Chiasa drifted aimlessly through the darkness. She was aware of the many voices around her, that came and went or stayed, but no matter how hard she tried to open her eyes – to put faces to the voices – her body would not comply. She had been surrounded by darkness for so long, she started to forget what it had been like before. Though sometimes, when a familiar sounding voice would call out to her - like a hushed whisper from long forgotten times – she saw colours.
There was a deep, warm purple. Purple visited her a few times; she'd sit there and talk about brown with a mournful tone. Chiasa didn't remember brown, he never came, but for whatever reason she felt like weeping. She wanted to mourn with purple, take her sorrow and carry it as her own.
Then there was yellow. Yellow was restless, always fidgeting around, and never settling. Yellow was like a storm bringing life into the darkness. There was another colour with yellow, red, and it felt angry, but yellow's cheerfulness overshadowed it most of the time. Yellow clung to her like a drowning man, whispering quiet pleas of coming back. Chiasa didn't know how. But yellow's fierce determination gave her hope.
With yellow came pink. Pink was calm with the strength to move mountains. Pink didn't plead like yellow did, instead it told her about what had happened and that it was time to come back because she was needed. Pink spoke softly but there was something angry in her voice that warned Chiasa to hurry. To hurry because pink was afraid and when pink was scared, she'd lash out or give up.
Next to yellow and pink was black. Black wasn't terrifying like the darkness but soft and warm. It felt like a part of herself. It reeked of tension and fear, of a desperate need of safety and affection. Where yellow was restless and pink was calm, black was rage. Black crackled like fire and lightning; a force that couldn't be tamed. Black didn't plead, didn't ask, no, black demanded. It demanded furiously for Chiasa to wake up because she was not allowed to leave it alone. It reminded her of promises she had made, promises that she had sworn she would keep. Black would not let her go.
Yellow and pink left her rarely, but black was always with her. It worried Chiasa and she was thankful to silver, who sometimes forced black to leave.
Silver.
Silver felt like power, like pure lightning, like a force of nature. A power that could shake the earth and bring villages to their knees. Just like black she felt its presence always around her. Silver didn't really talk to her, but she felt him. She felt his fear, his anger, and his yearning. But it wasn't enough, Chiasa wanted to hear silver more, wanted to listen to his soothing voice telling her, she and the other colours were safe. She wanted to hear more than the whispered promises of keeping everyone safe. Why did her heart ache every time silver grew anxious?
She wanted to meet the colours so badly, but something was keeping her here. Chiasa wanted to tell them that she was trying, that she heard their calls, and that she was doing her best, but no sound escaped the darkness.
*
It had been days since the Chunnin exam and the Sand's invasion and a certain ebony-haired kunoichi still lay unconscious in a hospital bed. Those days had been the worst for Team 7; worse than the day Naruto was kicked out of the orphanage, worse than the day Sakura ended her friendship with Ino, and worse than the day Sasuke had come home to find streets covered in blood. The doctors couldn't tell them what was wrong, physically the kunoichi was fine but something obviously wasn't and it broke Team 7 bit by bit.
There had been an incident were Sasuke had attacked a nurse because his sleep-deprived mind thought her to be an enemy kunoichi. Kakashi had to pull his feral student off the nurse and tie him to a bed for the boy to go to sleep. In the end, the children decided to camp out in Chiasa's hospital room, with Kakashi keeping watch.
Right now, the silver-haired Jounin waited patiently for his stubborn Gennin in front of a tea shop. Naruto and Sakura had promised him, they'd throw the Uchiha out of the hospital room if he didn't come willingly and he fully believed in his student's abilities.
Whilst waiting Asuma and Kurenai walked up to him. He hadn't seen them since shortly after the invasion when they had inquired about Chiasa's well-being, afterwards Asuma spent most of his time with his father and nephew, just like his pups and himself he wanted to be with the ones he loved.
"Yo! Hey there, you two," he greeted them casually. "You're so chummy... Are you on a date?"
There was an ongoing bet between the Jounin as to when the two would finally admit to dating each other and Kakashi, like the responsible shinobi he was, obviously participated. He had already won a small amount of money from smaller bets concerning the two.
"Fool. Anko asked me to buy her some dango," replied Kurenai blushing.
"What about you, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't like sweets and isn't Chiasa-"
"Well..." Kakashi sharply interrupted Asuma, giving a strained smile. "I came to buy something to put on a grave, so I figured I'd just meet up with someone here while I was at it. Sasuke, actually."
There was a sudden clink from inside the shop when Sasuke finally appeared with Shizu and Hiroki beside him.
