Naruto 1. Heading Out Again

This story (sequel to "Reach your Limits") is of Kakashi becoming a dragon rider and a legendary ninja. Yet it also turns out to be a journey in which Kakashi discovers himself more deeply.

"You're leaving?" Naruto yelled at his sensei who calmly stood next to him looking rather bored in fact. They were currently at Naruto's kitchen. Kakashi popped in from the window earlier and dropped the news on Naruto

"With Akio, in two hours" Kakashi repeated the news casually yet again

"Why?" Naruto whined "The Akatsuki are all dead, mostly"

"Jiraya found a letter from the wreckage from what appears to be an ally of Akatsuki" Kakashi informed him "And from the tone it seems that these allies are as strong if not stronger"

"Letters don't have tones" Naruto pointed out in annoyance

"I mean the way it's written" Kakashi sighed "This group was making demands of Akatsuki, thus it is presumable that they do not fear the Akatsuki which could only mean that they are just as strong or stronger"

"So you need to become stronger?" Naruto summarized

"Something like that" Kakashi nodded

"How long?" Naruto asked

"Who knows?" Kakashi answered truthfully staring out at Konoha from the window

"Good luck, sensei" Naruto smiled sadly understanding that it might be years till he sees his sensei again

"I have something I want to give you before I go" Kakashi replied dipping into his pouch. Once he found what he wanted he gripped the kunai handle and presented it to Naruto. The, kunai was odd and had three ends and the handle was wrapped with a seal

"This was given to me by my sensei when I became a jounin" Kakashi explained as he gave to Naruto "Although you are officially a genin, I would bet that you are one of the strongest ninja in the viallge. I'm proud to have been your sensei and when I come back who knows where we will both be. However, I don't doubt for a second that you'll become stronger and maybe Hokage"

Naruto twirled the kunai around

"Your sensei, he was the fourth, wasn't he?" Naruto asked not grasping everything happening

"Your father" Kakashi nodded

"Thank you, sensei" Naruto smiled widely

Kakashi curved his eye in a smile and turned to leave

"oh and sensei,"

Kakashi turned to face him

"When you come back, I'm going to defeat you" Naruto said with determination

"I'll be ready to make sure it doesn't happen" Kakashi smirked and with that he disappeared in a poof of smoke

"I thought I'd find you here" Akio announced his presence. Kakashi was just saying his final goodbyes in front of the memorial stone, his bag hanging loosely on his shoulders

"Just taking care of some last minute things" Kakashi replied fixing his bag and turned to face Akio as he walked towards him

"Let's go" Akio nodded and they both jumped away

"Welcome back" Izumi laughed in delight engulfing Akio in a hug

"Thanks Izumi" Akio smiled and kissed her affectionately on the cheek

"And Kakashi you decided to join us, excellent!" she smiled "This is cause for celebration, what would you guys like for dinner?"

"I eat mostly anything" Kakashi dismissed much to Izumi's disappointment

"How about some lobster and shrimps?" Akio offered knowing that Izumi would be happier if one of them choose the dish

"Great!" Izumi smiled "I'll get right on it"

"Kakashi why don't you unpack in the same room you occupied last time?" Akio suggested

"No , let him choose a room he wants" Izumi said "If he's staying here for months that he should choose a room that he can call his own"

"That's fine I…" Kakashi began but Izumi cut him off

"Nonsense, I insist" Izumi informed them "Akio go with him, I don't want anybody in my kitchen while I cook our feast"

"Whatever you see dear" Akio smiled as he and Kakashi walked away

"She has you wrapped around her finger" Kakashi snickered. Akio did not find the comment amusing and wacked Kakashi on his shoulder giving him a deadly glare

Kakashi laughed whole heartedly not caring for Akio's displeasure, he was actually enjoying it. Akio noted Kakashi's enjoyment and got even more angry.

"Here's the first room" Akio said opening the door. The room was quite similar to the one he occupied last time except he had a view of the mountains instead of Izumi's garden

"This is fine" Kakashi noted

"You haven't even seen the other rooms" Akio interjected

"I have a feeling I won't even have time to care that much for housing after your training" Kakashi snorted

"Izumi insisted so we're going to see all the rooms" Akio laughed leading Kakashi up the stairs

"How many rooms are they?" Kakashi inquired

"Do you really want to know?" Akio asked seriously

"Can I just have a room near the library?" Kakashi asked

"Thanks for making it easier for both of us" Akio nodded as he lead Kakashi to a room overlooking Izumi's garden

"Thank you" Kakashi said as he dumped his bag on the bed.

"Let's go for a walk in the garden" Akio suggested as he looked out the window

"Sure" Kakashi shrugged

As Akio walked alongside Kakashi he remembered his last conversation with Jiraya before he left Konoha:

_Flashback_

"_Akio," Jiraya began once they were sitting in one of Konoha's secluded forest areas "If you are going to train Kakashi then there are some things you need to know, specifically about the Hatake Clan."_

"_Like what?" Akio asked interested. _

"_You already know the philosophies the Hatakes had and their skills however I'm going to start to tell you about Sakumo specifically then move to the big picture, there are some things even you don't know about the Hatake Clan and I was startled to find out the secrets when Sakumo told me"_

"_And what about it…" Akio inquired_

"_There is a reason why the Hatake Clan was feared and despised, maybe this will help you know why" Jiraya said "Before I tell you however, this knowledge was given to me by Sakumo himself saying that there will come a time when Kakashi will be ready to hear this. I'm not sure when that is and quite frankly why I didn't tell him yet, but since you are his master now, you should know and this should come from you"_

"_The way you're saying suggests that I'm about to hear some bad news" Akio noted_

"_Not bad, necessarily" Jiraya replied "But the truth was never rainbows and butterflies now was it?"_

"You kind of zoned out there" Kakashi snapped his fingers in front of Akio awaking him from his trance

"Let's go back, Izumi must have dinner ready" Akio pretended that he wasn't lost in his thoughts. Kakashi ,who realized how Akio let the matter of him zoning out, couldn't keep himself from hiding his jibe

"Don't worry, old men start to day dream." Kakashi stated as they neared the mansion "Completely normal"

"Watch it" Akio growled as Kakashi chuckled enjoying torturing his master

"I'm sorry but you make it so easy" Kakashi laughed

"Next time you say something disrespectful I'll have you run for two days straight" Akio warned

"Sounds like a waste of time" Kakashi replied

"I don't know" Akio replied "I think I'd enjoy that"

"There you two are!" Izumi called out "Dinner is ready!"


	2. Blind With a New Set of Eyes

"Ready to train?" Akio asked the next day as Kakashi and himself stood in the rocky training area. Kakashi was currently kneeling down and tying some bandages around his leg. Kakashi had discarded his Konoha jounin outfit since he was currently off duty.

He now wore a loose white tank top and black trousers, simple training clothes that had no value. His mask was still present although Izumi tried to convince him to take it off since he was at home. Although Kakashi found the gesture sweet he still was not going to part with the mask he's been hiding behind since he was six.

"I can handle anything you throw at me" Kakashi replied standing up

Akio tossed him something and Kakashi caught.

"You've got to be kidding" Kakashi groaned as he looked at the blindfold hanging loosely in his hand

"I'm going to teach you how to fight even if you were blind" Akio informed him "I want you to feel the vibrations in the Earth as well now that you can sort of fight from sound alone"

"What do you mean sort of?" Kakashi muttered

"That means you suck compared to where I want you at but we'll get there sooner or later" Akio replied hearing Kakashi's comment "Tie it on already, we're losing time"

Kakashi sighed out loud as he secured the blindfold in front of his eyes

"Feeling the vibrations in the earth will help you greatly with taijutsu when fighting blind" Akio explained "I just want you to use taijutsu, you can rely on sound, however, it won't end well. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be" Kakashi replied. The second the words left his mouth Akio attacked. Kakashi felt him get closer yet and when he thought Akio was close enough he crouched to the ground and did a sweep with his legs.

"I'm still not close enough" Akio instructed. Before Kakashi could register Akio's word a kick contacted at his ribs sending him flying. Kakashi flipped and landed gracefully on the ground

"He's holding back" Kakashi thought "Till I get the hang of it at least, then who knows"

"I'm coming again" Akio replied. They kept at it till Akio felt that Kakashi could measure the distance from himself to the attacker from the vibrations. After that, Akio attacked aggressively knocking Kakashi around the area.

Kakashi struggled back up after a painful kick flew him into a boulder that impacted with his back hard.

Akio attacked without faltering.

"_Around forty five degrees left," Kakashi thought encrypting the vibrations "Still twelve meters away… alright just a bit more"_

Suddenly, Akio jumped and Kakashi did not have time to find his new location as Akio's foot collided with his head sending him face first into the ground. Kakashi could feel the blood seep out from his nose yet ignored it and stood up again.

Akio noted the bleeding and concluded that it wasn't too serious and could wait.

Six hours later and they were still at it. Kakashi was bruised from head to toe now and was bleeding in more than one place. However, his pain was rewarded with his progress. Right now as long as Akio was on the ground Kakashi could pinpoint his exact location.

It was difficult to know Akio's location in the air and thus switched to his hearing abilities when Akio was no longer on the ground. The problem remaining was Akio's use of ninjutsu in order to hinder Kakashi's sense of hearing useless for a short time. The sound of rocks and fire managed to drown the sound of Akio's movement and Kakashi usually found himself hit hard after escaping the jutsu.

"_74 degrees to my left," Kakashi thought "Seven meters away"_

Kakashi was suddenly hit hard in the back by a punch and was knocked to the ground. As Kakashi was standing up again Akio removed the blindfold

"What's the matter?" Kakashi asked standing again. He was trying to understand what had happened, Akio was in front of him yet he got hit in the back.

"Kage bunshin" Akio replied "I had one fight you and while you were preoccupied with it I attacked from the air. You can't assume your opponent will stick to one type of area. Since you were focusing on the vibrations you couldn't sense the real me jumping down from a rock and hitting you from behind."

"I just expected that…" Kakashi began

"No excuses" Akio cut him throwing Kakashi a sandwich that was substituting for his lunch "The key isn't to grasp one type of detection and use it by itself. The key is combing them. You were switching between your senses instead of using them all at the same time."

"So vibrations, sounds, smell and vision all at the same time" Kakashi nodded

"It will be difficult and will take some time to master. It's like your sense of smell and sound, you use it in collaboration with your eyes without thinking about it, right?" Akio explained

"Yes" Kakashi nodded

"Now you'll learn to use all your senses at optimum efficiency" Akio informed "It will be difficult as you will always have one sense that will dominate over others at a certain time. Once you master your senses, it will give you an edge over your opponent as different senses have different values and strengths. Vibrations help you detect positions and is extremely useful in taijutsu."

"But isn't it better with sight as I can see were the punch is coming?" Kakashi asked

"That is the part your eyes play however what would be better to determine the distance accurately, vibrations or sight?" Akio asked

"Vibration" Kakashi answered immediately "Sight is easily fooled because of depth perception, although much more worse in magnitude with one eye, everybody has a degree of it"

"Exactly, yet vibrations can't be fooled" Akio asked "Yet the best thing about vibrations is that they eliminate your blind spot, at least from the ground"

"True" Kakashi nodded since he knew he could sense vibrations all around him at a 360 degree angle. A makeshift byakugan.

"If let's say you were fighting Gai, was it, in a taijutsu match again, yet this time you also used vibrations, how much easier would it have been?" Akio asked

"Fractionally easier yet not much to gave me the upper hand completely" Kakashi replied

"Honing your senses will not give you that much of an edge since eyes are the fastest sense" Akio explained "However, if you master all your senses, it will differ greatly, trust me. Mastery over the senses will give you a stronger front and it will benefit you greatly while facing tough opponents. And you can always use a jutsu that hinders sight useless like mist which drops visibility to almost zero, that way you can defeat Gai easily"

"I understand why it's important" Kakashi responded thinking over his many possibilities that he gains from being able to read vibrations.

"Yet mastery of the elements cannot be achieved through training alone" Akio informed him "You must stay in practice and manage to live your life while using that sense alone. It is much easier than fighting in some sense yet it will be uncomfortable at first since you will be longing to open your eyes"

"Wait are you telling me you want me to manage around the house blind?" Kakashi asked trying to decipher Akio's words

"Exactly" Akio nodded "I hope you regained some strength since we are going to battle again. Put the blindfold on"

Kakashi obliged and secured the cloth on his head one more time as Akio came at him again. This time Kakashi tried to use both vibrations while not abandoning his hearing as well. Akio kept using Kage bunshin at unexpected times and Kakashi managed to sense some tricks yet others left him lying on the rocky terrain in pain.

Once the sun set Akio stopped the training. Kakashi was breathless to say the least and it was obvious that he was in pain as well. Akio did not go easy on him at all and Kakashi had the feeling he won't in future days.

"Good work today" Akio complimented "Really helped your stamina too. For two hours now you've been ready to collapse"

"Trust me I'm collapsing the minute I take a bath" Kakashi replied while yawning

"I hope you can have dinner" Izumi said noting how tired Kakashi was once he entered the kitchen. Akio was pushing him hard and it showed.

"I'm not sure that's an option" Kakashi replied yet Akio forced him to have something to eat saying he needed the protein and vitamins.

"Go take a bath and put this in the water" Izumi instructed handing him a bottle "It will sting a bit yet it will clean all your wounds, afterwards I'll come and heal anything that I can"

Kakashi placed the contents of the bottle in to tub he was currently lying in, the pain set in immediately and he let out a groan longing to get out of the tub.

Akio, however, knowing that this might happen, pushed Kakashi back in the tub who hissed in pain

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked trying to ignore the pain the medicine was causing

"Had a feeling that the sting Izumi warned you about will be pretty bad considering the extent of your injuries" Akio replied

Kakashi sighed tiredly and leaned his head back at the rim, the pain still causing him agony. Akio didn't say a word as he watched Kakashi try to ignore the pain, his expressions readable without his mask on. He now realized how young Kakashi still was, not even in his thirties yet. A lot of time for him to become an excellent shinobi. This was only the beginning and Kakashi will have days when his wounds are a lot worse, fortunately, Izumi will heal those and apply sedatives if necessary.

Speaking of which he needed to hire a medic since Izumi might not be able to handle it all on her own and he needed someone with experience on injuries more than medicine to monitor Kakashi. Then he will train Kakashi in accordance to the medic's orders as well.

"You have Thursdays off" Akio told Kakashi once his wounds were cleaned and the medicine was giving him a slight numb feeling yet not adding pain anymore

"Good to know" Kakashi replied

"Place some of the water on your nose" Akio ordered "Apply the medicine on all your wounds"

Kakashi reluctantly ducked his head under, feeling the searing pain com back hurting his nose and head where some wounds were existent due some of his many collisions with the rocks.

Kakashi resurfaced breathing hard

"Don't have the energy to even hold your breath?" Akio asked in concern yet he hid it with his tone of sarcasm

"Aren't you tired at all?" Kakashi asked

"I feel as if I had my morning exercises done yet once you become better I have a feeling I'll be lying in my own tub full of medicine" Akio smiled

"Are you going to train me on becoming a dragon rider as well?" Kakashi asked "Or are you focusing on ninja skills right now?"

"Only a highly skilled ninja can become a dragon rider. Same goes for Kioshi, only a highly skilled dragon can have a rider. Things were rushed because the Akatsuki fight was coming up, yet now we have time. That being said it has been agreed that you and Kioshi will train twice a week." Akio informed him

"I understand" Kakashi nodded

"Looks like you're all healed up now, more or less" Akio noted "Put some shampoo or whatever then go to sleep."

"Whatever you say" Kakashi yawned reaching for the shampoo bottle and squirting some on his hand. Akio saw that Kakashi was fine and turned to leave

"Good night" Kakashi said as Akio left and Akio nodded in return.


	3. A New Medic and Friend

"Morning" Kakashi yawned as he entered the kitchen. He pushed a chair and sat down, dropping his head onto the table in exhaustion "Thank you for the alarm, Izumi"

"My pleasure" she laughed as she set some pancakes in front of Kakashi and shook him to sit up straight and eat

"Don't worry it smells too good to pass up" Kakashi assured her as he muttered the blessing "Where's Akio anyway?"

"He already had breakfast and is having a quick meeting with one of his assistants" Izumi informed him

"He has an assistant?" Kakashi asked in surprise "For what?"

"Well he helps him find whatever he need employment wise," she explained "and he is also the one to receive mission and such. He takes care of the taxes and who knows what else"

"How come I've never seen him before?" Kakashi asked

"He doesn't live here yet they have a weekly meeting unless anything urgent comes up" Izumi replied

"And he just left again" Akio informed them as he entered the kitchen

"Anything new?" she asked

"I have a mission that I'll set on tomorrow" he explained "Kakashi you will train with Kioshi instead, alright?"

"It's not like I have a say in this" Kakashi replied nonchalantly

Akio laughed and ruffled his hair much to Kakashi's indignation

"I am also going to hire a medic" he said and jumped into the explanation quickly in order to not hurt Izumi "The reason is that Kakashi is going to be beaten up quite badly over the weeks and thus I want someone who deals with field injuries to monitor him and such"

"Monitor?" Kakashi asked annoyed "I'm not a kid"

"We know" Izumi smiled "But what Akio says is true, considering the state you were in yesterday I say a medic seems to be the best solution, and whoever it is can give us regular checkups too. Not to mention having another person in this house with a passion for medicine will be fun"

"I already knew you'd like somebody to talk to so I specifically asked for a woman" Akio nodded a smile gracing his lips

"You're the best" she laughed and hugged him tightly while Akio smiled and hugged her back

"Come on Kakashi, let's go train" Akio beckoned him to follow and Kakashi obliged

"A lake" Kakashi noted "Is there anything you don't have?"

"Something to turn you off" Akio replied smoothly while Kakashi glared at his back. Akio handed Kakashi the blindfold and Kakashi tied it on quickly.

"We're fighting on the water" Akio replied "Vibrations are different here so you're going to have to almost start from scratch"

After a while Kakahsi and Akio started fighting again. Akio included everything from nijutsu, fighting on water, on land and striking from the air and trees. He even added a little genjutsu here and there that Kakashi never managed to notice.

Akio disappointed that Kakashi is not realizing the use of genjutsu decided to keep Kakashi in one till he did. From his place in a tree Akio watched Kakashi dodge nothing and kick the air. After forty minutes Akio was fed up and walked up to Kakashi.

Once he was in front of Kakashi he released the genjutsu and Kakashi was shocked to find Akio suddenly in front of him. He was about to remove his blindfold but Akio stopped him.

"Genjutsu" Akio scolded "Have you come to rely on the Sharingan so much that you can't sense a genjutsu except with your eyes?" Before Kakashi could reply Akio continued "You've been trapped in a genjutsu for about forty minutes!"

"But I didn't see you" Kakashi asked in surprise "How have you placed me in a genjutsu if I haven't made eye contact to you at all?"

"And that's the mistake" Akio reprimanded "You can never assume that your opponent has tricks up his sleeve"

"The vibrations!" Kakashi exclaimed "You put me in a genjutsu through the vibrations that revert back to me, ingenious"

"You figured it out already?" Akio was pleased yet shocked at the same time "But that's no excuse for the utter display of embarrassment I just witnessed"

"Sorry" Kakashi muttered rubbing the back of his neck, so maybe he hasn't gotten over his habit completely yet "I won't fail you next time"

"You're already breathing deeply and adorn a variety of wounds," Akio noted "Let's see if you last long enough to make me forget about the genjutsu ficaso"

Kakashi nodded and they began sparring again

"You look terrible" Izumi jumped to Kakashi as he walked in covered in mud and soaked to the bone, a tint of red coloring his clothes

"And who might you be?" Akio asked a young woman that was standing by the sink looking at Kakashi as Izumi sat him down a gave him a cup of water

"My name is Masami" she introduced. Her hair was wavy and was of a light brown color, her eyes were green and she was 23 years old. Nobody can refute the fact that she was beautiful yet she had an elegant flare about her as well "I'm the medic you hired"

"Your assignment just walked through the door" Akio laughed "My name is Akio, nice to meet you"

She smiled warmly then turned her attention to Kakashi "Izumi showed me the office I'll work in and I think that it would be best for me to examine, Kakashi was it?, over there" Masami nodded

"You kinda look familiar" Akio noted.

Masami smiled "I hope I resemble someone you're fond of" and Akio smiled back

Kakashi has been very quiet through the walk to the Masami's office which turned out to be a small clinic. Although the air didn't smell of chemicals yet it was sure to once in use. How Kakashi hated hospitals.

"I think we'll leave you two" Akio informed them "We'll talk after you finish healing him and take a break too"

"Thank you" she smiled as the older couple left

She turned to Kakashi and was in full medic mode, her warm demeanor evaporated instantly "Strip to your boxers"

Kakashi obliged without a fuss and remained quiet even as she pushed him to lie down on the bed she had at one side of the room. He was too tired to even argue in a fight since he knew he'd lose anyway.

"Can't part with your mask?" she asked jokingly

Kakashi laughed and shook his head "Only when necessary"

"I have a feeling with Akio sama training you that time will soon come" she smirked

"Tell me something I don't know" Kakashi sighed

"I assume there are no life threatening injuries" she as she scanned Kakashi's body for any serious wounds. "These will get infected" she muttered to herself as she began healing some slashes on Kakashi's torso

Once she finished the main problems she addressed Kakashi "Anything in particular you'd like me to heal first? Causing you pain and such?"

Kakashi nodded and pointed to his knee "Nothing visible yet it hurts like crazy" he explained

"One of your tendons ripped" she replied "Don't worry it'll be fixed in seconds"

As she began to heal the rest of his wounds Masami struck a conversation "So you're the one I have to keep tabs on?" she asked

"I told them I don't need monitoring" Kakashi muttered

"I think you do" she replied "Not only is my job to heal you after training but make sure you have a balanced diet and that you're sticking to it, give you physical checkups every few days and have you rest when your body needs it. So the question that remains is, how come you're so important that you need such special attention" she joked at the end

"I haven't introduced myself personally" Kakashi smiled "Hatake Kakashi"

"The copy nin huh? I expected something else. Masami, nice to meet you" she smiled while she tied the last of his bandages "Let's measure your weight, height and all that"

"What do you mean expected something else" Kakashi asked as he got up putting his clothes on again. While Kakashi was preoccupied with getting covered Masami fetched a clipboard and started drilling him

"What's your age?" she asked

"Twenty nine and you're ignoring my question" Kakashi replied a smirk in place

"I'll answer you after we finish the check up" she replied with a smile

"I have a feeling it's going to be a long boring process" Kakashi sighed dramatically

"The ninja who can sit for hours waiting for a target can't have a physical exam for fifteen minutes without complaining?" she asked in a mocking tone

"It's different" Kakashi insisted as he stood on a balance that measured both his height and weight at the same time

Ignoring Masami moved to the next question "What's your blood type?"

"O" he replied as Masami fixed the bar to the top of his head and wrote his height donw on the paper

"You're underweight" she scolded

"I've been training hard" Kakashi explained

"I thought you looked thin because of the numerous wounds and your paleness" she noted "Looks like I have to work on that diet soon"


	4. A Mission With More Than One Goal

Thank you for all the reviews! Especially Prescripto13 and KakashiKrazed who have been offering great insights and advise even while I was writing "Reach your Limits". If I did not mention anybody else I'm sorry but you've all been amazing and I hope I always meet your expectations.

