Disclaimer: I own nothing but the general plot and OCs
I was going to wait another chapter to write Kakashi but since some of you asked for it/showed an interest in Kakashi's reaction I delivered it a bit early. I wasn't really sure if I was going to write sad Kakashi or angry Kakashi, but I decided this part of the story is essentially called 'The Hatakes are both really sad and scared but they choose to be angry instead cos it gets shit done.'
Also thank you for Mackenzie McClain about the Anbu comment. I wasn't really sure what on Earth I was going to write at first when it came to Kakashi's plot that wouldn't be him moping around being ineffective (which I didn't want). Your comment made me wonder 'oh, why wouldn't Anbu have done something?' and that kickstarted the beginning of the Kakashi and Bros starring in the 'men being proactive and awesome' arc.
So... yeah welcome to the 'The Hatakes are both really sad and scared but they choose to be angry instead cos it gets shit done' arc.
Aka the 'men being proactive and awesome and women being less than awesome' arc.
I'm glad some of you mentioned how weird it is that Kuchisake was either entirely or almost naked when she slept in bed with Sonaru. When no one commented on it initially, I was a bit concerned I'd written it too subtly or that I was incorrect in my perception of that being off behaviour.
Functionally nuts people are difficult to write convincingly.
Thank you so much for awesome reviews, as well as favs and follows! Let me know what works, or what doesn't work for you, as well as any prompts for scenes you'd like to see.
Chapter 43 - I Will Follow You Into The Dark
Kakashi ignored the weighted feeling in his chest and buried his woes in Icha Icha. Or at least he tried to. It hadn't worked when he first learned the truth about his life and it wasn't working now. His entire driving force was based on a lie-
No, stop it. He wasn't going there. He wasn't doing that to himself again.
It wasn't a lie and Obito's words weren't false, even if the man he became chose to betray them. Was manipulated into betraying them? But he still chose...
He shut his eye briefly and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had plenty of time to mourn the pedestal he had once placed his childhood comrade on, but he needed his head on straight if he was going to make Su-chan's first experience being interrogated as safe and controlled as possible.
But dear kami, how was he supposed to concentrate when names like Uchiha Madara, Obito, Uzumaki Nagato, and Rikudō Sennin were being thrown through his mind?
Literal Gods and Godesses. Plant zombies with previously unimagined spy capabilities. Overpowered radicalised missing nin. Friendly tailed demons. Reincarnation - again.
He really wanted the most fantastical elements of Su-chan's recollection to be just as fiction as it was first depicted to her. But he couldn't rely on that to be the case.
It was all so much more deadly and threatening to his family than he had feared. How was he possibly going to handle this without losing too many people he cared about?
With an annoyed quirk of his brow he shook he head again to clear his thoughts. Focus. Su-chan. Interrogation preparation.
They were starting light, with a basic one one one questioning. No restraints or intimidation tactics. No pressure on her to physically escape.
He glanced up and out the window, at the light beginning to fade, with burgeoning concern. She should have been home by now.
He allowed Icha Icha to drag his eye back to the page and continued reading for half an hour, before the fading light in the window captured his attention once more.
She really should have been home by now. He considered leaving it for another twenty minutes, in case Gai had intercepted her on her way home and distracted her. Another day maybe he would have, but he didn't really want to be alone just then - a desire that had almost never occurred before Su-chan came into his life. He was so unused to unexpected time to himself that when it landed in his lap he didn't know what to do with it.
Getting up and putting his book away, Kakashi exited through the balcony doors and took to the rooftops in case she was still in public dressed as Sona - he didn't want to approach her if she was. She wasn't around the Fukuda business when he looked, nor the Fukuda compound. With a frown he checked that Fukuda's child was home and alone, and then made his way toward Gai's place.
He entered unannounced, and although Gai turned to him with an effusive smile, at his agitated air the man sobered quickly.
"Kakashi?"
"Have you seen Su-chan?" His voice was calm, but the fact that it lacked his usual nonchalance spoke volumes.
"No, not since the night we were last all together. I take it Su-hime should have arrived from her apprenticeship by now?"
