Chapter 33
Miles of undulating waves of wheat rippled before the ninja. A piercing wind whistled down the swells of crops and far off in the distance the first roars of thunder shook the sky. The normally golden ears had been beaten and bruised to a lifeless grey by the oppressive rainclouds. Kakashi, son of Hatake Sakumo, the White Demon of Konoha, was standing on the very brink of a storm.
A streak of lightning sliced the sky and miles away, so far off that Kakashi had to strain his eagle-vision; a red stain could be seen at the very eye of the storm. "Kushina!" Kakashi shouted but his words were stolen by the rising gale. Tendrils of fear wrapped themselves around Kakashi's insides but before they could squeeze all rationality from his body, Kakashi slapped the fear away.
"Kushina!" The name slipped from his lips, escaping as it transformed into red tinged condensation. For a moment Kakashi watched the red mist swirl before him until he reached out and attempted to grasp it. It was useless, the gale was far too powerful as it swept the condensation away into the monstrous tempest. He had no other choice. Kakashi had to enter the storm.
Running was impossible against the ever-increasing wind that howled and snagged at his clothes. Eyes watering, cheeks stinging, Kakashi raised a hand to protect his face as he strode forwards. The wind sapped every ounce of his strength and the wheat suddenly took on a razor-sharp quality. Kakashi winced as the crops shredded his skin but he forced himself to focus on the red dot was prisoner to the storm.
Yet no matter how many agonising steps Kakashi took, the crimson blotch never got closer. It remained a fixture of the never-changing horizon that was ravaged by the storm.
"Kushina!" Kakashi yelled. "Kushina, please! Come back!"
Kakashi's plea simply infuriated the tempest that swirled before him, the gale jeering and the veil of rain spat at him as it refused Kakashi entry.
He was alone. Lost, frozen, blood seeping from the thousands of cuts that laced his skin; all Kakashi could do was watch as the crimson stain bled away from the horizon until the storm extinguished it from sight.
Kakashi awoke with a start and beneath his mask he could taste sweat coating his lips.
"Are you ok?" Darui, who had been keeping watch, gazed at Kakashi with unusually concerned eyes.
"I'm fine," Kakashi murmured, wiping his damp forehead with a sleeve.
"You told me that you'd been given the all clear by the psychiatrist last year?" A laconic voice called out.
Darui and Kakashi turned to see Nara Shikaku lying on his bedroll with one eye open.
"I did," Kakashi told them. "It was nothing, just a bad dream."
Shikaku and Darui clearly didn't believe him but neither questioned Kakashi. Trying to pressure the young man into telling you something was like trying to squeeze water from a brick. It had always been a weakness of Kakashi's to bring everything upon himself: a potent mixture of his mother's stubbornness and Hatake pride.
Kakashi kneaded his aching eyes with the base of his palms. Ever since Kumo's seal had been broken, Kakashi could dip seamlessly in and out of his mindscape. Yet, he still hadn't managed to tame those stormy skies. If anything the dreams had grown worse over the years. With a sigh, Kakashi sat up and made a mental note to visit Yamashiro Aoba about the problem.
"We might as well get going," Darui yawned. "Sunrise is going to be in an hour and we're late enough as it is."
Travelling from Kumo should have taken the three of them six days. Yet when your travelling companions are Shikaku and Darui you could be assured that the pace of your journey would be unhurried.
"Might as well," Shikaku stretched and rubbed his back. "It's going to be a troublesome enough day as it is."
"At least you haven't got as many meetings as me," Kakashi remarked with a sigh. "Three hour meeting this morning, an hour's debriefing, then a two hour meeting after lunch followed by another three hour meeting."
"Life's hard for Kumo's Ambassador," Darui laughed and he rumpled his hair. "You Konoha people sure do love your meetings… A can barely sit through one hour, thank the gods."
As A's right-hand man and Kakashi's old Kumo sensei, Darui was of course the perfect choice for Kumo's Ambassador to Konoha. Yet due to A's impatient ways and his hatred of paperwork, Darui seemed to have escaped the more laborious duties that Kakashi had to endure.
After they had packed up camp, it took the team less than an hour to reach the gates of Konoha. As tendrils of dawn's light highlighted the emerald gates, Kakashi's freakish senses caught the heady tang of the street hawkers cooking within. Ever since he had been appointed Kumo's Ambassador, Kakashi had barely spent any time in Konoha. He spent months on end travelling back and forth, conducting trade meetings and strengthening relations between the two villages. Under the tuition of Shikaku, Kakashi had developed a silver tongue for negotiation and a fine mind for strategy. He had memorised every war game in the book, supervised several top-secret joint missions between the two villages and of course carried out countless of missions himself. Still however, despite his ever-growing prowess and fame, Kakashi still couldn't beat Shikaku at a game of shoji.
