The lab hummed faintly as the morning sun broke over the horizon, though the thick reinforced walls of the underground chamber blocked any natural light. Only the steady blue glow of chakra stones kept the room from slipping into darkness.
Kakashi stood at the center of the lab, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan active, glowing faintly in the dim.
His breaths were steady. Calm. Measured.
But his chakra surged around him like a silent tide, massive, refined, and impossibly dense.
The Genesis Seal in his palm faded into dormancy, its work complete, for now.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again slowly.
The intricate black-and-red spirals of his Mangekyō glimmered, and in a flash, space around him bent, just slightly. The tools on the nearest bench shifted left by a few inches.
A lab scroll trembled and unrolled itself unnaturally. Even the Orochimaru clone, seated nearby with a notepad, raised his brow in awe.
"Even when you're not trying," the clone observed, "your chakra bends the environment around you."
"I need control." Kakashi exhaled.
"Then let's test your limits."
…
The next hour became a series of calculated movements and chakra diagnostics. The clone activated various seals to track pupil power, space-time fluctuations, and ocular strain.
Kakashi tested the speed of his Kamui warping, aiming at targets and objects in the lab. Each test was flawless.
He could now activate and control Kamui at will.
He folded a kunai into the Kamui dimension and retrieved it in under three seconds. He phased his arm into the pocket dimension and back without resistance.
"This… is natural to you now," the clone murmured. "Like blinking. As if your body was born for it."
Kakashi said nothing. His focus was on the chakra threads vibrating across the room. Kamui was strong, but Shukujitsu was stronger, its range and power noticeably sharper.
He raised his hand.
In a heartbeat, the very walls of the lab shimmered and bent, as if wrapped around an unseen sphere. The gravitational pull of the warped space tugged at everything nearby, but Kakashi clamped down and restored it with a snap of his fingers.
Even the clone clutched the desk for a second. "You weren't even straining…"
"I'm not just bending space anymore," Kakashi muttered. "I'm molding it."
There was a pause as the clone scribbled more notes.
Then Kakashi walked over to a separate chamber, a sealed iron door that hissed open at his chakra.
Inside, chained and half-conscious, was a captured jonin from the Hidden Stone. A death-row case, kept sedated and monitored. The Orochimaru clone had saved him not out of mercy, but curiosity.
"Subject 71," the clone remarked, folding his arms. "You're going to use Kotoamatsukami?"
"I need to know if it works… and how it feels." Kakashi nodded slowly.
The jonin stirred, drugged but awake enough to respond.
Kakashi stepped forward.
His right eye glowed.
The Eternal Mangekyō pulsed, and time around him seemed to freeze, not by force, but by overwhelming illusion.
Kakashi's voice was a whisper. "Forget this place. Forget your crimes. Go back to the Hidden Stone, become a loyal spy of the leaf…"
The jonin blinked once. Then twice. His face went blank.
"Do you understand?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes," the man said flatly. "I will become a spy of the leaf. That is… my duty."
Kakashi turned to the clone. "Erase all evidence. Let him go into the forest near Iwagakure."
The clone grinned. "Kotoamatsukami… completely seamless. No eye strain. No detection. You're rewriting minds, Kakashi-sama."
Kakashi deactivated his Sharingan. His chakra swirled low, deep, and dangerously.
"I'm not using it often," he said. "Only when I must."
The clone nodded, more serious now.
"Then let's move on," Kakashi said, walking toward the next workbench. "The body."
…
In the stasis pod near the rear of the lab, the clone had preserved the corpse of the Madara-Hashirama hybrid. Even dead, the man's body pulsed faintly with ancient chakra.
The pod hissed open.
"We've studied his DNA," the clone said. "But what about cloning him again? Not a full resurrection… just controlled replication."
"A genetic backup." Kakashi folded his arms.
"Exactly. A weaponized clone. No soul. Just muscle, memory, chakra, and programming."
Kakashi stared at the body for a long moment.
"Do it," he said finally. "But add an obedience seal. I won't take risks."
"As you wish."
The clone activated the stabilizers and began gathering fresh samples.