"Wake up!" a voice invaded Kakashi's sleep as he groggily opened one eye. It was dark and Kakashi could only see a figure of a tall man who could be none other than Akio. He sat up and rubbed his eye glancing at the clock that was blinking 4:00 pm.

"Anything the matter?" Kakashi yawned not happy about being woken up especially since he was still dead tired from Akio's training

"I have a mission and you're coming along" Akio stated as he opened the lamp on. Kakashi shielded his eyes at the sudden presence of light

"How much time do I have to get ready?" Kakashi asked as if he went on mission's with Akio every day. Truth be told he was actually curious and excited yet he still kept his calm and did not give an inclination about his feelings.

"Twenty minutes" Akio replied as Kakashi swung his legs to the side and stretched out "Our breakfast is getting ready. Pack what you need for three days."

"So no training with Kioshi tomorrow?" Kakashi noted as he performed his bathroom routine while Akio started to make his exit

"Some genius you are" Akio snorted and left with a bang of the door leaving an annoyed Kakashi behind.

Kakashi out on some black ninja pants, a black tank top and a sash around his torso to hold two of his swords as Akio requested. He was wearing a grey jacket on top of his attire and placed some fingerless gloves on. Kakashi missed his uniform but it didn't really matter and afterwards he left to join Akio.

"So what's the mission?" Kakashi asked as he and Akio bounded off into the trees

"Assassination" Akio replied indifferently

"What did the guy do to deserve death, hmm?" Kakashi asked

"I did not say the person was male. You shouldn't assume such things" Akio scolded him lightly

"So what did this female do?" Kakashi asked again rolling his eyes at Akio's statement

"No the person is defiantly a man" Akio shook his head a mental smirk forming

"Then why did you tell me off?" Kakashi muttered in irritation

"Because you still assumed" Akio grinned enjoying Kakashi's frustration "Anyway he is in the drug trade, the biggest problem that has us dealing with the issue is that the man in question is an S-ranked shinobi."

"Missing Nin I presume" Kakashi stated "Or am I not allowed to even assume that?" he added sarcastically

Akio pushed him off the branch and stood there glaring at Kakashi as he twisted and landed gracefully on the ground. "Respect" was all he said knowing there was no reason to say anymore

"I do respect you" Kakashi replied as he jumped back up next to him his eye curved into a smile

"Yes that shows a lot" Akio sighed as the continued on their way

"In my own way" Kakashi added as a sort of explanation

"Anyway you are going to be the one to assassinate him" Akio informed him

"Sure I've been meaning to show you how chidori is an amazing jutsu and prove you wrong" Kakashi leered

"There we go again with the lightening ball" Akio mumbled "Fine do whatever as long as he dies. I'll be in the sidelines timing you and staying out of sight in case you need backup."

"So you want me to finish him off as fast as I can?" Kakashi summarized

"I want to put your sneaking abilities to the test" Akio nodded

"I'll have you know I'm Konoha's number one assassin" Kakashi bragged

"And how gave you that title?" Akio asked sarcastically "Yourself"

Kakashi mocked laughed "If you must know I gained it the hard way through hard work"

"Care to explain your assassination career?" Akio asked concealing his worry. _"Looks like you have more Hatake blood in you than I thought"_

"When in ANBU, I was placed under a senpai whose specialty was assassination and I learned from him…" Kakashi began but Akio interrupted

"Were you placed with him on purpose or by chance?" Akio asked

"In ANBU nothing is by chance" Kakashi explained "I had little stamina at the time compared to ANBU members especially after I got the Sharingan. In addition to that, my sensei used to teach me a lot of sneaking skills saying I have a knack for stealth."

"What about a knack for killing?" Akio asked in curiosity

"What are you getting at?" Kakashi asked a bit of anger in his voice

"Nothing it's just an assassin has to be the type of person that can kill without hesitation" Akio said "There is nothing wrong with that. So do you kill without hesitation?"

"Well if the target deserves it or is trying to kill me" Kakashi answered reluctantly

"What if the Hokage asked you to assassinate someone and does not tell you why?" Akio asked

Kakashi stopped in his tracks and stared at Akio as if trying to understand the point of all this. Akio sensed the confusion in Kakashi's eyes but did not falter "What if the Hokage asked you to assassinate someone and does not tell you why?" Akio asked again, his eyes staring right through Kakashi for any hint of a lie in his answer

"Why are you asking me all of this?" Kakashi retorted instead, staring right back at Akio although with less confidence.

"That's for me to know" Akio replied "I am your master am I not?"

"Well yes but…" Kakashi was starting to feel uncomfortable

"Then I have the right to understand you" he said with authority, eyes tainted with a little anger now "and I have the right to ask you anything and I expect an answer." _"I need to know exactly where you stand in assassination, how far you'll go, it's for your own good. Jiraya, I hope you're wrong._

Kakashi faltered and answered in a quiet voice "I'll kill them without hesitation as I trust the Hokage implicitly and will not question their judgment"

"And what would you do to get the job done?" Akio asked looking at Kakashi who was lowering his head, his chakra a beacon that showed how uncomfortable he was with the entire thing

"Whatever it takes" he muttered the answer "Now tell me why you are asking me all this?"

Akio ignored him and kept the questions coming "Would you torture children in front of their mothers to get information from the mother about the whereabouts of her husband if she did not surrender to your torture"

"You aren't serious?" Kakashi asked in shock

"Your answer" Akio asked

"I wouldn't need to" Kakashi spat the words out

Akio realizing that if he kept quizzing Kakashi on this he would get no results. He looked ahead onto the road and started leaping towards their target. Kakashi stood in his spot in confusion and reluctantly followed Akio.

"We'll camp here for the night" Akio ordered, the first thing that has been said between the two of them since the questioning. Kakashi simply nodded as he began setting camp while Akio perched himself on a tree branch and relaxed.

Kakashi remembered the times when he used to sit on a branch and have his genins do all such work. That seemed like a life time ago with Sasuke now rampaging and going crazy and with Sakura and Naruto losing their innocence due to the cruel life of the ninja. Both have matured a lot and he was proud of them greatly, especially Naruto.

Although Kakashi would like to think about Naruto's progress, Akio's bizarre behavior kept crossing his mind. He knew Akio was hiding something from him, otherwise why would he ask such weird questions. Kakashi was not an idiot like Akio seemed to think, ok not exactly an idiot but his impression on Kakashi's smartness was less than what he deserved. The look on his face when Kakashi was answering was searching for something, what, Kakashi had no idea.

Kakashi decided to find out and the only way he could was to be blunt and ask Akio out right. After starting the fire and surveying the campsite to make sure it was set, Kakashi addressed Akio.

"Why were you asking me those question?" Kakashi cutting right to the chase. Akio jumped down from the tree and sighed.

"I'll give you an answer depending on how you perform on the assassination tomorrow" Akio replied, his tone indicating that his word was the final and word and that the matter should be dropped

Kakashi, however, wanted answers even if not direct "What are you expecting from me?"

"To assassinate Juro I thought that was clear" Akio informed him in way as if Kakashi was an idiot.

Kakashi's anger rose "I'm not an idiot" he growled "What are trying to get from all of this? Do you want to see me kill him silently without alerting anyone and then sneaking out? Do you want me to kill everybody then him? What do you want from all of this?"

"I want you to assassinate Juro" Akio replied "In the way you see fit. You're over thinking things"

"If you want to know me so damn much than I'll tell you about my philosophy, 'Look underneath the underneath', and I can see there is something more with this mission" Kakashi replied, his anger subsiding

Akio grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him straight into his eyes "It does not matter. I trust you and that's all you need to know. All I want from you is to assassinate the guy whatever way you think is best and forget about all of this. Can you do that?"

"Trust me with what?" Kakashi sighed knowing he won't get an answer "But I guess I trust you too so fine, just know that I'm not happy with any of this"

"You aren't ever happy with anything" Akio muttered

And with that out of the way master and student sat down around the campfire munching on some fish Akio had packed in comfortable silence until Kakashi was beckoned to go to sleep.


	5. According to Plan?

"_The security is getting tighter" Kakashi thought as he snaked around the stronghold Akio told him that Juro was in "Must be getting closer"_

"Guess what?" one of the guards was striking a conversation with another guard "My wife is expecting a child, imagine, me, a father"

"Congratulations you lucky dog you" the other laughed "Besides I don't think you can believe it yourself"

"Shut up" the first growled making the other laugh.

"You two shut it" someone from an adjacent hallway called out

Kakashi could barely hear the guards argue as he made his way further inside. He finally came to a long hallway where four guards were flanked in front of a door. Kakashi knew he didn't have time to bother with them and needed to find a way inside without alerting them. If he fought them the entire compound will be on his tail and it was not worth it.

Kakashi revealed the Sharingan and noticed that they had civilian chakra making it much easier for Kakashi to sneak in using a simple henge of a fly. Doing just that Kakashi flew and stood at a corner waiting for someone to open the door since something crawling under the door no matter what it was will draw attention.

"Genji sama" the guards bowed simultaneously as someone walked towards them.

"Is Juro inside?" he asked with authority

"Yes he is" one of them answered "Please come inside" as he opened the door Kakashi flew in quickly and buzzed around grabbing the attention of the occupants on purpose in order to make his transformation appear realistic.

Juro flayed his arms to drive Kakashi away yet did not pay the fly any more head probably from lack of ninja acquaintances in his life ever since he abandoned the Mist 17 years ago. The Mist did not follow him since they had their own Hokage problems and although Juro was a jounin he did not know a lot of village secrets. That was because he was a suspect of murder and although they could not pin point the murder on him the suspicion was still there.

Know he preyed on civilian villages in which nobody can oppose him. Other ninja villages didn't bother with him since civilian police forces did not want ninja meddling in crimes that fall under their line of work,

However Akio did not care for politics and did what he felt was right when somebody requests it. The pay wasn't bad as well, yet right now, Kakashi was doing his dirty work. Kakashi examined his target with the Sharingan

"_What the…" Kakashi muttered "Rock shield. Chidori should do away with it quickly yet that would require two strikes. Unless I slice his neck open… no he has that protected too"_

Kakashi flew to a different corner as not to stand out as a weird fly and presumed his observing. Once he finished his observations he realized that fighting Juro will need time and it won't be a quick kill like his usual missions.

"_In that case I have to use another tactic" Kakashi decided as he snuck back outside to meet Akio_

"Back already?" Akio said as he saw Kakashi approach him

Kakashi shook his head "Change of plan, he has an armor made of earth. I can easily destroy it with one hit from my chidori but an S ranked criminal will get over the shock quickly and then the entire stronghold will be on my tail while I fight him and that would be highly idiotic."

"So what's the plan then?" Akio asked

"I'm going to write tons of explosive tags and plant them everywhere" Kakashi explained "Then I'll have a Kage Bunshin destroy the armor and afterwards I'll immediately set the trigger and kill Juro if he escapes"

"Doesn't he have civilian guards who work for him for the sake of pay and have no idea what he's doing?" Akio asked

"They choose the wrong guy to work for" Kakashi shrugged "If I attack him they'll do their job and attack me giving Juro time to escape or make things very difficult for me. That will make MY job more complex."

"But you can still do the job without killing them" Akio replied

"Chances are unlikely" Kakashi snorted "If you want that then why don't you kill him. For you killing him would be a piece of cake and you wouldn't require to get rid of the unwanted baggage"

"People are baggage?" Akio asked in shock

"Look I don't WANT to kill them but it's necessary" Kakashi sighed running a hand through his hair

"Those people are not just guards but parents, siblings, husbands, children!" Akio replied

"I know that" Kakashi replied

"And you would just kill them?" Akio asked

"Depends" Kakashi shrugged "How important is this mission?"

"So a mission can outweigh the lives of others?" Akio asked

"Of course" Kakashi answered "If my death means many mire will be spared than I will sacrifice my life."

"I thought you would never let a comrade die?" Akio asked

"I do my best" Kakashi nodded "If they get captured I will save them, if a sacrifice is required I will volunteer. But nothing is in our hands completely. There are many shinobi who feel the same way"

"How about asking for my help?" Akio suggested

"I thought you wanted me to handle it my way?" Kakashi replied indifferently "But I won't decline your help, makes it easier and smoother"

"I'll create a barrier preventing anyone from interfering with your battle" Akio suggested non too friendly

"Great" Kakashi nodded ignoring Akio's mood "Shall we get going?"

"Lead the way" Akio nodded

"CHIDORI!" Kakashi yelled as he thrust his prized jutsu in Juro's heart. Kakashi immediately started his attempt to slash his head off however like he predicted, Juro jumped away and turned to face his opponent.

"You can't kill me" Juro smirked thinking that Kakashi did not know about the armor and that this would throw him off.

Kakashi ignored him and charged in ready to battle…


	6. The Hatake Clan's Dark Secrets

The kunai's clanged in mid air, both fighters applying pressure until they broke apart. Jugo was already panting hard, his sweat dripping slowly from his tanned face, his cheat rising and falling hard. Kakashi on the other hand, looked undeterred.

"What have I done to gain the attention of the famous Copy Ninja, huh?" asked Jugo stalling for time

"You've been active in the drug trade, right?" Kakashi asked not asking for a reply

"I'm just a business man like any other" Jugo replied calmly

"Tch" Kakashi scoffed "I have no time for this" and charged towards his enemy. Despite him being an S-Ranked criminal, his lack of training for years beginning to show.

Kakashi formed seals for a chidori, ready to deliver the final blow, Jugo, in the meanwhile, conjured a wall of spikes that headed towards Kakashi. Kakashi jumped over them and charged right back down, Jugo sent a volley of shuriken at him in an attempt to stop the advancing enemy.

Kakashi, already foreseeing such an attack, whipped out a kunai in the other hand, causing his chidori to become unbalanced for the time being, after deflecting the shuriken, he regained control over his chidori.

Judo jumped right before impact, however, the real Kakashi was waiting for that to happen and the minute Jugo was trapped in mid air, Kakashi jammed his sword throw his chest, causing Jugo to gasp in both surprise and pain, the clone disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Jugo hit the floor with a small thud, causing a small cloud of debris to surround him. Akio deactivated the shield have knocked all the guards unconscious while Kakashi headed towards the body to insure Jugo was dead.

Once he concluded that his target was dead Kakashi prepared to slice his head off for proof, a requirement for any assassination mission. Kakashi's sword came down ready to behead his enemy, Akio's hand stopped it in its track, however.

"We'll give him a proper burial" Akio ordered

Kakashi's surprise disappeared as quickly as it came, he lowered his hand and seethed his sword and turned around indifferently.

"Shall we leave?" Kakashi asked as Akio carried the corpse. Akio didn't answer and simply disappeared. Kakashi knew that he was outside the headquarters and departed outside as well

As Kakashi found himself out in the open field again, he glanced Akio finishing up a jutsu he knew was used to bury Jugo

"What proof will you present?" Kakashi asked as he walked towards him.

"My word is good enough" Akio replied as he stared at the fresh over turned soil where Jugo's body now lay to rest. "Let's go."

Kakashi and Akio proceeded into the forest without a word and soon enough the sun was beginning to set.

"Are we making camp or heading back to the mansion?" Kakashi asked as they bounded forward.

"Making camp" Akio replied "I need to talk to you"

"Is it about the reason why I had to come on this mission instead of training with Kioshi?" Kakashi asked concealing his eager for it to be so. He hated not knowing and his curiosity was starting to get the best of him

"Yes it is" Akio answered quietly and when he noticed Kakashi was going to ask more questions he stopped him "Wait till we make camp." He ordered "Virtue is key"

Kakashi scowled behind his mask but did as he was told, questions buzzing around in his mind.

After a couple more minutes of silence, Akio finally jumped down from the branches and ordered Kakashi to begin setting camp. As Kakashi finally started the fire, Akio joined him and cleared his throat to speak.

He looked at Kakashi hesitantly before starting to speak, "What do you know of the Hatake Clan, Kakashi?"

"Huh?" Kakashi exclaimed, he surely didn't expect that "Umm well, we have white chakra" he answered feebly

"Yes, yes you do" Akio nodded, a hint of distaste in his voice "Anything else?"

"Not really" Kakashi replied "My dad died when I was young so I don't really know much"

"Let me start at the beginning then" Akio sighed "Centuries ago, Byju and demons walked the earth freely, attacking human colonies and cretin havoc. Many humans tried to step up towards them and a war waged between the two races. Demons also walked the earth and unlike the nine byju, they were mildly weaker, reproduce, and there chakra isn't infinite. One day, the king of the demons, The White Wolf, issued war against the humans living around the current lightening country and the humans were nearing defeat."

"Nobody has records of that long ago so how do you know?" Kakashi interrupted

"I'm getting there," Akio nodded "Anyway, one human dared to challenge The White Wolf to a duel, his name, Hatake Hideaki. After a grueling battle, Hideaki sama managed to finally seal the demon within himself, ending the war and causing the demon wolf tribe into hiding were they killed of one by one. The seal, is no ordinary seal, however, and unlike the seals known to us, his seal allowed the demon's chakra to mix with his own on an alarming genetic scale. And as such, his sons turned out to have The White Wolf's chakra in their veins as well."

"They inherited like a bloodline limit?" Kakashi asked in shock and awe "Is that even possible?"

"Nobody knows the seal he used and the secret of it died with him" Akio replied "And thank the heavens that it did"

"Why?" Kakashi asked curiously

"It turned out that not only does the demon's chakra mix with their own but, it also bends their will." Akio informed him "As the Hatake Clan grew bigger, the chakra each man possessed was getting smaller, and that is where the trouble all began"

"Wait so the chakra is split among them?" Kakashi snorted "Sounds unbelievable"

"But it is true, Kakashi" Akio replied sternly "As they began to obsess over power, they started killing each other off in hopes of achieving more and more power. Not only that, but the demon made use of their desire and pushed them to commit heinous crimes, making them believe that they were demonstrating their power and reminding the world how powerful their clan was. Nobody dared approach the clan, they were feared among many, and soon people started referring to them as the beasts from hell."

Kakashi just stared at Akio in shock, he had a demon inside him. Well not technically but…

"Soon their actions escalated, more murders were being committed among them, a truly dark age. You're great great great grandfather, his heart never waning to the demon's will, decided to escape with his wife towards the Country of Fire. Once the clan was weak enough, its numbers having dwindled dramatically, other clans attacked, killing off all the Hatake's in the Lightening Country" Akio ended looking at Kakashi and trying to interpret his reaction.

He was shocked, he could tell since Kakashi's fist was clenched firmly, his eyes staring absently onto the ground

"What all this has to do with you?" Akio continued knowing that it was better to lay everything out in the open "As I told you the less Hatake's are alive, the more power each individual has. You, as the last of the Hatake's, are actually a jinchuriki"

"So my mind is corrupted and I'll soon become a beast from hell?" Kakashi half spat half distraught

"No, my dear boy, your father has sealed the demon away the day you were born, not wanting you to fall victim to the demon or the villagers of they knew." Akio reassured him

"Then why are you telling me all of this?" Kakashi asked

"Because, the seal is weakening, and regardless of the seal, the Hatake blood runs through your veins, as well as a small fraction of the demon's will and power. The reason why I had you kill Jugo was to see whether you killed without hesitation, and unfortunately, you do" Akio replied

Kakashi stood up in anger "Many people do, it was a mission for the good of civilians and shinobi alike"

"Kakashi, very few actually cut off all their emotions when killing, although it does not show. However, I can read chakra's and facial expression better than a Hyuga due to the fact that nature chakra is so sensitive that it will react to a little bit blood thirst" Akio said trying explain

"You find people who kill for the fun of it" Kakashi growled "I'm not a some sort of blood thirsty monster"

"Kakashi, because of the fact that you can kill so freely makes you vulnerable to the demon's will. It is easier for the demon to have you kill someone when you yourself have become accustomed to killing without hesitation. Before you start yelling," Akio continued watching Kakashi close his mouth "I understand that other shinobi, especially ANBU and special teams, also have that quality. However, because of The White Wolf's existence is inside of you, and since you have the Hatake blood that longs for power, it is dangerous for you to possess those qualities."

"The Hatake's weren't all blood thirsty maniacs, what about my great grandfather and his procedures?" Kakashi asked

"Jiraya told me for a fact that your father sometimes got carried away while using white chakra, even your own father admitted it, that's why he went to great lengths to stop you from following the path of your ancestors and clan." Akio explained "Why do you think that you are so gifted at the art of assassination?"

"I dunno, training" Kakashi replied

Akio shook his head "You are a Hatake, the demon's will has tainted your own, and soon, if you do not learn to control, the demon will begin to enclose your heart once the seal breaks. That is why I will teach you to control, not to use, but to protect yourself and other around you"

"I don't believe it" Kakashi replied adamantly "Many evil parents have produced angelic children"

"Not many people are half demon!" Akio stated. He did not want to say it clearly, although he knew Kakashi had already come to this conclusion, but if it required rashness to get Kakashi to see the danger the situation poses, he needs to face the harsh reality.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the statement then dropped to a worried gaze, staring at his own two hands as if they were foreign to him

"Kakashi listen to me," Akio ordered "You may technically be half a demon, however, that is no reason for you to label yourself as a monster. It is actually a great tool you can use to protect those close to you of ever needed"

At those words Kakashi's heart sank _"If I knew before I might've been able to save Obito and Rin. I don't believe it… guess that's how life goes." _

Kakashi closed his eyes and searched for any trace of demon chakra in his system, and only after about five minutes of deep meditation was he finally able to sense a foreboding chakra lying dormant inside of him.

"Kakashi," Akio approached softly after Kakashi's chakra turned tense "I will help you control the demon if it's the last thing I'll do" he said determinately as he grabbed on to his charge's shoulder for comfort and reassurance.

Please review and tell me what you think. I am kneeling towards the fact that it may be too much but… it's your opinion that matters. Depending on the reviews I might change the plot a bit and de dramatize the Hatake Clan bit but the main idea for this story will not change and Im not telling you what it is either :P Thank you for reading and sorry for the delay.


	7. Too Quiet Too Uncertain

Kakashi looked at the ripples created by the rock he just threw into the lake behind Akio's mansion. He still couldn't believe he was half demon, a blood thirsty, man eating, home destroying demon. At first Kakashi was confused, then he was a bit scared, now he was right down pissed. He grabbed another rock and chucked it inside the lake in anger, growling in anger. As if the weather was mimicking his mood, dark clouds were decorating the sky, a chill was in the air and a distant storm was coming closer.

"Aren't you cold?" Akio asked he walked towards Kakashi with a jacket in hand, throwing it casually to Kakashi as he turned to face him.

Kakashi simply grunted as he placed the jacket on and looked back towards the lake.