Kakashi's worry only grew when he noticed the purple eyebags on his student's face. The pup was even more pale and frail than usual, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was missing sleep.
"Sensei? What are we doing here? I don't like Natto or sweet things," murmured Sasuke, frowning disapprovingly.
"Oh, really?" replied Kakashi with a false cheerfulness.
Now that Asuma and Kurenai were aware of the threat, his job was to get his pack to safety and that meant back to Chiasa's hospital room, which her sensei had fit up with barrier seals and Kakashi had put his own safety measures around. His apartment would have been the better choice, but the doctors refused to let Chiasa go, and he couldn't protect two places at once.
But apparently, he had underestimated his student as the Uchiha now eyed him confused.
"What's going on? You know exactly that I hate them."
The trusting look in Sasuke's eyes was what shook Kakashi's determination to keep the information of a certain visitor far away from his pack. Sasuke trusted him, he believed Kakashi would stay to his vow of pack and everything it entailed, and the pup needed that insurance now more than ever.
With his sister out of action, his main support had crumbled to dust and his first wall of defence was gone. Kakashi remembered just how exposed he had felt when his father had left him alone, how utterly weak and scared he had been. Minato had tried to shield Kakashi to the best of his abilities, to fill the void his father's death had ripped into his heart, but he hadn't been Sakumo. He hadn't had the instincts of a Hatake and Kakashi knew now that he had needed those instinct as a pup. It took only half an hour in the company of the two Uchiha for anyone to realise that Chiasa was everything to the boy and it reminded the Hatake painfully of his own situation.
Now that Danzo was more eager than ever to sink his claws into the Uchiha, Sasuke needed at least one soul he could trust blindly. He needed one person that would fight for him without another intention than having his well-being in mind. The Leaf was full of shadows that just waited for the right moment to drag their unsuspecting prey down, but Kakashi would never let that happen. He wasn't a burning star like Chiasa whose light kept the shadows at bay. He was a wolf, not resting until every shadow was torn apart and his fangs were painted with red.
The Sandaime, no matter how grateful, would not keep his pack safe. The old man would not be able to keep Danzo away from the Uchiha and Chiasa's new power just like he had failed to give Naruto a loving home.
"Promise me not to be hasty," he demanded firmly, not an ounce of playfulness in his voice.
Trust. Honesty. Loyalty.
Those were the principles of a pack.
Kakashi trusted Sasuke to keep his word if he told him the truth. His loyalty no longer belonged to the village that had bound and shackled him since his birth, but to the family he had made for himself. He would not keep this from Sasuke.
"I promise."
"Do you trust me?"
This was important. Kakashi was aware that Chiasa trusted him to a certain extent, otherwise she'd have never stayed with him. But what about Sasuke?
The boy frowned confused, arching an eyebrow.
"Of course, Kakashi-sensei. We're pack, aren't we?"
The Hatake hadn't known how liberating those words could be.
"Thank you, pup."
The words were out before he realised it, but Sasuke only hummed contently.
Keeping a steady voice, even when there was a part of him that wanted to weep in gratitude at being accepted, Kakashi explained quietly: "Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame have infiltrated the village. Asuma and Kurenai are apprehending them as we speak. Sasuke, please, let's go back to the hospital. I want all of you to be in the same room so I can protect you."
For a long moment there was only silence and Kakashi was afraid his pup had stopped breathing.
"I-Itachi is here?" Sasuke's voice trembled as he stared wide-eyed at his sensei.
The silver-haired Jounin put a soothing hand o the boy's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"He won't be able to come near you, trust me."
Shaking his head quickly, Sasuke clutched Kakashi's Jounin jacket.
"You don't understand! I have to see him! I swore to help Nee-san achieve her dream. You remember, right? She wants to save him. She thinks there's more to the m-mass... to the incident! I need to either tell her she's right and get our brother back or kill him to protect her!"
Sasuke was hysteric and more and more villagers eyed the two shinobi curiously, desperate for any gossip about the Uchiha.
Glancing around cautiously, Kakashi strengthened his hold on the pup. Danzo's agents could be everywhere and if that man heard about Chiasa's goal, he feared what would happen.
"Sasuke, you need to calm down. Now," he ordered quietly, a slight growl in his voice.
"Sensei, please!"
Sasuke never begged for anything, yet he pleaded Kakashi to bring him to the murderer of his entire clan.
"I can't Sasuke. Hime will-"
"Nee-san will thank you for letting me speak with him. She's been trying to find him for years now. Please!"
