The battlefield smelled acrid with death and smoke. The tangy taste of chakra hung in the air. It prickled at the skin like static, sending the hair on their arms on end. Everyone on the battlefield was haggard, chakra gone and bleeding out. The entire Allied Shinobi Nations were dying, or already dead. Whatever jutsu Kaguya used was calling forth meteors that ripped the ground apart.

The only shinobi left to fight were Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Kakashi had deep gashes in an 'x' on his chest. Sakura's face and arms were cut up, her left hand dislocated with torn tendons, useless. Sasuke had lost his obi and shirt, his pants had one leg missing up to the knee. His whole chest was covered in dirt and ash, marring his pale skin. The Rinnegan practically glowed, freshly placed in his socket. Missing a jacket and most of his mesh shirt, Naruto was barely standing. He leaned against the walls Sasano's wings created, out of breath and wounds slow to heal.

Even with the power of the Sage, the sun and the moon on their palms, Naruto and Sasuke weren't strong enough. They had, somehow, managed to keep Sakura and Kakashi alive, just barely. The two teens looked at each other, the connection they shared allowing them to talk through thoughts. The Sage had shown them another way.

Sakura wobbled over to the boys, her legs close to giving out on her. Her sandal caught on some rocks, causing her to tumble into Naruto. He caught her, his hands torn and bleeding against her uniform.

“Naruto.” Sasuke's voice was hoarse as he called out.

“Yeah...” He still had his hand around Sakura, holding her up. “We have a plan. It's reckless, and might not work, but it's a plan.”

Sakura looked between them, her surprise evident on her face. “Wh–what is it?”

Kakashi leaned against a boulder, his chest throbbing and head thumping. Sakura only had so much time to heal him before her wrist got torn. Then Kaguya nearly destroyed them with meteors. It was Sasuke's quick thinking that saved the four. Nothing could protect the others, the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces lay unprotected, dying. Or already dead.

He watched his kids, his team, the children he was given to train who turned into something bigger than himself. They were huddled together looking haggard and war-worn. He noticed Sasuke's hair was singed on the side. Sakura's midriff was showing thanks to her uniform getting shredded.

Then he noticed Naruto's eyes on him. Something passed over the blond's face as Sasuke whispered beside him. The crystal blue eyes darkened and shimmered in the purple glow of the Susano. The three began a slow walk toward their former sensei.

“Kaka-sensei,” Naruto began, kneeling in front of him. “We have an idea.” His mouth turned to a frown as he glanced between his two teammates. “There's a way we can stop this.” Naruto waved his hand around, indicating the whole war and the situation in general. “We can give the world a second chance, but we need your help.”

Sasuke, who remained standing, crossed his arms and looked down at him. “The Sage showed Naruto and me a jutsu for time travel.”

Kakashi's eyes widened. He couldn't have heard that right. Time travel is impossible, it can't happen, it's not logical.

“It's the Rinnegan, sensei,” Sakura explained. “With enough chakra, we can send you back.”

“Wait, send

me

back?” Kakashi's eyes snapped to hers. “No. One of you would make more sense. I can't go back.”

“Kakashi.” Sasuke cut him off. “The Sage refilled our chakra. Sakura still has a decent supply left. You, however, are nearly done. You are the obvious choice to send back.”

He tried to stand up, but he stumbled. Sakura caught him before he fell flat on his face. “Sensei, please. Just listen. We've discussed this, at length.”

His throat closed up as he looked at his pupils, his

kids

. They all grew up too fast and lost their innocence too soon. They were all so smart, so powerful. And they got that way on their own, with no help from him. “I – I screwed up at every turn. I hid things from you, didn't take care of you.” He looked at Sasuke with pleading eyes. “I let you stew in your hatred, never tried to bring you out of it. I was never your sensei when I needed to be.” He motioned toward Sakura. “And you, I saw your insecurities and just left you to deal with them on your own. And Naruto...I didn't do anything right with you.”

With a sad smile on his face, Naruto hit his knees in front of his beloved sensei. He took in the fear in Kakashi's eyes. “Sensei...you helped me in ways you will never know. There was never a moment you made me feel as if I was the demon the village thought of me as. You pushed me to become stronger, better than I was. And I understand why you didn't want to be closer to me. I've met my parents, sensei. I look just like them. It had to be hard to look at me and not see them.”

“That's not an excuse, Naruto.” Kakashi ran a shaky hand through his hair, it was covered with dirt and grime. “I was so lost in my own grief I never fully let myself care about you guys.”

