Chapter thirteen
Reaction II
----
Kakashi dreamed.
The pale light of a Konoha dawn filtered through his apartment window, dust motes making a small halo around each of the photographs that graced his bedside table.
He stared at them, unwilling to get up from his prone position. He didn't have any plans for today; why leave the comforting warmth of his bed? Instead, he watched the sunlight play off the glass in the frames, and surveyed himself and each of his precious people in turn.
There he was, gazing back out with a serious expression, regarding him through the photograph and across the gulf of time. Back then everything had to have a reason; he'd needed rules for living and existed in strict accordance to them. It had taken tragedy for him to re-evaluate the importance of things and people, and his eyes moved next to the unwitting catalyst of those terrible events.
Rin. A half-smile graced her lips and he was almost tempted to consider it a secretive one, had she not been incapable of any artifice at all. She'd been a nice girl, a good girl, and hadn't deserved being matched up with them on the team. She couldn't have known - hell, at that point, he didn't know - that he was unlucky, he was poison, and that anyone he let close would die before their time. She'd lived a bit longer than his other teammate; but the Hatake legacy, his very own curse, consumed them all in the end and she had been no exception.
Obito smirked out almost defiantly, Uchiha eyes dark and with a hint of haughtiness behind those ridiculous goggles. How callously Kakashi had treated him, always assuming his own superiority. It had taken the ultimate sacrifice to show him the error of his ways, which was partly why he had accepted Obito's parting gift in the end. Sometimes you needed to punish yourself in order to learn, and he did penance every time he opened his left eye. While Obito had been a victim of the curse as well, at least he lived on a bit, in this way.
Behind them stood their sensei, eyes crinkled into that familiar, maddening smile, the one that promised everything would be okay. Kakashi hated that smile because it was a lie and offered only false assurances, but he hated it more because he'd been smiling at the end as well. When he gave his life for the people, the village, the ideals he lived by and believed in, even then he'd had that damn smile on his face. For that, Kakashi could never forgive him. For that, Kakashi could never forgive himself.
Enough. He looked over at the other photo, the newer one, colours more vibrant and cheerful than the sepia tone of the first. There he was, again, smiling this time. He couldn't remember why, exactly - had he been setting an example or was he just relieved to finally have the two boys in front of the camera? Hmm, maybe it had been both. Either way, neither of his male team members had followed his lead, as both stared out with serious looks.
Naruto's usually cheerful face had been taken over by a frown, eyes narrowed at his closest friend and eternal rival. He looked anything but happy, but Kakashi remembered the boy had been bursting with excitement at being one step closer to his dream, and any annoyance could only be fleeting.
He wished he could say the same for Sasuke, who returned Naruto's look with a glower of his own. The Uchiha of this team was a mirror of the one from his own. They had the same eyes and the same hair, but where Obito was all too often lighthearted, Sasuke had rarely been amused at anything. Kakashi could hardly remember an occasion where a smile - a true smile - had ever graced his lips.
Smiling...Sakura. He let his eyes finally rest on her happy countenance, bent over between them, the heart of the team. She balanced the boys and made his job a hell of a lot easier, and how had he repaid her? He'd let her become another victim, had acted impulsively and left her to the ravages of isolation, where Orochimaru would -
A hand snaked around his waist and he stiffened in surprise, shocked that he'd let an intruder not only breach his apartment, but also get close enough to...embrace him? Afraid, he looked down. The arm that held him loosely was small and fair-skinned, almost stark against the dark material of the comforter. Long fingers tucked themselves under his chest and his breath hitched. What was this?
So as not to startle the other occupant of his bed, Kakashi feigned a yawn, stretching carefully and inching himself over until he'd rolled entirely onto his side. And then he forgot to breathe altogether when he saw a familiar head of pink hair spread out across the pillow beside him. Her face was relaxed, innocent in repose, and he stared unbelievingly until her eyelashes fluttered under the weight of his stunned regard. She blinked sleepily, and then she was smiling, lips curving as she brought a hand up to rub at her face.
