ShiiroiKitsune21: Haha, yeah, it is so easy to miss the most obvious things. Sandaime has a love for the dramatics. He really does care about the village, he just has an interesting way of viewing things. Panther is so done with his bull crap. She has known him for a long time. It took me awhile to create the timeline before all the big stuff happened but I think I've got it down all right now. Thank you for the OC's! I put them into this chapter so I hope I did them justice! Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: Thank you! Right now Kakashi's diminutive size and small chakra coils are going to be working against him. He has to build everything back up so he doesn't actually have to hide too much because he can't do near as much as he could. Hope I explained that well. Thank you for reviewing!
Loyal fan: Root has always pissed me off. 'The darker side of the Leaf' is the Anbu, that's what they are there for. Danzo only cares about Danzo in the end so I have quite the plan for him. Thank you so much for the review!
Observer-chan: No one can escape the feared paperwork. It takes a special kind of person to face it head on, that is what makes a true leader ;). Thanks for the review!
nurr: Thanks! He isn't really in this chapter (though he is mentioned) but I hope you like it anyway! Thanks for the kind review!
WingedBirdy: You gave me a lot of wonderful feedback and it means a lot to me so thank you! I also want to say thanks for the OC, who is in this chapter actually. I hope I got her down all right. Thanks you for the wonderful review!
Elise: D'aww, thanks. Your review made me smile, so thank you.
For anyone who has either given me, or is planning to give me, and OC for this story I need to know if you want anything in particular for them. If not, I will come up with a background and plan for them on my own, but I would like to check to see if you guys had anything in mind first. I won't accept everything, I need to focus on how to work them around the plot not how to change the plot, but I am willing to compromise and work with an open mind. Other than that, any OC goes. They can be a civilian, ninja, enemy ninja, Anbu, elderly, etc.
Here is the next chapter! Please enjoy!
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Chapter 4: Hide and Seek
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"So," Bear started casually, leaning against her desk. "How'd the evaluation go?"
Panther barely even glanced up, the pen in her hand moving so quickly it looked like a blur. Without pausing she used her other hand to toss a file at him.
Bear blinked at the rather hefty file. He had been expecting two pages, three at most. "What did you test him on?" he wondered, flipping it open.
Panther didn't bother answering.
The room was silent for a few moments before a low whistle escaped Bear's lips. "There is no way he can do all of this. You're sure he's not a spy?"
She glared at him before gesturing quickly with her hands.
"Well, I get that the Hokage wants him protected and all but from the looks of things he'll probably be just fine on his own. I know some Genin who can't even do any of this."
With a put upon sigh she set the pen down for more maneuverability. She gestured at the walls before forming a few quick hand signs.
He frowned in return. "So we're basically just keeping him in the walls unless the Hokage says so? Why put him in our team then? He's skilled for a kid, but he's a kid nonetheless. He wouldn't even be able to take down a Chuunin."
Panther shrugged but Bear new her better than that.
"So some high class secrets then," he mused, ignoring her sharp glare. "Must be a pretty big deal. Should we make up a guard roster?"
Panther shook her head. As long as the kid stayed in the base there was no need.
Sudden silence from her second in command made her frown suspiciously.
"Uh, so about the 'in the base' thing," Bear scratched his neck. "He's not in his room and I can't really sense him in the building either."
Panther cast out her senses, confirming that the boy that was supposed to be protected from everyone until loyalties were proven otherwise was nowhere near where he should be.
"Kami damn it Sarutobi!" she raged. "Your f'ing paperwork is getting in the way of everything! Take care of your own shit you damnable old man!"
Bear edged out the room carefully. He hoped those files were the real deal. That kid was going to need all the skill he could muster to get out of Panther's retribution alive.
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Kakashi stared at the Memorial Stone, slightly irritated to notice that he actually had to look up to see the names near the top. He vaguely wondered if it was normal for a five year old to be this small.
All his life the Memorial Stone had seemed full. Of names, sadness, anger, guilt. The more he grew, the fuller it was, and not once had it ever seemed lacking in the pure suffering it could give to those that visited. Yet the Memorial Stone that stood before him was different. There were so many blank spaces, and all of the names he had expected to see (he had, after all, memorized every single one of them) were no longer there. With each missing name he felt his heart grow lighter as he realized those names didn't have to come back. Those spots could stay blank for a long time to come.
He wasn't deluding himself into believing he could save all of them. He honestly doubted he could even save one, but to actually be given the possibility after years of helplessness was something he had never even dreamed of. Shattered families could stay together, lost lovers could greet the new day once more, and friends who had been taken to kami damn soon could laugh and cry together as it always should have stayed.
Kakashi brushed his fingers over the stone, noting how its smoothness had never changed over the years regardless of the weather. Seal work had never been a path he followed through with, but it never ceased to leave him in awe.
A bird chirped, breaking his concentration and making him sigh. He would have to get back to headquarters soon and it took far longer to get to places now that his legs were so small. He doubted he would be leaving any time soon, either. He tried to hold back as much as he could when Panther tested his skill level, and he did have more issues than he thought he would due to his small limbs and miniscule height, but he had no doubt she was suspicious now. This had been his only chance to sneak out unattended, before they all realized he was far more than a five-year-old kid with family issues.
