Chapter 28

Darkness coated the forest, only the chirps of crickets breaking the silence. Kakashi moved swift and silent, leaping from tree to tree to avoid the crunch of dead leaves that littered the ground. Clouds covered the moon, rendering the path even darker than before, but that suited him fine. It made it easier to focus on the scent, the strange blend of forest and marshes still recognizable even after all this time.

His chest twisted uncomfortably as he picked up his pace, pushing away the memories of the other times he'd smelled it.

(—of the lingering traces clinging to his mask as the acrid taste of an unknown antidote still lingered in his mouth,)

(—of the faint traces leading to the cavern alongside the familiar pine and mint of his teammate,)

(—of the way it drenched Rin's still chest as heavily as the dried blood coating his arm when he woke up.)

He grit his teeth and shoved the thought down as hard as possible, pushing himself to run even faster. He resisted the urge to open his gifted Sharingan to try to see through the darkness, knowing he couldn't afford to waste a shred of chakra. He had no idea what skills Sute had amassed since her last sighting, and he sincerely doubted she limited herself to just poisons and medical ninjutsu.

As if to confirm that thought, as he touched down on a branch the trunk suddenly exploded. He found himself in a free fall, barely having time to roll into a safer position before he hit the ground. He rolled a few feet away and quickly sprung to his feet, staring at the tree wide-eyed. The explosion had happened to his left—the side with his eye closed—so he had no idea how the tree exploded.

Explosive tag, maybe? It hadn't been tied to a kunai or he would have heard it hit the trunk, so it would have to be placed there in advance. But then, how did it trigger with such perfect timing? Standard explosive tags had a fuse which couldn't be modified, at least not to time the explosion so precisely. It happened the second he stepped onto the branch, and despite her "Oracle" moniker, he doubted Sute could have predicted the exact moment he'd reach that tree.

He didn't have time to think on it long before he felt a rush of air behind him. Immediately he ducked to the side just in time to dodge the swing of the bokken, the wooden blade swinging down where his skull had just been. He palmed three shuriken even as he dodged and flung them at the arm holding the bokken... and then watched her collapse into a puddle of water.

A water clone. Of course. That helped explain the lack of scent, at least a little.

Actually, no, it didn't. Even water clones usually had some scent. The fact he hadn't picked it up set his nerves on edge, because if she could hide the scent of a clone, then what's to say the scent he was following was real? He grit his teeth, opening his implanted Sharingan just long enough to do a quick perimeter scan. He saw no signs of movement in the darkness to indicate her presence though, no signs of a genjutsu to conceal her form.

After a few seconds he quickly closed it again to conserve chakra, slipping a kunai from his pouch if only for the sense of security. His senses were on high alert now, wary of her attacking from no where. He at least confirmed she wasn't using a genjutsu, which meant she had some other method to mask her scent, but he couldn't waste any time to think on it.

He burst into movement, deciding that standing still would just leave him vulnerable. As he passed the limit of the perimeter he'd scanned earlier he opened Obito's eye once more, deciding that the chakra drain would be worth the security of having full vision. Because of that decision he spied a flash of white on a tree trunk ahead to his left, instinctively altering his route to avoid passing it directly.

As he skidded around the tree he glanced at the mysterious white object, and in the split second he allowed himself to look the Sharingan identified some kind of paper seal. Alarm bells rang in his mind instantly, because whatever that seal did, he'd never seen it before. It wasn't standard-issue, which meant it was either Kiri-specific... or had been made by Sute.

Before he could think of the ramifications of that he saw the ground begin to shift near his feet. He quickly leaped out of the way just as hands erupted from the soil, narrowly dodging the attempt to grab his ankles. Sute twirled as she fully emerged, unleashing a volley of senbon his direction as she spun to face him.

