A/N: Yes! You're seeing right, a new chapter, finally! Took me long enough, too. Well, for those interested in the happenings around writing this chapter, I've had writers block, or rather a block on deciding on some things concerning the chapter. Most were "silly, little details"(well not really, but they managed to unsettle me anyway). Then my beta had health issues and I had another temporary project related to my other fanfic, so I was writing that, and then I had to turn in an important final essay for school (hehe, I did it on FanFiction). Anyway, after that I finally had a somewhat free mind to focus on this chapter again, also, my beta was doing better by that time, made discussions on how to solve my issues I had with the chapter possible. This last month was just getting around to actual proof-reading and rewriting unclear passages and final decisions. I think it's good now, but constructive critizism is always welcome. This chapter was very hard to write, because there were a few AU tendencies starting to show as consequences to earlier decisions and the build up of the whole fanfic, but deviating from comparable scenes in the original is always super unsettling at first. Now all that's left to do is release it and see how it is perceived.

A couple of details worth mentioning, it's starting to annoy me to have to capitalize the borrowed words from japanese, so I won't be doing it anymore, I'll eventually go to adjust that in old chapters, too.
Furthermore, in writing I numbered scene breaks to orientate myself with, I thought I'd let it in here, maybe it's useful for someone, too. There's no special meaning behind it otherwise, just to have said that.

Review responses:
LoireStar: Hi, your review so made my day back in june, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to get the new chapter out! I hope you'll stumble upon this sometimes, I know it's been a long time. I hope you'll be pleased with the continuation.
Coucou: Hi also, thank you so so much for letting me know about the reading and also especially the rereading and your opinion on the revised parts. It's great to see that it's received well and the efforts appreciated. Thank you so much!

To wrap this up, a big thanks to HailZuko85, who has helped with proofreading and discussions, she's brilliant and I am learning so much from her suggestions!

Chapter 13 Connections

They were still going fast when Sakura felt her seal buzz gently. She furrowed her brows, trying to figure out what it meant, as it didn't seem to be accompanied by an awareness of what was happening. It didn't tell her what was going on like it had when Tatakai had crossed the border in an attempt to follow them.

She wondered if she should find out what this was about now, so that it would not happen again in the middle of a fight later and distract her then… though, to be honest, it wasn't a bothersome buzz. It felt a bit like a request to be heard. Nonintrusive, gentle, and easy to push aside…

The buzzing stopped before she had come to a decision. It made her wonder all the more.

The landscape had been changing and had become drier, hotter, but she couldn't admire its beauty anyway; they were going too fast for that. Naruto still wasn't talking and the others weren't conversing much, either, so she was on her own and her thoughts tenaciously returned to the seal and what the reason might have been for her to feel it.

Tatakai knew they were on a mission. He knew it might get dangerous. What was he doing to get her seal to respond? It had to be his doing! The buzz, unlike other times, left her frustratingly clueless, though.

She rose a hand to the seal, activating it quickly, probing for answers. The response came just a moment later as a simple, almost vocal thought in her mind accompanied by the same buzzy feeling she'd felt before.

'Hear me out.'

It was his voice. It wasn't a product of physical soundwaves, but the message carried all the intonations she had come to associate with his way of voicing things.

Annoyed that he dared to put out a request that sounded like an order, she directed her thoughts to form a response, wondering if that was enough. Why? What are you doing? What do you want?

She let her hand sink, focusing on the road ahead while she waited for a reply, wondering if he would actually grace her with a reason. She felt the buzz again, but no words resounded in her mind this time. The sensation faded out, then started up again. Confused, she raised her hand to the seal again, supplying it with chakra and was immediately rewarded with words.

'-nection. Damn… wouldn't even let me…' There was a short pause that felt like recollecting and then, in a calmer manner, his voice resounded again. 'You need to supply your seal with chakra to hear me.' His voiceless intonation came over as frustrated.

How the hell should I know?

