A/N: So, if you can't guess by the chapter title, we'll be looking at what's been going on in Konoha these past thirteen years. I did cut several fight scenes so this wouldn't end up being fifty pages. (Ha! It still ended up being about that long, so it's a three parter.) Also, there are some characters I don't know how to write fighting scenes for, like Jiraiya—I don't know how to write his fighting style!—so I just kept out those fight scenes. Anyways, hope you enjoy ~ with love, depressed children
Chapter 5: An Interlude with Ninja pt 1
Six years. It had been six years since Kakashi last saw his Sensei. Six years since he had seen Kushina-nee. Six years since he saw whiskered cheeks and blue eyes; a baby he saw for just a split second before all hell broke loose.
The killing intent from the Kyuubi had been debilitating. The chakra had been so potent and oppressive, it had felt like a physical weight. It had frozen him and many other ninja in place that night six years ago.
He had been working nonstop ever since then—investigating just what had happened. Who had attacked the Hokage and his wife? Who knew about their marriage and pregnancy? Who knew that the Kyuubi's seal grew weak during labor? Who had the strength to fight the Yellow Flash? Most importantly, who stole the newly born and newly made jinchūriki?
Iwa? No. "Sukea" had spent nearly two years in that jagged grey-scale village and there was no sign of Naruto. Kiri? No. Only a few months in that blood-soaked village revealed there was only one jinchūriki in that cursed place. Kumo? Heh. The hardest to infiltrate for "Sukea," but, after a year, it was clear they only had the Hachbi and Niibi jinchūriki (though there was a plan to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress that Kakashi had nipped in the bud).
With those three main enemy nations cleared, "Sukea" infiltrated all the smaller nations—well excluding Ame, but no one could get into Ame—and there was still no sign of Naruto. Kakashi had infiltrated (nearly) every single elemental nation and had found not a hair of his Sensei's child.
He wasn't even alone in this six-year-long investigation, and they were no closer to discovering where the Kyuubi jinchūriki had gone. He had a loyal ANBU team that helped him infiltrate lower stakes villages and relay information between the different countries. Even collaborating with Konoha's Spy Master, the legendary Jiraiya, had yet to yield results.
Kakashi refrained from sagging into his usual slouch. He was still in Wind Country and had a few well-trained eyes lingering on him. He was practically at the border but still under Suna's jurisdiction. His Sukea disguise would need to be maintained.
His eyes itched from the contacts and the strain of the Sharingan. Everything smelled too intense without his mask muting his enhanced senses—worse, he felt naked and exposed. Even the makeup he used to hide his scaring was starting to itch. After six years masquerading as "Sukea," you'd think he would be used to these inconveniences.
Within two hours, he was at the check point between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. He shifted in discomfort and fiddled with his passport, which claimed he was from the Land of Tea. His wig was itching again, but he very purposefully ignored the sensation.
The Suna guards at the checkpoint surveyed him, patted him down, and then checked his bags and supplies. They broke one of his cameras and an easel, which "Sukea" protested too. Afterall, that was his livelihood they were destroying. They then demanded to look at the works he had made while in Suna, and he showed them his portfolio and the canvas paintings he had created. They looked through the pictures he had taken of rolling dunes, children playing in dusty streets, and the sun setting over a clay domicile while sheer fabric fluttered in the wind. One guard even smiled at a black and white close-up picture "Sukea" had taken of steam rising from a traditional Suna beverage.
"Not bad," the guard commented. "Are you publishing a book?"
"I was thinking of it," "Sukea" responded demurely. His voice was pitched higher than he normally talked, and he gave the man a bashful almost flirtatious smile.
A few of his painting were impressionistic while others held an air of realism. The guards sifted through the canvases and one whistled appreciatively. Ah, they found the one based off of the sunset picture—it matched the photo near perfectly (with a few purposeful distinctions lest anyone discern he had a Sharingan). The other guard held up a small canvas painting of a woman in a white veil with gold chained adornments. Her eyes were striking and had been the main reason he had painted the image.
"Isn't this…" the guard observing the painting began.
"I'll be damned!" the guard who'd initially complemented "Sukea" exclaimed. "You're that painter who did the Kazekage's family portrait!"
"Sukea" nodded and ducked his head at the recognition. A blush came to his pale cheeks. "Yes. Your leader has a lovely family," he replied.
The guard holding up the veiled woman painting shook his head. "I can't believe you still have the painting of Kazekage-sama's consort," he whispered in awe.
"I believe Kazekage-dono wanted the world to see her beauty and envy Suna's fortune," "Sukea" responded as he looked at the guards from beneath his eyelashes and played up the flattered artist angle.
The guards had relaxed by this point and put each painting back. One of them looked hesitant for a moment. He fidgeted and then coughed. "Ah, Sukea-sensei," the guard began and "Sukea" raised an eyebrow at the difference he'd been given. The guard hurried on, "Having painted the Kazekage's family must mean you spent quite some time in their company."
"No, actually," he replied. "I took a photo of the honorable family as they wished to be posed and used that as my reference."
The guard seemed to deflate while the other guard nodded as if he had expected as much. "May I ask why you asked?" "Sukea" prompted the defeated guard.
The man shifted and scratched at the back of his head. "I just hoped maybe the youngest son…" he trailed off and shook his head.
"Ah, young master Gaara," "Sukea" acknowledged. "He was a quiet boy and liked to watch me paint."
"Y-you spent much time with him then?!" the guard asked while the other paled.
"Sukea" hummed and nodded. "I was selling my wares in the bazar when the young master saw one of my paintings. He demanded it, and after a ninja bodyguard paid for the painting, the boy took it away. The next day, I was commissioned for a family portrait."
Both guards were stunned. "Wh-what was the picture of?" the pale guard asked haltingly.
"Sukea's" smile softened as if thinking of a fond memory. "It was one of my more abstract and impressionistic pieces. It was a sandstorm wherein a woman danced amid the grains. I tried to make it seem as if she herself was the sandstorm. Young master Gaara was quite taken with the painting."