Growling, Kakashi shook his head. How could he even contemplate to reunite the two brothers without Chiasa there? He wasn't afraid of Itachi per se, but he was aware of how powerful the younger man had become and with Sasuke there he wouldn't be able to fight his best.
"Trust me, Sensei," said Sasuke beseechingly. "I'll be careful."
And in a heartbeat his raven-haired pup was gone, having freed himself of Kakashi's hold and thrown himself into a shunshin.
A snarl left Kakashi's throat, and he didn't hesitate to chase after the stubborn child. In any other case he would be proud about his pup's prowess and mastery of the shunshin but right now he'd rather wring his neck for disappearing.
He caught up to the boy just in time to see Kisame aim a water jutsu at Asuma and Kurenai with his pup preparing to lunge at his older brother. Later he'll wonder just how Sasuke had been able to pinpoint their location – it probably had something to do with Shizu and Hiroki – but for the moment his focus was on protecting his pup.
"Water style: Shark bomb!"
Without wasting time, Kakashi's shadow clone jumped in front Asuma, blocking Kisame's attack, while the real Kakashi shunshinned behind Itachi, one hand holing a kunai, the other catching his bull-headed pup.
"Why are you here now?" asked Asuma perplexed.
"I know I asked you to do this for me," Kakashi's shadow clone said.
"But I guess I got a little worried and there was someone who wanted to greet his family," added the real Kakashi, stealing a quick glance at Sasuke.
The boy was scowling, though there was a bit guilt in his eyes.
"Kakashi. Sasuke," said Itachi coolly.
"My, my, you're a surprise," taunted Kisame, eyeing the Hatake and the child curiously. "No wonder you stopped me. There is another with the eye. You must be Kakashi of the sharingan, then. And who's the child?"
"I'm the one who was surprised catching the scent of suspicious folk at the tea house, and who should it be, but I never imagined it would be Uchiha Itachi and the scourge of Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame," said Kakashi, ignoring Kisame's last question, though his hold around Sasuke tightened noticeably.
"Well, well, you even know my name. What an honour."
"I see, so that giant blade of yours belongs to one f the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist, Samehada, the sharkskin."
The Hatake was impossible tense, every muscle straining in anticipation of an attack.
"Heh heh. I had heard that young Zabuza had spared with you?"
"Yeah..." admitted Kakashi cautiously, glad that it was not Naruto with him as the blond would not have stayed quiet like Sasuke did.
"I'll cut you to ribbons."
"Drop it, Kisame," ordered Itachi warningly.
"We need to talk Itachi! Nee-san is-"
Didn't Kakashi just praise the boy for staying quiet?!
Suddenly, Itachi moved and Kakashi had just enough time to throw his pup out of the way, blocking the kunai with his forearm.
"Sensei!" Sasuke exclaimed as he fell into the river, remembering in the last moment to channel chakra to his feet. "Stop it, Itachi! Nee-san-"
"Foolish little brother. Is that all you can do, hide behind your sister's back?"
Another Itachi was in front of Sasuke, the boy barely having time to draw his sword to block the kunai aiming for his throat.
A third Itachi attacked Asuma and Kurenai but Kakashi was too focused on reaching his pup to care.
Sasuke's sharingan activated, frustration cursing through his body.
"Listen! She's hurt! You-"
Abruptly his voice died down, his brother's hand wrapping painfully around his throat.
"I-It-" he gasped, panic-stricken staring into his brother's cold eyes.
Helplessly, Kakashi had to watch as his pup froze, eyes glazing over before the closed, and he crumbled as Itachi dropped him.
He moved without thinking, reaching the boy just in time to haul him out of the river and into his arms before he could drown.
"Itachi!" he growled deeply, fury filling him as he cradled Sasuke to his chest.
Itachi turned out to be a threat to his pack!
Hound had been out since the moment Chiasa's screams had rung through the air, drowning out the sounds of battle and death, and Kakashi had not found the strength to reign him back in, not until Chiasa opened her eyes again. And now, Hound wanted Itachi's head on a platter.
Just as he prepared to escape – Sasuke had to be out of the way before he tore into Itachi – the shinobi was in front of him, clutching his collar and attempting to drag him into a plane full of pain just like he had done to the pup. But Kakashi had been ready and the moment Itachi was close enough, chidori surrounded his arm and he aimed for the heart.
Both Shinobi jumped apart, sliding over the river surface.
"Don't look him into the eye!" Kakashi shouted to the other Jounin whilst moving Sasuke on his back. "Listen closely, both of you, do not open your eyes, no matter what. If you meet eyes with him right now, you'll be finished. Only another sharingan can handle him now."
