Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto, still dream about owning Naruto. Or at least Iruka. ;)

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Chapter 10 – Action & Examination

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X
XX

Kakashi stared at the door, feeling his stomach churning uncomfortably. His breath came in little hitches; he could swear he felt the air scraping against his ribcage with each pant.

This was bad.

This was beyond bad; this situation was fucked.

The two insane ninjas were out there, loose, and Iruka… Iruka had just told the leaders of the village that his own partner had been the one who committed the atrocities against him.

That Kakashi had been the one who forced him down.

Kakashi suddenly started worrying about what kind of punishments they gave to outsider ninjas that assaulted their teammates.

They could easily keep him here, alone in this tiny jail, helpless with the chakra-absorbing cuffs, until they decided he wasn't worth the hassle... There wasn't much in the way of infrastructure to the village. If they feared a Leaf search party, Ran, Jin, and whoever else was in charge could give the order to pack everything up, to just take everyone and leave. Save for a single pale corpse... Per Kakashi's reasoning, they should have done it already.

I may never see Konoha again.

His jaw grinding, he started planning what he would do if they came for him.

He didn't know what would become of Iruka.

Kakashi put his hands on his chest, trying to physically slow his stubborn breathing. He felt the bones there, hiking up into his palms as if they were trying to escape from the prison of his skin.

X
XX

"Where are we going?" Iruka asked in a shaky voice, still feeling Kakashi's fingers grabbing at his shoulder.

"To Yuzu-san, our healer," Misha said, artlessly looking up at Iruka. Iruka saw himself reflected in the boy's large eyes, and wondered why the boy wasn't cringing in terror. Surely, a child his age could not understand what had happened to him…

Misha held his hand as Jin led them on, Iruka staggering more than walking. He left dark red smudges in the grass as he walked.

They approached a circular hut, where windows lined the walls and gold light spilled forth, making the fog of the evening glow. Iruka thought of a giant candle. As they approached, he smelled cinnamon and cooking vegetables. His stomach lurched reproachfully, rebelling from the days of emptiness. Iruka bit back a wave of nausea.

Jin snickered, hearing the noise and mistaking it for hunger. Iruka flushed.

As they approached the little porch, the door slammed open, and a dark, bushy-haired kunoichi stomped out, followed by a hulking mass of a man. "—Can't restore vision, my ass!" She swore under her breath.

Iruka's hand jerked—very slightly—inside Misha's.

Though he was exhausted, his baser self wanted to dive at the two and bite, claw, hurt them. He thought about using his own destroyed hand rather than the kunai to dig out their eyes, right there.

It would feel good, justified.

But he also felt Misha's eyes on him. Everything balanced on his ability to keep up the "it was Kakashi" act.

Midori's step faltered as she saw Iruka. She gave him a wicked leer and blew a kiss as she passed by. Iruka did not meet her gaze. Tatsuo approached after, and, though not looking at Iruka, consciously gave him a wide berth. Iruka suppressed a vicious smile. And then Tatsuo was past him, murmuring wordlessly to his partner.

"I dislike those two," Misha whispered to Iruka as they walked up the stairs.

"What happened to that guy's eye?" Iruka asked, feigning curiosity.

"Midori said a summoned creature attacked them," Jin said flatly. Iruka noted with interest that he used no honorific.

Yes, an alibi, Iruka thought to himself. Clearly, these two aren't very popular... No way anyone else would cover for them, they had to have an alibi.

As they neared the door, a woman came out to meet them. She wore a long, fraying yukata and pants, and had chin-length hair and dark, lined eyes. She looked a bit startled to see Iruka, though whether it was because she wasn't used to prisoners being brought to her house in the middle of the night, or because of his horrific appearance, Iruka didn't know.

"Good evening, Yuzu-san," Misha said, his voice slightly perkier than previously.

"Hello, Misha-kun, Jin-san," the woman stepped back to let them in. "I see you've brought me some work!"

Jin looked a little guilty. "Sorry, Yuzu-san… I know you've been busting your… I mean, working around the clock…"

She waved a calloused hand, turning her piercing gaze to Iruka. "Don't apologize. Had I known, I would have come to you. He looks like he needs a real healer, not a pseudo-medic-nin like me." Iruka blinked as she bowed to him. "My name is Yuzu. Unfortunately, we have no true medics in the village yet, but I'll do my best to aid you. May I examine and treat you?"

