Somewhere along the line, Kakashi had lost his believability. Sure, his friends had kind of hinted at that through the years, but this time... This time Kakashi could no longer ignore it. The evidence stared him in the face, in the shape of Genin.
Out of his three students, only Naruto nodded when Kakashi promised he was fine.
Kakashi didn't believe him to be sincere for one second and he could appreciate how the boy tried. Naruto had definitely inherited his mother's ability to lie. He actually nodded with one of those terrible smiles that nurses used to give him when he assured them he had had worse before.
"You will be sensei," Naruto smiled kindly, "once the nurse-lady says so."
Traitors.
Though, Kakashi couldn't blame them. The three hadn't looked away from him since he had woken up. Naruto at least looked sun-kissed and reasonably rested. Sakura and Sasuke both looked like Hell had kicked them out for being too depressing.
Well, priorities.
"Did you keep up with your training?"
"Oh man," Naruto grinned and, on cue, his teammates rolled their eyes, "I learned something awesome. Just wait, you'll see soon!"
"He's been saying that since he arrived." Sakura clarified.
Sasuke shook his head, "He probably learned to spell his own name."
"What was that-?!"
Sakura sighed, massaging her temples, "Please sensei, recover quickly so I don't have to listen do these brick-heads any longer."
Kakashi nodded, forcing a smile. "I'll do my best. How are you doing, Sakura? How is the apprenticeship?"
Sasuke abruptly stopped his bickering with Naruto, grabbed the guy and pulled him away. Naruto didn't even protest. He even scrambled to get behind Sasuke, using the latter as a shield.
Kakashi had just enough time to think: I shouldn't have asked, when Sakura, like a true medic-in-training, threw herself on the bed, wailing,
"No one is doing their paperwork correctly!" she sobbed, half-muffled by the blanket, "Everything is such a mess and it takes me half-an-hour just to find the names, never mind the patient-number! Their handwriting is terrible and they keep trying to tell me that their cook is 'a five-star chef' but all he makes is bland porridge and weird green jelly and I'm sick of it-"
Kakashi tuned the rest out.
With the hand that had the least amount of needles taped into it, he reached out and absently patted her head while looking at the boys in the corner. Sasuke gave a hopeless shrug. Naruto whimpered at another loud whine from his teammate.
"Alright, " Kakashi raised his voice, "tell me what happened in the village while I was out."
Instantly, the commotion stopped. Sakura hiccuped to a halt and slowly crawled up to sit at the end of the bed. Sasuke didn't seem inclined to reply, but then again he never did. Kakashi was glad to see they hadn't suddenly matured without him.
Naruto looked between them and shifted his feet.
"It's been weird, sensei." he started, "The village feels... weird."
"Well said, idiot." Sasuke scoffed, but it lacked the usual heat. Naruto glared at him,
"How would you describe it then? Look outside! It's so weird."
"Naruto," Kakashi interrupted, "please just explain what makes it weird."
Naruto shrugged, uncomfortable, "People are just... Careful. The Jonin are outside all the time and super grumpy. Asuma-sensei didn't even say anything when Shikamaru ignored him! And the ANBU are everywhere. Like, I saw a few eating ramen on top of my apartment when I came back. They didn't even share..." He pouted.
Kakashi sighed.
"You three need to be careful," Kakashi tried to sit up a bit, shifting his pillow a bit lower to support his back, "I guess security has been amped up and everyone is just stressed. Don't make people angry. Naruto, Sasuke- you two cannot have another argument outside, understood?"
They nodded. Sakura subconsciously ran a hand over her side, just behind her upper ribs. She looked skinnier than before, but tanned which meant she spend a lot of time outside. More than the average medical apprentice. Kakashi made a mental note to spy on her later.
"Anything else I should know?"
Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads.
Naruto jumped up from his slouch, "Oh I have a gift for you guys!"
Three heads turned to him. Naruto patted his pockets, twisting and turning, murmuring under his breath. Kakashi sank back, waiting for the boy to realize the same thing. Naruto stopped and stuck his bottom lip out,
"I didn't bring them... They're still at home, I can go get-!"
