Chapter 10: Warning Bells
Kakashi followed Naruto at a slight distance, wearing a simple henge to ensure no one would recognize him. Not much of a point to acting like he was ill if others saw him parading through the halls. It was a hassle to have to constantly think of how each piece of the puzzle fit with the others, but it was the best thing he had right now.
He watched his student's shoulders anxiously. He'd messed up. He'd really messed up. Part of him knew his bond with Naruto was strong enough to survive their argument, but he also realized he had to change the way he looked at the young man. More importantly, he had to change how he treated him. His stomach roiled uneasily, and it was not just because he'd just thrown up.
Which reminded him that he really wanted a spearmint.
They passed through the halls as quickly as Kakashi could manage, which was not as quickly as he had hoped. Sakura would have to look at the seal again; he felt faint, and his body ached. Perhaps the seal was leaking somehow.
They turned a corner and entered a familiar hallway. This is where Genma was kept. Two more turns to the left and they'd enter the labs. But first..
Naruto seemed to realize as well and slowed down, throwing a look over his shoulder at Kakashi. Kakashi nodded at him, before making his way over to the door. There was an ANBU guard in front of it, but after a quick sign that would tell the agent he was ANBU, himself, he was allowed in.
Genma was awake. He blinked blearily at Kakashi through layers of bandages. At his side, a heart monitor beeped steadily. "Who-?"
Kakashi dropped the henge and quickly placed a finger over his mouth. "Shh." Too much off a commotion, and the ANBU outside would check in on them.
"Wha- Ka-" Genma cut himself off. Whatever he was thinking, he knew to listen to Kakashi.
"I swear- it wasn't me, I didn't want-" Genma whispered hoarsely, pushing himself up on his elbows. He began to cough violently and was forced to lie back. "Are you okay? Did I-"
"You didn't hurt me," Kakashi said, neatly avoiding the actual question. "Don't worry. It's fine; I know it wasn't you. I came to see if you're doing alright."
"Oh- I-" Genma ducked his head, his hair obscuring his eyes for a moment. "I didn't really think- I struggled so hard, I did my best to make sure I wouldn't hurt you- and you're stronger than me, anyway, but I thought- you wouldn't expect me to attack you so maybe-"
Kakashi waited it out, sensing his old friend needed to express his concerns.
"I'm so glad you're alright." Genma finished after a moment. His hands curled up, wrinkling the sheets.
Kakashi nodded. He made his way over to Genma's bed and took the patient's chart. Third degree burns on his hands, chest, and the side of his face, cracked ribs.. but no internal bleeding. He took a steadying breath.
"I'm glad- if he'd killed you trying to get to me, I'd-" He stopped himself as an unexpected rush of emotion threatened to overcome him. Genma and he were friends, even if they weren't as close as he had been to Asuma or Kurenai, but he realized now that if Genma had died in someone else's attempt to get to Kakashi, he'd have been wrecked.
He sat down in the chair next to Genma's bed and looked at his hands.
After a moment, Genma chuckled. "Look at us, ehh? Old men worrying about each other. D'you know who this maniac is, yet?"
"No. I'd been meaning to ask you.. Do you have any memory at all of who possessed you?"
Genma's face darkened. "No. There was some Yamanaka guy here earlier asking me the same thing, but I can't remember a thing. It's a blank. I remember fighting you and straining against the control, but nothing before that."
So Ino had sent out her people. Good.
"I see," He said. They were quiet for a moment. There didn't seem to be any form of entertainment for Genma. Kakashi considered it for a moment, then sighed deeply. "I bet you're pretty bored."
"Yeah. They're insisting I stay in bed."
"Doesn't mean you can't read," Kakashi said. He reached behind him for his pouch, and grabbed one of his favorite possessions from it. "Borrow it." He said, placing Icha Icha Tactics on the nightstand.
Genma looked at him as though he'd grown another head. "Seriously? You're lending me- wow. That's uhh. That's big. Thank you. "
Kakashi nodded awkwardly. Fortunately, he had another copy at home. This one was the signed edition, though. "Just.. don't drop it in the bath, or something."
