Chapter 17

Sakumo sat on the porch of the inn, watching the people of the Hidden Valley go about their business. One leg was bent in a half cross-legged position, his foot tucked behind the heel of his other leg which was drawn upwards with one arm draped over his knee comfortably. The evening was pleasantly warm with a light breeze carrying the scents of the village to his sensitive nose – cooking, flowers, incense, and some less appealing that were best left unexplored. He smiled as a group of children ran by, screeching in delight as they chased one another as a part of their game.

"They remind me of when Guy was a young child," Dai said, coming out onto the porch and sitting beside Sakumo.

Sakumo's smile turned a bit sad. "Kakashi was never much for playing. He wanted to spend all of his time training or reading. I had to force him out of the house and threaten to take his books away to get him to act like a child and play."

"Kakashi has been a good friend to Guy," Dai said. "Even before they became friends, Guy told me that Kakashi was the only one in their class at the Academy who didn't mock him for his lack of ninjutsu skills."

"Guy is a fine young man. His challenges to Kakashi have been interesting to say the least. He works very hard. You should be proud of him."

"I am. He may not be skilled in ninjutsu or genjutsu but he is still a splendid shinobi. I expect him to continue to improve. He will become a great jonin someday. He will be respected in our village for his abilities." He fell quiet for a few minutes, his expression turning serious and his gaze dropping to the ground. "Thank you," he said softly.

"For what?"

"I know what the other shinobi in the Hidden Leaf think of me. I know it is hard on Guy, especially. He never complains but I know it's been difficult for him." He glanced at Sakumo out of the corner of his eye. "I have no doubt you didn't ask for me to accompany you. Which makes me wonder why...?"

"Lord Hokage asked," Sakumo admitted. He wouldn't lie but he saw no reason to be cruel, either. "He said you were struggling with your assignments and teammates."

Dai frowned. "You are putting it too kindly," he muttered, dropping his gaze once again. "I would not expect you to understand…" How could he? The White Fang was renowned throughout the shinobi world for his power and skill and sheer genius. Shinobi of the other Hidden Villages admired him, even as they feared him.

"I may understand more than you think," Sakumo said gently. "For all of his talent, it took Kakashi a very long time to find his place to fit in. He graduated the Academy in a single year at only five years old and took the chunin exams at six, a true testament to his skill. I should never have allowed it. Yet there was no way for me to stop it." He vividly recalled his pride mixed with remorse at the lost childhood his son would never have, even if he had never seemed to want it. Prodigy was truly a double-edged sword. He continued. "I could not involve myself in Kakashi's shinobi career. To do so would have only made it harder on him. I had to watch for the next four years as he was shuffled from team to team, hear about how difficult he was to work with. No jonin instructor wanted him, no other genin or chunin wanted to work with what they viewed as a little child; he was transferred within months - sometimes weeks - of being put on a new team. It was not until the Hokage assigned him to Minato Namikaze's team that he was able to finally find a place to fit in. It was not easy and he still struggled. But Namikaze worked with him, had the patience his other instructors did not to show him the importance of teamwork. If he hadn't… I don't know where Kakashi would be now. Still adrift and unhappy, I imagine. I owe Namikaze a great debt."

They sat in silence for a time. Dai mulled over Sakumo's words. He was surprised to hear of Kakashi's difficulties. Guy had spoken with a hint of jealousy of how the other students at the Academy had admired Kakashi for his natural talent and genius. He would have thought he would have easily fit in. He never suspected his youth would be such an obstacle; that other shinobi would refuse to work with him simply because he was young or that jonin wouldn't want the son of the White Fang on their team.

"It's been three days," Dai said, finally breaking the silence and changing the subject. "Shouldn't we have gotten a reply by now?"

"It's all part of the political game," Sakumo commented. "The smaller nations don't like it when the larger ones try to interfere or bully them. Ejiri is simply showing us he can't be bossed around. We'll give it another day or so before reminding him we're still here."

"You're okay with this?"

Sakumo's shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "I understand where he's coming from. It's a minor inconvenience for us, nothing more. Would you prefer I go barging in, demanding an answer immediately?"

"No, of course not. But didn't Lord Hokage choose you because of your reputation...?"

Sakumo gave a humorless smile. "I certainly could go and demand they give us an answer now. Which will most likely result in them saying no just for spite. As I said, politics. Even if they are agreeable to an alliance, they're not going to take kindly to us rushing them. They may even expect us to raise a fuss at being kept waiting. As you said, someone of my reputation," he finished dryly. "No, we'll play their game for a while longer. This alliance is important to the Hidden Leaf. We can wait for a few more days."


