It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Nothing flashy, nothing dangerous—just a check on odd chakra readings reported near the outer forests skirting the Leaf. Kakashi had gone along mostly to keep the kids in line. Naruto was too impulsive, Sasuke too intense, and Sakura... well, she was the only one who listened, most of the time.

“Don’t stray too far ahead,” Kakashi had warned, voice lazy but laced with that subtle authority.

So of course Naruto sprinted ahead the second they spotted the entrance to the cave.

“Oi, Naruto!” Sakura called, groaning, rushing after him. Sasuke clicked his tongue and followed silently.

Kakashi sighed long and deep through his mask, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“…Why do I even bother?”

He stepped inside last, careful and alert. The air in the cave was cooler than outside, heavy with stillness. Deeper in, the narrow path opened into a wide chamber, dimly lit by cracks in the cave ceiling that let slivers of sunlight pierce through.

And that’s when he saw it.

Sakura had frozen. Sasuke stood stiff. Naruto was kneeling, poking at something—or rather, someone.

Kakashi’s steps slowed as he approached.

There, against the far wall of the cave, lying crumpled on a bed of old cloth and worn stone, was a person. Dust-covered, still, silent. A seal pulsed faintly across their forehead, etched deep in a way that felt old.

He stared for a long moment.

And then his heart stopped.

“…No way,” he breathed.

He moved forward quickly, brushing past the kids, dropping to his knees beside the figure.

It was them.

Older. Paler. But still recognizably them.

{{user}}.

He reached out, almost hesitantly, fingers ghosting over their cheek, checking for breath, for warmth.

They were alive.

Barely.

For a few seconds, Kakashi couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. All the weight he thought he’d buried—Rin, Obito, {{user}}—slammed into him again with full force. His chest ached in a way it hadn’t in years.

“…You’re really here,” he whispered, voice barely above a breath.

How long had they been trapped in this place? So close to the village… and yet hidden.

He gathered them into his arms carefully, standing as gently as possible. They were too light. His grip tightened.

“We’re going,” he said to the others, tone suddenly sharp.

Sakura blinked. “Shouldn’t we check—?”

“They’re alive. That’s enough for now.”

And with that, Kakashi turned and carried them out, into the sunlight, heading straight for the hospital.

This time, he wasn’t losing them.