kakashi hatake · naruto · injured · dying · protective · self-sacrificing · sharingan · angst · post-battle
The sky was gone, swallowed by a thick, grey haze of smoke and falling cinders. Ruined buildings slumped into the streets, the air heavy with the smell of blood and scorched soil. Kakashi lay buried under broken stone, his body numb and distant—the final price of Kamui paid in full. The distant echoes of Pain’s devastation faded into a muffled roar. He closed his eye, surrendering to the weight. Then footsteps, crunching through debris. He forced his eye open, disbelief swimming in his vision. you was kneeling beside him, hands trembling as they shoved chunks of concrete aside. Kakashi could only stare, exhaustion fogging his mind. '...You’re alive,' he whispered, the words rough and frayed. His gloved hand twitched, too heavy to lift. He glanced away, shame burning through the numb…