Hey guys! My first attempt at a Naruto fic! Please read and review…

Disclaimer: I do not owe Naruto although I really wish to owe Kakashi…

0o0

Chapter 1

(Takes place after the defeat of Akatsuki and the return of Sasuke)

Flashbacks

Kakashi's POV

Tsunade was sitting at her desk digging the pile of papers on her table. Most of them were debts, I've noticed, and with countless zeros behind every figure. Being the Hokage is a stressful job indeed. Sometimes it really made me wonder why Naruto wanted to become Hokage when Tsunade was already on the verge of becoming crazy. The room was dead silence only with the sound of paper being flipped, thrown aside and sometime, the grumblings of the woman. I mentally let out a sigh and looked over. My teammates were getting terribly bored. One was playing with the sebon in his mouth whereas the other… I don't know, maybe staring at her hand? I turned back.

"Where is that goddamn piece of report…?" Tsunade mumbled under her breath before taking another piece of paper. Seeing that it was not what she want, she threw it inside the bin despite it was full to the brim. The area around it was also covered with thick layers of papers.

It wasn't long when she found the article that she wanted. She let out a satisfied grunt as she double-checked with the scroll that contained the mission which we were supposed to do that day. Unfortunately, her elbow knocked against another stack of papers, causing them to scatter over the floor. The atmosphere in the room immediately became ominous as her features darkened by ten folds.

"YOU THREE!!" She shouted out, loud enough to hear multiple echoes. Genma and Kurenai jumped in surprise at the sudden change in volume. Genma almost swallowed his sebon and Kurenai nearly fell down. I just sorta stood there and watch in amusement without feeling guilty at all.

"Y-yes, Hokage-sama!" Genma spluttered out, looking at Tsunade.

"EVERYTHING'S INSIDE THIS SCROLL AND REPORT! TAKE THEM AND GET OUT!!"

The three of us were violently thrown outside as the door slammed heavily behind us. I still have no idea what did we do to have the honor of getting thrown outside personally by the Hokage herself. May wonders never ceased.

Kurenai, being the leader of the group, read out the information aloud. It seemed that the Akatsuki members had been sighted again and we were to investigate into this matter. Yep. That's what the scroll and the report mentioned. Kurenai rolled up the scroll as the three of us got ready to set off.

0o0

It was a piece of cake for us to reach our destination. No traps, no obstacles. I really doubted that the Akatsuki were still alive. They had been defeated from the last time I've remembered, none of them left alive. Maybe it was just a false alarm… but who cares? As long I don't die of boredom, I don't see a reason why we should reject this mission.

We reached a cave which was supposed to be our place of investigation. Yes, a cave. Not the one that the Akatsuki used as their hideout but a normal and simple cave that is situated at the foot of some mountain. The report once again was found to be doubtful. Nevertheless, we still need to follow the Hokage's order. Without much choice, we went inside the cave.

Just as I had predicted - It was hollow empty. The sighting of the Akatsuki was proved to be a phoney. Kurenai sighed in defeat upon finding nothing whereas Genma complained something about missing his date with a hot chick. We turned around and advanced towards the exit. That's when everything happened. Genma tripped over a string, thin enough to be only seen under the gleaming sunlight. The trap was being triggered, causing the place to start falling apart.

It started raining boulders and the rate which they were falling at was so fast that even I, an elite jounin ahem found it hard to dodge every single one of it. My sight was being blocked by the falling escarpments as I jumped aimlessly, not knowing my exact location. I came back to back with Genma soon, who by chance stumbled onto me.

"We need to get out of here… fast." I said loud enough for him to hear. He shifted the position of the sebon in his mouth and gave a nod as a reply. Without warning, a boulder came crashing down from above. Luckily though, I managed to get away in time… but it was not the same for my partner.

"Darn!" the boulder landed on Genma's right foot, crushing it underneath. He struggled to pull his limb free but to no avail.

