Chapter 17.

As per usual, Kakashi and Hinata woke up before Hanabi.

The two of them were sharing a comfortable breakfast; meals at the house had long ago become a routine of sorts for the pair. It was still quite early, but the jounin knew that he needed to bring Hanabi back to Hyugas' soon for her tutoring.

"I'll wake her up," he said, standing up from the table.

Hinata nodded in thanks and went about her breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, the masked man and his good sister stood at the porch of the house, ready to depart. Kakashi's never seen a person eat so fast. That's what it was like to hurry to school, he thought as Hanabi gobbled up her toast at the same time while putting on her scarf. Speaking of the scarf, Kakashi recognized it as his own, his old scarf he'd given her weeks ago when she was cold. He'd already forgotten about it, sure that Hanabi would burn it as soon as she got home or turn it into a rug. He never expected the girl to keep that tattered excuse of a cloth, let alone wear it.

"Is that my scarf?" he asked, after they left the house.

"So what? Got a problem with it?" was the girl's succinct answer, coupled with one of her nastier glares.

"Not at all."

They walked in relative silence then, the only sound being Kakashi's whistles. Every now and then his gaze would travel to Hanabi in his scarf, and the whistling became more and more cheerful with each glance. He only realized how annoying he was being when Hanabi voiced her observation.

"Can you stop? It's creepy."

Perhaps a grown man stealing glances at a twelve-year-old girl and grinning like a fool was indeed slightly unsettling, Kakashi relented.

He remembered Minato-sensei telling him that hand-me-downs carried a part of their previous owner's soul. He'd always dismiss it as his teacher's idealistic nonsense. Now looking at Hanabi, he could see that sensei was right, as always. His scarf was a shabby thing, tattered, with permanent spots all over. Yes, like owner like scarf, indeed. What kind of things hasn't that poor article of clothing seen? He trained in it, ate in it, swam in it, used it as a weapon in a fight… Hm, upon closer inspection, it looked much better than he'd remembered it.

"Stop staring!"

Geez, what's up with kids and their loud voices? The sudden assault on his eardrums almost made him substitute himself with a nearest log.

"Sorry," he placated, not helping his curiosity. "Did you do something to the scarf?"

It just seemed to be in a much better state than when he'd used to wear it.

Taken aback by his question, Hanabi seemed almost sheepish. "I asked neesan to sew it up for me," she said, fiddling with the hem of the scarf, before she remembered who she was speaking to. "Anyway, it's your fault that it was in such a bad state!"

Kakashi let out a chuckle, ruffling the brat's hair in the process. "Yeah, guess you are right about that one."

They'd already reached Hanabi's home and Kakashi was about to part ways when his good sister suddenly halted, making him turn back at her.

"Hey, listen," she said, clearly uncomfortable. Such behavior was unusual for the sassy girl and Kakashi instantly knew it was something serious. "I just wanted you to know. Last night… I overheard you talking to Hinata about your past and… I'm sorry," she finished, relieved that she was able to confess.

Kakashi smiled. She really was trying to be nice to him. What do you know, the brat could be civil when she wanted.

"It's fine. I don't mind you guys knowing," he ruffled the girl's hair one last time. "Afterall, you are family."

With those words, the masked man sent the girl off about her business. He himself headed towards Hiashi Hyuga's study. There were some things he needed to discuss with the Hyuga head as part of his job…

Shikamaru was tired.

He'd spent the better part of the night solving the riddle that was the Icha Icha Kakashi gifted him. The man couldn't simply tell him, he had to use a dubious book and even more dubious hints to convey his message. By the time Shikamaru had finally made sense of it all, he was too excited to sleep, so he spent the whole night awake, adjusting his plans and thinking about all the ways he could use the sudden but not at all unwelcome present.

Shikamaru once heard from Sakura that Kakashi used to always tell them to look underneath the underneath. Perhaps those weren't mere words but the man's motto, seeing as he sent him an encrypted message that used Jiraya's perverted novel as a key.

