My very first fanfic! Fluff, lemon in later chapters, cheesy (sorry about that), but hey, what can you do?

I do no own Naruto, or it would be called Kakashi and it would be too graphic to show on cartoon network.

Enjoy!

"Tell me again, what's so important that we have to march out to the middle of nowhere in a fucking rainstorm?" the deep voice was thick with disgust.

Kakashi had to admit that this was one mission he would much rather not add to his record. The group of four ninjas had been walking since before daybreak in a cold drizzle. He shook his head when a large drop fell from the tall trees above. The path would probably have been beautiful on a sunny day, with dappled light softly falling on the rich, green moss, but today was no sunny day. The clouds had appeared early the day before and were not going to let up until the next afternoon.

"The village hidden in the valley is a new ally to Konoha. We're here to make sure we keep a friendly relationship with them."

"They better be grateful. I could be home with a nice cup of hot tea, in a dry house…"

"Fantasizing won't make it happen, Gai."

The former rolled his eyes. His short, black hair was plastered to his head, and he had zipped up his vest in an effort to keep warm and somewhat dry.

"Cheer up Bushy-brows. We'll be there soon enough… I hope…" It was the single female member of the group who had spoken. Kurenai's normally sharp eyes had developed a glassy stare as they progressed. Her statement wasn't too convincing, but they knew it to be a bad sign if even the over-enthusiastic Gai-sensei was bitter and sarcastic. He hadn't even made one "rival" comment to Kakashi so far that day.

The silver-haired shinobi glanced at the final member of their temporary squad. Asuma was too pissed to speak, furious that his cigarettes would not light in the bad weather.

As leader of the squad, Kakashi was in charge of keeping morale high, but there was only so much one could do. His hair had long since been soaked through, and a silvery strand hung over his one uncovered eye. From miles away, even a genin could see that they were in a bad mood. He walked in front and emitted a don't-mess-with-me aura, almost visible in the mist. He wore his typical jonin uniform, with his hitae-ate pulled over his left eye and the collar of his black shirt elongated and pulled over the lower half of his face, to act as his mask. He carried a pack full of supplies needed for the trip, as well as a full stock of shuriken, kunai, exploding notes, and other weapons he might find useful. Gai and Asuma wore similar uniforms, while Kurenai completely ignored it, wearing a short, off-white wrap over a black mesh shirt. If any one was to mistake her for a helpless, conforming woman, she would be quick to correct them.

There they walked, each member an elite ninja of Konoha, which led Kakashi to a puzzle. Ever since the attempted take-over of the village hidden in the leaves a few years prior to their journey, the Hokage had been careful to not send out too many ninjas at once. Why was it, then, that four of the top shinobi had been sent out to deal with one opponent?

"Your task," she had explained, "is to observe, assess, and properly deal with an alleged murderer who lives in the forest surrounding the village hidden in the valley."

"Four of us and a whole village for one rebel? Who is this guy anyways?" he remembered asking.

"Girl, actually. She's known as Okami (Japanese for wolf) around there. I'm not sure how much of it is true, but, from what I've hear, she might be quite a bit of trouble."

"So… for all we know she could be some crazy hermit lady?"

His leader sighed. He could tell she was a bit tired of the older ninjas' constant double-checking of her hunches and methods of commanding. He looked down slightly as a slight show of respect and apology.

"The village hidden in the valley has a growing relationship with us. If we just send over one fighter, they may feel insulted. Besides, it's not just this "Okami" I want you to observe and assess. I don't trust Tanza, their leader, as far as I can throw him. Well… as far as I can throw his house." Kakashi smirked under his mask at this reference. There was not one person on the face of the earth that the Hokage could not toss over a hundred feet. "Any information you can gather would be of use."

Kakashi was drawn out of his memories as the village came into view. As they reached the top of the slope they had been climbing, they could see the entire city. It was not as big as Konoha, nor as modernized, but the city could support a fair amount of people. It was surprisingly well-protected. The walls of the valley were too steep, high, and forested for any enemy to attack quickly, and the bottom was cleared away to easily see anyone who approached. A river harnessed by a number of small dams and was channeled though a series of canals ran from the mountains though the heart of the city.

The four cautiously make their way down the muddy path towards the main gates.

…………………………………………………………

As soon as they walked through the gates, Kakashi could sense unease in the village. People would send cautious glances their way as the four foreigners were led to the city head quarters. It could have just been the cold rain, but no children were out playing in the streets as they often were in Konoha.

Upon entering the City Hall, a nervous messenger was sent into a room to return, leading a smiling man.

"Ah! You must be the jonin sent from the village hidden in the leaves. Welcome to our home. My name is Tanza. I am the leader of the village hidden in the valley. Please, you must have questions about your mission. Come this way!"

Kakashi and his squad obediently followed the man into a large office. A stuffed manila folder sat on a desk in the middle of the room. The man sat behind tit and looked up at them with small, green eyes. He was not very impressive to look at, with thinning gray hair and a smaller build than most.

