"Well, it's official—we've gone beyond the shinobi lands," Kakashi announced half an hour later. Naruto and Lee stared at one another in awe, causing Naruto to misstep and nearly fall flat on his face. Iruka caught his arm and helped him get back in stride.
"Anything goes here," Genma added tensely. "No boundaries, no laws. We have to be careful." They progressed for a little longer in silence; then Kakashi slowed to a stop and held out his arm.
"We're close." He sniffed the wind, turning his head this way and that, and finally pointed. "That way. Less than a kilometer. Iruka, Kurenai, carry the boys. I don't want any more tripping from here on in." Naruto stuck out his lip in a pout, but he couldn't argue. The shinobi's footsteps barely whispered over the ground.
As they came upon a large building, Kakashi bent double and waved at the others to do the same. It wasn't easy with a seven-year-old slung over his back, but Iruka was far from complaining. They scooted closer army-crawl style through the undergrowth. They sized up the situation from in hiding. It was a storage barn—all things considered, a remarkably innocent-looking place. There were no guards outside, no defense fortifications, nothing to keep them from going right in. The trouble was the wide open space that surrounded the barn. It would be difficult to approach it without being noticed. Kakashi lay flat on his stomach and filled everyone in on his plan under his breath. "Here's what we're going to do. I want three of me to rush the building from three different sides, one at a time, rapid-fire. If we're lucky, no one will notice there's duplicates."
"Who will the stand-ins be?" Iruka murmured.
"Kurenai and Genma," Kakashi replied, still staring at the barn. "Our objective is to get in, get those kids, and get out as quickly as possible. We don't leave until we have every one of them with us. To make sure everything goes smoothly, we have to figure out who we're after." To the group's kunoichi he said, "Kurenai, you'll bring the girls. Genma and I will bring the boys." He flashed an uncertain glance at Iruka. "How many are there?"
"Four girls, six boys," said Iruka.
"All right, then, each of us will take three," Kakashi decided. "Describe them to us. We need to know exactly which ones we're going for."
"Well, there's a boy from the Uchiha Clan—he wears the crest on his back, so he shouldn't be hard to find. And you'll know Kiba when you see him, because he'll have the dog on his back. Neji has the Huyga eyes, and Shino . . ." Iruka shrugged helplessly. "Um, he's from the Aburame Clan, but there's nothing about him that really makes him stand out. . ."
"What about the other two?" Kakashi asked impatiently.
"Shikamaru and Choji. Shikamaru wears his hair back, like mine, and Choji—"
"Got it," Kakashi cut him off. "Genma, you look for Uchiha and Hyuga and the kid with the dog. I'll get the rest."
"And what about me?" Iruka put in.
"You stay here."
"You expect me to just sit here and wait?" Iruka hissed.
"I expect you to guard these boys with your life," Kakashi said, utterly sober. "I'm leaving them in your charge. And one more thing—if we're not back in ten minutes, you're leaving without us." He nodded at Naruto and Lee. "Take them with you and return to Konohagakure."
"All—all right," Iruka faltered.
"Do you understand what that means?" Kakashi went on. "If everyone except one person makes it out, then leave anyway. If only one team makes it back here, then leave anyway. If none of us have returned by then . . . then leave anyway. Is that understood?" He stared into his teammate's eyes until Iruka had to look away.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Understood."
"Good. Let's go, team." Genma and Kurenai turned into copies of Kakashi, and the three of them crept around the outskirts of the open space until they had triangulated themselves. Iruka watched with a sinking heart as the three of them went in, so quickly that he could barely follow their headlong rushes. Would all of them make it out in time? Would all of them survive?