"Well," the flatterer of the duo began. "You don't look like you're smuggling anything, and I haven't found any contraband…so, you are free to go, Sensei."
"Thank you, Shinobi-san" "Sukea" responded demurely again with a head bow. He then continued along the road for nearly an hour before reaching the Konoha checkpoint. Using his senses, he did not smell, hear, see, or feel any foreign ninja around.
He then pulled out his passport again. He was the only one arriving at the checkpoint; so, when the chūnin manning the station motioned for him to hand over the passport, he tapped the faux leather cover thrice.
The guards' eyes widened. The one taking the passport pulled out a special light which he flashed over the passport. When it revealed Kakashi's rank, they began the coded questioning of his identity. Once he gave them all the accurate passphrases for a Jōnin, they did a performative examination of his person and supplies before ushering him through.
He continued his travel as "Sukea" for another two hours before he felt safe enough to begin running at proper ninja speeds. By the end of the day, he was half-way to Konoha and right on schedule.
The small town he'd arrived in had an Onsen across from the village's only inn. It was a small town, so often overlooked by ninja patrols due to its lack of…assets. There was no tactical advantage to the town's location and most of the people who lived here catered to trade caravans. The town had no value in mining, lumber, or manpower. All these details would make this place an ideal location to meet up with a Konoha informant. It was enough to set Kakashi on edge.
Still, "Sukea" rented a room at the inn and then went across the way to the Onsen. He applied a henge to maintain the face paint and his hair's appearance once he had gotten past the front entrance staff. In the changing room, he stripped out of the dirty traveling clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then walked over to the showers and began to wash away the grim.
He was finishing up when he heard the clacking of geta and recognized a powerful chakra signature. Right on time, he thought. "Sukea" got up from the stool by the shower and proceeded to the hot spring. He hissed as he stepped into the steaming waters, but eventually sank into its wonderful embrace.
He sighed as he sat down and rested his head against the lip of the hot spring. He hummed in contentment and let his muscles relax bit by bit as he expanded his senses outward. No one was on the other side of the divider and no one else was on the male end of the spring. Beyond the attendants (who were all civilians), he felt no other ninja than the man now walking out of the changing room.
"Ah!" the man exclaimed loudly. "Nothing's better than an Onsen—except coed springs!" the man joked loudly.
"Sukea" opened one eye and looked over to the mountain of a man now relaxing in the steaming waters. Jiraiya never seemed to change. His hair was as big and wild as ever, his smile seemed to split his face in two, and his jovial attitude made everyone underestimate him.
"Hmm?" "Sukea" replied.
Jiraiya laughed at the lackluster response and then casually bit his thumb before drawing a seal in blood at the hot spring's edge. He pushed his chakra into it, and Kakashi felt the wave of energy pulse around them. Privacy seal activated. The Sannin was being very cautious it seemed.
Jiraiya's expression was serious as he looked back over at Kakashi. "Alright, brat. Any leads?" he asked.
Kakashi sighed and finally dropped the "Sukea" act. "Nothing," he admitted. "I mean, I found an unstable jinchūriki in Suna, but not Naruto."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, so Kakashi elaborated. "The Kazekage's youngest is an unstable jinchūriki. I hadn't meant to make contact with him, but he bought one of my paintings—well tried to steal it until his guard paid for it, but…" he waved his hand dismissively. "Next thing I knew, I was invited to the Kazekage's home and commissioned to paint a family portrait. The kid was fascinated with it all—spent hours watching me paint. He even followed me to my hotel."
"What makes you think he's unstable?" Jiraiya asked.
"Besides the copious amount of demonic chakra leaking from him?" Kakashi replied with an eyebrow raised. Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "The kid spoke of some 'Mother' who wanted blood. I asked him about it, and he said she protects him and that he bought my painting because it made him think of 'Mother.'"
"What painting was this of? What did you glean about his abilities? Can he meet these 'mother's' demands? How does it relate to his jinchūriki status?"
Kakashi scrubbed at his still bare face—and wasn't that uncomfortable—before he responded. "The painting was of a woman as a sandstorm, which given his reactionary sand defense…well, I could see why he might view his sand as 'Mother.' However, this would mean the sand either speaks to him or something else is."
"Ergo, unstable jinchūriki," Jiraiya said with a sigh.
"And one most of the Suna citizens are terrified of. I heard rumors that he's killed countless assassins the Kazekage has sent after him. I've also heard the kid whisper about how he couldn't kill everyone 'Mother' wanted him to because his father would interfere. Moreover, most the people in Suna seem convinced his control over sand is due to the Ichbi."
"But you don't?" Jiraiya questioned.
"I'm not so sure. When I first saw the kid's sand defense, I thought it might have been that magnetic release—it's hereditary after all." Kakashi paused and sighed as he tipped his head back. "However, everyone in that family with the magnetic release before Gaara have controlled some kind of metal, sand isn't metal."
"No, but it's rock and there might be some ore mixed into it. It could also be a mutation from having the Ichbi sealed into him as a newborn," Jiraiya reasoned, and Kakashi nodded.
They were silent for a moment before Kakashi turned to Jiraiya. "Why are we meeting here? I could have debriefed with you in the Hokage's office."
"Because we haven't found Naruto yet and we've looked in every nation but two."
Kakashi froze as the implication slammed into him. His heartbeat spiked and he couldn't help but stare at the Sannin across from him. "No." The jōnin shook his head in mixed parts disbelief and fear.
Jiraiya was grim faced. "We have to consider it, brat."
Kakashi shook his head again. "No. The Council, the Hokage, they wouldn't have done that."
"Agreed, but we both know there's someone who doesn't mind undermining Sensei and has gotten away with it before." Jiraiya was giving Kakashi a meaningful look, and the jōnin just shook his head again.
"And what? Naruto's been in Konoha this whole time?!" Kakashi hit his hand against the water in his agitation and the hot water splashed against his face, stinging his eye (he had been keeping Obito's eye shut since entering the spring). "Just languishing among ROOT, which was supposed to be disbanded after I exposed that assassination plot."
