Chapter 21

Reunions

Kakashi watched the lightning-wrapped blade slice through the air with a warped sense of pride. He had known that Sasuke would find a way to make the Chidori his own, and this manipulation of the basic principles behind the jutsu made it clear that he had been correct. Of course, what he hadn't counted on was the fact that the boy would grow to use those skills against Konoha. If he had known that back when he'd trained Sasuke, perhaps he'd have thought twice about sharing that particular jutsu.

But then again, how could he fault the boy for turning against the Village when that had been what he'd done as well? Never mind that he'd been duped into it. That didn't matter in the least. But to see Sasuke ruthlessly trying to end the lives of people that Kakashi counted as friends was simply too much to forgive. And so Kakashi gathered together the last of his strength and used the fact that Sasuke's attention was focused on cutting down Ibiki to his advantage. He used the natural talent for aiming that he'd had since he was three years old and managed to wrap one end of the cuff and chain in his hand around the ankle of the distracted Uchiha. The moment he felt it make sufficient contact he tugged with all his might and prayed to Kami that it would be enough to knock the boy off balance and keep the deadly blade from making contact with Ibiki.

What Kakashi neglected to remember was the fact that Sasuke wasn't his only opponent. So, while he had been doing his best to target his one-time student, it had opened him up to an attack from Orochimaru's favorite lackey. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kabuto release what looked to be senbon in his direction, but without a drop of chakra to aid him, and with the knowledge that dodging the attack would mean aborting his own need to stop Sasuke, Kakashi accepted the fact that he was about to be taken out of the fight all too soon. He could only hope that when and if he ever woke up, that by some miracle he wouldn't be back in the hands of Orochimaru. Because he knew that if he was, that this time he'd never make it out again.

The look of shock on Sasuke's face as his foot was pulled out from under him was almost worth the sharp stinging he felt as at least four senbon sank into the flesh of his neck. They were obviously covered with one of the stronger sedatives in Kabuto's supply, because a moment after he'd registered their hits, he was on his knees and feeling the last of his awareness slip away. The strong metallic taste in his mouth let his mind identify the drug a second before he'd toppled the rest of the way to the ground.

Iruka watched in shock as Sasuke's attempt to slice through Ibiki was thwarted by Kakashi. He couldn't believe that the Copy-ninja could still find ways to be useful in this battle even with absolutely no access to his chakra and sporting the plethora of injuries he knew would cripple most normal shinobi. But when he saw Kakashi fall under Kabuto's senbon, it was plain to Iruka that it would be up to him to keep the jonin out of the enemy's hands.

Iruka took a quick moment to check his chakra levels and knew he wouldn't be able to do any more than one A-ranked jutsu, but if he just kept things simple he might yet manage to help more than hinder. He moved over to where Kakashi was laying on the ground and positioned himself to face Kabuto. He held his makeshift weapon at the ready and glared at the white-haired boy.

"I know that you're smart enough to realize that you're no match for me, Sensei. Why don't you make this easier on yourself, and just step back while I reclaim the Copy-ninja?"

Iruka gripped the chain tighter within his grip. "Why don't you make it easier on yourself and just get the hell out of here!"

Kabuto's mouth stretched into a farce of a grin. "Now why would I want to do that when I've only just gotten here? Besides, it isn't like you're really going to be able to stop me from going over there and taking Kakashi."

This time Iruka crouched slightly and growled out his response. "I wouldn't write me off just yet. I'm not as easy to brush past as you might think I am, Kabuto."

"I wouldn't dream of writing you off. After all, I need something to occupy my time until Sasuke is finished with his new playmate. And tormenting you will fit the bill perfectly."

Iruka frowned. No wonder Orochimaru took Kabuto in...this kid was insane! "I'm warning you...stay back!"

He watched Kabuto pull a hooked kunai out of his pouch and then take a deliberate step toward him. Iruka swallowed down the fear that was threatening to choke him, and he started swinging the manacles in a slow circle, hoping it would keep the crazed man away from him and Kakashi. But Kabuto simply moved closer and started laughing at him.

"That's it, Sensei. Put up a brave front. But it won't change the way this will end. Kakashi Hatake will be where he belongs...and you will have died for nothing!"

"If my dying keeps Kakashi where he belongs...then it will have been worth it! Because, so help me Kami, Konoha is where that man belongs!"

