This is my entry to the DW contest Elemental Contest.
My Prompt-Wind
III
Kakashi stood straight, white with red markings porcelain mask firmly in place, hands firmly at his sides as he looked at the Hokage through the small holes in his mask. He's starting to look old.
The Hokage looked him over thoughtfully before holding out a scroll. "This mission…" he paused, pulling the scroll back slightly before fully extending it back out to Kakashi, who moved forward to take it, "is one to be taken very delicately." Kakashi nodded, fingers curling around the scroll. The Hokage leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving the ANBU. "There has been word that a strange woman has been patrolling the outskirts of the Fire country. We believe she might be trying to make her way towards the village."
"Is she a Shinobi?" he asked, knowing it didn't really matter. A red ribbon was laced around the scroll meaning it was an assassination. In a usual ANBU briefing, no words were said; the scroll was given with no questions asked. So Kakashi was on full alert as he watched the Hokage carefully.
"That's for you to find out." He smirked, his crow's feet becoming more prominent. "She does wear a Konoha headband."
Kakashi raised a brow.
"And that is all we know." He his words were almost casual.
Meaning she's not from Konoha.
"I want information before she's taken care of Hatake." The Hokage whispered. "We can't be taking any chances of someone else lurking around."
Kakashi's mind reeled to the night seven years ago when the Kyuubi destroyed half the village before quickly pushing them out of my mind.
He nodded, giving a quick bow before turning it leave. "And take Tenzou with you." He said. "I don't know how dangerous this woman is." He warned. Kakashi shrugged, lifting his hand in a half-assed wave before quickly making his exists.
III
"Who do you think she is?" Tenzou was a strange one. Kakashi didn't know how old he was and when he was first assigned to be his partner, he was more socially awkward than a person right out of Root. Sure, he had emotions, but showed them awkwardly. Like telling Kakashi he was his first friend ever.
"I don't know." Kakashi said dully as they made their way to the edge of the country.
"Do you think she killed a leaf ninja to try to sneak in to the village? Or maybe she is a missing nin in disguise! Or a civilian who found the headband-"
"I don't know." He said dully, slightly irritated.
"Or maybe!" despite the mask, I could see that the kid's face was lighting up. "Maybe she's from the future-"
"Tenzou!" He could usually handle the kid, but he was being almost as bad as Gai. "We will find out when we talk to her."
Tenzou was quite for a moment before he spoke softly, "I wonder if she's beautiful."
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
After a few more hours of traveling the split up. Kakashi summoned his dogs, all looking anxiously up at him, tails wagging. "There is a woman out here." He stood straight as he directed his dogs. The all nodded enthusiastically, "We need to find her quickly."
"Right-o Boss." Pakkun said as the eight dogs dispersed.
"That is so cool." Tenzou said with awe in his voice. Kakashi sighed, before turning to the man.
"You've seen it before, Tenzou."
"And it's still amazing." Tenzou said with slight emphasis in his voice, "It's like you're the alpha dog or something."
"I am."
"So cool."
He rolled my eyes. "Contact me on the radio if you find her, if the dogs find her, I'll send one after you."
He nodded before disappearing into the tree. Kakashi stared at the tree for a moment before shaking his head, "Why do I always end up around you guys. First Gai, then Obito…and now you…" he frowned before taking off in the opposite direction.
III
It wasn't often that Kakashi found his target before the dogs. He came to the edge of a small, unnatural, clearing of trees and in the center was a woman with soft, long, pink hair tied loosely down the back. She wore a red tank top with black pants and pink skirt, with black knee high boots that were tucked under her butt. Kakashi understood why the Hokage had been concerned. Scattered around her were small vials, filled with, no doubt, poisons. Senbons and lacquered kunai were scattered across the area. Her back was to him, nose deep in a scroll. He pressed the call button on his radio. "North by northeast of our separation point. About two miles. Be care, she has poisons."
There was no response, but he didn't need one. He lifted his headband, letting his Sharinganed eye roam the perimeter. As he expected, there were extensive traps and barriers, making the seemingly oblivious woman very protected.
