Chapter 11

Confusion

A suppressed excitement hovered over the group of nine powerful shinobi. Some showed it more than others, but they all felt it. Because slowly their plans were reaching fruition. Their goal was within their grasp. And, most importantly, their guest of honour had finally arrived. Surely nothing could stop them now. However formidable their captive was, no one could stand up against the raw power of their unashamed evil. This was how they'd been labelled. But, wasn't fighting for peace always a noble cause? And don't the ends justify the means? No one among them sought to answer these difficult questions. When the world was theirs, right and wrong would no longer matter. And finally, that goal was in sight.

After days of waiting, Asuma had been given the chance he needed. Ever since they'd left he'd been under the watchful eye of minimum three Root Operatives at all times. They were travelling in a group of twenty or so and Asuma had made sure to keep perfect track of their route so that when he managed to escape, he'd know how much further it was to their destination.

The only occasions on which he was guarded by just one Root member was when he was sleeping and when he went to relieve himself. So either of these times would likely prove the best opportunity for escape. However, four days passed before the Operative sent with him dropped his guard enough for Asuma to act. And it helped that they were currently passing through a small, dense forest. The waxy, pale moonlight barely managed to filter in through the tightly-packed trees. He was hidden from the rest of the group but knew that they were only about fifty metres away. Asuma glanced over at his guard and saw that his eyes were fixed on a small clearing nearby.

When he followed the Operative's gaze he spotted the telltale signs of a recent and seemingly rather fierce battle. There were well over twenty bodies strewn across the forest floor. The Jonin guessed that this had been some sort of skirmish between rival rogue bands. But the origin of the battle was not important, its value as a distraction was what Asuma was more concerned with. As his guard's attention was momentarily diverted, Asuma decided that he would be able to cast a discreet genjutsu without being caught.

Saying that genjutsu was not his forte would've been quite an understatement, but Asuma had picked up a few techniques from Kurenai over the years – at least half of them jutsu related. So the Jonin proceeded to channel his physical and mental energy into creating a basic illusion that simply causes the one affected to ignore everything other than what their attention is currently fixed on. He waited for a few minutes to see if it had worked, and sure enough the Root member remained staring intently at the scene of carnage. Asuma realised that he couldn't take too long, as he didn't want anyone to come looking for him, at least while he was still there to be found.

So after one more glance towards his preoccupied guard, Asuma carried out a jutsu that he was much more familiar with: The Art of the Shadow-Doppelganger. He left his doppelganger to get on with the task that he'd separated himself from the group for in the first place. Asuma knew that the clone would simply return to the camp afterwards and feign sleep. It was highly unlikely that the substitution would be noticed before dawn. And when his former guard finally returned to the camp he'd probably alert Danzo to the remnants of the skirmish, rather than reporting any strange behaviour on Asuma's part. This would hopefully divert their attention from him even more, and thus allow him to get further before his doppelganger was discovered.

Thus Asuma left his clone behind and simply began to run – as swiftly and silently as possible – in any direction that would lead him out of the forest, away from Root, and with luck nearer to Kakashi.

After roughly a half-hour, Asuma reached the edge of the forest where finally he could use the star-spangled night sky to regain his bearings. At that point, the Jonin felt it safe to lift the genjutsu. He desisted from channelling his chakra into the technique and hoped that the Operative would not notice that he'd fallen victim to such an amateur trick. But even if he did suspect something, between reporting the sighting of the battle and finding his clone sound asleep at the camp, he probably wouldn't press the issue.

But just to be on the safe side, Asuma started to run once more. The sky had just begun to redden when he finally collapsed from exhaustion. By now the terrain had changed from grassy plains to craggy outcroppings. But the rocky ground did nothing to prevent Asuma from falling straight into a deep, dreamless slumber. After an indeterminable amount of time, the Jonin was startled awake by a sudden burst of recollection that he knew had come from reabsorbing his doppelganger's experiences. It seemed that Danzo himself had been the one to discover the deception. Just as the group had been preparing to depart, he'd run the clone through with one of his subordinates' katana without casting any jutsu to confirm that it wasn't Asuma himself being dispatched. It was true that to one skilled enough, the difference between ninja and doppelganger was discernable. Although, Asuma somehow doubted that the self-proclaimed Hokage would've cared very much either way.

But now that his escape had been discovered, the Jonin decided to redouble his speed. And in order to stave off the onset of exhaustion, Asuma went through all of the memories that his doppelganger had provided him with. He came to a sudden halt as one piece of completely astonishing information passed through his mind. Apparently, Root had found evidence to suggest that the thirty or so Rogue Ninja had in fact been dispatched by his three comrades! He had no idea why such a battle would have occurred, unless the three of them had been ambushed. And Asuma was worried about whether any of his friends had been seriously injured after such a clearly intense fight.

