeah, I hope to never repeat it," Shisui agreed. "And Danzo will find not too many of my clan is at home right now. And those that are have some pretty impressive bodyguards."
"If it's alright, I'd like to help in the pursuit," Kakashi stated.
"I think we've accomplished what we needed," Sarutobi reasoned. He continued to flip through the pages of Orochimaru's journal. "Danzo is wanted for murder and treason." He met Fugaku's gaze. "I take it the Uchiha no longer wish to revolt?"
"The Uchiha are a part of Konoha. We would not wish for the downfall of our own home. However, the Police cannot function with such a pittance budget," Fugaku reminded. "That is a problem for the council though."
"And I think Anbu, under new management, won't have a problem working with the Police force," Taki Uchiha reasoned.
"I will send some of the jonin from my clan over to the Uchiha district to help with whatever is going on," Hiashi vowed. "I pray we are not too late."
"As will I," Abarame added.
"Hatake, get your Team Ro and head out there," Sarutobi ordered. He grimaced. "I need to go to the hospital. My grandson, Konohamaru will be born any minute now."
"Our children are what matter most," Fugaku stated. "Thank you, Lord Third. I will report to you after it's over."
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Sakura
Once they arrived at the Uchiha district, Sasuke had removed the clansmen that were incapable of fighting. They wanted warriors to defend the clan, not potential hostages. It was getting pretty crowded over in Whirlpool. Now Sakura, Naruto, and Itachi with their identities somewhat veiled behind their Anbu masks stood with the Uchiha Police officers. Sasuke arrived shortly afterwards, also masked.
"Excellent timing, as always," Naruto commented, holding his hand for Sasuke to knock fists against.
After a moment of hesitation and an eye-roll obvious even behind his Mask, Sasuke bumped fists with his best friend. He leaned close to Sakura's ear. "What did I miss?"
"If everything is on schedule, the clan meeting should have started about ten minutes ago. Danzo's probably on his way here now with a small army of his Root to try to do whatever damage he can," Sakura whispered. She reached for Sasuke's left shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Are you going to be okay?"
Sasuke looked down at her, his crimson and lavender eyes really looking into Sakura's face with such excitement and a small, genuine smile settled upon his lips. "Sakura, this is the best day of my life. Killing Danzo in our time was a hollow victory. But ending him now, before he can do so much damage — this is rewarding."
"You make a much better defender than avenger," Sakura said quietly, smiling up at him.
"Agreed." Sasuke laid his hand over Sakura's on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Let's do this." He then shifted so that he, Naruto, and Sakura formed a triangle with their backs together.
"I never thought Anbu gave a damn about the Uchiha," Tekka Uchiha commented. According to Itachi, he was one of the biggest voices of dissonance.
"Anbu protects Konoha. The Uchiha are part of Konoha," Naruto answered. "And we're friends with Itachi and Shisui."
"This is not how I envisioned things working out," Yashiro murmured, another one of the Fugaku's dissonant subordinates. "I'm glad you finally decided to care about your clan, Itachi."
"At least this way, you aren't doomed to die," Itachi retorted. "And I care about my family. I care about the Leaf. The Uchiha are part of the Leaf. I do not care for pride."
"Whatever, I'm just glad to be on the same side," Yashiro said, rolling his crimson eyes. "It's hard enough dealing with the rest of the village's scorn. It's nice to have the heir in the same corner as the rest of us."
"They're coming," Itachi announced. He didn't react to the heir comment, his singular focus on protecting the clan from the upcoming attack.
"How do you know?" Sakura asked. Her fingers itched at her side where she gripped a pair of kunai in a white knuckled grasp. All around, she could hear the nervous breaths of the shinobi standing at alert. The birds of the evening had quieted and an unnatural stillness seemed to descend upon them.
"My crows," Itachi answered. "At least three score enemies approach."
And that's when the clash began. Danzo and his Root expected to find unsuspecting Uchiha, not thirty battle-hardened Police Officers and two teams worth of Anbu special ops — especially with two of them having the powers that allowed them to take out a goddess.
