Standard Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto or the characters of Kakashi and Tsunade.
A/N: Yes, yes. Its my own fault. I should have realized earlier that when chapters just aren't working, I've done something wrong in the story. This chapter is a replacement of the previous chapter 10 and hopefully flows a bit better on it's own right and definitely sets up the next chapters better. Don't worry - I'm posting the next chapter here too. Thanks for your patience!
It wasn't like Kakashi and Tsunade had not been prepared to deal with the occasional errant servant or nosy interloper. The chances were high, after all, that they'd get spotted at least once while searching a house the size of Fukuda-sama's.
The missing nin that showed up at the first sign of a genjutsu from Kakashi, however…
There'd been six of them and their battered hiate spoke to a previous allegiance to Kumo. At least one of them was a sensor and medic, probably how they'd been alerted to descend on that particular hallway, while three of the others had at Jonin level skill.
On any other day, in any other situation, Kakashi wouldn't have been concerned. Outnumbered the Konoha ninja might be, but they also had well deserved reputations for skill and, in Tsunade's case, temper.
Unfortunately, the circumstances favored the enemy. Kakashi and Tsunade couldn't afford to allow the house to be significantly damaged during the battle. If word got out that a group of ninja had been fighting in Fukuda's halls, unsettling questions would be raised. Fukuda would have to give answers to any rumors that might arise and his position might become even more precarious.
As a result, Tsunade was forced to pull her punches, Kakashi limit most of his ninjutsu, and both had to bend over backwards to not only control their own impact, but that of the enemy as well. Luckily, the legendary Sannin was well used to close coordination with another team member and Minato's student was no slouch at team work either. More than once Kakashi threw himself out of a defensible position to counter a jutsu only to find that Tsunade was at his flank, making sure there was no chance for anyone to press him. And when the enemy wind user threatened to gain the advantage of the increasingly irate blonde by remaining far out of fist range during his attacks, it was Kakashi that took him down. Eventually, the enemy nin had bugged out, disappearing with their unconscious comrades.
All in all, Kakashi felt pretty good about the whole thing.
They retreated back to the hotel room, slipping in the narrow window past the judgmental eyes of the ceramic cats who plotted together on the frame.
Kakashi hit the ground and immediately reached for his weapons pouch. It was unlikely they'd been followed, but if the other ninja had a chakra sensor with them it meant that this was likely only a reprieve and not an ending to the battle. Once they'd licked their wounds and come up with a strategy they'd start searching, and it behooved the Konoha ninja to be ready.
"How long do you think you'll need?" Kakashi asked casually, unspooling a length of wire.
"I'm not sure," Tsunade said tensely. She took the storage scrolls from her back and began summoning the bits and pieces of a field lab, "But I'd start out with at least six hours."
Kakashi considered this. "We'll stay here then. If we need to, we can relocate in the morning after we take another romantic stroll about the village."
Tsunade made a non-committal sound, fabric rustling.
"I wasn't aware of such a large group of ex-Kumo nin operating in the area," Kakashi commented, fingers and eyes intent on setting kunai in place but mind already racing to point out something that didn't feel quite right.
"Neither was I," Tsunade said, and the words were punctuated by a tink of sound. "But let's handle one complication at a time…"
Tink?
"Ma?" Kakashi looked over his shoulder, curiously.
He shot to his feet, the trap under his hands immediately forgotten.
"You'd better not be ogling…" Tsunade grumbled under her breath without looking up to check whether it was the case. Instead, she pulled another blood coated silver of glass from her chest and dropped it in a waiting petri dish.
"Not even remotely," Kakashi said automatically. Ironically, it was true. Perhaps some day, in the distant future when he was bored or perhaps even reading a beloved passage of his books, he'd look back on this moment and ogle the memory of Tsunade's mostly bare curves highlighted by a silver satin bra.
Today, however, he was much more focused on the mingled red of blood and the unknown poison, smeared on her skin.
"Here," Tsunade dipped one hand down moderately ample cleavage and came up with the inch or so of vial that had remained protected. Kakashi stepped forward to take it. The fact that there was at least a dropper full of the poison left did not cheer him very much at all.
"Stupid," Tsunade shook her head, hands as swift as a darting humming bird. "He was just flailing, so I didn't bother to block. His wrist guard just caught the worst possible place."
"Of course. Because normally the space between your breasts is so secure," Kakashi brushed the argument aside, "This poison has no cure, Tsunade-sama. We shou…"
"Not yet…" Tsunade interrupted.
He looked at her, jaw tightening
She looked up at him, eyes glinting. "It has no cure yet. But it will. And with any luck, within six hours too."
"How quickly does it work when it's been introduced to the blood stream like that?" Kakashi's eye followed what seemed to be the last piece of glass, shimmering red, as it was pulled free.
"Not fast enough," Tsunade said firmly, full of confidence and more than that, stubborn determination, "Not fast enough to beat me."