Summary: After waking up in a different world and realizing he's gone rogue with Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake just kind of rolls with it. Missing-nin Kakashi AU.

III. We Take Our Places in the Dark and Turn Our Hearts to the Stars

Land of Hot Springs

Talking to Killer B involved far much more rapping than Kakashi wished. He needed a drink.

Tsunade sat at a table, a mound of chips in front of her. It looked like she had been winning for once.

Kakashi snagged a seat from himself at the table.

"Kakashi Hatake, trying to ruin my winning streak?"

"So, you're scared you'll lose?" Kakashi replied. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her.

Tsunade glared at him.

A few minutes later, Kakashi sighed, looking at the table. "Instead of paying me, how about this, one free healing in the future."

"No," Tsunade immediately shot down.

Kakashi sighed dramatically as he raked in the mountain of chips. He was making a small fortune off of Tsunade at this point.

XXX

Land of Tea

The offer of tea was a bit ironic considering the country, but Kakashi did that on purpose. Besides, the place really did have amazing tea.

"Kakashi-senpai, you've been up to a lot over the past few years," Itachi started. He had grown taller and a bit wider, a reminder that he was quickly becoming an adult and would soon look just the same as the Itachi from the Akatsuki Kakashi knew.

"How so?" Kakashi brought over a tea tray with a few small snacks.

Itachi sighed. He started with the oldest news he had heard: "Sunagakure still wants your head for whatever you were doing with their Kage's son."

"Oh, Gaara-kun? I happened to run into him while I was training." Kakashi shrugged. He started pouring tea into two cups for them. "It was really all a misunderstanding. Any sugar or cream?" He gestured to the two small containers on the tray. As it was just the two of them, they did not bother with any sort of ceremony.

Itachi nodded and dropped a sugar cube in his cup. "Kirigakure has forbidden any of their ninja from going after you. A decision which comes on the tail of a coup against Yagura, his death, and a new Jinchuuriki no one knows the identity of."

"Ah, yes, I've heard Zabuza-kun has been doing well." Kakashi had a thoughtful look on his face until he decided, "I should go pay a visit in a few months."

Itachi's expression tightened, as did his grip on his cup. He kept his voice even as he continued, "Kumogakure has recently gone insane and flipped over most of the Land of Lightning attempting to catch you. You have ended up over here somehow, which means you likely cut through the Land of Fire on the way."

"Killer B needs to work on his rapping skills," was all Kakashi offered as a response. He lazily stirred cream into his coffee.

"Senpai, you're insane," Itachi said flatly.

Kakashi smiled and ignored the comment. "How have things been going for you? Those people you're with have been very busy in Amegakure."

"One of our promising recruits was killed by you." Itachi hesitated before adding, "You've been put on the list as a possibility instead."

Kakashi hummed. "Not interested."

"Yes, senpai, I figured." A slight smile curled onto Itachi's lips.

XXX

Land of Waves

Their jounin-sensei was slammed into the ground. Before the woman could do anything, she was dead, killed by the opposing ninja's kunai.

Sakura had her hands over her mouth.

Naruto was stunned as well.

Sasuke was the only one of them moving, long desensitized to blood and death. He deflected part of the shower of senbon directed towards them with a kunai and stepped to the side to avoid the rest of it.

The enemy kunoichi wore the hitai-ite for Kirigakure, with a slash neatly down the center. She flipped her grip on the kunai in her hand and prepared to charge forward. As a jounin, she was far faster than any genin brat. She heard something behind her and tried to sidestep the attack, but still suffered a wound to her side. The kunoichi ignored the pain and blood. She twisted around and ruthlessly stabbed the person attacking her from behind in the throat.

The attacker melted into a puddle of water; it was a water clone.

The missing-nin turned around to better see who had interfered. "Another missing-nin? Why would you get involved?" She vaguely remembered seeing something about this man, but she wasn't sure who he was.

Kakashi smiled. "I was passing by and saw a bounty I wanted. Besides, baby genin against an s-class? That's just not fair." He lunged forward. In his hands was his clan's blade, burning white with his chakra.

Sasuke dragged his teammates back, not at all gentle in manner. He could have left them—they were deadweight—but he didn't.