However, Root was merciless. And Danzo revealed that right arm of his with the stolen Sharingan as he continued to manipulate reality to undo his own defeat. Though, as his Root would drop to the ground dead, he paid them no heed.
"The Uchiha are a scourge! A blight upon the Leaf! The world would be safer without the mental instability of your cursed clan!" Danzo hissed.
"Rantings of a madman," Sasuke deadpanned as he used his sword crackling with the electricity of the chidori to pierce through Danzo's heart.
And yet again, Izanagi warped reality to rewrite the scene. Another crimson eyeball closed forever on Danzo's right arm, but there were so many more.
"Why won't you stay down?" Naruto cried out. "Rasengan!" He shouted as he directed his signature attack into Danzo's heart, only for the man to re-write reality again.
Shisui had shoved a kunai through the man's remaining eye, but moments later, Danzo stood again with another closed Sharingan in his arm, with his functioning left eye and skull not pierced.
The bigger concern were the Root members. They fought in tight formations and they were ruthless. And while Danzo had a rewind advantage, no one else did and the salt and peppered Uchiha officer that had threatened to give Shisui a ticket for littering those weeks ago crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Sakura noted the officer's fall, but wasn't able to give it much thought as the blade of a Root shinobi descended upon her. She infused her hands with chakra and caught the blade, shattering it under the force she usually reserved for splitting the earth. Once he was disarmed, she shot a wave of medical chakra to her opponent's brain and rendered him unconscious.
She took a deep breath before looking for her next opponent when she felt a brief stutter in her heart at the sight of Kakashi and the rest of his Anbu companions — Tenzo and Genma. Yugao and Hayate whom she remembered from the Medical Corp and her original Chunin Exams were watching over young Naruto and Sasuke. It was probably for the best that there weren't more Leaf-loyal Anbu there to fight because it meant fewer possible casualties for their side.
The warmonger had his enslaved soldiers, brainwashed since childhood in their loyalty and an arm full of sacrificial Sharingan to re-write reality. The Uchiha clan had something better than magical Sharingan in this battle. They had Sakura Haruno, Apprentice of the Fifth Hokage and her summons Katsuyu. While the sticky slug summons had creeped out many shinobi, now that their wounds healed, keeping them from becoming worm's food, they climbed back to their feet and kept fighting, momentarily stunning their Root counterparts.
"This is both exciting and terrifying," Sakura admitted when she and Kakashi ended up back to back when a trio of Root came at them. For a brief moment, the feel of his strong, leanly muscled back pressed against hers helped to rally her spirits and steel her resolve.
"Kick ass now, talk later," Kakashi chimed. They glanced over their shoulders briefly, jade and charcoal/crimson gazes met briefly from behind their masks.
"You got it, Captain," Sakura agreed. She threw a volley of poisoned senbon — a trick she learned from Shizune — at another wave of Root. Most were knocked away, but a few hit purchase and those victims would soon stumble to their knees, falling unconscious.
Their victory seemed assured, right up until the man in the Orange mask showed up. The masked Obito — Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all knowing his true identity was a maelstrom of chaos. He started to manifest out of nowhere, teleporting into their plane of existence long enough to deliver a fatal blow using his kumui and vanishing before any counter attack could reach him. Tekka and Yashiro fell under his blade.
Then Obito snatched Danzo up and vanished. The Root survivors that hadn't been rendered unconscious scattered like roaches and while some did manage to leave the Uchiha district, Shisui used his own kotoamatsukami, though it wasn't fully recharged, to place several of the Root survivors into a docile trance.
"What will we do with these?" Hiashi Hyuga asked. He tapped one of the entranced Root on the shoulder. The man swayed slightly but remained immobile.
Abarame moved close to Fugaku Uchiha. "I can temporarily paralyze them until they are moved to a secure facility." He gestured to a woman wearing a trench coat with goggles obstructing her face. "Suzume, use your wasps."
"It will be difficult to undo years of brainwashing," Taki Uchiha said. "Probably impossible." He looked up at Fugaku. "But we should try, right?"
Sakura thought about Sai and the others like him. What was going to happen to him now? Was his brother Shin still alive? Would they be adopted into some of the clans? Or would they be left to fend for themselves like young Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi had been?
