Chapter 10

The Chase Begins

When after two days Kakashi's arms finally released from Mishobi's jutsu, he slumped forward on the bed. Kakashi regretted the movement immediately when his wound flared to life angrily. Luckily Neji and Sakura were there at his bedside and they quickly guided him back to lay on the bed. Neji dabbed a cloth across Kakashi's sweat-covered brow while Sakura slipped into a medical jutsu to repair more of his injury.

Within moments the pain subsided and he was able to sit up once more. Kakashi placed a hand to the back of his neck.

"Did I miss anything important?"

Iruka scowled at him from the end of his bed at his attempted humor. "Hokage – what happened to you?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and lowered his hand to his lap. "With the carvings and the ring the Akatsuki can use me to aide the removal of the tailed-beasts from the jinchuriki . . . no matter where I am."

He watched a cloud of emotion pass over Naruto's face.

"So when they get to me they'll force you to help kill me?"

Kakashi met the young man's blue eyes. "Yes."

Sakura leaned on the bed. "Don't say that Kakashi-sensei!"

He turned to face her with a hard stare. "Sakura we have to face the facts if we have a hope of defeating them."

Iruka leaned on the foot board of the bed. "Do you really think we can defeat them?"

Kakashi shifted his gaze to the academy teacher and shrugged. "I assume that while I was occupied you weren't just standing there like statues . . . were you?"

Iruka scratched at the back of his head. "No we weren't – but I can't say we've found a solution quite yet either."

Kakashi nodded. "But I'm sure you've already got a few ideas to try."

"Yes Hokage – we do at that. But first we need more data."

Neji reactivated his Byakugan and scanned Kakashi once more.

"The characters on his arms have gone dormant again but the ring continues to be connected even when not active."

Sakura moved to Kakashi's side. "Sensei – regardless of what you want to do right now, I need you to eat something and get some real rest."

He was about to protest when she held up a hand to stop him.

"Kakashi-sensei, aren't you the one who taught us that the only way to face a situation is to be at our very best?"

He frowned. "I suppose I should be pleased to know you paid attention to me."

Iruka chuckled. "It's more then most of their instructors have managed over the years. But Sakura is right – you need to rest."

Kakashi lay back on the bed. "Fine. You win. But it can't be for long. The Akatsuki made it very clear during this last session that they can - and will - be tracking me down soon."

He looked around at the gathering of shinobi in the room. "I appreciate that you've all come to rescue me – but if it comes down to an encounter with the Akatsuki – we can't win."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Sure we can Kakashi-sensei . . . just let them try!"

"Naruto! Stop it! This isn't a game." His tone caused everyone in the room to tense. Kakashi sighed.

"We can't risk the Akatsuki getting their hands on you – not now – not ever. Do you understand Naruto? If the choice has to be made between me and you – you have to survive."

Naruto lowered his head. "Why? Why do we have to choose at all?"

"Naruto – look at me!" Kakashi waited until Naruto lifted his head and met his gaze. "Life is full of choices that we may never fully understand. It's just how it is."

Kakashi pushed himself up on his elbows until he was almost sitting. "Naruto – all we can control is which choices we take. Now promise me – at first sign of the Akatsuki you'll run. Take Sakura, Neji and Pakkun with you and put as much distance between us as you can."

Naruto balled his fists tighter as he struggled with what Kakashi said. Tears threatened to roll out of his eyes.

"Naruto. Promise me." He placed one hand on Naruto's arm. "As one Hokage to another – promise."

The young man's hands relaxed and his eyes softened. "I promise . . . Hokage."

Kakashi lowered himself in the bed once more. "Good – now I can sleep."

--

Kakashi was a troubling puzzle. He was far too valuable to let go, and proving to be more than a handful to control. The Leader glanced toward Mishobi. The masked man's eyes still held dark circles from his last struggle to maintain hold on the Hidden Leaf jonin. Although the man had succeeded in keeping Kakashi connected to the process, it wasn't without expending nearly all of his personal reserve of energy.

He shouldn't let Mishobi come on this hunt, but as the man pointed out, the unique bond he held with their prey was bound to come into play. And besides – how could he deny Mishobi the chance to see the jutsu he planned on using to track Kakashi down? With that thought firmly in place, the Leader closed his eyes and summoned his chakra to the task. The hand signs were complicated and the amount of chakra needed was not small by any means – but the result would prove infallible.

