Tap, tap, tap. Slim fingers drummed the wooden walls impatiently. The elders frowned, looking uncomfortably at the stoic mask that adorned the small ninja. Snow white porcelain, crafted to resemble a leopard rested on the face of the ninja. Red and black spots decorated the top, while sharp lines following under the black slits for eyes. Black cloth attached to the mask stretched back, covering the ninja's head and obscuring any view of the young anbu's face or hair. The elder's eyes shifted from the papers on his desk to the stillness of the Third Hokage. The old man was looking out the window at the darkening skies, a frown creasing his face.
"This is of utmost importance." Sarutobi's gaze drifted over the masked ninja. "I expect you'll be able to carry it out with haste." A moment of silence passed before the Anbu nodded. "You should leave immediately; I have a team assembled to follow under your command."
"I'll leave for the rendezvous point now then, unless you have anything else to discuss..." The Anbu's voice trailed off waiting for a response.
"Be careful. I trust your abilities will be able to keep everyone alive." With that, the ninja disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Not assured Danzo coughed, breaking the silence.
"You're really putting the fate of the village in the hands of a child? Only a fool would be so reckless with the people's safety."
Sarutobi turned to face him, his expression grim. "The Aomori clan assures me this is one of their best. Their age means nothing in comparison to their skill." Gray clouds continued to gather over the village. The sunlight retreating behind the darkened veil as faint silhouettes gathered at the wall. "I trust they have the ability to carry out this mission."
"Trust means very little. You know nothing of them." Danzo abruptly stood up and exited the room ending the conversation. The Hokage sighed and shifted to his own seat.
Kakashi stood patiently by the gate with three others. Peering out of his mask, he examined his partners for the mission. All men dressed in the Anbu uniform, their masks carved delicately as a Monkey, Fox, and Rabbit. The Monkey had short obsidian hair that clung to the back of his neck. The Fox's hair was pulled back in a loose pony tail and the Rabbit had brown hair in a bowl cut. Neither of them looked particularly impressive, especially the rabbit mask, who was rather scrawny in comparison to the rest of them. Kakashi didn't have the time to further analyze them however, when they were joined by another masked ninja with a leopard mask.
"Get in formation, we're leaving now." He had no time to ask about the mission, having been in the dark since being called on it. He stepped in tow behind the shorter Anbu, who seemed to work out at least more than the Rabbit judging by the definition in their arms.
"I take it you're the Captain?" The Monkey inquired.
"Yes I'll be leading this mission. You'll all be properly informed when we make camp. Until then just shut up and follow me." Replied the captain curtly. The squad took to the trees and began to running with great haste. Kakashi's brow furrowed beneath his Dog Mask, not sure what to make of their Captain.
About an hour had passed since they crossed the border of the land of fire. Kakashi judged they were heading northwest of Konoha, meaning their destination had to be the Land of Earth. Night had already fallen upon them, but still their Captain made no motion of slowing down for camp. Clouds blocked out the stars and moon, shrouding them in a deep darkness. If they weren't traveling so closely knit, Kakashi bet they would've lost each other within seconds. Adjusting his scarf, he quickened his pace to catch up from the rear of the party. Abruptly the tree line ended as they all landed upon the hard earth with soft thuds. There was a pause in their momentum, as they waited for the direction of their Captain. After a few brief seconds, their journey was renewed and with much more haste now that they were out in the open in enemy territory. We're blindly following this man... If we just had some clue. He shook his head. It was no use to have these thoughts now it was far too late.
"I don't think I can keep going." A voice meekly piped up. Kakashi turned his head to him before looking at the Captain who didn't seem to take any notice. Sweat was visible on the Rabbit's arms and neck and though his mask covered his face, Kakashi had a feeling the man beneath the mask was a wreck. "Please..."
"Shut up. We'll stop in two more miles." The uncivil response was enough to have the meek man fall back a couple strides. Ten grueling minutes passed before their Captain showed any signs of slowing down. Kakashi could hear the sound of a waterfall ahead. They slowed their pace as the terrain below their feet quickly shifted to smooth boulders. A heavy mist sprayed at them, soaking their clothes and making their masks drip with water. The Captain leapt into the waterfall and the others followed suit without hesitation.
Kakashi landed on the wet surface, using chakra in his feet to help keep him from slipping on the drenched stone in the darkness. Instantly the deep cave was brightly illuminated, causing the shinobi to turn away so their eyes could adjust. Once his had, Kakashi peered over at the Captain whose hands were blazing with fire.