It had been a whole year since Kakashi had seen those cheery green gates and he couldn't recall the last time he had stayed in Konoha for longer than a fortnight. So for once Kakashi allowed nostalgia to hold the reins and he ran ahead of Darui and Shikaku.
"Kakashi!" Darui gave a smile and Shikaku shrugged.
"I'll meet you at the Hokage tower in an hour for the meeting!" Kakashi called back over his shoulder and before his companions could protest, he body flickered away.
Despite the early hours of the morning, Kakashi wasn't alone when he materialised in the one place he had missed the most during his absence. Sitting on the steps of the K.I.A memorial was a young woman. Elbows on her knees, head propped on her hands, she stared intently at the path that snaked its way down to the Third Training Grounds.
Kakashi leant against a tree; he didn't just stare at the woman, he drank her in. From her thin lips to her slightly pointed chin, Kakashi's eyes memorised the way the morning light gave her dark glossy hair a rich lustre. His gaze traced it's way down her petite spine to admire her delightful curves that he couldn't help but crave to cup and touch.
His title of Konoha's White Demon, and fiercely guarded private life, had attracted countless of women. Kakashi was an enigma that everyone woman in the Land of Fire and Cloud wanted to solve. Yet out of the lucky handful who had been with Kakashi, not a single one had made it past the first or second date. At twenty-three Kakashi had no idea what he wanted; yet he knew it wasn't present in any of those women. Sex had always been enjoyable but Kakashi's heart had remained completely frozen. There had only been three women so far in Kakashi's life who had understood his need for privacy. The first had been Kushina, the second Rin and the third was the young woman who sat before him.
Suddenly a silver flicker jerked Kakashi from his ogling. Upon instinct, Kakashi's hand flashed upwards and he caught the needle that had been pelting towards him.
"Have you finished leering?" The woman called out and she stood up, raising a rather unimpressed eyebrow at Kakashi.
"I wasn't leering," Kakashi walked towards and gave a sheepish smile.
"You were staring at my breasts," She scowled.
Actually, in typical male fashion, Kakashi had moved on from the breasts to her thighs that were clothed in tight, black ninja shorts.
"I really wasn't," Kakashi held up his hands in defence.
The woman clearly didn't believe him. "You're as bad as all the others," she muttered.
"Don't band me in with Genma and Asuma," Kakashi said.
"True no one's as bad as Genma," the woman conceded. "His lad protégée, Uchiha Shisui, is getting as bad as him though."
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh as he imagined Uchiha Fugaku's face when he heard the Uchiha clan's pride and joy had been harassing women. No doubt Obito would have something to say on the matter.
"You've… Err… Grown up since I've seen you… Anko," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. In his mind that had sounded a lot better than it did out loud. Anko and Kakashi's friendship had always been a bizarre one. The younger woman always flashed in and out of his life, leaving Kakashi more bemused each time he saw her. At first he had attempted to write to Anko but she had never been much of a letter writer and only sent him cryptic notes every couple of months or so. Yet each time he saw Anko in person, it was as if nothing had changed. She'd mercilessly tease him, bat sarcastic comments back and forth and scold him if Kakashi appeared with a new injury.
"Care to expand upon how I've 'grown up'?" Anko's lips curved into a wicked grin and her dark eyes gleamed.
"Err… Umm… You know," Kakashi gulped as a woman who was five inches shorter reduced the White Demon to a jibbering mess.
Anko watched Kakashi squirm for a moment and she suddenly laughed. "I knew you'd come here first," She told him.
"You did?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Course not," Anko snorted but her words had an all too defensive tone that Kakashi didn't quite believe.
"For what it's worth, thank you," Kakashi said softly and he smiled at her. "It's good to see you."
Anko's cheeks flared up and she muttered, "Idiot… I told you I wasn't waiting for you." And before Kakashi could argue she body flickered away.
The White Demon sighed and started ruefully at the K.I.A memorial. "Shikaku's right women are troublesome," he murmured with a frown. Slowly, walking up the steps, Kakashi knelt before the marble stone. He stared at his reflection that glowed in morning sun. His senses told him that there wasn't anyone close by so Kakashi peeled down his mask and drew in a deep breath of the sweet dew-filled air.
The ninja that gazed back at Kakashi didn't look as if he was twenty-three. His youthful face could have been easily mistaken for eighteen or even seventeen. Eyes that were as grey as his chaotic hair regarded Kakashi before he found their scrutiny unbearable and he was forced to look away.
