Extending the Boundaries
R. Winters
Thanks for reviewing, everyone, and welcome to the new readers! Unfortunately, I am still as busy as ever. I've just started training at a new command, so the next few weeks, at least, will be hectic. I did, however, finally manage to climb over the massive wall in my creativity that was the main reason this chapter wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to, so hopefully it will continue to flow now, and in the little free time I have, I will be able to work on it... See if I can get another chapter up before the "summer" is over (although, really, such simple defining of the seasons has little effect on me anymore). I'll keep you posted on my progress, as usual, through my profile.
Anyway, enough about me. Here is the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it-worth the wait?
Chapter 4 – Site Juliet
When Harry and Lee arrived at the Hokate tower, not two hours later, Harry was surprised at the suddenly formal atmosphere of the shinobi on duty. No one greeted them, and they all seemed hassled about something—worried, Harry thought. The young Jounin's instincts were immediately on alert.
He led Lee into the mission assignment office and his concern rose another notch when he saw the Hokage was absent—having known that they were coming. The Sandaime did not sit in the duty office every day, but he made a point to be there in person for certain mission assignments, in order to form an early bond with young Genin.
"Harii-san," he was immediately accosted when he stepped through the door by the younger Chuunin sitting behind the desk, who almost jumped to his feet. "Hokage-sama wished to see you and your team in his office right away."
Harry frowned. "We'll go now," he assured the other shinobi, heading to the stairs followed by his confused student.
"Harii-sensei, what's going on?" Lee asked warily as they climbed the steps.
"Sometimes if the Hokage has an important mission that requires a pre-brief, he calls shinobi to his office personally," Harry supplied.
"Do we have an important mission, sensei?" Lee asked, a little nervously.
Harry didn't respond.
The Hokage was speaking with a pair of Chuunin when they entered. His expression was sober as his eyes met Harry's, and he quickly dismissed the others. They left the room quietly, leaving the smothering tension in their wake.
After several seconds, the Sandaime broke the silence. "Harrii-sensei, I realize we spoke of this earlier, but what level of confidence do you have in your student's abilities?"
Harry frowned, glancing at the nervous Genin. "I have full confidence in Lee-kun's ability to successfully complete any C-Ranked mission."
The Hokage nodded somberly. "Very well. Lee-kun, please wait outside for your sensei."
Lee looked anxiously at Harry again before he quickly nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Harry watched the Genin leave the room. Once the door closed behind the boy, he turned back to the Hokage, frowning. "Something's come up?"
The Sandaime nodded grimly. "I assume you remember Uchiha Minichi?"
"Of course," Harry replied quickly, "We were teammates for over a year—until he was reassigned." Minichi had been distant ever since he'd joined ANBU, and Harry hadn't seen much of him over the last three years.
"Minichi-san has gone missing on his latest mission."
Harry's frown deepened, "He was killed?"
"No," the Sandaime answered, folding his hands on his desk. "He successfully completed his mission—his client submitted payment this morning. He has not been heard from since."
"It shouldn't have been for money…?" He couldn't recall the number under Minichi's name in the Bingo book, but he knew it wasn't large; certainly not worth the fight. "Where was he last seen?"
"His mission took him near the Northern border. We suspect he disappeared in the vicinity of Rice Patty Country." Sarutobi replied, "Unfortunately, our reconnaissance teams are otherwise employed at the moment."
Harry frowned, "If Minichi was killed, there could be dangerous activity in that part of the country."
"I want you to go in as a forward surveillance." The Hokage said sternly, "If you feel it is appropriate, take Lee-kun with you. However, if something really has happened to Minichi-san, you are not to engage hostiles if you are able to avoid it. You should be relieved within sixty hours."
Harry considered. Either way, if someone had really taken out Uchiha Minichi, it probably wasn't someone he wanted to engage by himself. And it would be an excellent opportunity for Lee to see what went on in a real mission, outside the village.
"If those are the orders, I'll take Lee with me, Hokage-sama," Harry decided.
The Sandaime nodded. "Very well. These are the details of Minichi's mission."
Harry accepted the scroll from the elder man.
"Good luck, Harii," Sarutobi said soberly, "Don't do anything stupid."
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Harry agreed, rolling his eyes. The elder man dismissed him and Harry slipped back out the door.
"Lee," the Jounin said as he passed by the boy just outside.
Lee hurried to keep pace with him, "Yes, Harii-sensei?"
"Go home and pack for a trip," Harry ordered, "Make it light and make it quick. I'll be at the village gates. If you aren't there within thirty minutes, I'm leaving without you."
The boy's eyes widened, clearly impressed by the importance of his teacher's demand. "I'll be there in half that time, sensei!" He promised quickly before running off.
