Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto or its characters. Plot after real manga is mine.(That being chapter 386 and onwards)
Well guys,sorry for the crappy chapter before that one.It didn't turn out as I hoped and I didn't stuffed any real action in it,so...anyway,this time it will be a normal and hopefully good chater.Enjoy!!...
Chapter 12: Icha Icha Hunter Four Part 2
The morning arrived quickly. Kakashi,for a change, was not late this time. When Shiro woke up, he saw him leaning to a tree and staring to the horizon. He was lost in deep thought.
Without further distractions and delays, they set out to track Kariya's trail. They,however, were not going to track a frail lead like Naruto and Sunari tracked. Shiro led the way through city and through back alleys. They arrived at a shabby looking bar from outside. Shiro saw Kakashi's look and shook his head. "Never judge a book by its cover Kakashi."
Kakashi sighed and nodded. Then he stopped abruptly. "Tell me something. Since Naruto,I mean Yellow Death, tracks Kariya too, why do we split forces for doing the same thing?" Shiro glanced at hi for a moment. "Simple. While he does a tracking with a most rushed and raw manner, we can do it more neat and from undercover. Basically, your student attracts danger on the way to himself, allowing us to move freely. Are you worried about him?" Kakashi gave a faint laugh. "Worried about him? Oh no. He can take care of himself better than anyone, but that's not it. I am worried about our situation, whether or not can we track Kariya with so few leads." Shiro patted him on the back. "Don't worry Hatake. With my contacts, even the smallest lead can become a scent for a ninja dog to track easily." With those last words, they all got into the bar.
The 'shabby' bar was somewhat large in contrast to its outer appearance. Shiro led them to a corner table and they sat. While Kakashi and Shiro wanted strong sake and Ririn wanted wine, Musashi thanked and said he didn't want anything. When barmaid brought their drinks, Shiro pulld the girl and whispered a few words to her ears. Girl nodded and went back.
Shiro leaned on his back. "We might as well get comfortable for now. It seems it will take some time before my contact can interact with us. Enjoy your drinks!" Kakashi looked at him intensely. "Now why are you in such a good mood?" Shiro sipped his sake and laughed. "Why? Simple Hatake. I love sake!" Kakashi glanced at him while Ririn giggled. Musashi,as always, was sitting like a statue. Man, that guy creeps the hell out of me. Kakashi shivered and turned sipping his sake.
Shiro turned to him with a grin. "So Kakashi, still no girl in your life? Aside from that medical dog girl,that is?" Kakashi glared at him with a visible killer intent. "Oh boy, don't get so angry so quickly. What happened, she left you?" Kakashi lowered his head. After all,Shiro knew nothing about Obito and Rin's fates. "Sort of." Shiro looked puzzled. "Wanna talk about it?" Kakashi didn't answer. After a full minute of silence, he spoke. "My teammate Obito died. She loved him all along anyway." He drank his sake in one large gulp. "She went missing after that. I don't know what happened to her."
Shiro patted him on the back. "Must have been hard for you." Kakashi leant back and looked to the ceiling and beyond. "I guess." He filled his glass with sake. "Forget me. What I still wonder is what you said back there. About that Kariya guy. You said that he was never a simple informant."
Shiro nodded and took another sip from his sake. "Yeah.I actually didn't explain that par, yes? That is because what we know is part truth and part speculation or guesses. I didn't want to mislead your mind." Kakashi shook his head. "Every bit of truth helps." Shiro nodded. "Well then...There is a simple fact about Kariya. At one point when before Orochimaru left the Akatsuki, he was a member of Akatsuki. However, even we found about him only recently. It is apparent that he went undercover a long time ago. So we never heard about him."
Kakashi put his right hand under his chin. "Basically, that guy was a member of them so you think Pain should absolutely have ties with him. But even if he was a member, he did nothing but informing them in the last decade, isn't it?" Shiro nodded. "We don't have any info about him doing serious action. But..There is a very,very interesting reality about Kariya." Kakashi turned to him and looked questioning. "Now listen closely. From what I have been able to find and some old info given to me by Jiraiya years ago, I found out that guy is the father of Juugo." Kakashi glanced. "Giant of a man, origin of the cursed seal Juugo?"
Shiro nodded. "The very same. I was given information about Juugo by Jiraiya. He informed me about the entire Snake team. Originally, Akatsuki was trying to use him. Apparently, from what I found out recently, that Kariya guy has a bloodlimit ability. That ability allows the user to transform into a different form. That bloodlimit ability was mutated and turned into the original cursed seal in Juugo." Kakashi added the rest from his guesses. "Then Orochimaru took Juugo and left Akatsuki,right?" Shiro nodded. "Exactly. But that is all we know the rest is mostly rumors and speculations. Even that bit of info about Kariya's bloodlimit is not a hundred percent reliable information."
