Chapter Text
0-0-0-One Year Later-0-0-0
Kakashi pulled the black shirt he reserved for funerals over his head and mindlessly straightened the sleeves. The coarse material chaffed but not as much as the memories attached to the outfit.
After each successive funeral, Kakashi had lost hope that it would be awhile before he’d wear the black garment again. The hope that someone else close to him wouldn’t die was more a fleeting fantasy now.
The ANBU captain stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, then two. He didn’t see his reflection but it gave his eyes something to track while his mind wandered.
There was a ping on his mental awareness that made Kakashi frown and turn. Itachi was headed for his door. As the Fifth Hokage’s son, the young Uchiha should already be at the funeral. What was he doing at Kakashi’s apartment?
By the time Itachi knocked, Kakashi was already at the door, opening it a second later.
“Captain,” Itachi greeted him. He did not smile, but Itachi rarely did.
“Shouldn’t you be at the funeral already?” Kakashi asked. He didn’t move out of the doorframe.
“I could say the same to you,” Itachi replied. This, Kakashi knew, was the closest his subordinate got to being rude. “May I come in?”
Kakashi stepped back with a frown. Itachi’s mouth was tight and there was a stiffness to his usually graceful strides. There was something off about this situation. It was strange enough that Itachi was visiting Kakashi at his home, especially when they were going to see each other at the funeral in an hour, but Kakashi didn’t realize Itachi even knew where he lived. They’d been working together for just over a year but in ANBU, you didn’t know much about your teammates outside of what was necessary.
Kakashi closed the door behind Itachi. Before he could say anything, Itachi spoke. “You need to leave.”
“It’s my apartment,” Kakashi countered. His words were light but a darkness settled in his eye. The wheels in his brain began to turn and he felt himself unconsciously counting the exits.
“There are certain members of the Uchiha clan that plan to demand the surrender of your eye,” Itachi stated bluntly. The twelve-year-old was nothing if not direct. “It will be your life or Obito’s eye. I’m offering a third option. Leave now, while everyone’s at the funeral.”
Kakashi blinked, stunned. “Lord Fifth, as clan head, gave me permission to keep Obito’s eye years ago. You’re suggesting that he will overturn that decision?”
Itachi shook his head. “Certain matters have come to light and it isn’t safe for you here. There has always been unrest about my father’s decision to allow you to keep Obito’s gift, but now,” Itachi trailed off. He couldn’t tell Kakashi what they’d found when the clan confronted Danzo. It was too horrific to speak of. He rallied, instead of telling the truth, he fell back on older prejudices to explain the change of opinion. “Certain members of the clan don’t believe your story. They are convinced that you killed Obito for his eye and later killed your other teammate to silence her.”
Rin, Kakashi thought, his anger rising. Her name was Rin.
“Captain you need to leave, now, before it’s too late,” Itachi pleaded.
Kakashi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But Lord Third, he-”
“The Third Hokage is dead,” Itachi said with such a finality that Kakashi stared at him for a moment.
The young Uchiha hadn’t said this with the solemnity or sadness that had been accompanying the declaration for the last week. It came out with a breath and frustration; it came out like he felt relief.
Kakashi frowned. Less than a month after the Third Hokage had appointed Uchiha Fugaku as the Fifth Hokage, he had passed away. Sarutobi Hiruzen had been old, there was no denying that, but his passing so soon after Lord Danzo and The Accident was a crippling blow. In fact, some had theorized that Danzo’s death had made the Third Hokage realize the frailty of his own age. It was time to pass the torch on to younger, more capable hands.
The fact that Uchiha Fugaku was the first choice wasn’t entirely surprising. However, after the Nine-Tails incident six years before, there was some distrust of the Uchiha clan in general. Still, the general population remembered well how the Uchiha had helped evacuate the civilians during the attack. And their usual positions in the police force made it normal that an Uchiha was in charge. The transition of office had happened smoothly and Hiruzen rejoiced at finally being able to return to retirement.
