Weeks had flown by. With Sakura as an official citizen, the village hospital was running better than the team hoped it could. They kept an ear out in case anyone of the watchers or Uzushio lookouts spotted an Akatsuki member, but so far. Nothing. With Naruto in charge of keeping the village running, Levi in order of making sure there were no traitors and Sasuke in control of who comes into the village and who leaves, the trio had a good thing going.
Uzushiogakure was thriving.
All was well and the trio was safe and content on the island. Damage control was dealt with by the Anbu and their work was immediately reported to one of the three. They had a few citizens try and turn rouge on them... but it never ended well. Not when the whole village is filled with ex-nuke nin who have finally found a home.
Life was good. Life was peaceful...
...or at least... it should have been.
Naruto received a letter via messenger hawk. When he opened it he found it to be a pleasant surprise to hear from Tsunade, at first at least. The more he read, the further down the letter he got, and the deeper his frown became. There was a PS at the bottom that he didn't like... at all.
Ps. Read the spare note with Sasuke and Levi
"Someone fetch Levi and Sasuke please," He asked. Naruto was scared of what was in that note. He wouldn't and couldn't lie about that. For Tsunade to specify reading it with his brothers it had to have meant something bad. Right?
For once, for once! Naruto wanted it to be a prank. He silently prayed for it to be nothing major. Just once hoping that Kami would be on his side.
"What is it Dobe?" Sasuke asked rearing his head through the window. Levi walked through the door like the normal one of the two.
Naruto didn't answer, he held an odd look on his face before handing the note to Levi. If Levi gave a bad reaction, Naruto knew, he knew that it was bad.
Levi raised an eyebrow. He glanced over to Sasuke who only shook his head having no idea what the note was. Opening the letter, Levi's eyes skimmed across the words. He froze. The room went cold, very very cold. It was as if the whole world held its breath waiting for something, anything to come from Levi. But the man stood still, stiff and silent.
Until he finally spoke. Two words. Just two that had the three brothers in a devastated mood. Two words made Naruto tear up. Two words that had Sasuke put a hole in the wall. Two words had Levi crumbling the letter as if it was every being that had ever wronged him.
"Kakashi's Dead"
Sasuke was the first to respond. "Bullshit! Your lying! That message is a lie! A-a trick! Some ploy to get Naruto to reveal himself!" He yelled, the Uchiha paced back and forth gritting his teeth.
*Crack*
Naruto was gripping his desk with such strength that it cracked. His eyes were blood red as he raged." I wanna know how!" Naruto growled. He wanted to know how this could happen, he wanted to blow off some kind of steam because how dare they!? If someone had taken Kakashi's life! Then they would pay.
Sasuke jumped back in again. "I don't care how! There has to be something we can do. Seals! They're powerful right? Surely there is something we can do with them?" Sasuke asked. False hope in his heart.
"And what do you suggest Sasuke? We force Kakashi's soul back into his body? Condemn the man to hell on earth forever living when he cannot die!?" Levi demanded.
"WE CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" Sasuke shouted.
"WE'RE NOT GODS!!!"
Silence filled the room.
Levi sighed. He leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground rubbing a hand over his face before brushing it through his hair. "We're not gods...." He repeated. "We live with our mistakes. I told you life isn't fair, and that if you're not ready for it to give up on your dreams and die!" He breathed a heavy sigh. "Tch.... I never got to tell the old bastard I forgave him...." He whispered.
Naruto let his tears fall. He was always the more emotional of the three. Sasuke and Levi never saw it as a bad thing, it was as if Naruto cried for all three of them. "So... that's it then..." He whispered. "We're all that's left of Team 7"
Sasuke wasn't done though. No, as an Uchiha who felt more, rage and grief filled his soul. It was like dealing with Danzo all over again. "Hn, To hell with that! Does that letter say anything, anything about how his death happened?" Sasuke asked. Naruto caught on to his thought process rather quickly. All three members were angry and upset about their Sensei's Death.
Someone had to pay.
