Chapter Three
Two days and four ambushes later, the three young members of Team Minato were busy taking down their latest assailants. A distraction from Obito, an Earth technique from Kakashi, and several gusts of wind from Midori saw them effectively trapped beneath a pile of rubble.
"So here's a question for the ages," Midori said, tossing a rock in one hand and surveying the sight before them. Two of the three rogue ninja were out cold while one was still struggling to reach his oversized sword. She hurled the rock and struck him cleanly on the temple. His head hit the ground with a thud. "Why does everyone keep underestimating kids just because we're small?"
"I mean, I'm not complaining," Obito replied. "Makes work easier for us." He toed the shinobi's weapon and eyed its jagged edges with distaste. "These weapons are wicked. They nearly took my head off."
"At least they had the decency to come out and fight," Midori said. "Not like those guys last night who summoned Kuchiyose cockroaches of all things."
"I thought it was a good tactic," Kakashi said. Or it would have been, if Midori wasn't the type of girl to become even more aggressive in the face of something she despised.
"Never in a thousand years," she retorted with vehemence. Kakashi shrugged. With that, the three turned back to where Minato stood waiting with Gamashi along the steep wall of the ravine. Trees had thinned as they travelled north, giving way to barren lands and winding canyons.
Their teacher smiled. "Good work."
"Piece of cake," Midori replied, flinging her fingers into a victorious V sign.
Gamashi shook his head in wonder. "Are you really six years old?"
"Last I counted," Obito chuckled.
"Age has nothing to do with strength in our world," Kakashi added.
Gamashi fell silent, his eyes distant.
His teammates had told Kakashi about their client's daughter, which explained his occasional lapses into silence over the past two days. Still, this wasn't the time or place to be indulging in reveries. He looked around them at the narrow path they were on. It made them easy targets for further ambushes.
Luckily, their teacher was of a similar mindset and said, "Let's keep moving." They picked up their things and continued on their way.
The ravine eventually led them out to a wide river flanked by uneven outcroppings. Back in the open, the team breathed a little easier and the discussion returned to the shinobi they had encountered so far.
"I just wish whoever's behind these attacks would stop testing us," Midori grumbled.
Obito grimaced. "That's exactly the sort of mentality that got us blown up in the Chuunin exam."
"Well, Kakashi wasn't coming back."
"I told you to wait," Kakashi muttered.
"See?"
"Shut it goggle-boy."
"Just saying."
Midori was about to shoot something back at him – preferably something that would do him physical harm – when the river exploded beside them.
Minato spun and threw a handful of shuriken to meet the barrage of weapons that burst from the water. Metal clanged against each other and clattered noisily onto to the bank.
Obito groaned. "See, this is why you need to be more careful of what you wish for." Despite his complaint, he was quick to step in front of Gamashi and align his shoulder with Kakashi's.
"I heard that," Midori hissed.
Minato kept his eyes trained on the middle of the river where four figures stood: a tall man and three children in their early teens. The marking on their forehead protectors belonged to the Hidden Mist Village.
Obito whistled quietly under his breath. "The Mists? This just keeps getting crazier doesn't it?"
Minato raised his voice above the rush of the rapid water. "What a surprise. I thought you'd never show up."
"Consider it an honor," the Mist Jounin said. "I'll admit, you're better than the coward Leafs we slaughtered on our way here."
Minato tensed and gave his students a warning look as he felt their angers flare. "What are you after?"
"Your client there has a scroll we may be interested in. Then again, most are false leads so he may end up as another meaningless victim." He grinned, seemingly undisturbed by the notion.
"Leads for what?"
The Mist laughed. "You'd best not ask. It might spare you your life."
Minato frowned in thought. What information was the Mist looking for? The fact that they had sent a Genin team indicated it wasn't a top priority, but it was crucial enough that they had chased them so far north. For years the Mists had kept to themselves, at odds with all the Countries and siding with none. What common pursuit of information did they share with an Earth Country lord?
"My name is Jyakou," the Mist continued with a mocking bow. "These are my students, Genka, Miyaka, and Kuraba."
The girl snickered. "Look at them. They're just kids."
"Pot calling the kettle black?" Midori threw back.
Minato raised a hand for quiet. Whatever their intent, the appearance of Hidden Mist shinobi made the situation more complicated. Anything could tip the crumbling world balance into an all-out war these days. He wondered what had become of the Sand's retribution the Hokage had mentioned. Was this in any way related?
"Is the scroll all you're after?" he asked.
Jyakou smirked. "If it was, would you hand it over like a good boy?"
"Unfortunately, that's not an option." He wasn't going to get any information out of them like this. He reached back to his kunai holster. "Shall we?"
