Wild-filly: Wow! Great response there. Thanks heaps to everyone who reviewed, including JapanAnimeGirl, Veve, Magicians of the Yami, Grummer, kimpster, itsme and princessares for their support and comments. Thank you for the support Grummer! Lol, school, friends and a successful future weren't to blame for the sluggish update – one foul literature essay was. I'm sorry, but if anything can give you writer's block, it's having to analyse Ibsen's "A Doll's House" before being allowed to update fanfiction -- Trust me, the delay wasn't my idea. But either way – on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own don't sue. I think we all know the gist...

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Okumen Gokurakuchou: Chapter 11

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Hands flicked into a blur of seals. In his haste he nearly fumbled the sequence, but grimly recovered, lowering his head, hands clasped tightly together. His anger and fear blended with the Chakra boiling through his blood, drawing from his inner core and draining out into his hands. The characteristic blue tongues of flame flickered, licking the air and crackling in their strange, high-pitched squealing. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek in effort. He seldom used this attack for anything other than the most essential of assassinations. There were plenty of other, inferior jutsu he could use to dispatch an opponent with, but only against skilled ninja would he actually us his own signature attack, one which he had been perfecting since his days at the Academy. No one he had used the Raikiri against had ever lived to describe him the feeling of having a hand thrust through them like a blue-flamed spear. Not that it took much imagination to get the gist of the feeling.

Time was short. He didn't know how or what Kurotaka was doing in there, but this technique took time to charge. He thrust this inner necessity into his energy supply, driving out even more Chakra until the blue flames shot out, dangerously dancing in a colourful electric display around his body and over his head, sparking off long grass as it was blown haphazardly by the force of his energy emittance. His hand no longer felt like a hand. It was a weapon, alien to his body, yet subservient to it. The feeling of invincibility, the feeling of raw power coursed through his system, filling him with a seemingly immune confidence. He could help her. He could free her.

Wordlessly he surged forward, feet beating the ground with a grim purpose as he thrust his hand out before him. He knew he was running blindly, but the Raikiri would penetrate the shield the instant it made contact with it, so he need only run in systematic circles for a little while until he found it. It couldn't be too far.

In fact, it was even closer than he thought. He had barely taken half of his first circle charge when his hand froze, blue sparks grating off an unseen force field. Gritting his teeth, he poured yet more power into his hand, drawing it back and then punching with every ounce of strength he could muster to his shoulder. There was a violent, piercing shriek as Chakra met Chakra in a fierce battle of wills. The prison fractured, blue fissures erupting over the arc of the invisible dome. With one more shove, Kakashi thrust his hand through the unseen wall and shattered the dome, raining down crystalline shards of pure Chakra. This was a formidable opponent with huge reserves at his disposal.

Staring into the rain of glittering Chakra shards, Kakashi found the outlines and then the images of two figures, sparring viciously. One was Kurotaka, her hair torn free from its white cord and flying in front of her face, making her expression unreadable. Despite the flurry of dark tresses though, he could make out the distinctive glint of the Sharingan eye; three black flecks spinning as they read the movements of her murderous attacker.

The one who she was fighting, Kakashi did not recognise save for the fact that he was of the Uchiha clan. His hair was as dark as Kurotaka's, his eyes the same three-tick Sharingan as her's, but there was obviously no family affection here. About two feet taller than her, the man towered over Kuro and continued to make forceful strikes towards her head, aiming for the lethal points whenever she failed to defend them. Neither could use genjutsu, nor effective Chakra attacks as they were too evenly matched; reduced instead into waiting for one to tire and their opponent to deliver the final blow. There was little Kakashi could do. Charging in with the Raikiri still burning in his grasp could as likely injure Kuro as her opponent. He need not actually step into the fight, he only had to draw attention away from it, or at least separate the two fighters.

He allowed the Raikiri to power down, reaching with his other hand for the summoning scroll in his Chuunin vest pocket. Biting his thumb, smearing the written surface of the scroll with blood and swiftly forming the series of hand signs, he placed the scroll to the ground.

"Earth Tracking Fang no jutsu!"