Sakura huffed out a laugh from her place beside Kakashi. “Oh, sensei, you're such a liar. You tried so hard to deny it, but you cared about us so much. We sensed it.”

There was a choked sound from Kakashi as he bent his head forward. “It wasn't enough. I was never enough.”

He felt a strong hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw mismatched eyes staring back. “Kakashi. It's not like you to wallow in self-doubt. This is your chance to make everything right.”

Sakura leaned in front of his face. “When you go back, don't let me fawn all over Sasuke. Put my head in the game, make me work as hard as the boys. Push me into medic training early so I can save these two when they get hurt.” She hiked a thumb toward her teammates.

“Tell me about my parents.” Naruto chimed in. “I can handle it, I promise. It will make me want to learn about them, about my clan. There's so much more I could be...you can make me that. I know you can. Push me. Don't let me give up. And always remember, sensei, I learn best by

doing

not from lectures.” He said the last part with a wink.

Sasuke took a pause, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts. “I was alone. For the longest time, I thought that is what I wanted. When Team 7 was formed, I felt like they would bring me down, be a liability, and make me weaker. I was told to live in anger, to hate and get stronger with the hate. But...being with you guys reminded me what it felt like to have a family.” He took a deep breath as if the words coming out were actually hurting him. “Orochimaru's curse seal...it puts thoughts into your head. It makes you believe he is the only one who could help you. I was in a dark place for a long time. Kakashi, don't let me kill my brother.

Please

.”

Their minds were made up, Kakashi could see that. There was nothing he could do or say to change it. In their heads, this was the only way. The air was stagnant inside of Susano's protective wings. Everything was coated in a purple glow that glinted off of every reflective surface around them.

“Sensei.” Naruto prompted. “It's time to go.”

Tears welled up in Kakashi's eyes as he looked at his students. “Wait, just...” He felt for someone's hand to hold and pulled them forward. It was Sasuke who fell onto his shoulder. He flailed out again, gripping a mesh shirt and pulling forward. He caught Sakura next, having all of his kids in his arms again. “You need to know, all of you. I'm so proud of you all.”

Sasuke was tense in the hug as if it was taking his willpower to hold him there. Naruto and Sakura, however, melted into him as if this was what they needed to hear. With a jolt to his heart, Kakashi realized they

probably did

need to hear it. He'd never said it before.

Sasuke allowed the hug longer than Kakashi had expected before pulling back. “Kakashi.”

He nodded and reached for help to stand up. Sakura and Naruto took each side, pulling him up by the armpits. Wavering and hunched over, he locked his knees and held still. Sasuke stood in front of him, Naruto and Sakura flanking him, hand on his shoulder. A flurry of hand signs and Sasuke closed his right eye, focusing on Kakashi with the Rinnegan. A tear ripped behind him, black and purple dancing around inside the opening.

“You can do this, sensei.” Sakura smiled.

A nagging question tugged at Kakashi's mind, but he was afraid of the answer. “What will happen to you three?”

“We will cease to exist,” Sasuke said simply.

Naruto nudged Sasuke with a silent reprimand. “We're aiming for before the chuunin exams. It depends on how much chakra we have. Kurama is helping, but he doesn't have his full reserve right now.”

“You will wake up in your body as you were then, but you will have all of these memories. So you can stop what needs stopped and change was needs changed.” Sakura tilted her head and smiled. It was so nostalgic Kakashi could have cried.

“No pressure, sensei,” Naruto added with a smirk.

There was a wind-heavy whistle sound coming from the tear behind Kakashi. He sent a glance at it before turning back to his kids. He'd always thought of them as

his

. No matter what they did, who they became, he would always –

“I love you kids.”

Sasuke's eyes widened, his face slack in shock. Then he schooled it again, blank of emotion. Naruto and Sakura teared up, lips wobbling.

“Step into the portal...

sensei

.” Sasuke's voice was low as he said the honorific for the first time to Kakashi.

It didn't go unnoticed by anyone. They all sensed the shift around them, the click in Sasuke's mind as he fully realized what happened, what he lost when he left. He had a second chance, they all did. It was on Kakashi's shoulders. It wasn't fair, but it was the only way. One last look at his kids, at how they were now, and Kakashi slowly turned around. With haggard, slow steps, he hobbled toward the tear in time behind him.

It felt like a tug behind his navel, someone reaching inside of him and pulling. His ears rang and his vision spun in front of him. Kakashi shut his eyes tight, his stomach lurching and twisting.

Then nothing. Darkness.