How did this happen? / Akatsuki Team 7

II: Joining the Akatsuki

Kakashi POV:

A few days had passed. I was tired, and I hadn't found any clues about the Akatsuki's location yet. Well, I hadn't expected that either.

I kept my sharingan shown now, since you could never know when the enemy attacks. I had to be very cautious. I had already been marked as a rogue ninja, and that wasn't good. Tsunade-sama can really do her work well sometimes, can't she?

I was staying in a town, that was suspected of having a tailed beast. There wasn't any, but outsiders thought there was.

Maybe the Akatsuki would start trying to get the tailed beasts soon. There was a good possibility they would come search for one here.

I wasn't wearing my headband anymore. Neither the shinobi outfit, so that it would be harder to recognize me. I still kept the mask tho.

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A few weeks had passed. I was on a walk in the mountains, when I saw something unexpected.

Orochimaru...

Was that Sasuke?

They slid into the rocks, and I ran down into town. Orochimaru's hideout was near.

"He probably changes the location once in a while", I thought and walked into a nearby store. I wanted to keep a low profile.

Still, seeing Sasuke after all this time was shocking. I couldn't help it, but my hand was trembling.

What if Orochimaru attacks this town? Then all this planning will be for nothing.

I had to somehow protect the village, and find out Orochimaru's plans. But, I was a rogue ninja. Protecting the village wasn't a part of my plans.

I had to do something in order to join the Akatsuki. Find even one of their members. If they don't accept me in the Akatsuki, then I don't know what I'll do.

Then I'll just invade the Leaf on my own...

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Kakashi kept attacking small towns, in order to steal even more jutsu with his famous and feared sharingan. It was a gift from his deceased friend, Obito Uchiha. Sometimes, he would imagine what would have happened if Obito had stayed alive even a while longer.

Maybe they would have been able to protect Rin?

Kakashi was still staying in the small town, hoping the widely feared Akatsuki would visit soon. One cloudy and rainy morning, he could hear horrified screams for help outside.

"PLEASE HELP SOMEO-"

The scream was quickly cut off by a rogue ninja dressed in black clothes. The clothes were covered with red clouds.

Kakashi stood up, took his slashed headband and opened the door outside. He put the headband on, and walked straight up to the other Sharingan holder.

"Ah, Nice to see you too, Itachi."

"I'll dispose of you quickly, Kakashi"

"No, I'm not here to fight. Actually, I've been waiting for you to show up", Kakashi said, and dropped the kunais from his pockets to the ground.

"..."

"So... I heard the Akatsuki lost one member?" He smirked, without the others seeing.

"We don't have time to talk with you now." Itachi answered, and took his fighting stance.

"Didn't I already tell you? I'm not here to fight", Kakashi took one of the kunais and spinned it on his fingers.

"..."

"I would like to join the Akatsuki and get rid of the hidden leaf"

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Months had passed. No sign of the copy ninja near the leaf.

Tsunade-sama was having trouble figuring the situation out. There had been reports of him attacking small towns in the land of fire, but it wasn't sure if the attacker was indeed the famous bearer of the sharingan.

Why hadn't she noticed anything suspicious?

Was she really that oblivious?

Of course, now that she looked back, she realised that Kakashi had indeed acted a bit suspicious before leaving. 

Still, she hadn't noticed anything.

It was pathetic. Why was she the 5th hokage of the leaf?

A Hokage must notice things like this.

This shall never happen again.