Hello again everyone. I'm very very very very (etc etc) sorry about not updating for agesssssssss, but this chapter is 1500 extra words longer than usual cause I couldn't find anywhere to cut it.
PyroDarkAngelOfFire: Yeah I know you do because you're so obsessive (and I'm sorry I didn't update it last night either)
JapanAnimeGirl: I completely forgot that Naruto and Sasuke kissed at the start lol, but oh well. Thank you
Mike Pan: I hate writers block it's the most annoying thing ever . Things are unfortunately going to get dark as time goes on but I'm not gonna spoil the story
Chapter 9
"How come you're so quiet tonight?" Sakura asked Naruto an hour into their watch. She had expected Naruto to be really chatty but he hadn't spoken to her once.
"nm? I'm thinking." Said Naruto absentmindedly
Sakura chuckled, "You thinking? What about?"
"Hinata." Said Naruto bluntly
"Huh? Why are you thinking of Hinata?" Said Sakura looking at Naruto like he was really weird
"Aren't I allowed to think about my girlfriend then?"
"Your girlfriend?" Repeated Sakura. This is unfair, everyone has someone. Even Naruto's got someone now. Sakura secretly thought that Naruto would always like her and that she would always get attention from him, but now it looked like he had gotten over her. All that's left now is Lee-san…
"Yep, my girlfriend." Said Naruto like it was a new word to him.
Sakura smiled a hollow smile, "Congratulations."
Naruto Yawned, "Thanks" He fell forward asleep
Sakura was aware of falling asleep herself, a genjutsu! "Kakashi-Sensei!" She quickly did a gentjutsu counter, but was still struggling to stay awake.
As soon as Kakashi heard Sakura he was awake and realised what was going on. He pulled up his forehead protector. "Sakura, do a genjutsu counter on Sasuke, Saya and Naruto." He said this just as a ninja opened the front door.
He wasn't wearing a forehead protector anywhere on him, but he had a curious symbol on the back of his hand, he was wearing a black mask covering all of his face except his eyes. He grabbed Mei who was sitting near the door, and exited the building. Kakashi followed.
Sakura had woken up Sasuke and Saya who were immediately alert. She quickly gasped out what had happened as she worked on waking up Naruto. Suddenly Li stood up and made for the door.
"Li wait! It's too dangerous!" Said Saya
"She's my sister I have to go. Mei's the only family I've got left."
"No you don't have to go." Said Kakashi, coming back in the door, holding two unconscious people in either arm. He dropped the bigger of the two on the floor, and then gave Mei to Li to hold. "Let's see who you are." He said more to himself than anyone else
Naruto was sleepily waking up at that point, "Huh? What's going on?"
No one answered him as they all watched Kakashi lift off the mask. It was a young man about Kakashi's age, with sandy blonde short hair. There was disbelief written all over Kakashi's face. This was a face he swore never to forget.
"Who are we after then?" A twenty three year old Kakashi asked the third Hokage. He was in front of a group of three. They were all ANBU but you wouldn't know it to look at them; Akina, dressed in pink, kindly looking, but deadly with a kunai; Chiyo the timid looking medic; and Hisayuki a nerdy looking strategist. But they, along with Kakashi, were the best team in Konoha.
"You're going on an S-class mission. You're after a shinobi hunter named Ayugai Eisuke. He's on contract with the hidden cloud village to kill our ninja that they see as a threat."
"So the mission is to annihilate him then?" Said Hisayuki
"In a word; yes. Convene in front of the gates a 0800 sharp."
"Yes sir." Said the four of them in unison
Chiyo and Hisayuki took off, leaving Kakashi and Akina to walk home alone.
"I hope we can get the mission over with soon. Otherwise we'll miss our own wedding." She laughed. Kakashi laughed as well because he found Akina's laugh so infectious.
"I promise we won't be late." Said Kakashi with the up most sincerity
"I'm not worried about the we, Hatake Kakashi, I'm worried about you." She said poking him in the chest, all signs of a smile had vanished from her face.
"I promise I won't be late." He said smiling under his mask, hoping Akina wouldn't see.
"Don't pretend you're not smiling at me." She frowned, crossing her arms. Then burst into laughter.
"I hate it when you do that, I never know when you're angry with me or not." Kakashi sighed
"How can I stay angry with you for long?" She laughed again
Kakashi shrugged as he put his arm round her and steered her into their apartment.
The next morning there was no laughing and joking and the four ANBU warriors. Fully kitted out in ANBU gear, met outside the main gate of Konoha and took off without a word.
