Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I love him for creating it. I just like to write in his world, because it's incredible.
Please enjoy (:
Chapter 1
He leapt as fast as he could from tree branch to branch, a mere blur as he rushed past the leaves and trees casting shadows over him in the waning sunlight. Adrenaline pumped like acid through his veins, filling him with the energy he so greatly needed. It masked the stitches in his sides, his dry throat and the bleeding wound in his shoulder as he raced on, unwilling to stop, unable to pause for even a second.
The earpiece from his radio crackled noisily in his ear and his attention was immediately riveted to what was being said on the other side. Anko's words were noticeably hurried. "We need reinforcements! Hurry your asses up, Neji's unconscious and Sakura – Shit!" A resounding swoosh and clang came from the ear piece. The silver-haired man was on edge; he was worried about a certain pink-haired kunoichi. Anko was just about to say what had happened to her; he was silently begging her to keep talking.
"Hurry up God dammit! Sakura's injured and doesn't have much chakra left. If someone – eat this! – doesn't get here soon, she's not gonna make it back to camp - don't touch him you fucker!" Anko finished, trying to fend off the enemy nin by herself. She was the only member of her team who was still in any kind of fighting condition and Kakashi knew she was pretty close to her own breaking point. He could hear in her voice that she knew, too, that she wouldn't last much longer. He upped his pace to the complete maximum, ignoring his body's selfish protests. If he didn't get there in time, Sakura would die. He wouldn't have that, not tonight. Not on his watch.
The sun's light finally disappeared entirely and the trees were beginning to fill with the milky shine of the moon as Kakashi flew through the branches. He pressed a trembling finger to the button on his earpiece and began talking quickly into the mic positioned just beside his mouth. "Anko, this is Kakashi. Heading in your direction. Just hold on a little longer." He stated in a business like tone, hiding the worry and fear underneath his mask easily. He didn't need to ask where her coordinates were; Kakashi always knew where Sakura was going to be on missions.
His earpiece crackled reassuringly, Anko's voice ringing on the line. "Thanks, Kakashi. Please hurry." His eyes widened. The blatant tiredness in her voice was both terrifying and shocking. He hoped and prayed with all his being that he wouldn't be too late.
Seconds passed like minutes and minutes like agonizingly slow hours as he sped toward the broken in-need team. As the time passed he began to worry more and more that he wouldn't make it, that he had taken too much time already. He cursed his body for its sluggishness as he prayed again and again that Anko could hold off the enemy nin just a little longer, just a little bit longer…
Finally the silver-haired Jounin came to a clearing; the clearing where Anko's team was. Where Sakura was.
He sprang off the branch and landed at the foot of the tree gracefully. It was easy to see that there had been much fighting and a lot of struggling as there were deep footprints, crimson puddles and torn down trees littering the battlefield. His eyes darted around, taking in the surroundings as he listened for the slightest noise.
It was then he realized that no one was there. No sign of Anko, Neji, or even Sakura. No enemy nin leapt out at him when he arrived.
They were gone.
"Fuck." He spat sharply, running around the outside of the trees to try and find some indication of where the enemies had taken his beloved and her team. He didn't want to admit it, but they were good at hiding their tracks. Time for plan B. Whipping out a scroll, he bit into his thumb and painted a streak of red across the parchment. Pakkun poofed out of nowhere in front of Kakashi's trembling form. "Yeah boss, whaddaya need?" Pakkun asked, raising an eyebrow at the state of his master. Kakashi shook his head slightly, indicating that now would not be the time to ask. "Enemy nin took Anko's team. I need you to track them. You remember Sakura's smell, use that." He said simply. Pakkun jumped up and started sniffing for the familiar scent of berries mixed with a hint of an exotic flower.
He almost immediately picked up a trail and Kakashi sprinted after the brown dog leading the way to his lover. Please don't let me be too late, please, just a little longer… He begged the stars above him as time passed by, now all too quickly.