Iruka frowned and nodded helplessly.

"We'll be in the kitchen," Jin said and slipped away, black umbrella slung over a shoulder.

A soft squeeze made Iruka look down. Misha smiled at him, the lower lids of his dark eyes rising, and it reminded Iruka of sunlight filtering through storm clouds. It reminded him of Naruto, when he gave a sincere smile, not a grin of bravado, and he missed Konoha, once again, in a heartbreaking way. Then, the moment was gone, and the strange boy let go of his hand, following his elder.

A fleeting expression of misery and sympathy crossed the woman's worn face as she stepped behind Iruka.

"No one has ever been brought to me in such a condition," Yuzu whispered as she pulled the robe away from his shoulders, very gently. "Well, except for that one tiger attack, when we first got here."

Iruka nodded numbly, watching her warily. Thankfully, she didn't ask him any questions. She just clucked her tongue in a motherly way, eyeing Iruka as if he were a child that scraped his knees while playing. The woman had him lie down on a strange metal and bamboo table in the center of the hut. The table was cold and uncomfortable, but it felt good to be off his feet. After draping a clean cloth over his exposed hips, she held her hands up to his body, not exactly touching him, but definitely within his comfort zone. Heat radiated from her palms, and Iruka knew she was using her own chakra to heal him.

Scratches mended immediately, and the ache from his bruised skin and muscles lessened. The pads of his broken finger and toenails stopped bleeding. His scraped wrists and ankles recovered somewhat, and upon seeing his bonds, Yuzu grumbled in irritation. She flashed a hand-sign, and the chakra-absorbing cuffs detached and fell to the floor with a loud 'thunk!' Yuzu snapped a second collar around his neck immediately, also chakra-absorbing. Iruka rubbed his wrists gratefully and watched her with open curiosity.

"I was against putting those things on you from the start. Those stone cuffs rub the skin raw as it is, extra struggles and weight loss aside," she explained gruffly. "Anyone here is more than a match for you in your condition, anyway… And this way, you might not incur so many injuries defending yourself... if something else were to happen, gods forbid."

Iruka didn't say anything for a moment. "Won't you get into trouble?"

Yuzu's only response was a shrug. Not knowing that she was another council-member, Iruka decided that she was a weird woman.

His eyes remained open, watching her for any aggressive signs, as she floated a palm over his face. His cheek and jaw returned to their usual size. He hadn't realized how much pressure had built up until it was suddenly gone; it was an immense relief.

Her hand hovered over his hip, and she paused.

"Well, this needs to be cleaned out, otherwise it will never heal properly. I'll arrange for a trip to the hot spring. The sulfur will do a good job disinfecting it." Another pause. "I think… you need to turn over, now. Mind your hip."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Iruka did not move.

Yuzu sighed. "I don't blame you. You can always let it heal naturally."

Iruka shot her an annoyed glance. How did she know? Had it been obvious in his gait?

"It will be like the rest of this exam, if you want me to continue. I won't physically touch you."

Sighing, Iruka shifted onto his uninjured hip and laid flat on his stomach, wondering what Kakashi was thinking… And hoping fervently that Midori and Tatsuo weren't making any plans to visit him.

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XX

Misha stared with wide eyes at rows of corked bottles stuffed with powders, each labeled with a name and packaging date. Bunches of dried herbs hung on the wall, their spicy scent easily overpowering the stench of blood and sweat the Leaf ninja brought into the hut. A pot sat near the stove, its chunky contents still bubbling with heat. Misha looked at it curiously, but Jin slapped his hands away and told him it was not for eating. For all they knew, Yuzu was experimenting with powdered muskrat gonads or something like that. Misha asked him what a gonad was, but the tall samurai just scoffed and sat down.

Misha looked at Jin seriously, turning away from the pot.

Jin frowned. "What is it, kid?"

"What did Ran-sama say when you told him about my genin attacking the Leaf-nin?"

"Nothing, he has more important matters on his mind," Jin scowled.

"Does he know about…" Misha gestured to the other room to indicate the nameless shinobi. "…This new development?"

"No, it happed after he brought Kakashi back to the cell."

