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Legacy
kakashi(underscore)lvr(at)yahoo(dot)com
doesn't allow underlines/underscores for some awful reason.

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Chapter 5

Kakashi didn't have time to question Kie, as she quickly slipped out from under the green cloak, disappearing into the shadows of the trees as if she was apart of the forest. He kept close to the tree he was leaning against, as he saw the reflection of light off the metal he saw earlier, as a form emerged from the cover of the branches.

Definitely a Ninja, but as Kie noted, not a Grass Jounin as what was shown on the head protector he was wearing. The man was covered in a tattered dark shirt, and baggy pants. Kakashi followedh is gaze and saw that he was eyeing Kie as she appeared on the forest floor below them.

Then a sudden sound near Kakashi caused his senses to become acutely aware of a presence near him. He held his breath for a moment as a rather slim form emerged from the shadows before him. The shadowed form kneeled on the branch he was on, as it too stared down to the forest floor. A quick hand signal from it made the other man move quickly down the tree he was on.

Kie slowly reached for the staff she carried on her back, holding her left hand in front of her as she "felt" around for any new presence. In a quick movement, she pulled her staff out of its holster, in time to dodge a rain of shuriken from a position just behind her. Deflecting three of them, she reached into her own kunai pouch to throw one toward the area the shuriken had come from.

"Behind you."

Kie gasped as the voice came from behind her, and an arm was quick to grab her by her neck. She however, was able to get her staff between him and her and she used its leverage to pull herself free, knocking the man aside as she jumped out of his way.

Breathing deeply, Kie slowly got to her feet, feeling his presence just across from her.

"We've been looking for you for a long time," the man stated as he reached for his sword. "To think that all this time you've been hidden in the Village of Rain."

"What use is a blind woman to you?" she asked as she sensed his movement.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the man stated.

With a grunt, the man lunged at her, his sword drawn, swinging out at her as she used her staff to block the strike. Kie dodged another swing, but was caught by surprise by a hard punch the man delivered, causing her to step backward as she held her stomach.

Kakashi held his position as the form before him slowly moved to pull out a set of senbon needles from beneath the robe it wore. Eyeing the fight happening below, he knew that the form would use any distraction by the man confronting Kie to its advantage. He would have to move now, if he wanted to save Kie from the unknown attack.

Just as the figure was ready to throw the needles, Kakashi emerged from under the cloak, kunai in hand as he rushed toward the dark figure. His presence caught the shadowed figure offguard as he was able to tackle it off the branch and they fell the 20 feet to the forest floor.

Their commotion caught the attention of the man fighting Kie, and using the distraction, Kie lunged at the man, swinging her staff, catching him across his chest. The man was sent flying into a nearby tree, as he then slumped forward, to his knees, the sword he carried went flying into the forest beyond. Slowly standing, he pulled out two kunai as he attempted to attack Kie again. She was quick to respond to his advancement, by bring her staff before her as he struck. The Kunai hit her staff repeatedly, as she used his momentum to keep him off balance, and as she moved to the side, she was able to dodge another of his attacks, but he grabbed her staff in the process.

With his strength, he was able to pull her staff free and break it, while swinging his left arm around to strike at her with his kunai. Kie let out a scream as the kunai came into contact with her head protector, cutting the fabric, before she dodged the attack. Using his own strength against him, Kie stepped around him, grabbing for the small knife he wore at his side, unsheathing it before coming around him again, as the man fell forward onto the weapon. A gasp eminated from his as she pushed the knife further into him.

"Why are you after me?" Kie asked as she held the knife steady in her hand, and reached out to grab his arm with the kunai.

The man only laughed at bit. "You know very well, Kie, why we are after you," he said. "After all, you were able to kill my brother."

Kakashi fought against the figure as the cloak it wore slowly fell away, and his exposed eye widened to see that he was fighting against a kunouichi. She reacted as she knocked him away, standing as she confronted him.

"Who are you and where are you from?"

