Wrong Side of Heaven

It was a long way down. Kakashi should know he's taken that fall one too many times to count and he's only ever hit the bottom once. The fight with Pein he had thought it was finally over, seeing his father and talking to him. He had almost been happy to die that time. Feeling accomplished that he had done everything he could to help in the situation, and saved those he had wanted to.

This wasn't like that time.

To say Kakashi was pissed off would have been an understatement. There he was dying when the rest of the world was ending. His students, while now all working together instead of against each other now, were struggling. He just wanted to help them, fix this mess his former team mate set into motion. This was literally all Kakashi's fault.

Obito getting injured. Not being able to save Rin. Obito seeing him kill Rin when he had tried to come back to the village all those years ago. Minato saving the village alone because Kakashi was an ANBU captain and couldn't leave his new squad. Everything, everything was always his fault. If only he could have gone back to those times. If only he could try and fix at least a few of the things he screwed up so badly. Like Naruto and Sasuke. Those two would have been completely different had there been someone for them to go to all those years ago.

Kakashi still cursed the Elders to this day for not allowing him custody of either child when he had begged them. Minato had been his teacher, and instead of giving Naruto to him the Elders sent him on a five year long mission to Mist. It was torture. Itachi was one of his own from ANBU, they were on the same squad for a long time and he had liked the kid. Kakashi knew how much his younger brother meant to him. There had to be a reason for doing what he did back then and when he found out the truth it made it all the more worse to know. Training Team 7 was his redemption and he took them for granted. Sasuke left and then Naruto, Sakura even started training under Tsunade, they left him and the Elders sent him back to ANBU. He wasn't fit to be a teacher if he couldn't keep two of the most important assets in Konoha. Like he had allowed two of the most powerful and legendary ninja ever to take up his students. There are few who could challenge the Sanin and if Kakashi was truthful with himself he didn't know if he was one of them.

If asked Kakashi would have only been able to name off less than a handful of ninja who could take on the Sanin. And 99 percent of them were dead.

"You have some weird last thoughts Sempai."

The quick fall came to a halt as those words resonated into his skull. Opening his eyes to see someone he never thought he would see again. Itachi Uchiha was standing there in front of him. That stupid smirk of all knowingness on his face.

"Ah and here I thought I would be allowed to die peacefully this time around."

Itachi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kind of screwed up didn't we Kakashi?"

The older nin scratched the back of his head as he nodded.

"Yeah. Good intentions and all, right?"

The smirk turned more into a smile and Kakashi slightly returned it.

"I've been wandering around here for a while now Kakashi sempai."

Kakashi nodded to show he was listening. Usually these dead people had some sort of all-knowing advice for him before he was sent back to the land of the living.

"From the thoughts I heard from you a few seconds ago you think this is all of your fault. That you created a monster like Obito with careless acts from when you were younger."

The Copy nin went from patiently listening to the dead man to slightly mad.

"If you've been paying attention Uchiha then you would know it is my fault for these acts."

"I spoke to a man who called himself the Sage. He says he can give Naruto and Sasuke the means to end this war, but he has a feeling they will destroy each other. Sasuke, because of me, has too much hatred towards the village to allow Naruto to take him back. If I know my brother he will fight till the last breath before going back willingly. And Naruto is too caring to see Sasuke as a lost cause which I'm thankful for but it's gone too far."

Kakashi knew it too. He could see that while Sasuke and Naruto worked better than any two ninja could ever hope to they both had strong beliefs. Since neither was willing to bend they would both break instead. That would leave Sakura, Sai and Yamato to pick up their pieces without Kakashi. Team 7 was more than his original students the other two had grown onto them. Sai finally acting human, and Tenzo/Yamato had been considering retiring from the ANBU before everything went down. The five of them had become one unit and when Sasuke had joined them in their fight against Obito, and then Madara, they were complete. Functioning like a perfect elite team. Everything the two Uchiha had thrown at them was nothing until they stepped out to fight them themselves.

"I've been given a gift from the Sage Kakashi."

Itachi for the first time looked like someone younger than him. He looked scared and it was unsettling to the Copy nin.

"If it's a gift for you then why are we here Itachi? Since I cannot help my squad I would like to die in peace now."

Itachi smiled at him as if Kakashi was a slow child and wasn't getting it.

"This gift would allow me to fix things but I don't think I can change much of how I handled life with what I was given. I was too young for people to listen to me, but strong enough to be used. That is why the Sage is allowing me to choose someone else to go back instead."