That wiped the smile off Kabuto's face, and the next thing Iruka knew he was in battle with the psychotic boy. He did his best to dodge the many attempts to slice him, and he was actually pleased when his own makeshift weapon managed a solid hit to Kabuto's head. It hadn't been hard enough to do more than to knock the glasses off of the boy, but it was enough to give him at least a small kernel of hope that this wasn't the end for him quite yet.

Without the glasses on, Kabuto's eyes looked even more crazed than before, and Iruka knew he was in for trouble when the kunai was put away and the boy's fingers started weaving a series of hand signs. But he wasn't about to give in now, and so he wove his own signs, praying to Kami that it would be enough to buy them a bit more time.

Kabuto's hands glowed with what had to be chakra, and Iruka thought back to when Naruto had told him all about the encounter between the three Sannin, himself, and Kabuto. Which meant that he knew better than to let those hands anywhere near him, or run the risk of having a chakra scalpel injure him, if not kill him. So he finished his final hand-sign and pushed the needed amount of his own chakra through his feet and deep into the ground below where he and Kakashi were. In the blink of an eye, the section of dirt was thrust up into the air. Another moment passed and Iruka sent a second surge of chakra into his creation, and then he simply sat down next to Kakashi's prone body and waited for Kabuto to make his next move.

Ibiki took full advantage of the precious seconds that Kakashi's attack on Sasuke bought him. And it was only seconds before that blasted sword was being lunged at him once more. But this time he was ready for it, and managed to pull off a substitution jutsu just as that lightning blade would have split him in two. Instead, the sword split one of the unfortunate Sound Ninja who had stupidly thought they could sneak up on Ibiki from behind. After all, if there was an opportunity to save his own neck while reducing the number of overall attackers, he'd be crazy not to take it.

Ibiki spun on his heel and used his manacles to tangle the legs of yet another of the enemy. This time he was able to recover a katana from the fallen man, and so he when Sasuke came in for another attack he blocked it before it could end his life. After all, he'd figured the Snake-bastard, Orochimaru, would have needed to make sure the rest of his henchmen carried weapons that would survive a spar with the Uchiha. Thankfully, he'd been right.

But the young Uchiha wasn't so easily dissuaded from his task, and soon Ibiki found himself seriously wishing he were ten years younger. Maybe then he'd be able to match the kid strike for strike instead of being kept on the defensive. The throbbing pain in his shoulder from his previous injury wasn't helping either, and he wasn't so stupid as to think he'd be able to keep this up for much longer. Based on the self-satisfied smirk that was gracing Sasuke's lips, it was obvious that his opponent had figured this out as well.

Perhaps he could manage to use that smugness to his advantage. After all, being underestimated by an enemy could always be twisted to a shinobi's favor if it was noticed soon enough. And so Ibiki started deliberately blocking attacks a bit sloppier. Then he made sure to start breathing heavier and grimacing as he pushed back against the boy's hits. And soon he was allowing the Uchiha to back him into a corner. The boy's smirk became a mocking grin when he'd thought Ibiki was now helpless against him.

It wasn't long before Ibiki saw that Sasuke's attacks were becoming less focused, as though he had decided that he no longer needed to devote his full concentration to the fight. Ibiki waited to make his move until another deflected blow was starting to be set up for a new strike. When the arc of the sword was just about to change directions at the apex of Sasuke's swing, Ibiki lunged at the boy, aiming his pilfered katana to slice across the boy's exposed chest.

The look in those dark eyes as they shifted from obsidian to the blood red of the sharingan showed that he had been expecting such a move from Ibiki. And before he knew what was happening, he felt the hilt of Sasuke's sword make contact with the base of his skull. As he fell to the ground at his enemy's feet Ibiki thoughts centered on one thing...he should have expected such a move from someone who had been trained by Kakashi to look underneath the underneath.

Kabuto laughed at the rudimentary column of dirt that the sensei constructed. Did this man really think that something this basic would be any match for him? It was a complete and total waste of chakra and it would be child's play to remove it, and the foolish chunin, once and for all.

He bent to the ground and picked up his glasses, taking his time to wipe the dirt off the lenses before placing them back on. The spire of dirt stood just a little off ten feet high, and was wider on the top than on the bottom. The construction looked shoddy with the way the roots and stones of the surrounding area where sticking out all over the thing. If he had created such a poorly made spire Lord Orochimaru would have punished him for such obvious ineptness.