She directed her chakra into the seal, then slowly lifted her fingers, focusing on maintaining the flow without her hand.

'Hn.' It didn't even sound apologetic. 'At least don't break off connection until I'm done explaining.'

You know that I'm on a mission. What is so important that you must suddenly talk to me? You never saw the need before, either. And we've gone over this, you're staying in Konoha. You're not gonna be cleared for such high-ranking missions for a while yet.

'It's not about that...'

She almost snorted at that. He was finally making an effort to talk to her, even if it was in the most unorthodox manner. Well, she could kinda understand why distance-wise, but still...

'... This is one of the slave seal's functions; I can only request to be heard. You can always reach me immediately. It's one of the fastest, most direct and most inconspicuous ways to communicate over great distances that I know of. I suggest we make use of it.'

You want me to inform you about our situation! Sakura directed her thoughts in a derisive snide.

He didn't react to the tone. 'Yes… I could also update the Hokage this way, if needed.'

Clever, but don't think I don't know that you're suggesting this for yourself first and foremost.

'Hn.' He didn't deny it. 'Think about it," he requested.

I will discuss it with the rest of the team, she replied, then severed the connection, focusing back on the sandy road. It only briefly went through her head that Tatakai had actually started to explain the slave seal as she called out to Kakashi.

"Kakashi Sensei?"

The other caught up with her quickly. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Tatakai just contacted me through the seal. It appears we can communicate telepathically and he offered to relay any messages to Tsunade if we keep him updated on our status. What do you think?"

Kakashi thought about it. The boy they'd left behind had reached out on his own and offered himself up as a direct link to inform the Hokage. Of course, the initiative was based on the boy's own interest to know how they fared, but such a link could prove really useful, should they need it.

Furthermore, revealing the possibility of such a way of communicating through the slave seal was a first step in the right direction for integrating him into their team properly. And Kakashi could only imagine how intimate it must have felt, how vulnerable it made him to Sakura's command.

It seemed that Tatakai had finally realized what he wanted and started taking real measures. If they planted good questions, they would easily be able to verify if he really sought out the Hokage and delivered any messages sent. The Hokage would probably do the same.

He allowed Sakura to handle the possibility as she saw fit.

00100

Sasuke breathed out in relief. That had gone better than expected. He'd fully been prepared to be cut off at any time, if she even let the talk happen at all. He knew he'd certainly pissed her off enough before they'd dispatched to justify it. She hadn't. She'd listened instead of assuming what it was about and cutting him off immediately. Of course she'd thought it was about him seeking her permission to follow them, but though it had been on his mind, it hadn't been his goal. He'd been realistic enough to know not to bring it up or encourage her guess when she did. And while she had called him out on his strategy, she'd at least let him know that it wasn't a "no" yet, just that she couldn't decide alone.

He knew that this telepathic connection that had been bestowed on him with the slave seal could be really advantageous. He actually didn't mind using it, but it meant more people knowing about it, and the fact that his ability to communicate was limited to the willingness of his owner to receive him. Knowing about it and realizing how it worked would also mean that Sakura had the power to immediately, and at any time or place, change rules and allow or deny things. He wouldn't be able to count on the established rules anymore when she went away.

But at least he might not be completely cut off from what was happening on their side now.

He sighed, then finally got up to do a second training session. He met Sai, who apparently had the same idea. They ended up training together for a while, ending the session with a long, drawn out spar.

Sasuke slept a bit better that night.

00200

The third day following Team 7's departure, Sasuke was restless. He hadn't heard back from Sakura, and he wasn't sure what it meant or if he could expect her to inform him about her decision.

He anxiously eyed the clock. There was still a good deal of time to kill until he was to meet Sai for their afternoon training session. In the meantime, he resolved to distract himself with some reading.

The book about the Kyuubi proved to be a decent distraction. It explained that the Tailed Beasts had been sent to different regions and that hidden villages had eventually started capturing them and using them as weapons in an attempt to gain military strength. The Kyuubi had become Konoha's Bijuu.