"Brat, calm down," Jiraiya warned, but Kakashi couldn't stop. He was close to pacing.
"Why would Hokage-sama send us on these investigations if Naruto was in Konoha!? Huh?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" Jiraiya mused. "Does Sensei know if Naruto is indeed being held within ROOT? Was all of this to sell the illusion that the Kyuubi died, that Minato-kun—that a Konoha ninja—was powerful enough to destroy pure chakra."
There was a sick sort of logic to it, but Kakashi refused to believe it. "What about Ame?"
"We can't get into that country with the rain, kid. You know that."
Kakashi closed his eyes slowly. "You want me to infiltrate ROOT, potentially against the Hokage's orders," he deduced aloud.
"That depends on if Sensei has been complicit with ROOT this whole time."
Kakashi felt sick. He knew where this was going. He could see the plan before his eyes. "You want me to be one of the trainers—to torture kids." He shook his head again. "When I return, I'll have to tell Hokage-sama that we've exhausted all avenues—that we can't find Naruto. He'll put me back into ANBU full time, and I'll agree because I failed Sensei and Kushina-nee." He choked on the words and shook his head again.
"Shimura Danzō will want me to train his future emotionless weapons. He'll approach me, and why wouldn't I accept his offer? I'll have lost every last piece of my team, I'll have lost hope. He thinks that will make me agree, and he'll make some spiel about Konoha needing a strong foundation. He'll say I have a purpose, and I'll agree."
"He'll seal your tongue," Jiraiya stated, and Kakashi's insides froze. "As an insurance, especially after your last seeming betrayal."
"Then I won't be able to tell you anything. I won't be able to reveal Naruto's location if he is there." Kakashi was trembling now.
Jiraiya smirked. "Really? So, the last few years I've spent looking at your kohai's seal was for nothing?"
Kakashi turned to the Sannin sharply. "What?"
"I figured out the seal, brat. I have a way to counter it."
Kakashi felt some of the pressure in his chest and the nausea in his stomach lessen. However, one uneasy truth remained. "He'll have me torture and abuse those kids in his program. And who knows what twisted missions he'll have me do. ANBU missions are bad enough."
Jiraiya looked pained for a moment before his expression relaxed. "You're right," the Sannin conceded. "He will do that, and those missions will be a new kind of hell. However, you're a genius, just like Sakumo"—Kakashi flinched—"and just like Minato-kun. I know you will figure out some way to undermine that war hawk and save those kids."
Kakashi swallowed thickly and looked over at the man—his father's friend and his Sensei's teacher—and nodded slowly. "Alright, show me this counter seal."
…
The last year and a half had been hell. Worse than ANBU, worse than surviving while his team had died. For the first six months, Kakashi had been under a probation of sorts. The torture done onto him and that he was then expected to do onto others had nearly broken him, but now Danzō trusted him—as much as he could trust any of his operatives. Kakashi had enough dirt on the old war hawk and the elders of the council to have them all executed for treason, but he also saw where Sarutobi Hiruzen's signature was.
He had yet to find evidence of Naruto being or having been in ROOT, and Kakashi had trained most of its young members by this point. He tried to help the kids—he made sure to not report their nightmares up the chain of command, and he tried to go easier on them if they had been pushed too hard by a different trainer. It was still hell. The missions were worse though.
Sabotaging their allies—what has Konoha come to, what has that old war hawk done? Kakashi still felt disgusted with himself for his most recent actions in Suna. He felt like he was setting Konoha up for another war with each "preemptive" move Danzō had his operatives do. Still, Kakashi completed the Suna mission and completed it early.
He made it back to Konoha in record time and slipped into the ROOT facilities. Danzō never fully trusted his operatives, especially those that hadn't been brought up in his system, so Danzō made sure they were out of the facility while he had council meetings. Today was one such meeting and Kakashi had arrived back in Konoha just in time.
He gave the guards at the entrance of the facility the emotionless greeting they all gave and proceeded to the locker rooms. He stowed his gear and began writing down his report before sealing it and handing it off to the appropriate guard. Kakashi then disappeared into the shadowed hallways. In minutes, he was outside Danzō's office door.
He had searched through the file room and had found no mention of Naruto there—not that the file room kept track of the names of the children abducted for ROOT. Now he needed to check Danzō's office for any mention of the whiskered boy.
The security seals were temporarily deactivated—it was easier and less detectable than disabling them and re-enabling them, though it took more finesse and chakra—around Danzō's office before he entered the dark and sparse room. He circumvented numerous lethal traps and used his Sharingan to see through an illusion. Once he was at the desk, he began his search.
Why was Danzō ordering so many ROOT operatives to watch the Uchiha compound? Why were guard rotation schedules being changed and ROOT operatives replacing the regular ANBU guards around the district?
No, that was just a distraction. Kakashi worked to unlock and unseal the different drawers before his gaze alighted on one scroll in particular. He recognized the neat calligraphy—Orochimaru had always had distinct handwriting.
Before he could grab the scroll and investigate further, he felt a buzzing in his pocket that indicated Danzō had just crossed over one of the seals Kakashi had set up at every ROOT entrance. The seal was easily hidden by the other security seals around the facility and (being a unique seal he'd created in collaboration with Jiraiya) would not be easily disabled. Kakashi had linked it to Danzō's chakra signature, so when said chakra came near the seal, it would alert the person holding the anchor seal (Kakashi in this case).
Kakashi quickly set everything back to how it was before he had entered the office thanks to his photographic memory à la Sharingan. In recalling the image of the desk, he made a mental note of another time he could snoop around Danzō's office, though he was beginning to have a sinking feeling. Why was Danzō meeting with the Uchiha's prodigal heir? Was he trying to induct the child into ROOT? Wasn't the kid a little old for it?
Something in his gut told him he should pull Jiraiya in on the investigation, especially since there seemed to be communication between Danzō and Orochimaru. He'd have to sneak away from the facility later that evening and send a coded missive off with his ninken. In the meantime, all he could think about was Danzō's clear focus on the Uchiha clan. Just what did the old war hawk want from them?
