Disclaimer: I took creative license with Mabui's jutsu, including the heavenly transfer technique which I know is only for inanimate objects. I also took creative license with the time line… and the timing of Hyuga affair to be precise. Hope you enjoy! Let me know about any criticisms, I've changed parts of the first two chapters all ready.
These characters are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto - with the exception of Mabui's children and parents... they are OCs.
A fifteen-year-old, Kakashi Hatake, crouched in the branches of a tall tree. They had been tracking this group for a few days now, and they were already miles within the Land of Fire, heading towards Konohagakure. The group would only be allowed to approach the village for so long before they would have to be dealt with. He leaned back into the deeper shadows as he listened to the voices nearby. Then he turned his head slightly to get a view of the group.
They were Kumo shinobi. Three of them looked younger than him... they could have still been genin. Though this would have been a rather high level mission for a group of genin, and despite their youth, none of them showed any signs of inexperience. The fourth was an older man and must have been their team leader and sensei.
"Jay sensei, what're the chances that we're this far into leaf territory without encountering any Konoha shinobi?" asked a pale blonde girl with blue eyes, who wore a tanto at her hip. She looked around herself suspiciously.
Her sensei, a dark brown man with a shaved head and dark glasses, replied, "It is strange."
"If we split up, it will be easier to remain covert." The man continued. "Atsui with Mabui –continue our current route. Samui and I will head west and then circle back south."
The three younger shinobi nodded. Then the older ninja and the blonde girl left the clearing, running to the west. They left behind the other two Kumo shinobi, a pale blonde boy, who looked like the male version of the blonde kunoichi. He carried a katana with a white hilt. And a thin silvered haired girl with brilliant green eyes and brown skin. She carried a chokuto on her back with a red hilt.
Kakashi signaled to the ANBU hidden in the next tree, instructing him to follow the group running west. He stayed to watch the remaining two, sliding his cat mask over his face and quietly moving after them as they continued southwest towards the village.
There was tentative peace between Kumo and Konoha, but it was common knowledge that Kumo had not yet followed the peace treaty guidelines and demilitarized like the other villages. In response, Konoha held onto multiple of Kumo's more dangerous captured shinobi. The ANBU had been monitoring for an attempt to recover the prisoners. So far, they had only found groups scouting the area.
At first, Kakashi thought it was useless to follow this group. They were young and nothing seemed particularly special about them. No one would have pinpointed this team, as the team that Kumo would send for a recovery attempt. But something told him to keep following them anyway, and they continued to move on a much more determined path than the other scouting groups. One of them must have had a special technique that the cloud was counting on.
They all carried swords, and like most Kumo shinobi appeared proficient in kenjutsu. When they encountered a small group of bandits before crossing the border, they had fought well together. He had seen the blonde boy produce a large flame from his sword, so he had some sort of fire release jutsu. The blonde girl had a very tactical mind, and the others seemed to defer to her, at times even more so than the team leader.
He finally pinpointed the silver haired girl as the one with the special technique. She was reckless, as though not particularly concerned for her own safety. At times, leaving herself open, in order to protect her teammates. And she had some sort of teleporting technique which she could use to transport others. This must have been how they planned to get the prisoners out.
They were getting too close to the village and not stopping. He made the decision that he would have to take them out. Kakashi picked up speed, catching up to them and passing them. He circled around to approach them from the front.
He lifted his headband to reveal his sharingan and made the hand seals, activating his chidori. As the two young shinobi came into view, he moved from the trees into their path to strike the blonde ninja.
"Watch out!" The silver haired kunoichi yelled as she simultaneously made hand seals. The blonde boy disappeared as Kakashi was about to make contact with him. With lightning speed, he appeared almost instantaneously behind Kakashi, drawing his katana and sending a flame out of the end of the sword that Kakashi barely dodged.
Knowing she was going to leave herself open to protect the boy, a clone came at her from the left. She dodged a blow from the clone's fist, just in time. Making another set of hand seals, a large metal fan appeared in front of her, taking the impact of Kakashi's chidori. The girl drew her chokuto in a circular motion and sliced through the clone's neck. The blonde boy pivoted left to slash at Kakashi's arm as he hit the fan. He saw through this easily with his sharingan, using the body replacement technique just before the katana made contact.
The two cloud ninja watched as the wounded Kakashi changed to a log. They dropped to the ground, standing back to back, their swords at ready. They searched the trees for any sign of him.
Mabui whispered, "Do you know who that was? He had a sharingan ...and that lightning technique."
"Yea. I know exactly who that was." Atsui replied, irritated. "They call him 'Cold blooded Kakashi', he's killed so many with that chidori of his."
"How'd we get lucky enough to run into this particular ANBU? He has a sharingan. We'll never get out of this." Mabui moaned.
"What're you worried about? He might have a sharingan, but he isn't an Uchiha. We'll be fine... as long as you do what you need to do!" Atsui snapped, his temper getting the best of him.
Mabui looked worried. She was not certain she was up to the task, but she could not let Atsui or the rest of the team down. Reluctantly, she said, "Yes. Ok."
"COME OUT AND FACE US, KAKASHI OF THE LEAF!" Atsui demanded.
On cue, Kakashi appeared above Atsui. Jumping down from the tall tree branches above the cloud ninja, he swung his tanto down at the boy's head. Atsui just barely deflected the blow with his katana. Kakashi jumped back and crouched down, slicing at Mabui's legs and grazing her calves, before blocking Atsui's next strike.
Mabui barely registered the blow. Recovering quickly from Kakashi's sword, she swung her own sword at the leaf ninja, but was blocked by a kunai that appeared suddenly in Kakashi's right hand. Kakashi pushed both of his weapons forward, using his shear strength to over power the two younger shinobi. He pushed them both back and off balance.
Throwing Mabui off of her feet easily, he tossed the kunai at her long shirt, pinning her sleeve to the ground. Then he blocked Atsui's next sword swing before pivoting to the right and punching the blonde boy in the face.
With the punch, Atsui flew back and skidded on the ground on his butt. Kakashi moved over top of the boy, punching him again in the face. Atsui was out cold.
Finally getting her sleeve free from the kunai, Mubai made hand seals, and the unconscious Atsui disappeared from underneath Kakashi, instantaneously appearing in her arms.
Coolly Kakashi walked over to the two young shinobi on the ground. Standing above them, he placed his tanto at Mabui's throat, and stated, "You're too far in leaf territory. We know you're here for your prisoners, but you won't get any further."
That is when he noted numerous paper bombs right behind Mabui's back. "Shit!"
He started his body replacement, but Mabui had set the explosion as soon as she fell, and it came too quick. In his attempt to escape, the explosion blew him off of his feet, filling the entire clearing with smoke and fire. He hit a nearby tree, head first. His head rang with the impact. His eyes blurred, and with the resulting head concussion, he passed out.