Kakashi took the lead, followed by Chiyo, Hisayuki then Akina. They travelled stealthily through the trees, making their way towards the place that intelligence told them that Eisuke was staying at. .
When they got there they surrounded the place. Kakashi peered in through the window of the one roomed house. Someone with a likeness to Eisuke was sitting on a sofa with his back to them.
Kakashi pointed at Akina then made some complicated hand gestures at her. She understood them all and made her way into the house. While Hisayuki did a genjutsu to make everything in the house appeared as it should be, so that to Esiuke, Akina wouldn't be there. Akina crept silently up to behind the sofa snapped Esikue's neck, which should have instantly killed him. But instead he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"It's a bunshin!" Yelled Akina,
Suddenly Kunai rained down on the three ANBU outside and the had to get into the trees for cover.
"Akina get out now, please." whispered Kakashi under his breath so as not to give away his position. I knew this was too easy, we've been set up
As if answering his plea she ran from the building. As she did so, someone hurtled from the trees kicking her into the wall of the house. Before she could get up, he was there.
"Kanashibari no jutsu binding technique" He said in a strange accent that wasn't recognised by Kakashi, then suddenly Akina's body went rigid and she couldn't move from the neck down. Esiuke removed her ANBU mask. "Itame Akina?"
"Ayugai Eisuke." She said,
"I'm very honoured that Konoha's finest was sent to find me. You, Hatake Kakashi, Imagawa Hisayuki and Hirasi Chiyo. You were the first people on my list to eliminate, and undoubtedly the hardest. Fortunately, you found me, so that's half my job done."
Shit this is bad, thought Kakashi
"It's such a shame I have to kill someone as pretty as you, but never mind I'll get over it." He smiled maliciously. He did a couple of quick hand seals, then a blue glow appeared around his hand, and before anyone could stop him he thrust his hand, open palmed, onto Akina chest just around where her heart was. She immediately coughed up blood. The three ANBU hiding in the trees leapt down to surround Eisuke, but he wasa gone before they could get down.
"Chiyo, take care of Akina." Said Kakashi, quickly assessing the situation.
"Ok!" She answered.
"Hisayuki, we're going after him."
He nodded and they both took off after Eisuke. They leapt through the trees following his trail and not long after they caught sight of two of him.
"There's a clone there, but I can't tell which one's which." Said Hisayuki, "Kakashi, you go after that one. Whether or not it's the bunshin you still need to take it out because it could still do us harm. I'll meet you back where Akina and Chiyo are if we get separated."
"Ok then," said Kakashi following the one that Hisayuki pointed out, as he changed direction. Kakashi threw a kunai at him. It hit him in the back and he disappeared in a puff of smoke, "I could've told Hisayuki that it was a bunshin from the start."
Kakashi backtracked to the meeting place, hoping that Hisayuki could handle himself for the moment while he got Akina and Chiyo as backup. The scene that met him when he got back was not what he was expecting. There was a lot of blood over the forest floor. Chiyo was slumped over Akina.
Kakashi went over to her and shook her, "Chiyo." She didn't move. So Kakashi pulled her up to find that she was dead. Akina was still very pale. "What happened?"
"Whoever you chased after were bunshin, and he doubled back and killed Chiyo. Then he went off to find you." While she was talking her breathing was short and shallow. "Kakashi.."
"Yes?" He said a bit impatiently
"I just want you to know that I love you." She said, taking her hand
"Akina, don't talk like you're going to die." Said Kakashi, a small tear leaking out of the side of his right eye.
"You know as well as I do that I will. Just do one last thing for me. Take of your mask."
He nodded and pulled down the mask on his face, and kissed Akina
Akina smiled, "Thank you." Her hand went limp in Kakashi's and dropped to the floor
"I love you too Akina," Said Kakashi as he closed her eyes for good
"Kakashi, what's wrong?" Saya asked, He didn't reply so she tried again "Who is he?"
"Ayugai Eisuke. A Shinobi hunter." He finally answered
"What's a Shinobi hunter?" Asked Naruto, as usual being the one that knew nothing
"A Shinobi bounty hunter. They belong to the Shinobi hunters guild which is like a hidden village, they have their own jutsu's and everything." Said Mei, "They get contracts from anyone who hires them. They way you can tell who they are is that they have the shinobi hunter insignia tattooed on either the back of their hand or the back of their shoulder."
"Why are you after Mei?" Kakashi asked him forcefully
Eisuke stayed silent.
