"Oh she was a delight, yes, for sure! I'll see you tomorrow morning, Hinata-chan!" The daycare lady was nice. She smelled nice, and was always giving nice sweets and letting him play with toys, Naruto thought to himself. The little four year old gave a bright smile to the shy Hyuuga heiress even as the serious looking Hyuuga retainer quickly sheparded her away.
"'Bye Hina'-chan. Today was fun!"
"Ha..hai! I enjoyed myself very much as well, Naru-kun!"
Naruto also liked the lavender-eyed girl. She was gentle and never interrupted him, and always went along with his ideas for what games to play. She helped him build his pillow fort, and conspired with him to get extra snacks from the daycare lady. A serious expression came across his chubby face. Was she his girlfriend? He would have to ask Tou-chan.
He sat down on the steps of the daycare, waiting patiently. His father would be along anytime now to pick him up and bring him to eat ramen. He loved ramen, it was always salty and yummy, and he could keep ordering as much as he wanted. Tou-chan had decided one day that they would only eat ramen once a week, and Naruto hadn't been pleased. He knew his dad knew best, though, and had quickly settled into the routine.
"Naruto-chan, did your Tou-san tell you what time he is coming to pick you?" The nice-smelling daycare lady bent down while arranging the slippers neatly. Naruto concentrated hard, trying to remember.
"Otou-chan didn't say! But the sun is setting and he will come soon because we need to go eat ramen and otou-chan promised." The lady giggled, before ruffling his hair.
"Hai. Hatake-san is a very punctual man. You should learn that from him, Naru-chan. Sweets?" She offered a mochi. Naruto grinned, quickly grabbing it before his he remembered his father's lessons.
"Arigato, daycare-neechan!" He recited. The lady's smile brightened. He took the sweet, carefully maneuvering it into his waiting mouth, savouring the sweet, marshmello-like texture of the sweet.
"Naruto! Tou-san is here! Come quickly now, we have to go!" His father's voice rang out clearly. The daycare lady stepped forward to greet the elder Hatake.
"Hatake-san! You're right on time. Naruto-chan was a delight, as always. I have to compliment you for raising a very polite young man. He still surprises me sometimes with his.."
"Yes, yes. Thank you for looking after my son. If you are done, we really have to go." Kakashi interrupted her. The lady flushed, embarrassed.
"Ah, apologies, Hatake-san. Please, if you would just channel your chakra here, I'll release Naruto-chan to you." She hastily retrieved a piece of Fūin from her bag, offering it to Kakashi. He straightened, pausing, before he relaxed, smiling.
"Naruto-chan, run along now. I'll catch up to you in a moment. I have some questions for the pretty lady." His hand brushed against hers as he took the paper. The daycare lady was flustered, blush deepening.
"Ano… this is most unusual, Hatake-san.." Naruto, taking his cue, quickly got to his feet and moved on stubby little legs off the daycare porch.
"Tou-chan! I remember the way to the ramen place, I'll go myself. See you there!" He called, making his way out of the gated garden. His father didn't reply.
'Otou-chan is acting so weird. I know that nee-chan smells nice but if he wanted sweets he could buy his own, right?' Naruto mused. He decided not to think about it, there were more important things to worry about, like ramen. His father caught up to him rapidly, smiling.
"Naruto-chan, the ramen place is this way." He said, taking hold of Naruto's hand. Naruto's face scrunched up in deep thought.
"No, it's this way! I remember!" He insisted. A look of annoyance flashed over his father's face. He had grown used to reading his dad's mood even with the mask, and it confused him.
"Tou-channnn, I'm sure it's this way. You always bring me here, remember?" He waved his arm for emphasis, trying to jolt his dad's memory.
"We don't have time for ramen." His father suddenly grunted. That didn't sound like him at all, his dad had never broken a promise, and he had promised ramen! It was Thursday, Thursday was always ramen day.
"But you promised! Today's ramen day!" He raised his voice, temper rising.
"Listen here brat, I'm the one who pays for the food so if I say it's not ramen day, it's not ramen day." His father's voice cracked like a whip. Naruto recoiled in shock, his dad had never ever spoken to him like that before!
'Henge no jutsu?' Naruto's young mind raced. His father had explained to him the three basic academy ninjutsu before, and had demonstrated the Henge, trying to make him laugh by transforming into a clown. Was this his dad? Was it another ninja trying to prank him?
"You're not my otou-chan! Where is he?" He all but screamed. Several passersby turned in curiosity at the tantrum, but scuttled away seeing the Copy-Nin obviously furious. Kakashi's face morphed into one of rage, before he grabbed Naruto's shoulder, fingers digging in. Naruto squealed in response to the sudden pain, struggling. The pair vanished in a Shunshin.