"Yeah. 'It fills me with deep regret to Inform the remaining members of Team 7, and the only people on his will, The Kakashi Hatake of the Hidden Leaf has sadly passed in the Great battle to defend Konoha against the Akatsuki Leader. Pein'," Levi read out loud.
All three members sat in silence as they let that information sink in.
"They're after Naruto...,." Sasuke said.
"I think it's only fair we return their kindness, believe it," Naruto added.
"We make it hurt," Levi grumbled.
"No, we make them suffer."
"Yeah! No one kills our family and gets away with it."
"So we crush them"
"Their plans,"
"Their Goals!"
"We get out Revenge!"
"Anbu!" Levi called out. The five leaders appeared. "Gather any and all information on Pein, The Akatuski their goals everything! Get it from Itachi, their victims, I don't care. Sort it." He demanded, The five nodded their head and quickly fled to fulfil the request.
It appeared that they had sat back and watched the world for too long. As such they suffered the consequences in the form of their team Sensei. They would not make that mistake again. The three brothers knew what they wanted, knew the goal and were far too determined to carry it out.
If Pein wanted Naruto, then He would get him, Sasuke, Levi and all the Rage and anger that came with them. He would face the fury of three powerful Shinobi with the goal of revenge.
.
.
.
.
Two types of Funerals were held a few days later. One in Konoha. It was huge and a way to commemorate all the ninjas and civilians who had died that day. Who had suffered for nothing as Pein had not only fought and won against them all with ease but was even so kind as to have left them with a warning.
That if Konoha did not reveal the Location of the 9th Jinchuriki and the only Ackerman-Uchiha mix, more lives would be lost in their stead.
But also a funeral was held in Uzushio for the more specific Ninjas. Graves were made for specific people that had been lost, who were of importance to the few inhabitants of the island. Kakashi had a large gravestone that sat on the hill that overlooked the Island.
The three leaders sat by the stone and allowed themselves to mourn. They weren't exactly the best at doing so, but at this point, it was needed before any of them cracked.
"...Yeah! And then Kakashi Sensei you'd have never guessed what he said! 'I got Lost' HA! Could you believe it! Teme really got lost among all the rubble! It was hilarious...." Naruto slowly stopped smiling. "You'd have probably said something about the path of life huh... it always was annoying when you said that..."
Levi ignored him, opting to let the wind blow any and all thoughts clear from his mind.
Sasuke sighed. "Come on Dobe, Levi. let's go, we have things to do..." Sasuke muttered.
Immediately Naruto perked up again. "Right! Right. See ya Kakashi Sensei, I'll have more to talk about later... oh and tell Mum and Dad I said high!"
The Trio headed off down the hill, unaware of the ghostly, one-eyed Ninja, who sat atop his own gravestone listening to the stories with a smile.
****
****
Had he done it? Had he done his job? To Konoha? To his students?
It hurt he'd give it that. He had always imagined that Death would release him of the pain that caused it, turned out that is not the case. It still hurts now. That searing burn in his head, he constantly rubs it in hopes of soothing the burning pain. It doesn't work but it's not like he has much else he can do.
It's actually sort of odd, he never thought of what came after death. He had always assumed that nothing happened. That was it, no consciousness, no ghosts, no heaven or hell just... well nothing. But then he met Levi... then he met his friends. So was Kakashi going to be reincarnated? Was his life going to start a new one?
Did that happen to everyone? Then what happened when a soul was brought back using Edo Tensei? Did they forcefully get dragged back? Were Tobirama and Hashirama living new lives when they got dragged back to fight? Would he get dragged back to fight?
It seemed too random. Too odd. Perhaps Reincarnation wasn't as simple as he thought. Was there a rule to it?
"Somewhat. Who gets reincarnated is up to me," A voice echoed. It sounded soothing and Female for one. But he couldn't pinpoint it. Well, he couldn't pinpoint anything, he was simply surrounded by the inky darkness that accompanied Death. "No need for fear. Though I suppose if it were that easy, no one would fear anything" The voice continued.