…
Smuggling the toad sage into Konoha and then into the ROOT facility was laughably easy. Seals really could do anything and reinforced how awful the loss of Uzushio was. Kakashi quickly shook those thoughts away—he had a mission to complete.
Danzō was at a meeting with the young Uchiha heir and would then be going to a council meeting. That would give Kakashi and Jiraiya a decent amount of time to look through the war hawk's things.
It was easier breaking into the office with Jiraiya handling half of the seals, and thus reducing the overall time it took to move about safely. The traps and precautions set up around the office had not changed which reassured Kakashi his earlier break-in had not been noticed. It also made it easier to disarm the traps since he had already done so before.
Once at the desk, Kakashi cautiously went about unlocking the drawer which had contained the scroll from Orochimaru. Jiraiya was looking through the papers on the desk and had deep frown, but Kakashi ignored the older man. He focused intently on the task at hand and was rewarded with the satisfying click of tumblers falling into place.
Kakashi opened the drawer and frowned. Where was the scroll? It had been right there! There was no illusion, there were just folders with secrecy seals stamped onto them. He cursed under his breath.
Kakashi quickly looked to the other drawers he hadn't managed to open during the last break-in. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but moved over to a filing cabinet set against the side wall instead of questioning the younger man. Kakashi picked the locks, disabled the seals, and disarmed the traps on the remaining drawers.
Office supplies, data books on active ninja, Hokage stationary—likely so the war hawk could forge missions—but still no scroll from Orochimaru. Kakashi quickly put everything back in place and reset every defense. His hands were shaking, though he could not decide if it was in anger, fear, or shame. That scroll had been there not even a week before!
He heard a faint clicking noise and looked over to his companion. Jiraiya was looking at him—he had clearly made the noise to draw his attention—and made a beckoning motion. Kakashi hurried over to the Sannin who quickly flashed through several hand signs from the standard Konoha Sign Language. Scroll removed, the white-haired man guessed.
Kakashi nodded his head in confirmation, but Jiraiya only nodded before pointing to a seal on the filing cabinet. Kakashi furrowed his brow and tried to parse out what it meant. Jiraiya smirked before giving the younger man a wink and pulling out his sealing brush. The Toad Sage had his brow pinched in concentration as he made some sort of counter seal and then pushed chakra into it.
Kakashi blinked several times in disbelief. Extra-dimensional storage? he signed to the Sannin as his gaze remained trained on the literal room that appeared before them.
The white-haired man made an expression that said Kakashi was partly correct. Erased the space, not created, he signed back, and Kakashi tried to parse out what that meant before his eyes widened. It wasn't that the seal on the filing cabinet created a pocket dimension to hold this door and presumably room, but that the door was literally taken from space and time and stored within that seal until it needed to be accessed. It wasn't creating a space but hiding a space. Kakashi couldn't decide if that was less or more impressive.
There were less traps on this door, but they still proceeded with caution. Kakashi let out a quiet breath of wonder as they entered the room. Scrolls lined the walls. How did you know to look? Kakashi signed before gesturing around them.
Building was the Second's, Jiraiya signed, I remembered there was supposed to be a scroll room.
Kakashi stifled his amusement, and they began going over the different scrolls here. This must be where Danzō filed all the truly classified things—the village secrets that could destroy the village. Kakashi froze when he saw his father's name on one of the scrolls. What? His trembling hand started to reach for the scroll when he heard another soft click from Jiraiya. Turning around like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have, Kakashi regarded the Sannin.
Jiraiya pointed to the shelf his large frame was partially blocking. The white-haired man had a scowl on his face, and Kakashi could easily see why. The whole section was filled with scrolls from Orochimaru. How long had Danzō been communicating with Orochimaru? It was clear the communication spanned back years, but there were also some clearly recent scrolls—the organization of this little library was easy to figure out.
Jiraiya disarmed the booby-traps on the most recent scrolls and opened the last one. Kakashi read over his shoulder. He recognized Orochimaru's beautiful, precise, and neat handwriting.
Your counteroffer has been considered. If you procure the eyes, I will do the surgery, but I must be allowed to keep several for my own experimentation. If you disagree with my price, I will happily accept my suggested payment from our last negotiations or a living Uchiha—preferably a young and skilled one.
What the hell!? Kakashi's mind raced as he put together the pieces before him. The guard rotations had been changed so only ROOT operatives guarded the Uchiha distract. Orochimaru and Danzō had been discussing eyes—Uchiha eyes—and surgery, which could only mean Danzō anticipated transplanting eyes, but it sounded like…like what? Danzō was asking for something more significant. Moreover, why did Orochimaru have to specify needing a living Uchiha unless there wouldn't be many left?
Kakashi scanned the shelves for any labels that had Uchiha names on it. Shisui. Kakashi rushed to the scroll and quickly disarmed the traps around it before opening the scroll only to pale.
The Mangekyō abilities of this Sharingan allow for complete and total mind control. The new recruits have been more malleable with its influence. This does beg the question: what other Mangekyō abilities lie within those traitors' bloodline. Behind how many of their eyes lurks such destructive power? Had the boy lived, Shisui might have used this ability to subjugate Konoha—he might have led his family to succeeding in their futile coup.
Kakashi dropped the scroll and felt like he was going to be sick. He wrenched off his mask and dry heaved.
The last pieces of the puzzle slotted into place. Danzō was going to massacre the Uchiha clan—one of the founding families! The clan was planning a coup, presumably at the time of Shisui's death which could mean they were still planning such now. Moreover, Danzō had one eye already and likely had transplanted it into his bandage covered eye. So why would he need more eyes unless…unless he was planning something truly twisted.
Kakashi felt the end of a scroll tap his back. He managed not to flinch or attack Jiraiya, and instead put his mask back in place. The white-haired man was grim faced but just held out the Orochimaru scroll Kakashi had found the week before. Kakashi stooped down and shoved the scroll he'd been reading into Jiraiya's hand as he took the Orochimaru scroll.