"Is it true, then? His own partner did that to him?"

"Looks like it," Jin looked away, feeling uncomfortable. "We'll present the issue before the council as soon as possible, and attempt to ascertain the truth."

"Nothing like this has happened before," Misha observed quietly, looking at his booted feet.

The worldly samurai leaned back, failing to find a sensible explanation for the child. "First time for everything, kid."

X
XX

The foggy night had turned to a cool and equally foggy morning, and Ran slowed his pace, searching for the exact spot that Midori and Tatsuo had reported capturing the intruding ninjas.

After days of bountiful rain, there was no obvious physical evidence that the ninjas had been in the vicinity at all. No bent grasses, no scuff marks in the dirt. In the absence of men, the forest had repaired itself.

As if the fog alone doesn't complicate the search enough, Ran thought.

Upon realized that a thorough examination of the terrain was required, Ran passed a hand over his face and sighed.

After a few hours of searching on his hands and knees, he finally came across a faint chakra signature in the earth. Tatsuo and Midori had been there; one of them had delivered two powerful energy blasts. Two instant knockouts. Nothing else out of the ordinary.

He stood up, dusting himself off, confused. There had to be something here, something to explain why the sudden loss of chakra in the village coincided with the appearance of the Leaf-nins. He walked towards Konoha, roughly in the direction Kakashi and his partner had come from, for half a mile before deciding that nothing was out of place.

So that left only the site of their capture.

I must have over-looked something.

Returning, Ran laid on the ground, resting his head against the grass. His hair fanned out, twined around the blades. He slowed his breathing, his heart rate. He then began to use the jutsu that made him a great hunter: call of the earth, a jutsu that allowed him to merge himself with the environment.

It was easier to lose himself in Sand Country, where the desert welcomed him, molded itself around him, beckoned him home like a lover. The bleached dunes were open and vast, incapable of deceit. To those who asked, they offered up all of their secrets. They gave no shelter to those who attempted to flee its bounds. Except for Ran, who knew its language better than his own face—the desert had facilitated his own escape.

Shivering with the damp of the earth, he longed for the blatant honesty of the sands. This forest, misty and dark, was full of tricks. There was too much life here... It was positively crowded: a bug on every leaf, a bird burrowing at every plant. These organisms were little bursts of energy in Ran's perception, wild, uncommunicative, distracting.

Despite all this, he forced his physical body to change, and then to sink into the ground, and as he expected, the land did not greet him. The stones, the roots, all slumbered contentedly in their damp soil and he was met with nothing, no resistance or interest.

The apathy of the forest was indeed far cry from the hot, welcoming sands.

Nearby, an old oak tree pulsed with a faint essence, stirred up from sleepy neutrality at the strange new member of its ecosystem. Ran touched it with his chakra, expressing his curiosity. Though the plant had no concept of language, Ran understood the memories through the use of his jutsu. It freely told the redhead that it had a memory of evil. Something wicked had leaned against it; the very touch killed some of its finer roots and capillaries, sapping them of energy.

The oak struggled to make Ran understand the finer points of what it had witnessed; after all, language was an alien thing to the tree. Frustrated, it was tempted to give up and return to its sluggish state. With Ran's gentle prodding, the oak finally managed: the dark one and the large one were here; they had been here long before the white one and the gold one came. They had been waiting.

Waiting for what? Ran asked, and though the oak was lazy, it couldn't resist his coaxing.

Waiting for the snake to leave.

Leaning against the bark, a "snake-man" had given the dark one a token, a poisonous thing that sucked the energy out of the earth itself. He had said, weaken them for me. The oak and other members of the earth had been roused to impotent anger by the draining presence, but had fallen back to neutrality once the dark one finally left, taking the token with her.

Loathe to speak further, the oak said that Ran could stay if he wanted, and then it went back to sleep.

Ran returned to the surface after a moment, deposited rather carelessly by the damp earth. His body slowly returned to its mundane flesh and bone structure. He stared up through the fog, and it was so thick, he was unable to see the sky or the forest over him. He had the irrational sensation that if he moved incorrectly, something hanging above him would come crashing down, killing him instantly.

A morbid thought, yes, but he couldn't help it given the circumstances.

