Wild-filly: Huge apologies for the delay – semester examinations reared their ugly heads and I was confined to attempting to batter knowledge into my head for five weeks ;; Forgive me?

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Slight violence ahead, nothing very dramatic – just be warned if you aren't into that kind of thing

Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 7

Eyes transfixed on the source of the concealed figure before him, Kakashi inwardly groaned as his headache soared to previously unexplored levels of pain. An ambush couldn't have come at a worse time. But who was their attacker anyway? Did he owe some random ninja money or something?!

The dense evergreen shrubbery parted, revealing an older male, face pitted with scars of battle and eyes dancing with an unpleasant degree of sadistic pleasure. This was no one he had ever seen before.

Kakashi glared, boring both eyes into those of their attacker's, yet still on the alert for assault from another angle, "how did you come by that name?"

The other ninja chuckled, but there was no humour in the sound. "How did I come by that name? How do you think I came by that name?"

One silver eyebrow twitched. Mind games?

"Enough playing around. You know a name of mine and you have attacked myself and an associate of mine. State your business".

Subtleties during attack in the midst of a hangover do not come easily, but either way an answer was just as unlikely no matter the approach. The other ninja completely ignored the statement, instead drawing another kunai from the depths of his faded grey gi, the dull blade reflecting only slight traces of the powerful mid-afternoon sunlight.

"My business is my own."

Kakashi hastily drew his katana as the kunai was thrown towards him. With one easy swing of the razor-sharp sword, the smaller blade shot off to one side, as did the ninja who threw it, feinting to one side and then attacking from the right. Another swing of the ANBU weapon cut short the advance from the other ninja, but was not enough to deter him. A flash of steel registered too late in Kakashi's eyes as the nameless opponent swiftly drew and struck with another concealed kunai.

A slow tickle of blood prickled its way down the side of the silver-haired Chuunin's forehead, dripping down one eyelid and continuing its path off his pale cheekbone. Inwardly he cursed himself. Careless! He surged forward, blinking the blood from his vision as he sought to make up the ground and respect lost from his attacker.

From where she was sprawled uncomfortably on the bedraggled turf, Kurotaka bit back a groan as she shook her head muzzily, numbly pondering over the reason behind her sudden detour to the ground. Fingers clumsily patrolled her own forehead, drawing back as they became sticky with blood. Ah; that would explain it. But the wound on her forehead wouldn't have been enough to send her down like that alone... perhaps she had been caught on the back of the head as well. It would certainly cover the reason behind the formidable headache spreading indiscriminately through her skull.

One dark blue eye flickered open, focussing on the scene that was before her. Hatake was fighting someone. She had been attacked? Her?! What was worse, she had been caught off guard in front of the last person she wanted to appear incompetent to... how embarrassing.

Kakashi slid one eye back towards where Kurotaka was lying, vulnerable to companions his own opponent may have with him. He could detect her awakening; honed senses picking up the steadying of her breathing and the slight motions of her hands – senses essential in assassination, particularly in telling the difference between the unconscious and the faking. A vicious upwards slice from a serrated handguard swiftly returned his attentions back to the grey-garbed fighter; this guy was exceptional with his blades, which seemed to blossom from his arms as required. Not only that, he moved with unnatural fluidity and ease with every weapon as though they were his own limbs.

In a shower of fiery sparks, katana and handguard caught; locked in a battle of strength as both ninja pushed their weight against one another, in hope of forcing the other to yield. Kakashi gritted his teeth in concentration; one move at the wrong moment would result in either a decrease in his status in this match or potential disembowelment. He thrust all the power he could spare into the lethal blade, holding the eyes of his opponent at bay; the other man must not anticipate this next move.

The grey ninja grinned, "you're stupider than I gave you credit for". With a massive surge of energy, he made to throw Kakashi off balance and knock the katana from his grasp, but it was too late. Coal black eyes hardened and the Chuunin vanished; not Kawarmi no jutsu; but pure speed. The grin faded as Kakashi did; the stormy robed ninja losing his own balance and falling forwards as Kakashi reappeared from behind, katana drawn and ready.

