3

Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.

T Minus Seven Days: Tharly Mansion

"Have you decided?"

The Dark Lord inspected his guest. Since their… agreement, he had taken to keeping the snake sannin informed of developments. It seemed wise. The former Akatsuki member was a tactical genius, and brought a very different perspective to the mix. Voldemort would never admit it, but he was secretly impressed with the level of murderousness these shinobi displayed. It was on a par with his own. If I could replace those pathetic wizards of mine with a legion of these… How blissful that would be, he thought. Twirling his wand idly, he framed a reply. "Amycus suggested that they should take guard duty here."

Orochimaru sneered. "Amycus is a lazy, incompetent moron. Never trust security to people whose loyalty is in question. He just wants to avoid sentry duty."

The faintest ghost of a smile flashed across Voldemort's pale features. "I said the same to him." Orochimaru nodded. "I trust you tortured him for his foolishness?" The Dark Lord waved a hand lazily. "Naturally." Orochimaru nodded again. He had feared Voldemort would be weak, and incapable of doing what was necessary, but was pleased to see that the Dark Lord's heart was as cold as any shinobi's. They considered the problem. The ten new arrivals were waiting in the cellars, stripped of their wands and chained to a wall while a debate raged as to how to handle them. In principle, they should be welcomed; indeed, had they come from anywhere else, they would have been. However, Svedets was known as a protégé of Karkaroff, a man whose loyalty was anything but unswerving. The possibility of letting Order members infiltrate their ranks was too great: while the Order was not as strong as them, they could still do a great deal of harm to their plans. Voldemort suspected a spy in his organization, as too many mishaps seemed to occur, especially with regards to the cursed boy, but he could not discover their identity. No one could resist his Legillimency, and he had read every single one of his servants.

Finally, Orochimaru spoke. "While Amycus is a moron, in his stupidity, he may have stumbled on something." Voldemort looked at him curiously. Orochimaru was smiling, his face the picture of a man who has thought up a tremendous scheme. "Do you play chess, Voldemort?" The Dark Lord shook his head. He had never had an interest in childish games. He told the snake-sannin so, his tone filled with contempt. Orochimaru's smiled widened. "I thought you might say that." Voldemort looked hard at the shinobi. "Explain."

Orochimaru was still smiling. "Tell me, Voldemort, have you ever heard of a gambit?"

Jiro was standing a mile from the house, his eyes fixed on the area. There was no change to the number of guards, meaning that the ten new arrivals were all in the house. He frowned. If they were inside, then according to the plans that Itachi had given Kakashi, they should be mostly in the living area, far from the target. Therefore, their presence made no difference to the mission. He had told Kakashi as much the day before. Still, Kakashi had a right to be cautious. He continued his watch.

Voldemort nodded in comprehension. Orochimaru's explanation made a lot of sense. "I see. By offering the prize on a plate, we tempt them to take the bait, and so test their loyalty, as well as their endurance."

Orochimaru nodded. "But, to ensure security isn't compromised, we keep their detail separate from the others. They should be kept close to the house and close to you, to ensure they have opportunity to launch a strike if they wish. Every night, I will set up a clone in your room, so we may observe their intentions fully. The clone will offer mere token resistance to an assassination attempt. The rest of the security will continue as normal. No mixing of the groups is allowed. And the beauty is, by keeping them so close, they will think they are being given a position of high honour. The loyal ones will become even more loyal."

The plan was good, Voldemort decided. "Very well. I shall give their instructions immediately."

Jiro watched as four wizards exited the house and took up perimeter positions around it. Shit, he thought. More guards, more watches… Making a note of it in his book, he continued his watch.

T minus 1 day: Forest outside Tharly Mansion

The team went through the data again. Checking Jiro's notes on the guard rotations, the descriptions of the different members and the maps Itachi had given them. Genzo and Kakashi were deep in conversation, discussing different approaches and strategies for infiltration and exfiltration, and management of the resources available to the team. In reaity, they were merely killing time. Itachi was expected in an hour, and the real planning would have to go through him.

Jiro disturbed their speech. "What should we do with the perimeter guards?" Kakashi and Genzo looked at him. "Bypass them, of course. We can't afford to reveal our presence too early." Jiro frowned. Kakashi noticed. "What is it Jiro? Do you have another solution?"

Jiro nodded. "I think we should kill them. All of them."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jiro took a breath. He was unused to speaking so directly to his seniors. His clan was not strong, and preferred to follow orders rather than tgive them. He spoke. "These wizards… They will know who we are after the mission. Let's give them a display of just how deadly we truly are. Send some fear trickling down their backs, and enhancing the reputation not only of shinobi, but also of the Leaf. A trail of dead in addition to the target would show them we mean business, and remind them how easily we could destroy their kind if we put our minds to it."

Kakashi considered Jiro's suggestion. The boy rarely took much initiative, but to see him make a stand on this made Kakashi proud. He was finally growing into his mantle as a jounin. "We'll consider it."

--Mission Document--

AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY!

Mission Code: CX11-8876

Location: Ref 116.318, Britain

FOR ARCHIVAL USE ONLY.

