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Chapter Text

The group of four moved quickly through the dark branches of the trees, easily picking up the trail of the ones that had stolen what the four shinobi should have protected.
Even though they were still in fire country, the night was usual dark.

It didn’t take very long for them to catch up with the several shinobi from some minor hidden village. They were many but they were no match for the four, which was also the exact reason why they’d rather run than fight. But who could really blame them right? No one would voluntarily risk a fight with the famous copy nin of the hidden leaf village. The fact that is best friend was siding him along with another famous Uchiha was another reason not to stay.

It had been a simple mistake that the strange shinobi had even gotten this far with their treasure but it was nothing the four couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to fix. They were much faster and stronger than the enemies, while their only advantage was their sheer number. Taking a wild guess Kakashi would have said they were about twenty and one of them was carrying the treasure.

“Obito,” he said with a low voice to the man running on his right. As usual he didn’t need to say anything else. Years of training together allowed them to attack in a team without much talking.

Obito made a few quick hand signs and released a giant fireball on to the fleeing shinobi. While the fire blazed in the dark night under the bright full moon, Kakashi sent the other two of his team around the massive fire. Yelps and short screams began to fill the night as one after another fell to the ground.

When the flames ceased, Kakashi jumped over a large branch to make the final blow. He raised his hands and performed a series of fast hand signs. Energy roamed through his arm as his most famous attack manifested in his hand.

His body moved on its own as soon as the lightning spread through his hand and within seconds the last few shinobi fell to the ground, holes where their hearts should be.

Once they had made sure that no one had managed to escape, the four jumped from the trees and gathered on the ground.

Blood was dripping from Kakashi’s hands but he didn’t care about that at all. Something near a young corpse that couldn’t have been older than fifteen, had caught his eye. The moonlight made the object sparkle in the night light and Kakashi couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and taking the strange thing they had ought to protect into his gloved, bloody hands.

When they had first arrived at the temple three days ago, they had only been allowed a quick look at the precious object, he hadn’t really understood why but as he was holding the thing in his hands, he was starting to understand why it was hailed so highly by the guards of the temple.

The temple it belonged to was definitely one of the most luxury buildings he had ever seen in all fire country. From gold to jewels and wonderful ancient paintings, they had it all and yet they presented them as if they were worthless. When they had finally shown them the golden thing he was now holding in his hands, Kakashi had almost scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all.

It had been nothing but a simple golden stone that would have fit easily into his hand. Well that was what he had thought. Now it was different. He turned the stone in his hand and looked closely at the strange object. The texture of the stone was soft and yet hard. The surface seemed to warm up in his hand and sent a wave of calm and peace through his skin and into his whole body.

“What is that?” Obito asked curiously, as he walked over with his comrades in tow. Kakashi shrugged and watched as his friend took it carefully into his scarred hands. As soon as it was gone, Kakashi felt lonely. The loss of the warmth, the calm and the sudden peace made him long and all he wanted was to take it back, if necessary even with violence. Kakashi however, restrained that urge, knowing very well that it would be stupid and cause him a lot of unnecessary trouble. Whatever that thing was, they had to return it to the temple and given the thoughts running through his head as he watched his friends touch it, he’d return it rather sooner than later.

“Twenty shinobi to get some golden stone? Who would do that and why?” his long term friend Tenzou asked curiously and took the thing from Obito. Itachi even leaned down to inspect it thoroughly. The young Uchiha furrowed his brows but he didn’t seem to understand that either.

“I don’t think it’s even real. There is a deep cut right there,” Tenzou said and pointed to the black line that cut right through the top. Kakashi furrowed his brows and moved his forehead protector back over his Sharingan. He could have sworn that there had not been a cut just a moment ago. The surface had been neat and even; he would have noticed if there had been any disturbances.

 “If it’s real or not is none of our business. Let’s clean up and return this thing,” he said and tried his best to keep his voice steady. It seemed to work since Obito nodded and handed it back over to him. The calmness returned as soon as his gloved fingers wrapped around the surface. Kakashi released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. His friends had already hurried off to seal the corpses and thankfully didn’t notice his moment of relieve. He had no way to explain the strange feelings that were roaming through his body.

He was very careful as he sealed the stone into a scroll and stashed it into his inner breast pocket, close to his heart where no one would ever dare to touch him.

Once that was done, he moved to his friends and helped them seal the last of the corpses.

 -

The temple was located at the east border of fire country. Centuries ago, a group of brave and religious men had carved it into a cliff high above the crashing waves of the roaming sea that parted fire country from water country.

The front doors were made of stone and could easily be overlooked since the leafage had grown steadily over the last several hundred years and kept most of the entrance hidden.

According to the people that looked after this temple, it was older than chakra and the danger of the cliff right outside had caused many deaths. They had also said that the temple was guarded by a great power that could save one’s life if he had been chosen worthy. Kakashi had no idea if what they had been saying was the truth but he surely didn’t dare to call them liars. He had learned to respect anyone’s believes, if it was the truth or not.

They were already being expected when they entered the temple and walked into the massive room that lay behind. Ten people, covered in black hoods were standing in a half circle, obviously awaiting them. Their body tension gave away their anxious feelings.
The only lights in the room came from low hanging candles and torches that drenched everything into a soft warm glow. One of the ten stepped forward and pulled their large hood back. A woman he had seen quite a bit in the temple during the last few days came to a halt in front of them. She was a pretty one, long black hair that fell loosely over her shoulders and bright green eyes that stood out, even in the dim lights.

“Did you manage to return it?” she asked softly. Her voice as well as her looks made clear that she was hardly thirty years old.

Kakashi opened his flak jacket and pulled out the scroll. He placed the paper into one of his pants and quickly undid the seal. The eyes of the woman lit up and a wide smile appeared on her face when the oval stone appeared in his palm. The clam and peace seemed stronger now, coming not just from the stone but suddenly from everywhere. It came from the ground, the large walls and sent tingles through all of the silver haired man’s body. For a second it even seemed as if the stone was glowing but that glow vanished so fast that Kakashi wasn’t even sure if it had been there at all. The woman took the stone from his hands but while his heart longed, the calm didn’t leave him. He knew it was safe here, safer than it could be with him. The thought of why he wanted it to be safe in the first place was something that didn’t even cross his mind. He just needed it to be safe.