"The police round up suspects. It is not our job to prosecute and punish," Fugaku stated. He moved to stand between Itachi and Shisui and laid a hand on each of their shoulders. "I am very proud of you both." Then he stepped past them and stood directly in front of Sasuke Uchiha — the tallest man on the field of battle, not a trace of blood on his immaculate dark cloak. His sword sheathed across his back. Fugaku threw his arms around him and hugged him close. "Thank you," he whispered.
Sakura met Sasuke's gaze over the shoulder of his father and smiled at him as her precious friend's mismatched eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Kakashi had returned to stand at her side and elbowed her gently. "Looks like it was worth it," he murmured.
Sakura wanted to hug him, but it wasn't appropriate in their Anbu gear. She didn't want to ruin his reputation regardless of how much she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and press her body to his. "Definitely worth it."
He leaned down, his mask covered lips barely softening his words as he whispered in her ear. "Will you stay with me tonight?"
While Sakura wanted to agree, she needed to resist. She was about to return to her time with his older version. His memories of her would soon be repressed.
"Would you really be able to let me go in the morning if I did?" Sakura asked, meeting his mismatched gaze once more. Ignoring proper shinobi etiquette, Sakura reached for Kakashi's hand.
Kakashi sighed, gripping her hand in return, and he closed his left eye. "Probably not. Shisui and I will be there to send you all off, back to your home. He'll alter my memories afterwards."
"We'll meet again," Sakura promised. "We're bonded through time."
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Itachi
It was ten o'clock at night, two hours past young Sasuke's bedtime even if he was officially seven years old. Itachi led the way to Iruka's house with his parents walking silently behind him.
The coup had effectively been nipped in the bud. The subordinates of his father's that the man in the Orange mask had manipulated the most had all fallen under Danzo's Root soldiers.
Taki Uchiha was now Anbu Commander and Danzo had officially been exiled from the Leaf and was wanted for treason.
Itachi would no longer be serving as a spy for Konoha under the terrorist group Akatsuki. Though, he wasn't especially bothered by that. He liked being outside of the village — the Uchiha district felt stifling. But, maybe things would be different. He had no intention of ever following in his father's footsteps as Police Chief. He wasn't even sure if the Police Force would soon exist or if it was going to somehow become a branch of Anbu. Once upon a time, Itachi had dreamed of being Hokage and ending wars amongst the shinobi. Was that possible? Or did he want a new dream? He thought about the fact that his cousin was alive. His parents were alive. Sasuke was still innocent. And Izumi had been a constant, caring support in his life.
Maybe instead of joining a terrorist organization and focusing on reconnaissance and assassination missions he could spend some time around the village — training Sasuke, taking Izumi out for tea, and keeping Shisui out of trouble.
"He's going to be shocked," Mikoto murmured, her voice laced with excitement.
Itachi slowed his pace so that he was walking alongside his parents along the sidewalk. His beautiful mother had her arm looped around his stoic father's arm. And Fugaku Uchiha had a soft smile on his face. After months, no years, of uncomfortable tension between the two, Itachi thought that maybe there was a love shared between his parents.
How odd and unexpected!
Iruka had been surprised when Fugaku Uchiha had knocked at his door. Sasuke had looked torn to be joining his family and leaving behind his best friend.
"Oh, Naruto is coming too," Mikoto said, smiling broad and holding her arms out to both boys. "Naruto, we've been allowed to officially adopt you. You're part of our family now."
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Younger Kakashi
Standing next to Shisui, younger Kakashi watched as the team from the future prepared to return to their own time, leaving them behind to face the repercussions of ousting Danzo from his leadership of Konoha's underworld and the salvation of the Uchiha clan. Shisui would alter his memories and he wouldn't remember his future Team Seven. When he would meet them in four or five years, they would be annoying little genin that would melt his icy heart.
He'd wanted another night with Sakura, but she'd left after helping to clean up the Uchiha district. They'd worked through the night and reported to the exhausted Hokage the next day. He'd been at the hospital for his grandson Konohamaru's birth and the joy of being a grandfather on his generally solemn face was certainly foreign.
