Hello. Big thanks for the reviews/faves/alerts. I had intended to get this out much sooner but life got in the way. Silly hours at work followed by daily visits to hospital for the last 3 weeks. It's almost exactly a year since my annus horribilis began but it seems there's still some way to go before things can really start moving forward. Writing this is providing a much needed distraction. Here's another chapter. It turned out to be a long one. Usual disclaimers apply.
Chapter 4 – No Traveller Returns, Puzzles the Will
"Okay team, we need to take a breather here."
Three shinobi gathered around the cell leader under a tall tree which offered them shade from the searing heat that was beating down from the midday sun. They had been running continuously for five hours and were making good time. They each stood upright to catch their breath briefly, hands resting on their hips, then they squatted together in a circle as they discussed their strategy.
"We will soon be leaving Fire Country, heading through Kusa and approaching the Land of Earth. When we get there, the terrain will be very different and it is possible that we may encounter bandits or rogue shinobi. We're heading north west to rendezvous with the client in about a day's time."
Iruka looked up at each member of the team who were all paying close attention.
"For this next stage I want Mizuki to lead, acting as scout. I will follow two hundred metres behind, carrying the scroll, then I want Fuyou and Akan another couple of hundred metres behind me."
Iruka grinned as he addressed his friend directly. "I need all your observational skills on this one, M. This mission would be a doddle if it didn't take us right into the heart of Earth Country and I am concerned that we might run into some objectionable characters."
Mizuki smiled back and nodded in acknowledgement. Even though they were childhood friends this was actually the first time they had been on a mission together, having trained under different jounin masters and had therefore been part of different chuunin cells. Iruka was delighted to be working with his pal and was desperately proud that he was leading this mission – his first in command. He was very grateful to know that his friend was proud of his achievement and for the support that Mizuki had promised to give him.
"Remember, Earth is barren countryside. We will be far more exposed than Fire's shady forests and Kusa's grassy meadows and bamboo woods. We will need to be on our guard constantly."
He patted Mizuki's shoulder. "And you know exactly the direction to follow?"
Mizuki reciprocated by punching Iruka's arm – a habit that Iruka knew to be a friendly gesture, something that had become a bit of a custom between them over the years. "Sure I do. What do you think I am? Useless and hopeless?"
"Of course not," Iruka replied hastily. Then he realised that his friend was joking and smiled at him. "Now I want to reach the Shaku mountain range before nightfall. I suggest that we set up camp for the night just before we get there and then pass through the valleys first thing in the morning, so that hopefully we won't attract the attention of any bandits. Mizuki, please find a suitable place to camp for the night before we reach the range proper and we'll catch up with you."
The team nodded their agreement.
And with that, they started off again.
About an hour into the journey, Iruka was beginning to feel slightly uneasy. He knew that they should be travelling in a north-west direction in order to meet the client but, glancing up at the sun which was more-or-less directly behind them, felt that they were probably heading slightly off course. He decided to sprint to catch up with Mizuki.
His chuunin friend had been keeping a reasonable speed but was quite startled when Iruka caught up with him and tapped him on the shoulder. It vaguely surprised Iruka - he would have thought Mizuki would have realised that he was being pursued. Not to worry. First time out, they were making good time. The lead pair slowed their pace and found a rocky crag to rest beside. When the rear squad came into view Iruka signalled for them to hold back for a while.
Iruka wanted to take a moment to check that Mizuki was okay and to ask him about the direction that the team had been taking. He didn't want to challenge his friend for making a mistake in front of the others. That could potentially embarrass Mizuki, which would be both unprofessional and unfair.
"Are you okay, M?" Iruka asked, his eyes bright and with an expression of genuine concern on his face.
Mizuki looked annoyed. "Of course. Why did you break the formation?"
"I was worried that we were headed slightly off-course and just wanted to check with you that you were happy with the direction we were taking. If we go off course in the Shaku range we could very easily get lost and it could be really dangerous."
Iruka was handling the situation in a diplomatic and tactful manner. He didn't criticise, he just wanted to check that all was well and give Mizuki the opportunity to correct his mistake without any retribution.