Kabuto smiled to himself. If this was the level of jutsu being taught to the youngsters of Konoha, it was no wonder that Orochimaru felt the Village was so worthless. He would take great pleasure in exploiting the numerous weaknesses of the sensei's creation before using a similar jutsu to destroy the man.

That thought firmly in place, and realizing Kakashi wouldn't be waking for at least half a day based on the level and quantity of sedative he'd placed on those senbon, Kabuto moved toward the base of the earthen spire and tipped his head to look up at where his targets were waiting.

"Is this the best you can do, Sensei? It's a good thing Kakashi is unconscious or he'd likely laugh himself to death over such a sad attempt at a jutsu."

There was no answer to his teasing, and Kabuto smiled at the thought that the man actually needed to concentrate so hard just to keep such an inferior column standing. He stepped a bit closer and started to infuse chakra into his leg. He calculated that one good kick at the thinnest part of the spire should have the desired effect of causing the much heavier top to tumble to the ground.

"This is your last chance to surrender, Iruka-sensei."

Again he was ignored. Not willing to waste any more time, Kabuto spun his body into a roundhouse kick that should have decimated the spire. But that didn't happen at all. Instead, just as his leg should have made contact with the dirt, the very roots he had been making fun of earlier surged out of the pillar and entwined around his ankle before pulling to the side and releasing him to sail off to the side. He quickly twisted in the air to be able to land right side up, and his eyes narrowed at what he had mistaken for a poorly made column.

He imagined that if he had sharingan eyes like the Uchiha, he'd likely see the chunin's chakra infused with the entire creation. Kabuto had to admit that he'd never thought this man could be so creative. Perhaps he needed to rethink his approach.

This time Kabuto decided to see how the chunin would handle attacks from multiple directions. He created two clones and the three of them circled the column of dirt and attacked from three different positions. But whatever Iruka had done in the creation of the spire seemed to allow his awareness to stretch throughout the very dirt it was formed from. One of the clones was dispatched when more of the roots wrapped around its feet and neck and, quite literally, pulled the clone apart. The second one fell victim to a series of sharp stones projections that skewered it before it had made it halfway up the side. Meanwhile, Kabuto had decided to simply body-shimmer up to the top of the platform where Iruka and Kakashi were, and he was met a wall of dirt shooting up from right next to the chunin.

Kabuto barely avoided being caught within that defensive strike, and he ended up executing a back-flip that sent him down to the ground once more. He scowled as he pushed himself back up from his crouched position, and tried to calculate what he should try next. The sound of arcing electricity to the side caught his attention. Sasuke stood next to him with a smug grin gracing his lips and his sword leveled at the column of dirt.

"Let me show you how it's done."

Kabuto growled at the audacity of the boy. But he had to admit that the lightning-based attack Sasuke was about to use should be exactly what was needed to counter the earth-based defense. Still, when the Uchiha's first attempt was thwarted by a series of roots and stones thrashing out at the boy, he couldn't keep the smirk off his lips. It served the brat right for thinking that he'd do any better than Kabuto did.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? I thought you were going to show me how it was done?"

The only response from the Uchiha was a deep growl. Kabuto noted that the boy's sharingan was now activated, and the sword replaced to its sheath. A moment later, and the boy's right hand held the telltale ball of chakra that was the Chidori. The attack was quick and effective. Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to avoid every defensive attack the chunin had managed to throw at him, and in a matter of seconds, the column of dirt was toppling to the ground.

When the dust cleared, there were clods of dirt, stone, and roots all around them, and Iruka was crouched on the ground with Kakashi at his feet. The chunin took a shaky step until he was in front of the unconscious body and he held a long shard of stone in one hand. He glared at where Kabuto and Sasuke were standing.

Kabuto grinned as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I never expected someone like you to have such a jutsu in your arsenal, Sensei. Still, the end result will be the same. Hand the Copy-ninja over now."

He watched the muscles along Iruka's jaw clench and he knew the man wasn't quite done fighting back even before the words came out of the chunin's mouth.

"I told you before that I'm not letting you touch Kakashi!"

Before Kabuto could respond, Sasuke had his sword drawn, electricity covering the blade, and was headed straight toward the dark-haired man. He almost laughed at the look of shock on Iruka's face, and he was more than willing to let the sensei's former student end this standoff once and for all.

Sasuke was done waiting for Kabuto to try and convince the headstrong man standing between them and their goal to stand down. He knew that once Iruka-sensei set his mind on something, there was no way to change it. So he took over the problem himself and charged forward before any more time could be wasted, and they could finally return to Orochimaru and continue his training.