"I can't find her," some of his worry slipped through, although he was past the point of caring about hiding it. Having said it out loud settled a cold stone in the bottom of his throat, because what if... no, focus.
He half hoped Gai would tell him not to worry, that Subaru was fine and he was just channeling his issues with what Su-chan had told them all into being over protective and paranoid.
"Have you summoned the pack?" Gai's voice was uncharacteristically serious since Subaru was the subject of the conversation.
Kakashi wanted to kick himself for not having done so earlier. He really needed to sort himself out so he could think straight. If he'd been on top of his game he'd have thought of that as soon as he saw Subaru wasn't around the Fukuda business anymore.
He summoned his ninken and stared them down with a grimly solemn look, "we're looking for Su-chan. Urushi and Shiba find Genma. Bisuke and Akino find Tenzō. Ūhei and Guruko scout the outskirts of the village. Pakkun and Bull with me. We're starting at Fukuda tea shop and tracking her scent from there. If she's under attack or in the company of someone who means her harm you defend her with your life."
Pair by pair the ninken gave their affirmative and swiftly left. He turned to Gai, who looked back attentively, "could you search the training grounds, Gai? All of them."
Gai was one of the few people he could think of who had the stamina and speed to undertake the task without a break and probably finish quicker than any of the others.
"You can count on me, Kakashi!" His brows lowered over his eyes as he smiled, giving it a fierce edge, and then he was gone.
Kakashi too wasted no time returning to Fukuda tea shops, scanning more furtively up and down the street than before, despite knowing that Subaru wasn't within range of his senses.
"Boss!" Pakkun's deep register had Kakashi's head snapping toward the tea shop front, where both ninken had perked up despite noses being firmly stuck to the ground as they took rapid sniffs, "we've got her scent. It goes this way."
The dogs took off, Kakashi alongside them reading their subtle shifts in body language well enough to predict their changes in direction before they took them. Anyone watching them wouldn't have been able to tell who was following who as they rushed along.
It didn't take more than a few turns before Kakashi recognised path they were taking as the route home. The knowledge that Subaru had begun making her way back but never arrived had a cold feeling running down his spine.
They reached a much quieter district of Konoha, less than five minutes walk away from his apartment when both canines came to an abrupt halt. Pakkun and Bull both traced the street as they sniffed, before stopping by a fence and low bushes. Pakkun lifted his head and looked back at Kakashi, pointing silently toward the bush, while Bull carried on investigating the area with his nose.
Kakashi felt sick. The fact that they had stopped and Subaru wasn't in sight meant that either someone had covered her trail, or he was about to see her lying under the bushes dead. After a frozen moment in which Kakashi struggled to get his legs to move, he dragged himself forward unable to pull his eyes away from the spot Pakkun had pointed to.
Crouching slowly down, he took a breath with his heart thundering in his ears -his hand was trembling slightly as he reached forward and pushed the leaves aside- only to let it out in a whoosh that disguised the relieved noise wanting to break free, a noise he knew would have sounded suspiciously close to a sob.
There, lying mostly disguised among the grass, was the green apple hair clip that Subaru had gone wearing to her apprenticeship.
It wasn't proof that she was alive, but until he saw a body with his own eyes he would keep looking and he wouldn't believe anything less than that she was trying to get home.
"I smell two other scents that intercept hers," Bull spoke up, pulling Kakashi's attention away. He gave a nod, and then picked up the hair clip. It had a small splash of dried blood on it, and his lips pulled into a grimace.
"Follow it."
They tracked the scent to the outskirts of Konoha and into a heavily wooded area, before Pakkun abruptly stopped, causing Bull to do so as well. The pug scented the air, and then the ground multiple times, going in circles with a frown.
"Pakkun," Kakashi sharply ordered the ninken to explain what he smelt.
The canine gave a frustrated huff, "their scents combine with multiple other scents which all split off into different directions from here. All of them have hints of the kid mixed in. We've seen this before, boss, only one of these people carried Subaru and the others took her clothes."
"How many paths?" He asked, anger beginning to smoulder low in his stomach at the definitive proof that Subaru had been intentionally kidnapped, in a premeditated manner, by trained people.
