Illusion's Folly
Chapter 16
Messes
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Genma waited as the last of his peers entered the mission office. He had just heard that Iruka was back and the Hunters had been called off. He was happy, but he still wanted to talk to Anko about what he had uncovered earlier. She hadn't come in for her mission, so he figured she had slept off her hangover. There was no way she would miss the near ritual meeting of the Vine. Asuma and the others were only waiting for her to show and they could get down to business. It wasn't long before she stomped into the office, a dango stick hanging from her fingers, another wiggling around her mouth.
"What?" she asked around the sticky sweet.
"Nothing, Ko-ko," Genma answered waving a hand through the air. Turning away from her, he smiled at the group. "I have some good news. Iruka came back!" He laughed with the others as they whooped and hollered. After they stopped, he continued. "He came in a little before sunrise, so he's safe."
Asuma grunted and stubbed out his cigarette. Kurenai cuddled close to his side, smiling up at him. He wrapped an arm around her thin but strong shoulders and hugged her close. He had told her about his run in with Kakashi and Iruka, but not about his injuries. It wouldn't do to have her upset. He didn't think Kakashi would stand a chance against her anger. It would be interesting to say the least, but he didn't think it would be prudent to have the man dead. An angry Kurenai was not something to play with.
Anko spit out her first stick and ripped one of the sweet dumplings off the other. "So, Iruka came back just in time. Good. Now I can ask him some questions."
Genma glanced at her, lowering an eyebrow. "Not yet. He's been with the Hokage all day and he's not going to be at his apartment for the next few days." Before Anko or the others could say anything, he finished. "He's just getting some advice from her, so there's nothing to worry about. She felt that he needed some counseling and she also wanted to check up on his health. It's been a couple of months since he was taken from the Academy."
Since that was the meat of the meeting, he related other little bits of gossip that had floated into the office all day. Calling an end to the meeting a hour later, Genma motioned to Anko as she started for the door. Raidou said he was going to the apartment to make dinner and would see his partner later. The others filed out with good-natured goodbyes and promises to meet the next night at the local bar. Genma agreed and waved them out. Anko stood chewing on the end of her dango stick and raised a brow as he called her over to his desk.
"You'll never believe what I found in those old files," he said, handing her the translated notes. "It seems that the Sandaime was forced to erase Kinkou from the scrolls and retire him due to his psychotic behaviour."
Anko nodded, reading the papers. "But what is this about him creating a new identity for him?" She glanced over to Genma.
Shrugging, he answered, "No clue. Though the wording could be a clue as to what happened to our mysterious Kinkou." Anko gave him a puzzled look. Sighing, he explained his comment. "See where it says that Kinkou would guide the souls of the villagers to glory. I think he gave Kinkou a position of authority in the village."
Anko snorted. "Yeah, but who would give a psychotic nin a position like that?" Hearing a muffled laugh from Genma, she blinked. "Oh, right, well..." She blushed over her sudden lapse of intelligence. "So who does that give us as the main suspects?"
Genma sprawled into his chair, leaning it back. "Not sure." Twirling his senbon around, he plucked it from his mouth and sat up. "I can have a roster of nins that were given positions like that starting six years ago. Though I'll have to be sneaky about it. Ibiki watches those filing cabinets like a hawk." He grimaced at the thought.
"You're a ninja, figure it out.," Anko said, no sympathy edging her words. She wouldn't want to be caught by Ibiki either, though it could have possibilites. A secret smile played around her lips as scenarios flashed through her brain. "If that's all, I've got some things to do."
Genma walked her out and headed for home after promising to give her a partial list the next day.
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Iruka burped lightly, setting his fifth bottle of sake down carefully. The table was wobbling and it was hard to set it down without breaking it. Tsunade grinned foolishly and poured them another round. After Shizune had badgered the Hokage about her paperwork, Iruka had felt bad and helped her with the easier scrolls. After a few hours, Tsunade announced that she was done for the day and that they could relax in her apartments. Five bottles of sake, a sixth nearly empty, they had started to discuss ways to pay Kakashi back for his irresponsible behaviour toward the Chuunin.
"I still say you should stay away from him for a couple of weeks," the blonde woman rapped out, throwing the sake down her throat. "He deserves it."
Iruka frowned, but nodded his head. "I need to train some more anyway. I was to slow and shouldn't have been hit with that rookie throw of his."
