::07::
The sound of creaking footsteps awoke Naruto the next morning. Blearily, Naruto sat up and yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Spooked by the events of last night, Hermione had pleaded that they all sleep together instead of retiring into separate rooms for the night. Ron had been quick to agree and Naruto couldn't help but echo his agreement. The house had always been a little creepy in Naruto's opinion, but now that Sirius was dead, the place was abandoned and there was a shadowy version of Dumbledore that could appear at any moment, Naruto didn't exactly want to be left alone.
They had picked one of the drawing rooms on the first floor and Naruto and Sai tossed out their sleeping bags that had been thrown in Hermione's bag while Harry and Ron assembled a hodge podge of blankets and pillows procured from other rooms. They had actually made the drafty drawing room feel quite cozy although now Naruto was outside the cocoon of blankets, it was admittedly cold.
Looking around, Naruto spotted Hermione curled into a tiny ball, her hair a wild bird's nest around her and Ron a couple feet away, his arm thrown carelessly over his face. Sai was sleeping on his back, his face completely devoid of emotion. Naruto doubted that the dark haired ninja even tossed and turned in his sleep. Looking around though, Harry was suspiciously missing.
As soon as he heard Naruto move away, Sai opened his eyes. He let out a brief sigh, stretching his arms out above him before sitting up. The house was cold and silent, with only the distant sounds of both Naruto and Harry shuffling about. Standing, Sai picked up his pants which he had left neatly folded next to his sleeping bag and slipped into them before making his way down the hall.
The room he entered was one that he had found the previous night, when he had Naruto had done a quick rundown of the house to make sure it was completely safe. Sai ran his hand across the wall, feeling the rough fabric under his fingers as he traced across the names that were etched there. Sai didn't know who the people on the wall were, nor why some of them had been blackened out like huge unforgiving stains. But the wall had intrigued Sai, so he had stored away his painting supplies in the room as a place where he could come to think.
After settling in, Mr. Weasley had managed to send them word via Patronus that everyone at the wedding was safe. That had done a lot to relieve the wizard's anxiety – especially Ron – but on the tail of that came a more frightening realization, that Orochimaru was allied with Voldermort and that there was ninja presence in the wizarding world.
Which had only set Naruto off as he began repeatedly kicking at a stumpy armchair that looked as if it didn't need the additional wear and tear. He kept yelling about how he would kill Orochimaru for taking Sakura and it had finally taken a frightened Hermione to calm him down.
But something else had occurred to Sai that hadn't seemed to occur to Naruto. If Orochimaru was here…then Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't be far behind. Years spent…years wasted as they tried to track down Sasuke, and make him see reason, yet still Sasuke persisted in his hate. Why did he hate the bonds he had created with Naruto so much? Why did he believe that Naruto made him weak? But perhaps more importantly, why was Sai so envious of Sasuke?
Sai pushed down on the button on top of his brush till he saw ink cover the tip of the brush. He looked about the room and slowly, he began to paint, wondering what Naruto…and he would do once they saw Sasuke Uchiha again.
"Oh, that's a doozy…" Said Kakashi as he pulled his hand away from Tonks and stumbled a few steps.
Tonks merely put her hands on her hips and laughed as she watched Kakashi sway on the spot. "You'll get used to it!"
Kakashi shook his head. "I hope not."
Tonks cocked her head to the side. Today, her hair was an ordinary brown, streaked with shades of copper. She was also wearing a wide brimmed pointed witches hat which nearly made her look unrecognizable. But that was the point, in any case.
"I suppose traveling by Floo would have been more agreeable, but Kingsley said the Ministry may be monitoring the Network now. Suppose they fear there may be a mass exodus out of Britain." At that, her face lost some of its sunny disposition.
Kakashi's head finally straightened out and he stood up straight. He looked around, noticing that they were standing on a cobbled street that was lined with shop fronts on either side. The midday shopping crowd was walking about, brightly wrapped parcels held in their arms. A crooked street sign above them read 'Diagon Alley'.