They reappeared on the roof, Kakashi swearing.
"Damn this kid, can't you cooperate?" Naruto, thinking fast, lunged with a straight punch, just like his father had taught him. It was weak, but it contained as much strength as a four year old ninja child could throw. He was rewarded with a puff of smoke obscuring him and his 'father'.
"When I see who you really are, I'm going to tell my dad, and he's going to be really pissed!" He crowed triumphantly. Whoever this prankster was, he was in soooo much trouble. Naruto did not expect a kunai to slice through the smoke, embedding itself in his shoulder. The four year old reacted the only way an injured child could, screaming frantically. There was so much blood, spilling everywhere, ruining his clothes, and it hurt, it hurt so much. Naruto couldn't speak for the choking cries that were forced out of his lungs.
"Fucking kid, this op was such a bitch to get right, and you almost fucked it up by being a brat. Once we get out of here I'm going to teach you to shut the fuck up." The voice that reached his ears wasn't soothing or gentle, it was harsh, rough, and Naruto knew instantly that this was a baddie.
"Now shut the hell up, or I'll gut you." The bad man picked him up, tearing the kunai free from Naruto's shoulder. The child went straight into shock, face losing color, screams dying off as his brain struggled to remain conscious.
Kakōgan, A-ranked Iwa Jōnin and leader of the kill-team that had infiltrated Konoha, took stock of the situation. He had successfully captured the Hatake child, but exfiltration by stealth was looking difficult. The daycare lady, and the kid had already delayed him by almost half an hour, and his teammates efforts to draw away the gate guards had only bought him less time than that. He quickly considered his options. He could flee directly, making his way to the walls and busting out, but that would draw every ANBU on duty, and more. He was a jōnin, but outrunning that many Shinobi and the countless Hunter-nin that would chase him until the border was impossible. He specialized in power and strength, not speed. The other option was to hide in the village and wait out, keeping the child sedated, but with his target's high profile, the village would be sealed and every Shinobi worth a damn would be looking for him.
His two teammates suddenly joined him on the roof.
"Kakō. We didn't see you the exfil point, figured something went wrong. You secured the package?"
Kakō motioned at the unconscious child on his shoulder.
"No shit, Tetsū. We got to find a new way out, any ideas?"
His third teammate, Tsūruhashi, gestured.
"I take the kid, I'm the fastest, and we bust out. No way we're sneaking out, the op's compromised. Old Man would fuck us sideways if we came back alive without the kid anyway."
Kakō nodded. He had come to the same conclusion. Only one of them would survive this damned mission, it seemed. He passed the kid to Hashi.
"Tetsū, go West. I'll head south. Split them up. Hashi, wait exactly three minutes for us to draw the heat, then get the fuck out of here. The Old Man's got Boulder Team and Gari as cover. Link up and don't stop till you hit the Rain border."
"He didn't get fucked by Hanzō again?" Even facing death, Tetsū's wry sense of humor hadn't dulled one bit.
"I'll miss you bastards. See you on the other side." Kakō was already moving, channeling chakra.
"Doton: Earth Dragon Bomb!" He roared. What better way to draw attention than to blow something up? The massive earthen dragon formed out of mud and soil, roaring a challenge, before ramming headlong into a nearby large building. The building didn't stand a chance, collapsing under the power of his jutsu.
"Doton: Rotating Hill Excavation!" He channeled a massive surge of chakra into another hugely destructive jutsu. This time, the earth beneath an entire street rumbled, churning. The soil heaved, rotating away from the epicenter of the jutsu. The result was horrifying, dozens of buildings sinking under the earth, burying their occupants alive. People out in the street screamed as they were sucked underground, crushed beneath the waves of rock and dirt.
He began gathering chakra for another attack before his instincts screamed at him to move. A massive fireball crashed into where he had been standing. He rolled to his feet, but before he could regain his balance a brace of shuriken slammed into him, cutting through his flak jacket and splattering his blood on the roof. Four ANBU agents materialized, seemingly out of thin air.
"You have caused death and destruction within the boundaries of our village itself. For that, your life is forfeit. Die now, Iwa scum." The lead ANBU's voice was neutral, straight to the point. Kakō grinned madly.
"Bring it on you faceless fucks! I've been waiting a long time to kill more of you Konohan bastards!" His voice was growing unhinged. The ANBU, at some unseen, unheard signal, moved as one, intent on ending the threat to their home.