But Mizuki bristled visibly and his eyes narrowed. "Of course."
Iruka, keen to avoid conflict, replied, "It's probably my fault. You know, I'm not sure that I had made it clear that we wanted to be heading north-west. I just wanted to confirm that with you."
Iruka was almost certain that he had made it very clear which direction they should have been taking, but didn't want to upset his friend.
Mizuki smiled at his friend. "Not to worry. You've set me right. Okay then, you're the boss, whatever you say."
Iruka grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, pal."
And so Mizuki set off again. Iruka signalled back to Fuyou and Akan that they should continue their pursuit and the team headed off once more.
They continued for a few more hours until the light was beginning to fade. Iruka was convinced that they were making really good time and Mizuki's pace had been especially quick.
They were about to approach the Shaku range, a particularly onerous part of Iwa territory. The landscape was mountainous, with tall peaks and deep valleys, which had narrow winding passages through them, carved over the centuries by ice and water and not a few destructive shinobi battles.
It was a long range stretching several miles and it marked the official border of Earth territory. It was quicker to travel through than around, but it was known to Konoha shinobi to be dangerous and all ninja knew that they had to be cautious on their approach. Iruka had wanted to stop and make camp before they arrived here. The terrain was treacherous and the locale teeming with bandits and rogues, who all knew the area well.
Although they were technically foothills, the change in the landscape was quite dramatic, the topography giving way to a large plateau with steep craggy rock faces and narrow gorges carved through them at sporadic intervals. These paths formed the easiest route through the mountain range and into the Land of Earth, but they were also the most dangerous. Iruka had expected Mizuki to find a secluded place close to the edge of the mountains where they could rest for the night. They would then leave before dawn to pass through the tortuous winding valleys, with the aim of avoiding any undesirable characters who might be lurking within. He was fairly sure that they were probably still somewhat off-course, but once they had passed through this range they could easily get back on track.
So Iruka was quite surprised when he spotted the cliffs of the foothills ahead and no sign of Mizuki. Early evening was absolutely the worst time to be traversing that route. He signalled for Fuyou and Akan to stop. He looked up and down along the length of the range but there was no sign of his friend.
What should he do? He couldn't see his comrade anywhere at all. It appeared as though Mizuki had simply vanished. Rocky crags loomed above him, tall and imposing, and straight ahead was a natural path formed from a gorge that cut through the rock and ran into the heart of the mountains.
Iruka decided that instead of venturing into the narrow path of the valley perhaps it would be preferable to scale the cliff face and look into the gorge from the top. It would mean less likelihood of an ambush from below.
He climbed the sheer cliff face like an insect, his body flush against the rock, using his chakra to keep his hands and feet attached to the surface as he scaled the rock face. Iruka's chakra control was excellent and, although he could have walked up there, he decided that climbing would offer him a stealthier approach that was less likely to attract attention. He made it to the top of the plateau with ease. He crawled along the stony surface, close to the edge of a gorge that penetrated deep into the foothills, keeping a low profile so as not to attract attention.
The sun was beginning to set, casting shadows across the rocky terrain. The evening had a golden glow to it and dusk was fast approaching. Iruka carefully tavelled along the edge of the gorge for about half a kilometre, desperately trying to spot Mizuki in the valley below. He could smell the smoke from a campfire nearby and heard the faint sound of voices. He noticed that a just a few hundred metres further down the range, the gorge split into two separate pathways and the path that was nearest to him opened out into a wide cavernous space with a large overhang above it. The chuunin crawled in the direction of the sound and smoke and peered over the ledge into the valley floor below.
"Ha, ha, ha! Are Konoha shinobi always this dumb?" The words echoed around the gap in the gorge. A raucous bunch of ninja sat around a fire at the foot of the cliff, drinking copious quantities of an undetermined firewater, laughing and joking together.
"What an idiot. Walks straight into an ambush like a fucking amateur. You'd have thought they'd teach Konoha ninja to at least have some fucking idea about caution when travelling through our land."
