CHAPTER 8: Bridge Over Troubled Waters
"O Lord, a mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings. Ye, who bears the name of man. Truth and appearance, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Destructive Spell #33: Blue Fire, Crash Down!"
A burst of blue energy flames discharged from Naruto's hand. The torrent of blue fire moved like a wave, engulfing a nearby boulder and incinerating it into smithereens.
"Impressive, Naruto."
Naruto turned around to see Tessai clapping at a successful incantation. The young blonde let out a wide grin while doing fist pumps in the air. "Told you I can do it, you know?"
"Indeed, you do," replied the muscular man. "Now, how about we train with Binding Spells next?"
"Sure thing, Tessai!" Naruto replied with eagerness.
"Get ready!" said Tessai while he pointed his fingers forward. "Destructive Spell #4: Pale Lightning!" A stream of white lightning bolts fired at the blonde genin.
Naruto quickly brought his forearm forward a yelled, "Binding Spell #3: Repulsion!" A shield made of spiritual energy formed in front of Naruto and deflected the incoming attack. The lightning bolts ricochet and hit various spots in the training area.
It's been a month since Team 12 was formed. During that time, the three genins and their sensei took basic missions that were more like chores than actual ninja missions. Supposedly, these types of assignments were good for building camaraderie and trust among team members. This idea would apply to the rest of the squads, but not Yoruichi's group. They already exhibited exceptional teamwork right off the bat. Still, it's a requirement for fresh genin teams to complete a set number of low ranked missions before they could take on higher-ranked assignments.
In between these missions, the squad would undergo extensive training that the Shihōin heiress sees fit for their current skill level. Naruto would juggle his schedule by training in kenjūtsu, zanjūtsu, taijūtsu, and Kidō. Thanks to his shadow clones, the blonde soul reaper/ninja improved at an unprecedented rate. Kimimaro would practice his sword skills with either Naruto or Yūgao and Hayate. The two kenjūtsu shinobis were reluctant at first since their assignment only concerned Naruto until some convincing from the Hokage and due monetary compensation from Kisuke managed to change their minds. They found that the Kaguya was a proficient sword fighter despite the rather unrefined methods the young lad uses. As for Hinata, Yoruichi took it upon herself to personally teach her fellow heiress. Much like Kisuke's assessment, Hinata's Byakūgan served as her strongest attribute. The fact that she can see through objects makes a great advantage in battles. One thing that Yoruichi noticed about the shy girl was her ability to hide her presence. It was such an underappreciated skill of the timid Hyūga that the Shihōin found it ridiculous that nobody ever attempted to cultivate such latent ability. Hinata could become the perfect infiltrator and scout in their generation.
"Now, I only wish this little girl can use the Flash Step," Yoruichi thought. "If that ever happened, she'll become the perfect spymistress"
"So, what do you think?"
Yoruichi turned to her right to see Kisuke watching the three ninjas busy with their training. "To be honest, they might just be the best genin team right now," she replied.
"I think so too." Urahara tilted his head a bit towards the female death god. "It seems you have a growing attachment towards Hinata."
Yoruichi sighed. "Nothing goes over your head, does it?"
"Nope. Well anyway, I already made some progress on those new gigais I've been making. I also got permission from the Hokage to get Hinata's help with my little project. The only thing left now is to ask permission from Lord Hiashi."
"I see. Tell me, what kind of zanpakūto does Naruto have?"
Kisuke liked to discuss these kinds of topics. "Zanpakūtos usually fall under the combat, Kidō, elemental, and healing types. Naruto's, however, doesn't fall under those categories. I believe that he has the first chakra-based zanpakūto." This elicited a raised eyebrow.
"Care to explain?"
"Gladly," the blonde reaper answered. "I have a working theory as to why his zanpakūto is unique. First off is the presence of chakra coils. Usually, spiritual energy cannot be directly utilized by normal humans apart from the Quincy. That's because humans tend to have a modest amount of spiritual energy. Here lies the purpose of the chakra system. It draws out the energy from the soul but in controlled amounts and uses it to convert kī thus creating jūtsus. The other reason is the origin of his zanpakūto. Since his zanpakūto was once the fox, which was a sentient mass of chakra, by the way, he taps into the nigh-infinite reserves that are sealed in his body. He can still use Kidō spells but instead of using the spiritual half of the fox's chakra, he uses his soul as fuel as we do."