"Yhcfan dra xiacdeuh." Said Li, in a foreign language that no body understood
"Me, Fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk rana?" Said Eisuke in the same language
"Rammu Eisuke." Said Li
"Oui sicd pa yvdan dra puihdo uh dryd Cyoy kenm duu." spat Eisuke
"Yd maycd e's paehk y meddma suna cipdma ypuid ed. Haqd desa dno hud du kad dra fnuhk bancuh, dryd fyc Sae oui dneat du dyga hud Cyoy, ev oui ryt muugat y meddma suna lynavimmo oui fuimt ryja hudelat dryd cra'c faynehk Cyoy'c lmudrac. Oui'na aoa cekrd sicd pa kuehk eh ouin umt yka. Dryd puihdo ec yc kuut yc seha" A small smile settled on Li's face as he said this
"Vyd lryhla. Hud ev e damm dras fryd oui yht Sae yna ib du." Eisuke smiled back at him
"Hu ev oui'na tayt oui lyh'd." Said Li with a deadly serious look in his eyes. The smile faded on Eisuke's lips
"E'mm gemm oui vencd." Said Eisuke lunging at him with a hidden double edged kunai.
With one deft movement Li moved his hand and somehow managed to plung the kunai into Eisuke's chest. "E tuh'd dnehg cu. Oui'na kaddehk umt."
Mei looked at Li wide eyed, "You…killed him." She said as Eisuke slumped to the floor.
"He tried to kill me first."
"What did you and Eisuke talk about?" Said Kakashi calmly, even though he was shocked as to how Li managed to kill an S-class criminal so easily
"He said he was after Mei because someone has put a bounty on her head because she's after something that someone doesn't want her to get. Then he threatened to kill me. His blade was poisoned on both ends so even a tiny prick would have killed anyone." Said Li, but Kakashi was sure that he wasn't totally telling the truth
I'm Glad that the younger one's don't know that he was an S-class. There's something strange going on, if he is strong enough to kill an S-class criminal then why did he need to hire us? Thought Kakashi, but as usual, he said nothing to his students
There's something up with Kakashi. Frowned Sasuke. Saya looked at him 'what's wrong?' she mouthed at him, He shook his head 'nothing'
Sakura looked at both of them with jealous eyes. She could remember all the times that she had been turned down by him, and all the times he called her annoying, but for some odd reason she had still liked him. One particular phrase had remained with her though; "Anyone that's had tragedy in their past seem to relive the moment over and over again. That's why people like Sakura don't understand me, and never will" At that moment it struck her that she could never be with Sasuke. I have to stop concentrating on things that can't happen anymore, I have to become as strong as everyone else. She resolved to herself
"Sakura, we need to get moving quickly." Said Kakashi snapping her out of her thoughts
"Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't we destroy the body of that man?" Asked Naruto
"You don't need to because the symbol on the back of his hand is inscribed with a jutsu that means if a Shinobi hunter dies then their body gets burnt up into nothing, so as not to give away the secrets of their guild. " Said Mei, who had changed back into her clothes and given Saya back hers.
"But.." began Naruto
"She's right Naruto, now we really do need to get going." Said Kakashi leading the way out of the door.
As Sakura was moving out of the door she heard Li and Mei talking
"Li," Mei whispered to her brother, "Aeciga ech'd tayt, rec puto teth'd pinh ib nekrd yfyo."
"Famm ra sicd ryja cusa vuns uv yhdetuda vun dra buceuh dryd uhmo sygac res pmylg uid. Fa'mm mayja res ymeja udranfeca fa'mm ryja du byo dra kiemt vun res."
"Fryd ypuid dras." frowned Mei
"Fryd drao tuh'd ghuf lyh'd rind dras." laughed Li
Why're they talking in another language? Thought Sakura, although she didn't ponder this for long as she realised she was getting left behind
Naruto was beginning to think that they would never get to where ever they were going, and he made it known to everyone by moaning constantly.
"Are we nearly there?" He asked again, he did this mainly to get in Sasuke's nerves. It was starting to work because Sasuke was cracking his knuckles ready to hit Naruto
"Yeah we're here." Said Mei happily
At last, thought Kakashi breathing a sigh of relief. He thought he was going to be driven insane by 5 hours of Naruto's unremitting moaning and Saya and Mei's constant chatting.
They were approaching a big house, with large walls around it. Before the group got to the walls they hid behind a large clump of trees.
"What's the plan?" Kakashi asked Mei
"I need four of you to stay on watch out here just in case, one on each wall. Then Saya said that she'll come in and help me and Li."
"What are the dangers?" Kakashi said Stopping Mei before she left.
"Two or three guards I suppose." She said shrugging, "We best get going before anyone realises we're here."
"Sakura take the north wall, Naruto take the south, Sasuke the west. I'll take the east." Said Kakashi outlining the plan. "If you're not all out in twenty minutes we'll be coming in to get you."