Iruka's heart sank. It sounded as though Mizuki had been captured. He edged further towards the precipice and stared at the bottom of the gorge, letting his eyes adjust to the impending darkness. There he spotted his friend, slumped at the foot of the cliff, the light from the dancing flames of the fire flickering in his silver hair.
Iruka observed Mizuki carefully. He'd just casually wandered into an ambush? His body was sagging with his head drooping forward and it appeared as though he was barely conscious. The chuunin couldn't make out whether he had been tied up. He didn't appear to have been, and this puzzled Iruka. Why capture a shinobi and not bother to tether him? Any ninja worth a damn would do their utmost to escape at the first opportunity.
A few moments later, Iruka heard echoes from the gorge in the direction he had come from. It sounded like laughter. He decided to wait so that he could establish what was happening. It was getting chilly and he shivered slightly; he was feeling increasingly uneasy about his situation but particularly that of his comrades. Eventually three ninja ambled into view. One was a huge bloke, bald and bronzed, followed by two skinny subordinates, each carrying an unconscious man over their shoulder. Iruka craned his neck and peered into the valley below desperately trying to observe who these unfortunates were.
Shit.
His heart sank and he felt a hollow feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He exhaled slowly. The worst had happened. Now Fuyou and Akan had been captured.
This was going so badly wrong. Iruka peered down to the valley floor to see if he could gauge what had happened to them. It appeared as though they too were unconscious, their faces were swollen, as though they'd received a beating.
The Iwa shinobi huddled round the campfire. "Okay. Konoha shinobi generally travel in cells of three or four. If it's three, then we've got the lot, otherwise there may be just one more Leaf idiot to capture."
The bulky ninja spoke up. "Have you searched these ones? Are they carrying anything interesting?"
The underlings patted all three ninja down, then meticulously searched through their backpacks. Nothing of use at all.
"Nah. Nothing here. If they're on a mission they're not the ones we need to capture. I reckon there's one more. We need to find him as soon as…"
Iruka shuddered as he heard these words. His mind was reeling at the thought that his cellmates had been captured and yet he had a mission that he needed to complete. Was obliged to complete.
He had to make a decision. Figure out the best course of action. He could leave his comrades behind and push on to the Iwa rendezvous alone or he could try to rescue the team. Both choices had their risks. Venturing through Earth Country on his own could be very dangerous and yet unless his comrades were able to help him battle the enemy – and that looked highly unlikely judging by the state of them in their present condition - Iruka would probably have to take on all six Iwa shinobi if he wanted to try to save the team.
He decided to hold back for the moment and observe the Iwa ninja. Maybe they would drink themselves into a stupor and he could try to rescue his colleagues while the enemy were sleeping. He lay low at the top of the overhang, watching the group and tried to mask his chakra signature.
He waited until darkness had fallen. The yellow flames of the fire were beginning to die out, transforming into warm, glowing red embers. Some of the Iwa shinobi were lying down, trying to get some rest, but others had decided to continue drinking whatever grog remained, and got the fire started up again. It appeared to Iruka as though this was their job – keep an eye out for foreign ninja and capture them.
Suddenly he heard a noise behind him. Crap. There were more members of the gang, they were already at the top of the plateau, close by, and actively searching him out.
He froze, instantly masked his chakra and waited to assess how many of the enemy there were and where they were located.
His best course of action now would be to surprise them. He silently crawled away from the cliff face and hid behind a rock on the plateau, keeping his chakra veiled and waited until the Iwa shinobi came into range. He was particularly proficient at acoustic location and was able to pinpoint how far the shinobi was from him quite accurately, even in the dark. He recognised that there were two shinobi seeking him out. And they were approaching his location.
One Iwa ninja came into range. He passed by the rock and Iruka pounced. He seized his enemy from behind, then reached beneath the enemy's underarm with his thumb and pinched a particularly sensitive nerve with his forefinger. The shinobi slumped to the ground, unconscious. Iruka let him drop gently to the floor, as quietly as possible, and then moved towards the other ninja who was fast approaching.