"We'll rest here for tonight. I'll brief you now and then prepare for the watch." The tired ninjas sluggishly trailed to the back of the cave, sitting among the dry rocks. Kakashi kept his eyes on his Captain who waved away the flames on one of his hands before joining them. "This mission is classified to everyone outside of this cave." There was a pause to make sure that detail sunk in. "We're here to execute Lord Hashiyara."
"Lord Hashiyara? Why? I thought he was helping the village with funding." The Monkey questioned.
"Recent evidence as pointed to him being a known slave profiteer. A few missing citizens had escaped his... custody. He was also supplying Kusagakure and Kumogakure during the Third Shinobi War." Kakashi's hand tightened into a fist at the names of the two villages. "We must execute him swiftly and without detection. If we're found out, it could jeopardize the village and the people's safety." There was a long moment of silence as the ninja took it all in. "You were all chosen for a reason. Tomorrow morning You'll tell me your specialties, so I can properly plan the assault."
"You mean you weren't already informed of us?"
"No. This mission was put together quickly as the situation called for; I myself was only appointed Captain minutes before you all gathered together." There was an exasperated sigh. "Now then... Me and the Dog." A finger was pointed at Kakashi. "We'll take first watch. You three will take last watch." The Captain began moving towards the mouth of the cave. "Rest now, you'll all need it for tomorrow."
Kakashi followed suit, moving out to rocks by the waterfall. "Sit here. We'll get wet but enemies can't hear or see us." He nodded, taking a position on one of the taller rocks which granted a good view around the fall. It wasn't long before he was hit with a scroll wrapped up in plastic to avoid getting wet. He glanced at the Leopard Anbu before carefully unraveling it. A pen falling out in his lap.
'So what should, I call you? Dog?'
Kakashi shot a unamused glare at the ninja before writing his name back. Moments later getting hit with it again.
'That's your real name. You're going to need a codename. So give me something better Dog.'
'Sohei.' This time he waited until he was sure the Captain wasn't paying attention before tossing the scroll back, hitting them in the head. He couldn't hear over the fall if there was any grumbling, but he gave a wave when an obvious hidden glare was sent his way. When the scroll was sent back he caught it, smiling beneath his mask. His eyes scanned outside the cave before reading the message.
'Alright Dog. Call me Snow.'
'Snow that's the best you got?'
'Can it, Dog.'
The writing stopped, and slowly half the night whittled away before he was motioned to head back into the cave. The other three nin were awoken and went to take their positions. Kakashi was soon startled by a burst of flames that erupted over the Captain before vanishing.
"I can't sleep in wet clothes." Kakashi motioned at his attire. "Deal with it I'm not a laundry service." Sighing he curled up on one of the rocks using a bag for a pillow. Four hours later they were awoken by the watch; the sun beginning to rise.
"Alright so, Monkey here is a Taijutsu and weapon specialist. Fox is a member of the Hyuuga clan, Rabbit is good with Genjutsu, Dog is a copycat." Snow laughed at the results. "Alright, we're climbing mountains today kids, I need something proper to call you all."
"Hei." The Monkey sounded off.
"Ame" Fox was next.
"Uwe" Rabbit followed meekly in order.
"Sohei" Kakashi finished.
"And I'm Snow. Alright kiddies, let's get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover. Climbing a mountain isn't easy but it's the only way in." Snow motioned for them to follow not leaving any time for chatter. The ninja filed out of the waterfall and began to sprint towards the mountain, crossing the rest of Kusagakure by noon without incident.
"Snow, It's been rather quiet. Isn't that strange?" Hei questioned.
"No. I'm well aware of this route. I know the land and how to avoid most of the watch." Snow answered. "By the time we're spotted by anyone we'll be long gone."
"So that's why we haven't run into trouble." Ame laughed. "I thought it was just a bad omen or extremely good luck."
"We're not in the clear yet. The mountains will make us easy targets if we're caught." Uwe moved towards the front of the group as they approached the base of the mountain. Kakashi gazed up at the towering peaks. The sheer cliffs had little to no nooks to grab or rest on. A couple drops of rain began to fall from the sky. The gradual buildup of drops began the symphony of the coming storm. "Uwe." Snow's voice held an unspoken command. The Rabbit masked teen stepped forward, his hands moving rapidly in various seals.