"Morning," she mumbled, and the shock intensified. Not only was she unfazed at waking up beside him, but she didn't seem to find it odd? He allowed himself to hope. Was this...a usual occurence?
"H-Hey," he managed, sliding his own hand carefully up behind her body and pushing an unruly strand of hair away from her cheek. His fingers were shaking but she didn't seem to notice, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch.
"Mmmm."
His hand stilled and then he moved it again, giving in to desires he'd never allowed himself to have, stroking over her cheek and coming to rest lightly on her lips. She smiled again and he marvelled at the sensation under his fingertips, before she leaned in further and pressed her lips to his skin.
If he'd started breathing again he couldn't tell. He was frozen, captivated, completely under her spell as she pulled back and angled up, mouth moving towards him with the intent to capture his own. His eyes drifted shut as he surrendered to the emotions, uncaring of what his conscience or anyone else thought because she was here, with him, beside him, body flush against him and she was coming closer, moving in, about to kiss him -
And then the dream shattered as he jerked to wakefulness, unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and worst of all, uncomprehending of what the hell had just occurred.
----
His eyes were open but fuzzy light was all he could see, and he had the sudden, terrifying thought that he was stranded now, and blind. And then shadows faded into his vision while colours appeared and coalesced, and after blinking a few times he was able to determine he was somewhere in a rainforest and there were trees on either side.
Funny how everything came full circle, really.
He had another disturbing moment when he felt an arm across his chest again, and hoping - praying - that somehow at least part of the dream was true and Sakura was here, he gathered his thoughts and looked down.
Nope. Not Sakura. The hand across his torso was larger and male, and covered with dark hairs. He slid out from under its grasp, and, wincing at the ache in his muscles, rolled over on the damp soil, to find Akio still unconscious and splayed on his side in what looked to be a rather uncomfortable position. They'd ended up here somehow, and it seemed as though the policeman had landed on top of him. They appeared to be safe though; they were both breathing, and really, that was all that mattered.
He relaxed and moved into a crouch, lips starting to curve up into a smile. For the moment, Akio had escaped the curse and lived to see another day. But then events caught up with him and the smile fled his face before it even formed. Akio was alive, but he probably wouldn't be thanking Kakashi for that any time soon. Indirectly, unintentionally, he and Sakura had caused Izanami's death and from what he'd seen of Akio's reaction, the policeman was a broken man.
And now it looked like Kakashi was stuck with him. In an instant of confusion, a split-second decision had managed to rip him and Sakura apart. She was back at the homestead, completely at the mercy of Yumi, should she decide to return, and he was...where was he?
Not dead.
It finally registered that the reason he'd been spurred into action, the whole point of trying to reach Akio in time had been to stop him from opening the dangerous scroll entrusted to him by the Hokage. The Kamikaze no Jutsu. The ultimate act of sacrifice, the final act of defence a hired shinobi could grant a customer under his protection. A spell of painless death was inked into the parchment, and promised the user a quick and gentle passing. It was reserved for the one in their care, and Kakashi had kept it for Sakura's sake, assuming that she would prefer it to whatever Orochimaru had in store. That was why Tsunade had given it to him, after all. Promise me you'll use it, she'd said, and he'd agreed.
But something was very wrong. Not only had the scroll failed to kill either him or Akio, it had also transported them some distance and separated them from Sakura. Tsunade herself had handed it to him. If it wasn't the Kamikaze no Jutsu, then it had to be a different scroll, labelled incorrectly. For all her faults, Tsunade was a careful woman, a perfectionist in many ways. As a medic-nin, she had to be. This negligence was not something she usually displayed and it was worrying, to say the very least.
And then he remembered they were facing an enemy who could be anyone she chose to be. It was entirely possible - and suddenly very probable - that Tsunade had never seen the scroll, and it was Yumi herself who had handed the damn thing to him. The damn thing that had turned out to be more - and less - than what it had appeared to be.