"I'm sorry it's been so long… Minato-Sensei, Kushina… Dad," Kakashi murmured. It didn't matter how many years had flown past. Pain still reverberated through his body whenever he thought of his lost loved ones. There were still days when it felt as if Kakashi's existence was being crushed by the world, as if the very air was being squeezed from his lungs. Those months after Minato and Kushina's death had been the toughest in Kakashi's life. During his training as Kumo's Ambassador, Kakashi had been plagued by horrific nightmares. In his sleep deprived state he caught himself accidentally writing letters to Kushina and making mental notes to tell Minato about a new technique he had invented. The worst part was waking up everyday and realising that Kushina was no longer there. He may have been almost grown up but a small part of Kakashi yearned to hear her soft, comforting words of, "May the tides of Whirlpool bring you sweet dreams."
Kakashi fingered the crimson scarf that he had finally grown into and now wore everyday unless the heat was truly unbearable. "I…" His words escaped into the air, merging and tangling until they tumbled into one single exasperated sigh. Kakashi shook his head and straightened. There was too much to say, too many emotions to squeeze and analyse, too many stories that he would never be able to share.
Moving away, Kakashi pulled up his mask and turned his back on the memorial.
When Rin arrived at the Council Chamber most seats were already taken. Spying a spare seat near the back Rin shuffled past the jonin who were assembled, muttering and apologising every time she accidentally stood on someone's toes.
Finally seated, Rin gazed around the room. From her seat she spotted Namiashi Raido leaning against a wall alongside Shiranui Genma. Scanning to her left, Rin spotted the untidy hair of her ex-boyfriend Aoba. For a moment she gazed at him feeling only remorse. The Kyubi's attack had torn apart their relationship, grief severing their teenage love. Rin had heard that Aoba was a dedicated godfather to Ino and even from here she could see how exhausted he looked. Although they hadn't spoken since that horrific day, Rin constantly wished that they hadn't ended on such bad terms.
"A three hour meeting at nine in the morning," she heard a decidedly grumpy ninja mutter, jerking her from her thoughts. "You think the Hokage could have picked a more humane hour."
"You need to learn how to deal with mornings," his friend sniggered back.
"It is now 9AM," the authoritative voice of Councillor Homura rang throughout the room, bringing the ninjas to a silence. "Are all representatives from the units here?"
"I think we're waiting for some rather vital people," the Third remarked with an amused smile upon his face.
Right on cue the doors of the chamber opened and three ninjas sauntered through.
"Ah right on time," Councillor Koharu nodded. "Shikaku, Darui, Kakashi."
Immediately the jonin swivelled around in their seats to stare at the White Demon. Rin couldn't help but smile as Kakashi remained utterly indifferent to the attention. Shikaku, Darui and Kakashi took their seats amongst the ninjas who sat facing the councillors and the Hokage.
"Now that everyone is here we shall commence the meeting," the Third's smile faded and was replaced by a serious expression. "Of course you all know why you have been assembled here. As representatives from the Intelligence and Research Divisions, ANBU and Kumo you have all been working on one mission that is the highest priority for both Konoha and Kumo: Orochimaru."
The Third leant forward and his brow creased into a frown, "ANBU is probably the best to start with… Captain, if you will."
From the shadows a toad-masked ANBU stepped forward. "Several of our team have been working together to track Orochimaru's various hideouts," the ANBU told the room. "Water, Rain, Waterfall, Grass… We've found bases in them all."
"Completely deserted?" Homura asked.
"There were a few survivors and remnants of research," the ANBU said. "However Orochimaru's movements are erratic. Jiraya and Kumo's intel has helped somewhat however we're still finding it difficult to predict where his next move will be."
Rin's eyes narrowed as she stared at the toad-masked ANBU. That dark tangled hair and slouched stance… She could recognise it anywhere. Rin caught Kakashi's eyes from across the room and they exchanged a small smile. Both friends had known that Obito belonged to ANBU however due to their clearance level they had never questioned him about it. ANBU were sworn to secrecy although they could tell their loved ones, who were thoroughly vetted, that they belonged to the shady unit. Rank and mission information however was completely top secret. Neither Kakashi nor Rin wanted to put Obito in the position where he would have to lie to them.
From behind his mask Obito continued his report until Koharu waved him away. "Intelligence Unit?" She said.
Aoba rose from his seat. "Thanks to working alongside ANBU we've been able to gain some fragmented memories from the survivors," he told the room. "The trauma has severely warped their mindscapes however and most unfortunately died during the recovery process."