He opened his eyes, smiled and sent a burst of chakra toward their target. In his mind he could clearly see the path to Kakashi light up as it went, and once the target was found – he could sense the pain the runaway was experiencing when the ring flared to life. He knew that pain would en-wrap the man's hand and make it impossible for Kakashi to move – let alone form hand signs.

He kept the flow of energy pulsing down the connection and led the way toward the goal.

--

They barely had enough time to go over the plan more than once before the Akatsuki made their move. Kakashi's hand twisted into a grotesque form when a wave of pain swept over him – emanating from the white porcelain ring. Kakashi fell to his knees, and grasped at his wrist with his free hand. He cringed against the pain – trying to keep the world from tipping out from under him.

"Hokage – hold on!" Iruka's hand on his shoulder squeezed to emphasize the words. "Neji – let's try our first step!"

Neji nodded, activated the Byakugan and applied a series of quick jabs along Kakashi's arm, neck and shoulder. The effect was immediate as the muscles once tensed with pain relaxed with its departure.

Neji's voice sounded tight. "The level of chakra was greater then expected. I can't be sure how long the block will last."

Kakashi rose to his feet. "Then we shouldn't waste what time we have. Naruto – Sakura – Neji – head out. Get as much distance as you can between us."

He turned toward Iruka. "You should go with them."

Iruka smiled. "I should – but I'm not. You'll need my assistance to lay the traps along the way."

Kakashi nodded, then called Pakkun to his side. He knelt on the ground and scratched the pug behind his ears. "My friend, I'm leaving it to you to lead them into the heart of the Land of Stones."

Pakkun growled. "Why that place? You know what will happen if you show your face there again."

Kakashi winked and stood up. "Exactly."

The pug nodded in understanding. "That makes sense – it's the one place the Akatsuki won't be able to use your help to track the boy down. You are wise beyond your years Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged. "Hopefully I have a few more years left to be wise."

The ninja dog bounded off, stopping to nip at Naruto and Sakura's heels until they grudgingly started out. Kakashi strapped a shuriken holder to his leg and motioned to Iruka that their time to leave was at hand as well.

The two shinobi left the house and headed out in the opposite direction than Pakkun and the younger ninja had gone. Their speed was almost dangerously fast, making speech impossible – but Kakashi wanted to get as much distance as possible between the two teams before Neji's blocking wore off. He could still feel the energy pulsing into his finger and the pain in that digit was fierce, but compared to the agony which had enveloped his hand earlier – the pain was manageable.

Neji had wanted to block the energy entirely, but Kakashi pointed out that all that would do is show the Akatsuki he was receiving help. He'd rather the members of that organization knew nothing more than his location at this point.

Kakashi signaled for a stop and the two Leaf Village shinobi quickly set up a series of paper bomb traps. The two knew it wouldn't stop the Akatsuki – but it might slow them down while giving Kakashi and Iruka a warning that they were on their way – assuming they manage to set any off.

Before they set off again, Iruka placed on hand on Kakashi's arm. "How is it?"

The academy teacher motioned toward the ring.

Kakashi flexed his fingers and winced with the movement. "It's holding. Let's move. I want to set up at least three more of these before we separate."

Iruka frowned. "What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere, Hokage!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

Iruka smiled. "It's the least I can do!"

Kakashi said nothing more, launching into a run instead, with Iruka close behind. He'd gain nothing arguing with the man and would waste precious time better spent on the move. Once the third set of traps were set he'd find a way to use his Mangekyo sharingan on his friend and send him safely away from there. Kakashi surged ahead with his plan firmly in place.

--

The Leader signaled for the group to stop. Something was wrong. Kakashi was on the move – at a speed that was faster than should have been possible in the condition he should be in. He concentrated on the link with their prey, used a new series of hand signals and tripled the amount of chakra coursing down the connection. At first there was no change – but slowly he noted the Kakashi's speed reduced and then eventually stopped.

The Leader continued to maintain the new level of energy while signaling for the others to follow him.

--

Iruka laid the final trap when he heard the sharp intake of breath from Kakashi. He looked up and saw the Hokage's brows furrowed in concentration and his right hand twisted into a claw-like form. Sweat lined the man's brow.

