Chapter Text
The last thing Kakashi saw was Rin's face. Eyes wide with horrified realization. Reaching out to him with one hand, the other cradling Obito's eye. He hoped Rin could keep his promise to Obito alive, he felt guilty, putting the weight of two lost teammates on her shoulder.
But this was for the best, Rin was strong. Stronger, better, kinder than he could ever be. She deserved to live on, more than he ever did. A part of him. A stupid, desperate, childishly ignorant part of him hoped the seal would fulfill its original purpose.
But such wishes were pointless. As he was subsumed by the darkness he distantly thought he saw a strange barely there figure all in white. Thought he felt Hands gathering him close. Heard a whisper of something like a promise over the sound of Rin screaming his name one last time.
Such were the delusions of a dying shinobi.
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Tajima shuffled through paperwork on his desk. Rubbing at his temples to alleviate the growing stress headache behind his eyes. He should take a break from the paperwork clearly.
It had been quiet as of late. To quiet. And it left Tajima unable to relax properly. Wondering what the Senju were up to, what schemes Butsuma was concocting. What disaster was waiting for them to let their gaurds down. The calm before the storm, only a fool trusted the small illusions of peace in this era of war. Death was often waiting just around the corner.
He leaned back with a huff and finally gave in to calling a servant to bring him refreshments. Tajima was pleasantly suprised when the one who delivered the tea and snacks was not the beta server, but one of his concubines. The handsome Alpha clothed in lovely reds and maroons and pinks. Head bowed politely to the clanhead. Tajima couldn't help the pleased curl of his lips.
Someone was feeling daring today it seemed. "Tajima-sama, this one would be honored to serve you." Tajima stretched, and gestured for the Alpha that he could approach. "You are being awfully bold today Kenta." Tajima purred. The Alpha puffed up slightly, even as he placed the tray upon the desk and then fell into an elegant kneel.
"I only wish to please Tajima-samma. It has been so lonely in the Harem, I so missed the sweet comfort of my lords scent." The alpha murmered coyly, glancing up through that endearingly messy fringe of matte black hair. Tajima couldn't help a purr, oh the little minx.
Shouting outside his door, and one of the clan sensors rushing into his office confirmed his wary unease. "Tajima-sama, a strange chakra flare, strong, near the edge of our lands!" Tajima was already getting up. Grabbing his battle mantle from where it hung. He could scent the twist of staled disappointment in Kenta's scent before the younger smothered it.
Moving to demurly but efficiently help Tajima into his armor from where it stood displayed in the office. Once he was in armor, Tajima turned to address the Alpha. Taking Kenta by the chin to lean in close and whisper in an ear. "Return to the Harem Alpha. I would enjoy to hear your shamisen once I have dealt with this."
With that Tajima left in a blurr of speed. The beta shinobi falling in behind the clan head. A pursuit team was already assembled at the gate and they were quick to fall in line behind the Clanhead. Heading for the location of the powerful unknown chakra flare.
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Sakumo ached. He couged harshly, throat painfully dry. Reaching out with his senses weakly everything felt fogged over and dull. His sensing muddled by chakra exhaustion and what might be a concusion if the pounding of his head was anything to go by.
Still, he could make out the distinct scent of Kakashi, of his pup. His physical senses finally starting to awake from whatever haze shrouded him he desperately inhaled. Forcing his eyes open despite the pain of bright sunlight assaulting his vision. Struggling up, only able to get onto his knees, legs to weak to support him. Pins and needles all across his body, chakra pathways dangerously empty and aching in a way unlike anything he had ever felt. As if the chakra paths were waking from hypothermia. Like the ache of reattached appendages.
Finally his sight cleared enough from the glare of the sun, and the blur of disorientation to see his pup. Only feet away, Kakashi was unconcious and bleeding from one eye, but frantic checking proved that his son was largely uninjured other than the bleeding cut over the vulnerable socket. Miraculously though the eye was whole, if a concerning shade of red and irritated looking.
Sakumo let out a breath of relief. Kakashi was breathing. Was whole. His pup was here and Sakumo shook with releif. What, what had happened. Where were they?
The last thing he remembered was....elder Danzo...a sword pressed into his hand, poisonous whispers in his ear.
The only thoughts that he had to protect Kakashi from the ramifications of his failures. His pup crying out, the sour scent of feargreifagony. Roiling thundercloudsanddancingstatic chakra he had watched grow from infancy reached and grasped desperately at his own fading ozonecalmbeforthestorm.
He pulled his pup close desperately. Panic lighting up his senses. Kakashi was bigger, older than he remembered and guilt twisted his heart but now was not the time for regrets. He didn't know what was going on, where they were, the trees were familiar, it felt like fire country, but something was WRONG. They needed to move, his pup was unconcious and hurt, he didn't know if they were in danger.
If the elders, If root.....
They needed to move and he needed to gather information. Something flickered at the edges of his sensing, ash on the wind and if he were less panicked, less disoriented, less distracted by his concern for his pup might have given him pause. Instead it pushed him to bolt, his unconcious pup held close.
He channeled as much of his exausted chakra as possible. Thanking his hard trained control as he used the dreges to sprint in the opposite direction.
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The pursuit team arrived to an empty clearing. Marks, strange and unknown were burned into the ground. The smouldering grass smoking as small spot fires began to flicker to life around the soot and cinders.
Hikari was already acting. Professional and swift as always the Omega Kunoichi snuffed the fires as the dquad activated their sharigan. They would take note of the symbols and markings to investigate later. The fact seals had been used so near the compound was, alarming to say the least.
Tajima scented the air. Two unknowns. Their scents were to skewed by the smell of smoke and the excited chakra of the clearing. "Tajima-sama!" Tajima moved to one of the other Shinobi's, Naoki, sides. Blood, only a few drops but that was enough.
Touching his fingers to the red and bringing it near to scent. Adolescent, still with the clinging remnants of pup scent, Alpha. Interesting. "Well they don't scent as Senju at least, but I can't identify much more with so little to go from. Not a clan we have frequent enough contact with for me to identify with only this small amount of blood."
Tajima had the best nose in the clan, so if that was all he could tell then they would have to go into this mostly blind. At least one of the unkowns was young though, and injured.
"I picked up their chakra signatures my lord. I apologize for the delay. It appears the unknowns are severely chakra depleated and it made picking up their Chakra difficult." Miu reported. Tajima stood. "It is fine, let us pursue these intruders before the Senju stick their noses where they don't belong. Doubtlessly they picked up the flare as well after all, if it wasn't them then they will be sending their own men to investigate."
"They will have to make it past the boarder patrols first." The other sensor in the party, Shun, the one who came to his office snarled.
The Uchiha went silent at Tajima's signal, the squad falling back in line as they continued pursuit. Curiosity churning in Tajima's mind.