Kurotaka watched, face taut and expressionless as the steel sword plunged deep into the back of the falling ninja, spearing straight through his chest and spouting vivid scarlet blood. A strangled scream erupted briefly from the man's lips, before being abruptly cut off as the katana pierced his heart. Liquid crimson soaked into the bland turf, staining the rich soil as the blood pooled around the dead man and his fallen array of foreign and custom-designed weaponry.

Kakashi stepped back, eyes closed and head lowered. Silently he drew the katana along the grass, wiping the blood from the blade and handle before replacing it in the sheath across his back. As Kurotaka watched him through her one exposed eye, she felt a bitter pang of sorrow well up in her throat. Taking life, even when justified at first, never feels as justified afterwards.

Finally he turned his head towards her, eyes raised at last but strangely blank as though they were seeing but not comprehending. "You can walk?"

"Hai". She shakily propped herself up on her elbows, gingerly drawing her knees under her body before staggering to her feet. Stars glittered in her eyes and the ground swam, almost sending her back onto the stained soil, but she steadied herself determinedly.

"He caught your head as well"

Kakashi raised one hand and probed his own wound without emotion, "it happens. I was careless".

Kurotaka slowly walked over to where he still stood by the fallen ninja, "did you know him?"

"I have never seen him in my life, but he knew my name".

She shook her head, eyes fighting to stay open as the loss of Chakra and gash on her head threatened to send her back down again. "He had no reason for the attack?"

"None he would mention".

A silence ensued, filled only by the breeze filtering through the deep forest canopies and the surrounding wildlife going about their affairs. The once harsh sunlight was beginning to darken as the two ninja viewed the unknown Shinobi. Finally Kurotaka spoke, "There could not have been a different outcome. Either he or you would have died. It is better this way".

Kakashi shook his head, "it's not that. I don't need reassurance. I would just have rather I knew his intentions. Where is Pakkun?"

"I don't know. He must have vanished".

A bitter laugh escaped the sullen ANBU, "how predictable. The instant the work becomes remotely difficult, he bails out".

Kurotaka smiled faintly, "let's return to the inn. Your forehead looks like it needs stitches".

"I doubt we would find a doctor at the inn".

"Who says we need a doctor? You've got a sewing kit in your hip pouch".

A combination of a choke and a laugh burst from Kakashi as a mixture of emotions and thoughts scrambled to be the first voiced, "what did you say?!"

"My sewing's not that great, but I should be able to put your head back together. Do you mind a cross-stich pattern?"

"Let me get this straight. Firstly, you have just offered to sew my forehead back together with some cheap cotton thread and a rusty needle. Secondly, you have just admitted that you can't sew so I am in danger of gaining a fascinating cross-stitch tattoo and thirdly, why were you were looking through my hip pouch?!"

Kurotaka thoughtfully stroked her chin, eyes sliding upwards, "I thought it was a generous offer and yes, I was looking through your hip pouch. Simple curiosity really, nothing harmful".

"Would you like it if I looked through your backpack?"

"Actually I would. It would give me an excuse to practise my new jutsu as a means for revenge. Wouldn't that be ironic?"

As the two Leaf Chuunin made their equally stiff and pained way to the town wall and staggered down the street to the inn, neither of them observed a figure surveying their ungainly process away from the battlefield. A grey- hooded male leapt nimbly from his place, skilfully concealed in a combination Genjutsu and trap arrangement. He strode easily over to the blood-soaked ground where the felled ninja lay and knelt, grey-gloved fingers fumbling at the man's neck for a pulse. For a moment he didn't move, then smiled and rose. As the sky overhead turned a vivid orange and red as the sun set, he placed a cigarette to his lips and lit it with a flare of intense Chakra.

