Chapter 8

"Let's go over the plan once more," Orochimaru said to Sasuke before they headed over to Konoha. "In order to bring Kakashi to us, we are going to take his son. We've noticed that he trains in the mornings, so that would be the best time for us to strike."

"I know all of this," Sasuke said, annoyed. "And we're going to use my puppet to lure him away."

"Exactly," Orochimaru said. "Now let's go."

Hiroshi couldn't help but be excited as he started blowing up balloons at the practice field. Naruto had told him about a chakra controlling exercise involving placing your chakra inside a balloon, and now Hiroshi could finally try it with the hopes of finally getting the lightning blade to work.

Before he could even start practicing, he heard someone yelling for help in the distance. He dropped what he was doing and followed the voice, zooming through the forest. Finally, he saw a boy, maybe a year or two older than himself, running from a sand ninja.

"Get away from him!" Hiroshi yelled, throwing shuriken at the shinobi. The shinobi dodged them and continued pursuing the boy until they reached the same bridge that Hiroshi had almost died at. Then, the shinobi disappeared, leaving only the little boy. Hiroshi ran up to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," The black haired boy answered as he adjusted his goggles. "I'm Obito. What's your name?"

"Hiroshi," he answered, letting his guard down some. "What are you doing running around by yourself? You could've been killed."

Obito looked like he was dazed, not really looking at Hiroshi, but staring off into the distance. Sasuke had lost control of his puppet and now he was standing there, blowing their cover. Hiroshi snapped his fingers in front of the boy, trying to see if he'd react.

"I'm sending my shinobi back in," Yuichi whispered fiercely. "She can grab him."

Hiroshi picked up Obito, even though he was much heavier than the 11 year old, and started walking with him. Obito blinked and scrabbled out of his arms, suddenly having a completely different air about him. Feeling threatened, Hiroshi backed up a step, but tried to keep cool.

"You looked like you passed out-" Hiroshi started until Obito threw a kick at him, which he blocked with ease. "Hey!" He continued dodging the blows Obito was throwing, which was making Sasuke frustrated.

"This kid sucks," he mumbled angrily as he tried to get Obito to do what he pleased. Before Hiroshi could run off though, Yuichi's shinobi reentered, grabbing Hiroshi by the collar and getting ready to throw him. He pushed and shoved, resisting the shinobi, until a hand pushed against her chest. He felt something change as she looked at him and dropped him flat on the ground, her hands flying to her head as she let out a screech.

"I'm losing control," Yuichi grunted as he held his fingers to his temples.

"What's happening?" Orochimaru hissed.

"I don't know. This has never happened before," Yuichi said, standing up and taking his hands away. He no longer had control over the puppet. His modifications to make her last longer had back fired. He didn't know if she was destroyed or what, but he had a feeling that something had just gone wrong, making her incapable of functioning and leading to her death. He didn't know how wrong he was.

"Lady?" Hiroshi said as he pushed the passed out shinobi with his foot while continuing to dodge Obito's punches and kicks. Sasuke called his puppet back, making the boy flee into the woods, which Hiroshi didn't mind. He used his transportation jutsu and reappeared in the Hokage's office. "Lady Hokage, I found this shinobi in the forest chasing after this boy. I didn't know what to do so I brought her here…."

Tsunade stood from her desk and came over to examine the girl. She shooed Hiroshi away as she peeled away her mask to reveal Akahana Hayashi, not dead, but very unconscious…

"This… this is impossible."

"Lady Hokage?" Kakashi called as he hurried into the interrogation section of the shinobi buildings. Tsunade turned to face him along with Ibiki. "I came as soon as I could. I heard it was urgent."

"Yes," she said, staring back at the door to the interrogation room and then to Kakashi. "We found a shinobi that you know well, but we aren't sure if it is that shinobi or an imposter of sorts. We were hoping you could come down and ask some questions that only that shinobi would know."

"Who is it?" Kakashi asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Well… let me explain first," she said, trying to figure out the best way to tell this. "We did tests on this person's cells, to see how this is possible. Turns out that this person they wanted to influence could be Yuichi Washiga, an ex medical shinobi from Konoha. In order for him to create this specific person, he inserted the person's DNA along with some of his own cells, to create a living breathing reincarnation of this person. I don't know how long this body will last but…"

Kakashi was only half listening as his mind was scrolling through the people it could be. The most obvious ones were the fourth Hokage and his father because they were both excellent shinobi, but one more teased the back of his mind.