The look on Iruka-sensei's face showed him that he'd won even before the strike from his sword hit. Although he could easily kill the man if he had wanted to, there was no purpose in such an act. Their one and only goal was to reacquire Kakashi Hatake, and because of that, he calculated his blow to disable, rather than kill, much as he had done with Ibiki earlier. After all, they all knew he could dispatch them easily enough, and this way they would spread the word of his skill so that others might think twice before coming after him ever again.

Sasuke braced himself for the contact of his blade into Iruka's body, but instead of experiencing the feel of skin and bone parting before him, he felt a solid force against his arm that effectively ended his attack. The shock of it all was quickly pushed away, and he lifted his eyes to see just who had managed to block his attack. His eyes went wide as sharingan eyes met their match.

Sasuke leaped backward until he was standing beside Kabuto once more. His mind was spinning wildly as his mind tried to grasp just who had come to Iruka's rescue. The voice that followed was more than enough to convince him that he wasn't seeing things.

"I'm disappointed in you Little Brother. Has Orochimaru damaged you so much that you would find satisfaction in fighting against unarmed opponents?"

He watched the man who he'd been working so hard to surpass frown at him, and in that moment he felt like he was five years old again. Sasuke tried to calm his racing heart and remind himself that this was the very moment he'd been training for. The very reason he had searched out the power that Orochimaru had promised him.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and growled out his reply. "This is not your fight, Itachi."

He watched his brother tip his head slightly toward where Kakashi was still lying on the ground. "I'm afraid that the moment you involved Kakashi-senpai you made it my fight, Little Brother."

Sasuke cringed at how the man continued to toss that phrase at him. Itachi had no right to claim kinship with him after what he'd done to their clan...their family! "Since when do you care about anyone else? Move aside!"

Itachi shook his head. "You never have listened, have you? Your business with Kakashi is finished. You are still not strong enough to win against me, Little Brother."

Sasuke felt his rage building up inside him. But unlike encounters with his brother before, he actually admitted to himself that, this time, Itachi was correct...he was not strong enough yet. He lowered his sword and glared at the man that he was forever trying to catch up with.

He glanced over to where Kabuto was being surprisingly quiet, and found that the man seemed to be caught up in some sort of genjutsu. He should have known that the weak-willed man would be no match for Itachi's advanced sharingan skills. Still, he'd hoped the fool would have at least made an attempt to resist.

Sasuke reached over and placed his hand on Kabuto's shoulder, sending a jolt of chakra into the man to disrupt the genjutsu. A moment later and the effects of Itachi's attack became evident from the difficulty Kabuto was having at keeping his body from shaking. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder just what scenes Itachi had shown Kabuto to cause such a reaction. After all, the man had been working for Orochimaru for so long that he was likely immune to almost all the horrors that could be imagined.

Keeping his hand firmly on Kabuto's shoulder, Sasuke returned his gaze to where Itachi was still watching him. "The next time we meet, I will destroy you."

He gathered his chakra around himself and Kabuto and left before Itachi could have the final word.

Itachi watched silently as a curtain of flame surrounded his little brother and Orochimaru's primary lackey. The flashy exit was more than enough proof that Sasuke was being taught by the snake, as he knew from experience that Kakashi-senpai would never have advised the boy to use such a display.

He let loose a tired sigh and turned his attention back to the scene around him. He saw Ibiki Morino's bulky body sprawled across the ground. Even from where he was standing, Itachi could see the man's chest rising and falling, and he found himself glad that Ibiki had survived his encounter with his little brother.

Itachi frowned at how quickly he was caring about these Konoha shinobi, and set his mind on the rest of the scene in an attempt to push those thoughts aside. There were several bodies of Sound ninja scattered throughout the surrounding area, and he wasn't surprised in the least that Kabuto and Sasuke had left them behind. In all the time that he'd known Lord Orochimaru, that man had never cared for the dead. And it seemed like that was another lesson that had been given to Sasuke. But the Sannin hadn't managed to remove the boy's underlying insecurities in regards to his older brother, which, as it turned out, was a good thing.

In reality, if his brother had decided to attack him instead of leaving, the boy just might have managed to defeat him. Itachi's body and mind were exhausted from dispatching Kisame before heading here, and he knew that if he hadn't taken the extra step of hiding his chakra completely, then Sasuke would have easily sensed just how near his limits he was.