"I see," Yoruichi nods. "You never cease to amaze me Kisuke."
Kisuke smiled as his gaze diverts back to the three genins. "I'm just passionate about the things that interest me."
Hiruzen sighed while looking at a mountain stack of paperwork on his desk. If he could just find a way to finish this deal with this thing. "How the hell did Minato ever solve this problem, I'll never know." Suddenly, a familiar dog appeared in front of the old Hokage. It was a small pug wearing a Hidden Leaf headband. Hiruzen immediately recognized the small canine to be Kakashi's ninja dog Pakkun.
"Good day, Lord Hokage," the dog greeted.
"Good day to you too, Pakkun. Tell me, what brings you here?"
The expression on the small dog's face shifted to a more worried look. "I have some bad news from Kakashi."
Sarutobi's face took on a serious look. "What is it?"
"Team 7's current mission to the Land of Waves took a nosedive for the worse. The client Tazuna lied about having only bandits to deal with. They encountered rogue ninjas from the Hidden Mist who were hired by Gato of the Gato Corporation. Kakashi says that the bridge Tazuna was building will hinder the tycoon's grip on the nation, so the greedy midget ordered for the bridge builder's death."
"What's the current status of the team right now?" Hiruzen asked with concern.
"They managed to take care of Demon Brothers. Still, with how things went FUBAR too quickly, Kakashi decided to ask for some backup in case stronger ninjas appeared."
The old Hokage nodded in agreement. "I see."
For a few minutes, Hiruzen kept thinking about which team he would send. He needed to send one immediately but so far, most of the teams available won't be much help in the mission. Team 9 was currently on an escort mission, Team 10 lacks the necessary strength to go up against any experienced rogue despite Shikamaru's wits, and Team 8 is the least ideal squad to send as support. There was only one team that can provide the necessary aid for the mission, and given who and what their sensei is, it made even more sense to send them to the Land of Waves.
"ANBU!" Hiruzen called. Suddenly, an ANBU operative wearing a tiger mask appeared in front of the Hokage. "Call Team 12. Their presence is needed here immediately so I can explain the mission they'll be taking."
"Understood, Lord Hokage," the ANBU nodded and vanished in a flicker.
Hiruzen then told Pakkun to relay a message to Kakashi, telling him that help is on the way. The ninja pug barked before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Just as the dog vanished, the door to his office opened to see Yoruichi, Naruto, Hinata, and Kimimaro coming in.
"Hey, Gramps!" greeted the overeager blonde.
"Hello Naruto, Hinata, Kimimaro, and Lady Yoruichi. I've called you here because an urgent matter just came up. I'm sending you to the Land of Waves as a backup for Team 7. Earlier, I received a message that their client lied about the rank of the mission. Instead of a simple escort mission where the only problem were mere bandits, Kakashi and his team were ambushed by the Demon Brothers, rogue ninjas from the Hidden Mist."
This caught the attention of Yoruichi. "Gōzu and Meizu? Are you sure?"
"Yes," Hiruzen replied. "You seem to know who they are?"
"I do. I fought them once during my travels in the Land of Water before I met Kimimaro."
"I see. In any case, the description given by one of Kakashi's ninja dogs matches the ones in the Bingo Book."
"Ok. When do we leave?"
"Today when you're ready."
"Got it." Team 12 then left the office. Yoruichi then looked at her team before commanding, "Prepare everything you need for this mission. Make sure to stock up on supplies because we might be there for weeks. Got it?"
"Yes, Sensei!" said the genins in unison.
"Good. Meet me at the gates in one hour," Yoruichi ordered before she vanished.
The three genins looked at each other and nodded before leaving Hokage Tower to prepare for the mission.