Kakashi substituted his body with a log before they could hit him, hiding himself high in a nearby tree. Sute huffed as the log fell, swiftly cycling through hand seals to submerge herself underground again before he could attack. Kakashi remained in the tree for the moment, watching the ground closely. With his Sharingan he could see the soil rippled around Sute's feet like water instead of solid earth, and even now he could loosely trace the ripples surging away.

First water clones, and now doton. Two C-rank jutsu from different elements, but then most chuunin could accomplish that so it didn't provide any noteworthy hints about her proficiency. What did matter was that those techniques would each require a sufficient amount of chakra, and yet she showed no signs of exhaustion so far.

That particular realization sent a thrill of foreboding down his spine, making him warier than ever. During the war she had rarely used ninjutsu aside from healing, so most people had assumed her to have smaller chakra reserves. A typical case among medical ninja, since smaller reserves made it easier to learn the precise chakra control needed for healing. But before this fight she had already made at least one water clone in the basement, on top of healing Shisui. Not to mention the chakra needed to heal her teammate before they caught up to her.

Conclusion: Sute had naturally large chakra reserves.

Shit, he cursed silently. His own chakra reserves were average and already running lower than he'd like. By his own estimate, he had enough left to use the Chidori two times if he didn't use any other powerful ninjutsu, though that would leave his reserves too low to safely do anything else. Even using it just once would drain him more than he'd like. Engaging her directly would require a lot of cunning.

A sharp yelp caught his attention, his blood running cold. Urushi! He turned his head towards the source, now picking up on the scents of Pakkun, Bisuke, and Urushi nearby, their canine musk mingled with the aroma of freshly churned soil. A pit of horror gathered in his stomach as he turned and leaped towards their location soundlessly, taking care to avoid any more tags that might be attached to the trees.

He came to a halt several yards away from a large, four-sided pyramid, the earthen walls offering no hints of what lay inside. Pakkun and Bisuke stood next to it with their hackles raised, and since Kakashi couldn't see Urushi despite his strong scent he assumed he'd been trapped inside.

More worryingly, Sute stood on the pyramid's other side, head tilted as she studied it. She had one hand loosely resting against a tree, her close proximity to the trunk suggesting she had likely been hidden behind it to scope the situation. "Huh," she said thoughtfully. "Didn't expect you guys to trigger it." The two canines outside the pyramid glared at her, their stances aggressive and teeth bared.

"What the hell is that thing?" Pakkun snarled.

"An experimental barrier triggered by proximity. It was meant for your master, I did not expect you three to follow him." As she spoke Kakashi began circling the area carefully from the trees, keeping as silent as possible as he slowly moved behind her. He knew Pakkun and Bisuke noticed his presence, and he didn't need to tell them to distract her.

"If Urushi's hurt," Pakkun said warningly, but she waved the hand she had pressed against the tree.

"Don't worry, your friend's fine. It's just a barrier, I don't have spikes inside it or anything." Kakashi carefully avoided a branch with another unknown tag attached to the trunk, landing on the tree she currently stood against. He crouched on the branch as he peered down at her, taking a quiet breath to steady himself as he pulled a kunai from his pocket. Sute had her attention focused on Pakkun, offering a roll of her shoulders as she commented, "If he doesn't like it, he can just unsummon himself anytime."

"Yeah, sure," Pakkun huffed. "But really? Do you think a small Doton jutsu would stop Kakashi?"

"Of course not," she deflected. And then she tipped her head back to smile up at Kakashi as she added, "But you have to run out of energy sometime."

Kakashi surged into action, leaping away from the branch while flinging his kunai at her. He knew better than to attack her directly when she'd clearly noticed he was there. She ducked out of the kunai's path, and his ninken took advantage of her momentary distraction to lunge from behind. Sute glanced at them and then jumped to the side, narrowly dodging Bisuke's jaws and sliding into the shadows between two trees.

Kakashi himself landed on a branch not far away, and moved to pursue her when a startled yelp sounded from within the barrier, making him tense. He snapped an alarmed look at the pyramid, half-expecting to smell blood. "Urushi?" he called sharply. A muffled series of barks sounded, and Pakkun frowned.