"Nine," the small dog confirmed after a quick double check.
"Call the pack here, Bull, if they haven't found Tenzō and Genma yet then they aren't in Konoha. We can have eight of the trails followed," Kakashi commanded.
Bull sat on his haunches, pushed his nose into the air and released an almost ear piercingly loud howl for long seconds that gradually trailed into silence.
"Boss, look at the sky," Pakkun quietly prompted, sounding solemn.
Kakashi looked up and swallowed when he saw heavy grey clouds hanging ominously above them.
"It's going to rain soon. The others might not get here in time before the rain washes the trail away."
"This isn't a coincidence," Kakashi concluded, steel fury in his tone.
When people went missing, generally the Inuzuka were sent to investigate to see if they could sniff them out. The timing was too perfect in preventing ninken trackers to be chance. The question was whether this was in anticipation of Inuzuka ninken, or Hatake ninken.
"Both of you get started, we don't have any time to waste waiting for the others to show."
Pakkun picked what was obviously the faintest trail, as the best tracker, and Bull picked another. Kakashi waited, impatient and antsy, praying for everyone to arrive before the imminent rain started falling.
His heart sunk when minutes later the first drips of water landed in his hair, he held a hand up to watch his chances slip away with every drop of rain against his skin.
Kakashi stood soaked and staring blankly into the grey sheet of rain in front of him by the time an equally soaked and panting Genma landed, followed by Urushi and Shiba. Before he could say anything, a significantly drier Tenzō arrived alongside Bisuke and Akino.
"Kakashi? The dogs said- did you find her?" Genma hesitantly asked, approaching his friend.
There was a long pause, before Kakashi turned his head slightly in Genma and Tenzō's direction, "no."
His voice was quiet and pained, and his posture was slumped in on itself. But his hands were fisted and shaking with rage.
"Kakashi-senpai... what do you want us to do?"
"I don't know if she was taken because they knew she's a Hatake, or because of her Chinoike blood. I don't know if it's because they were interested in the methods used to create her, or if they were simply interested in her unusual combat prowess for her age.
"It could have been that I wasn't careful enough with security before she shared what she knew with us and they took her with the intention of extracting that information. For all I know they took her because they saw a healthy, pretty civilian child regularly walking home by herself and knew some sick fuck who would want her in their bed," Kakashi spat the last part, still not looking at either shinobi properly and they wondered if he was even talking to them or to himself.
Both men watched Kakashi with wary silence, lost in the face of his ragged voice and increasing shaking. They didn't know if approaching him would comfort him or trigger violence. The confirmation of Subaru's kidnapping had them unsettled and itching to take action.
Before either could say anything in reply, two forms raced out of the grey, revealing themselves to be Bull and Pakkun. They both collapsed at Kakashi's feet panting desperately and steam coming off them due to their overheated state.
"Sorry, Boss," Pakkun wheezed between gasps, shaking his head, "the two trails converged just as the rain washed it all away."
Bull let out a despondent whine and Pakkun looked simultaneously defeated and angry with himself.
"Sorry," the pug panted again, looking down. The entire pack visibly wilted, a few of them whining unhappily.
Kakashi crouched on the balls of his feet and gave Pakkun a pat on the head to let him know it wasn't his fault, even as his face remained stone.
"What now?" Pakkun asked, still struggling to catch his breath.
"Now..." Tenzō and Genma simultaneously tensed at the deadly cast Kakashi's voice had taken - a quiet bladed rage draped in deceptively smooth silk.
"Subaru was taken in broad daylight from streets that Anbu were supposed to be patrolling. So now, I want to know who was neglecting their duty and I want to know why," Kakashi swiftly stood, glancing briefly at his pack, "you can go now. I'll take it from here."
With a poof they were gone, leaving three drenched men standing in the rain, one of them radiating a terrifying violent blood lust. Kakashi left quicker than either of them could even think of trying to get him to cool down first, although they knew that if they had tried to slow him down in the mood he was in they may have ended up with broken bones.
Genma spoke quietly and urgently to Tenzō, "find Gai, before he kills someone," before he took off after his enraged friend in the hope of mitigating some of the damage.
