The Fairy Tale Begins
A lone dark blue eye swept across the cityscape, the face it was thus attached to followed it as he stood atop a cliff looking down upon the hidden village of Konoha. The figure itself would have been unremarkable were it not for the dark black mask that covered half the man's face and the silky matching scarf that obscured his left eye from view.
Surprisingly, a bright red scarf wound itself about the young man's neck, like a bright light hung upon an otherwise darkly lit street, it's color enhanced by the heavy black cloak that draped across a set of hunched shoulders. It was winter in Fire Country, a most odd statement it would seem, but the land was blanketed warmly in the pure white frosty breathe of the heavens.
The masked figure watched as two small figures used a passing wagon to slip unnoticed by the gate guards and out of Konoha's gates. The heavy ringing of the bells, accompanied by the hoarsely stricken voices of the prison guards confirmed the success of the two escapees. The cloaked figure crouched down, a calloused pale hand reaching out as a magnificent snow leopard padded up to his side, leaning against him and rubbing the rich spotted fur of its chin insistently against his hand.
The male chuckled, "Now now, calm down. It seems we've found our miracle, or should I say miracles," he murmured, fingers scratching the sturdy large head, trailing across smooth velvety fur of the feline's back. The large cat arched his back with the hand that slid over him and purred contently, spotted tail swaying happily. The observer shook his head lightly and glanced towards the direction the two escapees had gone and chuckled, "Let's go get you're favorite food then."
Ichiraku was a well-known establishment across Fire Country. Though it was a small open aired restaurant and could hardly cater to more then a crowd of ten, there wasn't any other place that could match the chewy goodness of their ramen. Patrons came from all over the country for the savory taste. Several hooded figures, braving the chilly winds of winter were huddled around small tables barely sheltered from the snow by large straw umbrellas. They warmed their hands reverently about the hot bowls of soup.
Two young boys, dressed in tattered looking clothes that seemed much too large for either of them. The blonde jumped onto a bench and looked around with a grin, the surly dark haired youth trailing behind him rolled his eyes, "Oyaji! Two of your largest bowls of pork ramen!" he announced enthusiastically.
The elderly cook's pretty daughter made her way over, slender hand held out towards the pair, "Money?" she asked sweetly, however threatening undertone silenced any thought of even daring not to pay.
The blonde swallowed a bit nervously and scratched the back of his head, but the dark haired boy beside him wordlessly pulled out a hefty purse of coins and shook it lightly "I think this should cover it." He smirked surperiorly.
"What are you celebrating?" The cloaked figure sitting at the table beside them, his voice startling the two as they turned their attentions to him.
The darker haired boy narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the man, but his blonde companion announced rather proudly, "We, my friend, are celebrating two who have escaped from Hokage's dungeons and lived to tell the tale."
"Do I hear false claims from you boy? No one escapes Konoha's dungeons!"
The young blonde stomped his feet angrily at the cloaked man, "I am no little boy! And I do not lie!" he shouted vehemently.
The black haired boy beside him widened his eyes and reached out to grab his friend's arm much to late. Several of the men seated at the tables around them removed their hooded cloaks to reveal the uniforms of the Hokage's personal guard, ANBU. Their masked faces most notable among the dark features, armor glinting in a sinister manner under the dull light of day.
"You made two mistakes, you little thieves: one, staying in the woods would have been a good idea, you might still be free; and two, you definitely shouldn't have stolen Yoroi's money purse." The Captain of Hokage's personal ANBU team rolled dark grey eyes behind the mask as said man twisted around to pat himself down. The silent amused tilt of the other masked men was the only indication of emotion from the normally still guards.
The dark haired boy gave the blonde a look that quite obviously said, "I told you so." The two bolted in different direction in a blur of orange and blue. Chaos ensued. The guards were hard pressed in maneuvering about the overturned tables and umbrella unlike the much smaller and lithe bodies of the twelve year olds.
However, despite this, they were still at a disadvantage in numbers and it wasn't long before the two were hanging between the arms of several guards. "I'm sure we've all had our fun and games, but it is time for you two to die, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke." The man raise a kunai "We can't have anyone spreading word that the inescapable prisons of Konoha are escapable now can we?"