He hadn't questioned it at the time because Sakura was her apprentice, and he knew the Godaime was fiercely protective of those close to her heart. But she was also the strongest kunoichi Konoha had ever seen, and this offer of an easy way out disturbed him now, with the luxury of hindsight. If this was truly what had happened, he needed some way of warning the Hokage, some way of giving her an abridged version of recent events, and the threat that they faced in this Yumi. He was unable to sense the change with his Sharingan but possibly the Byakugan would have more luck. And the Inuzukas had an amazing sense of smell; maybe they'd be able to sniff impostors out. There were skills around that had the capacity to succeed where he had failed, but more than likely they wouldn't think to look, would have no idea of what lurked in their midst. The Hokage had authority over Konoha and the possibilities were endless for someone able to infiltrate the Godaime's office and take on her likeness. His village was in danger and there was nothing he could do.
He was spared further thought as Akio rolled over, finally awakening. He sat up and blinked a few times, taking in his surrounds before fixing on Kakashi with wide eyes.
"I am terribly sorry," Akio said, and Kakashi suppressed a bitter laugh at irony's reappearance in this comedy of errors, "but where are we, Kakashi-san?"
"That," he replied, rising, "is a very good question, indeed."
----
Akio had reacted against type; he was falsely cheerful and seemed unwilling to discuss the events that had brought them here, for which Kakashi was profoundly grateful. He'd rather not go over it all again because thinking about it nudged the lump inside his chest and he had more pressing issues to concern himself with, at the moment. He couldn't chase after Sakura until he'd formulated some sort of plan, and he couldn't do that until he knew where he was and what he was going to do about Akio. Because, policeman or not, the man would slow him down, and time was of the essence.
It was his guess that Yumi would return to Sound - or wherever she was based - before returning to attack them again, which led him to believe Sakura would be safe for a couple of days at most. The worst part was not knowing how long they'd been out, as things could be coming to a head and he wouldn't have a clue. He needed to figure something out and get going, because even though he had faith in her strength and knew she was strong in her own right, most of the time she did not. He wanted to be there to help her, to protect her. She was one of the only precious people he had left, and if he wasn't going to pretend any more...
...she was the most important person in his life.
He didn't even want to consider if she could ever come to feel the same way about him. At the moment, it was irrelevant. His feelings didn't have to be reciprocated, but she did have to live through this, and he would do everything in his power to make certain that she would.
But he sure wasn't much help just sitting in some forest, mooning over his fate. He needed to do something, to take action, to lessen the distance between them, to bring Sakura closer to himself.
"Akio," he said, and the man glanced over, an uncertain look upon his face, "I'd advise you to move back."
He complied and Kakashi wondered if Akio had gotten used to him ordering him around all the time, since telling the policeman what to do seemed to be all he ever did of late. It was unimportant for the time being, however, and he cleared his mind as he brought a fingertip to his mouth, nipping at the skin. He waited until a warm trickle of blood seeped from the wound and when the bright drop welled up, he thrust his hand to the ground and smacked the earth.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he cried, and with a flash and a crack a full compliment of nin-dogs puffed into existence and filled the small clearing.
Akio made a small noise and scrabbled backwards, pushing himself awkwardly into the trunk of a tree. He looked like he wanted to disappear into it and Kakashi was almost inclined to tell him it was possible for members of the Yuuhi clan. But, as always, there were more important things to do than joke, and he held his tongue while the dogs capered about and yipped their excitement, happy to be out and eager to do some running. He was glad they seemed to be so energetic, because they'd be getting their chance for exercise very soon.
He searched amongst the milling group, pleased to see them all, but seeking in particular a familiar droop-eyed stare.
"Looking for someone?" came a low voice at his feet, and he glanced down, breaking into a relieved smile to see Pakkun near his legs.