He made on lighting and one shadow clone, moving farther into the forest. The shadow clone went west while the lightening clone went east. The shadow clone came to the edge of the clearing and took hold of a branch and cracked it, the sound echoing in the silent forest.
Her head snapped up, hand grabbing a dripping kunai. She closed her eyes and for a brief moment seemed to relax before shaking her head and gripping the kunai tighter, and getting to her feet. Her eyes were the same color of jade, as she slowly bent down and picked up a senbon. She took a few carefully walked east to the edge of the field, crouching low. He held his breath as she approached his lightening clone. She paused, before jumping back throwing her senbon in his direction. He silently jumped, missing then by inches.
His clones attacked, the shadow clone being quickly dispelled by the swipe of a kunai and his lighting clone making the hand signs for a Chidori. Unphased, she jumped in the air, throwing two kunai at the last clone before dashing towards Kakashi's hiding place. He ran through trees. He felt the wind from the senbons as they past, stopping short as a kunai struck the tree just in front of him with a hard thunk.
A blur of pink from his left side made him quickly raise a kunai in defense. There were sparks from the metal hitting metal as time seemed to slow down as he saw her up close for the first time. She had bangs that sat low, near her green eyes. Her neck was slender and seemed so fragile as time sped back up as he tried to swipe it with another kunai. She jumped back, cursing. Her hands were quick as she pulled three long sticks from her pouch throwing them as a loud booming voice echoed through the trees.
"Four pillar prison!" wood shot out of the ground as she threw the senbon. Kakashi felt a small tinge of pain before he slumped against a tree behind him.
"Shit." He murmured as his vision blurred.
The splintering sound the prison breaking, metal clashing filled his ears as the smell of fresh wood filled his nose. His body was on fire as he struggled to remain conscious.
"Taichou!" He heard his teammate scream. He pushed his eyes open, seeing the pink haired girl looking in his direction. Her eyes seemed full or regret as she was wrapped tightly in wooden binds. He felt sweat roll down his face as he watched Tenzou look from him to the girl.
"Give me the antidote and you'll live." His voice was full of malice he didn't know the rookie could posses. Kakashi smiled, feeling his legs give out.
"He won't die." The girl whispered softly. "It's a strong sedative, but it won't kill him." Kakashi willed his eyes to focus on the girl. "I could never kill the Copy Ninja." Her smile was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.
III
The next thing Kakashi realized, he was on Tenzou's back. He made a gurgled noise as he tried to lift his head, making Tenzou jerked him, "Taichou!"
"Where-"
"She escaped." He said somberly.
"Es-escaped? You're binds?" Kakashi had been working with the young rookie for two years and has never heard, nor seen, anyone break out of his wood bindings before.
Tenzou laughed, "She's strong Taichou. Perhaps Tsunade strong."
Kakashi would have rolled his eyes if he hadn't heard the splintering sound of the prison shattering. "She just…left?" he slurred, feeling his body moving farther from consciousness.
Tenzou readjusted his grip. "She said we weren't her target. She wasn't going to take any more lives than she needs to…" Tenzou's voice was distant. "What do you think that means?"
"That's she a foolish ninja." Kakashi was thankful he was getting control of his voice, despite his loss of vision. "If she thinks that we will let her live, she is mistaken."
"Taichou?" The wood user said after a pregnant pause. "What do you think she meant by she couldn't kill the Copy Ninja?"
"I have no idea." Kakashi slurred, feeling his body drift back out of consciousness.
III
"And she disappeared in a whirlwind of sakura blossoms." Tenzou finished as Kakashi, still recuperating from his sedation, leaned heavily against the wall in the Hokage's office.
The Hokage looked from Kakashi to his partner, a deep scowl on his face. "Are you alive Hatake?" He shrugged. The Hokage was quite for a few moments before speaking again. "We don't know if her target is in the Fire Country or somewhere else." He looked down at a file on his desk. "I want you two to keep a close eye on this one. She's more dangerous than I imagined."
Kakashi raised a brow. "Hokage-sama, how is she more dangerous?"