I have a proposition.
The letter was to the point, and Kakashi could appreciate that. It was enough to refocus him and lessen his own shaking.
Try as you might to deny the fact you've lost your jinchūriki, I know what a desperate village looks like, especially when their number one weapon has vanished. So, my proposition is this: give me the Niidaime's notes on the Edo Tensei, and I will pass along information I've come across regarding the little Namikaze's disappearance. I'll tell you now who is responsible as a show of good faith: Akatsuki
I await your reply.
Kakashi furrowed his brow. Akatsuki? He's heard of them. They were some mercenary group that started in Ame, and were some sort of resistance group to Hanzō's rule. However, the organization had been seemingly disbanded or destroyed during the Third Shinobi War—a short lived rebellious group. How were they still a thing and why would they have taken Naruto?
Kakashi was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when the seal in his pocket began to vibrate. He patted Jiraiya's arm and signed that they needed to go—the man as reading a scroll that had Itachi's name on it. Kakashi began to roll up the Orochimaru scroll and put it back when Jiraiya stopped him.
We have to go, Kakashi repeated. He's back, he signed.
Evidence, enough to end him, Jiraiya replied as he gestured around.
Kakashi knew what the man meant. His heart pounded in his chest. He'll notice—he'll stop us.
Jiraiya's smirk was half feral and cruel as he signed: Then we kill him. Better to apologize than ask permission. It would also be plausible deniability. There was enough evidence here to showcase all the treasonous things Danzō had committed. It would be more than enough to justify executing him.
Kakashi gestured to Obito's eye, and Jiraiya nodded. Bait, the sannin signed as he gestured to Kakashi. You engage, I attack from behind.
Kakashi swallowed as he agreed to the plan. As he began to leave the file room, he paused and snagged the scroll with his father's name on it. Jiraiya looked pained and like he wanted to protest, but there was also understanding in his eyes. Keep your head on, he warned.
Kakashi gave a wry smile behind his mask and signed over his shoulder: No promises.
Kakashi's heart was racing as he opened the scroll and then a coldness settled in his stomach. In the scroll was a detailed record of sabotage and obfuscation to place the blame of the third war on his father's shoulders instead of ROOTs. Then there was the systematic destruction of a man's mental health—the enforced isolation, the diverted attention of former friends, operatives stationed to torment both Hatakes…
Kakashi was seething by the time Danzō arrived at his office. The old war hawk would notice the dismantled traps and seals; he'll have summoned just about every operative in the facility to his office. Good.
Kakashi made himself lean casually against the desk as he ran some chakra through a seal he kept in his pocket. It was connected to seals on about half of the ROOT operatives. They'd get the flare of chakra and know it was their moment to get out from this bastard's control. He'd placed the counterseal Jiraiya had created on each and every one of those operatives. It was time for Konoha's corrupted roots to be pulled out of the ground.
…
Kakashi panted overtop of the dead man. His arm was a little numb from the electricity still pulsing in his hand and the drain from his Sharingan was making him feel a little lightheaded—that or it was the blood loss. He glared down at the old war hawk lying crumpled at his feet with a bloody hole in his chest. The right side of Danzō's face had been slashed open, but Kakashi refused to feel guilty for destroying that stolen eye.
There was enough to feel guilty about without adding a destroyed Sharingan to the list. Kakashi glanced at the destruction around him—the hallway was half collapsed and the whole underground building might have collapsed inward if not for Tenzo's quick thinking. The former ROOT operative was helping subdue the remaining Danzō loyalists—who were likely only loyal because of the mind controlling Sharingan Kakashi had destroyed.
Kakashi closed Obito's eye and relaxed his fighting stance. The battle was done, he could breathe. Kakashi glared down at Danzō's corpse and quickly unsheathed his tanto. It didn't work that well for beheadings, but he needed to bring the traitor's head to the Hokage somehow and he didn't particularly want to bring the whole body with him. Plus, with Orochimaru's clear interest in the Edo Tensei, well, Kakashi wanted to keep this bastard dead and he imagined the Edo Tensei needed whole bodies (then again, what did he know? He hadn't looked into the forbidden jutsu).
Head relieved from Danzō's body, Kakashi sealed the damn thing and then began searching the old ninja's corpse. He frowned when he found a mission scroll. It was a forgery of a mission scroll one would receive directly from the Hokage, and it had Itachi's name on it. Frowning, Kakashi opened it and cursed.
"Jiraiya!" he yelled before looking for a watch or clock. Was it already too late? "Anyone have any soldier pills?!" he asked the operatives around him.
Several shook their heads, but then Tenzo rushed toward him—ever the faithful kohai. "Here, Senpai," he offered out one of the Akimichi make pills.
Kakashi popped it into his mouth as he handed off the mission scroll. Tenzo's eyes widened behind his ANBU mask as he read the scroll.
Kakashi looked at the operatives around him just as Jiraiya came out of Danzō's office. "He's ordered Itachi to kill the Uchiha clan," Kakashi stated as he gestured to the mission scroll in Tenzo's hand.
"What are you waiting for, brat! Stop him, tell him the bastard's dead!" Jiraiya yelled as he rushed forward and took the mission scroll from Tenzo's hands.
Kakashi looked to Tenzo who nodded, and they both raced out of the building. Jiraiya could wrap up the ROOT matters while they stopped Itachi from making a horrible mistake. Who cared if the Uchiha were planning a coup—knowing Danzō, the bastard probably was the one who pushed them to even consider such actions!
The night was still, the moon full, and the closer they got to the Uchiha District the more blood Kakashi smelled in the air—that or it was the fact his wounds weren't clotting enough and the running was forcing more blood out.
Several Root Operatives tried to stop Kakashi and Tenzo, but the younger ninja was able to take care of them. Kakashi pushed himself harder and tried to sense for Itachi when he felt a sudden disturbance in the air behind him. He quickly substituted out of the way. The crate he had replaced with splintered into hundreds of pieces.
