The Forgotten Hero (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 3

Before they finished leaving, Sauske passed out from exhaustion meaning the only one still conscious when they reached their final destination was Kakashi. After arriving, the man didn't speak, instead he silently picked up Sauske and placed him on one of the two unoccupied beds. Three more had already been filled by Iruka, Naruto and Sakura.
Once the man turned back around to Kakashi, he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupt by the man before he could say anything, "You should lie down, Kakashi - you have almost no chakra left."
"Can we talk afterwards?"
With an affirmative nod from the man, Kakashi walked over to the last unoccupied bed and laydown.
"Happy?"
"Very much so," the man replied, sitting down at the end of Kakashi's bed. "What do you want to know?"
With a sigh, Kakashi gathered his thoughts, "How did you know to save us?"
The man let out an unamused laugh, "You think I would leave behind my Bakashi? I'll always know when you are in trouble."
Kakashi nodded, satisfied with the answer for now. "Can you take off your mask? We are the only ones awake here."
"Only if you do, too."
"Deal." Kakashi answers, pulling down the mask covering the lower half of his face.
Looking at the four unconscious figures, the man hesitated for a moment. With a slightly shake of his head, he reached up to take off his mask. Pulling it away from his face, the man revealed heterochromia eyes. On his left side, was a purple, swirl - a rinnegan. However, the more eye-catching side of his face was the right. A mangekyou sharingan sat in the middle of a mass of scars.
Smiling, Kakashi studied his face as though he hadn't seen it for a thousand years. Seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes, the man swatted at him, laughing. "Don't look at me like that - you saw me a few days ago."
"But it feels like forever."
"Stop being so cheesy."
Instead of answering, Kakashi lets them fall into silence. Sighing, Kakashi's smile falters and a sad look comes into his eyes. "I wish you could come and live in the Hidden Leaf."
With a sad smile, the man shakes his head. "You know I can't do that Kakashi. I've got to stay a spy in the Akatsuki."
"I know..."

Shortly after their encounter with Team 7, Deidara and Sasori returned to the secluded Akatsuki base. Since she was in the living room, Konan was the first to notice their arrival.
"Deidara, Sasori - your back! How was your mission?"
Konan was surprised, when instead of being greeted by a loud, brass Deidara all that stood in front of her was two anxious people. "What's wrong?"
Biting his lip, Sasori spoke up. "We need to talk to Pain immediately."
Pausing for a second, Konan lead them to Pain's office. Knocking on the door, Konan announced their arrival. "Pain? Deidara and Sasori need to speak to you."
"Come in," Sounded from inside the room.
Opening the door, Konan ushered them in before shutting it behind them. Being all alone with Pain in a dark-ish room, would have been slightly unnerving for the two, if they had not been already worried.
"What is it?"
"Well...," Sasori began, Deidara standing silently behind him, "When we were fighting Team 7, we knocked out most of the team, and it was just Kakashi and Sauske still fighting..."
"So?"
"Uh, then, a man appeared and... teleported them away."
"Thank you for giving me this information." Pain said, ready to dismiss them.
Seeing this, Sasori quickly continued, "That's not all. We got and good look at the man, and... uh, well."
"Well?"
"It was Tobi."
...
"What?!"
...
Taking a breath, Pain calmed himself down. "You mean to tell me that Tobi is helping our enemies?"
"We believe so, yes."
Sighing, Pain closed his eyes. This was not good for the Akatsuki - Tobi knew the majority of what they were planning and had been a member of the Akatsuki for a long time. Four years, to be exact. "Do you know how long he was been helping them?"
"No."
This was not good at all. If Tobi had been a spy right from the start, then it would explain how a lot of their plans had been foiled. However, it also meant - because he was one of the originals - that he was one of their most trusted members, and had knowledge of their more secret plans.
"Thank you. I'll call you back when I've decided what to do."
Nodding, Sasori and Deidara quickly fled the room - returning to the comfort of their private quarters.
Sitting in silence, Pain thought for a long time about what to do. Mulling over it, Pain decided that Tobi did not have the ability to truly teleport. Instead, the most likely scenario was that Tobi had create a genjutsu. Pain knew that Tobi had spent a lot of time around Itachi, who was a master of that jutsu. After a few hours, Pain came to a decision on what they should do, and who should dish out the required task.

Exhausted from having to use so much chakra so many days in a row, Tobi didn't notice anything suspicious that he may normal have. Later that night, the Akatsuki left the base for a meeting, leaving only two behind - Sasori and Tobi. Sneaking into Tobi's room, Sasori pulls out a knife as he walks towards Tobi's sleeping figure. Lifting the knife, Sasori slams the poisoned blade into Tobi's stomach. With a jolt, Tobi rolls of the bed, pulling the knife out as he goes. Coughing from the poison, Tobi flees the room. Sasori watches as he goes, before following him out. Surprising Sasori, Tobi is nowhere to be seen. Shrugging it off, Sasori leaves to meet with the rest of the Akatsuki. After all, why be worried when there's no possible way that Tobi can survive the poison?

As soon as Tobi got out of Sasori's sight, he quickly summoned just enough energy to Kamui himself away. Falling into the Kamui dimension, Tobi falls to the ground - clutching the wound on his stomach. "Damn it! The poisons slowed my healing down!".
Seeing more blood trickle through his hands, Tobi thinks of the one person he can go to for help. In a Kamui swirl, Tobi leaves the Kamui dimension before falling unconscious directly in front of Kakashi.