"I appreciate you bringing me here, but I think I can find my own way now. There will be no need for you to take me any further." Said Kakashi graciously as he straightened the robes he had borrowed from Mr. Weasley.
Tonks shook her head and wrapped her arm around Kakashi's, pulling him forward as they began walking down the street. "You really are all bark and no bite. You won't be getting rid of me that easily! Now, Knockturn Alley you said?"
"I do have some bite…" Kakashi muttered in complaint, but said nothing more as Tonks led him through Diagon Alley.
He remembered being here the first time when he had arrived via portkey with Naruto, Sakura and Sai. Dumbledore had taken them to various stores, instructing them on which supplies would best suit them. For the most part, nothing seemed to have changed. There were still children with their parents, shopping for school supplies. But before Tonks could lead him down another avenue, Kakashi caught a glimpse of a store front that looked to have been completely wrecked. The shoppers avoided it like the plague.
The alley they were now walking down was much colder and eerier; as if the sun's natural light could not pierce this part of the street. Tonks gripped onto Kakashi's arm tighter and Kakashi resisted the instinct to pull his arm free.
"This is Knockturn Alley." Tonks whispered quietly. "And it's not a place where wizards just go strolling about. If you haven't noticed, it's a bit…dodgy."
Kakashi had indeed noticed. The stop fronts were dark, some displaying items that looked sinister in nature and where ever Kakashi looked, he felt like people were staring at him from the shadows. Luckily, he wasn't wearing anything that would betray him as a ninja.
"That's Noggin and Bonce." Said Tonks, pointing out a small shop that looked as if it had been stuffed between two others. "They sell shrunken heads. And over there," Said Tonks, nodding her head toward a shop that looked like a large coffin, "The Coffin House. Supposedly they sell stuff that can help you raise the dead."
Kakashi decided he would stay well enough away from that one. He didn't need the temptation.
"Where do you think we should begin looking?"
Kakashi hadn't the faintest idea. When Sai explained that the portal from Konoha had dumped them in Knockturn Alley, Kakashi had immediately suspected it as the most likely location where Sakura could be held. But now that he was here, he was uncertain. The location seemed too easily accessible to others and he couldn't see the reasoning of Voldermort and Orochimaru going through all the trouble to kidnap Sakura, only to lock her in some dusty cupboard in the basement of some shop.
"We might try Borgin and Burkes." Said Tonks, gesturing to a large store front looming before them. "They are known to deal with a variety of Dark objects and last year…" Tonks trailed off and wiped at her nose.
They stepped in, the door squeaking to announce their arrival. The inside the shop was even darker than it was outside and it was cluttered with items that were set up on any available surface. There were bookcases stuffed with musty tomes and Tonks edged past the items as if she were afraid to touch anything. Kakashi noted that she was tightly clutching the wand that was hidden under the wide hem of her sleeve.
"May I help you?"
Kakashi calmly turned toward the voice and found an old man with stooping posture before them. Despite his well-dressed appearance, his hair was greasy and his teeth crooked. His dark eyes looked at them with disdain.
"Yes." Said Kakashi instinctively. Even if Sakura wasn't here now, the man may have seen or heard something that could prove useful.
Tonks only spared Kakashi a quick glance before she straightened her posture and raised her chin slightly as she looked down at the man. "Mr. Burke." She acknowledge, without a trace of a smile on her lips. "There is some information we require and heard that you may be privy to it."
Mr. Burke looked Tonks up and down and gave a slight scowl at her appearance, obviously not impressed by what he saw. "For what price?" He asked, his eyes gleaming. "There is a price for everything, even knowledge."
A shrewd man, to be sure; Kakashi could practically see the man salivating at the thought of money. A man like that couldn't be trusted to give the truth no matter what price was offered. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed and he fingered a kunai into his grip although the gesture went unnoticed by Tonks and Mr. Burke.