Iruka crouched and waited silently as the enemy approached. He had masked his chakra so well that the new assailant walked right past him, which gave the Leaf chuunin the chance to leap up and grab him with the intention of rendering him unconscious as well. However, this ninja wasn't giving up without a fight and immediately shoved his elbows into Iruka's ribs, winding him. The Iwa ninja spun around and kicked at Iruka's head but the chuunin ducked. Realising the enemy was off-balance, Iruka caught his leg quick as a flash, lifted it – taking the Iwa's body with it – up in the air and let it crash to the ground. The ninja didn't have time to react to break his fall. His head hit the hard stone and he too was out cold.
Iruka winced. The crashing sound was likely to have alerted the other ninja down in the gorge below. The chuunin hid behind the rock once more, hoping that the others were too drunk to bother with investigating any noises from above. Fat chance. Iruka heard muffled shouts.
"Oi! Kemono! Did you hear that? We need to check it out"
Iruka lay flat on his stomach and crawled to the edge of the overhang to peer into the gorge. He listened intently to the activity below.
"Doton: Earth Elevator!"
Shit.
Iruka felt the ground rumble as though an earthquake had struck. He could see a mound of earth rising from the bottom of the campsite to the very place where he was hiding. Striding atop this earth elevator was the large bald ninja. Two more earth stacks, each bearing a skinny subordinate, were also rising rapidly from the depths below. Iruka edged away from the cliff edge and back to his hiding place behind the large rock as quickly as he could, before the masses of earth rose to his level and revealed his location. It was pretty dark, he might just have a hope of hiding from them. No point in running, they'd hear him and pursue. His heart was pounding. He held his breath.
A loud booming voice broke the silence. "Come out, come out, last little Leaf. I can sense your presence."
Iruka cursed to himself. He was convinced that he had suppressed his chakra to almost nothing. He remained completely still, hoping that the bald ninja was bluffing. No point in just giving himself up.
"Ha ha ha! Nice try, but you happen to have come across your worst nightmare."
The mound of earth had grown sufficiently to reach the top of the cliff and the brute they called Kemono stepped off onto the rocky surface of the plateau's pinnacle. His colleagues were not far behind, striding atop their rising earth elevators. Iruka's mind was racing. He assessed the situation quickly. He could probably out-run the big guy. His best hope would be to take out the two skinny shinobi and then to make his escape.
Shoom! Shoom!
Iruka aimed two shuriken at each of the ninja currently ascending the mounds of earth that were rising rapidly from the valley floor. One hit one of the shinobi square on the collarbone. He lost his balance, fell from the stack of earth he was riding upon and went tumbling to the bottom of the gorge. Unfortunately the other dodged and Iruka's throwing star missed its target. The earth ninja reciprocated immediately with a couple of shuriken of his own.
It was now dark, with the only light coming from the pale half-moon cloaked with clouds and the flames of the fire in the bottom of the gorge. Iruka realised that he simply couldn't see well enough to dodge any weapons that were being aimed at him. His best bet was to build a defence wall. His chakra was earth natured and, although he was not very experienced, he had learned basic techniques which he had been practicing diligently.
Tiger. Hare. Boar. Dog. Doton: Earth Wall!
It wasn't going to be the greatest earth wall in the world but it would definitely protect him from any light weapons being hurled in his direction. Which it did.
Za! The earth barrier he had formed him shattered immediately, brushed aside by the shinobi astride the earth stacks. Most Iwa ninja had earth chakra affinities and were experts in the use of such techniques. Iruka knew that he would struggle to battle with them, let alone have much chance of defeating them. With the wall gone, Iruka was now exposed to the enemy. But, curiously, they didn't chase him.
The clouds parted and the light of the moon shone through, providing the dimmest of illumination amidst the shadows. He peered into the darkness to observe both ninja and figure out a line of defence. There were two Iwa shinobi heading straight for him. They seemed to be able to sense where he was hiding.
As the ninja came into view, Iruka realised that he couldn't actually see the eyes of the one they called Kemono. For about one second. As that fact sank in, the bulky shinobi's eyes started sparkling, flashing, as he raised his arm in Iruka's direction. The sight was hypnotic and it took all Iruka's strength to look away.