"No, wait!" Kakashi lifted his hand, disliking how his stiff his muscles were. "You can give it during the next training, alright?"
Naruto nodded, frowning at his feet.
"Sensei..." Sakura played with the hem of her shirt. "Are you really okay?"
Kakashi huffed, softening at the open look in her eyes. Next to her, Sasuke was doing a poor job of hiding his emotions, while Naruto tried not to look to upset.
"I'm doing well, all things considered." Kakashi nodded at them, feeling a warm weight settle in his chest, "Tsunade-sama is an exceptional medic."
"That's good." Sakura sighed, "I think, we'll need you soon enough."
Naruto cleared his throat, "Yeah, what if those bad guys come back?"
Sasuke clenched his jaw, looking away. Kakashi took a moment to mull this over. Naruto probably had no clue who Kakashi had fought, and he hoped that Sasuke didn't either. If they did then Kakashi needed to drag all of them off to a therapy and a spa to recover from the trauma of meeting Itachi. But Sasuke didn't look that unhinged and Naruto and Sakura always had that manic look in their eyes.
"Don't worry," Kakashi settled on, "I will protect you with my life, no matter who the bad guys are."
And because this was his team of idiots, he added, "Just promise me that you'll be careful, alright?"
The three nods he received told him that it wasn't just him who had lost believability.
A few rooms further, half-an-hour later~
Neji squinted, trying to ignore the dull but throbbing ache behind his eyes, focusing on the three signatures leaving the hospital through the window.
Not only was that forbidden by the law and the scary nurse that made even Hiashi Hyuuga think twice before he suggested a 'treatment', it was also incredibly stupid. It left the windows open and therefore gave any half-decent shinobi the opportunity to enter and slit the patient's throat.
Except for the patient named Kakashi Hatake, Neji grudgingly admitted. That guy could probably outwit Death if the latter stood right behind him.
Neji deactivated his Byakugan and sighed. His head hurt but Lady Tsunade had told him to continue to test his bloodline every hour to reactivate the nerves or something. Neji was not above admitting that the medical jargon she rattled off just an hour before went way over his head. He just settled for obedience and activated his Byakugan right on the dot.
"What do you see?" Lee whispered behind him.
Neji bit back another sigh, "Nothing special."
He turned around and sat back on his bed. Rock Lee looked pitiful, dressed in a hospital gown with most of his lower body immobilized. His wheelchair bounced lightly against his bed-frame.
"Are you sure?" Lee asked, eyes wide. He had bugged Neji about Team 7 for about half an hour until the latter relented. He couldn't really blame Lee for searching for distractions while they were stuck in here. The only issue was that while Naruto had proven himself to be an interesting individual, he had also proven to everyone that he was most beloved by trouble. Deep trouble. The kind that got you killed or worse.
Sure Naruto had his insane, mind-boggling levels of chakra, but no one else had and Neji didn't enjoy risking his relatively good health for the sake of a 'prank'.
Neji rubbed his forehead, "Only Team 7 running away through the window."
Lee nodded, shifting into his 'thinking-mode'. One hand stroking the two strands of hair on his chin, the other supporting his arm. Thick eyebrows furrowed until they looked like giant caterpillars having a conversation. He looked deadly serious.
Neji deserved better.
"What could they be doing?" Lee mused.
"Leaving the hospital." Neji replied dryly. But who was he? Not someone Lee could trust and take his word for. No, Rock Lee had to find the truth his own way. Neji laid down on his bed, folded his arms and closed his eyes. With a bit of luck, the painkillers would put him in a coma.
After an insufferable amount of time had passed, Neji discovered that the world indeed knew no mercy.
"My Precious Students!" Guy bellowed, entering the room with a chorus of 'Shhhh' announcing his arrival. He carried a wicker basket which Neji prayed belonged to a four-year-old girl outside.
Tenten followed their teacher, dragging one foot to swipe up some of the purple glitter that rained down from the pastel pink basket. The lid of the basket didn't fit on top, and a variety of pastries and colored pencils peaked over the edge.
Guy dropped the monstrosity in the middle of the tiny table that usually carried their breakfast and medication. A purple, sparkling mushroom-shaped-cloud flew up.
