Kakashi's P.O.V
It had been a long walk, well longer, since Tadeo constantly berated us on our poor skills at keeping Y/N safe. He brought out all the times she had summoned them to protect her and that, it was only after her arrival at Konoha that the dangers seemed threatening enough for the summons to completely change their frame and bare fangs. "Before, she summoned us so we could cuddle her or steal food from stalls" was what the massively, large feline had said. I was taunted for being the master of ninkens and rather offensively, the cat stated I smelled like wet dog. In my defense, I had been splashed with water, endured waves of wind attacks, burnt to crisp twice as well as sustained lightning by the foe. I retaliated stating that not everyone had the time to groom ourselves perfectly, some of us were keeping our lives in danger so others could complain about our 'mediocre' job. The constant jabs would have increased had it not been for the very woman who was behind such scuffle. Y/N woke up as soon as we crossed the mountain and headed towards the village gates. Sakura had ensured that the bleeding stopped but my wife wasn't able to put pressure on her leg. Finally, Tadeo had let her off once she ordered and I was able to offer my shoulder as support. Y/N seemed thankful but her pace was rather slow, further reducing our pace. The large feline, however, carried Kakuzu's body and we were able to bypass all the security measures and reach the Hokage tower.
Safe to say, our honorable Godaime had observed each of us, head to toe, and as a response, sighed deeply through her nose. I could bring out about five noticeable injuries that she was going to mention after the submission of final report. Yamato had also noticed where Tsunade-sama's eyes had trailed and he only grimaced as most of the injuries were inflicted on the team he was responsible for. Mine, even though temporary, looked healthy and with less wounds. After I gave a verbal statement of what had happened followed by Yamato's reports, her caramel orbs relaxed slightly but they remained incomprehensible.
"Good work everyone. The immediate danger has passed, but the Akatsuki still remains... Do not let down your guard" she said strictly. The room full of ninjas only nodded, Shikamaru being in the middle while the rest of them looked exhausted. Naruto stood beside Sakura, holding onto his right hand and my wife was almost on top of me, leaning as far as she could to avoid putting pressure on her lower body. "Naruto, those wounds are...?"
"Yeah, my badge of honor" the young boy meekly said, albeit he held a smile.
"And what about yours. Y/N? That a badge of honor too?"
"One of shame, actually" unlike the knucklehead ninja, my wife grumbled looking at her wound. I could sense that her pride was suffering seeing shinobis younger than her sustain less injuries and also, she was the one who lost consciousness and had to be carried back home.
"We did some emergency treatment. Y/N-san's bleeding has stopped and I see no other complications but..." Sakura's eyes glistened with worry as she peeked at Naruto's severely bruised hand. The whole room grew eerily quiet as Tsunade-sama quietly observed the boy's mutilated hand, especially the right hand that seemed, even to me, unnervingly beaten with tiny red and purple blotches spreading throughout the entire length. Shizune didn't have a worried expression but just like her master, she was studying Naruto's hands and I grew more suspicious when none of them came up with an immediate conclusion over what they were seeing.
"Just in case, get it checked thoroughly at the Leaf Hospital"
"Nah, I don't need ~" Naruto objected to Tsunade-sama but before anyone could insist, Sakura's fist collided with the back of his head. She angrily head-locked the exhausted young man and rendered him immobile.
"Yes, you do! Don't worry, master" she sweetly smiled, "I'll take full responsibility and take him there. Got it, Naruto?"
"Yes! Yes"
"All right then, I order you to take a few days off. Rest your minds and your bodies. Dismissed!" as everyone bowed once to Godaime and began leaving, Y/N clutched the back of my shoulder before planting her other foot to the ground. I looked at her confused but did not question as to why she was secretly insisting an audience. Yamato had paused on the doorway, gesturing whether or not to wait for us. Looking at the seriousness of the situation, I turned my head to the ex-Anbu and politely shook my head. On que, the door was closed and silence engulfed us once more, this time with more mystery and anticipation.