"This is such a drag…"

For what felt like a hundredth time, Shikamaru opened his little book and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. Checking and rechecking everything, he couldn't help but be impressed at Kakashi's foresight. Initially Icha Icha wasn't expected to do well commercially and as such, the first batch was made using cheap low-quality paper, as befits all pulp fiction. It was a perfect key for a cypher: small and compact. The paper had poor durability, so could be easily destroyed by simply throwing the book in water, and most importantly, without the key there was no way to decrypt the cypher.

Shikamaru remembered him and Kakashi working together to solve the message left by Jiraya after his fight with Pain. The Toad Sannin had also coded his message. Now looking at Kakashi's, he could see that the jounin used a similar method of encryption, but with some additional modifications. Instead of just using first words from each numbered page like Jiraya did, it used pages, lines and words. Thus, a message encoded as 25/3/7 would be 25th page, 3rd line and 7th word.

"Now, why did he think using this would be a good idea?" Shikamaru asked himself.

As impressed as he was, such a method of communication wasn't particularly useful in Konoha. Afterall, what was the point of sending encrypted messages if they could simply talk in private? If he wanted to tell something to Choji or Ino or anyone else, he could very well walk to their home and deliver the message verbally. No, Kakashi would've thought of that. Just what was in that man's mind when he made this cypher?

Shikamaru looked again at the now decrypted message.

"Hello. On your side. Message hidden. Might be useful. Far away, prison, think something."

So he was on their side, that much was clear. Shikamaru smirked. Frankly, he suspected it for a long time now. Wasn't hard to deduce when the man's actions spoke for themselves. Especially considering that Hinata's influence on him was notorious among the inner circle of Konoha clans. They even joked in the private of their homes that if you want a favor from the Copy Nin all you need is to approach his wife in his place. Yes, he did what Danzou ordered him without a hitch. Yes, he put a lot of people in prison, including Naruto, but–

Wait a minute.

He put a lot of people in prison. Including Naruto. Shikamaru wanted to slap himself. Of course, that was what the message was about. The code was not for them to use to communicate with each other. It was for them to use to communicate with those who were already imprisoned or will be imprisoned! Then, did that mean that Naruto had a copy of Icha Icha and has been receiving messages from Kakashi all along? Although he supposed that no longer mattered, seeing as Shikamaru planned to finally rescue their blond friend from jail...

Moving on, the 'far away' thing was meant to relay messages to those who are outside of Konoha! The young Nara raked his brain for anyone relevant who was currently outside of Konoha, and only managed to come up with two people. Tsunade-sama and Sasuke. The former was on the run while the whereabouts of the latter were known only to Sakura, and after todays revelations, most likely to Kakashi as well. Knowing Kakashi, he'd probably already established contact with both runaways. Lastly, 'think something' probably meant that he could think of other ways to exploit the cypher.

Well, Shikamaru thought, who would've guessed? The Nara chuckled humorlessly at the irony of it all. Because when they finally win and get rid of Danzou for good, it would be all thanks to Kakashi's porn. Right there and then he vowed to read and completely finish the book once everything is done. He owed at least that much to Jiraya-sama.

Hinata was excited when she arrived at Shikamaru's place that afternoon. He'd promised something big to announce, and Hinata felt like things were finally starting to move with their Resistance. It was most likely about their rescue operation for Naruto. Moreover, Kakashi was going to finally make contact with Shikamaru, albeit not directly.

They usually came to their meetings in small groups at different times, so that it looked more natural, like friends visiting each other. Today she was accompanied by Kiba and Shino. The Inuzuka man sniffed a couple of times to check if anyone was following them, before nodding all clear and passing through the gates. Hinata doubted that Danzou policed the village that heavily, but it was always good to be extra careful.

The Nara compound was nowhere near as lavish as Hyugas', but as with Hyuga, there was that distinct air of aristocracy about the shadow masters' dwelling. Their guestroom was certainly large, big enough to fit all of the people gathered for the meeting and some more.

Shikamaru was at the head of a small table in the middle of the room, the very image of a leader, no hint of his typical laziness.

"Is everyone present?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

He was about to suggest they waited for Sai, but luckily, the man in question just arrived.

"Sai is here."

Sai and Team 8 weren't the only ones to just arrive. It seemed their artist friend brought a guest.

