Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The scent of battle stung the eyes of the participants and wrought fear throughout those forced to sit back and watch. Blood stained clothes and shredded skin don the warring Shinobi as the sun scorched them, surrounding the battle ground in a chaotic blaze of scarlet and amber. The clash of metal echoed all over the landscape and warrior cries dull the steady thrum of pain affecting them.

Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf village fought with all their strength to defend their homes and their loved ones. An attempted invasion of the village was slowly but surely being brought to an end as the last enemy stronghold was depleted.

The remnants of his chakra was focused into his hand, bringing forth the electric element and a deafening roar of one thousand birds, he surged forward at full speed, connecting his hand with several enemy and ultimately bringing their deaths. Those behind him could only see a blur of blue electric and silver hair as his onslaught continued; seeing his power brought forth a second wind of adrenaline and those still able, bellowed their jutsu and performed hand signs, also rushing forward to kill all that stood with the intension of taking their precious village.

His blood coloured eye focused on his main target, the enemy leader, he could smell the fear and read it in his eyes as the electrified hand clutched his throat, the grip crushed it whilst the surging chakra singed his skin. The leaf war veteran lifted the man with ease, still grasping the man by his throat, and let out a last roar, drawing attention from both his allies and the little remaining enemy.

He eventually threw the man to the ground and raised a victorious blood covered hand, his allies did the same and uproar of cheers and triumphant yells filled all ears.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A steady thrum of battle drums could be heard from behind the thick walls of the Leaf's defenses, as the throng of surviving Shinobi made their way back into the village, some shouldering the weight of their injured comrades, others carrying their lifeless bodies.

The streets of Konoha were tainted with splashes of blood and debris. The sound of drums and footsteps dominated the scene but the occasional wail of mourning and howl of pain gripped the atmosphere, sobering all ears.

The sun no longer scorched the skin of those un-shielded from it and no longer painted an angry light over the landscape surrounding the village, the steady colours of scarlet and amber gradually faded into a dull hue of navy; calm.

Tsunade stood just beyond the Konoha gates leading the medical operations set up for the immediate treatment of those arriving from battle; sending some in the direction of the hospital and ordering others into specific treatment tents.

She spotted a particular silver haired Jonin among the crowd. She had been waiting for him to return, he limped slightly and held his ribs, he was covered in blood but most of it wasn't his.

"Tsunade-sama, there's something important I need to report."

"Treatment first, no avoiding it this time Hatake, get yourself in that tent immediately, reports can wait." She ordered with a grin on her face whilst slapping him on the shoulder which made him wince.

"I have informa…" He began. "Later" Tsunade almost barked and waved him off, she went to push him in the right direction but he raised his hands slightly in mock defeat. Tsunade knew there wasn't any point in sending him to the hospital because he wouldn't go.

He trudged towards the medical tents, silently questioning why Tsunade refused to listen to his report until he was interrupted by the medic ninja. He was welcomed onto a low lying khaki green bunk, marred with dry patches of varying shades of red; he flopped down and uncharacteristically let the medic do whatever she needed to do in order to heal him.

He let out a long sigh as the fatigue finally caught up with him, he draped an arm over his eyes while cool green chakra fixed his broken ribs and knitted his shredded flesh back together. Once he was patched up he began to make his slow lethargic way to the memorial ground, his muscles steadily got heavier and heavier with each step.

* * *

><p>The dark jade coloured cenotaph, shaped like a kunai, stood in a small grass clearing. He took a gentle step towards it and crouched on his heels. He wiped his fingers clean on his Jonin vest and began to trace the etched calligraphy of certain names.<p>

"Sensei" he quietly said as his fingers lingered on the symbols for Minato Namikaze.

"This place..." He paused. "Makes me think about the mistakes I've made in the past." He ran a gloved hand through his silver hair streaked with blots of red and bowed his head in respect. "I've made so many of them."

He finally stood and put his hands in his pockets. "I can only try to be half the man you were."

Kakashi whispered a few more heart to hearts before he placed a rough palm on the cool green marble.

Thrusting his hands deeper in his pockets he made his way back to the heart of the village.

Unbeknown to him, he had been at the memorial stone for hours.

* * *

><p>Civilians were making their way back to their homes and businesses, assessing the damage and learning of their friend's safety. Kakashi saw an old woman trying to haul a piece of wood lodged in her shop window; he walked over and easily pulled out the offensive piece. She smiled appreciatively and began sweeping away shards of glass. He aided her by lifting other bits of heavy debris out of her shop, then waved his goodbye and continued his stroll around the village.<p>

Kakashi's limbs ached even more with each step, his calves almost burning with each flex. He felt an intense twinge in his stomach, the steady throbbing increasing each time he swallowed, his mouth was dry and he could feel a lump forming in his throat. His belly let out a loud gargle; betraying that he was hungry. The last time he had eaten was probably yesterday, or the day before, he wasn't too sure.

Picking up on the scent of spices and blood and hearing the low hum of chatter; Kakashi followed it, turning a few corners to find that Ichiraku Ramen had a long conveyer of Shinobi waiting outside it.

"You look like shit."

Kakashi turned to lazily and unemotionally look at the person who had appeared behind him in the line; it was Gai grinning at him. His friend was also in tatters but was in good spirit none the less. 'Likewise' Kakashi replied whilst smiling underneath his mask.

Gai's green jumpsuit had blood splatters all up one side and his Jonin vest was absent, his right arm was wrapped tightly in a sling but the light in his eyes never wavered and issued his best thumbs up.

The steady roll of dark clouds could be seen well in the distance, merging with approaching nightfall.

The pair continued in comfortable silence as they shuffled forward, slowly nearing the ramen stand and bringing with it the stronger scent of warm spices and soup. Kakashi thought it was good to see Gai was alive and he knew the green clad Jonin had mutual feelings but it would be terribly uncharacteristic for the pair to declare their relief to see each other.

The ramen stand no longer looked recognisable, the calligraphy painted cloth covering the entrance had been ripped down and kicked to one side. The stools had also been knocked aside or broken, Kakashi recalled seeing one half way down the street before he joined the line.

Finally reaching the front, Kakashi was handed two bowls, one with thin watery rice gruel and another of a vegetable soup. Resting one bowl on top of the other and holding it in one hand, he gave the famous Ichiraku chef money for the food. He tried to refuse the money but Kakashi held his hand closed and stated 'business was business.'

Gai and Kakashi took to a nearby intact roof to eat their meal and surveyed the area. Kunai embedded into wooden frames. Collapsed roof tiling, chunks and gouges of wood, building debris and uneven pathways were now a recurring decoration throughout the village.

To Kakashi's relief, Gai relayed that all of their friends were still alive. Kakashi had been nervous about seeing his friends again, nervous about the idea of one of them not returning from the battle. Somehow and luckily, his friends were all still here. Not that he doubted his friends' abilities but more so feared the worst; losing comrades always hit him hard.

A weight was lifted off his shoulders momentarily but he suddenly thought about how selfish that was. He only needed to sit quietly to hear the wails and cries of devastation or look around to see faces shrouded in mourning for the loss of a loved one.

Deep down he knew none of it was his fault but the guilt or rather sympathy gripped at his chest and affected him no matter what. He was all too familiar with the feeling of losing someone dear and he wished it on no one; he did not enjoy killing but he would do it in an instant when faced with protecting his friends. His feelings were a mixture of conflict.

* * *

><p>Kakashi limped back to his apartment, it was still intact save for a few windows; he showered and vigorously scrubbed the blood off of his body and out of his hair. His hands were another matter, especially his right one. He continiously scoured his hands, harder and harder. Never content with the cleanliness and never satisfied until his hands go numb and he cannot feel himself turn the tap off.<p>

Finally he dressed in his standard issue Jonin trousers and a tight fitted sleeveless black vest with attached mask.

Not feeling like he can sit and relax, he took to the streets once again. His entire body ached, each movement made his legs and arms feel tight yet he slowly trudged on.

On his tour of the village he once again saw Tsunade, who was now healing a scorched hand of an energetic blonde male. He caught the eye of Kakashi and waved even more energetically with his free hand. Tsunade swore at him and wacked him on top of the head, ordering him to hold still. Kakashi met Tsunade's eyes and she gave a faint shake of her head; again denying his report.

The Jonin chuckled quietly at Naruto's antics, relieved to see he was fine. He continued to walk on.

"Kakashi-sensei! Hey!" Naruto ran to catch up with his former teacher. He was greeted with a lazy 'yo'. "Tsunade says she wants you in her office tomorrow morning."

"Hm" was all Kakashi could say, his thoughts were elsewhere. Naruto thought he understood his former teacher's mood and tried his best to cheer him up; albeit not everyone's idea of comfort, Naruto's female shadow clones certainly gained attention and a few wolf whistles from two passing ninja.

"I don't like blondes." Kakashi grumbled quietly as he shoved his hands in his pockets deeper.