Sasuke carefully read the section about Jinchuuriki, having recognized the term from the description of the Kazekage. He was glad for the more specific explanation as opposed to the vague idea he had entertained in his head.

Jin-chuu-riki… "human-support-power." That's what those who had a tailed beast sealed inside of them were called.

The text went on about chakra compatibility between host and demon to assure their survival. It stated that the longer the demon was hosted, the more its chakra would align with said host's, and that the jinchuuriki could then learn how to harness the Tailed Beast's powers. It also stated that an extraction would usually result in the death of the Jinchuuriki. Furthermore, if a Jinchuuriki was dying of natural causes, the Tailed Beast, being purely a chakra-being would be resurrected by reaccumulating its dispersed chakra. Therefore, it usually would be extracted and resealed before a Jinchuuriki died of old age.

The sealing techniques were quite complex and left largely unexplained, but it was mentioned that these seals could weaken and should be monitored. It was also mentioned specifically that pregnancies were dangerous for a female host because it weakened them significantly.

A thought was starting to form in Sasuke's mind. Could it be that Naruto was connected to the events of October 10th, sixteen years ago, after all? He'd been born on the day of the Kyuubi's attack. Could his mother possibly have been a Jinchuuriki? It would explain some things.

He continued reading, now entering the chapter about the Kyuubi's tale. The book was ridiculously long-winded in its storytelling, but Sasuke got the gist of things...

After dividing the Ten-Tails into nine entities, the Kyuubi was said to roam the forests that would later become the Land of Fire. There were accounts of the Kyuubi bringing fear and disaster, and by the time Konoha was formed, the beast had gained quite a reputation.

Sasuke did a double-take when the name "Uchiha" was mentioned. The book stated that after his desertion from Konoha, Uchiha Madara controlled the Kyuubi with the help of his Sharingan to fight Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, in an attempt to exact revenge. Hashirama was able to break the Kyuubi away from Madara's control, and subdue it in the process.

Sasuke shuddered and read on about Senju deeming it too dangerous to let the Kyuubi roam freely and his search for a suitable host to become a Jinchuuriki.

Sasuke smirked, pleased when the Uzumaki clan was mentioned. Apparently, Mito from the Uzumaki clan (known for their Fujin-Jutsu, their sealing-Jutsu), had not only had the skill to conduct the sealing, but also had compatible chakra. She became the first Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails. And when she had grown old of age, the Kyuubi was transferred to Uzumaki Kushina, who later became Namikaze Minato's wife.

Ha! Sasuke thought. He'd known it, this must have been Uzumaki Naruto's mother, and it also cleared up precisely how he was related to the Fourth Hokage.

Pleased with finally having made progress with the hunt for clues, and feeling slightly hungry, he decided to take a break and cooked a simple meal. After that, he left early for the training ground he'd later meet Sai at. He wanted to do some individual training before their spar.

Upon arriving there, he went through some exercises, but half an hour before Sai would arrive, he took a break so as to be in top condition. Thus, his thoughts traveled back to his research.

Shikamaru's hint had proven fruitful, though it had taken a while to find the right place to hunt for information and properly analyze it. Maybe Shikamaru wasn't that bad, though Sasuke was still unhappy about how the Nara had handled his situations and requests so far.

Then, he recalled the circumstances under which Naruto had left, which made him recall his brother and what Naruto had said about him and the situation:

"Look, we know your brother is a member of the Akatsuki, and I am very aware of what they want with Gaara, and me as well! Gaara and I are the same, and I will not go and hide in a hole while Gaara's life is sucked out of him!"

The way he worded it, actually, after having read that book... Naruto had made it seem as if he were a Jinchuuriki himself. He really needed to see if the book stated anything about that. Or even better, get the chance to confront Naruto about it… though, seeing as he was away, that had to wait. Sai might know, but from all the reactions from people so far, he doubted that Sai would offer up that information. And Shikamaru had specifically mentioned something about state secrets in relation with Naruto, so mentioning speculations might get him in trouble, which he certainly didn't need.