The Hokage's brow tightened, "You've been creating quite a name for yourself Hatake, with and without the mask-the ANBU mask." He corrected himself, holding up a file, "We received Intel a few days ago that you have a new nickname in Rain. Kakashi leaned straighter against the wall. "You're starting to be referred to as Hatake "Copy Ninja" Kakashi."
"So our target's from Rain?"
"That's what you and your colleges are going to find out." The older man said with finality. Kakashi pulled himself groggily from the wall, watching lazily as Tenzou held the door open to him.
As they left the tower Tenzou sighed heavily, "What do you think this means, Taichou?"
"You need more training." Kakashi smiled to his teammate, whose face burned red.
"Do you think she's from Rain?"
Kakashi shrugged, "It doesn't matter. We will get her."
III
Kakashi couldn't get the pink haired girl out of his mind. She plagued his dreams and taunted his training sessions. It was six months later that the name "Copy Ninja" followed him wherever he went. His friends even started calling him that. Every time he heard it, it echoed in her voice.
It was driving him nuts.
It was a year later, in a small village at the edge of Wind when he saw the pink locks again.
She was sitting in a tea shop, head deep in a scroll. Without looking up she took a sip of tea. Her hair was down, framing her face, resting on her dark green yukata. After a few moments, her eyes looked up, searching for the waiter, eyes locking on him. The world seemed to slow down as he stared into her jade green eyes.
Someone bumped into him, making their connection break. When he looked back, she was gone.
III
Kakashi knew he shouldn't be alive.
"I am very impressed, Mr. Copy Ninja." A smooth voice echoed softly as he groggily sat up, pain erupting in every part of his body. "Out of the eighteen, you killed fourteen and took down the feudal lord before passing out from blood loss." Jade green eyes danced in the low glow of a fire that was in the center of room. "I knew you were good, but I didn't expect you to fully live up to your reputation." Her smile was soft as she looked down to whatever she had in her lap.
He could smell rain coming from his left. Peering in that direction, he realized they were fifteen feet deep in a small cave. His head pounded and it hurt to breath, proving that he had once again escaped death's icy grip.
He was in Rain. He was on an assassination mission to one of the higher lords to the Daimyo. The bastard was cutting off trade routes to Fire and killing him was the only way to stop him.
Or that's what Kakashi was told.
Kakashi was expecting guards; he was expecting A-class rouge ninja. But he wasn't expecting twelve of them. Or the six more that came out of nowhere. He could vaguely remember the Sharingan saving him from a few close calls and the death of a few, but pain when he breathed confirmed that yes, he had been stabbed through the chest with a sword before blacking out.
Why was he still here?! He looked down at his hands; they were bandaged with small red spots. He went to open his mouth, and to his shock realized his jaw was strapped shut with medical tape.
"You had deep lacerations." She spoke calmly. "It was best for me to heal them." She looked down at what was in her lap- a small medical kit. "And don't worry, I didn't look under your mask." her voice held slight amusement but it didn't reach her eyes. He narrowed his mismatched eyes, trying to show his displeasure. She smiled, busying herself with her pack.
The crackling of the fire was the only sound between them.
"I saw you as I was leaving the village." She spoke softly. "I noticed a large group of rouge looking ninja's heading in your direction." Her green eyes glanced over to him. "I wanted to make sure you were alright." She laughed, reaching over and patting him on his leg, "And it's a good thing I did!"
All by yourself?! He looked at her in shock. She looked at him slyly. "I'm not as weak as you might think. I was trained by some of the greatest fighters." Her eyes glossed slightly, biting her lip. He snorted, looking away from her, crossing his arms. Kakashi knew there were no better fighters than in Konoha. She sighed, going back to her pack. She pulled out a ring, showing it to him before reaching over and putting it in one of his pouches. "So you can say you completed your mission. I'm not sure if you wanted me to help you." She spoke very softly, her fingers lingering slightly on his leg as she pulled back. "But I couldn't let you die."
He stared at her, screaming Why in his mind.