The still darkness of night covered Konoha, an eerie silence befell on the village but the strict surveillance of the walls and border never wavered. Kakashi's front line division had been rendered on rest immediately when they re-entered the village. Squads of fresh Chunnin and Genin patrolled the gates and ANBU had already been dispatched to monitor activity in the vast expanse of fire country.

Kakashi slowly wandered to the empty training grounds, avoiding scattered boulders and craters as he approached the familiar three posts where his young team of Genin used to train. Kicking a rock out of the way, he ungracefully braced his hands on the middle post and lowered himself to sit with his back to it. Running a hand through his unruly hair he stretched out his legs and crossed his feet, letting out a sigh and rubbing his eyes. He pulled out his all too familiar orange book and flipped to a page he had no intention of reading.

He recalled the past few days which appeared as a blur in his mind. He felt mechanical, charged and full of adrenaline only hours before, moving on instinct, dodging, attacking, running and chasing, commanding. He could still hear the thunder and cacophony of Jutsu around him, plaguing his ears. The ring of screams and clash of metal echoed in his head yet outwards he appeared calm, and relaxed as if nothing had happened.

The village had been attacked by a cohort of criminal and rogue Shinobi from the surrounding countries. The enemy group had somehow been united under the sole intention of crushing the leaf village; while they mostly consisted of semi-skilled ninja without rigid military formation, it was the number of faces recognised from the renowned bingo book that sent the leaf village into a flurry of disarray.

There had been no reports from any other village about a large number of Shinobi mobilising; no report of suspicious activity and no deviation from the usual amount of crime. Nothing indicated how and where this mass of enemy appeared.

A regular scouting team of four were unlucky enough to come across the first wave of the enemy; they were not discreet in their arrival, loud voices were heard among the large group and one in particular hushed the rest which indicated his leadership role. "Let's cause some chaos."

This prompted one of the four leaf Shinobi to signal back to the village about the attack.

The village was put on high alert; notifying everyone through the roaring din of war horns echoing through the village from each surveillance post. As soon as the message was received, a scramble of Genin and academy attendees worked swiftly to evacuate civilians while Tsunade gathered her war council and delegated roles. Most personnel were sent to man the walls and prevent entrance into the village itself while formations of Shinobi gathered with an allocated Jonin leader once the quick decisions of who goes where was decided.

The bravery of the ninja that notified the village spared many lives at the cost of their own. One of the stronger enemies of the group took pride in dragging one of the hero's lifeless body by the hair along with him while he led the slow approach to the village. Almost as if it was a game to them; the enemy had actually given them time to mildly prepare.

Kakashi's division was sent beyond the gates to engage them before they could launch their first attack on the walls. They ran at full tilt passed the outskirts of the village and through the valley of rice paddies in order to reach the forest which hid the enemy. There wasn't enough time; instead the Leaf Ninja were forced to a halt as the enemy emerged from the forest and into the open expanse of water covered fields.

The silver haired Jonin held an arm out to halt his division, the sound of feet tapping across the water and the shuffle of clothing suddenly came to a stop in almost total synchronisation. The calm and cold air of a brisk and dull morning gave an eerie and tense atmosphere. The enemy were over 100 metres away and covered a wide area yet Kakashi's focus was on the apparent leader and the sight of a fellow Leaf Shinobi being dragged without compassion made his temper bubble on the inside.

The rogue ninja grinned with sheer amusement as he slowly came closer, chakra infused feet patting on the surface, the body sunk into the water as he was yanked along the sprouting reeds and mud. With seemingly no effort the rogue launched the body across the expanse of the rice paddy to land with a splash within clear sight of Kakashi's division. Kakashi made no reaction yet a gasp from someone behind him disturbed the silence within the group.

"Get back!" Someone in the group shouted.

The body exploded sending a mixture of blood, flesh and water into the air, chunks of mud thudded around them as the Leaf division leaped backwards out of the way. In the same motion Kakashi lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan. Immediately he caught sight of a black sludge raining down with limbs and blood, his keen sense of smell determined it was oil.

Seconds later the simultaneous click of feet moving across the water could be heard as the enemy began to walk forward. Kakashi halted his group once again. The sheer number of the enemy was alarming, unusually he heard the sound of people wading their feet into the water, disguised amongst the mass walking ahead. Civilians?

What were civilians doing amongst a group of attacking rogue ninja? His paused his thoughts as he noticed they were holding barrels of oil and pouring it into the water.

Shit.

A water Jutsu from the enemy sent a rush of chakra ahead as it swept across the vast area like a gust of wind, instantly the water beneath their feet them turned black.

Seconds. He had seconds to think of a strategy. "Back away from the water!" he bellowed.

"Mind Transmission technique initiated." The echo of Inoichi Yamanaka's reassuring, calm voice resonated within the Leaf Shinobi's minds. Kakashi's initial thoughts and plans were transferred in an instant.

Sai knelt and with immense speed started drawing on his scroll whilst throwing his supply pouch to a Chuunin next to him. Ink balls were being passed around and launched at the enemy whilst a series of giant ink birds flew into the air. They surged into a dive, snatched a few of the enemy from the battlefield and took them back to the village for interrogation.

While the ninja were distracted, Kakashi rushed forward with a select few of his comrades; including Tokuma Hyuuga and Ensui Nara. Sai was still busy scribbling on his scroll keeping pace with the other three whereas the rest of the division stayed back in anticipation; retreating by jumping backwards and never taking their eyes off the enemy; they had to move quick.

Using the location to his advantage Kakashi bellowed his Kirigakure no Jutsu, a shroud of mist started to curl upwards, getting thicker as the seconds passed, bleaching the landscape.

"I can't see anything!"

"What's happening?"

Some of the civilians and less experienced ninja scrambled back into the forest.

"You idiots! Fire and retreat!" one of the enemy screamed

Each Konoha Shinobi retained their confidence despite the sounds of fear and chaos.

Kakashi could see clearly in the mist with his Sharingan, he saw people forming the signs for a fire Jutsu.

"Earth Style!" He bellowed before their last seals were performed. "Doton: Tajū Doryūheki" A four sided mud wall rose from the ground instantly, barricading the four of them from the rush of a fire Jutsu which engulfed the landscape. Following Kakashi's lead; the remaining leaf Shinobi echoed a shout of "Doton: Banri Doryūheki".

Kakashi felt the ground shudder beneath him; forcing him and his team on to one knee to steady themselves.

The sudden rumble of earth rising meant the remaining Leaf Shinobi had erected a protective earth wall stretching the span of their comrade lines. The entire stretch of rice fields was a raging inferno. Plumes of black smoke melted into the clouds above; spoiling the scenery with a dark shadow.

To their dismay the Earth wall was not high enough in places due to those less adept at the collaboration Jutsu; resulting in several gruesome casualties on Konoha's side. The intense heat surged above the lower sections of the wall, melting kunai into the hands holding them; melding cloth to skin and scorching flesh down to the bone.

A symphony of screams reverberated around; a haunting shrill of shrieks sent a cold shiver down Kakashi's spine despite the intense heat that swept across him. He couldn't breathe. "Now! Kakashi choked out in command to Sai.

The pale ninja silently released his "Sumi Nagashi" art Jutsu and without hesitation Kakashi expertly formed the seals for his own move which took his team underground.

The enemy's fire Jutsu had intended for the entire Leaf division to perish in the flames but they did not anticipate the speed in which the fire would spread across the oil tainted rice fields. Their own Jutsu had set alight those not quick enough to retreat as well as those caught by Sai's Jutsu of ink snakes holding them in place.

Seconds later Kakashi and his team sprang from underground in front of the enemy leader who had retreated back into the forest; he stopped at mild disbelief they had caught up with him.

Kakashi immediately threw himself forward, barging his shoulder into the criminal and wrenching his arm into a secure hold while Kakashi violently connected with his knee which forced the enemy to the ground.

Sai knelt beside his comrades; out of breath from chakra use and observed the surroundings. Echoes of screams could be heard. Black silhouettes danced around the forest engulfed in flames emanating a red hue against the thick trees with elongated shadows.

While their main target was subdued, Tokuma and Ensui worked together to find and capture those hiding in the forest. No targets remained unfound despite the wide radius of forest. The Byakugan user easily pointed them out while the shadow caster used his Jutsu to hold them in place.

"Forest secure!" Tokuma called.

"Tokuma, Ensui: dispose of the ones in the forest and regroup. Extract intel from your end Kakashi and dispose of him. First division will extinguish the fields and return to the village. Over for now while we organise things better here." Inoichi commanded.

Tokuma took a kunai in both hands and took to slitting the throats of the captured ninja while Ensui continued to hold them still. Minutes later the pair reappeared next to Sai and Kakashi who had the leader tied to a tree.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, an insane smirk creeping upon his dirt covered face. His eyes looked completely black, almost evil, the glint of Kakashi's kunai caught his attention for a split second and then maliciously looked back at the four of them.

