Goodbye
Jiraiya didn't care that he could die due to blood loss, not when Naruto and Gaara could be dying right now at the hands of the Akatsuki. After he set a messenger toad to Tsunade explaining what had happened and his current location. His message to Suna had been a gamble, Jiraiya wasn't sure if they would kill him on sight or allow him to help them locate Gaara and then kill him, but they deserved to know what had happened to the kid. Not wanting to keep sitting around, Jiraiya tried to get up.
That wasn't his greatest idea seeing as his left arm was almost completely cut off his body. Blood loss, it seemed he didn't care that he was a sannin, but Jiraiya would be damned if he passed out again. He already wasted too much time lazing around.
The Akatsuki had been waiting in the shadows for the right moment to strike. Jiraiya was sure of that now. How long they had been sitting ducks, Jiraya had no idea and doubted he wanted to find out. But it was evident that it had been for quite some time now, especially taking into account they prepared a hell of a team to subdue two jinchuuriki and one legendary sannin.
Kisame, from the hidden mist village, wasn't a new rival by any means. They had fought once already, back when they had tried to take Naruto after the Third died. Granted, their last fight had a much different ending.
If Jiraiya's memory was correct, Gai and Kakashi had tagged-teamed Kisame until he had joined the fight and tipped the scale in their favor. This time there had been no Green Beast or Hatake to tire Kisame out. This time around, Jiraiya had to fight both Kisame and Konan, his own student, by himself.
Their fight hadn't been a fair one, not by a long shot. But at least Kisame helped up his end of the bargain. By the end of their fight, Jiraiya was really down one limb.
//\\//\\//\\
During their time as Team 7, Tsunade had forced Jiraiya into finding a way to tell her that he was in deadly danger without having to outright write it or saying it. At first, Jiraiya had dismissed her, but after a significantly dangerous mission that had resulted in all of Team 7 bedridden, Jiraiya had caved in.
If at any point Jiraiya or anyone in Team 7 felt as if the mission had gone south or they were critically injured, they were to send one of their summons with what seemed to be a blank scroll. The seal on the scroll would be broken by the person the scroll was addressed to. If the summoned didn't dispel even after the other person received the scroll, then that means that the mission had been compromised and they were injured.
Tsunade had been in the middle of signing off on Team 6's mission report when Jiraiya's messenger toad reached her.
The moment she had opened the scroll, Tsunade knew that time was not on their side.
//\\//\\//\\
Kakashi hadn't been able to sleep ever since his argument with Naruto. The guilt and remorse made it hard to sleep even a wink. Sakura's face losing what little color it had regained after he told her that Naruto had left the village without saying goodbye, didn't make it easier.
At first, he tried to convince himself that by the time Naruto returned, everything would go back to how it used to be. At the very least, it would give them all time to get their emotions in check and talk about the elephant in the room; Sasuke leaving the village to go to Orochimaru. But as the months passed by with no word from Naruto or Jiraiya, Kakashi understood that there was no going back to the good old days.
The foundation of Team 7 had been compromised.
Trust was no longer there.
But with time, he hoped that the trust lost could be regained.
Kakashi should have known not to get his hopes up. After all, no team seven in the past got their happy ending.
//\\//\\//\\
Jiraiya had lost track of time somewhere between losing feeling in his arm and almost passing out again. All he knew was that one moment he was leaning against a tree, and the next, a dog was supporting his weight.
"I found Jiraiya-sama!"
Oh, no, the dog is gone. Where did they go?
"Do not panic Jiraiya-sama, Hai just went to get the others."
Jiraiya turned to where he thought the voice was coming from. "You're not a dog."
The young lady kneeling next to him smiled. "My name is Hana Inuzuka. Lady Tsunade sent me alongside four others to assist you. While we wait for the other's, I will start to treat your injuries."
Jiraiya was sure people were still talking, yet everything seemed to be muffled.
"It's infected; he can't keep going."
Naruto...I have to get to Naru...
"She's right. Even if we were able to safely amputate his arm, he could die if the infection is not treated correctly."
"We can't go back now."
"So do we just let him die, Hatake?"
Asuma and Yamato, who had talked to Gamakichi, one of Jiraiya's toad summons, seemed to agree.
"Jiraiya-sama sent a message to Suna explaining the situation; they should be a day or so ahead of us. They might have even made contact with the enemy by now. If we hurry, we can meet up with their team by morning."
Asuma took one last drag of his cigar before he let it drop to the ground. "Let's move then."