Harry stared after him for a moment before forming a quick hand seal and disappearing.
Lee trotted up to him barely twenty minutes later, wearing a respectfully full black backpack. He was a little breathless as he shouted, "I am ready, sensei!"
Harry would have smiled if he could, but he was still brooding over the details of their mission. He'd read over the finer points of Minichi's mission, and couldn't find anything that might have been meant as a trap. It didn't make any sense.
Still, he took the time to stop his student—the boy's eyes were confused as Harry reached around to pull up on his pack, measuring the weight.
"I only packed what is really necessary," Lee assured him quickly.
Harry nodded and released the Genin. "Good. Did you take a weight out already?" He glanced down at the boy's ankle-weights.
Lee grinned and nodded, "Of course, sensei! You said to be quick, so I took some out of each. I won't slow you down, Harii-sensei."
Harry nodded again—he almost smiled. "Let's go."
The trees in Rice Patty Country were mostly small, scraggly things, but the occasional large oak dotted the country side, becoming more prevalent the further North they went. The earth was soft and fertile, and in some places downright swampy, and the bushes and wild plant life was rampant—easily the height of Harry's shoulders and then some, and well over Lee's head. Not quite tall enough to provide any relief from the summer sun.
The evening of their second day was wearing long, and the heat finally dissipating as the sun drooped, the oak trees casting mile-long shadows across the undergrowth. They had less than an hour before complete darkness set in, and they wouldn't get anything done overnight.
Harry keyed the speaker on his earpiece. "That's enough for tonight, Lee. Mark your break-off and rendezvous at site Juliet."
He could practically hear the boy's sharp salute as the static gave way to a crisp: "Understood, sensei. Heading to Juliet."
Pulling out his own map, Harry marked off another square of the grid as cleared and hesitated only a moment before stashing it again to turn north, heading for their pre-briefed rendezvous point.
Site J was near the Claw boarder, just a little to the north of the area the two shinobi had spent the day exploring. Lee was already there, preparing a small cooking fire near the edge of a clove of tall, twisted oaks at their campsite.
"Anything?" Harry asked as he slipped his wand from its bracer. He already knew what the answer would be, since his student was under strict orders to report anything unusual to him immediately, but he asked, anyway.
The boy shook his head before striking a piece of steel against a flint bar firmly enough to send a spark leaping into the kindling he'd gathered for the fire. "Not a thing, sensei."
Harry raised his wand over his head, giving the tip a few sharp flicks—nothing appeared to happen and he put the wand away again, moving to join Lee. Harry pulled out his map and Lee followed the example, scrambling for his own map as the fire slowly took root.
"Hokage-sama's SAR team should arrive sometime tomorrow," Harry said out loud, smoothing out the map to the area they had yet to cover. "I'm going to tell them to meet us here, before dark." Harry jabbed at the paper then uncapped a pen, marking the spot with an O. He looked at Lee expectantly, and the boy copied him again, marking the spot on his own map.
"Throughout the day, our checkpoints will be here, here, here, and here," Harry made additional markings as he spoke, labeling the intermediate points K through N. Lee copied him, looking at the two maps carefully to be sure he got the right locations.
When he was done, Lee flattened out his map a little more neatly and nodded firmly. "Tomorrow we will search further north," he briefed, "We will rendezvous at points Kilo, Lima, Mike, and November, before mustering at Oscar at sunset to be relieved." He hesitated and looked questioningly at the Jounin, "Is that right, Harri-sensei?"
Harry nodded. "That's fine. Also, you should add that the procedures will be the same as yesterday and today, but we aren't going to be briefing them again now. You can remind me of them in the morning."
Lee nodded. "Yes, sensei."
Suddenly, a dark, black shape dove towards them through the twilight, a dull, nearly inaudible thumping the only warning of its approach. Neither shinobi appeared surprised, and the dark owl perched itself on Harry's shoulder, its sharp talons kneading into his flesh.
Harry ignored it and pulled out another sheet of paper. He scribbled down his quick instructions and folded the paper three times, scrawling the Sandaime's name on the outside before tying the note to the owl's leg. It hooted unhappily and Harry rolled his eyes, frowning back at it.
"There's no use throwing a fit, Kuroi," he told it sternly, "I'm not giving you anything. I'm on a mission. Besides, you're an owl, you're supposed to catch your own food. If you're quick about the message, maybe they'll give you something in the falconry."
The owl—whose real name was Artemis, but Harry called Black as it had been a gift from his godfather, Sirius Black—hooted again and gave his ear a viscious nip before taking off again.
Harry swore, swatting at the bird, but Artemis had learned to fly fast, and was already out of his reach, disappearing into the darkening sky. Grumbling, Harry rubbed at his ear and swore a second time when he felt blood.