He watched as another black hooded person hurried towards them and quickly carried the stone out of the great hall. His eye lingered on the person’s back before it switched down to the woman in front of him. She bowed her head to them.

“Thank you Shinobi-san. As promised, we will prepare your rewards for slaying the rogue shinobi from the deserted country. For now, you should rest, the way home is long and the fight must have drained your strengths. The guards will accompany you to your sleeping quarters. Your rewards will await you once the sun rises,” she said and took a step back. Two more of the black hooded team walked over to them and guided them out of the large hall. Even though no word was spoken Kakashi could feel several eyes linger on his back.

Someone had already lit the candles in their sleeping chamber when they walked in and just like the great hall, the whole place was now tinted in a soft red and orange glow.

As beautiful as it had looked on the first day, they were all longing for the warmth of sunshine and steady light by now.

While Itachi and Kakashi entered the dark bathroom to wash the blood on their hands away, Obito and Tenzou fell into a light conversation about the fight they had just fought. As much as Kakashi loved them - though he would never admit that- he was utterly grateful to have someone on his team who didn’t feel the need to talk as much as the other two did.

He sometimes regretted that he had dropped Tenzou off at Obitos on far too many occasions when he didn’t have the time to deal or train with him. The awfully loud Uchiha had made it his mission to help Tenzou fit into their village and circle of friends. Obito had also used that chance to pull Tenzou on his side and together they tend to make his life a little more difficult than it used to be.

Kakashi simply let him have his way because how the hell was he supposed to tell Obito to stop when said man had saved his life on more than one occasion? The most important being the one in which half of his body had ended up under a giant rock and he gifted Kakashi with his Sharingan. Had their sensei not arrived in time, Obito would have died and it would have been Kakashi’s fault and his alone.

His pale hand trembled under the warm stream of water as the memory flashed through his mind. Because of him, his best friend had huge scars on his whole body, all because he had made a mistake.

“Kakashi-senpai? Are you alright?” Itachi’s soft voice suddenly said and tore him away from those toxic memories. He turned his head towards the youngest part of his team and titled his head lightly.

“Of course,” he simply said and grabbed one of the black towels that the temple guards had provided for them. They weren’t as soft as the ones he had at home but Kakashi still valued the fact that they did provide them, even though they didn’t have to. Hell, they could have left them sleep outside without food or a proper bathroom and they still would have carried their mission out.

He could still feel the intense black eyes of the quiet Uchiha on his body when he turned around and left the bathroom to join the other two for a quick meal of dried beef.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and easily caught the bag of food Obito threw at him.

One set of black and one of brown eyes were locked on his face as he took some of the beef out of the bag. Obito had never given up on trying to see under Kakashi’s infamous mask, he had even tried so desperately that the copy nin had to invent a seal with Rin’s help to get her boyfriend to stop trying. The seal worked just fine, allowing him to eat in front of everyone without them even realizing that his face had been uncovered right in front of them.

“Has anyone ever seen your face senpai?” Tenzou asked curiously just when Kakashi pulled his masked down. He watched with light amusement as their eyes became clouded and Kakashi knew that the seal was doing its best to protect his secret.

“A few have,” he answered lazily and couldn’t stop his mind from wandering again. Seven people -and that included his parents had seen his face, and those were hopefully the only ones who would ever see what was hidden underneath the dark fabric.

Obito scoffed. Oh how Kakashi wished that Rin had been available for this mission for he knew that his scoff didn’t mean anything good.

“He’s probably hiding some really gross herpes under that thing or huge lips or,” he wrinkled his nose in a disgusted manner and added,” warts.”
Obito earned an unimpressed look from the silver haired man, while Tenzou and Itachi chuckled lightly.

“You spend way too much of your time with Naruto,” he said and threw the bag back at him, once he was finished with his meal. Obito caught it surprised. The cloudy state vanished from his eyes as soon as his mask was back in place. Kakashi hooked a finger under the fabric that covered his face and quickly smoothed out the edges before his hand went to the zipper of his flak jacket.

“When the hell did you eat!?” Obito nearly yelled and the other two looked at him a little stunned as well. Kakashi just sent one of his infamous eye crinkle smiles towards them.

“We should all get some sleep. The way home will appear much longer once Obito decides to talk about Rin,” Kakashi said and earned a little growl from the black haired man.

“At least I have a girlfriend, stupid Bakashi,” he mumbled under his breath but since they were well trained shinobi, the three didn’t miss those words.

Tenzou and Itachi shook their heads but their lips were lightly pulled upward as they got ready for bed.

The peace and the calm were still all around the room and once they had all settled down, Kakashi let himself engulf in the sweet feeling of pure safety and happiness. For the first time in a long while, he had no trouble falling asleep.

 -

The four were woken by one of the black hooded guards shortly before the sun rose. Kakashi had been as surprised as the others when he was actually the last one to be completely awake. It was usually the other way around. Of course, Obito used that rare opportunity to tease him but Kakashi couldn’t care less about that. The two had been friends for a very long time and the little teasing now and then was a part of the package, no matter how annoying it could get.

Once they all got dressed and gathered their stuff they were led back through the dimmed hallways and into the great hall. The guards stood once more in a half circle and once more, the only one with her hood down was the black haired woman.

“Good morning shinobi-san. You look well rested,” she greeted when they came to a halt in front of her. She didn’t bother to wait for an answer and simply turned to take a package from one of the guards. He wasn’t the only one carrying something. Another one was holding a little red bag, while the one at the end of the half circle was holding a small wooden box.

“Let’s not waste any time. I am sure the Hokage is already expecting your return. We prepared some food for your journey home,” she said and after making a soft motion with her hand, the guard held the package wordless out to Tenzou.

“Thank you,” he said as politely as ever and accepted the package with a little bow. The one with the little red bag stepped forward now, while the other one took his place in the circle again.

