"We're about a mile from the border now, everyone," Kakashi announced to his squad as they reached the said location.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all nodded in acknowledgement, keeping their pace maintained nicely, which actually surprised Kakashi. He thought for sure that Naruto would be dashing ahead at top speed, trying to reach the objective point. But maybe he felt some of the same uneasiness that Kakashi still did...
Once they had reached the border, Kakashi took the lead position, holding his hand out to tell them to slow down. They obeyed his command immediately slowing down to a walk to match Kakashi's. Suddenly, Kakashi threw his arm out, letting his eyes narrow on a spot of bushes that he could tell had someone hiding in them.
"Sensei…?" Naruto voiced in little more than a whisper.
"… Hiroto Isamu?" Kakashi questioned warily, still peering into the bushes.
A shallow laugh was heard from behind the brush as a frail and gangly looking man stepped out from behind them, "Wow… Nothing gets past the Elite of the Elite, huh? You must be Kakashi Hatake and Squad Seven."
"Huh? You're… Our client?" Naruto inquired, getting a nasty glare and nudge from Sakura.
"Yes," Hiroto nodded, albeit sheepishly, "I am Hiroto Isamu. And I'm very grateful that I could get such a capable squad such as you guys."
"Mr. Isamu…" Kakashi began.
"Please. Call me Hiroto," He grinned at Kakashi.
"… Hiroto, then," Kakashi continued, "Why were you hiding in the trees? Is there really such a threat after your life?"
"… C-Could we… Please talk about this on the way to my home?" He asked nervously.
Kakashi nodded hesitantly, "Alright… But if this turns out to be higher than a C-Ranked mission, I will have to call it off," His gaze narrowed.
"O-Of course," Hiroto answered quickly as the group began to walk northeast, "I wouldn't expect anything else. Just know I picked you all out specifically because I believe you are strong enough to grant me my safety for the time being."
"Specifically? You requested us specifically?" Sakura asked, honestly surprised by this. They hadn't been told by Kakashi.
Hiroto nodded, smiling back at all of them, "Yes. I heard about your earlier successes with missions that were usually far too complex for Genin, and I was very impressed."
Naruto chuckled, folding his arms behind his head and grinning, "Whoa, cool!"
"That's a first," Sasuke admitted, "Kakashi; did you know about this?"
"Yep," The Copy Ninja turned towards them with a smile on his face, "I just didn't think it would be too important to tell all of you. I know you'll all do your best anyway."
Squad Seven smiled back at their Sensei, actually feeling good that he could trust them enough to know that they would work their hardest on every mission. Kakashi quickly spoke up again to Hiroto, his voice taking a more serious tone.
"So… Hiroto…" He began, "Would you please explain the situation at hand? I want to know what to expect."
"… Of course," Hiroto nodded slowly, taking his gaze off of Kakashi and quickly scanning around the area making sure that no one was in hearing distance, "I… I used to be a member of the Sound Village to the west."
A look of surprise made its way around the group, though with Sasuke and Kakashi, it was less surprise and more foreboding, "Whoa… You were a ninja, Hiroto?" Naruto asked in wonder. The guy didn't have the look of a ninja at all with how raggedy he looked.
Hiroto nodded again, "Yes… I was. I grew up there; didn't have any parents. That was alright though, because a lot of the kids I grew up with didn't have family of their own. I progressed quickly through the training, getting to be a Chuunin by age fourteen."
"Wow, you must've been an excellent ninja," Sakura noted in admiration.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid my smarts in the classroom didn't prepare me much for the real world… And how cruel people can be," The squad silenced completely at this, "About six months ago, I fled from the Sound Village after being offered a new rank as Jounin… I was ecstatic when they offered it. They told me what I had to do to get the promotion to Jounin though; and I couldn't go through with it."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed more. Already, the idea of this man being from the Sound Village didn't sound too appealing to him. They were dangerous, and if he was being hunted by their elite…
Hiroto knew their silence meant they wanted him to continue, "They… wanted me to kill one of my own squad mates."
Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened with shock. Sasuke's brow furrowed with distaste as certain unwanted memories came floating back into his head about what his brother did to receive the Mangekyou Sharingan.
"You didn't do it," Kakashi said, though that was obvious since he was here.
"No, how could I?" Hiroto shook his head sadly, "They were my comrades… I could never kill them."
"Let me guess: the village didn't take too kindly to that," Kakashi said.
"No," Hiroto answered bitterly, "They said that… By not listening to my superiors, I displayed a rebellious attitude, and that I would be punished for it."
"But you escaped?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah… I had to run for a long time. They were so persistent that I thought for sure I wouldn't make it out alive… But I managed to flee to a small settlement in the Fire Country. At least, for a while."
"So they figured out where you were hiding?" Kakashi asked grimly.
Hiroto grimaced, "Yeah… They did. And that's why I requested you guys. I know, it sounds rather cowardly of me, but I have no other way of escaping alive to my other house."
"How long have you had this other place to live? And how come you didn't just flee there in the first place?" Sakura asked.
"I've had that place for as long as I can remember… I used it to get away when the stress of a ninja's life was particularly bad for me… And I didn't run their first because I was afraid it would be too obvious at first. It's not the most hidden place."
"So what makes you think you'll be safe there now?" Kakashi asked.
"Because they won't think that I'll head back in the direction of the Sound Village," Hiroto replied, "Truthfully, it would probably be the safest for me to be as far away from here as possible, but… I can't just sever every connection I have with my country. Though I'm sure they think me a traitor now, I still have people I care about here…"
"Don't worry Hiroto," Naruto said determinedly, causing the man to turn around and look at him, "We'll get you to your home; don't worry."
Hiroto smiled, "Thank you."
Kakashi, unaware of the determinedness of his student, was assessing the area around them after Hiroto told his story. It sounded like they had been on his tail for a while… But this sounded much more serious than a C-Ranked Mission! No doubt, the man was desperate. But Kakashi's nature wouldn't let him just refuse to escort the man right after hearing such a story.
But if his squad got into unnecessary danger, he would call it off on the spot.
"Is something wrong, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, being attentive as usual.
"… No," He replied. Not yet.
……………………………………………………….
"Kabuto," Orochimaru called for his right hand as a tight smile pulled around his lips. He was looking down at a piece of parchment he had received only minutes earlier.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto walked up to his Master awaiting whatever news he held.
"It seems that Kakashi and his pack of brats are out on a mission… One very near our humble abode."
"Oh?" Kabuto's eyes glinted.
Orochimaru continued, "They're escorting a Traitorous Ninja from our very village to a separate location…" He looked up at Kabuto, "Do you remember Hiroto Isamu?"
Kabuto's eyebrows gave an intrigued lurch up, "Of course. The Sound Village's forces have been trying to apprehend him for almost a year now. I assume he thought he was being clever in hiring a team of Konoha ninja to protect him."
"… Give an order, Kabuto," Orochimaru rested his head on the top of his hand as it rested on the stone arm of the chair he currently occupied, "to call off the ninja hunting down Hiroto," A glimmer shone in his eyes, "I think it's time we put our Musashi Project to the test… Don't you?"
A smirk almost mimicking that of Orochimaru's crossed the Medic's features as he bowed respectfully, "Of course, milord. He's getting rather anxious anyway."
"Good," Orochimaru hissed, looking back down at the parchment, "Time for you to partake in a little game, Kakashi…" His laughter filled the room.
Author's Note:
Sorry about not updating sooner everyone! Once again, I had kind of a hard time getting my ideas into words in this one, and how far I wanted to go with it. It's not uber long, but I believe it sets up for the next chapter quite nicely. X3
I hope you're all still enjoying this! I really appreciate all of the reviews you guys have given me; they inspire me to write more!