"Stupid owl," he growled. The bird was useful and terribly intelligent, but Harry had never been able to determine whether Sirius had given it to him in a legitimate attempt at being nice or just as another way to torment him.
Beside him, Lee barely stifled a laugh, schooling his face quickly to seriousness when his teacher shot him a glare. Quickly interrupting before Harry could snap at him, Lee asked, "Harii-sensei, how is it that you can summon Artemis without a scroll?" He had met the man's bird the night before, but had been too exhausted after a long day and little sleep the night before to ask about it.
Harry rubbed at his ear a little longer before giving up on it—the blood dripping along the contours tickled in the most annoying way. "He isn't a summon, just a regular owl." His frown deepened a little and he corrected, "Well, not a regular owl, obviously. He was bred and raised by wizards, so I suppose he's got some magic in his blood. The spell to summon him is Accios, and works similarly to Accio, from what I understand. It compels him to come to me wherever I am."
"Accios," Lee repeated dutifully, quickly pulling out his notebook to write the word down.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's get some water boiling," he instructed, "The sooner we eat, the sooner you can get to bed. Tomorrow's going to be another long day."
Lee frowned at him, tucking the notebook away again. "Sensei, don't you want me to stand watch for part of the night tonight?"
Harry shrugged. "It's fine," he dismissed, "You need the sleep more than I do. I don't want you passing out again like yesterday."
The boy flushed and quickly set about to fulfilling his orders, eager to let the subject drop. He rummaged in his bag for the collapsible pan they would boil their water in and set to work.
Harry stared at the little fire absently in thought. Even if he did make Lee stand watch, like the first night, there was little point to it—besides giving the Genin a taste of what was to come for him. Harry wouldn't be getting much sleep even if he tried, and he wasn't particularly inclined to risk facing his nightmares here on the field. If they took a turn for the worst, he might accidentally draw the enemy right to them—whoever it was.
It was after midnight, in the earliest hours of the morning and the darkest part of the night. Harry leaned against one of the oaks, his attention wandering as he stared vacantly across at Lee's sleeping form. The boy snored softly, but was otherwise a remarkably quiet sleeper, with no excess movement or noises to speak of—it was a stark contrast to the tossing and yelling Harry was doing in his sleep more often than not these days.
Harry was considering getting up and making another quick circuit of the area, just to get his blood moving again, but it seemed like too much work and he was tired. The Jounin stifled a yawn and forced his eyes to at least move, scanning the shadows around them.
Lee's rhythmic breathing was tempting him towards sleep, coupled with the fact that despite Minichi's apparent disappearance, they had yet to run into anything more dangerous than a crabby farm hand on the rice fields.
The sound was so soft that Harry normally wouldn't have noticed it, but at night everything was rhythmic, from the chirping hicaidas to the rustling wind and his student's quiet breathing. One sound abruptly broke out of that rhythm and Harry's senses immediately went on the alert, searching.
And then he heard it again, more clearly, and his heart picked up its pace in his chest. It was a voice; soft and hoarse, with an almost hissing-like quality to it, but perfectly clear.
"Blood—humans—intruders—"
Harry self consciously put a hand to his right ear. The blood was old and dry, and he'd forgotten about it until just now. With his other hand, he pulled out a kunai as quietly as he could, and eased himself to his feet silently, eyes straining at the darkness.
"Blood—intruders—humans—"
It was still quiet, but definitely closer, and whoever was coming towards them was both swift and silent. Other than the whispery words, Harry couldn't tell where he was. There was no sound of footsteps or anything to give away his location.
"Intruders—human intruders—"
Harry jumped with surprise because the voice was right next to him. He whirled around, searching, but there was nothing. His heart thudded rapidly in his chest and his eyes were wide, breathing harsh—this had to be a dream because as much as he searched, no one was there!
"Who's here?" He demanded, barely keeping the presence of mind to keep his voice down so as not to alarm Lee.
A long, hissing breath answered him, and Harry's eyes snapped in the direction of its source. Was he making himself invisible somehow?
"The human speaks—master will want to know—"
Harry felt vaguely sick, because there was something very wrong with this, and then he caught a flash of movement—something glistening on the ground among the grass and weeds. Instinctively, he threw his kunai, but the shining shape was already slithering away.
The Jounin cast a glance back at his student's sleeping form and took off after the creature, sliding his wand into his hand as he went.
"Lumos," he hissed quietly, forgoing stealth for the aid of a small, shining red light at the tip of his wand. Panning it in front of him, he caught another glimpse of movement and he raced after his quarry, trying to get it firmly in his sight.
