Chapter Text
Chapter 32
Vengeance is Mine
Kakashi had traveled this way before, but none of the others had, and he may have forgotten how disorienting it could be. Sakumo wavered on his feet, Mebae groaned and held her head, Raiu vomited. Minato gave him a curious look. He had forgotten to act surprised again.
“Thank you, Minato-san. Now I need you to do three more things for me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You don't want my help finding your family?”
Kakashi knelt to summon Senbei and Bull. “No. I know where they are. I need you to get Tsunade. Unfortunately, we will probably need her. After that, go to the front in Kumo and bring Fugaku.”
“I have no idea where Tsunade could be.”
Sakumo was also summoning his ninken. “You gave Kakashi-kun one of your tridents for his birthday.” He nodded at Kakashi. “ He had me send it with her before she left. Didn't tell her what it was…”
Minato shook his head. “Karasu-san, were you expecting this?”
“No.” He scratched Bull behind the ears and stood. “But it seemed obvious to make sure she was easy to find.”
Minato frowned, clearly still not satisfied. “She abandoned us in the middle of a war, I don't know if she'll come back with me.”
Kakashi thought about the woman he remembered, he thought about what little he knew about the woman she currently was. “Tell her that her son's life is in danger, that he needs her. Tell her… tell her he's asking for her help.”
Minato's eyes went wide, darting to a familiarly shame faced Sakumo. “Her son?” When he was given no answer, he shook his head. “Will you be here when I get back?”
“No.” Did she know where ROOT was located? How should she find them? “Ah… Tell her to head for Hokage Rock and summon Katsuyu. The slug should be able to lead her to my wife.”
He nodded. “And Fugaku?”
“Tell him to gather the other clan heads immediately. We're moving up the timeline.”
Minato's eyes blew wide. “What… What are you planning? What am I helping you with?”
Again, Sakumo reassured him. “Do what he says, Minato.”
“Are you trying to go against the Hokage? In the middle of a war?”
“Minato, we want to end the war.” He put a hand on Minato's shoulder. “Now they have hurt our family. If Kakashi is alive, if his wife and son are alive, we’re going to find them, but we need Tsunade and Fugaku. Please do what he's asked, kid. I promise I'll explain everything once our family is safe.”
Searching his eyes, Minato sighed in frustration but nodded. “What was the third thing?”
Kakashi pulled out the scrap of paper he had written on, handing it to the younger man. “This is a curse seal. It is on the tongues of every member of ROOT—”
“ROOT? What is—”
“Danzō's secret organization. It is possible that it will disappear upon his death.” Minato's eyes nearly bulge from his head. “...But it may not. I need you to find a way to break it, without killing them or damaging their minds. Get Kushina to help.”
“You're going to…” he scrubbed his hands down his face. “Fuck, fuck I did not wake up prepared for this this morning. Fine, I'll do it.” Glaring At him, he formed the hand signs and disappeared in a boom that ricocheted around the room.
Raiu winced, covering his ears. “Fuck that's loud. Should we expect anyone to investigate?”
Kakashi shook his head, heading for the balcony door. “He has seals everywhere for privacy and soundproofing. He does a lot of fūinjutsu experimentation here and it's not all totally legal.”
“Karasu, where are we going? And what was that about a seal?”
Standing out on the balcony overlooking the dark village, Kakashi looked towards Hokage Rock. “Danzō has them on everyone so they can't share his secrets.” He glanced at Sakumo “It's why your Yamanaka interrogator couldn't get anything from them. It's just an idea I had, in case we need more proof of their war schemes. Where we're going,” he pointed. “ROOT is kept largely separate from the village. Their base is in an underground facility accessed behind Hokage Rock. Once we cross their barrier, they'll know we're coming.”
Raiu cracked his knuckles. “Well, we're prepared for a fight. Are you sure we don't need the blonde?”
Kakashi met Sakumo's eyes. The lingering doubt was still there, he didn't want to get his hopes up. But Danzō was a villain and he knew it. Taking him out was already on their to-do list, it was just happening sooner than they'd planned. “Don't worry, Raiu. We can handle them.”<>
Kakashi stood beside Sakumo, with so many snarling hounds flanking them, he thought they may have emptied their realm to fight beside them. They were well within the sensory barrier. Evidently, Danzō was waiting for them to come to him, probably imagining they wouldn't actually dare.
Kakashi felt a sick giddiness at the prospect of killing the bastard himself.
Raiu looked down the shaft that led to Danzō’s base. “Any survivors?”
There might have been a few that deserved mercy. But they had taken his wife and son. He believed that Tenzō and Kakashi-kun were alive, but despite what he'd told Sakumo, there was every possibility that Sakura was dead. Just then, Kakashi did not feel merciful. He felt black rage, he felt vengeful. Danzō and every one of his loyal shinobi would pay for what they'd done with their lives. Any they might capture for intel would die as soon as they'd outlived their usefulness.
