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[Kakashi Hatake]

Pakkun bounded through the dense forest, traversing the tangled growth as he made his way dutifully back to Mokugakure. His tiny paws barely graced the surface of the overgrown forest floor as he sprang nimbly to and fro, bobbing through the sea of tree trunks. From behind him the pup could hear the crashing of boughs as his companion blundered through the underbrush.

“Heh. Gotta keep up, big guy,” the petite pug snarked. His keen senses told him the massive beast had ably kept pace since they had passed through the gate, though he could not gain on the spry ninken. A muffled howl followed by a particularly loud crash from behind confirmed his thoughts. “Easy, we’re almost there.”

The pair of canines had been traveling from the gate for nearly a half hour. Though in the past the pup had relied purely on the Reverse-Summoning jutsu to teleport him back to his home, techniques like these seemed to be slightly less effective in this realm. Sadly, he had found himself merely 50 meters or so from where he had begun upon attempting the maneuver. Useful, no doubt, though with the distance he and Bull would need to travel, running worked just as well. He supposed it was all for the best, though. Bull was not a fast study when it came to jutsu.

The miniature pug and his enormous bulldog companion soon found the familiar village, its tree-wall coming into view in the distance. Pakkun noted the increasingly sparse tree cover as Mokugakure neared, a telltale sign that they had truly arrived. Though far from home, the ninken found some measure of comfort in the existence of this protective oasis of sorts within the otherwise hostile forest. The same could not be said for his summoner, sadly. Kakashi’s a troubled guy, he thought.

Pakkun decreased his pace as they neared, allowing Bull to finally reach the heels of his comrade. The duo slowed to a stop as they reached the Village’s gate, the larger dog barking triumphantly as landed beside his companion. Pakkun glanced up at the larger ninken, rolling his eyes. “Yup, you win again.” The miniature pug only narrowly avoided the excited Bull’s slobbery tongue, bounding quickly into the village.

- -

“Hello again, Pakkun.”

The Morikage sat at her usual station, the messy pile of paperwork making its way closer and closer to the ceiling. She sat in her trademark pose, a single elbow propping up her deceivingly-dainty chin. A smile crept across her countenance as the pair of ninken strode into her office.

“Lady Morikage,” the pug responded, taking a seat on the rough wooden floor. He bowed his head in respect as he spoke, his noble gesture lasting precisely two seconds before his over-eager companion toppled him with his gooey tongue.

Tsunade chuckled softly, straightening her posture. “I’m glad you two found your way here safely once more. The Tangled Green is not known for its hospitality.” She paused, glancing out her office window at the village below. “How is Kakashi?”

Pakkun struggled against the weight of the affectionate bulldog, finally managing to free himself from the hound’s slobbery embrace after a few moments. “Well, he lost.”

Tsunade didn’t blink, maintaining her sidelong gaze out the open office window. “I know. I mean how is he feeling?”

Pakkun paused for a moment, cocking his head at the inquiry. “Fine, I guess. He’s in the infirmary. How did you know he’d failed his mission?”

The Morikage smirked, finally turning to face the pug once more. “It’d only be a failure if it were actually a mission.”

“I’m sorry?”

The Senju heir shook her head slowly, her blonde braids swaying behind her. “You didn’t think it odd that I send a brand-new Prime out into a deathmatch?”

The ninken paused for a beat, blinking slowly. “Uh...now that you mention it, it is a little out of the ordinary.”

Tsunade nodded, her smirk fading. “You see Pakkun, I’m not from the same...place as you and Kakashi. We’re all from Konohagakure, sure, but I’ve seen more of his life than he has yet experienced.”

The pug remained puzzled, his doggy brow furrowing. “Does this have something to do with that ‘Omni’ thing that brought us all here?”

The slug queen nodded. “You could say that,” she stood from her chair as she spoke, turning her back on the hound to gaze out her window once more at the village she governed. “Kakashi’s in a difficult place,” she continued, “One that both my master and his own failed to pull him from.”

“Lord Third and Lord Fourth?” Pakkun inquired, realization spreading across his wrinkled face.

“They had both failed to pull him from his darkness. The weight of the guilt on his back is hard to fathom.” The Morikage gazed over the village, looking toward the treeline. “Much of my time before the Omniverse is murky and hard to recall, but I remember enough to know that Kakashi is not beyond redemption. I’ve seen him grow, seen him heal. He needs only to find it for himself.”

“Find what...exactly?” the pug inquired. Tsunade’s words brought only more questions in the ninken’s mind.

“Someone to protect and someone to teach him as he teaches them.” The princess smiled as her thoughts reached back to that boisterous blonde genin. “I sent him to Camelot in hopes that he’d find someone like that. He wouldn’t have gone if he were not commanded.”

Pakkun nodded slowly. Though the Morikage’s words largely confused the mutt, he could tell she knew what she was doing sending the scarecrow into the lion’s den. “So how do you know he’ll find his way?”

“I don’t,” she said simply, turning to face the ninken. Her normally stern expression was soft, as a mother speaking of a child. “But if my predecessors’ actions have taught me anything, it’s that continuing down the path of bloodshed is not the answer. He has to find his own way.”

The ninken sighed. “I’ll trust that you know what’s best, Lady Tsunade. I won’t speak of this to him.”

“Thank you, Pakkun,” the Morikage replied, smiling.