"Dismissed means you have permission to leave"
"I have something to say"
"Then why not say it when we were discussing the mission? I have other important works as well" the leader huffed irritated. I could understand why she seemed in a hurry, judging from the piles of unopened boxes at the corner of the office, she had many other missions and papers to go through. There were at least eighteen stacks to go through and that would require a minimum of nine hours, if she read them non-stop.
"Because I did not want to create unnecessary speculation amongst the team"
"Thinking like a shinobi already" Tsunade-sama smirked, "I think a promotion will soon be on the way. Come now, don't delay. Speak!"
"It's about who attacked me"
"You remember?" I asked; my eagerness soared through the ceiling. We were finally going to learn who had been targeting my wife, if it was indeed the same person.
"I remember who attacked me but... I don't know him. He said I should and I- I don't know"
"Who was it?"
"Osoroshii Hinode. He said I should remember him. He laughed and then he wanted to fight me. I can't seem to understand why he targeted me but from the way he separated the team, I guess he just wanted to pass a message"
"What message?"
"He said..." Y/N paused and I felt shivers run through her body, "he said... he- well... I-I ~"
"Out with it!" Godaime ordered, startling the babbling mess I was holding.
"He wanted Kakashi to know that it was him!" she squeaked like a mouse at our leader's unstable temper, "Osoroshii said that he killed the babies. It was him who murdered Kakashi's children and that he... he enjoyed it" as the words slipped from her mouth, my palms turned clammy. Y/N's body swayed and at the loss of my support, she decided to grab the desk ahead and keep steady. I felt my mind dissociate from reality, centering on what was revealed. An abominable rage outgrew patience and reasoning; he was there. The man who had murdered my precious children, robbed me off a beautiful life and now, seemingly targeting Y/N was closer to me and I had been busy fighting Kakuzu. He didn't want to miss the prospect; he used my own wife to reveal his identity. The mother of our children had now the identity of the murderer but only I felt the wrath. All I could feel was rage, an intense raw emotion of guilt, anger, bloodlust. I should have had his head for daring to come near my wife. The audacity to use daggers on her, sending the bloodied body back to me in mockery.
"Kakashi" I looked at Tsunade-sama whose eyes were now dangerously narrowed, she had risen from her chair with body leaned towards me, "I don't think activating Mangekyo Sharingan in front of me is a wise decision. Calm down"
"The killer ~"
"We will go through our records and try finding out this Hinode... But I need you to remain calm if we are to discuss this culprit" my eyes casted to the ground; I wished I had better control but how was one supposed to retain their sense of reasoning in this situation? How could I ever forget the pain of losing my children? In what ways was it just for people to ask me to remain calm? My daughters left this world without even breathing its air but Osoroshii was out there, breathing, laughing, mocking me... he had enjoyed taking away what I had dreamed for years.
"He said he is working with the Akatsuki... at least, that's what he told me and there is another person. He works with only one of them and I think that man is the leader of Akatsuki"
"Did he say who?"
"No, only that they are tolerating each other. He just gave me his name"
"So far, his name doesn't ring a bell"
"Maybe my father could know"
"Jiraiya could but" Tsunade-sama bit her lower lip, "I don't know when the man will return. And even if I send a message, there is no guarantee of his arrival"
"True, but we know that as soon as he gets the message, he will come"
"Hmm... Well, I am glad that you finally were able to find the culprit. This does complicate the mission; not only is the Akatsuki after Naruto but now, we have to lodge a murder case against one of their affiliates"
"I see" Y/N mumbled.
"Tsunade-sama, maybe it's better to take on this mission after a small break. Restful minds are efficient" Shizune chimed in.
"Of course. I order you two to get rest for a few days. I am sure we will assign a new mission to Kakashi but as for you," her dainty fingers pointed to my wife, "you and Naruto will both receive an extra two days for rest. After that, no excuses. Plus, I need you to complete the evacuation exam if you want to be upgraded to a Jonin. You have been stalling for weeks"
"Hey, you assigned missions to me!"