He turned and started to run. He had no other choice. He set off at a rapid pace, but with each step his body became heavier and less responsive. It felt like he was wading through glue. He couldn't get away. He could hardly breathe. It felt as though all his energy was being drained from him.
Which it was.
Eventually he stumbled and then crashed to the ground, exhausted. He'd done his damndest and taken out a few of the enemy but he had no chance against this sensory ninja. The pair approached him, muttering to each other.
"This one's a live wire. Haven't had such a fight in a while. He took out Okojo, Kudagitsune and Nezu-kun."
The bulky ninja laughed, a deep, sinister chuckle. "Yeah. Tie this one up. I'll knock him out."
Iruka felt a sharp blow to the temple and remembered nothing more.
When he awoke he found was in a small room. It was dank, dimly lit and smelled musty. His vision was blurry as he looked around him but his eyes slowly focussed and he saw the rest of his team, who were all staring at him, a look of relief upon their faces as their leader came to.
Iruka blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the light. "How long have I been out?" he asked groggily.
Mizuki turned to look at him. "A few hours. They brought us to this town in Iwa territory."
"What the hell happened?" he asked, looking specifically to Mizuki for answers.
The chuunin shrugged. "We met with some bad company." He nodded towards the far side of the room, where a couple of the Iwa shinobi were slouched on seats, observing the Konoha four. One of them, sporting a bandage wrapped around his head, scowled at Iruka. He was clearly one of the ninja the Leaf leader had managed to take out before he was captured.
Iruka shifted slightly. He was still tied up and was aching all over. He felt drained. Completely and utterly drained. There was a single part of his body that didn't hurt. He'd taken a blow to the head and felt slightly nauseous.
"I feel awful," he stated to no one in particular.
"That's because your chakra has been drained," explained Mizuki. "They told us what had happened when they brought us here. That big shinobi, the one they call Kemono, is a sensory ninja who can suck up your chakra with his eyes."
Iruka sighed. That explained a lot. He'd put up his best fight but he recognised immediately that he didn't stand a chance against that sort of power. If only Mizuki had headed in the right direction, they'd have crossed the Shaku range further along the plateau and would never have run into this bunch. Still, no time for 'if onlys', no time for retribution. They were where they were. He had to work out how the hell he could get them all out of this situation.
And then he remembered.
The scroll.
Shit, he realised that he was no longer in possession of the scroll. The Iwa ninja had obviously found it and taken it from him. The whole purpose of the mission: to rendezvous with the client and pass on the information. Iruka's heart sank. He was going to fail miserably on his first time out as a leader. He glanced across at his comrades. They all looked exhausted and had clearly been beaten up by the Iwa thugs. Fuyou and Akan, in particular, were in a terrible state.
One of the Iwa ninja got up and left the room. He returned shortly and brought along the rest of his gang, including Kemono, who was carrying something in his hand. Nestled within the firm grip of his short, stubby fingers lay the Konoha scroll.
Iruka looked up at the bulky ninja. It was his first opportunity to observe his enemy at close quarters. He was huge and thoroughly intimidating, bare chested and bronzed, with rippling muscles, he towered above the Konoha four. The very first thing Iruka noticed about him was that the shinobi's eyes were completely black. They seemed to absorb all light. It was really quite disconcerting.
Kemono ignored the other Leaf ninja and addressed Iruka directly, acknowledging him as the leader of the group.
"Can you tell me what this is?"
"I could," replied Iruka, defiantly. "But if I did, I'd have to kill you."
Kemono observed the chuunin, his black eyes narrowing. He drew himself up to his full height and clenched his fists, crumpling the scroll slightly, his knuckles turning white as he did so. He towered over Iruka.
He took one good look at the chuunin then threw his head back and roared with laughter, his booming chuckle echoing around the room.
"Well at least you've got a sense of humour," he snorted, shaking his head in slight disbelief that anyone in Iruka's position could be so bold. His expression then became more serious.
