Chapter Text
Kakashi woke up with a start. In less than half a second, the blankets had been removed and his feet were already sliding into his house slippers. The warmth that surrounded him dissipated instantly. Goosebumps crawled up the length of his bare arms, but Kakashi hardly noticed.
On his way out the door, Kakashi only had time to swipe the weapons pouch from the top of his dresser. He was only wearing a tank top, the lack of the usual weight of the Anbu armor or Konoha flak jacket left him feeling eerily exposed. His pants hung low on his waist, the fabric moving loosely without his usual bandages to keep it in place. Hair was unkempt, sticking in a thousand directions, forehead was bare from the lack of hitai-ate, and hands too exposed without the usual comfort of his gloves.
Despite the discomfort that crawled under his skin, Kakashi pushed forward. He didn’t have time, not when the most pressing thing on his mind was to find out whether or not his team had made it back home safely. Too focused on that goal, Kakashi’s tunnel vision never afforded him any headspace to truly process the changes around him.
So many changes, so many things that should have triggered the shinobi instinct within him from the moment he had woken up, but all of that was ignored in favor of quelling the innate urge to see his team–
“Heading out already, Kakashi?”
On instinct, Kakashi spun on the heels of his feet, a kunai already leaving his fingers. The kunai flew across the living room with the same level of accuracy and force as it always had, but it didn’t meet its mark. The man, who had been standing from the doorway of the kitchen, deflected the kunai with one of his own. The kunai fell harmlessly to the ground.
The corner of the other man’s eyes crinkled in amusement as he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you heard me in the kitchen.”
Kakashi’s jaw quivered as his eyes – why were both of his eyes open – drank in the appearance of the man who stood before him. His long, white hair was tied up into a ponytail that fell halfway down his back. The dark eyes and soft smiles were exactly as Kakashi had remembered, except the sharpness of his features had softened out over the years. Weariness settled in around his eyes, but pride and joy shone brightly.
Today, he wasn’t dressed in his jounin uniform. No tanto sheathed in the holster on his back. No arm band, no weapons pouch. Just Sakumo Hatake dressed in a navy, long-sleeved shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a dog-print apron draped over the front of his torso.
Standing in his house like he never left at all.
Kakashi tried every tactic in the shinobi handbook to dispel the genjutsu. Yet while Kakashi kept going down the list, Sakumo never disappeared from his line of sight. No, instead of going away like Kakashi thought he would, Sakumo kept walking towards him, while Kakashi remained rooted to his position.
He was here, alive and real and–
Sakumo pressed the back of his hand against Kakashi’s forehead. Kakashi flinched like he had been burned with hot charcoal, stumbling two steps backwards before his shinobi reflexes kicked in to save him from his fall.
“Are you okay, Kakashi?
No, he wasn’t okay. Not when his long dead father was standing in front of him, very much alive and real, and somehow here. Not when Kakashi had spent over the last decade living by himself, and now suddenly his long dead father was apparently making him breakfast. Not when Kakashi hadn’t spoken to him in forever, and now his long dead father was talking to him like this was a normal occurrence.
It may very well have been, but in the moment, Kakashi felt like he had been electrocuted by one of his own lightning jutsu. There was pain, there was numbness, and scarily enough, there was longing.
Desperate wishes that this was real and not a figment of his imagination, and that this was the permanent reality and not Kami’s idea of a sick twisted joke–
“Tou-san.” The words came out breathless and broken. The words didn’t roll off of his tongue quite as easily as they used to, but it brought a familiar comfort to his ears.
Before Kakashi knew what he was doing, he leaned forward. Arms wrapped around Sakumo’s body, pulling the other man forward into a bone-crushing hug. Warmth immediately filled his body, starting from his torso before stretching into every crevice of his body, chasing away the persistent chills that clung to him ever since that day.
His father’s familiar scent filled his senses, smelling much like a mix of the forest and soil that surrounded the Hatake compound. It was the only smell that reminded him of home, of family, and it had been far too long that Kakashi had almost forgotten. Following the days of his father’s death, all that remained was the smell of tangy copper, of rotting flesh, and of death.
Kakashi missed this.
Although confused, Sakumo didn’t hesitate to return Kakashi’s embrace with one of his own. The bottom of his chin rested against Kakashi’s left shoulder. An amused chuckle filled Kakashi’s ears.
“You know, you haven’t hugged me like this in a while. Did something happen on your mission yesterday?”
Although Kakashi knew that Sakumo wasn’t referring to Team Ro’s time travel mission, Kakashi couldn’t help but nod in acknowledgement. So many things had happened that it would take hours to explain, if not a full day.
But if this was real…then maybe Kakashi had the rest of his lifetime to fill his father in on all of the things that remained unsaid.
But before then, Kakashi needed to see his team. He needed to make sure that Team Ro was alright, to confirm for himself that this wasn’t only his dream–
It had taken a great deal of effort for Kakashi to pull himself out of Sakumo’s embrace. When the warmth began to drift away with him, regret swelled up in his chest. The temptation to pull his father in for another hug was enticing, but the small, rational part of his mind reminded him that he still had a mission to complete.