"Excuses!"
"How can I complete the test if I am away for a week and fighting enemies, Godaime-sama!?"
"You can come to my office and tell me that you are ready. So far, you barely communicate with your leader whom you serve. Tch! Not a single respect towards authorities. Go now, before I lose my temper. And Kakashi, we will have a meeting regarding this Osoroshii later"
"Hai"
"We" she began, "we will get justice"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama" I bowed, "Apologies for the sudden shift in my demeanor. I am ashamed of myself"
"No need. I understood the circumstances"
"We shall take our leave" I once again said, beckoning Y/N to hold me as I ushered us out of the office.
I had requested Y/N to allow me to be her resident for the night. It was heartbreaking to walk back to my home alone, and not get support from a loved one. Between the two us, I was the silent lover but today, my silence was grim. I could sense her discomfort when Y/N tried lifting up the mood but the slight irritated responses from me had rendered her absolutely noiseless. We had walked our way to her abode with despondent minds; her being upset for not being able to cheer me up whereas I was devasted for missing an opportunity to avenge my beloved children's death. Now, there was another reason for my upsetting mood. I was a little hurt and disappointed that Y/N defied my orders and fought an opponent on her own. I was not stating that she was an inferior addition to my team, rather she didn't have the needed experience for fighting alone. Even Naruto had to be accompanied in groups despite carrying Kyubi with him. I realized that years apart had still nurtured her incessant want to disobey me. Finally, when both of us had freshened ourselves and decided to lay in bed, Y/N dared to open her mouth. It was invigorating to hear her voice in the peak silence, like a gentle call that teased me that I was alive and should return to the land of the living. There was truly no benefit in thinking of the dead.
"Kakashi, are you okay?"
"I am not sure"
"You can talk to me, if you want to"
"Don't really know what to say in this situation"
"But I know you are upset"
"I... I will get better, Kireina"
"Tsunade-sama shouldn't have been harsh"
"She was right" I deeply exhaled my frustration, "I unconsciously activated my Mangekyo Sharingan. That's disrespectful and threatening. She was lenient with her behavior. It was me who..." Who what? Reacted in the most expected way? Was I about to justify that I had no right to get angry? To feel an appalling presence of grief and loss? At this moment, only I felt the emotions of being ripped apart to pieces. There were no words to explain why I had to be the one to apologize.
"I... I am sorry"
"Why are you apologizing?"
"For not being careful enough"
"Well..."
"I should have been able to restrain the culprit"
"About that" I sighed and looked at her, "You did it again"
"Did what?"
"Do I need to elaborate?"
"Is it about me separating myself from the team?"
"Exactly"
"I am sorry but I knew what I was doing"
"Why can't you listen to me? Ever?"
"It felt right at the moment"
"A lot of things might feel that way but you have to measure what will be beneficial to the entire team"
"I did exactly what the team needed. They needed someone to hold off this attacker so we could rescue another comrade"
"I want you to understand why I give instructions..."
"By always letting others babysit me... Kakashi, I will never grow as a shinobi if the team keeps protecting me"
"Team members will always try protecting each other"
"You know what I mean. It feels like I am pushed to the back so that I am hardly a part of the fight. I want to protect my team as well... Why am I always found guilty when I choose to protect you? To protect my team?"
"I don't mean to degrade you but every time you go against me, you end up getting hurt"
"Not true, when I left Konoha to get Naruto I returned just fine"
"And you raised an alarm where top shinobis thought you were kidnapped"
"I did not mean to do that"
"Part of being shinobi is to understand that there are consequences to your actions"
"I know!" she stressed before gently resting her head on my chest, her fingers soothingly circled on my stomach in calming notions, "At that time, I understood the consequences but it was the right thing to do. We needed to help Shikamaru and besides... I- I trusted in your training and only did what I had to do. I did not reveal my ninjutsu to him and I did not fight to finish him off. I had to gather intelligence. Lucky for me, Osoroshii is a talker"
"What did he look like?"
