"Kakashi?" The husky voice sounded unfamiliar. Kakashi turned around to see Gai stooping to enter his tent. His usually flashy demeanor was demure, his face serious.
"Hello, Gai. It's good to see you. I specifically requested you to help me lead the third division, so I hope you don't mind if we get straight to work. How's Naruto?"
"He's okay. He's still on the island, but he's getting suspicious."
"I'm sure Tenzo can handle him," Kakashi remarked, turning his attention back to the scroll he had been reading.
"Kakashi," Gai said again, shifting his feet uncomfortably.
"What is it, Gai?"
"About Captain Yamato . . . before I left the island, he was . . . he was captured by the enemy." Kakashi's one visible eye opened wide, and the scroll dropped to the floor with a thud.
"What?"
"Kabuto Yakushi. The medical ninja working for Orochimaru. It seemed like he was after the eight and nine tails, but when Yamato went outside with Motoi and Aoba to investigate . . . well, well, unfortunately I was powerless to provide any aid after opening the inner gates in my fight against that shark shinobi!"
"So he was taken by Kabuto?" Kakashi felt his heart rate quickening.
"I'm so sorry, Kakashi! Apparently Yamato and the others had him immobilized with the help of a shinobi from the Hidden Stone, but he moulted just like Orochimaru used to do, and in a snakelike form he swallowed Yamato whole and escaped with Manda." Kakashi sat back down and stared at the floor, trying to process what he had just heard. If he had been captured, then . . .
Gai couldn't take the silence.
"Do not fear, my eternal rival! I am ready at any moment to go to his aid! Anko and others from the intelligence unit are looking for Kabuto's lair as we speak—as soon as we find out where it is, we can go and rescue him! Kabuto won't have killed him—he will want to keep him alive for information, and besides that he has a unique kekke genkai." Kakashi closed his eye and took a deep breath.
"Gai . . . Tenzo is an ANBU." Gai stared for a moment, not sure what he meant. That he should have been able to evade capture? That he would escape by himself?
"Nevertheless, it may be difficult for him to get away on his own," Gai started.
"No, I mean—" Kakashi's breathing quickened. "You were never in the black-ops, but surely you've heard the code? When an ANBU is captured . . ." Gai waited, his eyes wide and innocent. ". . . well, the protocol is to prevent the enemy from using you. Especially for those with kekke genkai . . ."
"What are you saying, Kakashi?"
"It's, well, Gai, it's too late," Kakashi stuttered, wishing Gai would get the picture already. Tears sunk into the headband covering his left eye and fell to his mask on the right.
"You mean he . . . would have ended it himself." Gai sat down heavily on the ground. He stared at the dirt floor for a moment and then clenched his fists and stood up again.
"I am so sorry, Kakashi! If only I had been able to—"
"Don't, Gai. There was nothing you could have done." He steeled himself against the sadness. He tried not to blame himself either, but it was almost like a reflex. Maybe if he had been there, he could have helped. But he wasn't, and there was no way to change that now.
"We will not let his sacrifice be in vain," Gai said, his voice softer now. "We will dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to winning this war." He put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi nodded, but it didn't look wholehearted.
"Captain Kakashi?" A young shinobi from the Cloud peeked her head into the tent. "The captains will now address their companies." With a quick glance at Gai, he headed for the door. Gai stopped him.
"Here," he gestured to the basin of water on the desk.
"Oh. Okay," I guess it's a good idea to put on a brave face for my troops, he thought. He exposed his face for just a moment to wash his tears away, but after drying it he replaced his mask and headband. He took a deep breath before leaving the tent.
A/N:
Thanks for reading this fic! If it seems to be getting a slow start, feel free to skip to Ch. 5.