“Your payment of course,” the woman said and the person held it out to Itachi. He looked a little surprised as he took it, probably because he had thought that one of the older one would carry it back home. Kakashi on the other hand was just glad that it hadn’t ended up in Obito’s hands.

“And lastly this,” the woman said and the last one walked over. He stopped in front of Kakashi and opened the little wooden box he was holding. The four men furrowed their brows in confusion when the box revealed their most precious treasure. The one golden stone that they had brought back to the temple just a few hours ago.

“For centuries we have waited for a chosen one to appear. Last night it finally happened,” the woman said and took the box into her hands. She smiled up at the silver haired man.

“Kakashi Hatake you were chosen by the great Kohaku. You will bond strongly together but you have to be careful. This power will either lead to a great destruction or into a whole new era. Whatever happens, lays in your hands from now on,” she said and the whole room went deadly quiet once her words ceased. Kakashi couldn’t believe it. He didn’t even know what to say. Had she seriously just put him in charge for the fate of the goddamn world? Without even asking him if he would even want that? Gosh he was hardly able to manage his own life!

“I fail to understand. Our mission was to protect that…thing, why would you give it away like that?” Itachi asked quietly next to him before the silence stretched even more.

“There are things in this world that are much greater than anything you could imagine. Kohaku is a relic of the old days, before the humans stole the chakra from the great tree to make themselves stronger. It is one of the last few of its kind and while it was frozen for thousands of years, it came to life just last night…when you touched it,” she said and looked at him for a few seconds before she continued, “We realize that this task is most likely beyond your wildest imagination but the thing is, a bond like that cannot be taken back and it has already started to build. You should feel it already…Kohaku is calling out for you. Our time with Kohaku is over now but yours is at its beginning,” she said. Kakashi’s face must have carried a thick layer of confusion. She was talking as if Kohaku or whatever that was, was a real being, as if it were alive. But then again…it did feel warm in his hand and he wanted to protect it. He wanted to hold it more than anything. Even now, as it was lying just a few inches away, his hand was twitching at his side, longing to touch the warm golden surface once more.

“What exactly is Kohaku?” Obito asked a little uneasy as he peeked over Kakashi’s shoulder.

“Kohaku has moved on and with that we will too. Everything, all of your questions will be answered in time. Protect Kohaku and Kohaku will do the same. You have to go now. The temple will soon be forgotten and so will we,” she said and snapped the box shut. The sound echoed through the massive hall but Kakashi was still at a loss of words. The woman pushed the box hard into his stomach, forcing his reflexes to take it from her. Even through the gloves and the wood, he could still feel the warmth of the stone seeking his skin. The dark figures moved towards the back of the hall before each dropped down to their knees.

“Good luck Shinobi-san. You will need it,” the woman said loudly as the ones behind her bowed their heads to the feet of Kakashi. She took a few steps back, before she turned around and did the very same.

Above them, the temple began to shake.

Without any warning at all the ceiling cracked into pieces right above their heads, rocks and jewels fell to the ground and shattered into thousands of splinters, candles were smashed and beside him he could feel Obito tense. They could only watch in terror as a large rock parted from the ceiling and buried the hooded guards and the woman underneath its heavy weight.

“Time to go,” the older Uchiha said with panic heavy in his voice. He grabbed Kakashi’s arm and pulled him towards the door. Tenzou and Itachi followed quickly as rock after rock crashed into the ground. They let their chakra flow into their feet as they ran towards the only exit, having no choice but to jump over rocks and stones to not get smashed.

Kakashi hardly noticed how his friend activated his Sharingan, all that mattered to him was to get the stone out of the dangerous zone.

“Kamui!” Obito yelled next to him when a large rock was about to block the exit in front of them. The massive stone vanished into thin air and the four shinobi didn’t waste any time to get out of the broken temple that had stood so proud just a few moments ago.

They took a sharp turn to the right when they ran out of the dark and into the bright sunlight. With chakra enforced feet they managed to escape over the slim uneven staircase that had been carved into the rocky cliff a long, long time ago. They kept running even as they reached the top, not stopping and not looking back. They knew they needed to get as far away from the cliff as possible before the whole temple was falling apart and would take the whole cliff down with it.

It was only when Obito’s grip on Kakashi’s arm became strong enough to make his skin bruise that the silver haired man finally decided to slow down. Obito was breathing fast and hard, while his single eye was wide in terror and Kakashi did the only thing he knew would help. He grabbed Obitos flak jacket and pulled his scared friend into a single arm hug.

The other two came to a halt as well but since everyone in the village knew how much Obito pity hated, they kept their distance and gave them some space.

Obito had only ever let Rin, their sensei Minato, Kushina and Kakashi comfort him during his sudden anxiety attacks. They had always tried to make sure that Obito knew that if he could trust anyone, it was them. His whole body was shaking against Kakashi’s muscular frame and once more the copy-nin wished that Rin was here. Unlike Kakashi, she always knew what to say to him.

“It’s over Obito,” the silver haired man said quietly and wished deeply that he had more to offer but whatever he came up with it wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t imagine what his friend must have felt when the ceiling had begun to crack but it must have been bad for this was the longest since the actual incident that Obito needed to recover.

At least one hour passed before Obito was able to sit down and after that it took even longer to calm his breathing and shaking body. Not one word left his lips as he tried to process what had just happened.

Kakashi stayed next to him through it all, one hand holding the warm box while his other hand rested on his friend’s knee in a comforting manner.

After hours Obito sighed quietly next to him and rubbed the eyepatch that covered the place where his left eye would have been, if Rin hadn’t transplanted it into Kakashis eye socket when they had been teenagers. It was something he did at times but Kakashi had never questioned his friend why he did it.

He watched closely as Obitos healthy eye stopped to the wooden box and a low dry chuckle escaped his throat.

“Don’t expect me to bow to you,” he said and Kakashi sent an honest eye wrinkle smile back at him.

Chapter Text

The team sat in a circle on the soft grass that covered a rather small clearing and looked down at the open wooden box with puzzled looks on their faces.

After their escape the day before, they had decided to stay the night out in the forest and move towards their home the following day.