"Right. Yeah. Of course. I'll be careful with it." Genma was still staring at him.
Kakashi avoided further eye contact and stood up again, feeling slightly better than before. "Well. I'll come see you again. I've got a maniac to catch."
Genma blinked out of his stupor and smiled. "Yeah, you do. Go catch that asshole. And don't get yourself killed by any other unsuspecting idiot who got himself possessed, you hear me?"
Kakashi threw him a lazy two-finger salute. "Will do. You heal up." With that, he left the room.
Naruto was waiting expectantly. He didn't look quite as angry as before, which was good. "Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine. Let's go."
xXx
Sakura watched Sasuke warily. Standing this close to him, she could feel his chakra burning as his Sharingan studied the poison sample closely. The Rinnegan, even more unnerving than the Sharingan, was fortunately closed, but Sakura had a feeling it wouldn't be for much longer. She wasn't sure exactly what he could see with it, if not shared vision with whoever carried a connected eye. Sasuke had never explained and she had never asked. For their current process, it seemed his Sharingan was enough.
"I have seen something similar to this," Sasuke said at long last, "A few years ago, when I was with.." He trailed off.
Sakura felt herself go cold. Orochimaru. Sasuke rarely referred to his time there, and whenever he did she could feel an echo of the terror she had felt as a child, knowing he was with that monster. Even now, having faced down the Moon Godess herself, she still felt an instinctive fear for the Sannin. Even more than that, fear of what he had subjected Sasuke to. Sasuke had survived, yes, but what had he seen? What had he been subjected to, as a thirteen year old boy...?
"What did you see?" She asked. Her voice sounded cold to her own ears.
If Sasuke was bothered by it, he didn't let on. "It's activated by chakra, right? The Chakra of whoever is subjected to it."
"Yes. We think it was when Kakashi-sensei.." She trailed off, feeling some second-hand embarrassment. "You know when he does that thing where he downs an entire meal in about five seconds? Turns out he needs chakra to do that."
"..And he did that while having dinner with the Daimyo." Sasuke said dryly.
"...Yeah."
Sasuke briefly pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sounds like him. Idiot."
Sakura smiled. That last word had come out more affectionate than sincere, though she doubted Sasuke had noticed. It was nice, at least, to have him reaffirm that he still cared for his teammates.
"So, what do you know about it?" She asked.
Sasuke frowned a little. "It's commonly used to give the victim an agonizing, drawn-out death. It should take long enough for them to suffer first. It's popular for revenge gambits." He said.
Sakura folded her arms around her body. "So I was wrong. I thought it would be very fast. That it would liquify-" She swallowed, "liquify his organs."
"Essentially, yes. But it's not meant to be quick. It's creeping. Slow. And it strikes when you don't expect it to. What did you do to treat it?" Sasuke asked, and for a moment his professionalism reminded her of the studious, hard working genin he had once been.
"I sealed it." She answered truthfully. "It's a new technique I've been working on, based on Tsunade-sama's theories from the Second Great Ninja War. She dealt with poison a lot in those days, but never got around to doing anything with her theories after Dan died."
"Dan?"
"Her boyfriend."
"Hnn. If it's a new technique we can't know for certain what effects it will have on the poison." Sasuke said. "Unless you have empirical evidence?"
And when had that twelve year old genin turned into an academic? Sakura repressed a smile. "We have some, but given the scarcity of conflicts lately we haven't had a lot of opportunity to test it. But Kakashi-sensei was obviously in a lot of pain, so.. I had to do something." She trailed off.
Was that respect she saw in his eyes? Sasuke studied her for a moment, almost as if he was looking for something.
"Instant pain probably means he'd have gone on like that for a couple of days before dropping dead," Sasuke said indifferently. "I've seen a few people go through that. It wasn't pretty."
Sakura bit her lip. If her seal didn't hold, that's what would happen to Kakashi-sensei. She could remember those moments clear as day. She was used to working under pressure, was used to holding lives in the balance, but when it was her friends whose lives she was holding it was always different.
She still remembered holding Naruto's heart in her hand- literally- and she knew she wouldn't forget Kakashi-sensei's obvious suffering anytime soon either.