After an hour, they met up with their sensei. Seeing her charge already with their equipment and supplies, she motioned for them to come closer.
"Ok, kids," she started while scanning the three, "…as of right now, Team 7 is nearing the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves. If we run, it would still take us five to ten hours and that's including a boat ride. Luckily, I can get us there in the least amount of time."
Hinata and Naruto's eyes widened at the claim. "How!?" they both asked.
Yoruichi looked at Naruto and smiled. "It's one of the fundamental techniques soul reapers use to traverse great distances. We call it 'Flash Step' and I happen to be the best at it."
"Will you be teaching it to me?" Naruto asked, his eyes gleaming at the prospect of learning such a skill.
"Yes, you will. Now grab on to me." The three then held their sensei and felt some weird energy flowing through them. "By the way, depending on the distance, you might get sick."
"WHA-," Naruto and Hinata didn't even get to finish before they vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, Kōtetsu and Izumo were watching the whole thing from their little post just inside the gate. To say they were surprised would be putting it lightly.
"Did she just use the Flying Thunder God?" Kōtetsu asked.
"I don't think so," Izumo replied. He looked to his partner who was staring at the spot where Team 12 was before they vanished. "I need a drink."
"Yeah, no shit."
It was supposed to be a simple escort mission.
Kakashi didn't expect things to go south almost immediately when he and his team left the village. First, he had to deal with the constant bickering between his genin, mostly from Sakura getting pissed and Sai giving out a tirade of ridiculous nicknames. After that, they had to deal with the Demon Brothers from the Hidden Mist Village. They managed to take care of that, but it opened a whole can of worms to worry about. For one, their client lied about the mission having only bandits to fight. Then there's a power-hungry tycoon trying to subjugate an entire nation into poverty. Finally, he and his team came face to face with one of the dreaded Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist…
Zabuza Momochi
Now they're in a bind. An unnaturally thick mist was covering the area and given that Zabuza was an expert in the silent kill, the copycat jōnin didn't want to get his team killed early on in their careers. The three genins surrounded Tazuna in a bid to protect their client while Kakashi was keeping the "Demon of the Hidden Mist" busy. "I hope backup can get here soon. I can take on Zabuza head-on but-," Kakashi wasn't able to finish when a massive sword almost cleaved him in two.
"Come on Kakashi," the bandaged Mist ninja taunted. "I was hoping that you'd give more of a fight than that. Why don't you make good on your infamous moniker and use your Sharingan?"
That caught Sasuke's attention. The Sharingan is a powerful visual bloodline that is unique only to the Uchiha Clan. Considered to be one of the Three Great Visual Bloodlines, the Sharingan can read the flow of chakra and copy most ninjūtsu just by seeing it once.
"How did Kakashi-sensei ever get a Sharingan? I'm pretty sure he isn't an Uchiha," thought the raven-haired boy as he saw the three-coma pattern on his sensei's left eye.
"Finally!" the masked Mist rogue exclaimed. "You're getting serious."
"You want a challenge, Zabuza? Then let's dance." In mere seconds, Kakashi was weaving hand signs in rapid succession that it was too fast for the genin team to see. "Fire Style: Fireball Jūtsu!" he yelled as a massive ball of fire headed towards the Mist rogue.
After weaving hand signs, Zabuza slammed his hands on the ground and said, "Water Style: Water Wall Jūtsu!" A large wall of water got in between him and the incoming fire attack. Smoke and steam were added to the thick layer of the mist when the two attacks collided. Out of nowhere, a kunai flew past Zabuza's face and nicked his cheek. He then saw Kakashi lunging forward with a kunai towards his face. He managed to block the incoming attack with the broadside of his blade: The Guillotine Sword.
Again, Kakashi launched another fireball attack on the Mist rogue. Zabuza managed to jump away from the impact zone when he felt something metallic puncture his side. He looked to see the Copy Ninja holding said kunai as it was being plunged deeper into his gut. Zabuza just grinned until his form dissolved into water.
"Water clone!" Kakashi thought aloud before he sensed Zabuza behind him. He swung his kunai behind to try and wound the enemy, but the Mist ninja ducked and cleaved the Leaf jōnin in half.