"You remind me of someone special to me." Her voice became higher before she pulled out a scalpel, showing him before cutting the wrappings at his left cheek. He went to lift his hands but she batted his hand away, slowly pulling the wrappings down. Before the cold air could touch his cheeks, he felt the familiar cotton of his mask back in place. Heat filled his chest as he watched her, who was watching him with real amusement. "There." She smiled, "Good as new." She smelled like sakura blossoms and fresh dirt. Before he could scoot back, she backed away, back to the fire, watching him. Leaning back on her hands, she crossed her legs in front of her.
He moved his jaw up and down a few times before speaking. His voice was hoarse and slight pain in the jaw. "Who's this special guy?"
"He was my partner." Her voice was even, automatic.
He raised a brow. "Was?"
She looked down at her hand right hand behind her. "Not anymore. I did something…" she looked from her hand to his eyes, "I've made a bad life choice." She sighed heavily.
"Your 'target?'" she looked at him, with a surprised look before her eyes grew dark.
"He is an evil man." Her voice was full of malice. "He killed our Kage and my best friend. I will make things right."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Killing him will not bring your Kage back."
The woman laughed, "Perhaps." She shook her head. "My Kage is the strongest Shinobi who ever lived and his death has destroyed our village. The people have lost hope and the Shinobi will listen to no one else, not even our new-former leader." Her brow furrowed. "Our leader doesn't believe in hope and peace like the rest of us." She narrowed her eyes as she stared at her hand. "There must be compensation."
"If he was the strongest-"
"He was killed by one of the people he trusted the most." Her glare would have killed a man weaker than Kakashi. "He was a foolish man who put his trust in those who didn't deserve it, but that doesn't mean he wasn't strong." Her words dripped like her kunai.
"Shinobi do what is best for their village, not themselves."
"You could kill your own teammate? Your brother?" she seethed through gritted teeth.
Kakashi's mind flashed to Rin's tear and blood stained face and rage filled him. "Yes." He said coldly.
The woman faltered, staring at him wide eyed. She straightened, "I hope I can be as strong as you then. I will save everyone, even at the cost of my own life."
"What about this 'special man?'" he said almost mockingly.
"He understands." She said coldly.
He ignored her after that. She packed her things and added wood to the fire. She stood, stretching. She looked down at him, and he looked up at her, their eyes locked. He swallowed thickly. "Your enemy is a Leaf Shinobi?" his voice was dark.
She nodded, leaning down, poking him in the chest. "Yes." He tried to grab her wrist but his toes flexed. She smiled, "I scrambled your nerves. You tell your brain to move one muscle and it will move another. You'll need to figure out your new nerves or wait for it to wear off." He gritted his teeth. "I will complete my mission. It is the best for not only my country, but for the whole Shinobi world." She stood straight up, looking down at him. She frowned down at him before running her fingers through his silver locks, making him shiver slightly before a large gust of wind and sakura blossoms swept her away, leaving him alone.
III
Kakashi sat in the tree outside the academy, his orange book dutifully in front of his nose. He hated guard duty.
When he was back in ANBU and had to keep an eye on Naruto and it was awful. Between listening to the kid cry himself to sleep and hiding from angry villagers (and ninjas), Kakashi thought the no boy could get any worse. But with Sasuke Uchiha…
The sound laughter made Kakashi look down. Hoards of soon to be ninjas came running out of the entrance. He saw his sensei's son chase a Nara and Inuzuka boy out into the yard. A pink haired girl with a red ribbon in her hair chased a Yamanaka girl out the door, before both young girls hid behind the tree he sat in. He looked down at the pink hair girl. She had bright green eyes that twinkled as the girls squealed in delight as Uchiha Sasuke came brooding out of the school. He had his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. The boy looked blankly at the girls before walking in the opposite direction, towards the Uchiha compound. Kakashi looked back down at the pink haired girl before taking off in the trees, tailing the last of the Uchiha.
That girl looked so much like her. He glanced back at the tree, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her. Was she somehow related? A little sister maybe?
Is that why her target was in Konoha? No…Kakashi thought to himself. It wouldn't collaborate with her story. The woman was old, but not that old. He cringed slightly. Okay, she was only a few years older than him, twenty six tops, but she would have been far too young to be friends with Minato-sensei. And how could killing someone really bring back her village's leader? Maybe Orochimaru is somehow behind it…he mused as he watched the Uchiha enter his old home. Kakashi sighed, sitting on the roof, pulling his book out again. Maybe Tenzou is right. Maybe she's a time traveling alien, or whatever he said. He buried himself in his book, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of the pink haired woman.