Reaching into his pocket, Kakashi pulled out a small, oval stone. It was smooth and unmarred except for a few lines of his own making on the front of it. Rubbing his thumb over the markings fondly, he set it down next to the Memorial Stone and bowed his head.
There had always been one name that deserved to be on that stone but never got its rightful place. With this, at least it got a place Kakashi could always see.
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"Line up!" Bear ordered the moment he entered the lounge. All of the available Anbu jumped up and moved to stand in front of him. "You have all heard about the kid that recently joined. Panther needs to see him immediately and she's in a bad mood."
The Anbu tensed slightly.
"That's right, so we need to find him fast. He should be out in the town somewhere. If you cannot find him report back to me immediately. For those of you who have met him do not merely rely on appearance. He is a competent ninja regardless of age. If he doesn't want to be found he knows how to hide himself. Bring him back to headquarters, preferably without violence. He recently injured his left eye and he hasn't had enough time to adjust so chose your targets accordingly. Whoever finds him gets some of the cookies I made yesterday. Dismissed!"
They shot out of the room like lightning. Bear's cookies were legendary.
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"So, where should we start looking?" Bee asked, jumping in place with anticipation. She had been in rehab for the last two weeks due to an annoying spinal injury and she was glad to finally be out and about the village again.
Tortoise yawned, her mask loosely attached to her face. "His house? The academy?"
Bee waved her hand flippantly. "No, no, no. Those are way to obvious. Think bigger!"
"He's five," Tortoise deadpanned. "How much bigger are you talking?"
"Open your mind!" Bee declared, spreading her arms out wide as they got to the roof of headquarters. "Think of all the little nooks and crannies he could have squeezed into! I mean, as a kid he's gotta be pretty small right? This whole village is like a giant playground, ripe for the taking!"
"Uh-huh."
Bee huffed. "Fine, we'll start at the obvious stuff," she said the word with clear disdain. Leaping off the top of the building she pointed towards the sky as she fell. "To the Hokage Monument!"
Tortoise simply allowed gravity to pull her from the building as she leaned over the edge. "A birds eye view wouldn't be so bad," she agreed.
They formed the hand signs for shunshin at the same time, both disappearing in a cloud of leaves.
Kakashi looked up from where he was standing at the entrance to headquarters, shaking his head at the two Anbu who had just skydived off the top. He figured they had just been sent out on a mission so he simply continued through the doors and to his room.
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"This isn't good," Bear bemoaned. He had searched the entire village and he had yet to find the boy. There was no way a toddler was skilled enough to avoid a highly trained Anbu for this long (unless he was a spy, and even then there was an entire group of trackers on his tail) so the only other explanation he could think of was that Hatake Kakashi was no longer in the village. That, or some other high level ninja was hiding him. But who would be stupid enough to hide someone from the hidden forces of the leaf?
…
"Damn it, Dai," he sighed, leaping out of the tree he had been in. He shot across the village towards the all to familiar training grounds.
A green blur was attacking one of the many stumps littering training ground 4. Bear appeared directly behind the figure with his arms crossed disapprovingly.
Maito Dai whirled around, stopping his fist just a hair's breadth away from the familiar mask.
"Bear!" he greeted enthusiastically, his bushy mustache and eyebrows moving with his smile. "How are you this fine day?"
"I'd be doing better if you weren't interfering with my work," Bear deadpanned.
Dai froze, a look of panicked confusion on his face. "I do not understand old friend. What wrong have I done to you?"
"You wouldn't happen to know where Hatake Kakashi is would you?"
"Ah," Dai turned unnaturally solemn. "Sakumo's son. I haven't seen the young man since the funeral I'm afraid. Is he alright?"
Bear looked him up and down but couldn't find any indicator that he was lying "…He's adjusting rather well for a child. The Hokage wants to see him and I figured you might have an idea where he is."
Dai brought a hand up to tug at the ends of his beard. "Hmmmm, I'm not entirely sure. Gai!"
Bear turned slightly to see a much smaller green menace come barreling towards them. A small five year old boy stopped just a few inches from them breathing hard. He wore the same green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers as Dai, though his hair was a bit longer.
"Yes papa?"
Dai laughed brightly before punching Gai, sending the kid into the dirt. "You numbskull! I thought I told you to take a break from training for another fifteen minutes! There is no point in forcing your body past its limit when you are so young!"
"I-I'm sorry Papa, I only want to get stronger! Like you!" Gai sniffled, tears streaming down his face.
Dai's face crumpled as he began to sob. "Don't apologize son, you are already doing your best! Your youth is shining through!"
Bear took a subtle step back as the two embraced. "…Dai."
"Ah yes!" Dai straightened immediately as though the whole situation had never happened. "Gai, have you seen young Kakashi at all today?"
Gai crossed his arms in thought. "Um, I think he was at the Memorial Stone earlier. Why? Is he in trouble?"
"Numbskull!" Dai roared.
