Chapter 3: ANBU

"Hokage-sama."

Kakashi dropped to his knee, as he bowed his head, moving his mask to the side of his head. He's still breathing hard from his run back to Konoha. They had been ambushed on their way back, while already low on their reserves. Their attackers had been taken care of quite quickly nonetheless, but not before one of their own getting a lethal injury. Kakashi had carried him back and dropped him off at the hospital, before making his way to the Hokage Tower. The medics had rushed him into surgery straight away. He hoped he would be alright. He really didn't want to lose another team member.

"Hound," the Sandaime Hokage acknowledged, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the blood on Kakashi's grey ANBU flack jacket. He blew out a puff of smoke as his face turned serious. "Report."

"Mission accomplished, sir. On our way back we were ambushed by a group of missing-nin, five miles out. They're taken care of, but a clean-up is required." Kakashi responded, producing a scroll from his pouch and handing it to the Hokage.

"Good, I'll send a team out. Any casualties?" The Sandaime asked, as he eyed the blood splatter.

Kakashi nodded, "Bear. I took him to the hospital."

The Hokage nodded at that, face grim. Anbu are notorious when it came to avoiding hospitals, so it must be quite bad if Kakashi dropped him off at the hospital. "Okay. Anything else?"

Kakashi shook his head at the question.

"Good. Dismissed," the Hokage said.

Kakashi stood up and bowed to his leader once again, before placing his mask back and using a Body-Flicker. A second later, he's in his apartment. He took his mask off, and placed it gently on the desk that's by the window. He ran a hand through his hair. It feels sticky, with blood his mind supplied. He should probably take a shower before going to the hospital, then.

He slowly, but methodically stripped out of his uniform, dropping it in the hamper next to the bathroom door. He turned on the shower, letting the water turn warm. As he looked in the mirror, keeping his left eye closed, he noticed the patches of dried blood in his silver hair. Sighing, Kakashi looked away and steps under the warm spray. He took a moment to clear his mind before grabbing the soap. He started cleaning himself, forcefully scrubbing his teammate's blood from his body.

After he's properly cleaned and dressed in a clean uniform, he put his dog-mask back on and jumped out of his window. Jumping across the roofs of the village, he made his way to the hospital. Within a few minutes he stood in front of the hospital. He frowned behind his mask. He really, really hates hospitals. He's seen too many comrades go in, but not come out. He hesitated another second, before steeling himself and entering the lobby.

"Anbu-san?" A nurse called out. Kakashi turned his head in acknowledgment. "You're the one that brought in the other Anbu, correct? Please, come with me." She says, before leading Kakashi to an unoccupied room.

Kakashi closed the door behind him and then turns to face the nurse. He cocks his head in question. The nurse hands him a file, as she starts explaining what's in it.

"Your teammate just got out of surgery. He's suffered great internal damage, but we've got our best doctor working on him. The lacerations on his legs were also quite deep, but we were able to stop the bleeding. All in all, he's very lucky and should make a quick recovery. I can show you his room, if you want?"

"Yes. Thank you," he says, nodding at her.

"Alright, please follow me, then." The nurse walked past Kakashi, opening the door to walk back into the corridor. Kakashi silently followed her through the different corridors, before showing him the room where his teammate was staying in.

"There's a chance he's not fully coherent yet, because of the sedatives we had to give him. Also, please keep in mind that he really needs to rest, so don't do anything that jeopardises his recovery. And make sure you don't stay too long."

Kakashi once more nodded at the nurse. He walks past her and opens the door to walk in, closing it softly behind him. He felt around, but already knew there was no one that could be seeing or hearing something they shouldn't. He looked at the pale face of the man that was lying in the hospital bed and sighed.

"You're an idiot, Genma," he started, as he removed his ANBU mask to look at his subordinate.

"Heh, sorry Boss." Genma softly responded. He winced as he tried to sit up and put a hand through his brown hair to get it out of his face. He looked even worse without the bandana he usually wore. It was kind of a strange sight.

"Stop being a stubborn idiot, and lie back down. You don't want to rip your stitches." Kakashi sighed while pushing him back down. "You were incredibly stupid, taking that hit. What the hell were you thinking?" He reprimanded Genma.

"I know, I know. I figured I'd make it and not get hit. I made a bad judgement call." Genma responded.

"You shouldn't have made that call at all. I ordered you to take the scroll back to the village. When I order you to do something, you listen. You don't act like an idiot and defy my orders." Kakashi told him. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, captain. Crystal." Genma swallowed nervously. He probably hated getting reprimanded as much as Kakashi hated having to reprimand someone. That didn't mean he didn't deserve this lecture. He had been a idiot.

"Good. Now, heal up. And get that fucking senbon out of your mouth. It'd be a damn waste if you ended up choking on it." He took a step back and crossed his arms while leaning at the windowsill.

"Very funny, Boss, very funny." Genma joked.

"Yeah, I know, I'm hilarious." Kakashi deadpanned. "Anyways, you're off the roster until you've been declared fit. Which will probably take a few weeks. So rest up."

"Eh? Few weeks? Come on! I'm fine, it's just a few stitches." Genma argued.

