There's an alarm clock in the room. It won't stop doing that "oh so annoying sound!"

BANG!

A small hand hits the clock, but it's too late, he is already awake. He has gravity defying silver hair, still sleepy black eyes and a mask covering the lower half of his face. He seems to be confused looking at the now broken clock.

"What's this? Where am I? Oh! This is my old room... It worked." His small shape starts shaking, and he is crying. The sadness around him could be tangible. He grasps his pillow and buries his face in it to muffle his howls. It's good that he is in his old house, with no neighbors close by, or somebody could have already knocked on the door to know what has happened. He doesn't want it, his pain is only his, he can't explain what he is passing through. Nobody would believe him anyway, and even if they do, it could be too risky.

"I'm so sorry Naru! I'm so sorry!" He can't help it, her last moments are like a movie in his head. "I let you die."

Kaguya is sealed, they were summoned back to the desert battlefield, she had just said goodbye to her already deceased father and was still crying over his ashes. Nobody saw when Kakashi went still and his eyes glazed over. The Rikodu Sennin wanted to talk to him without a potential traitor knowing it.

"Hatake Kakashi, I have something for you, it was a request from Naruto. You would be the only one able to carry this responsibility, just in case she fails."

"What are you talking about? Kaguya is already sealed, the war is over." Kakashi wasn't naive to believe that everything was good now and they all would be happy ever after, but what could happen now that the Rikudo Sennin would need to interfere personality or through anyone else?

"I fear that my eldest son is going to betray the youngest one again." He is silent for awhile whilst Kakashi was understanding what he is saying.

"Sasuke and Naruto?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"I had a conversation with both of them while they were between life and death. And made a decision trying to save them both. I really believe that Indra can find the right path, but maybe with the influence of black Zetsu we are too late again... Ashura won't abandon him, and I lost count of how many times they have reincarnated and haven't settled things yet. I choosed to give power to both of them this time, instead of choosing just the youngest one. I was in hope that this way Indra wouldn't feel rejected by me, and would see the light in Ashura's attitude...

"I was wrong, he still has so much dark in his heart, Sasuke does not envy Naruto, but he truly believes that the only way to achieve peace is through becoming a tyrant himself, carrying the burden of hatred and inflicting pain, so people would value the peace. He can be powerful enough to enslave the whole world, and if the time comes, you shall not hesitate."

"What must I do?"

"You should use this." He handed him a peace of paper with a draw that Kakashi had never seen before, it looked simple, and at the same time it didn't.

"What's it?"

"It should allow you to travel through time, to the past. The longer you can go the most you can change."

"Was it possible? All this time you have this kind of solution... why are you telling this just now?"

And Kakashi was thinking of all the lives that could've been saved. If he knew this...

"You shall remember that going back makes the future you know very fragile, very small things could make big things different, including people that you know now could not even be born again, just a millisecond and somebody could not even be born. It is not something to play with."

And Kakashi understood, and paled. "How far should I go?"

"As far as it takes you, Naruto picked out you, for a reason, you should not lose your faith in her. She believes that you are the best person for it, because you could go farther away than her, and save many more lives. I have never disappointed myself for listening to her, that's why I'm giving it to you. It's her wish to save as many lives as it would be possible, even if it cost her very existence."

Kakashi went silent, starting to breathe heavily. The idea of losing her was terrifying, but wasn't true, not yet, she was very alive, and powerful! He wouldn't use that seal! It wouldn't be necessary.

"I see." Hagorome sighed, he knew what was passing through the young Shinobi's head, but he wasn't saying it out loud. Ashura always found love through her many reincarnations, it wouldn't be different this time, even though she was younger this time. "She believes in your strength and wisdom, she looks up at you all the time, e she loves you like nobody else, she is counting on you to do the right thing, and I believe you're going to do it because you love her too."

"I can't lose her." Was all Kakashi said.

"I know." Were the last words of Hagoromo for him.

Too soon Sasuke was challenging Naruto and putting Sakura in a genjutsu. Kakashi could not believe what was happening. In his head there was a mantra "I can't lose her." But he was left behind to look after an unconscious Sakura, praying to be fast enough, praying to be enough...

When Sakura woke up he dragged her to the direction of The Valley of the End, he knew his students well enough to know where they would go for a final battle. They loved a drama after all.

But they had to wait and find shelter, the explosions were gigantic, not something a simple human could do, they were gods fighting. Mountains were rippled, or extinguished, rivers were erased and reborn. Everything in less then a day.

Then there was silence, and he dragged Sakura once more, the poor girl was crying nonstop, but he couldn't care less. There were things more important than the feelings of a frightened teenager. He needed to find Naruto, to make sure everything was going to be ok, he couldn't see his own hypocrisy. Maybe this was his first big mistake on that day...

When they finally arrived at the valley his heart stopped for awhile. The amount of destruction was unbelievable. He saw his students lying still on a broken rock that should be a hand of a big statue. He remembered Naruto saying to Sasuke that next time they would fight, they would both die. Could it be?

Sakura was the first one to jump where they were, and started to take their vitals. She was checking if their were breathing, and looking over the many injuries, so Kakashi had hope, he jumped after them and got closer. Naruto was terrifyingly pale, losing so much blood, without an arm, but still breathing. He had hope and got closer.