"Quite," he replied cryptically, and motioned for the ninken to be quiet, kneeling next to the pug and clapping a hand onto his jacketed back. "How are you doing?" he asked kindly, unwilling to send his tracker out unless he was up to the task.
"There's problems at home," the dog replied morosely. "The wife wants puppies but I don't know if I'm cut out to be a father, and I'm really not inclined to -"
"I meant," Kakashi interrupted hurriedly, eager to cut off one of the pug's marital diatribes, "how are you physically? Are you right for a journey?"
Pakkun blinked and looked past him, narrowing his eyes at Akio, who was flinching away from one of the more curious nin-dogs. It had come over to sniff at his clothes, a cue for the others to move forward into a semi-circle around the policeman, who looked none too happy about the situation. Kakashi followed Pakkun's gaze and sighed. "It's a bit of a long story."
"I'll bet," returned the dog dryly. "It usually is."
"So, how are you feeling?" He didn't want to harp but he'd prefer to get this show on the road as soon as possible.
"I'm fine, more than ready to do a little recon, although a bit of info wouldn't go astray. Like where we are, who you're looking for, and how you managed to acquire a random civilian."
Akio had by this time gathered his courage and proffered a hand to the nearest dog. It stared at him for a moment, eyes unreadable through its dark glasses, then loped closer and gave his palm a tentative sniff. The rest of the pack watched while the dog came to a decision, and when it gave a low whuff and started licking Akio's fingers, they got to their feet also and moved in for a closer inspection. "H-Hey," Akio stammered, taken aback.
Kakashi turned away from the display of bonding and sighed again. "I can only answer the second two, and it's since occurred to me that I'll need to know the first one in order to determine where to go from here. I'll explain everything while the other guys get our bearings, so if you'll give me a moment?"
"My time is your time." The pug got up and headed over to a patch of sunlight, dropping down onto his belly and warming himself in the glow. Kakashi watched him settle before standing up and crossing to the rest of the pack, drawing their attention from Akio by clearing his throat. They tensed and turned, lines of their bodies immediately alert and poised, ready for whatever order he was about to give.
"I need you to scatter," he told them, and they kept still with their mouths open, panting slightly in anticipation. "Disperse, and take note of landmarks or geographical features that can tell me where we've ended up. Give yourselves a limit of say, one hundred kilometres, and then meet back here with details as soon as you can."
They remained motionless, waiting, and he sighed inwardly, wishing he'd thought things through a little more when he was younger and had trained them. He wasn't sure he was using this correctly, but it was the closest direct order he could think of, and it would have to do.
"Tsuiga no Jutsu," he said tiredly, and they exploded from the clearing, racing off in all directions in search of clues. He watched them disappear before going over to Akio and leaning against the tree where the policeman still sat.
"What was that, Kakashi-san?" Akio asked timidly, and he had to applaud the man for keeping his relative cool.
"Tracking Fang technique," said Pakkun, replying before Kakashi had a chance. The dog got to his feet and padded over, regarding the policeman with heavy-lidded eyes. "And what's your story?"
Akio stared at the pug with a face of abject mortification, and Kakashi knew that if the situation had been less urgent he'd probably be very amused. But though they had time to kill while the ninken did their stuff, he needed to use it wisely, and the best thing he could do would be to bring Pakkun up to date.
"Take a seat," he told the dog, and he obliged, always happy to exude as little effort as possible. "I think I need to tell you everything I know."
----
Pakkun listened attentively as Kakashi provided a rundown of the situation, occasionally interrupting to clarify some point or another. When he finished the pug sat back, a thoughtful expression on his perpetually crumpled visage. Akio, meanwhile, looked like someone had clobbered him over the head; his mouth had dropped into an O of surprise somewhere near the beginning of the story, and it had stuck fast as events were played out. The policeman's face had tensed during the parts about him and Izanami, but he'd kept calm and for that Kakashi was relieved.