He let out a howl of laughter, his chest painfully constricting against his ink restraints as they tightened; forcing a raspy breath out of him as his laughter was chokingly subdued.

Kakashi slowly approached the captive leader and crouched on the balls of his feet, he forced the enemy's hand to rest flat on the dusty floor. The silver haired Jonin maintained eye contact, his own single dark eye giving away no hint of emotion yet his now covered Sharingan spun impatiently behind his closed eyelid.

The scene was eerily silent.

The kunai's sharp tip was positioned millimetres above his little finger. Neither of them yielded eye contact. Neither blinked.

Kakashi pressed his kunai excruciatingly slow into the fingernail. No resistance, no blinking. The ninja weapon now penetrated the earth and pinned the finger in place.

The elite Jonin recognised the resigned look on his enemy's face. The look of detached resolve. Information would not be extracted from this ninja through pain. Kakashi felt disgusted that he could associate with this scumbag; the experienced Leaf Jonin was all too familiar with this kind of determination, he had it himself, earned through intense torture from when he was younger.

Kakashi clapped his hands together, startling the captive very slightly, and rolled up to a stand.

"This way will be quicker." He said, displaying his best smile with a creased eye. The smile looked genuine and for a split second a wave of anxiety flushed over the enemy's face. Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, it spun rapidly and instantly put the captive under his Eye Mind Reading technique.

Kakashi let out a long drawn out sigh and turned to face his comrades.

"He has no memory of how he got here. Just snippets of images, someone has successfully tampered with his mind."

"Hn, typical and troublesome." Ensui scoffed as he stepped forward and snapped the captive's neck with ease.

"What should we do now?" Tokuma asked with an uncaring glance at the lifeless body.

"We should try to find out anything we can while we are here. Tokuma, Ensui, you guys search for dropped weapons or anything you can take back to HQ. Sai and I will search the forest for a scent and tracks to try and trace where they came from." A series of nods were exchanged and they split up in different directions.

Sai and Kakashi's search did not take long, the sheer number of enemy ninja gave away a solid line of trampled ground to follow.

"These footprints are very concentrated, it looks like the group stood here for a while." Kakashi said, bending down to look closer and saw that the tracks led to a small clearing in the forest further ahead. Sai walked off following footsteps that deviated from the rest.

"Kakashi-sensei"

"What is it?"

"Bodies, this one here and two others over there and there. There wasn't much of a struggle by the looks of things."

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair. "Thanks to these guys a lot of lives were saved, they probably distracted the enemy to give their team mate time to send out the message. It makes my blood boil that these brave men share the title of Shinobi with the savages that cut them down."

Sai didn't reply, contemplating the idea of stoic Kakashi inwardly getting angry over the deaths of people whose names he didn't know. Sai understood the relationship between team mates and the bonds in which Team 7 had with each other, but this was new.

"I'll transport them back to the village." The pale ninja eventually said, kneeling down to draw three giant birds again.

Kakashi smiled at the young ninja, eventually leading them back to the main tracks.

"The tracks stop as if there is an invisible wall." Sai noted aloud.

"Transportation Jutsu. This is how they managed to get here undetected…"

Kakashi cut himself off as his instincts sensed danger, he leapt and somersaulted backwards landing silently into a dense, tall tree. Seconds later a throng of ninja appeared in the clearing, the sheer number of them was overwhelming, more than last time.

Shit.

Where was Sai?

The enemy ninja started spreading out, barging past each other due to the lack of space. Sai's familiar black hair and pale skin stood out in the crowd he had been caught in. He probably sensed the danger too but his reactions were a split second too slow. Strangely they didn't even notice him in particular, he started moving with the crowd which enabled him to blend in more.

"Go!"

Everyone pushed into a sprint and leapt through the trees, Sai had no choice but to do the same to appear as if he was part of the group.

Shit.

Kakashi threw three kunai with an exploding tag attached high into the air well above the canopy of trees; it exploded upon his release only to hear the sound of clashing metal, shouting and the crackle of Jutsu echo from the extinguished rice fields.

This wave of enemy were significantly more skilled, faster, they had reached the division line within no time of their arrival.

Kakashi ran full tilt in the direction of the battle while stringing more exploding tags to kunai and summoning his lightning element to enhance the untagged weapons that he had left.

He reached the clearing of the tainted fields, the landscape no longer flat but an expanse of mud, boulders and huge risen cracks. Leaping from one boulder to the other he expertly threw his electrified kunai and shuriken into the necks of several engaged enemy. To his right he heard the roar of Sai's ink lions before they ripped several people apart.

Kakashi headed left, summoning his Raikiri in both hands and set to taking down as many people as he could. He was at full speed, his heart pounding, his hands dripping with enemy blood, his Sharingan spinning.

Eventually he saw Sai again who was locked in a sword fight; the rhythmic ping of metal reverberated as they exchange a series of attack and defensive weaves and locked up repeatedly. Kakashi surged forward, the enemy too focused on Sai. The Jonin connected his gloved fist to the oblivious enemy's jaw; instantly shattering it. The creak of bone made him cringe.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

The pair put their backs to each other as a large number of ninja surrounded them; evil glints in their eyes. Waiting no time for them to attack, Kakashi threw his tagged kunai at the feet of the enemy and pulled Sai with him as they leapt out of range. This managed to injure two fatally and temporarily incapacitate a few others while four ninja pursued the Leaf pair.

Kakashi blocked a punch from the enemy with his elbow and stepped in closer to uppercut his opponent and kick him meters back, followed by ducking underneath a kick to his head and sweeping the leg of his enemy. Kakashi rolled forward grabbing the enemy's neck and twisted it in one fluid movement as he continued to his feet.

The battlefield was starting to thin out; Kakashi looked around while trying to still his heart and breathe air into his lungs. The enemy had broken through their exhausted lines.

"Everyone back to the village!" The Copy Ninja commanded. They needed to retreat and get backup from a fresh division; why they hadn't already been sent to the battlefield he had no idea and ran full tilt with Sai following, taking down a few more as they went.

A section of the village wall had been destroyed in part, debris, dust and collapsed building surrounded the opening in the wall. A large group of Shinobi gathered around a single enemy wielding an unnaturally thick broad sword; several bodies scattered around the area.

Upon arrival, Sai threw kunai at the enemy who spun on his heel and swatted them away with his sword; sinking them into a Chunnin who was distracted at watching Kakashi jump and land on the weapon, sinking a kunai into the enemy`s bicep. Kakashi then somersaulted behind the enemy and struck his Raikiri straight through the back of his neck and pierced his throat. The sound of blood gargling and the stench of singed flesh made some of the less experienced leaf ninja wretch.

"There's more approaching!" A byakugan user called from the crowd. A new wave of enemy.

"Everyone away from this gap immediately, long range Jutsu only, engage them once their numbers have thinned out." Kakashi called, in unison everyone jumped back to land on a cluster of intact roofs. A cacophony of Jutsu bellowed around him once again as the enemy breached the gap.

Kakashi felt his energy starting to drain and covered his Sharingan once again; he couldn't afford to use any more Chakra for the time being. "Hyuugas with me." Kakashi called as he leapt down from the roof landing so his knees straddled the head of a particularly swift ninja and in one smooth motion he twisted his lower half to snap his neck before the signs for the enemy`s Jutsu could be completed.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A series of pops and poofs could be heard and a flash of orange and black rushed past and the rhythmic clash of metal ensued once again.

The next few hours were a blur, Kakashi moved about the village on auto pilot throwing punches and kicks on instinct, taking his enemy down in seconds to move on to the next. His fellow Leaf Shinobi doing the same offering back up where needed. Explosions were heard all around the village and gusts of smoke covered many in dust.

Kakashi was almost caught in an explosive tag trap laid by the enemy if it weren't for someone landing a powerful side kick to his chest which sent him flying. He dusted himself off and continued his onslaught of taking down the enemy with his relentless Taijutsu skills.

The attack on the village continued for a full day, wave after wave, there was simply too many of them to maintain rigid military formation and the battle turned into a village sized brawl within hours of the first outbreak of fighting.

Tsunade even had to use her remote healing technique to keep the defense of the village going; severely outnumbered and chakra depleted Shinobi of the Leaf were fighting a losing battle. She willingly gave her life force to support the brave people of her village; her immense vitality and strength, second to none, ensured the slow victory of Konoha.

Standing powerfully on top of the Hokage Tower she concentrated her chakra, transferring it to those who needed it through her summons. The scene in front of her was painful to watch; seeing precious homes destroyed and lives taken before her eyes. Her four ANBU guards dutifully knelt around her, alert and ready.

Suddenly there was an explosion to her left, her ears were ringing, disorientated, unable to hear anything and temporarily blinded by a cloud of dust. The blonde medic did not move or flinch, her hands dutifully clasped in place, concentrating on her Jutsu. She had absolute faith in her ANBU.