“Sorry tou-san,” Kakashi said with an apologetic look on his face. “I’m late for a meeting with my team. I’ll see you when I get back?”
“Of course.”
For the entire journey to the training grounds where they agreed to meet, there was an extra spring in his steps. By all rights, after multiple fights with their predecessor and using many chakra draining jutsus, Kakashi should have been tired and aching like he always did. Exhaustion should have been corded through his muscles to weigh down his movements, but Kakashi had never felt more energized than in that moment.
If things had turned out good for him, then there was hope that their plan had worked.
When Kakashi approached the training ground and saw two grim expressions on his team’s face, his heart sank. But when that expression was quickly replaced with joy upon seeing him, relief coursed through.
“Taichou!” Shisui exclaimed. “Thank Kami you’re alright. When you didn’t show, we almost thought the worst.”
“Sorry. I got a bit held up by things at home.”
Shisui raised a questioning eyebrow while a hint of a sly smile stretched across his face. The members of Team Ro knew that Kakashi never was held up by “things at home” simply because there was no one there…
Before Shisui could ask, Kakashi changed the topic. He still needed some time to sort out everything, maybe a couple of hours or maybe the rest of his lifetime. Kakashi’s mind was still reeling from the thought that his father was alive.
“How are things with the Uchiha clan?”
“Good.” This time it was Itachi who had spoken. The corner of his mouth was tilted upwards in a small smile. “The original Uchiha compound was never destroyed. There’s interaction between the villagers and the Uchiha clan and it seems that the mistrust towards us doesn’t exist in this world. I think the Kyuubi attack never happened.”
Kakashi’s eyes lit up. If the Kyuubi attack never happened, then did that mean Minato-sensei…?
“I don’t think that’s the only thing that changed though. Taichou, did you notice that you don’t have the Sharingan anymore?”
Instinctively, Kakashi’s hand flew up to touch his left eye. What once was marred by a deep, jagged cut that ran vertically down from the bottom of his eyebrow to his upper cheek was replaced by smooth skin. Too preoccupied by everything else that had been happening, Kakashi failed to notice that he had both of his eyes open this whole time, without the enhanced vision of his left.
Obito? Was Obito alive?
“I…” Kakashi sputtered in disbelief. “I didn’t realize so many things have changed.” What had happened in this world that made it so different from their own? All they ended up doing was killing Danzo before he became a problem for the Uchiha clan in the future – Kakashi hadn’t expected that the events of his own life would change too.
This was all too much to process; it would take days, if not weeks, to completely unravel all of the changes in this world.
But first, the fourth member of their team was still nowhere to be seen. It had been over an hour since they returned home. They were meant to meet thirty minutes ago. Normally being thirty minutes late wouldn’t mean much, but in Anbu world, being this late spelled trouble.
Kakashi never truly considered the ramifications that Danzo’s death would have on Tenzo’s life, but now that he was thinking about it, Kakashi truly didn’t know where Tenzo would be. He first met Tenzo when he had been in the Root; if there was no Root to take him in, then where would he be? Still stuck in Orochimaru’s test tubes? Would he even have been experimented on?
“We have to go find him.”
Tenzo could have been anywhere in this world, but no matter what, Kakashi was going to find him.
His ninken had forgotten Tenzo’s scent. In this timeline, Kakashi and Tenzo never met. Ironically, Kakashi was still an Anbu Captain in this world, but with a completely different Team Ro. Their faces weren’t ones that Kakashi recognized and instead of looking at him with a mixture of fear and disgust, there was respect shining in their eyes. It was a jarring change from their world, where the only people who truly saw Kakashi for himself were Tenzo, Shisui and Itachi.
The more time passed, the more Kakashi found out that everything had changed.
Itachi, still a brilliant prodigy, was shackled to Konoha’s peacetime policy and graduated the Academy at twelve years old. Now, thirteen and part of a fully intact genin team, was being recommended by his sensei to take part of the next chuunin exams. No longer shackled with the burden of war time trauma or clan expectations or the immense responsibility of maintaining peace between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, Itachi finally had a chance to be a kid.
Shisui was another unfortunate child soldier that never came out of the war exactly the same. Although Shisui still graduated earlier than the mandatory age, in this time, Shisui had only been a genin during the height of the Third Great Ninja War. The harsh reality of the war still caused him to develop the Sharingan, but he never had the opportunity to unlock the Mangekyo. The existence of his powerful Mangekyo abilities remained unknown and unassessible, and in a way, it wasn’t a complete loss.
As for Kakashi, the entire world as he knew it had completely turned upside down. It was almost as if everything that scarred him the last time around had completely been undone, giving him the life that he always dreamed of.
His father, although still returned home from that failed mission, never took his own life. He remained strong and persistent, staying by Kakashi’s side for all of these years. He had been there to see Kakashi’s promotion to chuunin and eventually as the youngest jounin. Always there to guide him and train him, to slowly drill into him the importance of his comrades.