…
Just as Kakashi turned to monitor the chakra readings, something shifted in the air.
A faint ripple. A vibration… from the earth itself.
He raised a hand.
A spore clone burst from the lab floor, mud-caked and cracked from long-range surveillance.
It knelt instantly. "Report," Kakashi ordered.
"Obito has moved," the clone said breathlessly. "He's already captured six Jinchūriki."
"Six…?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. Including Gaara. The One-Tail has been extracted."
A silence fell.
"…Gaara?" Kakashi said slowly, not expecting that even after saving him he still fell.
"Yes. Obito tore the Tailed Beast from him. Left his body to rot in the desert."
The clone hesitated. "But… he was found by the elder Chiyo. She used the Reincarnation Jutsu, the forbidden one. She died reviving him."
Kakashi stood still, the words washing over him like cold water.
Gaara…
Even after all the effort, all the changes, it had still happened. The same suffering. The same loss.
The only difference was who paid the price.
Chiyo…
He remembered her well. Sharp, harsh, no patience for sentiment. Yet she had seen something in Gaara. Something worth saving.
Tsunade had once called Chiyo "the bitter sandstorm of the desert." And yet she had given up her life… for a child.
Kakashi looked down at the table, fists clenched.
"This is it," he whispered. "The war has begun."
The clone was quiet. "What are your orders?"
"Begin preparations," Kakashi said. "Accelerate all elixir production. Ready the Madara clone. Start deploying the sensor web around all major nations."
"And Obito?"
Kakashi's Sharingan flared.
"I'll deal with him. Personally."
…
After stabilizing the Madara samples and logging the new techniques into the Genesis database, Kakashi powered down the lab.
The air was heavy as he walked up the spiral stairs back into the house.
The sun was brighter now, casting warm gold through the windows.
From the kitchen, a delicious scent filled the air. Roast vegetables, spiced rice, grilled meat, someone had started dinner early.
As Kakashi stepped into the living area, he saw his women bustling around the kitchen like a well-rehearsed team.
Tsunade stirred a pot with practiced strength. Kurenai lit incense by the windows. Mei tasted the broth with a flick of her chopsticks. Anko was sneaking bits of meat into her mouth when she thought no one was looking.
Kakashi blinked.
"Workaholic." Kurenai looked over first and smirked.
"You forgot the time again, didn't you?" Tsunade crossed her arms.
"I was experimenting," he said sheepishly. "Time flies underground."
"You say that every day," Mei said with a small smile.
Anko flopped onto the couch, mouth full. "What kind of super weapon did you build this time?"
Kakashi sat on the edge of the armrest and sighed. "Nothing new. But I do have news."
That got their attention.
Tsunade put the ladle down.
"The masked man," Kakashi said quietly. "He's already captured six Jinchūriki."
"Six?" Kurenai's eyes widened.
"That's… fast." Mei's voice dropped.
"Gaara was among them," Kakashi said. "He was killed."
Everyone froze.
"Was?" Tsunade asked.
"Chiyo used a forbidden jutsu to bring him back. She died doing it."
Tsunade frowned. "Chiyo? That bitter old warhawk gave up her life?"
Kakashi nodded slowly. "I think… after we killed Sasori, she had no reason left to live. Maybe she saw Gaara as a better future."
They all went quiet for a moment.
"That poor boy. He deserves peace."Kurenai was the first to speak.
"He won't get it if we lose this war," Kakashi said simply.
"Then we win it." Tsunade looked up.
"Hell yeah." Anko grinned.
"First, though… we eat."Mei set the bowls out.
…
The dining table was soon full again, roasted meat, miso broth, lotus root, warm bread, and chilled fruit. Karin joined them late, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and Konan entered quietly in her dark-blue dress, her steps lighter than yesterday.
They sat together, no longer just warriors or lovers or leaders. They were a strange family forged by fire, loss, and survival.
Kakashi looked around the table.
One by one, his women looked back at him.
And as they began to eat, laughter quietly returned. The world outside might be breaking again, but inside this home, in this fleeting moment, they were whole.