A/N – Not my characters, blah de blah blah (we all know this bit lol), and inspired by something I read a long time ago. Ok, this is my first Naruto fanfic, and its based 3 years after Sasuke disappeared (and he would be 15 years old in 'present' time) Kakashi then makes a literally wild discovery and Sasuke is not as we may all recognize or well… 'normal'. I'd be grateful for any feedback, thanks.

Kakashi forced another branch aside as he meandered his way through the thick wood of the forest, weaving his way between trees, bushes, and patches of shadow and light; the sun's warmth from high above forced its way down to the earth and scorched his skin. He wiped the perspiration away from his brow, and continued on his trek.

The unusual silence of the forest was almost deafening to Kakashi. He could move through the trees, run over the crisp leaf and stick covered ground, and due to his training it was as if he was a ghost, floating airily through them.

He stopped suddenly and laid a hand against the rough bark of a tree as he crouched slightly and reached for his kunai; his destination was finally in view.

Staring intently with the one eye not covered by his mask, Kakashi regarded the derelict wooden building ahead. From his view point, one side of the poor excuse for a building looked blown away – a huge gaping hole filled the space where a wooden wall should have been, instead loose planks of split and splintered wood lay haphazardly around, against what was left of that side of the wall, its floor, and trailing along the grass nearby.

Kakashi exhaled deeply through his nose, before making his way towards the building.

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Kakashi crawled beneath the plantation, getting closer and closer towards the building, but as he got closer he couldn't help but gag; the stench was horrid. Even with his mask covering most of his face, the wretched smell still reached his nose and filtered deeply through.

He stood up and put a hand over his mouth and nose as he edged along the side of the building towards the huge open side of it. He paused as he listened out again for movement, or any kind of sound… there the humming of flies nearby and a chorus of low screeches.

He took the opportunity to look closer at the broken wooden pieces. He leant closer down towards the damp rotten, splintered pieces and recognized the dark dye along some of the edges; blood.

Standing back up again he twirled the Kunai in his hand before moving in front of the hole, and staring incredulously into the wretched stinking place.

Blood; over the floor, the walls, the dark patches seemed to stain every surface. Flies lazily moved about from surface to surface in their thick swarms, and in a corner of this hut like building, a pile of rotting animals lay, from what he could see beneath the mountain of rats over them.

Some of the rats hopped off the pile and scurried their way across the floor towards a pile of rubbish that Kakashi now turned his attention towards.

It was built up of old torn up material, the original color undistinguishable through fading and built up dirt, and piles of the splintered wood, leaves, twigs, rubbish… all thrown into one big pile.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly as a wave of a strangely familiar feeling washed over him; he knew it was not nausea from the sight or smell of the place. But it was a feeling of some kind of…. Recognition of sorts.

He noticed the pile of rubble rustle slightly and he had the strange feeling of observing an animal in its bedding.

Immediately Kakashi went on alert in case of an attack.

He crouched down slowly, adjusting the grip on his weapon as the pile of rubble seemed to vibrate and shift with each movement from the thing underneath. Slowly he began to edge to the left, making sure his footsteps made soft sounds, almost as if warning the creature of his presence; it could after all be just a harmless animal.

After all Kakashi was the one invading its lair.

He froze as he saw something dart out from the mass of clutter – it took him a long moment to realize it was a hand; a human hand; a hand that was covered in countless layers of dried dirt and blood, and splinters embedded the finger tips.

Kakashi's gaze wandered back momentarily towards the gaping hole with the splintered wooden beams and the various nails rooted within them. He swallowed and looked back.

From the fingers leading to a hand, a thin bony arm soon snaked out, with a twin arm emerging soon after. With each movement, more of the sticks and torn up material fell away from the constructed cocoon this human thing was beneath.

Kakashi remained frozen as he watched the slow scene; it was like watching an unworldly birth, in the middle of this decaying and bitter place.

There was a soft mewl which he guessed was from the human, which made him begin to stand up slowly and narrow his eyes.

A mass of black, ropey and wild like snakes, began to push through the rubble as the other person forced their way further out of their shelter. The emaciated figure snapped their head to the side to face him, their long matted hair whipping around their sickly pale face. Dark wild eyes stared back at the intruder, as an animal like growl emanated from deep within their tiny frame.

Kakashi couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips, as the Kunai he had held fell and hit the grass with a dull thud, "Oh…my…"

He stared for the longest moment, because even beneath all the dirt and blood and mass of wild hair and rubble – he knew who it was.

"Sasuke" he whispered.