Itachi had sent one of his ravens to the Hokage to inform her that their mission had taken a different path than what they had expected. It was too dangerous to give her more information than that, in case the bird was captured or the message was stolen but it covered enough to inform her that the different path was not necessarily a good one.

“There is something I don’t understand,” Itachi said quietly into the silence that surrounded them. The three older shinobi looked up from the stone and waited for him to continue. Itachi on the other hand kept his gaze fixed on the stone.

“If I remember correctly, the woman said that…Kohaku is calling out for you and that you should already feel it,” he said and finally lifted his eyes to look at the copy-nin. Kakashi’s eyes dropped down. He did feel something. The strange calm he had felt in the temple had never ceased and there was still the strange heat that had leaked through the box and wrapped around his feet at the very moment. It made him feel good, peaceful and oddly protected.

“Do you feel something senpai?” Tenzou asked as he furrowed his brows and titled his head lightly. How the hell was he supposed to put what he felt into words that didn’t make him sound like a moron? He rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for the best words but the only thing he came up with was sounding rather pathetic.

“It’s…uh…warm,” he said. The three men looked at him with surprise on their faces.

“Warm? Are you sure?” Obito asked curiously. Kakashi’s eyebrow rose. He had expected some sort of teasing comment from him but his face was serious for once.

“Yes. I’m sure. It’s coming from the stone,” he said and looked down again. He leaned forward and took the golden stone into his hands. The heat quickly spread under his gloves and passed through his skin. Within a second, his whole body was being warmed from the inside and as much as he wanted to deny it, it somehow managed to cover up that annoying little hole in his chest, which had been put there by all the people he had lost and all the mistakes he had made over the span of his life.

Obito’s long fingers wrapped softly around the top of the stone but he didn’t take it out of his hands.

“See? It’s warm,” Kakashi said. Obito looked at him with great concern before he slowly began to shake his head.

“No it’s not. It’s cold,” the Uchiha said and took his hand away again. Kakashi look at him as if he was crazy. The heat was there, there was no doubt. How could he not feel it? The stone was after all nearly as warm as his pug.

“But…it’s almost as warm as Pakkun,” Kakashi mumbled and voiced his thoughts.

“May I touch it?” Itachi asked and the copy-nin held it out to him. Just like Obito had before, he cupped the top of the stone with his pale fingers and his face turned into the same puzzled and concerned look that his best friend still wore on his face.

He took his hand away and Tenzou touched it as well.

Kakashi sighed when the Mokuton user shook his head at his questioning look.

“We should head back to the village. Maybe Hokage knows what to do,” Obito said and got to his feet to gather his stuff. There was no point in arguing. Staying in the middle of a forest somewhere in fire country with no idea what the hell that thing even was, would lead to nothing. In the village they would at least be able to run a few tests on it, even if that thought made Kakashi feel very uncomfortable and sick.

“He’s right. Let’s pack up and go home,” he said anyways and sat the stone back down into the box before he sealed both back into a scroll. That way it was much easier to transport the stone and he could keep it very close to his body, without it looking obvious.

They packed quickly and not even ten minutes later, they were back in the trees and heading home.

-

The Hokage sat behind her desk when the four shinobi were called in. Several sheets of papers as well as files in several sizes were gathered on the wooden furniture.

The team of four stood in silence and waited for the legendary san-nin to speak. Kakashi was sure that if it weren’t for the stone near his heart he might have been a little more nervous but the warmth radiating of off it, made him feel quite relaxed.

The blonde woman was holding the mission report in her hands which Itachi and Tenzou had written when Kakashi and Obito had sat on the clearing.

Her eyes flickered from the copy-nin to the scarred Uchiha once she was done reading the thick file.

“How are you feeling now?” she asked Obito seriously. Tsunade knew as well as Kakashi that Obito had never gotten over the Trauma he had received when the cave had collapsed over them when they had been only thirteen years old.

“I’m okay,” the black haired man answered. If it was the truth or not was something Kakashi couldn’t say for sure. The look on the Hokage’s face on the other hand made him doubt his friend’s words.

“I expect to see you back at Katsumi-sans office tomorrow at eight in the morning. No missions for you until he says so,” she said and Obito’s face fell in disbelieve. Kakashi suppressed a sigh for he knew that Obito hated to see a psychologist as much as everyone else. He had once admitted that it made him feel weak and that it hurt his pride, especially because he was hardly making any progress at all.

“What?! That’s stupid! I am fine, tell her Kakashi!” the Uchiha said furious and looked at his friend for help. The amber eyes of the Hokage flicked towards Kakashi before they settled back on the Uchiha.

“Obito, eight in the morning. Take Rin if you want to. I am sure she will be happy to be there for you,” she said before Kakashi had any chance to answer – not that he had wanted to. Obito gritted his teeth but nodded after a minute. Years of arguing with Tsunade and the third before her had taught him that it was useless and a fight he could not win.

“Good. Now if I understood right. The temple is gone, the guards are dead and you were chosen by some very old golden stone,” she said and looked over at Kakashi. The man would have loved to sigh for those words were sounding completely ridiculous in his ears.

“That’s right,” he just answered.

“May I see the stone?” she asked and put the mission report down onto her desk. Kakashi stepped forward and took the scroll out of his pocket, quickly unsealing it with a few hand signs. The box manifested in his hand and Kakashi carefully sat it down in front of her.

He kept his hands close to his body. The heat was gone and so was the strange feeling of calmness that had roamed through his body. Oh God how much he wanted it back.

Tsunade opened the box and took the stone into her hands. She turned it a few times and moved her thumb softly over the black line that had screwed up the smooth surface.

“What were the exact words the guards said when they told you that it chose you?” she asked and sat it back down into the box. Kakashi scratched the side of his face as he recalled the exact words in his mind.

“She said I was chosen by the great Kohaku. We will bond strongly together but I would have to be careful. Then she said that the power will either lead to a great destruction or lead us into a new era,” he said and shrugged lightly. Tsunade looked puzzled.

“Anything else? What it is for example? What’s it there for? Or what power she meant?” She also looked at the other three.

“She said it was an old relic form the time before humans possessed chakra,” Itachi said quietly.

