Chapter 11
Trap
He was one of the Three Great Ninja of shinobi legend; he had no right to be afraid. He had the utmost confidence in his team and unwavering faith in the man whom he was tracking. However, the fact that this man so regularly showed complete disregard for his own life, was enough to put his pursuers on edge. But it was too late to falter now. He knew that their unknown enemy would prove to be a formidable foe. After all, the object of their search had been brought to the brink of death at his hands once before. And he also knew that if he couldn't even protect his best friend's son, his legendary name would mean nothing.
After allowing himself a couple of hours' sleep, the Copy-Ninja was on the move once more. Finally he was nearing his destination. What worried him, however, was that since the events of the previous night, he had not fallen victim to Ikari Iyoku's mind games again. Kakashi knew that he should be relieved by this fact, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the reason for this respite was that the clan leader's chakra was now being channelled into something else. And probably something just as deadly.
But that did nothing to slow the Copy-Ninja's pace, nor did it weaken his resolve to get this task over with. Although, one thing that concerned the Jonin was the broad daylight currently surrounding him. Kakashi knew that he could avoid being seen easily enough, but he somehow felt that Ikari Iyoku hadn't evaded detection for the last eleven years by showing himself during the day. So the man would most likely have taken some measures to protect his anonymity, thus making him even harder to find than he would have been otherwise.
Kakashi filled his mind with all of the possible scenarios for his upcoming encounter, but he knew that nothing could truly prepare him for what was to come. If there was one thing he'd learnt about the Iyoku Clan, it was that they always seemed to have an ace up their sleeve. But all ninja were trained to deal with the unknown. In fact, Kakashi's sole reason for being in this country was to deal with that bastard once and for all.
Thus by the time he caught the first glimpse of his destination, the Jonin felt confident that he'd be able to rise to whatever challenges fate was about to present him with. And straight away it was obvious that this stronghold had once been a magnificent clan compound. It was reminiscent of the old Hatake estate, both in its grandeur and its current state of ruin. Although in this case, that ruin was not due to decades of neglect, but was instead clearly the product of an all-consuming conflagration.
Many of the blackened walls lay as rubble at the base of the building. Its charred wooden skeleton had been laid bare like the bones of some emaciated animal. The roof had collapsed entirely and shattered fragments of red clay tiles lay scattered about the surrounding area. The years had done nothing to dull their vibrant colour and they stood out like spots of blood against the barren, frosty earth leading up to an overgrown courtyard.
Kakashi hoped that the creeping vines and gnarled tree trunks might provide him with at least some cover as he made his way to the entrance of the building. Although, the Copy-Ninja knew that any attempt to conceal his presence would ultimately prove futile. After all, his enemy had been able to detect him from the moment he'd first set foot in the Land of Frost. But what concerned Kakashi more was that he currently couldn't sense any life signs emanating from within the abandoned compound.
He made his way cautiously past the ring of desolate land and into the dense jungle that was the inner courtyard. Now that he was here, the Copy-Ninja was able to detect a vaguely recognisable scent. He used his chakra to focus his awareness and made his way carefully to where the familiar presence was strongest. The Jonin now found himself in a small area of flat, grassy land. It was easy to tell from the impressions in the centre of the clearing that someone had lain there recently. Then Kakashi remembered just where he'd come across that scent before. It was during his fight with Tei Iyoku.
At least this confirmed that his Kamui had transported the young man's body to the right place. And the fact that his body had now disappeared confirmed that the compound was indeed inhabited… by someone. But, that said, Kakashi was still unable to detect the presence of another. Even if Ikari Iyoku had been here and had now left, the Copy-Ninja should have been able to sense some residual sign of it. Briefly Kakashi wondered whether the clan leader's formidable sensory abilities also worked in reverse, to prevent others from detecting him. It was a bit of a stretch to imagine, but after the events of his journey to the stronghold the Jonin was much more prepared to accept the impossible when it came to the Iyoku's inherent skills.
Thus Kakashi was making sure to keep his guard high as he made his way towards the compound's entrance. He stood at the threshold, which led directly to the spacious hallway beyond. Twisted shadows wound their way through ruined walls as the daylight was distorted by the cracked and blackened stone. The Jonin could not escape the oppressive feeling of being watched. But by whom, or from where, he was not yet sure. All that Kakashi was certain of right now was that this building held no signs of life. And that in itself made no sense. Especially as in spite of this, the Copy-Ninja could now hear the faint sound of distant footsteps echoing through the hall.