"Not so fast, Leaf," Jyakou laughed. "This is a Genin mission. Let the little soldiers fight."
Minato narrowed his eyes. "What if I refuse?"
"I'll kill your precious client the first chance I see."
Minato hesitated. He was confident he could deal with all four of them, but one slip and he would put both his students and Gamashi at risk. He didn't let appearances fool him. He knew instinctively that even these Genin were stronger than the rogues that had attacked them these past few days. While he was genuinely proud of how much his students had accomplished so far, he couldn't help but worry. If they won, it would be by a margin. If they didn't…
"Sensei," Midori said, putting a stop to his thoughts. He glanced at her. "You can trust us. We won't lose."
"There's also no guarantee the Jounin isn't lying," Kakashi added. "He could take the opportunity to attack while we're preoccupied."
"You're our last line of defense sensei," Obito joked.
Minato sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Alright, but be careful. Mist shinobi have little attachment to ranks. They may still be Genin, but expect them to have Chuunin level skills."
Midori grinned. "Well, so do we."
Jyakou retreated to the far side of the river and Minato's team stepped forward to the edge of the bank. As soon as they touched the water, all six young shinobi sprang into motion and disappeared.
"Gamashi-san." Minato spoke as he watched the two girls clash with Genka against Obito and Kuraba against Kakashi. His eyes slid momentarily to the other Jounin, who was following the fights with a confident grin. While Minato shared the confidence, he found none of it amusing. "Are you sure you don't know anything about the information you're holding?"
Gamashi shook his head. "If I did, I would have told you."
Minato nodded. "I have a favor to ask when this is over."
.-.-.-.
After an initial exchange of blows Kakashi knew he couldn't end this fight quickly. Kuraba was fast, well trained, and experienced in combat. He could only hope Obito and Midori would be able to hold their own.
He risked a glance in their direction and almost regretted it when the river erupted beneath him. He leapt up and Kuraba followed him into the air, closing the distance between them faster than he had anticipated.
Kakashi brought his hands together and drew chakra into his lungs. At the last second, he blasted a stream of fire at the Mist. There was barely enough time for Kakashi to be pleased that he had finally perfected the Uchiha Clan's signature technique before Kuraba countered with a surge of water. As the two elements collided and spread a thick cloud of vapor across the river, Kakashi thought he heard Obito yell at him.
Landing on the sloshing waves, Kakashi found he couldn't see anything through the fog, but he could smell his opponent's scent from upriver. He created a Kage Bunshin, which disappeared into the haze, then pulled out two kunai and wrapped several wires around them. He slipped the other ends under his mask and between his teeth, then threw the weapons in Kuraba's general direction.
His Kage Bunshin hid in the shadows of a boulder a safe distance behind Kuraba, and through its second set of eyes, Kakashi could just barely make out the Mist's outline. As the other ducked under the kunai, Kakashi lunged forward and threw two shuriken to deflect the wired weapons so they snaked back around Kuraba's body and immediately went up in flame.
Not a second later, the Mist turned into a log of wood and a shuriken sliced across Kakashi's throat. His clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Back where he had set up the attack, Kakashi tensed and stretched out his senses once again. The fog was clearing, but it still obscured his vision. Picking up a sharp whistle, he leapt back from a shower of shuriken that rained down on him wave after wave. They multiplied, never wavering, no matter how many he deflected or which direction he evaded.
The attack itself was a nuisance, but it didn't trouble him as much as the vague, foul odor that occasionally hit his nose. He narrowed his eyes. Poison?
Kakashi flipped backwards from another barrage and withdrew a kunai in one hand while his other gathered chakra. He crouched, preparing to leap over the next wave, when he suddenly felt Midori closing in behind him.
"Hey there," Midori huffed between breaths. She sent a gust of wind at Miyaka and her back bumped against his.
Alarmed, Kakashi had no time to reply. He dropped the kunai and spun, hooking one arm around Midori and using his weight to throw her down into the river. He followed just as the weapons flew over them. One cut a slice into his arm, but he barely registered it before the water churned unnaturally around them.
Trapped in Kuraba's technique, they were hurled through the current. Kakashi knew the force would crush their bones if they didn't get out – but Midori was already going through a set of seals. Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi. Kakashi had a second to be impressed before the razor winds swept through the water, cutting them away from Kuraba's chakra flow. The momentum still threw them against an outcropping above the riverbank where they fell, coughing and wheezing.
Kakashi pushed himself upright and immediately felt the effects of the poison spreading from his wound. His vision tilted dangerously and his limbs felt weak and heavy. Distantly, he was aware of Obito falling down toward them, skidding to a stop on his hands and knees. Genka, Miyaka and Kuraba dropped to the edge of the water.
"You're good, I'll give you that," Genka said. "But not nearly good enough."