But seconds later the the icy cold feeling of metal sunk into her back, penetrating straight through her chest, the hotness of her blood oozed out in thick convulsions as it was violently ripped from her.

"Tsunade is unguarded" said Katsuyu before the multiple slug summons disappeared with a poof.

A higher sense of urgency flooded through Kakashi's veins as he deflected kunai and somersaulted at his opponent, using the momentum, the silver haired veteran twisted his assailant's neck and landed into a sprint heading towards the Hokage tower.

The stench of blood made his stomach churn but he ignored it without hesitation running harder than ever.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A series of shadow clones surrounded Tsunade while another one clashed with the enemy that had stabbed the her. He wore a simple long white tunic with platinum coloured trousers; unmarred and clean. Armed with a long spear with a blood covered curved blade. He had an amused glint in his eye as he sparred with Naruto easily deflecting and defending; toying with the angry blonde.

"Tsunade-sama." Kakashi said heavily as he landed on one knee in front of his Hokage and she stood hunched over slightly. She was pale, veiled in a thin sheen of sweat and panting, her purple seal had retracted back into a single diamond on her forehead. "I need to get you away from here."

"No." Her raspy breath only just louder than a whisper. "I can't…move…yet." The blonde clutched her chest.

Blood was pouring out of her in weak torrents.

"Apply pressure Kaka…" She couldn't finish saying his name; he had already stripped off his Jonin vest. He used it to press firmly into his Hokage's chest and clasped his hand over the wound in her back while he diligently watched as Naruto continued to fight, analysing the enemy`s movements.

Seconds later, Genma appeared in their protective circle, spinning a senbon in his mouth.

"The situation isn't good, Shikaku is maintaining HQ's defenses, they are trying to destroy the building, they haven't broke through yet but its taking a lot of man power, Inoichi has had to join in so that's why our communications are down, nearly everyone is spent. Shizune is swamped with managing the medic division."

"We need more people here to protect the Hokage. I don't have enough chakra to take him on yet." Kakashi gritted in frustration.

Genma nodded to signal to Kakashi he understood the situation; he needed to buy time, he needed to call for back up.

He could probably land a few fatal senbon but the risk was too high from this position with Naruto involved in a close-range sparring match. The specialist Jonin leaped into the fight to help Naruto. The pair synchronised their attacks, keeping the enemy away from the Hokage and Kakashi. They built up a rhythm of attacking and defending, minutes passing bye and neither side tiring or relenting.

Naruto surged forward, deflecting the long spear and in that moment Genma expertly flicked a series of senbon which pierced the blonde`s back.

He screamed in pain and the enemy paused briefly, Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke and Genma released more and more senbon; finally he shot the last one from in his mouth towards the enemy.

The white clad ninja twirled his spear and deflected all but one of the senbon; they ricocheted towards Tsunade. Kakashi moved instantly to shield her from the offensive metal pins and they impaled him in her stead.

Tsunade spat blood and wheezed, her eyes rolled back and she began to fall backwards; Kakashi caught her and eased her as gently and slowly as he could manage.

"Tsunade-sama..." He said ominously.

Kakashi held two fingers to her neck to check for a pulse, lowering his head. He sighed heavily and his shoulders sagged as he took his Leaf headband off and clutched it to his hand. Genma also lowered his head and took off his own.

Naruto paused. "No!"

The enemy ninja leaped backwards; distancing himself from the Leaf pair and stood stoically as he watched on; he gripped his spear in one hand while his other dangled lifelessly to his side; senbon protruding painfully.

Hot tears began to leak down Naruto's cheeks, his anger bubbling into a venomous growl, threatening to burst.

"Hm" The enemy had a smug grin on his face. "What a defiant little Hokage she was, standing with determination until the very last, how fitting of her stubborn reputation, without her disgusting slugs to keep you weaklings alive your village is finished." In that moment Kakashi stood to approached him, gathering the little remaining chakra he had into his hands; he disappeared leaving the echo of his malevolent laughter to haunt the three Shinobi.

Naruto's clones dispersed.

Silence befell the scene. Time stood still and the tension was unbearable.

"The area is clear Tsunade-sama." Kakashi just louder than a whisper.

Naruto blinked at his team leader. He wiped his tears away and leapt to Tsunade's side only to have fresh tears fall once again. Genma stood apart from the group to give him space and began to retie his headband into a backwards bandana. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as the Hokage`s purple diamond started to glow and slink across her face.

"What's going on, Kakashi-sensei?" The blonde blinked unbelievingly at the silver haired man and the senbon user.

"Playing a bit of possum?" Genma said haggardly as Kakashi gave his student a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Once he thought the Hokage was dead he had accomplished what he came to do, he was toying with you Naruto, he didn't attack you properly once." Kakashi explained. "It was a gamble to let our guard down like that but Tsunade-sama would have died if she didn't activate her regeneration Jutsu. He would of easily taken us all down in our current state; he was able to kill four ANBU who had their full strength."

Tsunade took Naruto's hand in her own and weakly gave it a squeeze. "I'll be ok now Naruto…I just needed time."

"Don't scare me like that!" He berated as he rubbed his eyes.

Kakashi bent to pick up his soiled vest, he shrugged it on and forced himself to clear his mind, ignoring the signs of fatigue. Tsunade began to stand up despite the protests from the three shinobi around her.

"Enough, I'll live. Genma, gather everyone that can still lift a kunai and send them to HQ, regroup once the building is secure. Naruto wait here with me until i can restore your chakra I need you to sweep the village with your clones to drive the enemy back beyond the walls. Kakashi, find that son of a bitch that tried to kill me and bring me his head. This battle has gone on too long."

* * *

><p>Thunk.<p>

Thunk thunk.

Thunk.

Kakashi's senses came back to him as he took in his surroundings; he had relived the nightmare of battle; his mind only concentrating on the images of bloodshed and violence. He still had his book, his ankles leisurely crossed in front of him and still reclined against the wooden post in the training grounds.

In front of him were 3 bright eyed academy students; shuriken in hand and readying themselves to throw some more.

Thunk.

Kakashi felt the shuriken land next to his ear, and nonchalantly glanced at the devious little creature that had erupted into a fit of giggles.

The silver haired Jonin snapped his book closed. Halting all noise. He stood up and casually dusted himself off; thrusting his hands in his pockets to retain his relaxed and aloof demeanor.

"That one was close." He said pleasantly; creasing his eye into a smile. He glanced at the three posts and was inwardly surprised at the scene. A mass of shuriken were embedded into the wooden posts and even more were strewn into the ground behind which gave a rough outline of the posts.

"You wouldn't move at all, we've been throwing things at you for ages!"

"Looks like you need more accuracy training." He said putting a hand to his chin as if to ponder the situation. The boldest of the three soon-to-be Ninja threw a shuriken at Kakashi and he caught it in-between two fingers; once again smiling at the little shitbag that dared to throw it.

"Cool!"

"More importantly, what are you supposed to be doing?" The Jonin asked the three.

"Weapon collection duty."

"Well, don't let me keep you, I'll be going now." He said dismissively, about to perform the signs for a transportation Jutsu when he felt two weights attached themselves to his arms and another on his shoulders. He lifted his arm with ease to find a pair of green eyes blinking at him; a little girl with brown hair and a simple yellow t-shirt and white trousers had wrapped her legs and arms around his. She had no intention of letting go despite being upside down. His other arm had a similar attachment this time a boy with less impressionable eyes and a pale grey outfit on. A glance upwards saw bright blue eyed boy with unruly brown hair, grinning back at him.

Kakashi sighed and trudged back towards the main part of the village.

* * *

><p>Made this chapter a little bit longer again, more detail about the battle to link it to the first chapter a bit! Next chapter is nearly finished :)<p>

Im sorry i keep updating these old chapters, I constantly reread this story, I feel like I rushed certain parts so have fleshed some of it out and put in things to make it more time consistent. The following chapters will also be updated soon but I am also in the process of writing the next chapter :P


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A thick ray of sunlight warmed the wood flooring in Kakashi's bedroom, making dust particles dance in the stream of light. Calm blue rivers dusted with white shimmers painted the skies covering Konoha; juxtaposing the building disarray and busy residents.

The sound of things smashing outside Kakashi's apartment slowly roused him from a dreamless sleep. He breathed in deeply, briefly catching the dull scent of a familiar aroma he loved but it was slowly fading away.

Another crash outside of the apartment peaked his curiosity, he got out of bed to stare out into the street, he saw different piles of debris scattered along the stretch of it.

Civilian and ninja were set to clearing up. Judging by the positioning of the sun and the sweat streaked brows of those on the street below, it was afternoon, and they had been active for quite a few hours. They were organising piles of recyclable wood, perished furniture and sweepings of glass etc.