She looked over at him from her nest of pillows. She had changed from her normal attire into a short robe and light cotton shirt for modesty. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Iruka-kun. It can happen to anyone. Besides, you are the only one that I've ever known to blow that bastard out a window with a hairdryer!" She threw her head back and laughed till tears rolled from her eyes. Iruka colored, but laughed along with her. "What's the score, by the way?" she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Two to two," Iruka grumbled. "It wouldn't have been that, if he hadn't of gotten me with that kunai." He absently rubbed the nearly healed calf. "I need to find something to surprise him again and to pay him back for this new scar." He snorted. "Haven't been out of the Academy for two months and I've gotten twenty new scars to add to the one across my face."
Tsuande sobered and sat up, looking at him with a serious expression. "Yes, but you took out four Missing nin from Wave. By yourself, no less." She reached over and pushed a scroll toward him. "Read it."
Iruka picked the scroll up, opened it and read teh contents. His looked panicked at he shot his gaze to the leader of his village. "What is this?"
Tsunade chuckled, reaching for the sake bottle again. "That is your pay for taking out those nins."
He read the page again. "But ten thousand is too much, Tsunade-sama!"
The bottle cracked on the table as she set it down. Narrowing her eyes, she ground out, "Why can't you just take the damn money and not argue about it? I swear, you kids will the death of my nerves!" Sipping the sake, Tsunade watched the teacher as she explained. "The leader of the group was wanted in the four main countries for various crimes and had a huge warrant for his capture. Wave was forced to up the ante on his head when they did that. As a bonus, the three with him carried a total of four thousand on thier heads." She smiled at his dumbfounded expression. "Don't look so stunned, son. Kakashi is three times that amount in the Rock Bingo book."
Iruka blinked, re-rolled the scroll, and downed his drink. Kakashi was an amazing ninja and had destroyed Rock's chances of a surprise attack way back when he was with his old team. It was no wonder the Rock village wanted the man so badly. A flash of the weird dream floated into his mind.
"Tsunade-sama?" he queried in the silence.
"What is it, Iruka-kun?" she answered.
He tried to hold the image in his head as he asked, "Have you ever heard of a Hunter or ANBU shinobi with the symbol for balance written on the mask? He had a sword like my father's, but I couldn't really tell what it looked like."
Tsunade sat up, trying not to show her alarm at his sudden words. How had he known that? He couldn't possibly know about that person. There was no way in hell that anyone would know about him, with one exception. She doubted that even Morino knew the details.
"Where did you see this person?" she asked lightly, so as not to raise his suspicions.
Iruka wrinkled his brow as he thought. "I'm not sure. I think I was dreaming or it may be an old memory. But the man I saw wasn't very old, maybe in his mid to late teens, brown hair." He glanced over. "Do you know anyone like that?"
She waited a second or two before answering. "No. I haven't heard of anyone like that. Though I'm sure someone must have. I'll check into it though." She wondered how much he was really telling her or if he only knew that much. Another problem to deal with on top of the other problems lining up on her desk everyday. When would they end? She closed her eyes for a moment, the smiled as she opened the amber orbs. "Now, on to what we should be working on!"
Iruka laughed and poured another saucer of sake. It was going to be a long night and an even longer few weeks.
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Kakashi rolled over and encountered a mouthful of fur. Spitting it out, he glared at the huge bulldog next to him. Pakkun and Tomadachi were nowhere to be seen. With a put upon whuff, the bulldog licked his face and disappeared. Grumbling about nin dogs and thier habits, he sat up on his futon. The apartment was a mess. His weapon pouch, his and Iruka's bags, and Iruka's sword were thrown on the table, the bathroom had some towels laying in the floor, and the kitchen had some cups and two plates waiting to be washed.
He didn't feel like doing any of it. He just wanted to know if Iruka was alright, though he doubted the smaller man would want to see him anytime in the near future. He should really just get dressed and take Iruka's things to his apartment and leave them there. As it was, he didn't want to see Iruka just yet either. He needed to sort throught the myriad of emotions that were swirling around inside him. He didn't like the feeling of not knowing anything.
Groaning, he pulled himself out of bed and quickly donned a shirt and pants. He was dead tired with only a few hours sleep, but he wouldn't be satisfied until he had taken the teacher's things back to him. Besides, he felt slightly uneasy with them littering his apartment.
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A/N: Just a quick chapter to tide you over until I can find the pages I've written for the next two chapters. I think my cat hid them from me. XD
Anko and Genma will continue to unravel the mystery surrounding Kinkou, but they may not like what they find. Kakashi is in for a huge surprise, but one he won't like, or would he? Iruka is in full revenge mode and no one is safe.
Until the next chapter, which will hopefully be found hidden behind and under the fridge...
Ja!