After giving their report and she acknowledged that she had to return to her village— her time. Third had thanked her for her contribution and dismissed her. Sakura and Kakashi did manage to share one last kiss, standing at the roof of the Hokage toward under the watchful eye of the Hokage's Anbu guard for the day.
Then they met up with older Sasuke in Uchiha district. He was running on fumes after using his Rinnegan throughout the evening to bring his clansmen back to the district. After another recharge from Naruto's huge chakra pools, Sasuke brought Team Seven and Shisui to Whirlpool to say goodbye as they returned to the future. The plan was for Shisui to alter Kakashi's memories after they returned to their time.
On the other side of the cave, older Kakashi took Sakura's hand and pulled her to him. Together with her in front of him, his arms banded around her, they stood quietly next to the Turtle Artifact ready to return home, for better or for worse.
"So, the Hatake estates or the Hokage tower?" Sakura mused.
Kakashi hummed. "Either or. You know, I want to be jealous that you spent so much time with younger me here, but it's still me. I've waited fourteen long years to finally feel complete. It will be nice to have all my own memories back."
"What do you think it will be like?" Sakura asked.
"We'll find out soon enough. I just hope it's all worth it." Kakashi pressed his cloth-covered lips over the top of her head.
Sakura sighed and then stepped out of Kakashi's embrace. She went around the circle and stood between Ino and Naruto.
The turtle artifact began to glow. "This is it," Sai pointed out.
The Leaf Shinobi fourteen years removed from their own time, laid their hands on the artifact. Their bodies began to shimmer.
"My my, what a fascinating scene," the man in the Orange mask suddenly appeared. "I think you're owing me an explanation, blondie," he said, grabbing hold of Sakura and yanking her away from the artifact.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out, reaching for the space they were at and letting go of the artifact.
Older Kakashi, Sasuke, Sai, and Ino all winked out of the past. Left behind was a cold time-traveling artifact, a wide-eyed Naruto, and a bewildered Kakashi and Shisui.
"Who was that? Where did he take Sakura?" Shisui demanded.
Kakashi ripped his thumb into his mouth to summon his ninja hounds.
"You won't find them that way," Naruto said quietly. He was glowing a bright yellow, much like Minato used to do when he'd gone into Sage mode. "He used kamui. They could be anywhere."
"Who was that?" Kakashi demanded. He clenched his jaw so tightly, he thought he might grind his molars to dust.
"The leader of Akatsuki," Naruto answered. He looked like he wanted to say more.
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Older Kakashi
They used the turtle artifact, but Obito had somehow snatched away Sakura before she could join them. He remembered Naruto crying out Sakura's name. The moment Kakashi felt solid ground under his feet, he found Shisui— an older version who looked to be in his early thirties waiting for them. Alongside the Uchiha survivor stood his father Taki, and Neji Hyuga.
Before he could feel his consciousness slipping away, Kakashi felt a strong hand grab him. Sasuke was next to him and he'd grabbed Kakashi's arm with his left hand — he had both hands now.
"We'll get them back," Sasuke vowed and then he fell unconscious.
Kakashi woke up, feeling his head still fuzzy. A quick scan of the neutral colors on the wall and utilitarian bed, he realizes he's in a shared hospital room with Sasuke. There is a little girl sitting next to Sasuke on his bed, and his mother is also in the room. Mikoto notices Kakashi awake first. "Oh! Lord Sixth! It's so great that you're awake!"
"So I'm the Hokage and I don't get my own room?" Kakashi murmured, rubbing his forehead.
"Not with your penchant of running away" Izumi stated, entering the room. "And since your wife isn't here to make you stay, we thought it would be best to take extra precautions with Konoha's two most stubborn patients— the Hokage and the Chief of Police." Izumi's heels clicked against the tiled floor. She stood by his bedside and laid her stethoscope over Kakashi's heart. "How are you feeling?"
"Confused." Kakashi looked over at Sasuke and at the little girl in bafflement. Who the heck was she? "Where is Sakura?"
"Um, I don't know exactly. Shisui said she's on an extended mission. Only you, Itachi, and he know the details — if you can't remember, I'm sure he'll fill you in," Izumi reassured him.