On the day of the Kannabi Bridge mission, Kakashi had been stronger and more receptive to his teammates. His entire team made it out of the mission alive and uninjured. No eyes were lost. No promises were broken.
The war ended. Minato-sensei had become Hokage. The Kyuubi attack never happened. Naruto was born to a complete family, constantly showered with love from his parents and all of the adults that were close to him. The couple even had a second child, a daughter.
And now each of them were doing their own thing. Obito had become a jounin sensei. Rin, a top medic in the hospital. Kakashi, Anbu Captain and Minato’s right hand man. Shisui was on his way to take the jounin exams and Itachi, the chuunin exams. The original Team Ro never had a reason to cross paths in this lifetime, but the bonds that they forged in their past life could never be broken or forgotten.
For days, Kakashi scoured the entire Fire Country to catch a glimpse of Tenzo. Shisui and Itachi attempted to help, but both of them were bound by clan duty and also their teams, while Kakashi was the only one who had freedom to move around. Day and night, Kakashi continued to search, very well knowing that he was looking for a needle in a haystack.
But Kakashi refused to give up, because there wasn’t a single universe where Kakashi would abandon his comrades again.
When Tenzo had turned up, it had been in the least expected place of all – in front of the village gates. Kakashi had been about to depart from the village, after returning home and being forced on a day’s worth of rest, when he caught sight of a familiar figure. From his vantage point in the trees, Kakashi made out the top of his head, the familiar tufts of brown hair, still short but unruly.
Tenzo was dressed in civilian garb, his body completely devoid of any kunai holsters or weapons pouches, but Kakashi knew it was him. Tenzo only validated that when Kakashi hopped down from the trees, startling him enough to turn around and reach for a non-existent kunai.
Kakashi raised a hand. “Yo.”
“Kakashi senpai? Is that really you?”
“Of course it is.” Other than missing the scar over his left eye, Kakashi didn’t think that he looked all that different. Sure, he was missing a few scars, had a different Anbu mask, and had a different aura about him, but they knew each other well enough to recognize each other no matter how much had changed.
While the two of them verbally spoke, their hands were moving, having their own silent conversation with Anbu code.
“It took you long enough.”
Tenzo laughed. “Well in the last few days, I had to experience what it was like to travel like a civilian. It’s a lot slower than what we’re use to.”
Kakashi draped an arm over Tenzo’s shoulder, guiding his kohai through Konoha’s gates. If the guards at the front gates were surprised, they didn’t show it; although, Kakashi knew that this news would reach Minato’s ears within the hour.
Whatever. Kakashi would deal with the interrogation when it came.
As they navigated through the bustling Konoha streets, Tenzo talked his ear off. He told him about the civilian family that he had been born to, his hardworking father and gentle mother and adorable younger sister. It was the family that Tenzo always wished to know and have, and Kakashi was glad that Tenzo had a chance to experience life not as a successful product of an experiment or under Danzo’s control.
“Do you miss being a shinobi?” The thought had been on his mind since Kakashi found out that Tenzo was a civilian in this world. It wasn’t like Kakashi needed to be on his team, but he certainly missed having a comrade he could trust to watch his back on these missions.
“A little bit,” Tenzo admitted. “There’s benefits to being a shinobi, but civilian life is also pretty peaceful. I never thought I would ever get the chance to get away from the fighting.
“But don’t worry! You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’ll train to get my skills back up to par. Maybe I won’t be Anbu, but at least I can fight off the bandits who try to rob my family’s business. Oh! And I’ll find a way to convince them to move to Konoha, so that way we’ll be close even if we aren’t part of the same team anymore.”
The corners of Kakashi’s eyes crinkled. “Sure Tenzo.”
Kakashi lifted the flap to the Ichiraku Ramen stand, ducking his head underneath the wooden beam. He slid into the seat next to Itachi while Tenzo had taken the one on the right, putting himself right in between Itachi and Shisui.
Excitement was brimming. While Kakashi ordered for the entire table, Shisui and Itachi had pounced on Tenzo, asking him all sorts of questions like where he had been. Similar to Kakashi and Tenzo’s conversation, there was a second silent one that was ongoing underneath the table, but this time, Shisui was signalling way too quickly for Tenzo to keep up with all of his questions, plus Itachi’s.
“Maa, maa calm down you two.” Kakashi lightly tapped Itachi and Shisui’s shoulders. “You’ll have all of the time to catch up later.”
Those words felt foreign coming out of his own mouth. They had been so used to running on the mindset that the possibility of having no tomorrow was extremely high that they tried to accomplish as many things as possible in the present. The idea of a future was such an intangible concept, so far-fetched that it made it difficult to wrap their minds around.
But the reality had started to finally sink in.
This was their new life. These changes, permanent and unmoving, stamped and etched in the course of history.
Their future didn’t seem so bleak anymore.
END