Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Kakashi watched Naruto with understanding as two long winding paths of tears flows down the young ninja's face. It was never easy to come to the understanding that, yes your enemy wasn't always just a bad guy. That they had dreams. They felt pain.. sorrow.. love. That sometimes even they were the good guy and you were in the wrong.
He knew that his students understood logically that enemies were human beings but it was entirely different to see the rawness of the opposition's humanity. It was even more difficult when they happen to die. He was grateful that his students were safe. None of them had to actually deal the death blow. And he was also grateful that at least in this situation, they were very much morally in the right.
A startled gasp that he recognized as Sakura's suddenly jolts Kakashi out of his thoughts.
He whips around towards her and pulls out a kunai. He quickly follows her line of sight and sees a completely blood covered figure among the feet of the villagers. Haku and Zabuza were layed behind him now that he's turned towards the villagers. None of the thugs made it beyond the point where the missing nin's lay, Kakashi honestly didn't have any idea who this figure could be.
"Everyone MOVE away from him!" Kakashi orders without hesitation.
Many move right away, a couple look around first to see what he was talking about only then noticing the body at there feet. They quickly scramble away as soon as they spot the prone figure.
Kakashi watches the figure closely as the villagers move away. The blood caked form's chest moves slightly telling Kakashi that impossible as it seems with that level of blood loss that yes the figure is still alive.
His eyes flash ahead then through the edge of his vision towards his students and is satisfied that each one had copied him and had already moved into a 'ready' stance with kunai drawn.
"Guard the villagers, I'm going in."
As if practiced thousands of times Kakashi leaps forward toes the body sharply and leaps backwards a safe distance before even the body is completely turned over.
A shocked gasp sounds from the Jonin's right which he recognized as belonging to Naruto. The tone of the gasp was very telling to Kakashi but considering what he was seeing he had to confirm it. The figure looked exactly like Naruto. Looking alittle closer Kakashi reassessed his opinion... he look almost like Naruto. The figure on the ground was at least two years older and had on a official looking smock that he couldn't tell the color of because of all the blood.
"This isn't one of your clones is it Naruto?" Kakashi knew he hasn't had much experience dealing with Naruto's pranks but as tasteless as a prank right now seemed, the ill logic of this figure screamed that something wasn't adding up. A prank makes the most sense.
"NO way Sensei! I wouldn't do that after... Not after..." Naruto gestures towards the bodies of Haku and Zabuza behind them.
Kakashi nods he agrees, Naruto even as insensitive as he could be, wouldn't do something like create a joke like this. Kakashi slowly exposes his recently covered red eye.
The familiar feeling of energy shifting and draining towards his eye greets Kakashi "Not a Henge and not a clone..." Kakashi's red eye swirls sickeningly as he assesses the situation "If he isn't then..." He quickly adjusts his stance ready to pivot and strike out if necessary as he settles his red gaze on the younger looking Naruto.
The younger notices the change in his teacher's gaze and subconsciously realizes his intent. "Ka... Kakashi - Sensei?"
"Both are real? Okay keep calm. Think this through alittle" The jonin thinks as the red eye swirls a bit faster. "Naruto drew on the Kyuubi's chakra... Did he try to make a clone with it? If he did the clone could be dangerous... Nothing else fits... something to do with Kyuubi's chakra is the only thing that would make sense in a situation where the Sharingun is fooled."
Finally coming to a decision he glances in the direction of the villagers. "Tazuna, I usually wouldn't do this but we're going to have to end the mission before the bridge is entirely complete."
The bridge builder nods "Gato is gone. We won't have any problems with hired ninjas and the thugs have no reason to prevent the bridge from being completed." He gestures towards the bloody Naruto. "Besides it seems you have something alittle more important."
Kakashi nods but doesn't take his eyes off the older Naruto. "I need everyone to get off the bridge, except you Naruto."
He glances over at Sasuke and Sakura. "I need you two to escort the villagers the rest of the way off the bridge then retrieve all four of our traveling bags from Tazuna's. I don't want you two to delay any more then you need too. We have to get back to the village as fast as we can."
As the villagers gather the few weapons they brought and begin to shuffle away Sakura looks curiously at the bloodied figure. "Isn't that just one of Naruto's clone's sensei? It can't be that dangerous can it?" she asks as she readies herself to follow the last stragglers.
