Fallen Leaves (Formerly Kakashi: No Regrets)

The title will soon be changing to “Fallen Leaves.” Be warned!

At the end of this chapter is the original ending to the story.

Midknight Killer: Thank ye! The story and the idea of Kakashi hating Minato really grew on me. It’s one of my darker stories, but I’ve never been a very ‘happy’ author. Itachi’s no fool, and being inside Sasuke, he can feel Sasuke changing around him. Just what Itachi knows . . .
DarkAngelJudas: Wow. I thought you only hated Sasuke in my stories. ^_^ Much love!
Unknown Person: Haha! Yes, yes, I am brilliant, aren’t I? I actually have two endings.
Siside2018: ^_^
-00-night-eyes-00-: I promise not to disappoint!
Prescripto13: ^_^ That would be AWESOME!!! War ends, Sasuke comes home, Naruto getting it on with Hinata . . . then BAM!!! Kakashi turns on him!! I think you’d know Naruto fans by the shrill screams of surprise and horror the day that chapter would be released. You and I would just chuckle knowingly. ^*_*^
UchiHa_Red: *blush*

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Sakura and Shikamaru finally broke in through collapsed entrance.

“Naruto!” Sakura screamed. She was half way through screaming his name a second time when she found him. Naruto was alive and Sasuke and Kakashi were gone. More Leaf Shinobi came in behind her and Shikamaru.

“What’s going on?” Sakura demanded. “The things we were fighting kept getting weaker and weaker until we were able to finish them off. Then Sasuke and that other swordsman destroyed the entrance. What happened in here?”

“Where are they?” Shikamaru asked simply.

“They’re gone,” Naruto said. “Sasuke killed Madara. They asked me to help them with my Senju to reverse everything Akatsuki was doing; they put the bijuu in these people and left. Sasuke said the army you fought was powered by the bijuu in this statue. They want us to destroy this statue so no one can ever do what Madara was trying to do again. We have to get these eight out of here and back to Konoha. Sakura, check on them please; they haven’t woken up.” Sakura complied. Naruto stood back.

He wasn’t normally good at hiding or suppressing his emotions, but he was almost emotionally numb after all that had happened in the last day or so. But he was grim and a tear slid down his cheek. He still didn’t understand Sasuke and Kakashi’s actions, but he knew they were lost to him. At least they didn’t murder him. A complete breakdown was imminent.

Shikamaru came up beside him. “How long since they left?”

“Maybe ten minutes.”

“Then they’re probably still here.”

“Yeah.”

“Naruto, you can’t let your feelings for them cloud your judgment; we have to stop them.”

“I know. I just couldn’t do it. He called me Hokage.”

“Sasuke did?”

“Yeah. He said he wouldn’t attack us for a while if at all. I know, I know, Shikamaru. Ten of you, come with us; they don’t have much chakra left. We’ll find them and finish this. Sakura, get the Jinchuriki back to Konoha. The rest, destroy the statue.”

Naruto and Shikamaru lead a group after Sasuke and Kakashi. But they neglected to bring a Hyuuga. The way was booby trapped with explosive tags; they lost a few men to them. The explosions roared through the base as did the sounds of the statue’s destruction.

Sasuke was lying on his stomach half on top of Kakashi who was lying on his back. Sasuke pushed himself up, disgruntled. “I’ll handle this.”

Suddenly Sasuke appeared right behind Naruto. Naruto didn’t move. The six others still with him took a step back in shock. One shinobi lifted a kunai.

“Don’t try it,” Sasuke said, “I’m just a clone. Not even a shadow clone; I don’t have enough chakra left for that. We’re not here anymore, but we are trying to sleep in the area and you’re keeping us up. There’s nothing left for you here. A lab I’ve raided, supplies we’ve looted; there’s nothing left. Just leave Naruto. Let us sleep.”

“You can’t expect us to let you remain!” a young chunin yelled.

Sasuke spoke to the back of Naruto’s head. “We’ve destroyed Akatsuki, we’ve given you all the bijuu, and I’ve given you your dream, I’ve made you Hokage. You owe us a head start; you owe us an uninterrupted night’s sleep. But I do have one other request—one I wager you’ll all like: give no capture order; order everyone to kill us on sight.” Sasuke walked around the blond to look him in the eye. “Let us die as warriors, let us die like Shinobi. Don’t haul us back for execution—it wouldn’t be pretty if you managed it. And don’t try to capture one of us to lure the other out; we will either abandon the other or kill him. I hope you understand where we stand to each other: expendable.

“So that’s all we ask: let us sleep for the night and kill rather than capture us. All we ask for the title of Hokage.”

“It’s a lot to ask for what you’ve done,” the chunin said.

Annoyed, Sasuke turned his attention to this random underling. “Who are you?”