Sai arrived a few minutes later, and for once, he didn't move in to attack right away. Instead, he settled his backpack on the ground next to where Sasuke had put his towel, and turned around to smile.

"What did you decide?" he asked.

Sasuke needed a moment to recall what Sai meant by the question. "I contacted Sakura. She knows."

"What did she say?"

"That she needs to discuss it with the team. Haven't heard from her since."

"Ah, don't worry." Sai said, grinning.

Sasuke doubted Sai had actually been able to read him well enough to make such a comment, but he just let it slide. He rather didn't want a discussion about worrying, especially not with someone who behaved as weirdly as Sai.

"Let's spar!" Sasuke said instead, drawing a kunai and throwing it at Sai, who swiftly sidestepped it. They quickly established a good pace and taijutsu was seamlessly infiltrated with elements of ninjutsu, though they both held back on it.

"Where's the sword?" Sai at once asked.

"Blade broke."

"How'd you accomplish that?"

"Fought Hoshigaki Kisame with Naruto."

"I see."

They continued, each challenging the other, trying not to reveal too many secrets. Sasuke was holding back, fully prepared to lose instead of revealing some techniques, despite Sai knowing which clan he belonged to. One never knew who might be watching.

And therefore, lose he did, eventually. Sai sat down next to his backpack, fully content to take a bit of a break. Sasuke shrugged and sat down next to him.

"Useful storage seals you got there," Sai was saying, throwing a glance at Sasuke's arm protectors, then pulling out a block of paper and a pen.

"Indeed."

"Your brother's idea?"

"None of your business."

Sai shrugged and focused on his drawing. Sasuke was glad that Sai didn't press on the topic. He stared out into the open, thinking about Itachi, and all things related.

Sai had halted and was staring at Sasuke's clenched hand. "You are agitated; is something the matter?"

"No... Say, how was your mission?" Sasuke redirected, not wanting to get so obviously caught in his own thoughts again.

"It went well…"

"What kinds of missions do you take on solo?"

"Some espionage and infiltration, some surveillance... mostly assassinations."

"Do you specialize in assassination?"

"I specialize in many things. Assassination is one of them. What about you, any specialization?"

"Sure, hiding my kekkei genkai," Sasuke said grimly, thoughts already returning to what Sai had said. Sai was a ninja that specialized in assassination. Itachi had been, too, one of the best. So good that he had managed to kill off an entire clan in one go. And Kakashi had known him. And Sai was a member of Kakashi's team nowadays.

Was Kakashi's team focused on assassinations? Naruto didn't really seem the type, and Sakura didn't either, though he was sure they both would be able to kill if the situation required it.

"What kind of missions does Team Seven usually do?"

"Hmm, we've been couriers and escorts… we generally take on protection services, reconnaissance, retrieval, infiltration…quite a variety."

"Why does a team like that have two assassins on it?"

"You mean Kakashi? He's a good team leader, and as for myself, they fell a member short and I was there to fill the spot. I still go on solo assassination missions."

"Still seems weird to me."

Sai shrugged. "It's a good arrangement. Assassinations are not the only type of mission that calls for skills required of assassins. I'm quite suited for a variety of functions, and many assassins act solo anyway. It's less suspicious if you have one specific target."

Sasuke looked over at Sai, only to finally catch sight of what Sai was drawing. Now that the thin outlines Sai had drawn with a pencil first were expertly filled out with aquarelle paint, they displayed an older version of a face he knew very well.

Sai had noticed his stare, but calmly kept colouring. "I thought you'd appreciate a current take on your brother's face. I'll give this to you as soon as it's done and dry."

00300

When they arrived at Suna, things were a mess. It turned out that Kankuro had been poisoned during the attack and the Suna-medics had not been able to counter the poison yet.