"Hold on, if you saw it in Orochimaru's lair- does that mean it's of his making?" She said, brow furrowing.
Sasuke gave her a lop-sided smile, and damn it if it didn't still do strange things to her insides. It shouldn't, but it did. Damn it.
"Orochimaru is an expert on poisons because he knows just about anything there is to know about them. But he's not the sole creator of all poison in the world," He drawled. "This type of poison was actually invented somewhere else, and used only by one group of people."
Sakura stared at him. He wasn't going to leave her hanging, was he?
Sasuke met her eyes directly, and this time his voice took a bitter tone. "It was invented and used by Konoha shinobi."
Sakura's eyes widened. Her heart beat sped up. "Wha-"
Behind them, the doors opened with a bang. Naruto strode in with a fierce expression on his face, looking every bit the man who had saved the world. His eyes blazed.
He was followed by a dark-haired stranger, who looked tired and distressed. Sakura frowned at his presence, but it was explained a few moments later when a puff of smoke enveloped the stranger and left Kakashi-sensei standing there.
A henge? What was the point of that?
"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei," She greeted them, still reeling from what Sasuke had just told her. "Are you alright?"
Naruto threw an angry look over his shoulder at Kakashi-sensei, who actually seemed to cringe a little. What had happened between them? They were usually thick as thieves.
Naruto threw himself down on one of the lab chairs. "Kakashi-sensei is an idiot, that's what happened."
"Nothing new, then." Sasuke drawled, returning his attention to the poison sample.
"Naruto, I already told you.." Kakashi-sensei began, holding up one hand defensively. He still looked tired. Dropping the Henge hadn't taken that away.
"Can it, sensei. You know what you did." Naruto bit back.
Sakura frowned. No way was she going to let her teammates bicker like this. "What's going on?"
Kakashi-sensei sighed. Naruto threw him a pointed look. Kakashi-sensei pointed at his own chest, as if to say Oh, you want me to do it? Then he sighed again.
"Fine. I.. made a decision Naruto isn't happy with. I allowed whoever's after me to find out the poison is working." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets in what Sakura knew was a defensive gesture. If you couldn't read a man's face, you had to read his body language. Understanding Kakashi's was something of an art form.
"What? Wasn't it the whole point that they didn't find out?" Sakura cried out.
Kakashi's shoulders rose a little bit higher. "It was, but.. Well, I'm fairly sure that whoever's behind it is a Konoha shinobi." He said finally.
Sakura's fists clenched. She glanced at Sasuke.
He nodded. "The poison is also of Konoha make," He confirmed.
Naruto gasped. "Wait, what?"
Kakashi frowned as well. "It is?"
Sasuke nodded. "Orochimaru had vials of it. I remember it. It was one of his favorites for interrogation purposes. If he wanted a man destroyed, it's what he would use."
Something flickered behind Kakashi's dark eyes, but Sakura couldn't read it. However he felt about what Sasuke had just told him, he wasn't going to tell them.
"Konoha. What.. part of Konoha?" He asked instead.
It struck Sakura as an odd question, but Sasuke didn't seem surprised. "ANBU. " He said.
Kakashi's frown deepened. "I was in ANBU. I've never heard of this kind of poison."
"The other ANBU." Sasuke said.
The room went quiet.
ANBU ROOT. Oh.
"There's two kinds of ANBU?" Naruto broke the silence, squinting at Sasuke.
A giggle escaped Sakura before she could help it. Leave it to Naruto to lighten the mood.
"ANBU ROOT," Kakashi confirmed. "We thought we had rooted them all out- excuse the pun- but it's possible there are still some remnants of it left. Either people, or.. their possessions. Someone may have entered their base after Danzo's death but before my men got there. It's not implausible."
"But why..?" Naruto cut himself off and looked at Kakashi. The anger from before had left his expression. He merely seemed confused by now. He sighed and shook his head. "Like you said, there's no point in focusing on the why," He murmured.