Uncovering his Sharingan, Kakashi made his way further into the building. Then his eyes widened and his body ducked automatically as a kunai shot out of the darkness, sailing over his head, before embedding itself in the stone arch above the building's entrance. The Jonin then cursed as the exploding tag wrapped around the hilt of the weapon went off, causing the remainder of the compound's crumbling walls to begin crashing down around him. And he was soon forced to re-evaluate the seemingly arbitrary nature of the fissures in the stone, as the targeted explosion caused the structure to cave in with a perfectly calculated and clear purpose.
The higher stones piled neatly atop the lower stones, which were now supported by the wooden beams that had previously seemed to be strewn randomly about the building's dilapidated and scorched interior. Kakashi quickly realised the intention of this controlled destruction. He was now trapped within a flawlessly constructed dome of fallen rock. And judging by the echoes still reverberating from the rain of debris, he estimated that it was about thirteen paces from one side to the other, and that the ceiling was approximately three metres from the floor. That gave him some space to work with at least.
Kakashi knew that it was well within his capabilities to escape from this trap using a doton technique. However, first he had to ascertain why the distinct sound of footsteps, which he'd heard before the cave-in, still had not ceased. No light was able to penetrate the thick layers of stone surrounding him, leaving the Jonin none the wiser as to what was generating this sound. And he still could not sense the presence of another trapped in this dome with him.
But it was getting harder to ignore the fact that the scent of Tei Iyoku, which Kakashi had thought simply remained from when he'd encountered it in the courtyard, was still lingering in the air. It was coming from the same direction as the quiet footfalls. So once again Kakashi had no choice but to accept the impossible.
And he was glad that he had, as a moment later he heard the unmistakable sound of a katana slicing through the air, and he barely managed to dodge it in time. Even with his Sharingan uncovered, the Copy-Ninja could still not detect any foreign chakra. And the suffocating darkness was rendering his eyesight useless. The Jonin knew that he would have to rely on his other senses in order to survive this. Thus Kakashi drew his own katana and listened hard for where the next strike might come from.
He spun around to the left, raising his weapon to parry the blade that he'd sensed in that direction. But at the same moment, the Copy-Ninja felt a disturbance in the air about a hair's width from his chest. He leapt backwards knowing that he'd just avoided a fatal strike from his opponent's kunai, which had come at the exact same moment as the katana that he'd also narrowly blocked. Then, the Jonin seemed to feel three blades heading towards him at once. Were these clones? …It didn't matter. The Copy-Ninja simply focussed on avoiding the first two blades and blocking the third. But as he stepped backwards to do so, Kakashi found himself up against the wall of the rock dome.
The moment his back hit the stone, a hand shot out and wrapped itself around his neck, constricting with an iron force that simply wasn't human. Kakashi struggled to take in a full breath as his throat was slowly crushed. The Copy-Ninja choked out a low growl, glaring into the darkness at his invisible opponent. The fingers around his neck were locked in a death grip, and as Kakashi felt his lungs burn from lack of oxygen he knew that it was time to end this farce of a battle – while he still could.
From one moment to the next, he'd forced chakra into his right hand and thrust it through the chest of the enemy currently choking him. Kakashi heard the distinct sound of clones disbursing as he plunged his Lightening Blade into the original's body, crushing the enemy's ribs and ultimately his heart. However, what disturbed The Copy-Ninja was that at no point had he actually felt this heart beating. Then, the Jonin's eyes went wide as the turquoise light cast by his Raikiri finally illuminated his foe. Just as he'd suspected, it was Tei Iyoku.
The boy's head hung limply at an angle that showed his neck was still broken. And although his eyes were open, no life resided in those piercing emerald orbs. Suddenly Kakashi noticed a strange symbol carved into the back of the young shinobi's twisted neck. It was the kanji for 'meaning', placed beside the kanji for 'desire'. Together it read as 'ambition': Iyoku. This must have been the marking jutsu that Tei himself had mentioned in their first encounter. The young man hadn't been marked when he'd come of age, but it seemed that he had been branded in death and was somehow being controlled by his one-time leader, with no discernable chakra link to signify this blatant manipulation. And even though Tei Iyoku had clearly used jutsu, he had no detectable chakra of his own either.