The ninken would be coming back soon. It had been a long story, just as Kakashi had expected, and the retelling had even been shortened by the various parts he'd chosen to omit. There were some things you told a dog, and there were some things you didn't.
Pakkun had a nose for these things, but while he looked like he wanted to know the parts Kakashi had kept to himself, he seemed to realise that for the moment there were more important things to concern himself with.
"So," the dog said, bringing a leg up to scratch at the base of one ear, "if the scroll had worked correctly you'd both be dead."
Akio paled as Kakashi nodded.
Continuing, Pakkun dropped the leg. "I've heard of the Kamikaze no Jutsu. It was used a great deal in the chaos during Yondaime's tenure - made for customers, but sometimes used by weak shinobi themselves." The dog's eyes turned flinty. "So why didn't that tip you off in the first place? This is a near-forbidden jutsu, and it was designed especially for those too weak to fight back. I would have expected more from one of your students, and if you had too you wouldn't be in this mess right now."
Kakashi blanched; he hadn't looked at it from that angle. "I assumed," he said hesitantly, "that the Hokage was trying to stop Orochimaru from gaining the ultimate Sharingan -"
"Oh, pooh," interrupted Pakkun. "She would have just killed them both straight off, if that was the case. It would be a far easier decision to take only two lives, instead of the countless ones that would be lost should Orochimaru obtain this power."
Would it? The numbers were right but the dog had neglected to take in the ties that bind. One of the gateways to Orochimaru's success was Tsunade's salvation, the boy who had become her heart, her brother, her son. And the other was just as important in a different way, the girl who was her disciple, her echo, herself. Tsunade could no more kill Naruto or Sakura than Kakashi could, be it personally or indirectly. He'd relinquished one of the pair and endangered the other, and since it was in his power to save Sakura, he was going to give this everything he had. He wouldn't lose her - couldn't lose her, now that he knew how special she was to him.
"She couldn't," he said slowly. Pakkun and Akio looked at him. "She'd never be able to do that. It's why she's such a good Hokage...and why she's such a bad one, as well."
"Sandaime was the same, then," the dog replied. "His reluctance to kill Orochimaru resulted in not only his own death but the -"
They were spared the rest of Pakkun's speech - and Kakashi privately wondered just when the dog had become so interested in politics and village events - as the rest of the ninken thundered into the clearing. They moved straight to Pakkun and starting yipping excitedly, trying to bark over the top of each other.
"Oi," said the dog sharply. "One at a time." They calmed down and Kakashi waited as they reported to Pakkun. Kakashi could understand bits and pieces but the pug was the only one who could interpret entirely, and not for the first time he was glad the dog was here. The last one finished its report and Pakkun nodded, getting up and padding over to where Kakashi still leaned against the tree.
"Right," he said, looking up at him. "Looks like we've somehow ended up in the Waterfall country."
"What!" cried Akio in surprise, and Kakashi was inclined to agree.
"They know this how?" he asked, indicating the dogs.
"Ichi described a monolith that sounds like one built for Shibuki's ascension to leader, while Go reached the coast and said he could see a promontory that seems to be Engan Point, an outcropping of the Earth country."
Kakashi nodded. So the scroll had been a teleportation jutsu disguised as the Kamikaze, and a powerful one at that. It had taken two of them from the north of the Earth country and landed them a fair distance southeast, probably a few days of shinobi travel, at the very least. He wondered where they had been headed, where the real location would have been. He had a feeling this wasn't supposed to be where they were meant to end up, and he was suddenly anxious to keep moving in case there'd been some sort of tracker and nins were about to pounce from nowhere, ready to fight. He was primed for battle, but again, it was the issue of time.
"Thank you," he said, turning to address the dogs. "You've all done well." He prepared the seals to dismiss them before Pakkun's dry voice caused him to stop.
"There's more," the dog said, a hint of amusement colouring his tone. "There's a town not too far from here and a couple of old friends are staying there right now."
"Really?" Old friends?