"U, Tori, Ushi, U. Illusionary cloak." Kakashi blinked a few times, watching as a blanket of chakra erupted from Uwe's body and wrapped around them. "This should keep casual glances from noticing us."
"Good. Then let's get going." Summoning the chakra to their feet the group began scaling the side of the mountain. "Once we get past this height, it'll be smoother climbing from here." Kakashi scanned the upper section of the cliffs, looking for any potential threat. Other than a few birds it was void of life. An ill feeling began to settle in the pit of his stomach putting him on edge. Leaping up on the first ledge, the ninja barely had time to catch their breath before they heard a sharp whistling. Kakashi pulled out a kunai, rolling it in his hands so the tip was pointing back towards his elbow. He jumped in front of Uwe deflecting the oncoming shureiken.
"Kukuku." The laugh echoed off the mountains. "Better than I expected of ninja foolish enough to try and cross these mountains." A blur flashed by as a man landed farther up the mountain. "Now fuck off!" He formed the snake seal, causing rocks from above to fall down at them. The squad split leaping away from the falling rocks and easily avoided being crushed, unfortunately Uwe and Snow were now separated by the rockslide. A cloud of dust erupted from the impact of the falling rocks, obscuring them from sight of their enemy.
"Try this!" Hei burst from the dust cloud, throwing kunai at the ninja with explosive tags attached. The Rock nin dodged back, bouncing away from them and right into a waiting Kakashi. Forming the Tiger seal he blew a fire ball. Caught off guard the enemy twisted in an attempt to avoid the main blast but still getting grazed by the flames searing his arm.
The Hyuuga leapt up engaging the Rock nin in close combat. His advances were easily deflected however, and Ame was kicked back, dropping twenty feet below. Snow dashed in, steam rising around the Captain as the rain poured down. Snow ended a series of seals with the Tiger as flames engulfed the shinobi and moved towards the enemy with outstretched talons. The Rock nin clapped his hands together bringing up a wall of stone to block the oncoming assault of fire.
"Alright, I've had enough fun for now." The ninja slammed his hand on the hard surface, the earth breaking up at his attack. Loose rocks began sliding down in a large scale rock slide.
"MOVE!" Kakashi heard Snow call out, as they tried desperately to avoid the falling rocks. Kakashi leapt up on a more stable boulder out of reach of the deadly slide. Soon he was joined by Hei. The pair watched helplessly as Snow helped Ame up on the other side of the fall.
"Where's Uwe?" Kakashi questioned as he searched the wreckage for any sign of the Rabbit Anbu.
"He was right behind me..." Hei stood up fully, the Earth nin was gone. Once the rocks, settled the shinobi met in the center.
"Find Uwe. He's got to be her-"
"H-h-help!" A voice cried out in desperation. The Squad bolted down the rock slide, finding the poor Rabbit with his leg trapped.
"Oh fuck." Snow leapt down beside him. "You three try to lift it up, and I'll drag him out." Kakashi filed in suit straining to give leeway against the weight of all the other rocks piled up. After a couple minutes the straining ninja were able to lift it a few inches, allowing Snow to drag his leg out. The Rabbit anbu cried out in pain.
"It's broken." Bits of shattered bone were protruding from the man's flesh, blood running fresh.
"He can't go on like this." Hei took another watchful glance around the mountain. "Anyone know-"
"I do." Snow removed the man's shoe, pulling his pant leg up and ignoring the whimpers coming from the subordinate. "I promised the Kage I wouldn't leave anyone behind." Giving a couple seals, Snow held their hands on the hideous wound. Kakashi watched the chakra force the bone back in place as Uwe continued to cry out in agony. The flesh began to knead itself back together. "You won't be able to walk properly by yourself." The Captain pulled him to his feet ignoring the yelp of the sensitive flesh touching the ground. Wrapping an arm under his, they began to trudge along. "Kakashi, Ame take point. Hei you guard the rear."
"Th-thank you, Captain."
"Thank me when we're back home."
Once they reached the summit, Snow allowed Uwe to slip off and stand on his own.
"Lord Hashiyara's estate is there." The Captain indicated with an index finger. "We'll reach the bottom by midnight, from there we'll head for the estate and complete the mission before sunrise."
"What about that Rock shinobi there's no way he'll forget about us and probably will bring reinforcements."
"Then be expecting trouble. We can't get caught like that again." Snow responded before grabbing Uwe again and beginning their descent.
"Captain, Uwe is in no condition to go to the Estate." Kakashi spoke up. "He'll be in danger and we'll have trouble protecting him."