This technique went beyond anything that Kakashi had ever seen before, even beyond the Impure World Resurrection Jutsu. Although, that said, he didn't currently know the drawbacks and limitations of this technique as well as he knew the specifications of the Second Hokage's Forbidden Jutsu. But what Kakashi did know was that the hand still wrapped relentlessly around his throat would cause him to suffocate if he didn't do something soon. Clearly Tei's cadaver was being used as a puppet, and thus this inhuman grip – which displayed a strength far beyond that which the young man had possessed in life – would remain, however much Kakashi damaged the corpse maintaining it. And so the Copy-Ninja tightened his fingers around the katana still clutched limply in his left hand, even as he pulled his right hand loose from the boy's chest. He could already feel his muscles beginning to spasm as lack of oxygen started to take its toll.
Kakashi gritted his teeth and raised his katana, before forcing all of his waning strength into it, and bringing it to bear on the arm of the boy whose hand was still determinedly crushing his windpipe. In one clean sweep of his blade, Kakashi severed the unnaturally powerful limb and watched as the body – already incapacitated by the destructive force of his Raikiri – fell to the ground. The chokehold around his neck still refused to release, but now that it no longer had a body supporting it, the Copy-Ninja was able to raise his arms and prise the fingers loose from his damaged throat. When he was finally free, Kakashi collapsed onto the ground, desperately trying to refill his empty lungs.
He choked as he failed to draw in a full breath. And Kakashi closed his eyes as the stabbing pain across his chest began to exceed that from his injured throat. He struggled to still his erratically beating heart and control his body's natural instinct to gasp for air. Instead he began to breathe with slow deliberation, filtering oxygen into his body one minute amount at a time, as much as he could manage in order to stave off passing out. Eventually his breathing started to regulate, even though every agonising breath felt like shards of glass scraping over the inside of his throat. He was no longer in danger of suffocation, but still, the muscles in his body seemed to have effectively shut down, and Kakashi knew it would be a good few minutes before he could so much as move, let alone get the hell out of there.
The Jonin was pleased that he'd managed to incapacitate his current enemy, which would give him a little longer to rest. But Kakashi still had no idea as to the whereabouts of Ikari Iyoku, whereas that bastard seemed to know exactly where he was, as well as how to wound him from afar. The Copy-Ninja wasn't sure whether the man had intended his puppet to kill him, or simply injure him. But either way, Ikari's decision not to face him directly was the act of a coward. Although, the Jonin couldn't deny that the man's scheme had worked, seeing as he could barely even breathe right now. And the Copy-Ninja knew that he wouldn't stand much of a chance against the real Ikari Iyoku without having had time to recover first.
Kakashi sighed, and then cringed as another spasm of pain ran through his throat. This wasn't good, and it certainly wasn't a simple injury to heal. Medical ninjutsu of any kind required incredible concentration and perfect chakra control. But one wrong move when using medical ninjutsu on a neck injury meant one could easily cut off one's airway completely, or sever one of the crucial arteries supplying blood to the brain. And seeing as at the moment Kakashi couldn't even lift his arms, let alone control his chakra, he knew that he'd just have to deal with the enemy in his current state – and try not to get himself killed in the process.
Fortunately with each breath he took, the Copy-Ninja found that his constricted throat was incrementally opening. But enough irreversible damage had been done to his airway that it would still make the rest of this mission a lot more difficult than it would've been otherwise. Not that he'd ever expected it to be easy. After all, it had already been quite firmly proven that he was not up against a typical opponent.
For a few minutes Kakashi lay in the impenetrable darkness, contemplating this new complication. And while he was waiting to regain full mobility, the Copy-Ninja heard a thoroughly unexpected and – to be honest – rather unwelcome sound. There was a faint noise coming from the communication device that he'd kept in his pouch. The Jonin knew that he'd only given his current frequency to one man. And on top of that, he knew that there was only one reason for this man to try and contact him. Asuma was in trouble.
With a hand that was still uncontrollably shaking, Kakashi reached towards his pouch, he then felt around until he found the item he was searching for. Sure enough, as he held the speaker to his ear, he could clearly hear Asuma's increasingly irritated voice.