“I only need one or two alive, kill the rest.”
Raiu leaned over the edge, a vicious grin on his face. “You're the boss, Kakashi.” He let out a long whistle and nearly every ninken followed him down, Mebae racing after.
“Senbei.”
“Yes, Boss?”
“As soon as you get the chance, break away. Find them, Senbei. Let my family know I'm coming for them.”
He barked once, his fangs bared. “I'll find them, Boss.”
With a final glance at Sakumo, Kakashi stepped over the edge, too.
<KS>
There was no time in this place… wherever it was. Nor was there much light.
It was cold, too.
Chakra suppressing cuffs dug into her wrists, holding her arms over her head.
Her shoulders ached.
That was the least of her pain.
Cramps had wracked her off and on since she'd regained consciousness. Not cramps, contractions.
They hadn't stopped, but they might have been further apart. In and out of consciousness, possibly delusional from fever, it was hard to tell.
She vaguely remembered someone checking on her shortly after she'd come to.
‘I'm sorry, Danzō-sama, she's lost the baby. What would you like me to do?’
‘That is unfortunate. Hiruzen will be displeased. What needs to be done in this situation? I need her alive’
‘It seems she was early enough, she will pass everything naturally.’
‘Hm. Leave her then. We'll clean her up once it's done, and begin the reprogramming. Hopefully this won't keep it from taking. She'll be no use to me if she won't follow orders.’
Sakura could not access her chakra, she could not tell what was happening, what was wrong… Warm blood trickled and gushed down her thighs in turn and she thought she might have been sick more than once.
How long had it been?
At first—when she'd been awake—she had wept. She wept for Tenzō. Was her sweet little boy even alive? Where was he? Once, she'd thought she heard him crying, but it may have been her. She wept for Kakashi-kun. They had worked so hard to give him a better life, a happier life, to let him hang on to his innocence. In one night it had all been ripped away. It wasn't fair. Was he alive? Oh gods, she hoped so.
She wept for herself, for her baby.
My baby.
Kakashi's pup.
They're gone… they're gone, I couldn't protect them…
Gradually her tears ran out. Dehydrated. She was awake less and less. When she was, she was in agony.
Unconsciousness was hardly better. Her nightmares tortured her as much as the pain. Dead children, dead ninken, heartbroken, angry, disappointed Kakashi, rivers of blood, hatred, blame… You're useless as ever, Sakura. They're dead. You might as well have killed them yourself.
Useless.
Trash.
Was she dying?
It felt like she was dying.
It would be a relief. Her baby was dead. She could see them again in the Pure Lands. Tenzō-chan and Kakashi-kun were probably dead too. They could all be together in the Pure Lands.
But Kakashi… she didn't want to leave him behind. He had already lost so much. She had to live for Kakashi.
But…
She could feel herself fading.
So much blood loss.
Her body shook with fever.
Somewhere, a dog was barking.
Strange. Fever dreams. Barking dogs, rivers of blood. And dead children.
Kakashi…
I'm sorry…
I'm sorry…
< KS >
There was blood in his hair, blood on his fangs, blood drenching his shirt, making it stick uncomfortably to his chest.
Danzō’s loyal agents were putting up a real fight, but they were no match for the enraged pack of Hatake's . It was just that there were so many of them.
Kakashi didn't care. His blood was up and they were standing between him and his mate and his pup. He knew it. He could smell them. Senbei had darted off some time ago to find them. His howl when he had, echoed ominously around the cavernous bunker.
“They’re here, Sakumo.”
His father buried his chakra blade in the chest of another agent, a relieved groan escaping his clenched fangs. “I shouldn't have doubted you.”
Mebae swung gracefully around another enemy, slitting his throat and landing beside Kakashi. “How many more before this Danzō shows himself?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but the ground shook and cratered two meters to his left. Tsunade stood, the crushed body of an enemy beneath her heels. “I'm sorry I'm late.”
She gave Kakashi a wary once over. “What's happening? Jiraiya's kid gave me your message, but he didn't know much else. Where is Kakashi? Is he really alive?”
Kakashi expended a whole three seconds to really look at her. She was dressed, but her clothes looked somehow askew. There was real, genuine anxiety, maybe even fear in her eyes. She had shown up. She had shown up for her son, for him .
There wasn't time to dwell on that.
Later.
“He's alive and he's here.”
Anger chased away the fear. “ Bastard. What about your boy?”
“The same. Katsuyu—” The slug peaked out from Tsunade's collar, eye stalks waving in his direction. “Is she… is Sakura alive?”
Tsunade jerked away, throwing a skull shattering punch into someone behind Kakashi before the slug could answer. “My mistress Sakura is alive. But her chakra signature is weak. She is either near death, or it is being suppressed.”