"Good afternoon, everyone," they heard their mysterious visitor say, eliciting a wave of surprise from everyone present.

Hinata sighed, shaking her head. Despite her husband's foresight, he did a lot of unnecessary things out of sheer caution. It bordered on paranoia sometimes. Even today he reasoned that it would be better to attend their meeting disguised. Thus, meet Sukea, an alter-ego of Kakashi's.

Sukea wore a simple green overcoat and a light brown scarf. With messy hair of similar color as his scarf, he would've looked completely plain, the kind of person to be forgotten as soon as they disappear from your sight. And that would've been the case if not for a minor but very conspicuous detail – he had a pair of purple strips, one going across each eye. Thinking about it, Hinata was sure all of her friends met the man before. From the looks on their faces, some of them remembered. Naturally, everyone was suspicious, even though they did remember him somewhat.

"Haven't we met before?"

"Oh, pardon me," Kakashi in disguise replied with a disarming smile. "My name is Sukea. We did meet before, when you tried to reveal your sensei's face, remember? You were but kids back then. Now I see you've grown into beautiful ladies and fine gentlemen."

His words, coupled with his amiable demeanor made all the girls, and half of the boys in the room blush. Oh boy, Hinata thought, hearing Shikamaru clear his throat.

It's people like that Sukea who made the Nara feel most uneasy.

"Now that we are introduced, how can I help you?" Shikamaru asked, trying to play it safe.

"It's more the matter of how I can help you," Sukea replied, his smile never going away.

"It's okay, Shikamaru," interjected Sai, "I invited him."

Shikamaru looked at his artist friend like he'd grown a second head. Inviting someone who they barely knew to a secret meeting was not a responsible thing to do. Well, apparently Sai thought otherwise. His friend looked so calm and assured that Shikamaru couldn't shake the feeling that Kakashi was somehow involved.

Hinata knew that Shikamaru trusted his friends, so she didn't worry.

'Unlike someone I know,' Hinata thought, sending a meaningful look her husband's way.

"For any future meetings, please inform me if you'd like to invite someone," he said loud and clear, mild irritation seeping through his normal drawl.

Everyone nodded in understanding. Sai just gave one of his innocent smiles. Which looked rather disturbing, Shikamaru thought, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Now–" he was about to start when he got interrupted by Sukea.

"Sure thing, boss."

Shikamaru looked at the man questioningly.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I just said that I agree with you. You know, about letting you know if we invite someone," their apparent newest member eagerly supplied. "Who knows what kind of nutjobs can come barging in, am I right?"

With those words, he sent a wink at Hinata, as if saying that he still thought them too naïve to trust him. The woman suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Glad that our opinions align, and that you are already integrating yourself in our group," Shikamaru noted, muttering the last part under his nose with no little sarcasm. "Now that we–"

"Thanks."

Interrupted. By Sukea. Again.

Sending a mild glare their annoying guest's way, Shikamaru cleared his throat rather dramatically. Who said being a leader was easy? Just making these people listen to you for a minute was proving to be a challenge.

"Alright. Now, does anyone have something to say before I sart?" the dark-haired genius asked, sighing once he saw a hand go up. "Yes, Sukea-san?"

Of course, it would be him.

"I just wanted to apologize for interrupting you before," Sukea gave him an apologetic smile.

Some of the people in the room stifled a laugh. Hinata smiled as well, this kind of thing was exactly what everyone needed, a little joke to alleviate the tension.

"Whatever," Shikamaru did not care by that point. "Anyway, I'd like to speak to you about Naruto," he started. Merryment abandoned everyone's faces and as if a switch flipped, they instantly went serious again. "We all know by now that he is being kept in a prison, known as Konoha Strict Correctional Facility…"

Shikamaru proceeded to show them said prison's location on the map, together with its site plan. He'd thought this rescue operation up over a course of several weeks, spending no little amount of time on every minute detail. Everything, from the team composition to the back-up plan was meticulously conceived, so that nothing significant was left to chance. The damn prison was virtually impregnable without prior research, and even with preparation it was extremely hard to break in, not to mention get out.