He pushed himself as fast as he could and only just managed to catch up to the scarecrow by the time he'd already reached the Anbu building.
"Kakashi, wait!" He called, glad when he at least paused, "it's been three years since you were active. Think. You don't know who's behind those masks anymore. You don't know if one of them will take aggression from you as a good reason to attack," You don't know who their loyalty belongs to, not after what you learned from Mini Bastard - he didn't say it, but he knew Kakashi understood.
As a retired Anbu, Kakashi wasn't supposed to be inside the Anbu headquarters unless on business for the Hokage or Nara Shikaku. But then again this was Kakashi, and he doubted anybody would stop the man once he went inside. Genma, on the other hand, was much more likely to get in trouble if he entered.
Kakashi didn't respond to him, but his shoulders squared into something a little less feral looking and when he barged inside at least he didn't break the door off.
"Bastard better not get himself killed," Genma muttered to himself, wishing Gai would hurry up and intervene already.
The door to the communal area was ripped open and many shinobi's worst nightmare entered - barely restrained killing intent radiated off every inch of the man, his one visible eyelid draped deceptively lazy over an eye dark with wrath.
Half the shinobi in the room had served under or with Hatake Kakashi during his Anbu days, and not a single one of them had ever seen him so furious.
"Oh, shit," a huge and muscled figure muttered under his mask.
Nobody made a move to stop him, and the room was silent in intimidated anticipation as he strolled silently into the room, the water dripping off him somehow making the image even more disquieting. Everyone there knew that you never really left Anbu, and Hatake Kakashi had served longer than most survived the role. Many shinobi there still viewed the man as an Anbu Captain and so to see his mood so black, directed toward them no less, was nausea inducing.
"Where's Nara Shikaku," he demanded, repressed thunder breaking through slightly in his words.
There was a moment of silence, everyone suffering under the weight of Kakashi's stormy presence.
"He's on a mission, Taichou," a woman in a bird mask squeaked out.
"Aa, in that case one of you will tell me," the killing intent ramped up and many men and women heard death in his voice, "who was supposed to be patrolling the West Civilian District three hours ago."
Flickers of white chakra had appeared over him like brief sparks of lightning adorning the suffocating veil he was surrounded by.
Some of the newer members were badly hiding their shivers, and this time no one had the balls to speak up out of fear of signing the death warrants of one of their own.
"Now," he took a step forward, on the brink of violence. The Anbu were caught between going for their weapons and fleeing. Nobody wanted to be the one to move first and catch his notice.
"T-taichou, you really shouldn't be here," one brave or foolish man finally spoke up, although he avoided eye contact when Kakashi's killer gaze cut across to him.
"I'm only going to ask one more time, and if I don't get an answer," he briefly chuckled unnervingly, "I'll be very unhappy. Who was responsible for the safety of Konoha's residents in the West Civilian District three hours ago."
The same man as before answered, "We really can't answer that, Taichou. It goes against protoc-"
The man cut himself off in terror as a kunai appeared in Kakashi's hand. Four things happened simultaneously - a room full of shinobi went for their weapons, Kakashi moved forward, everyone else moved back, and a strong hand grabbed Kakashi's wrist.
The grey-haired man turned and attacked the person restraining him at blisteringly fast speeds, but equally as fast his attack was blocked and redirected.
The red haze cleared his vision just enough to notice an incredibly familiar shade of green.
"Kakashi, you are angry, I understand. But this... this is not you," Gai's firm presence pierced through some of his blinding rage and allowed him to breathe for just a second. Even then, it was only the stifled flames in Gai's own eyes which made Kakashi believe his best friend really did understand.
The white chakra flickers died down, and the Killing Intent diminished to something a little more bearable.
The previous man spoke up a little more hesitant than before, "It's really against protocol for Gai to be-"
He was cut off by a sharp elbow to the side of the face by the tall muscled figure, "shut the fuck up, do you want to get us killed," he hissed.
Kakashi stared at Gai for a long moment, breathing as he collected himself before he finally cleared his head enough to nod once. Gai let go of his wrist and Kakashi put away his Kunai.