"Even with the jacket, when the storm hits you're going to get drenched" Akio stated

Kakashi shivered and rubbed his hands together "Just a few more minutes"

"Mind if I join then?" Akio asked

Kakashi shrugged in indifference as Akio sat down next to him. "Kakashi talk to me"

"What do you want me to say, exactly?" Kakashi replied sarcastically "Oh, I'm a bloodthirsty lunatic but it's ok"

"No actually I want to know why it's troubling you this much?" Akio replied "It just doesn't seem like you and considering you have a jinchuriki for a student should make you realize that it isn't that big if a deal"

"Naruto has a demon sealed inside him" Kakashi answered "but he himself is one hundred percent human. I'm actually half demon, it's not the same"

"Yes, but the Kyyubi manipulates him, or attempts to at least" Akio explained

"That's true however, he's protected himself from the Kyyubi's will but I have to protect my human half from my demon side's, my own side's will. It's just…"

"It's as if you're escaping from yourself" Akio offered and saw Kakashi nod

"You're not in anyways a demon" Akio assured him

"What happened to, 'you can kill so freely and without emotion that you're vulnerable to the demon's will'?" Kakashi pointed out

"A demon is bloodthirsty" Akio explained "You are just devoid of emotion, a sign that you're on your way yet not quite there, exactly half and half"

"That makes me feel so much better" Kakashi replied mockingly

"I'm not trying to sugarcoat this for you" Akio stated "I'm just telling you the plain truth as it is"

"Sorry" Kakashi muttered and sighed as he threw another rock in the lake

Akio was surprised, Kakashi never apologizes in this manner, usually it's the apology laced with humor and a well you let this go tone. A sign that Kakashi is in fact deeply troubled by all of this. Yet before he could say anything Izumi called them to come inside for dinner.

Kakashi stood up and placed his hands in his pockets, slouching towards the house in silence. Akio breathed deeply and followed pursuit.

"Sorry it's only ramen" Izumi smiled "We went out today thinking that you wouldn't be back till tomorrow and didn't have time to make anything else"

"Ramen is perfect, Izumi san" Masami smiled "It tastes unbelievably well to"

"Don't worry about Izumi, whatever you cook is always great" Akio smiled as he pushed the chair back and sat down to enjoy his meal.

Kakashi like usual ate everything extremely quick and then asked to be excused

"Non-sense" Izumi replied "You just got back and I want to hear all about the mission"

"Well, it went smoothly as you can see, barely any injuries, just a few minor scratches" Akio replied as he blew on the noodles to cool them down

"I'm glad you did so well, Kakashi" Izumi smiled

"Yea less work for me" Masami smiled as the others laughed besides Kakashi

"Kakashi are you ok?" Izumi asked him in concern

"What, oh I'm fine" Kakashi replied with his eye curved smile "Just tired"

"Oh you should've told me I would've let you leave" Izumi replied quickly

"No it's fine, really" Kakashi answered rubbing the back of his head "I guess I'll turn in though, see you tomorrow" and with that he left to get some sleep.

Akio stared at the clock hanging on the wall opposite his desk as it chimed at 11:00 pm, his mind focused on his charge. Kakashi's attitude was bothering him to say the least, he expected either anger or frustration, not this quiet and lifeless Kakashi.

With a frustrated sigh, Akio kicked his chair back and walked towards Kakashi's room. Once he reached the door he monitored Kakashi's chakra and noticed that it was stable indicating that Kakashi was either asleep or emotionless at the current moment. Deciding to find out, Akio knocked on the door twice and entered the room.

He found Kakashi sitting cross – legged on his bed, deep in meditation. Akio noted that Kakashi hadn't even noticed his presence, his breathing coming out in even breaths, his hair swaying gently from the night breeze coming from through the window.

"Kakashi" Akio shook him gently watching him slowly come back to consciousness. "What are you doing?"

After Kakashi blinked a couple of times and took in his surrounding, he turned to Akio with and with a lazy wave of his hand replied "Meditating"

"Are you trying to confront the demon side of you?" Akio asked knowing the answer already. And true to his intuition, Kakashi nodded his head in reply. "It won't work without the undoing of the seal"

Kakashi sighed and pushed his hair back

"I can undo it if you want" Akio stated nonchalantly. He watched as Kakashi turned back to him in surprise, clearly not expecting that.

"Really?" he asked suspiciously eyeing Akio critically looking for any hint of lie or humor.

"Tomorrow" Akio nodded to which Kakashi sighed in annoyance "You need rest, go to sleep and tomorrow I'll undo your seal after you explain things to Kioshi"

"Huh? Why" Kakashi asked "Not that I mind but just curious"

"You're partners now" Akio replied with a smile

"Eww not like that" Kakashi shook in horror at the sheer idea "We're friends"

"Stop being an idiot!" Akio reprimanded sending a glare at Kakashi's way "You know that I don't mean partners in that sense you pervert!" Despite being angry, he was actually revealed to see Kakashi reverting back to his normal self.

Kakashi chuckled and apologized, undoing his legs from the cross and stretching them out a bit.

"Go to sleep" Akio ordered "If not then I won't undo the seal" and he turned to leave. Just as he was about to close the door he heard Kakashi comment in annoyance

"Bribing me with something that is my right" Kakashi muttered in indignation "Leave it to Akio to do something so inhumane"

Akio closed the door and shook his head in dismay, Kakashi was sure a handful. With that he went to his own room to sleep as well, he needed his sleep as well for what is to come tomorrow.


	8. What it Takes to be HalfDemon

Kakashi woke up the next morning feeling anxious to meet the demon inside. It's been a while since Kakashi was last nervous, specifically when he ran after his two students after finding out that Sasuke went to Orochimaru. More so than battling the Akatsuki because for Kakashi, when he chased after Sasuke he felt like he had failed as a teacher and wanted to make it right, although that wasn't really an option.

In short, Kakashi was not feeling too good as he put on some clothes, went about his daily hygienic routine and headed down for some breakfast. Once he arrived at the kitchen he was met with the familiar face of Akio,

"Did you figure out what you're going to tell Kioshi today?" asked Akio

"Not really, but what's to plan? It's pretty straightforward" Kakashi shrugged "Hey guess what, I'm half-demon. What's there to it?"

"That's blunt" Akio noted "But whatever you want, it's better not to beat around the bush anyway but maybe deliver the news a bit more gently"

Kakashi didn't respond as he began eating some pancakes Izumi left out for them since she knew they were leaving early. Kakashi ate everything quickly as usual then looked at Akio in a gesture to imply that he was ready. However, for some reason Kakashi could not fathom, Akio just sat there staring outside the window in deep thought.

Kakashi didn't bother forcing the issue and sat quietly as well, waiting for Akio to start things up. After five minutes of complete silence Akio decided to speak up

"Well, whenever you're ready ask Kioshi to summon you." As soon as the words left Akio's mouth Kakashi began the summoning jutsu and soon enough he found himself face to face with his loyal friend, Kioshi the dragon.

"I'm going to be honest I didn't expect to see you for another two days or so" Kioshi greeted

"Nice to see you too" Kakashi replied and pbserved his surroundings glad to find that Kioshi was on her own, probably having a morning flight or something. He faced her again and explained "Change of plans. I have something I need to tell you"

"Well spit it out" Kioshi told him as she lay down and gave Kakashi a lazy nod

"I'm half-demon" he stated calmly waiting for her reaction. He studied her features trying to understand what she was feeling but noted that her only reply was a raised eye-brow

"Sorry, but there is no way that a pathetic creature, such as yourself, be compared to legendary beings, let alone be one." She replied "maybe your half dog or something"

"This is serious" he sighed. He expected Kioshi to burst out like Naruto would've done, but he was surprised at this calm Kioshi standing before him.

"So am I" she huffed "Demons are at league with us dragons, If you were half demon you would've at least been bigger or had certain physical features or something. I know for a fact that sealing doesn't affect your outer appearance but you're claiming to be half demon" she ended with a snort

"Why would I lie to you?" Kakashi asked in annoyance

"For the hell of it" Kioshi retorted

"Yea Akio let me come here to have a little bit of fun" Kakashi said sarcastically "and Naruto doesn't like ramen and you're very shy"

"Watch it" Kioshi growled starting to spread her wings in warning. Kakashi sighed and ran his hand through his hair in irritation.

"Come on, the sooner you understand this I can remove the seal and I can confront the White Wolf" Kakashi urged her

"The White Wolf?" Kioshi stared at him in shock "No way"

"What?" Kakashi asked her for a clarification

"Nothing it's just that its story is famous among dragons. Parents tell it to children so they won't venture outside for fun or an adventure. Humans can't be reasoned with and some of them are really strong so its best not to meddle with them is the moral"

"What's the story?" Kakashi asked curiously

"During an era where humans were increasing in numbers rapidly, the demons and dragons of the earth found themselves outnumbered by a lot. Yet, they paid no head since humans where much smaller, and so in default they figured weaker. At first they lived side by side however, territory wars soon broke out. The first and most major war between the two races, demon and humans, thus began. The White Wolf led the smaller army of demons against the humans however; the humans surprised all the creatures of the world when they demonstrated vast knowledge and power in the ninjutsu arts, especially sealing arts. Demons were being sealed left and right and at that point, the war reached its peak. During the war a lone ninja challenged one of the generals of the demons, The White Wolf's son, and sealed him away forever. The White Wolf was outraged and sought out this human himself. After a fearsome battle, the ninja managed to seal the White Wolf inside of himself gaining great power and a victory against the demons" Kioshi retold the story

"Heard the same story with much less detail" Kakashi said "Apparently that ninja was the founder of the Hatake Clan. His seal allowed for the White Wolf's chakara and will to spread among his descendants. Since I'm the only one left…" his face etched in worry

"You're the recreation of your ancestor" Kioshi completed his sentence looking at Kakashi in awe

"It sounds nice when you look at it like that" Kakashi snorted "Wait, so you believe me?"

"I can't see how you would know that name unless you knew" Kioshi explained "Apparently humans did not record history that far away so it's defiantly your clan's secret or something."

"And you're not freaked out or anything?" Kakashi asked for reassurance

Kioshi laughed deafeningly "I'm a dragon for crying out loud, equal to demons in strength yet have less chakra, I don't fear any demon nor one stupid enough to get sealed in humans for centuries"

"I wouldn't say it was stupid, just outmatched" Kakashi smirked at her in amusement

"Whatever" Kioshi shrugged a smile still present on her face "But no I still think you're a pathetic excuse of a human whom for some reason or another I call a friend"

"That's touching, really" Kakashi rolled his eyes "Great now to find Akio… Damn it he didn't tell me whether he'd be here or back at his compound"

"Let's just find Ryuu," Kioshi suggested "He'll know"

"Yea you're right" Kakashi nodded as he jumped onto her back and they flew away from the secluded area.

"It went well I hope" Akio asked as Kakashi slipped off Kioshi's back after flying for an hour or so. Kakashi stretched his muscles, nodded towards Akio and then observed his surroundings. Ryuu and Akio were also in a secluded area. Mountains surrounded him from all sides and the land seemed a bit dead compared to the abundance of nature he saw everywhere else.

"It's a special training area for those of us with fire affinity" Ryuu explained "I booked it for the day so you can have privacy"

"Thank you, Ryuu sama" Kakashi bowed down towards the elder dragon

"Any questions before I unseal it?" Akio asked indifferently. He was worried but he knew that Kakashi was worried much more than him so he adopted this relaxed nature in an attempt to comfort his apprentice

"Just one" Kakashi said "You keep saying unsealing it but wouldn't that run the risk of having the White Wolf overpower me and come free?"

"There are two things you need to understand about that" Akio replied "First of all, the only seal that can contain the White Wolf's demon as much as it has seals most of the White Wolf's power as well, as if it's sleeping. However, a seal that powerful works in one way only, completely shut. You can't decide how much of the White Wolf's chakra you want to seal so it's either blocking its power out completely or not having it at all."

"So you're going to remove it?" Kakashi couldn't conceal the worry from his voice

"Precisely" Akio nodded "But do not worry. The White Wolf can't take over you."

"Why not?" Kakashi asked

"Because it's not about strength or brute force, it's all about will. I told you, this thing is half of you and as such you're battling yourself, but not physically. Your emotions control which side of you dominates. Let's say you were extremely angry and your judgment clouds, then the White Wolf will take over, yet not completely. If the White Wolf is dominant for too long, then and only then will you lose yourself completely and the White Wolf returns to the world." Akio explained "Which is why it is imperative that you learn how to control your emotions. Of course, you already do to a great extent I have yet to see you lose your cool. However, doubt, grief and guilt also play a major role in this."

"I get how doubt and grief can help the White Wolf gain control, but guilt?" Kakashi asked in confusion

"When you're guilty, you seek the power to make things right, to make amends" Akio explained then he noticed Kakashi grow extremely concerned. As ninja, it is not strange to feel guilty for various things; in fact it comes with the territory. Yet somehow the concern and fear that flashed in Kakashi's eye back then gave Akio a bad feeling.

"It's natural to feel guilty, Kakashi" Akio tried to reassure him "Every ninja does from a reason, some more than others. You just need to learn how to deal with it"

"_That's just it" Kakashi thought "I can't deal with it"_

_FLASHBACK_

_Kakashi was standing in front of the memorial rock in silence, listening to the rain patter around him. _

"_You do you feel the need to come here every day?" somebody asked him not far away. However, Kakashi was feeling a tad sluggish and decided not to answer. He tried to feel the chakra signal with his chakra but it wasn't responding to his will. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder in a comforting gesture yet Kakashi felt uncomfortable with the physical contact and batted the hand away half-heartedly. "Kakashi, let's get you inside somewhere, it's been raining for quite some time and I have a feeling you caught something."_

_Kakashi found himself being led away and lost consciousness soon after. When he woke up he was in the hospital feeling as if he just ran a marathon with Guy. _

"_Finally awake" the same voice asked him and Kakashi whipped around the find the Hokage looking at him with concern_

"_Hokage sama" Kakashi stammered and pushed himself up to a seated position_

"_Why do you feel the need to visit the stone every day?" the Hokage asked again_

_Kakashi looked away not wanting to answer that but the Hokage didn't comply with his wished and sat there waiting for an answer. Kakashi knew he had no choice but to answer so he drew in a breath and replied,_

"_It's my fault they died," he said quietly looking down at his hands and cursing his weakness "I just ask for forgiveness"_

"_It's not your fault" the Hokage said sternly "This is part of a shinobi's life, we need to learn how to deal with it and accept it."_

_Kakashi heard his words, but they didn't help in anyway. He knew people died, if the blood on his hands was any indicator. Yet knowing he had the power to save somebody and couldn't, that was what killed him. The Hokage realized that his words had no effect and sighed_

"_You are able to handle extreme training regimes, the life of an ANBU, torture and so much more, yet guilt seems to stomp you. Every ninja has his weakness, mental weakness that is, yours is guilt. Knowing that is the first step towards learning how to deal with, accepting it and moving on." The Hokage lectured "I can't give you the answer on how to deal with it, you must find that yourself, but I'm always here if you need somebody to talk to."_

_This time his words seemed to haven to given the young ANBU something to think about. Satisfied that he helped Kakashi with the first step he began to make his exit. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"_Problem is that I never really found out how to deal with guilt" Kakashi's thoughts did little to reassure him_

"Don't worry" Akio's voice bought him out of his musings, "I'm here to beat some sense into you if it came to that"

Kakashi smiled a bit and took a deep breath; eyes filled with hesitance were replaced with determination "I'm ready"

"Then let's begin" Akio smiled.


	9. Confrontation, The Battle Begins

Kakashi sat cross-legged on the ground, his shirt abandoned long ago as Akio prepared to unseal the connection between himself and his… other half. It felt weird wearing a mask separate from his undershirt, they usually came together.

Kakashi shuddered involuntarily as Akio traced on his back. Kioshi and Ryuu were just observing in silence making the atmosphere feel heavy; Akio concentrating on the seal, Kakashi preparing for the meeting, Kioshi worried and Ryuu curious.

"Everything's set, just a series of seals and it's done, shall I go ahead?" Akio asked Kakashi who took in a deep breath and nodded. Without any more warning, Akio went through a series of seals and then forced his chakra onto Kakashi's back and into the seal.

Kakashi gasped in pain and shut his eyes as he felt his skin tear apart, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and onto the ground below. Then all of a sudden, the pain became non-existent and Kakashi took a few moments to take in deep breaths then pulled himself together again.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a forest of some sort, yet the trees were much more mature than he ever saw. Kakashi began walking in a random direction admiring the nature around him until mist suddenly emerged and the temperature dropped. He shivered but kept venturing forward; guessing the sudden chill in the atmosphere meant he was approaching the demon.

His hunch was right because a couple of steps later, Kakashi found himself face to face with the largest wolf he ever saw.

"I never thought I'd see you here, Kakashi" The wolf stated in an air of indifference as it stood up to show all of its glory "Thought you'd be ignorant of my existence till you died to be honest"

Kakashi was surprised, not expecting the wolf to be so relaxed. He thought that the wolf would spew curses at him, threaten him, demean him…. Not this.

"Why are you surprised?" the wolf asked in amusement "You thought I was some blood thirsty beast? What did you lose your ability to speak or something?"

"I did expect you to be different yes" Kakashi replied finally

"I am as blood thirsty as any wolf, Hatake" the demon elaborated "Although I may have corrupted your ancestors a bit too much"

"Why's that?" Kakashi asked in curiosity

"Simple, the more blood lust they had, the more evil they were, the more people wanted to kill them…. REVENGE" it suddenly shouted and Kakashi involuntarily took a step back

"But you didn't corrupt me as you did them?" Kakashi asked uncertainly

"I barely tainted your soul" the wolf snorted

"Thanks for that" Kakashi thanked him

"I didn't do it for you, it was this stupid seal your father placed on you" the Wolf smirked "It stopped me from effecting you too much."

"Too much?" Kakashi asked for elaboration

"Whenever you neared your breaking point or exhaustion limit I may have….. allowed my will and strength to… guide you" the Wolf sneered "but now that you have broken the seal, bending you towards my spirit will be easy enough"

"You're wrong" Kakashi glared at the demon

"Am I now?" the Wolf asked rhetorically "Your emotions will become my power, your resolve a key to your heart, your weakness ammo for taking over. Besides I know you better than anyone"

"You don't know anything" Kakashi spat

"Don't I?" the Wolf smirked "you forget that even though I couldn't effect you I was here the whole time, I've seen your life from the moment you were born, heard your thoughts, felt your emotions. I must say you were, and remain to be, quite the entertainment."

"Of course it would be for somebody who has been imprisoned for decades" Kakashi leered not willing to back down from this fight and lost all hope in reasonable negotiations

"You insolent little…" the Wolf began as it slashed at Kakashi who didn't have time to dodge. Its claws, however, didn't hurt him at all.

"That hurt" Kakashi snorted

"Laugh all you want" the Wolf smiled wickedly "I'll have you bent towards my will in a month's time. It's not that hard seeing as how you're heart is already black. You may seem like a decent and respect-worthy ninja, but I know the truth. You are a weakling whose glory is based upon what is not yours, you are ruthless, even as a child, you felt nothing as you destroyed the lives of people as long as they were your enemies, you are a lonely coward who pushes everybody away so they won't see how pitiful you really are. The famous sharingan no Kakashi is nothing more than a sorry excuse of a ninja who had luck on his side for quite some time. But not anymore, luck won't help you against me, Hatake. Soon you'll see the power of the White Wolf."

Although Kakashi was distressed by the speech he did not show it, he put on a face of indifference and hid behind as he spoke his next words "We shall see"

"Goodbye, Hatake" the Wolf chuckled "Next time we see each other, you'll be the one observing and I the one in control"

Kakashi wanted to retort but was forced out of his subconscious back into the real world. He noticed that he was lying down so he sat up and looked around to find Akio sitting next to him, concern and curiosity decorating his features. Kioshi and Ryuu were not too far away talking amongst themselves still unaware that Kakashi woke up from his slumber.

"Did it work?" Akio asked knowing all too well that it did. Kakashi simply nodded and began to stand up and that was when the two dragons noticed that he woke up

"You alright?" Kioshi asked immediately and rushed towards him. Kakashi batted away her worries reassuring her time and time again that he was indeed, alright.

"How much of a threat does he pose, Kakashi?" Akio asked

"**The Ultimate Threat!" the White Wolf growled in Kakashi's subconscious**

Kakashi was surprised not expecting the Wolf to be able to talk to him outside of his subconscious

"What's wrong?" Kioshi asked in worry

"Nothing" Kakashi replied "Just a little tired is all. And to answer your question, the White Wolf won't be that big of a problem"

"**We'll see about that" it snorted**

"Good" Akio nodded "We have some time before we're expected for dinner" Akio informed him "Want to go back now?"

"Can I fly around with Kioshi for a while to clear my head?" Kakashi asked Akio and Kioshi

"I don't mind" Kioshi smiled while Akio simply nodded.

Kakashi jumped onto Kioshi's back and they took off while Akio watched on in worry.

"He's hiding something" Ryuu commented

"I know" Akio nodded gravely

"Then why didn't you demand answers?" Ryuu asked in confusion

"Right now he needs to, as he said, clear his head" Akio explained "When the time comes, I will pursue the matter and force it out of him if necessary"

"Want to tell me what happened?" Kioshi asked as she flew higher and higher into the air

"The White Wolf wants to control me" Kakashi replied much to Kioshi's surprise, she had expected Kakashi to remain silent.

"Well then he won't be able to" Kioshi snorted "You'll beat him, no doubt"

"Thank you" Kakashi said sincerely "However, he knows all my thoughts, feelings, etc… Also, he can talk to me anytime. He's probably listening to our conversation right now."

"So you hear him inside your head?" Kioshi asked in amazement

"He only talked twice till now" Kakashi nodded in worry

"You need to learn how to tune him out then" Kioshi determined "Besides he cannot know how you feel, or your thoughts, he can only guess."

"He said he does" Kakashi informed her "He's been watching my life since the day I was born"

"So he might know your personality well, but he does not know your feelings and thoughts" she repeated resolutely. "He might have a good idea but these things are not tangible, he does not know"

"I hope you're right" Kakashi sighed

"**She isn't" the Wolf laughed "I know you more than you know yourself. And soon I will be in control of you and back into the real world"**

"_And so the battle begins" Kakashi thought._


	10. Slow Progression

"Concentrate" Akio barked from the sidelines. They were back at the mansion and Kakashi was currently trying to control the White Wolf's chakra and failing miserably. The chakra would envelope around him, and then it would take the shape of claws, then all hell would break lose as the claws destroyed everything they could reach.

It's already been three weeks since the seal was undone. Ever since then Kakashi has been following the same routine. Sundays and Wednesdays he would train with Akio in honing his senses. Mondays and Thursdays he would spend training with Kioshi, Tuesdays are dedicated to working on his speed, taijutsu and stamina, Saturdays he would spend studying in sealing jutsus and the theory on it from Akio's library and Fridays were his day off which were usually accompanied with a two hour session with Masami concerning his health.

Kakashi also worked on controlling the Wolf's chakra every day after training and so far no progress has been achieved. As if things weren't hard enough, the White Wolf found out that its new hobby is belittling Kakashi everyday with snide comments on his failures to control his chakra. Needless to say Kakashi was exhausted, tired and frustrated.

Kakashi enjoyed his Saturdays the most, Akio usually spent Saturday helping the ninja world leaving Kakashi to sit behind his books. Since he would have had a thorough check up done the day before, it was the only day Kakashi spent time by himself and he was grateful for it. Not only that, but Kakashi found out the he was actually really skilled in Sealing jutsu and Time Space jutsu. He wondered why he never tried learning it before seeing as how his sensei utilized them as his main form of jutsu but looking back at it he never had the time. Fuinjutsu took a lot of studying and in between ANBU, then becoming a jounin, numerous S-ranked missions, a genin team and finally Akatsuki; he simply never had the time.

