Okay, first and foremost, I would like to apologize to all my loyal readers.
I am very sorry for taking so long to update!
The truth is, I've finished this chapter for a while, but I wanted to go with a bam and have a new chapter for all four of my main stories before I posted them all at once. Unfortunately, with school being so hectic, I haven't found the time to exactly write.
Very soon, in 1.5 months, my semester will end and I'll have free time for another 1.5 months before another semester begins. Plus, since that semester is summer, It will be a lighter load than I usually have for the fall and spring semesters. So, I'll try to raise my production speed!
Also, I would like to thank everyone for staying in there and reading my works!
Please continue to support me! Thank you.

Anyways, let's get this show on the road!

The world was black when he awakens.

His mind clear, yet hazy like the misty fog around a cold lake.

A drop of water splashes on the ground, bursting in all different direction after impact. It makes a chime sort of sound, like a little, high-pitched bell.

A bell's chime resounds in the darkness.

"Good job, Kakashi."

A calm voice carries through the darkness, making an image of the bright blue sky appear.

Then, there is another chime and the silver glint of the bell flashes by.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

A boyish voice calls. It reminds him of the bright, blinding sun, the one people wish to reach yet can't.

The bell chimes again, as if an echo of the last and this time he can see the second bell as well.

"Kakashi-kun!"

A sweet angelic voice rings, leaving nostalgia and warmth yet also a deep sadness.

Another chime follows, the image of a red ribbon flows freely.

"Bakakashi!"

A familiar rough, young voice lingers with a grin.

There is another chime and the red ribbon thickens.

"Kakashi,"

This time the voice is husky and rings alarm in the darkness.

The bell does not ring yet the red does not disappear—instead, growing larger and larger, slowly overtaking the darkness.

"It's because you killed Rin!"

Red—the world becomes red.

In a red hue, images—faces flash like a storm.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Save us, sensei!"

"Don't leave us!"

"Kakashi!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"No—Don't leave us…!"

An onslaught of voices bombards the little, cowering boy as figures—all too familiar—surround him and continue to shout and reach for him. The frightened boy trembles as he closes his eyes and covers his ears, yet the images and people and voices all won't disappear.

"Bakakashi!"

A certain voice calls over the jumbled mess, causing the boy to freeze and the world to quiet down. Slowly, the boy looks up and when he sees the smiling figure before him, holding his hand out to him, he smiles—a genuine smile.

Obi—

"Did you really think I would say that…?" The dark-haired boy drops his head, not looking at the silver-haired boy in front of him. And then he looks at him, peering down at Kakashi with cold red eyes—his mangekyo Sharingan—their bond. "You killed Rin."

Obito turns around before the young boy starts walking away and with every step he takes he seems to grow older and older until he reaches his resentful adult self from the war.

Kakashi reaches out, desperately, yet his hands can't seem to reach no matter how much he grows.

Kakashi tries to call out…

No—

...yet his voice did not reach him.

"—Obito! Don't leave me!"

Grabbing ahold of something warm, Kakashi, wild-eyed, jumps up from his sleeping state. The warmth in his hand does not register in the silver-haired boy as he breathes heavily, holding his palm to his left eye as if it were the most important thing in the world to him.

"Um…" A soft voice breaks the hyperventilating voice from his haze. "Kakashi…?"

Alarmed by the presence, Kakashi hastily looks up at his opponent with great caution and a sort of predatory intimidation only to find the worried brown eyes of Itama. The—most likely—younger boy looks very worried for the silver-haired boy but still flinches at the gaze like a small animal.

Itama's soothing, flowery aura seems to calm Kakashi down as the silver-haired boy quickly reverts to his normal lazy eye. It was then that Kakashi realizes he has been gripping onto Itama's wrist harshly and releases the younger boy. Itama gives Kakashi a small smile despite how painful the bruise looks and the silver-haired boy feels a deep guilt for the injury he had caused the other boy.

"Sorry," Kakashi apologizes as his onyx eye locks onto the bruise.

"It's okay!" Itama smiles, forgivingly.

Despite Itama's words, Kakashi guilt is still not pacified and he hated to leave things like this unattended. Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi searches his mind for something he could offer, catching sight of his fishing rod. "Want to join me for breakfast?"

"Yes, please!" chirps the panda-haired boy with a wide grin.

"By the way," Kakashi flips the fish on the makeshift grill as he turns his attention to the other boy. Itama is currently sitting on a rock near the fire, humming as he watches the fire cook the fish. "Why did you come to see me? If it's about thanking me, your older brother has already done so."

"But that isn't the same!" Itama pouts, "Tobirama-niisama always tells me that I should always make sure to thank someone if they've helped me!"