Kakashi looked around. "It seems we have a lot of tracking and detective work to do." Shiro shrugged. "I hope to avoid the detective work this time. Maybe the guy we will meet shortly has info about him." Kakashi glanced. "If not?" Shiro shrugged again. "If not, we will just take whatever lead we can and continue tracking."
They sat in silence for a while. Musashi opened his eyes suddenly. "A presence is releasing a big amount of chakra somewhere close." Kakashi binded his hands and made a seal. He closed his eyes. "That is Naruto's chakra! No one but him can release such a powerful chakra signature!" He motioned to stand and leave. Shiro pulled his arm and forced him back to his seat. "Stay. Don't you realize? He does exactly what we want him to do. He pulls the troubles to him for us to operate freely. And from what I heard about him from various ninjas indicate that he is an 'invincible demon.'" Kakashi sat back and nodded. "He maybe is. But still...Ah,anyway..." He looked around hastily. "Where the hell are your 'contact'?" Shiro smiled. "You are not one to ask for punctuation,if the info I have about you is correct." Kakashi smiled sheepishly. "Ah,maybe I should shut up." Ririn nodded. "The first sensible thing you said for today."
After a few more minutes of silence and drinking, a man approached them. He set his hand on Shiro's shoulder and said "Hi!" with a most cheerful face. Ririn's eyes turned into a set of hearts while Kakashi's jaw dropped slightly. A brown and ruffled haired man with the most well-toned body and a handsome face was standing in front of them. He was wearing a simple shirt without a right sleeve and baggy black pants. Te most notable part about his appearance was the tattooing on his right arm.His entire right arm was tattoed from shoulder to fingertips. And there was a Dai-katana hanging from his back. "Yo,long time no see, Shining Shiro." He turned to Musashi. "And my favorite ice-block! How are you doing guys?"
While Musashi only raised a hand, Shiro greeted him warmly. Then they made a strange move with their right hands. They clashed their fists in an up-down-front style. (A/N: The move you might have seen while eeh...-I'm not racist or anything!- black people doing it.-And I'm not even American, mind you.) Then Shiro opened up some space and the man sat near him.
Kakashi truly realized the man's height when he sat. He was something around 1.90m to 1.95m, making him one of the tallest guys around. He took Shiro's glass and drank the sake rapidly. "So so, what can I do for my best missing-nin friends?" Shiro took a serious face. "Some info digging only you can do, and maybe finding out some reconnaissance information on a certain guy." He turned to Ririn and Kakashi. "This cheerful guy here is Ken. He is the best bounty hunter around ...well nearly everywhere." Ken grinned. "You exaggerate Shiro. The fact that I caught more than a hundred A-class criminals doesn't mean I'm the best." Shiro put his serious face back on. "I heard that you are taking some time out, resting around here." Ken nodded. "And you thought maybe I have gathered some info, huh?" Shiro nodded. Ken stood up. "Well we can't speak here so openly, nor I can show my hospitality towards my guests in here either. They all followed him to cozy-looking bar.
Ken entered and held the door for everyone. Then he led them to a table hidden in the shadows. He sat down in the midst of darkness, making his features nearly invisible. A waiter came and took their orders. Ken insisted on them having lunch. "It's on me everyone, so eat as much as you can!" Kakashi looked at him. "You look awfully well spirited for a bounty hunter , y'know?" Ken grinned. Shiro turned to Kakashi. "He has more money than he can spend in a lifetime nowadays, isn't it Ken?" Ken nodded. "Oh yeah. The last assignment consisted of getting rid of an entire missing ninja platoon, which Cloud paid me a very handsome fee for it. Anyway, let's hear you while meal is being prepared." He leaned back and assumed a listening pose.
Shiro took a deep breath and told him about the whole affair about Kariya. When he finished, Ken was shaking his head. "Still chasing those nutshells huh? Shiro, with all due respect, these guys are out of our league and you chase them for what? You should have given up a long time ago." He sighed. "Well, I can always do some info digging. Is this guy a bingo book criminal?" Shiro nodded. "A-class Cloud missing ninja. But he was not in plain sight for over nearly 20 years, so they might have dropped him off the list."
Ken shook his head. "Cloud doesn't drop its missing-nin out of the list unless they see a solid proof of the ninjas death. And an A-class missing-nin you say? No way they would drop him off. But still, if he was off the radar for so long, what makes you think I can find a lead now?"
Shiro looked pleadingly. "Because you are the best in this job line? Besides, there is a fresh lead about the man, he surfaced a week ago here in Lightning Country." Ken looked highly interested. "Don't tell me that fight Cloud-nin got into was with this man?" Shiro nodded. "If so.. I might have a chance. But I need to do some research."