Kakashi regarded his assailant as he pulled out his tanto—Danzō's blood gleamed on the blade in the moonlight. The man before Kakashi wore a black cloak with red clouds, black pants, white wrappings on his limbs, and an orange swirl mask. His hair was dark and spiky. He cocked his head to the side.
"I thought Danzō and I had an agreement," the man's voice was deep and threatening. He radiated killing intent.
"He's dead," Kakashi responded with more than a little satisfaction in his voice. "So, I guess that means your client's dead, correct? Why don't you get out of here?"
The orange-masked man chuckled darkly. "It's a good thing this wasn't really a job to me, but more of a perk," he replied casually. Kakashi could hear the cruel smile in his voice.
The man charged forward, and Kakashi dodged to the side before striking with his tanto, but it went through the man!
The man gave another dark laugh as he spun and kicked Kakashi in the stomach. The Jōnin braced his stomach muscle for the impact and flew several paces back as he fought against the urge to vomit. He opened Obito's eye just in time to see the man literally blink out of existence—swirling into a single point—before reappearing in front of Kakashi and attempting to punch him.
Kakashi began dancing around the punches and kicks. A right hook was met with a block from his left hand, a kick from the man's left leg was met with Kakashi's tanto—except the blade went through the man. Kakashi would try to grapple the masked man's limbs after getting hit, but Kakashi's fingers seemed to sink through him. Each offensive move was to no effect.
Kakashi flipped backwards to dodge a barrage of kunai—he even caught a few to throw back at the man, but they went through him. Obito's Sharingan caught the distortions that would appear along the man's body at what would have been each contact point. The distortions looked like small swirling vortexes and appeared to be accompanied by bursts of chakra from the masked man's right eye—the only eyehole he had on his mask.
Physical attacks weren't cutting it. Kakashi ran through hand signs as he sprinted toward an alley between two homes. With some elemental manipulation, the ground turned to mud behind him. The masked man tsked in annoyance but quickly got out of the muddied ground. Kakashi used the brief reprieve to dive out of view and run through the necessary hand signs for a genjutsu. It was always harder tailoring an illusion to an enemy you did not know, but he could tap into fears everyone had.
The man laughed as Kakashi tried to skirt around him and attack from behind. Kakashi saw the kick coming and blocked it with his hands. The bastard shouldn't have been able to sense or see Kakashi—unless he saw past the illusion already!
"Enough games," the man growled and disappeared again before reappearing at Kakashi's side.
The jōnin was already fatigued from the fight with Danzō, but with Obito's gift, he was able to anticipate the attack regardless of his exhaustion. It was another kick he blocked and tried to grapple, except his hands fell through the limb.
It was clear these distortions in reality that led to Kakashi's attacks going through the man also stopped his momentum. This led to a fairly stationary form of fighting, if Kakashi kept targeting this man's limbs. However, the man had to make contact with him to deal damage. So, if Kakashi were to channel chakra through his skin at the moment of impact, then Kakshi should deal damage! Kakashi let his lightning aligned chakra dance along his arm at the next kick he intercepted.
The man jumped back and cursed—so he could be damaged! Kakashi smirked under his mask and made a beckoning motion. They charged each other and clashed again. Lightning chakra ran up and down his tanto and throughout his body as they continued to exchange hits—or the man hit him, and Kakashi lashed out with his chakra at the moment of impact.
It was like they were locked in a dance. Kakashi ducked, spun, parried, and blocked as the masked man led his assault. The masked man hit hard and couldn't be damaged except at the moment of impact, which meant Kakashi was fighting defensively and in a way that would lessen the damage he received. His muscles and bones still ached from each hit and the added chakra burns he received from his counters added to the agony. It also led to his flagging chakra.
And then it happened.
Tenzo attacked from behind and literally passed through the masked man only to crash into Kakashi. They tumbled on the ground and quickly rolled apart to dodge two giant shuriken the masked man sent after them—they appeared out of distortions though Kakashi imagined it looked like they appeared from the ether to Tenzo.
Kakashi's ROOT mask was knocked askew in that scuffle and obscured his vision. He was sick of that damn thing—sick of what it represented and the missions he had worn it on. Growling, the jōnin threw the porcelain mask to the side and charged the man again, while Tenzo attempted to do a pincer move.
At least they learned one thing—this masked bastard didn't need to see his enemy for his ability to work, great.
The masked man continued to evade their attacks by becoming intangible—no, that wasn't quite right, those points of contact disappeared into those vortexes. The strain and fatigue from fighting this neigh untouchable foe was building within Kakashi, but he persisted.
Tenzo cursed as he flipped out of the next wave of shuriken the man sent toward them. In his kohai's impatience, the younger man ran through hand signs before a spiraling tree limb shot out of the ground. The masked man chuckled as he made his torso "intangible" around the spike and then ran through a few hand signs of his own before the tree limb Tenzo had made started to launch itself at the younger ninja. That should be impossible!
How much concentration did manipulating the tree limbs and his intangibility take? Would it be enough distraction for Kakashi to make his own hits?
Kakashi charged forward but had to start dodging more roots that had erupted from the ground. He flipped backwards away from the masked man and was about to spin around another wooden spire when his foot slipped in a pool of blood. It was then he saw the child at his feet.
A child. There was a child in front of him in a pool of blood. A boy with spiky hair and a round face. He had been gutted, and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. All Kakashi could see was Obito. Obito in the cave-in. Obito dying because Kakashi wasn't fast enough—he was never fast enough.
Pain erupted from Kakashi's side. He gasped and looked down to see a branch had skewered his side. He used his tanto to cut it before pulling the end out. The wood tried to wrap around his hand and crush it, but Kakashi tossed the wood to the side.
"Pay attention," the masked man snarled, and Kakashi looked up in time to see the man rush Tenzo with a chain trailing behind him.
Kakashi wove through the spikes of wood jutting out of the ground and tried to warn Tenzo of the chain, but it was too late.