"He says he tried to tunnel out, but he hit some kind of barrier." A barrier? Kakashi's eyes widened, and he turned to stare into the darkness.

"That's not doton, is it?" he called loudly, mind racing.

"Do you really expect me to reveal my hand?" Sute's voice came from behind, and he whirled around but saw no sign of her. Not that he expected as much. He remained tense and ready to spring into action as her voice continued, "We're shinobi, Kakashi. Revealing all our skills to our enemies is just asking for trouble."

As if to punctuate the point a volley of senbon suddenly shot out from his left, prompting him to dodge to the side. However, as he did his Sharingan picked up on a patch of white to his left, and his head snapped towards it wide-eyed to see another seal attached to a tree trunk just above knee-level. A seal he now passed not even a full meter away.

Shit.

The seal triggered instantly, the trunk exploding and sending chunks of wood flying everywhere. Kakashi substituted himself with a log but even so he couldn't avoid all of the splinters, hissing quietly as he reappeared on a nearby branch clutching at one arm. His muscles ached around the small wood fragments embedded in his arm, the force of the blast driving them deep into his flesh to the point he couldn't even see them anymore.

Below Pakkun and Bisuke had dived for cover behind the pyramid trapping Urushi, fortunately sparing them from damage. Kakashi grit his teeth, sniffing at the air but finding no trace of Sute's scent to hint at her location. He focused on his hearing instead, which was the only reason he heard the quiet swish of a kunai slicing through the air behind him.

Once more he found himself dodging, jumping to the ground to avoid it, and the fact he'd spent most of this battle dodging didn't evade his notice. All of her movements seemed to be angled towards pushing him to specific locations or directions, a fact made all the more dangerous by the traps. He couldn't get the upper hand at this rate, he had to constantly pay attention to his surroundings to avoid the traps she'd set.

With that in mind he didn't go into hiding this time, turning to address the forest as whole while scanning for more tags. "We don't have to fight, you know!" he called. Three tags currently in sight, nearest one three meters away. "You can come peacefully."

"And why would I do that?" Sute's voice taunted. Another volley of senbon flung towards him, but this time he dodged the opposite direction from the nearest tag, neatly avoiding the trap.

"You don't belong in Kiri!" he shouted even as he moved. "Have you ever heard of Uzushio?" The question apparently caught her off guard, because when she barked out a sharp laugh he turned and saw her half-hidden behind another tree, her teeth flashing white in the darkness as she grinned at him.

"Really? Uzushio? That's your argument?" She shook her head, rolling her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know much about it, but I know it's gone now."

"Exactly," Kakashi agreed at a more sedate volume, turning to face her fully. "It was destroyed by Kiri." Sute paused at his comment, that flash of a smile fading as her expression hardened.

"And what, exactly, are you getting at?" she asked coolly, and Kakashi took a breath.

"Kiri destroyed Uzushio because they feared its fuinjutsu masters. Almost everyone there died, all the survivors scattered and forced into hiding because Mist ninja continued to search and slaughter them. And you're descended from them." His hands tightened into fists at his sides, meeting her gaze evenly. "I know about the bloodline purges in the Land of Water right now. Even if you don't have a kekkei genkai, do you really think they won't turn against you when they find out you're from there?"

Sute didn't immediately respond at his comment, but he could read body language just as well as verbal conversation. He could tell from the tension in her posture that he'd struck a nerve, her shoulders stiff and her hand clenched tightly into a fist at her side. "How do you even know I'm from Uzushio?" she asked lowly. "No one from Kiri's figured it out yet, and yet you and Amagiri both seem to believe it."

"It's your eyes," Kakashi responded, staring into those vibrant green orbs. "They're trademarks of the Yorozuyo clan." Even as he spoke his mind flashed back to a quiet summer morning in Minato's kitchen, eating breakfast with the remnants of his team while Kushina carded her fingers through Rin's hair with a soft hum.

