Grey

Chapter 9

Kazuki's death saddened us all, and many a time, we would blame ourselves for neglecting to protect him. However, that also served to motivate us further in our missions, and we vowed to avenge his death when the chance arose, no matter what the cost.

Then one day, I realised that I had to begin watching my own back, besides worrying about my deceased teammate. The Sandaime Hokage had called for a meeting with all the Anbu and jounins, and formally announced that a spy from Hidden Cloud Village had been captured. The captive was brought into the meeting room, bound and gagged. Meanwhile, I worried for myself, and prayed to the gods to keep me safe.

One of the jounins forced the captive to look up at all of us by giving his hair a sharp yank upwards. The prisoner, barely conscious from hours of torture, stared at us with glazed eyes.

Then it clicked. Prior to seeing his face, I had simply dismissed him as another spy, just another incompetent spy who might betray me and our village. I was shocked to see that the spy was one of my bodyguards who had cared for me as a child. He saw me, and his eyes brightened for an instant, but then dulled again as he realised that I must not be discovered. I had forgotten his name, and yet at that very moment, I felt like falling to my knees and begging Hokage-sama to let him off. I couldn't explain that thought, but I supposed that it was partly due to my gratitude and affection for him that caused me to do so.

He seemed to realise what I was about to do, and he shook his head very slightly--enough to tell me not to act on impulse. I gulped, and stared helplessly as I watched my ex-bodyguard succumb to the various methods of torture applied to him. Blood trickled out of his nose, mouth and ears, and all I could do was watch him suffer at the hands of my friends.

Memories of him helping me retrieve a lost kite, fixing a broken toy--all those flooded my mind right then, and I felt the urge to run right up there and defend him. But no, I was a spy, and I couldn't allow myself to act without considering the consequences of my actions.

I shook my head, trying to drive all those memories of old out of my mind. I would not allow myself to be controlled by my emotions. What was more, I reminded myself, an Anbu was built to kill, and must not harbour any affections for a life he was about to take.

Obito turned and looked at me, having noticed the pheromones of confusion I was emitting. "Kakashi, are you okay?" He whispered under his breath, for it was an unspoken rule that we were not to speak whenever it came to situations like these.

I nodded, but Obito still wasn't convinced. He continued to pass concerned looks at me. Despite my mask, I was still unable to conceal the fact that my lips were trembling. I fought hard to control myself, but my hands and fingers still felt cold. My heart ached with every cry, every muffled groan the prisoner made.

Admittedly, I knew next to nothing about my ex-bodyguard, but he seemed a kind and good-natured man. But it wasn't just that. He was also my countryman, my bodyguard who had gone beyond the call of duty to care for me.

And all this while, I hadn't noticed that my fists were clenched, involuntarily.

*****

When I got home, I was greeted by the sight of a matronly-looking woman pacing anxiously in front of my house. When she saw me, she nervously wiped her palms on her apron, and introduced herself as Yuko. She quickly fished out a soiled scroll from her pocket, and passed it to me, saying that it was from her husband, Ichiro. Before I could even invite her in for tea, she left hurriedly.

I didn't think much of her strange behaviour, and guessed that her husband had probably told her to have as little contact with me as possible. Shrugging, I turned and entered my house while examining the sealed scroll.

I shut the door behind me and locked it, just to be safe. I had recently moved out of Hayato-sensei's house to make room for his pregnant wife. Although Hayato-sensei did ask me to stay, I couldn't stand the sight of the couple cuddling and whispering sweet nothings in each other's ear. Besides, I also needed my own space, so I moved out of his place and into a crummy but cozy house nearby.

Flopping myself onto the green sofa that had been a gift from Hayato-sensei, I scrutinised the scroll, which had been tied up with a piece of string. It didn't appear to be a ninja scroll, and didn¡¯t carry any special emblems either. Deciding that it would be safe to open the scroll, I tugged at the brown string that bound it.

To my surprise, the string wouldn't budge, so I sat up and tugged harder. The knot was a simple one that ought to come undone rather easily, and it puzzled me that it wouldn't loosen.

Then it occurred to me that this was probably a secret document that was sealed with a rope-binding jutsu. Unsure of whether it was a document from Leaf or Cloud, I studied the scroll again, and then tentatively sprayed water onto it.