After reading the same page for an hour, Kakashi tossed the book (gently) aside and leaning back on the roof. The sun was setting and the Uchiha was brooding in the court yard, yet again. At least Naruto cried. Or was angry about how alone he was. The Uchiha kid just sat there, staring off into space. Maybe he was like that too, after his father died. After Rin died.
Kakashi froze; an unfamiliar chakra signature flickered slightly in the distance. He rose, pulling out a kunai, twirling it lightly before crouching down. He sensed boy's chakra was still out in the court yard. Kakashi held his position until he heard the boy scream.
In a flash Kakashi was down in front of him, Chidori blazing. His eyes focused on his enemy. It was her. She wore a wolf's mask, similar to his own from ANBU, but her pink hair billowed out from behind her in a high pony tail. She was in black leggings, and a black top. Her fingers held Senbon jutting out from the knuckles. The boy quivered behind him and Kakashi glanced at him. A sliver of a wood jutted out of his leg.
Shit! He rushed her, his right hand burning with the massive chakra around it. A whirlwind blew past him and she was gone. Another swift gust behind him and he heard a crack before immense pain coursed through his body before he was propelled forward. With a kunai out, she advanced. He pulled a kunai out of his pouch, deflecting her strike. Her green eyes were glossy and her lip was jutted out. His eyes widened as tears rolled down her face. He looked back to the boy before looking at her. A swift hand motion later, the courtyard roared with the sounds of birds as he engulfed his kunai in the blue light and flung it, watching it glow blue as it imbedded itself in her chest.
It all happened in slow motion. The small thunk followed by her beautiful green eyes widening before a peaceful smile erupted on her face. Her knees crumpled and she fell. Before he could stop himself he dashed towards her, catching her before she landed in a heap on the ground. Her chest convulsed before blood bubbled at her lips, dribbling down her cheek.
"I should have know." She wheezed. "I should have known this is…this is how it would end." Her eyes focused and unfocused, "I could never kill you." She looked over to the boy, "I should have made the poison more potent. But I didn't want him to suffer…" she coughed, blood spattered him, but he ignored it. His fingers gripped her tight, trying to quite her trembling-and his.
A pale, shaky arm reached up and touched his masked cheek. "I'm so sorry, Kakashi." Her eyes were unfocused. His throat tightened as her pulse slowed. She blinked, chest heaving heavier, "Please, Kakashi, protect him."
He nodded, bending down and pressing his masked lips to hers and she smiled. Her hand fell from his cheek. Her eyes unfocused and her body went limp. A small gust of wind blew around them and he watched as her body turned to those beautiful sakura blossoms and was swept away.
He stared at his hands, which were still covered in blood. Her blood. He slowly looked over to the last Uchiha, whose face was pale and was heaving loudly. Snapping back to himself, Kakashi jumped to his feet, stumbling slightly, before rushing to the boy, grabbing him in his arms and rushing him to the hospital, pushing the pink haired woman out of his mind.
III
It all seemed like a dream.
Sasuke pushed the encounter with the pink haired woman far to the recesses of his mind. When Kakashi became his genin teacher, he acted like they had never met before. That Kakashi hadn't saved his life. And Kakashi was fine with that. It gave both men plenty of time to ignore the bubble gum pink haired girl on team seven.
And ignore how she looked like the strange assassin.
Her name was Sakura, which fit her and Kakashi would refer to the assassin to Tenzou in that fashion until he met the real Sakura three years later. When he saw her strength for the first time, he couldn't help but mention it to Kakashi.
Who continued to ignore it?
The pink woman who plagued his mind was slowly growing up in front of him and as much as he wanted to deny it, rationally tell himself it was impossible, he knew it wasn't improbable. He'd seen stranger things than time travel.