And the planning was only the tip of the iceberg. They all worked hard on all fronts. Scouted the area around the prison, appealed better conditions for Naruto and tested out the ground for any prison staff who could potentially help their cause. It took Shikamaru weeks to just get his hands on the building's plan–

"Your site plan is incomplete," they heard Sukea say.

Everyone looked questioningly at their new attendee. Shikamaru was almost led to believe that Sukea came here with the sole purpose to aggravate him. His more rational side, however, noted that he should be grateful if Sukea had any information about the prison.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know where you got it from, but these are very good building schematics. Everything that is there is indeed correct," Sukea praised, a hint of being impressed in his tone. "However, the people who got it for you obviously didn't know about the secret passage."

"What secret passage?"

"You see, Konoha Strict Correctional Facility has a secret passage that goes underneath, a narrow tunnel, pretty hard to see even with a Byakugan. It doesn't go very far, but it allows one to enter and leave the facility. Like a back entrance."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. If what the man was telling was true, then they had a significantly better chance to succeed in this endeavor. It all just seemed too good to be true, however.

"And how do you know about the secret passage?" he asked.

It seemed too convenient and too much of a coincidence for their sudden new guest to possess such extensive knowledge about the most secure prison in the Land of Fire.

"Ah, I was ANBU commander long time ago, you see. My team helped put half of the inmates there, so I know my way around."

A perfect answer for a spy, Shikamaru thought.

"Surely, you can understand our suspicions, Sukea-san," he said.

In truth, Shikamaru had half a mind to neutralize the man and deal with him once they got Naruto out. The only thing that prevented him from doing exactly that was the fact that if Danzou already knew about what was going on then they wouldn't be there discussing their plans.

"Of course, boss. However, you already told me this much about your big plan. What prevented me from quietly leaving our little meeting and reporting everything I've heard to Danzou if I were a spy?" he smiled, something about that smile was unsettling. Like a predator sizing up its prey, only to decide that catching it would not be worth the effort. "I really do want to help you."

The Resistance's unanimously chosen leader sighed with resignation, it was no use to back out now. They've been given a chance by Sukea, and they had to try. Even if it was all a ruse to bait them out, the opportunity was too rare to give up like that. Besides, Sukea did make a solid point – if he was a spy, he could've just reported them right away, no need to attract attention asking unnecessary questions.

It was likely that this Sukea guy worked with Kakashi anyway.

"Alright," the Nara Head finalized. "We are going to proceed with the rescue mission. But we need a new plan to adapt for our…" he glanced at Sukea, "new circumstances."

Sukea's smile seemed to stretch wider. Mentally, Kakashi was impressed by Shikamaru's ability to read the situation. He quickly deduced that Sukea's appearance was no coincidence and was correct in thinking that Sukea would be an asset during Naruto's rescue.

And so, they began formulating their new plan. Everyone was participating, brainstorming ideas and repurposing Shikamaru's old strategies. Kakashi was impressed by the group's cohesion. Their conversations flowed smoothly, no one interrupting unnecessarily. When someone was out of thoughts there was another to fill in the gaps. Judging by some of their former acts as resistance that he'd learned about when they discussed their old plans, Kakashi was able to conclude that these people knew what they were doing. Vast majority of their work seemed to be behind the scenes, to do with politics and clan diplomacy. However, there were small field operations too. They were all covert, but still…

They were a bit green of course, but to Kakashi it seemed as almost an advantage. What they lacked in experience they made up with devotion to the cause.

They didn't even bat an eye when Shikamaru announced that Sukea will be not only participating but leading the operation. Whatever skepsis they might have had was cleared by their leader's rational arguments. Sukea was the one most familiar with the prison, as well as the one with experience in infiltration and exfiltration.

"Alright, great job everyone, see you in two days," he said, once everyone acknowledged their plan.

They'd agreed to leave a one-day gap before commencing the operation. Everyone was supposed to rest and prepare during that time. Meeting concluded, people started to leave.

What a day, Shikamaru mused as his friends gradually departed. First, he spends a better time of the afternoon thinking about a way to use the "present" Kakashi'd given him. Then, Sai brings a mysterious ally to their meeting. Now with everyone dismissed, he still had a lot to think through. He wished he could just go to sleep right there and then.