The masked man passed through Tenzo's body with the chains right behind him. Tenzo tried to substitute away, but the masked man was too fast. Part of the chains began to garrote Tenzo while others held his hands at his sides.
Kakashi tried to tackle the man, but he went through him. Of course he did, but now Kakshi shot his hands back through the man's back, and (as anticipated) the enemy became intangible. Kakashi's arms went through the man's back and to the enemy's hands, which became intangible and thus were no longer holding the chains. There was enough slack for Tenzo to get out of the chains.
"How annoying," the masked man growled. He then kicked Kakashi through a building and out to the main street of the Uchiha district (maybe fifty meters from the entrance to the district).
Kakashi struggled back to his feet. The bastard broke something with that hit—a rib, definitely a broken rib.
"Look what you made me do," the masked man complained as he walked over the rubble of the house. Tenzo attempted to attack from behind, but more branches and trees held him off before the man sent a wave of flame back at Tenzo. "I was trying to keep a low profile," the masked man hissed.
"Too bad," Kakashi shot back. "I'm not letting you massacre an entire—"
The man was laughing as the flames continued to swirl behind him—essentially trapping Tenzo in a blazing swirl of fire. "You think you've stopped anything?!" the masked man asked in that deep voice. "Most of them were already dead by the time you got here—Itachi will have finished the rest."
"Aniki?" a small voice whispered terrified. Like the world had slowed down, Kakashi looked toward the gates of the district and saw a little boy not ten meters into the district—part of Kakashi recognized the kid as Sasuke, the second son of the Uchiha main family. It looked like the boy had just come from the academy—his school bag slipping off his shoulder—as he stared in horror before him.
"Oh, I guess he missed one," the masked man drawled before he began to swirl out of existence.
"No!" Kakashi flashed through the shunshin but still got there just a fraction of a second too late. The kid was kicked by the masked man and flew back into the district walls. There was a sickening crack as the kid collided with the wall and then slumped to the ground. Kakashi got in front of the child and began to run through the various jutsu he knew. He'd draw as much attention as possible to their location while trying to keep this bastard off of them!
If this bastard was to be believed, then this was the last of the Uchiha, and Kakashi couldn't let the kid die! He couldn't! This was all that was left of Obito's family, and Kakashi couldn't fail his teammate again. He couldn't.
Obito's eye began to burn as the fire dragon Kakashi had breathed into existence futilely struck at where the masked man was. In the glow of the fire, he began to charge up the Chidori and raced after the serpent. Surely there was a time limit on how long the masked man could remain intangible?
The masked man gave a feral, angry noise as the Chidori drew closer, but he remained intangible. "Friend killer," the man snarled before one of his gloved hands shot out and wrapped around Kakashi's throat.
Obito's eye was burning more within in Kakashi's left eye-socket, and he felt tears gathering at the corner of it. He was a friend killer and he had let down Rin, and Obito, and Sensei, and Kushina-nee. He had let down his father—had played into Danzō's hands.
Lightning chakra danced along the skin of his neck and forced the masked bastard to drop him or continue to be electrocuted. "F*** you," Kakashi hissed back as the anger, guilt, shame, and grief overwhelmed him.
The burning in Obito's eye became too much. One millisecond he was glaring at the man, and the next a large swath of the Uchiha district disappeared. With that swath of the district went most of Kakashi's already drained chakra reserves. Darkness edged his vision, but he remained standing as he panted in front of this masked man.
Perhaps it was the chakra exhaustion, but the bastard looked surprised. "That's going to be such a mess to clean up," the man muttered before backhanding Kakashi and sending him crashing to the side. The exhaustion must have done something to Kakashi's hearing because the enemy ninja's voice wasn't as deep as it had been.
The jōnin didn't have the strength to get back up. His eyes closed without his permission. He tried to hang onto consciousness even as his body finally gave out. He needed to protect the last Uchiha, but he was too drained.
"Stop it, Madara!" someone hissed—it sounded like that Uchiha heir, Itachi. "He's to stay alive," the boy growled.
The masked man, Madara, scoffed. "He's a distraction, and he's seen too much." His voice was deep and gravelly—clearly the exhaustion had been playing tricks on Kakashi earlier.
"I need his eyes!" Itachi yelled in turn. They were talking about Sasuke then.
"Oh, just his eyes? It's not your over-protectiveness keeping him alive?"
"Like I told Danzō, I need his eyes so he's to remain untouched. Siblings are the best match, isn't that right? Didn't you do the same to Izuna?"
Madara sucked at his teeth in annoyance. "He's still seen too much—as have these ninja."
"They already knew about Danzō, right? They'll just think he contracted out help. Everyone else is dead, Madara. You got your revenge." Itachi was being insistent. "I'll—I'll modify Sasuke's memories, put him through Tsukiyomi."
Madara scoffed, and then Kakashi heard his feet draw closer. A hand grabbed Kakashi by his hair and began to drag him away. He couldn't react, only breathe and strain to hear those around him. He was about to be executed, there was no question in Kakashi's mind about this.
The hand released his hair and he collapsed to the ground. His head jostled against the pavement, and made his hearing go out for a moment. He then felt gloved fingers at his mask's edge followed by his mask being pulled down. Madara exhaled through his teeth.
"I knew it," he said in that higher pitched voice Kakashi thought he'd imagined. "Sukea. What a half-a**ed disguise, and yet it tricked every nation." There was a hint of awe in Madara's voice.
Kakashi felt the man's gloved fingers run over his cheek, jaw, lips. "You do make beautiful paintings though," the man whispered in that same higher pitched voice. "Maybe if the world wasn't so rotten, so cruel—" his fingers clutched painfully at Kakashi's jaw before releasing and resuming their stroking "—you could have been an artist."
Kakashi felt the man pull his mask back up and then his chakra was gone. Kakashi remained on the ground, barely conscious—his mind perhaps refusing to shut down while enemies were around—when he heard a number of footsteps approaching. Allies, reinforcements, they were here and yet…Kakashi didn't think any enemies remained but he couldn't succumb to unconsciousness yet.