There was mainly water jutsu being used, due to the environment. Water clones were made and destroyed, turning the battle into one of stamina. The injured kunoichi was on the defensive, conscious of the wound in her side.

A well placed lightning clone leveraged the water on the bridge to Kakashi's advantage. He stabbed the woman in the chest with a muttered apology. The only reason she died today was that she was unfortunate in her choice of an employer.

Gato arrived in the aftermath of the battle scene. In the middle of his comments to the now gathered townsfolk and the men he had employed, he was interrupted by Kakashi's sword through his chest.

Kakashi fixed his sights on Gato's men next. "Leave, or I'll kill all of you," he threatened.

Everyone could tell he was deadly serious.

Sasuke frowned, the voice was familiar.

Kakashi turned to the Konoha genin. Sasuke and Naruto spread their legs wider, ready to fight. Sakura let a gasp.

Happy that the three were out of shock, at least temporarily, Kakashi smiled. "Do you happen to know anywhere I can get a good home cooked meal and a place to crash for the night? I'll clean myself up before I go in, of course. Where are you three staying?"

"We're staying at old man Tazuna's place. . .?" Naruto said, confused. He was immediately glared at by his teammates.

"Perfect." Kakashi almost ruffled their hair, but refrained due to the blood soaking his hands at the moment.

It took dinner and breakfast for Team Seven to warm up to him some. Or more accurately, for Naruto to trust him, Sakura to respect him, and Sasuke to view him as a mysterious non-threat.

"I'll stay with you for a while as you guys are travelling back to Konoha," Kakashi announced.

"Why?" Sasuke bluntly questioned.

Kakashi tutted in disbelief. "Really? Baby genin out in the wide world without a jounin-sensei is just asking for trouble." His tone was jovial, but his words were far from it.

They had already encountered trouble. Their jounin-sensei had been killed. This was truly a C-rank that got FUBAR (fouled up beyond all recognition).

Sakura gathered up her courage and said, "What I think Sasuke-kun means is. . .We're Konoha. You're not. Why would you help us?"

The genin did not try to resist. They weren't even Chuunin. If Kakashi wanted them dead, they would be dead. Either he had a genuine wish to help them or an ulterior motive they had no hope of stopping.

Kakashi shrugged. He would leave them to draw their own conclusions. It was easier than trying to explain time-travel, alternate universes, or what was really going on with the Uchiha Massacre.

XXX

Land of Fire

The dirt road was created by the feet of people, rather than any specific effort to create a path; as most trade routes during this time were. Small bits of vegetation struggled to live on the path; some of them were half-dead and others had small yellow buds, starting to flower in the sudden thaw from warm, spring winds from the east.

Sasuke was on point, flanked by his teammates. Behind the three genin was Kakashi, keeping an eye on the rear.

"What is the most fundamental part of being a ninja?"

The three were already getting used to Kakashi's odd questions. He didn't just want them to walk and pay attention to their surroundings, but also think at the same time, it seemed.

"Constant vigilance?" Sakura replied, unsure.

"Sharpening your skills and improving yourself," Sasuke stated.

Naruto shrugged. "Helping others? Helping your village?"

"Fair enough, all of those are part of what we do."

"But?" Sakura questioned, after a long silence.

"It wasn't what I was thinking of," Kakashi answered after a contemplative hum. "But I'll give it to you anyway, those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. That is my nindo."

Sasuke snorted, "You're a missing-nin, how do you keep to that?"

"Are you accusing me of being a hypocrite, Sasuke-chan?" Kakashi said cheerfully.

Naruto laughing, "Sasuke-chan?"

"Abandon your comrades can have lots of different meanings and applications, can't it?" Kakashi asked them, rhetorically. "As always, look underneath the underneath, baby genin."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Despite how red his ears were, he looked to be the only one of his team really thinking about Kakashi's response.

XXX

Kakashi was making dinner with them, attempting to teach how to use local herbs to season food.

Sakura was the only genin paying attention. She huffed at the two boys but didn't say anything.

"It's a shame," was all Kakashi commented.

Naruto made a face at Sasuke and cocked his head curiously. "What is?"

Sasuke whispered something under his breath.

Naruto heard and glared his teammate down.

