Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I wish I did…but I don't. (sigh) such is life…
A/N: I got the idea for this while I was re-reading Naruto. There is a part in Vol. 8 in the book where Kakashi, after sealing the curse mark on Sasuke's neck, meets up with Orochimaru. And I noticed that the two of them seemed rather friendly…but maybe it was just that version. So I went to the downloaded English translations that my friend got for me off of some website to double-check…and lo and behold, there it was again! So I thought "Well, hey! I'll write a story about that!"
The timeframe for this is when Kakashi is 13, and it takes place right after the manga filler arc of Kakashi Gaiden. I know some of you probably haven't read that, but don't worry, I put in a little synopsis of the whole thing in the beginning of the story so you won't get lost. Apart from this first chapter, it really will not have much to do with Kakashi Gaiden…and I promise there are no major spoilers for the plot of Naruto if you haven't read ahead. If you don't know what Kakashi Gaiden is about and you don't think I did a very good job summarizing it (which is possible) or you want to know more, go to wikipedia, type in Naruto, go to the bottom of the page where it'll show all sorts of articles you can get to (very bottom of the page) and click on Kakashi Gaiden. Having read the story, I can safely say it's a pretty good summary.
Anyway, enough of that. This is all based on that conversation between Kakashi and Orochimaru. I kind of thought that maybe, since they knew each other, it would be because Kakashi had once been Orochimaru's target, like Sasuke is. Because Kakashi has the Sharingan too!
Enjoy!
The village of Konohagakure no Sato- the Village Hidden in the Leaves- was grey and dismal that day, as if all the world mourned for the loss of the flower of Konoha. Many ninja had died in the secret war with the Village Hidden in the Rocks, Iwagakure no Sato, that had lasted so long and resulted in so much bloodshed. But finally the war came to an end…and the shinobi who died on the fields of battle were hailed as heroes, the tales of their deeds told as legends…
One of the greatest legends told was that of the Battle of Kanabi Bridge, and of the young three-man team trained by Konoha's Yellow Flash, the man who would one day become the Fourth Hokage. Uchiha Obito and the young medic Rin were sent to destroy the bridge and cut off enemy supply lines, led by their teammate, the Jonin Hatake Kakashi. But before they could complete their mission, Rin was captured, and Obito abandoned their task to rescue her…
He was ambushed on his way there, nearly costing him his life and their mission, but Kakashi came between him and death, saving his life…at the cost of his left eye, which was damaged while he attempted to protect Obito.
They managed to rescue Rin, but not without paying a terrible price. For when they had managed to free her, the enemy triggered a rock slide, and in order to save Kakashi Obito sacrificed himself. Trapped beneath a rock and dying, he gave Kakashi his left eye, with its newly awakened Sharingan…
…On that day, the boy who would later become the renowned Copycat Ninja was born as a hero. Later, the name of Sharingan Kakashi would be known throughout the Five Shinobi nations, known as the name of a fierce shinobi and an excellent ninja. All Konoha would respect the name Hatake Kakashi.
But for now, he is only a young boy, gifted with a strange power he was never intended for…a boy without family and few friends…
A boy alone…
There was no funeral for Uchiha Obito. Buried beneath a pile of rocks somewhere between Konoha and Iwa, there was no body to bury that did not already lie beneath the earth. He was not the only one with such a fate; many Konoha shinobi who fell on the battlefield went unburied during and after the way…for there was nothing to bury. Instead, the Third Hokage held a memorial for those who had died in the line of duty, so that all could come to honor the brave men and women who were casualties of ware.
"We are gathered here," began the Hokage. "to pay tribute to those who could not be here today. The brave shinobi, our friends and companions, who selflessly died so that all of us could continue to live; who went to war to protect our village, our way of life, and our right to exist."
In the crowd of people gathered stood Hatake Kakashi, stoic and alone, with Rin nearby. She had long ago dissolved into hysterical tears, standing between here parents, crying loudly into her mother's side. Beyond her were Obito's mother and father, shedding silent tears for the son they could never see again. He looked around him at all the people, together, not alone. They all had someone to share their grief with…everyone but him. He felt tears come to his eyes; he wiped them away before anyone could notice.
"It seems unfair that they should die for us- that such a sacrifice should be necessary at any time, for any reason. I wish with all my heart that it could not be so, that all this bloodshed could be undone…but wishing cannot bring back the dead. There is not art that can undo death, no matter how much we may wish for it."
The Hokage paused for a moment, too choked up to continue. His head bent, as if weighed down by so much grief, and Kakashi saw tears fall from his old and tired face to the ground.
"Remember these men and women, Konoha. Remember what they did for us in our hour of need. Remember those who were brave, who risked everything for us. Remember their courage, their sacrifice, their fate. Remember who they were in life, and honor their memories as those of true heroes."
He place his hand on the memorial stone and bent his head again, paying respect. His tears fell harder now, tears of regret for the shinobi he had led into war, never to return again. Then the Hokage turned away, allowing the crowd to swell forward to say its goodbyes.
Kakashi could not cry. He stood motionless as the crowd moved forward around him, unable to shake the feeling that this was, in a way, his own funeral, that it was he they wept for, that it was his name carved into the stone and not Obito's…
"Is that him?" whispered Orochimaru, snake-like eyes widening in delight.
"Yes, sir," replied his companion. "Hatake Kakashi. Now Kakashi of the Sharingan."
"Hmmm…" Orochimaru licked his grey lips. "How interesting. But only in one eye."
They were hidden in the crowd of mourners, watching the young boy with one black eye, one red.
"It wasn't his, originally," his companion informed him. "It belonged to his teammate, an Uchiha, who gave it to him when he was dying…to replace an eye Kakashi had lost."
"I see…" Orochimaru looked him up and down, sizing him up as he would a pig he intended to butcher, while his companion waited in silence for the final verdict.
"He'll do nicely for my plans."
"Kakashi!" Rin threw herself in his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. He tensed in spite of himself, then patter her back awkwardly.
"It's okay, Rin…"
"Okay!" she shrieked, pulling away furiously. "How can you say that!" She pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
"He was our friend! And you…you're just standing there…you're not even crying!" She began to sob harder, tears falling like rain. "He was our friend…he was our friend…"
"Rin," said Kakashi gently. "We all deal with grief differently. Please, let me deal with mine in my own way."
She sniffled, and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.
"Yeah, I guess…" She tried to smile. "I have something for you."
"What is it?"
Wordlessly, she pressed a pair of goggles into his hand and walked away, to rejoin her parents.
Kakashi stared down at Obito's goggles, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on his shoulders. He felt so tired, so drained of all energy; he would have liked to go home and sleep.
But there was something he had to do first.
Alone now, as always, he walked to the memorial stone and got on his knees to examine it. He ran his hand over the names, coming to stop on the characters that read:
Uchiha Obito
The tears came without warning; he doubled over, crying soundlessly, resting his head against the stone, allowing his tears to flow over his face and the name of his friend. Above him, the sky began to cry too, first a slow drizzle, then a massive downpour. It soaked him to the skin, and washed away his tears from his face. It seemed like the whole world was mourning the tragedy that would require a thirteen year-old boy to die in battle.
He didn't know how long he cried at the memorial stone; he had no idea how long he sat there even after the tears stopped, alone in the rain. But at last he rose, stiff and tired, goggles in hand, and resolved to go home.
For a moment longer he stood beneath the rain, lost in memory. Then, he gently placed the goggles on the stone, and turned away.
"Goodbye…" he whispered, and began the long walk home through the rain.
Not knowing he was being watched.