"Let's have some fun as a team!"
Neji considered jumping out of the window, influence of painkillers be damned.
He entertained that thought for the following hour, until the commotion finally died down and he had crayon over his arms and gown. His team looked no worse, with Tenten sporting a unibrow and green cheeks and Lee and Guy having matching stars drawn all over their foreheads.
His artwork wasn't bad. It depicted the Hyuuga-clan code of honor and all five-hundred rules to abide by. Neji happened to be quite proud of how neat he managed to write them down despite the fat tip of the crayon. He held it up and nodded approvingly.
"Neji," Tenten said, leaning over, inspecting his sheet and making him freeze just the tiniest bit, "I admire your patience, but we were supposed to draw what made us happy."
Before Neji could inform her these were the exact things that delighted him, Guy answered for him, "Oh don't worry Tenten, Neji just enjoys rules and duties. Let him be!"
Neji blinked. Now it sounded lame.
Guy had managed to make his pride and joy, lame.
He deserved better.
Tenten and Lee noticed his displeasure and giggled behind their hands, huddled together on Lee's bed. Neji glared at them. Tenten schooled her face with great effort and elbowed Lee. "What's wrong, Neji?"
Neji narrowed his eyes at her and turned away with a huff. His work was just fine. Much better than the three-eared-bunny she had drawn, or the stick figure punching a mountain in half which Guy had drawn. Lee was a surprisingly decent artist and his figurine actually looked anatomically correct. Then again, one should expect that from the guy dressed in skintight spandex all the time.
They ate the pastries in relative silence. Neji for one, relished in the sound of rustling sheets and the crackle of freshly baked crust. It made him believe in peace for a blissful minute.
Rock Lee got tired of the quietness before long and decided to get in his wheelchair again and race down the hall to run down the stairs on his hands. Guy laughed heartily like the irresponsible adult he could be. Tenten sighed and chased after her wayward teammate.
"Honestly..." Neji muttered, delicately wiping his lips after finishing his bun. Sounds came rushing back to him, filling his head and reminding him that people like him were rare.
He noticed his teacher staring at him and frowned, "What?"
Guy got up and sat down beside him, sinking into the mattress with disturbing squeak from his spandex. His big frame dwarfed Neji but never intimidated him. Not even during their first training, which had left Neji with a generous dent in his ego, did Neji ever think that his teacher would hurt him.
Guy and Neji were contrasting beings, so far on the opposite side of the spectrum of beings, it was hard to believe they even moved in the same space. Yet, Neji sometimes found himself searching for that comforting loudness, the too-bright sparkle and the sound of crashing waves and- perhaps the painkillers were stronger than Neji had anticipated.
He bit his tongue to stop his face from flushing. Neji blinked when a big hand landed gently on his head, fingers finding their way between his hair and massaging his scalp. Despite himself, Neji relaxed.
"Lady Tsunade told me your head would be sore." Guy murmured, eyes soft but watching.
Neji nodded minutely, leaning in the comforting touch.
"I heard you spoke with your family." Guy continued. Neji didn't even flinch, he nodded again, staring at his teacher with drooping eyes.
"Are you and your cousin still on bad terms?"
Neji stiffened a little, denial ready before he could even think of it. He paused. Guy's eyes didn't change. Neji swallowed.
"I spoke with her." Neji said, carefully. Guy hummed, not stopping his ministrations.
"She is a nice girl, kind at heart. That is more important than her position in your clan." Guy's hand dropped to his neck and he gave a light squeeze, "We already went over your duel..."
Neji lowered his chin, "She forgave me."
"That's good." Guy patted his shoulder, "Now come, let's see where your friends are."
Right on cue, a shriek came from the hall, followed by a crashing sound and something bouncing away. Guy laughed. Neji sighed, he really did deserve better.
In the previous room, later that day~
Kakashi felt no shame in immediately getting up and extracting all the needles from his body the minute the last nurse had done her rounds. His head still spun when he moved too fast and maybe his pulse went up a bit worryingly, but he preferred the hospital when he wasn't awake to experience it.
