Premonition
By Oniko
"Yo," Kakashi said as he slid into chair before the Hokage's desk. He was late for his appointment, but not too late. Tsunade was already well on her way to being plastered. As infamous as she was for her drinking habits, for a Thursday morning this was unusual. Kakashi debated commenting, but even he knew when not to push.
Tsunade glanced up and growled at him. She poured a measure of sake into a small ceramic cup and slammed it down in front of him with a little more force then was necessary, sending the clear liquid sloshing over the lip onto the battered desktop. "Have a drink."
"I really don't think-"
"Drink!" she snapped before taking a long pull herself directly from the bottle. Kakashi shrugged and tugged down his mask to throw back the sake. The heated drink was smooth and went down easily. He had his mask back in place before Tsunade lowered the bottle and opened her eyes.
"Now, baa-chan, I'm sure you didn't invite me here just to share in your admittedly excellent sake," Kakashi said, borrowing one of Naruto's nicknames for the Hokage that rarely failed to put her into one of her magnificent rages. She didn't bat an eye, not a good sign. Kakashi started to worry.
"Sakura left on a mandatory early last week," Tsunade said, referring to a mission that a ninja otherwise more suited to work inside the village, like Sakura's work in the hospital or Iruka at the academy, had to take on a semi-regular basis to maintain their chuunin or jounin status. "It was a simple courier run to pick up a couple of dead-drops left by our spies in Earth Country."
"But?" Kakashi prodded when Tsunade fell into a silence that lasted far too long for his liking.
"She never made her last contact," Tsunade said heavily. "We have reason to believe that she was intercepted and is being held by the daimyo's spymaster."
Kakashi frowned. "The daimyo? Not Iwa?"
"Plausible deniability," she said with a bitter smile. "They aren't ready to break our tentative truce yet. I called you here because you are the only one with a chance of getting in and out of there alive."
"With Sakura," Kakashi added pointedly. Tsunade silently placed the mission scroll in front of him, an S-class infiltration mission and a notice of Sakura's status as an A-class missing-nin.
"She holds information vital to Konoha that cannot be allowed to fall into enemy hands." Tsunade's voice was empty and void of any emotion. "If she cannot be brought securely back to the village, she must be neutralized."
"You bitch," he whispered, the words falling from his lips before he could stop them.
"Watch your tone," she snapped at him.
"She was my student-"
"Do not start a pissing contest with me Hatake. She was my student and like a daughter to me. But I am the Hokage and I must do what is best for Konoha, even if it breaks my heart," Tsunade said. She whispered the last words that Kakashi almost missed. "I fucking hate this job."
"You can't ask me-"
"I can't ask anyone else. It would be suicide." She drained the last of the sake in the bottle. "You have your orders. Now, get out."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said with a precise bow. Words and tone and action more suited for a servant to his master. Derision dripping like venom from the perfectly measured words.
"Get out!" She threw the empty bottle of sake at him with deadly force and accuracy, but he was already gone.
… … …
The days to reach the Earth Daimyo's stronghold passed in a blur. A clone sent in quickly confirmed the presence of Iwa ninja inside. Kakashi dampened his chakra and settled down to watch and wait. He wanted to rush forward and tear the place apart stone by stone until he found Sakura. But, regardless of any impression that Naruto may give, that wasn't the ninja way. That wasn't Kakashi's way.
Instead he waited and he watched, even knowing that every moment was paid for with Sakura's blood and pain. He studied the movements of servants and careful search of supplies that were brought in. He noted the changing of the guards. They were not as random as they probably thought they were. The formula was complicated, but Kakashi was able to plot their patterns, and when he could predict their movements he knew he had his opening. A window, a small moment of time between one guard and the next, during which Kakashi would make his move.
He was already dressed as a servant with a few choice items hidden away in the folds of his clothes. Any genjustu, any techniques at all, would be like sending up a flare to the enemy nin. He was going to have to do this the hard way. Now.
The guard had just started to turn away. Kakashi was already in motion, sprinting across the open field that separated the outer wall of the fortress from his hiding place. Momentum alone carried him halfway up the wall. Old fashioned claw grips on his hands carried him the rest of the way. He was a passing breeze, unnoticed as he crested the wall, slipped behind the guard, and down the other side. Once in the courtyard he strode towards the barracks that surrounded the prison cells with a purposeful and hurried pace. No one looked twice at him.
Kakashi picked up a pot of cold rice and jug of water left on the sideboard of the main hall that he passed through. The maps Tsunade had given him had been accurate so far, but the actual location of the prison entrance was more speculation then hard knowledge. He felt his heart in his throat as he took a set of stairs leading down.
Two guards, both Iwa ninja, looked up as he entered the small room at the base of the stairs. Well, one guard looked up, the other had his hitai-ate pulled over his eyes and appeared to be sleeping. Kakashi held up the pot and jug. "Rations."
