Title: Unexpected
Summary: Kakashi is saved by someone entirely unexpected.
Disclaimer: I don't claim the rights to Naruto, but what passes as plot is hopefully mine, as are the unfortunate mistakes contained therein.
Words: ~2200 [complete]
A/N: Because I've read several Iruka-Is-a-Dragon fics and loved them all.
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Hatake Kakashi, Master of a Thousand Jutsus and loyal jounin of Konoha, was completely and utterly screwed. And not in the enjoyable Icha Icha kind of way.
He was more than a day away from Konoha at full tilt, wounded in more places than he cared to count (which made running far more difficult than it had any right to be), and suffering from chakra depletion so severe that his vision was blurring along the edges. And he had three relatively fresh, angry Kawa-nin pursuing him, with less than friendly intentions.
The fact that he had managed to eliminate two of their companions somewhere along the road had only made them angrier and solidified their resolve to see him dead, regardless of the fact that his mission hadn't actually taken place in Kawagakure. Such was the price to pay for undercover missions, where it was necessary to keep Konoha's involvement a secret.It wasn't unreasonable of them to assume that the nondescript man who couldn't quite pass off as a simple civilian they had stumbled upon on their patrol had been there for a mission. They didn't need to know if affiliation to assume the worst and act accordingly.
Kakashi hadn't even managed to land a blow since one of the Kawa-nin had succumbed to one of his hasty jutsus, while they had managed to hit him with quite a few unpleasant jutsus and the odd shuriken or kunai (Kakashi wasn't actually paying attention to the difference; all that he knew was that something pointy had hit him in the back, and while it hadn't been poisoned, it had hurt).
Famed copy-nin or not, Kakashi was running out of options.
He was panting harshly, slowing more with every jump as they aggravated the sluggishly bleeding wound in his side. The blow that had caused it had thankfully failed to land properly, but it had still left him with a wide gash along the bottom of his ribs, which tore open with every breath.
Ideally, he would have stopped to bandage it but he estimated that the other ninjas where only about three minutes behind him, and gaining. The last trap he had manages to rig using the remainder of his wire strings and explosive tags had slowed them a bit, but not enough to make much of a difference.
Kakashi knew his limits well enough to admit that he wasn't going to make it back to the relative safety of the village. The fact that they where willing to pursue him this far past Fire Country boarders spoke volumes about their desire to kill him, regardless of the lack of provocation on his part. Killing some of them had been nothing more than self-defence; they really shouldn't hold it against him. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't killed any Kawagakure citizens in a long while; and even those couldn't be tied back to him. So really, they had no reason to be so vicious. Unless they had some sort of personal vendetta against him, which was possible. Unfortunately, none of their faces seemed particularly familiar and they weren't really in a talkative mood, so he couldn't be certain.
Kakashi new he would have to stop somewhere and make a last stand, taking as many of them as he could to the afterlife. He certainly hoped to outlive them, since it would be a fairly depressing way to go. But, if by some stroke of luck, he did manage to defeat them all without the use of any Chakra techniques, since anything other than the minimum required for tree walking would undoubtedly knock him out if not outright kill him, then he just might hold on long enough for a patrol to find him. Even if he managed to kill his assailants on his own and survive it, Kakashi doubted he'd make it back to the village by his own power. It was a depressing though, especially since he wouldn't be able to avoid a trip to the hospital if someone else had to drag his sorry ass back.
The trees began thinning soon after he came to his decision, leading to a clearing, which looked out onto a small lake Kakashi was unfamiliar with. With a glance, he selected a tree on the far edge of the clearing that should give him a good view of the Kawa-nin as they emerged from the trees, without being immediately visible to them. It would buy him a few extra seconds to hopefully land a hit with his remaining kunai or shuriken. He would keep only a kunai with him to use against which ever ones he didn't hit.
He took advantage of the momentary respite to catch his breath and hastily bind the wound in his side, as well as one of the deeper gashes on his leg. It wouldn't do to pass out from blood loss before doing any damage. As it was, he'd already lost enough that it was rapidly becoming a concern.
Sooner than he would have liked, the sounds of their approach reached him. He tensed on the branch, ready to throw his shuriken the moment he had a clear shot, and to immediately leave his perch for a nearby branch, without giving them the chance to spot his position and retaliate.
Or at least, that had been the plan; his chance to act never came.
Just as the first enemy-nin came into view, a green blur emerged from the lake, in an explosion of water droplets.
Either one of the Kawa-nin had managed to get him with a genjutsu without his notice (unlikely), he was hallucinating (possible, but still not very likely since none of his wounds were poisoned, and the blood loss cum chakra depletion weren't that severe), or that was a dragon. Kakashi prided himself on his ability to adapt to strange things flawlessly and without hesitation, but that an unusual sigh by anyone's standards. Still, he remained where he was and decided to simply observe for the time being, to better understand if the dragon was likely to attack him or the enemy-nin or simply do nothing. The last two options where perfectly fine in Kakashi's books, especially if they happened one after the other. The first, not so much.
The dragon's hide was a blue-green tint which would have blended perfectly into the water, explaining why Kakashi had failed to notice it when he first entered the clearing. It looked to be about thirty feet long, with a serpentine body, and a pair of horns curving backwards from the top of its head. Kakashi prepared himself to bolt, Kawa-nin be damned, as it turned it diamond-shaped head so that one dark eye was level with Kakashi's perch, zeroing in on his position with ease. It seemed to tense, perhaps preparing to lunge in his direction.