The genin team widened their eyes in horror. Even Sai showed an expression of worry after seeing his sensei cut down like a slab of meat. Then their fears grew even more when they saw the man that killed their sensei charging at them with his giant cleaver in hand.
Zabuza jumped and coiled his hands back to deliver an overhead slash that would certainly kill anyone. That attack, however, was unsuccessful when a foot made contact with his face while he was in the air mid-swing. He landed face-first on the ground, skidding on the dirt before stopping. When Zabuza looked up, he saw Kakashi with a kunai in his left hand dropping to a defensive stance. He looked to the place where he supposedly cut the Leaf ninja only to find a log chopped in half. "Figures," he thought.
Kakashi was already breathing heavily, though Zabuza was in no better shape than he is, but still. He made some hand signs and slammed his hands onto the ground. "Earth Style: Rock Spire Jūtsu!" Earth spikes erupted from the ground, all directed towards Zabuza. The Mist ninja slashed the incoming rock attacks with his oversized blade. He barely saw the leg from the corner of his eye that eventually connected to his side. He lurched from the force of the kick and retaliated with a backhand. The Copy Ninja managed to block the swinging forearm only to feel a foot in his gut. He was pushed back a couple of feet. Then, an exchange of slashes, strikes, and parries occurred between the two fierce combatants.
After almost ten minutes of throwing fists and jūtsus with neither of them getting the upper hand, they delivered one final strike at each other that resulted in a momentary deadlock before pushing each other away to gain some much-needed distance. Both knew that if things dragged on, neither of them will accomplish anything. They needed to finish this now!
Kakashi's Sharingan began spinning as he weaved through a series of complicated hand signs. After that small session, he tightly gripped the wrist of his right hand with his left hand. Slowly, a small spark built in the palm of his right hand that began to grow and crackle. It was electricity. The crackling was gradually replaced by the sound of birds chirping frantically.
As Kakashi's hand was slowly covered in lightning chakra, Zabuza gripped his gigantic blade tighter. The sight of chakra becoming visible isn't something new to the mist swordsman. He already fought the Fourth Mizukage who was miles above Kakashi in terms of strength and survived, albeit barely. He won't be fazed by a meager display of power.
As if on cue, both shinobis charged at each other, in their eyes were the intent to finish this fight at all costs. Kakashi's hand thrust forward while covered in crackling electricity. Zabuza, on the other hand, lifted the Guillotine Sword to hack the incoming Leaf ninja in two. The distance shortened. The anticipation in an all-time high. Who will emerge in this last-ditch effort from both fearless shinobi? Zabuza? Or Kakashi?
CLANG!
The anticipation was short-lived when something more unbelievable happened. In the middle of the two combatants was a dark-skinned purple-haired woman who managed to block the Guillotine Sword with a metal plate on her forearm while gripping the Sharingan-eyed jōnin's electrified hand like it was nothing. This earned the newcomer expressions of disbelief when she managed to stop two powerful attacks and still look bored. That's when they noticed who this person was.
"LADY YORUICHI!" both Kakashi and Zabuza exclaimed in unison.
Yoruichi smiled at the little stunt she pulled. She wasn't the type to do something flashy, but being with Kisuke for most of her life, she tends to pick up some habits from the eccentric blonde. With her, Naruto and Hinata were covering their mouths as if trying to prevent their latest meal from coming out of their system. Kimimaro was already used to the Flash Step but he still felt a mild case of nausea. Without warning, Naruto bolted from his team and went straight to a nearby bush.
BLEURGH!
Everyone looked at the blonde and saw him hurling out his lunch. From the looks of it, most of the stuff coming out were strings of ramen and broth. "Typical Naruto," Yoruichi thought. "WIMP!" she exclaimed, adding insult to his student's predicament.
The rest of the people watching, except Sai and Kimimaro, all had a drop of sweat appear on their foreheads. Hinata, for her part, immediately went to Naruto and began rubbing his back. The ministrations had an almost immediate effect as the blonde quickly recovered from throwing up even more.
