Rewind

Kakashi landed on the branch after three days of running. He didn't like the idea of running off like this, but he couldn't exactly give himself to the enemy. Not yet and not like this forever. 

He had been a rogue ninja for 6 years now, and things weren't exactly the best. 

"I think we can take a break now," he looked around, jumping off the tree to sit down.

"Don't move," an elderly voice commanded, Kunai at his throat. 

Kakashi was surprised. He didn't sense the woman, and even now he couldn't sense his chakra. It seemed that she could blend with the entire place.

"Get up and turn around," she ordered, and Kakashi didn't want to attack immediately. Despite being a rogue ninja, he wasn't heartless, so he did as said. He could feel the uneasiness of the tailed beasts, but it wasn't fair to use their chakra against an elderly woman. 

"I'm not here to harm anyone," he told the woman, turning around. The woman had his same silver hair, her chakra still missing.

"You're a Hatake," the younger spoke in surprise.

"Now I understand why the forest let you in. Come with me, kiddo." The elderly woman retrieved her kunai and signaled for Kakashi to follow. Curiosity got the best of him as he rushed to her. 

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked.

"Shimo Hatake," the older replied, guiding him to what appeared to be a village. It was empty, and most of it was in ruins. It seemed like a giant entered the forest.

"What is this place?" Kakashi asked, looking around as they passed houses to reach one that was in better condition.

"The Hatake village," she explained, opening her doors to him. "Sit down," she instructed him.

"Where is everyone? Does that mean there are others like us? Because I need their help.

"You do need help, but no. We are the only ones that still live. Long ago, before the nations were created, the Hatake clan was deemed the strongest. Their ability to copy and adapt to the abilities of others earned them the name of the strongest. We could copy anyone's jutsus, abilities, or kekkai genkai and use them against the holders. When the nations started to be created, everyone wanted the clan for them. Our clan refused to act as worldwide weapons, so ultimately they retreated into this forest and cursed it so no one would find them."

"Then...where are they?" Kakashi asked, drinking the offered tea.

"They've been killed. This forest welcomes the Hatake clan but also ninja animals. Including tailed beasts. In fact, we had a good relationship with them before they've were taken and separated. No one knows where the beasts came from, they used to live freely and then all of a sudden humans felt entitled to take them and use them for their personal gains. This was our demise. The Lightning Nation sent us the Eight Tails and his jinchuuriki. We didn't stand a chance," Shimo explained.

"Why? If our kekkai genkai was so powerful, how did they fall?" 

"After retrieving here, the Hatake clan focused on farming, and slowly the ninjas alongside our kekkai genkai vanished. A few awakened it, and even less knew how to use it correctly. Without proper guidance no one knew how to further develop it so the day of the attack, there was no one to protect us"

"But you survived. My dad survived!"

"Your father was born after the attack." Shimo leaned into her chair.

"My partner and I weren't in the village during the attack. We had insisted on going out and exploring. When we got back, everything was gone.

Kakashi lowered his head. That meant no one could help him with his kekkai genkai. Maybe he wasn't even supposed to awaken it in the first place. 

Then it struck him.

"Wait. You were the only one alive after the attack. That means that you're..." 

"Exactly. Sakumo is my son," Shimo nodded. "I'm your grandmother."

"You knew?" Kakashi asked.

"The Hatake clan wasn't a clan that used to travel outside the village. In fact, they never left it. Sakumo instead loved to explore; he wanted a pack on his own, and I couldn't keep him in here. He left, and when he returned, he had a companion. I didn't accept it. I didn't accept her." Shimo spoke in regret, "She wasn't a Hatake, and that didn't sit well with me. I told Sakumo that he had a choice, us or her. I guess you know his decision.

"He chose her," Kakashi nodded.

"Yes. Looking back now, I understand she was the kindest. No matter what, she kept sending us letters. She told me about Sakumo's progressions as a ninja, and she told me about her pregnancy and how they were expecting a boy. Even if I didn't answer, she kept sending me letters. Then they stopped. I thought she understood, but then I received a letter from your father. He told me about your mother, and he told me about you. He told me about how you were growing, and he sent me a picture. How is he now? I...didn't receive any letter. 

"He," Kakashi started. How could he say to someone that their child committed suicide, "He died," he settled on saying? 

It looked like Shimo understood his vague way to put it, and ultimately Kakashi had to tell her everything. About the third ninja war, how his father took his own life, about his own friends turning their backs on him, about his own hate for his father's action. About his own situation after his death and the fact that he was kicked out of the village just for hosting two bijuu.

