Something Precious

Chapter Seventy

Madara cut him off. "Unless you care to join me of course. I could help you reach your full potential, and unlike Naruto and Minato, I would never lie to you."

"Minato-Sensei?" Kakashi whispered to himself.

"Oh yes!" Madara exclaimed. "Certainly Naruto would tell his own father."

Kakashi's eye brows raised of their very own volition and his eyes widened in the same manner. "Father?!" Naruto was Minato's son?! It would explain why they were so similar in appearance. If that is, this was indeed as true as Kakashi was now suspecting it of being.

"So what do you say?" Madara asked, ignoring his exclamation.

Kakashi suddenly schooled himself and his blade was now once again raised in defense. He may have things he needed to work out with Naruto and Minato, but they at least cared for him. He knew that. This man however, would never care for anything other than his own ambition. "No." Kakashi growled.

Madara sighed as if he had expected nothing less. "Shame." though it didn't seem it was. "Waste of talent really." though he didn't seem to care. "I know I'm just an old sack of bones, but I do not you will be too difficult to deal with." the old man said. He gripped the arms of his stone throne and stood, the wooden tendrils that Kakashi only now noticed were attached to his back, came off with a rather disgusting 'pop'. Kakashi cringed.

Above them, the ceiling and walls shook suddenly as if something had impacted the ground heavily above them. It must have been powerful because Kakashi could tell the impact was ways away from the cave. Little pebbles and dust particles rained down merrily on their heads and embedded themselves in Kakashi's fluffy hair.

Madara didn't blink as he advanced on Kakashi who was now feeling confined by the small rock walls caging him in. In a slight movement, the boy jumped up and balanced himself on top of the farthest one. His sword was clutched so tightly in one hand that his knuckles were white under where his arm protectors covered them. In the other hand was his recently perfected chidori. He could feel the uncomfortable draw on his near-empty reserve of chakra. Maybe he shouldn't have used so much trying to break the barrier.
As the old Uchiha was about to reach him, Kakashi did a flip and landed behind him, thrusting the ball of energy towards his heart. Just as he was about to cheer his victory, his hand met only stone and the lightening faded, scattering across it's surface. He spun around and saw the old man with what looked like the top half of a blue, translucent skeleton encasing him. It was massive; the head almost touching the cavern roof. In one of the bone hands was a gianormous sword that was now baring down on him. Hebneeded to get out but his chakra reserve was empty. If he tried to draw any more he risked it hitting zero, which would kill him.

As a last bid, without even really thinking to, Kakashi reached for the chakra hidden away in the seal on his arm. This time, when the heavy warmth greeted him, he tugged on it. In a sudden burst it filled his chakra channels and flooded into his network, pouring into his reserves. Naruto's chakra was like nothing he had ever felt before. He could not summon the right words to describe it. Every drop seemed to be saturated with power. It was so intense it almost burned, but it didn't. His muscles suddenly felt stronger and his senses better tuned. With a new confidence, Kakashi brought up his own sword that was like a tooth pick in comparison to Madara's. He was about to raise it to meet it though, until, as he let the strange power flow to it, it broke, shattering like glass under it's intensity. With nothing to meet the blow of the blue weapon, Kakashi retreated out of it's reach, movement made so easy now. He was so fast. If he didn't have his sharingan out, he probably would have crashed.

He spared a thought to be stunned though, as he was safely out of the blades radius and the last glittering pieces of his own fell with a sharp 'cling' to the cave floor. He had never even heard of such think as a weapon breaking when infused with chakra. That must be why their were so many markings on Naruto's own katana, to accommodate for the immense intensity of his chakra.

Just as Madara was getting reading ready to strike for him again, Kakashi saw a yellow flashing his perephiral and felt an arm around his waist. Then with a slight tug and a blur, Kakashi was standing outside in the sunlight next to Rin who was crouched about Obito's still form, and Minato who was retracting his arm to his side after a soft ruffle of Kakashi's floofy silver hair.

Looking around him, Kakashi recognized the place as the area they agreed to meet before entering the mountains should they get separated. It was about eight kilometers from the cave. Not a great distance, but far enough that Kakashi figured the chances of the old man following them out were not great. Evil Gramps seemed to have been drawing strength from the wooden statue thing. He probably wouldn't want to leave it. Not for something or someone as insignificant as Kakashi.

He sighed in relief and the remaining of the borrowed chakra settled itself back in the seal to be used later. Kakashi would be interrogating Naruto later on a number of things in the near future and he decidedly added the workings of his chakra to the list so he might next time be better prepared.

A loud rumble made Kakashi jump and he saw Minato glance concerned, in the direction of the mountains where the rumble came from. A mass of bright yellow chakra rose high into the sky. Not far from it, rose along side it, was a deep, cold purple.