Hatake Kakashi, famed ninja of Konohagakure no Sato and proud pervert, strolled leisurely towards the Hokage tower with his nose in the newest volume of Icha Icha. It was only a few months until Naruto and his current sensei Jiraiya were slated to return, and all seemed right in the silver-haired man's world. His friends were all relatively safe, their students and his (with one exception) promising to eclipse them all in the not-so-distant future, just as it should be. The only dark spot seemed to be his current actions, which reminded him of just why the Hokage had wanted to see him today. Sighing, he prepared himself for an all-italic flashback to yesterday evening.

"Kakashi, glad you could make it under an hour late. Please sit down." Tsunade gestured vaguely for him to find a seat. This unnerved Kakashi for two reasons: Tsunade was never anything but angry about his habitual tardiness, and she never said please. Not to a subordinate.

So he sat, somewhat anxious now, and waited for the Godaime to start speaking. It didn't take long as she quickly adopted her most businesslike pose, both hands touching at the fingertips, held just beneath her chin, "You have been requested for a high ranking mission into foreign territory. You, specifically, and you alone. Konoha has never been contacted by the clients trying to hire you and we have no information concerning them in the archives. They are likewise telling us nothing about the mission they want you for, it's location, duration, nothing we use to judge mission ranks by." Here she stopped talking, and simply stared intently into Kakashi's lone, and suddenly serious, black eye.

Kakashi was hailed as many things, but before all else he had been called a genius. Rightfully so, considering his past and recent exploits. Therefore it took him all of a fraction of a second to piece together what Tsunade had said between the lines, "So then, it's up to me to decide whether or not I want this mission, eh?" at Tsunade's stiff nod, Kakashi thought a moment and asked, "Who was this person that contacted you? What did you think of him or her?"

Sighing, Tsunade relaxed her posture to rub her brow, then replied, "He was… unusual. Emotionless as any ninja, but the way he moved killed that possibility. He was a civilian, wearing strange clothing that I've never seen the like of before, and some sunglasses. Completely unassuming otherwise: medium build, medium height, brown hair, no scars or markings on his face, nothing distinguishing at all. He called himself… ah what was it…?" The Fifth maintained her thoughtful expression for a moment, then snapped her fingers, "Ah, yes. 'Anonymous Thug 142, but most just call him Chuck'."

At that, Kakashi's eyebrows rose considerably. Admitting he was some hired goon? And the 142nd hired goon among however many? Wtf?

Tsunade nodded in a somewhat commiserating manner and continued, "He said that the organization that sent him was called BORED." Seriously, wtf? "He said he would return whenever he felt like it to pick you up for the mission. When I politely (read: irately) informed him that all missions are scheduled strictly, he didn't seem to think about it much before saying he'd be back tomorrow at 9AM. Like it wasn't the first time someone had told him 'whenever' isn't the way they do business. What do you think, Kakashi?"

For his part, Kakashi seemed to be taking the information he was being given in stride. Outwardly he seemed to be contemplating what Tsunade had said with all seriousness. Inside, however… This is fucking ridiculous. I can't believe I'm still here considering this. Really, Tsunade was leaving the mission's acceptance or refusal completely in his hands. And with how things looked at the moment, the elite jounin would be perfectly within his rights as a sane, thinking being to refuse such a ridiculous request.

Although, if he was honest with himself, this was the most interesting thing to happen to him since he'd taken on Team 7 years ago. He could use something interesting in his life again. Things were relatively peaceful, the village wasn't on alert for anything other than the usual suspects, and that made things incredibly boring for a war veteran like Kakashi.

After a moment more of silent deliberation, the jounin gave his signature eye-smile and said simply, "Tomorrow at nine, you said?"

Shaking his head slightly to get the fuzzy effects of the flashback away, Kakashi glanced away from his book briefly to see that he was already in front of the Hokage tower. A short stroll later, and he was three floors up and standing in front of the Hokage's office.

Precisely one minute late.