He got out of his bed and pushed the window open. Fresh evening air greeted him like an old friend. Kakashi took a deep breath, tempted to lower his mask (the nurses had removed the others for 'better ventilation') and inhale all the scents he had missed. He restrained himself.
With one foot on the windowsill, Kakashi looked around the room again in hopes of finding his clothes. He did not particularly enjoy running around in Konoha in a paper-dress, contrary to the nurses' popular belief. His eye landed on the beige curtain, pulled aside just enough for him to see a brown braid surrounded by machines.
The hospital had put them together, which meant they probably suffered similar injuries. Kakashi's eye narrowed. The braid, together with what he now recognized as the scent of iron, bounced around in his brain.
The memory hit him like a sledgehammer and he stood on the other side in an instant. Well, as fast as his body let him shuffle to her side.
Chi stared back at him, halfway to sitting up in her bed. Her eyes, half-lidded and not quite clear, were a deep, deep red. Kakashi thought he could spot some yellow dots in the irises but he was not about to lean in and gaze into her eyes.
"Hi." Kakashi lifted a hand in a weak imitation of a vague salute.
Chi blinked slowly, eyes moving from his face to his hand. She licked her lips absently. Kakashi winced at how dry they were. Even from a distance he could see the poor state of her skin. She would need a week in a spa to recover from that alone.
"K-Kakashi-" Chi croaked out. After a brief pause, her eyes widened, "Sensei!"
Kakashi nodded, befuddled. Chi coughed with a dry, rasping sound and rubbed her chest. Her eyes zeroed in on her own hand, as if in wonder that the limb actually existed. Her head snapped up again. A crack sounded and she grunted in pain, hand coming up to massage her neck.
"Kakashi-sensei." she tried again.
Kakashi nodded and moved closer to give her some water from the paper cup Sakura had forgotten to throw out. Chi didn't react until the cup pressed against her lips. She swallowed on instinct. He put it down again after she took a few sips.
"That's better, isn't it?" Kakashi muttered, sitting down on her bed. Chi nodded mutely.
"Do you remember what happened?" he probed gently. Chi stiffened.
"There was..." she hesitated, "a man. Itachi."
Her voice came out in a whisper. Her eyes flickered to him and back to her hands. "Uchiha returned."
"He did." Kakashi confirmed. He lifted one leg on the bed, turning towards her, "What else do you remember?"
"I- I told..." Chi's voice died out. She turned to him with big eyes. Kakashi heaved a deep sigh and nodded. Chi bit her bloodless lips.
"Quite the revelation." Kakashi murmured, looking away to grant her some time to control her expressions again. "That's already two massacres-committed-by-kids too many."
Chi flinched. Probably not the greatest way to lighten the mood, Kakashi thought to himself. Oh well, he couldn't take it back now. He leaned in, fully aware and disgusted with himself for using ANBU interrogation techniques on a recovering Genin, and lowered his voice.
"Tell me, what happened during that night?"
Chi shuddered, bending forward. Her eyes glazed over. Kakashi frowned when her lips started to move without sound. Before he could use his Sharingan to read her lips, Chi's eyes snapped up to him.
"I killed my clan." she stated, observing his reaction.
Funny, just like my old teammate- Kakashi hummed, "You did. How?"
A flash of pain crossed Chi's face, "Long story."
"We're not going anywhere." Kakashi replied, eye curving in an innocent smile.
Chi sat up a bit straighter, tugging the thin blanket over her legs, "Don't tell them."
Kakashi nodded, though he wasn't sure who she meant. Probably her team and classmates, which seemed fair enough.
"I came back from school." Chi started, "Everyone was already there, in the temple. My grandfather gathered everyone for a celebration. It was to celebrate my mastery of Extract."
If Kakashi thought it strange how an eight-year-old had mastered what looked like an highly advanced Kinjutsu, he didn't let it show. Instead he settled in more comfortably on Chi's bed and listened.
"He told me that afternoon that I would have to listen to his exact words and follow his instructions as quickly as possible. I was not allowed to tell anyone-" Kakashi scoffed, of course she wasn't- "not even my par- father."