"What a drag…"

"Tell me about it," the Nara genius heard a familiar voice. He'd totally zoned out after the meeting ended, so he was quite surprised that not everyone left. Sukea and, for some reason, Sakura and Hinata had remained.

"You wanted something, Sukea-san? Or should I say Kakashi-sama?" Shikamaru asked, looking questioningly at the both of them.

Sukea's eyes widened in surprise, before he let out a chuckle. Sakura just nodded, as if saying that everything will be revealed soon. Hinata, for her part, had an approving expression on her face. Clearly, both women expected Shikamaru to figure out that it was Kakashi in disguise.

"Ah, yeah," the man smiled, pulling a small book out of his coat pocket. Shikamaru immediately recognized the orange cover. "I suppose you recognize this book?" Sukea/Kakashi said, nodding towards its identical copy that lied on Shikamaru's table.

"Yeah, what about it?" the Nara asked, still cautious. "I managed to get your encrypted message, by the way."

"You know," Copy Nin started, "I was going to explain everything about the code today, but it seems I don't need to."

Shikamaru groaned. Could Kakashi inform him of that before he wasted the whole night trying to solve it?

The smile on Sukea's face became bigger.

"I know what you think. I guess I just wanted to test whether you'd be able to crack the code."

Hinata tried not to smile. It was so like her husband to combine work with messing with other people.

"I presume there are other things you want to tell me, then?"

Sukea being Kakashi explained why Sai had no problem bringing the man to their meeting. The Nara sighed, this time with relief. At least one weight had been removed from his shoulders.

"Correct again," the smile did not leave Kakashi's face. It was slightly unnerving if Shikamaru was being honest. "You should know that Naruto has the book, so we can send a message."

"I figured that much. But is it necessary? We will be coming after him soon anyway."

"Not at all. However, it could be helpful. You see, the warden of that prison is an old buddy of Danzou's. And any buddy of Danzou's who is able to live till old age is someone who shouldn't be underestimated. He has every single member of prison staff under heavy scrutiny. It's impossible to pass messages to Naruto by conventional means. Using the book as means to communicate, we were able to learn that the warden changes Naruto's cell every now and then. Sort of a trick to prevent him from getting rescued."

"You think they will change his cell in two days?"

"Only the warden decides when to switch his cell, and the pattern so far seems random if anything," he shrugged. "However, there is one thing that is always constant in this scheme, and that is the medic who administers Naruto a dose of tranquilizer each time they move him to a different cell," Sukea lifted a finger as if to emphasize the importance of the point.

Shikamaru did not need to be a genius to see where this all was going.

"And I presume the medic is someone you planted there."

"You are on fire today." Kakashi replied, giving him thumbs up. "Yes, the medic is on our side. They would be able to fake the tranquilizer when Naruto is being moved, so that will give him a good opportunity to escape to the courtyard from where we will pick him up and escape together as planned."

"That way we won't have to search for his cell," Shikamaru finished, remembering that the maximum-security block of the prison was protected against Byuakugan due to the sheer amount of suppressive seals in it. If they proceeded with their original plan, they'd have to look for him manually. This tranquilizer ruse would really help them out. The courtyard would provide a perfect meeting point as the secret passage they'll be using leads to a place just outside it.

"What about the guards?" Nara asked. "Tranquilier is not the only precaution they use. As far as I know, they also suppress his chakra. The place is full of guards, and Naruto will most likely be chaperoned by at least a couple. I doubt that he could deal with two trained guards without his chakra."

"Ah, that's a good question. Allow me to explain each point separately. First off, Sakura here," he gestured to his pink haired companion, "has revealed to us that chakra suppression could be overcame with a certain booster medicine of Tsunade's creation. Although it is a very fascinating tale on its own, I'll be skipping on the details. Basically, the drug makes one's chakra unstable and causes its uncontrolled release into the environment. Since Naruto has loads of it, the chakra suppressors put on him will rapidly degrade under the highly labile Kyubi chakra that is made even more unstable by the medicine. Before you ask if its dangerous," Kakashi raised his hand, correctly predicting Shikamaru's thoughts, "yes, it is very dangerous. In fact, it can very well kill him if it's let to act fully. Which is why it is important to administer the antidote once Naruto will rendezvous with our rescue party. The drug has a relatively slow onset to surprise the guards and last for a long time, so it gives us a window for a rescue therapy."