She stepped past Kakashi and then went to check on Sasuke. She asked him a few questions and he answered in a low murmur. The little girl hopped off the edge of Sasuke's bed and made her way towards Kakashi's bedside and smiled up at him.
"Hi!" the dark haired girl chirped. Her toothy grin was eerily familiar to Kakashi, but he couldn't quite place it in the dark haired, dark eyed child. She had to be somewhere between four and five years old. "Are you doing okay, Papa Kashi? Why isn't Mama back yet?"
Kakashi stared down at her in shock at the words. His eyes caught Mikoto's puzzled look. He looked past her towards Sasuke.
"Sarada? Come back over here. Your step-Daddy needs a little more time. He's not feeling well," Sasuke explained. 'I know!' he mouthed back silently — he'd also been stunned at the girl's presence, but apparently his memories were less muddled than Kakashi's or at least he covered for his lapses more smoothly. "Where is Itachi?"
"He's filling in as Interim Hokage while you were on the mission," Mikoto answered. She reached for Sasuke's hand and held it between her own perfectly manicured ones. "You must still be so exhausted, my sweet boy."
"Izumi?" Kakashi called, gaining the medic's attention. "I'd like to have Shisui come see me as soon as possible. Is there any word on Sakura or Naruto? Ino and Sai?"
"Of course, Lord Sixth! I'll get a message for Commander Shisui. I'll update Itachi as well. And the Yamanakas are fine." Izumi's face scrunched up in concern and she laid the back of her hand against Kakashi's forehead. "Still a little feverish. Naruto and Sakura are still on that special mission. I know Itachi will want to see you both as soon as he finishes up today's meetings. Why don't we all give you two some more time to rest. I'll have lunch sent up in a few minutes."
Izumi escorted their visitors out of the room leaving Kakashi and Sasuke alone.
"You have a daughter with Sakura?" Kakashi asked.
"Apparently." Sasuke sighed. "And you're married to her. But I think we're some sort of functional blended family? My mind is still kind of jumbled together. Why didn't Sakura or Naruto come back with us?"
"I wish I knew," Kakashi worried. Sasuke was oddly silent, more than usual. Kakashi looked back over at him, the younger man's pale face was dusted with a pink blush and his ears were red. "What?"
Sasuke cleared his throat and brought his pair of hands close to his face. He wore a golden band on his left hand— the hand that had been previously destroyed. "I guess you don't remember yet. Um, we had a double wedding."
Before Kakashi could try to dig up these new memories, the door to their hospital room burst open and a breathless Shisui stood before them. "Hey, bet you're both confused. Um, the Kazekage is on his way here, Kakashi. He's meeting Itachi, but he'll want to see you too." He shut the door behind him. "And I can probably fill in some blanks while you're waiting for your brains to catch up."
"Gaara?" Sasuke asked.
"No." Shisui ran his fingers through his short, curly hair. "Gaara? Well he will likely be the next in line. The Kazekage is Sasori no Asuna." He laughed. "Wait, was Gaara the Kazekage in the other timeline? He's only twenty!" He rubbed his jaw. "Though, he is serious enough and powerful enough."
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End of the First Arc
A/N: Oh man. So, Sakura and Naruto are still stuck in the past. Some of the changes to the timeline should be obvious now, but not all. Bwhahaha! I had two giant quandaries — whether or not to have Sakura and Sasuke have the child that was stolen from them in the original timeline— I do like Sarada though. And just how close is Team 7? After writing six different options for the future, I finally decided who Sasuke will be paired off with too. Now THAT was the hardest decision— though since he's the fifth main character in the story's first half that probably isn't super important to y'all, but it was to me. And y'all might can guess, but I'm working to keep from spoiling that identity. And I'm super hyped about Kazekage Sasori. I love reading fanfiction version Sasori, not forever trapped as a puppet teenager version.
Hopefully, the pace wasn't too bad. There's a lot of epilogue-esque style to this chapter as I'm ready to wrap up this first arc. Good thing Shisui didn't lock away Anbu Kakashi's memories yet! Thanks for everyone's support! I'm super stoked by the 680 kudos! (AO3) I'm glad the Naruto fandom isn't dead after so many years.