InuyashaGal: Lemme know what you found confusing, and I'll try to sort it out for you a bit.
So yeah, I tried to use that line break thing last time, and while messy, it's apparently much easier on the eyes, so I'll continue to do that.
------
Tracing the Clouds
------
Chapter 10: The Mark
------
Half an hour later, four Leaf Shinobi sat in a row at the bar in front of Naruto's favorite Ramen stand. One looked
rather squeezed, another rather beaten, the third looked all around worse-for-wear, and the last looked both amused
and extremely smug. The man in question was none other than the famed Copy-Ninja Kakashi, who'd decided
previously that tying an already well-bound Sakura to a log and eating in front of her would be rather redundant. After
a round of formal introductions, questions, and proclamations of lifelong dreams, they had opted to instead hit the
Ichiraku. Kakashi stared down the nearest pupil to him, who was currently wholly absorbed in the task of inhaling the
steaming bowl in front of him. He couldn't help but grin, even if his mask made the act somewhat futile.
Almost four years ago Jiraiya had taken him, proclaiming to Konoha he'd turn him into something they could be proud
of. At the time, Kakashi fought to repress his laughter. Nothing could penetrate that boy's thick skull...or so he'd
thought. Not five months ago the boy had returned a young man, full of life and vibrant in his newfound strength and
wisdom. Gone were the idiot prankster and the loudmouth punk, and in their place stood a strong, confident shinobi.
Blaring orange had been replaced by much more subtle, and much to Kakashi's relief, occasionally varying colors of
green and gray and blue (Kakashi had often wondered if the boy even washed his old jumpsuit). That odd looking
ruffle-collared jumpsuit had been replaced by a Chuunin vest, which hung loosely over a much more mainstream-
looking tee shirt and depending on what was clean either a pair of cargo pants or a set of denim shorts. Kakashi rolled
his eyes as the boy reached over, throwing his arm over a very battered Iro's shoulder, shaking the poor whimpering
ninja like a rag doll. Some things never changed.
Kakashi's smile faded a bit as his gaze drifted to the pink haired Kunoichi seated next to him, who spun her chopsticks
idly in her rapidly cooling noodles. Sakura. Kakashi sighed to himself, remembering a time that seemed so far off now,
when the girl had been happy. His thoughts darkened as they fell upon a certain ex-student of his. Uchiha Sasuke. Had
the boy really even thought his actions through when he left? Had he thought about the people he'd hurt? He'd been
Naruto's only real friend, and adversary. The boy had taken it hard when he'd betrayed them, but eventually the pain
faded away to nothing but a memory, and Naruto had coped rather well. Sakura, on the other hand... He looked
down at the girl again, who was now staring down the street as if expecting something, or someone round the corner at
any minute. Him. Kakashi gave a barely audible sigh. She just never smiled anymore.
His lazy gaze wandered again, this time falling upon the unruly brown head that sat farthest from him, on the other side
Naruto, who was currently doing his level best to test the theory that ears could, in fact, be talked off. Iro sat, looking
(aside from rather scuffed-up,) extremely confused. Kakashi had little difficulty guessing why. The boy was probably
boggling over why on earth someone who trusted him no farther than he could throw him was perfectly content to
yammer away mindlessly in his ear, all the while helping himself to Iro's uneaten ramen, grinning like a fool the whole
time. Kakashi noticed the young man giving him a forlorn stare, and returned it with a sweat drop of commiseration.
The day Kakashi understood how Naruto thought was the day he'd strip down and disappear into the treetops. He
nodded a silent 'Amen'.
He glanced again at Iro, the usual noncomplacency of his visible eye belying the excitement his mind felt. His inner
adolescent punched both fists in the air, voice filled with glee as it did a little victory lap around his soul. This kid!! The
Kakashi within screamed, Has so much potential it HURTS! SCORE!!!! An older, wizened Kakashi stood nearby,
nodding sagely. Hey, when the baffoon was right, he was right. The young gennin's swordplay had been exemplary- if
not perfect. If Kakashi could teach him to wield Nin and Tai jutsu just as well as he did a blade, the kid could
probably hold his own against generations of Kages to come.
There was also the matter of his bloodline, which was still shrouded very much in mystery. Silver hair dipped as the
jounin closed his eye, deep in thought. He'd seen a bit of it when he'd been forced to use it during the scuffle with
Naruto, but Kakashi was positive beyond all doubt that this could have been only the tip of an enormous iceberg...just
what exactly did the Karu clan keep up it's sleeve? He found himself shivering in anticipation of finding out.
And what was that mark the boy had hidden from him earlier? From what his memory told him, it wasn't a Curse Seal.
When he became angered, it didn't activate. He didn't have the same unholy aura the Curse seal generally gave a
person who had one, as the seal warped one's chakra from it's pure form into something just slightly odd.
Orochimaru... Kakashi sighed, Why must you twist everything you touch? He wasn't dark and brooding like
Sasuke had been towards the end either. All this combined with the fact that the mark looked nothing like a Curse seal
left Kakashi to wonder in the dark. He grinned mischievously under the fabric that hid his face. He'd find out soon
enough.
Suddenly the Jounin spoke up, quiet falling over the small gathering as his words met their ears.
"We have a Mission."
-------
If this is seen as a cliffhanger, I apologize profusely. I hadn't intended it to be, honest!
For those of my (like, 4 --') readers wondering what Iro's marking looks like, it's a swirl pattern somewhat like the Curse seal, only there are four spokes. Instead of commas, the spokes of the swirl are thick lines that thin out towards the outer tip, and split near the middle, forming a smaller tail, giving each spoke the appearance of a serpentine tongue. Basically picture the curse seal with an extra comma thrown in, with the circles removed from the comma's, and the tails split down the middle. The mark doesn't, however, have anything to do with Orochimaru. It's existence will be explained later :)