Shikamaru turned to Sakura, who until this time was quietly observing their conversation. He did have a couple of questions for Tsunade's apprentice.

"Can't your medic administer the antidote right after your drug gets rid of chakra suppression?"

"No, the antidote does not neutralize the drug per se," the pinkette replied. "What it does is compete with the booster drug for receptors on tenketsu points, preventing the drug from activating them. It has a very rapid onset of action, so unless you want Naruto to be completely chakraless in a fight it is better to administer the antidote after the fight is over."

"Are you completely sure about that chakra boosting drug?" the tactician asked, not really following all the receptor competition part.

He wasn't particularly comfortable with the idea of putting his friend's life in such danger. There were multiple things that could go wrong with their plan, and the Nara genius didn't want to make things even worse. Why didn't Sakura mention anything during the meeting, when everyone was present?

"Aside from the fact that it's Tsunade-shishou we are talking about, whose competence I am sure nobody here would dispute, I think we are in no position to be picky here," Sakura said sternly. Seeing as her reply wasn't really putting their leader's mind at ease, the kunoichi added, "Look, if it makes you feel better, I can vouch for the drug's quality. Shishou spent years developing it, and I spent weeks learning to prepare it. The details of its pharmacokinetics and the science behind its formulation are too complex for you to appreciate, so trust me on this one. Besides, Naruto already agreed to the plan. Also, considering his regenerative capacity and rapid metabolism, if anyone can survive the full extent of the drug's action it is him."

"Right," Shikamaru said, "I almost forgot that somehow you can communicate with Naruto. But I'd rather not have him suffer the full duration of that medicine, if possible."

Everyone in the room nodded. That much they all could agree about.

"Moving on to the guards," Kakashi continued. "The warden of the prison himself will supervise the transfer."

"I had a look at the prison with my Byakugan," Hinata chimed in. "While doing so I caught the warden walk into Naruto's block. We think he personally escorts him into his new cell."

"Well I'll be damned," Shikamaru let out a soft whistle. "You propose we take him hostage."

"I don't know what to say, great minds think alike," Kakashi grinned. "All we need is to disarm him and make sure he can't give out orders. That prison, despite being the most secure prison in the country is still manned with average run of the mill ninjas. The idea is that the prisoners will pose no threat, and nobody will be stupid enough to attack it with a large force, so there is little need in wasting elite troops on boring guard duty," he explained. "The one meager squad of Root operatives stationed there will not be a problem for us when Naruto is freed. Besides, Root shinobi may be dangerous, but one thing I learned from my days in black ops is that they are completely harmless with their command out of the picture. They won't touch us once they see that we have their leader."

Shiamaru wasn't sure calling Root "completely harmless" was correct, regardless of their commander's presence. However, Kakashi's plan did sound reasonable. Dozens of regular mooks and a squad of Root against their team plus Naruto was as good the odds as they would get. Depending on Naruto's state they could storm the gates on their way back, simply use their hostage to leave or even use the same secret tunnel to quietly escape.

There was one problem with this plan, however.

"How do we make sure we time our act exactly when they are changing Naruto's cell? You said it yourself that there is no pattern."

Afterall, their plan had any at all chance to work only if Naruto was being moved at the same time they infiltrated the prison. Sukea seemed to realize that too, for his face turned serious, abandoning its customary aloof smile.

"There is no way to ensure it 100%," he offered honestly, confirming Shikamaru's suspicions.

"That's not good enough…" the Nara cut, stroking his chin. He really ought to grow a beard, he thought absently, before focusing on the task at hand.

How could they force the warden to move Naruto's cell without making it obvious? Kakashi could suggest it to him, or even order, but that would be too risky since he'd be the one responsible when Naruto escaped. Danzou would surely suspect something if Naruto escaped on the same day Kakashi ordered him moved to another cell. No, they had to appeal to the warden himself.