Yet now Kakashi had to return to the matter at hand which was trying to control the Wolf's chakra. He knew he was failing miserably but he didn't seem to care.

Realizing that this was another failed attempt, Akio approached Kakashi with caution and used the seals he drew to suppress the chakra once more. The chakra faded away, and Kakashi allowed himself to sit down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Your father, all of your clan, they all managed to control the demon's chakra with relative ease. Pull yourself together!" Akio scolded

"_It's no use," Kakashi thought "I don't even want to use it unlike the clan. Besides from what the Wolf said it wanted them to be able to control its chakra so they can become hated. However, the Wolf wants to take over me and giving me control over its chakra kind of contradicts with that. The Wolf was defiantly not going to make this easy for him. But what I don't understand is why I'm not telling Akio all of this. I just know I don't want to, but I have no logical explanation for it."_

"What's wrong?" Akio asked in anger "You NEED to control the Wolf's chakra, pull yourself together!"

But Kakashi didn't reply and just sighed in both anger and tiredness. Akio was about to lecture him once more when one of his butlers suddenly appeared.

"Akio sama, you have a guest, Jiraya sama actually, who says it is urgent to speak to you" the butler announced

"Very well" Akio nodded "Tell him I'll be there in a second" the butler nodded its consent and disappeared again

"You will stay here and think about just how vital it is for you to control the demon but do not attempt it; you know very well that I need to be here to suppress the chakra should you fail." Akio reminded him and with that he disappeared.

"**I don't know why you keep trying to control my chakra" the White Wolf sneered "You know that you will never succeed"**

"_I will succeed" Kakashi replied as he entered meditation in an attempt to collect his thoughts_

"**I'd have a better chance at believing you if I knew that you were trying your hardest to control my chakra" the Wolf snorted "Until then, your attempts are futile and even when you become dedicated to controlling my chakra, you have no chance of succeeding"**

"Jiraya, what brings you here?" Akio asked curiously then noticed the blond ninja standing behind Jiraya "It's been a while, Naruto kun"

"Right back at you, old man!" Naruto replied enthusiastically as Akio's eye twitched at the nickname

"Do you have somewhere we could sit down?" Jiraya asked "This is going to be a long meeting"

"We can use my office" Akio nodded, "Will Naruto be joining us because I only have two chairs up there?"

"I don't want to" Naruto replied "I heard it all before, I'm just here because it's dangerous for me to be left alone, Ero senin is protecting me"

"Well then why don't you join us for dinner" Izumi suggested "It'll be ready in half an hour"

"Great I'm starving!" Naruto yelled "Whatcha cooking?"

"I know your ramen obsession and it doesn't take long to prepare so I'll just add that to the menu" Izumi smiled

"You don't have to change your menu for me" Naruto replied in embarrassment

"It's no trouble," Izumi reassured him as Akio and Jiraya left "I'm not changing the menu, only adding ramen"

"Thank you, Izumi san" Naruto's smile radiated across the room "Is Kakashi sensei around?"

"He's outside somewhere" Izumi nodded and Naruto immediately made for the door "Make sure you both come back in time for dinner" she called out to him as he bounded away.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto called as he searched the grounds "How big is the place" he muttered in annoyance

He tried to be quiet and listen to any signs of disturbance but found none "Kakashi sensei is probably being lazy and sleeping, or reading his books" Naruto summarized "Well then if all else fails, Kage Bunshins will work!"

He formed the familiar signs and sent them out in all direction to find his former sensei. A minute or two later one of his clones disappeared having found his sensei deep in meditation. Curious, Naruto dispelled the other clones and headed towards his sensei.

When he arrived he found his sensei in the same exact position. Naruto decided to wait for his sensei to finish his meditation but when ten minutes have passed with dinner around the corner, Naruto decided to snap his sensei out of it.

He walked towards his sensei until he was inches away from him and shook him whilst calling out to him but that didn't work

"How deep in meditation are you?" Naruto asked in annoyance. He tried everything from yelling, to violently shaking but nothing worked, his sensei was as still as a statue.

"Maybe I can hit him, gently…" Naruto wondered. He smiled at the idea and decided to go ahead, Kakashi would probably know he hit him anyway. Mind made up, Naruto balled his hand in a fist and punched Kakashi at the top of his head.

Kakashi grunted in pain and rubbed his head, finally walking up from his stupor.

"Finally!" Naruto smiled as he waited for his sensei to realize his presence

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked in confusion and Naruto's grin widened

"Sensei, why are you meditating so deeply?" Naruto asked curiously

"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked at the same time

"Long story!" Naruto sighed dramatically "in short, I came with Ero senin"

"Did you hit me?" Kakashi asked Naruto in amusement

"Nooooooo" Naruto replied in way implying that he did indeed, hit him

Kakashi chuckled "Sure you didn't"

"I tried yelling and shaking you but you wouldn't respond!" Naruto huffed "So I resorted to a little punch, no big deal"

"Little punch?" Kakashi snorted "My head is still throbbing in pain"

"It's your fault for meditating that deeply!" Naruto yelled while pointing a finger at Kakashi "Izumi san said that dinner is almost ready and we're going to be late at this point!"

"dinner… right" Kakashi nodded absently. Naruto noticed this and grew a bit worried but dismissed as he followed his sensei back into the house.

"So are you going to tell me why you were meditating, sensei?" Naruto asked him

"To collect my thoughts" Kakashi shrugged "And I'm no longer your sensei, you can drop the title"

"Habits break hard" Naruto replied

"What have you been up to?" Kakashi asked

"I'm on a journey with Ero Senin again" Naruto informed him "I'm learning how to become a sage as well, it's really hard"

"I'm sure you'll succeed" Kakashi chuckled

"**Unlike you" the Wolf added**

"What about you?" Naruto asked "Are you really training or being lazy like usual"

"I'll have you know that I've been training nonstop" Kakashi answered

"**Training does not equal progress" the Wolf reminded him**

"With what?" Naruto asked curiously

"This and that" Kakashi shrugged

"Damn it you never give a straight answer!" Naruto yelled "What exactly have you been training?"

"Why does it matter?" Kakashi asked a smile tugging on his lips

"I just want to know" Naruto answered "Are you training with Kioshi?"

"Yes I am" Kakashi replied "among other things"

"Like…" Naruto asked for an elaboration

"You really want to know?" Kakashi sighed

"YES!" Naruto shouted and looked at his sensei expectantly

"Well I've been honing my senses, working on my stamina and speed and I'm learning sealing jutsu at the moment"

"Sealing jutsu?!" Naruto exclaimed "I heard that was really hard. You any good?"

"Of course I am" Kakashi bragged "Unlike you I have the discipline for such an art"

"What did you say!" Naruto yelled "This coming from the person who said that I'll surpass him and the fourth Hokage!"

"I have no doubt in my mind that you will surpass me" Kakashi replied seriously, the conformation in his voice warming Naruto "But not in sealing jutsu"

"I hate you" Naruto muttered at the last bit

"Come on you too!" Izumi yelled from the window when she saw them approach "Hurry up!"

"Great! I'm starving!" Naruto smiled as he dashed inside with Kakashi close behind. He stopped at the door when he saw an unfamiliar face "Who are you?"

"My name is Masami" she smiled kindly "Nice to meet you"

"Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konoha!" Naruto replied

"Maybe" Kakashi smirked

"We'll see about that, sensei!" Naruto huffed as they sat down

"Drop the sensei already" Kakashi sighed in annoyance

"Eat up" Izumi said cheerfully as she laid out an array of food in front of them

"Aren't Ero Senin and Akio san joining us?" Naruto asked when he noticed that they were missing

"They're still busy and it's such a shame to let cold food go to waste" Izumi explained "I saved them some"


	11. Gathering Data

Kakashi woke up at sunrise, hoping to meditate a bit before starting training for the day. Noting that the day was Wednesday, meaning that he will work on honing his senses, Kakashi proceeded to get dressed and quietly left from the window into the open. Kakashi bounded towards the forest section, found a small clearing and entered his subconscious.

"**I really do not know what you plan to gain from talking to me" the Wolf stated "It's not like I'm going to help you or give you some sort of insight:**

"_I wanted to ask you about the seal" Kakashi told him_

"**I told you that your father sealed me off from you" the Wolf muttered**

"_I meant Hideaki sama's seal" Kakashi clarified_

At the mention of Kakashi's ancestor, the Wolf's demeanor changed from indifference to anger immediately

"**Don't you dare mention that name in front of me" the Wolf growled**

Kakashi ignored him and continued the conversation, _"I wanted to know how the seal allowed the mix of demon and human to occur on a genetic scale"_

"**And why would I give you any information regarding the only seal that will enslave a demon as long as the sealer has procedures? A seal that almost lasts forever if one was not lucky" the Wolf asked rhetorically**

"_I want to know just how much you're DNA is woven with mine physically" Kakashi insisted "Not the seal itself"_

"**If you think you have superpowers due this seal you are mistaken" the Wolf snorted "The only physical thing you acquired is my chakra. Other than that you are a normal pathetic human being"**

"_Yeah, I'm from the pathetic race that defeated you" Kakashi replied sarcastically_

"**Only because you human outnumbered us" the Wolf roared **

"_From what I was told Hideaki sama defeated you by himself" Kakashi snorted_

"**Once I'm out I'll rip you to threads!" the Wolf howled in annoyance**

"_We're one so you can't rip me to threads," Kakashi noted "That way you rip your own self to threads_

"**You really don't understand, do you?" the Wolf sneered "Once my side takes over, this body will become that of my previous form, and once that happens, I will simply go to my subconscious and kill you"**

"_Thanks for telling me that I can do the same to you. I t appears you can't hurt me once I'm in control but from what you're saying I can hurt you." Kakashi said "Thanks for the information"_

"**You think I slipped up?" the Wolf leered "I'd like to see you try and kill me. Even if you had the talent to do so, which you don't, what you do to me effects your physical body as well. It occurs vise versa but seeing as how I'll be a mighty Wolf Demon and you a lowly human, destroying you should hurt but not destroy me as well."**

"_What happens if I die before you take over?" Kakashi asked curiously although annoyed by the fact that the demon can kill him once in control but he cannot kill the demon either way_

"**Then I roam the land once more" the Wolf laughed gleefully **

With that, the wolf pushed Kakashi away once more, forcing Kakashi to focus on the real world once more. Kakashi looked at the sky and realized that he still had time before he would be missed at breakfast,

"_That was useless" Kakashi sighed internally "It only made me realize the magnitude of the responsibility I carry. I was willing to sacrifice my life for my comrades and village but now I know that doing so will put them in more danger. Marriage and having children has become a must rather than a privilege. Not only that but would I be willing to pass on this burden to my own children someday? Not that it matters, I've never fallen in love and never will._

_On another note, looks like my father only told Jiraya because otherwise the elders and Hokage would never have let me get into the risky situations I've been in. Even now I'm hesitant to rush into the thick of things, knowing that it will spell disaster to the world."_

Kakashi chain of thoughts ended as he approached the mansion and entered the kitchen. He found Jiraya and Akio alone having a cup of tea

"Good Morning" Kakashi greeted "It's good to see you again, Jiraya sama"

"Hey brat," Jiraya smiled "How are you holding up?"

Kakashi knew that Jiraya was asking about the White Wolf but he didn't feel like talking about it so he answered as if Jiraya was mentioning Akio's training

"Akio is pretty tough but I'm getting better so it's worth the wounds" Kakashi replied as he poured himself some tea as well, not bothering with keeping his face hidden seeing as how both occupants saw it and the fact that he didn't have the energy to worry about it anyway.

"_Now I know what Akio meant," Jiraya thought in worry "He seems defeated in a way that's taking away his will to do anything._

"What were you doing up so early in the morning?" Akio asked

"Meditating" Kakashi shrugged "Jiraya sama did you find out about this other organization?"

"As a matter of fact I did," Jiraya confirmed "But only scarps of information"

"Which would be…" Kakashi asked for an elaboration as he finished his cup and put his mask back into place

"Zetsu wasn't just part of Akatsuki, he was Madara's right-hand man" Jiraya began

"So?" Kakashi asked "What about it?"

"Well," Jiraya sighed "It appears that Madara had many allies, one of which is the man known as the 'Sea of Death'" Jiraya explained

"Never heard of the guy" Kakashi shrugged

"He preys on small villages and wipes the entire population out every five years or so" Jiraya replied "Nobody knows why and since nobody survives, these are only rumors. However, from the letter it appears that this guy kills an entire village then hibernates in a sense and Madara had struck some kind of deal with him. That is, to help him 'feed' but this time on the main cities, Konoha, Kiri and so on."

"Is he a big threat?" Kakashi asked

"Alone he is not however this is only one of the allies" Jiraya told him "Zetsu is probably recruiting them or meeting up with them at the very least. We managed to kill off Akatsuki since we had the element of surprise but this time, this time they are preparing to attack in masses, not just hunt jinchuriki."

"It doesn't matter we'll destroy them all!" Naruto cheered as he entered the room having heard part of the conversation as he neared the kitchen.

"That we will" Akio agreed "Anyway, Jiraya what are you going to do? I'd prefer if you stayed here for a while so we can discuss this further"

"I agree" Jiraya nodded "It'll also be better for training Naruto since we don't have to worry about ambushes"

"Speaking of training, Kakashi and I will use the rocky terrain so you're free to use any area you want" Akio informed

"Today I just want to take it easy, do you mind if we simply observe" Jiraya asked

"What? Why?" Naruto whined "I'm ready and pumped up for some training!"

"We need to relax a bit after travelling for seven days straight, I need to unwind" Jiraya explained

"Lazy old man" Naruto muttered

"_6 o'clock, mid air" Kakashi thought as he blocked Akio's kick "Kage bunshin from both sides, same distance."_

"Not bad" Jiraya commented as he watched Kakashi take out the bunshin blind-folded and continued to fight Akio blind.

"Can you teach me that?" Naruto exclaimed "That's so cool"

"You don't have the patience for it" Jiraya noted "even I don't" he added before Naruto could complain. "Besides, You don't have a blind spot like Kakashi so it's best to focus on other things"

"I guess" Naruto agreed in the end

"That's got to hurt" Jiraya noted as he watched Akio slam Kakashi into the ground and proceeded to take a peach from the fruit bowl provided by Izumi.

The minutes dragged on into hours with Jiraya writing some material, Naruto practicing wind manipulation with the chakra blade, and Kakashi and Akio still going at it

"Oi, Naruto, look out!" Jiraya warned him. Naruto turned around to find Kakashi flying towards him obviously from a hit courtesy of Akio.

Naruto acted immediately holding his hands out to catch Kakashi at the right time. Naruto skidded to a halt and helped Kakashi to his feet.

"You alright Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked

"Yea," Kakashi said between breaths "Thanks"

"Anytime" Naruto replied

"Let's take a break, it's almost lunch anyway" Akio noted and Kakashi was more than glad to remove the blind-fold.

"You've improved" Jiraya smiled as Kakashi and Naruto joined them under a tree

"Thank you" Kakashi said as he sat down and began applying first aid to some of his wounds so that they won't get infected.

"Don't make yourself comfortable" Akio warned

"Didn't plan to" Kakashi replied indifferently

Jiraya gave Akio a meaningful look to which Akio nodded in agreement, having understood what Jiraya wants. Jiraya wants Kakashi to attempt to control the wolf to see for himself how Kakashi is struggling. The only problem was Naruto. Akio couldn't care less about whether Naruto knew or not but this is something that should come from Kakashi not himself or Jiraya.

Jiraya noted Akio's hesitation and when Akio gave a subtle look towards Naruto he understood the reason. He knew what to do though.

"Naruto, can you go and get us some drinks?" Jiraya asked breaking up his conversation with Kakashi.

"Why don't you bring them yourself, ero sennin?!" Naruto whined

"Naruto, Jiraya is your master. You should listen to him no matter what he asks" Akio reprimanded

"Oh really and does Kakashi listen to everything you say?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Yes I do" Kakashi replied instead "But I don't really have much of choice" he added quietly

Jiraya laughed at that and asked Naruto again. Naruto accepted defeat and went to the mansion

Once Naruto was far away Jiraya addressed Kakashi, "Once you finish a bit more training we will all take a break and then you will attempt to control the White Wolf's chakra again. Now, I want to witness that so you can probably guess that Naruto will be here as well."

"It would be best if you told him yourself about the Wolf," Akio continued "This should be something you tell him not something he figures out, especially since he is a jinchuriki"

Kakashi didn't want to but he knew that the elder ninja were right. If Kakashi hid this from Naruto, Naruto will take it personally. Kakashi nodded in assent and started wondering whether anything in his life wasn't complicated.

**Thanks for all the reviews they mean a lot to me! Remember I always welcome constructive criticism so if you feel I'm lacking something or doing something wrong, please tell me. Thank you again!**


	12. More than Sensei and Student

"I wish Akio was my teacher" Naruto grumbled as he and Kakashi sat next to the lake after a full day of training "Akio isn't lazy like Jiraya or you"

"I've been working tirelessly ever since I got here" Kakashi told him

"If it weren't for Akio you'd be sitting down reading porn, sensei" Naruto rebutted as he threw a stone in the lake watching the ripples fade away slowly

"Of course I would train" Kakashi chuckled "Just not as much"

"Yeah right" Naruto snorted

A comfortable silence rose between them and for a while both were content to keep it that way but Kakashi knew he had to tell Naruto about the White Wolf. He wasn't sure how quickly the blonde will catch on but he decided that unlike Kioshi, if Kakashi told him such news at once he'd probably freak out. It was best to ease into the subject with Naruto at times.

"How are you coming along with controlling the Kyyubi?" Kakashi asked

"I'm getting better" Naruto smiled "Jiraya found out that the eight tails jinchuriki managed to control the demon inside him at the waterfall of truth and Jiraya knows of a similar place so we've been practicing there"

"Waterfall of Truth?" Kakahsi asked for an elaboration

"You sort of face your darker side so that you are happy with who you are" Naruto said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice

"So you face your own demons before the Kyyubi" Kakashi summarized

"You always have a way of putting things in words sensei" Naruto brightened again "Maybe something useful does come out of all your reading, even if it is porn"

"I read things other than porn, Naruto" Kakashi reminded him

"We'll I've never seen you read anything else but I suppose you need to read for sealing jutsu" Naruto said "Can I ask you something and can you for once give me a straight answer?"

Kakashi was surprised by the favor but replied immediately "I can't promise that till I know what you want to ask now can I?"

Naruto huffed in irritation but asked anyway "Are you learning sealing jutsu because of me?"

Kakashi didn't see that question coming yet noted that Naruto gave him the opening which makes it easier all in all "I'm not going to lie and say that I don't think about how much this will help if any problems arose with the Kyyubi but the main reason is for myself"

"You mean you're interested?" Naruto asked curiously

"Well yes but because I also have my own furry problem" Kakashi replied tonelessly

Naruto was speechless for about thirty seconds before he stood up abruptly "What is the meaning of that?! Don't speak in riddles!"

"I wasn't aware that my statement was confusing" Kakashi interjected looking at Naruto calmly

"You mean…" Naruto trailed of

"I also have a demon inside me yes" Kakashi nodded

"How come you've never told me!" Naruto yelled

"Because I wasn't aware of this till a month ago" Kakashi told him

"Oh" Naruto calmed down instantly and sat down "Feels terrible right?"

"Extremely" Kakashi agreed whole-heartedly

"Who's your guest" Naruto asked hesitating at the word guest

"The White Wolf" Kakashi told him and at Naruto's look of confusion he elaborated further "He's been sealed away for centuries so nobody knows about him. Well, almost nobody"

"So every time the host dies they'd get a new one" Naruto spat venomously

"Actually, that's not how it is" Kakashi said hesitantly and Naruto was shocked at that tone and statement.

"You can't have me believe that you've been alive for centuries" Naruto asked "That's absurd"

"It's rather complicated" Kakashi told him

"Then simplify it like you always do" Naruto asked

"The founder of the Hatake Clan, yes we were a clan" Kakashi added at Naruto's surprise "defeated the demon years ago and sealed him inside himself with a seal that allowed the Wolf's chakra to be split among his ancestors. The more there were the less chakra each had so they killed each other for power and slowly died out. I'm the only one left"

Naruto was silent again taking it all in "I have a few questions"

"Go ahead" Kakashi shrugged

"The seal allowed the chakra to be passed on like a bloodline?" Naruto asked skeptically

"I was shocked too but yes" Kakashi nodded

"And now that you're alone you are the host of the full demon?" Naruto asked

"Actually I'm half demon" Kakashi muttered. After everything Naruto heard this was the one that surprised him the most by far.

"Like I said the seal allowed the demon's chakra to become hereditary so the demon's will and chakra is weaved with my own unlike with you where it is separate from your chakra" Kakashi explained

Kakashi expected Naruto to start yelling again but to his surprise Naruto smiled

"You don't act like a demon to me" Naruto said confidently

"Umm thanks but that has to do with the fact that my father sealed the demon so tightly that he couldn't influence me too much" Kakashi smiled a bit

"Keep it shut then" Naruto said simply

"The seal has weakened with time so now it has been removed" Kakashi replied "It was removed a month ago"

"You still don't seem like a demon" Naruto shook his head resolutely

"Half-demon" Kakashi corrected

"Half-demon" Naruto repeated

"Thanks for the vote of confidence but now that the Wolf is unsealed," Kakashi began "It's becoming easier for him to manipulate my thoughts and feelings"

"But you're so strong sensei," Naruto told him "You won't let that demon win"

"Everybody has weaknesses Naruto" Kakashi told him but did not look at him

Naruto knew immediately that his sensei was talking about, not physically weaknesses but mental ones. He couldn't imagine just what problems his sensei had, he just seemed like a rock, no matter how tough things got he was never effected that much by them. Sure he'd become serious and sometimes angry but was never defeated.

"That's what the waterfall of truth thing is for" Naruto noted "You could come train with me"

"It's fine" Kakashi replied "I'm actually going to train in five minutes with Akio"

"Can I come?" Naruto asked and Kakashi knew that if he said no, Naruto would not come

"If you'd like but it's nothing interesting" Kakashi shrugged and they both got up heading towards the training ground

"I have one more thing to ask" Naruto said as they got closer. Kakashi waved his hand as if to say go ahead. "Did… did people treat you differently because of the Wolf?"

"The only people who knew were my father and Jiraya" Kakashi told him "I'm sorry that wasn't your case"

Naruto shrugged "What about for other reasons?"

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked

"Well you see people treated Sasuke differently because of his clan's massacre, as the last Uchiha they held him at high esteem and had hopes for him. You said you were the last of the Hatakes so I was just curious"

"I was treated differently yes" Kakashi nodded "But not in the same way as Sasuke"

"How?" Naruto asked curiously

"Do you really want to know?" Kakashi asked. He would prefer Naruto say no but if he did say yes Kakashi knew he was going to answer truthfully. He knew Naruto went through hell and was just looking for comfort.