Sakura went into full medic mode, completely forgetting about the discussion with Kakashi. She needed to nullify a poison.

She only thought about it again when she had successfully created an antidote. She had been able to create two more shots to take with, but that wasn't even enough to equip the two of them, much less an entire team. If they could somehow get more of it, it would calm her mind quite a bit.

Quickly, she rose her hand to her neck to activate the connection.

00400

Sasuke was on his way to do the grocery shopping two hours later when he felt the slave seal flare up.

'Do you hear me?'

Without hesitation, he touched his seal: Yes.

'I need you to do something for me.'

He felt the urgency, packed with fleeting images of someone unfamiliar laying on a hospital bed, looking pale and sweaty.

'I need you to go to the Hokage. Kankuro has been poisoned by the attackers that took Gaara. I created an antidote, but it's not enough for the whole team. She probably already sent out the backup team, too. But just in case they're still there, or I die on this mission, or we can't defeat the guy creating this poison, I need you to brief her on it and give her a list of ingredients. Got something to write them down?'

Sasuke had already changed course, breaking into a run for the Hokage tower. No. Just tell me.

'How can you make sure you don't forget anything? It's an instruction for an antidote; one single messed up step...'

Sasuke let out an irritated huff, but answered anyway: I won't forget. Anyway, I'm almost at the tower.

'Alright. Well, I might as well wait for a moment and dictate to you what to say to Tsunade.'

I doubt I'll be cleared to go in quite that fast. Tell me now, I'll get back to you if need be.

'Okay. but seriously, ask me if you're unsure about something or if anyone else has questions…'

She started listing off the ingredients, and when to add which one and how. It was complex, nothing he couldn't handle, but he could see why she was worried about him mixing it up. He committed it to memory, both, by picturing it written down and by utilizing some memorization techniques that Itachi had taught him in once upon a time in training.

Got it.

He entered the waiting room for an audience with the Hokage and strode to the guards in front of the door to the Hokage's office.

"I got an urgent message for the Hokage, concerning the mission Team Seven is currently on."

The guards, to give them some credit, didn't laugh. They only regarded him skeptically. "And you are?" one asked finally.

"Haruno Sakura's slave. She relayed to me an antidote she wants the backup team to carry."

The guard squinted his eyes, but finally turned to knock. At a call from inside, he poked his head in. "Lady Hokage, we got someone here claiming to be Haruno Sakura's slave. He says he received an urgent message for you about some antidote shit a backup team should carry or something."

The reply was muffled, but it was unmistakably the lady's voice. "Let him in."

The guard shoved him inside, and Sasuke wasted no time stepping forward.

Tsunade impatiently waved for him to start. "What are you waiting for?"

"Sakura told me to relay a message to you. Someone named Kankuro was poisoned by the people who took the Kazekage and she created an antidote. Her supply of ingredients is limited, so she can't equip everyone in her team with it, much less the back up team. She thought it prudent that you at the very least have the recipe, even if it may be too late for the backup team to carry some. She gave me the instructions."

"Well, where are they?"

"I can write them down."

"Why not, go ahead. Here is paper and a pen."

She pushed said items in his direction and Sasuke quickly got to it. Tsunade didn't interrupt, just regarded him with a calculating glint in her eyes.

Sasuke easily recalled what Sakura had said, confident that he hadn't forgotten anything. Itachi had really drilled this memorization stuff into him. This was easy.

After a few minutes of silence, only permeated by his pen scratching over the paper, he straightened up, handing Tsunade the paper and pen.

"How did she give you her message? How can I be sure this is correct?"

"She ordered me through the slave seal. She also told me to contact her through it should there be any questions."

"Interesting. Do you know who Kankuro is?"

"No."

"Ask Sakura. I want to make sure you're not lying."

Sasuke suppressed showing his annoyance and touched the seal, sending out a signal to Sakura. It didn't take long until she replied.

The Hokage wants confirmation that I'm not lying… Who is Kankuro?

'Okay, Kankuro is the Kazekage's older brother.'