“She also said that it was frozen for centuries and that it woke under Kakashi-senpai’s touch and that it is calling out for him,” Tenzou added and Obito nodded in agreement. Her face showed surprise at his words and she looked back at the Kakashi.

“Calling out for you? How?” she asked and crossed her arms on the desk. Kakashi scratched his neck.

“I am not sure. It’s…warm and oddly calming when I touch it,” he said honestly and completely ignored the dumbfounded looks he got from his friends.

“I see. If it’s alright with you I would like to keep it for a day to run some tests. I want to make sure that whatever it is, will not lead to a destroyed village. I want you back in here tomorrow. If it’s true what you said or what you were told, there might have something changed with you as well. We will run some tests on you as well,” she said. Kakashi’s heart was aching in his chest but he knew that it was the right decision.

“Of course Hokage-sama,” he said and lightly bowed his head to the older woman.
“Very well. Itachi, Tenzou you two have a day off. Obito If you don’t appear for your appointment, I will have you dragged there by a group of ANBU. Kakashi I see you at nine in the morning. You can leave now,” she said and the four left her office with Obito grumbling complaints under his breath. They left the Hokage tower together but parted at the door.

“Want to come over for dinner?” Obito asked the copy-nin as they stood in front of the double doors that led into the tower. Having dinner together was something they did now and then but with the loss of the stone and its calmness, Kakashi just wanted to be alone. No matter how nice those evenings could be.

“No. I think I’ll just head home and take a shower. Tell Rin that I said hey and I’ll stop by tomorrow to pick up the dogs,” he said. Obito nodded, still unhappy about the fact that he would have to go back to the psychologist.

“Will do. See ya.” Obito raised his hand in a lazy wave before he turned to the right and headed towards the Uchiha compound. Itachi said a quick goodbye as well and followed him.

Kakashi and Tenzou walked quietly through the streets until they reached the part of town in which the jonin and chunin of the village usually held their apartments, well unless they had their own house, of course.

It was the late afternoon and the sun was hanging low over the houses as they walked. Tenzou parted from Kakashi not long after they had reached the part of town in which they lived. As he left the loneliness the stone had managed to suppress was weighing down even worse on his shoulders than before and as much as he tried to shake that annoying feeling away, it didn’t work at all.

He was glad when he finally walked into his apartment. The sooner he managed to get his stone back, the better.

With that in mind he got rid of his sweaty clothes and stepped under the warm water of the shower, washing the dirt of the last days off of his body was nice and despite his aching heart, he felt a little bit better when he finally stepped out again. He slipped into one of his sleeveless shirts and some clean pants.

After eating a warm meal and reading a few sides of his favorite icha icha, though he couldn’t quite concentrate on the words that were printed into the orange book, he went to sleep. His dreams were hectic and awful, pictures of the stone let him sit up, drenched in sweat and the ache in his heart left him restless.

-

Kakashi was already being expected when he knocked on to the door that belonged to the Hokage’s office. Tsuande-sama wasn’t alone and she didn’t look much more rested than he was. The only difference between their states of tiredness was most likely that she had worked all night while he had just missed his stone.

A team of scientists and nurses, as well as Sakura were standing around her desk and looked quite baffled. Most of them wore dark bags under their eyes, showing that no one had gotten much sleep.

“Ah Kakashi. I did not expect you to be on time,” Tsunade said when he walked into her office. Behind her the clock stroke nine. He couldn’t really blame her for expecting him to be late for that was one of the things he was usually quite good at. This morning, all he had wanted to do was to get that stupid stone back before he went completely crazy.

“Good morning sensei,” Sakura said sweetly and Kakashi sent a small smile, along with a greeting towards her before he turned to the Hokage.

“Have you found anything out?” he asked as he stuffed his trembling hands into his pockets. Tsunade sighed and beckoned him over to her desk. Kakashi walked over without any hesitation at all.

“No. There is nothing about this stone that would lead us anywhere. It doesn’t have chakra, it is not a living being, it’s just what it looks like. It’s a cold, hard stone. There is nothing inside, it’s also not a weapon well unless you throw it at people’s heads. It would be completely worthless if it weren’t for the gold, which by the way is indeed real,” she explained and pulled her hand through her hair.

Kakashi couldn’t help but feel a little attacked when she called his stone worthless. It was very precious to him.

“So what now?” he asked curiously and with only a little bitterness in his voice.

“You sit down and we will run some tests, first without you holding the stone and then while you hold it. Maybe that way we can find something,” she said and got up from her chair. Kakashi drew the chair that stood in front of her desk back and settled down.

“Lose the jacket,” Tsunade ordered when she walked around him. Kakashi did as she had said and draped the material over the armrest. Behind him Tsunade put her hands onto his shoulders and let her warm chakra flow into his body. It didn’t feel as good as the stone.

She was quiet for a while but Kakashi was able to feel her chakra touch the deepest parts of his body and he wasn’t sure if he liked that very much. It was intimidating.

“Hand him the stone now,” she said. Sakura quickly hurried around the desk and took the stone out of its box. Kakashi nearly sighed relieved when his uncovered hands wrapped around the surface of the stone and the calmness shot through his body once more. His tense shoulders fell relaxed.

“Interesting. Very, very interesting…” Tsunade mumbled behind him.

“What is it Lady Tsunade?” one of the scientists asked and voiced the question they had all running through their minds. She was quiet for a few seconds.

“Well he wasn’t lying about feeling calm when he is touching it. All of the tension in his body just…left. It’s almost ridiculous how relaxed he is right now,” she said and caused a light blush to appear around the edges of his mask.

“But there is more. His hands suddenly became a lot warmer than the rest of his body. Whatever that thing is, it reacts when he touches it. Hyuuga-san please take a look at his chakra,” she said. Kakashi just looked down at the stone.

“Byakugan!” he heard a man say behind him and once more the room filled with silence. He heard a light gasp.

“There is a light chakra centered in the stone. It wasn’t there earlier but now it is. I cannot say what it is but it’s something. Hatake-san’s chakra flows freely and without trouble or disturbances,” he said. Kakashi didn’t know what to say. The stone reacted to him...but he didn’t know how and he didn’t know if it was good or terrible either. It did sound like a lot of responsibility and that was always a bad thing.