Ahh… Kakashi exhales as he recalls the rather polite and proper silver-haired boy. Tobirama does seem like the type to reinforce manners. Then, the image of the more laidback, goofy brunette pops up in his mind, grinning brightly. On the other hand, the older brother, Hashirama, is too lax and seems bad with formalities. The little image of the older Senju then quickly shifts from happy to shocked, as if the boy was reacting to Kakashi's thought. It really makes you question who is actually the older brother. Hashirama's little spirit then goes from shocked to depressed in Kakashi's mind.

"Maa," Kakashi's ignores the image that popped up into his mind and shrugs. The silver-haired boy plates the fish and vegetables before handing one to Itama. "I get your message, so there's no need for any more gratitude."

"Thanks! And, okay!" The younger boy smiles at Kakashi as he takes the plate, placing it on his lap. Itama's eyes sparkle as he lays eyes on the scrumptious looking meal. "Thanks for the food!"

Itama begins by taking a bite from the fish, chewing and savoring the taste before swallowing. He then turns his attention to Kakashi, his chocolate eyes sparkling even more. "This is delicious!" Itama continues by taking another bite, this time from the vegetables. "How did you learn how to cook like this?"

"Maa, from here and there." Kakashi shrugs as he eats his own meal. "You learn a thing or two when you live on your own." Noticing the sudden drop in mood, Kakashi almost sighs. "I'm sure you could become a great chef if you put your mind to it."

Itama perks up at this, "Really? You really think so?"

"Maa, you'll just have to practice." Kakashi chews his foods laxly. The silver-haired boy watches the clouds float in the sky with a watchful eye. It was most likely mid-morning now. He had probably woken up late due to his nightmare and since Itama had visited it must be passed his usual training and breakfast time. He didn't quite mind the company—after all, Itama is a good kid: polite and mild. However, for him—an heir to the Senju clan to stay here is too dangerous.

Especially given what other company I'm expecting… The image of Madara passing through his mind. Kakashi glances over at Itama, seeing that the boy was now almost finished with his food. Originally, Kakashi was going to take the day off today. However, he needed to shoo away Itama as efficiently as possible and the easiest solution Kakashi could think of was work. Maa, getting some extra coins doesn't hurt either.

Kakashi stands up, drawing attention to himself from the younger boy who gives him a curious look. "Wash your dishes after you're done. I have to go to work."

"Oh…" Itama pouts but understands. Kakashi was working to support himself, after all, he shouldn't bother him too much. "Okay!" Quickly switching to a smile, Itama hums as he finishes eating the delicious meal and then goes to the river to start washing his plate.

Kakashi goes back to his tent and begins to pack his things.

Or, at least that's what he should have been doing, if he hadn't caught sight of a strikingly familiar face.

Sasuke.

It was Sasuke. A young boy with dark hair had turned around to face the silver-haired boy who was returning to his camp. The boy had black hair which was slightly long with the ends sticking up, similar to how Sasuke had done his hair. His big obsidian eyes were sharp and reminded Kakashi of Sasuke as a genin when he had warmed up to the team, before his whole betrayal and the cursed seal business.

The appearances were so similar that Kakashi instinctively thought of Sasuke, even though he knew it wasn't and couldn't be him.

The obviously Uchiha boy blinks in his spot awkwardly as he stares at the one-eyed, masked silver-haired boy. Kakashi slips away his initial shock and transitions into a lax, casual expression as he slides his arm to his waist and leans to the side. "Hi, I'm Jack-of-All-Trades Kakashi, how may I help you?"

"Ahh—" The boy blinks again at Kakashi as he awkwardly looks over at the tent and back to the eyepatch boy. "No, it's just… I was curious about the tent…so…" The dark-haired boy is at a loss of words and, in all honesty, Kakashi just wants to sigh.

This situation was getting troublesome.

Behind Kakashi, back at the river is Itama, one of the Senju heirs, and now before him is some Uchiha ancestor of Sasuke.

Kakashi can't let the two meet.

The silver-haired outsider wasn't exactly sure if either were famous in this time at their ages; however, a child belonging to the enemy clan should be easy to identify. I remarks as he remembers the two founders of Konoha who did not immediately place the other as from the enemy clan when they first met. Maybe they're a special case… they are idiots, after all.

Nevermind that line of thought, I can ponder about it later. Kakashi returns his focus on the Sasuke-look-alike before him. I should be dealing with this situation first.

"Maa, no need to be so troubled. No harm, no foul." Kakashi shrugs off the other boy's breach of access like it was no big thing. "How about you introduce yourself first? And then we can get to your request."

"Huh? But I don't have a request." The Sasuke-look-alike grumbles. "I'm Izuna. I followed my older brother here." Izuna explains. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen him, have you?" The Uchiha boy then begins explaining his older brother's features, using motions to match his words. "He is about this tall with messier than mine… oh! And he is a bit older looking—only a bit though! Have you seen him?"