Running a hand through his bed head hair he lethargically made his way to a chest of drawers to get clean clothes. He pulled on his Jonin trousers and set to diligently wrapping his calves and feet; he thought about making a quick visit to the memorial stone before he went to see Tsunade. He had already overslept, what's another hour or two?

He grabbed his standard navy blue shirt and draped it over his shoulder and headed to the window; leaving his Jonin vest and headband.

The chronically late ninja nimbly jumped onto the ledge and quietly slid the window open. Balancing on his heels he leaned out and gripped the edge of the roof. His shirt was still slung across his shoulder as he skilfully swung his body, using the momentum to flip up to the roof he landing silently on one knee.

"Ahem..."

He visibly froze in reaction to hearing the familiar voice from behind him. He turned on his heel to see the buxom blonde Hokage leaning on a guard rail with her arms folded underneath her breasts. Kakashi was hastily dressed in seconds. Tsunade was visibly irritated.

"Kakashi Hatake, what time is it?"

"7:30am?" He yawned and stretched his arms above his head in a catlike manner.

Tsunade scoffed at the lazy man in front of her, he now had his hands in his pockets and stood with his weight on one leg. His lax demeanor only further fueled her irritation but still managed to behave herself instead of flicking him off the roof like she wanted to.

The busty blonde let out a long sigh and looked around to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity. "I need to look at your eye for damage, it seems you expended all your chakra before you came to my rescue."

He rubbed his neck in realisation of how much he had actually exhausted himself, to the point where he did not actually detect his own Hokage`s presence on his roof. He started to protest her medical inquiry nontheless.

"Hokage-sama...I don`t think its neces..."

"Enough. If you were ambushed at that time the outcome of this whole ordeal would of been a lot different and some lucky enemy ninja would have otherwise lived!"

He understood that but Tsunade didn`t know that he had in fact been ambushed, several times. He did not have a lot of friends in the criminal circle and as a fairly easily recognised Jonin, his journey to the Hokage tower had not been an easy one. Kakashi`s rigorous training was built around this situation.

The stoic man did not argue further and simply walked across the roof and dropped down to land on a balcony with a large sliding glass door which led into the living room, the Hokage followed. Once inside, Tsunade took a seat on a large worn sofa.

Kakashi rested against the closed glass door and took in Tsunade's appearance. Despite her age Jutsu that made her skin appear flawless, she looked exhausted and haggard. Her long blonde pigtails had been messily retied, kinks and stray strands in abundance. The green jacket she usually wore had faded splashes of blood at the front, anyone else wouldn't have noticed, but Kakashi's keen eye could see the fray of the fabric in places where Tsunade had frantically tried to scrub the blood off.

She shifted to rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her eyes; Kakashi's gaze instantly went to her hands.

Usually Tsunade had well kept nails with neat red polish but now Kakashi could see the colour was patchy and scratched. Her cuticles were torn and absent in places and the skin was an angry red. The lines on her hands seemed deeper and more defined almost giving away her age.

Tsunade looked up to see Kakashi looking at her hands without an ounce of judgement.

"I can never seem to wash away all the blood." She said looking at his dark onyx coloured eye and then to her hands. He nodded in response. He knew understood. Once your hands were responsible for spilling blood they never seemed clean thereafter. Almost as if you haven`t been scrubbing them for hours, almost as if you had just freshly killed someone. The need to be rid of that persistent stain of blood only intensifies when you are a healer, forever haunted by those you couldn't save.

"How are your other injuries and chakra?" The blonde said, quickly changing the subject for her own sake.

"I'm fine; my muscles are tired."

Tsunade nodded, sitting up straighter and putting herself in medic mode. "Sit down and don`t move unless I tell you to."

He unusually complied; his reputation for his behaviour in hospital was not a good one, especially in Konoha but even as far afield as the Land of Moon. On that particular mission he had overused his Sharigan and was bed bound in hospital for two weeks. It would of been two days if he had had it his way but they somehow managed to keep him sedated for most of the time. Eventually they told him to leave because doing push ups in bed was disruptive to other patients and the impressionable young nurses. Kakashi`s amusement at this memory soon turned solemn when he remembered that was the time Sakura had lost her first patient all those years ago.

Kakashi was snapped out of his memory. The blinding light being shone in his right eye made it water slightly as Tsunade gently moved his eyelid, her trained eyes examining the minute details.

He could smell the blood on her clothes now. The heavy metallic musk clung to her. Kakashi wondered if the Hokage had showered since the battle or even rested at all.

A little time had passed as Tsunade examined his eyes, looked at his stitched injuries and measured his chakra levels; as routine as any old check up.

"I want to look at your Sharingan while it is in use. I need you to use your Tsukuyomi technique on me for a few seconds and I will monitor your chakra and assess the damage with my chakra." The Hokage said nonchalantly as she put away her small kit bag into her sleeve.

Kakashi thought she was going a little overboard in her examination; he had arguably been a lot worse off in the previous occasions he had exhausted his chakra. He couldn`t even move after his encounter with Itachi when he had infiltrated the Leaf village. Since then he had trained himself harder than ever.

Kakashi casually nodded in agreement and readjusted in his seat next to Tsunade; she gently placed her palm over his left eye and eased her glowing green chakra into his skin. She moved her hand and looked directly into the blood coloured eye and focused on the black spinning tomoe.

Tsunade found herself in a similar setting; the living room of Kakashi's shared accommodation, however, the scene was painted in a polarized inversion of red and black.

"Ok, we can talk properly now." The blonde medic said.

Kakashi paused.

"What do you mean Tsunade-sama?"

"I can't trust anyone anymore." Tsunade stated, half regaining her normal feisty demeanor yet her subtle worn appearance remained.

"What do you mean by that? You can trust Shizune." He didn't expect the Hokage to say something like that.

"She betrayed me when she went to the elders for advice on Naruto leaving the village for missions, there's nothing to say she can't do something like that again."

"There's nothing to say she will." Kakashi countered.

A moment of silence passed between the two. Kakashi wasn't one to press for conversation, he patiently waits for the other person to be ready to talk; this didn't help Tsunade in the least.

She let out a long sigh. "What is it you wanted to report to me Kakashi?"

"Ah. Well, it's about the attack and the intel I gathered."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No Tsunade-sama."

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she was relieved to hear this. "Good, I almost don't want you to tell me either, information is not safe these days."

Kakashi paused to contemplate this but decided it would still be more beneficial to share what he thought. A little time had passed in the polarized living room; eerily silent, the darkness felt suffocating.

"The enemy has used a transportation barrier, as you know, to allow them to remain undetected. The concerning thing is the number of Shinobi and their origins; there were rogue Ninja from all of the surrounding countries. Civilians too, I don't know why they were there, if only to pour oil onto the field. The apparent leader had his mind tampered with so no intel could be extracted, only vague images. Each wave of enemy seemed to have their own leader as such which poses the question as to who is behind all of this."

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair and continued relaying his information.

"Sai and I were at the barrier when the second wave transported; Sai didn't move out of the way in time and was surrounded by enemy. I saw people looking at him and they didn't act suspicious of him or seem fazed. This leads me to believe they have either seen him before or they have at least seen the uniform before."

Tsunade cringed at this as she knew what Kakashi was insinuating.

"I suspect you know what I'm trying to get at. I trust Sai, and I know his abilities are the same if not better than mine, he must have been able to sense what I sensed. It is possible he intended for me to come to this conclusion by purposefully not getting out of the way."

"Enough Kakashi, don't say anything to anyone and do not even talk to me about this again. it is bad enough that Sai knows you know." Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and furrowed her brows. "We have to be careful and be on your guard at all times, do not say anything important unless we are in this Jutsu. Release it now."

Tsunade stood, her mood had turned considerably sour as she put her weight on one leg and crossed her arms.

"Tsunade-sama, you haven`t explained what is going on, how can I help you if you don`t tell me the situation." He also stood as wandered back over to rest on the glass window; the scene was even more terrifying. Uncertainty, fear, curiosity and deathly black shrouded the atmosphere.

"The more you know the more danger you are in, there are strange things that keep happening and I think I am being targeted. Thats all I will say, now release the Jutsu before I get angry."

The polarized colours returned to normal in an instant and the pair were back on the sofa like when the examination had begun. To any onlookers Kakashi's jutsu had only lasted a couple of seconds, unknowing of the weight of the conversation the two Shinobi had had. Tsunade removed her chakra from her Jonin`s eye and stood up, Kakashi saw the back of her green jacket and the shredded cloth where she had been stabbed.

"Your eye needs careful monitoring, there is damage in the nerves surrounding the eye, only use that eye if you absolutely have to, come see me if you get any blurriness". The Hokage said in her usual stern tone.

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

"You've proved your worth as a Shinobi yet again Kakashi, I've heared nothing but good reports about your performance on the battle field."

"Everyone gave their all, I only did the same."