"You realise the situation you are in, don't you? We don't take kindly to Konoha shinobi carrying out their business on our turf. I think you realise that we can keep you here with your chakra constantly drained for as long as we like."
Iruka nodded.
Kemono continued. "So it really would be in your best interests to tell us about this scroll, yeah?"
Iruka sighed. He was going to have to bluff this one. "Come on, I really can't tell you. Give me some credit."
Kemono shook his head and signalled to the other ninja in the room. Three of them each grabbed a Leaf shinobi and started beating them up. Fuyou and Akan groaned, their legs gave way and they collapsed into a heap on the floor. The Iwa shinobi continued their assault by kicking them. Mizuki stood his ground for a while and took a few sharp punches to the belly before he too fell to the floor, whining and groaning with the pain.
The Iwa ninja then picked the three Konoha shinobi up and roughly shoved them against the wall.
Iruka winced. He hated witnessing what was happening to his comrades. He had to think quickly. His mind thought through all the possible options that were available to him. He was tired and disoriented but he forced himself to clear his head and think logically. First of all, he surmised that he would be more likely to be able to escape if he didn't have to worry about rescuing his comrades. Was there any chance that the Iwa ninja would let them go?
Kemono spoke again, his voice loud and clear. "So, are you going to tell me about that scroll?"
Iruka shrugged. "I really can't help you there, mate."
Immediately, the Iwa ninja starting punching and kicking Mizuki, Ayan and Fuyou again. Their bodies were already worn out from the chakra drain and the beatings they had already received and they were clearly in a lot of pain. Iruka didn't know how long they would hold out for.
"Stop!" Iruka cried out. The Iwa ninja looked at Kemono briefly. He didn't give the signal, so they continued their assault on the Konoha trio.
"I SAID STOP!" Iruka shouted. He stood up and faced Kemono, his eyes blazing with what he hoped looked like fury and not fear.
The skinny ninja paused, waiting for instructions from their leader, and Kemono stared at the Leaf ninja with his empty black eyes. It was as though he was looking right through him. It was impossible for Iruka to gauge what he was thinking – there was not a hint of emotion nor a trace of feeling. Kemono nodded to his comrades briefly and the assault ended. The Konoha shinobi slumped to the floor.
Iruka took a deep breath. He leaned against the wall trying to appear casual. He had to think and think quickly. Yes - the very first thing he needed to do was to get the others out of there. Then he could worry about retrieving the scroll without worrying about them. The best way that he could figure out how to do this would be to bullshit his enemy. He had to use his finest acting skills.
He lifted his head slowly and stared at Kemono, looking directly into those deep, obsidian eyes. He spoke very precisely and clearly.
"Okay. I've thought things through and I'll cut a deal. Let these three go and I'll join you. I'll tell you everything I know about the scroll and how you can use it. I am certain that you can benefit from its secrets."
Kemono raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat cynical. His voice clearly didn't believe a word that Iruka had said. "Right. So suddenly you do know all about it?"
Iruka had to be convincing. He sighed before he continued, giving the impression of being world-weary and knowing that he had been defeated. "Yes," he spoke softly, but clearly. "I am the team leader. The information was entrusted only to me. They don't know anything. Let them go and I'll work with you."
Kemono looked bemused. "And the reason I should trust you is?"
Iruka shrugged. But he looked at the thug with confidence, as though he had figured it all out.
"You haven't got anything to lose. I have got everything to lose. You can keep me here forever, keep us here forever, our chakra permanently drained. I don't see what value my team-mates have to you, so why don't you just let them go? I can be useful to you. It's true I don't have much choice, but you have nothing to lose by letting me join you. And you can gain something of value if I tell you the scroll's specifics."
Kemono raised an eyebrow. He looked closely at Iruka's expression. The found the Konoha chuunin intriguing and was impressed that he had managed to fight, let alone defeat, some his Iwa comrades. Normally the Iwa enemies were overcome instantly, just collapsing before him, pretty much like Mizuki, Ayan and Fuyou had done - fallen prey to a powerful bloodline ability.
