Hello! This is my first fanfic, so please be kind if you review it! Just a quick note about the story: this first chapter is pretty short, but I'll work on making the next ones longer. I have an idea of where I want this to go, but I'm sure I'll think of new scenes to add as I write! It was probably be weekly updates, unless I finish a chapter early! Hopefully you guys will enjoy this adventure as much as I will!
Disclaimer: I'm not smart enough to think up a story as grand as Naruto. That honor goes to Masashi Kishimoto. Thank you, sir, for sharing your brilliance with us commoners!
Now, let's get this show on the road! :)
Edit: I'm back again! After coming back to this story, I've decided to edit the old chapters before posting a new one. I really want to finish this fanfic, so here's to new and old adventures!
Chapter 1- The Gift of Life
Kakashi twirled a kunai nimbly between his fingers as he waited. His bent legs had been aching for hours since being perched high up in this tree. With nothing left to think about besides this fickle mission, he fantasized what he could have been doing now if he had said no to Tsunade instead of accepting to track down a rogue ninja.
His mission to capture Migato turned out to be more complicated than he expected and the extended length has begun to wear him thin. The Fifth Hokage sent Kakashi out on a mission months ago to track down Migato Kinaggi and return him to his family in the Land of Mist. The Kinaggi clan was well-known throughout the land for possessing the 'gift of life,' or something like that. Most people who came to them, usually older people, left with reports of feeling rejuvenated, as if they gained back years of their life. Kakashi was almost positive they're using some sort of medical ninjutsu that had been finely honed to unblock specific chakra points in the body.
Migato defected from his family's traditions and began to use their secret techniques to kill political heads and their family members from different villages. They say the bodies of his victims always died due to old age. What type of poison could mimic aging, Kakashi wasn't sure, but he also wasn't too worried about a single young man running around through the Land of Fire with no back up. It's why Tsunade trusted him to go alone.
Kohona had gotten a lot of jobs to kill Migato, but the Fifth Hokage decided to fulfill the wishes of the family and capture him alive to be dealt with accordingly. Accepting the mission was easy enough, and he expected to be home within the week. He did not, however, anticipate the stealth and speed which the medic ninja possessed. Kakashi had been to nearly every village in the Land of Fire, getting there just in time to clean up his target's latest kill. The mounting frustration at being one step behind wasn't good for an old man like him. It was enough to turn his hair grey… Kakashi inwardly laughed at his own lame joke. The heat must be getting to him.
But after three long, long months, he finally caught up with the slippery man.
At least, he thought he did. Kakashi had expected Migato to cross through this forest path three hours ago. For the umpteenth time since obtaining this mission, he silently cursed himself for not bringing his beloved Icha Icha novels. With him hastily leaving the village, and his complete confidence in quickly catching Migato, he left them behind in his apartment. Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the tree. This might turn into a longer day than he had hoped it to be. He settled for reenacting one of his favorite scenes in his mind.
The soft crunch of footsteps on dried dirt pulled Kakashi from his thoughts. He peered through the tree to spot a man casually sauntering across the path. The man definitely matched Migato's description: tall and lanky with shortly cropped black hair. Migato also had a black box with a strap attached to his back. Finally, Kakashi thought. He deftly slid the kunai into his green vest and jumped from his hiding spot, landing directly in front of Migato.
"Yo," Kakashi said, raising one hand in greeting. He held back a smile at Migato's shocked expression and sputtering words. "I'm here to take you home. You've been causing a lot of trouble for your family… and most importantly, for me." Kakashi sighed with a mock shake of his head.
Migato recovered from his initial surprise, his big lips pulling into an unattractive sneer. His black eyes swiftly darted to Kakashi's forehead protector and back to his eye. "Think again, ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. You better get out of my way before something happens that you'll regret for the rest of your life. They say a ninja gets stronger the older they get, which means I'll have to debilitate you in a different way." Migato launched himself at Kakashi before he could respond.
Kakashi closely watched Migato's hands for a jutsu, but they never formed any semblance of technique. Kakashi also eyed his body for hidden weapons, but he didn't spot anything that could potentially have poison on it. As Migato jerked forward to attack, Kakashi easily sidestepped him, his hands in his pockets. He decided to let Migato wear himself out before taking him in. It would make the trip home a lot easier.
Migato secured a hand around Kakashi's forearm, and the maniacal smile that spread on his face sent a flash of unease through Kakashi. The jonin immediately started to pull his chakra together for a defense attack, but found that he couldn't touch his chakra. With a slight gasp, Kakashi fell to his knees, his shaking legs unable to support him anymore. He couldn't raise a hand to pull up the covering on the sharingan, if he would even be able to get his eye to work. Panic washed through his fogged mind. This wasn't like any jutsu he had ever seen. It was something that he couldn't directly copy or counterattack.
Migato's dark laugh barely registered in his head. The Kinaggi leaned forward to chuckle in Kakashi's uncovered ear. "Killing someone by old age is simpler and less messy, for sure. But I always like a challenge. Once you are too young to fight back, then I will kill you."
Kakashi could feel his limbs becoming numb like dead weight. His body was changing, but he didn't know how. It felt like he was shrinking painfully. Realization smacked him in the face and he knew that if he didn't get out of there within the next few minutes, he was going to die. Mustering up the rest of his depleting strength, he wrenched back, surprising Migato enough to fall from his grasp.
"No!" Migato growled, reaching out for him again. Without Migato's hand on him, he could feel his chakra slowly returning to him. With trembling hands, he rapidly moved them into a substitution jutsu. The body replacement technique was just enough of a distraction for him to flee into the trees as Migato grappled with the log. He couldn't get far until he collapsed against a tree. Kakashi could still hear Migato's rage at letting his victim escape.
Kakashi took a deep breath and unsteadily jumped to the next branch in an adjacent tree, pressing on toward his village. With each passing second, his strength returned to him. He realized just how sorely he underestimated the young Kinaggi member. He shook his newly cleared head with a sharp exhale. He wouldn't make the mistake a second time.
Kakashi decided to take inventory of his body as he dashed through the trees. He felt lighter, or maybe it was stronger? He stopped on a thin branch, his chakra infused feet keeping him balanced. Leaping to the ground, he walked over to a still lake, the water shining against the sun. He peered at his reflection in the water, and his masked jaw dropped.
He looked exactly as he had in his mid-twenties, which was ten years ago. His clothes were loose against his smaller muscles and frame, his jaw more defined, his hair spikier. Kakashi struggled to keep his emotions in check while processing the information. Oh, this is so not good, Kakashi silently moaned. He needed to find Tsunade, and fast. He blurred as he spun around, his back facing the setting sun. Kakashi continued the rest of the journey home in a dead sprint.