"So, go in and speak with this person. Drill them on things only they could possibly know… If it is the actual person, we may be able to find some important information about who created them and what they're planning," she said as she unlocked the door to the cell they were holding her in. Kakashi took a step in, shock settling into his stomach.

"Akahana?" he said, mostly to himself. She had been looking at the table she was seated at before he said her name. She looked up at him with exhausted blue eyes and then back down at the table. She wasn't wearing her shinobi uniform anymore, but a hospital gown. They must've done quite a few tests on her.

"Kakashi," she said under her breath. He shivered at how much this voice sounded like Akahana, but it couldn't be her. No one really knew very much of their relationship, minus a few people, so Sasuke or Orochimaru wouldn't know to bring her back. "I'm assuming they shipped you in here to interrogate me?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kakashi asked, quickly switching from shock to anger. He understood now. Whoever this person is was trying to play into his emotions in order to weaken him and get to Naruto.

"Pardon?" she asked, staring back up at Kakashi. "Kakashi, it's me."

"No, you aren't Akahana," he said surely. "She's been dead for a while. I don't care what the Hokage said about the combining of cells. There is no way-"

"Let me prove it to you that it's me. Ask me anything," she said, closing her eyes. It was like being on Earth exhausted her.

"Okay," Kakashi said, pacing the room. He wanted to think of a question that wouldn't be easy to look up. "What did your necklace say?"

"Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven," she said under her breath, sounding so tired.

"You could've looked that up from the jeweler," Kakashi said to himself as he stopped pacing to think of another question.

"How about I just start telling you things," she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "I met you because my team had to take Princess Hanaku to the Fire Country. We were the only all female team in the sand village. They hired you because they didn't want us going on our own and all the guy shinobi were pretty booked. I always made you call me commander and you moved in with me and my team, which consisted of Miyuki and Kazue. Miyuki doesn't like men, so she didn't like you living with us at first, but she got over it once she realized how easy going you are."

Akahana paused and smiled, remembering the time that Miyuki was in the kitchen getting some water and Kakashi came up behind her to grab something. She almost stabbed him in the neck.

"Our first few missions together were easy so that we could get use to being a team unit, and after a while you got use to me being the boss. The first time you saw me without my mask was a few days after you moved in. I was in the kitchen, planning out one of our more difficult missions and having a drink, like I normally do when planning a mission and you came out to see what I was up to. We both got exceedingly drunk and proceeded to have a drunken game of 'I'll show you mine, you show me yours', which was more intense than I think either of us thought it would be," she continued, pausing and enjoying the memories every so often. "We started dating after you were officially assigned to take Miyuki's place as she took a year off to train more in medical ninjutsu. Our first date was to the tea house in the village, which was very nice and not at all awkward, from what I remember…." Akahana's voice trailed off as she looked back up at Kakashi. "Do you believe me yet?"

"Yes," he said after a pause. He couldn't believe it, but it had to be her. There was no way someone could know all of that and imitate her speech that well. Kakashi didn't know what to do. His body and heart all told him to hold her as tightly as he could manage without breaking her in half and oh did he want to, but his brain told him that wouldn't be appropriate. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, I know a few things…"

"Like?" Kakashi sat down on the table next to her. She naturally rested her head on his leg.

"Like everyone is in terrible danger," she said. "We have to do something…. but.. I'm not strong enough. I'm not even close to how I use to be… It's draining, being here. I forgot what gravity felt like…"

"What do you mean everyone's in danger?" Kakashi asked, trying to get this information before he focused on catching up and hearing more about her. He was hoping that Tsunade wouldn't want to immediately kill her after they receive the information, but he couldn't be sure.

"The person who brought us back is dangerous, even though I don't believe he means to be," she said simply. "Obito, Sakumo and I. We're all stuck here, for a little bit anyways. I guess I have it better off than those two. I'm fully here while they're still fighting to take back their bodies. Those people don't realize what they're meddling in…."

Before she could say more, she fell unconscious again. Kakashi got up, careful to make sure her head was placed gently on the table, and went to report to Tsunade.