"How about your life?" Kakashi offered. Mr. Burke turned to him, his expression incredulous that anyone could ever have the gall to say such a thing when Kakashi released a small amount of killer intent, just to get his point across. 's expression immediately soured and a visible shiver ran through him.
"Alright then," Mr. Burke finally said, his tone bitter, "State your business and I'll take it into consideration."
"A pink haired girl." Said Kakashi. "She was brought through here a couple of days ago and we would like any information you can offer about her current whereabouts."
Recognition sparked in Mr. Burke's eyes for a quick second before it was replaced with indifference, but Kakashi caught it all the same. "A pink haired girl…" Mr. Burke murmured, almost to himself. "Yes…I believe I may know something of importance…"
Then Mr. Burke's head perked up as if he heard something. "Oh, it appears I have a delivery coming through the back." He said. "If you'll excuse me for a moment…"
He hobbled past Kakashi and Tonks, before disappearing into the back. Tonks' eyes followed him for a moment before she turned to look at Kakashi, her eyes suspiciously narrowed. Kakashi allowed his senses to expand, feeling out for any tendrils of chakra and magic. He turned to Tonks, giving a shake of his head.
Tonks pulled out her wand and Kakashi disappeared in a shunshin, reappearing in front of a door at the back of the shop. He gave it a kick and it splintered off its hinges, revealing Mr. Burke with a silvery animal that looked like a possum.
"…Came here looking for the girl –"
"Expelliarmus!" Tonks yelled out. The wand flicked out of a surprised Mr. Burke's hand and clattered elsewhere in the room as the Patronus disappeared like smoke.
Kakashi instantly appeared behind the old man, forcing him to his knees and binding his hands behind him. Kakashi put a kunai to this throat as Tonks advanced toward them, her wand pointed straight at Mr. Burke.
"Who were you contacting?" Kakashi asked.
Mr. Burke only shook his head, his eyes darting from Tonks to the floor. Kakashi put more force on the kunai at his neck and Mr. Burke paled as he felt the knife against his skin.
"I know you aren't used to such…primitive weapons." Said Kakashi, "But let me assure you it will cut through your skin very easily."
"Lucius Malfoy came to my shop and told me to alert him if anyone came asking about a pink haired girl." Said Mr. Burke quickly as he edged his neck away from Kakashi's kunai. His Adam's apple bobbled nervously as he spoke.
Tonks' mouth twitched in annoyance at the mention of her uncle. "They must have come through here. Where did they take her?"
Mr. Burke remained silent. Kakashi sighed and pulled the kunai away from Mr. Burke's neck, only to place the tip of it up against the hollow space of flesh between chin and throat.
"You can do no worse than the Dark Lord." Mr. Burke muttered, the words escaping through his lips as he tried to move his jaw as little as possible. "Mr. Malfoy assured me there would be retribution if I opened my mouth."
Tonks let out a huff of breath. She seemed to be considering something more a moment before she took a step closer. Her dark eyes seemed sympathetic in the light coming from the doorway. "Mr. Burke, if you tell us everything we need to know, the Order of the Phoenix would be willing to give you protection."
"Hah!" The old man laughed, despite the blade at his chin. "The Order of the Phoenix? You are nothing without Albus Dumbledore. You pose no threat to the Dark Lord."
"Voldermort would have you believe that, wouldn't he?" Kakashi asked.
"I do not jest." Said Mr. Burke, "I have been in the business quite a long time and –"
Mr. Burke was cut short as Tonks waved her hand impatiently for them to be quiet. In the store beyond, there was a distinct cracking sound, followed by a low murmur of voices and the creaking of footsteps against the floorboards. Kakashi pulled the kunai away and wrapped a hand around Mr. Burke's mouth while Tonks quietly edged to the doorway and peered out.
"Who did you contact?" Kakashi hissed in Mr. Burke's ear. Mr. Burke frantically shook his head from side to side, his eyes wide.