With the young heiress dealing with her vomiting team-mate, Yoruichi was able to address the current situation. "Hello, Zabuza. It's been a while," she said with a cheeky grin.
Zabuza let down his weapon and turned his head to a nearby tree. "HAKU!" he yelled. A young man wearing a dark green kimono and a hunter mask appeared near Zabuza.
"Hello, Lady Yoruichi," the hunter ninja, now identified as Haku, greeted. Then he set his gaze upon the white-haired genin who slowly approached him. With a quick motion, Kimimaro and Haku grabbed each other's forearms with a tight grip. For a quick moment, Kimimaro showed a gentle smile at the sight of the other.
"It's been a while, Haku," said the young Kaguya.
"That it has, Kimimaro," Haku replied.
"Hello to you too, Haku." Yoruichi then looked to the silver-haired ninja who was still dumbstruck that his signature attack was casually stopped. "Snap out of it, Hatake."
Shaking his head, Kakashi finally addressed the newcomers. "Lady Yoruichi."
"Kakashi," the female soul reaper said, acknowledging Kakashi's presence. "Tell your team to stand down. Zabuza and Haku will not attack you while I'm here."
Kakashi was still a bit apprehensive of the claim. "Be that as it may Lady Yoruichi, I still wouldn't let my guard down with one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."
That comment made Zabuza snort. "Heh, even if Haku and I teamed up and fight her, we'd still be defeated hands down," Zabuza interjected. "I'm not stupid enough to fight the Goddess of Flash!"
The genin from Team 7 looked at Zabuza with questioning looks before shifting their gaze back at the captain of Team 12. "Goddess of Flash?" were the thoughts of the team who were guarding the bridge builder.
Kakashi lowered his hand as the electricity fizzled out. "Thank you for coming, Lady Yoruichi."
The lady soul reaper rolled her eyes at being given honorifics. "Would you stop with the 'Lady' thing? It's a bit annoying."
"Of course."
The members of Team 7 were slightly surprised at the behavior of their sensei. Usually, he'd just act nonchalantly at anyone, even with the Hokage. Seeing Kakashi act so obediently around Yoruichi made them curious as to what the mysterious captain of Team 12 is capable of. Let's not forget the fact that even Zabuza Momochi, the "Demon of the Hidden Mist", isn't going to risk a fight against Yoruichi who he calls the "Goddess of Flash".
"Team 12, ATTENTION!"
That call snapped the genin from whatever they were doing and proceeded in front of Yoruichi. This was a standard procedure for Team 12. Her background as the former captain of Division 2 and general of the Stealth Corps came in handy when enforcing discipline among her genins. If anyone of them ever acted out of line, she'd punish them accordingly. Although, the Shihōin heiress never did get any problems from her team. Hinata was too shy to disappoint her, Kimimaro was obedient to a tee, and Naruto was too traumatized to even say "No" to her, lest he gets to see another cat-to-human transformation again. All in all, managing this team was a breeze.
"Ok, team," the former captain began, "…even though Zabuza is no longer our enemy, you will continue your mission in assisting Team 7 in protecting the bridge builder."
Hinata noticed that their sensei referred only to the three of them. "Umm…s-sensei?"
"What is it Hinata?"
"Y-You s-said your mission. Aren't you coming with us, sensei?"
Yoruichi gave her a soft smile before answering, "I have some business to attend to that concerns Zabuza and his friend here. I'll be leaving when you reach the client's house and I still need to explain the details between Zabuza and Kakashi. Once I leave, I'll give Kakashi full command over your squad until I come back. Understood?"
Not wanting to disappoint or get a harsh prank pulled on them, the three complied with a resounding "YES, SENSEI!"
Turning her attention to the client, she slowly made her way towards Tazuna. "How much farther are we from your house?"
As for the self-proclaimed "Super Bridge Builder", Tazuna couldn't help but gawk at the newly arrived captain of Team 12. Sure, he's already married and has a daughter and a grandson, but if you saw someone as stunning as Yoruichi, what would you do? Shaking his head from that momentary daze, the Land of Wave native replied, "It's just a few miles out from here."