"Relax, Uwe will be fine by the time we reach the estate. So I suggest you focus on watching out for enemies." Not reassured, Kakashi held back a retort and retook his position in front of the group.
Night had fallen, hiding the squad's approach to the walls surrounding the estate. A couple guards walked along the outer walls, their bodies visible in the light of the lanterns hanging above. Each guard positioned 25 yards from another, making entry difficult.
"How do we get in? This place is crawling with guards." Hei leapt to the ground from the tree tops.
"Leave that to me." Snow placed a hand in Uwe's leg fueling more chakra into the sensitive skin. "You can put pressure on it now but be careful." The Anbu nodded and tested it cautiously as he stood up by himself. "I'll be making a distraction to the north." A crude drawing of the building was in the ground. "The guards will be distracted, when you see an opening center and head for the upper tower. At this hour, Hashiyara will be asleep. He'll no doubt awaken at my signal and attempt to go to the lower levels where an escape tunnel is located." There was a pause. "You cannot allow him to reach this tunnel. The building has three floors. Hei you're the fastest, make it to the top and try to stop him. If you can't, Kakashi will meet him on the second floor and, Uwe and Ame will blockade the staircase at the bottom floor. From there try and rejoin others for assistance, but don't take any unnecessary risks."
The four of them nodded and watched as Snow took off to the northern point.
"Do you think this will work?" Uwe asked.
"Of course it will, don't be doubting me. I'll have him before he even reaches you guys." Hei chimed in.
"Don't get so full of yourself. We need to be careful not to get caught by his guards."
"Yeah... once the mission's complete, I'll alter the memories of the remaining forces. Don't want them pointing fingers at us." Uwe took a deep breath. The seconds seemed to drag on between them as they awaited the signal.
"The guards haven't moved, and I can't find Snow anywhere." Ame's voice was beginning to have doubt. "No wait-" An explosion thundered north, smoke and flames erupting above the canopy as trees came crashing to the ground from the force. Fire began licking at the dry leaves and spread quickly. The guards bolted off towards the explosion in a series of distorted shouts. "Let's go!"
Hei took off like the bullet, ascending the wall and disappearing from sight. Kakashi followed in tow ahead of the slower Uwe and Ame. Once he scaled the wall he jumped up on the roof, and ran towards on the windows of the second floor. Kakashi busted through the window, glass scattering onto the floor. The sound of a scuffle could be heard above; the silver haired Anbu raced down the hallway, catching sight of a middle aged man racing down the staircase. Pulling out a kunai, he threw it at him causing the man to fall down in surprise. The overweight Lord let out a yelp and scrambled backwards, still in his bed attire. Kakashi reached for the sword strapped to his back and pulled it off. A sharp blow to his side caught him off guard, slamming him into the wall. Dropping down to his feet, he avoided another blow from a familiar Rock Nin. The dark skinned ninja pivoted, dropping his foot down to hit Kakashi in the back. He avoided the blow, rolling across the floor and launching himself forward, swinging his blade at his foe. The loud sound of metal hitting metal filled his ears.
"Orisato, Kill him!" He barely recognized the voice of Lord Hashiyara in the background. Swinging the blade, he pierced Orisato causing the man to disappear in a puff of smoke.
"A clone?!" Kakashi turned at the sound of the wooden boards creaking. Jumping back he was grazed across the chest with a kunai. Wincing the Anbu barely had time to avoid the next attack. Making a quick seal, the blow hit him, causing the clone to disappear. The rock nin growled in frustration when Kakashi didn't reappear anywhere near him.
Snow climbed the wall, gazing back over as the last of guards ran off to put out the fire and chase down another shadow clone. The ninja could hear the sound of fighting coming from the estate, and slid in the first floor to see Ame and Uwe engaged with several ninja. Ame's hands were blurred at the speed he was hitting the ninja with. His feet dancing across the floor as he pressed various pressure points effectively shutting down their ability to use chakra. Uwe had two ninjas standing still locked in one of genjutsus.
Creating the seal of the tiger, fire sparked in Snow's hands. The boards beneath their feet cracked with the energy humming from Snow's body. Charging two guards that were trying to strike Uwe down, she set them both ablaze.
"Has Hashiyara come down yet?" Snow called.