Tonks turned back to them. 'Death Eaters', she mouthed before pointing out the door.
As if on cue, one of them called out as they stomped further into the store. "Burke? Where are you? We know you are in here!"
"Don't touch that!" Said another voice in reprimand. "You don't know what that thing could do to you."
Tonks turned to look at Kakashi and Kakashi gestured with his head for her to come closer. With a parting look at the door, Tonks silently skipped over to where Kakashi was waiting with Mr. Burke. Kakashi gestured that she should take the old man, but Tonks merely looked at him and then snapped her wand in his direction. Mr. Burke crumpled in Kakashi's arms although Tonks had merely rendered him unconscious. Kakashi quietly laid the man on the floor before him and Tonks cautiously approached the door.
"What a waste of time." Said the first voice. "Is he even here? Would he dare hide on us? Burke! We just have a few…questions for you!"
"He has to be here." Said the second voice. "Here. Homenum Revelio!"
Tonks nudged Kakashi in the ribs and Kakashi had to suspicion that their hiding spot would be revealed soon. There was some shuffling and then Tonks sprang out from behind the door, savagely waving her wand. She caught the closest Death Eater off guard as he flew backward into the store, crashing against a far bookcase before crumpling to the floor and staying there.
The other Death Eater sprang into attack mode and sent a spell at Tonks which she blocked with a wave of her wand. A flash of steel caught Kakashi's eye and he flung his kunai out. There was a clang of metal and the kunai that was headed for Tonks clattered to the floor along with Kakashi's. Kakashi appeared in front of Tonks in a shunshin, another kunai already in his hand as he found himself face to face with not only another Death Eater, but an Oto ninja as well.
Kakashi watched as the Oto ninja's eyes widened as he took in Kakashi's appearance. He may not have been wearing his hitai-ate or his customary ninja attire, but his stalk of grey hair still made him recognizable to anyone who had seen him before. And clearly this boy had seen him, or at least heard of him before. Despite the heavy hooded cloak he was wearing, Kakashi could still see that the ninja's features were soft and rounded like a boy's. And more than that, there was actual fear rippling in the boy's eyes.
Kakashi could definitely use that to his advantage.
The Death Eater, on the other hand, was hardly impressed by his appearance and he immediately sent out a stunning spell Kakashi's way. Kakashi quickly moved, pushing Tonks out of the way before flipping over to the Death Eater. The Death Eater's reaction was too slow and before he could even turn, Kakashi snapped his wrist and sent their wand flying before his hands flicked at two pressure points at the Death Eater's neck.
The Death Eater fell unconscious. Kakashi turned sharply, his head moving out of range of the shuriken that was swiftly heading toward him and flicked out two more kunai toward the Oto ninja. The kunai were deflected, but the boy had allowed his fear to overpower him. He reacted too slowly as Kakashi appeared behind him, kicking at the weak point behind his knees before bringing him down into a chokehold. Within seconds, the ninja was passed out col
"Well," Said Tonks, wiping at her forehead before placing her hands on her hips as she approached Kakashi. "That was easier than I thought." She walked over toward where Kakashi was crouching next to the unconscious Oto ninja. "You could have at least let me help."
"If Remus found out that you were in a fight today, I don't think he would forgive me." Said Kakashi, glancing up at her.
Tonks rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Men." She muttered. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid."
"You took out that one over there." Said Kakashi with a nod of his head toward the Death Eater who was still unconscious from hitting the bookcase. "And you did a spectacular job. Have you told Remus yet?"
Tonks busied herself with looking down at the ninja. "Not yet…I was waiting for a time when it could be…oh I dunno…special, I suppose. You think you might get any answers out of him?" Tonks kicked at the ninja's foot.
Kakashi glanced up at Tonks. He wanted to offer her some words of encouragement, but he didn't know what to say without it sounding forced or awkward. So in his book, the next best thing was to remain silent.