Well the sooner he caught up with them, the sooner he'd get answers. The fact that none of his comrades' bodies had been among the fallen, gave him hope as he increased his pace once more. Asuma was certain that none of the Root members had any more stamina than he did. So when his body was threatening to give out on him, the Jonin felt it safe to rest for a few hours as the sun vanished and the moon began to rise. Occasionally Asuma found himself trying to calculate his chances of surviving this mission. He played out various scenarios in his head, as he would when trying to win a Shogi match. He was sure that Kakashi had done the same when coming up with their initial plan, and briefly Asuma wondered whether the genius would have accounted for the possibility of their secret Plan B. They'd agreed only to ever implement it in an absolutely worst-case scenario. And he sincerely hoped that such a thing had not happened.

Finally Asuma's thoughts went to Kurenai, and what would happen to her if he didn't survive this mission. He wasn't afraid of death, but Asuma would happily have lived for an eternity simply for the sight of her fiery auburn eyes and warm, confident smile. If he made it back from this mission alive, the first thing he'd do would be to tell her for once straight-out how he felt about her. But he knew that the mission was far from over. And lying there daydreaming would help no one.

Asuma sighed and sat up. He ate quickly before setting off once more. This time the Jonin had the image of his lover's determined face spurring him on. And an entire day of running passed him by almost unnoticed.

Eventually Asuma became sure that he was heading in the right direction as mountains began to rise up on either side of him. Each one he passed was more immense than the last. And as the sun began to set once again, the final valley became visible in the distance.

As he got closer, Asuma quickly realised that something was wrong. He was sure that he could make out the forms of at least twenty people camping at the foot of the two great cliffs. And behind them, where the valley's entrance should have been, a startling cerulean barrier towered over the group.

But before he had time to do more than gape, a masked, amour-clad ninja appeared out of nowhere to stand in front of him. Asuma immediately recognised it as a Konoha ANBU and his confusion intensified.

"What in Gods' names is going on here?" the Jonin demanded.

"Asuma-san. We didn't think you would make it." The Operative's voice was blunt to say the least.

"What do you mean?" asked Asuma as his perplexity grew.

Then another person spoke. "Stand down Tsukikage, I'll handle this."

That voice was unmistakable, and from out of the darkness stepped a second shinobi. As he'd suspected, it was Yamato, and he looked almost as bewildered as Asuma felt. They had clearly given up on his arrival. But the presence of ANBU could only mean one thing. And Asuma's heart sank even as he gave utterance to his thoughts.

"We've had to switch to Plan B, haven't we."

Yamato nodded gravely and when he spoke, his voice betrayed a deep anxiety. "Unfortunately, it's much worse than that…"

As soon as Kakashi awoke, he was certain the events of the past month or so had all been one horribly confused nightmare. He felt comfortable, even relaxed. Something was definitely not right. Then the Copy-Ninja realised that the sensation he was experiencing was not in fact comfort, it was simply a lack of the excruciating pain that he'd become so accustomed to over the last few weeks. Slowly he opened his eyes, only to have his vague feeling of hope vanish as he found himself surrounded by the rough granite walls of yet another containment cell. He could sense Genma's presence beside him and couldn't help but be pleased that they hadn't been separated. In that respect, things were still going according to plan – in spite of his impromptu loss of consciousness. Kakashi stared up at the all-too-familiar grey stone ceiling and smiled lethargically.

"A window or two would really liven the place up a bit, don't you think?"

Kakashi could almost feel Genma's irreverent grin accompanying his response.

"Yeah, that and a couple of mattresses." His voice then became serious. "Can you move?"

Kakashi tried to shift from his current position, which was flat on his back. But however much energy he exerted, he couldn't manage to do more than raise his head. "Damn it!" he gasped.

Genma sighed. "I'll take that as a no then."

Kakashi rolled his eyes – one of the few parts of his anatomy still fully under his control. His body was completely numb, and Genma – after a few seconds of clear deliberation – finally decided to help him sit up and prop his back against the cell wall. Now that he was in a slightly more dignified position, Kakashi's task became finding out what information his comrade had managed to glean while he'd been unconscious.

"What's been going on?" he asked simply.

"No idea," came Genma's blunt response.

The senbon-toting shinobi sounded almost affronted that Kakashi'd expected him to have found anything out during the protracted amount of time that he'd spent unconscious.

The Copy-Ninja's voice took on a decidedly deadpan tone. "Well that's helpful. Is there any particular reason why you haven't picked up any information since we got here?"