"Finish these guys and meet us back at the Summit." With that Snow vaulted over the blockade at the stairs and charged up just in time to see the Lord's head rolling on the floor. The sound of chirping birds began to fade as the Chidori was ended. Her eyes widened as Orisato rushed behind Kakashi, knife posed to stab him. Snow bolted forward, pushing the silver haired ninja out of the way as the blade pierced her side.
In a smooth motion Snow swung her arm, fire snaking up her fingertips in the form of talons. The flaming claws sliced through the man's arms. Orisato shrieked in pain and shock, stumbling backwards as blood spurted from his limbs. Kakashi swung his blade, decapitating the man before he had time to recover.
The Anbu fell to the floor, putting her hands around the dagger still lodged deep in her side. "Snow, hold still." Kakashi grabbed the blade and pulled it out as she put pressure on the wound. "We need to get out of here."
"Grab the head... I'll be fine." She struggled to her feet holding the wound. Kakashi bagged the head, and wrapped an arm under the Captain as they bolted for the shattered window. Keeping her right hand on her side as they ran across the roof, she cast a glance at the scene below. The flames were spreading from the forest towards the estate, causing the guards to scramble around in the chaos.
"This way." She mumbled using the momentum and height from the roof to leap over the wall. She rolled up onto her feet, letting the shock of hitting the ground spread throughout her body. Kakashi grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.
"What about the others?"
"Ame and Uwe shouldn't be far behind us and Hei should have already gotten out." Snow looked around anxiously, "We can't stay here." Reluctantly, he let go and followed after her back towards the summit of the mountain.
"I'm fine, Now you three take first watch." After a slight hesitation the three left to go on guard duty. Kakashi sat with his back against one of the boulders watching as Snow pulled off the mask. His eyes widened in surprise to see a delicate face, who's pale skin was marred with purple and yellow bruises. Amethyst eyes glanced over at Kakashi before pulling the cloth that was around her head away too. Pale pink hair was tied up in a pony tail that fell down to her shoulder blades. Braids were weaved around to keep it out of her face.
"I didn't think you were a woman." Kakashi commented.
A glare was shot at him. "Watch it dog." Carefully stripping the gray armor, she sighed in relief and examining the stab wound. "Don't go spreading this around either." Forming a few seals she placed a hand over her wound.
"I don't think people would care if you're a woman."
"It's a political problem," She grumbled removing her hand from her side to reveal healed flesh.
"I don't think I follow." Kakashi said, tilting his head.
"You don't need to." She folded her arms, leaning back against the stone.
"Fair enough. What happened to your face?" He sensed a bit of aggression from the female as she held back from snapping at him.
"Mind your own business." She rolled away, slipping her mask back on. Kakashi's eyes lingered for a few moments before carefully removing the gray vest. His black shirt held a small rip where the kunai had grazed him. Hearing rustling, he looked back up to see Snow turned back to look at him. "You didn't say you were injured."
"It's just a scratch." He shrugged.
"A scratch that can be deadly if it gets infected." Crawling over, she summoned chakra to her fingertips, making a seal with her left hand. Her index and middle finger traced the incision closing it up. "There now stop being stupid." Snow leaned back on her hands.
"Anyone ever tell you you're rude?"
"They don't pay me to be nice. Just to keep you all alive and get the job done."
"Thanks..." When Snow didn't respond Kakashi continued. "For saving me back there."
"Oh. Right. don't mention. Now get some sleep. I'm not carrying your ass back because you're too tired." Snow laid back down. Kakashi leaned back looking up at the sky for a few minutes. Red and orange were beginning to paint the horizon.
"Aaaah it's good to be back." Hei stretched as the squad walked into Konoha. The sky was still dark and dotted with stars.
"Go get some rest. You guys did.. a good job." Snow admitted reluctantly.
"Oh a compliment. I'm surprised Captain." Ame joked.
"Go home." Kakashi watched as Snow took off towards the Hokage's office. No doubt to inform them of their success. Still holding the bag, the silver haired Anbu followed after her. Upon arrival Snow attempted to take the bag from him. Instinctively he pulled it away from her grasp. "Hand it over." her voice swelled with authority.
"Sorry, habit." He handed the Lord's head over to Snow. As he hand took it, he didn't let go immediately. "You didn't tell us the truth about the Lord, did you?" His eyes narrowed at her.
"You're observant." She yanked it out of his hand. "You don't need to know the truth though." With that she opened up the door to the Hokage's office. Kakashi noticed Danzo standing inside waiting just before the door closed. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed and began walking out back home. The hours spent traveling and awake finally catching up to him.