Chapter Text
The sky was dark as Kakashi looked over the valley. He could hear Kushina’s cries of pain from within the sealed birthing room, it echoed in his head, making him want to race in and help her. But he wasn’t even supposed to be here. He was supposed to be out at the gate, far away from this location. His presence would tip off any enemy that this was the location of the Uzumaki and Namikaze heir. Two powerful shinobis were about to bring into the world a child who was likely to surpass both of his parents. Kakashi was excited to see the child grow, and even more excited to be one of the ones to help train them.
A rumble and a large explosion caught Kakashi’s attention, as his eye narrowed in on the commotion, a wave of pure terror spread over him. It was coming from the North gate, the gate he was supposed to have been stationed at. He turned his head towards the entrance to the pathway behind him, before he turned back towards the mass of smoke that was billowing into the night sky. Should he go? Should he stay? His heart was hammering in his chest as he fought with himself. He was a ninja of the Leaf and he should be racing towards the commotion to help fend off the attack. But he was also Kakashi Hatake, the only living student of the Yondaime. He had a duty to the man and his wife, and their unborn child. They were his family . Could he really abandon them?
No. No, he couldn’t.
He steeled his nerves as he relaxed his shoulders. Surely Anbu and the rest of the village’s elite would be able to handle the situation. He was needed here. He had to protect his family. A family who, he just noticed, had gone silent. Why? His head turned back towards the pathway to see a tall figure standing just within the shadows.
“You were supposed to be at the gate…” The voice was soft, stern, and tired. All things that Kakashi had become accustomed to hearing from his sensei. The man walked slowly forward, his sleeves were rolled up and there were scratches and nail imprints along his forearms. His cloak, which he was rarely seen without, was missing. Something Kakashi thought was strange. “Anbu says it was a false alarm. A smoke bomb. A distraction.” The blonde man’s eyes narrowed as he watched the smoke cloud. Kakashi was right. He would have just been wasting his time with a distraction, when his family needed protection instead.
“Then it’s a good thing…” He stopped as his sensei spun and the sound of clanging metal was heard. A tall mass of a man in a flowing black cloak had appeared out of the shadows branshing a kunai knife and aiming for the blonde Hokage’s throat. As if the Yellow Flash wouldn’t be quick enough. Kakashi had his own Anbu issue sword in his hand a second later, but the mass of a man jumping back before another strike could be made.
Kakashi was about to make a move when the man lifted his head, the hood falling off to reveal long midnight black hair and… blood red eyes. Sharingan .
“Madara.” Yondaime’s voice hissed out as he took a fighting stance in front of the man. But Kakashi could see how tense he was. This man… he was a legend. He was a nightmare. He was a threat. He was currently standing between the Hokage and his wife and child. Kakashi’s blood ran cold. No matter how fast either of them were, Madara’s eyes were faster. He had the experience and years to back it all up. Even if they were the best in the village, Kakashi doubted either of them were going to be able to take down the likes of the legendary Madara Uchiha.
“Stay away from my husband!” The screech from the shadows had both Yondaime and Kakashi jumping in their shoes as red flaming chains sprung from the shadows to lash out at the Uchiha. The woman, calmly, stalked towards the legendary Uchiha, had a bundle in her arms and fire in her eyes. Her fire red hair looked like living tentacles as the wind picked up around them. Kakashi had only ever seen the anger of Kushina Uzumaki once, when he was a genin, and he had hoped to never see it again. But here it was. She looked more like a demon than he ever pictured the Kyuubi to be, and that thought was even more terrifying when the aura around her seemed to shift into the form of the demonic entity that she kept captive within her.
It happened in seconds, and for the rest of his life Kakashi would wonder if anyone could have stopped it. The speed was mind blowing, and not even the Yellow Flash could step into the path of the jutsu that had been aimed at the last (well not anymore) Uzumaki. The speed Madara had moved was as if he was the wind itself, and was laying his hand on Kushina before the Yondaime had even blinked.
Then everything burned.
Kakashi was thrown from the cliff side and barely managed to catch himself on a jagged rock before he fell to his death. But the damage to him had been done. The explosion of a fiery demonic chakra burned at his Anbu uniform and the flesh underneath it. He had to fight to steady himself on the rocks, and remove the flaming remains. He was defenseless and helpless as he gasped in pain and fear. His view of the events unfolding just above him were cloudy as the pain started to dull his senses. He could feel the blackness of unconsciousness climbing up his neck, and was only able to find a steady part of the cliff before his body gave in.
I’m sorry sensei…