Kakashi hums, "just a few stitches, hm?" He walked towards Genma and before the other ANBU could react, he had picked the senbon from his lips and held it above him. "I'll arrange for you to leave early, if you can get the senbon from me." Kakashi challenged.

Genma reached forward and hissed.

"That's what I thought." Kakashi retorted with a flat voice. "So, yes. A few weeks." He turned to the table where he had placed his mask on, and put it back in front of his face. He opened the window and hopped on the windowsill. Looking back, he held up his hand. "Later," and jumped out.

As he landed on the rooftop of the building across from the hospital, he heard Genma yell, "HEY!"

Kakashi smirked beneath both of his masks, placing the senbon in his pouch. While Genma was an idiot for ignoring his orders, he was glad that he wouldn't be burying anyone anytime soon. Looking to the sky, he surmised daybreak would be coming soon. Not that it mattered, he thought, as he headed towards the Anbu Headquarters, he'd still have to write the report of their last mission. Sleep would come after that.

During the weeks that Team Ro was incomplete, they're were taken off the roster as a team. That didn't mean they couldn't take on any solo missions, however. Which is what Kakashi did. He wasn't someone to just sit still and train a little here and there. He had a job to do. After the fifth mission in three days however, he was summoned by the Hokage. He had just made it back to his apartment in the late afternoon, as he read the note that was delivered.

He figured he didn't have to rush, seeing as he wasn't expected back for at least half a day. He hummed and looked at his clothes. Yeah, he probably should shower first.

After a quick shower, he dressed himself in the standard jonin uniform and made his way towards the Hokage Tower. Entering through the window, he heard the Hokage sigh as stopped in front of him. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"

"What happened to using the door like everyone else, Kakashi?"

Kakashi shrugged, hearing the teasing tone in the Sandaime's voice, "Maa, the window is faster."

The Sandaime let out a soft laugh, "I don't suppose you're going to be using the door next time, are you?"

"Like I said, the window's faster. But I don't think you summoned me to talk about how I enter buildings, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage became a bit more serious then. "No, I didn't. How are you, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stilled, confused, "how.. Sir, with all due respect, you summoned me to ask me how I am doing?" Surely the Hokage had better things to do than ask him how he was.

"You've been taking missions back-to-back, Kakashi. I know your team isn't complete at the moment, but that doesn't mean you can overwork yourself. Especially when there's no one to watch your back." The Hokage frowned. "So, yes. I summoned you here to ask you how you are doing."

The silver haired teen stared at the village leader, not really understanding why the Hokage was asking him this. He completed his missions, didn't he? What did it matter how he was feeling about that? Not that he felt anything about that. He was a tool of the village. He simply did what was expected of him.

"I'm fine, sir."

As he stared at the Hokage, the Hokage stared back at him. After a few moments Kakashi had to really work to not start fidgeting under the Hokage's stare. He was a seasoned shinobi, damn it. He did not fidget like a child. But still, there was something about that stare. The look he was given almost looked like.. concern? It was at least clear the Hokage didn't believe him. He frowned at that. He wasn't lying though. He was fine.

The Sandaime kept looking at him a bit longer, before letting out a sigh once more. "Okay. Don't overdo it. On to another matter, Shiranui will be released from the hospital tomorrow. Take a few days to get your team in order before taking on the next mission."

"A few days, sir? I'm sure he will be able to leave right after his discharge."

"I'm sure he will be, Kakashi. I'm still ordering you and your team to take a few days after he gets discharged. Dismissed."

Kakashi kept silent, not about to push his luck, bowed and went to take his leave through the window. The Hokage raised an eyebrow at that and pointed towards the door. "Next time, use the door like everyone else."

"Yes sir." Kakashi replied as he jumped out the window, making his way home. If he was confined to the village, he might as well get some sleep. He made a mental note to gather the team tomorrow for some training. They could use these few days to work out some more formations. As he neared his home, he passed the market. Oh, right. Food.

Browsing through the market, he stocked up on the necessary items for the coming days. Being away so much meant his cupboards were pretty much empty. He walked through the streets carrying his grocery bags. He was about two blocks away from his apartment, before a shadow passed over him. Kakashi closed his eye and sighed.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

He was so close… There was no escaping him now. Did he really have to be so loud?

"Gai. Stop shouting."

"I've been looking all over for you, my Rival! Let's do a race! It's the Springtime of Youth! We must make use of this beautiful opportunity! What do you say, my Rival?!"

Kakashi sighed again, he was really not in the mood for this. "No." He said as he sidestepped Gai.

Suddenly tears were streaming down Gai's face, which made Kakashi raise his eyebrow. Had he missed something?

"You always act so cool, Rival!"

Kakashi didn't bother to respond, as he kept walking towards his apartment.

"Fine. You get your way this time, Kakashi! We'll battle next time. Prepare to lose!"

Kakashi entered his home and closed the door, falling against his closed door. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the start of a headache. Just his luck. Couldn't the guy take hint? He took of his sandals and patted towards his small kitchen to put away his groceries. He then went to make something to eat, figuring he should eat a decent meal after only been eating ration bars. Sitting down, he hooked a finger under his mask, intending to lower it but stopping as he felt a chakra appearing outside his apartment. Not a second later there was a knock on his door.