"Power is what scares the weak." Shimo explained, "The past experiences taught humans that if someone is powerful, they get corrupted by it. Pushing away the strongest makes the weak feel safer, but it's that action that truly corrupts the powerful. They are so desperate to prove they aren't what others think of them that they forget how to do it in the right way. You might become powerful as a god, but ultimately it's up to you to not fall into it. Maybe that's why we Hatake were so tied to community, family, and friends. Despite our immense power, we could have someone who would stick by our side and keep us with our feet on the ground."

Shimo revealed to be a nice elderly woman. Kakashi could see the regret she had toward her actions, and he saw how desperate she was to spend as much time with him as possible. They shared stories about Sakumo, and he found out they were similar. The woman knew little about his mother. Not that he blamed her. People were all too much into preserving their clan's that they didn't dare to mix them. 

"What a powerful jutsu!" Shimo congratulated him one day watching Kakashi train his Chidori. 

"How do you do it?" Kakashi asked after a jumpscare.

"What are you talking about?" 

"I can't sense you. Your chakra, I cannot sense it. And I should be," he pointed out.

"Oh! That is the sage mode. I do have chakra, but through my sage mode, it gets suppressed. Only other Sae users can sense me."

"Sage mode?" Kakashi asked as Shimo nodded.

"Yes. We call it Rukario. It's the energy we gather from the earth. In this state I can sense your spiritual chakra; I can read you, and I sense your feelings. I can also predict your actions and even control your chakra to let you move in a different way than intended. Throw me a kunai," she instructed him as the boy obeyed. To his surprise, she didn't move, but his kunai missed. He never missed in his entire life.

"Amazing," he looked at her. "Did my dad know it?" He asked as Shimo shook her head.

"Sakumo was capable of using our kekkai genkai, but sage mode was something he never achieved. He left before that." She explained, "That doesn't mean you can't learn it."

"You're willing to teach me?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

"Sure. I think you might need it if you want to reach your goal."

"You don't know it, though," Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"I do know it. I can see your bijuu. They are living inside you and not attempting to harm you. That is a level of trust I never saw. It looks like the kyuubi doesn't belong here at all, so I think I know what he's doing, and if my readings are correct... it means that you'll need as many abilities as you can gain. The fact that you're here isn't a mistake. You're here because you need me. On top of that, I never had a chance to teach it to Sakumo, but fate gave me you. 

Turned out Sage mode was harder than hosting bijuus or learning new jutsus. It forced Kakashi to meditate, and most of the time his memories came to haunt him. 

"Okay, spill it out," Shimo interrupted the session after a few days of him facing things.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"Sage mode forces us to meditate on our life. Something is still eating you alive. By the feelings, I know it's not Sakumo." She relaxed, looking at him.

Kakashi blushed but didn't say a word.

"What's his name?" She asked with a smirk.

"No! You got it wrong!" Kakashi paled, hiding his face.

"I read your emotions, kiddo. I can sense it all over you. It's the same feeling Sakumo had when he chose her. So, who is he?" 

"He's a cool kid. He never gave up on me. He got into an accident, and I had to leave him without telling him my feelings. Not that it's important; he has eyes only for Rin," he looked away.

"I see. It really bothers you."

"It does not," Kakashi shook his head, returning to meditate.

"Try to not think about him. It distracts you," Shimo smiled.

Kakashi took nearly a month to finally tap into sage mode, and he got to see how his grandma wasn't as elderly as she wanted to appear. She was harsh but a good teacher. 

"The sage mode goes further. There were stories of the sage user Kihiko. He had managed to unlock a perfect sage mode, turning into the warrior Lucario. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about it, as I wasn't alive, and that legend died with time. All I know is that the perfect sage mode gives you abilities beyond just sensing. It gives you a chance to fight and be nearly untouchable by enemies," Shimo had told him, and Kakashi felt a ping in his heart. It was a shame to have lost basically part of who he was. Who he was supposed to be. 

He didn't expect an attack two months later. The masked man that had hunted him after Isobu had found them too easily.

"Come with me, Jinchuuriki. You have something that belongs to me."

"Kakashi, go," Shimo stood in between them.

"No! I can't. I won't leave you here." Kakashi protested, "You are my family!"

"Listen to me, Kakashi. The world needs you to complete your mission. You need to keep up with the instructions of your bijuus. They are in you so you can protect them. Staying with you, watching you improve... I have no regrets." She smiled at him. "I made the mistake of letting Sakumo go, and he died. I'm not making the same mistake with you.

"Kakashi! Go!" Kurama growled, "You're no match for the guy. Not yet.

"But she's my grandmother!" Kakashi teared up.

"And she's sacrificing herself to let you go. If you stay, her struggles will be in vain. 

"But..."

"Go!" The bijuu growled at him.

Kakashi stepped back, tears in his eyes, before turning around and running off.