The "snake-man" could only have been the infamous Orochimaru. The token could only have been a cursed item, designed to weaken the Hidden Shadow. One thing was unclear: were Midori and Tatsuo working for Orochimaru of their own will, or were they possessed?

And I was blind to it. In either case.

"I was right, Jin," he whispered to the fog. "There is a sword strung up over us."

X
XX

Misha gave Iruka a mint sprig as Yuzu shifted uncomfortably, her back to them. Surmising what had happened to the shinobi, she figured that Iruka would be more comfortable with a child and a woman as his guards rather than Jin or some other aggressive male. But, being female, it meant that watching him bathe was out of the question.

The nameless ninja seemed comfortable with Misha, though, and permitted him to sit on the flat rocks nearby as he cleaned the gore from his skin. He even struck up a conversation with the child. Perhaps it was only to prevent his guards from asking questions about the incident, but it was a positive step nonetheless.

"Misha-kun, do you mind if I ask where your parents are?"

"Why do you ask about my parents?"

Iruka chewed on the sprig, almost unreasonably pleased as the clean taste snapped across his tongue. "I don't mean to be rude. I was just… You seem so…well-adjusted."

"My parents were such that I was better off without them," Misha stared at his face solemnly. "Still, it is a keen observation from someone who knows very little about me."

"I was alone, too," Iruka found himself saying. "You're right, I don't know you, but it doesn't seem to affect you the way it affected me."

Misha passed him a wooden bucket. Inside rested a soft cloth and a pair of small metal tongs that Iruka could use to pick out splinters.

"Despite our hard natures," Misha said as Iruka began his work, "ninjas are remarkably social creatures. We organize ourselves into villages, and then into clans, building loyalty out of nothing… Taking orders from clients we've never met before, trusting ourselves to complete strangers… What I mean to say is, is that a ninja is incapable of being alone for very long. Blood-relatives or not, ninjas attach themselves to each other.

"As for myself, all of the council members, even Jin-san," here he crinkled his nose very slightly, "have been good to me. The other children welcome what guidance I can offer. I am attached to them; I rarely think of my parents."

"That's good," Iruka replied lamely, feeling slightly overwhelmed again by the verbose child. Where did he learn to express himself like that?

"Surely, you have attachments of your own, even without having parents." The boy smiled. "Unless your name is a secret to everyone in Leaf, as well…"

Iruka smiled back half-heartedly.

Gently washing himself in the hot water, he and Misha lapsed into silence, and despite himself, Iruka thought of his own positive relationships: Naruto, the late Sandaime, and…

"Ahem."

Iruka looked down. He was clutching Kakashi's hand. The older ninja watched him with an unreadable expression.

"Excuse me," Iruka quickly let go, flushing. "I've never quite gotten used to the sensation of teleporting."

"It's not a problem," Kakashi said.

That thought surprised him. Had he bonded with the strange copy ninja that much during this mission? Was he, as Misha put it, attached to him?

He carefully set his head back and tried to ignore the stinging of the hot, sulfurous waters in his healing wounds. But otherwise, he was starting to feel pretty good: he had been healed; the uncomfortable stone cuffs were gone; and his skin, hair, and mouth were clean. Yuzu had even offered him food, although, fighting back a sick feeling, he had declined. But he appreciated the gesture.

He felt a little guilty that Kakashi was missing out on the spa treatment.

"Do you know what's going to happen next?" Iruka said, gazing up at the retreating stars through the steam. It was morning already, and he suddenly realized how tired he was.

"There will be a hearing soon. Whether or not you choose to speak will be up to you."

"A hearing?" Iruka hesitated. "To try Kakashi?"

"Jin-san says we will determine his guilt and the degree of his punishment."

"Your village will punish Kakashi?" Iruka's eyes widened slightly. "I mean, why bother? He's already imprisoned…"

"I have been considering this." He furrowed a little blond eyebrow. "I believe there are basic laws that all humans should abide by, but that is still my own belief. Your people's laws may be very different... If your partner did indeed attack you, this is a matter your own village should tend to. How can our laws extend to you unless one, or both, of you decides to become Shadow ninja?"

Iruka sat up then, gingerly bringing his knees up. "Do you think other members of the council feel this way?"