Naruto looked at the hitai-ate Scrimgeour had given him as he sat on the floor of the stair landing. Naruto frowned. What could this crappy hitai-ate have to do with anything? And what was Dumbledore doing with it?
The surface was marred with various scratches; whoever had worn it before looked like they had gone through war. Turning it over, Naruto ran his hand over the surface. The back looked to be unmarred, but toward the bottom, Naruto felt something. Dirt? Naruto picked at it until it came away under his fingernails. He sighed. What a waste of time.
He was about ready to toss the headband away when a beam of light flickered across the surface and illuminated something Naruto hadn't been able to see before in the dim lighting. Holding it so that he could see properly, Naruto found a series of characters scratched into the surface, followed by a set of coordinates that were usually used on missions. Naruto had no idea where the coordinates led to and as for the characters, they read 'ba' 'shi' 'da'.
Bashida? Was that a person? A place? A thing?
"Naruto? Harry? Sai? Where are you?" Naruto stood up at once, forgetting about the headband when he heard Hermione's frantic voice calling out.
"I'm up here, Hermione!" Naruto called.
A couple minutes later, Hermione appeared on the landing, looking a bit worse for wear. "I was worried when I woke up and found all of you gone..." She said nervously. "What are you doing up here?"
"Nothing." Said Naruto easily, "Just getting some space..."
He didn't want to admit that he thought Dumbledore's hitai-ate would give him some clues about Sakura, or how to find Orochimaru. But the fact of the matter was, Dumbledore had been long dead before Sakura had been taken. So whoever this Bashida was…if it even was a person…likely had nothing to do with Orochimaru.
"Hey…do you happen to know anyone named Bashida?" Naruto asked.
Hermione pondered the question for a moment and opened her mouth to answer when they were cut off by a cry.
"R-A-B!" Harry was shouting frantically from somewhere down the hall. "R-A-B…RON, HERMIONE, I think I found him!" He bellowed.
Hermione gave a shrill gasp and gestured for Naruto to follow her as she ran up the stairs and down the hall toward Harry. In the dim light, Harry's green eyes were shining as he pointed toward a name plaque on a closed door.
"Regulus Arcturus Black…R-A-B…" Hermione read out loud.
"Sirius' brother!" Said Harry excitedly. "I remember Sirius saying that he was a Death Eater!"
Naruto scrunched up his nose. Sirius had a brother who was a Death Eater? But Hermione's eyes only widened in wonder. "That would make perfect sense!"
Hermione jimmied the doorknob, but the door didn't budge. Naruto was about to suggest he could try throwing his shoulder against it, but Hermione pulled out her wand, muttered an incantation and the door sprang open easily so she and Harry could stroll inside.
Right. Magic.
Naruto followed after them into the room as Ron and Sai's footsteps were heard on the stairs before they entered.
"What's with the commotion?" Ron asked, yawning as he rubbed at his eyes. "Where have you guys been?"
"It's R.A.B, Ron! R.A.B." Said Hermione as she looked through some newspaper clippings that had been pasted on the wall. "Looks like he was quite the fan…" She muttered.
"We think Sirius' brother may have a locket that's actually a Horcrux." Harry explained to Naruto and Sai. "And it would be really great if he hid it in here…"
"Oh!" Said Naruto brightly, "Why didn't you say so? What does it look like?"
He quickly crossed his fingers and shouted out a familiar jutsu and before they knew it, there were several Narutos running around the room, rifling objects and flinging them about. Harry laughed while Ron was so startled he stumbled backward into a wardrobe.
"I forgot about that!" Said Harry while Hermione shook her head, amused.
"Yeah, so did I…" Ron grumbled as a Naruto clone patiently waited for him to remove himself from the wardrobe so he could be begin searching it.
It took Naruto all of fifteen minutes to search the entire room without finding any evidence of the locket or where it could be hidden. The clones all disappeared simultaneously, leaving the real Naruto sitting on the bed, looking disappointed.
"Sorry guys." He said shrugging.