Bear rushed away before he had to watch their little act once more. He respected Dai, and his son, for their strength of character but even he could only handle the two in small amounts.
He had the information he needed.
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"What if he left the village?" Bee wondered, scanning the village from her perch on the stone face of the Fourth Hokage.
"Doubtful," Tortoise yawned, stretching out on the ground. "The kid may be good at hiding but he'd never get out if the guards were actively looking for him. Besides, what reason would he have to leave? If he's as smart as everyone says he is he'd never step foot outside the walls."
Bee sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Okay, fine. Then were is he? You're earth natured right? Doesn't that make it easier to sense things?"
Tortoise tilted her head to look at her partner. "Who the hell told you that? Sensing is all about chakra, not earth."
"But the earth is filled with chakra isn't it?"
Tortoise shook her head, turning her gaze back to the sky. "You're thinking of natural chakra. Being able to use that to sense anybody is a pretty high level skill, you'd have to be a sage or something to get anywhere with it. Earth natured chakra and natural chakra are similar in a way, but so is every other element compared to natural chakra. It just doesn't work that way."
"Psh," Bee huffed. "Then how can we find the kid?"
Tortoise thought about it for a long moment before stretching her arms above her head and turning on her side. "…Dunno."
"Hey!" Bee nudged her. "Don't fall asleep!"
She groaned. "Come on, I just got back from a mission. I don't want to be running around the village on some wild goose chase when someone probably already found him. He's five, it's not like it would be difficult."
Bee huffed and crossed her arms petulantly. "Hmph. Way to spoil all of the fun." She paused, tilting her head. "…Hey, if someone did find him and brought him back to the base then they might not have told Panther or Bear yet right?"
"I guess," Tortoise shrugged noncommittally. "Why?"
Bee jumped up excitedly. "Come on, you're supposed to be the strategist!"
"We are supposed to steal from our enemies, not our allies."
"Psh, please," Bee waved her hand dismissively. "When it comes to Bear's cookies and Panther's rage it's everyone for themselves. And we're dealing with both here! We could totally snatch the kid and get the best of both worlds! Think about it!"
Tortoise stared at her before turning on her side once more. "Meh. Not interested."
Bee tapped her mask in thought. "If we got on her good side Panther might let you upgrade the beds like you've been wishing to~"
There was a slight moment of stilted silence before Tortoise sat up with a sigh.
"Yay! Let's go steal us a kid!"
"Never say that again."
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Kakashi was stretching in his room when the door was practically kicked open. Two Anbu ninjas stared down at him. He stared back.
"…Holy shit, he's really here," the one on the left nearly shouted.
The other one slapped her. "Language. You don't want him telling Panther where he learned those words do you?"
"Oh," the one with the bug like mask moved her hands as though to cover her mask. "That'd be bad. You heard nothing!"
Kakashi gave them a deadpan look before going back to his stretches. He squawked when they lifted him up by his elbows.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Completing the mission," they chimed, one voice bubbling with joy and the other monotone and bored.
Before he could make any move to protest they had rushed down the hallway and to Panther's room. Skidding to a halt in front of it they composed themselves, looking each other over before nodding.
The turtle masked Anbu knocked on the door.
There was a light tapping noise in return.
Panther looked up when they entered, eyes zeroing in on Kakashi being carried between them.
"Where was he?"
"In his room," they both saluted, dropping him and pushing him forward. "He appeared to be stretching."
Panther snatched a clean sheet of paper from her desk (Kakashi couldn't help but stare at the outrageously large stacks of paper in concern. At his current size those could crush him.) and bent down in front of him. She scribbled something on it and handed it to him.
You are not allowed to leave the compound without Bear's or mine express permission. Where were you?
"Oh," Kakashi tugged at the edge of his mask to show surprise. He made sure to give her a wide, uncertain stare. "I-I was just… visiting the Memorial Stone. I came back as soon as I was done, but I didn't know I wasn't supposed to leave."
Panther sighed and looked up at her two subordinates. "Take him back to the room and stay with him. I will come by later. Good work today."
It wasn't visible with their masks on but she could tell the two were beaming. It wasn't often that the Captain handed out compliments.
"Come along Kashi-chan," Bee scooped Kakashi up into her arms and whisked him down the hall after sketching a quick bow.
"Don't worry Taicho, we'll keep an eye on him," Tortoise gave her a slightly lazy bow and ambled out of the room.
Panther returned to her desk with an impending headache. At least they had found the brat, and it didn't seem like he was lying. Overplaying it, definitely, but not lying. All she had to do now was finish her paperwork (and Sarutobi's, the bastard) and go over the new missions for the next day and she could leave her office for more than three hours.
"HOLLY CRAP!" a high-pitched squeal made her jump out of her seat, a pair of kunai in hand. "You are so cute! I didn't even notice before!"
"L-let go of me!" a kid's voice cried.
Panther placed her head in her hands.
She wasn't going to die on the field of battle, defending her home and everyone in it. She was going to die in this tiny little room surrounded by idiots.
Sometimes she hated how much she loved her village.
Hope you guys liked this one! Thanks for reading!