"It doesn't matter how they feel, but how the community feels," Misha explained. "Each council member serves to focus the will of his or her people, and is their voice in the forum. When your case is presented, the community will voice their judgment. If the majority of my clan votes to punish your partner here, and I am unable to persuade them, I must go against my own beliefs and vote in their favor. This is how decisions are made in our village."

Iruka groaned inwardly, realizing the major flaws in his plan.

He quickly turned to the child, hoping for more information. "And after that? Do you know how long Kakashi and I will be imprisoned?"

"It will be brought before the council, as well. I do not perceive you as a threat, though I am unsure about your partner. We were hoping you would join us, but keeping you is becoming a stress on our resources --"

Yuzu snapped her head in their direction. "Misha-kun."

Misha jumped. "Excuse me, Yuzu-san."

Iruka felt a small thrill race up his spine. If he and Kakashi were inconvenient and perceived to be harmless, they might be released. But he wasn't foolish enough to think that the Shadow ninjas wouldn't consider the consequences of letting them go—namely, what response Konoha might issue once her sons returned home.

Yuzu cleared her throat. "Well, Leaf-nin-san, you must be more wrinkled than me by now. Are you ready to go to your new lodgings?"

Misha hopped off the rock to grab a dark gray yukata for his prisoner, and Iruka climbed to his feet, his head tilted to the side. New lodgings? Well, I did ask them to move me…Of course they wouldn't put me back with Kakashi… Especially if they're going to put him on trial.

He closed his eyes for a moment, fervently praying Kakashi had wised up; that he would use the kunai to break out of the jail. Before the trial and without his partner, if it came down to it.

If anything happens to Kakashi now, it'll be my fault...

Iruka didn't want that on his conscience.

Once he was dressed, Misha took his hand again, and Iruka walked barefoot through the village, reveling at how light his body felt without the heavy cuffs on his wrists and ankles. If he wasn't so sleepy, he could have counted the blades of grass tickling his soles, numbered the eddies in the fog whispering around his legs.

They came to a small hut next-to-and-behind a two-story building than Iruka recognized as Ran's dwelling; this hut wasn't much larger than the jail, but it was probably the finest-constructed edifice in the village. A dark, pointed roof sloped down gracefully, and polished floors and railways gleamed in the early light.

"Is this…?" Iruka's mouth dropped open as he looked around.

Five swords stuck out from the earth, scattered around the hut, a stone set behind each.

"Our shrine," Yuzu said quietly.

Jin walked out then, stooping as he crossed the threshold. He held his umbrella in his right hand. "Your new home during the hearing."

X
XX

"If you keep breathing like that, young man, you'll hyperventilate. Plus, it's so cold now… you're going to strain your lungs. Why don't you try to calm down?"

Kakashi looked up at the window. Outside, a few flakes of snow dotted the cold fog, falling down behind a smiling, wizened face. It was an old man with eyelids so heavy and baggy that they appeared to be closed.

"Yes, you're right," Kakashi drawled, trying his best to sound as though he hadn't been awake all night, fretting over his and Iruka's respective futures.

"Well, that's that, then." The old man vanished from the window, and Kakashi heard the sound of a chair being pulled up. He saw a withered hand set a lantern down through the bottom window, and then heard the sound of pages turning.

Kakashi blinked a few times.

"Maa," he finally said.

"Yes?" The old man replied from the other side of the door.

"Are you guarding me?"

"I most certainly am, at least until the clean-up crew gets here."

"And are you reading out there?"

"Yep."

Kakashi sat on his haunches, an eyebrow raised half in amusement, half in shock. "And are you reading Icha Icha volume eight?"

As in, my Icha Icha volume eight?

The old man chuckled. "Thanks for the loan, young man. I've been waiting to read this one."

Kakashi thought about griping that the old man could at least let him read the book, seeing as how he didn't even have the comfort of a cellmate any longer, but thought better of it. Certainly, the old man had heard of Iruka's plight and thought that Kakashi was a raging, perverted lunatic… which in all honesty wasn't too far from the truth. Still, no need to further that image.

And speaking of cellmates…

"Maa," Kakashi said again, to get the old man's attention. "Is my partner all right?"

"Jin-kun and Misha-kun took him to see our resident healer… If he's not improved by now, he will be soon." A page turned. "Who is he?"

"Why's everyone so interested?"

"We're a village full of strangers," he said. "We like to get to know each other. Call it a hobby."