Sakura looked from Naruto to Kakashi and had a feeling a whole lot more was going on than either of them were saying.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "So. If you know where the poison's from and how it works, do you know if there's an antidote?"
He'd clearly meant to sound light-hearted - or as light-hearted as possible given the circumstances- but there was a catch in his voice that he hadn't quite managed to hide. Sakura was fairly sure that if she hadn't known him so well, she would have missed it altogether.
Sasuke's expression hardened. "There is only one way. Whoever administrated the poison has to deactivate it."
Oh, no. Sakura placed her hand over her mouth. No, that wasn't fair. Kakashi-sensei closed his eyes briefly, as if in prayer. Naruto got up and, with an angry cry, swept stationary from the desk.
For a moment all that was heard in the room was Naruto's harsh breathing. Then Kakashi-sensei took a deep breath. "Well, I guess we just have to capture him alive." He said with far more cheer than any of his students could muster.
"I'm not dead yet," Kakashi-sensei continued. His eyes softened as he took them in. "There's still time." He said softly.
Anyone else would have panicked, or tried to comfort themselves. Not Kakashi-sensei. As though he would have been at peace with it, if not for them. Sakura pushed that thought away. This was not the time to psycho-analyze her mentor.
"Besides," Kakashi's voice rose, "I left him with something to mull over. He probably thinks I'm dead by now, so whatever he's planning to do next will happen pretty soon."
Except that that wasn't true. Sakura gasped. "No.. the poison is meant to be slow. I.. I was wrong about that, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi's eyes widened, and for a moment he looked awfully young. "Oh. Oh, I.. see. I.. I've made a mistake, then." He said faintly. His gaze turned to the floor.
"You only just figured that out?" Naruto sneered. He seemed to regret his outburst immediately after. "Sorry. I guess you're not really.. feeling normal. You get to make mistakes," He added.
Kakashi-sensei just looked dazed.
xXx
Kakashi didn't bother with the henge but simply teleported himself back to his apartment. It was too straining in truth, but his mind was still reeling and he had no desire to walk.
He'd messed up. He'd messed up badly. Twenty six years on the job, and suddenly he was making rookie mistakes. What was he, a genin? Never show weakness, unless it is meant to lure the enemy into a trap.
Except that this enemy knew his weakness better than he did. Fury coursed through his veins like a wildfire, and he kicked his couch. Shit. His foot disappeared into the woodwork and he hopped awkwardly on one foot as he tried to balance himself. Oh, great.
He sensed the two presences behind him just before Tenzou cleared his throat. He was standing in the door opening, Yuugao half a step behind him and still in uniform. Oh, even better. Let someone see him embarrass himself.
And didn't it say a lot about his state of mind that he hadn't even noticed them until they were practically in back-stabbing reach? He was losing his touch.
"I take it you're not as bad off as they say you are, then?" Tenzou said dryly.
Kakashi glared at him, but as he did so the fire and anger dissipated again. He simply didn't have the energy to get so worked up. A dark, apathetic gloom took its place, the likes of which he hadn't felt in years.
"Tenzou," He acknowledged his friend. "Yuugao."
"Sakura told me what happened." Tenzou said patiently. "Although I'm not sure why you felt the need to punish your couch for it,"
"Not the couch. Punished my toes," Kakashi said, raising the foot he'd finally freed and pointing at his toes. They were red, and would probably bruise in a few hours.
Tenzou raised his eyebrows. When did he get so.. in-control of things, anyway? Kakashi was always in control of their conversations, not Tenzou.
"Kakashi-senpai, I think perhaps you should take a step back."
Senpai. That caught Kakashi's attention. If Tenzou was finally giving up on the -sama business, that had to be important. "What do you mean?" He said carefully.
Tenzou sighed. "I'm not sure how to break it to you.. But.. Well," He rubbed the back of his neck and looked even more awkward than usual. "You're not.. in control."
Tenzou gave him a weak smile, almost.. pitying. "You haven't been since you were poisoned. I'm.. sorry, senpai. But you've not been yourself."
Kakashi stared at him. Tenzou's words resonated with him in a way he wasn't sure his friend realized. Tenzou was right, of course. Kakashi didn't feel like himself. He didn't feel in control.