"Why are you so obsessed with Ringo Sute?" he asked, the question slipping out unplanned as he studied the latest bingo book. Kushina's hand paused, pulling away from the teenage girl and turning to him with a soft smile as she leaned over.

"Do you see her eyes?" she asked, and he nodded, peering at the bright green eyes the same hue as granny smith apples. "Those are Yorozuyo eyes."

"Yorozuyo?" Rin repeated curiously, crowding around Kakashi to peer over his other shoulder. "Is that a clan?"

"Yep, the second oldest one in Uzushio right after the Uzumaki!" Kushina responded proudly. "They were such a cool clan, but they were just so random. I swear, you never knew what the kids would inherit, or maybe I'm just biased because all of us Uzumaki had red hair. But the one thing that did pass down," and she smiled, leaning forward to tap the photo of Sute, "were those super-bright green eyes.

"I don't know what happened to her parents, but Sute's definitely Uzushio, through and through. And that," and she broke into a bright, beaming grin, her violet eyes glinting warmly, "Makes her family!"

"Konoha and Uzushio were allies," he said to one of the last survivors of his dear friend's home. "We couldn't get there in time to save it when Kiri attacked, but the least we can do is offer shelter to its descendants. Just come peacefully, and I promise you'll be able to find a place there."

Her face twitched minutely, her mouth pressing into a tight line as those bright green eyes glittered with something dark and unfriendly. "And then what, spend the rest of my life under suspicion?" she asked darkly. "I'm not an idiot, Kakashi. Even if I'm descended from some dead village you used to be allies with, I was raised in the Bloody Mist. I know I've caused plenty of permanent damage to other Leaf ninja, ended careers."

She spat the last word with venom, her features twisting into an angry snarl. "I've seen my Bingo Book entries and what kind of notes people leave about me. They're not just going to magically forget it overnight and accept me as one of their own. I'll be under watch for the rest of my life, have to constantly look over my shoulder waiting for someone to stab me in revenge for either themselves or someone they know!

"So, no," she growled, her snarl fading to a more petulant scowl. "I am not going to Konoha. Not now, not ever." Kakashi felt his stomach curl, because he couldn't deny her points, but he couldn't give up that easily.

"Is that really any different than living in fear in Kiri waiting for someone to notice?" he challenged. "You're obviously aware of the dangers there. Can you really guarantee they won't turn on you if they ever figure out your heritage? At least in Konoha, you'll be protected under our laws and we'll punish anyone who tries to harm you."

Sute remained silent, her vibrant green eyes seeming to glow in the shadows of the trees as she met his stare. Kakashi didn't shy away from her gaze, just focused on her and waited for her to respond. Eventually she huffed a small breath through her nose, pulling back from the tree.

"Forget it. I wanted to see which of us was better, but I'm not in the mood anymore." She raised her hands into a seal, making him tense in anticipation of an attack, but instead the earthen pyramid dissolved to reveal a rattled-looking Urushi. Four tags fluttered to the ground, and with a twitch of her fingers they flew towards Sute, Kakashi's Sharingan barely able to pick up on chakra threads.

Of course she uses those, he thought sourly as she slipped the seals into the pouch on her hip. She didn't withdraw her hand empty though and instead pulled out a glass bottle, dark liquid sloshing inside as she held it for him to see. "I already snagged the antidote, so I'm heading out. I suggest you go back to your team. That Uchiha kid's stable, but you should get him to a medic in Konoha ASAP. I didn't get to finish completely healing his ribs before you showed up."

She slipped the antidote back into the pouch on her hip and turned to saunter away, apparently uncaring of the possibility of an attack. Kakashi grit his teeth in frustration at the silent slight, struck by an impulse to lob a kunai just out of pride, but he forced himself to remain still. Prolonging this battle would do him no good at this point. Even if he managed to beat and subdue her, his team would be too tired from fighting Amagiri to guarantee they could contain her.