Smiling to himself, the masked shinobi rapped thrice on the door and made his way inside, stopping short at the intense glare he was receiving from the Hokage. Eye-smiling at her, he chuckled contentedly to himself. That's better. "Sorry I'm late, but there was this odd man named Anonymous Thug 298 that asked where the post office was, and I had to show him the way."

Before Tsunade could verbally throttle him, an empty, emotionless voice came from Kakashi's right, behind the door, "Charlie? He shouldn't be here. Are you sure he said Anonymous Thug 298?"

Glancing around the door with a sweat drop firmly in place, Kakashi came eye-to-shades with Chuck. The man was exactly as Tsunade described him, and Kakashi was willing to bet he had only that one outfit in his closet. Eye-smiling again, Kakashi replied, "It was a joke, 142-san. Hokage-sama told me yesterday about your… unique name. I thought I'd just… never mind. Nice to meet you."

Showing no emotion, Chuck still managed to convey somehow that he didn't care much for Kakashi's humor. "Indeed. Are you ready to leave, Hatake-san?"

Shrugging off the odd man's complete lack of humor, Kakashi nodded. Chuck turned to the Hokage, saying simply, "We'll have him back to you later. Good day."

The two then departed as swiftly as Kakashi had arrived, saying not another word to the Godaime. As Tsunade watched them leave, she couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding directed at her top Jounin. So she did what she always did during such times: cracked open a bottle of sake, and started an office party.

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Kakashi followed slightly behind and to the left of Anonymous Thug 142, for a variety of very good, ninja reasons. It wasn't mostly because he didn't want to be associated with the eccentric, strange looking goon. That would be childish and unprofessional, neither of which Kakashi was. Often.

It didn't take long to leave the village, or get to a small clearing outside Konoha's walls not much bigger than Kakashi's home. Calling it a clearing at all was a rather generous statement, actually. If forests had nooks, that's where they would be. Sensing that this was their destination, for whatever reason, the silver-haired Jounin decided to try and get some more information from his, erm, employer, "So, Chuck, other than following you around, what does this mission entail, exactly? Assassination, retrieval, guard duty, investigation…?"

Turning to face the Jounin, Chuck replied monotonously and without a hint of playfulness, "Yes."

Nearly falling over from the weight of the sudden sweat drop, Kakashi sighed inwardly as he had not done since the first day he met Naruto. This was going to be a long, long mission. Immediately following this conclusion, of course, is when it started to get interesting.

The ninja and his new employer suddenly had to brace themselves against a buffeting wind, though Kakashi couldn't find a source with a quick glance around. He saw Chuck look skyward, and followed the man's gaze, eye widening when he caught sight of the completely alien thing creating the wind.

It was big, probably thirty or thirty-five feet in length, and as wide as a city street. The air was being generated by three downward facing cylinders, burning with fire hotter than any katon jutsu Kakashi could use. As he stared in awe at the oblong flying machine, a five foot square section peeled away, revealing part of the inside. It also allowed a rope ladder to drop down to their level, an obvious sign to climb on up.

Chuck turned back, motioning for Kakashi to follow him up the ladder and into the mechanical transport. Following cautiously behind, the copy-cat ninja was pleasantly surprised to find the cabin of the thing well furnished and noise-proof, once the ladder was retracted and the door closed. Kakashi was, very understandably, still trying to figure out which questions he should even begin asking his employer's chosen intermediary. Instead of just standing there for a few minutes and looking dumb, however, he opted for the more professional 'I'm-a-ninja-that-didn't-faze-me' approach.

After a brief stroll to one of the five easy chairs in the cabin, the shinobi veteran took stock of his surroundings and made himself comfortable. The interior paneling was all done with very fine lacquered wood, with obvious compartments probably housing food and drink. The easy chairs provided for the passengers were easily the most comfortable things Kakashi had ever sat in, and were inscribed with the moniker La-Z-Boy. Probably the manufacturer, he thought to himself.