The trick here lay in the fact that he had not told the dogs to attack a specific opponent. From under the ground, a great rumbling, roaring arose, causing the two fighters to pause and break away from each other, breath heaving and sweat dripping. Kurotaka was bleeding from nicks to her face, caught by a kunai grasped in the fist of her Uchiha opponent, who was cradling a hand to his chest, pierced by her own knife. She didn't even dare to take one eye from her hulking attacker to look questioningly at Kakashi, nor did the Uchiha male. It was this silent standoff that allowed the dogs to surface.

Snarling and snapping a great pack of dogs of assorted breeds and sizes erupted from the ground, teeth flashing and clicking together as they grasped for the limbs of the two Uchiha Shinobi. Kakashi winced as he heard Kurotaka's pain-filled shriek. She was going to kill him for this later. However, the grunts of the other Uchiha as he failed to dodge the attacks of the largest of the dogs signified the success of Kakashi's plan. Now both ninja were distracted and temporarily held.

'You guys, let go of her. She's on our side" He gestured towards the handful of dogs gripping firmly onto Kuro's wrists and ankles. She had been smart enough not to struggle, so her wounds from their bite-grips would not be so severe. He had instructed them on this matter very carefully after Masurao had come across the wrong end of this attack on one mission when they were Genin.

The dogs instantly let go of Kurotaka, nudging her in an almost apologetic fashion with their noses and moving to stand beside her on the grass as she sank onto her knees, trying to regain her breath as she tentatively probed her dog bites. Kakashi tried not to look at her, directing his attention instead to the glowering Uchiha. He noted that Pakkun had seized the man in a most effective grasp, hence his distinct lack of movement, lest he incur the small dog's wrath and distinctly ruin any chances he had of starting a family. That pug really was the most evil creature he'd ever met. Apart from that stupid seagull that had taken off on its own when both Chuunin started becoming desperate for food.

"One of the honoured Uchiha clan... I am confused as to why you would be out here alone, and even more confused as to the reason for your attacking my comrade". He spoke lightly, respectfully. The policing force of Konoha was one of the most respected families out there, so despite the situation, he felt that he should afford the man some courtesy.

"I don't have to answer to you, ANBU" The man spat contemptuously, voice laced with anger and arrogance. "This is a matter that involves the Uchiha clan only. You're not required here".

"I'm not one of the Uchiha clan!" Kurotaka struggled to her feet, crimson eyes flashing despite her denial. "I never have nor will be!"

"Too true that", sneered the captive Shinobi. "You are an insult to our family name and no insult goes unpunished".

Kakashi shook his head. "I mean no disrespect to you, not your clan. However attempted murder is something that I cannot respect, no matter the family. Please explain your actions, or I will be forced to deal with them appropriately". To emphasise his point, he drew his katana out from its metallic sheath and wrested it competently in his grasp. The technique of using the dogs to hold a target still and then dispatching of the target with his katana was one of his cruder assassination methods, but none the less effective.

The Uchiha paled, but straightened again, wincing as the huge bulldog on his back sank his fangs in a little deeper. "This is not attempted murder, ANBU. This is removal of an impurity, the removal of an insult to our family name. This wench you see before you is nothing but the result of an unclean coupling and does not have any right to carry the prized Uchiha blood in her veins".

Kakashi's fingers tightened their grasp and he advanced on the crippled man, eyes like chips of black ice.

"I would reconsider those words of yours, friend, as they are an insult to me as much as they are an insult to Kurotaka-san. It is not for you to judge the worthiness of someone to carry a bloodline, nor is it for you to judge when someone may live or die".

Blood trickling from the gouges in the limbs and back of the Uchiha as he gritted his teeth. The man flashed Kakashi a grimacing smile, leering at the approaching Chuunin. 'Then how am I different from you, you hypocrite?" He flung the words with a venomous hatred at the young ANBU. "I know what you do for a living; taking lives without question, without remorse. I am no more a monster than you are. At least this bitch has actually caused offence to me; whereas you go out and kill people you've never even met. Damned hypocrite!" His eyes burned with a hatred like no other Kakashi had ever seen.