The woman only smiled as she stared at him. "Of all the shinobi in this world, Hatake-san, you should be aware of the dangers of traveling with that woman," she said.

With that she attacked the silver-haired ninja, drawing three senbon in one hand and two kunai in the other. As she attacked, she threw the senbon toward him, and used it distract him as she lunged at him with her kunai. Kakashi was able to block the attack. With her now free hand, a sword slid from under the cloak sleeve she wore, and used that to swing at him. He dodged her attack in time, jumping over her, though she swung her sword above her, catching him on the side of the pants he wore. As he landed, he winced a little at the scratch on his leg.

"Getting sloppy, copy ninja," she stated as she turned toward him. "Or is it true that you are unwilling to hit a female ninja?"

She attacked him again, swinging her sword, which he blocked by grabbing her arm that held it, but she countered with a round house kick, though he was quick to grab her by her leg, and using her own momentum against her, was able to send her flying into a nearby tree. She let out a gasp as she came into contact with the tree as she leaned against it.

"I dont hit female ninja, however, I dont mind using their own moves against them," Kakashi stated as he turned to her. "And judging by your skills, you are definitely not ready to go against me."

The woman spied him. "Has she even told you?" the woman asked as she regained her composure and stood, sword in her hand, ready to strike. "About who she really is?"

"She doesn't even know who she is," Kakashi stated as he watched her every move.

The woman laughed. "How naieve of you," she said.

She attacked him once again, but this time, he was able to unarm her and forced her to the ground below him. Stradling her, he grabbed her by her arms and then pinned her to the ground with her legs.

"Who hired you?" he asked. "Why disguise yourself as Grass Jounin?"

The woman only laughed. "People you do not want to mess with, Hatake-san," she said. "Kill me, and you will have a war brought down on your people."

"War?"

"Give us what we want," she said with a smile. "Give us her."

Kakashi looked up to see Kie had subdued the man that attacked her, as she held a knife, hilt deep into him.

Kie breathed in deeply as the Hitai-ate slipped from her forehead. She tilted her head to one side as she felt his warm breath over her exposed flesh.

"Your brother?" Kie asked with a deep breath. "Your brother was Hanaro?"

"Your friends, your family will continue to be under attack if you do not surrender to us, Kie," the man stated. "My brother was witness to your full potential. And we will continue to come after you."

"It would be best if you leave my friends and family out of this," she said. "Or what I did to your brother, will happen to you."

The man laughed. "Do they even know, Kie?" the man whispered. "Do they know how dangerous you are?"

Kie breathed in deeply. "And they will never know," she said simply as she pushed the knife deeper into him.

A painful cry eminated from him, causing the woman that Kakashi had subdued to react. She was able to knock the copy ninja off of her, and quickly getting to her feet, she ran toward Kie, pushing the blind woman aside as she took the man into her arms.

"This will not be the last, Hashiba-san," the woman said and in a puff of smoke, the both of them disappeared.

Kakashi quickly ran toward where Kie was standing as she gathered the remnants of her staff. She turned as he approached her.

"They are no longer in the area," she simply stated as she slowly pulled her gloves from the belt of her waist and slipped them over her hands.

"Who were they?" Kakashi asked.

Kie shrugged. "Hired assasins," she said.

As she was about to turn, Kakashi caught her by her wrist and pulled her against him.

"You know more to this than you're letting on," he said, angrily. "They said they were after you. Why?"

Kie tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but he only tightened his grip.

"Why, Kie?"

"I dont know," she stated, anger in her voice. "Ever since I became a jounin, I've been attacked and nearly killed for something I am not aware of. They've threatened everyone I've known; my friends, my family, if I dont surrender to them. I dont even know who hired them in the first place."

Kakashi stared at her, eyeing the scar that crossed over her right eye. Lightening his grip on her arm, she slowly released herself from his grasp.

"Do you think it has to do with the same assassins who tried to kill you as a baby?"

Kie made no sign that she thought that or otherwise. She simply massaged her arm where he had grabbed her.

"The sun is about to rise soon," she said simply. "We should get an early start."