Their meals were served at that moment. They ate in silence until Ken finished eating.(With a monstrous speed that could rival Naruto's ramen eating) He started asking Ririn various questions. Most of them blushed her. At one point, he turned to Kakashi who was eating slowly as he never lifted his mask. "Hey whitey. That mask and forehead protector... Any chance you are the Copy Ninja Kakashi?" Kakashi nodded slightly. Ken looked shocked. "Whoaaa..Shiro you surely knew how to ally yourself with strong people."
He turned to Kakashi. "You have one of the highest bounties on you in bingo book, you know?" Kakashi nodded again, though this time a little nervous. "Man...If you went missing-nin, then that means ...eeehh...fucked with all due respect." Kakashi glared at him. "I did not leave the village. This is a part of my mission." He looked like he rememebered something. "Speaking of which, I need to do something." He stood up and got out.
Ken looked at Shiro. "Be careful Shiro. I heard many rumors about him." Shiro looked cheerful. "Don't worry. Were you thinking about hunting him?" Ken looked shocked. "Me? Seriously man, I would never hunt a ninja of Konoha. And...he is something short of a legend , you know?"
Everyone sat back and remained silent for the rest of the meal.
(-)
Kakashi summoned Pakkun. "Deliver this to Tsunade-sama." He placed a scroll on his leash. Pakkun nodded.
As a last warning, he spoke to Kakashi. "Tread lightly, Kakashi. There is always something underneath the underneath." Kakashi nodded. Pakkun set out.
Ken set them in the inn he was staying. "Don't worry, as long as I am here, they won't try anything stupid."
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The next morning was a loud one for Kakashi. He woke up with Pakkun jumping on his chest. When he woke up, Pakkun pointed to the scroll tied to his leash. Kakashi took it. "Be careful. She did not look happy when she read your report." He vanished in a poof.
Kakashi opened the scroll and began reading.
Kakashi, as much as I didn't like your decision to join that team, I approved of your request and changed mission objectives as you wanted. Be careful on where you go.
On a side note, our agents have uncovered an interesting development. There is a report came in pointing out that a number of Rain Village ANBU's are dispatched to Lightning Country. As much as I don't want to believe their ties to Pain is still present, it is best to be warned.
And I received a report from Naruto. Apparently, Kabuto was completely absorbed by Orochimaru. He encountered him in Lightning Country meeting one of his agents.
Orochimaru is completely destroyed this time.
Kakashi, be careful and tread lightly. You walk on thin ice.
Kakashi was frozen in shock. Shiro was awoken too, and he noticed his shock. "What happened Hatake?" Kakashi showed him the letter. Shiro sat on floor with an equal shock. "No kidding..." Musashi entered the room and stared to them. Shiro handed down the letter. Musashi scanned the letter. "However unexpectable, this was not totally surprising." Musashi gave the letter to Kakashi. "Your student is above Sannin level apparently." Kakashi nodded faintly.
Shiro took the letter and burned it. "No need for anyone else to know." Kakashi and Musashi nodded. "Even Ririn must not learn this. We three knowing these are enough." He turned to them. "Be careful about Ken. He is a nice guy,and he won't sell us out, but he is cunning and he has a lt of enemies too. Don't tell anything about this."
When they dressed and and got out, they found Ririn waiting. She was looking like she waited there for a long time. "Where were you?! I waited you guys all morning." Musashi coughed. "Sixteen minutes means a full morning?" He did not even smile while making this joke. Shiro laughed heartily while Kakashi only smiled. Ririn punched Shiro in the face and jumped on him.
When they finally stopped fighting, they went downstairs. Ken was dozing off on a table. Shiro sneaked up on him and shouted in his ear. "GOOD MORNING!!!" Ken jumped and drew two kunais seemingly from nowhere. Kakashi noticed that he just lost track of his movement. He needed Sharingan for watching the move. "Holy shit, Shiro!" He pointed them to sit down.
"Now, this is a bit cliché, but I have one good and one bad news." They all focused on him. "Bad news first: Apparently, the guy you are looking for is not an A-level guy. He is a solid S-class criminal. And yes, he does a have bounty on his head. Good news: I have a solid lead about him after the details you gave me Shiro."
He stood up. "So let's get going. No time to waste." They all looked at him with a shock. "What, you don't want to catch up with the guy?" Shiro shook his head. "What do you think Ken, coming with us?" Ken nodded. "But of course. You will need my help on this one." Shiro looked at him questioningly. "Now why do I get the feeling you have another reason for helping us?"
Ken sighed. "I do have another reason. But that won't bother you I promise. You will learn son enough." Shiro looked at the remaining three. Musashi nodded while Ririn jumped in excitement. Kakashi only shrugged.
"So, let's go!"
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I did not include them in much action but they will be included in some son enough.
READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
It is not that hard to type down some objective critisicm you know? REVIEW!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Next Chapter: Hunt for Kariya Part 2- Two Ways of Hunt
Stay tuned!!!