“I never wanted to become Hokage like this,” Naruto interrupted. “We’ll leave. We need to rebuild Konoha. Revenge is not worth it.” He looked at the others. “Look what it did to Sasuke and Kakashi. Revenge and hate just breed more hate; Nagato taught me that. My father agreed and Sasuke’s proved it. We won’t hunt you, Sasuke. But if anyone comes across you, they are ordered to kill you and Kakashi on sight. But we won’t seek revenge. Let’s go home.”

Sasuke stepped back. Naruto, in a show of trust—or complete depression and not caring what happened to him—turned his back to Sasuke and led his group back the way they came.

“You are already proving a great Hokage, Naruto.” Naruto stopped and looked back looking a decade older. “You almost make me wish things could have turned out differently. Konoha will be safe at least until you rebuild. I doubt we’ll ever attack it again. Don’t order anyone to do what Itachi was ordered to do. Do that and you will be safe from us.”

“Never,” Naruto agreed. “I really am sorry about your brother, Sasuke, and the rest of your clan. I’ll make sure everyone knows what a hero Itachi was to the village. Hiding the truth is meaningless now.”

“Thank you, Naruto. Hokage-sama.” Sasuke bowed to him. He turned to walk away, but turned back. “Oh, and by the way: I lied. I don’t even have enough chakra to make a clone.” Sasuke jumped away.

“Leave him be,” Naruto ordered. “Let’s go home.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru said.

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The trio woke up a day later in this bedroom they’d found. They decided to stick together with Konoha gunning for them and the possibility of Madara having some allies left. Sasuke assured Kakashi that this was not Madara’s bedroom; neither of them were comfortable occupying his room.

Sasuke spoke out loud to his brother while Suigetsu went to locate the kitchen and make breakfast.

“We’ve finished it, Aniki, Madara’s dead and Akatsuki is finished. We’ve given Konoha all nine bijuu. It’s all over.” He could feel Itachi’s relief and a bit of sadness.

Naruto?

“He’s safe. I expect he’ll be made Hokage now. The Fifth was killed by Pein. It’s all over.”

I’m happy for you, Sasuke.

Sasuke switched to an inward conversation. You don’t sound happy.

I don’t like the idea of my little brother and my lover killing for my sake.

It wasn’t just for you, Sasuke said warmly. I love you, but I did it for myself as well. And Akatsuki is finished. We’re free.

Yes. Itachi let more relief flow between them and some manufactured happiness. He’d always been suspicious about his little brother’s doings and now he was worried about what they’d done. Just want did Sasuke do to make him so relieved and relaxed after all the hate he’d stored up over the years? Why did he and Kakashi always smell of blood? Why was he becoming scared of his lover and brother? What had he done?

That night as Sasuke slept, Itachi carefully tried to see his memories. Itachi had a lot of experience and talent with venturing into other people’s minds. Sasuke didn’t stir as his brother eased deeper into his mind. The first memories he found were those concerning Madara and Naruto. Deeper and he found Sasuke with Naruto surrounded by Konoha shinobi, then he and Kakashi fighting other shinobi, then cutting off Tsunade’s hands and killing her. Itachi shrank back. They lied to him. They had killed the Hokage.

Itachi went back into the flow of memories and came to Neji. If he had a physical body of his own, he would have been sick. He could feel Sasuke’s thoughts in that memory: he’d known this boy, respected him, maybe even liked him.

Sasuke stirred and Itachi retreated. Sasuke was dreaming of the memory Itachi had been watching. And it was turning Sasuke on. Itachi snuck a peek and was horrified again. He saw what Sasuke and Kakashi had done afterward: fucked in a pool of blood and on top of a dead body. What had his sweet, innocent little brother become? And his lover?

With Sasuke distracted, Itachi searched through his brother’s memories. This is my punishment, Itachi thought, knowing what my actions of done to those I love the most. He’d done it all for Sasuke and his village and he’d affectedly destroyed them both. The brother he loved was already dead; he died the night Itachi killed everyone else in their clan.

And Kakashi.

They both reeked of blood and had for a while; now he knew why. They were both wallowing in darkness. Kakashi had called Itachi is light, but he’d dimmed when he became a something like a ghost. Itachi could not save them. That light was about to go out.

I wish I could save you both. I wish . . .

There was nothing left for him in the world. Nothing and no one.

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Suigetsu took off a few hours later. The Uchiha brothers agreed that they would miss Suigetsu; Kakashi didn’t express anything of the sort.

They left Madara’s base. Sasuke led Kakashi to the waterfall where he’d spend some time away from Orochimaru and the wild cherry trees above it, a truly beautiful spot. Even up here among the trees, the mist from the waterfall moistened their clothes.

Itachi decided it was time he left. Sasuke’s mood turned very depressed when Itachi announced that. That was the only warning Kakashi got as they lounged among the falling blossoms.