"Really. Perhaps you'd like to pay them a visit."
His eye widened as a possibility occurred to him. If the dog was hinting at what he thought he was...then perhaps he would, at that.
He completed the seals to send off the pack and hunkered down next to Pakkun when the smoke cleared, giving the dog a serious look. "If I go and see these people, I'll need you to do something for me."
The dog sighed. "I know. You want me to find her, right?"
Kakashi nodded. He'd expected no less. "I'd go myself but I think more people will work to our advantage. We were in a village in the Earth country called Ontou. I assume it's in the far northwest. If we're less than a hundred kilometres from the coast of Taki, you'll need to -"
"I'll find it," the dog said. "Seems like you're underestimating my ability."
Surprised, Kakashi stared down at him, before smiling ruefully. "I do that a lot," he said, patting the dog on his hitai-ate. "Look...look after her for me. Just until I get there, with these reinforcements."
The pug gave him a gauging look. "She seems to be very important to you."
Again, he was taken aback at Pakkun's intuition. "She is."
"Hmph."
He watched as the pug got to his feet and pressed all four paws into the dirt, arching his back in a cracking stretch. "Don't worry," Pakkun said, giving him one last look, "I'd know that shampoo anywhere."
The comment made no sense to Kakashi but he smiled anyway. "Do your best."
"I will," replied the dog. "I suppose we'll use that method for communication?"
"Yes. That's what it was designed for."
Pakkun nodded. "Very well. I just hope for your sake she's filled out a bit since last time." The muffled words were so low Kakashi wasn't quite sure he'd heard them right, but then it didn't matter because the pug tensed and sprang, jumping up into the trees and bounding off out of sight.
----
He considered some of Pakkun's cryptic words once the dog was gone. There were people in the village that he knew, quite an unexpected coincidence since he was days away from home. He wanted to see them, to have communication with others again...and if they were who he thought they were, possibly beg a favour.
And yet...Tsunade needed to know about Yumi. And she needed to know soon. If he'd been less concerned about Sakura, there wouldn't be a choice. He'd simply go back to Konoha and then set out to look for her, armed with some actual weaponry, since it appeared his pack had been left back at the homestead, and with a backup cell of other shinobi. It was a smarter option, he knew that, but there was no way he'd leave Sakura on her own. Not when it was his fault she was out there in the first place.
"I am going to slow you down." Once again, he'd forgotten Akio was there. The policeman was usually quiet, and his presence had just slipped Kakashi's mind. With horrifying clarity he realised Akio was right. Travelling would be painfully slow with a non-shinobi around. Their pace would be torture and even thinking about it made him wince.
"Ah," he said noncommittally. He wondered if there was any nice way of leaving Akio behind, and then immediately scolded himself for the selfish thought. The man's fiancée had not only been killed, she'd been used as a pawn in a game of power that neither of the couple had known anything about. And now he was a long way from home, in the company of the very ninja who had contributed to the events. The least Akio deserved was Kakashi's compassion.
"Do you know what you are going to do?"
Kakashi considered. "No. I have two objectives of equal priority and I need to make a tough choice."
Akio nodded, his face grim. "You wish to return to Ontou and protect Sakura-sama?"
"Yes," he agreed. "But I need to get word to my village of the deceptive capacity this enemy has. She's a threat not only to Sakura but to my home as well."
Akio nodded again. He seemed lost in his thoughts and Kakashi was about to return to his own when the policeman spoke. "I could...I could go to your village for you." His face had taken on an earnest cast and he hurried to continue, as if afraid Kakashi would refuse. "If we somehow found a horse...I am a fair rider. It would not be difficult to make the journey, and to be honest, I almost fancy a trip into the Fire country." His voice dropped to a strained whisper. "I would truly welcome the distraction."
Kakashi hesitated. He wanted to just agree and send Akio off but this was almost too good to be true. It was perfect; he could let Tsunade know what was happening without being deterred from his search for Sakura. But, did he want to let Akio handle this on his own? Would he be safe out there, all by himself?