"Naruto."

Silence.

"Sakura, what are you doing? Naruto needs you!"

"I'm sorry Sensei, but Naruto has the Kyuubi, Sasuke doesn't, I can't lose him..." she answered between weeping and sobbing. And he saw and understood that she was going to heal Sasuke first, because she believed she loved him, even though he didn't loved her back. And he got angry and desperate.

"I can't believe you Sakura! He told you he doesn't love you, he tried to kill you, he had every intention of destroying Konoha, he wants to be a tyrant! Naruto was always by your side, your best friend, she saved our village, she saved you so many times that I've lost count, she saved the whole fucking world! And you're choosing him over..."

"Kashi..."

He looked down to see the owner of that voice so soft and weak now. Naruto was awake. But she could merely open one of her eyes. He started crying.

"Naru..." he knelt besides her and took her hand in his. He got closer to her so she could do less effort to talk.

"He gave ya th'seal, didn't he?" Hearing her half said words he sobbed, was she asking him? Asking him to go back and maybe lose the very possibility of her existence?

"Naru, it won't be necessary, we are here, you're going to be ok, let me talk to Kurama, he'll let me know what to do to help healing you..."

"Kurama's out... can't talk... can't heal... ya shouldn't hesitate Sensei."

As soon as she said that he started to understand what was happening, she was dying, Kurama wasn't there to heal her, he couldn't heal her, Sakura wouldn't heal her till it was to late, she was asking him to use the seal now, before Sasuke could do something to stop him, but he couldn't let her behind, he couldn't look away from her, he had done that too many times already...

"I can't lose you Naru, I'm so sorry..." his tears wouldn't stop, neither his sobbing, he felt lost. He hated Sakura in that moment. He more than hated Sasuke. He was losing the only woman he had ever fell in love with, and he had never even told her it...

"'Not losing me Kashi... I believe in you... you believed in me... sorry Sensei..." he could feel she was exhausted, and in pain. He was losing her, there was nothing he could do.

"Don't talk, I'm going to find a way to save you, just be quiet for awhile..." he looked around intending to find a way to save her, maybe he could make Sakura see some reason, or punch some reason in her head... maybe there was somebody else, a miracle, something... all he could see were the destroyed statues with Madara and Hashirama under and around them, the river looked dead, the waterfall wasn't there anymore, the sunny day seemed to mock him.

"Kashi... I believe in you... don' wanna go without tellin' ya..."

He looked at Naruto again, he could see tears in her face, blood was smeared on her golden strands, he tried to dry her tears with his hands, he took her hand with one of his and touched her face with the other, looking in her eye. How ironic was it that now he had both his eyes thanks to her, but she had only one. Her eyes were always so beautiful, so expressive, full of life and joy... now so sad... but there was still something more, was it hope?

"I luv ya Kashi."

Was he hallucinating? All this time he tried to hide his feelings for her, because he was tainted, he was too old, her Sensei, it was wrong. she could find so many better options than him, so many good young men that could love her without all the burden he used to carry... and now she was confessing to him of all people. His eyes were round of shock. He couldn't believe his own ears.

"Naru..." another tear fell down her face, and he wasn't going to hide it anymore. "I love you too Naru, I love you so much, please stay with me..." and his desperation reached another level, his crying became louder than before, he touched har forehead with his and closed his eyes, it was just unbearable, he was holding her, she loved him back, but it was being denied for both of them.

She let out a very tiny smile, mixed with tears. Her hand moved very slowly to reach the pocket on his vest that contained the seal. "I'll always be with you."

Her breathing was even more heavy than before, there was blood going out of her mouth, how was it possible for somebody so small losing so much blood?

"Please Kakashi." He took the seal in his hand being careful, so that anybody but him and Naruto could know what was happening. She gave him one last nod, and there was one last breath.

"No." She was gone. "No, no, no, no, no..." he took her in his arms and kept repeating in until he heard some chuckling.

"So it's finally over, she almost got me to believe her, but in the and she died and left me here" Sasuke continued laughing, but it was bitter, empty of any joy. "Thank you Sakura..."

"Sasuke-kun" Sakura seemed to glow over what she had just heard him say, he was thanking her?

"Thank you for remembering me how selfish someone can be."

"But Sasuke-kun..." and she continued her weeping, finally looking at Narutos and starting to sob again.

"Sasuke, have you changed your mind?" Kakashi wasn't really hoping that Sasuke was converted to be a good man, he had made his decision the moment he had seen her last breath. If there was a chance to have her back, he was taking it, he had decided to be selfish too. He was going to live for her, and fight tooth and nails to give her everything he thought she deserved.

Sasuke laughed once more, while Kakashi was laying her body on the rock again, preparing the seal carefully, so Sasuke wouldn't see what he was doing, using her body as a shield to hide the piece of paper. When Sasuke stopped his laughing, the seal was ready.

"You know Kakashi?" He looked at his old student one last time, there was a crazy look in the teen's face, a mix between madness and pain. "I loved her too."

Was all Kakashi heard before pouring chakra into the seal and everything became light.