"I swear Hatake… if you've given me the wrong frequency!"
Kakashi rolled his eyes and brought the mic to his lips. He then realised that the shape he was in, he probably wouldn't be able to communicate even if he wanted to. And, seeing as Asuma might be about to face the Akatsuki, he certainly did want to. The Jonin tried to force words through his damaged throat, but this only resulted in the pain that he was currently experiencing to increase exponentially. But the Copy-Ninja did not give up, and eventually he managed to form three barely audible words.
"What's… up… Asuma…"
When he responded, the Jonin sounded thoroughly pissed off. "Look, I still can't hear you 'Kashi, but if you can read me, then I'm just letting you know that our ETA at the collection office is in about thirty-six hours. It's less than a kilometre away from Fire's border with Hot Water. I don't know where you are right now, but if you're in the area, then we could probably use some backup. We spent a couple of days gathering intel on this pair, and suffice it to say they're not your average enemy. Anyway, if you're receiving this then you know where we'll be. I'll call in again if things get desperate. But for now I hope you're not in over your head on whatever mission it was you were assigned. And you'd better not get yourself killed when we might need you to save our butts. Okay, I'm out. Good luck with whatever the hell it is you're doing."
And with that, the device switched off, leaving Kakashi frowning into the darkness. This new twist was sure to complicate things, but he'd known that this might happen from the beginning. However, it meant that the Copy-Ninja would need to abandon his current position and then go all the way back into Hot Water. And seeing as both Ikari Iyoku and the retrieval squad were located somewhere between here and there, it was not a journey he was particularly looking forward to – never mind the fact that he still couldn't breathe properly. But if he wanted to have any chance of getting through his upcoming task, Kakashi knew he'd have to take it one stage at a time. And the first stage was getting out of this ridiculous stone prison.
Well now that he no longer had a reanimated, super-powered corpse to deal with, the Copy-Ninja knew this wouldn't prove too much of a challenge. One swift earth jutsu ought to do the trick. And Kakashi finally felt that he was at the point where he could rise, without the lack of oxygen in his system causing him to pass out.
Thus, using the supportive stone wall behind him, the Jonin got shakily to his feet, closing his eyes against the pain as the motion forced him to breathe in a little more deeply than he currently felt was wise. Then, making sure that he was at least recovered enough to channel his chakra into a basic technique, Kakashi began forming the needed signs for a jutsu that would hopefully get him out of there. Sure enough, a few moments later, the Copy-Ninja found himself standing in the overgrown courtyard of the Iyoku compound once more. But the ease with which he had managed to escape from Ikari's trap was enough to assure Kakashi that his ordeal was far from over.
He wasn't sure where the bastard was, but he knew that somewhere, Ikari Iyoku would be lying in wait for him. However, right now Kakashi had a separate task to deal with. He had thirty-six hours to get to Asuma before another of his precious comrades' lives was put into grave danger. Because the simple fact that his stubborn friend had actually asked for help meant that he was in way over his head – or at least would be if Kakashi didn't get there soon. Although, as Asuma himself had seemingly realised, the Copy-Ninja wasn't currently in a brilliant situation either.
The Jonin gave a pained sigh before turning to leave the stronghold that he'd fought so hard to reach. The sun shone contentedly down upon him, seeming to mock the severity of his current task. But it would take much more than that to lull the Copy-Ninja into a false sense of security. After all, his was far from the only life at risk right now. Kakashi's fists clenched and he wondered, not for the first time, how the hell he'd ever allowed the stakes to get this high.
Yamato was confused. And that was putting it mildly. They were halfway through the Land of Hot Water, and there was no way that they should have been able to pick up a trace of Kakashi's presence just yet. But Lord Jiraiya had assured the squad that Kakashi-Senpai had used a jutsu somewhere in this land. However, what the ANBU was more concerned about was the fact that one of Sai's ink-based creatures had managed to pick up the scent of the Copy-Ninja's blood, coming from the heart of the Land of Frost. And even though the animal had been created solely for tracking purposes, the fact that it had locked onto a blood trace so easily likely meant that somewhere along the line, Kakashi had been badly wounded. The group was determined not to rest until they'd gotten to the bottom of this.