Iruka realised that Kemono found the proposal to be appealing. It was true, the Iwa ninja had everything to gain from this situation. The Konoha chuunin had another thought strike him – could he nail the clincher? He took a deep breath and cocked his head slightly, as though he was carefully considering his current situation and his future.
"You know from last night that my chakra affinity is earth, right? Not many people in Konoha have earth affinity. I've been learning, but I have a way to go and there aren't many people who can teach me in my home village. I know Iwa ninja are highly skilled at earth techniques and I reckon I can learn a lot from you."
Kemono was paying close attention. He observed the chuunin before him carefully, trying to assess his sincerity. Iruka had no idea how to gauge what the Iwa leader was thinking, his deep, hollow eyes gave absolutely nothing away. He recognised that the Leaf chuunin might be bluffing, but he was fully aware that he had the upper hand. He could easily kill the ninja simply by draining all his chakra if he turned out to be no good.
Iruka stood up and looked Kemono directly in those eyes that were blacker than the darkest night.
"Let these guys go and I'll give up my loyalty to Konoha. I'll join you, help you translate the scroll and we can all benefit from the rewards within."
"And if it doesn't work out, you'll probably kill me anyway," he muttered under his breath.
"So, that's why I ended up with the Iwa shinobi," Iruka sighed. He was desperately disappointed, hurt even, that Mizuki - his friend - hadn't realised that he was bluffing in order to get his team-mates back home so that he could retrieve the scroll and return to his home village. He had been so proud that he'd managed to convince the Iwa shinobi to let the others go. His top priority had been to save his comrades, then salvage what he could of the failed mission.
Kakashi moved towards the fire and dropped another piece of driftwood onto the dying embers. The flames sparked up again, casting flickering shadows that danced across the chuunin's scarred face. By the time Iruka had finished telling his story the evening was drawing near and there was a chill in the air. Kakashi looked directly at Iruka, a quizzical expression in his grey eye.
"And can you decipher the coding on that scroll?"
"Of course not! I was bullshitting them. Trying to play for time. I planned to retrieve the scroll and escape back to Konoha just as soon as I could. But I figured it would be easier if I didn't have to worry about getting the others out with me. They were in a terrible state. I needed to get them out and then steal the scroll back because I'm sure they could have found encryption experts to reveal its secrets. And then I would have been really screwed."
"As opposed to 'you've been declared a traitor and Black Ops have been dispatched to kill you' kind of screwed?" Kakashi observed. He scrutinised the young man's expression. It was very obvious to him just how loyal Iruka was to Konoha and to his friends.
"You did the right thing," he stated softly.
"I'm really in trouble now, aren't I?"
Kakashi changed the subject slightly. "Doesn't sound like your friend is much of a friend," he said, in a matter of fact tone.
Iruka bristled immediately. "I think it must just be some terrible misunderstanding. Mizuki knows me really well. He knows that I am loyal to Konoha. The problem is that I just didn't get a chance to tell him that I was bluffing and that I was doing what I did so that the rest of the team could get away. I was counting on him not taking my actions at face value. Fuyou and Akan would also have written a report, but I wouldn't have expected them to understand."
"Well it sounds to me like they all fucked up pretty badly and were trying to cover their mistakes."
This irritated Iruka enormously. Kakashi didn't know anything about him, didn't know Mizuki, didn't know about their friendship. Who was he to make such a judgement? Iruka and Mizuki were good friends. The mission had gone wrong and somehow Mizuki hadn't cottoned on to Iruka's intentions. That had to be the reason.
"I was the team leader, the responsibility was mine," he stated softly but firmly. "If you state the facts as required by a mission report, there is no denying that I appeared to have defected. But, please believe me, I had to make a call. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing, the best thing I could possibly do under the circumstances."
Kakashi shrugged. He'd been leading chuunin grade missions since before Iruka was even a student at the Academy.
Iruka turned to address Kakashi in a solemn tone, with a voice that was filled with resolve and determination.
"Kakashi, I have to go back to that village. I have to retrieve that scroll and clear my name."