Genma's tone easily rivalled his own in sarcasm. "Well I made the mistake of looking away from the hideout for a moment while you passed out practically on top of me. And when I looked back I saw a pair of Sharingan. That's all I remember before waking up here about an hour ago. Nothing's happened since then, apart from you waking up. I could tell you that we're currently being held in some kind of detainment cell. But I assume you've worked that one out for yourself."

Kakashi decided that continuing the discussion was a waste of time. They were likely being watched from somewhere, and besides, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for their captors to think that they had no info on the situation. Although, that said, it might have been helpful if they weren't genuinely ignorant right now. However, the Copy-Ninja was more concerned about the fact that he could neither move nor feel anything below his shoulders. If this had simply been due to chakra drain, he'd at least have been able to feel his body, even if he couldn't move it. Kakashi's only conclusion therefore had to be that the Akatsuki had done something to him while he'd been unconscious.

When he finally spoke, it was in a voice that he knew only Genma could hear. "Okay. So let's assume I've been injected with some kind of paralytic. They clearly aren't taking any chances when it comes to preventing our escape. But then why would they have only used the drug on me? It could be something to do with the compounds already in my system. Another reaction just like the antidote was."

Genma replied in an equally hushed voiced. "Had it ever occurred to you that maybe they don't want you to move because you've done enough damage to yourself already? I don't suppose it's too implausible to consider that perhaps you wouldn't be much use to them dead."

What annoyed Kakashi more than Genma's patronising tone, was the fact that the Tokubetsu Jonin might well have been right. Maybe the Akatsuki planned to keep him completely paralysed so that he wouldn't get the chance to ruin their plans by injuring himself incurably. But Kakashi wasn't able to dwell on that thought for long because the door to their cell had just swung open.

Kisame stood on the threshold, a murderous grin plastered all over his brutish face. Kakashi felt Genma tense beside him as his friend closed his hand around a kunai. It was then that Kakashi realised that neither of them had been stripped of their weapons. Did the Akatsuki assume that they wouldn't use suicide as a means of escape? Or think that even when armed they posed no threat? Had this been a part of their plan all along?

Well whatever the reason, Kakashi's weapons were useless as long as he couldn't move. But before that thought had fully formed, the Jonin started to experience a strong stinging sensation throughout his entire body and feeling slowly began to returned to him. Kisame had obviously known how long his paralysis would last, and had wanted to be there as soon as he regained mobility.

"Copy-Ninja Kakashi, it's an honour to meet you once again." Kisame bared his teeth in a cheerfully sadistic leer.

"Once again, the pleasure's all yours," Kakashi replied, his trademark bored expression falling naturally into place.

"It will be soon enough," Kisame rejoined readily. "But in the meantime, now that you're both awake it's time for a bit of relocation."

The towering Akatsuki member took a step towards Genma, who managed to maintain a nonchalant air as he gave his petulant response. "If you think we're going anywhere without a fight, you've got another thing coming."

Kisame laughed even as he swung Samehada down from his shoulder. Genma rolled to avoid the oversized blade and he and Kakashi quickly rose to their feet. The Copy-Ninja was surprised at being able to move so easily. Quite some time must have passed for his stamina to have recovered this much. Kakashi kept his weapons stowed but Genma levelled a kunai at the Beast. This seemed only to augment Kisame's delight as he brought Samehada to bear for a second time. Genma dodged the bristling blade once more, but the hasty manoeuvre clearly unsteadied him. Kakashi sighed and readied his own weapon as Samehada came slicing through the air to launch a third strike at his friend while he was off-balance.

The sword's rapid descent came to a dead halt as it connected with the Copy-Ninja's kunai. Kisame was formidably strong, and it was taking all Kakashi had to keep his adversary from forcing his arm down. As the surface of Kisame's sword bristled, its razor-sharp teeth bit deep into Kakashi's wrist until he felt the kunai he was holding become slick with blood. The Jonin spoke through gritted teeth as Genma steadied himself.

"Why don't you try picking on someone of your own species for a change?"

The shark-like shinobi laughed heartily and – to Kakashi's surprise – lifted his blade before lowering it into a submissive position. He then ran one finger along the area of the blade that was now coated with Kakashi's blood and sniffed it experimentally.

There was a sick euphoria in Kisame's voice. "Mmm… Perfect! And, more importantly, the compound we introduced into your system while you were unconscious seems to have worked. You've probably already noticed that temporary paralysis was a side effect that we didn't try too hard to remove. But luckily it wore off soon enough to make my visit much more exciting. Now onto the good news. Thanks to this new compound, using chakra will no longer run the risk of killing you. But I'm afraid, Copy-Ninja, that your friend will not be able to accompany you on the next stage of your journey."