'Get to know each other.' The phrase struck Kakashi for some reason.

Iruka.

"I won't read Icha Icha."

Kakashi didn't know why he hadn't remembered before now… Probably something to do with all of the blows to the head, the stress and rapid adjustments, lack of food… But the echo came back to him…

"I won't read Icha Icha," he had promised. "…Iruka?"

"Shinobi such as yourselves should have finer lodging than tree-trunks and caves…"

A rasping voice under a black mask…

"…'Iruka' here seems to have accepted our offer of hospitality. Won't you?"

Kakashi looked up.

"I said his name, once. One of your ninjas heard it. Even repeated it."

"Oh… Is that so?"

"Why don't you ask Midori why she's left everyone in the dark about it?"

There was a long pause. Then a page turned.

"I love a good mystery; don't you? It's always fun to be the first to solve it."

"Yeah," Kakashi said lightly, wondering where the old man was leading him with this. "I believe that same mind-set got Keiko-chan into a compromising situation with the detective in Icha Icha volume three."

A small chuckle. "Yes, indeed it did!"

A sick feeling sick overcame Kakashi. Shouldn't the old man have called someone over, to speak with Midori immediately? Especially if he thought the information was valuable, or if treason was a possibility?

"If all the pieces fall into place right away, then it isn't a very good mystery. It should take a little time to figure it out, just like a real romance." The book snapped shut, drawing Kakashi's attention from his swirling stomach. "It was a fun read, but Jiraiya gave all the details away too quickly in that one, don't you think?"

Jiraiya?

Kakashi felt himself pale. He could have sworn the floor lurched beneath his feet.

Jiraiya's identity as the author of the Icha Icha series was a poorly disguised secret, but a secret nonetheless. No one but close friends of his, or at least very intelligent Leaf shinobi with a natural curiosity, had deduced his identity yet…

"You…"

"The name is Aburame Noburo. It's been a long time, I'm sure you don't remember me; you were very young when we first met. But it's nice to see you again, Hatake-kun." The wrinkled face peered in at him through the window again. "Although, the circumstances leave much to be desired."

X
XX

The next day was relatively quiet in the Hidden Shadow.

A clean-up crew, under Noburo's supervision, cleaned the jail and collected evidence at the same time. Kakashi had cleverly hidden the kunai in the corner furthest from the mess, and made sure to plant himself over it during the procedure. One ninja inspected him, and later wrote a report finding that "the ninja alleged of the assault did not appear to have any new bruises, but was covered in blood. Blood was also found on his hands and fingernails. The blood purportedly came from victim. Handprints were taken and will be given to Yuzu-san for comparison to the Leaf-nin's examination."

Kakashi wanted to ask the missing-nin Noburo exactly what was in that report, but thought better of it.

Jin met with the council to discuss the case of the assault, but without the victim willing to testify, the council could not present any information to their clans. They decided to give the Leaf-nin a little time, to let him settle, and see if he would testify.

Iruka, confined to the holy grounds, plotted silently, desperate for a clear course of action to come to him. He spoke to no one save for Misha, and only to thank him for bringing water... and small meals that he didn't eat.

Ran returned late that evening, his lips pressed into a firm slash across his face, which was paler than usual. One of his clansmen greeted him, and Ran politely asked him to assemble the council immediately. His cold tone made the man's heart miss a beat.

X
XX

A week had passed since the celebrated jonin and the popular chunin departed the Hidden Leaf.

Two days had been estimated for the duration of the mission, but mission timeframes were variable. Still, the children were worried about Iruka-sensei; the adults told them they had nothing to fear—Sharingan Kakashi was with him.

Kakashi was probably just having some fun with the straight-laced teacher, they joked to each other.

That was all.

No need for a rescue mission, not yet.

Up in her tower, surveying endless reports and preparation specs for the impending New Years Celebration, Tsunade spared a thought to the two ninja, and wasn't so sure.

X
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A/N's: I wanted to do some more cameos, but I felt that it would be too much to cram into this chapter. It will be in the next one!

Thank you all very much for the reviews, subscriptions, and of course, reading and waiting patiently for my updates! If I didn't respond to a comment from you, shame on me. Things are starting to come to a head in the plot, so please let me know if you find anything confusing.