But now the Third Hokage was dead. Kakashi had secretly been relieved when Danzo, the man who had manipulated Tenzo and tried to steal Obito’s eye, had died in The Accident. But Itachi had expressed relief in the death of the Third, on the day of the man’s funeral no less. Why?
Itachi looked at his feet nervously. This show of emotion from the twelve year-old made Kakashi scrutinize him.
“Danzo’s death wasn’t an accident,” Kakashi suddenly accused. “Was it?”
Itachi’s eyes shot up to meet his captain’s face. The boy’s face had gone pale, making him look even younger than normal. Still, Itachi didn’t speak. His lips were white and in any other situation, Kakashi would have been worried that he was about to faint. It was a built-in instinct at that point. The Hatake didn’t babysit, but Itachi was the youngest person he’d ever had on his team. Kakashi watched out for the boy in particular. Despite the serious façade, Itachi was still just a kid. A kid like Kakashi had been, shoved into the shinobi ranks too soon for reasons Itachi understood but couldn’t fully comprehend, not at that age.
“Did the Third really die of old age?” Kakashi asked, almost in a whisper. He couldn’t believe he was even saying the words. Couldn’t believe the thoughts were connecting in his brain, that it was even possible. The Uchiha initiated a coup and no one knew it. The previous Hokage was murdered.
“Senpai,” Itachi finally spoke, his words dropping heavily through the silence, “you need to leave. If you leave now, then no one else needs to die.” Itachi’s eyes didn’t meet Kakashi’s but they were red, the black marks blurring with the speed of their revolutions. It was now the only outward sign of his agitation. His voice sounded dead in Kakashi’s ears. “They will kill you, if they get the chance. Be it on a mission, in your apartment, they will get that eye back.” Itachi shook his head, closing his eyes. “No one else needs to die.”
The words were an affirming gong in Kakashi’s mind. He was less concerned about the threat to his life and more about the state of the village. The Third Hokage had been murdered and no one knew. The idea was repulsive. They were ninja, their lives were secrecy, but for the Professor to die in such a way was disturbing. Sarutobi Hiruzen, before he had stepped down for the last time, was considered the strongest of the current kage. Now he was dead and the Leaf was in the hands of the perpetrators.
“Naruto will be taken care of,” Itachi reassured, misinterpreting Kakashi’s silence. “My mother was a friend of Lady Kushina’s. She won’t stand for his mistreatment, by our clan or otherwise. He’ll be raised side by side with my brother.” Itachi almost smiled.
Kakashi’s chest clenched painfully. He hadn’t given the boy a thought. Naruto was six years old now, the anniversary burnt into Kakashi’s brain. Minato’s legacy was at stake and all Kakashi could think about was the political climate. He ran his hands through his hair.
Kakashi tried to speak but no words came out. He was like a fish on dry land. When Fugaku had assumed the role of Hokage, just a few weeks ago, it had been a festive occasion. Fugaku had appointed a new head of the Uchiha clan, as Hiruzen had when he left his duties to the Sarutobi clan behind. Kakashi’s mind grappled for answers. “How,” finally escaped his lips. The single word question encompassed all that his mind was struggling to process.
Kakashi turned to look at Itachi, only to see the tween was emptying his wardrobe. “What are you doing?” Kakashi stepped over but didn’t physically stop the Uchiha.
“You need to pack,” Itachi said as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
“I need answers,” Kakashi responded.
Itachi straightened up to his full, unintimidating height and stared Kakashi down. “Senpai, don’t make me force you.”
Not wanting to be cowed, Kakashi met Itachi’s red eyes with his lone black one. “I can’t leave without knowing,” he argued.
“You’ll have to, unless you want to put my life at risk as well.” Itachi said this plainly without emotion. “But believe me when I say, I always have the good of the village in mind. This was the best way, the way to keep the Leaf strong and shed as little blood as possible.”
This was all but an admission as far as Kakashi was concerned. He stared at his little apartment, realizing with sudden shock that he’d already decided to leave, that he may never see it again. It wasn’t the best place, but it was in the Leaf. It was home.
“I have to go,” Itachi said. “They’re expecting me at the funeral. I don’t believe people will wonder at you being late. It should buy you some time.”
