Chapter 3: Getting Started

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Carefully, he moved in the shadows.

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The room was silent. Tsunade let out a sigh and looked up at the three shinobi standing in her office. "Kakashi, are you ready for your mission?" the jounin nodded. He was deep in thought, but he still payed attention. "Okay," Tsunade's gaze turned to Naruto and Sakura, "I know Kakashi can handle this mission. That's why I choose him. But I have to be sure you two are prepared."

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Gracefully his body moved with the wind and branches.

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Naruto stepped forward, a smile sat upoun his face. "I'm ready for anything." Sakura turned to her sensei then Tsunade. She smiled and nodded.

"I am too." Tsunade had faith in this team to get the job done.

"Well then, you better listen up to Kakashi. He knows more about this than I do and I'm the one assigning the mission." All eyes tuned to the silent ninja in the corner. His eye didn't turn up. Sakura and Naruto waited a few silent moments. Then when they were about to loose it, Kakashi spoke.

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The sun beat down on the dark day. No one had known about their friendship. Everyone had just figured that he went off training in the woods. Not a single soul thought he was going to him. Now half the shinobi in Konoha were out looking for them. It was all his fault. Ishida understood that Kakashi didn't mean for it to happen.

It was at the border of the river that they had run all the way to. Six hours had passed since the chase began. Both boys were out of breath and the heat made it unbearable. Ishida was able to grab a cantine in the mad rush. Each of them took turns drinking the cool water.

Then silence. Their breathing was in perfect rythm. First the silver, then the red. In and out. Birds sang in the distance somewhere. No creature would want to be near Ishida after what happened, no one except Kakashi.

"Ishida?" the boy looked in his direction," We can't keep this up."

"I know. That's why I'm going alone." Kakashi's eys widened. He grabbed the sleeve of Ishida's shirt.

"No. I'm going with you. You cant' live on your own out here. You'll be torn down!" Kakashi's breathing had gotten harder and his heart raced. He didn't want to lose his best friend. Ishida looked at his friend and smiled. Gently he pulled loose Kakashi's gripping fingers.

Kakashi leaned back against a tree. The heat was too much for him. He had to carry Ishida for at least an hour before he gained consciousness again. "Kakashi, you've done more for me than you know. But you have a life back there. I'm sorry Kakashi. I can't be with you any more." Kakahsi reached out to him again, but the trip had proved to be more effective. The area grew dim. He last saw Ishida racing to his side as darkness overcame him.

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"Akira Ishida," he said.

"You mean the author of these books?" Naruto blurted out.

In response he got a nodd. "Ishida use to be a citizan of Konoha. He was an outsider, a theif, a weed who needed to be rooted out. Is what they called him. They tolerated him from time to time, but then he went too far one day. They chased him out of the village and continued for many hours. Then he just vanished."

Sakura stood there wondering what Ishida meant to Kakashi. Naruto just had to know, but would regret asking it, "What did he do?"

Kakashi shot him a look that could have frozen hell over. "He killed someone." That was enough to shut Naruto up. Sakura moved to stand beside Naruto. She looked towards Tsunade and asked.

"What's our mission?" at the mention of that, Kakashi's eye tuned less cold and back to it's laid back nature. He then straightened up. The blonde genin did the same. They were ready for their orders.

Tsunade pulled some papers into her hands and then set them down. Next she picked up a book and fingered through the pages. It was one of Ishida's books on how to cook several types of fish. "What do you see here?" She held up the book for them to see.

"A cook book," responded Naruto.

"A part of our mission," Sakura said.

'More,' thought Kakashi.

Tsunade smiled at Sakura. "Your right. Akira Ishida hid amongst these pages valuable information. You may see it as a simple cook book," she said, "but look closer and you will find hidden secrets. What I need you to do is to go through these book and decifer the code that Ishida wrote in. Kakashi, do you have any idea what code Ishida might have used?"

Naruto thought, 'Why would Kakahsi-sensei know what code this Ishida person used?' Kakashi shook his head 'no.' A sigh came out of the tired Hokage. She didn't want it to be this much trouble. "Alright then, you have to start from scratch." She stacked the books into a pile. Ontop she laid some paper, ink, and brushes for taking down notes. Kakashi grabbed the books, Sakura the ink and brushes, and Naruto held the paper.

Down in the library of the tower they got to work. Kakashi and Sakura shifted through the books while Naruto took down notes. It was an all day task. No one was getting anywhere. Naruto sighed at the blank paper that sat in front of him. He began to draw little doodles. First was a chicken, breathing fire. Next he drew a stick figure of Sakura beating on some poor person. Then he drew a little doodle of all three of them fighting a fire breathing chicken.

Threes eyes lifted up from two books to see Naruto laughing and holding the brush with fresh ink on it. A few more swipes and... "There!" he held up the paper to show what he had done. Kakashi couldn't help but smile, Sakura acted annoyed with him for not concentrating, but inside she was laughing as well. "What do you think? I call it 'Kakashi kat!'" It was a white cat with a mask and Konoha forehead protector. On top of it's head sat the unruly silver hair. In it's paws was a small book with the faint letters on it that read, "Itcha Itcha Paradise."

Kakashi gave a little chuckle. This time Sakura couldn't hold it in and gave a loud healthy laugh. Soon the whole team was splitting in two with laughter. They had been working for so long they just needed a break. Once things had calmed down, Naruto's drawing had given Sakura an idea.

"What if we're looking too hard?" heads turned towards her.

"Please explain," Kakashi said.

"I mean we're looking for all the codes known to shinobi. But what if this Ishida, thougth outside of the box." Kakashi looked back through his memories. It wasn't like Ishida to do things like other people. He thought back on what Ishida liked. Books, fire, ink, the feel of paper, earth, hiding, water, runn-, no hiding! Hiding... whenever they had a chance they would hide away in the tree house. That's it!

"If only we could just figure it out," Sakura pondered. Naruto sat there. The gears in his head were turning. Slowly, but they were turning. Then a disturbance made them lose thought. The jounin who had been sitting at the table was now moving across the room.

He looked back over his shoulder and directed his students, "Come with me. I think I have an idea of where to find our answers."

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And with a touch as gentle as a flower and as deadly as poison, he landed on a branch. Before lay in shambles, his old home. A worn out tree house. Inside would be what he needed. That's when he heard a noise passing through the woods. In his cold and calm voice he spoke to himself.

"Again I meet thee."

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Next chapter: "Ishida Appears"

For those who are wondering, the sacrifice isn't made until later on in the story.

Sorry if you thought this chapter was little short. Next one will be up in no more than 7days. No less than 3 days.

Read on...