"It's her," he said with a nod, still trying to digest everything.

"What did she tell you about the situation?" Tsuande asked, cutting right to the chase.

"She thinks we're all in danger. She isn't the only person they brought back either. My father and Obito are back as well… but it's sounding like they're being used to do things against their will. She passed out, so I don't know much else, but I'm sure she could tell you more," Kakashi reported, keeping his emotions out of this. Tsunade nodded and sighed, not quite sure what to do.

"I need her back here tomorrow morning," Tsunade started. "But it seems as though we won't get anymore information out of her tonight. Take her to your place to sleep for the night and make sure she's back here tomorrow."

Kakashi wanted to thank her. He knew she didn't have to do that and that Akahana could have easily stayed in the hospital to be tested further or even in the interrogation room, but Tsunade must have understood. He could tell that she knew what it was like to lose someone that meant as much to you as Akahana meant to him, and that she would at least give him the little time he may get with her before she's gone again.

Hiroshi wasn't home when Kakashi appeared with an unconscious Akahana. He had been training all day since the incident, trying to make up for the time he lost. Kakashi was grateful for this, knowing that the conversation he'd have to have with Hiroshi explaining the situation would be far from easy. Instead of worrying about that, he laid Akahana down in his bed and wrapped her up in the blankets. Her golden blonde hair shifted as her head turned to the side and she got comfortable. As much as Kakashi wanted to stay with her, he had to find his son and explain this, so off he went to the training grounds.

As expected, Hiroshi was there with the corpses of popped balloons all around him. He was grunting in frustration as another and another balloon exploded in his hand. Kakashi quietly walked over and tapped him on the shoulder, making Hiroshi fly out of his skin.

"Oh! Hi," Hiroshi said, embarrassed that he was so frightened.

"Hi," Kakashi said, trying to hard to think of exactly how to explain this to his son. "We need to talk."

"Uh, okay," he said, picking up his balloon scraps and following his dad to the memorial stone, where they usually had their deep discussions. "What's up?"

"Well, first I need to explain reanimation jutsu to you," he said, not looking forward to explaining it because even he had a hard time understanding it. "Basically, with the right amount of chakra and a body, some skilled shinobi are able to bring back the bodies of the dead and make them work as puppets."

"Okay," Hiroshi said, not sure where this was going.

"One of these puppets was discovered today, only they were more real… Somehow this shinobi was able to return their soul to their body, giving this person almost a second life…. We don't know if the body will last long or not since it was created differently-"

"Wait, is this the lady who attacked me?" Hiroshi asked. "The masked one."

Kakashi was stunned. He hadn't heard that it was Hiroshi who found Akahana, or that she had attacked him. She must've not had the conscious ability to control her body the entire time it has been here.

"Perhaps…" Kakashi's voice trailed off. "She's going to be staying with us, at least for tonight."

"What? She tried to kill me! Why would she stay with us?" Hiroshi yelled, completely confused. There was no way he was sleeping in the same room as a crazy shinobi lady who tried to kill him.

"She's your mother," Kakashi said, clearing everything up. Hiroshi just stared at him in disbelief. There was no way that woman… that shinobi who tried to kill that kid… she couldn't be…

He dashed to their house, Kakashi following steadily behind him. He wouldn't believe his dad until he saw it himself. He grabbed the door knob and threw their apartment door open. There she was.

She seemed to be sleeping still, breathing lightly like she was about to wake up from the noise of Hiroshi slamming the door open. Her small hands were up near her face, like she use to always sleep when Hiroshi would sleep with her after a particularly bad nightmare. Her son had no idea on how to react. He knew it was her and felt like an idiot for almost forgetting what she looked like. He didn't even recognize her when she was in her shinobi gear.

"Now do you believe me?" Kakashi asked as he closed the door and put his hand on his son's shoulder. Hiroshi nodded and carefully approached his mother, pushing her honey blonde hair from her face and then looking back at his dad.

"What does this mean?" Hiroshi asked, trying to be careful with his hopes and words. "Is she staying?"
"I don't know," Kakashi admitted, "it depends on Lady Tsunade's plans and what Akahana wants."

Kakashi knew one thing though. He would do everything in his power to make sure she wouldn't slip away again. Fate had thrown him a second chance, which doesn't happen often, and he had no intentions of wasting this one.