It wasn't until she was sixteen, nine years after he killed the coral haired girl in the court yard of the main house in the Uchiha compound, he couldn't deny himself anymore. Not after Sakura Haruno kissed him softly on his masked lips. Emotions he'd forced himself to forget came surging back as he shakily grabbed her arms, his body moving on his own accord. As she gripped his flak jacket, he knew he had to stop her. He couldn't let her do what she was going to do. He couldn't let his past self to kill her. He wracked his mind trying to solve the riddles of her words in the cave. It had to be Sasuke and Naruto. She wanted him to save Naruto. To protect him.
It was two years later that Sasuke reappeared, battling the soon to be Hokage Naruto at the valley of the end.
He and Sakura had rushed to his aid. His Chidori arm still burned with that infamous Raikiri that took too much time. Sasuke's red eyes and a yellow blur flashed in his mind as he replayed the scene in his head. The Avenger's blood soaked sword piercing him sharply in the side, rupturing a few of his organs.
And stabbing Naruto in the heart.
The assassin's shaky words echoed in his head. Protect him as Naruto slumped against him and a thickly poisoned senbon jutted out of Sasuke's head. Seconds later pink flooded his vision as heard the sword being pulled from him and his ex-student. Her green eyes were red rimmed as she shook Naruto, who lay limply in her arms. Her words "Please wake up, Naruto" were dull and numb in his ears. He crawled to her, pain in his heart as she shook her best friend's lifeless body. His cold fingers used the rest of his strength to pull her away from the blond and into his chest, where she sobbed uncontrollably. He ran blood soaked hands through her hair, kissing her forehead as he looked down at the dead bodies of his teammate and the traitor.
He never thought something like this would happen when he passed team seven.
Her cries died down and she slowly picked herself back up. Her hands were shaky as they glowed, healing his ruptured organs. She turned to Naruto, running her fingers through his hair, looking to Sasuke; he realized she was already gone.
"What will I tell Hinata? Tell Memna?" her voice was distant. He stood shakily, bending slowly and grabbing the blond's lifeless arms and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. He held his free hand out to Sakura, who stared at it for a moment before slowly standing up, knuckles white against his gloved ones.
"Let's go home." He kissed her temple, ignoring the pain in his chest. Failures erupting in his chest as he led her back towards their home. He couldn't save anyone-not Obito, not Rin, Sensei, Sasuke, or Naruto.
Or his Sakura.
III
The small Uzumaki family stood at the village gate. When Hinata saw Kakashi with her husband on his shoulders, she shielded the toddlers eyes in her legs as she stood strong, standing straighter. He walked past her, an understanding passing through them. It was what Naruto wanted.
He stopped at the Hokage, who stood at the gates. Despite her ungodly strength, she crumpled. His side became cold as Sakura rushed to her real teachers aid, both cradling each other as they cried on each other's chest.
Tsunade made Naruto the Sixth Hokage, giving him the funeral he deserved. It was a sunny day and the whole village came. Except Iruka. He was painting Naruto's smiling face next to Tsunade's on the mount.
III
Kakashi stared at the memorial stone. Her name would never be on here. No one knew she died for her village.
No one but Tsunade. And Kakashi.
It had been seven months after the Fifth Hokage's final mission was taken by his wife. She didn't tell him where, but he knew. She kissed him good bye and he wanted to grab her and never let go.
But he knew she had to go.
He prayed everything would change, but his memory didn't lie.
He killed his wife, his Sakura as she tried to save them all.
He sighed deeply.
"Daddy? Can we go now?" a small tug on his pants brought his attention down to Sakumo. His world.
The boy had bright emerald green eyes that were hers. He had her nose and smile and his everything else.
He nodded as the boy smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. His voice from three years ago filled his ears, almost begging Sakura to start a family with him.
That maybe their baby would fill the hole Naruto left. And Sakumo did-for a while.
But her mind had already been made up, there was no changing it. Kissed their son goodbye for the last time, her words, the assassin from years past echoed. "Please, protect him."
As he took his son's hand and was led from the memorial site, a gentle wind blew through the trees. Sakura blossoms swirling in the breeze around them.
III
So who was expecting that ending?!
I hope you enjoyed!