Her mother would have already been to prison and returned, several times, by that day. Each time left her with less sanity and only her status as matriarch and reputable Jonin made her release even legal. Kakashi had seen her once, on her way back to her clan, and privately entertained the thought to just kill her then and there. Spare everyone the upcoming bloodshed and trauma. He hadn't, because at the edge of the Forest of Death a young man and tiny girl had waited for Hanako Ketsueki and smiled at her.
"Grandfather told everyone that they had to leave some blood in the well. We normally only do that on New Year's Eve." Chi whispered, voice growing husky.
Kakashi frowned at her dark expression. Chi sat hunched over, glaring at her feet while her bandaged fingers pulled at the blanket.
"But the heiress had mastered her ability, so of course we had to celebrate that-" she hissed before her face went blank. Kakashi had frozen in his place, one hand reaching for his missing weapon's pouch.
Chi blinked up at him with weary eyes and continued as if nothing had happened. "He sat me down next to him, in front of everyone while they gave some blood. When that was done, he made us pray."
Elder Sai had always been a charismatic figure, when he didn't go around cowering behind his bodyguards. He would remain the only person who could command a clan like the Ketsueki.
"It was quiet..." Chi murmured, eyes soft, "For once, everything felt... quiet."
The weary look returned before Kakashi could mention it.
"I heard a voice and opened my eyes." Chi sighed, "My cousin, Kosuke, stood away from the rest, but he was looking at me."
Kosuke Ketsueki, talented Jonin, young and promising. Also one of the few Ketsueki who hadn't lost their sanity yet. Kakashi liked him. Never spoke too loudly, or much. When he did speak, he always kept a polite, warm tone and easy attitude. He also gave snacks to Kakashi's dogs so they all showed up at the memorial.
"Then he picked me up and threw me in the well." Chi's eyes turned glassy, "I fit in the bucket. I fell in the blood there."
Kakashi had heard bizarre rituals before, one memorable one from a minor clan that lived on the far border of Earth country who made their children suckle on a rock until it was gone and then declare the kid an adult, but this just sounded gross.
"I could still hear him and-" her voice hitched, "We froze. None could move anymore. Elder Sai had frozen us all."
She coughed lightly, and continued in her regular voice, "He told me it was time. I was so proud. He told me to not hold back and absorb all the chakra in the well. Every last bit. I did that, but then I kept finding more. I thought the well must have been bigger than it looked."
Kakashi closed his eye and exhaled slowly. So Chi's ability could extract chakra from blood, except that it took the blood along as well. Or maybe the Ketsueki really did only need the blood. In any case, since the well contained pure chakra-infused blood with the exact signatures of the people sitting outside, she couldn't differentiate between them and just kept absorbing more.
She had massacred her entire clan... by accident. Like Naruto would accidentally create too many Shadow Clones or Guy would accidentally break someone's arm in a game of wrestling.
He shook his head. No, this only looked like an accident from Chi's perspective. Elder Sai... He had planned this. A simple plan, with ridiculously efficient tools to execute it, but enough to trick an eight-year-old.
Once again, the youth were send to fight wars the elders had created.
Chi had fallen silent after that, staring ahead with half-lidded eyes. Kakashi didn't doubt that her narrative was not at all reliable. Only eight-years-old at the time, tricked and stuck in a well the entire time, combined with her undoubtedly severely traumatized brain, she had probably missed a few important tidbits here and there.
"Do you remember what happened afterwards?" he asked carefully.
Chi clenched her jaw, "I got pushed out. Too much blood. I... floated out."
Kakashi needed to inspect that well someday. It would be tricky, given the traps and illusions, but he had to. There would be no peaceful night for him otherwise.
"No one was there. Just blood."
One of Kakashi's favorite subordinates in the ANBU had confessed to interrogating little Chi when she popped up from who-knew-where and discovered that the 'toy' she had held in a grubby hand was actually a finger. Kakashi had treated the ANBU to some sake and watched gloomily as the latter drank himself into oblivion.
"I wanted to find Kosuke." Chi continued on, "I went in the forest. He found me..."
"Kosuke?"
Chi shook her head. The tiniest sliver of Killer Intent soured the air, but it faded just as quickly. "Danzo..."