He is obviously talking about Madara… Kakashi notes as he shakes his head. To think that Madara's little brother shares such a resemblance to Sasuke… no wonder he wanted to use him. "Sorry, haven't seen anyone like that." It'll probably be better if I just pretend to not know Madara at all.

"Oh, is that so…" Izuna sighs exasperatedly. "I guess, I'll just have to keep searching! Geez… where could Nii-san have gone…" The dark-haired boy turns back and shouts, "Thanks!" Then, he turns around and disappears through the brush—heading in the direction of the river and Itama.

Alarms blare in Kakashi's head as his quick instincts and trained body reacts to the dramatic situation change. The silver-haired boy rushes after Izuna, hoping it wasn't too late—hoping that Izuna and Itama had not met yet.

"Huh—"

It was too late.

By the time Kakashi had reached the scene, the two boys were in a rather compromising position—though it was obvious what had happened. Izuna had his arm around Itama's waist as the half-light, half-dark haired boy dangles from the dark-haired boy's arm over the river.

Most likely, what happened was this: Izuna had burst out from the bushes, surprising Itama to slip backward towards the river. Then, Izuna, reacting to the falling boy, hastily rushes to catch him—creating this scene.

Both boys blink profusely, processing the situation. After a few seconds, a blush tinges Itama's cheeks as Izuna panics to straighten them both out. "Sorry, about that. Are you okay?" Izuna apologizes before checking the younger boy.

Itama nods, "Yes, thank you."

The two boys awkwardly interact, making Kakashi feel awkward as well. He wasn't sure whether he was supposed to comment on the whole thing or whether he should just leave the predicament alone. He chose to do the latter.

A rustle from the bushes across the river catches the attentions of the young ninjas, prompting them to turn to the said bushes in question. A boy with short pearly-white hair enters the river area from the bushes. His red eyes scan the area, shining with a stoic sheen as they land on the group. Having noticed the dark-haired boy, those crimson eyes narrow with skepticism as Tobirama makes his way to the other boys.

Kakashi and Izuna notice the tension which Tobirama exerts as he makes his way across the river. Kakashi, in response, backs away from Izuna and positions his body to guard Itama who is clueless of the whole situation. Meanwhile, Izuna raises his guard as his own obsidian eyes narrow at the approaching Tobirama.

Obsidian and crimson glare at each other, and lightning strikes between the two boys. However, it seems not only hostility was sent across those electric lines but, also, some sort of unspoken agreement was.

Tobirama makes a beeline to Itama, making one quick glance over as if to check on his little brother's condition. "Itama, you can't go sneaking off like Anija does or Father will get suspicious."

"Yes, Nii-sama…" Itama nods in a docile manner. "But, I just really wanted to visit Kakashi!"

There isn't much change in Tobirama's expression; however, Kakashi notices the tiny softening of his usually sharp scarlet eyes and the small twitch of his lips. Tobirama rubs Itama's head, fondly. "I know, but you should at least tell me so I can give Father a good excuse. Don't be like Anija who constantly sneaks off without telling us."

Itama brightens at the permission. "Yes, Nii-sama!"

Tobirama gives one last pat to Itama's head before he shifts gears. "Now that that is taken care of," Tobirama turns his attention to Kakashi. "Thank you for taking care of my brother again, Kakashi. I'm sorry for any inconvenience he may have caused."

"Maa," Kakashi leans on his side. "There was no trouble so it's all good."

"No trouble… huh." Tobirama repeats as he eyes Izuna, who scowls back to the albino.

Kakashi sensing the two's hostility decides this is a perfect moment to change history even more than he already has. "Ah. Tobirama, this is Izuna," Kakashi introduces the dark-haired boy to the light-haired boy and then vice-versa. "And Izuna, this is Tobirama." The masked silver-haired boy casually explains some of what has happened so far. "You see, Izuna here ran into us because he followed his older brother here and now he is searching for him. Have you seen him?"

Tobirama blinks at this information, some part of it seems to have piqued his interest. "You say you followed your older brother?" The albino puts his hand to his chin as he contemplates something. "Funny. I too followed my older brother to this very river as well…"

Izuna scrunches his eyebrows before arching it. "You followed your brother too…"

Both boys trail off into thought, leaving a confused Itama and an exasperated Kakashi to stand there between them.

Kakashi had a feeling he knew where this was heading.

How was the chapter after so long?

What do you think of the doki-doki IzuTama moment? (though they are really young at the moment)
How about Izuna and Tobirama's meeting?
Surprised?
Please let me know how you feel in the comments! And what your predictions are for the future!

Please leave a review before you leave!~