Although, Yamato had soon realised that this sentiment was somewhat impractical. After all, they wouldn't be much help to his Senpai if they hadn't slept in three days. But depending on what kind of situation Kakashi was in, perhaps any help would be better than none. At the moment, however, all they could do was speculate and try to catch up with Kakashi-Senpai as quickly as was physically possible. Yamato was promptly shaken from these fretful musings by a simple command.
"We run until sundown."
This came from Jiraiya, who was leading the group from the front. Yamato had been placed at the back, primarily to ensure that Guy stayed with him and didn't try to forge ahead on his own. Needless to say, being the custodian of the headache-inducing Green Beast was not one of Yamato's favourite ever assignments. But he knew it was important to make sure that the group stuck together, and the ANBU was willing to do whatever was required of him in order to facilitate the mission's success. But as he sensed Guy attempting to speed up yet again, Yamato found himself hard pressed not to lose what little was left of his sanity after three days of travelling with that eternally youthful idiot.
"Guy…" the Operative began, trying his hardest to keep his tone level, "please tell me you remember what Lord Jiraiya told you."
The Jonin looked back over his shoulder at him, still not slowing his pace. "I believe he said that it is vital we rescue my Eternal Rival in time, before we are forced to conclude that he has been severely injured, or worse. Am I mistaken?"
The ANBU rolled his eyes. "Well firstly, I doubt Jiraiya would have referred to Kakashi-Senpai as anyone's 'Eternal Rival', least of all yours. And secondly, I meant his most recent instructions."
Guy beamed back at him, still incrementally increasing his pace. "Ah… I apologise. Lord Jiraiya's most recent command was the wise order to keep running until night has fallen. Perhaps your hearing is not quite as youthful as it should be."
Not for the first time, Yamato wondered whether anyone would truly mind if he throttled the Green Beast of Konoha then and there. Well fortunately, the one person who seemed to value the man's friendship enough to put up with his infuriating stupidity was Kakashi-Senpai. And so for Kakashi's sake, the Operative resisted the temptation to act upon his increasingly murderous urges. He sighed. The intrinsic duty of an ANBU was to remain calm throughout any adverse situation. Yamato had looked death in the face without so much as blinking, but there was something about the Green Beast that seemed to make him as volatile as Naruto on a no-ramen diet.
And speaking of which, having the blonde maverick along on this mission was yet another disaster waiting to happen. Although, Yamato had tried to avoid broaching that particular topic with Lord Jiraiya as technically it was his own fault that the Genin had ended up there in the first place. It was just that with every passing moment, the Operative was becoming more convinced that once they'd crossed into Frost, discretion would be their only hope of getting to Kakashi without making the situation worse. The margin of error allowed for this task was virtually nonexistent. Drawing any undue attention to themselves would mean instant failure. And this was a simple concept that the ANBU somehow felt both Naruto and the Green Beast of Konoha might struggle with.
This time, Yamato didn't even bother to keep the sternness out of his voice as he addressed the elder shinobi. "Guy, the instruction I was referring to was in fact the one that ordered you to remain at the back of the group, unless explicitly told otherwise."
"Well…" the Jonin responded in what could almost have passed for a thoughtful tone, "if the group were travelling faster I would have no need to go ahead."
"Not everyone has your stamina Guy," Yamato explained, realising that the man likely hadn't even considered this. "And we're all in this together. That means we will travel at a pace that is suitable for everyone. And that pace will be determined by Lord Jiraiya. Perhaps you could reach Kakashi-Senpai quicker if you were travelling at your normal speed, but without a tracker to pinpoint his location, you wouldn't even know where to look. And if he's been injured you'll hardly be able to heal him. And if there truly is someone out there capable of wounding Kakashi-Senpai, then it's going to take more than just one man to defeat him – however youthful that man may consider himself."
The perennially cheerful Jonin grinned. "What a perceptive observation! The ANBU ranks are fortunate to have such an astute shinobi as yourself among them. I will now do my best to heed the instructions of Lord Jiraiya, which you have so kindly reminded me of."
The ANBU smiled dryly. "Thanks Guy, that would be… helpful."