"Maybe it's elsewhere." Said Ron as they consented to go back downstairs to finally get some food.
Then Hermione's eyes widened for the second time that morning. "There was a locket…in the cabinet…they threw…"
Harry realized what she was talking about. "Kreacher." He said grasping on the last chance they had. "He kicked loads of stuff back from us…"
"What's a Kreacher?" Naruto whispered as Harry led the way, flying down the stairs.
Harry skid to a stop in front of Kreacher's cupboard in the kitchen and banged on the door. "Kreacher!" Harry yelled.
With a crack, the ugly house elf appeared. "Yes, Master Potter?" He said, bowing his head. There was clear dislike in his voice.
Naruto blanched at the sight of it. He vaguely remembered this ugly little human the last time he stayed at Grimmauld Place over Christmas break.
"Sugoi!" Said Sai.
Everyone turned to him, confusion written on the wizard's faces.
"Such an ugly creature!" Exclaimed Sai.
Kreacher scowled at him. "Back in my mistress's house with the traitor Weasley, the distasteful foreigners and the Mudblood…" Kreacher muttered.
"You will not call anyone a 'traitor' or 'Mudblood' anymore." Scolded Harry.
"Hey!" Complained Naruto. "What about 'distasteful foreigner'?"
"Er…that too." Added Harry. Then he turned his attention back to Kreacher. "I have a question for you and you have to give me the truth." He ordered.
Kreacher bowed his head to Harry, although Harry suspected he was still muttering curses about the lot of them under his breath. Harry began to ask Kreacher what had happened to the locket, in which Kreacher began to explain what had happened. It was obviously a very hard story for him to tell and by the time he was explaining how Regulus had switched the lockets before being dragged under by the Inferi, he was heaving great big sobs, which in turn made Hermione start to cry.
Hermione dropped down beside the poor small creature and attempted to hug it, but Kreacher jumped up and pushed her away, obviously repulsed by her actions.
"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it! What would his Mistress say?" The ugly creature spat.
"I told you not to call her 'Mudblood'!" Harry snarled at once. Sai watched as the moment Harry's words left his mouth, the creature had lifted a rather large frying pan off the wall and began to hit himself in the head with it. Sai almost started to laugh, but stopped himself when he heard Hermione crying out for Harry to stop him.
Moving swiftly, Sai reached over and snatched the frying pan away from Kreacher, ignoring his small flailing arms trying to reach for it. Then, effortlessly with one hand, Sai had snatched Kreacher off the ground and ignored as Kreacher hit and kicked out at his arm. Harry was looking toward Kreacher with a mixture of pity on his face.
"Finish your story." Said Sai, giving Kreacher a shake. "And don't burst out in tears again or I will have to do something bad to you." He ordered calmly.
Kreacher had looked toward Sai with disgust on his face despite the tears in his eyes, but relented in his attacks against Sai. With a few shaky breaths, Kreacher progressed with his story, not once breaking into tears or arguments until Harry attempted to give him the fake locket and he let out a howl.
Surprised, Sai dropped Kreacher on the ground where it took the wizards over an hour to finally calm Kreacher back down. Then with shaky bows toward Harry and Ron and a sort of spasm toward Hermione, Kreacher disappeared from the room.
Kakashi was able to make less of a fool of himself as Tonks Apparated them back to the Burrow although he almost lost his grip on the Oto ninja that was slung across his shoulder and he had to close his eyes a few minutes while his head swam.
When he opened his eyes again, he found Tonks staring at him in amusement, but she said nothing so Kakashi only let out a grunt before he began stomping toward the Burrow's gate.
Surprisingly enough, they found Mr. Weasley just about to open the gate when they approached.
"Oh…Arthur." Said Kakashi as he awkwardly shifted the unconscious ninja across his shoulder.
Mr. Weasley opened his mouth, first staring at Kakashi before his eyes shifted to Tonks and then to the ninja, closing his mouth before opening it again. "Busy day, I suppose?
