Shikaku orders his students to get behind him. These Mist shinobi are obviously jounin level. If this is a trap, he wonders, who is it for? Kotetsu and Izumo take up defensive positions on either side of Shikaku.
Where is Iruka? Shikaku glances around quickly. Iruka is engaged in combat already. Is it possible the trap was for him?
Shikaku turns back to his opponents. No time to make a plan. The Mist ninjas attack, coming from all sides. There are three of them, one per opponent. That's rare, reflects Shikaku. Usually there are either more or less when it comes to Mist ninjas. The only explanation is that they planned for one-on-one matches.
The shinobi battle, the Leaf having to defend rather than attack. Shikaku kneels down and makes the hand sign for the shadow possession jutsu. Their only hope now is to stop the enemy before the fight gets out of hand. If he is right, then they need to wrap this up and go help Iruka.
"Shadow possession jutsu!" Shikaku traps the Mist ninjas before anyone realizes what he is doing.
"What?" one of the Mist ninjas tries to break the jutsu. "How are you doing this?"
"I am a Nara," grins Shikaku. "This is my clan's special jutsu."
"SENSEI!" Kotetsu's shout alerts Shikaku to the waterfall of lava headed in their direction.
"Get out of the way!" Shikaku orders, leaping up into the trees. His students follow him and the Mist ninjas get dragged along by his shadow possession jutsu.
Shikaku's jutsu breaks just as he spots Iruka being hit over the back of the head by the Mist kunoichi whom Iruka keeps meeting on the battlefield. Shikaku isn't certain, but from his position in the trees, that looks like a killing blow. So the trap was for Iruka. The real question then is why.
Shikaku drops to the forest floor and attacks the kunoichi. "Who sent you?" he demands. "And what do they want?"
"I left my orders with Iruka," she grins. "Search him once this battle's over. If you win, that is." She leaps back and sends a blast of boiling hot air at Shikaku.
Shikaku is starting to get annoyed with how troublesome this fight is becoming.
"Hey, buddy, aren't you forgetting something?" asks one of the other Mist ninjas.
Shikaku turns to see that Kotetsu and Izumo are being held at kunai point. Shikaku feels more frustrated than angry. This is so troublesome. They are going to lose the fight, aren't they?
"Surrender or they die!" orders the shinobi holding Izumo. He presses the kunai into Izumo's neck.
There is a flash of purple then a flash of blue. Izumo and Kotetsu are freed from the Mist shinobis' clutches. Now they are in the clutches of two masked ninjas. One of the ninjas is a woman in a long purple cloak and hood wearing a mask that covers the lower half of her face. The other is a tall man, similarly clad in a long dark blue cloak and hood. His mask covers his whole face and shrouds his eyes in shadow.
"S##! It's Wind and Rain!" the Mist ninja who had had Kotetsu says, sounding scared.
Wind and Rain? The names sound familiar, but Shikaku can't quite remember where he has heard them before.
"Retreat," says the Mist kunoichi. "The four of us are no match for these two."
"Yes captain!" The Mist ninjas retreat faster than they appeared. Soon there is no sign of them.
Shikaku crouches down and checks Iruka's neck for a pulse. It is there, but faint. He turns to the two newcomers. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"I am Wind," says the woman, releasing Izumo and dropping down from the tree she was standing in. "and he is Rain. We are here to help you."
"And how did you know we would need help?" asks Shikaku.
"May I?" asks Wind, pointing at Iruka. "He will die if I do not treat him."
"How we knew is none of your concern," says Rain as Wind kneels down beside Iruka and starts treating his burns with medical ninjutsu. "Just know that we were paid to protect this boy." he points to Iruka.
"There," Wind finishes administering first aid to Iruka. "He will be fine; but I would advise taking him straight back to the Leaf and getting him in the hospital."
"Are you sure he'll be okay on the trip back?" asks Kotetsu. "Maybe we should should stay in the town for a few days."