Sasuke repeated this to the Hokage.

"Tell her that it's too late for the backup team. Team Guy has already been sent and should be there pretty soon. I also don't have any means to send additional antidotes to her, tell her she's on her own with this. Dismissed."

Tsunade nodded to the door, leaving Sasuke no time to contemplate or do as she asked. Preferring not to do it in the waiting room, he ended up contacting Sakura down the hallway, where there were less people seeing him touch the slave seal. Sakura's response felt neutral, as if she had expected something like that. She thanked him before severing the connection. There had been a certain urgent undertone in the feelings that accompanied the response, though. He got the distinct impression that she was in a hurry to leave where she was at, which wasn't surprising, considering they still had to pursue whomever took the Kazekage.

Sasuke wondered if Naruto and the rest of the team had waited for her or if they had gone ahead. He hadn't gotten around to asking.

00500

Chiyo, an old woman, had replaced Temari on the rescue team. She apparently knew one of the Akatsuki's members, the one who had attacked Kankuro, claiming that it was her 'd taken off with a piece of clothing that Kankuro had been able to procure during the attack, and were tracking Gaara's location through it.

As expected, they ran into trouble. This trouble came in the form of one person standing in their way, body hidden under an Akatsuki cloak featuring a high collar and a jingasa hat with tassles that obscured the face. There was a telltale bulge below the fabric of the cloak that suggested that the man carried a sword. He raised a hand, pointing at Naruto. "Jinchuuriki, how nice that they're sending you," he said in a deep, cold voice.

Kakashi attacked. Getting close, he could recognize a stripe pattern made by facepaint. He had mistaken it for a shadow play the hat's tassels might've thrown on the face. The white base successfully blended facial features such as the form of the nose, lips, eyebrows and eye shape. Five black stripes sprouted from right below the inner corner of the eyes to across the cheek in rays, leaving the middle of the face, namely the lips, nose, chin and the middle of the forehead in a blank white. They extended over the jawline and continued down the neck some, where they eventually faded out. The same pattern extended from the inner corner of the eyebrows, leaving the shape of the eye unenhanced and open for speculation.

Kakashi recognized the description just as his fist was captured by a hand and a second figure (a clone?) rushed past them, quickly closing in on Naruto. He'd heard of this man. A phantom, considered highly dangerous, origin and identity unknown. Where he appeared, bloodshed often followed, though those who survived an encounter had claimed to be knocked out instead of being killed.

The man grabbed him, pulling him close, whispering in a low tone. "Ah, the Copycat Ninja, Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf. We meet again."

"And to whom do I owe the pleasure?" Kakashi replied, winding out of the grasp and shifting into another stance.

The man only smiled. Kakashi would have described it as gentle, had there not been that dangerous glint in those dark irises. Kakashi gave out orders without turning his eyes away from the enemy, then moved.

00600

When Sasuke finally returned home, he felt Shikamaru's presence in the living room.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, stalking in.

"You got a mission tomorrow." Shikamaru held out a scroll. "Sai will be the mission leader."

A bit dumbfounded, Sasuke took the mission scroll.

"And here's money for groceries. Well then, I'll excuse myself. You're all set. Come prepared."

Shikamaru let himself out.

Sasuke sat down, opening the mission scroll. It was an undercover mission in some establishments, where they were supposed to infiltrate and figure out if there was any unapproved activity going on. If they suspected something, they were supposed to shadow the people in question.

00700

Sakura followed Kakashi's fight with her eyes. His opponent was strong, that much was obvious. He met Kakashi's skill easily and kept him on his toes.

As the fight raged on, Sakura watched intently, mesmerized. Still, she kept an eye on the version (was it a clone?) that was still standing where they'd first seen him, like an ominous guard. He didn't attack, and it briefly crossed her mind that maybe the man was trying to wear them down one by one and that they should all be fighting together.