Tsunade let go of him and moved back around the desk. The people watched her note down everything they had just learned but stayed completely silent as they did.

“I guess we have no other choice. Kakashi your next mission will be to carry that thing around and hand me a short note every day, telling me exactly how you felt while you carried it. I also want you to see me as soon as anything happens, no matter what. No missions for you until we find out more,” she said. Kakashi couldn’t say he was mad about not being able to go on missions, though it might have been because of the stone in his hands and the fact that he could keep it.

“Understood. Is there anything else?” he asked and took the box she handed him. He sat the stone inside and balanced it on his legs. When he looked back at the Hokage, an evil smirk had appeared on her lips.

“Yes. You,” she looked at the scientist,” can leave. There is something. While you were gone, Sakura noticed that you missed your last appointment at the dentist,” she said and Kakashi could feel his blood run cold. The scientist left and only Sakura and the Hyuuga stayed. If there was one thing, he hated more than anything it was going to the dentist. It had always been troublesome for him and he knew very well that his father had had the same problem, even as an adult.

“That must be a mistake. I remember that I went there,” he tried but his voice was weak and shaking. He knew very well that he had ditched that one by faking a bad cold. The Hokage crossed her arms before her chest and looked at him with hard eyes.

“You truly are the son of the white fang. Kakashi, these medical aspects are necessary for the shinobi business. You should know that by now and if you don’t agree to let a dentist take a look, I will have to suspend you until you got that check-up. You have two weeks to get it, if not, you will only be used for paperwork and when I say that I mean for months,” she said and sat down at her desk. Her face was cold when she looked at him.

Kakashi sighed but he nodded, though he would dread this out for as long as he possibly could.

“You can leave now. I will have the official mission scroll delivered to you by tonight. You’re dismissed now,” she said and took a few papers from one of the stacks. Kakashi quickly grabbed his box and jacket and left before she could change her mind and force him to have the stupid appointment today. Sakura sent a comforting smile towards him when he hurried past her.

Only five of the seven people that knew the secret of why he kept his face hidden were still around. Those were Tsunade, Rin, Sakura, Gai and Genma. The latter had only found out on accident when he and Rin had developed the seal for his mask. They hadn’t known if it would work without trouble so they had asked him for help. Genma had promised to keep it a secret when the first shock had worn off but Kakashi had never tried to tell anyone else about it afterwards. Genma had nearly faded after all.

Rin and Sakura had reacted similar, though those two had gotten over it rather quickly. Gai on the other hand had thought that Kakashi should embrace his body with the power of youth and how the other three reacted was something he wasn’t sure about. Those three had known his clan’s secret since he had been born and if they had ever judged him badly, they hadn’t shown it.

Kakashi quickly sealed the box into a scroll and stuffed it into the breast pocket of his flak jacket before he slid back into the dark green fabric. He could feel the warmth wrapping around his heart and while a tiny part of him knew that he should be a little more careful, he couldn’t. He felt good and that wasn’t something he would have wanted to give up.

He walked through the streets of the village for some time. For a strange reason the village seemed much more alive today than it had been in several weeks. The birds seemed louder, the people happier and even the grass and the leafs seemed a little bit greener today.

“Kakashi-sensei!” a loud cheerful voice yelled when the silver haired man rounded a corner. His eyes landed easily on the blonde man that was running towards him. A certain academy teacher followed him a little slower.

Kakashi raised his hand and smiled at the boy behind his mask.

“Yo,” he greeted. As usual the blonde boy wore a huge mile on his face. He pointed over his shoulder at the academy teacher who finally reached them.

“Iruka-sensei is taking me for ramen, want to join?” Naruto asked curiously and with a little hope in his face. Kakashi’s eye switched to Iruka.

“If you don’t mind sensei,” he said politely but Iruka just smiled.

“Not at all,” the smaller man said and together the three headed towards Ichiraku.

Naruto quickly drifted into a conversation with Iruka once they were seated. Kakashi only listened with one ear as they held a whole conversation about nothing but Ramen.

He was seated next to Iruka and was quite glad that the blonde boy wasn’t sitting next to him, especially when two more people entered. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The soft hug he received from behind was answer enough.

“Want me to bow to you now?” Rin whispered into his ear and Kakashi could clearly hear the smirk in her voice. Obito was slowly turning all of his friend’s against him… said man dropped down next to Naruto and ruffled the blonde’s hair. Iruka just threw a confused look at Kakashi and Rin.

“Who told you?” Kakashi asked with a little sigh when Rin sat down on the empty chair next to him. The brunette smiled.

“Tsunade did, this morning. She thought this whole thing was oddly amusing. Is it true though? Were you magically chosen by some stone?” she asked but thankfully lowered her voice a little. It would most likely do nothing to prevent rumors, since they lived in a ninja village and they had their ears everywhere but Kakashi appreciated that she at least tried.

“A stone?” Iruka asked curiously from his other side, before he got a chance to answer.

“A stone-like thing. They are not sure what it is,” he said and crossed his arms before him on the table. Rin looked at him with a titled head.

“Can we see it?” she asked curiously when their food was put down in front of them. Rin and Obito on the other hand, quickly ordered.

“Later,” he said and quickly parted his chopsticks before he pulled his mask down. The eyes of the people that surrounded him became clouded.

“But were you chosen?” Rin asked as Kakashi began to eat. Iruka had started to dug in as well but hesitated at the question and turned his head to look at them.

“According to the guards…yes,” he mumbled. Kakashi finished his meal when Rin got hers put down in front of her. Once more he received several stunned looks when his friend’s eyes cleared and they watched him adjust his mask.

“What guards? What stone?” Iruka asked completely confused but Kakashi just smiled at him. He had always been fond of the sensei, everyone in the village seemed to like him, despite his short temper.

“Maa, sensei. Stop by later and I’ll explain,” Kakashi said and got a nod after just a few seconds. Kakashi turned back to Rin.