"If one possesses the sharingan one can resist this Mangekyo to some extent. But you can't break this special sharingan Justus, Tsukuyomi."
Before he knew what happened, Kakashi found himself in another dimension tied to a cross and surrounded by thousands of Itachi's.
A sword was pushed into Kakashi's side and he couldn't stop the pained scream escaping his throat.
"In the Tsukuyomi dreamscape, I completely control time, space, and even all substance," explained Itachi emotionlessly. "For the next 72 hours you will be continually stabbed over and over again."
It was the most painful 72 hours Kakashi ever lived through but his spirit stayed unbroken and his wolf hungered for blood.
Outside of the plane with red sky, his body hit the ground and it was all he could do to catch himself with one hand as the other steadied the unconscious boy on his back. Kakashi desperately tried to gasp for air.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?" asked Kurenai worriedly.
"Keep your eyes shut!" he shouted strained.
"What's going on?! One second that guy's talking and the next second you hit the ground?!"
"Hm, after all that the fool's spirit is intact," wondered Kisame, looking between the Hatake and his partner. "Meanwhile you've overused those eyes of yours. You know that's dangerous. And that child is really your brother, Itachi? He's so ... weak."
"What do you ... want from ... Sasuke?" panted Kakashi.
"No, not him," admitted Itachi, eyeing the raven-haired boy with disdain. "The legacy of the fourth Hokage."
It was like all the exhaustion was never there to begin with as Kakashi was filled with rage. Not only did they attack Sasuke now they were after another one of his pups!
A growl ripped out of his throat, deep, dark, and threatening.
"You're Akatsuki."
Jiraiya had warned him about the group hunting jinchuuriki. No, he couldn't think about the man right now, lest he lost control entirely. The man had tried to take Naruto away and it had taken everything Kakashi had not to tear his throat out then and there. And now someone else threatened to take the blond away!
Summoning a shadow clone, he carefully transferred Sasuke to him. Taking his students katana, he turned to attack.
Without Sasuke on his back and blinding hunger for blood cursing through his veins, Kakashi was like a flash. One moment he kneeled on the ground barely breathing, the next he was in front of Itachi, lightning encasing the blade as he thrusted it at the Uchiha.
Itachi could only deflect the attack to his shoulder, instead of taking it full force.
Dodging Samehada, the Hatake dropped under water only to appear behind the missing Kiri-nin, a storm following his outstretched katana.
"Kisame!" Itachi calmly ordered, though there was a strain in his voice as he held his injured shoulder. "Change of plans: we're taking Kakashi with us. Make the other three disappear."
Smirking, the shinobi raced towards Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi's shadow clone when Kakashi threw himself against him. Samehada ripped through Kakashi, tearing the skin from his back, and he roared in pain, dropping to his knees.
Just a moment later a figure in green spandex landed between them, kicking Kisame away from the Konoha shinobi.
"Severe Leaf hurricane!"
Catching himself quickly, the blue-skinned shinobi smirked dangerously, wondering: "Well, who have we here?"
"The leaf village's fiercest beast of battle. I'm Might Guy!" exclaimed Guy.
"You are Might Guy, hah, mighty stupid looking guy!"
"Do not underestimate him," warned Itachi his partner. "Kisame, we need to go."
The shinobi eyed his partner critically, grimacing as he looked at his partner's wound. It wasn't bleeding but having electricity shoot through your body had to be uncomfortable.
"Tch, you have no idea how lucky you are."
Quickly, Kisame picked the Uchiha up and fled.
Turning to his comrades, Guy said: "You can open your eyes again. They're gone."
It was good that Guy had come as Kakashi felt his body shutting down. His shadow clone disappeared and the last thing he saw was Asuma catching Sasuke and holding him carefully. The Jounin said something to him but by that time Kakashi was no longer conscious.
*
"I should have been there, Sakura," whispered Naruto ashamed as he watched the three people in the hospital room. "If I hadn't gone to Ichiruka's but with Sasuke-"
"then you'd be in a hospital bed too," finished Sakura firmly. "With the same reasoning I should have been there too, but are you blaming me?"
"Of course not!" the blond refused harshly. "You watched over Chiasa-nee."
"Silly boy," Sora interrupted the pity party of the two children deciding.
