Kakashi awoke to the sterile scent of antiseptics and the soft rustling of curtains swaying in the afternoon breeze. His body ached—no, it screamed in protest with every slight movement. A dull throbbing pulsed through his head, and his arms felt as if they had been dipped in molten lead.
Slowly, his vision cleared, revealing the familiar white walls of Konoha's hospital. Sunlight filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the room. The rhythmic beeping of medical monitors provided an oddly grounding presence.
I made it back.
He exhaled slowly, trying to recall the last moments before his world had gone dark. The battlefield. Han. The overwhelming heat of Boil Release. And then… shadows. Deafane. That terrifying power coursing through him, devouring everything in its wake.
A sense of unease settled in his gut. He could barely remember the details of what had transpired after the summoning. Just fragments—flashes of destruction, Han's stunned expression, the cries of the Iwa shinobi. And then nothing.
How much of that power did I lose myself to?
The creak of the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head just in time to see Shisui step inside, his expression unreadable. Relief flickered in his eyes, but it was tainted by something else. Concern? Hesitation?
"You're finally awake." Shisui closed the door behind him, walking over to the bedside. "You had all of us worried."
Kakashi attempted a smirk, but it came out weaker than he intended. "I'm not that easy to kill."
Shisui huffed out a breath, but his expression remained serious. "No, you're not. But what you did out there… Kakashi, that wasn't normal."
Kakashi felt his stomach twist. "What do you mean?"
Shisui hesitated for a moment before leaning in, voice lowering. "I saw it. That thing… it wasn't just a summoning. It changed you."
Kakashi exhaled sharply, forcing himself upright despite the pain. "And the others?"
"We secured the area after Iwa retreated. Guy and Itachi escorted the captured Iwa shinobi back to the village. The Hokage and Jiraiya are already interrogating them." Shisui's gaze darkened. "They were terrified, Kakashi. Not of Konoha. Not of us. But of you."
Silence stretched between them. Kakashi felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had always known that summoning Deafane would come at a cost, but hearing it aloud made it feel heavier.
Shisui studied him for a moment before sighing. "The higher-ups want answers. The Hokage and Jiraiya will want to speak with you soon."
Kakashi nodded. "I expected as much."
Interrogation Chambers – ANBU Black Ops Facility
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the dimly lit room, his expression unreadable as he observed the bound Iwa shinobi through the reinforced glass. Three of them had survived the battle. Their Jōnin leader sat motionless, his face drawn in tight defiance, while the two others—a Chūnin and another Jōnin—shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their predicament.
Jiraiya leaned against the wall beside him, arms crossed. "They're scared, Sensei. And not just because they lost."
The Third Hokage nodded. "They witnessed something beyond their understanding. Beyond ours."
The door to the interrogation room creaked open as Ibiki Morino stepped inside. The Iwa Jōnin barely reacted, keeping his glare focused on the table before him.
Ibiki pulled out a chair and sat opposite him, fingers laced together. "Let's not waste time. You already know how this goes."
The Iwa Jōnin scoffed. "Torture me all you want. I won't betray my village."
Ibiki chuckled, shaking his head. "Torture? No, no. I just want to talk." He leaned forward, his voice dropping into something almost conversational. "Tell me… what did you see?"
The Jōnin's fingers twitched slightly, betraying the stoic mask he was trying to uphold. His jaw clenched. "Something… unnatural."
The Chūnin beside him swallowed hard. "That wasn't Hatake Kakashi," he muttered under his breath. "It was something else wearing his skin."
Jiraiya exhaled through his nose. "That's the problem, isn't it?" he murmured. "Kakashi's power has taken a step into the unknown. And the enemy has seen it."
Hiruzen closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, his gaze steeled with resolve. "No matter the details, this battle has changed the course of history. Iwa will not ignore what transpired."
Jiraiya's tone turned grim. "No, they won't. This war… it's no longer a possibility. It's an inevitability."
The weight of his words settled heavily in the room.
Konoha Hospital – That Night
'The village looks the same,' Kakashi mused, watching the moonlight bathe Konoha in a soft glow. 'But everything has changed, hasn't it?' He could feel it in the air, the subtle shift beneath the surface—the inevitable march toward war.
His hand clenched into a fist. 'And I helped push it forward.' The sensation still lingered beneath his skin, like an ember refusing to die out. That darkness. That hunger. Deafane's presence had faded, but its mark remained.
'A war is coming,' he admitted to himself.