Safer than he'd be with you, a little voice murmured inside his head. You who is poison...
He closed his eyes in acquiescence, and when he opened them he gave the policeman a tired smile. "That you would do that for me...I am grateful, Akio."
Kakashi extended a hand and Akio tentatively accepted it. They shook on the deal as a sudden breeze rippled through the forest, reminiscent of that dreadful wind that had brought them here in the first place.
"Well then," Kakashi said, when the moment had passed. "I don't have my pack on me, so unless you have some money, we'll be getting supplies for you the old fashioned way."
"Old fashioned way?" Akio echoed, a confused look on his face.
Kakashi grinned and the motion relieved him, made him think that maybe everything was going to be okay. "Just forget you're a policeman for the moment, because we're going to be breaking a few laws."
----
It was surprisingly easy to "obtain" the things necessary for Akio's journey, despite the policeman's moral quandary over Kakashi's questionable methods.
"It's all right," Kakashi told him for the fourth time as they led their "borrowed" horse out to the highway. "You saw me leave that firewood as repayment."
"But you took the trees from another garden!" Akio responded worriedly.
"It's a forest, Akio. It belongs to everyone." Kakashi added a grand sweep to his statement and looked expectantly at the other man; after a moment they both laughed and Kakashi felt some of the tension lift. If they could laugh it was a sign that things could only improve from here.
They reached the crossroads and halted, the horse whinnying at the unexpected stop.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "So you, uh...remember the direction?"
Akio nodded. "You explained it well, Kakashi-san."
They stood for another moment and then Akio mounted, jumping up onto the back of the horse in a fluid and practiced motion.
"Thank you," Kakashi said again, wondering if he had managed to convey how much this meant to him.
"You are welcome," Akio replied. And then with a quick smile he was off, kicking the horse into action and disappearing down the road. Kakashi watched as he rode away, praying that the scrawled note Akio had tucked into a pocket would sufficiently convey the sense of urgency he felt over the current situation. He could only hope Tsunade would interpret it correctly as he'd employed an old code to keep things confidential.
No, he told himself, eventually turning away as the last speck of Akio's form faded from his sight, everything will be fine. He'd wrangled a solution to one of his problems, and very shortly, he'd leave to work out the other. But until he heard back from Pakkun, he had time for a bit of investigating. He slipped his hands into his pockets and set off back in the direction of the village, interested and a little confused as to these apparent friends waiting for him there.
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Notes on jutsus:
Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Summoning Technique. Jiraiya and Naruto summon toads, Kakashi summons dogs. I prefer Kakashi.
Tsuiga no Jutsu: Tracking Fang Technique. Used in canon to track a particular person and hold them down; I went with the idea that the dogs would need a specific order to work with and this is the closest I could think of.
Kamikaze no Jutsu: If in an ACTUAL scroll, unlike the one given to Kakashi, the Kamikaze no Jutsu would kill the user instantly and painlessly in a non-violent manner. You could say it's a euthenasing technique, and would only be used in an extreme situation where it's more important to keep information from passing into enemy hands.
cutemara, I don't love cliffhangers, they just happen. :P Also, enough life for you, PowerfulMind? And selle18, your lovely review made my day. :)
Okay. Hopefully I didn't lose anyone with that whole reintroduction thing, and I really hope I explained enough about why they're not dead, after all. If there's any questions, please don't hesitate to email me or leave a message on my livejournal - I don't bite, honest! I just nibble, sometimes. :D
And yay, Akio's gone. It took me ages to think of a nice way to get rid of him, and this is the best I could come up with. He's fulfilled his destiny as an OC and hopefully we can get back into the swing of things from next chapter onwards.
Thanks as always to DarkenedSakura, Nushi and IcarusT. Labu. Comments and (constructive! Please, make it constructive!) criticism are actively encouraged. Till next week!