"Ok everybody," Yoruichi called everyone, "MOVE OUT!"
The travel took at least another hour or two before the group consisting of Team 7 and Team 12 along with Zabuza and Haku to reach Tazuna's house. Kakashi, despite Yoruichi's arrival and her assurance that the missing ninja and his partner won't attack, kept his guard up just in case Zabuza and Haku tried something bad. Yoruichi took charge of leading the group while Kakashi held the rear, keeping an eye on the Mist rogue. Kimimaro and Haku were on one side, having idle chat and trying to catch up with one another. Sasuke and Sai were silent, but they have different reasons. For Sasuke, he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his sensei has a Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha. Sai, on the other hand, was looking at the dark-skinned woman leading the group. For whatever reasons the pale-skinned boy was observing Yoruichi, only he knows. As for Sakura, he stayed close to Tazuna.
"Tsunami!" Tazuna yelled after knocking on the door of his house three times.
From inside, the motley crew heard footsteps closing in the front door. Not ten seconds later did the door open to reveal a woman in her mid to late twenties. "Dad!" the woman cried before lunging towards the now sober bridge builder. "I thought you wouldn't make it."
The old man returned the gesture while stroking the hair of her daughter. "I thought so too, but…," he then pointed his thumb towards the group of ninjas behind him, "…if it weren't for these guys, then I might have just bit the dust."
Tsunami shifted her gaze from her father to his escort. "Thank you for keeping my father safe on the way here."
"You don't need to thank us, Tsunami," Kakashi replied. "We're just doing our job."
Tazuna's daughter then gestured for everyone to enter the house. "Please, come in."
One by one they all entered the humble home of the bridge builder. Tazuna, for his part, placed his bag onto the corner of the living room and slumped down onto a nearby couch. Kakashi sat beside him and popped up a familiar orange book just to bury his face into it. Team 7 was guided by Tsunami to the rooms they will be using while Team 12 was being briefed by Yoruichi. Zabuza and Haku felt a bit out of place, considering they're inside the home of the person they're supposed to kill, so the two rogue ninjas just stood in the corner minding their own business…until the Shihōin called their attention.
"Zabuza! Haku!" Yoruichi called before turning towards the smut-reading jōnin. "You too, Kakashi!"
The copy ninja grumbled as he stood up, mildly irritated that his reading session was disturbed. Zabuza and Haku simply moved towards the soul reaper.
She led them to a private room away from the two genin teams. "Kakashi," Yoruichi began as she looked at the one-eyed ninja, "I'll be leaving my genin team in your care for the time being."
Kakashi raised the eyebrow of his exposed eye. "Is this about the mission you'll be doing?"
"Yes. I'll be taking Zabuza and Haku with me since they know the place, I'm headed better than anyone else."
"So, you're going to the Land of Water," mused Kakashi. "I thought as much. Still, what are you going to do there anyway?"
Yoruichi gave Kakashi an unnerving smirk before replying, "I'll be taking out the Fourth Mizukage."
It was silent for a moment before the copy ninja spoke up. "Um…did I hear that right, Lady Yoruichi?"
The Shihōin sighed at the honorifics before continuing to speak. "Yes, Kakashi. I am going to take out the Mizukage, but I won't kill him."
"I think it's much better to just off Yagura instead. As much as I respected the man when he was still mentally stable, letting him live might cause us more harm than good," said Zabuza voicing his opinion on the matter.
"I know how much trouble the Fourth Mizukage has caused the Hidden Mist, but Yagura isn't at fault here," the dark-skinned heiress replied.
That last statement confused the three shinobi.
"What was Yagura like before he went mad?" Yoruichi asked Zabuza.
"He was a good man," replied the bandaged rogue immediately. "He was strong and fierce in battle but at the same time just and respected by my fellow Mist shinobi."
"Did you notice anything different in the way he did things before everything went wrong?"