“Did my ninken behave while I was away?” he asked her seriously. He didn’t like to leave his dogs alone when he was gone on missions that’s why he usually let them stay at either Gai’s, Sakura’s or Rin’s place. Gai was always trying his best but he also had the tendencies to give them a little too much food.

“They were great. They always are,” she said with a smile and Kakashi felt a little relieved. They could be quite troublesome at times. Especially when they weren’t getting very much attention.

“Good.” They stayed until every bowl had been emptied and with Naruto and Obito being there, it took a while. Obito and Naruto had drifted off into some excited conversation while the other three were having a quieter one.

Once they paid – well at least everyone but Naruto and Kakashi- they headed back towards Kakashi’s apartment. Obito thankfully sent Naruto away to run some errands for him but the others stayed.

His sensitive nose could easily make out the curiosity that radiated off of Rin and Iruka when they entered his apartment and he closed the door behind them. Just like every other apartment that belonged to a well-trained shinobi he had put several jutsu inside of it to keep both ears and eyes out. That’s why he didn’t really hesitate as he took the scroll out and sat down at his Kotatsu. The other three settled down as well and watched fascinated as the box manifested and the stone became visible inside of it. Kakashi could feel how the heat shot over the table and wrapped around his middle. If he didn’t know better, he would have said it was acting like a puppy that still had trouble at being away from its owner.

“It’s so pretty,” Rin said with wide eyes and leaned closer. Iruka did too.

“So what happened?” Iruka asked and moved his dark brown eyes up at him. Kakashi shrugged lightly and told him, though he kept the mission they had followed in the first place to himself. It was not of import and nothing he could have talked about if he had wanted to. The part about him on the other hand was another topic and since Tsunade had not told him not to tell anyone, it was most likely okay. And even if not, Kakashi was sure that the sensei could keep a secret.

Rin and Iruka hung on his lips as they listened to the words that kept coming out of his mouth.

When he was done, they were silent.

“You have to babysit a stone?” Obito asked with a snicker and Kakashi rolled his eyes. However, he was glad that his friend was more or less back to his normal self. He didn’t like it when he wasn’t.

“I am not babysitting it,” Kakashi said but he couldn’t deny that it did come kind of close.

“Maybe it’s not a stone but…an egg. I mean if it has chakra, it must be alive right?” Iruka suddenly said and the three looked at him surprised. An egg...

“But the woman said it was frozen for thousands of years? How long can one egg possibly survive?” Rin asked but Iruka could only shrug.

“It was just a thought. I guess we will just have to wait and see,” he said and rubbed the scar that went over his nose. Kakashi knew it was a tick he had but he didn’t comment on it further.

“Yeah. Wait and see it is,” he mumbled, though something inside of him was sure that the academy teacher might not have been so wrong after all.

Chapter Text

I am so sorry that the updates are taking so freaking long. I never emant for that to happen. My health is just not the best at the moment and I can't really find the motivation to write.
As much as it sucks I might not write before school is over which is a month away now.
so sorry ._.

Chapter Text

A week passed and yet nothing happened to the stone. Kakashi kept it close to his heart and let the warmth spread through his body. Only during the night, he kept it in the box right next to his bed but even then he could feel the calmness that was radiating off of it. Needless to say, he slept better than in all the years before.

The more days passed, the more Obito mocked him about babysitting a stone.

Tsunade received her letters every single day, always expecting something interesting inside them but not once did she get what she wanted. The letters were short and boring, saying the very same every time.

Since he wasn’t allowed to take any missions, the copy nin spent his days mostly near a small lake not very far from the village. That way his ninken could cool themselves in the cold water while he himself got a chance to read his favorite book series in the shadow of one of the many trees. The temperatures in the land of fire had risen with every passing day, which was most likely the reason why he wasn’t very surprised to find that he was not the only one at the lake. Several children not older than six or seven played in the shallow shore, while a certain long haired teacher watched over them like a hawk. He looked quite surprised when he noticed the copy nin along with his dogs but a light smile appeared on his lips. The ninken ran off towards the lake, chattering loudly with each other before they jumped into the cold wetness, splashing some of the children in the progress and making them shriek in surprise.

Iruka chuckled lightly at the scene and even Kakashis lips lifted lightly underneath his mask.

The copy nin didn’t hesitate as he walked over to the teacher who had settled against a large tree, from which was far enough away to not get splashed by the children and yet close enough to reach them in mere seconds should anything happen all of sudden.

“You seem quite happy, despite being stuck in the village,” the teacher stated with a small smile on his lips as Kakashi plopped down next to him. The other man just shrugged. There was no point in denying what was obvious. There had been times where he had gone nearly insane from not being on the road, especially if it was for more than a week on end. This time he couldn’t care less about it.

All he cared about was to keep the egg- by now he was very sure that it was indeed an egg and not a stone- safe. The black spot on the golden surface had grown a bit, if that was good or bad was something he wasn’t quite sure about.

“What about the egg? Any news on that matter?” Iruka asked curiously. Kakashi sighed and took the golden thing out of his pocket. Even though his hands got even warmer, he didn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Not really. The black spot grew a little but other than that nothing happened,” he said and turned the egg lightly in his hands. He moved his thumb lightly over the dark spot. It didn’t feel as smooth as the rest of the egg and the way it cut through the gold reminded him of the scar that ran through his very own face. If it wasn’t so ridiculous he would have said they had the same shape but that would have been nowhere near possible. It was a coincidence that they looked similar, not more and not less.

“Do you have any idea what might hatch?” Iruka asked curiously but the Copy nin couldn’t do more than shake his head. A bird seemed likely but what kind he could not tell and there was still a small part of him doubting that it was a bird. But if it wasn’t that…what else could it be? Sure there were other species that laid eggs but none of them seemed right. He couldn’t even explain why. It was just a feeling he had.

“Well whatever it’s going to be, we should hope it’s not going to end the world,” Iruka said and cast his eyes back forward towards the children. They had begun to play with his ninken, that’s at least what it sounded like. Kakashi’s eyes lingered for a few seconds on the teacher. A few rays of sunshine had broken through the leaves and left his dark eyes sparkling in a wonderful light. His skin tone looked like melted chocolate and Kakashi had to resist the urge to lick the teacher. Doing so might have been a little strange.

