I don't own any of the characters within this work of fiction, they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)
The trio are in their early twenties, hovering somewhere around 22 years old. This, of course, makes Kakashi's age somewhere around 36.
**Please read the below note**
I have obviously taken some creative liberties within this story, so it's not going to be 100% accurate to the anime or the manga.
Leave a review if you'd like. Enjoy!
The night passed uneventfully, and the wee morning hours found the four nin leaving their shelter in strained silence.
The crisp morning air had all but one emitting puffs of visible breaths as they wound their way through the trees. The forest itself was alive with the chittering of birds welcoming the new day's rising sun that was beginning to peek over the horizon.
If the group continued to push forward at their current pace, Sasuke was certain they'd reach their destination a few hours after nightfall. Although, he wasn't entirely certain they'd have an intact team by that point.
Kakashi was his usual impassive self, though Sasuke noticed a slight hint of agitation in the man's lone visible eye when it landed on the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura had been somberly distant all morning. She didn't even protest the continued presence of the two ninken. Naruto, the empathetic dork, was visibly having a hard time with the current atmosphere. The blonde was doing just about everything he could think of to get a smile out of their medic. And as for Sasuke, well, he'd always been the silent and gloomy type.
Bringing up the rear of their formation, Sasuke sighed heavily, knowing no one would notice his frustrated outburst.
He really missed traveling when it was just himself and Naruto.
Naruto knew that the problems from the night before still existed and that their captain was still intent on following his (suicidal) strategy. But he was intensely proud of himself for single-handedly shifting the mood among the group. He was certain he even heard a slight chuckle from Kakashi that the nin tried to play off as a light cough.
The midday rays filtered down through the canopy, the temperature of the air rising along with the height of the sun. Naruto had sweat running down the side of his face, no doubt leaking from his saturated Leaf headband. To his left, Sakura had tied her hair up and a quick glance over his shoulder told him Sasuke had done the same. (And, damn, that was a sight to see.) Hell, even what you could see of Kakashi-sensei's masked face and the back of his neck was flushed pink.
Positioned at the front of their little group, Naruto would have to turn around to talk with everyone. He put his hands behind his head, elbows sticking out, spun around, and continued his trek walking backward.
"Gah! Guys it's so hot I'm melting! Dattebyo!"
Naruto made sure his tone was childish and whiny.
"Say, say, why don't we take a small break? Huh? How 'bout it?"
He plastered his best pathetic and pleading look on his face and waited.
The group's pace slowed significantly as the other three shinobi silently exchanged glances. Sakura spoke first.
"I don't see why we can't take a little break, after all, we're making good time."
Mumbles of agreeance filled the stifling air, causing Naruto to smile in triumph. The four shinobi settled under the overlapping canopies of multiple large trees, relishing the shade. Sakura had put the med kit down and sat perched on a tree root, her face hidden behind a map.
Their medic spoke again, pulling her eyes up from the map she'd been inspecting.
"Looks like there's a small river a little ways north. It wouldn't be a bad idea to top off our canteens."
Naruto jumped at the opportunity to cool off even further. In the blink of an eye, he had managed to grab every shinobi's canteen off their rucksacks and took off in the vague direction of what he assumed was north.
"Naruto!"
Sakura's voice reached his ears half amused and half annoyed. He laughed to himself, grinning wide, knowing that she'd probably follow so that she could "keep an eye on him". Naruto's grin widened even further, his thoughts drifting to how the kunoichi treated him like a little brother. He didn't mind one bit; after all, he thought of her as his sister, and it was so nice to have a family.
Still grinning, he turned to welcome the nin following him and came face to face with Sasuke's obsidian eyes. Naruto loved Sakura, he really did, but the amount of joy that penetrated his soul at the sight of his partner was unimaginable.
"Sasuke!"
"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke poked him in the forehead, a small smile forming around the affectionate nickname.
If possible, Naruto's grin was even wider than before – he could feel it extending across the entirety of his face. After some redirecting from his partner, the two shinobi continued to leisurely make their way to the small oasis.
Laughing at his partner, Naruto couldn't help but think that this was probably his best idea yet.
The moment the group had decided to take a break, Kakashi released Pakkun and Bull's summons. Keeping them summoned for so long had begun to wear on his chakra reserves, and the ninken deserved a break too. And if their travels after last night were any indication, he was sure that a certain knuckleheaded ninja wouldn't let him within arm's length of their medic.
At least, that was what Kakashi had thought until Sakura mentioned the river and Naruto had taken off with their canteens. Kakashi had reasoned with himself that it was fine, and he didn't need to call the ninken back since Sasuke was still there too and… and the Uchiha was gone. He didn't have to guess at why Sasuke had left him alone with the very woman Kakashi had been holding a kunai to a mere half day ago. The message was loud and clear: he was expected to apologize to Sakura.