When it got to the point where Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan, Naruto was mumbling something and Sakura turned around to the rest of the team, finally noticing Naruto's frozen state. The alarm bells rang…

Genjutsu.

She touched Naruto's shoulder and tried to disrupt his Chakra flow, but it didn't seem to be enough. Chiyo, also hearing Naruto's mumble, clued in, too, and turned to help pour chakra into his body.

A shudder went through Naruto. He took a deep breath, and shuddered again. Sakura briefly thought that he looked a bit pale, but Naruto seemed to recover quickly. "Don't look at his eyes!" he shouted.

With Naruto back in the fight, things picked up. The man, however, was really skilled, and it was hard to gain ground. The man was a Genjutsu master, that much was clear. He was proficient at hand-to-hand combat and Kenjutsu, too, though, and had used quite a bit of Ninjutsu. They were losing precious time and energy.

Chiyo held back. Being the new team member, and therefore still unfamiliar with their teamwork, it made sense. They couldn't afford things to not run smoothly. Still, more help from someone as skilled as Chiyo would have been great right then. Sakura, as healer, was always more in the back, while Naruto and Kakashi teamed up in front. She was surprised that the man didn't send another shadow clone after them. He certainly seemed strong enough to spare the energy and make enough clones to separate the team for one-on-one fights. It would have made sense to do so, too, since teamwork was what made them strong, yet he didn't try to divide them up. In any case, she hoped the fight wouldn't be drawn out too long; Kakashi's Sharingan was still quite draining for him.

She had to jump away as a powerful fire release came at her. It looked like a wind release that had been sent directly after was further mingling with it. The fire spread and lit some trees on fire. She saw Kakashi sail through the air, kunai in hand.

The blade of a katana slipped past it and Kakashi barely evaded it, hurling the kunai towards the man, who took a step back. It all had happened in barely a second or two, and Sakura turned back to the shadow copy that Naruto was currently fighting and barely holding his own against. They had to eliminate at least one of the two, and quickly. She whistled a cue sequence to Naruto, who gave her a signal that he had heard and was preparing for their combined attack.

00800

There was no question about it. The man was very adept at figuring out Kakashi's strategies. And the weird thing was, he was way too prepared to fight a Sharingan, hiding his hand movements and always moved into his Sharingan's blind spots. Kakashi just couldn't anticipate the man's movements as well with his own eye.

Hand-to-hand combat kept being switched up with long- and middle-range Ninjutsu. Fire Release was a prominent feature, often combined with other nature transformations. The man was drawing out the fight.

Right now, Kakashi was parrying the other's katana. The opponent's form was so clean and efficient that he barely dodged his jabs in time. The next swing came in rapid succession, a thin stream of fire out of the mouth accompanying it. He hadn't seen the hand seals. Kakashi ducked out of the way, stabbed and hit. The sound of bird wings resounded quickly as the man dismembered into a flock of crows.

Kakashi sliced the air with wind, but the crows easily slipped past the technique and came straight for him, past him, rearranging into the semblance of his opponent a few meters behind him.

The katana sliced through the air with devastating wind-style power. Kakashi returned the favor with water. A few minutes later, the katana was just shy of slicing his clothes again and Kakashi had the weirdest sense of deja vu. This sequence was executed faster and arranged differently to fit the situation, but the style was nearly the same...

Tatakai.

Kakashi remembered Tatakai's tip to an alternative move, swiftly shifting that way. He hadn't fought Tatakai enough to predict it, but it took a tiny bit off the edge. The crow trick was a nasty thing, though, more than making up for it.

Now that he had touched upon the similarities in fighting style, they started to stand out more and more. But this version reminded him even stronger of whom Tatakai had reminded him of. It still wasn't exactly the same style that the late Uchiha Itachi had employed. But now, Kakashi could have sworn that the forms were based on the basics of the Uchiha Clan's style.