Only Kakashi would numb down his role within the Leaf village. He was a former ANBU, team leader, division leader; a figure head within the ranks but more importantly a prime example of what a Shinobi should be; he had his flaws but they never got in the way of his duty to the village.

His dedication to the village always took place over his own health and life; seeking to report important information before receiving treatment. He had done the very same thing after a risky ANBU mission, going straight to the Third Hokage only to be refused until he was healed. At that time he had felt relief, but this time he felt like he wished that medical bunk had swallowed him so he wouldn`t have to get involved. What ever was going on he was going to get to the bottom of it and he knew it would consume his every waking thought from now on.

"How can Konoha's finest be rewarded?" She asked the lazy man, he now reclined on the sofa with his head leaning up towards the ceiling.

"Stop talking about me like that?" He said with a light-hearted tone, one hand scratching the back of his head. He was uncomfortable receiving praise like that. "Perhaps you could summon my family back home?"

"What is this village to you Kakashi?"

"The village is a part of me; I give my life to it." She nodded at his response.

"Everyone is gathering to honour the fallen, be at the front promptly." She quickly performed the hand signs and disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

* * *

><p>The pale sky slowly turned dark to signal that it was early evening. A large crowd had gathered on the top of the Hokage tower, civilians and Shinobi mixed and gathered, the low hum of indistinguishable conversation could be heard. Lanterns illuminated the scene, painting a yellow glow across the group, fireflies danced among the lights and cicadas sang in the distance.<p>

Kakashi approached from a nearby roof, dressed in his funeral robes as everyone was and looked to see Naruto's bright blonde hair, standing out in a sea of black and grey. Naruto was standing on a large raised platform alongside Shikamaru and Gai. Kakashi leaped down and landed silently next to his former student and nodded in greeting to the other two.

Kakashi looked at the crowd and could see a mix of emotions on the faces before him; some grief stricken, others standing proudly but with dried tear tracks, others with hands on their comrades shoulders and others smiling at a cherished memory or in joke of some sorts.

The copy ninja noticed one young brown haired Shinobi amongst the crowd pointing at him and talking quietly to his friend. Kakashi made no reaction at discovering he was the topic of a conversation. He couldn't recognise who it was that had pointed at him but knew the person next to him was a Chunnin.

"He led our division; we were on the front line and everything. Look at this!" The brown haired ninja parted his black robes slightly to reveal a large jagged scar across his chest.

The other ninja looked amused and asked "Were you scared being at the front?"

"I was unbelievably scared! But Hatake-san just looked so calm and didn't seem fazed, it chilled me out. He moves so fast your eyes can't follow..."

Their conversation was cut short as Tsunade made her way to the platform area through a partition in the crowd. Danzo and the elders slowly followed.

The hum of conversation slowly muted. Tsunade looked like a different person from the one Kakashi met before; her hair was neatly tied, her attire had no frays and blood stains were absent. Her nails had been repainted and she had clearly healed her cuticles and the skin around her nails looked less angry. Kakashi could still smell it though, that was the same coat as before, disguised by a Jutsu. He wondered if anyone else could smell it, it would surely make civilians wretch but he waved that thought off as his sense of smell on par with his trusted summons.

The blonde medic stood strongly on the raised platform in front of the crowd of civilian and ninja. Danzo had skulked off to the opposite side of where Kakashi stood, the elders soon followed him.

"We all know why we are here. We are honouring our fallen comrades; let us remember that they did not die in vain. The village is still ours, our homes and loved ones are safe. Together we repelled the enemy and we fought bravely. I know everyone here would give their life willingly for the sake of the village so let us celebrate the lives of the people we have lost and never forget their legacy. Now, let us have a minutes silence to honour our friends." Tsunade bowed her head and closed her eyes, Kakashi saw her visibly breathe out a sigh of relief.

The silent crowd bowed their heads, even the cicadas seemed to hush their song. Most of those that gathered stood still, but the occasional hunched shoulders moved up and down; soundless crying.

The minute passed, Kakashi looked up to see that Tsunade was very tense, frozen with her head bowed. Kakashi reacted on impulse and stepped forward.

"It is painful when someone dies, but they did not die for nothing, they have left something important behind and it is in all of us, let our Will of Fire grow and restore this village back to the greatness it was before." Kakashi took of his headband and held it to his chest. "To Konoha."

The ninja of the crowd followed suit, civilians put their hands to their chest and an echo of 'To Konoha' reverberated across the cemetery. This was followed by the slow procession of placing white chrysanthemums in front of the portraits of the many fallen Leaf Ninja continued until the area cleared.

Calm.

* * *

><p>This chapter is a bit short but the rest will be a lot longer. Can you guess the plot? :P Happy wednesday, the next chapter is almost complete yet again and don't worry this is a KakaSaku fic and for now its kinda all about Kakashi.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - (OK THIS IS THE LAST FRIGGEN EDIT OF THIS CHAPTER, if you recently read it there is more to Kakashi`s relationship with Sakura (just a snippet for now) and more Kakashi feels.)

* * *

><p>The sea of black slowly filtered out of the cemetery, some disappearing in a puff of smoke and others decided to stay and idly chat. The atmosphere had lifted very slightly, the hum of chatter could once again be heard and the infrequent bout of laughter radiated amongst the group; overshadowing the sound of no longer stifled cries.<p>

Kakashi stepped forward once more to stand next to Tsunade and join her in watching the people leave the scene.

"They value your presence Tsunade-sama." Kakashi said quietly to the blonde haired medic whose eyes were focused straight ahead of her.

"I think it is you they value more..."

Tsunade's quiet response was cut short by a loud blonde ninja who bounded up to the pair and slapped Kakashi on the shoulder.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei the public speaker, who would have thought it?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, uncomfortable at how uncharacteristic he had been moments before.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Kakashi smiled at his former student, only his left eye visibly creasing and held a hand up in a lazy wave. "Well, I'll be going now."

Kakashi went to perform the hand signs for a transportation jutsu but was interrupted by Naruto who was about to protest his exit. The Jonin let out a low chuckle and flicked Naruto's hitai-ate down over his eyes. A split second later Kakashi performed the hand signs; saying 'I think I left the stove on, Cya.'

He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

><p>The small apartment felt empty and dark when Kakashi transported himself there. He didn't bother to turn the light on and just sat on the edge of the worn sofa where Tsunade previously was. The room was illuminated in a contrast of black and white; a large glowing sheen created by the moon entered his apartment through the large glass door which led to the balcony.<p>

He inwardly laughed at himself at how hypocritical he was, he had always led a life of chronic solitude. Since his father, team mates and sensei died, his self-inflicted isolation further plummeted. His enemies tried to flee once they recognised it was the great Copy Ninja, his peers admired his skills, his superiors scolded him for being too brutal and cold. Back in his ANBU days it had been dangerous mission after dangerous mission, risking his life day after day, alert, swift and charged but numb. He was living just to die. His friends respected the distance he had put between them, reaching out occasionally to try and bridge the gap but never having the courage to reach back.

In his 43 years of age, he had finally found a little bit of peace within himself. Starting with Team 7 who had dragged him to each and every festival Konoha had to over. While he cannot admit that he liked teaching, mostly feeling like he had nothing to offer, he formed an irreplaceable bond with each of his team members. He had inwardly battled himself, analysed and hated his father and his actions for many years; it was Team 7 that finally helped him understand and find forgiveness for the legendary White Fang of the Leaf. He still had many inner turmoils to deal with and even up until this point in his life he was still dealing with them. But this time he had found someone to share his burdens with, someone who held out their hand to him and waited until he reached back.

Kakashi smiled fondly beneath his mask as he rested on the sofa.

Sakura had dared and persisted in wanting a friendship with a troubled soul such as Kakashi`s but he would be forever grateful to her for it. Never would he of imagined having a wife or a child of his own and because of this he now clung to life, he was faster, stronger and more capable than ever. His desire to protect his family gave him strength.

But they weren`t here right now.

Kakashi was caught up in his thoughts, unsure of how much time had passed and was interrupted by the moving shadow outside his glass door. He looked to his left to see someone had appeared on his balcony. Their features were hidden in silhouette created by the moon but he knew what it meant; he was being summoned.

He appeared at the door in a second and slid it silently open to let the messenger relay the information. Tsunade requested him in her office immediately.

"Understood." He simply replied and the messenger disappeared as quickly as he came. Kakashi stepped onto his balcony and closed the door behind him; he nimbly jumped to land on the packed hard ground below. He pulled his favourite orange book out and took to reading where he left off and began on a lethargic stroll to the Hokage`s office. He expertly weaved through the piles of rubble and passers-by; he didn`t need to rely on his eyes to navigate the busy and disheveled streets.