Across the village, Tetsū sprang from rooftop to rooftop, growing fear giving lending him speed. Konoha may have enjoyed a reputation of being benevolent and magnanimous, but those veterans of the past wars whispered stories of Konoha's TI and the horrors they inflicted, of men who could rip your thoughts from your mind, of shadows that could come to you at the dead of night, and even of being fed to insects alive. He did not want to be caught, not while he was still capable of feeling pain, at least.
He didn't get very far before he was forced into an aborted roll, arresting his momentum before the ground just in front of him shifted into a snake infested swamp within the blink of an eye.
'Snakes…oh Kami-sama… not the fucking snakes!' He screamed internally.
"Kukuku… what do we have here? Are you lost, little man?" The voice gave him shivers, and a terrible vision of his own excruciating death flashed before his eyes. He slowly turned, as if afraid to startle the predator, eyes rising to meet yellow, slitted ones.
"Oh don't worry. You are going to die, no doubt. I just haven't decided whether or not Manda will like the taste of soil. On the other hand, I've heard that Iwa-nin have very.. robust physicalities. Perhaps some of my more… radical.. experiments will bear fruit with you as a subject? Kukuku.."
Orochimaru's sick smirk turned positively malevolent, before he struck.
Itachi smiled indulgently at his younger brother's antics. Sasuke was only four, but was surprisingly mature for a child. It was just hilarious to see a little boy recite the Konoha Shinobi Code as if he was a fully fledged Jōnin.
"A shinobi's first duty is to the Hokage, and the Village."
"You really went to memorize the whole thing?"
"Niiisannnn don't interrupt me!" The younger boy whined.
Itachi's smile widened, and he ruffled his younger brother's hair. He had finally received his Chūnin promotion just two weeks prior, and was on the final couple of days of administrative leave before reporting back for duty. He had performed outstandingly in the Chūnin exams, and his promotion had been all but assured, but still to break the record for promotion to Chūnin had been a feat worthy of being celebrated. His father had expressed approval at the rank presentation ceremony, having taken time off from his duties to attend, but had been far more proud of Itachi's third tomoe. For an Uchiha that young to master his Sharingan was virtually unheard of, and Uchiha Fugaku, ever the proud man had been more than pleased.
Itachi smoothed down his civilian fatigues. He was still on leave for several days more, and he wanted to enjoy all the time he had with his younger brother. Sasuke was a reserved boy, not that it was particularly rare trait amongst the Uchiha. Sasuke had grown up in the shadow of his prodigious elder brother, something that Itachi lamented. His father had little time for the younger son, considering his tremendously busy schedule. Itachi did his best to involve himself in Sasuke's life, helping him with his tuition and never boasting about his own accomplishments in front of his brother. He hoped the Sasuke would grow to be stronger than himself, for that was the only way the younger brother would gain their father's approval.
Itachi kept his brooding from his face, instead politely raising his hand and ordering another set of gyōza from the waitress. They were Sasuke's favorite, and he enjoyed the dumplings as well. Sasuke happily chowed down the food, talking between mouthfuls. The boy was only four, but was growing quickly. No Uchiha stayed young for long, not in the household of such stringent rules and expectations. Itachi himself had matured far beyond his years, driven in by his father's relentless pushing. Itachi would be the greatest Uchiha since Madara, his father said, and the first Uchiha Hokage. He would finally end the segregation and discrimination the Uchiha faced.
Itachi wasn't sure that he appreciated his father's manic obsession, or the clan elder's constant grumbling that walked close to treason, but the nine year old supposed it wasn't any of his business. He would continue to do his duty, as a ninja of the village.
"Sasuke! Slow down, don't eat so fast."
"Nu-uh, Otou-sama isn't here to stop me, so I'm going to eat as much as I want!" Sasuke pouted childishly, before stuffing another dumpling in his mouth. Itachi could only smile at his younger brother's antics, before sedately placing another gyōza in his own watering mouth.
A sudden premonition of danger was all the Uchiha heir had before he turned, a figure crashing into the stall right beside his dainty gyōza restaurant.
"Stop struggling, brat!" The rough, Iwa accent was all Itachi needed to spring into action.
"Sasuke stay here, don't move. I'll be back shortly."
"Nii-san?" Sasuke was confused.
The newly minted Chūnin swore, even as the obvious trespasser clambered to his feet, preparing to flee. Itachi had no choice, and less time. A single flash of his Sharingan was all it took to place a genjūtsu on his brother, a simple compulsion one that sent him home. Any ninja would have been able to break it, but Sasuke was yet a child. Trusting in his own skill with the Uchiha's most prized art, Itachi whirled to his feet, just as the foreigner leapt onto the nearest roof. Itachi cursed his lack of proper attire, but resolved to make do. He was an Uchiha, after all. The heir took off in hot pursuit, moving himself to the roof with an effortless Body Flicker, before kicking off with everything he had.