Iruka's tired voice made it clear that the chunin wasn't doing well either. "Your timing couldn't have been more perfect, Itachi. Thank you...again."

Uncomfortable with the man's gratitude, and still unsure just why he was here, he turned his gaze toward Iruka and saw that gratitude showing in the man's brown eyes. Those eyes widened slightly, and Itachi knew his attempts to hide his own current physical condition must have failed, even before the words from the chunin's lips reached his ears.

"What happened to you? You're bleeding!"

He shrugged. "That tends to happen when one fights against one of the Seven Swordsmen."

Iruka stared at him as though he were insane.

"I'm fine, Iruka. You should check on Ibiki, while I check on Kakashi." He saw the man frown, and couldn't keep a chuckle from his voice. "Now isn't the time to doubt my intentions, Iruka."

"It's not that...really!" A blush colored the man's tanned cheeks. "I...I just don't think I can manage to cross the distance to Ibiki."

It was at that moment that Itachi noticed the odd bend to the chunin's right leg. "I see. This complicates things."

He helped Iruka to settle onto the ground next to Kakashi's unmoving body, pausing to take a moment to confirm the silver-haired man was still alive, and then he took a closer look at the chunin's leg. Fortunately for Iruka the bones in the leg were not poking through the skin, but by the unnatural angle it was clear that the man wouldn't be able to walk far, let alone run. Itachi's plans to be far from this area before nightfall would need to be adjusted, and he knew the odds of their remaining free were shrinking with each wasted moment.

He turned his attention to where Ibiki was sprawled across the ground. Perhaps if he woke the giant of a man up they might be able to move a bit faster. He approached him and was pleased to see there were only minor injuries to contend with, including a good-sized lump on the back of his skull. A quick scan with his sharingan showed Ibiki's current state was not tied to a genjutsu attack. He wondered at just what his little brother had been thinking by leaving the Konoha shinobi alive. But at the moment, Itachi was glad he had, because with Ibiki in the picture, it would make their movement that much easier.

He shook the man until he woke, and it took a bit before Ibiki's eyes focused on him. Those eyes narrowed slightly, and Itachi knew the man's trust had yet to be earned. He sat back and made sure his hands stayed in view. Eventually, Ibiki pushed himself into a seated position and ran a hand across the back of his head, cringing when he'd obviously found the cause of his nap. The man's dark eyes fixed on Itachi for a handful of seconds before he spoke.

"You've looked better, kid."

Itachi smirked at the man's attempt at levity. "I could say the same thing to you. But I'm afraid Iruka may have us both beaten."

The scarred man's face betrayed nothing, but Itachi saw a glimmer of worry in his dark eyes that spoke volumes for the bond he had forged with the odd chunin. He helped Ibiki to stand, and then led the way back to where Iruka was trying, unsuccessfully, to move closer to Kakashi. Itachi stepped around the chunin and slid his arms under his senpai's body. By the time he was standing again, he was pleased to see that Ibiki had taken his lead and managed to pick up the squirming sensei in a similar fashion.

Itachi looked down at the unconscious man in his arms. A man who had somehow managed to turn his life upside down without even trying. He wasn't sure if Kakashi truly understood what he'd done, but there was no doubt in Itachi's mind that his former senpai would help him to leave his old life behind...whether he asked for that help or not.

He sighed and looked back up to see Ibiki and Iruka watching him. Shifting the weight in his arms enough to move the man off of the many cuts on his own body, Itachi addressed the shinobi.

"We need to leave this place."

Iruka frowned at him. "And go where, Itachi?"

Another sigh escaped his lips. "I'm not sure, but we cannot stay here."

"Agreed." Ibiki's deep voice gave him something to focus on. "I suggest we head north for now. We'll figure the rest out on the way."

Itachi nodded once and started out in the agreed upon direction. They would need to find somewhere to get Iruka's leg fixed up, and he had to admit to himself that a few of his own injuries could use some care as well. With luck they could get far enough away before Orochimaru's shinobi, the ANBU, or the Akatsuki managed to pick up their trail.

He looked down at Kakashi once more, and wondered just what it was about the man that could make him think he could start over after everything he'd done in his past. But there was no answer in the relaxed features of the man in his arms. He'd just need to wait until the Copy-ninja woke, and then he'd ask the man that very question. For now, he'd concentrate on running long enough to give them all a chance.