"Silver hair mostly but it's peppered with black hair and they are unruly, chaotic like he never brushed them and they land till his shoulders; dark eyes, fair skinned and he also has a scar on one of his eyes. He keeps laughing a lot and sometimes, he seems like he is about to cry and the next minute he is threatening me. Unstable is what defines him. But he is a little skinny and really tall"
"That's the worst kind of enemies... unstable"
"He really hates me"
"Did he say anything about... did he speak of anyone else?"
"You mean aside from your children?" I nodded, "not really, he didn't talk about your wife- if that's what you wanted to know"
"I see"
"Listen ~"
"Guess... he gets to live another day, huh?"
"Kakashi..."
"I can't accept that"
"We will get him"
"They had no names"
"What?"
"I couldn't name them"
"Names? What names?"
"It's just that" my voice broke, "my babies left the world without a name. When I am gone, no one would remember that they existed. I had dug two graves and I had to... I had to say goodbye. These fingers... Y/N these fingers ache to hold them again" tears fell from my eyes as I hugged Y/N close to me, her alluring vanilla scent somewhat restricted the trembling but it did not mitigate the growing lump of pain. A dull thud echoed in the chambers of my heart, increasing with each beats as I fought to breathe through my nose. "I am the father who couldn't save them. All the talk about keeping them safe, being their protector and all I ever... ever did was to bury them. When I had touched their cold bodies, I wished... Kami knows I wished I could give up my life to revive them. It felt so wrong... it felt so wrong to feel my warm touch against their cold bodies. I cannot get inside that god forsaken room in my house. That door, I just walk up to it and barely get the courage to open it. The crib lies empty, the toys are pristine and it's noiseless- a dreaded quiet that upsets me, terrorizes me. It wasn't supposed to be that way. They were mine... they're still mine and I have to keep patient. I... I am the one who needs to be calm but all I want to do is scream. Do you think I am going mad? Do you find me weak? Can't I be human for once and not a feared shinobi? Is it fair that I keep losing everyone but the world expects me to keep being unconcerned? I am so afraid... of this world, this life... b-but you are the only being that keeps me sane, Y/N" words narrated themselves out of my lips, a heavy mess of sobs, broken words and short pauses. I tried my best to keep away from expressing my agony but I was too exhausted from seeming unbothered. My mind was disturbed and so was my conscience.
"Then I will always be here to keep you sane" she whispered. By now, she had coiled herself to me, wrapping her arms on my neck and cushioning her cheeks on the crook. Her fingers quickly found their way on my cheeks, wiping away excess salty tears while her lips pressed against my skin softly. "If you can't scream, I will scream for you. If you can't be patient then I will go crazy in your stead. If you want his head, I will sever it from Osoroshii's shoulders. Whatever you desire, I will make it true"
"I don't want to burden you with my shortcomings"
"It's not a burden if they heal you. I will do anything that will lessen this pain"
"You're mine, right?" I looked her, desperate for assurance and love. "You won't disappear on me, will you? I can't lose you"
"I will ne ~"
"Because I don't think I can go on with my life if I have to lose someone again"
"I will never leave. Oh, Kakashi..." she turned my head to face hers and soon, her soft lips were placed on top of mine. The movement was slow, addictive and laced with passion, zealous want and tenderness. I could taste my bitter tears when her kiss deepened; her hot breath fanned on my face and I felt her lashes tickle my skin, gently, "you are an idiot if you think I can live without you. Don't say that or believe that head of yours; it doesn't always tell you the truth about me" her E/C eyes softened at my tears-stricken ones. "You look tired... Let's take a short nap, hmm? I know it's a lot on your plate and things are getting complex but" she laid herself back on the sheets and opened her arms, beckoning me to rest my head on her chest, cushioned by her soft breasts, "we both need to recuperate our energies after the fight. You need to sleep... Come here." I obliged. Heart heavy with somber news, I focused on her soft skin and bosom, tranquilizing my nervous state to surrender to her warmth.