"I think I have a plan," Shikamaru said suddenly, smiling despite himself. "It is risky, but I think it's the only way to ensure that the warden acts."

"It can't be worse than secretly killing the warden and bribing his twin brother to take his place and order Naruto transferred," Kakashi supplied encouragingly, accompanied by Hinata's giggle.

"No, it's– What?" the Nara strategist was confused. Where the hell did that come from?

"Nevermind him," Sakura waved off, urging her friend to continue, "he just tends to fool around when he is with Hinata-chan."

"Whatever… So, as I said, it is risky, but I'm sure it can work," Shikamaru continued. "I suggest we send our dear warden a letter, warning him that Naruto is going to be bailed out. Anybody would take precautions in that situation, so warden would surely move Naruto as soon as he learns of the threat."

"Hmm"–Kakashi contemplatively rubbed his chin, mirroring Shikamaru's own movements not so long ago–"that can definitely work. But we still don't know the exact time he'll be doing it."

"True, but it is not necessary. You see, the warden will get the letter the exact time we'll be proceeding with our plan."

"Hah," his companion smirked. "He would most likely order to move his cell as soon as he finishes reading that letter."

"That gives us a reasonable approximation for when to act," Shikamaru finished. "But as I said, it is very risky. He won't just transfer Naruto, but order a complete check up on everything, including the secret passage. Our window will be narrow, so we have to make sure every minute counts."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Our whole strategy relies on warden's predictability and our own skill. Granted, our assumptions are pretty solid, and you have me as part of your rescue squad," Kakashi said with a completely serious face, "I'd say we have good chances of success."

Shikamaru couldn't help but snort at the comment.

"Your husband sure doesn't suffer from modesty," he said, turning to Hinata.

"I know," was the woman's only answer.

"He may sound arrogant, but Kakashi-sensei is anything but," Sakura defended. "It's just his way of alleviating the mood."

"Well, I think we are done with planning," Shikamaru finally concluded their meeting, too tired to deal with the older man's shenanigans. "With your permission I will be going to get some much needed sleep."

With final goodbyes their group disassembled.

Hinata was at home, quietly reading one of the numerous books in Kakashi's study. Or rather, trying to. The upcoming operation was all she could think about.

They were finally going to get Naruto out of the prison.

After a full year, she was finally going to do something for a person whom she held so dear. Hinata realized that they couldn't do anything before, couldn't act sooner, but disappointment still weighed on her whole being. How could they spend a whole year gallivanting around while Naruto was held prisoner on some godforsaken island in the middle of a volcano?

So what if Konoha was rebuilding after the war. So what if they all were neck deep in problems and grief of their own. They still should've realized sooner that there was no way of lawfully getting Naruto out of there. Instead of wasting all that time on appeals before the council and cour hearings, they should've taken matters in their own hands and bailed him long ago.

She understood that they probably only had one chance at this. She knew that Shikamaru and everyone else including Kakashi were doing their best to make it work, that they had to make sure their attempt counted. They'd all been diligently gathering information, preparing for the day they finally get Naruto out of the prison. She and her team had personally conducted reconnaissance on prison grounds. That was when they learned that Byakugan couldn't see through the high-security block. Sasuke helped too. From his reports, Kakashi was able to learn of the least patrolled areas and design the safest route for them to travel by.

Why did she still feel like crap, then? Hinata was afraid that she knew the answer. Deep in her heart, she always knew that her disappointment had little to do with their inaction.

She remembered those first days after Naruto's imprisonment. She'd been worried sick, couldn't even eat or sleep properly. But weeks passed, and the worry was replaced with resolution. She was positive that they will rescue him, and for that she had to be stronger. So she trained, expanding her abilities and honing her skills. But as her Byakugan's power increased, as it became more sensitive and its range expanded, she'd realized some very important things.

Her love for Naruto was ebbing, and Naruto didn't love her in the first place. The latter had been fairly clear to her for a long time already, since he never responded to her confession during Pain's attack. Instead, it seemed he simply chose to ignore it, pretending like nothing happened between them. Weirdly enough, it didn't hurt that much. What shook her the most was the former realization.