Still, letting her leave like that left a bad taste in his mouth, and he found himself calling out one last time. "Why did you help us?" he questioned. It echoed the question at the beginning of their unlikely truce, the words that set off this entire crazy night, but now it held far more weight than ever.

Their truce had been built on two completely unaligned goals that bore no connection save for a shared target. Moving together would simply prevent the risk of conflict if they'd tried to operate independently. Once she'd gotten a chance to meet Amagiri alone, gotten him to lower his guard, there had been no reason to continue their alliance.

Ringo Sute had a silver tongue, a natural and trained charisma that allowed her to twist words to sway people's hearts to suit her purposes. He had only seen a glimpse of it so far, but he could sense the deeply honed skill beneath her words. He had no doubts that she could have easily convinced Amagiri she intended to join him and Orochimaru, lowering his defenses and making any attacks that much more surprising and lethal.

Even if she had planned to double-cross Amagiri all along, there had been no reason to leave a trail for the Leaf ninja to follow. She could have retrieved the antidote and killed him and Shisui, returning to her teammate and departing long before Kakashi and his team could find the corpses. It would be more logical in the long run than honoring an unsteady truce.

Sute paused at the query, standing motionless for several long seconds. Her head turned slightly, a single green eye glinting at him with a stony look. "Because I know what Orochimaru's capable of," she told him bluntly. "And I'd rather not give him any advantages."

With those final words she turned and disappeared into the shadows, and Kakashi let her. He exhaled through his nose and turned to his ninken, finding them watching him with heavy looks. "You can all dismiss yourselves," he said. "Urushi, that goes for you too." Bisuke and Urushi nodded, vanishing in a puff of smoke, but Pakkun lingered.

"You sure you're okay, boss?" he asked gruffly. Kakashi eyed him for a moment before turning to return to his team, not bothering to answer. By the time he arrived the others had successfully taken down Amagiri, managing to incapacitate him with a mixture of Genma's poisoned senbon, Tenzo's mokuton bindings and a genjutsu from Shisui.

The successful capture did nothing to wash the bitter taste of failure from his mouth though. He knew that when he returned to Konoha, it would be a long while before he could face Kushina's grave again.

And the arc is over! So last chapter, a lot of people apparently assumed Kushina survived because of Kakashi's promise. That is sadly not the case. The Kyuubi went on his rampage back in Chapter 10, and I think it's impossible for her to survive having a giant fox ripped out of her. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who thought she survived. I am now also highly disappointed by the realization Kushina and Sute will never meet, they would terrorize the world together.

I did not plan for the last chapter to just be Kakashi's POV. Balancing the fight proved to be trickier than expected, because after I started writing it I realized Sute had the total advantage even without mokuton. Since we never saw her side, to summarize her actions: she has a LOT of pre-prepared seals in her pouch, and just slapped them on trees. She also used a scent-blocking seal, previously mentioned when she first began studying fuinjutsu. Also, we got to see the return of the barrier from Chapter 11! Have to say, really neat to have her reuse a seal and improve on it. Every time she was touching a tree, she was mapping Kakashi's location. Her chakra reserves were actually running a bit lower than she showed.

Otherwise, this arc was really fun to write. The outcome completely switched from what I intended. Originally Shisui was just going to be held prisoner by the Kiri ANBU, and it ended with Team Ro rescuing him and Sute running away. Did not plan to have Amagiri, and also did not plan to have Kakashi reveal that bit to Sute directly. I've been hanging onto that flashback with Kushina for a long time now. Remember the name Yorozuyo, this won't be the last we hear of it.

That's all for now. My buffer is now at exactly one chapter, so might take a short hiatus to try to plot the next arc and what happens next. I think I'll have one more arc until the defection. Thank you all for reading, see you soon!