"You mean you were unable to recover the memories of those who were imprisoned by Orochimaru?" Homura raised a bushy eyebrow.
There was unsaid sentence that clung bitterly to the air. Rin knew that Aoba must be constantly haunted by it. That if Inoichi was still alive he would have been able to recover the memories.
"We pushed as hard as you and Danzo ordered us," Aoba said between gritted teeth. "However Orochimaru only leaves behind those he thinks are disposable and as reported by ANBU he kills those who he thinks may reveal valuable information, even going to the lengths of burning the bodies."
"The two survivors of Konoha?" Koharu asked.
"No," the Third interrupted. "The two survivors of Konoha will be left to recover and that is final. Koharu, Homura, you know my feelings about the matter. They have already been questioned and probed when they were children. If any memories surface the survivors will step forward. Anyway… Those memories will be more intact that way, am I right Aoba?"
"Yes Hokage-sama," Aoba nodded.
The two survivors of Konoha… Rin mulled it over as the councillors continued question Aoba. Ever the caring Hokage, the Third had kept the identities of the survivors a secret. Of course Rin knew that one survivor was Anko however she wondered who the other was.
"Research!" Koharu barked.
Rin started and she jumped to her feet. "Apologies councillor," she murmured. "The Research Division has been investigating into the remains of experiments that Orochimaru has left behind. These range from traces of DNA to fragmented notes."
"And what have you found?" Koharu asked.
Rin thought the endless nights where she combined her medical expertise and seal knowledge as she performed post-mortems on festering corpses discovered by ANBU. The blood stained parchment, the horrific medical instruments, the sickly devised seals that had been place upon half-starved victims; Rin had studied them all. The worst part was that she had become emotionally detached to it all. As a girl she would have cried but now it was simply part of Rin's everyday work.
"From what we gleamed Orochimaru is investigating bloodline limits," Rin said. "The survivors were usually people from minor countries with unique genetic abilities. In one particular case we discovered that Orochimaru had attempted to implant DNA into another individual."
Muttering rippled through the room at this statement. "Would you say that our own clans with bloodline limits are under threat?" Homura asked.
"It is a possibility," Rin admitted. "Orochimaru is experimenting with genetics so those with bloodline limits are an obvious target. However our main concern were the scrolls we pieced together."
"Go on," Koharu nodded.
"From what the Research team have deduced Orochimaru was collecting corpses, this was evident from the Third War. Most of these, as revealed by ANBU, were simply for experimentation but I noticed that there were a lot of scrolls with storage seals," Rin told her.
For a moment she frowned. It was her duty to present the report that her old bat of a commander had told her to write up however there was one key point that Rin disagreed with. Slowly Rin added, "My commander believes that Orochimaru is building up kind of dead army however-"
"However you obviously have another idea," the Third's wrinkled lips curved into a wry smile. "Go on Rin, I like to hear the ideas of the younger generation."
"Thank you Hokage-sama," Rin bowed her head. "I feel that Orochimaru… He thinks of himself as a scientist, he is after all one of the Sannin. But I feel that he doesn't want to conquer countries, he's more trying to find a way of… Genetically enhancing himself or even searching for a way to gain immortality."
"This is just a hunch?" Koharu cut in. "You have no evidential basis for this opinion?'
Rin reluctantly shook her head as the Councillors immediately dismissed her idea. The Third however said, "I appreciate your thought, Rin."
Rin sat back down in her seat. At least she had said it. The First Commander of the Research Division Yamamada Junko would most likely give her paperwork for the rest of the year as punishment for speaking her mind however Rin refused to believe that Orochimaru was building an undead army.
"And finally Nara Shikaku, Hatake Kakashi and Darui," The Third said. "Your report please."
With a laconic shrug, Darui dragged himself up from his seat. "At Kumo we're been trying our hardest to track Orochimaru movements," he said. "We've been sharing information with Konoha's ANBU. Our own ANBU who have been investigating the northern territories discovered similar bases."
Shikaku and Kakashi then stood up to add their part to the report. "Kakashi and I have been mapping Orochimaru's bases," Shikaku frowned. "So far twenty-six have been discovered by both Konoha and Kumo. There appears to be no apparent pattern to his movements…"
"What do you think the best strategy is for now?" The Third asked.
Shikaku gestured at Kakashi who explained, "Orochimaru most likely has some kind of long term plan and if he's been collecting people with bloodline limits then an obvious target would be Konoha with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans."