After a brief moment to take in the cabin, Kakashi was recovered enough to ask, "So, Chuck, what exactly will I be doing for BORED? You led me to believe it would entail most of the unpleasant aspects of a ninja's skill set."

Almost laconically, Chuck glanced at his masked traveling companion and replied, "To save time, I'll just say this. They told me to come get you. That's it. I think they'll probably have you do most of the things you mentioned before, because they always need those types of things done. If you're curious about your mission, wait until we arrive at our destination to ask questions."

Sighing in acceptance, Kakashi turned from his robotic guide to a window with an incredible view of their takeoff from the Elemental Countries. This is an amazing sight. I hope I can do this again, sometime. Then the perverted ninja pulled out a copy of Icha Icha, as he always did, and settled in for a long wait.

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Time and five savory chapters, a brief nap, dinner and a movie (which of course there was) passed before the small futuristic, craft was being docked in what looked like the heart of a volcano. When Kakashi looked incredulously at Chuck, the man unflinchingly produced a mask for the ninja. As fashionable as two masks were in Kakashi's opinion, he calmly pulled his usual down past his chin to accommodate the breathing apparatus. When both men were geared up, the pilot opened the under-hatch so they could both, erm, step out.

Quickly stepping through the sauna-like atmosphere of the volcano's bowl, the two travelers then entered the compound situated in the center. Kakashi saw Chuck use a card of some kind to get inside, and resolved to find himself one. Some few minutes later and they had arrived in a small conference room, with one man sitting at the head of the table, waiting patiently. He was a man of middle everything, much like Anonymous Thug 142, with a few exceptions. He was wearing glasses, for one, and the eyes behind those glasses conveyed a startling intensity while remaining unreadable.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi Hatake. My name is Charles Foster Ofdensen, one of the three members of BORED currently on the island. Before we get started, this is an access card for Enforcers. It will let you in to anywhere you need to go on Grand Cross Isle." Ofdensen casually tossed the card Kakashi's way, and the ninja just as casually caught it before the conversation continued, "I'm sure you have a great deal of questions, but allow me to brief you on the situation before we get into more specific details."

Taking a deep breath and a sip of water, Dethklok's less-than-scrupulous manager began his explanation of BORED's activities, "This island will be the battleground for a survival competition. There will be many contestants, all of which will be fighting each other during the course of the competition. Your job is to ensure things stay fast paced and exciting for our spectators, and to allow only one fighter to leave any given battle alive. This is a last man standing competition, after all. To facilitate these responsibilities, you will have access to our main headquarters here in the bowl of Split Mountain. Also, there are several outposts scattered across the island. We strongly encourage each Enforcer to set up their own base of operations at one or more of these strongholds. This map will show you the locations, as well as the layout of the island. I'll take whatever questions you have, now."

Kakashi gave the map a look before voicing his first query, "These outposts, are they hidden from the contestants at all? I would hope they aren't obvious enough to stumble upon."

Nodding, Ofdensen replied easily, "They are secure locations on this island. No entry without a keycard, and it's highly unlikely any contestant will be able to find one without knowing where to look."

Not entirely satisfied by that evasive answer, the ninja continued with his questions, "Should I try to keep the contestants away from any certain area, such as around the Split Mountain?"

"No, we'll have separate resources allocated for that purpose." This response raised a red flag in Kakashi's mind. A very large, uncomfortable red flag that he kept from influencing his features or tine of voice. Shinobi were trained to be emotionless tools from when they join the Academy to Jounin and ANBU. However, that training can only dehumanize one so much. Kakashi himself was once a perfect tool, and that had gotten his best friend killed. Being referred to by such a moniker was not something the elite Jounin was fond of.

Resolving to be more careful than ever, Kakashi asked another question, "How will I keep the contestants on the island if they decide they don't want to be here anymore?"

Raising an eyebrow, Charles responded, "Quite a mind you have there, Mr. Hatake. A very good question, and one easily answered. There is something of a shield around this island, invisible to the naked eye, that requires a certain frequency to get through. The transport that brought you here was obviously equipped with the proper harmonic device and code to pass through the shield. No contestant will be provided with such resources, I assure you."