"I don't remember seeing him during the fight." Sasuke reluctantly adds.
Kakashi gives her a serious look. "No it's not a clone. At least according to my eye it isn't. That's exactly why we have to hurry."
Tazuna pauses a moment and gestures towards the two missing nin's. "What about those two Sensei?"
"Come back in a few hours we should be gone by then. I'm sorry but we have to leave you with the burial arrangements."
The old bridge builder nods. "Okay Sensai. If we don't see each other again thank you for helping us." Kakashi nods as Tazuna, the last of the villagers and his two students leave.
Kakashi and the two Naruto's stay in place as they watch the last villagers disappear in the distance. The younger somehow knew that his sensei wanted him to stay a certain distance away till he understood the situation.
Finally satisfied that the villagers were a safe enough distance away from the two he turns towards the younger of the two. "Naruto did you summon shadow clones during your fight?"
Naruto's bottom lip sticks out as he gives his sensei a put upon look. "Kakashi-sensei, I told you. I didn't make him! All my clones popped during my fight."
Kakashi nods "I believe you Naruto. Tell me did you make the clones before or after you drew on the red chakra?"
Naruto scratches the back of his head, "Errr... before.. I think.." a slight surprised look suddenly crosses his features. "Wait how did you know about the red chakra!"
"Never mind that. I want you to try and dispel him." Seeing the beginning of a pout and feeling the beginning of a headache for himself, Kakashi quickly cuts Naruto off before he can start. "I know you didn't make him. I think the red chakra might have done it on it's own."
Naruto squints and tilts his head to the side looking at his sensai for nearly a full minute, Long enough for Kakashi to wonder what the kid could be thinking of. Opening his mouth to ask he's suddenly interrupted by a simple. "Sure, Sensei!"
Kakashi watches Naruto with his Sharingun, noting each progressive step in exact detail: Hand-sign, chakra expelled in the direction of the clone, expelled chakra attempting to draw back the clone's chakra. Everything went like it would normally have done except when it came to drawing back the chakra. Normally the chakra would have taken the clone's chakra or would have hit the non-clone with no effect but much to Kakashi's shock the chakra hit the doppelganger and joins it as if he was the one expelling the clone.
Thinking quickly Kakashi walks over and brings his knuckles down onto the younger Naruto's head.
"Oww... I didn't lie! Why you hit me Sensei?"
Kakashi rubs the back of his own head. "Sorry about that Naruto I had to make sure." He turns back towards the older looking Naruto. "I want you to stay back here. Something is seriously off about this situation. He could be extremely dangerous."
The jonin slowly approaches the body all the time keeping a close eye on this hands and feet. As soon as the older shinobi is in range the older Naruto's hands and feet were secured before the younger could even blink. Kakashi proceeded in removing weapons from the unconscious shinobi. Kakashi quickly finishes. "Naruto you can come over now." Kakashi motions towards the discarded weapon pouches and the assorted backup weapons he found. "Secure those."
"Got it , Sensei." The younger salutes enthusiastically and sits down next to the pile and begins to sort the bits and pieces of metal.
That done Kakashi proceeds to look for the source of all the blood. Much to his surprise the only injury he could find under all the blood was a gash in the palm of the right hand. Looking closely Kakashi spots what seems to be a stone of some sort embedded into the cut. Kakashi deciding to get a better look pulls out a Kunai and unflinchingly starts to dig the thing out.
"So What's wrong with 'fake-me' Sensei?" Naruto says as he looks over from the pile of weapons.
"He's suffering from a bad case of exhaustion and there is a bad gash in the middle of this right palm." he pauses for a moment and hesitantly adds. "I can't detect a technique."
"You can't figure out how he looks like me?" Naruto stops and thinks about that for a moment. "Does that make him a super strong Ninja sensei?"
Kakashi gives a exaggerated sigh already figuring out what was coming. "If it's a technique then yes he's a ninja to watch out for."
"YATTA! A super strong ninja wants to be like me!" Naruto throws his arms into the air while still sitting infront of the pile of weapons. He grins widely basking in what he clearly considers some sort of victory then calms himself crosses his arms and nods in a sage like way. "Of coarse who wouldn't want to be. I'm going to be the Hokage someday. He must be really good he can see my potential."