Naruto had summoned him the moment the nurses had left the room after some Jounin-sensei had brought the Hatake and the Uchiha child in, asking for his help with the new barrier seal. Perhaps it was a bit overboard to teach the child Uzushio's own barrier seal, a seal that had withstood a siege for an entire week before crumbling, but the Uzukage related to the child's fear. Having not only one but both senseis as well as a teammate in the hospital in a village that was just invaded and full of people that waited for a moment of weakness to suck them dry, he'd do everything in his power to protect them too. Even if that seal could, in the case of an attack, blow up the entire hospital wing.
"Both of you did nothing wrong. It was an unfortunate accident and nothing you could have done would have changed the outcome. From what I've gathered two of the Jounin that were there couldn't even help and the third came far too late. By the way, you're getting company."
Swiftly, the late Uzukage returned to his seal just as Naruto wielded Suijin and Sakura stepped in front of their unconscious packmates, hands balled into fists. The room was covered with genjutsu and the intruder just had to take one wrong step and he was hers.
A white-haired shinobi pushed open the door, walking confidently into the room.
"You!" Naruto's voice was deeper than usual, laced with an ounce of the Kyuubi's hatred.
"Oi, gaki, that's no way to greet one of the Sannin," chided the man smiling friendly.
Grumbling, the blond pointed Suijin at the Sannin threateningly.
"I've told you before, I'm not going with you! I will not leave my pack!"
Naruto's words hit a nerve within Sakura and before she knew what had happened, she leapt at the unknown shinobi, delivering a backwards high kick with her left foot, using the motion to then slam a low kick with her right and sending the Sannin flying.
Landing on her feet, she suddenly realised what she had done. Looking at the sprawled form of the shinobi she didn't feel guilty at all. The man had threatened to take her last packmate away, he had it coming.
"Sakura-chan, that was very impressive."
Suddenly, the Sandaime Hokage walked towards them, a kind smile on his face. The man had steadily healed from the fight with his old student, only needing a cane to walk from now on.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, but she kept her protective stance, green eyes burning with fire.
"Hokage-sama," she greeted the man politely.
"Jiji," exclaimed Naruto from behind her, though he didn't run to the man like he'd have done in the past.
The old man had kept too many secrets from him.
"Naruto-kun, it's good to see you. How are you two doing?"
Sakura stepped back, allowing the Hokage to enter the hospital room, she could hardly keep the man out even if she wanted to.
"We're okay, dattebayo!"
The blond fiddled with his tessen, not willing to put it away in case the pervert tried to look at Chiasa-nee.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya had gotten up again, rubbing his chest soothingly.
"Kami, what did they teach you?!" he huffed under his breath, but the children still heard him and the look they sent him, caused him to shiver.
"How can we help you?" asked Sakura in the end.
These men wouldn't just come for nothing and without Chiasa-nee and Kakashi-sensei it came down to Naruto and herself to keep their pack safe. And they would succeed. There was no place for failure.
"You see," Hiruzen settled in a plastic chair close to the kunoichi's hospital bed and both children had to keep themselves from snapping. "Jiraiya here," he pointed at the white-haired shinobi leaning against the door frame and watching the children curiously. "wants to take Naruto-kun with him on his next mission."
"I said no!"
Hiruzen looked at the blond scoldingly.
"This is an amazing opportunity, Naruto-kun. Jiraiya is one of the Sannin, a legendary shinobi, and he's willing to teach you. Don't you want to become stronger to protect your teammates?"
The blond bristled, his fingers tightening around Suijin.
"Furthermore, Jiraiya's mission is to bring back Tsunade, my other student. She's the best medic and will be able to help your friends."
Naruto eyed the Sannin warily, glancing at his packmates. Chiasa-nee was still unconscious and with every passing day the nurses and doctors lost hope. They never dared to tell him directly, but he knew. He saw it in their eyes, heard it in their voices, and smelled their doubt. Now Kakashi-sensei was out from a genjutsu and so was Sasuke. Their pack had been reduced to only two conscious members and the five falcons that refused to leave their side.
Sakura stood tall between the hospital beds, eyes bright and sharp as she considered their situation. She had to be calm and steady in the storm that their life had become.
"You have to go, Naruto," she told her packmate firmly.
The blond almost jumped, staring at her wide-eyed.
"What? But Sakura-"
"If there's a chance Tsunade-sama can help them, you have to find her. I'll keep watch until you're back."
"But-"
Sakura stepped next to him, taking his hand firmly. There was a silent conversation between the two that none of the other occupants were privy to, but in the end, Naruto sighed defeatedly.
He'd join the pervert, but if Jiraiya expected him to stay with him after they had found that Tsunade-person, he was wrong. Naruto would not leave his pack, no matter what. Anything Jiraiya could teach him, someone else could too.
"I'll go with you."