"You have always been at your best when you could control everything. From your emotions to your surroundings," Tenzou sighed, "But.. I think, maybe.. maybe you haven't given yourself enough time to process this one."
Kakashi sat down on the back of his couch. He felt a bit light-headed. "I just thought.. Finally, things were going.." He trailed off, looked at his hands. Damn it, he wasn't going to cry.
"We were at peace, you were Hokage, your friends were safe, and everything was alright with the world." Yuugao finished for him. Her voice was lyrical, quiet. "And then some asshole came to try and take you out."
Kakashi's throat constricted. That was exactly it, wasn't it? That was why Naruto's words had struck such a chord in him. It isn't fair, he'd said.
Because it wasn't. It wasn't fair at all. He'd finally, finally, found some semblance of peace in his life. Finally laid his demons to rest. And now someone was trying to ruin it all for him.
He was breathing weirdly, he knew, but he couldn't seem to stop it. Then Yuugao was there next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. And Tenzou as well, pushing a glass of water into his hand. When had he gotten it? Kakashi's hands couldn't stop shaking.
"Just breathe, senpai," Tenzou said. "You're not alone in this, and we are going to solve this."
As if to reaffirm Tenzou's words, Yuugao gently squeezed his shoulder.
"I'm not alone," He managed. His breathing slowly returned to normal. "I'm sorry- I'm-" A mess. A complete and utter mess and oh god I really don't want to die-
He stopped that train of thought before it could continue. No good would come from going down that road. Acknowledge the feeling and regain control, but don't go down that slippery slope.
Neither of his ANBU colleagues- no, friends- said anything.
The room was filled with silence. Sunlight filtered in through the windows.
He took a deep breath. Steadied himself. Acknowledged the unfairness of it all, and moved past it. Life wasn't fair. He'd known that since his father's death. Get over it.
"Okay." He said, again. "I'm okay."
Somehow, since the war, he had forgotten he was a shinobi. Somewhere down the line he had forgotten what it meant; that he had to be ready to lay down his life at any time. And he was prepared for it, truly. It was just that it had been so long since he'd had so much to live for. He couldn't remember the last time, in fact.
He gave Yuugao and Tenzou a lopsided smile. "Sorry about that," He said, his voice as steady as he could muster.
"You're right. I did lose control, and now I've made a mistake. But.. some good may still come of it. I want you both to go to the ANBU headquarters. Set up a screening test, but do it in such a way that the operatives don't realize what you're up to. Disguise it as.. a psychological test, or something like that. Say it's on my orders, new.. health regulations. We can use those, anyway." He said, mind whirring away. "Focus on the ex-ROOT operatives first, but don't let them figure that out. I trust you both to accomplish this without too much trouble."
Sympathetic eyes met his own for a moment, before professionalism kicked in and both ANBU operatives saluted him. "Hai!" As ANBU commander Tenzou would take the lead, but Kakashi had no doubt Yuugao would also be very effective.
"What about Sai?" She asked.
Kakashi nodded. "I've already sent him out on a mission of his own. I'll let you know if he comes up with anything good. Now, you're both dismissed."
He watched as they left. Then, he walked over to the windows, slid one open and climbed through it onto the balcony. The breeze hit his face and he breathed in deeply.
He had a lot to think about.
xXx
The air was cold and damp, this far underneath the village. It made Sai think of a childhood filled with training until he dropped, protein bars for dinner, and his brother's encouraging smiles.
After asking Agent Three what she knew about Fox, she'd taken him down to ROOT's old headquarters quickly. ROOT's network of tunnels and underground chambers had changed little in the year since their shutdown, although Sai thought the air tasted more stale than it had before. Dust was gathering in the corners, but unfortunately not on the floors. No foot prints to be tracked.
Agent Three stopped in what Sai recognized as one of the officer's chambers. It was small, with thick walls so sound would not carry far. Anyone using killing intent in this room would be incapacitated by the network of anti-espionage seals covering the walls. A small bed stood in the corner. Whoever this officer had been, they'd been young.