Fortunately the Green Beast stayed true to his word and slowed down until he was level with Yamato once more. And now that this problem had been resolved, the Operative set his mind to their next challenge. Namely tracing the disturbingly strong scent of Kakashi's blood and rescuing him from whomever it was that had spilt it. Although there was still one concern that had been playing on Yamato's mind ever since Naruto had first brought it up. What if the enemy was indeed aware that a team had been sent to rescue the Copy-Ninja? How could they be so sure that, even now, they weren't heading towards a trap? And Yamato knew in his heart that they couldn't.
Ikari Iyoku smiled as he watched the Copy-Ninja emerge injured from the ruins of his former home. He would've liked to have said that the trap had been specifically designed to weaken the man and test his capabilities. But in all honesty, he had to admit that it'd simply been for fun. Kakashi Hatake had sent Tei Iyoku's body back to taunt him, and Ikari wasn't going to waste the opportunity to throw that taunt back in the Copy-Ninja's face. After being unable to brand Tei with the clan marking all those years ago, the former leader had been glad at the opportunity to finally do so.
In a perverse way, it was fortunate that no other clan members had been alive to witness it. After all, had he still been being forced to share his chakra among them all, he wouldn't have had enough energy to maintain the level of control he'd needed over Tei's body. He wondered what the Copy-Ninja had made of the technique. No doubt he'd noticed the similarities it shared with the Second Hokage's resurrection jutsu. But it was likely that the offspring of the genius White Fang had also analysed the two techniques' subtle differences. Unless he'd been too busy being strangled to care.
Ikari only regretted that it hadn't been his own fingers wrapped around the Copy-Ninja's throat. But that time would come. And the level of connection that the jutsu had given him to the battle had still proven rather enjoyable. It had been his own strength inhabiting the youth's reanimated corpse, his chakra flowing through the boy's body. This was why there had been no detectible chakra signature. Because – as the Hatake had probably deduced from the fact that not even a trace of his presence remained at the compound – Ikari Iyoku's Kekkei Genkai not only revealed to him the location of others, but it enable him to conceal his own location until it became dubious as to whether he indeed existed at all.
Well, this was the case for his chakra anyway. But in order to hide his scent, Ikari still had to use more old fashioned methods. Which was why the Iyoku was glad that he'd erased all memories of his scent from the Copy-Ninja's mind when he'd infiltrated it during their first encounter. And it wasn't as though the man had acquired any blood by which to track him since then. Thus Ikari knew that, for the moment, he had the upper hand.
And what was even more amusing was the team of six who even now were closing the gap between themselves and the Jonin whom they'd no doubt been sent to retrieve. Or perhaps they had come to aid the Copy-Ninja in destroying him. Either way, Ikari would make sure that these shinobi never reached their goal. Naturally he would keep them entertained. After all, they were about to become guests in his land – and very important guests at that. But the Iyoku's quarrel with the Copy-Ninja was a personal matter. This time, he wouldn't need to use the man's comrades as bait in order to lead him into a trap. No, it was clear that the Jonin already knew that he could be ambushed at any moment. And Ikari appreciated just how little Kakashi seemed to care about this fact.
However, it appeared that the Copy-Ninja was now attempting to cross back through the Land of Frost and perhaps was even thinking about leaving the country. Despite the fact that he could trace the man's every step, Ikari could still not be sure of just what was prompting this strange behaviour. Perhaps it was in response to something that had occurred after he'd severed his connection to Tei Iyoku's body – upon realising that the puppet would no longer prove useful. Ikari smiled. Kakashi's Raikiri technique was far stronger than it had been when he'd first witnessed it. He'd almost felt it himself when the Copy-Ninja's electrically charged fist had been plunged into Tei's chest.
But if he ever hoped to witness that exquisite technique firsthand again, then Ikari would just have to apprehend that unpredictable Jonin before he managed to reach whatever destination it was he currently had in mind. After all, there was no way that bastard could be allowed to escape before the Iyoku had even had the chance to show him just how he felt about the massacre of his clan members, and the murder of his beloved son. If the Copy-Ninja was seeking revenge, then revenge was exactly what Ikari would give him. Sure, it was true that ostensibly the former clan leader was simply a villain intent on destroying one whom many regarded as a hero. But in reality he knew that this portrayal was unjust. When all was said and done, Ikari Iyoku was only one thing. And that was a bereaved father who above all wanted justice for the death of his son.