"Quite busy." Said Tonks. "Do you perhaps know of a place where we could…er…" She glanced helpfully in the ninja's direction, hoping Mr. Weasley would get the hint.
"Oh…Oh!" Said Mr. Weasley. His neck turned a bit red as he became flustered. "Yes, I do believe…" He spun from them and unlatched the gate before quickly ushering them inside. He led them toward a large shed in the backyard that Kakashi had never noticed before.
With a muttered spell, he opened the lock and pulled the creaky shed door open. Kakashi stepped inside as Tonks followed him, looking around in wonder. "Arthur," Said Tonks as she touched a few items that were sitting on the shelves. "Is this all…Muggle stuff?"
"Yes." Mr. Weasley admitted, almost embarrassed. "Molly didn't want it all inside, cluttering the house. I just…Muggles are such fascinating creatures, aren't they?" He asked, his eyes alight. "They aren't magical, but they can create the most magical items…"
"This is Muggle made as well?" Said Kakashi. He was staring in wonder at a large blue contraption. It was like nothing Kakashi had ever seen before. He couldn't even fathom how it worked or what it was used for.
"Yes." Said Mr. Weasley, proudly slapping a hand on the hood of the Ford Anglia. "It's called an automobile. Unfortunately," Mr. Weasley frowned, "After the boys took it, I can't quite get it to work right again…"
"Right." Said Tonks, breaking through Mr. Weasley's reverie. "Arthur, perhaps Kakashi and I could use the place for a bit? There's just a few questions…"
"Nymphadora," Said Kakashi as he set the ninja down in a chair that he found along the wall, "I think it would be better if Arthur and I handled this. You should go home."
"What?" Said Tonks incredulously. Mr. Weasley looked between Tonks and Kakashi, his mouth glued shut.
"Go to Remus." Kakashi encouraged. "You've helped enough already and he'll be wondering where you are."
Tonks narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, but at the risk of looking childish, she decided to follow his orders. She shook her head and gave her eyes a roll before storming out of the shed. Kakashi let out a sigh of relief and was grateful when Mr. Weasley didn't comment on their interaction.
"You mean to question this…" Mr. Weasley peered uncertainly at the ninja. He was still unconscious and bound by the magical ropes Tonks used to tie him with, but that didn't hide the ninja's boyish looking face. Mr. Weasley frowned. The boy looked no older than Ron!
Kakashi pressed down on the skin near the boy's neck and Mr. Weasley took a surprised step back when the boy's eyes suddenly shot open. He looked nervously from Kakashi to Mr. Weasley before he began struggling against his bonds.
"You know who I am?" Kakashi asked.
The boy stopped struggling long enough to look at Kakashi before he began trying again, ignoring Kakashi's answer. Mr. Weasley had never heard Kakashi speak in this language before.
Kakashi reached over and grabbed the boy by the hair, pulling his head back so he could look into Kakashi's eye as Kakashi leaned in closer. "You know who I am?" He asked again. This time, the boy gave a quick nod of his head.
Satisfied, Kakashi's released the boy's hair. "Who sent you to find us?"
Although Mr. Weasley could not understand what Kakashi said, he could tell the difference in Kakashi's voice. It was cold and harsh, yet spoken in a calm almost patient tone that told the Weasley patriarch that Kakashi was no stranger to such circumstances.
Once again, the boy did not answer Kakashi's question. Kakashi's response was a hard thrust to the boy's abdomen with his fist. The boy let out a stifled cry as he doubled over, sharp gasps coming from his mouth. Mr. Weasley felt a nervous trickle of sweat fall down his neck.
"Must I ask everything twice?" Kakashi asked.
Kakashi moved to punch the boy again when the boy flinched, his body turning away from Kakashi's fist almost instinctively. Kakashi paused mid punch and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "No one sent us." The boy whispered quietly. "We were summoned."
"Summoned?" Said Kakashi sharply. "By who? Mr. Burke?"