He looked over towards the children before his staring became obvious. He still noticed the little smile that crossed the teachers lips before he turned away. If it was because he had noticed his staring or because of the playing children was something Kakashi wasn’t sure about. He hoped for the latter.

He rested the egg in his lap and just enjoyed the comfortable silence between him and the teacher. It was only broken by small chuckles that left the other man’s mouth whenever a child or dog did something funny. It was a nice sound, deep and yet soft.

They sat there for several hours, doing small talk and watching the children. Kakashi couldn’t help but watch quite impressed when Iruka successfully braided a little girl’s hair. For a second he seemed like a loving father instead of a dangerous shinobi.

Iruka gathered his children after some time and left after a quick goodbye towards the copy-nin. Kakashi just smiled behind his mask and raised his hand. When the children were gone the dogs trotted over and settled down next to him. They were all wet and breathing heavily but that didn’t stop them from chatting loudly with each other. Kakashi only listened with one ear and nodded whenever it was necessary.

When the sun was about to go down he decided to head back home. By then the dogs had dried off and starting to get hungry and if there was one thing that was more annoying than their constant gossiping, it was their behavior when they hadn’t eaten.

Kakashi put the egg back into its pocket and headed back towards his apartment. The streets of the village were crowded but when the people noticed the group of ninken they quickly moved out of the way to let them pass.

Once they were inside his apartment he quickly prepared their food and grabbed some leftovers out of the fridge for himself. He was just about to warm it up when a soft knock on the front door interrupted him. He sighed for he was not really in the mood for visitors but when the sweet scent of his best friends along with the scent of fresh food reached his nose, he decided that maybe a visitor was not so bad after all.

Rin smiled widely at him when he opened the door. Obito leaned against the wall but he also smiled lightly at him.

Kakashi let them inside and while Obito plopped down on the sofa, Rin vanished into the kitchen.

Obito nodded towards the egg which Kakashi had placed back in its box after he had entered his apartment. The box itself stood on the little table in front of the sofa. He watched cautious as his best friend took the fragile thing and turned it softly in his hands. A part of him knew just too well that he didn’t need to be worried that it would break under Obitos touch but another side of him couldn’t help himself. Just as he had before, Obito moved his thumb softly over the rough spot.

“Looks like it grew,” he stated seriously without looking up.

“I’ve noticed. I just can’t explain why or when it happened,” he said and moved a hand through his hair.

“Maybe it’s a sign that it will hatch soon,” Rin suddenly said behind him and the both men turned to look at her.

“You think?” Kakashi asked curiously. The woman shrugged and walked past him towards his Kotatsu. Rin set down a set of plates which he hadn’t even noticed she was holding.

“Possible. I mean it first started cracking when you held it right? And if it really was frozen for hundreds of years, maybe it’s finally ready to come out and meets its new daddy,” she said and chuckled at the last word. Obito smirked as well. Kakashi just sighed again. There was no doubt that Obito would use that phrase against him.

“Don’t worry Kakashi. Whatever it is will show itself whenever the time is right,” the brunette said and the copy-nin believed her. Obito sat the egg back into the box and went into the kitchen to get the food, while Rin settled down.

He came back a few seconds later and the two joined the woman. The smell of the food quickly moved through his apartment and nearly made the man drool.

Kakashi pulled his mask down and watched lightly amused how the eyes of his best friend clouded.

It tasted as delicious as it smelled, though it didn’t really surprise him. Rin was a phenomenal chef.

Obito on the other hand should stay away as far from a kitchen as possible.

“Are you still stuck in the village?” Kakashi asked the other man, whose face fell. Rin looked a little uneasy as well.

“They say I am not ready or whatever. Apparently ´It’s been too much of a shock´,” Obito mumbled but didn’t look him in the eye. He kept his eyes down on his food.

“You know they just want the best for you...,” Rin said quietly and put a hand on his knee in a comforting manner. Obito turned his head towards her and sent her a sad smile.

Kakashi just watched them quietly. They made a great pair, had always been great together.

They were quiet for the rest of the meal but Rin started the conversation again when they were doing the dishes in the kitchen.

“Before I forget. Tsunade-sama asked me to remind you that you still have an open dentist appointment,” she said and Kakashi groaned. Why did she have to remind him of that torture? He still had a whole week and he sure as hell wasn’t going to attend before that week was over.

“It’s not going to be that bad. Besides Sakura-chan will most likely do it, so it should be fine,” Rin said.

“What do you have against dentists anyway?” Obito asked curiously and handed Rin another plate, which she carefully put back into the shelf.

“I just don’t like them,” the copy-nin mumbled and was glad when Rin chimed in before Obito got to say anything else.

“Well you still have a week, just get it over with. But more important is when will you finally settle down with someone?” she asked and he was suddenly not that happy about the topic change.

“I doubt he will ever do it. Besides who would want to date a guy that never shows his face and that reads porn in public?” Obito asked and got a slap against his shoulder from his girlfriend in return.

“Don’t say that! Kakashi is attractive and intelligent. Finding someone to spent his life with should be a piece of cake,” Rin said. Obito scoffed and Kakashi rolled his eyes at the both of them. They started this conversation every now and then, though they never got very far.

His life was fine the way it was and now he had the egg that needed him and he was quite sure that whatever was going to hatch, would consume a bit of his time. Especially in the beginning. He had raised enough puppies to know how much attention a young living being needed.

“I don’t need anyone. My life is fine the way it is,” Kakashi tried for the millionth time but now it was them who rolled their eyes.

“Keep telling yourself that Bakashi but if it wasn’t for the egg, you would just read your porn and act like a loner,” Obito stated.

“I’m not a loner,” he said but that only earned him some disbelieving looks from his friends.

“Why don’t you just ask someone out?” Rin asked and put the last plate away. She turned around to face him with a serious look but their conversation was suddenly stopped when Shiba came running into the kitchen. The small silver dog looked up at him with wide eyes.

“The egg! It’s hatching, Boss!”