Both boys held their breathes, awaiting the deathblow when a lazy voice floated in the air accompanying the ringing clang of metal against metal, "Kabuto, considering how much Konoha has fallen under Orochimaru, I'm not surprised he made you Captain of ANBU." drawled a tall, lanky man. He was garbed all in black and the only color that stood out was the shock of white hair on his head and the bright red scarf wrapped about his neck.
As Sasuke and Naruto opened their eyes, they looked upon their savior, kunais crossed in front of them. "Still picking on the weaker too I see." A single blue eye bore down upon Kabuto before sweeping momentarily over the rest of the guard, "The same sorry lot too." He mocked openly, voice soft and yet commanding.
"It's Sharingan Kakashi," several awed voices could be heard from the normally silent ANBU guard, "The Hound of Konoha has returned." It was said with the sound and looks of awe, respect and fear. In the tension mounting in the eating area, no one took notice of the two thieves slipping out of their holds and sneak off to their freedom.
"Hatake Kakashi. Dosu told me you'd been sighted in the area. I should have him killed."
"I should have killed you when you first showed your ugly face in Konoha."
"You can go ahead and try now if you can Hatake." Kabuto scowled, leaping forward at the other man. Kakashi leapt back nimbly, hands finishing the necessary signs for summoning as soon as he landed. The ninja slammed his gloved hand onto the flat surface of the ground and in a plume of smoke, eight ninken of various sizes and breeds were streaking out, causing the rest of the guards to scatter like leaves in the wind. Kakashi smirked as he retreated in the direction of the two escapees, eyes never leaving Kabuto.
"I know you three are there." Kakashi turned to the door, lone eye curved in a smile. The dark mask had returned to its customary place already as the three stumbled into the room sheepishly.
"I wanted to see Iruka-sensei! But no, Sasuke had to go and call me 'Dobe' and I was like 'Teme' and then Sakura heard us and kicked us out!" Naruto burst out, having already squirmed his way over to the other side of the bed by the academy teacher. Of course nothing escaped Kakashi's keen eye as he noted that Sasuke was holding Sakura's hand as they entered the room behind him. The young avenger seemed to have noticed the jounin glance his way and grunted, releasing Sakura's hand immediately.
Sakura gave a small pouted in Sasuke's direction as he moved to the windowsill. It quickly turned into a growl as she moved to stand by her teammate, her fist flying down over Naruto's head.
"And I only let you back in because you said you'd be quiet! This is a hospital, patients need rest!" Smiling sweetly back at Kakashi and blushed slightly at Sasuke, her hand brushed back a few stray strands of pink hair, "Kakashi-sensei could you please continue the story? We'd love to hear it and I promise we won't be any trouble again."
The smile was hidden beneath the dark mask, but his Kakashi's students knew their sensei well enough to know it was there. "Maa…if you really want me to." The jounin leaned back in his chair, arms reaching out for a quick stretch. "Find yourselves a comfortable spot to settle." He motioned towards the few extra chairs that were littered with a vase of flowers or two.
As Kakashi leaned back forward, hand slipping back into Iruka's lifeless hand, warmed by the heat of his body, his voice continued a bit more strongly then it had before, despite the presence of the mask now muffling the sound some.
"Another time, oh mighty Captain Kabuto." Kakashi lifted two fingers to his forehead in mock salute, the barks and growls of his ninken coupled with a few surly screams filled the background, "I've got two destructive boys to catch right now." Kakashi grinned, eyeing the immediate area with a low whistle. It had meant both for his summons as well as the amount of damage that had hit the place.
"You fools!" Kabuto hissed, "After them!" that seemed to break whatever enchantment their former Captain cast upon them as guards scrambled after the three retreating figures. Naruto and Sasuke swore, urging their legs to move faster into the safety of the forest. They both yelped in surprise as a pack of dogs swept them off their feet, the two largest snagging them by the back of their tattered shirts as they leapt upwards into the treetops.
Kakashi ran slightly behind his pack, single eye glancing back as a large snow leopard darted between their closest pursuers, claws extended. He gave another sharp hasty whistle, urging the feline back to his side. As if hearing his thoughts, the white leopard seemed to pause mid-jump, fleeing back to his side just as they entered the cover of the forest. Kakashi could not help but let out a sigh of relief, glancing wryly down at the smirking snow leopard, "Why are you always trying to play hero?"