Kakashi sat up, "He found you?"
Chi nodded, "I thought he was grandfather, so I ran away. ANBU found me. Danzo demanded they hand me over... And they did."
That wouldn't make anyone a fan, Kakashi reasoned. "How did you get away?"
For the first time, her face softened, "Someone saved me. A man took me away right in front of their eyes. He fled and gave me to a woman who took me outside of the village. The man... Died. He stabbed himself."
Unsung heroes. Kakashi knew a lot of them.
"The woman took care of me. She said they were teachers and it's their job to take care of kids." Chi sighed and massaged her neck again, "She let me go back through the gates after a week, I think. Never saw her again." Most likely dead then. Those two would have had no chance at survival no matter where they would go in the Land of Fire. He admired their bravery.
"She was right." Kakashi said quietly, allowing a tiny bit of warmth to seep into his voice. "Teachers pave the way for their students. That's the way it has always been."
"Do you care for them?" she asked suddenly. Kakashi tilted his head,
"Who?"
"Your students." Chi clarified.
Kakashi considered her question, "I promised them I would protect them with my life and I will." he paused, "And so will all the other teachers."
A thought rose, spreading like tar in his mind. How many people could defend themselves against an out-of-control Ketsueki?
Every one of them had a different specialization and the bastards didn't bleed. Chi could be defeated only by virtue of being a Genin and not even an outstanding one, academically speaking. Her fighting had improved only through ANBU-style trickery and backstabbing, her Genjutsu... didn't exist. Her Ninjutsu was limited because she could rely on her bloodline except she had no one to teach her how to use her bloodline.
Kakashi's respect for Ibiki shot up.
Chi looked away, "Sensei... Did you like the ANBU?"
Kakashi blinked but adjusted, "I wouldn't say 'like'. No one really likes a place where they make you get used to rations even outside of missions."
"I don't eat food, sensei."
Right...
"Why do you want to know?" Kakashi asked, stretching his leg.
She ducked her head, "Just... It may be safer..."
Kakashi waited. Chi seemed to argue with herself, nervousness breaking through her blank mask. It made her look like a kid again, so he wouldn't reprimand her.
"I'm not sure... If the regular corps is still the best place for me." she stammered, "It's getting- My bloodline and jutsu's... They are- Intense."
"That's one way of putting it." Kakashi nodded, "Still, there are plenty of unique Jonin out there." He tapped his covered eye.
Chi coughed again, "But sensei... You were in the ANBU."
Kakashi blamed the drugs still running through his system. "Not anymore."
"I think..." Chi swallowed, "ANBU would be safe... Secure for me. No one would know-"
It hit a little too close for home. Kakashi forced himself to remain cool and collected. "You are not defined by your past or your abilities, Chi."
Chi's voice came out as a pained whisper, "Sensei, I can't control my abilities. Not anymore. There is too much noise. ANBU... It's quiet. They're all like robots, just obeying orders. I- I can't make decisions on my own, please-"
She stopped abruptly and bend over in a fit of coughs. Her eyes changed colors, turning orange, yellow and red in quick succession until they settled on red with orange flecks. Kakashi leaned in to pat her back, grimacing at the bones he could feel poking out.
"ANBU is more that blind obedience. In fact, it depends a lot on your own state of mind. The missions rely on independent thinking and clear heads."
Obedience like she described belonged to ROOT.
Chi thought all ANBU to be like ROOT.
That made for a nasty hypothesis.
Kakashi sat back once she stopped grimacing at the pain from her bruised ribs, "Have you met a lot of ANBU?"
"Danzo has a lot of them, they always follow him around when he decides to meet me." Chi shrugged, a little petulantly. She held herself up pretty well for someone who had just woken up from a coma. It's not like she was used to it like Kakashi.
He nudged her leg with his knee, reaching out and sensing her chakra strumming through her veins. "Those are his personal guards, trained by himself. Not official ANBU anymore. Though he does usually get a team of ANBU as extra guards."
Completely obedient ones, those. Like puppets.
Maybe Chi had a point.