Kakashi nodded numbly.
“Goodbye captain. If I ever see you again, I hope it’s under better circumstances.” With that, Itachi saw himself out.
Kakashi began methodically packing his things. Despite all of the clothes that Itachi had thrown onto the bed, he really only needed a few things. Most of what he owned now would only make him more recognizable on the road.
Kakashi rushed to his cupboard and cursed his lack of supplies on hand. No stores would be open on the day of the Third Hokage’s funeral. He packed what he could along with any cash he had hidden away. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.
Kakashi tore off his funeral outfit, ignoring the sad irony of it, and put on the black mission gear he normally wore under his ANBU armor. Then he summoned his hounds. Ripping the funeral clothes into pieces, he handed a piece to each dog, instructing them to leave the best false trails they could.
Seven blurs indicated their departure but Pakkun remained, looking up at Kakashi. “What’s going on boss?”
“We’re leaving,” Kakashi replied, not meeting the hound’s questioning eyes.
Knowing that Kakashi would explain if it was relevant, Pakkun took his scrap of cloth and left.
Kakashi looked down at the one thing he’d left unpacked and unworn. His Leaf Village headband lay innocently on his bedspread. He picked it up, tucked it in his pack, and left.
The village defenses were easy enough to navigate if you knew what to look for. Besides, the guards were more concerned with someone getting in than out. Running through the dense forest beyond the village walls usually calmed Kakashi but not that day. In his mind he had laid out a series of steps that needed to be completed. Pack, leave false trails, get past in-village security, sneak through the short and then the long-range perimeter patrols around the village, and so on. His next concern was getting past the forest patrols. After that it was picking out a spot to hide, one that he’d never used before.
There were several places in the wilderness around the village that Kakashi had used over the years, secret places where he’d hide from the elements, or wait until Pakkun brought back help if he was too injured to make it back on his own. None of those were useable to him now. His scent would be all over them. Besides that, he’d brought his ANBU subordinates there for safety several times. Those places would be at the top of the search list.
Kakashi understood he needed to leave the Leaf, but something made him want to stay close. It was irrational, stupid in fact, but he wanted it nonetheless. It was as if he was hoping that any minute Itachi would run out and find him, tell him it was all a mistake and to come home.
He could have gone to the funeral, Kakashi supposed. Stood up on the dais along with the Third’s photograph and openly accuse Fugaku of the coup. If he got it out in the open in front of enough people, then justice would be done. Justice would be done, and the Leaf would be plunged into civil war. A divided village was easy prey for a rival village. Sand or Stone would be all too happy to conquer the Leaf and make it a colony. The borders of Fire Country would waver, then collapse. The smaller, poorer countries nearby would stake claims, squabbles would ensue. Despite the current peace, the other villages would be foolish not to take advantage of the Leaf’s weakness. The Leaf Village was at the center of the continent, a stepping stone to many countries and trade routes.
Justice would not be done. This would be the Third’s final sacrifice to the Leaf Village. His death and the reasons it came about must stay a secret, for the sake of the village. For the same reason, Kakashi must go into exile and become a missing nin. This was all the good he was to his village now.
Kakashi shook his head and kept moving. When he was on a mission he had a directive, a plan. With missions, he could shut everything else out and focus his mind on the task at hand. But Kakashi had no focus, no mission but to run. It was just him in the lonely forest. There was nothing to distract him from the crushing thoughts that crashed in his brain.
No Guy to bring up some hairbrained challenge. No worrying Tenzo. No tentatively smiling classmates. No mission. No village. No home. No purpose.
The Copy Ninja tripped, his high speed sending him skidding into the ground. The shock of it stung and made the blood rush to his face. He rolled to absorb some of the momentum but then found he couldn’t get up, simply couldn’t. Kakashi lay there in the dirt and leaf litter, staring at his hands. He had killed Rin with those hands. She had sacrificed herself for the village he now fled. His hands shook and nausea swelled up within him.
“Rough day?”