He closed the distance between them quickly and abruptly the long weeds he'd been wading through all day faded as they broke into a clearing. The light shone in a clear circle onto the thing he'd been chasing—a long, dark colored snake.
The snake reared up and rounded on him suddenly, slitted eyes flashing in the red light and fangs opening wide. Harry jerked back just quickly enough to avoid being bitten.
"Intruders!" He heard, but looking again he only caught sight of the reptile's retreating tail.
"Wait!" He called out haphazardly, and took off in pursuit again. He only ran a few feet, flashing his light around desperately, before he realized he'd lost the snake.
Harry searched the clearing for several minutes, looking closely at the grass for any sign of the snake's passing, and flashing the light around in a futile hope that maybe he'd get lucky and catch sight of it again. But it was gone without a trace.
Feeling uneasy, Harry turned back to where he'd left Lee.
Hatake Harry had spoken to snakes before, and while he was a little surprised to be doing so again, it wasn't as startling as it had been the first time it had happened. At the time, everyone had thought it was an uncontrolled bout of magic he'd used to help his newfound friend, Tenzou, but Harry had pretty much grown out of accidental magic, and even if he hadn't, accidents like that only occurred in emotionally heated situations; he had been half asleep when he heard it first—it didn't make any sense.
Still not entirely sure that he wasn't asleep, Harry made up his mind. When he got back to their campsite he paused briefly to collect their things, and then crossed to Lee, shaking the sleeping boy gently.
"Lee-kun," his voice was a whisper, easing the boy out of his dreams. If the snake was really reporting them to someone, they couldn't stay here. In the morning, when they could see, he would look around, but in the meantime, Lee's safety was his top priority. "Lee-kun, you need to wake up now."
"Mm—sensei…?" The boy slurred tiredly, heavy eyelids blinking open and a confused frown settled across his features. He rubbed at his face. "What is going on? What time is it, Harii-sensei?"
"Don't speak for now," Harry directed, "We need to move. Get your bag and follow me."
Wide eyes still blurry with sleep, Lee nodded and scrambled to obey, sloppily stuffing his sleeping mat in its bag, and packing the last few things in his pack. The Jounin led the way, quickly and quietly through the night—away from the snake and whoever it was reporting to.
Lee approached his teacher cautiously the next morning. He'd already stowed his gear and the sky was just beginning to lighten with the sun. The Jounin was obviously brooding, eyes distant, back slouched, and he didn't so much as look up when the boy spoke to him.
"Harii-sensei… do you still want me to brief standard procedures…?" Lee asked tentatively.
For a long time, Harry didn't reply—he didn't even look as though he had heard. At last, the man shifted, although his eyes were still focused somewhere far away. "No… that won't be necessary today, Lee. We're going to be doing things a little bit differently."
Silently, Lee nodded, and settled on the ground next to his teacher, waiting for an explanation.
Harry sat silently for a few minutes longer, brooding over the same problem he'd been thinking on since they'd moved camp late in the night.
The Hokage's orders strictly forbade him from putting himself and his student in harm's way, but they had also been ordered to investigate unusual occurrences. The snake from last night had been extremely unusual, and Harry's gut told him it was going to get dangerous if he followed this lead.
Which gave him three options. Harry could ignore it and report his suspicions to the search team arriving later that day—if they came on time and whoever was out there hadn't moved already. He could investigate and leave Lee to continue with the normal search pattern, keeping the boy well clear of would-be trouble, but also ensuring that the range of their radios would be exceeded and the Genin would be on his own out there. Or he could take Lee with him while he took a closer look at things.
Harry sighed and shifted, finally looking at his student. Lee still looked tired, but it couldn't be helped since he'd been up half the night moving camp.
"We're going to be investigating, following a lead to the northeast today," he explained, "We'll be operating under radio silence, and you'll be following me from seven meters away. Keep me in view as well as you can, but if anything happens, I want you to run. You need to meet the SAR team at site Oscar and point them in the right direction if we run into trouble—I'll meet you there when I'm able to, assuming I'm not followed."
Lee nodded his understanding—Harry continued.
"We're acting under the assumption that we will run into trouble today. If you see or hear anything, or if you get into trouble yourself, you will immediately break radio silence. I will come to your aid, and you will escape at the first opportunity." Harry looked at the boy flatly, "I know it sounds like running away, but our primary mission here is to point the rescue team in the right direction. Uchiha Minichi was a talented shinobi, and if he's been captured or killed by these people, I don't need to be worried about protecting you."
Narrowing his eyes at the Genin, he impressed again, "Do you understand, Lee? If something happens you have to run, and you have to meet the team at site Oscar."
Grimly, Lee nodded again. "I understand, sensei."
"Good, then get your things," Harry directed. "Take a few minutes to study the map, you won't be able to look at it while we're moving."