He hadn't made it far before tremendous explosions rocked through the village, and one of the southern districts all but vanished in a devastating earth jutsu. Itachi felt only cold fury. This was an attack on his village, and the Shinobi's first duty was to protect his own soil. He redoubled his efforts to catch the perpetrator, cursing his own lack of speed. He was fast, but the man he was chasing was obviously a Jōnin. Itachi steeled himself, preparing for a true test of his skill. Prodigy or not, he had no delusions of grandeur about his own skill. A Jōnin would be a challenge, but one that Itachi was determined to overcome.
'The ANBU must be distracted dealing with whoever's causing the explosions... these bastards planned it well, this guy can make it through the wall with the active squad preoccupied.' Itachi's mind raced. He had to catch him before he left the village.
Hashi grunted in exertion. Had he been unburdened he would've long fled from this shithole of a village, but the package was being difficult. He had awoken screaming in indignation, throwing him off and causing him to fall. He had knocked the kid back unconscious, but even so the weight was slowing him down.
'No matter, just a little more and I'll clear the walls. Gari better be waiting with that cover.' Hashi snarled. The Hatake kid had better been worth it. Losing both Kakō and Tetsū was a critical loss of two skilled Jōnin, not easily replaced. Still, the Old Man had decided that the chance of having their very own White Fang was worth the sacrifice.
It was anticlimactic, Hashi had expected some sort of resistance at the wall, but the extreme distraction that Kakō had provided seemed to have drawn off the patrols. He would no doubt trip that damned Fūin array, but no matter, once he cleared the village boundaries he would be home free.
He bounded over the wall with a single leap, and landed on the other side gracefully. He took off like all hell was on his heels, heading for the rendezvous point with Boulder Team.
"Katon: Grand Fireball!" A distinctly young sounding voice called out from behind him, but the gargantuan fireball that followed was extremely not-young. Hashi swore, it seemed his luck had run out.
Itachi ducked behind a tree, masking his chakra signature and suppressing his quickened breath. The fireball would distract the target, and he could get in close. No doubt his best chance was to get the Iwa-Nin in a genjūtsu trap.
Hashi ducked, rolling, dodging the tremendous blaze that crashed furiously against the forest floor. He carefully placed the unconscious child against a tree, quickly binding him with ninja wire. He would have to eliminate his pursuer, no way he was outrunning him with the kid slung over his shoulder.
"Come on out and fight me, Konohan dog! I'd like to see you before I crush your skull!"
Itachi took care to circle back around, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. His opponent was cocky, keeping to the open, but he knew better than to rush in like some rookie gēnin.
Hashi was growing nervous. His stalker had yet to make a move since the rather spectacular fire jūtsu, and the longer he delayed the greater the chance of some freakishly strong Konohan prodigy catching up to him grew.
'Come on, Gari, you over dramatic fucker, any time now...' Hashi sweltered.
Itachi took his chance, his opponent had grown paranoid, distracted. He flung a stone at a tree on the opposite end of the clearing, before leaping up into another tree, preparing another fire jutsu.
Hashi started as he heard a pebble crack into a tree. He whirled, before swearing as another blazing mass streamed forth from the tree line. He had been distracted, and it cost him. The flames engulfed him, and his silhouette melted away.
'Substitution, definitely..' Itachi prepared himself warily.
"Found you, bastard!" The shout of rage was almost too late for Itachi to react. He spun, leaning away just as a superdense fist crashed into the branch he was standing on, missing his head by a mere inch.
The Iwa Jōnin barely even hesitated at his miss, blurring into action as he unleashed a ferocious barrage of haymakers and kicks. Itachi's Sharingan blazed to life as he ducked and weaved through the relentless assault. He had seen what a single punch had done to the tree, no doubt the Jōnin was using some sort of Dōton technique to strengthen his taijutsu, and Itachi had no intention of getting his bones smashed in.
"Aren't even going to block, huh? Scared?" The Iwa-nin really did not know to shut up. Itachi leapt away, creating distance. Change of plan then, he wouldn't survive close up for long enough to get a genjūtsu strong enough going. Itachi whizzed through another set of handseals.
"Katon:.." He never got to finish, having to leap away.
"Bakuton: Landmine Fist!" An explosion that dwarfed even a supercharged explosive note defeaned Itachi, even as he was flung away by the sheer concussive force of the blast. He crashed against the forest floor, grunting in pain.