Kakashi places his hand over his headband and slowly lowers it over his red eye as he sighs at this most unusual student. "You still have a long way till you're at that level Naruto. Try to look underneath alittle more." Naruto deflates a bit but Kakashi motions towards the shinobi's pouches in order to distract him a bit. "What did you find other then weapons?"
"Oh yeah!" Naruto suddenly regains his entusiasm. "I found four books!"
Kakashi holds out his hand and Naruto happily hands them to his sensei.
The one on top was a slightly used bingo book not abnormal for a shinobi to have. As a matter of fact vital for those likely to engage enemy shinobi. This book was expected.
Kakashi places it to the side to later go over and analyze. It might have some new information for his own bingo book.
The second down was another bingo book but this one when compared to the other was like night and day. It wasn't anywhere near as new. By the scuffed up cover Kakashi had to guess that it was at least 20 years old if not longer. He could tell that hundreds of entries had been added over the years. But what really chilled him were the tiny little papers sticking slightly out of the book. Almost everyone of them was a dark almost blackish red.
Not saying a word and not even glancing at the other books Kakashi hands them back to Naruto and pulls out a syringe and a small medicine vial.
"Err, Sensei?"
Filling the syringe Kakashi looks over at Naruto sees his baffled expression, "What do you know about bingo books Naruto?"
Naruto squints his eyes and tilts his head to the side and answers. "When you get really strong people put stuff they know about you in them."
Kakashi nods, "Essentially yes, but there is alot more to them. For one Bingo books are almost always in code. Neither of those are. To have a bingo book not in code you either have one that has only common knowledge, it's planted information that you want passed to another village, or your a missing Nin who doesn't care about others knowing the secrets of any of the villages." he sighs deeply. "Another thing about bingo books are the age and the amount added to the book. The second bingo book is extremely old but if you look closely there are recent additions in the back. You can tell by the age of the paper. That means it belongs to a very old shinobi and considering how much was in the book one that specialized in gathering information. If the doppelgangers age is accurate there is no way he is the original owner."
Kakashi inclines his head towards the copy and turns him onto his stomach. He inserts the needle into the medicine bottle and carefully measures out a dosage of the liquid.
"There are two more things you need to be aware of when it comes to that bingo book specifically. There is a rule among shinobi. Once a captured bingo book is copied and analyzed by the home village the original is given back to the person most responsible for the defeat of that shinobi. It's an old rule dating back before even the hidden villages. Basically the mind set is the clan responsible for uncovering the information has the most right to it and should benefit the most from the information. If this rule wasn't in place especially in the time before the villages there would have been constant inter fighting when one clan allied with others. There are many shinobi's that kill just to collect them as trophies of sorts. That practice of collecting them, though not illegal, is heavily frowned upon in Konoha. In our village most just memorize or copy the information and turn it over to the village archives."
Naruto gives the older shinobi an annoyed look, "So this copy cat beat up some old guy. That's not cool sensei. Does that mean he's weak?"
Kakashi shakes his head not looking up. "No Naruto, you were right earlier. Did you notice all those red slips tucked inside the book? There were literally hundreds of them."
Naruto looks down at the book in his hand. "Yeah what about them sensei?"
Kakashi carefully takes the syringe and stabs it into the doppleganger's bisep. "Bounty recipes. A large majority of them are recent. Not only that but look at how much the bounty hunter received for a few of those bounties."
Kakashi eye smiles at the bugged eye look on Naruto's face as he looks at the one poking out of the top of the book. Naruto suddenly sits up straight and looks at his copy with renewed respect. "Ano, he defeated a really strong bounty hunter? What are we going to do with him sensei?"
Seeing his other students hurrying from a short distance away kakashi slings the older Naruto onto his shoulder, "I'm not sure if he did or not Naruto. It's what I would normally believe if he didn't look exactly like you. We need to bring him back to the village and let the Hokage decide what to do with him. The drug I gave him should keep him paralyzed temporarily."
"We're back! Tazuna and the others asked us to pass on there thanks once again." Sakura says as her and Sasuke comes up parallel to Naruto and Kakashi.
Kakashi nods. "Alright gather up the weapons and lets move out."
Author's Note: I think I totally overdid Kakashi talking. He's usually not that wordy. Bah if he's out of character oh well... my story. And ten cheers for ballsy but sucky Naruto. I don't know why everyone hates him at this point. He's entertaining.