Sakumo walked down the main street that ran through the center of the village. Dai had been practically bouncing off the walls of the inn that morning and Sakumo had seen no harm in allowing the other to go around the village for a bit while he started on his mission report. Beginning the tedious paperwork now meant there'd be less to do once they returned to the Leaf and he currently didn't have much to do while waiting for Ejiri to give them a response. They had been in the Hidden Valley for five days and while the villagers were curious and somewhat wary, they hadn't been hostile. They had agreed to meet for lunch at the dumpling shop they had found their first afternoon in the village. Finished with his report – not that it had been very long – Sakumo was heading there now.

There was a blur of motion, just caught out of the corner of his eye. Sakumo was too disciplined to turn his head. He gave no indication he'd noticed anything, his posture remaining slouched with his hands in his pockets as he continued on his way. His senses, however, were instantly alert. It was likely nothing more than a Hidden Valley shinobi on an errand but Sakumo knew better than to make assumptions. As he continued ambling down the road he sensed more people following him, a half dozen total, felt chakra signatures surrounding him as caught more glances of shadows moving to pace him.

The dumpling shop came into view. There was no sign of Dai. Sakumo frowned inwardly. The other could simply be running late. His instincts told him that wasn't the case. Scanning the street for sign of his missing comrade, his attention was caught by a man loitering near an alley, picking at his nails with a kunai. Seeing Sakumo's gaze on him, he grinned, flipped the kunai into the air and caught it again as he turned and disappeared between the buildings. Sakumo's gut was screaming warnings at him.

It was a taunt, a challenge. One that Sakumo dared not ignore, especially since there was still no sign of Dai. Six to one odds were not good though he'd faced worse. More worrisome was a violent encounter with the shinobi of this village. No matter how it turned out it would spell disaster for his mission here. And if Dai had been hurt because of his complacency…

Sakumo walked boldly toward the alley. About halfway down he saw a familiar green-clad figure sprawled unmoving on the ground. An obvious trap. Senses on high alert, Sakumo started towards where Dai lay, the noises of the village becoming muted as he moved further into the dim alley. As he approached Sakumo noted with relief that Dai was still breathing and appeared unharmed. He stopped moving.

"You might as well show yourselves," he said. "And tell me what you want."

Six forms materialized around him. Weapons glinted dully. Despite the armed shinobi surrounding him Sakumo didn't reach for his weapons. Not yet. He wanted to avoid bloodshed if at all possible. Better to defuse whatever situation was at hand if he could.

The man who had been at the entrance to the alley spoke. "You're the White Fang of the Leaf, huh? You don't look so tough. Your friend certainly wasn't. Didn't even notice when I was right behind him. Took him down with a single blow. Pathetic."

"If you wanted to spar, you could have just asked," Sakumo replied, keeping his tone light.

An ugly grin split the other man's face. "You arrogant shinobi from the Five Great Nations. You think you're so much better than the rest of us. Imagine the prestige we'll earn by being the village that eliminated the White Fang. I'm sure the Hidden Sand will be most pleased. They may even pay for your corpse. Not to mention that sword of yours should fetch a pretty penny."

"Say you kill me, then what? Do you think the other Nations will simply leave you alone? Do you think the Hidden Leaf won't retaliate when they discover what you've done? If you do not want to get drawn into this war this is not the way to avoid it!"

"I figured you'd be arrogant. I didn't figure you'd be a coward!" The other man sneered. "The great and feared White Fang, afraid of a fight!"

Sakumo refused to be baited. He cared nothing for insults against himself. His concern was for his companion and his mission. He heard the other shinobi shifting, nothing more than a whisper of fabric, the slight increase in breathing, a slight scrape of a foot dragging along the ground. The tension in the air was nearly palpable. He kept his gaze focused on the man he assumed was the leader. "There is no reason to do this," he said, his voice low and urgent. "It cannot end well for either of us."

"Speak for yourself!" he shouted as he lunged. "Die!"

Sakumo, anticipating the movement, sprung to the side, towards Dai, drawing his tanto with his left hand and a kunai held in a reverse grip in his right. He didn't want to hurt anyone but he was not about to simply let himself be cut down. There was not enough room in the alley to use ninjutsu safely. He'd risk damaging the nearby buildings and possibly harming those within. The narrow confines would also hamper his kenjutsu. If he left the alley he would be leaving Dai to their mercy and he'd risk harming civilians on the street. His opponents had chosen their ambush site well, he admitted grudgingly.