"Hokage – are you alright?"

The Sixth Hokage met his eyes. "I'm fine – but time is running out. Let's move!"

The words had barely left his mouth before Kakashi ran off once more. Kakashi's speed was nowhere near what it had been earlier in the day and it became evident quickly that he was losing his ability to block out the Akatsuki's attempt to disable him.

Iruka increased his speed until he was next to Kakashi. "It's time to rest."

He'd expected Kakashi to argue the fact or ignore him outright – but instead he nodded and slowed to a stop. The Hokage's breathing was irregular and his hand was still in an unnatural pose.

Iruka knelt, waiting for the man to catch his breath. He watched Kakashi lift his hands in front of his face. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and he forced his fingers to form a hand sign which Iruka had never seen before.

"Hokage, what sign is this?"

When the last word of his question left his lips Iruka felt the world around him twist violently, throwing him to the ground. It wasn't until a wave of nausea passed that the academy teacher recognized he'd been transported back to the Hidden Leaf village. He stood up on shaky legs, wiped the dirt from the Academy yard off his pants, and ran toward the Hokage's office. She was not going to like this one bit.

--

It had taken every ounce of Kakashi's self-control to cause the spasming hand to form the sign needed, and twice the normal amount of chakra to trigger his Mangekyo sharingan – but it was worth it in the end. Iruka was safely away from here. Once the process was finished and the jutsu ended, the wave of pain from his pursuers threatened to steal his consciousness. With an almost physical exertion, Kakashi pushed this latest attack mentally back and set off once more through the trees. He put another mile or so in before his energy and willpower finally gave way.

He collapsed to the ground,every muscle tensing from the pain now running freely through his body. He cried out in agony and readied himself for the Akatsuki's approach.

--

After the second series of traps were avoided the members of the Akatsuki gathered before moving on.

Kisame chuckled. "Perhaps this jutsu of yours isn't as effective as you thought, Leader."

The Leader glared and made a hand sign. From one moment to the next Kisame's eyes widened, his hand twisted in pain and he fell to his knees. A moment later, and the Leader released his attack.

"Do you still think it's ineffective? And that isn't even a third of what I am sending toward Kakashi Hatake."

Kisame struggled to his feet, gasping for air. "How – how can he be moving at all?"

"That's what I intend to find out." With that, he headed out once more – mindful that his prey had stopped traveling at all.

When they came to the third set of traps the Leader found himself reassessing that prey once more. None of the traps were obvious and if anyone else was tracking Kakashi other then Itachi Uchiha, at least one set would have been triggered. Still, this time it was more evident that a second set of hands was involved in laying the detonation figures scattered throughout the trees. Perhaps that explained how Kakashi managed his speed. He might be being carried through the trees by others. But if that were the case – why had all movement stopped now?

A possible answer to the riddle came a short distance away where Itachi found signs of what he assured the Leader could only be caused be a spatial manipulation – likely a side effect of a Mangekyo sharingan technique.

The ability to move while under the Leader's attack was impressive enough – but to find that Kakashi had also managed to perform such a powerful jutsu was beyond belief. They needed to find the man before he could pull off anymore surprises.

A low moan was carried on the breeze. The Leader smiled and sent a bit more energy down the connection. He was rewarded with a cry of anguish a short distance away. They approached Kakashi carefully – and the Leader's opinion of the man changed once more.

All around the jonin were dozens of paper bombs laid out in an intricate, overlapping pattern. Kakashi sat in the middle of them with his back leaning against a large rock. His breath was labored and his silver hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat.

Kisame whistled through his teeth. "How could you do this Copy-ninja?"

Kakashi gazed at them through half-closed eyes. "When left with no other options you do what must be done."

The Leader saw Kakashi reaching for a detonation symbol in his lap and motioned to Mishobi. That was all it took for the masked Akatsuki member to invoke the characters carved into Kakashi's arms. His ability to control the jonin's movement kept Kakashi from activating the bomb and effectively immobilized the prey.

But if this was to be a successful extraction they would need to move swiftly. Mishobi was already showing signs of fatigue and there was no way of knowing when his control over Kakashi Hatake might break.