It was certainly a weird sensation. Trying to look when you can't see. It wasn't even really the lack of sight that bugged him, but the lack of everything. He couldn't see, couldn't smell, couldn't touch. In a really odd way, he also couldn't hear. It was like the voice was going straight to his brain, despite him no longer having one. What was this thing? How powerful was it? Was he in danger? Could he even be in danger? He was already dead, there was only so much one could do to a dead man.
The voice chuckled, it seemed that It could hear his worries and his never-ending questions. So if he could talk without talking then why not start with something simple? Who are you?
"How amusing," He could hear the smile in their voice. "What I am depends on what you believe in. To many I am God, to others I am Death. I have been called Fate and the Devil, I have been called many names, to the point where even I am unsure. In truth, I am a being doing her Job." She explained.
So she was simply, what? A guardian of Souls? Then what will happen to him?
"That, young warrior is up to you. You can stay, and float among the Land of the living to watch over those you care for. Move on to the Land of the lost, where many other Souls before you go to rest. Or move past, to the realm of the next, and live a new life as a new soul in a new home."
He could choose? Is that what his Father did? Is that what Levi did?
"..." The voice seemed to go still at the mention of Levi's name. As if it was a Taboo subject to talk about. "Levi's soul... is a special case. Every realm has its own deity to watch over it. When something out of balance happens to a soul then it goes not to the Deity of the Realm but to the Creator. Or the watcher of All realms if you will."
Kakashi was confused at this point. So Levi and his friends are from another Realm, but is a special case because something happened that allowed him to meet the Creator of all realms? Well if he didn't have a headache before he did now.
"Complicated I'm aware. When Levi's time comes his soul and his soul alone will return to the Creator. What they will discuss is something I am unaware of. I do know that the cause of the first meeting was Levi's Death. He died far too soon. It was not his time, it was not any of their time."
So Levi chose to live here? Did he choose to move on to a new life? With how Levi was Kakashi could have imagined that he would have wanted to move on to the Land of the Lost. to rest in eternal peace without fear or worry of Death. It didn't make sense.
"That is an answer neither I nor Levi could give. When you move on to a new life, you do so with the exception that you recall nothing of us Deities. Levi would have no recollection of the conversation he had with the Creator. But I am afraid your time is up Kakashi. You must choose what you want for your soul to do."
What did my Father choose? Or Rin and Obito? Or Minato and Kushina? What did everyone I care about choose?
"They chose to stay Kakashi. To watch over you and those they care about. They've been watching all this time." Right as she said so, Kakashi could see again. He could see the figures of his father and Rin, He could see Minato and Kushina behind them, he could see his family and friends all watching over him this entire time.... But.. where was?...
"Right Obtio. You mentioned his name before. He hasn't passed Kakashi. He never did. There was a point when he was close, but not close enough."
So Obito was alive? That hurt, he never came home. But his mind had been made up. He had three students to watch over after all. He wanted to go back, he wanted to watch them grow. In his own way, this was his apology to them for dying. He would watch them from afar.
"Then your choice has been made. Farewell Kakashi Hatake,"
Before he left before he moved on. He had to know. Levi... he's lived a harsh life already. Will it get better? She called herself fate at one point, so she must know what will happen. Right?
"...I hmm... I suppose there is no harm in telling you.... No. It does not get better. I don't understand what the Creator had in mind for his story. But Levi... his tale is indeed a tragic one. My apologies..."
So that's how it will be huh?... Naruto, Sasuke... please watch over Levi...
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Ok, so I know I said I'd post this on my birthday, (7th) only a few issues had occurred.
I lost this chapter twice, hence why it's shorter than the others. (I could not be asked to write this a third time ngl.)
A serious family issue had happened that had made me lose any and all motivation to write. (everything is ok now don't worry)
I was seriously busy trying to catch up on Uni work. (Procrastination had finally caught up to me)
So I apologise for the late and short chapter but it's better than nothing right?
Ja ne!