Lounging against the tree, Kakashi let himself watch the pink-haired medic. She remained perched on her tree root, leaning back into the trunk of the tree, gazing upward. She had let her hair down and the pink locks had caught the sunlight, encasing the already stunning woman in a light pink aura. A quick look at Sakura's face told Kakashi that she knew he was watching her. Someone who didn't know the kunoichi well would have never been able to catch the subtlety of the change in her expression. A slight narrowing of her eyes, mildly furrowed brows, and a soft change in her breathing pattern were the only things that gave her away.
Kakashi didn't understand why she was allowing the visual intrusion. By this point, most people were already experiencing the second coming of Tsunade. Yet, there she sat, completely aware of what was happening and allowing it to continue. The only thing he could think of was that Sakura was so angry with him that she deemed him unworthy of her attention.
He snorted at the idea. That had caught her attention. The woman now had her head turned to him, an eyebrow quirked in question, but remained silent. Kakashi watched her emerald, green eyes give him a once over, visually tracing over his form. Her eyes had only slightly lingered along his frame before they found their resting place on his face. He held her gaze, trying to decipher the intensity of the look in her eyes. They didn't seem to be burning with rage, but they weren't in any way tranquil.
Sakura's lips parted slightly, and the heavy frown told him that she was contemplating what she wanted to say. As she seemed to have made her decision, she bolted to her feet, pulling a pair of kunai out of her weapon's pouch. Although he found the idea of the kunoichi wanting to beat him to a pulp completely valid, Kakashi was still stunned. She reached him in a small leap and landed silently. He didn't move. Why should he? He wouldn't stop her; he deserved what was coming to him.
In the span of just a few minutes, she had managed to surprise Kakashi not just once, but twice. Sakura must have been picking up Naruto's habits of unpredictability because he was now holding one of the kunai she had just been wielding. And that's when he caught her free hand rapidly flying through the ANBU signs that he had taught her years ago.
Trouble. Surrounded. High levels of chakra.
Kakashi hadn't sensed anyone's presence, yet. He knew that their medic had such fine control of chakra that she could send it into the ground and get a sense of her surroundings for about fifteen meters. He didn't doubt her abilities one bit and readied himself for battle. He pulled his leaf headband up from over his left eye, and within the next minute, he sensed the presence of trouble.
4 S-class, 5 jonin level, the rest chunin.
His exposed left eye caught her rapid signing.
2 friendlies. Also surrounded.
Kakashi gave Sakura a slight nod, confirming that he understood. Not only were they surrounded by high-class level nukenin, but so were Naruto and Sasuke. Just as rapidly, he signed back their plan of action.
Formation G. Lower levels first. Save chakra. Move to river.
Kakashi crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands and flared his chakra, producing a shadow clone. Sakura gave him a determined nod and positioned herself back-to-back with him and his clone. All three shinobi were now wielding kunai in both hands. Kakashi began his methodical mental count down from seven and knew his clone and Sakura were doing the same. As he hit zero, both he and the companions at his back tensed and then took off into the trees, heading for the river.
Sakura flew through the trees. Leaping from one branch to another, she followed one of the Kakashi's while the other followed her. With both the original and the clone emitting the exact same chakra pattern, it would be difficult for an enemy sensory shinobi to distinguish which was which. Sakura, on the other hand, knew exactly who was whom. There was something about the clone's eye that didn't hold the same subtle spark as the real Kakashi.
The boys were already fighting – the acrid stench of smoke and blazing trees told her that. And if she could smell it, there was no doubt that Kakashi caught the scent much sooner. The Jonin's nose was on par with her chakra senses. At one point years ago, he had told her that the Hatake clan had been well known for their sense of smell, even more so than the Inuzuka.
The Kakashi leading their trio picked up his pace.
Sakura didn't mind the increase in speed, she wanted to get to Naruto and Sasuke as quickly as possible. She knew that the pair were more than capable of holding their own, but the thought of being separated from them still had
Amused, Sasuke watched Naruto wade into the small "river". The Uzumaki had complained about the size of the river, stating that it was no more than a stream and couldn't possibly provide him with any cooling comfort. He had pulled his face into a pout, but still rolled up his pant legs and traversed his way into the shallow water. The stream was barely deep enough to reach a few inches above the knees of his companion's bright orange pants, and Sasuke could tell from the other's muttering that he was not pleased one bit.
Sasuke stood on the shoreline where the water was about ankle deep and chuckled at the blonde's annoyance with his current circumstances. The thought of riling up his boyfriend, even more, crossed his mind about the same time that a kunai whizzed by Sasuke's head and lodged itself in the tree behind him.
Unperturbed, he flashed to Naruto's side as the tree shattered from the explosive tag that had been attached to the kunai.
"Oy, Sasuke," his partner questioned, hands tangled in his wild yellow hair, elbows pointed out, a wild grin on his face, "just like that one time in Kiri, hm?"
"Might as well."