Time was running fast. If we don't get out of here quick, there is no guarantee that we will make it out alive. I went over to Genma and help him displace of the rock. By the chakra signals, I could sensed that Kurenai was already out of the place, nowhere to be seen and Genma was here, unable to walk at all. Great.

I hauled him onto my back and ran for the opening. Kurenai was there, holding her hand out, at the same time shouting for us to hurry up. Just as we were about to reach the exit, more rocks came tumbling down as they started to cover the opening. It's impossible for us to get out in this situation now, but…

"Genma," I whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "be prepared to take cover."

Before he could mutter a word of protest, I flung him as hard as possible towards Kurenai who managed to catch him successfully. The exit was now completely sealed off. I can still hear Genma's and Kurenai's shoutings from outside. A sharp throbbing pain at the back of my head was last felt before everything turned black. At least I've managed to save my friend's life… just like how Obito saved mine.

(Genma's POV)

I can't believe it! Kakashi sacrificed his own life just to save mine?! It just wasn't fair! I should be the one dying. Kakashi does not deserve to die in a B-ranked mission like this…

I ran desperately back but was held back by Kurenai.

"Don't stop me, Kurenai! He will die!" I cried out as I struggled against her.

"No. If we go back, we will die too."

"I don't give a damn about my life! As long as Kakashi continues to live, it's worth exchanging my life for his!" I could feel my eyes start to get watery. A shinobi shouldn't cry or show any emotions, but for a friend, we should. That's human.

"Genma, please." Kurenai's voice was starting to waver. I turned around and faced her. Her cheeks were already tear-stained. After all, losing Asuma was already a big blow to her, and losing Kakashi just make things seemed worse. My eyes finally let go of the strain that it had been holding. Bead of tears flowed down my eyes.

We waited for a few minutes before the whole thing ended. Both of us ran frantically over to the mountain which was now a pile of gigantic rocks. Bit by bit, piece by piece, we removed the boulders and looked for Kakashi. Maybe there is a slight chance of survival… maybe he's still alive. That's what we've thought.

Our search ended out fruitless. There was absolutely no trace of Kakashi's body. I knelt down on the ground, my hands sore from all the digging. Kurenai's sobs got louder as she held on to Kakashi's hitai-e which we found it clamped in between two rocks. Silently, we headed back to Konoha with heavy feelings.

0o0

Tsunade's face was in pure shock. Her eyes were widened so big that it looked as if her eyeballs are going to drop out of their socket anytime. I can't blame her though. After all, that was the same expression I had when the accident occurred.

Kurenai said nothing as she went up and placed the Hitai-e on Tsunade's desk. Tears were still visible at the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall any time soon. Tsunade took the hitai-e in her hands as she fingered the remaining of what was left of the copy-ninja. Her delicate fingers ran across the Konoha's symbol and to the sides, rubbing away the blood stains.

"I don't believe this… should I had known this would happen… I shouldn't have sent you three in the first place! It's my entire fault!" Tsunade blamed herself as she started crying too.

"H-Hokage-sama…" I stuttered out, "Please punish me! I am the one who cause all these. If not for me, Kakashi would not have died!" Kneeling down on the floor, I slammed my fist against the ground. It was pathetic of me. I deserved to be punished after all that I've done…

"Get up, Genma. There's no point in punishing you." Tsunade wiped her tears dry with the back of her hand, "After all, there's no sign of his body… he might still be alive… I shall put him under the MIA section for the time being until…"

Her voice was quavering as she talked. There was another emotional breakdown between the three of us. It wasn't long when the Hokage dismissed us home. Tsunade herself had taken quite a big blow too… her cryings weren't left unheard when Kurenai and me walked out of her office.

0o0

(Normal POV)

The following day, Tsunade announced the sad news with a few occasions of snifflings in between her speech. The whole of Konoha went dead silent. The atmosphere was exactly as gloomy as the day when the Third died. With dark, grey clouds hanging over Konoha make the place looked darker than usual. People were seen wearing black, their face void of emotions.

