Kakashi had never been sent out on such a call. But this was an emergency and there might still be a few enemies around.
An entire house had been completely and utterly obliterated and two bodies were at the scene.
No doubt those of Mr. and Mrs. Takagi. Two refugees from The Village Hidden in the Mist.
And not just any refugees.
Shuji Takagi was from a noble family. But they had been overthrown by rogue ninja and he was able to escape to Konoha with his wife, Kumiko and their daughter, Shanan.
They had been a part of Konoha for six years now. This was their home.
And to see their house like this...
Assassins.
It had to be.
No one knew where the daughter was just yet. Seven years old. Probably taken. Poor girl. No telling why they didn't just kill her too.
Upon arriving at the scene all Kakashi and his partner, Itachi Uchiha, felt was... confusion. The house was in pieces, but there were no burn marks anywhere. Just water. No signs of anything or anyone except for Mr. and Mrs. Takagi. Kakashi kneeled down to examine their bodies.
"The water makes sense if you think about it," Itachi said. "They were from The Village Hidden in the Mist." He continued to scan the area for any signs of movement, but there were no signs of anyone.
"True," said Kakashi as he stood back up, "but there's just so much of it and the Takagis were killed with simple weapons."
"They must have been caught off guard."
"Maybe," he considered, "but, maybe not. They were no shinobi, so they probably weren't able to fight back very much." He couldn't help but feel for them. He didn't know them too well, but they were a quiet family and worked as advisors to Lord Hokage himself. He looked back down at the bodies of the deceased. Mrs. Takagi had several kunai in her torso and Mr. Takagi had been impaled with a sword. They were lying about four feet apart and both were under about a foot of water that seemed to be springing up from an unknown source. "Whoever did this didn't even retrieve their weapons from the bodies after killing them. It's almost as if they had been... interrupted."
"Are you here to hurt me," said a small voice.
Kakashi and Itachi hadn't heard anyone approach, but as they turned around they saw a small girl drenched to the bone. She had long, dark brown hair and vibrant, dark blue eyes. She fit the description of the Takagi's daughter.
"Are you here to hurt me," the girl asked again.
Itachi put his hand on the hilt of his blade. Something about her seemed off. She looked right through the both of them and didn't sound the least bit afraid.
Kakashi had thought of reaching for the sword on his back, but changed his mind. "Stand down, Itachi," Kakashi said. He knew why Itachi was alarmed, but he had a feeling they should tread lightly. He looked back at the girl and knelt down while keeping his distance. He removed the kitsune mask from his face so the girl could see his eyes.
Itachi followed his lead and removed his mask as well. Although he was less sure that they should while out on business.
Kakashi still had the mask he always wore over his mouth and nose on, though. He never took that off in front of anyone. "No. We're not here to hurt you. We're here to help. Are you Shanan?"
The girl continued to look through him. But there was a slight recognition in her eyes when she heard that name and she focused them on Kakashi now. "Shanan?" She looked at the ground. The water was up past her knees, Kakashi and Itachi's mid-calves at this point.
The two ANBU seemed to just realize this fact as well.
"How di-?" Itachi took a step back just as Shanan disappeared into the water.
Kakashi tried to catch her in time, but she was gone. A mere puddle disappeared into the lake that was surrounding them. "She turned completely into water." He said, wide-eyed, still kneeling down and staring at the spot where she had been standing. What had just happened?
"Could she have done this?" Itachi asked as he looked around. Although there was no way his mind would let him believe that. He had never seen anything like this outside of a genjutsu. The water seemed like it was no longer rising at least.
"I don't know." Kakashi continued to stare at the spot. But Shanan appeared behind him this time.
"I am Shanan." She said, "I... I think."
Kakashi whipped around to see her holding her hand to her head. He felt both astonishment at and worry for the girl. What had she seen and done tonight? "Did you do this?" He asked her. He stayed calm, even though his heart was racing. This wasn't like anything he had ever seen either. And being in the ANBU, he had seen his fair share of strange incidents.
"I- I don't know." She seemed as confused as they were.
Kakashi looked at Itachi, who clearly didn't want to be the one asking the questions. They both looked back at Shanan. "Do you know who killed your parents?" he lowered his voice and asked gently. Though, he was sure she didn't remember.
"My... what?" She was still holding her head and was wincing in pain now.
Kakashi moved in closer. Slowly. He didn't want to scare her off again. She was just a little girl after all, and he highly suspected that she may have caused the state of the house. "Do you... remember... anything at all?"
Shanan thought for a minute. Still holding her head. She wanted to help the white haired boy. However, she didn't trust the other boy. He was scared and wanted to hurt her for some reason. She moved closer to Kakashi. The water seemed to be going down now. She wasn't sure why, but she felt safer, though. She reached out and touched Kakashi's other mask. He jerked back slightly, but he knew she probably just felt uneasy not seeing his whole face. She dropped her hand and looked down at the ground. "I remember... darkness. I remember crying. And then I- and then I just remember... you," She said as she looked back up at him. Tears formed in her eyes. "Who are you?"
Kakashi pulled his mask down to put her at ease and looked her in the eyes. "I'm... Kakashi Hatake." He said, just as her eyes rolled back and she crumpled forward. He was able to catch her this time.
Itachi was still visibly alarmed and very confused. But he was no longer on guard now that she'd fainted. He was certainly glad to not be the one carrying her as they walked to the hospital.
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