Without a complaint, they set out towards their destination. They only hoped that they wouldn't be met with violence when they finally met up with the Suna squad. Asuma is sure that if they are attacked, one member in their little group would just stand there and take it.
Kakashi could feel Asuma's eyes tracking his every move, and had he been in a better mental state, he would have made a side remark. But at the moment, all he could think about was that he could not afford to lose someone else. Especially Naruto, he was the last bond connecting him to Minato and Kushina, if he lost Naruto, Asuma was sure Kakashi would crumble.
//\\//\\//\\
It didn't take them long to catch up with Suna; it seemed that they had reached a dead end. Although Jiraiya had given them a trail to follow, it seemed like the Akatsuki had counted on Jiraiya sending out toads to track them. And now, according to Kankuro and Temari, there was still a standstill.
Everyone knew that they had to keep moving; they couldn't waste any time just standing around trying to pick up Akatsuki's scent again. Either they picked a direction to head to or wait to see if they can find any clue as to what direction they went in.
"We need to split up," Asuma had been ready for the protest. "If we split up, we can cover more ground, Kakashi can send his ninken to scout ahead for us."
"We can always regroup later when we have a concrete trail to follow," Kankuro said as he readied himself.
Having agreed on a plan, they didn't waste much time putting it into action. Although, every moment that passed without any sign of Naruto and Gaara, their desperation grew. While Jiraiya had assured them that the Akatsuki needed Naruto and Gaara alive, that did little to reassure them. After all, they did not know for how long the Akatsuki needed them alive.
Kakashi was sure that the universe had deemed him unworthy of happiness. The tragedies that he had to overcome had taught him to not expect anything good to come his way; his expectations were none existing. Yet, he had allowed himself to for hope that maybe this time things would end up differently. He should have known better.
By the time they had managed to pick up Naruto's or Gaara's scent, it had been too late. When they reached the Akatsuki's hideout, they were met with destruction.
No one spoke. There was no need; they all knew what they had to do.
Searching through what remained of Akatsuki's hideout was a tense affair. Asuma was trying to figure out what in the hell had happened and, most importantly, how come they hadn't sensed anything beforehand. It didn't make sense, based on the amount of time passed between Jiraiya sending the message and Tsunade-sama receiving it hadn't been more than a couple of hours.
Yet, no matter how fast they moved, they had been too late.
//\\//\\//\\
Grief to Kakashi was an old friend.
Kakashi's first experience with grief was when he found his father's corpse after killing himself. No, that's not entirely true, he had lost his mother first, but he had always wondered if he was allowed to grieve her. From a young age, Kakashi had known that it had been because of him that his mother died. It was also the reason why his father always kept him at a distance.
The grieving period Kakashi had undergone for his father's passing had been filled with silence. The Hatake compound had become a shelf of what it once was. Or maybe that was just Kakashi; nothing had really changed. The only change was that Kakahsi's loneliness was now his reality.
But then he had gotten a taste for happiness again with Team 7, even though he never admitted it, but they had become his family. Obito and Rin had managed to make all-consuming loneliness disappear, even if it was only for a little while. Minato and Kushina had made him feel loved again.
And just like that, Kakashi was face to face with grief again.
Obito's death had brought with it a numbness to Kakashi that terrified many.
Rin's death had only made Kakahi see the monster that he was. ( Kakashi had killed her. Her blood was on his hand.)
Minato and Kushina's death had shown him how useless he was. (All he was good for was killing.)
Yet not once, since Obito's death, had he let himself grief. And now, standing before what remains of his student Kakashi wonder if grief had always brought with it a sense of disconnect.
It was almost as if he could see everything clearly, yet at the same time, nothing made sense. Kakashi could hear Temari's screaming into Kankuro's chest. Dimly he could also feel Asuma's hand on his soldier as he voiced his condolence. There was no need for that; Asuma should be affording his consolation to the sand siblings, not to him. He had no right to grief.
Kakashi knew he had no right to grieve, but the overwhelming sense of regret and guilt seemed to only give way to grief.
//\\//\\//\\
Naruto's remains had been found in the middle of a crater. At first glance, all one could see was a bloody puddle at the center of the crater. Kakashi had stood at the edge of the crater, unable to take another step. Pakkun sensed his hesitation, but with a brief nod, he was off.
They had only left a bloody hand for them to find.
Not too far from Naruto's remains was what was left of Gaara's sand gourd.