Naruto hesitated but then nodded

Kakashi sighed but then answered "My father, he was a legendary ninja on par with the sannin. While on a mission his teammates got captured. He had to make a choice, the lives of his comrades or the mission. He choose his teammates"

"Those who break the rules are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash" Naruto recited

Kakashi nodded with a tired sigh "Although I do believe that now, not everybody in the ninja world have the same beliefs. Because the mission failed, the Third Great Shinobi became definite and people blamed my father, even those he had saved. They hated hi m deeply for it. My father lost his reputation and from misery he… committed suicide. The hate that was directed towards him was passed on to me, so no, I got a different sort of attention than Sasuke"

"I'm so sorry" Naruto replied immediately. He never knew his sensei had a rough childhood. He always thought his sensei grew up as Konoha's prodigy since he frequently heard others mention that his sensei was a genius even at a young age. "Was it tough?"

"You once told me that Haku said that the worse thing a person can feel is not being needed by anyone in this world." Kakashi told him "I agree" he ended simply

Naruto nodded solemnly knowing exactly what his sensei meant. Loneliness is like hell on Earth, he thought only Iruka sensei, Sasuke and himself knew what that was like form those he knew in Konoha. For once, he felt that he really knows who his sensei is because before this talk, Naruto realized that he knew next to nothing about his sensei. 


	13. Understanding One's Own Demons

Naruto was sitting next to Jiraya under the same tree Jiraya occupied before where as Kakashi and Akio where in the middle of the field. Kakashi was currently sitting in a meditative pose, deep in concentration, Akio likewise. Naruto took a glance at Jiraya and saw that he too adorned a look of concentration, eyes glued to Kakashi.

Naruto turned to face his sensei once more. One moment there was nothing really happening but at the next moment white chakra exploded from his sensei and took the form of claws. There were three at the moment but Naruto noticed that a fourth was beginning to form in the back.

Naruto was fixated on Kakashi, he abandoned the meditative pose and was now crouching on all fours panting hard with sweat rolling down his face yet he was still focusing hard on the task at hand. Once the fourth claw sprouted the chakra went even wilder trying to take the form of the wolf inside of his sensei.

Yet before that could happen Akio was suddenly in front of Kakashi suppressing the demon's chakra and it slowly dissipated away. Naruto was so absorbed with what was happening that he didn't notice Jiraya move from his spot under the tree until he was close to Kakashi who had righted himself up and was sitting down trying to get his breathing under control. Naruto got up and rushed towards his sensei as well.

"What went wrong?" Naruto heard Jiraya ask Kakashi who stood up.

"The Wolf's chakra is overwhelming mine" Kakashi told him, his face void of any emotion.

"So it's a physical problem not a mental one?" Jiraya asked suspiciously

"Guess so" Kakashi shrugged

"You do know that I know that you are lying, right?" Akio deadpanned

"Figured as much" Kakashi shrugged not really caring

"Care to tell me what these problems are?" Akio demanded. When Kakashi didn't reply Jiraya intervened

"We need to know so we can help you overcome the demon" Jiraya explained

"I'm not a child, I know where my problem lies and I'm working on it, just give me some time" Kakashi replied

"We don't have time" Jiraya countered. Nobody said anything so Jiraya continued "How about you guys join Naruto and I at the Pools of Naguri, help Kakashi overcome his own demons. That way Kakashi doesn't need to tell us a thing if he doesn't want to"

"I like that better" Kakashi nodded in assent "If Akio doesn't mind of course" he added quickly.

Akio mulled it over, sighed then nodded. He knew that Kakashi needed his own way to deal with the demon so if this was what he wanted it might be best.

"Yes" Naruto cheered "We'll beat those demons"

The next morning found Izumi packing some food for all the men in the household. She packed Naruto some instant ramen as well knowing he had an obsession over it. Once she slipped some bento in each bag she piled them in front of the door and started to make breakfast before they set out on their journey.

Akio came into the kitchen a while later and smiled as he saw Izumi making some grape pancakes and omlets. "Need any help?" Akio asked her. Izumi first whipped around in shock but then smiled widely.

"Good Morning!" she replied happily "Maybe you can set the table and get the drinks ready. I was going for orange and apple juice and maybe some tea."

"Thank you" Akio smiled, pecked her on the cheek and resumed with his task. After a few minutes Kakashi came in all dressed and ready to go apart from having breakfast that is. HE greeted the pair and asked if they needed any help.

"My my, you're all so active today" Izumi smiled "Maybe it's because you have a journey ahead of you. Do you know how to cook anyway?"

Naruto and Jiraya chose that moment to enter, both still sleepy and in their sleepwear.

"Man, you're still as lazy as ever Jiraya." Akio sighed as he saw his long time friend plop down on a chair and stretch.

"I'm not lazy, I'm just conserving my energy" Jiraya waved his complaints away. Naruto sat down as well, covered his mouth and then let out a loud yell.

Izumi chuckled while Kakashi sighed in annoyance. He shook his head in defeat and turned towards Izumi once more, "Sure I can cook,"

"Really?" Izumi was shocked "Most male ninja only know how to gut fish and animals and cook them over a campfire. I'm impressed."

"Thank you" Kakashi chuckled nervously "Anyway what do you want me to do?"

"Can you take over the pancakes while I start working on the omelets?" Izumi asked

Kakashi headed towards the pan in reply and soon found Naruto standing next him

"You can cook?" Naruto asked him suspiciously, eyeing his sensei with doubt.

"I wouldn't have said so if I couldn't" Kakashi told him as he flipped the pan allowing the pancake to cook from the other side.

Soon after all was ready and the ninja plus Izumi began to eat contently.

"Where is Misami?" Kakashi asked

"Since we were going away she asked me if she could visit her family" Akio replied as he added some syrup on his pancakes

"Won't you be lonely, Izumi san?" Naruto asked her

"I'm quite alright Naruto kun" she smiled reassuringly "I'm going on a trip to the hot springs for some time by myself."

Naruto smiled widely in response and resumed to dig in.

"Since when do you enjoy omelets so much brat," Jiraya asked "Last time I remember you hated vegetables. On our training trip two years ago he made quite the scene whenever I ordered a meal with greens in it."

"I had some with Kakashi sensei on the day he told me he wanted to train me in combining wind nature with my rasengan" Naruto replied smiling at his sensei

"I'm not your sensei anymore" Kakashi sighed at his antics while Jiraya looked at Kakashi in shock.

"How'd you get him to do that?" Jiraya asked in amazement

Kakashi shrugged "I really didn't do much to tell you the truth. I ordered them against his will and he just ate them."

"Kakashi sensei is scary when he just wakes up" Naruto answered the unspoken question when Jiraya turned to him inquiringly

As the occupants around the table laughed Kakashi muttered something that sounded like 'drop the sensei'.

After everyone was fed they headed out and after three days they found themselves in front of a swamp.

"There is a cabin inside led by an old woman who looks after the pools." Jiraya explained "she has three rooms for two but not a lot of people come since not the pools aren't exactly common knowledge."

"Then how did you find out about them?" Akio asked curiously

"Well I am amazing at finding information" Jiraya laughed

"He got lost" Naruto added underhandedly yet everyone heard him. Akio and Kakashi laughed where as Jiraya glared at Naruto with all his might.

"Let's go then" Jiraya said and led them inside with Akio and Kakashi still laughing.


	14. The Pools of Naguri

"Is that you, Jiraya san?" an old women stepped out after the four shinobi landed in front of her door.

"How are you? You look as beautiful as ever." Jiraya bowed towards the elder women who was blushing at his words

"And if it isn't Naruto kun," she smiled at the teen "Are you here for more training?"

"Yes I am" he smiled at her

"That's good, good" she nodded "And you two are?" she turned to the new faces.

"My name is Akio, it's a pleasure to be here," he also gave a bow in respect

"Hatake Kakashi," he introduced himself

"Well if it isn't a Hatake?" she exclaimed "I thought you had all died out. I heard rumors that a small branch escaped to the Fire country and they were confirmed when Sakumo kun came to train here."

"Hatake Sakumo is my father" Kakashi confirmed and her eyes lit up

"Such a well behaved and handsome man" she smiled fondly "He always came to visit me whenever he was close by. Has he retired? I haven't heard from him in a while."

"It appears that you haven't heard of the world outside this forest for quite some time" Akio noted factually "Hatake Sakumo has died many years ago. I am sorry to tell you this"

The women was speechless before her features were dominated by sadness. "I am sorry for your loss young man" she turned to Kakashi "He was great man."

"Thank you" Kakashi bowed

"Well come in come in" she bustled and led them inside "You've probably had a long journey so you need to rest. Tomorrow, after breakfast, you can get a fresh start at the pools. Breakfast is at 6:30 so don't be late or you'll get cold food. I have a few things to take care of but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me." And with that she disappeared behind the door at the far end of the entrance.

"Well then let's get some rest then Naruto can show you how it's done" Jiraya announced.

The morning finally came and after having some breakfast the four shinobi found themselves standing in front of one of the pools, Naruto at the base of the pool.

He turned to the shinobi and called them forward "So what you do is you simply send your chakra through the ripples and the pool mirrors your worst dreams and memories to help you reflect. Once you fight them long enough they turn into happy memories to show you the good in life and the good you did." He explained

Kakashi looked skeptical meanwhile Akio looked intrigued. Jiraya motioned for Naruto to start so he bent down, touched one of the pools with his finger and sent his chakra through it. The pool slowly turned into Konoha's streets and showed a young blonde boy walking through them looking with longing at the families going about their daily business.

"See," Naruto smiled at them as the scene changed once more to Naruto trying to play with a bunch of children and being rejected, Kakashi frowned at the scene as it kept changing for one incident to the other, "At first it used to show me entire events but now it's just flashes because I've come to terms with them more."

"I never knew it was that bad" Kakashi whispered

"It gets better" Naruto smiled at the care in his sensei's voice as the scenes were replaced by a scene were Naruto was eating some ramen with Iruka and then from various experiences that happened when they were team seven before Sasuke defected.

Naruto stepped away from the pool and the water returned to normal. "The goal is to not have the pool reflect any bad memories. " Jiraya explained "The memories shown are the ones you have yet to accept, the ones that still haunt you in a way. In Naruto's case, the memories are short because he's beginning to heal. The shorter they are, the closer you are to moving on."

"Want to give it a shot?" Akio turned towards Kakashi.

"I thought you said I don't have to tell you what's bothering me" Kakashi turned to Jiraya

"You don't," Jiraya retorted "You show us"

Kakashi glared at Jiraya knowing very well that Jiraya knew that Kakashi wanted to face his demons alone. He was about to voice his opinion but the old lady whose name he now knew was Moriko interrupted him,

"The pools refuse to show a soul his demons alone. Unlike the Water Fall of Truth, the key to healing at the pools is through the help your friends give you" she explained "Jiraya helped Naruto kun through his pain and they will all do the same for you, young one."

"I prefer to…." Kakashi tried again but she quieted him down with one look that said the matter was not up for discussion.

"You may later practice on your own later but, for now you need your friends. It's quite difficult in the beginning," she lectured

"Fine" Kakashi sighed in frustration and turned to the pool as Moriko headed back inside. He hesitantly bent down towards the pool and sent his chakra through it.

Kakashi soon found himself staring at his old house and saw himself running up to the door, mask-less and smiling. He was wearing brown shorts and a light blue shirt with a white wolf drawn in the book in an elaborative design. He must not have yet graduated from the academy then.

Once he entered the house he slipped out of his shoes and threw his school bag on the floor and proceeded in the house only to hear his mother and father arguing again.

"He's too young, Sakumo!" his mother, Takara, yelled in frustration at his father.

"He's got great talent, Takara. This is the life of shinobi, I thought you knew what you signed up for when we got married" Sakumo yelled back

"I signed up for your life of the ninja but my child is not going to be made into some tool at the age of four, I won't allow it!" she argued

"It's his choice, he chose to enter the academy," Sakumo reminded her

"Because he wants to make you proud, Sakumo" she pleaded for him to understand" He's still too young, he doesn't really comprehend what it means to become a ninja. He thinks it's being a hero, a hero like you."

"He knows what he signed up for and that being a shinobi isn't a game" Sakumo told her

"Are you telling me that a four year old understands the life of a ninja!" his mother yelled "Are you that dense!"

Kakashi had enough, "Please stop!" he yelled as tears ran down his cheeks. Both grownups turned around to find their son standing at the door crying heavily. They were so caught up in their argument they didn't notice the time or their son.

Takara glared at Sakumo one more time before she ran to her son and picked him up gently cradling him in her arms "It's going to be alright" she reassured him "Come on, Kashi, you need a bath and maybe then I can read you a book and bake you some cookies. Does that sound good?"

Kakashi hugged his mother tightly as he wiped his tears away and smiled shyly as she walked out of the room.

Soon the scene changed and he was a bit older, yet this time he was in his room studying up for an exam when he heard noises downstairs. He stopped writing and got up warily, opened his door and peaked outside.

Men's voices filled the house and Kakashi decided to investigate so he went downstairs towards the voices.

"She's a pretty one, she is" one of the men said

"The White Fang sure knows how to pick em" the other laughed as Kakashi finally made it to the first floor and headed towards the drawing room where he heard the voices

"Get out of here!" he heard his mother shout and at that instance he realized that, whoever was here, was not welcome. He ran to where his mother was, thrust the door open and was met with a horrible scene. His mother was pinned down on the floor by two ninja, who judging by their forehead protectors, where from the stone country.

"Leave my mom alone!" he shouted, although the effect was ruined by the fact that a five year old was saying them

"Ohooo, look here, Dai" the man who was closest to him smiled "Looks like the White Fang has a son"

"This is better than we thought, Mahiru" Dai laughed as he strengthened his hold on the female below him

"No!" his mother shouted in pure agony "Kakashi, get out of here, now! Don't you dare touch my baby!"

The two men laughed as Dai grabbed her hair, "Don't worry, I'm not a pedophile, although I have no problem touching you" he laughed wickedly.

His mother's eyes widened in fear at both the man's words and at the fact that the other one was stepping closer to her son who crouched down in a battle position to defend himself and his mom, "Kakashi! Please, I'll do anything."

"Don't kill him" Dai decided as Mahiru advanced "Let's make him watch. That will make a much better message for the bastard"

"I guess you are right" Mahiru laughed and in the blink of an eye he had grabbed Kakashi in a way that prevented him from doing anything except thrash wildly.

"Let me go!" Kakashi yelled as his mother screamed for their mercy

Dai sighed in annoyance and ripped off her clothes with a hungry look in his eye

"Leave my mom alone!" Kakashi screamed as tears started to form in his eyes. But his screams were soon drowned out as he was forced to watch the man assault his mom.

"Mom! MOM!" he choked on his sobs. After what seemed like an eternity the man smiled and stepped away from his mom.

"Mom!" Kakashi yelled again and continued to thrash around.

"Let's wrap this up, Dai" Mahiru sighed "The kid is becoming a pain"

"Fine" Dai smirked and took out a kunai and pressed it on his mom's neck

"Mommy!" Kakashi cried desperately.

"I love you, my brave little scarecrow" she smiled at him as Dai went for the kill, "I will always love you, Kashi."

The kunai finally met its mark and her blood splattered everywhere. Dai looked down to admire his handiwork, "Looks like we're done."

Kakashi's blood turned to ice and his eyes opened wide in shock. He didn't even notice when the man holding him let go and he fell to the ground. He stared at his mom in horror as he watched her blood sweep onto the floor.

"Let's go" Mahiru said indifferently "This will teach the White Fang to mess with us". Dai nodded and they both left the scene. Kakashi sat there, clutching his head, crying and hoping all of this was a dream.

The scene started changing again but Kakashi had had enough and stepped away, breathing hard.

Nobody said anything as the pool reverted back to normal. Jiraya, who already knew the main gist of what happened with Takara, was shocked. He hadn't known that it was this bad. Naruto was beyond shocked at what he had witnessed and felt extremely saddened for his sensei. He looked at him and saw that his sensei was shacking badly, as if he was suffering from a seizure or something.

Akio felt immense hatred towards the people who did this, shinobi or not, that was just too cruel. And to force a five year old to watch was sick. But now what not the time to think about it, Kakashi needed him.

He stepped towards him and put a hand on his shoulder to show support, "Kakashi, Kakashi say something"

Kakashi's shaking died down but he was still breathing heavily. "I'm done for the day" Kakashi whispered after a minute passed. Akio only nodded and then turned towards Jiraya and Naruto.

"We will be in our room for the remainder of the day" he informed them, and after they nodded he led Kakashi inside the cottage.

"Those bastards" Naruto spat in anger once they were gone "How… how could they?!" he screamed in rage

"Naruto," Jiraya calmed him down "What's done is done, all we can do now is help Kakashi heal"

"But still" Naruto growled "I will never forgive them"

"Neither will I" Jiraya vowed "But that doesn't help"

"What happened afterwards?" Naruto asked still shaking in anger "When the White Fang found out?"

"From what he told me, he came to the house and smelled blood and went to the source to find his wife dead and Kakashi sitting in a pool of her blood hyperventilating. He grabbed Kakashi and took him out of the house and to the hospital to make sure he was ok. The funeral was a few days later." Jiraya told him

"What about the bastards who did this?" Naruto asked vehemently

"I don't know" Jiraya told him "If Sakumo ever found them or killed them, he never told me."

**Hello! Sorry for the late update but I'm still alive **** Thanks for all the reviews and insightful criticism, it really does help me! I hope I met your standards and integrated your insights Prescripto13 and Wulan-chan. Till next time ;)**


	15. Reflecting and Understanding,Somewhat

Kakashi was currently lying down on a bed staring at the ceiling where as Akio was sitting next to him on a chair.

"Do you want to talk?" Akio asked him. Ever since they came inside, Kakashi hadn't said a word but Akio couldn't just ignore it. In order to get past this Kakashi needed to talk about it so Akio decided that it was time to push.

"I didn't remember it that much" Kakashi said quietly after slight hesitation "I know she died by stone ninja but I…. forgot she was assaulted. How can I forget?"

"Your brain probably repressed it" Akio explained "It is common when children, and even grown men but mostly children, experience a traumatic event, their brain hides it away since the person cannot make sense of it, or it is too painful to think about. You were only five, it is natural. What do you remember before you saw that?"

"I…. it's blurry now that you mention it" Kakashi told him slowly as he closed his eyes trying to remember, "The only thing I could remember before the pools showed me the memory were her last moments…. Her last words."

"I could tell she loved you very much, Kakashi" Akio comforted him "And she is probably with your father now, watching over you"

"I don't think so" Kakashi replied after a while "They used to fight a lot at the end, ever since I entered the academy actually. Mom was against the entire thing and it sort of drifted them apart. Father used to sleep in the guest room every now and then, whenever the fighting got really bad."

"It's not your fault" Akio said resolutely "It's a mistake that is often seen when a ninja marries a civilian. That is why they both need to compromise to the entire children becoming shinobi issue. Usually the child enters the academy at the normal age of six or seven, thus, both parties are satisfied. Your parents made you, a four year old, decide instead of solving the matter between themselves."

"My parents did not pawn of their problems on me" Kakashi shouted in rage as he sat up, he won't let his parents be mocked.

"That is not what I meant" Akio said calmly still in the same position "I mean they made a mistake because they are human. Their mistake, not yours. Do not blame yourself for how things were between your parents."

Kakashi simply turned away, "He used to stare at her pictures for hours after she died" Kakashi told him softly. "Whenever he saw me he got upset, I got my mother's face. I started to wear the mask because I didn't want to…"

"Remind him" Akio finished for him.

Kakashi nodded, "I was just tired of seeing his eyes, his sadness. He was supposed to be strong and unbeatable."

"It's hard for a child to see their parents vulnerable" Akio stated. When Kakashi didn't say anything Aki continued "How do you see yourself accepting what happened to your parents?"

After a couple of minutes of silence Kakashi answered "I know now that it's not my fault my parents fought, I just need to know what happened to Dai and Mahiru, if they are still alive."

"**I can make them suffer, beg for death" The White Wolf's voice sounded in his subconscious "Let me rip them to shreds and make them cry out in pain. The only thing they deserve is pure horror, and only I can deliver that. Avenge your dear mother, let those who killed her suffer truly for their crimes."**

"Kakashi!" Akio was suddenly in front of him looking at him in worry

"It's.. nothing" Kakashi shrugged Akio's concern away

"What happened?" Akio asked not letting the matter slide

"Nothing" Kakashi insisted "I want to sleep"

Akio sighed and stood up "I already said this but I have a feeling you didn't hear me. I can probably check on whether Dai and Mahiru are still alive, but even if they are, what are you going to do? Revenge?"

"Revenge is only a fuel for hatred, I know I know" Kakashi muttered "Jiraya already drilled that lesson in my head and Sasuke is a reminder of how that is true. I just want to talk to them."

"**Sure you do, then kill them." The White Wolf noted**

Akio sighed and headed for the door to give Kakashi some privacy. Just before he left he turned back towards Kakashi, "I'm always here if you need to talk."

"I know" Kakashi nodded "Thank you"

Akio just nodded in reply and left the room. Kakashi sighed and lay back down feeling drained. He listened to the leaves rustling in the wind and soon sleep overtook him.

Jiraya decided that Naruto needed to let out some steam and so had him working on taijutsu. As he and Naruto exchanged blows , Naruto slowly calmed down and was no longer venting or yelling every now and then.

Naruto stopped suddenly and Jiraya was about to make fun of his lack of stamina when he noticed that Naruto was staring behind him. Jiraya turned to find Akio sitting down at the cottage's porch in one of the wooden chairs.

Jiraya halted the training and they joined Akio and helped themselves to some water that Moriko left out for them.

"How is he?" Jiraya asked the question on both their minds

"He's better than before" Akio told him "At least now he no longer blames himself for his parents fighting constantly. He wants to know what happened to the two men. I already sent a message to one of my people to check on their status."

"He's not considering revenge, is he?" Jiraya asked. Naruto hoped not because he knew revenge only brought more pain after dealing with Sasuke.

"He told me he just wants to talk to them" Akio replied "Not that I believe him"

"He'll come around" Jiraya assured his friend

"Kakashi told me you drilled the idea of revenge not being the answer in his head already," Akio admitted

"Well actually my lesson was about hatred and revenge is only a part of it but I'm glad he listens to me in any case" Jiraya laughed. Akio smiled at his friend's remark as Naruto excused himself to go to the bathroom leaving the old men to themselves.

Naruto took his time in the bathroom and as he started making his way outside he passed by Kakashi and Akio's room. He paused in uncertainty then decided to enter the room. Akio said that Kakashi was sleeping so Naruto didn't bother knocking and came in quietly.

He found Kakashi sensei sleeping on the bed farthest to the left and made a line for the chair next to it. He sat down and stared at his sleeping sensei as if seeing him for the first time. He always thought his sensei was unbeatable, like nothing could ever break him. However, after this entire mix up, Naruto realized that Kakashi sensei had his own demons but had tucked them away to guide himself, Sakura and Sasuke. Well he tried with Sasuke, not that it helped in the end since Sasuke was a stubborn ass.

Naruto did wonder what his sensei was like as a kid and what kind of past he had, but he thought that Kakashi would never answer him, or maybe he would just give him a vague answer, so he didn't bother. Yet now, no matter what he asked him, Kakashi answered truthfully. It was weird, but it made him feel happy.

Kakashi sensei always told him to drop the sensei and now he knew why, Kakashi no longer sees him as a student but as a comrade and that must be the reason why he told him these things. It was a very nice feeling.

