Morning light spilled gently through the windows, golden and soft. Kakashi lay in bed, still and silent, surrounded by warmth and quiet breath.
Kurenai rested on his chest, her dark hair flowing over his shoulder, her breathing slow and peaceful.
He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then looked down at her. She looked so calm. He brushed his fingers through her hair, careful not to wake her.
"Sleep well," he whispered.
Beside them, Anko lay on her stomach, one arm dangling off the bed. Tsunade was curled near the edge, wrapped in a light sheet, her mouth slightly open in sleep.
Kakashi smiled softly. But he couldn't stay. Not today, he had work to do.
He moved slowly, lifting Kurenai off his chest with careful hands. She stirred but didn't wake up. He placed her gently back on the pillow.
Then, his eyes flicked to the corner of the wall.
There, glowing faintly, was one of his personal seals. A chakra pulse had been sent. His custom Flying Thunder God mark was planted there just in case.
Then in a flash of silver chakra, Kakashi vanished from the room.
He reappeared downstairs, in the quiet living room. The early light crept in through the curtains. The house was still, no sound except the soft tick of a wall clock.
Kakashi walked calmly to the bathroom.
The shower hissed softly. Warm water ran over his shoulders. It felt good, like washing away the night, the secrets, the tension.
After, he dried off, dressed in a black shirt and grey pants, and moved to the hidden entrance beneath the house.
His secret lab waited below.
Inside the lab, the air was cool. Seals glowed faintly around the walls, pulsing in soft blue light. Kakashi walked to his work table and sat.
He placed his hands on the smooth wood. For a few seconds, he didn't move. Just thought.
Black Zetsu is suspicious. That last meeting was too close. He's watching the clone too carefully.
It was time.
Time to end the game.
He reached for a sealed scroll and pressed his chakra into it.
It pulsed gently, his signal.
Far away, in the hidden lab near Kirigakure, the Orochimaru clone felt the pulse. A smile spread across his face.
"Kakashi-sama?" he said softly.
A voice came through the seal, clear and calm.
"It's time. I want you back. I've prepared everything. Bring the body, the tools, and your notes. I'll handle the rest."
The clone beamed. He spun in a circle, almost laughing.
"At last," he whispered. "No more shadow monsters breathing down my neck."
The clone moved fast.
First, he activated a perception-blocking seal that spread across the lab like mist. Any nearby White Zetsu would be blind to the chakra within.
Then, he moved through the lab with purpose.
He sealed Madara's body, still floating in the stasis tank, into a large reinforced scroll.
Next, he packed the elite chakra tools, the modified seal needles, the yin-yang scrolls, and all medical gear. Every item was handled with care and sealed inside Kakashi's special scrolls.
The clone stood in the center of the room. Everything was packed. The lab was empty, and he wasn't gonna leave anything at all.
He pressed his hand to his arm. A silver seal glowed.
"I'm ready," he whispered.
A flash of silver.
Kakashi appeared beside him, calm and silent.
"Everything's ready, Kakashi-sama." The clone turned and gave a short bow.
Kakashi nodded, then let a small seed fall from his hand.
The spore clone emerged at once, quiet, perfect, and emotionless. Kakashi touched its forehead, shaping it to look and move just like the Orochimaru clone.
"Run away from here," Kakashi said quietly. "Let them find you. And when they do, self-destruct."
The spore clone nodded once. No words. It melted into the ground using Mayfly and vanished.
Then, Kakashi and the real clone vanished too, gone in a soft hum of silver light.
The lab faded with them.
Seals began to crumble. Lights dimmed. The room emptied. The hidden lab fell silent.
Not long after, three White Zetsu slithered into the empty space.
They froze.
The tank was gone. The scrolls were gone. The clone was gone.
"He's escaped!" one hissed. "Notify Black Zetsu!"
Black Zetsu arrived in seconds, black goo sliding from the wall.
"HOW!?" he shouted. "Everything, GONE?"
He tore through the seals, examining chakra trails, fragments, ashes. Nothing made sense. Everything was scrubbed clean.
Then another White Zetsu burst into the room.
"We found him! The clone is fleeing underground!"
Black Zetsu directly rushed toward the coordinates.
He emerged from the rock wall into a canyon beneath the cliff line.
There, the clone stood still, halfway through the stone, just emerging.
"You will pay for this betrayal!" Black Zetsu roared.
The clone stared up at him, cold and silent.
Black Zetsu lunged-
BOOM!
The clone exploded in a massive burst of compressed chakra, blowing the rocks apart. Smoke filled the air. Shattered stone rained down.
Black Zetsu who was unprepared was thrown back, seared by the blast.
He screamed in fury.
"No-NO! There was NOTHING left to trace!"
He slammed his fists into the ground, spikes of black shadow bursting around him.
All his efforts, all his plans.
Gone.
He turned to the other Zetsu nearby.
"FIND HIM! FIND THE BODY! SEARCH EVERYWHERE!"
But it was too late.
Far away, in the hidden depths of Kakashi's private lab, the real Orochimaru clone stood beside him.
The tank was stable. The scrolls were untouched. The seals were strong.
They were safe.
"Welcome home," Kakashi said quietly.
"Let's finish this together."
The clone gave a real smile.
"Yes, Kakashi-sama," he said. "This time, we work side by side."