"Ah. Well, it's a shame because of your mothers." Kakashi paused for a moment. "Your moms were Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha, right?"

Sasuke froze.

Naruto went silent.

Sakura looked back and forth between her two teammates.

Kakashi continued on, seeming not to notice their reactions. "Kushina-nee-san and Uchiha-san were best friends. If things hadn't gone the way they did, you two would have grown up as childhood friends." He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure they were planning out your playdates before they even gave birth."

Naruto's voice cracked as he asked, "You knew my mom?"

Kakashi hesitated and then revealed, "I was one of Kushina-nee-san's guards when she was pregnant."

Naruto stared at Kakashi, full of hope, and Kakashi caved, revealing things like Kushina's favorite types of ramen, the tilted way she wrote kanji (something that could always been seen in everyone one of her seals), and how she tied her hair up when cooking.

XXX

When they stopped for breaks, Kakashi had the genin train.

Sparring was either three on one, one vs one, or a three way fight. As for how each went: Kakashi had a lot of fun tripping and dodging the genin every time, Sasuke vs Naruto always got out of hand, and Sakura took advantage of the boys rivalry to one-up both of them.

He taught them tree walking and water walking, something which went a lot faster the second time around. He figured out how to explain the concept to the less-academically minded boys and gave tips as he sat in a tree nearby.

"Sensei," Naruto complained after he pulled himself from the stream, completely soaked. "Why are we doing this on the way back?" None of them found Naruto calling Kakashi Sensei weird; his teammates also found the word falling from their tongues.

"These are things done during d-ranks and/or your first few c-ranks, they're part of your foundation." Kakashi strolled down the side of the tree. He made it look easy, something the two boys with large chakra reserves envied. "If you want to get higher than a genin, chakra control and fighting skills are going to be your best friend."

XXX

"I want to be Hokage," Naruto blurted out in a rush. For some reason the words were harder to say to the missing-nin. The concept of 'Hokage' felt a bit more real now, and even further away in possibility.

Kakashi nodded absentmindedly. "Good. You'll have to work hard for it, but it can be done."

". . .You think I can actually do it?" Naruto leaned back instinctively as Kakashi's gaze landed on him. He understood exactly why the thugs fled the bridge after Gato died.

"Of course. If you put in the time and effort, you would make a great Hokage. You believe in people, and that trust helps them do things." Kakashi didn't say how heartbreaking it was to watch Naruto plead with Sasuke. He didn't say how heavy the burden of trust was. "That is a very good trait for a leader."

Naruto gave a small smile. It wasn't his normal smile, desperately stuffed with unearned confidence and a need to fit in. This smile was quiet and happy, the gentle warmth of the sun on a clear day.

XXX

"Genjutsu and medical jutsu for Sakura-chan. Fire and lightning justu for Sasuke-chan. Wind jutsu and wires for Naruto-chan," Kakashi listed off. "Why did I suggest what I did for Sakura-chan?"

"Because her chakra pool is low but her chakra control is. . ." Sasuke trailed off, a frown on his face as he refused to finish the thought.

"Is what?" Kakashi prompted with a knowing expression.

". . .the best out of us," Sasuke finished. He looked like he had swallowed a sour lemon, or sour truth, either way.

"Correct." Kaksashi nodded towards the boy. "Although Sasuke-chan and Naruto-chan have much more chakra, they have much less control and often waste it. Now, why did I not include other things like kunai, shuriken, exploding tags?"

"Because you assumed we would use them anyways?" Naruto

"He means, because we would all use them and so they're not unique in any way, they're expected," Sakura translated.

Kakashi ruffled Sakura's head, "There we go, that's the type of thing I want."

That was a vague statement, he didn't mean just the answers did he? Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a look. The missing-nin had never said 'act like a team', he just took actions that reinforced not acting against each other.

XXX

Kakashi dodged. If he had been slower, his hair would have been singed off by the stray fireball. Perhaps having them try a combo move was a bad idea, but this training killed about six birds-chakra control, concentration, new jutsu, better handle of fire/wind affinity, team bonding, etc.- with one stone. "Sasuke-chan, you're still doing it like it's a fireball you're just spitting out. Make your lips smaller, it'll give you more power, control, and duration."

Naruto grinned triumphantly at Sasuke.