Naruto focused once more on his sensei and noticed that he seemed a bit disturbed in his sleep and kept twisting around every now and then.

Jiraya told him that it was the same for him during the first few days at the pools but he always calmed down when Jiraya ruffled his hair or held his hand. Naruto decided to be there for his sensei in the same way and squeezed his hand for support.

Instead of reassuring his sensei, however, Kakashi sat up straight at the company and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Sorry, sensei" Naruto grinned at him sheepishly.

Kakashi simply waved off his concern, "It's not good to sleep too much anyway," he reassured him "That will just mess up my sense of time"

"Sensei…. I'm sorry for what happened," Naruto told him with heavy emotions

"Thank you" Kakashi nodded appreciatively at the words

"You won't go seeking revenge, right?" Naruto asked in worry

Kakashi laughed out loud, "Of course not, Naruto. I've seen people wither away from revenge and I'm not just talking about Sasuke."

Naruto smiled uncertainly, the laugh that escaped his sensei chilled him for some reason.

**Thank you for the reviews and the added favorites! I know this was a bit short but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I know some of you wish I update faster but I'm currently writing two stories at the same time so I apologize for any delay. Thanks again for all the advise and nice comments! Till next time =D**


	16. Naruto Finds his Two Suns

**For those who have already read my updates two days ago would know that my laptop was ruined two months ago and I just brought a new one so I'm sorry for the delay. Anyway I had a bit of writer's block but in the end I'm pleased with how this chapter came out. Hope you feel the same and enjoy reading!**

Three days had passed since Kakashi saw the death of his mother. Still waiting for news about his mother's murders, Kakashi passed the time training with Naruto and helping him better his elemental manipulation. Akio and Jiraya stayed to protect Naruto and train Kakashi at the pools. Despite the fact that they were sitting in an isolated area, Akio had some of his agents spread out trying to discern useless rumors from useful information. Jiraya was waiting for news about Dai and Mahiru, Takara's murderers, and was going to join Akio's agents once that matter was resolved.

Right now Naruto was trying to master the wind shield jutsu, which enveloped him in sharp winds that pushed weapons away and protected him from some jutsus. Kakashi was standing nearby throwing weapons at him. Since Naruto was still perfecting the jutsu, some of Kakashi's weapons hit their mark and although they were blunted, Naruto glared at Kakashi whenever that happened.

"Sensei, stop that!" Naruto yelled for the fifth time "Can't you wait till I learn the actual jutsu to test it out!"

Kakashi smiled in amusement, "How can you learn it if you don't have the opportunity to learn from your mistakes? This way you can see what you are doing wrong and work on it."

"But at this rate I'll be too injured to train!" Naruto complained.

"The Kyuubi will heal any injuries you get faster than I can give them to you with blunted shuriken," Kakashi smiled brightly.

"You're enjoying this, sensei" Naruto accused much like he does whenever Kakashi is late.

"Can't say that I'm not," Kakashi admitted chuckling a bit, "are you ready for another go?"

"You're mean," Naruto muttered as he started going through the seals once more. Wind enveloped him again and Naruto watched closely as the winds knocked away the shuriken. Naruto could feel his shield weakening as it attempted to block more weapons, but despite its attempts, the shield broke and Naruto felt two shuriken striking his left leg. "Damn it!" Naruto yelled as he started hoping on one leg clutching his injured one.

Kakashi started laughing at Naruto's predicament and Naruto glared at him yet again. "Why don't we switch and you can try protecting yourself from a rain of shuriken?!"

"I would but I can't use the wind element," Kakashi replied still laughing.

"How come?" Naruto asked not having known that.

"Because my main element is lighting and since lightning is weak against wind my chakra can't withstand trying to manipulate itself into wind." Kakashi explained "For you, you will never be able to use fire jutsu unless you are the Sage of the Sixth Paths or something."

"Who's the Sage of the Sixth Paths?" Naruto asked curiously

"The father of ninjutsu," Kakashi elaborated "Ask Kyuubi I'm sure he knows more since he was there during that time."

"As if he'd tell me anything," Naruto snorted.

"Well are you ready to start again?" Kakashi asked cheerfully grabbing of couple of shuriken and aiming them at Naruto.

Naruto grumbled but started forming the seals before they were interrupted by Akio. "I have news about Dai and Mahiru," he announced.

Kakashi's expression hardened immediately and he stepped forward extending his hand to take the paper in Akio's hand. Akio handed it to him and watched at Kakashi read the findings. Dai, his mother's assaulter, had already died after being poisoned by an enemy and Mahiru had retired due to losing a leg in an explosion.

"Well?" Akio asked waiting for a reaction.

"Their cruelty was subjected back to them," Kakashi said, "Dai died a horrible slow and painful death and Mahiru became a cripple. I know we are ninja and killing is part of the job but what they did was unforgivable. I'm an assassin and I killed a lot of people. But I always gave my targets a swift clean death away from the eyes of their loved ones. It's not much since a kill is a kill but at least I didn't let them suffer. To know they suffered in return, I'm satisfied. That's all."

Naruto never wanted people to suffer so he felt a bit sorry for the two murders unconditionally. However, his sensei seemed to have moved on so that was good enough for him. He knew that his sensei won't stop thinking about it for a while but at least now he had some closure.

Akio nodded in understanding, he had misjudged Kakashi. He thought because of his assassination career and his blood, Kakashi might be a heartless killer. But he actually did care about his victims and did his job in a manner that made the target and those close to him suffer less. The sole comfort of knowing you're precious people died a quick and painless death was enough to ease their hearts.

"You are a lot like your mother, you know" Jiraya stated, a smile on his face. "She never wanted people to suffer needlessly but could never stand those with a cruel heart. She wasn't a ninja; however, she worked as a nurse in the hospital and saw the horrors that lay in the ninja world. She was a kind hearted, smart and quiet woman. Of course she had a sharp tongue when she wanted too," Jiraya laughed at the end remembering that tongue being used against him all too well, "You are more like her than you know, and knowing her, she would be proud of you."

Kakashi just stared at Jiraya never having expecting such a speech from him. Sure Kakashi was his student's student but their relationship never got on a personal level. All they discussed were ninja matters so for Jiraya to say such things, Kakashi was grateful, and inclined his head as a thank you.

"Well then," Jiraya decided to break the tension "Do you guys want to continue injuring Naruto or do you want another crack at the pool, Kakashi?"

"Let's go with the pool," Naruto stated quickly rubbing on his arms which were still stinging painfully.

Kakashi laughed and nodded, "Yes sounds like a plan, Naruto could use a break."

Naruto shot his sensei a grateful look then remembered that is was Kakashi who was chucking painful objects at him and glared once more. Kakashi ignored him having received over twenty glares from Naruto today.

They headed towards the pool and Kakashi bent down once more, sent his chakra into the pool and feared whatever was coming next.

Surprisingly, Kakashi looked to be about eight years old and not the six year old Kakashi thought he'd see. Kakashi expected his father's suicide yet it seemed that Kakashi had come to terms with that already. Kakashi briefly thought about it and realized that he had already forgiven his father for committing suicide and was actually proud of his father for protecting his teammates. Kakashi forced himself to stop thinking about that and focused on the memory in front of him.

It was in the afternoon and the center of Konoha was buzzing with activity as people went about their daily business. Kakashi was sitting under one of the trees and he seemed to be waiting for someone.

"I don't believe it," Naruto stared in horror "you are actually waiting for somebody, you?"

Kakashi smiled sheepishly at Naruto, "is it really that surprising?" Naruto nodded his head vigorously while Jiraya laughed.

"Have you been waiting long, Kakashi?" the person Kakashi was waiting on finally arrived. It was a tall blonde man with wild spiky hair and kind blue eyes.

"Dad?" Naruto stared longingly at his father. Jiraya had finally told him that the Fourth Hokage was his father during his own training. When Naruto found this out he was happy, overwhelmed and angry. He couldn't understand how his own father sealed the Kyuubi in his own son, giving him a horrible childhood. Jiraya did not have the answer but told him that knowing his father, he probably had a reason and picked him because he believed in him. Naruto hoped this was true and now seeing the blonde man alive in a sense, he hoped he could get to know him better and probably find out why his father burdened him with this.

"He was my sensei," Kakashi nodded. At this Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He had so many questions he wanted to ask but right now the projection was playing so Naruto held his mouth for once.

"No," mini Kakashi replied "you wanted to see me, sensei?"

"Yes, I though since you just completed your first B-rank mission, we should celebrate," Minato smiled warmly

"I don't get it," Kakashi replied rudely "what's the point?"

"There is no point, Kashi" Minato chuckled "it's just fun."

"Do I have to?" Kakashi sighed in annoyance "I want to train."

During the whole exchange Naruto was surprised. This kid was his sensei? The person he knew was so different than the little kid who Naruto summed up to be a brat. Then again he was only eight in this memory and everyone had to be a brat at some point. Also B-ranked at eight or nine, that was amazing. He wondered how much a genius his sensei was.

"Yes," Minato replied undeterred, "you have a lot of time to practice, today you should relax. Also, I know this great restaurant Kushina and I always go to."

"_Kushina… could that be my mom?" _Naruto wondered briefly.

Kakashi seeing he has no choice reluctantly followed as his sensei led him through the streets of Konoha. Soon they arrived at a casual medium sized restaurant. Minato was greeted enthusiastically the minute he entered. Apparently he was a frequent customer. The waiter's eyes shifted to Kakashi and his eyes widened in recognition. A flash of hatred passed through them but the man masked it quickly and beckoned the two of them to a table.

"Alright here's the menu, take your time to order and I'll be right back when you're ready," he said, flashing them a fake smile, and then left.

Minato and Kakashi continued on as if the man was acting completely normal. A while later they had ordered their food and Kakashi excused himself to go to the bathroom. On his way back, however, he spotted a couple of men surrounding his sensei. Confused, Kakashi inched closer to listen.

"… train that Hatake kid, in my opinion you should just let him die," one man said.

"He's a lost cause, Minato san, people are talking you know," the one on the left said.

"They are saying that you should be ashamed of yourself teaching rubbish like that," the last picked up the conversation

"Don't fall down because of that kid," the first one said again, "you built yourself a nice reputation, keep this up and you might as well throw away all your hard work."

"Thank you for your advice," Minato said his voice laced with anger "but it is not needed, Hisashi."

"Don't do this to yourself, Minato," Hisashi warned anger creeping into his voice as well, "ditch the kid before you regret it."

"Go away," Minato stood up glaring at them, his chakra flaring dangerously. The three men gulped nervously and wisely stepped away. Guilt washed over Kakashi, he never thought the villagers gave his sensei a hard time because of his family's reputation. Minato calmed down and turned to see Kakashi looking at him remorsefully and sighed. "Don't worry about it," Minato waved his worries away, "you will always find people who will talk nonsense, don't give them a second thought. Come on, the food arrived while you were away and if you don't eat it now it'll get cold."

Kakashi walked back to his table but didn't touch his food, "Sensei, I…"

"I told you to forget about it," Minato smiled "people like that aren't worth your time or happiness."

Kakashi just nodded and ate his food in silence. The projection then faded away.

"So you haven't forgiven the villagers for the way they treated you?" Naruto asked. After Kakashi told him his father's story, Naruto knew that his sensei had gone through a similar experience as him. But to see it happen made it all too real.

"No it's not that," Kakashi smiled "It's just, I hate the fact that to associate with me brought hate towards Minato sensei, I felt guilty, still do by the pool's standard."

"Oh don't worry about that," Jiraya chuckled, "Minato was never bothered by that, he was only angry at the way people treated you. Trust me when I say, you have nothing to feel guilty about with that!"

"Kakashi sensei," Naruto spoke up quietly a thought having just struck him, "did you have problems like that because you were my teacher?" he asked afraid of the answer himself.

"I did," Kakashi nodded not lying to Naruto, "but it really didn't affect me one bit, so don't worry. It was just annoying to have to deal with a bunch of stupid idiots."

"What did they say?" Naruto asked.

"Pretty much the same thing those three guys said now that you mention it," Kakashi noted no longer feeling guilty to what had happened to Minato sensei having gone through it himself and realizing it really did not matter.

"What did you say?" Naruto kept the questions coming.

"Will unlike your father I threatened them to keep their stupid mouths shut. I might have also told them that if I ever heard such nonsense from them that they'll find themselves in a hospital on the brink of death, having a reputation as Konoha's top assassin does have its merits." Kakashi smirked remembering the trembling faces of the ones he scared. Top jounin and ANBU, who understood perfectly well that being a jinchuriki did not make you the incarnation of the devil, had no problems with the whole thing so he only had to deal with the idiots.

Naruto smiled at hearing that, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, but I really don't deserve your thanks, I should have done more for you before you were placed on my squad." Kakashi sighed.

"Why didn't you?" Naruto questioned. He had already thought of that the moment he learned his father was his sensei's sensei.

"When the Kyuubi attacked I was only fourteen and had just joined ANBU. With the number of men and women that had died during the attack, especially right after the war, Konoha was short on man power. Because of that I was sent on a lot, and I do mean a lot, of missions. I simply did not have the time to sleep sometimes, let alone take care of you. I left ANBU when I was twenty four, two years before we met, and at that time I just thought that it was too late to come into your life. That was a mistake on my part. When Sandaime sama asked me to be your sensei, I tested you like any other team, and was glad you passed. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Naruto smiled "you were protecting Konoha. But I wish you did come up to me when I was ten it would've been nice to know that somebody other than Iruka sensei cared."

"I used to come by your house sometimes, made you sure you had plenty to eat, gave you some extra pocket money, but I know that's not enough." Kakashi explained .

"That explains why I sometimes had more money than remembering! It was weird you freaked me out!" Naruto laughed.

Kakashi laughed as well happy that Naruto had forgiven him for his lack of care when he was younger. Akio and Jiraya decided to leave them be and went to review the spies findings in order to prepare for the next storm.

"Since my father was your sensei, why do you think he sealed the Kyuubi in me?" Naruto asked.

"You mean why did he choose to condemn his own son as a jinchuriki, right?" Kakashi asked already knowing the answer. When Naruto nodded, Kakashi sighed, "I don't know, but knowing Minato sensei he probably had this grand plan that none of us know of. He never did anything without a reason before; everything he did had its own motive. He did not choose you randomly, that I am sure of, he chose you for a purpose. He was really happy when he found out he was going to have a child, he dotted on you even before you were born. I can't imagine he sealed the Kyuubi in you without feeling awful for doing so."

"Can you show me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Does the pool even work like that?" Kakashi asked. When Naruto gave him an 'I don't know' look, Kakashi decided to just try. He bent down to the pool, focused on that memory and sent his chakra into the pool. The water rippled and to Kakashi's amazement it was the memory he wanted to show. These pools were amazing.

"You called me, sensei?" Kakashi asked as he entered his sensei's home. Naruto noted that Kakashi seemed to have the sharingan this time.

"Yes, I'm going to be a father, Kakashi," he blurted the news out immediately a huge smile plastered on his face

"Oh, congratulations, sensei," Kakashi said slowly trying to absorb the news, "when did you find out?"

"About an hour ago," Minato replied still smiling "I didn't expect that but I'm really excited."

"You deserve it sensei," Kakashi smiled genuinely "you'll be a great father," he stated with absolute faith.

"Thank you," Minato replied gratefully, "I can't wait to see his or her first steps, hear his or her first words, I wonder whether he or she will he look like me or Kushina, will he or she be more like me or her, I hope he's or she's healthy, I want to raise him or her to be a kind person…."

And on and on it went with Kakashi just chuckling at his sensei. Naruto didn't even notice as a few tears fell down his cheeks, once the memory was over he snapped back to reality. Kakashi gave him a moment to compose himself.

"He really loved me," Naruto smiled.

"He did," Kakashi confirmed.

"You two seemed close," Naruto said a bit jealous.

"He became my sensei since I was five years old," Kakashi elaborated "and as you can see our relationship is much stronger that when you first became my student around five years ago. Imagine double that time."

"Makes sense I guess," Naruto nodded "Do you have any memories of my mother?"

Kakashi smiled, nodded and then sent a new memory into the pool. The rest of the day passed by with Naruto learning more about his parents than he had ever thought he would. The memories Kakashi had of when his beautiful red haired mother was pregnant were Naruto's best as they cemented the fact that he's parents had loved him a lot, even before he was born. At the end of the day Naruto felt a new connection to the parents he had always longed to have.

"Thank you, sensei," Naruto said gratefully as they headed back to the small inn.

"Don't mention it," Kakashi replied and with that their bond grew even stronger.


	17. O'ozu Island

The weather was incredibly misty and humid, much to Akio's annoyance. He had left the pools the previous morning and hitched a ride with Ryuu all the way to the O'ozu Island south of the Water Country and east of the Fire Country. The man, rather devil, dubbed as the 'Sea of Death' was rumored to have killed off a small town southeast of the island so that's was where Akio was headed right now. He dismounted Ryuu near the north high up on a mountain in order to remain discreet and not have any rumors scare his target to the point of fleeing for caution. Jiraya, on the other hand, was tracking down Zetsu, the last member of the Akatsuki. Unfortunately, he was having no luck whatsoever. His agents were dispersed all over the continent looking for any clues that can bring them closer to their goal. Kakashi was tasked with the protection of Naruto and both remained at the pool since it was both safe and important to Kakashi's training.

Akio dismissed his thoughts of the other and regained focus on the task at hand. He had just entered a small town whilst following the rumors that kept driving him south. He was currently near the southern border so he must be close, however now he needed something more concrete than just south. It was near nightfall so most of the townspeople where heading home for the night and had drawn curtains around their houses as they prepared for the next day. He continued walking down the road hoping to find an inn. He passed a small fruit stand whose owner was packing up his merchandise in a good sized wooden wagon tied to a horse.

"Excuse me," Akio interrupted the man's work "Do you mind if you can tell me where I might find the nearest inn?"

The man stopped carting fruit unto the wagon and moved his bangs out of the way, "I'm afraid I can't help you since there is no inn in this town."

"Are you serious?" Akio asked in shock not having come so far south before.

"This island isn't a touristic location," the man verified "We keep mostly to ourselves and the only people who come here are either relatives or travelling craftsmen."

"Guess I'll camp then," Akio shrugged not really minding.

"If you want you can sleep the night at my place," the man offered politely as he bent down to lift a crate of apples.

"I don't want to trouble you," Akio replied politely although he hoped the man would insist since he figured this man might know something about the rumors of the 'Sea of Death'.

"It's no trouble," the man said "I live with my wife and two children near the outskirts of town."

"Thank you so much," Akio bowed his head a bit in appreciation.

"Don't mention it," the man replied as he dumped the last crate in the wagon. Akio climbed up to join him at the small plank that protruded from the wagon and designed as a sitting area for three at most.

"Let's go home, Hikari," the man told the horse before he grabbed the reins and started the road to home.

"What's your name?" the man asked him.

"Akio, pleasure to meet you," Akio replied not bothering to give him his full name as secrecy was a weapon after all.

"My name's Satoshi," the man introduced in kind "What are you doing all the way in the O'ozu Island?"

"I want to visit the Todoroki Shrine," Akio relayed the same excuse he has been using for the entire time he had been in the large island.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you," Satoshi warned him.

Akio raised his eyebrows in a question manner, _"Could this man actually know something?"_ he thought.

"A small town near the shrine was massacred about six days ago, the land needs to be cleansed," Satoshi said gravely.

"I didn't hear about that," Akio feigned shock.

"Like I said, we keep mostly to ourselves and people don't bother looking around here, so nobody outside the island would know," Satoshi replied.

"_Other than my agents," _Akio retorted mentally.

"It happens from time to time," he plowed on "our religion states that there is a deity that comes to punish us whenever the sins of our people anger it."

"How long is often?" Akio asked curiously.

"Usually every five years but there are times where we have gone ten years without reappearance, it is said that when that happens, the deity is feeling merciful and forgiving," Satoshi replied with a bit of fear in his voice, "I always worry that the sins of other will force my family to pay the price."

"Are the people here that terrible?" Akio asked. Although from what he heard, if people think that this man is actually a divinity that is purging their lands from evil, no wonder people around the continent ever heard of him. Nobody would bother with the goings on around here and nobody from the island thinks that this is something that can be dealt with, rather a religious event.

"We have the same sins of other countries, however, unlike the others; our deities haven't abandoned us like they have the ninja world, whose earth is overrun with the blood of dead souls," Satoshi said patiently "That is why the divines are harsh on us; they do not want us to become as heartless as shinobi."

With that, both men fell silent. Akio was disgusted with whoever this 'Sea of Death' was. He used the island's culture to hide his tracks knowing they would keep his secret, his heinous deeds made the islanders come to believe in a new faith and he had caused the islanders of O'ozu Island to live in worry about what town would go every five years. It was despicable. Hopefully, Akio will be able to end their suffering.

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Jiraya suppressed a sigh as he left another dead-end town. He knew Zetsu wouldn't be in a city or town but he was searching for any whispers about odd events. He had disregarded searching the Lightening and Wind countries since with the new alliance that was forged to defeat the Akatsuki compelled every ally to relay all information regarding Akatsuki. However, all three countries have failed to locate him so Jiraya figured there was a higher chance for him to be abroad.

That was why Jiraya was currently travelling in the earth country and he hated it. Because Konoha won the Third Great Shinobi War by defeating the stone in the fight at the Kannabi Bridge, the Earth Country were still cold towards any Konoha ninja. Jiraya wondered what would happen if Minato walked inside the country, or Kakashi. They'd both probably have an uproar at their hands, Minato for killing more Iwa shinobi then anyone else and Kakashi for destroying the bridge.

Jiraya reached the neighboring town fairly quickly and prayed that this town would have any useful information but knew the chances were not likely. "I should have left this for Akio and gone after the 'Sea of Death'" Jiraya sighed in misery.

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Kakashi was currently lying down under a tree near the pools listening to Naruto train in wind manipulation. Knowing he had helped Naruto as much as could for the time being, Kakashi reluctantly sat up and approached the pool once more to continue training. He had a feeling that Obito's death was coming up and had been delaying the inevitable. But since nobody was around and Naruto was too busy, at least he could get through this privately.

With a large amount of dread, Kakashi sent a ripple of chakra into the pool and waited. True enough, it was the memory of his first mission as jounin. Kakashi, having memorized this recollection, decided to tune it out and let it play without paying attention to his worst memory.

Unbeknownst to him, Naruto heard the sound of ninja fighting and whipped around ready to fight any invaders. When he saw his sensei sitting at the base of the pool he realized that his sensei was going through another memory.

"I wonder if Kakashi sensei is still a kid in the memories?" Naruto wondered aloud. As he heard more fighting, he felt curious "Was Kakashi sensei strong as a child?" he thought and his face then split into a wide grin, "I'm going to find out!"

He walked towards his sensei but he didn't pay him any attention, Naruto took that as permission to look at the memory rather than the fact that his sensei was zoning out deeply. He turned his gaze to the pool and saw his sensei tell an enemy that the sword he was carrying was a memento from his father_." Looks like the White Fang was a really big deal after all"_ he thought. Naruto watched as the two boys, one he figured to be his sensei's teammate, try to locate the enemy. Kakashi was the first to pinpoint him but he was already behind the black haired boy. The enemy tried to slash the black haired boy fatally but his sensei jumped in the way and lost his left eye as a result.

