Whispers of Obsession

The Weight of a Message

Tsunade sat at her desk, staring at the mountains of paperwork she had yet to touch. It had been a long day, one in a series of many since Y/N's disappearance.

Though Tsunade never let her emotions show outwardly, the weight of guilt pressed heavily on her shoulders. Y/N had been a promising kunoichi, someone who had the potential to rise among the ranks of the Hidden Leaf. And yet, Tsunade had let her slip away into the unknown.

She leaned back in her chair, her fingers pressing into her temples as she sighed deeply. It had been almost a year now. After Y/N's abrupt departure, Tsunade had sent a team to bring her back—led by none other than Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi.

He hadn't been the same since. He rarely spoke about Y/N, but Tsunade could see it in his actions, in the way he carried himself. There was a heaviness in him that hadn't been there before, a cloud that seemed to follow him everywhere.

Guilt.

Regret.

Perhaps even heartbreak...

Tsunade shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Dwelling on the past wouldn't bring Y/N back.

A knock on her door jolted her from her thoughts. Shizune entered, her expression unusually tense.

"Lady Tsunade," she said, holding out a scroll with a seal Tsunade instantly recognized.

Her breath caught. The seal was Y/N's.

Tsunade took the scroll with trembling hands, breaking the seal with her chakra. As she unrolled the parchment, her eyes quickly scanned the contents.

The first line making her mouth run dry.

'Captured by the Akatsuki. A year in captivity.'

Her grip on the scroll tightened as she continued to read the words repeatedly.

Then reality settled within her. Y/n hadn't been missing or in hiding. She had been with the enemy all along.

A pang of fear and anger shot through Tsunade's chest.

"She's been with the Akatsuki for almost a year..." Tsunade's voice was barely a whisper, her hands trembling.

Shizune's eyes widened. "The Akatsuki? Are you certain?"

Tsunade nodded, her gaze hardening as she rolled up the scroll. "She's not just with them—she's been gathering intel this whole time. She's risking her life to give us this information."

Shizune hesitated. "What do you want to do, Lady Tsunade? Should we mobilize a team to retrieve her?"

Tsunade's mind raced. She wanted nothing more than to storm the Akatsuki's base and bring Y/N home. But it wasn't that simple. The Akatsuki were dangerous, and a poorly planned move could cost them everything, including Y/N's life.

"I need time to think," Tsunade finally said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "But we can't act recklessly. Not now."

Shizune nodded.

Once alone, Tsunade placed the scroll on her desk and leaned forward, resting her forehead in her hands.

Images of Y/N flashed in her mind—her determination, her strength, and the fire in her eyes. That same fire that had driven her to leave the village in the first place.

And then there was Kakashi.

Tsunade knew she would have to tell him about the message. He deserved to know, but she also knew how this would affect him.

"Damn it, Y/N," she muttered under her breath. "Why didn't you come to me before running off?"

Tsunade's Pov:

The last time I saw her was when she stood in my office, determined and desperate, ready to throw herself into vengeance.

I'd tried to reason with her, to remind her that rash actions lead to ruin, but she wouldn't listen. The moment she left the gates of the Hidden Leaf, a cold sense of dread settled in my chest. 

I did what any Hokage would do. I sent a team after her, a handpicked squad I knew would leave no stone unturned.

Kakashi, despite his personal connection to her, insisted on leading the mission.

I hesitated at first. He was too close to the situation, too vulnerable. But his dedication left me no room to argue. 

Then they came back empty-handed. 

No trace of her. No trail to follow. It was as though she had vanished from the earth.

Kakashi returned quieter, colder, his normally lazy demeanor replaced by an almost haunting determination. He hadn't been the same since. 

And now, this. 

My eyes scanned the lines of Y/N's handwriting, each word sinking into my chest like a lead weight. 

Anger and fear warred within me. Anger at the Akatsuki for taking one of our own, and fear for what they might have done to her. Y/N had always been strong willed, but even the strongest have limits. 

I sat back in my chair, gripping the edges of the scroll tightly. The room seemed to grow colder, the weight of this revelation pressing down on me. 

"Lady Tsunade?"  Shizune asked. Her eyes waiting for my next order.

I looked up at her, my face betraying nothing of the turmoil inside. "Assemble the council," I said curtly. "And bring Kakashi here. Immediately." 

Her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded and left without a word. 

I leaned back, the scroll still in my hands. The guilt was overwhelming, clawing at the edges of my resolve. I should've stopped her that day. I should've done more. 

Moments later, Kakashi arrived, his mask as unreadable as ever, but I could see it in his eyes—the fatigue, the guilt. The silent question he carried every day. 

"She's alive," I said without preamble, handing him the scroll. 

He froze, his hand hovering over the paper as if afraid to touch it. When he finally did, his eyes scanned the contents with a quiet intensity. His grip on the scroll tightened with every word. 

"She's... with them?" His voice was low, barely above a whisper. 

"Yes," I said, my tone sharper than I intended. "For almost a year. And she managed to get us this." 

Kakashi lowered the scroll, his visible eye narrowing with determination. "We have to get her back." 

I stood, placing my hands on the desk. "We will. But we need a plan. If she's been with them this long, she's either in too deep or playing a dangerous game." 

Kakashi met my gaze, his expression unreadable but his resolve clear. "She wouldn't betray the village." 

"I know," I said, softening my tone. "But that doesn't mean she's safe." 

The weight of the situation settled between us, heavy and unyielding. Y/N's message was a lifeline, a beacon of hope in the darkness. But it was also a reminder of just how far she'd fallen into enemy hands and how much it would cost to bring her back.