He froze, his own eyes burning, yet a shadow of pain-filled doubt flooded in from the back of his mind. This man spoke the truth, the hated, loathsome truth of the very core of his life. How often had his hands been bloodied and how often had that blood been justified... His thoughts were interrupted by Kurotaka's reply.

"At least Kakashi-kun does not kill those he hates. He has been trained as a weapon and used as such. Is a sword to be blamed for murder? A sword cannot murder; a sword has no motive other than to serve. The one who did the murdering was the one who held the sword; the one who gave it it's commands and ensured that the sword had no other choice other than to obey. You, on the other hand, are both the sword and its bearer, so where is your justification?" She was glaring with an intense hatred at the trapped Uchiha, who stared at her as if she were something less than dirt.

"So philosophical now, creature of filth?" The sneer was not so confident now, as Kakashi seemed to redeem control of himself, shaking his head to clear the doubts that plagued his mind. Kurotaka spoke truth, but he had to frighten this monster away. He strode right up to the Uchiha, looking him straight in the eye. The young man, no older than he, didn't seem to let his confidence waver, looking back at Kakashi without fear and an unswaying confidence in the fact that the ANBU member would not dare to harm him. With a careful, calculated slice, Kakashi cut one muscle in each of the Uchiha's upper arms in a swift, clean gash.

The man let out a shriek and the dogs vanished in a cloud of smoke, letting him sag to the ground, clasping his bloodied arms. He stared up from the ground at Kakashi, eyes watery with horror and pain.

"YOU! You...you cut me". Disbelief was rampant across his face, pain washing over his expression.

"Yes", replied Kakashi, tone flat and unemotional. "I did more than cut you though. I severed a main muscle in each of your arms. You will not be able to raise them in order to attack Kurotaka nor myself, nor form hand seals. If you aren't careful, you will lose too much blood or use of your arms altogether".

The fear intensified and the young man shrieked, a sound filled with terror. 'You're going to let me die like this?"

"No". The monotone revealed nothing. "Even though you would have taken Kurotaka's life, I will not take yours. I'm not a murderer. So I will let you run off, to run to get aid. However if you come after her again I will not be so lenient".

The man's eyes widened, Sharingan darkening back to the vivid black of the Uchiha. Staggering to his feet, he ran as though drunk, arms swaying strangely as he let fear fuel his speed and took off across the plains. Both Kakashi and Kurotaka watched him until he drifted out of sight.

With a regretful sigh, Kakashi dragged the blade of the katana across the long grass, wiping it clean before resheathing it. He strode over to Kurotaka, eyes tentatively meeting hers.

"Are you alright?" She averted her eyes, rubbing at the toothmarks on her wrists.

"Fine".

"He is not truly in so much danger. Those cuts were more superficial than anything else, but they hurt enough to scare him into believing they were life-threatening. For one with such a high level of Sharingan, he was not very well trained. Probably lived the sheltered life of a genius".

She didn't answer him, so he walked on wearily, hearing her fall into step behind him. He sighed again. 'Look, if you're angry with me because I stole your fight I..."

"Thank you".

"I beg your pardon?" That wasn't the response he was expecting. He halted in amazement as she walked on past him as though he were still striding ahead of her.

"I don't think I could have defeated him if you hadn't stepped in. And I thank you for standing up for me". The words weren't even choked, it was as if she was actually being sincere instead of grudging. Still dumbfounded, Kakashi shuffled after her.

"I need to thank you as well Kurotaka, for supporting me..." He trailed off. This situation was pitifully awkward. He hadn't a clue what to say next. She was watching him out the corner of her eye, seeming to be measuring him up. He didn't like that stare. He didn't like anything about this whole moment. It was time for a quick getaway.

"Come on. We're very close to Konoha now. If we sprint, we can make it before it gets too dark".

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Well they had made it. Using his embarrassment to push himself on, they had reached the gates of Konoha village at about 10pm. Twas such a shame that the gates now wouldn't open until the next morning, and there wasn't a chance that Kurotaka would try to insult this gatekeeper. For a start, there wasn't a gatekeeper.