She no longer loved him.

Naruto was her first and only crush. She remembered their first meeting when they were little kids. He was like a ray of sunshine after a long storm. With his honest ways and lively attitude, it was akin to a breath of fresh air for the young heiress. He never failed to brighten up her day, yet she couldn't find enough courage to do the same for him. She'd seen how he'd been ostracized, an orphaned boy, shunned because of what was imprisoned inside of him. All it took was to approach, to reach out, and surely he'd feel much better with a friend by his side. If only she was brave enough to become such a friend back then, when he had no one. To tell all the adults and father to stuff it, that it was wrong to isolate a child based on their misplaced hatred… Things could have been very different if she acted instead of quietly dreaming. Now that Naruto was a hero, that he had people's love and acceptance, what use was her infatuation?

That day after her training, not long before her marriage to Kakashi, another thing had become clearer to her. She didn't deserve Naruto. Couldn't possibly, after everything that happened. She couldn't stand by him when he needed it the most, what right did she have to ask for his love in return? It hurt at the beginning, but over time she felt as if a huge weight was removed from her shoulders. She'd been carrying that guilt for all these years without even realizing.

As if understanding all of that, Hinata's subconscious started to give up on Naruto. Little by little it hurt less and less that her feelings were not reciprocated; the familiar fluttering in her belly was no longer there when conversations steered to the blond. Instead, a sinking feeling of disappointment shrouded her heart. Disappointment on herself, on how easily was she able to let go of her crush, and how relieved she felt when the affection she held for him transformed into friendly love. It was all very confusing to her back then, but now she knew with utter certainty that she no longer had any romantic interest in Naruto Uzumaki. She couldn't help but feel bad, however, that it didn't affect her that badly.

"It's so silly," she all but whispered under her nose.

"What's so silly?" she heard a familiar voice.

A smile crept on the woman's face, despite everything.

"I was just thinking about Naruto," Hinata said, deciding to share her thoughts with Kakashi. He was honest with her about his deepest troubles, now it was time for her to repay his trust. "Are you hungry by the way? Dinner is ready."

And just like that they slipped into a familiar routine. Over the meal, Hinata tried her best to explain everything on her mind to the man that she shared a roof with. As always, Kakashi offered no words of sympathy, no empty advice left his lips. He just listened, and the Hyuga knew he was doing his best to understand. That was what she liked about the man, she thought to herself after finishing her tale and watching him sit there with a lost expression on his maskless face.

"I… I don't know what to say. That got to be the most… the most…"

"Weird? Silly? The most stupid thing you've heard," she supplied, exasperated with herself.

"No," he dismissed offhandedly. "For lack of a better term I will just say that it's the most Hinata thing I've ever heard you say to date."

"What?"

That was unexpected.

"You know, I think only you could feel bad about not feeling bad," he concluded. "If you feel guilt, you feel guilt. If you don't, then you don't. The fact that you are feeling bad about all of this means that you are a good person."

Warmth had spread in Hinata's chest at Kakashi's simple statement. Naruto wasn't the only man she didn't deserve, she thought. Hearing his chuckle, full of mirth, she felt all her bad feelings dissipate. It seemed that today was a day of dawning of delayed revelations, since she felt the same emotions around the man before her that she'd felt around Naruto not so long ago. The difference was that what she felt now was much stronger. Apparently, she did fall in love with her husband sometime after their marriage. Admitting that in her head made it even more real.

"Are you alright? Hinata?"

Said woman returned back from her musings to a sight of a slightly worried Kakashi. It was another thing she adored about him, his ineptitude at reading the mood.

"Never felt better," she grinned.

Her feelings were complicated. Their current situation, and the situation in their village was more than complicated. However, one thing was clear to Hinata. She would never give up on Kakashi Hatake as much as she'd never allow him to give up on her.

Later that night, Kakashi wondered why his wife insisted to hug him before going to bed. Left to finish his paperwork with her touch still lingering on his shoulders, he couldn't even shrug them in his customary show of confusion, too afraid the warm feeling will disappear if he did.

Even though it is a bit late, but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!