The pieces were coming together and Kakashi looked at the raven haired man in near shock.

"You're saying he gave you a second chance and you're giving it up?"

"Not giving it up, just giving it to someone who can do more than I could with it."

The light atmosphere the man had around him changed as his smiling face became serious.

"I have gone down the list Kakashi. From Hokage's, Sanin, previous clan Heads, and even rouges from every Village. I have seen all of their lives and how they have lived them and the only one who I could think to do this was you."

Kakashi was shocked, he felt sick and he didn't even think that was possible being dead and all. Itachi Uchiha had been given a chance to change his life and he was giving it to Kakashi instead. It didn't make sense to him. Sure he had screwed up a lot but Itachi was stronger than Kakashi could ever hope to be. Both mentally and physically from what he had been through. Kakashi didn't like to admit it but he wasn't the strongest ninja out there. He was smart and could read people well, he got into his opponents head before taking them out. Itachi did it without so much as a thought.

With all of this running through his head Kakashi could only think of one word to say to the man.

"Why?"

The mocking smile was back as he took a step towards Kakashi his right hand lifting from his side. It looked like he was holding something in his fist but Kakashi couldn't see what it was.

"Because you know them. You know who those two are, you can stop the only people I consider family from tearing each other apart. They won't trust me in any life. I have to take out my clan, I have to join the Akatsuki. Those things cannot change. Just like Sasuke has to leave the Village, and Team 7 has to learn everything they have up to this point."

Whatever was in Itachi's hand it had started to glow slightly with a sort of yellowish hue.

"You can even go as far back as you want to be able to save Obito but just because he won't be working for Madara doesn't mean the man won't find someone else. Madara will always be a threat and this fight will happen if you don't find a way to stop him beforehand. So make sure your students know what they do now. Make sure they can defend themselves and protect one another when the time comes. Because we might not have been able to stop him, but they can. Even if it means they destroy each other afterwards."

"Itachi my life has been one bad decision after another. What makes you think I am anywhere near qualified to do this?"

Itachi was close enough that his hand was almost touching the older man's chest, right where his heart beat with nerves.

"You will have all of your memories of this timeline. I've seen the things you have done remember, and I heard your thoughts moments ago as you were dying. You know what you have to change but be careful Kakashi. Change too much and your students won't be who they are meant to be, and you will be left alone to struggle through it."

Kakashi nodded. Slightly accepting that he would do this. If it meant his team would be together and not end up at each other's throats instead, he was in. Itachi was right, he knew what to change. He was already thinking of a day to go back to. There were just some things that had to happen and some he could avoid ever suffering through.

"Let me ask you one thing Itachi before I agree to take on this task for you."

The raven haired man paused and looked to Kakashi.

"What is it?"

"How am I to convince the younger you to work with me? You are skilled and if I am to change things I want this second chance to be yours as well. Weather you know it or not."

Itachi's smile was uncontainable.

"Believe me Kakashi I wish there was a different way for me but there isn't. I was sick when I was alive and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. My eyes, and heart were weakening me slowly and painfully over the years. Had Sasuke not killed me I wouldn't have lived more than a few months anyway."

"Tsunade came back to the Village. No one is better than her, I will find a way to help you now tell me what I want to know or there is no deal."

Kakashi used his best commanding voice from his ANBU days and Itachi looked like the teenager he had met all those years ago for just a second before answering him.

"Truthfully I was young back then. When the Hokage gave me the mission I knew I would carry it out without hesitation. My clan was corrupt and they would infect my brother and the whole Village if I didn't stop them. Only if someone had come to me and told me I wasn't alone I would have been happier in the years to come. It wasn't until I traveled with Kisame that I felt companionship and like I belonged for a moment. Even if it was a lie I simply needed a link to others. Something to keep me from being alone."

Kakashi smiled.

"Then I'm ready Itachi. I know when I want to go back to as well."

Itachi smiled and clapped his free hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"You were once my commander and if you came to the younger me before or after the massacre I would have still listened to you. I might have even let you kill me and spare Sasuke the trouble. Just know that and you should be able to reach my younger self. Now when am I sending you back to?"

"The night of the Kyuubi attack 16 years ago."

Itachi nodded with a smirk.

"I was hoping you would pick that one. I can't go with you but the Sage is allowing me to watch over you with him. I won't be able to do anything but watch and wait so don't screw it up this time or you'll wish you hadn't agreed to this Sempai."