"And Naruto-chan, try aiming a bit to the left. Remember, it's not a straight arrow, it's more. . .of a curve. Think of trying to gently push the fire in one direction, not hit it. As you've seen, that just scatters and kills it."

Naruto nodded sullenly.

Sasuke smirked at his teammate.

After a few more tries, Kakashi forced them out to practice on the stream.

"Sensei, what am I doing?" Sakura asked, feeling left out, she hadn't been given a new jutsu to practice.

"Alright, Sakura-chan. We're going to catch a rabbit. I'm not the best at it, but I do know how to use some basic medical jutsu." Kakashi had even copied some of Tsunade's techniques once or twice, but he couldn't start there; it was best to start at the beginning and give her a foundation.

Hunting did not take long. Sakura scared them from their hiding spots and Kakashi lunged forward with a kunai. Soon, they had a couple of rabbits for dinner.

Kakashi took one of them and handed it to Sakura. "Make an incision on its flank."

Sakura obeyed. She bit her lip at the sight of blood on the fur and the now visible muscle underneath.

Kakashi flipped through seals, slowing down so that Sakura could see them. A green glow surrounded Kakashi's hand. "I'll show you how to knit the skin together and then you'll get to try."

XXX

Konoha, Land of Fire

Konoha's wall appeared around the bend, made of wood from the forest and still strong despite the decades since it had been made. With the gates in sight, Kakashi said goodbye. He ruffled their hair—Sasuke tried to dodge but failed—and disappeared in a whirl of leaves from a shunshin. He wanted a head start on the ANBU who were going to be tracking him down in an hour or two.

"We never got his name," Naruto realized with disappointment.

XXX

Kirigakure, Land of Water

Kakashi unsealed the scroll to show the body of a wanted missing-nin from Kirigakure. Her body was stiff from rigor mortis and smelt horribly.

Zabuza looked up from the file in his hands and nodded. It was the right person. Undoubtedly, a Kage personally handling a bounty for a missing-nin was overkill and unnecessary, but nothing about Kakashi was normal, and little about Zabuza was. "You usually do escort missions these days, what made you go after a bounty?"

"She had killed a jounin sensei and was targeting a team of baby genin. And you know how I can't stand injustice in the world." Kakashi's voice was sarcastic, but Zabuza thought the words still had a grain of truth when it came to the man.

"Who were they?" Zabuza asked.

"Just some Konoha brats," Kakashi dismissively replied.

Zabuza knew the opposite. Kakashi had saved Team Seven, a genin team made up of a civilian born, Itachi Uchiha's little brother, and the Yondaime Hokage's son. That was not a random team. Of course, he also knew it was stupid to try forcing someone more powerful and stubborn than yourself to answer your questions. "Sure."

Kakashi turned to go and caught a movement out of his eye. He tilted his head slightly and smiled. "How are you doing, Haku-kun?"

"I am well, Kakashi-san." Haku bowed slightly in greeting, one to Zabuza and one to Kakashi. He seemed to still possess actual manners.

Kakashi still found it amazing that Zabuza's student, of all people, was so polite. "Any problems with your seal or the Sanbi?"

"None." Haku seemed happy, more happy than when Kakashi had first met him. He was gaining some lean muscle and his eyes were steady.

"That's good." Kakashi slowly reached out his hand, giving the teen Kiri-nin ample time to reject the gesture if he so wished, and gingerly pet Haku's head. He had gotten better with kids after the disaster that was Team Seven and being Rokudaime Hokage, but he would never be great with them.

"How are you, Kakashi-san?" Haku asked.

Zabuza saw that Kakashi was still moving towards the door and threw a gesture his way.

"I'm doing good." Kakashi replied with the same two-fingered salute. "My apologies for leaving so soon, but I have a playdate in Konoha to get ready for."

A/N

To clarify: Kakashi does not have Kamui. He does not have Obito's Sharingan. He has one of Shisui's eyes and therefore has Kotoamatsukami. Where Obito's Sharingan(s) are will be revealed later.

Jutsu used:

Water Clone/Lightning Clone-variations of kage bunshin with the titular element.

Unnamed fire/wind combo move, where two people work together to use wind to control a stream of fire.

-Silver