Nodding, the ninja was already thinking about whether his summon nin-dogs would be able to cross such a barrier. He quickly filed that thought away into the 'last resort' bin. One final, and obvious, question came to Kakashi's genius mind, "Will I be provided with specifics on the contestants and other Enforcers?"

Once again, Ofdensen gave a curt nod, "Of course. We can't have you haring off unprepared." With that, the bespectacled man handed over a small stack of files, named and numbered, that presumably held the information Kakashi had just requested. The shinobi believed, despite Ofdensen's words to the contrary, if he hadn't asked for the information he wouldn't have received it.

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After their introductory meeting, Kakashi was left to explore the halls while Charles went elsewhere to take care of whatever business he needed taking care of. The newest Enforcer could have sworn he heard something about pickles. Deciding to grab some water in the break room before familiarizing himself with the complex he was in, Kakashi was surprised to find someone else already occupying the place. He was a big man, though the Jounin had seen bigger, though none as oddly dressed and with no regard for concealment. Well, perhaps Naruto…

Before Kakashi could slip away, the big man turned from the TV towards the sink, presumably to get some water himself, before he spotted the silver haired man now in the room with him. "Hey there! Come on in and have a seat, I was just getting ready to watch Superman IV! I'm Mr. Incredible, by the way." For such a large person, Kakashi was impressed the man could cover so much ground so quickly. Having read through most of the informational files on the contestants and Enforcers, Kakashi knew what this man was about.

Strange that a man with his background would be willing to do what we'll inevitably have to do, though. Shaking off his musings, Kakashi reached out to take Incredible's proffered hand, "Hatake Kakashi."

Somewhat taken aback by his fellow Enforcer's lack of elaboration, Mr. Incredible tried valiantly to keep things moving, "Well that's an odd name, eh? Sounds Asian, maybe Japanese. That where you're from?"

Since it was technically possible for Kakashi to answer both questions with one answer, he said simply, "No." Seemingly done with the conversation, Sharingan Kakashi pulled forth his Icha Icha and began reading. Though a very outgoing person, Mr. incredible also knew when he was being ignored. Sniffing in a very affronted manner, The hulking brute went back to his Superman IV.

At that point, two men entered the room. One, Charles Foster Ofdensen, was familiar. The other was a long, black haired man with an interesting looking scar running down the right side of his face. He was also dressed in an immaculate suit, and carried an air of long-held authority. The larger man jumped off the couch upon sighting these two, and practically ran over to shake their hands, "You must be Sakyo Valdez. I'm Mr. Incredible."

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After finding out Mr. Incredible was being kept in the dark about most of what was going on at the Isle, Kakashi needed out of the complex. His mind was racing with possibilities, chief among them being, If they lied to him about the basis of what we're supposed to do here, what have they lied to me about? This made Kakashi very uncomfortable. The success or failure of any given mission often went with the legitimacy of the information surrounding said mission. If the Jounin was receiving false information, the whole mission could easily be botched.

And wouldn't that be entertainment for whoever is watching the fiasco? That thought gave Kakashi pause. Looking at the situation from that point of view, it would be easy to see why BORED would want their Enforcers to screw up. Acting under that assumption, the Jounin tried to sort through what Ofdensen had told him earlier to see what could be counted as fact.

The shield around the island most likely exists, though the method of breaching it may be other than I was told. Can't really trust the profiles of the contestants, though the Enforcer bios might be accurate if Incredible is any indication. The outposts are an obvious way to keep tabs on the Enforcers. I'll have to set up my own HQ somewhere else. I'll still need to choose an outpost to call my own, but that doesn't mean I'll stay there. This island will need some exploration, to prove the validity of the map. Other than that, I guess it's business as usual.

Finding himself out of the shadow of Split Mountain and in the tall evergreens immediately surrounding it, Kakashi smiled under his mask, before he whispered to himself, "Just have to keep looking underneath the underneath."

Then he was gone.