The boy shook his head. "I don't know."
Kakashi pondered on that. Could it have been Mr. Burke? Tonks had interrupted the Patronus and Kakashi had seen it disappear. But if not Mr. Burke, then who could have known that they were there? There was no one else in the store.
Kakashi decided to change his line of questioning. "You know about Haruno Sakura?"
The boy stiffened, but he gave a subtle nod of his head. "Do you know where she is?" Kakashi asked.
At this, the boy remained silent. "Do you know where she is?" Kakashi repeated, his voice a little sterner.
Still, the boy remained silent. With speed so quick that Mr. Weasley didn't quite catch it, Kakashi kicked the boy's chair over and it fell with a crash to the ground. Kakashi quickly leapt on top of the boy and roughly pulled him up by his collar. He ripped the eye patch off his eye and flung it to the ground. The boy let out a terrified scream as the Sharingan began to spin.
"I'm sure you've heard stories of what Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan can do…" Kakashi said simply.
The boy anxiously nodded his head. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. He looked toward Mr. Weasley, his eyes almost imploring him to make Kakashi stop. Mr. Weasley stood there, frozen and mute.
"Well, I can't do those things with my Sharingan." Said Kakashi.
The boy's eyes darted back toward Kakashi, wide with surprise. If Kakashi didn't know any better, the boy let out a sigh of relief.
"However, I do have a certain technique called Kamui. Maybe you've heard of it? No?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'll educate you. It gives me the capability of sucking someone into a different dimension. And it's also unfortunate that I don't have very good aim yet…" Said Kakashi remorsefully. Kakashi had practically mastered the ability, but he figured toying with his captive wouldn't do any harm.
"Have you ever had part of your body ripped away from you, lost in another dimension?" Kakashi asked. "I don't think it's very pleasant. Oh well, shall we begin?" He questioned. "Mangekyo Shari…"
"STOP!" The boy screamed as he began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Kakashi!" Said Mr. Weasley alarmed as he stepped closer to the duo.
"What do you know?" Shouted Kakashi shaking the boy.
"Not much!" The boy cried, "Orochimaru is here! With another man, a wizard in a big house! I can't say his name." The boy sobbed. "But he's horrible…terrifying! Almost everyone except Orochimaru fears him. Please don't kill me!" The boy began to choke on his tears.
Kakashi slapped him in the face. "Pull yourself together. Do you know why Orochimaru is here? Do you know what he wants with Haruno Sakura?"
"He keeps her locked up, but I don't know where. Please, I don't know anything else!"
Kakashi dropped the boy, who continued to sob on the ground. Kakashi almost felt pity for him. He was so young and obviously inexperienced. He feared for his life, something a dedicated ninja would never do. Furthermore, the boy was too unimportant to know the answers to any of Kakashi's questions. If he was going to get any information, he needed to get someone who was in the know. The problem was, Kakashi couldn't imagine Orochimaru telling any of his ninja his plans…aside from Kabuto and Sasuke Uchiha. But the odds of being able to capture them were slim indeed.
Kakashi stood up, brushing his pants down before turning to Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley took a surprised step back at seeing Kakashi's Sharingan before Kakashi shut his eye.
"Well, that's that." Kakashi sighed, defeated, bending down to pick up his discarded eye patch and proceeding to tie it around his head once again.
Mr. Weasley gulped. "And the boy…erm…ninja?"
Kakashi spared a glance to the quietly crying boy. "I'll take him back to Konoha, but for now I'll leave him in here." He had plans to hand the boy over to Ibiki once he returned the boy to Konoha. Although Kakashi believed he had been told everything, he didn't want to take chances where Voldermort and Orochimaru were concerned.
Kakashi moved toward the door while Mr. Weasley stood staring at the crying ninja.
"Oh, and Arthur," Said Kakashi pausing at the door.
"Yes…?" Asked Mr. Weasley, his voice distracted.
"Best not tell Molly about this." Kakashi said before leaving.