This continued on for a few days. It was really hard to forget him though, especially for some individuals. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura insisted on searching for him upon hearing the news but were stopped by the Hokage. There's no way she's going to sacrifice another precious member of Konoha. Furthermore, things need to move on. It's pointless brooding over the past. Life has to continue… forgetting the past and looking into the future.

(End flashbacks)

0o0

Present

(A few months after Kakashi's "death")

It was early spring at that time. The sun was hanging high up in the endless blue sky. It wasn't scorching hot neither was it freezing cold. It was the perfect temperature to signal the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Somewhere along the border of Konoha, a man was seen trudging through the forest. His white, long hair bounced up and down with the rhythm of his pace. His wooden sandals acting like a metronome, clacking upon each contact it made with the ground.

"Can't wait to go back to Konoha…" Jiraiya smiled, "I've got lots of research to do for the upcoming new edition of Icha Icha Paradise."

A perverted smile crept up his face as he came to a stop by a river. His keen sense of hearing captured the presence of a waterfall and you know what that means… girls splashing water at each other, indulging in their enjoyment - A perfect place to hold his research.

Trying his best to be as silent as possible, he hid behind a row of bushes and peeked through the openings between the leaves and branches. Unfortunately, to his great disappointment, there were no girls. Instead, a boy, around the age of eighteen was in the water, facing a burly man… a sound-nin to be exact.

"A sound-nin? I thought they were eliminated together with the Akatsuki?" Thoughts ran through the legendary Sanin as he continued to watch the kid. The boy was badly injured, his arms decorated with cuts and bruises, the corner of his lips were bleeding. His eyes were showing exhaustion and his breathings were shallow.

"He must be a commoner… I've gotta do something before that guy kills him…" Without any hesitation, he stood up from his hiding place and voluntary revealing himself.

"Hey you! Stop picking on a poor little kid!"

"This is none of your business, old man! This brat…" before he could say another word or move another inch, he was down on the floor, unconscious. The boy seemed to relax a bit knowing that the enemy was defeated.

"Are you alright?" Jiraiya approached the boy holding his hand out to him, "He's going to catch a cold if he stays in the water for too long…" There was no reply… the kid looked at his face, and then his outstretched hand followed by his face again. He finally let out a heart-warming smile and fell backwards into the water, totally knocked out.

It took quite a while for the Sanin to register what was happening and when he finally did, a shout could be heard followed by splashes. Grabbing hold of the boy and pulling him up was an easy feat considering how light he was. What that troubles Jiraiya the most was that he did not know where the boy was from even after digging into his pockets. There was no identity, no name, no item, no nothing. He was empty-handed.

Jiraiya pondered for a while and finally decided. Since there was no clue to his identity, might as well bring him back to Konoha… furthermore, he needed some medical attention with the amount of injuries he had. Without any delay, Jiraiya grabbed him, threw him over his shoulders and hurried back to Konoha.

0o0

(Tsunade's office)

"WHAT THE -" Tsunade widened her eyes and inspect the body that was laid in front of her. Nobody was in the office except for both the Sanin. Her fingers trembled with excitement as she stroked the boy's hair.

"I'm asking you to heal him, not to treat him as if he's some experimental animal or something." Obviously, the frog trainer was getting impatient. Fifteens minutes had passed and what Tsunade had done was to touch his cheeks, stroke his hair and sometimes trying to pull up his sleeves to get a better look at his arms. "And stop sexually harassing him."

"Jiraiya! After so many years and you still couldn't recognize him? I thought it was already written out clearly enough…" The Hokage whispered out, her voice filled with indescribable feelings of eagerness. She pried open both eyes of the boy and that when realization struck the man like a sledge hammer.

"He's… no… it can't be… I thought…" A string of denials came out from his mouth. The boy moved a finger as he mumbled something inaudible. He was regaining his consciousness…

0o0

Cliffhanger!

Hope you all like it so far… I haven't really thought up of any pairings so feel free to vote. Hope to see reviews soon D

Currently having exams now so might take quite a while to update but please don't stop, I am planning to finish this story and I'll be needing all of your supports. Thanks a lot! .