Hashi nodded appreciatively at Gari.
"Good timing. We gotta get the fuck out of here."
"Yeah, you were getting your ass handed to you by a kid." Bakuton no Gari's baritone voice was felt more than heard. One of the most elite Iwa Jōnin, he was a man with a grudge against Konoha bigger than the average Iwa-nin, which was saying something.
"Yea, well, you can chew me out once we're outta this cursed place."
Gari grunted in agreement.
"Get the kid, we're bailing."
Hashi turned, preparing to leap down from the tree. He got no further.
"Raikiri!" A fist coated in incandescent, blinding electric blue chakra that screeched and screamed in rage exploded through Hashi's chest.
"Stay the hell away from my son." Kakashi chucked the now-dead Iwa Jōnin's body carelessly from the tree, before turning to the other Iwa-nin.
"Don't bother calling for your team. I found them first. You Iwa-nin are all the same, for all your bluster and talk, every single one of you die the same." Kakashi's voice was tightly controlled, absolute, utter fury causing him to be absolutely still.
"Sharingan no Kakashi. I've wanted to take your other eye for quite some time now." Gari rumbled.
Kakashi exhibited no reaction to the taunt, instead drawing his tantō.
"Come and take it, then." Kakashi's reply was overshadowed by his movement, moving for the kill.
Kakashi was motivated by more than the mission, more than his principles. This was a direct attack on his family, his precious person, and for that this foreign scum would die. There was no more second guessing, no more hesitation, Kakashi the father acted in unison with Kakashi the ANBU Captain, seeking the death of his foe.
His tantō whistled through the air faster than the eye could follow, and only Gari's rapid substitution to the forest floor saved him from an instant decapitation. The Iwa Jōnin had no time to reorient himself before the avatar of the Shinigami that Kakashi had become was upon him once more, each stroke of his blade intended to end the threat to his family. Gari rapidly backtracked, gathering chakra in his fists, moulding chakra to unleash his devastating bloodline limit.
"I'll fucking end you, Hatake!" Gari roared, smashing his fist against the ground. His Explosion Release vented a tremendous amount of volatile chakra into the mossy ground. All around him the earth shattered with a cataclysmic cluster explosion, dirt and soil thrown into the air by the roiling chain of detonations.
Gari huffed, never letting his guard down. The explosion had ruined everything in a massive radius, shattering trees and demolishing stone and earth, but there was no sign of the Copy-nin. He couldn't have gone into the ground, there was soil from ten meters down that had been thrown into the air..
"Hidden in the leaves..." Kakashi's voice whispered in his ear, and Gari turned in shock. How had he snuck up on him?
"Never fight a Leaf-nin in the forest, dirt eater." Kakashi materialized as if from thin air, the shadows created by the upturned earth and broken trees melting away, revealing him already poised for the death stroke.
Gari screamed his defiance, moving with surprising speed for a man of his bulk, lashing out with another thunderous detonation of a punch. His fist crashed into the center of Kakashi's flak jacket, but to his horror the figure flickered, vanishing in a surge of lightning that rushed through his body, frying nerves and melting muscle. The legend of the Explosion Corps sank to his knees as his nervous system abandoned him.
"Never subtle, no finesse. Some ninja you are, Iwa scum." Kakashi strode into the clearing, looking no worse for wear.
Gari struggled to stand, attempting to mold chakra through burnt out tenketsū, willing his paralyzed body to move.
"Don't bother. That Lightning Clone was loaded with enough of a charge to put down even the hardiest of shinobi."
Kakashi was almost nonchalant as he closed the gap between himself and the helpless Iwa Jōnin.
"You and your compatriots conspired against, infiltrated, and caused destruction in Konoha. Worse, you harmed and tried to kidnap my son." Kakashi's voice was what Gari imagined the Shinigami sounded like, nothing but cold and filled with the promise of death.
"Fuck... you... Hatake." Gari spat.
"Just die." Kakashi replied, driving his tantō up to its hilt straight into Gari's chest.
A/N
Longest chapter yet, and finally some action! I hope I was able to portray just how much of a badass Kakashi is alluded to be in the manga.
If you can't tell, I'm not much of a fan of the wild jutsu spamming dragon ball z combat that the manga became near the end, and that many fanfics like to adopt. Ninja are meant to be sneaky, subtle and deceptive, and I hope I can portray that through the fight scenes.
Sorry to the Itachi fans, but genius or not he's nine, and no way he's taking down some of the baddest Iwa has to offer. Not yet at least. Don't worry though, Itachi will feature heavily as the fic progresses.
Till the next chapter,
Read and review!