Instantly, two more opponents set upon him. Sakumo parried the kunai aimed at his throat and heart. He kicked one man, sending him skidding backwards and backhanded the other with the hand holding the kunai. He knocked a barrage of shuriken to the side with his tanto and dropped into a defensive stance as three more shinobi closed in.

It didn't take long for Sakumo to realize the other shinobi were all jonin based on their level of skill. He swore silently. He was glad Dai was unconscious. He somehow doubted the other would flee and a genin was no match for a group of jonin. He'd end up being a liability in this fight.

A short time later, Sakumo knew he was going to be in trouble if this continued. He was fighting defensively, using his blades to parry rather than attack, not wanting to injure any of the Hidden Valley shinobi fatally. His attackers had no such qualms about harming him. In keeping himself between the attackers and Dai he was severely limiting his own movements. He had an assortment of minor injuries. The worst of which was his right eye swelling shut. He'd taken a hard kick to the face while blocking three shinobi from getting to Dai. A black eye was nothing serious, of course, but the swelling was beginning to hamper his vision on that side. He could ill afford any more limitations if he hoped to get Dai and himself out of this unscathed and without killing any of the Hidden Valley shinobi in the process.

Sakumo sensed the shinobi beside him a split-second before he struck. As he brought a kunai down to stab him through the heart, Sakumo was already spinning away, shifting his weight to kick. Sakumo barely felt the kunai slice through his right bicep as he spun. His foot connected solidly with the other man's chest and he kicked him into a nearby wall with a silent snarl. Lightning chakra began crackling around the blade of his tanto. He no longer had any choice but to go on the offensive. He simply hoped he'd be able to find a way to salvage the mission.

As if responding to an unheard command the shinobi suddenly scattered, leaving Sakumo standing alone in the alleyway.

"Dammit!" Sakumo swore. Then he let out a much longer and much more colorful string of expletives. They were supposed to be negotiating a treaty, not starting an incident. Slipping his kunai back into the holster on his thigh, he knelt beside Dai who was starting to come around.

"Ow! What happened?" Dai asked, rubbing his head as Sakumo helped him up. He kept his tanto clutched in his gloved hand in case the shinobi reappeared.

"You were jumped by a group of Hidden Valley shinobi. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Dai assured him, pressing a hand against his forehead and managing a weak grin. It quickly faded as he noticed the blood soaking Sakumo's sleeve. "You're not."

"It's nothing," Sakumo said tersely. "Come on, let's get back to the inn before they decide they want a rematch."

Dai eyed Sakumo's arm worriedly. The bandages he wore around his arm were stained red, the dark blue fabric of his sleeve noticeably wet, even in the shadows. It was certainly not nothing. "We need to stop the bleeding," he insisted.

Sakumo started to protest, then decided to take the path of least resistance in the interest of getting them out of here as quickly as possible. He reached into his weapons pouch and tossed Dai some bandages. He sliced his sleeve with his tanto. Dark eyes scanned the alleyway as Dai tied a bandage around the wound.

"Let's go," Sakumo said tersely. He kept alert as they made their way back to the inn. They received a few alarmed looks as they rushed by but nobody made any move to intercept them. There was no sign of the shinobi form the alley. He secured the door once they made it back to their room. "What happened?" he asked.

"I – I'm not sure," Dai said. "I was on my way to the dumpling shop, then I woke up in that alley. What did they want?"

Sakumo shook his head. "I don't know. Are you dizzy or nauseas at all?" He had noted that Dai's gaze tracked him as he moved and he hadn't seemed to mind the sudden brightness once they had left the alleyway.

"No. Just a bit of a headache," he said with a rueful smile.

Good. No concussion, then. That's something. Sakumo took off his weapons and set them aside. He shrugged out of his flak jacket as he toed off his sandals. "I'm going to get cleaned up. Unless -?" Dai shook his head and motioned for him to go ahead. Sakumo pulled clean clothes form his pack. He disappeared into the tiny bathroom, turning the taps to start the shower, allowing the water to heat while he stripped off his dirty, torn, and bloody clothes, scowling at the pain as he moved his injured arm.