"Make it thirty. It's a delicate operation." Said Li
"Fine then." Agreed Kakashi. Handing out headsets with microphones and ear pieces to his team before everyone departed for their specific place
Saya, Li and Mei jumped over the wall using the aid of a near by tree. Mei pointed to the side door of the house. All three of them ran there and kept themselves against the wall. Saya pushed open the door and inched round the corner and into the house, Mei and Li followed her.
"Saya you take the top floor. I'll take the second, Li take this floor. We're looking for a scroll in a large ornate jar. You have to open it to check it's the right one. It should have a blue symbol on the inside left corner"
Saya nodded and made her way up two flights of stairs cautiously. There was only one door at the top of the landing and she pushed it open slowly looking for any signs of life. There were none so she made her way into the attic room. There were a large amount of boxes in the room, and a big ornate jar in the corner.
Bingo! Thought Saya as she made her way over there, All too easy. She looked inside the jar and there was a large scroll sitting in there. Saya pulled it out, and slowly unrolled it. Across it was what looked like a summoning jutsu, and in the bottom left corner was a blue symbol. Suddenly all of the writing on the scroll and the blue symbol disappeared and behind her was a puff of smoke. Someone appeared behind her and before she could do anything that someone had press their right forearm against her neck and pulled her into them. Her immediate reaction was to grab hold of the arm and try to pull it off.
"Someone he-" she shouted down the microphone, before she could finish the person had press a cloth soaked in something over her mouth and nose.
She struggled furiously trying to break free. While she was doing so she caught a glimpse of a hidden sound forehead protector. Everything in the room was starting to become blurry to Saya and she was becoming light headed. She could hear someone calling her name through the ear piece but there wasn't anything she could do about it because she was loosing consciousness. A few seconds later her arms flopped to her side and she became a dead weight in the sound nin's arms. He took the head set off of Saya and threw it on the floor, someone was still speaking through it so he stamped down hard on it. He hoisted Saya onto his shoulder and made his way out of the room.
There was something bothering Kakashi about this whole operation. As he watched Mei, Saya and Li going in he was trying to put his finger on it. Why did Mei know so much about Shinobi hunters? Something she said had come back to him about how the Symbol on the back of Shinobi hunters shoulder or hand was inscribed with a jutsu to make the body burn up if the person died. But that's supposed to happen straight away, which means that Eisuke isn't dead and Mei must have known that. So Li didn't kill him. Which means that they must have talked about something else when they were speaking that foreign language.
"Someone he-" He heard Saya shout through his ear piece. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning. It all added up. Eisuke had tried to kidnap Mei even though she was wearing Saya's clothes at the time. Mei knew too much about Shinobi hunters for an eighteen year old, Li had a tattoo on the back of his shoulder that he wouldn't show anyone. He appeared strong enough to appear to kill an S-class criminal. Both of them seemed to know the same language as Eisuke. Which lead Kakashi to the only possible conclusion Li and Mei were Shinobi hunters, and there wasn't a bounty on Mei's head but on Saya's. Reality dawned on him that they were both after Saya in some incredibly well elaborated plan. There was no secret document but they were hired just because Saya was in the team. How the hell could i have been so stupid? Kakashi thought angrily
"Everyone we need to get in there," He shouted through the head set as he sprinted for the house, "Find Saya and get her out of there now"
The three chuunin's didn't argue with their teacher and they raced for the house too. Sasuke got there first and ran up the stairs as fast as he could and burst into the room at the top. He went a few paces into the room. Saw no one was there and turned to go back out again. As he did so he stepped on something with his right foot. He moved his foot to take a closer look and saw that it was a broken head set. Underneath it was a piece of paper.
"Kakashi, I think you should come and have a look at this." Sasuke said into the mike as he picked up the paper and read it.
Ten seconds later Kakashi was up there with Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke handed him the note and the broken head set. The note was written in very untidy handwriting but was still quite legible.
'We'll be in touch.'
At the bottom of the piece of paper was the shinobi hunter symbol.
"Does this mean what I think it means?" Asked Sasuke looking at Kakashi. He nodded. Sasuke punched the wall really hard, "Dammit!"
"Kakashi-sensei, what's happened?" Said Sakura who was quite shocked by Sasuke's emotional outburst
"I'll explain it on the way back. But right now we need to get back to Konoha as fast as possible and inform the Godiame of what has happened."
Well that's end of this very long chapter, and just incase you wanted to know the language that Eisuke, Mei and Li can speak Is Al Bhed from Final Fantasy X (which means if you really want to you can translate what they say )