A thin curl of smoke rose through the treeline, completely unnoticed by animals and humans alike. The dry chuckle that cracked the serene forest failed to do anything other than startle a few wood pigeons from hiding.

"A bit messy, but efficiently handled given the situations of both students. My scoring... an 82% pass, considering one was drunk and the other exhausted and their opponent was a mixture of Genjutsu and a specially- adapted training dummy".

"Hold still, baka!"

"Don't you "baka" me, you moron!"

"If you held still then maybe you wouldn't need to be referred to in such a manner then!"

"Hey, is it YOUR head that's getting stitched back together by the local butcher?!"

"Look lady, if you try to hit me like that again, you can sew your own wound, you hear? I've got better things to be doing than standing around being abused".

"Yeah, well if you gouge at my forehead like I'm a fish you're trying to gut again, I won't try; I will!"

Kakashi sighed dramatically from where he was currently positioned. Fortunately for him, his own narrow dodge from a flying shuriken had only resulted in a minor scrape that would heal of it's own accord. Unfortunately for Kurotaka, she hadn't realised that her sarcastic offer may be returned, given the depth of her own injury.

They were in the back room of the local butcher's shop, after the local doctor claimed that he had the same guy who gutted, stuffed and dissected the local meat market also put his patients back together. Kurotaka was sitting stiffly on a rickety wooden chair, arms clenched as Kakashi crouched behind her, forcibly pinning them back from attempted murder. The vaguely irritated butcher was standing off to one side, toying with a clean needle and unusual clear thread, awaiting his opportunity to pounce without being attacked.

"Kurotaka-san, you're a Chuunin, primed to become one of Konoha's prized Genin. You can face far more terrifying things than a little surgery".

"Easy for you to say since you're not the one in the chair".

The butcher sighed, "if we're not done in five minutes it's over ok? I have a delivery of chickens to clean up for sale".

One of Kurotaka's eyes twitched, "of course... I wouldn't want to keep you from your other patients this morning".

As she closed her eyes in a dignified pout, Kakashi and the butcher exchanged a conspirital glance. The other Chuunin adjusted his grip so that both her arms were being pinned by one of his and her mouth was covered by the other, also serving to hold her head still. Makeshift medical kit brandished, the butcher lunged and hastily began the life- threatening operation.

Kurotaka thrashed wildly, eyes in a death glare that Kakashi was delighted to realise, couldn't reach him from this angle.

"mmf mmll mf fffm mftmmt!!"

"Did you catch that?"

"Uh... I think it was something along the lines of "I'll kill you, you bastards"".

"Ah... I thought so".

It was all over in a matter of minutes and the butcher sprang backwards out of harm's way before Kakashi released his grip.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"You weren't co-operating in an action that was being undertaken purely for the benefit of your health".

"WHAT KIND OF AN EXCUSE IS THAT?!"

"A logical one?"

Head bandaged and ponytail quivering in rage, Kurotaka stormed out of the room and out of the shop, shoving past a somewhat astonished line of customers as she escaped the embarrassing situation. Kakashi yawned, delving into his hip pouch, "so, how much do we owe you?"

Quickly recovering, the butcher rapidly answered, "as much as you've got, and more. I haven't got life insurance, you know".

The ninja sighed, handing over yet another fistful of his swiftly deteriorating supply of financing. At this rate he'd be living entire off the land or the landowners. "Thanks for your help anyway".

Kakashi exited the storage room, debating whether or not it would be a wise idea to relocate Kurotaka, and in doing so he caught the butcher's unwelcome farewell.

"You've got a pretty one there, but I'd do something to sort the attitude out if I were you".

As he bolted from the scene, Kakashi was glad at least that there was one good thing that had come out of Kurotaka leaving the area early. Coupled with his involvement in the "surgery", his life span would have seriously decreased yet again after that parting comment. Now what?