"He would never make me his personal guard." Chi argued weakly, leaning lightly against Kakashi, "And he then he can finally stop nagging. If I- I join the ANBU. Win for everyone."
Except herself. Kakashi sighed. The lack of food and the amount of information made him dizzy.
Danzo being so interested in Chi to the point of following her in public and offering her lessons meant the man planned something. Chi becoming ANBU would take her out of the regular corps and missions and plunge her into a world of strict order and violence. She'd actually thrive there in every direction except mental health. He mulled it over for a while.
Chi's idea was correct and completely fine, if Konoha had functioned the way it did on paper. On paper, the Hokage had full control and T&I had some jurisdiction since they too reported directly to the Hokage.
On paper.
In reality, and by now probably also in tiny lettering in the margins of said paper, Danzo oversaw the management of missions and teams within ANBU. He could demand any type of intelligence, enter the prisons at any time and make decisions without consultation because no one could go against him. The ones who did, ended up like the pair of brave shinobi who saved Chi.
If Kakashi discovered any tangible evidence that ROOT was still active, he would scream at Asuma and pray it would reach his (much beloved, missed and remembered) father.
"Sensei?"
Kakashi stared at her, thinking as fast as he could. Chi didn't blink. Her lips were parted and he could see a glint of the sharp canines in her mouth.
ANBU would need at least a recommendation letter from both Ibiki and himself before they let her into their ranks. When Danzo found out... He would not hesitate to take her for himself. Which obviously sucked and Kakashi wished he could punish the tiny voice in his head whispering about the benefits.
They needed information from the inside, someone who wouldn't lose their minds in ROOT and still be able to report to ANBU. A spy would be perfect. The only Genin currently training to become one was Ryuya and Danzo had no interest in her. If Chi could do it... That would mean facing both her and Ibiki and convincing both to let Chi infiltrate ROOT, or whatever it was called now.
Kakashi didn't think Chi would argue that much. Perhaps she'd be (correctly) concerned about her own ability. However, with her current state, any peculiar behavior could be written off as just another Ketsueki-quirk.
Kakashi looked at her, letting himself imagine what would happen if he proposed this plan.
His stomach turned in response.
"Sensei?" Chi asked again.
"Yes?" he shook himself awake.
Chi looked resigned, "If I don't go... He said he would take Sasuke."
Ah, that was true. Kakashi breathed out heavily. He could feel stress build in the back of his mind.
Konoha would not hesitate to sacrifice Chi for Sasuke and Chi was raised with the same belief: that the Last Uchiha was somehow worth twice as much as she was.
"I'm aware." he sighed. He did that a lot. Maybe a side-effect of the Tsukuyomi.
An awkward silence fell between them. Neither dared to speak their thoughts out loud. Kakashi wished he could reassure Chi that she would be safe and protected by her teachers, like he had just told her.
"I- uh- removed the Cursed Seal on Sasuke," Chi fiddled with her blanket, "but maybe someone like Jiraiya-sama needs to look at it. Just to be sure. Could still have remains buried inside."
On impulse, Kakashi reached out and ruffled her hair, "I'll look into it, no worries."
"It's a terrible seal." Chi said, "And he's always angry so it could get worse."
Kakashi nodded, "Thank you for removing it in the first place. I have a feeling my precious grumpy student hasn't yet expressed how grateful he is."
A tiny corner of her lips turned up, "He wouldn't. We were busy anyway."
"Now, now, there is always enough time for manners." Kakashi tutted.
Chi giggled and slapped a hand over her lips in surprised. Kakashi counted that as a win.
He got up and sauntered over to his bed. "Well, that was a nice chat."
Amazed, Chi watched him climb in and pull the blanket over himself.
"Let's rest a little before we get our dinner, eh?" he smiled at her.
Chi tilted her head, one braid falling to her side. Kakashi waved at her and demonstratively closed his eye. After a few moments he heard the blanket rustle and a quiet groan as Chi lowered herself back on the bed.
Her chakra spiked. Kakashi almost opened his eyes again. Cold sweat dampened his skin as the sensation of a dozen chakra-signatures washed over him. Chi's unique signature gathered them up, wrapping the others in the acidic miasma and sucked them all back to the haggard body.