Zabuza thought for a moment, trying to recall any changes that occurred in his former leader. "Now that you said it…," he began, "…there were some slight changes in his behavior. He was growing more agitated before the start of the purges. He made decisions that had no sense and most of them were detrimental to the welfare of the village. Oddly enough, these changes were slow. It was like he was being conditioned to gradually become unstable…like he was put under a gen-…jūt-…su." Realization dawned on the former Mist shinobi that he couldn't help but mutter his frustration into four simple words, "Son of a bitch."
Yoruichi then turned her gaze towards Kakashi. "I'm guessing that you know what I mean, right?"
The Leaf jōnin nodded. "The Mizukage was put under a genjūtsu. Considering his status as a jinchūriki, it must be a powerful one at that."
"Correct, Kakashi. Jinchūrikis are practically immune to the effects of genjūtsu. Putting one under would mean it must be pretty powerful."
"Do you have any idea what could be strong enough to put Yagura in one?" Zabuza asked, still furious after realizing that his village leader was being used.
"Mangekyō Sharingan," the older heiress answered.
"So, it's an Uchiha," Zabuza remarked. "Aren't they supposed to be extinct except for the twerp in your squad, Kakashi?"
"I know," the Leaf ninja answered, still a bit cautious around the rogue. "There is a possibility that Itachi might be involved, but it would be out of his character if he decided to enslave an entire village just so he could 'test his skills'."
"It's not Itachi," the Shihōin interjected.
The two experienced shinobi looked at her curiously.
"It's someone a lot more dangerous," Yoruichi added.
"Who might this person be?" Haku asked after remaining quiet for much of the discussion.
Yoruichi looked at the three before finally answering in a serious tone. "Madara Uchiha."
"That's impossible," Kakashi muttered in disbelief. "He's supposed to be dead."
"Yeah, and I'm here. I also eat souls for breakfast," Yoruichi quipped.
"Good point."
"Wait, back up!" Zabuza interrupted. "You're saying that a hundred-year-old ninja from the Shinobi Clan Wars is responsible for the shit my village is going through."
The female death god looked at the Mist shinobi will a mischievous expression. "Considering what ninjas can pull out of your asses in an all-out fight, I'd say living for at least a hundred years isn't that far-fetched."
"Touché…"
"Anyway, my associates and I already had some suspicion that Yagura was under someone's control. Madara Uchiha was just one of the possible culprits but considering that Uchihas had the power to subdue tailed beasts, the theory became more plausible once we ran the other possibilities," the soul reaper explained before adding, "Still, there is a lingering chance that it might be another Uchiha responsible or more specifically, someone working on Madara's behalf."
Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku all remained quiet, still trying to process the information they heard. The Mist shinobi finally had a lead as to how Yagura's behavior changed, but after finding out the person responsible, it made them shiver considering they've heard the myths and legends about the infamous ninja. For Kakashi, this news is startling, to say the least. One of the Hidden Leaf's greatest enemies might still be alive and is plotting something against the village. He couldn't help but feel that that's not all the legendary Uchiha is responsible for. He had a nagging feeling that the Nine-tails' attack on the Hidden Leaf was no coincidence.
"So, what are we going to do?" the ice user asked.
"You and Zabuza will come with me to aid the resistance force," answered Yoruichi.
"That'll be easy," Zabuza commented. "I'm one of the few people who started the revolution. The only reason I'm here instead of fighting is that I'm collecting funds for the rebel force."
"If that's the case, then I'll assume you know Mei Terumi."
"I do," Zabuza replied before a cold sensation coursed through his spine. "That woman's a hot-head…literally! A single mention of her being single can cause her to go ballistic. I made that mistake once and I've regretted it ever since."
Haku couldn't help but chuckle before a death glare shut him up.
"Anyway," the Shihōin interrupted before looking at Kakashi, "You should relay this information to Hiruzen but keep in mind that this is all just speculation. I'll personally meet the old man and confirm if our suspicions are true after I deal with Yagura."
The one-eyed jōnin nodded before summoning Pakkun and giving him instructions to relay the information to the Hokage. After a few minutes of explaining, the brown pug disappeared in a puff of smoke. "When will you leave?" Kakashi asked the captain of Team 12.