Kakashi didn't get to reply as Itachi slammed his glowing fist into his chest. The light pulsed through Kakashi's body and he felt like screaming. He vaguely wondered if this is what it felt like to be hit with a Chidori or Rasengan. The pain of all of that power chorusing through him was immense and he felt like it would never stop.

Until it did. He hit the ground and his body jolted like waking from a bad dream.

Kakashi opened his eyes to blackness. It wasn't something new to him but after assuming he had died he figured maybe the whole talk with Itachi wasn't real. Maybe it was the dying dream of a dead man. Maybe it was nothing at all.

There was an earth shattering explosion lighting up the area. Kakashi was able to see he was laying on the ground surrounded by trees. Then his body seemed to come alive as Kakashi realized he was alive. The pain that shot through his body nearly made him scream. Instead he grunted and rolled onto his side as he curled up in agony.

"Captain!"

Voices called out. Not that far from him but he couldn't tell who's voice it was.

"Captain!"

Someone landed one the ground close to where Kakashi was laying.

"There you are! Are you okay Captain?"

It was then that Kakashi realized they were speaking to him. He quickly tried to recognize the person and when he did the Copy nin couldn't breathe. It was Bird, also known as Reiko Sarutobi the future mother of Konohamaru Sarutobi. They worked on the same squad until she became pregnant with her son and then died during birth complications. She was only a few years older than Kakashi himself and the third Hokage's daughter.

Kakashi also hadn't seen her in over thirteen years on the account of she was dead. Only there she crouched next to him probably no older than 20. He jumped up into a sitting position and grabbed her shoulders in shock.

"Re-Bird! What's going on?"

"We got separated from Yondaime-sama and, and-"

A roar rang out in the night and Kakashi looked over to see something he had spent years trying to forget. The Kyubi was there standing over the Village looking as tall as the Hokage mountain. Quicker than his pained body liked Kakashi sprang to his feet. Ignoring Bird, and offhandedly acknowledging his shorter height as he jumped across trees to reach the Nine-Tails. If the fox was there than so was his teacher, so was Naruto. Kakashi's body screamed in pain, and his feet carried him as quickly as he could force them to his destination. The beast was rampaging, destroying everything in its path, and then there was Gamabunta, seeming to fall out of the sky. Kakashi knew he was too late to save his teacher at this point but he forced his feet to move faster.

He had been too far away.

By the time he reached the sight of the fight Minato laid on the ground with his hand over a crying infant. A baby Kakashi recognized all too well. He walked on shaking legs as he approached his fallen sensei and the crying baby. He knew Minato was dead, he knew there was no chance in saving him after his teacher used that jutsu to seal the Nine-Tails.

"Damnit Itachi you didn't give me enough time. I could have, I could have done something."

He whispered in anger to the man he hoped was listening.

Kakashi was close enough to see the blonde spikey hair on Naruto's tiny head, and also to know for sure Minato wasn't breathing. Kakashi couldn't handle listening to the baby cry and lifted him into his arms. He wrapped the blanket tighter around the baby's small frame, and rocked him in his arms for a moment. When he turned away from the dead body of his sensei the other ninja began to gather. Kakashi was still wearing his mask and only a select few knew who he was underneath it. It had been so long since he had donned the complete ANBU mask. He had almost forgotten how heavy it was, compared to the tiny child he held in his arms it seemed to weigh a thousand blood soaked pounds. Shifting the baby to one arm Kakashi harshly ripped his mask away. His Sharingan spinning as he saw the looks of horror and hatred in the ninja's eyes as they settled on Naruto. These people weren't stupid, they knew what happened to the tailed beast.

They were sealed.

"Good job Captain now hand over the child so we can take him to the Sandaime."

It was an ANBU who had stepped forward. The man didn't remove his mask but Kakashi could see his eyes. He could see the hatred already burning in them. Kakashi gripped Naruto tighter and his Sharingan went from a three tome to a full on Mangekyo as he glared down the other ANBU captain.

"I'll take him."

The gathering men parted for him as he moved forward.

"The Yondaime has fallen. I will take this child to the Third, you should tend to your fallen leader instead of fussing over an infant who isn't even an hour old!"

He barked out in anger as he walked away from the group and his fallen teacher. It vaguely accrued to him that Naruto had stopped crying the second they left the clearing. Looking down at the sleeping face of his future student Kakashi's heart clenched.

If this was really happening then Kakashi was fifteen and he was the only one that knew this day would lead to the destruction of them all. That is if he doesn't stop it first starting now.