He stopped in the middle of the bustling market square and drew out the Jounin Exam scroll. They still had to find the others, and he still had no idea where to head. He and Kurotaka were in Shiroishi, Earth country, but that wouldn't help much at this stage unless they knew where everyone else was in relation to them. He closed his eyes pensively – what he needed, was a plan of action, some supplies and a means of transport through the country at a swift pace over all sorts of terrain.

The problem? No money and no clue as to where they were supposed to be going. The bar was looking so very tempting right now...

No. He jerked his eyes open again and winced at the memory. No alcohol for a little while – he'd killed off enough brain cells for this month at least.

He was just debating whether he should start busking in hope of earning money by people paying him to stop when he was suddenly reunited with Kurotaka. The Kunoichi came sprinting through the square, short blue kimono flapping dramatically as she began skidding to a halt as she neared Kakashi and successfully failing. The resulting skid sent her flying right into his side and into a stall offering beaded costume jewellery.

"Thieves!" shrieked the panicked stall owner, scrambling out of the wreckage and swatting at the dazed ninja duo with a twiggy broom. Kakashi peeled himself from the table and shook off a flattering collection of necklaces that had become entangled around his head and arms. Kurotaka gave a slight cough, continuing to ignore the ineffective assault of the shop-owner's broomstick.

"Forgive my entrance. Furi-Damu is back".

Kakashi blinked, "so soon?"

"It would appear so. There aren't many birds twelve metres tall around".

"I wouldn't imagine so. Well, where is he?"

She coughed again, "that's the problem".

Kakashi rolled his eyes. It was going to be another of those days. "Where is he?"

"Perched on the roof of our hotel and pretty pissed off".

"Wonderful".

They both bid a hasty retreat from the square, Kakashi still shedding bracelets with every stride as a mob joined behind them in a combination of wanting to catch the "thieves" and witness the commotion going on further up town. Kurotaka ran ahead of him, loping easily around street vendors and cutting a path for the other Chuunin to follow. The mob behind them simply cut through the existing crowd like a hot knife through butter.

As they neared the site of Furi-Damu's landing, the mob took on a different tone as the wings of the enormous snowy bird struck the air, a roaring screech filling the air and rattling glass bottles in shop windows. Kakashi and Kurotaka finally reached the inn only to find a veritable sea of destruction.

The roof of the once large, rather ugly rectangular block of concrete was now considerably redesigned to suit the perch of an exceptionally large and obnoxious bird. Deep raking talon slashes decorated the walls and rooves of the surrounding buildings and people were fleeing the scene in terror or flocking to witness it. Brilliant red eyes scanned the astonished crowd, curved beak snapping in scarcely-contained fury.

"Furi-Damu! What is wrong?" Kurotaka's voice rang out over the screams and confused murmurings.

The hawk's attention instantly fixed on the young woman, "Yumenimo? The one who summoned me?" There was no lightening of his harsh stare, no sudden friendliness in recognition.

Swallowing slightly, she stepped out from the crowd, "it was me, yes".

A screech of rage erupted from the lungs of the great bird, sending the crowd down on their knees as their eardrums threatened to burst. Kurotaka clasped her hands to her ears and winced, while Kakashi did likewise. Guntou soared overhead, shrieking in outrage to his larger relative. Furi- Damu fixed his attentions on the squawking seagull, "be gone little parasite. My qualms are not with you". The massive falcon snapped half- heartedly at the other bird in hope of driving him off.

Guntou veered away to perch on his mistress's shoulder, sneering his defiance in the way that only seagulls can. The Great Emperor of all Birds took flight, powerful wings beating the air and sending violent currents down towards the people on the ground. Guntou braced against the force, his squawks lost to the wind. Kakashi closed his eyes, focussing a little Chakra and nimbly flicking his hand into the right seal. In a burst of smoke, one of Furi-Damu's feathers reappeared where Kakashi was standing and the Chuunin materialized on the hawk's back.