Stage 4: Infiltration and Termination of Target

Intel:

Access point: Lower door, servant's entry (Point Charlie) (see attached map).

Target location: Level 2, Door 3 (See attached map)

Security: 3 unmanned alarm systems surrounding location. Five patrol units on outdoor sweep. 4 perimeter guards.

PPs: Unknown number of internal guards. Sentient snake on internal sweeps.

Method:

4-man team approach location in assault formation Bravo. Bypass alarm systems. Group at point Foxtrot Niner Zero (500 meters from Point Charlie). Terminate perimeter guards with extreme prejudice. Regroup at Point Charlie. Enter. Proceed via staircase L (see map) to main hall. Terminate with extreme prejudice any hostiles we encounter. Proceed via main staircase to Level 2. Regroup outside Door 3. Assault mode three infiltration. Terminate target.

Exfiltration:

Escape via main window. Fall back to Romeo Victor. Staggered escape at 2 minute intervals. A proceed via route 7. B proceed via route 12. C proceed via route 3. D proceed via route 19. Rendez-vous at home base. Destroy home base. Evac to coast.

Contingencies:

In the event of emergency, abort immediately. Fall back to Romeo Victor within five minutes. If Romeo Victor cannot be reached within time limit: Fall back to Lima Oscar within one hour. Once time expires, assume MIA. Leave and regroup. Contact village for instructions.

If pursued: E&E or Self-terminate. No capture.

THIS DOCUMENT IS TO BE COMMITTED TO MEMORY BEFORE TRANSMISSION AND DESTROYED AFTERWARDS!

--End of document--

Each member of the team obeyed the document's instructions. When they were done, Kakashi copied it in full onto a transmission scroll. Should the village be forced to mount a second operation, they would be able to consult the team's records and methods, offering them invaluable intelligence. It was time consuming, logging every detail of the mission, but Kakashi knew how many times good intel could save lives.

Finishing his task, he took an ember from the fire and burned the document. He stared at the transmission scroll, waiting for a Message Received sign. It could take a while. The shinobi in charge of communications were anal about precision, preferring to take their time and ensure perfection rather than risk copying an error. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Finally, a line of writing appeared at the bottom of the scroll. Message received and copied, it said, followed by an authorization code that Kakashi recognized as belonging to Hyuuga Hinata. He cast the scroll on the fire. There were no regulations about this, but Kakashi rarely felt comfortable using the same transmission scroll twice. Plus, it gave him a lighter burden. Of course, the scroll's twin would also be burning now. He hoped Hinata had been briefed about his… peculiarities when it came to communication, or she would be in for a very warm shock…

Hinata cursed, an action so out of habit that it caused the entire communication room to turn round and stare. The scroll was on the floor, merrily burning to ash. She looked at her hand. The skin was blackened. It had taken her completely by surprise. She had been about to place the scroll back on the 'Active' rack when it had burst into flames. That Kakashi… she thought. She stalked off to find some bandages. Someone would be in for a hell of a reception when they got back from Britain…

T minus 1 hour

Just beyond the third ward, the team paused. Itachi had decided not to accompany them, preferring to assist Kisame in the capture of a witch. They were less than an hour away from point F90. Kakashi felt a slight foreboding. He shrugged it off. Pre-mission jitters, he thought. Never free of them. He looked at his team.

"This is it, men. From here on, we proceed in silence. Anyone want to say something?."

The team looked at him. Jiro was scratching his head, Toshi was staring open-mouthed. Genzo chuckled silently. Kakashi frowned.

"What?"

Genzo was the one to reply. "Kakashi-taisho, you are a great ninja and a brilliant commander. But I think you've spent too long with a genin team."

Kakashi was surprised. "What do you mean?"

Genzo struggled to keep a straight face. "I've never told any guy I love them, and I'm not gonna start now. And as for 'I won't let you die' and stuff like that, well…"

Toshi continued. "We're old enough to know the risks."

Genzo nodded, and chuckled again. Kakashi looked annoyed. "Fine. I'll say something."

The team looked at him, amused. Kakashi stared at them.

"You're all bastards."

Several owls, some mice and an overly curious fox fled into the night as the sound of laughter echoed through the clearing.

T minus 1 minute: Point F90

They had been there for four minutes. They had each chosen their target and confirmed with the group. All done in complete silence. Kakashi raised a hand. In a swift motion, he slashed it down.

Move out!

Each shinobi scattered, sprinting noiselessly through the shadows. Jiro raised his bow, an arrow locked on to his target. Genzo drew a kunai and waited for the right moment. Kakashi slipped through the night, closing in on his prey.

Toshi checked the light, then searched for his shadow. Stepping into it, he disappeared. Projecting it forward, he arrived at the edge of the trees. He watched the wizard flash a spell at an unsuspecting squirrel, and used the moment to project himself forward. He hung there, a deep patch of shadow black against the night. The wizard returned to his post.

T minus 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

NOW!

Toshi moved…

-

-

-

A/N: So we're finally here...

sorry, didn't edit this too carefully. should be fine now.