He parried another fire jutsu, this one coupled with wind. Fire, a strong trait of the Uchiha clan as well, though the trademark jutsu were absent. He'd ruled out the possibility of Uchiha survivors before, but the similarities were becoming too apparent, too obvious. Could it really be? Was this Tatakai's brother? Were they Uchiha? And why did something feel off about the man? Something he couldn't quite pinpoint...

Naruto whistled a signal. Finally! Kakashi employed a wind technique. The last Katon Jutsu had burned the surroundings and dried out the ground; a dust cloud would be easy to make. He quickly made a shadow clone.

His plan worked, and it didn't work at the same time. He should have predicted the other dissolving into crows again when Naruto hit him with a Rasengan. The man unleashed a Dragon Fire just as he reformed.

Still, at that point, though there was no way to have predicted it, the fight was nearly at an end. Just as the Dragon Fire technique dissipated and Kakashi climbed out of the hole he'd hidden in, he saw that the man was staggering. He watched as his opponent fell to his knees, breathing hard. He couldn't really see the expression below the paint and tassels of the hat. Kakashi quickly focused his energy for a long range attack, just as the man swayed once more and then fell to the side.

Kakashi didn't want to risk deceit (even though the man looked out of energy and pretty vulnerable all of a sudden), so he finished his technique and watched as it hit the body.

No crows this time, just twitching, then stillness.

The others gathered behind Kakashi as he approached the still form. Was this real? Had he really collapsed? He had to know… had to know who… who this had been.

He stepped up, carefully scanning the surroundings for any deceit, but his instincts told him that the moment was over. He knelt down and pulled the body to it's back.

The man's body was dead weight. The white of the eyes was showing. Kakashi pulled the hat away, still cautious. The others stepped up and Sakura knelt down, applying an examination technique.

"Dead."

Couldn't be, could it? The man had seemed way too powerful to go down just like this! But he had. And the clothes and face paint, though a bit worse for the wear, were there and complete, which ruled out a body switching technique. That left him to assume that this was indeed the man they had fought, even though he still had a strange feeling of unease about that.

The face paint made easy recognition impossible; the white base with those black stripes were aligned expertly to change perception of the face. It was oil based paint, not easily washed off, and they lacked the time to do any tests for identification. He itched to at least confirm if this had indeed been an Uchiha. But again, they lacked the time.

Just that moment Chiyo took word. "I'll seal the corpse into a scroll. Suna will want to identify him." She moved to do so quickly. "Let's go, we've lost enough time already."

Right, since this was Suna's mission, and he couldn't prove that this was an Uchiha and therefore one of the Leaf, Suna should probably take the body. To be honest, he wasn't sure himself. Seeing how well the guy handled the Sharingan, he could have merely based the style off the Uchiha clan just as well. The only thing he was certain about was that he'd been Tatakai's teacher, and that Tatakai had, at the very least, had a run in with the Uchiha.

They were back to fast travel, and Kakashi's thoughts once again got caught up in the matter he couldn't push away. So many things pointed at Tatakai being an Uchiha, but he couldn't allow himself to lose focus on the mission now. He wasn't allowed to think, yet thoughts kept worming their way into his mind even so.

The man had said: "We meet again!" He'd just killed said man. The man that had most likely been Tatakai's teacher… possibly his brother. They might be Uchiha. The man was dead. Dead… could it be, really? But Sakura had confirmed it; the soul had left the body, the heart had stopped beating. Had he known him? It'd been hard to tell with all that paint, but would he have recognized the face? Had there been a dual meaning to it all? Hadn't there been something awry? Anything?

But, most importantly…

Would he really have to bring this news to Tatakai? That his brother might be dead?

A/N: As said, this chapter was rather difficult for me, so I'd be incredibly thankful if a few of you readers could take time out of your day to leave me a review to see how it is perceived!

News about life and progress on future chapters can be found on my profile as always. Should anyone want to get into touch with me directly, feel free to PM also ;)

PS: FFnet has turned off the email alerts for PM's. Just spreading word. If you didn't know, you might want to check your PM's sometimes;)