Shikaku rubbed his chin and added, "It's like waiting for a snake to strike. We have to lay the bait to draw him out. If ANBU keep chasing him the deeper Orochimaru is going to bury himself."
Kakashi nodded and said, "If there was some kind of event where many people with bloodline limits were gathered, the chunin exams for instance, Orochimaru would perhaps make a move on Konoha then."
"Preposterous," Homura shook his head. "The chunin exams are so well guarded. We cannot make ourselves sitting ducks if what you've said is true. Am I correct, Hiruzen?"
The Third leant on the table before him and propped his weary head on his hands. There was a faint gleam of remorse in his eyes and Rin's heart sank. She knew what the Third was searching for: penance for losing his student. Like every regretful teacher the Hokage would attempt to take down Orochimaru in the most peaceful way possible that wouldn't affect the village's future generations.
He gazed at Kakashi for a moment and said softly, "I would like ANBU to keep investigating into Orochimaru's bases… There is still a chance, however slight, that we may be able to catch up with him."
Kakashi, Shikaku and Darui sat back down. The Third stood up and said in a loud voice, "This meeting is adjourned. You are all dismissed."
By the time it was five in the evening, Kakashi's brain had turned to the consistency of porridge. Every time he attempted to stir a thought, the words would disintegrate into a single pounding headache. With weary steps he trod through familiar yet changed streets, the backpack from his travels slung over his shoulder. All he wanted right now was a long hot shower, a cooked meal and a very long sleep. Although the final meeting had been cancelled the other had overrun and Kakashi still had a one-to-one meeting with the Hokage tomorrow. It almost made Kakashi wish that he was still in his small flat that was carved into one of the lofty mountains of Kumo.
Yet, as Kakashi walked up a path that he had run down countless of times during his childhood, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief seep through his bones. There, emerging from between the trees, were the gates of the Hatake Compound. The old protective seals, carved in by Kakashi's ancestors, welcome him with a gentle warmth as he pushed open the ancient wooden gates. Immediately Kakashi's eyes scanned the yard, noting that flowers were not as riotous as they should be in the springtime. Then his gaze was drawn to the old Hatake training scarecrow, who stood tall and proud.
With some amusement, Kakashi noted that the scarecrow's clothes had been changed and propped on his old friend's head were a pair of goggles. "Obito," He muttered, shaking his head.
"Your scarecrow was missing a very vital piece of clothing," a voice said.
Kakashi turned to see his friend sitting on the porch, chewing a toothpick, with grin on his face.
"I see…" Kakashi rumpled his hair. Suddenly his eyes narrowed as he homed in on one particular flowerbed.
"I watered your plants," Obito said quickly.
"My freesias are dry though, and look!" Kakashi walked over a fingered a spotted leaf. "My Japanese Andromeda has rust."
"Hey I followed Pakkun's instructions!" Obito leapt to his feet, in fear of incurring Kakashi's wrath. Although his friend was a laid-back guy when it came to his plants, Kakashi was deadly serious.
"Should've known you're too much of an idiot to follow simple instructions," Kakashi retorted.
"You bastard," Obito said. "What kind of twenty-three year old is obsessed with gardening anyway?"
"The cultured kind," Kakashi batted right back.
"Are you saying I'm uncivilised?" Obito objected.
"Of course," Kakashi shrugged. The two looked at each other for a moment then burst out laughing.
"God it's been ages," Obito walked over and clapped a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "I almost missed you."
"Wouldn't that have been a tragedy," Kakashi added dryly.
"Now what are you two gossiping about?"
Kakashi and Obito looked up to see Rin step out of the front door. Walking down the steps she immediately embraced Kakashi. "I know you don't like hugs but I don't care," Rin smiled as she hugged him. "It's good to see you."
"You too Rin," Kakashi gave her an awkward pat on the back as she moved away. It really was. Although their letters had been infrequent, Kakashi had missed his friends. They were his only family left.
"Now come on inside," Rin said. "I've made your favourite, aubergine soup."
"I've made your favourite Kakashi!" The ghost of Kushina echoed through his mind. "Icky aubergine soup… God knows why you like it…"
Kakashi shook himself. He fought the urge to indulge in painful memories. Instead he focused on his family, his two friends. Slowly, he peeled down his mask and drew in a deep breath of air.
"It's good to be home," he said. Rin smiled, Obito grinned and together they headed into the house.
A/N: This arc is going to be a slow build, there are lot of foundations to lay and explanations of what have happened over the years but don't worry the action will be on its way! You hopefully won't have to wait as long for the next chapter as I've secured a new job so now I'm not job hunting I should (I say that with some hesitation) have more time to write. Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!