Kakashi let out his breath and pretended he was asleep instead of brainstorming.
T&I Archives, later that day~
Ryuya's ears were still ringing from the chewing out they had all received from Tsunade. Shinji, Ryuya, Ibiki and Chi. All four were called to the temporary office in the hospital. From what Ryuya remembered of her own hospitalization, the place looked a lot more like a military basis.
Nurses no longer walked down the hall, they marched. No one stood anywhere longer than necessary. The security had increased to paranoid levels and there were actual checkpoints at random through the entire building where visitors and employees had to identify themselves.
Tsunade had arrived with her assistant Shizune, a pet pig named Tonton, an entire liquor store and zero patience. She had called Team 11 to her office and made them stand (or sit in a wheelchair) for a five long minutes while she very obviously did not do any paperwork.
No one spoke, no one dared to look away. Ryuya knew Shinji had been itching to pounce on Chi the minute the latter had rolled out of her room. Ibiki brought her over without a word and with a warning glance at Shinji who had to bite her lip to remain composed.
When Tsunade's lecture began, Ryuya tried to absorb it all. Both Ryuya and Shinji had to return for two appointments to heal the damage left by their Genin-test. After that, they had 'no more excuse to stay in the office doing paperwork' and were expected to 'complete the yearly quota of missions like the other Rookies'.
Ryuya looked down at her wrist. The angry red scars and deformed skin were starting to look close to normal again. Ryuya could barely imagine them as anything other than burned anymore, but she looked forward to having pain-free joints.
With a grunt, she lifted the files and put them back in the large box. Taking out the other stack made her use chakra to lift it. She paused.
According to Tsunade, half of the chakra coursing through her pathways came from Chi. Ryuya's subconscious use of it had neglected her own reserves and she needed to train herself out of the habit. Chi hadn't commented on that, like she hadn't during any other moment. Ryuya felt almost disappointed not to hear her talk back at this new figure of authority.
She resorted to grabbing a handful of files from the stack and plopped down to read them. The Archives were empty, stuffy and dim. Mold grew where the ceiling leaked and the place smelled of rot. Or at least, that was the Genjutsu cast around to fool intruders. Personally crafted by Kurenai and some Uchiha experts back in the day, according to the senile keeper of the place. Why the ancient creature still worked here, Ryuya didn't know. No one did.
The first three files she opened were useless. Just logs of the Police Force going on patrols in an era before the Nine-Tailed-Fox. The person she wanted to read about would not be in these files. Muttering a curse, Ryuya opened another one. She needed Clones to do this. Chi could have done this three times as fast. On her own.
But Ryuya couldn't ask her that, could she? Not anymore. Whatever hope there had been at rekindling their fledgling bond had gone down the drain already.
Shinji had launched into questions the minute they were released from Tsunade's scrutiny. Before either Ibiki or Ryuya could stop her, Shinji had fired off a few dozen questions in a single breath. None of them were particularly mild either.
Ryuya had nearly choked on air when she heard Shinji ask 'what she had seen in the Tsukuyomi', if she remembered waking up and if she dreamed about her family. In turn Ibiki had hit her head and glared until she cowered, turning bright red as her words caught up with her brain.
Chi's nails had dug into the armrests of her chair. Ryuya had seen her wiry muscles contract. Her eyes turned orange, dotted with yellow. In a low, dangerous tone, Chi had looked Shinji in her eyes and said, "Who are you to ask me that?".
The conversation had died after that.
Ibiki had dragged Shinji away soon after and Ryuya quickly brought Chi to her room, since the latter still had little control over her muscles. The entire process of maneuvering the wheelchair next to the bed and then transferring Chi onto the bed with as little contact as possible, still made Ryuya's skin crawl.
They weren't always like this, she reminded herself. Before they became teammates maybe, but that had changed. It shouldn't have been so awkward. She had scurried out quickly after the job was done, not meeting Chi's eyes. She could feel them on her skin either way.
She grabbed another file and opened it with more anger than the paper could probably handle. A familiar face stared back at her from a tiny, scratched photograph. All other thoughts fled her mind.
Finally, she thought, Shisui Uchiha.