"The Hokage can tell us," Kakashi curtly spoke and then left abruptly without further acknowledgement to the shinobi in the room, with Gai a step behind him.
Once the door closed behind them everyone released the breath they had been holding, wiping the sweat that had built up in the short time Kakashi had been there, and relaxing in relief that they wouldn't have to fight him.
"Kami, that was fucking intense," the muscular man wheezed.
It didn't take long after Kakashi left the Anbu building to convince the other three to let him handle the Hokage by himself. It probably would have involved minutes of arguing and a threat or two if not for Gai's never ending faith in him. Once Gai agreed, the other two were quick to follow - trusting Gai's assessment that Kakashi could keep himself in check.
He made an effort not to let the red haze cloud his vision and overwhelm his mind again, as he raced toward the Hokage building. By the time Kakashi arrived he could at least do a passable impression of a non-apoplectic person in the eyes of anyone who didn't know him. With a momentum fuelled jump he landed on the open window sill of Sarutobi's office, glad to see he had caught the elderly man alone.
"Kakashi? What's wrong," of course the Sandaime saw through him immediately and picked up on the urgency of whatever Kakashi had visited him for.
"Clan business," he pointedly replied. Understanding the subtext, the Hokage waited until he had closed the window behind him and then activated the security seals in his office.
"She's been kidnapped. Around three hours ago."
Not missing a trick, Sarutobi glanced out the window at the pouring rain, "convenient timing for her kidnapper. What have you found out so far?"
"She went out wearing this," reaching into his pocket, Kakashi placed Subaru's blood stained apple hair clip onto his desk, "the dogs found it in the West Civilian District. Two attackers took the most direct route to the village outskirts where they met up with others and split the scent trail nine different ways. We had time to follow two false trails before the rain washed it away."
Hiruzen cupped his chin in thought as he listened to the information Kakashi had gathered, "hmm the West Civilian District?"
"Yes, only a street away from where Anbu should have been patrolling and seen something," he bit out.
"I'll inquire into that in just a moment," he nodded, a frown clear in his words despite not appearing on his face, "do you believe it to be connected to her birth?"
Kakashi hesitated, "I don't know. Maybe. It could be due to what she knows."
"Hm?" He raised an inquisitive brow, but Kakashi shook his head.
"Clan secrets."
"Ah, I see. If that's everything pertinent? Well then," the privacy seals were deactivated and Sarutobi flared his chakra in a quick coded message. Less than a few seconds passed before one of his Anbu guard wearing a panda mask entered. Kakashi couldn't tell if the person was male or female with their light brown hair and he didn't really care.
"Panda, could you bring Washi and Yamori here, they should still be on patrol right now."
The person bowed, "Yes, sir," their gender not any clearer having spoken, and left to do as commanded.
Kakashi forced himself to remain still while he waited, despite the urge to move in order to feel like he was doing something proactive in finding Subaru. While Panda brought Washi and Yamori back he rebuilt his outward mask of lazy, laid back and aloof, so that by the time the three masked Anbu entered the room, the only sign that something was up was the missing Icha Icha book and a slightly sharp edge to his eye.
"Thank you Panda, you may leave," he then turned, implacable, to face the two masked shinobi, pressing his fingers together under his chin, "between three and four hours ago you were patrolling the West Civilian District."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Yamori replied in the perfectly emotionless, genderless way that some Anbu practiced.
"In that time a child was kidnapped in the streets by two individuals. Where were you?" A hint of condemnation slipped in, sitting like a physical weight on even Kakashi's shoulders. The two masked Anbu showed no sign of discomfort.
"There was a disturbance at the edge of the District. We received reports of shinobi with headbands bearing foreign insignias frightening people and went to investigate. Despite looking into the matter, we saw no signs of foreign shinobi, and concluded the report had been false or exaggerated. We then returned to our patrol an hour later."
"And you neither saw nor heard anything unusual or suspicious?"
"No, Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi sighed in resignation, "a distraction," he murmured pinching the bridge of his nose, "only one of you was required to look into the matter. Because of your inefficient use of manpower a child is missing. You both will receive a warning and two weeks suspension. Go to barracks, hand in your masks, and go home."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," they both intoned identically, and left.