Agent Three turned towards him, her arms folded over her chest. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a sign Sai recognized as discomfort.
To ask why she had taken him here would be foolish. Either she was going to try and kill him- which she couldn't do in this room- or she was going to tell him something important.
"You're in dangerous territory, you know." She started. Her voice trembled a little. "Fox is someone you shouldn't cross."
"So it is a person, not an organization?" Sai asked.
After a moment, Three nodded reluctantly. "Yes. But I'm warning you. This guy.. he can do shit I've never seen before. Not like.. level forests, or anything, but- he's dangerous in a completely different sort of way. He can get into your head-" She cut herself off.
"Who is he?" Sai asked, trying to shake of the chill that her words made him feel.
"You don't know him." Three shook her head. "And I'm not going to tell you. I.. We were teammates once. I cared about you- you were my responsibility. You and Shin were like little brothers. I already failed Shin. I won't fail you. If you know what's good for you, stay out of it."
Sai felt his own anger grow. "You're ANBU now. That means you're directly under the Hokage. His safety is your priority, not mine. If you don't tell me, it's as good as treason." He said coldly.
Three looked at him for a while. Then she sighed, reached out and took off her mask, revealing short, shaggy hair and a tired face. She was in her thirties, probably. Anyone that old and still in ANBU was good, and for her to be afraid of whoever this Fox was chilling.
"It's not that I'm not loyal to the Rokudaime. He's one of us. People are still telling stories about his ANBU days, and he's doing good things for the village," She said dismissively. "And if Fox is going after him than I will give my life for the Hokage. You should know that."
"You were Danzo's woman, once."
"And now I am not." She replied.
Sai sought her face for any hint of deception, but found none. It seemed that she was speaking the truth. However..
"Fox has already gone after the Hokage." He revealed, "So you may have to live up to your promise after all."
It was a bit of a gambit, but when her face turned to surprise and dismay, he knew he'd made the right move. She was genuinely concerned.
"What did he do? Did he force-" She shook her head. "What happened?"
Sai frowned a little. What had she been about to say? "He poisoned the Hokage. Haruno Sakura has it under control, but we are still searching for the antidote."
"If it's Fox's poison, there may be only one type of antidote. Fox is tricky, but he usually prefers other methods to poison. More.. direct attacks. Did he try anything like that?" Three pondered.
Sai nodded. "He disguised himself as someone from the Hokage's past to make him drop his guard and activate the poison." He explained.
Three nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds like him. Like I said, he gets under your skin. He knows shit, just from looking at you. There's no stopping that kind of technique, no matter how strong you are."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that not even the Hokage might be able to take him down. That's how intense his techniques are." Three said bitterly. "I've seen people who were subjected to it. Fox was in Interrogation, once. Long before he became ROOT. It makes total sense. He's reduced grown men to blubbering children."
"He was in T&I?" Sai repeated, immediately making a note to check their records of past employees. "How long ago was this?"
"I don't know. Twenty years? Maybe less." Three said. "He's not the youngest, but don't let that fool you for a second. He doesn't need speed or strength."
Sai smiled grimly. "We have Team Seven on our side. They can take on anyone."
Three looked at him with what seemed almost like pity. "Oh, Sai. Don't you see? It's exactly people like Team Seven who won't be able to fight him."
Before Sai could ask what on earth she meant by that, they heard a sound behind them. Sai spun around, chakra already reaching out to meet whoever was behind him, but he was too late.
The last thing he heard was Three's scream before the world turned dark.
AN:
And thus chapter 10 is posted exactly a year after chapter 1! I can hardly believe it's already been a year. Thank you all for hanging in there, supporting me and reading the story. Not to mention leaving over 100 reviews! Whoooh! This is a milestone I've never reached before and it makes me very excited to think about.
I'm quite proud of this chapter, particularly the conversation between Kakashi, Yuugao and Tenzou. Yay for actually acknowledging emotional turmoil and how people deal with trauma! I hope I did so in a believable way.
I've written a companion piece to ULH's chapter 2. You can find it in my other story Dawn. It's chapter 14. A slightly shippy look at Yuugao's view of what's going on.