He put his food down and walked towards the door, opening it slightly. He looked at the ANBU wearing a cat mask. He raised his eyebrow in question.

"Senpai," he started.

"Whatever it is, tell me inside, Tenzou, I was just about to eat." Kakashi tilted his head, inviting his subordinate in, before walking back to the table.

Tenzou sighed, "senpai, you really have to stop calling me by my name."

"Maa, Tenzou, there's no one around. It's fine. So, do we have a mission?" Kakashi said as he waved his complaints off. He sat back down as he lowered his mask and picked up his bowl of rice. Tenzou was one of the very few people that had seen his face, so he didn't really bother hiding it from him. Besides, he was actually really hungry now. He shoved some rice in his mouth, chewing as he looked at Tenzou.

"We do have a mission, yes. It should be fairly easy from what I've gathered. We're to deliver a scroll to the daimyo, have him sign it and then take it back. So it shouldn't take more than half a day." Tenzou explained as he removed his mask and put both the mission scroll and the scroll they were to deliver on the table.

"Hm, yeah, shouldn't take too long," Kakashi said after swallowing. He looked at Tenzou… Was he drooling? "Are you hungry?" He asked, his lips twitching as he fought back the smile threatening to appear.

"No, no, I-" Tenzou's stomach growled, making the younger man blush. Kakashi grinned at that.

"There's some rice left, if you want." He nodded towards the kitchen, shoving another bite in his mouth.

"Ah, thanks senpai." Tenzou went to grab himself a bowl and sat down across of Kakashi. Both teenagers ate in silence, feeling completely at ease in each other's company.

After a few minutes, Kakashi stood up, picking up both bowls and bringing them to the kitchen. He quickly washed the bowls and dried them. After putting them away, he walked back to the table and picked up the mission scroll, reading it carefully. Tenzou was right, it was a fairly straightforward mission. He might as well get this over with, sleep could wait he supposed. There was a sealed note addressed to him specifically in the scroll. He unsealed it by putting a bit of his chakra in it. It was a short message, stating that Team Ro was put back on the roster and that there were enemy-nin sighted in the area they would be travelling through. The Hokage isn't taking any chances it seemed.

"I assume you're ready to go?" He asked as he rolled the scroll back and put it in his pouch that he had put on the table earlier.

"Of course."

Kakashi stayed silent for a few moments. Delivering a scroll was usually a job for one, maybe two of them. But after reading the scroll and the note, he'd best not take any chances either. What they were delivering was strictly confidential and if the scroll were to fall into the wrong hands, it could potentially start up another war.

"Alright, notify Rabbit and Crow and meet me at the Northern gate at 22:00. Oh, and make sure to wear your cloaks. It's going to rain tonight." Kakashi ordered. He scrunched up his nose at the thought. He didn't like the rain. His sense of smell was next to useless when it rained, which made it a little harder keeping track of his surroundings. Anyways, the sooner they left, the sooner he'd be able to get some sleep.

"Yes, captain." Tenzou responded. He put his mask back on and Body-Flickered away.

Kakashi dug around in his pouch and produced a soldier pill. He disliked using them, but it was necessary. All these back-to-back missions were slightly wearing him down, even if he didn't want to admit it.

He walked to his bedroom and stripped off his long sleeve and pants, throwing both items in the hamper. He went to his closet and took out the black Anbu issued sleeveless shirt and black pants. He put the pants on and then pulled the shirt over his head, lifting the attached mask until it covered the lower half of his face. He reached into his closet again and grabbed a clean grey flak jacket and put this on over his shirt. Next he took out the metal arm guards, gloves and cloak. After strapping his tanto to his back, he walked back out and grabbed the pouch that he had left there.

After he was fully dressed, Kakashi glanced around, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Nodding to himself, he put his white cloak on, pulled his hood up and then proceeded locked all entrances to his apartment. He then made his way to the Northern gate. When he arrived, he greeted Cat and Rabbit.

"Where's Crow?" he asked.

Cat responded, "he should be here soon. He was still in a clan meeting when I informed him."

Kakashi hummed, "Maa, I don't suppose he'll be too long then. He hates those meetings. He hates any meeting, actually."

Rabbit chuckled at that, then asked, "is Bear not coming?"

Turning to the only female in his team, Kakashi shook his head. "No, he's still in the hospital. Won't be released until tomorrow, so it's just the four of us." He hadn't even finished his sentence, before their fourth team member appeared in front of them.

"Good, all set?" Kakashi looked at his team. They all nodded. "Good, let's go. Formation C." He stated.

He turned and sped off, the rest of his team following him as he set a fast pace. It would take a few hours before they'd arrive at the daimyo's palace. And because of the weather, he wanted to make good time, so they didn't have to spend a lot of time in the rain. Sure enough, not even half an hour later rain started to fall. Pulling his hood a bit further over his head, he sped up a bit more, his team following his example. Had he mentioned he hated the rain? Because he really hated it.