Genma grunted derisively. "What part of not going anywhere didn't you understand?"

Kisame gave an ominous smirk. "Actually, I believe it was you who misunderstood when you thought that you had a choice."

As soon as he'd finished speaking, the Akatsuki member's hands started flying through signs that Kakashi didn't need his Sharingan to read.

"Genma, get out of the way!" he shouted desperately.

But it was too late. A torrent of water shot from Kisame's mouth. It pinned Genma to the cell wall before collecting in a sphere around him.

The blue-skinned sadist then spoke in a tone far more menacing than any he'd used so far. "Come with me now, Copy-Ninja, or watch your friend slowly drown."

Kakashi refused to be intimidated by Kisame's theatrics. "Why should I believe you'll let him live if I come with you?"

The next words Kisame uttered made Kakashi's fear for Genma's life increase, along with an acute awareness of his own peril.

"As long as you're obedient, we have no reason to kill the Tokubetsu Jonin. After all, how else would we manage to keep you in line until you follow us by your own volition?"

Kakashi growled his response. "I'll never betray my comrades. Release the jutsu now or I'll kill myself and become useless to your cause."

Kisame seemed to take a deliberately long time to respond to this ultimatum. Meanwhile Kakashi could hear Genma choking behind him as the water cut off his air supply. But he could not afford to turn his back on Kisame at such a crucial moment.

"If you do kill yourself, you leave your so-called comrade in our hands. And something tells me that you might not wish to present us with such an entertaining gift."

In response Kakashi raised his kunai and hovered it over his jugular vein. Kisame made no move to release the jutsu, and Kakashi pressed the kunai against his neck until a trickle of blood began to run down the blade. He was now relying on Kisame's disregard for the bonds of comradeship as well as his loyalty to the Akatsuki's goals. It had to seem as though the Akatsuki meant more to that sadist than Genma's life did to Kakashi. He knew that someone as brutal as Kisame could never understand the lengths to which he was willing to go in order to save a friend. And, as he'd hoped he would, Kisame made the choice that best protected the Akatsuki's plan.

His voice was grudging, but not bitter. "Eventually it won't matter if you're dead or alive. But for now you can have it your way."

He released the jutsu and Genma's body fell to the ground, unmoving. Kakashi turned instinctively to aid his friend, but Kisame's vice-like grip on his shoulder stopped him. And the Copy-Ninja only just managed to verify that Genma was still breathing before he was dragged from the room.

Kakashi, by this point, was beyond resistance. He'd already caused his friend to nearly suffocate – twice. Now was the time for careful planning, not reckless action. He had no idea what was in store. All he knew was that using chakra would no longer kill him. This suggested that the Akatsuki wanted to tap into his chakra reserves without him dying in the process. It also seemed that they were intending to somehow take control of him. After all, what was the point of creating a weapon without being able to wield it?

Well one thing was certain. Whatever the Akatsuki had planned for him, Kakashi Hatake would never willingly hurt those that he loved. However, right now he appeared to have very little control over the situation. Kisame was half leading, half dragging him down the narrow hallway to an unknown fate. And to make matters worse, his chakra drain – although lessened by the passage of time – was beginning to reassert itself with renewed vigour. Even without some of the more undesirable effects of the poison, Kakashi was finding each step an ever-increasing struggle. But he refused to let exhaustion defeat him.

Sheer determination kept him moving until finally they reached a solid, wooden door. Kisame turned the handle and pushed Kakashi into the dark, cavernous room. A single chair – with thick chains attached to it – sat in the middle of an otherwise unadorned chamber. He was guided to the seat by the point of Kisame's sword. As he hesitated in front of the chair he felt one of Samehada's jagged teeth dig into the small of his back. And so, knowing that he had no choice, Kakashi sat.

A low voice echoed from within the unfathomable darkness. "Settle down Kisame, there'll be no need for weapons. After all, we're only moments away from breaking the Copy-Ninja's resistance once and for all."

As soon as these faceless words had been spoken, Kakashi felt the sharp sting of a needle in his right arm. And what worried him the most was that he hadn't even been able to sense the presence of the one wielding it. Then, before he could so much as try to prevent it, the little vision that he had in this murky chamber began to fade.

Kisame's disembodied voice was soft and sinister as it drifted across the room. "As you wish, Leader. I'll leave you two alone."

Then the increasingly familiar falling sensation that marked the transition into unconsciousness washed over him. And Kakashi had a sinking feeling that, when he awoke, he would wish that he'd managed to take a kunai across his jugular while he'd still had the chance.