His gut twisted with devastated fury as he spun in place, grabbing ahold of an enemy's head and sinking his teeth into him, ripping out his throat. Tsunade's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes wide, before she hid her shock. “We've wasted enough time here. Sakumo —”
“Yes?”
“Raiu and Mebae can handle what's left here, we're going to find Danzō. The coward. We won't be able to leave this place with anyone until he's dead.”
Tsunade looked between them. “Do you know where he is?”
Kakashi wiped the blood from his chin and gestured to Taga. “Yes. Tsunade, follow Taga to Senbei. Find the boys and take care of them, and Sakura, if she's with them.”
“You won't need help with Danzō?”
“No. They need you more than we do.”
He could tell that part of her wanted to go with them, but she nodded once and took off after Taga.
“Sakumo, with me.”
They raced through the compound to where he knew Danzō’s private office was. Half a dozen masked shinobi tried to stop them along the way, but they were easily torn through. The fūinjutsu seals locking them out were, too.
“ Danzō.”
He was sitting in front of a wide wooden desk, his prepared, feigned disinterest cracking as he took them in. Kakashi took pleasure in the way his eyes widened slightly, genuine fear plain to see.
He had some idea what they must look like. The pair of them, fangs bared, blood drenched, murder in their eyes and surrounded by a cloud of killing intent.
“The White Fang and… his Purple twin . I must admit, I am confused to see you here. I would have thought the pair of you would be storming Iwa by now, demanding retribution for your family.”
Kakashi threw a screeching, charged kunai a hairsbreadth past Danzō’s head where it embedded deep in the wall. His eyes nearly bulged from his head as he leaned away. “You should know better than to underestimate the intelligence of your opponents. A mistake you'll pay for with your life, Shimura.”
This Danzō was a powerful shinobi, but he was past his prime, outnumbered and outclassed.
He should have known better.
“Do you know what you're doing? Do you know who you're dealing with? All of Konoha depends on me, on my decisions. You might not like my methods, but Konoha will thrive, become the greatest of all the villages because of me. I have only ever acted in the best interest of our nation.”
Sakumo took a step forward. “And how exactly does kidnapping my son, my cousin's wife and son, have anything to do with protecting Konoha?”
Danzō glowered. “You Hatake's have always been a blessing and a curse, just like any other powerful clan. But unlike the others, you could not fully be brought to heel. Clan before village can never be allowed in this modern age. You brought enemies into our home before the last war because they were clan. ” He spat the word like it was foul. “Fortunately only you, Sakumo, survived the last war. We retained the very best of your clan's power without the bedeviled group. But you were still raised by them. You still clung onto the past. Saving your teammates, sacrificing the mission? Unacceptable. Both of Hashirama's heirs will be raised properly. All of their talent and genius, fully dedicated to Konoha. The perfect tools.”
Kakashi felt suddenly stricken. It had been on purpose. He had been isolated, used, broken and reformed into an unquestionably loyal dog. Had Tsunade been ordered to stay away, too? And now they wanted to do the same thing to his son.
“ No. You will have no hand in the raising of our sons. You will die here, your legacy little more than a warning.”
Danzō finally stood, prepared to fight. “Konoha will fall without me!”
“No.” The room filled with purple and white light, and the ozone scream of lightning. “She will prosper.”
.
.
.
Kakashi's eyes slid closed, his head tipped back as some of the adrenaline bled out of him. His head was throbbing and he felt vaguely dizzy.
He focused on breathing.
In through his nose.
The sharp tang of blood and the foul stench of a dead man's final moments.
Out, hissed between his teeth.
He's dead. They're all dead.
Steady now, Kakashi opened his eyes and looked down at his prize. Blood dripped onto the floor beside his feet. There was a small pool of it oozing slowly closer to his shoe.
The fight had not been near as challenging as he'd imagined it would be. Then again, this Danzō had no stolen Sharingan. Now, his head hung by the hair from Kakashi's clenched fingers—his final expression of horror and agony frozen in place—having been severed slowly from his body by a kunai of questionable sharpness.
It had been a slow and painful death.
“Here.”
Kakashi tore his eyes from the dead man's to see Sakumo, still standing beside the body, holding out a storage scroll. Wordlessly, he tucked away his kunai and took the scroll, preserving the head. He thought he might like dropping it at Hiruzen's feet.
That dealt with, he glanced down at his blood soaked clothes. He could not hold his son like this. “I need a new shirt…” he muttered vaguely to himself as he shrugged off his gore-covered flak vest.
“Here.” Sakumo pulled two clean uniform shirts from another storage scroll.
Peeling off the ruined one, Kakashi accepted the change and dressed quickly. “Let's go.”
Sakumo nodded once and followed him out.