Kurotaka squinted up at the green and black clad figure clinging desperately onto the enraged bird's back, "have you completely taken leave of you senses?!"

Furi-Damu screamed his fury, adjusting the angle of his wings and lunging into the cloudy heights, rising until he reached a peak and plunged into a vertical dive. Kakashi clung miserably onto the hawk's feathers, avoiding looking at the ground or indeed, anything that may remind him of this particularly unpleasant situation. He let the Chakra flow to his feet control most of his balance and keep him on the bird's back as he drew the katana from it's black leather sheath. Sighting the blade in the corner of one eye, the hawk gave a scream of fury and rolled in the air, plunging into another dive in hope of ridding himself of his passenger.

Gritting his teeth and tightening his grip on the katana, Kakashi pushed the blade so it parted the bird's feathers and pricked the pale white skin beneath. A bead of strange lavender blood bubbled to the surface and broke, tickling over the milky feathers.

"Land in the forest outside the town. I want to speak to you, not kill you".

The hawk gave a shriek of contempt, "kill me? With that pathetic little knife? Never. But I shall land anyway".

Behind the mask Kakashi grinned. Does the same egotistical nature and the complete inability to accept advice come with every species on the planet?

Gliding over the snow-capped trees, Furi-Damu hovered briefly before settling onto a towering dead oak tree. From where he was now stationed, Kakashi could just pick out the shapes of a crowd heading towards them; confused no doubt, about his sudden translocation and riding out the insane bird. One of the truly remarkable qualities of humans is their nature to be interested in anything that frightens them or threatens their survival. Quite fascinating.

Flitting though the trees ahead of the crowd was Kurotaka, Guntou struggling to keep up behind her. She reached the tree where Kakashi was debating whether or not he could get down without breaking something long before the crowd would arrive.

"Furi-Damu. Please. What is wrong?"

The bird gave a considerably quieter screech of contempt. "You sent me on the trail of that human, did you not?"

Kurotaka nodded, "hai. Were you successful?"

Sneering down his hooked beak, Furi-Damu replied, "I am successful in all of my ventures. Yes, I found the human. However, I could not convince him to return with me. I was attacked instead".

Kakashi buried his face in his hands in despair, "I might have guessed. How did he react to you?"

Turning his head slightly in order to view both ninja simultaneously, "I landed in the desert beside him, but he interpreted my landing as an attack and would not allow me to speak to him. When he nearly snapped one of my wings I abandoned the task."

Kakashi shook his head, "I'll have to apologise for him, as much as I hate it. I promise; he is no close associate of mine".

Furi-Damu's eyes flashed, "I don't care whose "associate" he is, all I care is that I was set up. Why?"

Kurotaka shook her head furiously, blue eyes prickling with tears in her sincerity, "I would never have asked you to find someone who I knew would try to harm you, Furi-Damu. Gai is normally flamboyant, but seldom violent. I apologise greatly for anything that may have happened to you".

The hawk shook his head, "My forgiveness is not so easily won. I suggest that you do not call upon me for any matter any time soon, as my temper has been severely tried in a short space of time. I am leaving now".

"Wait!" barked Kakashi hurriedly, "where was he?"

"About three hours of my flight from here. The place that you humans refer to as Wind Country. He was in a little desert town of small population".

Kakashi leapt down from the hawk's back as the great bird dove down from the tree, diving towards the ground, but the ground opened to admit the bird just before he would have crashed into a crumpled heap. Deciding to chance his risks at breaking a leg, Kakashi disembarked from the towering bare tree and landed with exceptional grace for one who has just been on an intensely unenjoyable roller coaster.

Kurotaka yawned, surveying the spot in the earth where the infuriated bird had vanished, "it would appear we finally have a destination".

The silver-haired Chuunin didn't answer. The clump of thistles to which his landing had lead him to was proving too distracting.

wild-filly: ;; once again, many apologies – I will update as soon as I can!

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