"You sure about that?" Obito asked, nodding to Kuraba. Angry scorch marks ran along his arms and shirt.
"You can't take credit for Kakashi's work," Midori grumbled. Obito rolled his eyes.
Miyaka glanced at her teammate and shrugged. "Kuraba thrives on pain and danger. We all do."
"That's sick," Midori muttered.
"I've read about that," Obito said, almost to himself. "It's called 'masochism'."
Midori gave him a blank look.
"Act as tough as you want," Genka said. "You aren't winning 'cause you aren't strong enough."
"Says who?"
"You've never killed, I can tell," Kuraba said, his eyes trained on Kakashi. "That's the only way to grow strong."
Kakashi lifted his face, but the volume of their voices rose and fell nauseatingly in his ears, distorting their words and making him want to squeeze his eyes shut against the pain.
"So you're saying we can't beat you because we've never killed anyone?" Obito asked. He snorted and got to his feet, brushing the dirt from his trousers and fixing his goggles. "You wanna to bet?"
"You'll be sorry for it," Genka spat.
"This makes me glad I was born in Konoha," Midori said. "If only to avoid dealing with the likes of you. Sensei says we grow stronger when we find someone we want to protect. I'm going to believe him over you any day of the week."
Miyaka sneered. "The Leafs are weak. It's universal knowledge."
"Then it's time you revised your opinion on us," Obito shot back.
Kakashi slowly straightened. His heart was racing uncomfortably and he wasn't getting enough air into his lungs no matter how many deep breaths he took. It felt as if a knife was stabbing him through the head, making it hard to focus his eyes and maintain his balance. He locked his knees to keep them from buckling under his weight and prayed his teammates were too preoccupied to notice. It was bad enough that Kuraba was aware of his condition, regarding him with eyes narrowed in a satisfied smile.
As if from a distance he heard one of the Mists snarl. Obito responded by throwing down a smoke bomb between them. Kakashi ignored his failing body and leapt forward into the fight.
They clashed as one, surging across the river in a tangle of limbs and weapons. Kakashi flipped over Midori and mumbled a quick word in her ear, then swung a dropkick onto Genka. His feet sank into the waves when he was forced to block a knee from Kuraba, but he forced his chakra to his legs and sprang back just as Midori dug a whirlwind into the water, soaking everyone.
"Obito!" Kakashi called. His friend looked at the motion of his hands and jumped high into the air, Midori following suit.
Raiton Inabikariryuu.
Streaks of electricity bolted through the water toward the Mists. They tried to leap over it, but Obito had already finished his seals and scattered fireballs on top of them to prevent their escape. Blocked from above, they rushed toward a group of boulders, only to run into a string of explosive tags carried by Midori's wind. The talismans detonated at the same moment Kakashi's lightning ensnared the Mists, raising screams amid the smoke and a towering splash.
Before the waves even had a chance to settle, the water reared up into a twisting pillar and cracked open the boulders where Obito and Midori stood. They leapt away in opposite directions and Obito landed beside Kakashi.
"Any ideas?" Obito asked, his eyes fixed on the raging waterspout bearing down on them.
Kakashi gritted his teeth, scrambling for the last vestiges on focus. "Goukakyuu," he bit out.
"Just what I was thinking."
Without another word they formed identical seals and their blasts of fire collided with the water attack. The two elements fought for dominance, equal in strength, until Midori skidded in front of her teammates and created a gust of wind that spiraled around their fires and tangled itself in the flames. Its size and destructive strength doubled instantly and swallowed both Kuraba and his technique with ease. When the fire died down, they saw the Mist Genin topple into the water, unconscious.
Kakashi fell forward and braced himself on his knees, gasping for breath and stifling the pained groans that threatened to slip past his lips.
"Kakashi?"
He could barely make out Obito's voice. He tried to say it was nothing, but his tongue wouldn't move and before he knew it, Midori was shouting in alarm. Kakashi forced himself to look up – into the face of five Suiton tigers descending on them with bared fangs.
How? Kuraba was down. His wide eyes searched the opposite bank and landed on Jyakou, his hands raised in a seal, fury marking his face.
Without thought, Kakashi lurched forward, willing chakra to his hands, not knowing what he was doing or whether he was really moving at all. The world flipped over, and through the dizzying vortex where lines blurred and distance undulated, he saw a flash of yellow streak in front of them, led by a bright blue ball of energy that decimated the tigers as if they were nothing.
It was the last Kakashi saw before the water dragged him and his consciousness down into its dark depths.
Translations:
Kaze Kamaitachi – wind sickles
Inabikariryuu – lightning dragons
Huge thank you to MaethoMixup for helping me overhaul this chapter!
.LinSetsu.