"You're early," the guard said. Kakashi just shrugged, not letting his relief show. The guard waved at a nearby table. "Just put it there."
Kakashi nodded and did as he was told, watching the two out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey, Renji," The guard turned his back to Kakashi and kicked lightly at the sleeper's foot. "I'm gonna-"
His words were cut off with a gasp as Kakashi's kunai slammed into his neck. The man was dead moments later. Kakashi lowered the body silently to the floor. The sleeping man stirred and started to lift one side of his hitai-ate. "You're gonna what?"
A bloody kunai through the revealed eye was the only answer he received. Kakashi swiftly searched their bodies and the room for the cell keys before finding them tucked into a small drawer under the table. The cells were eerily quiet. There was the sound of a man sobbing, but no screams. The torturer must not be in today. He stalked down the long halls, glancing into cell after cell but passing them by until a flash of bright petal pink caught his eye.
"Sakura," he breathed, fumbling with the keys. She was not in good shape. She had been badly beaten. Chakra draining seals as well as the words "whore" and "slut" had been carved bright red into pale flesh. One hand had been crushed. Kakashi doubted that even Tsunade would be able to set the mangled mess that remained right. One of her legs had also been badly broken, the sharp bone poking through skin glistened red and white in the faint light. The wound had begun to fester, black streaks wound their way up her leg and the smell of rotting flesh turned his stomach.
She had been the least of his students, the one who had come the farthest, and, until he received that damning scroll, the one he hadn't realized had meant the most. Once inside he rushed to her side and crouched down beside where she lay on the dirty stone floor. Her green eyes snapped open, though they were fever bright she watched him warily.
"K'kashi? 'S that really you?" she asked, words soft and slurred.
"Yo," he greeted her simply, and gently brushed the bangs from her face.
"'M glad they sent you," she whispered. "Get to see you…last time…selfish."
"Don't say that," Kakashi admonished. "I'll get you out of here."
"Can't," she said. "Anti-tele…portation seals. Shock would… probably kill me anyway."
"Hey, this eye can see the future remember?" Kakashi said as he pointed at his sharingan before placing each hand on either side of her head. "And I see you back at the hospital terrorizing the interns. I will get you out of here."
"I know you will." She smiled widely at him, a split on her lip reopening and a line of fresh blood trickled down her cheek. He felt more then heard the wet snap of bone through his palms. The pain in his chest made him wonder if he had stabbed himself through the heart instead. He carefully arranged her limbs, folding her good hand over her damaged fingers so the broken digits weren't as obvious. He finger combed her short hair into passably neat halo but he couldn't much with the bloody clumps and burnt ends. He closed her empty green eyes and placed a soft kiss on lips already gone cold. Their first and last. He could taste her blood coppery and sweet.
In the distance an alarm was ringing followed by the sound of rising voices and running feet. He stood and exited her small cell. Kakashi released the tight rein he had on his chakra, feeling the curl of lightning around his fist and the twitter of birds in his ear. The chidori was summoned without thought or seals. The feel of it slamming into an enemy did little to balm the harrowing ache in his chest. Nor did the next, or the next.
Kakashi lost count of how many enemy ninja or samurai he cut down. With the chidori at first, then with whatever other weapon came to hand as his chakra failed him, then with even his bare hands as weapons were broken or torn away. It surprised him that that the sword that slid under his guard and into his stomach didn't hurt. Not really, just a slight tugging sensation then warmth as his blood and other things spilled down his legs. He looked down and could see his reflection in the sharp steel blade. The Leaf hitai-ate cocked over one eye, the uncovered sharingan spinning wildly.
… … …
A hoarse cry was ripped from Kakashi's throat as he woke with a start. His hands went automatically to his stomach but found only taut skin, whole and intact. He let out a gasping sigh, collapsing back on sweat soaked sheets. His mouth was dry and when he licked his chapped lips he could taste blood, coppery and sweet.
Kakashi shot back up and staggered to his bathroom in the dark, tripping over clothes that had been left carelessly on the floor. The cold florescent light in the bathroom blinded him briefly. When he blinked the spots away he found himself staring at a visage from a nightmare. Half of his face was covered with smeared blood, it was even streaked into his hair, and as he watched fresh crimson tears seeped out from underneath the felt eye patch he wore over the sharingan because it was more comfortable to sleep in then his hitai-ate.
He peeled the scrap of blood soaked fabric off of his face and was shocked to see four tomoe spinning in a solid red pool. The fourth tomoe gradually faded and the sheet of blood in his eye poured down his cheek to drip on to the bone white sink and tile floor.
"This eye can see the future."
"What are you trying to tell me, Obito?" Kakashi asked softly.
"I know you will."
… … …
AN: This is intended as stand alone. Though I can see several places this story may go from here, I have no plans at this time of continuing. If anyone else would like to, you may consider this a challenge.