Sakumo stood beneath the hot spray, allowing it to carry the dirt, sweat, and blood away. He pulled his hair free from its usual pony tail, feeling the weight of it against his back. He closed his eyes and stuck his head beneath the water. He replayed the ambush in his mind. It had been an obvious trap. But for what purpose? The shinobi had spoken of prestige of killing him, the White Fang, but it had rung false. If they had wanted him dead they would not have retreated once they had drawn blood. If his death had been their goal they would have pressed their attack.

He had been fighting defensively. They had been skilled enough that they had to have noticed that. If they had pressed harder he would have been forced to go on the offensive in order to protect himself and Dai. He blew out a frustrated breath as he pushed the bangs that had plastered over his eyes back from his face and opened his eyes to stare at the tiled wall in front of him. A test? He mused. That was the only logical explanation. They question was who had ordered it and why. He doubted the jonin of this village had decided to jump them just for kicks. No, an attack on foreign shinobi here on a diplomatic mission had to have been ordered and authorized. And at a high level.

He removed the bandage from his arm and winced as the water hit the exposed wound. It was deep but not dangerously so and it was a clean slice. He allowed the water to run over it, ensuring it was clean before shutting the taps off and reaching for a towel. He caught his reflection in the mirror and sighed. His right eye was swollen and turning an interesting shade of purple. He turned away from the mirror and began toweling off. After pulling on clean pants, he began scrubbing the towel over his dripping hair. He was still rubbing the towel over his hair as he exited the bathroom.

"Maybe you should get that looked at," Dai said, noticing Sakumo's arm was bleeding again.

"It's nothing," Sakumo replied, digging in his pack for a roll of bandages. He wiped away the blood and dressed the laceration with the efficiency born of years of experience. No jonin was a stranger to being injured. Sakumo knew when an injury was serious and this was nothing he couldn't handle. Satisfied with his handiwork, he tucked the remaining bandages away. He was reaching for his clean shirt when a loud knock sounded on the door.

He dropped the shirt and reached for his tanto instead. He nodded to Dai and curled his fingers around the hilt as the other opened the door. Ejiri and Yutaka stood in the hallway. "Is there something we can do for you?" Sakumo asked pleasantly. He did not draw his sword but he didn't release his grip on it.

"I was informed there was an… incident earlier today," Ejiri stated.

"A simple misunderstanding, nothing more."

"Weapons were drawn. You were injured." His gaze went meaningfully to the fresh bandages around Sakumo's bicep and the bruises on his face before dropping to where his hand was curled around his tanto.

"A minor scrape, hardly worth mentioning," Sakumo replied.

"Those involved from my village shall be disciplined at once. Attacking guests will not be tolerated. They are in custody, awaiting sentencing. How would you have us punish them?"

"I wouldn't." Sakumo's tone hardened. "As I said, it was a misunderstanding. I have no desire to cause resentment between the people of our respective villages. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing more that need be done."

Ejiri exchanged a glance with Yutaka, then nodded once sharply. "As you will. I would speak with you in the morning regarding your Hokage's proposal."

"Of course."

With a final glance, Ejiri left.

"Are you in need of medical treatment?" Yutaka asked. "I can bring someone here if you'd rather not – "

"That won't be necessary," Sakumo said.

"As you wish. Are you certain you do not need anything else?" Yutaka asked.

"Thank you, no. Actually – I believe we'll take dinner here tonight."

"Of course. Emiko will bring it when it's ready." He bowed and left. Dai closed the door after him. He turned to Sakumo, who was frowning.

"What is it?"

"Awfully convenient that Ejiri already has the shinobi who jumped us in custody, isn't it?" Sakumo mused. He released his hold on his blade and pulled his shirt over his head. "It's been less than an hour and neither of us said anything about it. There was no one else in that alley, either. Not that I saw or sensed anyway."

"Maybe someone heard the commotion?"

Before Sakumo could answer another knock came on the door. Yutaka stood there, several ice packs in his hands. He handed them to Dai, then left once again without a word. Dai tossed one to Sakumo, then sprawled on his futon, resting the ice pack on his aching head. Sakumo pressed the ice to his swelling eye, grimacing at the feel of the cold against the tender flesh.

"It's possible," Sakumo said, picking up the conversation again. "Though unlikely."

"What are you saying? That Ejiri set it up?"

"I don't know anything for certain. Though that is the most likely scenario."

"What do we do?"

"We see what he has to say tomorrow."

"That's it?" Dai cracked open his eyes to stare incredulously at Sakumo. "What if they decide to attack during the night?"

"I doubt it," Sakumo replied. "That was a test, I'm almost certain of it. The exact reason I don't know." Grey eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yet."