Kakashi was briefly thankful that it wasn't uncommon to see him in the Hokage office during mission and Anbu debriefings and other various matters of high security, so nobody would think him to have a personal stake in the issue.
There was a solemn pause, "I am truly sorry, Kakashi."
Kakashi wasn't interested in apologies and ignored it, "What do you intend to do, now?"
"I will, of course, open a very discrete investigation. If you would like to be a part of it?"
Kakashi nodded once, "I'd like Genma to take part, too. I trust him."
Hiruzen nodded, "very well."
"I'd like to use the skills of Gai and Tenzō if at any time I feel they would be useful."
After a moment, Hiruzen nodded again, "if you believe they have something to offer in this matter, then of course."
Kakashi didn't hesitate, "and I'd like this to be kept off the record."
Here Hiruzen sharpened, and he looked piercingly at the rain soaked man, "the only ones with access to documents on discrete investigations are Anbu with Captain rank or higher, and my close advisors. Do you distrust my most trusted, Kakashi?"
Yes.
"No, but if the kidnapping occurred due to information being made known to interested parties, then we're looking at a leak. If that's the case, Hiruzen, this investigation becomes a lot more high priority than a missing person."
They stared at each other unflinchingly for a moment, before Sarutobi subsided.
"Very well, off the record it is. Do not run yourself into the ground with this though, Kakashi. I suggest you begin with the false reports, and where they originated from," with another glance out the window, he added, "everyone will be inside now. You'll have better results if you begin tomorrow."
Kakashi didn't want to wait that long. He wanted to chase after all the dangerous individuals who he desperately hoped didn't even know to be interested in Subaru. It was unfortunate that all of those people were either in Hiruzen's blind spot, or believed to be dead.
He had never considered the Hokage a liability as much as he did now, but he hoped that with everyone searching for Subaru in on her secrets they could mitigate some of the obstruction that Hiruzen caused without even meaning to.
At that very moment though, unfortunately, Sarutobi was right. He'd have better luck picking up an information trail tomorrow, by which time his kid could be anywhere.
He couldn't remember a time he felt more aggravated. He couldn't remember a time he wanted to go home less. Not to that empty place.
There was no where else he could think of going, though. Not to the memorial stone where Obito's name sat as proof of the death to who his comrade once was. There was no comfort to be found there anymore.
When he was back outside in the pouring rain Gai's unexpected but not unwelcome presence stopped him short, the man's bodysuit sticking uncomfortably close to his skin when wet.
Kakashi spoke without prompting, "An off record investigation, led by Genma and I. We can utilise you and Tenzō if needed."
Gai nodded, unsmiling, "What do you need?"
Kakashi laughed bitterly, his fists clenched once more as the fear and guilt, self recrimination and panic, bubbling rage and frustration that he had been repressing in front of the Hokage rose to almost overwhelming levels.
"I need to not go home. I need to keep moving. I need- I need to beat the shit out of something."
Without a hint of judgement, Gai gestured in front of him, "come, my Rival. In my search I saw many training grounds not in use. You do not need to hold back against me; we can fight until we bleed and can no longer continue."
Do you want more Kakashi making people shit their pants?
How aware do you think Gai's Genin team should be of this situation? How should they find out/should they find out at all? What about getting involved? Or should they just see things going on from the outside that affect Gai but don't understand what?
I really wanted to write the Kakashi making Anbu brick themselves scene longer, but if I extended it any further Kakashi was gonna attack someone and then derail the whole thing.
Also let's have some appreciation for Gai, because Gai just enters every scene he's in like 'how can I make everything a bit better?'
I wish I'd been able to include Tenzō more but every time I tried he reacted like 'are you insane? I'm not saying anything when Taichou's this mad. I just need someone to give my anxious little heart orders to follow right now.'
Genma on the other hand was of the opinion that 'yeah, the Bastard's murderous in my presence. Tell me something new. Oh, it's aimed at other people? Yeah I still gotta stop him from committing murder like always.'