Itachi was already examining the layout of paper bombs in order to find the best way to reach the jonin. Meanwhile the Leader watched and contemplated the next steps beyond this game.

--

Kakashi's hope of escape died the moment Mishobi's jutsu took hold once again. He simply didn't have the strength – physically or mentally – to fight back this time. All he could do was watch and pray that the traitor from the Uchiha clan was not as skilled as he knew he was.

One after another of Kakashi's bombs were disarmed and removed. If he had been thinking clearer when he set the figures up he would have made certain to scatter some voice activated bombs amidst the regular figures. But the pain shooting through him at that point made clear thought out of the question.

Still – it would take time for even one as skilled as Itachi Uchiha to work his way correctly through the maze of explosive figures. And by the look of Mishobi, if it took enough time – Kakashi may yet manage to break the Stone Village ninja's hold on him. He clung to that thought as Itachi cursed his name once more.

--

Itachi motioned for Kisame to move another step to the left until he stood in front of a small paper bomb overlapping the corner of three larger bombs. Itachi scanned the area once more.

"Remove the small one without disturbing the other three."

Kisame did as he was told and waited for the next order. Itachi stepped back. For over half a day he'd directed the dismantling of Kakashi's final trap. They were down to the last ring of figures and he had to keep himself from rushing to the end. One misstep and not only would they lose Kakashi to the explosion, but they would likely all be caught within the destruction. The Copy-ninja's skills of trap-laying were such that he had centered the most powerful figures closest to himself. One more reason to proceed more carefully then at the start.

At that moment Itachi saw Kakashi's arms jerk toward his lap. The man's fingers were a hair's width from making contact with the detonation figure when they froze in place once more. Itachi spun toward where Mishobi stood. The masked ninja was down on one knee and his eyes were narrowed in concentration. His brow was covered with sweat and his body was trembling from the exertion.

Itachi turned back toward Kakashi. When did he get so strong?

Time was running out. He returned to dismantling the trap – moving as quickly as he could without risking a mistake. He reached out to grab the final figure from Kakashi's lap just as Mishobi's jutsu disintegrated. Itachi's fingers grasped the paper at the same moment as Kakashi's, and he barely had time to flip the bomb away before it was detonated. The force of the explosion threw him across the clearing, but he was able to regain his feet quickly. The trajectory he'd applied when he tossed the bomb was to keep its force from taking out Kakashi so he knew the Leaf Village ninja would not be gravely injured. This meant he'd need to move fast to keep from losing track of the Hokage again.

He shouldn't have worried. By the time he turned back toward Kakashi, he saw the others had already grabbed hold of their prey. Although scorched in places and suffering from the rigors of the chase, Kakashi Hatake was still alive and, more importantly, once again in the Akatsuki's hands.

--

Kakashi couldn't believe how close he'd come to success. A fraction of a second sooner and he would not only have activated the explosive figure, but would have taken Itachi out with him. Kisame's hand gripped Kakashi's hair and forced his head back until his eyes met those of the mysterious Leader.

"Haven't you learned yet, Kakashi Hatake, that only through your death will you ever break free of us? And more importantly that we will not allow you to die until we have finished using you?"

Kakashi glared. Itachi walked toward them from across the clearing, pausing to check on Mishobi along the way. The masked member of the Akatsuki was lying in a heap. Itachi rolled him onto his back. The Leader voice rang loud across the clearing.

"How is Mishobi?"

Itachi stood up. "He is alive . . .but barely."

The Leader stepped to Kakashi's side and whispered in his ear. "This will delay our plans but that is all. I suppose it was fortunate you were as weak as you were Hokage – or we'd be down one more member of the Akatsuki."

Kakashi shifted his gaze toward the Leader. "I'll try harder next time."

Kisame tightened his grip in Kakashi's hair, pulling his hand back a bit farther in the process. "There won't be a next time, Copy-ninja!"

Kakashi opened his mouth to respond when a searing pain pushed through his chest – followed quickly by one in his shoulder and a third in his throat. His focus blurred as a troop of masked Anbu fell upon the gathering. Kakashi barely heard their words as oblivion rushed up to claim him.

"We would rather sacrifice the Hokage then allow you to use him in such a manner!"

Kakashi Hatake took one shuddering breath, managing to smile behind his mask, as his heart stopped beating.