"So that's how…" Naruto whispered quietly as he saw Kakashi's teammate panic at his injury and Kakashi clutching his eye in pain as fresh blood seeped through his fingers.

"Dirt in your eyes again, shinobi don't cry, I'm not dead yet," Kakashi said and Naruto couldn't help but laugh a little at how his sensei was really calm despite the pinch they were in, that was so like him.

The enemy still hadn't attacked again and both boys were on their guard. That changed quickly and Naruto saw Kakashi's teammate spin and stab the enemy with a kunai, his eyes were undoubtedly red with two tomoes in each eye.

"Sharingan!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise "sensei's teammate was an Uchiha? But then does that mean…?" he turned to his sensei for answers but he was still not paying attention to anything. Confused, Kakashi looked closely and noticed that his sensei appeared to be staring through the pool and wasn't even watching the memory! Naruto debated whether to shake his sensei out of his stupor but figured that Kakashi knew what he was doing. Reluctantly he went back to the memory to find his sensei standing up after being patched up.

The two boys entered the cave and used great teamwork to intercept the enemy. Naruto watched as Kakahsi released his female teammate from a genjutsu then her binds. Before they could leave, however, the enemy used an earth jutsu to cause the cave to collapse around them. They ran to the exit but something a rock hit his sensei from the blind side and the memory faded out.

The memory focused again as he saw his sensei sit up taking in his surroundings. What Naruto saw filled him up with a dread, the Uchiha was crushed under a rock, his right side completely buried under the rock. His sensei and other teammate cried his name in despair and Naruto clutch his heart in pain. He now understood what happened, Obito seemed to have pushed his sensei to safety and was crushed instead. This reminded him of the time Sasuke saved him from Haku and fell and it felt just as painful as last time.

Kakashi was pushing at the rock with all his might but Naruto knew it was useless, even Sakura's skill as a medic now couldn't stop someone form dying after half of him was crushed. Obito knew it too because he was telling Kakashi to stop as he was as good as dead. The female started crying while Kakashi stepped away from the boulder and pounded his fist unto the floor.

"I… from the beginning, if I'd gone with what you said and went with you to rescue Rin… something like this wouldn't have happened!" Kakashi shook in agony.

Naruto startled at the sentence, "_Kakashi sensei wanted to abandon his teammate? But this is Kakashi sensei…how… why?"_

Naruto shook his head and decided to contemplate about it later. Obito was talking about giving Kakashi a gift for making jounin and Naruto wondered whether now was the time to talk about trivial things like that. All those thoughts rushed out his head when Obito said he wanted to give Kakashi his sharingan.

Naruto saw the hesitation in Kakashi's eye about accepting the eye and Naruto smiled sadly. Now that he thought about it, having the sharingan would just remind his sensei of his friend's sacrifice and the guilt that it was Kakashi's life Obito was saving when he lost his own. It wasn't exactly something one would want in these circumstances.

"I'm already… going to die," Obito said with a strained voice, "but... I can become your eye… and from now on I will see the future."

"_That's a much better way to look at it," Naruto nodded._

Kakashi closed his eye, but when he opened it, it was filled with determination and the surgery took place. Naruto turned away when Rin started prying each boy's eye out, Obito didn't react and Naruto figured his nerves were already dead, but Kakashi was grunting in pain and Naruto shuddered. When Rin declared the transplant done, Naruto went back to the memory hoping never to have to see another operation take place on people who were awake again.

Kakashi blew up the roof of the cave engaged the enemy again. Naruto couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness as he watched the invaluable keepsake Kakashi had from his father break. But that didn't stop Kakashi in the slightest and he charged up a chidori and rushed back at the enemy, making sure that Obito was the last life he took.

Reinforcements arrived and they cast another earth jutsu that collapsed the cave even more. Kakashi and Obito were desperately calling for Rin to leave as rocks crumbled around her and Obito. Rin took Kakashi's hand then Kakashi took one last glimpse at his friend before he jumped away to safety as Obito disappeared under the rocks.

His sensei was panting heavily as the enemy crowded around them. He charged up another chidori, took out a weird looking kunai and turned to face the enemy.

"I'll look after you for Obito… because of that I'll protect you even if I die," Kakashi stated "Rin… Obito liked you… loved you… you were important to him."

"_Looks like they have a love triangle like us with Kakahsi sensei being Sasuke, Obtio being me, and Rin was like Sakura" _Naruto mused as he saw Rin confess her love to his sensei.

"I… I was once… the kind of trash that would abandon you…" Kakashi said and Naruto took that as a confirmation for what his sensei said before.

"_He really was willing to abandon his teammates. But look like this mission… no… Obito, changed him," _Naruto thought. The enemy leaped at them and then, everything went dark again. When Kakashi awoke next he was lying down facing a starry sky.

"Looks like you're awake," a new voice that was now familiar said. Kakashi whipped around, acknowledged that it was his sensei and sat up questioning why he was there. Naruto watched as his father explained how the kunai was actually a way for Minato to jump to his students and protect them when used. Naruto felt a rush of joy at how his father took protecting those important to him seriously and wished that Kakashi had used the kunai before it was too late.

Finally, Kakashi destroyed a bridge and the memory faded. Naruto turned to his sensei who was still not paying attention and decided that now was a good time to shake him out of his stupor.

"Kakashi sensei," Naruto called his name as he shook him by the shoulders. His sensei blinked once… twice… then turned to look at Naruto. "Are you alright, sensei?"

"Yes I am," Kakashi shrugged and Naruto realized that he seemed his usual self.

"Why were you so out of it?" Naruto asked as Kakashi stepped away from the pool.

"I know the memory inside out," Kakashi explained "I don't need to see it again in vivid detail."

"I'm sorry about how Obito died," Naruto said and Kakashi sighed knowing that his guess that Naruto saw the memory was correct. He simply nodded and hoped Naruto won't ask any questions.

"Do you want to eat, I'm hungry," Naruto said realizing that his sensei didn't want to talk about the memory since he sighed.

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Akio finally arrived at the place where Satoshi told him the town was located at. He hid in a tree and watched the scene below. All the small houses were burned down and there was blood still visible on the surroundings. Some men were trying to clean up the blood while others were taking down the burnt buildings and sorting out through the good and bad wood from the carnage. Later, the men burned down the bad wood and started packing up whatever wood they could still use in supply carts.

Akio had no chance to examine the area himself till all of the men had retreated to neighboring towns for the night. Once they were gone, he looked around in an attempt to find anything that can help him track down his target. There were claw marks on some of the wood that was still around which meant that the 'Sea of Death' either had a clawed summon or pet. He reached one of the housed that still hadn't been touched and noticed that the door was pried open, the door stood a bit away. He moved closer to examine the door and found a claw stuck inside the wood. Rejoicing in his luck, Akio took it and made to track down the owner as soon as possible.

Taking one last look at the ruins of a once lively town, Akio bounded away and vowed to return some of the own man's brutality back at him.

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**This is my seventh writing of this chapter and I still don't like it that much :P But I kept you guys waiting too long so I submitted this so you guys won't kill me :P I tried to make sure that Obito's story won't feel like a rerun so I didn't actually write out all of what happened and narrarated it. I hope it didn't feel like something you've read many times. Also the surgery bit, that might have been weird but seriously, this is Kakashi's memory and it's not like Rin had some tranquilizers or something on her :D Next chapter will be more action but this is a chapter that had to happen, it's one of those in between moments. Please review and tell me what you like and don't like and all that =D **

**Wishing you the Best,**

**Juman1994**


	18. When it Rains, it Pours

Kakashi was currently sitting down next to Kioshi who was having a staring contest with Naruto. Kioshi was in the upper world because Kakashi couldn't leave Naruto unprotected and although they couldn't train due to the enormity of their jutsus, they made sure to see each other at least once a week. The second Kioshi appeared Naruto started badgering her with questions, which lead to some yelling, which led to this pointless staring contest.

Ignoring both of them, Kakashi opted to continue his work on seals taking advantage of the silence. Although Kakashi knew he'd never use seals as his main form of fighting like his sensei, he was now knowledgeable enough to use seals of all kinds ranging from storage seals, suppression seals, containment seals and protective seals.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew and the book in Kakashi's hand closed shut, "Why would you do that?" he muttered in annoyance trying to find the page he was on.

"I win," Kioshi smirked at Naruto who had closed his eyes when the wind hit him full blast in the face.

"That's not fair, you cheated!" Naruto yelled accusingly.

"Isn't it a part of a ninja's life style to cheat?" she countered. Considering that Naruto's first test in the chunin exams was to cheat, he couldn't find a viable comeback and just grumbled. "As much as I enjoy heckling your student, Kakashi, I need to be getting back."

"Sure, take care," Kakashi replied and Kioshi disappeared.

"I'll win next time," Naruto scowled.

"Yes because staring contests are such a great way to determine one's skill," Kakashi said sarcastically "the winner must feel quite proud."

"Like you're one to talk," Naruto exclaimed "You have those silly contests with Gai sensei all the time!"

"I sort of have no choice in the matter," Kakashi shrugged "Besides, I never cared for winning or losing them, I just go with it."

"Then why don't you just let him win?" Naruto accused.

"Tried that but he caught on and became even more obsessed," Kakashi shuddered dramatically "So it's easier to just get them over with, although some of them are quite fun."

"I kind of feel sorry for you," Naruto chuckled.

"As you should," Kakashi agreed "But I would trust Gai with anything."

"I understand," Naruto nodded "It's like Shino, Kiba and Neji, they annoy me a lot sometimes but I still trust them to come through for me in a pinch."

"I can understand Neji and Kiba, but Shino?" Kakashi questioned.

"It's the way he talks," Naruto verified "and his sulking whenever I do something he doesn't like."

"Like forgetting who he is?" Kakashi laughed "Kurenai told me."

"It's not my fault!" Naruto yelled.

"Sure it's not," Kakashi said as he turned back to his book "Now why don't you go do something productive and give me some peace?"

"I'll work on adding wind to the Rasengan again," Naruto replied.

"Not without Yamato here you're not," Kakashi reminded him.

"I do it with Ero Sennin all the time, just less clones," Naruto informed him.

"Well Jiraya isn't here as well so no," Kakashi stood by his decision.

"You're here," Naruto noted "Can't you stop the Kyuubi?"

"Nope," Kakashi answered "I don't understand the seal Minato sensei used on you so I won't risk it."

"Fine, I'll work on some frog collaboration jutsus," Naruto accepted defeat.

"That sounds fine, just don't go too far," Kakashi nodded already getting back to his book.

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Akio stopped at the base of a long pine tree and gazed up towards the peak of the mountain he was climbing. Kurami Mountain, the tallest mountain in the O'ozu Island stood in all its glory, the peak surrounded by clouds of white. It was a long trek to the top and the area was dangerous that none dared to venture higher than the 1000 meters. After the 1000 meter mark, the road became unstable, the rocks around the terrain would roll down on the unsuspecting at any time and the wind became so fierce that it wasn't uncommon for people to blow off from the mountain and plummet to their deaths.

Akio, however, was a ninja and thus the trek was not strenuous at all. Nonetheless, since the O'ozu Island didn't have ninja, Akio found himself walking up in complete silence without a single human to keep him company.

This is where the claw, which he had found stuck to the door back at the burned village, led him to. According to the villagers, the claw Akio had found belonged to large ferocious eagle that rarely descend from Kurami Mountain and according to them, it was a great sign of luck to have found it.

Akio agreed that the claw brought him luck, but not in the form of a charm as the villagers claimed, rather, it is probably the lead to the 'Sea of Death'. Akio couldn't wait to destroy the man that had caused so much misery and dread for the Island. He couldn't believe his sources hadn't picked up on the scam before, but after dwelling on it he realized that his focus was the five elemental nations and surrounding countries and thus he neglected his duty towards the rest of the world. Akio was determined to set things right and finally bring peace back to the island once more.

Finally close to the peak, Akio masked his chakra and ran upwards, hoping that all this would end here. The ground beneath him was evening out so Akio dashed behind a large rock and took a look at his surroundings. True to the villagers' words, five large eagles were lounging around the top while one stood on a branch gazing down at the mountain. The tree that one eagle was standing on was one of the few at the peak, the rest was gravel and dry earth.

A small hut was what drew Akio's attention, it was haphazardly made out of wood and smoke was coming out of a makeshift chimney of rubble. Akio reached out in an attempt to sense the chakra of the dweller and could make out a sinister chakra emitting from whoever was inside. Akio smirked in satisfaction and drew closer to the hut without alerting the eagles.

Akio took out a bomb strapped kunai and threw it at the opposite side from the eagles, making them to flee without causing them any damage. He drew a satisfied smirk when he heard the man inside swear loudly in shock and bolt outside, looking for the intruder.

The man was tall, about 6.3 feet, and he had a dark completion. He was definitely on the brawny side if the muscles protruding all around his body where any indicator. His long unkempt black hair ran down to his back in sharp spikes. He was wearing no top and long brown pants and didn't seem affected at all by the cold.

His dark grey eyes darted left and right and his eyes soon fell on the remains of the kunai Akio had used. Akio simply watched the man trying to find him, enjoying the sweat that was now falling down his face. The man knew that since he couldn't locate Akio, whoever his enemy was is strong. Akio felt that the man deserved to feel the worry and anxiety he caused for once.

Feeling that he had dragged this long enough, Akio finally showed himself, "Are you the Sea of Death?" he asked, his eyes boring into the man's own grey eyes.

"Who wants to know?" the man asked with a smirk.

"I do," Akio answered "So, are you him?"

"What of it?" the man smirked.

"I'm asking the questions, it's a simple yes or no answer, are you the Sea of Death?" Akio repeated coldly.

"No," the man replied smiling wickedly "I am a divine being that is reminding those poor people to stay on the right path."

Akio glared at the man, "You just invited your death," Akio stated voice laced with venom.

"I wouldn't be so sure," the man replied "You see, I have big friends, if you kill me; they'll kill everyone you care about. But seeing that I am a merciful deity I am willing to let this slide and allow you to leave unscathed. But I warn you, I may not be good at your fancy stealth work, yet, I won't lose in a battle."

"You signed your own death sentence when you preyed on the villagers," Akio stated "I'll be the one to pay you back."

"You aren't the first person to say those words, and you won't be the last!" the man yelled letting out a large burst of chakra at once. "Come at me at any time! I'll make you suffer!"

Akio narrowed his eyes and approached him slowly, "What is your given name?"

"Huh?" the man faltered.

"I would like to know the name of the person I'm about to kill," Akio told him.

"I can't wait to rip you to shreds," the man growled and charged at Akio looking to kill.

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"Jiraya, I have big news," a small ordinary looking told Jiraya.

"Gira, what's Orochimaru up to?" Jiraya asked immediately. Gira was one of Jiraya's summons that was spying for Jiraya in the Sound Village. He played a major role in helping Jiraya keep track of Orochimaru's movements.

"Orochimaru…." Gira began "I don't know how to say this, but… he's dead."

Jiraya froze in shock; it couldn't be, "How?"

"From what I heard, Uchiha Sasuke killed him," Gira replied.

"How sure are you?" Jiraya asked.

"A hundred percent, I heard the news a few days ago but I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure," Gira said gravely.

"Thank you, Gira, I'm sorry for asking so much of you over the years," Jiraya said gratefully.

"I'll always be around if you need anything," Gira replied "I'll see you later, take care."

"_Orochimaru is dead," Jiraya thought "For years I thought those words would bring me comfort, relief that I won't have to keep chasing after him. But now, all I feel is a dull ache. I'm not worried that Sasuke killed him; Orochimaru didn't have his ninjutsu, so Sasuke is still nowhere near his level. On the other hand, this means that Sasuke is now free to hunt Kakashi as he wishes. I have no luck with Zetsu so I should return, Zetsu can wait." Jiraya thought._

Mind made up, Jiraya abandoned his search for Zetsu and rushed back to the pools.

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Tsunade was currently in her private studies cursing at another failed experiment. Shizune was sitting close by with a large book in hand, yet at Tsunade's words, she let the book fall, her eyes full of tears.

"You'll find an answer soon, Tsunade sama," Shizune said

"It's over, Shizune," Tsunade said quietly and she made to exit the lab.

"Tsunade same, you shouldn't give up!" Shizune yelled after her.

"Don't be blinded because this is personal," Tsunade replied sternly "Being objective is one of the first things I taught you as a medic."

"Tsunade sama…" Shizune trailed off quietly with tears in her eyes as she watched her mentor walk away "I'm sorry but I can't help it, I don't want you to die."

But her plea did not reach the Fifth Hokage's ears, that was because Tsunade had already started another mission, she needed to find a new Hokage before her time was up.

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"Ero Sennin! What are you doing here?!" Naruto asked when he saw his master approach them.

"How's it going Naruto," Jiraya smiled "I see you are working on your frog collaboration jutsu!"

"Ahh, we have the timing down now!" Naruto replied enthusiastically, "Are you here for a while, I want to train on adding wind to my Rasengan! Kakashi sensei says I can't do it without you or Yamato taichou here."

"He's right," Jiraya nodded "We'll do that tomorrow then."

"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed happily "Alright!"

"By the way," Jiraya asked "Where is Kakashi?"

"He's working on sealing jutsu over there," Naruto replied as he extended his hand in the direction Kakashi was at.

Jiraya walked over and Kakashi looked up from the scroll when Jiraya was close enough and shot him a questioning look.

"I need to tell you two something," Jiraya stated looking down at Kakashi who went back to the scroll.

"If you want to talk to Kakashi he's inside," he said.

"Kage Bunshin?" Jiraya questioned and the clone nodded.

"I didn't even notice!" Naruto exclaimed studying the clone closely. Jiraya left the clone and continued towards Kakashi and Akio's room, opened the door and found Kakashi meditating deeply on the bed.

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"**So are you just going to sit here again?" the White Wolf asked. He was staring at Kakashi who was lying comfortably against one of the tree branches around the area.**

"Yes," Kakashi shrugged staring back the massive wolf unflinchingly.

"**Your point being…?" the White Wolf asked curiously. Kakashi had been coming here every day and would just sit there doing nothing. It drove the wolf mad trying to figure out what Kakashi was up to. He had never spoken to Kakashi when he had come, but now, his curiosity won over his patience.**

"I distinctly remember you saying something along the lines that you knew better than I knew myself," Kakashi replied smirking "You don't you tell me."

**The White Wolf growled in annoyance and decided to ignore Kakashi once more. He crossed his paws in front of him and relaxed his head on them. **Kakashi sighed and looked at the mature dark forest in front of him. Since Kakashi couldn't work on controlling the White Wolf's chakra, he decided to at least come here for an hour every day. He didn't know what he was looking for but it was the only thing he could do. Now that he had irritated the Wolf, Kakashi decided to ask it some questions. Hopefully, the Wolf would be irritated and let out information by mistake.

"What's your name?" Kakashi asked looking back at the White Wolf. At the question, the Wolf snapped his eyes towards Kakashi and narrowed them dangerously. "Don't be like that," Kakashi said calmly "It's just that I am tired of calling you Wolf. Besides, you know my name so it's only fair."

"**You haven't earned the right to know," the White Wolf snorted.**

"The right?" Kakashi was puzzled "What must I do to gain that right?"

"**It doesn't really matter because I'm going to take over you in the end," the White Wolf shrugged.**

"Well in that case, it's only common courtesy to tell the person you are about to kill your name," Kakashi commented undeterred.

"**Fine then," the Wolf leered "I'll tell you right before I destroy you. You won't have to wait long."**

"You're really unfriendly," Kakashi sighed dramatically.

"**I wonder why?" the Wolf replied sarcastically "Maybe it's because I've been sealed for centuries. No, that can't be right, must be the splinter stuck under my paw."**

"It's probably the later," Kakashi nodded seriously "Splinters can be a down-right pain."

**The Wolf smirked in a twisted sort of way, "It won't work."**

"What won't?" Kakashi asked.

"**If you're trying to make me like you so I won't destroy you, it won't work," the Wolf replied.**

"That's not my goal," Kakashi stated. The wolf was about to reply but before it could, Kakashi was thrust back into the real word. Kakashi immediately jumped into a defensive stance but when he saw it was Jiraya, he relaxed. "Jiraya sama? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked putting his hands in his pockets and glancing at Naruto.

"I need to tell you something," Jiraya said gravely.

"One second," Kakashi nodded and closed his eyes. Although he was no longer at the seal, he could still communicate with the White Wolf if he chose to. _"What were you saying?"_

"**Doesn't matter," came the Wolf's reply after a moment of hesitation "Don't bother me so soon after I got rid you!"**

Kakashi sighed but pushed the Wolf to the back of his mind for now and gave Jiraya his full attention. "So, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Kakashi asked.

"Orochimaru is dead," Jiraya stated.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise where as Naruto yelled, "Seriously?"

"My frog reported it the news with a hundred percent validity," Jiraya nodded.

"But how?" Kakashi asked dumbfounded.

"Sasuke killed him," Jiraya replied and Kakashi's eyes grew even wider at that piece of news. Naruto froze at the news not knowing what to make of it "He was only able to kill him because Orochimaru didn't have access to his hands or ninjutsu," Jiraya continued "It doesn't matter anyway, fact is Orochimaru is dead, and now that Itachi is dead, Sasuke is sure to target you."

"It would've come to this whether I killed Itachi or not," Kakashi shrugged "It's my duty to bring him back to Konoha."

"And mine!" Naruto added loudly "I'll definitely bring Sasuke back!"

"And if you can't?" Jiraya asked.

"I will," Kakashi responded resolutely. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Sasuke is after your blood," Jiraya stated "Tell me again how you intend to return a revenge psychopath when you are the target?"

"You just worry about Akatsuki," Kakashi replied "Leave Sasuke to us."

"Kakashi, I recall the Third saying the exact same thing and look where that lead to," Jiraya said solemnly "I won't stand by and see the same mistake happen again."

"He's my responsibility," Kakashi was adamant staring hard at Jiraya, his eyes determined.

"You won't be able to bring him back," Jiraya replied seriously "He's already gone, the only to end this matter once and for all is to kill him!"

"You can't be serious, Ero Sennin!" Naruto yelled "You don't have to kill Sasuke!"

"If it needs to come to that then I will," Kakashi replied hands clenched in a fist "But I won't go off and butcher him without trying to make up for my mistakes first."

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto shouted not believing what his sensei was saying "You can't kill Sasuke, I promised Sakura chan, he's my friend, do you hear what you are saying!"

"Naruto, if he becomes a threat to Konoha, then we must. It's not your fault," Jiraya said consolingly "He left because it meant more power, people like that only care about themselves. It's hopeless. I told you before, only a fool will keep chasing after a person like that."

"And I told you I would rather be a fool all my life than give up on Sasuke!" Naruto was determined "I'll fix it, just leave it to me!"

"I knew he was lost and I tried to fix it but I couldn't," Kakashi replied before Jiraya could say anything else "But that doesn't mean it was hopeless, it means I failed."

"So are you saying it's the Third's fault as well for how Orochimaru turned out?" Jiraya argued.

"Yes I do," Kakashi replied "Not entirely of course, but if we paid more attention, done more, then maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"That's not true and you know it!" Jiraya shot back.