"Typical", she growled, massaging her calf muscles miserably. "We're so close to civilisation and yet so far". She ambled off the road and through the forest around the walls of the village. "Come on. One more night in the open won't kill us".

"You're being surprisingly agreeable about this", commented Kakashi dryly as he staggered after her. The cunning network of shrubbery that existed solely to trip unsuspecting morons stumbling around in the dark was coming into its forte right now.

She shook her head, ponytail-tips glowing in the darkness ahead of him. "No, I'm trying to be peaceable. Peaceable and agreeable aren't the same thing".

"I fail to see how", grumbled Kakashi, pausing to rub a nice new gash on his forearm courtesy of an overgrown gorse bush. He was tired, hungry, grubby, sore and stumbling around in the dark accompanied only by a homicidal chick who kept giving him funny looks, an army of aggressive bushes and somewhere, a vengeful, obnoxious seagull. In other words, life was not so great and the fact he was so close to making life better, yet incapable of reaching this salvation just made it even worse.

"Here's the stream. You clear a space for us to rest while I get washed" she ordered. Muttering under his breath, Kakashi trooped back the way he came, stamping the local shrubbery into submission and preparing for yet another long night.

Dawn couldn't come fast enough for either Shinobi. The ground proved antisocially hard and after turning over in his sleep, Kakashi awoke rather more soon than planned as he discovered yet another line of thistles waiting to attack as soon as his guard was down. Wakened by the sweetly melodic intonements of Kakashi swearing like a hard-core rapper, Kurotaka suggested that they both go start hammering on the gate and waiting for the gatekeeper to remove the barricades for the night and let them in.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaassssssssseeeeee... somebody hear us!" moaned Kurotaka, bashing her head off the solid wood of the gates.

Kakashi stared miserably at her, the lack of sleep showing plainly in his eyes. "Let me guess... we picked the only day of the week when the gate-keeper gets the day off".

"Don't say that Kakashi, I really don't need your encouragement in order to despair". Kurotaka stopped her head bashing to roll one pathetic eye at him. "I think we're sentenced to a life of torture ever since we enrolled in this stupid exam".

A resonating squawk echoed overhead as the recently-illusive resident seagull swooped back onto the scene, perching on Kurotaka's shoulder cheerfully and squawking his salutations. She winced at the grating screech, but stroked his feathers amiably. "How've you been doing, Guntou?"

Kakashi snorted, "that bird's as good as Pakkun when it comes to leaving as soon as the workload gets tough".

Kurotaka opened her mouth to rebuke him, but a voice rode over the sounds of the wilderness.

"Who's out there?"

Kakashi nearly fainted with relief. "Masurao! It's me!"

"Kakashi?! Hang on a minute!" There was a series of thuds and clanks, as heavy bolts and wooden planks were withdrawn, followed by a low moaning as the great gates were swung slowly open to reveal Masurao, still garbed in his favourite dark green gi and grinning widely.

"What the hell have you two been doing to end up looking like that?" His voice was incredulous, laughing at the same time as he stepped forward to clasp his best friend into a brief hug. Kurotaka smiled wanly at him, "survival training of the worst kind. I can't thank you enough for letting us in".

"No problem at all", the grin was still strident on Masurao's face. "Come on! You two go get sorted out and I'll meet you at the ramen stand, hurry up!"

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Having bathed three times, Kakashi still wasn't convinced that his skin had returned to its normal colour, but with a change of clothes and a couple of hours rest he was almost feeling entirely himself again. He, Masurao and Kurotaka were now hunched over their deep bowls of miso ramen, indulging in the rations that their stomachs had been clamouring for. Not so hungry as they, Masurao filled the absence of conversation in favour of eating by himself.

"I got lucky I suppose, since I was dropped off in a bit of forest not so far from here. The most logical thing seemed to be returning back to Konoha and waiting for everyone else to do the same, but I got a bit edgy when no one returned after the first few days."