In the midst of Sasuke’s depression he let Itachi take over.

“Sempai, it’s time to let me go.”

Kakashi froze. He was going to lose Itachi again. At least this would be gentler than his sudden death in his arms during their escape.

Itachi stood and crouched in front of Kakashi from where he was sitting across from Kakashi. He pulled down his mask put his hand on Kakashi’s bare cheek as he stared into his gray eye. Kakashi was hesitant to open his Sharingan eye, but he did. Itachi considered transforming into his old form, but this was going to be painful enough.

Itachi’s eyes teared up. “I love you. Maybe we’ll meet again on the other side.” He suppressed a sob. “Whatever you did as revenge against Konoha, let that be enough. It’s over.”

Kakashi’s face fell. “You knew.”

“I know the two of you have done something. I don’t care. Just stop.”

“I swear to you that we didn’t destroy Konoha. It was Pein. We really did rush to stop Pein.”

It’s the truth; that was Pein, Sasuke said within. We did kill the elders including Danzo, he admitted.

Kakashi saw Itachi’s eyes go a bit vacant as he listened to his brother. He came back. “It doesn’t matter now. Just leave Konoha alone for now on.”

“I swear it,” Kakashi promised.

I’m satisfied, Sasuke said.

“I love you both so much. I’m so sorry for everything.”

Kakashi put his hand to his cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing was your fault. I will love you forever. I’ll take care of Sasuke until I die.” He took Itachi’s hand and kissed it in a chaste and chivalrous gesture. “Rest in peace. I mean that. Don’t worry about us. You, more than anyone else, deserve to rest. You deserve peace.”

“Peace,” Itachi mused. “It’s the one thing I wanted and never found.”

Kakashi took him in his arms and this was one of the few times Itachi didn’t feel the darkness, he only felt warmth and love. They hugged as tightly as they could. Itachi wanted to hang onto this moment into death.

“Don’t let go of me,” Itachi sobbed. “I want to leave while in your arms.”

“Alright.” Kakashi was barely containing himself.

Sasuke’s presence pressed in on Itachi and it too was warm and loving. He was being hugged physically and spiritually by the two people he loved the most.

“I love you both. Goodbye.”

Kakashi felt Sasuke’s body sag. He held him for a few moments expecting Sasuke to return, but the body was still. He checked the pulse and it was still there. He cradled the body until Sasuke started to stir.

“Sasuke?”

Sasuke was confused and his thoughts whirled. “Ah. Empty. I felt . . . drawn. Orochi . . . maru . . . flailing. He was drawn too. Still numb. Like Itachi . . . ripped from me.”

Kakashi held him closer. Sasuke was cold and he tried to warm him. Kakashi made a fire using a jutsu.

Kakashi held him closer and let Sasuke cry into chest. Sasuke didn’t mind the tears mixing with the waterfall spray making his hair damp.

TBC
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That is the end of Itachi, but my muse wants me to take this further. We will get back to our murderous rouges in the next chapter.

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Original Ending (but the story’s not over)

This is the original ending: death. But I had a change of heart while writing. This was written very early in the process of writing the story.

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Kakashi lay down on the ground and laughed. It was over, they’d done it. Sasuke fell beside him. Kakashi pulled his mask down and looked up at his young lover happily. Something changed in Sasuke’s eyes. The joy was ripped away to be replaced with concern.

“Senpai. What have you done?”

“It’s over Itachi. We took our revenge. Konoha is gone.”

Sasuke’s face was shocked, his eyes wide in disbelief. “I didn’t want that. It’s the last thing I wanted.”

Kakashi’s expression hardly changed, he and Sasuke knew Itachi would object. “Madara said you held Sasuke’s life more valuable than the village.”

“That’s true.”

“Sasuke and I valued your life just as much. Now no one will ever be used the way you were used and no one will suffer the same way we three have, at least not by Konoha.” Kakashi put a hand to Sasuke’s cheek. “Never again, Itachi.”

“No, never again,” Itachi repeated. He leaned forward and kissed Kakashi deeply. He tasted like Sasuke, but the way he kissed was uniquely Itachi. They parted. “I love you, Senpai.”

“I love you so much, Itachi. I have no regrets.”

Itachi kissed him again. And drove Sasuke’s sword through Kakashi’s heart. He kissed him until he was gone, only a few seconds.

Itachi looked at the blade and slowly pulled it out. A few tears fell as he saw his lover’s blood.

“I do, Kakashi.”

He aimed the point at his own chest, Sasuke’s chest. He felt a rush of panic from Sasuke, but Itachi pulled the blade into his chest before Sasuke could react. Sasuke’s body fell forward onto the blade, the sword propping his body up.

At least two of them died without regrets.

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With the next chapter, I will be changing the name of the story to “Fallen Leaves.”