The night was dark and the streets lit by the warm yellow glow from houses and shops, lanterns dusted along the overhang of roofs, hurriedly replaced and lacking the symmetry they once had. The usual busy nightlife of Konoha was absent with only an occasional hum of conversation could be heard as the elite Jonin slowly trundled on. It was cold and there was a chilling but gentle wind; Kakashi felt uncharacteristically uneasy. He could often be seen roaming the streets of Konoha during the day or night, reading, not wanting to socialise or speak to anyone but feeling the comfort of the bustle around him, an example of his self inflicted isolation in an unusual setting. Tonight there were no feelings of comfort.

The silver haired ninja eventually made it to the Hokage tower; he absently nodded to the Chunnin who were guarding the archway of the compound, not looking up from his beloved book and ascended the steps which curved around the building. He felt the presence of several people in the office but knocked on the door without hesitation. The familiar voice of Tsunade told him to enter and as he did several elite Jonin left the office afterwards. He made sure to remember their faces.

"Yo" Kakashi said pleasantly.

"Do you know the meaning of an immediate summons, Hatake?" Tsunade glared at him; her brow furrowed in frustration as she examined the paperwork in front of her. Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka were also in the office and turned to greet Kakashi, he lazily waved at the pair as he approached the Hokage`s desk and stood beside them.

Kakashi snapped his book shut noisily and pocketed it; rubbing his other hand through his hair. "Well you see…"

"Enough." Tsunade sighed. "For your lateness you will report to the hospital every week to check on your eye."

If he had visibly reacted it would of looked much like a child dropping their mouth open in disbelief. followed by a loud huff. However, the Copy Ninja did not react outwards; his inner-self glared at his Hokage. The fact she had now dared to punish him for his lateness either signified she was really pissed or she was using it for something.

"Umm…I honestly think my eye is fine though." He replied, looking at the exasperated look Tsunade was giving him; she was serious and would probably personally drag him to the hospital if he dared to disobey. He glanced at Shikaku and Inoichi; both were contently listening and avoiding eye contact with him. They probably felt like they were witnessing a parent scolding a child. Kakashi on the other hand noticed the dark circles under their eyes.

Everyone was still wearing their funeral robes and Tsunade was wearing her wretched but pristine coat.

"I will be the judge of that, I won`t have you damage it through overuse. That is the last Sharingan we have and an invaluable tool for the village."

Kakashi couldn`t counter her reasoning but he still had a strange feeling. He had not overused his Sharingan itself exactly, he just pushed his body beyond his limits throughout the attack on the village to almost chakra exhaustion. He could not sit and rest while his comrades were fighting; he didn't even take time to eat. While he was admittedly stupid in his overexertion physically, he did not put as much strain on his borrowed eye as Tsunade was making out. Kakashi concluded this was an aversion to secretly communicating again.

The Hokage took his silence for compliance. "Good. There is a meeting tomorrow at 7am sharp, all the top personnel will be there to review the security of the village. 7am got it?"

"Got it. 7am." Kakashi replied in all seriousness.

"Just be aware Hatake that I summoned you hear directly to tell you the meeting time in front of witnesses." Tsunade said angrily.

Shikaku sympathetically handed Kakashi a pile of papers. "Maps and layouts of the entire village; please review them and think of any suggestions that we can do to improve the overall defense. We can`t have a repeat of what just happened." The black haired man said, his voice was deep and masculine with an undertone of boredom, a defining attribute to most of the Nara men. Kakashi felt sorry for the intelligent man, he had been forced into battle to defend his HQ instead of sticking to what he was good at.

"We coped well considering the circumstances but right now we are vulnerable while our elites are scattered and busy. It is going to be a long meeting but it is important everyone from the higher ranks are there." Said Inoichi as he patted his comrades on the shoulder simultaneously.

"That will be all for today, thank you for your help, Shikaku, Inoichi." The pair bowed and left the office, closing the door behind them.

Kakashi put his hands in his pocket and lazily stood with his weight on one leg; he sensed the Hokage had something else to say and he waited patiently for her to say it.

"I want to thank you for saying something at the memorial service. I should have been able to say a final word, but I froze."

"There's no need for thanks." He replied whilst running a hand through his hair.

"How dedicated are you to your village?" she asked.

"Unreservedly devoted."

Tsunade nodded at his response. A long silence passed.

"What is this about?" He quickly asked.

"I guess we should talk about your plans on leaving the village." She replied, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. "Remind me what you want to do again."

Kakashi relaxed a little but he still sensed there was something wrong. "I will be joining Sakura and Sakumo training, travelling, helping with their mission."

"How long do you think you will be away from the village?"

"Sakura has already been gone for a while, her mission may be complete in a month, six months or another year; I want to return with her by my side and Sakumo on my shoulders."

"I see." Tsunade closed her eyes in contemplation and nodded at Kakashi's response.

Sakura and little Sakumo had been sent on a year long mission from the village in order to train and set up medical facilities in small villages in fire country and also neutral territory. It was a hard decision for her to accept and Kakashi hated the idea of being away from his wife and son for such a long time but he also felt immensely proud for them both. Sakura`s independence and determination were admirable traits and he thought their son deserved nothing more than to have one on one training. He fully supported the idea and saw how it would benefit both of the people he loved and also the surrounding villages. It wasn't a time for selfishness and he was not prepared to hold them back for his own benefit of seeing them every day. He took missions that were close to the area where his family was working at the time so they saw each other at every opportunity; it wasn't for forever and they would eventually return which contented Kakashi.

"How terrible of a thing can a Hokage ask of her subordinate?"

Kakashi didn't like the tone of the conversation, Tsunade seemed to be in a dark mood, her honey coloured eyes betraying her; no longer were they the bright amber of a fierce medical ninja but the shaded oak of a tormented soul.

Over the years Tsunade had become more jaded and reserved; everything that ultimately said 'Tsunade' such as her strong, commanding aura, quick-tempered nature and a gambling addiction was slowly disappearing. Every now and then she would revert to her old self but it was becoming less frequent these days.

The role of Hokage, figure head and peace keeper was a stressful job and undoubtedly the blonde medic had seen the worst side of it. Paranoia had crept into her life, casting an ever present shadow wherever she went; seeds of doubt leeched onto her every political decision, a true parasite, causing her to question her abilities as a leader. Kakashi could read her now.

The never wavering criticism from the village elders didn't help and the always present threat of assassination honoured Tsunade with many sleepless nights.

Tsunade's words 'How terrible of a thing can a Hokage ask of her subordinates?' echoed in Kakashi's ears.

"Hokage-sama..."

Tsunade recoiled at the use of her formal title. "Please don't call me that." She requested, almost disgustedly. "I once said that the title of Hokage is a fool's game, I stand by that statement looking at myself."

Another pause.

"There's one more thing that I need you to do before you can see your family again..."

Kakashi moved to stand formally in front of Tsunade as if he was about to receive a mission.

"What will you have me do Tsunade-sama?"

She got to her feet and moved to stand before Kakashi, her eyes staring into his single onyx coloured eye. Even now he portrayed no emotion, his calm and detached demeanour ever present, yet inside he was starting to become apprehensive, awaiting the Hokage`s next words. It felt like minutes, if not hours had passed.

"I want you to be the protector of Konoha" She barely whispered it, avoiding eye contact and turning her head to the side.

Kakashi couldn`t believe it; what ever was going on behind the scenes with his Hokage must be on a much larger scale than he first anticipated. For her to be paranoid, fine, for her to give up her seat completely...

He inwardly said 'no no no no' over and over. His single eye widened slightly in reaction; giving away his thoughts.

Tsunade scoffed at his response. "That's why you are perfect for the job. You don't seek power; you don't aspire to be in charge."

"There are many others more suited." His tone was flat and reserved. He had also thought it was unnecessary to appoint a new Hokage, he was itching to find out what was the cause of all this so Tsunade`s confidence could be restored but more urgently so he didn`t need to take on this role.

"There is no one else." She almost spat those words at him; she regained her temper momentarily; a fleeting glimpse of the old Tsunade came out.

She didn't give him time in which to affirm or refuse, and decided to leave in a cloud of smoke to let him stew. The medic was well aware that the copy ninja would think about this information non-stop until she summoned him again; it could wait though, they had a busy day ahead of them tomorrow.

Kakashi was at a loss as to what to do; he stood blankly in the now empty office, in the same position as if his leader was still present. After a while he too departed the scene; this time through the window and ran swiftly home.

Once back in his living room he released the breath he didn`t know he was holding. He did not turn the lights on. His face cast in the ethereal glow of the moonlight contrasted to the black of his funeral robes and the shadows of his apartment. Again he let out a long drawn out sigh and slumped onto the couch.

What was he to do now? He really was at a loss for words, and wished he could of responded a little more coherently. He didn't want to be the Hokage. Hokage status was given to those of exceeding skill, with great intelligence and leadership ability; he didn`t deserve the role or rather the Leaf village did not deserve someone like him in charge. He believed that with all his being. Why did she want to appoint someone new? Normally Hokages ruled until their untimely death or they retire at an old age, she was neither incredibly old nor terminally ill so it didn't make sense. He would help her from the sidelines with all his effort but he did not want to replace her.

