Hidden Leaf Village.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're late again!" Naruto complained loudly. Beside him, Sasuke and Sakura remained silent, but their expressions suggested they shared Naruto's sentiment.
"Haha!" Kakashi scratched his head, showing no sign of embarrassment as he casually made an excuse. "I got lost on the path of life again, so I was a bit late."
Hearing the same excuse yet again, Naruto waved his fists in frustration. "Kakashi-sensei! At least put some effort into making up a believable lie!"
"Even someone like Konohamaru wouldn't buy that!"
Originally, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others were only eleven years old and hadn't yet reached the usual graduation age. However, due to the tense situation in the Hidden Leaf Village, Danzo had lowered the graduation age to ten. As a result, they graduated earlier than expected.
Since Kakashi, a powerful shinobi, was idling at home, Danzo assigned him to train Naruto and Sasuke.
In truth, Danzo would have preferred to send Kakashi to the frontlines. However, projecting his own scheming nature onto others, Danzo feared that if Kakashi were sent away from the village, he might defect at the first opportunity.
Instead, Danzo decided to keep Kakashi in the village to train Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, and Sasuke, the last Uchiha. Both were valuable assets to the Hidden Leaf Village, with the potential to grow into formidable warriors. They required the guidance of an elite shinobi.
Currently, the most powerful individuals in the village, aside from Danzo himself, were Kakashi and a few others.
Of course, Danzo didn't fully trust Kakashi. As a precaution, he had Root operatives monitor Kakashi and his team 24/7 to ensure they didn't engage in any suspicious activities.
The four of them arrived at the training ground, and Naruto immediately asked excitedly, "Kakashi-sensei, what are you going to teach us today?"
"Please don't make it another tree-climbing or water-walking exercise. I want to learn some powerful jutsu!"
Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to calm him down. "Naruto, if you want to learn advanced jutsu, these basic exercises are essential. You need to be patient."
However, such advice was completely lost on Naruto, who continued clamoring to learn powerful techniques. Sasuke, standing nearby, shared Naruto's impatience. After all, every day that "that man" remained alive was a day of torment for him.
"Alright, alright," Kakashi relented, overwhelmed by their persistence. "Today, I'll teach you a simple jutsu."
Just as they were about to begin, a Root operative arrived, disrupting the atmosphere.
"Kakashi, the Hokage has a mission for you," the Root ninja said, handing Kakashi a scroll.
Kakashi was momentarily stunned. He knew Danzo didn't trust him, so why would he assign him a mission?
He opened the scroll and read its contents carefully. After a while, he looked up, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Is this mission really for me?"
The Root ninja nodded and disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
As the ominous presence of the Root ninja faded, Naruto immediately jumped up, trying to snatch the scroll. "Kakashi-sensei, what kind of mission is it? Are we coming with you?"
"Sorry," Kakashi said with an apologetic smile. "This is a solo mission. It'll take about a week, so I won't be able to train you during that time."
"What?! A whole week?!" Naruto complained.
Although Kakashi's team hadn't been together for long, a strong bond had already formed between them. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi shared similar experiences and struggles, creating a sense of camaraderie.
As for Sakura, as long as she could see her beloved Sasuke-kun, nothing else mattered to her.
After saying goodbye to his three students, Kakashi returned to his room to pack. There wasn't much to prepare, as ninja missions often required minimal equipment. This task was supposedly a simple reconnaissance mission to the Hidden Rain Village.
Kakashi quickly finished packing and headed to the designated meeting point outside the village.
Although it was labeled a solo mission, a Root squad was assigned to accompany him. Their role was ostensibly to provide support but was clearly also to monitor him—a fact Kakashi was well aware of.
"Let's move," the Root squad leader said curtly when Kakashi arrived. Without wasting any time, they began their journey toward the Hidden Rain Village.
After traveling for over a day in silence, Kakashi and the Root operatives had little to say to each other.
"Kakashi, from here, you'll follow this route," the squad leader said, pointing to a map. "Your objective is to scout this section of the Hidden Rain Village. We'll rendezvous here."
"Understood," Kakashi replied, nodding. He then proceeded along the designated path.
However, an unsettling feeling lingered in his mind. Why had Danzo suddenly placed trust in him? Allowing him to undertake a mission alone—wasn't he afraid Kakashi might defect?
As Kakashi pondered this, his guard was not fully raised, as they were still some distance from the Hidden Rain Village.
Suddenly, the sound of a weapon cutting through the air broke the silence. The disturbed airflow alerted Kakashi to an attack from his rear right.
Danger!
Crack!
Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the assault. The tree he had been standing near was sliced cleanly in half.
Turning around, Kakashi saw a man with shark-like features, wearing a black cloak adorned with red clouds. He carried a massive, menacing sword and stood there, observing Kakashi with interest.
"So, this is my future teammate? The Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake—quite the renowned name," Kisame Hoshigaki said with a smirk.
"You're with the Akatsuki! The S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki!" Kakashi exclaimed. He quickly pushed up his headband, revealing his Sharingan. Against such a dangerous opponent, he couldn't afford to hold back.
"That's right. Until Itachi recovers, you'll temporarily take his place as my partner," Kisame said.
From another direction, Deidara and Sasori emerged, surrounding Kakashi.
"What are you talking about? I'm a ninja of the Hidden Leaf!" Kakashi said, his expression grim. Facing three powerful enemies, he knew the odds were against him.
Hiruko, Sasori's puppet, spoke in a raspy voice, mocking Kakashi. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Danzo has already sold you to us and the Hidden Rain."
What?!
Sasori's words struck Kakashi like a thunderbolt.
"Impossible!" Kakashi's disbelief was evident as blood tears began to flow from his left eye.
"Otherwise, how could we have intercepted you so easily? Your reconnaissance route was actually the delivery route agreed upon by Danzo and us," Deidara explained.
So that's it! That explains everything! No wonder Danzo dared to send me on this mission alone. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of me defecting—he had already betrayed me in advance.
"This world is cruel. Even comrades can't be trusted. How pitiful," Kisame said with a sigh.
Deidara turned to Kakashi, who was overwhelmed with pain. "Enough struggling."
"Join us. Think about your father. Think about yourself. You've dedicated your life to the Hidden Leaf, and what have you received in return, other than betrayal?"
"Join us and take revenge on the Hidden Leaf!"
"Ahhh!"
Kakashi let out a pained scream. As he looked up at the sky, a swirling distortion appeared in his left eye's field of vision.
The other Mangekyō Sharingan ability—Kamui—had awakened!
After Kakashi calmed down slightly, Deidara handed him a black cloak with red clouds and a ring.
"Put it on."
"From now on, you are Akatsuki 'Sky'—Kakashi!"
(Author's Note: Where else can you find such a fascinating plot in other fanfictions?)
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