Kakashi could only watch as she made her way back toward the direction of their small encampment. He then looked down at the ground before him, picking up the remnants of the head protector she wore. The symbol of Rain etched into the metal.

"Sensei."

Kakashi turned as Neji dropped down from a branch above him.

"I apologize for not helping," the young man stated.

"It's alright," Kakashi stated. "The Hokage has you here for other reasons."

"And I now understand why."

"What is it?"

"I've seen her Chakra use before, and if I am right, sensei, she could be one of the most elite ninja I've ever seen," the young man stated. "And Im not even sure she even knows it."

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The rest of the journey to Grass was mostly in silence. Sakura, was oblivious to the happenings of the night before, but Kakashi wanted it to remain that way. The Kage of Grass was grateful for their timely delivery of the document that the Hokage had them deliver. He granted the team a night's stay, which afforded them the comforts of a hot bath and a fine meal.

Kie was sitting quietly on the porch that lined the outside of the room that she and Sakura was sharing. After a nice hot bath, she resigned herself to the quite of the small courtyard before her.

"Hashiba-sensei?"

Kie turned in the direction of the sweet voice as Sakura joined her.

"I made you this," the young girl said.

Sakura placed the hitai-ate she made into her hands.

"Sakura, you didn't have to."

"Since you'll be serving Konoha, I thought its time for a small change," she said sweetly. "Im sorry about your rain one."

Kie smiled as she felt the metal etched piece in her hand. "It happens," Kie said. "The wear and tear of traveling."

Sakura smiled. "Well, at least your first mission wasn't too eventful," she said. "But I guess the Hokage just wants you to get accustomed to how we do things."

Kie smiled. "Yes, I guess that is her intention."

"Sakura."

The two looked up to see Kakashi walking toward them. Sakura slowly got to her feet.

"Please see about the preperations for our depature tomorrow," he stated. "I wish to speak with Hashiba-san."

Sakura nodded before leaving, heading back into the room, closing the shoji doors behind her. Kie breathed in deeply as she laid the Hitai-ate Sakura had given her, on the wood floor beside her.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"You know as much as I do."

Kakashi slowly kneeled beside her, then took a seat on the wood floor next to her. Looking at her, as her light lavender eyes focused on nothing of particular in front of her, his curiosity of her blindless could only be reaffirmed.

"The Hokage didn't assign you to this mission just for our sakes, Kie," he stated simply. "She knew you needed protec--."

"I can protect myself," she said, anger hinting in her voice as she quickly got to her feet. "I've been protecting myself since I was 14. I never asked for anyone's protection or sympathy, and Im not asking for that now." She fell silent for a moment, her hands tightly fisted at her sides. "I've lost too many friends because they felt the need to protect me."

"Maybe they were willing to give up their lives to see that you were safe," Kakashi offered.

"Then they were fools," she said.

"I know you don't believe that."

"Oh?" she asked turning toward him. "You honestly think that you know me enough to know what I believe or dont believe?"

Kakashi got to his feet and approached her. Taking her gloved hand into his, he placed a small object in the palm of her hand.

"If they were fools, you'd be a fool to carry this around, unless it meant something to you."

Kie closed her hand knowing what the object was. A small thin silver ring, one that she had hidden in her hitai-ate years ago.

"Friends; teammates, they look out for one another, Kie," Kakashi stated. "Sacrifice is a choice that one makes knowing that it could help another. Trust is something that is earned among your friends as well as teammates. You have to trust us, Kie. We are not your enemies, nor are we looking to be your enemies. We just want to know, what is it they are after."

"What do all men want, Hatake-san?" she asked simply. "What drives men to do horrible acts, at the cost of thousands of lives?"

She started toward the room she shared with Sakura and slowly slid the shoji doors open.

"That is why they are after me," she said. "They believe that I am able to give them what they want. That I am a means to obtain what they desire."

With that she entered the small room, closing the doors behind her.

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TBC

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Author's Note:
Oohoo, two updates in one week! Enjoy!