"Once we settle down and become familiar with the area, I'll advise my team to follow your orders for the time being. I'll leave by tomorrow and will be back in a week at most," Yoruichi answered.
Their attention was then shifted to the said team, with the living soul reaper talking loudly while the other two were listening. Seeing the three interact with each other was quite amusing. As usual, Naruto wouldn't keep himself from being loud while Hinata was just the opposite, constantly blushing all the while stealing glances at the said blonde. As for the Kaguya, he remained just as silent as usual…although if one were to look closely, Kimimaro was enjoying the company of his team-mates. He just doesn't show it openly.
"TEAM 12, ATTENTION!"
At speeds that could rival Might Guy, Team 12 quickly made their way towards their jōnin sensei…all of them in an attentive position. Seeing the rapid response Yoruichi's team exhibited, Kakashi can't help but whistle at how disciplined these three are…which happens to have Naruto Uzumaki, the Leaf's Prankster King, by the way. "Mind teaching me how to whip my team into something like this?" he jokingly asked.
The dark-skinned female chuckled before answering, "Once you reach my age, maybe then I'll teach you."
"You do know I won't live up to a fraction of your full lifespan," Kakashi replied. "Besides, you're not practically alive anyway."
"Touché." The Shihōin gazed at her genin team, observing the little things they were involuntarily doing. Hinata was a tomato since she was next to Naruto this time. Usually, Kimimaro stood between them during briefings. As for the blonde, he was as attentive as he can be, which was rather surprising for Kakashi since he knew all too well the mischievousness his sensei's son can do. He guessed that Yoruichi might have something up her sleeve that can keep the kid in line. Whatever it is, he hoped that she'll share it with him. Kimimaro on the other hand was, well, Kimimaro. "Listen up team," the older heiress pointed towards Team 7's captain, "This is Kakashi Hatake, Team 7's jōnin captain. Like I said before, you'll be under his supervision while I'm away on my mission. You'll be following his orders until I return, understood?"
"YES, SENSEI!" all three answered.
"Any questions?"
Naruto looked at the masked ninja and found something rather familiar about the man. "I do!" he said while raising a hand which was immediately recognized by their sensei. "Have I seen you before, Kakashi-sensei? You look kind of familiar, especially your gravity-defying hair."
"He remembers," said Kakashi to himself. "I don't think so, Naruto."
"Oh. Okay then," the blonde said.
"If there aren't any more questions, then you're dismissed." As the members of Team 12 disappeared, Yoruichi gave Kakashi a knowing look. "He remembers you, Kakashi."
Giving off a sigh, the copy ninja remembered the days when he was still a member of the ANBU. Kakashi was one of the ninjas secretly tasked by the Third Hokage to keep watch on Naruto when he was younger. He couldn't count the number of times he saved the boy from the trouble caused by the villagers. Looking back at it now, he was glad that Yoruichi and the others came and rescued Naruto that night since everything after that was nothing but good fortune for the boy.
"I know," replied the one-eyed ninja. "I didn't expect that he'll recognize me."
"Anyone would recognize you with that hair of yours," the soul reaper commented while hiding a chuckle.
Kakashi deadpanned. "I don't know if should take that as an insult or a compliment."
"That's up to you to decide," the Shihōin heiress remarked before leaving Kakashi to ponder that for himself.
A/N: I must be honest with myself: this wasn't by best chapter. The job of a teacher here in the Philippines isn't the same as in other countries. We have more work added to our teaching schedule and most of it isn't even related to teaching. So, I apologize for a sub-par chapter after waiting for nearly two weeks. Don't worry though, I'll try to improve on the next chapter which…spoiler…will depict a battle between Yoruichi and Yagura. The next chapter could potentially be the longest one yet.
Anyway, I'm still in favor of having a beta to double-check my works for any inconsistencies, plot holes, and/or story progression/flow. Please leave a positive comment if you like the story and if you see some things worth mentioning, leave some constructive criticism.
Until next time.