Kakashi paused momentarily. "We were deposited pretty far off in Earth Country. Kurotaka and I met up fairly quickly and we also know that Gai was in Sand territory for a while, but we got a bit distracted from finding him".

Masurao snickered, "oh and that distraction was just coincidence, eh? Well, I spent most of my time here deciphering my bit of the scroll. I reckon I've cracked the code it uses, so when Akiraka gets back from tracking Gai down we can put all of the scrolls together. That teleporting trick of hers is pretty cool".

"Teleporting trick?" Kurotaka mumbled around her noodles, curious. Masurao nodded. "Yeah. Akiraka can teleport a couple of hundred metres every time she activates one of her jutsu. Considering she can do this jutsu repeatedly for more than an hour, she's very good at covering great distances". He grinned, "I can still remember complaining on missions with Kakashi that it wasn't fair that we had to walk while Akiraka could teleport to...Hokage-sen...sei..." His voice trailed off. Kakashi looked at him quickly, distressed to see a sudden agony in his friend's eyes.

"Masurao, what's wrong?" he asked sharply, dropping his chopsticks and staring at his friend in distress. Kurotaka put down her bowl, watching him in perplexion.

Masurao's shoulders shook. "Of course. I forgot you didn't know, but I was so glad to see you that I didn't say..." He was looking at the swept floor of the ramen stand, eyes lowered but still full of an unspeakable sorrow. Kakashi leant forward, resting one hand on his friend's shoulder. "Masurao?"

"Sensei's dead, Kakashi". Masurao looked up, eyes watery but defiant. "Remember he left to fight the Kyuubi straight after the debrief?" Kakashi felt his stomach clench, threatening to make him vomit. He tightened his grasp on Masurao's shoulder, eyes wide as they searched his friend's sorrowful face.

"How? Why?" His voice was barely a whisper, strained. How could his sensei, the man he had revered from his earliest years be dead? That childhood idol, snatched from his life?

"The Kyuubi made to attack the village, but sensei found a way to stop it and prevent any more deaths. It cost him his life, but he was willing to make the sacrifice to save us. I arrived home just after the funeral". Masurao drew a haggard breath. "He sealed the spirit into a container; the body of a newborn baby. That baby will keep the Kyuubi trapped inside and unable too harm anyone".

Kakashi rocked back on his stool, slowly releasing his breath, closing his eyes in grief. To die for such a noble cause... it was painful to accept, yet strangely fitting for a man so devoted to Konoha. I will pass this exam. I will do you proud Hokage-sensei, the thoughts rang in Kakashi's mind. Kurotaka shook her head, eyes saddened. "My sympathies to you both. He was not my teacher, but I knew well of his exploits and morals. Konoha has lost a wonderful person".

All three sat in silence, pensive over their ramen bowls. It was amazing how quickly joy could be tainted by learning of something that has been lost.

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After paying their bills, Masurao took the scrolls from Kakashi and Kurotaka.

"I'll take care of these. The code is a complex one and I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to work on it with anyone making a racket in the background. I'll meet up with you both after they're solved and we can discuss tactics. For now, how about you two go train or something, since you seem to be getting along so well". He smirked wickedly at Kakashi, a trace of his old humour returning. "Do y'know, Kurotaka, that you're the first chick to actually hang around him for his long? Ordinarily most can't stand him but argh-"

"Oh I'm sorry, was that your foot?" inquired Kakashi innocently as Masurao hopped around in a most undignified manner, clasping the suddenly trodden-on appendage, glaring at Kakashi in annoyance.

"Actually, yes, it was. Well, I suppose I deserved that". The chuckling Shinobi turned away and began to walk off down the street, turning to face them as he backed away. "Have fun! Don't make yourselves too exhausted...aiiieeee!!!!"

This time the attack was from Kuro in the form of a well-thrown paper lantern, if indeed such a thing can exist.

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wild-filly: I will now offer a warning that my exams are now only a matter of days away... well, technically they've always been a matter of days away, but now they're a more intimidating number away, so if I update later, please forgive me. The exams go for a two week block and then I am free, free at last! So please review and I will hopefully update before they start and I lose all traces of sanity Thankyou!