Then, he felt Jiraiya's familiar chakra and let his mind finally succumb to the darkness.
…
Jiraiya was pissed off. No, he was beyond pissed off. Who the hell was the man in front of him? Who was this imposter claiming to be his sensei?!
"They were a founding clan!" Jiraiya hissed at the God of Shinobi—he didn't deserve the title anymore. "You let Danzō manipulate and maneuver the village and its politics until they had no other recourse!" The old man was about to speak, undoubtedly, to give the same defense he had before, but Jiraiya raised his hand and shook his head. "No, Sensei. You could have negotiated, held peace talks, or done a dozen other solutions that didn't have to end in a genocide! Hell, if Danzō hadn't killed Shisui, this could have been handled without bloodshed!"
"Jiraiya-kun," Sensei warned. His expression was forbidding, but Jiraiya pushed on.
"You let him work with impunity. Do you know how many children he had kidnapped, clan children even!? Do you know how many secrets he has undoubtedly traded with Orochimaru? And if not secrets then children. Aren't they supposed to be the King, and yet you've let that monster…" Jiraiya trailed off and shook his head in disgust.
When the white-haired man looked back at his sensei, he saw that the old man had deflated. "I was not aware of the clan children or his communication with Orochimaru," the old man confessed. He then got up and moved to his liquor cabinet.
"Did you know about Sakumo? That Danzō set him up as the fall guy, even stoked the village's resentment." Jiraiya wasn't sure how he managed to keep his voice so level, but he did.
Sensei had been about to pour himself a glass of sake when he dropped the bottle. "What?" he asked slowly as he turned back to face Jiraiya.
"Yeah. Your trusted advisor, he was sabotaging Iwa behind your back. And, when that came to light, Sakumo was blamed for failing a mission and 'starting' the war." Jiraiya glared at his sensei who in turn stared back at him in disbelief. "There's hundreds more scrolls that lay out even more crimes he had committed against Konoha and her people."
He marched toward the Hokage's desk and set down the storage scroll he'd used to collect all the scrolls within Danzō's hidden filing space. Jiraiya then glared back at his sensei.
"I have reparations to make," Sensei said slowly, solemnly.
"No s***." Jiraiya tried not to grind his teeth in his anger; he wasn't succeeding. He needed to get out of the village. "I'm going to begin investigating Akatsuki and I'm taking Kakashi with me."
That took Sensei aback. "No."
"Why? Are you going to put him back in ANBU?" The guilty look Jiraiya saw cross over the old Hokage's face was answer enough. Jiraiya shook his head. "It will kill him—not because its beyond his skill but because these last two years in ROOT hollowed him out."
"Then he can teach," Sensei responded immediately.
Jiraiya laughed in disbelief. "Oh yes, that will go swimmingly!" he shot back sarcastically. Jiraiya shook his head again. "The brat needs time to heal after what he had to do to infiltrate ROOT. Being around kids, training them, that's the worst thing you could make him do right now. He needs time out of the village and time away from special ops."
Sensei was quiet. He turned back to the liquor cabinet and filled up his glass before drinking. He filled up another and then walked back to his desk. "He needs to pass on his legacy," Sensei said after a long moment.
"Jutsu legacy, right?" the Sannin asked to clarify. Sensei nodded. "Fine, each January graduating class, he'll be back. You won't pressure him into taking any teams on, and in return…" Jiraiya paused in thought before continuing, "I'll make him your next spy and seal master, so he has even more to teach the next generation."
Sensei raised an eyebrow in surprise before nodding. "Very well. I'll prepare the paperwork for Kakashi to be on a leave of absence; however, unlike you or Tsunade, he will be given the occasional mission with standard chūnin and jōnin. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Jiraiya felt a little bad about speaking for the brat, but he was laid up in the hospital for chakra exhaustion—apparently that was a common injury for the reckless young man.
"If that's settled, what are we to do about Itachi?" Sensei asked, and Jiraiya sighed heavily.
"He was working under Danzō's orders, which he may or may not have thought came from you," Jiraiya stated as he ran a hand through his hair. "He fled the scene and left two unconscious witnesses behind. While that operative, Tenzo, right?"—Sensei nodded, so Jiraiya continued on—"Tenzo claimed there was another attacker whose cloak matches what Akatsuki wears. We're not sure yet what Sasuke or Kakashi have to say on the matter, but…" Jiraiya trailed off and hated himself.
"This could be used to our advantage," Sensei finished for him. "If Itachi infiltrates Akatsuki, he might discover where they've taken Naruto, but he can only do that if he appears to have gone rogue."
Jiraiya was grinding his teeth again. He hated this situation. He hated all of it, but it was also a good lead, a much better one than trying to get anything out of Jiraiya's old teammate. They both let the silence lapse before a knock came at the door.
"I imagine that would be the ANBU commander with a list of the children you two—three—rescued from ROOT." Sensei corrected himself, and Jiraiya supposed that was fair given how the Tenzo kid had joined in mid-fight.
"I'll leave you to figure out what to do then," Jiraiya replied before removing the privacy seals set up around the room. As he left, he gave his sensei one final nod. He didn't envy the man or the decisions he had to make; he supposed he could almost understand why he might have relied so heavily on his advisors, including Danzō. Hopefully the old man will have learned from this.
TBC
A/N: So…I got rid of Danzō and Root. That happened. Also, with Kakashi spending most of his teen years infiltrating villages as Sukea, he hasn't exactly gotten to build up his reputation as the Copycat or Sharingan Kakashi. Does he still know a 1000 jutsu? Hell yes, just people don't know that he knows so many jutsu. He's spent most of his ninja career in the shadows or behind a figurative mask by this point; therefore, his skillset is more focused toward stealth and assassination than flashy jutsu (that he has definitely copied from numerous ninja in his infiltration missions, but doesn't use). And now he's gonna be learning more sealing! I hope to updatey July 1st! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter ~ much love, depressedchildren