"I don't know how much you've been told…"

"Not much," replied Kakashi, "It'd be best if you started in the beginning."

"Very well then," he was used to briefing. Kakashi liked that. Detailed personal accounts could be tedious and annoying. "The one you are here to help us with began her life as a normal member of society. She came from a long line of nobles, and her early childhood was pretty typical, until her mother was killed when she was four. We are not sure who the culprit was, but it was a gruesome death, and the girl was hiding in a closet when it happened. We are almost positive that this was the event that turned her into," he searched for the right words, "what she is today.

"She was raised by a bodyguard and her father for about a year before the… incident occurred."

He took a breath and continued a bit more quietly.

"Seven shinobi from one of our allied villages were walking near her house where she had been left under the watch of a nanny, who had fallen asleep, along with my daughter. She… attacked them for reasons that remain unknown to us. The nanny woke up in the middle and summoned me to the scene. I witnessed the last of the killings, but nothing could have been done to save them. It was horrendous. Even a poor man, begging on his knees. My daughter was killed before I arrived. She had been friends with Okami. And what did she do to deserve it. I only think, if I had gotten there a little earlier…"

He paused and closed his eyes, ridding himself of the image. Kakashi looked down. If the story was true, this man had been through hell. With a shake of the head, the village leader looked up again, grimly.

"I had no choice but to banish her from the village. However, the next day, a group of patrollers was attacked. No survivors were left. We sent out about 5 separate patrols to drive her away, but she would not have it. The fortunate souls who made it back alive reported that she had been seen in the company of the wolves that live in the mountains, hence the nickname. After a month or so, the attacks died out, and wolf sightings became more and more scarce. We have come to suspect that, during this time, she was training with the wolves. Whatever the case, she was much more skillful when she came back."

"When was this?" asked Kurenai.

"About five years ago." He let out a grim smile. "Actually, I believe it was her 22nd birthday. A group of herbalist from our village saw her and a group of wolves at the carcass of a deer. They were lucky to make it back. They always say not to disturb a wolf when it eats."

He leaned back in his seat and stared at the wall behind them.

"Ever since, it has been a constant battle between our village and her pack. The adventurous hunters set up wolf traps while they make their rounds, but there has been no luck so far. We do not like to ask our allies for assistance, but the situation is out of our hands."

He pushed the folder towards Kakashi, who opened it to the first page. On one side was a sketch of a woman. She wore a white mask with a black moon symbol on the forehead, with a long, loose shirt, and loose black pants. Her hair was straight and came to her shoulders. The picture was labeled "Okami," and her height, approximate weight, and birth date were listed. On the other side was a stack of written reports, from both witnesses and a mortician.

"This," continued Tanza, "is her complete file. It contains reports, evaluations, maps of her sightings, and any other information we could find on her. It should be quite useful."

We'll go over this tonight and start our mission in the morning." Kakashi knew it was not a good idea to try to get going before they knew that they were up against. Besides, they needed a rest. "Just two questions. One. I noticed that the file for your dau-"

"My daughters file is not there because I was in too much pain to allow them to perform an autopsy. Her case was typical to the others."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"You are helping me catch her killer. For that, I am grateful."

"Also, 'Okami's' real name is not included with the report."

"Her's is a noble family with a few living members. In order to help them maintain their dignity, her name has been kept out of the file. The family has no advanced blood-line traits, so it does not truly matter any more."

Kakashi nodded and his squad made its way to the house they would be staying in. After they took showers, dried off and ate, they reviewed Okami's folder.

"Well, I'd say something definitely exists. It'd be pretty hard to fake so many deaths and disappearances," mumbled Gai. He was still worn out from the trip.

Thank you, Jesus, thought Kakashi.

The folder was hard to believe. Countless photos of corpses were included, as well as horrendous witness reports and sightings. It had to be real. No one would be stupid enough to make it up and expect people to believe it.

"Judging by the severity of the wounds, she's an efficient killer, but she hacks them up once they're dead," remarked Asuma, happily sitting by the window with his cigarette in his hand and part of the file in his lap.

"There's nothing worse than someone who defaces the dead." Kurenai's tone was full of disgust.

"Alright. The recent cases are all very similar. I think we can put it away. Time for assignments. Gai, tomorrow you will go to the morgue and ask about how she fights, so we can figure out how to deal with her if we have to. Kurenai and Asuma, you two will go into town and see what you can figure out. Look for anything indicating that this is a false case. Rumors, drunken ballads, whatever. I'll go into the forest and see if I can find her. I won't make contact, but I'll see if I can follow her a bit. Let's get some sleep; it's been a long day."

With that, the four headed to their rooms. Kakashi was only slightly surprised when he heard Asuma's footsteps heading towards Kurenai's room. Good for him. Kakashi smiled under his mask. It was rare that any shinobi could have a relationship while they were still active jonin. He would let them be as long as it didn't become too distracting.

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How do you like it so far? Please read and review. I promise there will be more action in the next chapters.