The Kawa-nin chose that moment to burst from the trees, effectively drawing the dragon's attention away from Kakashi and on to them. It turned its head sharply in their direction, barring its teeth with a resonant growl. They froze where they stood, poised to attack, no doubt thinking Kakashi had been the one to summon it. Not an unreasonable assumption, since while extremely rare, dragon summons weren't entirely unheard of. Personally, Kakashi had no idea what a dragon of all things was doing so close to Konoha, without a summon or other companion in sight, but he wasn't about to question his good fortune, provide the beast didn't turn against him once it was done with the Kawa-nin. He really hoped not, since he doubted he'd be able to outrun a dragon, let alone fight it off. Not as injured an exhausted as he was, anyways.
Without warning, the dragon lunged towards the Kawa-nin, snapping powerful jaws closed around the first one's head, killing her instantly. The other two retaliate immediately with a barrage of fire based jutsu, no doubt assuming the dragon to be a water type, based on its entrance and appearance.
The dragon wove around each new jutsu, body contorting into strange positions that somehow manage to seem fluid and almost elegant, progressively getting closer to its targets. There was a pause in the onslaught as the two shinobi attempt to retreat to the trees, no doubt hoping that the dragon would allow itself to be confined by the wide trunks and low hanging branches, thus enabling them to successfully land a hit. The dragon seemed aware or their intentions and instead seizes the opportunity to lunge forwards in a flash, charging head first like an enraged bull. The effect was similar, as it lead to one of the remaining Kawa-nin impaled on a tree, horns buried deep into his chest. The shinobi expired with a pained gasp, blood bubbling from his open mouth as the dragon wrenched its head free.
The remaining enemy ninja took one look at his fallen comrades and turned tail, no doubt deciding that after four deaths, whatever grudge he'd held towards Kakashi was simply not worth it. Unfortunately for him, the dragon had anticipated that reaction and was having none of it, having placed itself between him and the edge of the clearing. With a snarl, it coiled itself tightly around the man, and squeezed the life out of him with the resounding sound of snapping bones.
The dragon uncoiled itself from around its crushed victim and ambled back towards Kakashi's tree, all the while liking its blood covered snoot with a delicate tongue. For the first time since it had appeared, the dragon was positioned in such a way that Kakashi could clearly see the unmistakable scar just under its eyes.
"Iruka?" Kakashi croaked, swallowing hard as he started at the dragon with his eye as wide as it could get. He was sorely tempted to uncover his Sharingan, chakra drain be damned. How often would he be in a position record a dragon he had only ever know as a fellow shinobi of Konoha, and a chuunin at that.
That aside, this was exactly the type of situation that reminded Kakashi of the many benefits that came with covering three quarters of his face. Namely, the fact that the dragon – Iruka – couldn't see his undignified gapping. Kakashi was not a man easily surprised, nor one to let people know when he was.
The dragon didn't bother with a verbal answer (assuming Iruka was capable of such things, in that form), preferring to slip into the lake to wash the remaining blood from his scales, which gave Kakashi's brain time to process that yes, this dragon was Iruka, no doubt about it. No other ninja could convey that level of exasperation while maintaining a perfectly polite demeanor, while in the body of a dragon.
Once he had rid himself of the blood and bits of enemy ninja, Iruka emerged from the lake and shook the excess water from his lean body. Without further preamble, Iruka's large frame began to shrink and fold in on itself, bones reshaping and repositioning themselves. In less than a minute, a very human – and naked – Umino Iruka had replaced the impressive form of the blue-green dragon. Kakashi couldn't help but to glance over the other man's body, shamelessly. Chuunin Academy Teacher or not, Iruka still had the perfectly sculpted body of an active duty shinobi, which Kakashi could certainly appreciate.
"Are you in need of immediate medical assistance, Kakashi-san?" Iruka asked, starling Kakashi out of his reverie. His head was titled upwards to inspect Kakashi for obvious injuries, who was still perched on his low hanging branch.
"No, no I'll be fine until we get back to the village."
"Good."
Iruka didn't bother looking in Kakshi's direction again, preferring to dress himself quickly, having stored his usual attire in a nearby nook. Once dressed, he peered up at Kakashi again, before turning sharply in the direction of Konoha and beginning the trek back. He had reached the edge of the clearing and was preparing to jump onto a branch before turning back towards Kakashi.
"Well, come along then. We'd better start heading back if we want to make it to the village before you pass out, and I don't plan on carrying you."
The abrupt words where enough to jolt Kakashi out of his stupor, and to prompt him into following the other man with only a few stumbles as he forced his stiff body into motion.
They traveled in silence for a few moments, Kakashi needing to focus most of his remaining energy on not passing out or stumbling, before he gave in to his curiosity. He wasn't one to deny himself, after all.
"So…" he began, in his usual lazy drawl, not letting on about how stunned he truly was. "You're a dragon. How does that work, exactly?"
"Just shut up and walk, Hatake."
Kakashi smiled under his mask at the exasperation that was plain in the other man's voice. His smile broadened at the half-hearted glare Iruka favored him with.
Kakashi had a feeling this would be the start of a beautiful friendship. After all, a man who spent twenty seven years living in a ninja village and who managed to conceal such a major secret was far more interesting than he let on. Kakashi had always been one to enjoy a good mystery.