"No!" snaps Rain. "Do not go back to that town. The man who sent you here was a spy for the man who tried to have this boy assassinated. Go straight back to the Leaf. We will take care of the spy."
"Right," agrees Shikaku, scooping up the unconscious Iruka. Now that Wind has wrapped up the burns on Iruka's lower arms and shins he doesn't look quite so bad. His clothes and hair a little singed but it seems the real damage was done by the blow to the head. "Let's go, boys."
"Yes sensei!" chorus Kotetsu and Izumo.
Fugaku wakes up with a splitting headache. "What happened?" he groans, trying to remember how he ended up sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Wincing, Fugaku massages the crick in his neck. His neck is so sore, as is his back. Fugaku pulls himself to his feet and stretches out the cramps in his muscles. Whenever he moves, something cracks.
Seriously, how did he fall asleep at his desk in the first place?
"Chief! Chief!" the door bursts open and two of the officers who were due to return from patrol burst in. "What happened here?" For some reason they both look horrified.
"What are you talking about?" Fugaku asks, scratching his top lip. It is itchy for some reason.
"There's…" one of the officers points behind himself. "All the officers…! They're all…"
Fukagu pushes past the gibbering officer and heads downstairs. All the officers are gathered in the lobby staring at each other in horror. Fugaku sees why immediately.
Every single one has had their face drawn on.
Every single one has a mustache and many other decorations, from ponies to monobrows.
"How did this happen?" demands Fugaku.
The officers turn to him.
"We have no idea, sir," admits one officer.
"When did you grow a mustache, sir?" asks another officer.
"I don't have a mustache," says Fugaku, then instantly realizes.
He runs to the nearest reflective surface and checks his reflection. He does indeed have a mustache. A surprisingly well-drawn mustache.
"You know," says Fugaku. "I like this mustache. I think I'll grow me a real one." He turns back to his police force. "I need all of you to wash your faces and get back to work. I will investigate this prank."
"We tried washing our faces sir. Whoever did this used permanent markers!"
"Then use better soap!" Snaps Fugaku and sweeps away to find the culprits of this prank.
"Um, sir?" asks an officer. "Aren't you going to wash off that mustache?"
"No, I think I'll keep it for now." Fugaku closes the door behind him, shutting out further inquiry into the matter. Now, who could be responsible for this? What was the last thing he did before he fell asleep? That's right: he drank his tea. Naruto was giving him a splitting headache…
Naruto. He must have slipped something in Fugaku's tea while he was pretending to be interested in the paper work. Well, off to find the kid. He really is just like his mother.
Fugaku tracks Naruto to the park and locates the boy sitting under a tree with two other people. Fugaku identifies the girl as Hinata Hyuuga and the older boy as…
Shisui? What's Shisui doing with a couple of kids?
Fugaku creeps forward, being careful to stay out of sight. Once he is close enough he settles in to listen to what the three children are saying.
"That was so much fun!" Shisui is saying. "Anytime you two want help with a prank, come and find me!"
Shisui helped them?!
"You draw really good ponies," says Hinata.
"And you two draw really good mustaches," grins Shisui. "I can't believe you managed to draw on Fugaku sama!"
Naruto laughs and scratches the back of his head. "I was so scared he would catch me! I just started babbling whatever I could think of until he drank his tea!"
Hinata giggles. "I always knew Uchihas would look better with mustaches!"
"Although I'm not sure if pink is the best colour for some of them!" adds Shisui laughing.
So, thinks Fugaku. It was Naruto who drew this mustache on my face afterall. I wonder how he will react when he sees me with a real one. Then he remembers something. I wonder how Mikoto will react! Suddenly Fugaku is worried. What if she forbids me from growing a mustache?
Danzo's agent turns away from the report he is writing. Something isn't right.
A man steps out of the shadows. He is tall and wears a long dark blue cloak. A mask covers his whole face.
"How did you get in here?" asks the agent evenly.
"The same way I will leave once you are dead," says the man calmly.
Danzo's agent barely sees the cloaked man move, then everything goes black.