As expected, a Cloud emblem surfaced on a portion of the wet paper. Nervously, I moved my hands in a series of seals that I had not performed in years, and directed my chakra towards the string. The string undid itself, and fell limply to the ground.

Hands trembling with anticipation, I picked up the scroll, and opened it, only to find a clumsily-written letter sealed into it.

Kakashi-kun (Or should I call you Kurai-chan?),

Do you still remember me? I'm Ichiro, your ex-bodyguard. I was sent here by your father, Raikage-sama, to help watch your back, as well as to gather news about the forbidden jutsu you were supposed to investigate.

By the time you are reading this, I would probably have been caught by those Konoha bastards. In case you are wondering, my wife knows nothing of my background, so you won't have to worry about her spilling the beans about your identity.

I was sent here 3 years after you left, because your 'tousan was worried about you. But when I told him you were safe and sound, he flew into a rage, because he felt that you were not reporting to base out of cowardice, because you knew that every time you reported your findings to Hidden Cloud Village, your life would be at risk.

Your 'tousan may think that you are a weakling but I beg to differ. Kurai-chan, I believe that you have your reasons for not reporting your findings to our village. But now that it's come to this, I hope that you will inform Raikage-sama of the results of your investigation.

I remain your loyal servant,

Ichiro

I read the letter twice, and then burned it angrily. I felt hurt and betrayed, and out of spite, I dug up the scrolls in which I had sealed information about Konoha, and threw them into the blazing fire. How dare 'tousan doubt my abilities? How dare he think that I was a coward? How dare he! He wouldn't know about living under the nose of a special jounin, and how difficult life was for me because of his abilities. It was already difficult enough trying to practise the jutsus I¡¯d learnt back in Hidden Cloud Village, much less send information back to my hometown.

I had originally planned on sending the scrolls by using one of my ninken as a messenger but for doubting me, they would never receive this information. I smirked as the fire licked the scrolls hungrily and quickly reduced them to ashes.

"Kakashi!" I spun around at the sound of the familiar voice. Obito stood a short distance away, and a suspicious frown marred his usually pleasant features.

I cursed myself for my lack of vigilance, but acted nonchalant and stuffed my hands into my pockets. "Yo."

"Kakashi, what were you burning?" Obito ignored my greeting and moved closer to examine the smouldering ashes.

"Nothing much. Just burning my old diaries." I lied through clenched teeth.

Seeing that I was tight-lipped, Obito decided not to pursue the matter and I heaved a sigh of relief.

Then remembering his original reason for visiting me, he told me that our team had been assigned a new mission--to infiltrate Hidden Cloud Village. We would be briefed at headquarters, and would set off in four hours under cover of darkness.

I went into the house to change, and awkwardly invited Obito in because I thought it rude if I made him wait outside. I made him some tea while he waited for me to sort my things out.

I felt his eyes bore into my back as I quickly changed into my Anbu uniform, feeling his eyes sweep over my body, memorising every contour of my wiry frame.

I turned around in response to his gaze, only to see that his Sharingan were on.

*****

We were jumping from tree to tree, silent shadows flitting by with the grace of tigers on the prowl. Wordlessly, we sprang from branch to branch, feeling the liquid steel of our own muscles coil and uncoil, listening to our heart thump within our ribcage, a rhythm all of its own.

Kirito stopped, and we followed suit. We crouched on a bough, our sharpened senses on high alert.

We were now on enemy ground. We could see the obvious change in the geography of the land ahead of us--trees were few and far between, and a glorious expanse of paddy fields met the eye.

It was a sight that I had pined for all these years away from home, but right then, I had other things on my mind.

"Kirito, I think I shall move ahead of you guys first as a scout." I summoned Pakkun, one of my trusty ninken." He will guide you according to my scent. I will alert you all to any obstacles ahead."

Kirito nodded, and I leapt off the bough, and into the shadows under the moonlit sky.

A/n: Sorry for taking so long to update, been busy with tests and such XP Exams are coming up too, so I don't think I'll have much time to update until, say, 15 October. Then I'll have another major exam for Chinese (which I don't particularly like XP)

I'll be mugging in the meantime. Enjoy the cliffhanger. X3