Something Precious

Chapter Seventy

"You know kid, had I known how troublesome you would have become the first time around, I would have killed you." Madara -for he was now sure that was who he was - said, leaving Kakashi to look at him with squinted eyes, wondering of his sanity.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said. A ways away he heard a great crash and a streak of light suddenly illuminated the wooden tendrils that now hung, pointlessly empty. He could only guess that Naruto and the other other man must have somehow broken the ceiling and the light from outside now poured through the Naruto-sized hole in the wall.

"No? Well Naruto has become rather good at keeping secrets so I can't pretend I'm all too surprised." Madara said, his old, wrinkled face scrunching in false sympathy.

Suddenly, Kakashi wasn't all that interested in leaving. He had known since they first met that Naruto was hiding something. Something big, and he was never able to shake the feeling that Kakashi himself was somehow involved in this. Like how Naruto had taken immediate brotherly liking to the unpleasurable, and frankly rude, boy. Or how he seemed to know everything about him, like his father and the reason he was such a stickler for rules. Not to even mention these dreams that Kakashi was sure he knew the purpose of.

"Ah, so you have noticed this. I suppose I can't feign surprise at this either; you were always quite perceptive."

However secrets or not, this was still an enemy and Kakashi fixed him with his best glare. "We've never met." he stated bluntly.

Madara's lips turned down thoughtfully. "Yes. That is true. But it is also false. I suppose it is quite the paradox. Strange how time travel does that." he said as if revealing that it had rained yesterday. Like it was such trivial matter. As if the possibly of such a thing was real.

Kakashi choked. "Time travel?" he asked hoarsely. Yes, this man must indeed be insane.

But Madara only regarded him calmly as if this wasn't some outrageous allegation. "Indeed. I, and your, ah- comrade," he said the word loosely as if not sure that was the one to use. "Come from roughly twenty odd years in the future. A future in which the nations are bridled by a war far worse than this one. A future in which the nations exist only in formality, for really, there are not enough people left to enforce their seperation."

Kakashi gaped like a fish out of water might. "That isn't possible." the nations were so populated. What kindnof war would produce such losses? He shivered to think of it. This current war was bad enough.

Madara chuckled. "Oh it quite is. And you are part of that future. You were a teacher to Naruto. His Sensei. You aided him greatly in becoming the man he is today, a man who killed me. A man who kept me from my goals. It is only in this way you have been a nusence to me. Even when I got rid of you you continued to drive him forward." he practically spat. "I dare say, your death affected him more than anyone else's. Except possibly Saskue Uchiha's that is." the pronounced the name carefully, making extra sure that Kakashi caught it.

Saskue Uchiha. Suddenly he knew why the man Naruto was battling with looked so familiar. Because that was Saskue. The raven-haired man from. . . his dreams.

Suddenly the dreams, which had been becoming clearer and clearer every night, came back to him and fit into place with this man's allegations. He remembered teaching Naruto (though if remember is the right word he didn't know), he could recall flashes of pride attached to incoherent pieces of memory. He did remember dying, perhaps most clearly. He remembered the raging grief in those blue eyes and an immense feeling of regret, but also. . . relief; a peaceful resignation to fate.

Conflicting emotions fluttered through his young eyes and Madara smiled in triumph. "I wonder if he will mourn you the same a second time?"

Kakashi's eyes cleared in an instant, his instincts screaming at him to get out of there. "What-?"