"Isn't it?" Kakashi questioned "I know it's true. After my father died I blamed the villagers. My father gave up everything for them, his time, his skills, his life and his family. He was barely home, and at times I wouldn't see him for months. But then he made one mistake, one. That was all it took for the villagers to turn their backs on him and forget everything he has done for them. They simply cast him away. It drove him to the brink of despair. When I found him, lying on the floor with his saber in his gut, I didn't feel as much sadness as I did anger, anger towards my father who let them do this to him and anger at the villagers for causing it to reach such a point. I thought about running away and getting revenge on Konoha all the time. I hated Konoha. But then, Minato sensei became my teacher, and he cared about me. He didn't see me as my father, or a disgrace nor a dangerous weapon. He saw me for me and that's why at that moment, I was able to endure and give Konoha another chance. Minato sensei saved me, but I couldn't save Sasuke. That's how I know it's my fault, that's why I am the one that needs to set it right."

Jiraya didn't know how to reply. He knew that Kakashi was an angry child but he never knew the extent of it. But now, after hearing that Kakashi could've ended up like Orochimaru, shocked him.

"Me too," Naruto said sadly "there was a time when I hated the villagers. But then I met Iruka sensei and you and Kakashi sensei and Sakura chan and Sasuke. And I wasn't alone anymore. I could've easily been Sasuke; our roles could've been reversed. If that happened, would you kill me?"

"Do as you wish," Jiraya sighed knowing there was no way to convince them. He hoped, however, that when they realized that it was hopeless, they wouldn't feel helpless the way he was feeling now. Even after all these years of Orochimaru going rouge, Jiraya still felt sadness at the thought that he once teammate was dead. Jiraya didn't know how things will turn out, but he hoped that it would end differently, for Naruto's sake.

**The electricity went out due to a snow blizzard so I finished up the chapter on paper before copying it here. It was a lot of fun. It was nice to write on a piece of paper, makes writing the story more personal if the makes sense :P Anyway I wanted to thank everybody for being patient! Also, if you noticed this chapter has a lot of transitions. I did that because things are reaching the climax and I wanted the atmosphere to feel a bit chaotic in order to project the mood of the story. Did you think it was good or did it just feel rushed? I'd like to know so I can do better in the future. Next time, Akio VS the Sea of Death! I'm looking forward to writing that since last time he was Jiraya so his full power didn't show =D**

**Wishing you the Best Always! And Have a Merry Christmas everyone =D**


	19. Raging Battles

**Sorry it took a while to get this out but here is the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Most characters are a property of Kishimoto. This is purely a fan fiction made to entertain and no profit is to be made from it. **

**Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to tell me what you think!**

Akio went through some seals rapidly as his opponent rushed towards him, slammed his hands together at the last seal and yelled out his jutsu. Sharp rocks surrounded him and were then shot out towards the man. The Sea of Death dodged them all and leapt into the air as the last rock sailed underneath him at frightening speed. Going through some of his own seals, the Sea of Death sent a blast of fire at Akio, who simply you used a wind jutsu to cast the flames to the side. The man landed and glared at Akio angry that his fire was so easily extinguished.

With a roar, the Sea of Death blew out five large sized fireballs at Akio in one swoop. Akio noted that the fire balls were smaller than that of the Uchiha's Grand Fireball Jutsu but not by much, and this time he had to counter five at the same time. Instead of dealing with the fireballs head on, Akio buried himself underground and approached the Sea of Death from bellow. The man surveyed the damage with a cruel smile thinking that the lack of Akio's presence meant that he had succeeded. Akio waited until the man lowered his guard and in that split second he used a strong wind jutsu. The wind enveloped the man and sliced him numerous times before it faded away. The Sea of Death staggered, noted the various cuts now decorating his body and wiped away some of the blood that now colored his skin.

"I will kill you!" the man was furious. He clenched his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes.

"You're not very smart, are you?" Akio told him "You fight with only brute strength, are the Akatsuki that desperate for members that they are willing to invite you into their fold?"

"You haven't seen anything yet," the man bragged before he summoned a large eagle and jumped onto its back, taking to the sky. Akio observed for a few seconds as the man circled above taunting him. He came with the conclusion that this battle won't be any trouble at all. After all, Ryuu was much faster.

Akio smirked and summoned Ryuu in retaliation and enjoyed hearing the man's yell of shock once the smoke cleared. Akio climbed onto Ryuu's back and followed the man in pursuit. Both now in the sky, the man tried to knock Akio off of Ryuu's back with a variant of fire jutsu. Akio and Ryuu used well placed fire-wind collaboration jutsus to overpower the man's flames easily.

Not wanting to stay on the defense, Akio began his own attempts of knocking down the man from his partner. But for the first time during this fight, Akio understood why the Akatsuki wanted this man to join them. Although he was a bit dense and fought badly on the ground, once he took to the skies, the man's skills increased dramatically. He dodged all of Akio's attacks with well placed and skillful air maneuvers.

The man started flying lower, his eagle's talons now brushing at the tops of the forest trees below. Akio followed suit not wanting to lose sight of him even if it meant that Ryuu would now have to slow down because he would destroy a lot of the forest otherwise.

"Akio, there's a village up ahead, your opponent wants to force you to use weaker jutsu knowing you won't attack with all your might if there is a chance an innocent bystander might get hurt," Ryuu warned him.

"Then let's catch up to him before he does," Akio ordered. Ryuu raised his wings parallel to his body before beating them down forcefully allowing him to accelerate quickly. The force of Ryuu's wing caused a massive shockwave, alerting the villagers of the danger coming towards them. Akio sighed at the sight of the trees that had toppled over after Ryuu's burst of speed but that couldn't be helped since civilians were now in danger and took priority. Ryuu and Akio passed by the man who had to loop upwards to avoid being hit by Ryuu. Now blocking the man's way towards the village, the Sea of Death had no choice but to fight Akio head on.

In the village a few miles away, all the citizens dropped whatever they were carrying in shock and turned towards the source of the sound. They saw two figures circling near the mountain locked in a fierce battle.

"The gods are fighting!" one man shouted dropping his fish net on the ground.

"Is that the dragon spirit?" a woman pointed towards the larger figure with a shriek.

"Everyone we need to evacuate right now," another man stated "If we get caught in this battle we will die."

"What if this was meant to be?" an old man asked "Many of our brothers and sisters have lost their lives due to the gods, we might be next."

"But a village has already been cleansed, it is too soon," another man argued. A few nodded their heads in reassurance.

"I do not care what is meant to be and what is not, I am taking my children and getting as far away as I can," a middle aged man stated "If this is meant to be as you say, we won't survive either way. But if there is a chance to save my family, I'm taking it."

Many people shouted in agreement and rushed to gather their families so they could get as far away from here as they possible could. After speaking his mind, the man ran home and burst the door open entering his kitchen. "Kikiyo!" he shouted not knowing where his wife is. He heard a response coming from below and the door to the cellar opened.

"Huro, thank goodness you are alright," the woman hugged her husband.

"It's too early to celebrate my love, where are the children we are getting out of here right now. Have Seichi ready the carriage," Huro said as he hugged his wife back. The woman beckoned her children to come out from the cellar as Huro went further inside the house to gather a few essential supplied as quick as he could. He returned to the kitchen to find that his wife has packed some food for the journey.

"Dad, I'm scared," the smallest child, a young girl no more than four cried.

"It's going to be alright Yukino," Huro picked up his daughter stroking her hair to calm her down "Let's go."

Huro made sure his family was safe in the carriage before he took the reins and guided his trusty horse away from the village. Looking around, he saw many carriages and horses heading in the opposite direction of the raging air battle that was still going on. Taking one last look at his home, Huro prayed that his beloved village would remain safe.

Back in the sky, Akio gathered a lot of chakra before releasing a strong gale of wind that toppled even more trees below. Akio watched as the man desperately clung to the eagle as they were both pushed downward at a thirty degree angle. Akio knew that from the man's skills that he would be able to right himself before he hit the ground which is why he immediately sent another gale of wind from above the man.

The man expected this as well which was why he crouched on his eagle lower and charged away before the second gale could hit him. Although he managed to escape, he was unable to maintain balance and his eagle slammed into the ground before forcing its wings to carry them up to the sky again.

Akio was surprised that the man dodged the attack but was pleased to note that the eagle was now injured and thus its movements were now slower. The man cursed and steered his eagle eastward with all his might, away from the village much to Akio's relief.

"He's travelling to low to the ground for us to use a fire justu, that might destroy the forest," Akio muttered.

"He's leading us to the ocean," Ryuu commented "I can smell salt water."

"What's he planning?" Akio asked himself.

"Does it matter, in the ocean I can fly as strong as I want without worrying about the forest or people," Ryuu said.

"Likewise my friend," Akio smirked "It's fitting for the Sea of Death to die in the larger ocean, don't you think?"

"I hate it when you turn all philosophical," Ryuu snorted "Get ready, were nearly there."

"Be on your guard Ryuu, he lead us here for a reason," Akio warned. They soon reached a cliff that overlooked the ocean, Ryuu immediately began flying faster and they caught up to the man and his injured eagle easily.

"I knew you would follow me," the man smirked and executed a justu that woke up the ocean bellow them.

"Ryuu, fly higher," Akio shouted and Ryuu complied. Akio looked down at the sea below as multiple water tornados came into existence. Unlike natural tornados, these man summoned twisters had one destination in mind, Ryuu. Ryuu dodged the incoming water walls without much difficulty; his strong winds no match for the pull of the twisters.

"He's trying to escape," Akio told Ryuu.

"I won't let him" Ryuu assured Akio "Hold on tight."

Akio knew what was coming and secured himself on his dragon's back. Ryuu folded into himself, decreasing his surface area. With air resistance and inertia now at a minimum, Ryuu charged after the eagle at top speed. This time, the man didn't have the time to comprehend the dragon's sudden speed boost much less dodge it. Ryuu clipped the bird with his claws causing the eagle to disappear in a cloud of smoke. Not wanting to give the man a chance to escape, Ryuu grabbed the falling man with his talons and clamped onto him tight. Now that the man was apprehended, Ryuu started flying at a leisurely pace. Akio relaxed his grip and walked down towards the man, his chakra keeping him from falling off.

"It's over," Akio stated taking out a sheathed sword.

"I will gladly die knowing that it mean the death of everyone you love you bastard!" the man spat while he continued to struggle.

"Are you willing to tell me your name now?" Akio asked as he drew the sword closer to the man.

"Like hell I will," the man smiled manically "I am the Sea of Death, that's all you need to know!"

"May you pay for your sins in the afterlife," Akio said before he unsheathed his sword and took the man's life not wanting to hear more of his useless jabber. Ryuu relaxed his grip and Akio watched as the dead man fell into the ocean below. Akio felt at peace knowing that the citizens of the island would now be able to live without fear and so much loss.

"He was surprisingly easy to deal with," Ryuu commented once Akio made it back onto his back.

"As soon as he gave us more room to fly it was over," Akio nodded.

LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM**** LITM****

"Naruto, I think it's time to take your training to the next level," Jiraya said. Naruto, Jiraya and Kakashi had just finished breakfast and were sitting outside in silence. Well, Kakashi and Jiraya were silent; Naruto was pestering them with accounts on every detail about his training and progress.

"Really?!" Naruto shouted excitedly where as Kakashi chose to just give Jiraya a questioning look.

"Yes," Jiraya nodded a smile on his face "It's time for you to learn how to use Sage Mode."

"What's that?" Naruto asked oblivious.

"It's something taught only by those who have a contract with frogs," Kakashi began to explain hiding his surprise. Although he knew no details about the art, he had a good idea of what it allowed the user to do and how it affected him thanks to Jiraya, "It will make you able to sense chakra on a much more sensitive scale and it will increase your strength by a noteworthy amount."

"Wicked!" Naruto pumped the air exuberantly "Let's start!"

"You did hear Kakashi say it was something only frog summoners learn right?" Jiraya asked and waited until Naruto nodded before continuing "I won't be the one teaching you, the frogs will."

"No way!" Naruto shouted "How will they teach me?"

Jiraya summoned Fukasaku in reply. When the smoke cleared, Naruto saw a small old frog with white haired.

"Did you tell the boy, Jiraya chan?" the frog asked.

"Chan?" Naruto asked in surprise at the honorific used.

"He has lived a long time," Jiraya elaborated with a laugh "To him I am like a child. You get used it."

"Cool, how old are you?" Naruto asked him excitedly.

"That is neither here nor there," Fukasaku replied evading the question.

"Naruto show him some respect, he is one of the two great sage toads," Jiraya reprimanded him.

"Are you sure he is ready?" Fukasaku asked looking at Naruto doubtfully.

"He's going to surprise you," Jiraya smiled proudly and Naruto felt his face flush at the words.

"Well then, shall we get going, Naruto chan?" Fukasaku asked.

"Going where?" Naruto asked.

"To Mount Myoboku where you will learn the art of the sages," Fukasaku answered.

"Ok!" Naruto exclaimed happily even though he had no idea where Mount Myoboku was.

"He's going to reverse summon you to the toad realm," Jiraya decided to save Fukasaku the headache that was sure to come when Naruto found himself suddenly teleported to an unknown land.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Naruto said excitedly.

"I will see you later kid," Jiraya smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" Naruto was surprised.

"Every young sage user has learned to use sage mode by themselves," Fukasaku replied "Finding out how to do it on your own is a test which proves you are ready to use it. Jiraya chan and all other sages have managed to find their own way to becoming sages. If Jiraya was correct in your assessment then I am sure that with the right dedication and determination, you will become a sage as well."

"I won't let you down!" Naruto shouted ready to prove himself.

"Good luck, Naruto, you'll need it!" Jiraya laughed.

"Don't mind Jiraya sama, I'm sure you'll be able to do it," Kakashi smiled.

"Thanks Kakashi sensei," Naruto smiled brightly in return.

"It was nice seeing you again, Kakashi chan. Take care, Jiraya chan," Fukasaku said before disappearing.

"He forgot me!" Naruto started jumping around in panic. Jiraya started laughing while Kakashi simply sweat dropped and counted to five before Naruto disappeared in a similar manner.

"Sometimes I really don't believe that kid!" Jiraya was still laughing and Kakashi shook his head in bemusement, "Now it's your turn!" Jiraya said and gripped Kakashi's left shoulder.

"Huh?" Kakashi was confused.

"Time to learn how to control the White Wolf," Jiraya explained.

"I thought that was what the pools were for," Kakashi pointed towards the various water bodies in the area.

"They help but you won't be able to control him unless you attempt to do it physically as well. The pools will only help you win the mental side of the battle," Jiraya told him.

"You planned this well," Kakashi commented.

"I did, didn't I?" Jiraya bragged and Kakashi chuckled "Let's do this."

Kakashi and Jiraya bounded away until they put a good distance between the pools and themselves so that they won't damage them by mistake. Once they found an open area to use, Kakashi sat down in the middle and prepared to face off against the Wolf once more.

"**Back again?" the White Wolf snorted once his jailer materialized.**

"Yes," Kakashi replied simply and approached the wolf ready to start taking some of its chakra. Before Kakashi could make half of his way to the wolf, the wolf released its chakra and surrounded Kakashi with it.

"**Usually I feed you my chakra slowly and enjoy watching you try to control it," the Wolf smirked and started tightening his chakra around Kakashi "But that also grew boring. Let's see how you handle the sudden introduction to so much of my chakra at once. Better yet, how that miserable Toad Sage outside will."**

Jiraya was surveying Kakashi intently from a good distance away as he waited for the familiar chakra of the White Wolf to show. However, the sudden existence of three claws and a fourth already forming surprised the Sennin.

"_Akio usually stops the transformation at the arrival of the fourth claw," _Jiraya thought watching the White Wolf's chakra dance around Kakashi,_ "But he never told me that there is a possibility that he would jump to that state immediately. That means that this never happened before. Should I stop this?"_

Jiraya prepared the seal so that he could be ready at a moment's notice when the situation called for it. Kakashi, on the other hand, was doing everything in his power to prevent the transformation from going a step further.

"_Wait a minute," Kakashi thought "My father may have had to learn to control the demon's chakra, however, in my case; he's a much bigger part of me. His chakra is connected with mine. So to control his chakra, I must control my own chakra."_

Once Kakashi's view on the matter changed, he found it much easier to stop the transformation from continuing but could do nothing to make it listen to him. The claws stopped thrashing around and the white chakra stilled. Jiraya didn't let his guard down either way and continued to observe closely just in case he needed to intervene at some point.

"**Bastard!" the Wolf roared inside Kakashi's head.**

Kakashi paid him no head and continued to put all of his focus on making the claws move in accordance to his will. Unfortunately, the Wolf hadn't given up and was also trying to control the claws. It became a battle of endurance as both parties tried to fight for dominance.

Although Kakashi could feel and understand the white chakra, the Wolf had a much longer time controlling it and after a seven minute showdown, Kakashi lost the battle and the claws began to go crazy once more.

Before the Wolf could even attempt to further the transformation, Jiraya had already jumped into action and forced the white chakra to fade away.

"Kakashi, Kakashi can you hear me?" Jiraya asked Kakashi who was swaying dangerously.

"I feel faint," Kakashi mumbled bring his finger up to his head and massaging his temples.

"That was excellent," Jiraya praised before handing him a bottle of water, "Drink up, it'll make you feel better."

"Thanks," Kakashi nodded his thanks before bringing the bottle to his lips and swallowing a generous amount before handing it back to Jiraya.

"You should lie down," Jiraya commented before supporting Kakashi by the shoulder and leading him to a tree a few meters away. Once Kakashi settled under the shade of the tree and leaned his head back onto the bark, Jiraya began questioning him. "What was different this time?"

Kakashi raised his right arm and laid it down across his eyes before answering, "I just realized that with me being half demon, his chakra and my chakra are merged into one. So all I had to do was control his chakra through my half of the equation."

"I didn't even think of that!" Jiraya exclaimed.

"It just occurred to me right now," Kakashi added.

"Kakashi, I know there is something different about your battle and that of Sakumo's," Jiraya told him "There's more to this than simply being the only host but I can't help you if you won't tell me."

"Actually there isn't," Kakashi brought his hand down with a sigh "Everything that is different comes back to the fact that the only thing stopping the wolf from being free is me. Because of that, he's doing everything in his power to control me."

"What's he doing?" Jiraya asked relived that Kakashi was finally opening up about the issue.

"The Wolf used to willingly help my ancestors use his chakra to make them bloodthirsty, and by default hated and feared amongst the shinobi world. Not only that, but he encouraged them to use his powers to show not only the world, but the other clan members their strength. The reason why the Hatakes died out was because many became greedy with power and they knew that the only way to gain more power was to have less clan members. They started killing each other so that they could attain more and more strength, and in the end, it became easy for other shinobi to finish them off. At one point, my grandfather and dad were all that were left and the Wolf was itching to become free again. But then I was born and I delayed his return, the one he has been waiting centuries for. So now the Wolf is trying everything to make me fail and this time it's not only reason that's driving him, this time it's personal. That's why my fight is different, he's trying to stop me at every turn," Kakashi explained.

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" Jiraya kept his voice neutral as he tried to soak in all of the information.

"Because I can't fight him alone," Kakashi admitted "In all honesty, Jiraya sensei, I have no idea what to do."

Jiraya noted the transition from sama to sensei. Kakashi hadn't called him that since Minato's death and Jiraya knew that Kakashi was asking him for guidance. Not advice or kind words, he needed someone to help him come up with a plan of action. Kakashi was a genius and so by the time he became ANBU captain, he was able to always access the situation and come up with a game plan by himself. On the other hand, Kakashi was now unsure about how to proceed and that terrified Jiraya more than he thought it would.

"I don't have all of the answers either, Kakashi," Jiraya sighed "But between you, Akio and myself, we're going to beat that Wolf, you'll see."

"We can beat him momentarily, but don't forget, once I die he's free unless I have children," Kakashi stated "I never really thought about having kids before, but I know that when I do, I don't want to place this burden on them."

"I'm sure Minato was feeling the same way when he sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto," Jiraya told him "I thought about Minato's actions over and over again and only one thing came to mind. Minato trusted Naruto, he believed in him. He believed in him more than any other child which is why he sealed the Kyuubi within Naruto with a heavy heart. Naruto wasn't conveniently there, Minato chose Naruto, I believe that with all my heart. There is something Sakumo told me when I chewed him off for training you at a young age, 'My job as a parent isn't to shelter my child, it is to make sure he is ready to face whatever comes his way. Kakashi is born to be a skilled shinobi and skilled shinobi will always be targeted. If saving his life means that I have to take some of his childhood away, then I'll do it in a heartbeat. Someone always has to be stronger, and I know that my son will be stronger more often than not. Being skilled is both a blessing and a burden, but because he's my son, I know that he can handle it.'"

"My dad said that?" Kakashi was surprised. He never really thought about why his father wanted him to start training at a young age, it never really mattered to him before.

"It was the first time I realized that being a parent is much more complex than I imagined. Parents have so many worries and they each face them differently," Jiraya nodded "What I'm trying to say is that if you decide to have kids, it will be your responsibility to teach them how to deal with this. Besides, if you don't want to have children do you think we'd just stand by and let the Wolf go wild?"

"You probably could seal him again but not before losing a few casualties," Kakashi replied.

"There will always be casualties no matter what you do," Jiraya explained "If you have children, they will most likely become shinobi and they will kill a fair amount of enemy ninja in their lifetime. The end result will be the same."

"What if another nation seals the Wolf before Konoha?" Kakashi couldn't help but find flaws in Jiraya's way of thinking.

"You got me there," Jiraya admitted.

"So I have to have children is what you're saying?" Kakashi asked for a clarification.

"It would be preferable but nobody will force you into doing anything," Jiraya replied "Besides are you more worried about having kids or the Wolf? I can't even tell."

"I think children are a much bigger nightmare than the wolf," Kakashi groaned "I'm not good with kids."

"You'll be fine," Jiraya chuckled "But I should warn you, if you start a family only because of the Wolf, I will be very disappointed."

"Why?" Kakashi asked "It's for the good of Konoha."

"But is it for the good for your hypothetical wife and kids?" Jiraya questioned rhetorically.

"This conversation is going nowhere," Kakashi muttered "If nothing else you gave me a hell of a lot more to think about."

"Better than you diving blind," Jiraya replied.

"What you basically said is that I have to decide whether to put Konoha or family first. Problem is, I know how I feel about Konoha but how can I even predict what my feelings towards my hypothetical family will be?"

"You mean you don't know which will be stronger, right?" Jiraya commented.

"Exactly," Kakashi nodded "If I have a child for the sake of the Wolf and end up hating myself for it and feeling guilty, I'll be miserable."

"Why does it have to be about the Wolf," Jiraya said "If you want kids the Wolf comes with the package, not the other way around."

"But it is the other way around because before I knew about the Wolf I had wanted nothing to do with love, family or children," Kakashi replied.

"Well then something good came out of having the Wolf sealed inside you after all," Jiraya smiled.

"You're insufferable," Kakashi sighed before heaving himself upright again.

"One last word of advice," Jiraya called to Kakashi's retreating back "Talk to Akio, he understands this stuff much better than I do."

"Will do," Kakashi nodded and started making his way back to the lodge. "_I'm such an idiot," Kakashi thought "I can't believe I asked Jiraya out of all people about this. I must be losing my common sense."_


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Family