Kakashi liked simple life. Before, all his life consisted of was receiving mission scrolls, completing the mission and waiting for the next one to come along. This suited Kakashi just fine, when he told Team 7 that he had never really thought about his hopes and dreams for the future, it was the truth. He didn't think about tomorrow, his thoughts consisted of what he could do for his village today.

He thought about how life had changed significantly since Sakura came along, it had been 8 long years since her first attempt at friendship, their relationship progressed slowly and their family expanded; simple and wonderful. He found happiness in making her happy and gave him more reason to defend the village as their life together had been built here. Eventually he came to terms with having two others to consider when making decisions, he was happy. Now that would all change.

If Kakashi were to be Hokage his love for reading would become non-existent unless it was paper work and mission sorting. He was seen reading wherever he went, even on important missions Kakashi could be seen with his book. He didn't actually read on missions but used it as a tactical tool to appear distracted and unawares to his enemy; he would never admit that though.

Simple life was not in the job description of Hokage.

Kakashi breathed deeply and left his apartment and took to the roofs, it was advice he needed.

* * *

><p>Automatically he had been brought to the memorial stone by his feet; although his visits only consisted of one sided conversation, it was the solemn atmosphere and the idea of having someone to listen, not judge or intervene that helped Kakashi clear his mind and think things through.<p>

He rested on his heels at the stone and traced the calligraphy of the three names special to him and stood once more. Bowing his head slightly, he closed his eyes in contemplation.

"Sensei, she wants me to be the next Hokage..." Kakashi barely whispered the words for fear of it becoming an actuality in that moment. The realisation he wouldn't be able to leave the village at all to see his family was starting to weigh down his heart.

A rustling of leaves behind Kakashi signalled to him that someone else was there at the memorial ground, he turned slowly to see it was none other than his 'eternal rival' Might Gai, still clad in his funeral robes as was Kakashi.

Kakashi raised a questioning eyebrow at the black haired Jonin.

"It's been a while, why don't we have a challenge!" Gai beamed at the stoic man stood with his hands in his pockets. He shot him an energetic thumb up and a cheesy grin.

"Now...isn't a great time."

"Nonsense! The spring time of our youth is forever blooming, my eternal rival, there is always time!"

After a little pause and quite thankful for the temporary distraction, Kakashi showed his famous eye crease. "Well, no time like the present."

Gai performed a celebratory dance but all seriousness befell upon him when it came to the explanation of the challenge.

He pointed animatedly at the Hokage faces monument and declared they shall race to the top; they would free climb once they reached the foot of the mountain.

Kakashi nodded in response and tightened the obi around his waist in preparation. Gai picked up a small stone and threw it high in the air. The pair's trained eyes zoned in on the stone, waiting for it to drop to the ground to signal the start of their race. Kakashi's eye narrowed, only seeing the stone itself.

The stone fell to the floor with a thud and the two Shinobi left nothing but a kicked up cloud of dust and leaves.

Kakashi surged forward, leaping down the steps that led up to the memorial ground, his feet met cobbled stone pavement. Gai was right next to him almost mimicking his movements. They turned a corner, and ran through a wooden arch way which had a winding path leading to the heart of the village.

They veered from the path to launch themselves onto a nearby building. Kakashi looked across to see Gai running on an adjacent roof, still level in pace; they easily leapt over the gaps and bounded from building to building, varying in height.

The silver haired Jonin saw a number of clothes line slightly ahead, he used his chakra to leave the roof and run across the side of the building; he approached the clothes line and stole a long fabric garment and flipped up to the roof once more. Just below him, he saw Gai too had left the roof and was now running on the compact ground below; he was slightly ahead now and dodging the occasional passer-by.

Pushing through his feet Kakashi increased the pace of his sprint to catch up to his thick eye browed friend. Kakashi launched his stolen article of fabric towards the Taijutsu user in attempt to slow him down. At the same time he saw Gai had also launched something. Kakashi saw a long thin wire gleam in the moonlight with two weights on each end sailing towards his feet.

If Kakashi stopped for a moment to dodge the foot binder he would give away his lead to Gai and he wouldn't be able to catch up. If his feet were caught he'd potentially fall off the roof and he'd inevitably lose, he had to keep the same pace.

He flipped onto his hands and allowed his arms to be wrapped and in a fluid motion he gracefully rotated back to his feet and raced towards the monument, unpicking the wire as he ran.

He saw that Gai had not been slowed down by the cloth; Kakashi pondered using dirtier tactics as Gai had but he thought against it as they were nearing the foot of the mountain.

Kakashi concentrated chakra to his feet and pushed off the roof; he leapt high in the air and threw himself into a quick roll when he landed on the ground next to Gai; the two were kicking up dust as they dashed through the main streets of Konoha; drawing attention to themselves, the odd passerby stopped to see who was moving so fast, of course all they could see was a blur of silver and black.

Eventually reaching the foot of the mountain, the two stopped momentarily and gave each other a look of sworn determination and competitiveness to win. Gai displayed a large grin and reminded Kakashi that using chakra is strictly forbidden for the free climbing part of the mission.

While Gai was re-explaining Kakashi took the opportunity to get a head start, he waited for Gai to look up and cockily waved at his long-time friend. It amused him to no end how worked up Gai got at his antics.

The two once again were soon level in pace, pushing up with their feet and gripping tightly onto the rock face; using their strength to easily pull themselves up, they swiftly climbed the mountain. It was relatively easy to do until they reached the chins of the Hokages.

Kakashi paused under the 4th's chin, resting on his heels, to wipe his hands clean of sweat and cover them in dust. He carefully stood and gripped the rock and slowly climbed backwards in a monkey bar like fashion. Looking down, Kakashi was no longer safe from falling, there was no rock to fall on to which made it all the more important to stay focused.

Reaching the rounding of the 4th's chin Kakashi held on with one hand and used his other to start to swing himself up; using the momentum he was able to flip up and steadily reach the 4th's lips.

Kakashi's keen ears told him that Gai was climbing just near the 4th's ear; not wanting to lose he bent his knees and used all of his energy to jump as high as he could without using chakra. He managed to grip onto the rock face whilst only slipping a minimal amount and hurriedly reached the mountains peak.

Gai was seconds behind him, although it was clear that Kakashi had reached the top first. In many of their challenges the winner was only determined by a minuscule of difference but today there was no arguing that Kakashi had won.

The Jonin leaders dropped to the floor and layed on their backs, their chests rising rapidly as their breathed heavily.

They both stared up into the dark sky that was dusted with abundant bright white stars.

The two Jonin had sat in silence for a short while, Gai got to his feet to look at the vast stretch of land known as Konoha; from the Hokage monument every inch of the village could be seen. The moon created an ethereal glow across the landscape, casting the village in a stark contrast of black and white. The occasional dust of orange light could be seen in house windows and the odd flicker of black shadows jumping from roof to roof.

"You'd make a fine Hokage." Gai eventually stated out loud. Kakashi looked up at his friend who was looking back at him with a proud smile. "I couldn't help but overhear you at the stone."

Kakashi let out a long sigh, one of relief that his secret was out and one of frustration at the situation he had been placed in. He stood and joined his friend in looking over the village.

"There is no need for a new Hokage; Tsunade is doing a great job." Kakashi stated, turning his head to read his friends thoughts.

"True, but all her hard work will prove worthless if she does not believe in herself."

Kakashi nodded in response to what Gai had said. "It is evident she no longer sees her worth as a Hokage. But I think there are others more suited."

"Name them."

"Shikaku."

"Kakashi be serious, he is nearly ready to retire, there would be a new Hokage appointed before we reached our next birthday!"

"There can be so stability within the village if the Hokage keeps changing..." Kakashi agreed.

"Exactly. Who else?"

"Naruto would be a much better Hokage than I ever could be."

"And you think he is ready now? My eternal rival, today your intelligence pays you no compliments, Naruto is too young, he still demands mission after mission, do you really think he'd accept not being able to leave the village unless on serious military matter?

Kakashi's shoulders slumped slightly in defeat; he put his hands in his pockets and contemplated further.

Kakashi would have agreed to be Hokage without hesitation if he believed it was necessary to have someone new appointed, he would step up to the role and protect the village with everything he had, even if he thought his abilities were not up to par. He aspired to be everything his late sensei, Minato Namikaze, was and understood the need to have a capable figure head. He would have accepted in front of Tsunade there and then if the circumstances were different.

Gai placed a rough hand on his comrade's shoulder and patted it lightly. "It is late, return home and sleep well, endless contemplation can drive a man to madness. We'll speak again."

The normally green clad ninja performed the hand signs and teleported away from the scene leaving a dissipating cloud of smoke. Kakashi shortly did the same and returned to his apartment; urging himself to have an undisturbed and dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>New chapter very soon!<p> 


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Naruto, Drama, Romance