Kakashi nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice. His hand reflexively reached for a kunai before his senses caught up with him. The scent would have been enough but he’d heard the voice too.
“Jiraiya,” Kakashi said, relief coating his voice. His shoulders slumped a little, making the sannin frown. He still didn’t move to get up.
“What’s wrong kid? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Kakashi looked up and saw the white-haired man, already dressed in black, prepared for his sensei’s funeral. Kakashi could relate.
When Kakashi didn’t say anything, Jiraiya hopped down from his perch in the trees to the forest floor. He’d diverted from his homeward bound trek when he’d felt Kakashi nearby. Now he bent over the youth, scrutinizing him. “Are you hurt?”
Kakashi shook his head, looking away.
Jiraiya’s frowned deepened. He knew that Kakashi was reserved, but he wasn’t usually this reserved. That plus the man was giving the sannin a look like a drowning man gives land. Since Kakashi wasn’t talking, Jiraiya figured he’d keep asking questions.
“Are you on a mission?”
Kakashi shook his head again.
“Figures, it’s not likely many are on a mission today.”
Kakashi didn’t argue. Then, “I’m leaving the Leaf.”
Jiraiya stared, stupefied, at the last Hatake. “How do you mean?”
“What if I told you,” Kakashi didn’t answer, “that the Third was murdered?”
Jiraiya’s look darkened. He straightened up. “That’s a hell of an accusation Kakashi. I hope you have proof to back it up.”
Kakashi shook his head, face ashen. “Just a suspicion. That and an Uchiha came to my apartment today, saying I’d either lose this,” he tapped the part of his headband that was directly over Obito’s eye, “or my life.” He looked up at Jiraiya to better gage his reaction.
Jiraiya’s face was like stone. He glanced to his right, toward the village. “It sounds a little like my new mission.”
Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. He was not in a position to get away quickly if the sannin tried to apprehend him.
Jiraiya half glanced back at Kakashi. He waved a hand idly. “No, it’s nothing to do with you.” He sighed. “I’ve been recalled. The wording of the letter strongly implied that any sannin that didn’t return to the Leaf would be hunted down without mercy.”
“They’ll send you after Orochimaru,” Kakashi supplied. He sat up.
“Yeah,” Jiraiya said, “and probably Tsunade too.” He looked at the ground. “The new Hokage has a zero-tolerance policy for failure in this regard. If Tsunade does not return within the month, she will be labeled as a missing nin. There will be a bounty for her corpse within the year.”
Kakashi’s jaw clenched. He had mixed feelings about the First Hokage’s granddaughter. He grew up hearing about her incredible feats, both as a fighter and a medic. Then when the Third War began, Tsunade was often spoken of among the medics and the veteran shinobi. She was sorely, in some cases, bitterly, missed. Despite how Kakashi felt about the Fifth Hokage, he couldn’t deny the man’s logic. Having two of the Leaf’s strongest ninja wandering around “researching” and gambling was not a good use of village resources. In Kakashi’s mind, Tsunade’s leaving was akin to his own father’s suicide. It was an abandonment when the village had needed her.
“Well she’d better come back then,” Kakashi said flatly.
Jiraiya’s eyes were sharp. “That’s rich coming from the guy who’s leaving.”
Kakashi let out an acidic laugh. “Right, if MY sensei were still Hokage, maybe I would get a free pass too. How many years has she been gone? Fifteen?” Kakashi wished he hadn’t opened his mouth as soon as he’d said it. Minato’s death had been hard on both of them.
“Thirteen,” Jiraiya grudgingly corrected after a minute of silence.
“Even Orochimaru stuck around for longer,” Kakashi couldn’t stop himself.
“Enough,” Jiraiya said. The very forest seemed to quiet at the demand, such was the following silence.
Jiraiya stared at the ground for a moment. He kept side-glancing at Kakashi’s slumped figure. “I don’t want to give up on my teammates. Since you’re out here to protect Obito’s legacy, I can assume you feel the same.”
Kakashi didn’t say anything but he didn’t lash out again either.
“Now tell me exactly what he said, this Uchiha that you don’t want to name.”