He answered the question with a half-shoulder shrug, flying through hand signs. Sasuke caught Naruto's snicker just before releasing his Dragon Flame Jutsu, the fire dragon roaring into the forest in full force. The fire dragon rampaged through the treetops; it twisted and turned, setting all it touched aflame.
It had done its job.
Shinobi filtered out from the burning forest in varying levels of seared and disheveled. One man, in particular, was batting the end of his braid, determined to stop the continued consumption.
"Hm… looks as if we're surrounded."
"Don't sound so bored Sasukeee!" Naruto whined. "I was looking forward to a decent fight!"
"You're an idiot." Sasuke voiced, his body lax and face full of boredom.
Naruto laughed loudly and clapped him across the shoulder before addressing the steadily increasing mass of rogue nin with a wide grin.
"We've got somewhere to be, so if you don't mind, how 'bout poppin' on off back to where ya came from? Hm?"
The energy in the crowd surrounding them shifted from slight annoyance to full-blown fury. Some of the men pulled out weapons – kunai, shuriken, and swords alike glinted off the still-blazing inferno.
Naruto turned back to Sasuke, giving him a shrug.
"I tried to warn them. Can't blame me when they start losing limbs." Naruto verbally cleared himself of the responsibility of the soon-to-be mayhem and maiming.
That was all the go-ahead Sasuke needed.
A devilish grin crept its way across his partner's face, his normally jet-black eyes phasing to red and the tome they held spinning wildly. Slowly, deliberately, Sasuke pulled the sword from his back and imbued the blade with lightning chakra. Naruto had a sinking feeling that things were about to get real messy. Naruto crossed the pointer and middle fingers of both hands and willed his chakra into a dozen or so shadow clones.
One of the clones to his right grinned, speaking excitedly.
"Oh! Looks like we're all even now! Dattebyo!"
This got the other dozen Naruto's buzzing, each one yelling some version of a taunt toward a close rogue ninja. He (the real Naruto) never quite understood why his clones were always so pumped for a fight. It seemed, to him, to be a bit of an exaggeration of his personality on the Jutsu's end.
He pushed the thought from his mind. Instead, Naruto focused on the shinobi who had sauntered to the front of the pack of ninja. He could tell that this one was different than the others, and not just because she was the only female among the group.
The other ninja around her recoiled from her presence in varying degrees of respect, reverence, and terror. The woman was tall, towering over a good number of the other ninja, and, from what Naruto could see of it, her skin was a pale white. Her long, raven-colored hair was strewn about her shoulders, the wind picking at the strands.
She was clad in a deep, dark, almost black, purple ensemble of nin attire and armor. A fanged smile spread across the woman's face as she took in the scene in front of her.
Anyone who could stare down his massive chakra reserves and Sasuke's double Sharigan, had to be crazy. Or tough. Or both.
The woman stepped forward again, purple aura surrounding her frame.
"Ah," she purred, "The last of the Uchiha."
The woman's eyes searched Naruto's face and her smile grew even wider.
"And the son of the Leaf's Yellow Flash, the last of the Uzumaki. Looks like it's my lucky day."
Yeap, Naruto decided, this woman was most definitely in the "both" category.
His clone lead their little trio through the treetops, moving them in a zig-zag pattern toward the billowing black smoke. The clone's pace quickened, and Kakashi's nose told him that they were about 10 yards away from the chaos the boys were causing.
And that's about when it all went to hell.
A blazing kunai detonated right as it appeared in the space between Kakashi and Sakura.
His Sharingan had caught it all in slow motion. The kunai, the burning explosive tag, the rigged line of trees - but it didn't matter, he wasn't fast enough.
Bright white light encompassed the entirety of Kakashi's vision, blinding both of his eyes. A thunderous boom echoed through his head, the blast deafening his sensitive hearing and leaving nothing but an excruciating ringing behind. Even with his mask firmly in place, Kakashi's nose was assaulted by the unbearable smell of explosives, instigating a series of ragged coughs. The minimally exposed aspects of his face around the protective shield of his half-gloved hands festered in the growing heat from the blast.
Kakashi was thrown from the force of the blast and ricocheted off several (rather large) branches before finding his footing again, landing hastily on the trunk of a tree. His reprieve was short-lived. The tree that Kakashi had managed to stick his feet to shattered underneath him, spraying shards of bark. He hopped to another, and another, and another - finding that each tree he landed on immediately fragmented under his feet.
He awkwardly hit the forest floor, rolling onto his bruised back in the process. Kakashi's usually perceptive senses were ineffective thanks to the original explosion, and he was painfully aware of his disadvantage. He flopped himself over to his hands and knees, the shards of desecrated trees digging into him, and managed to tuck himself behind a dense clump of bushes. He urgently wiped his eyes, trying with all his might to clear the lingering white spots from his vision.
A warm, wet sensation pooled in the shoe on Kakashi's right foot, and he hoped to kami that he had somehow managed to find a puddle of water. He wasn't confident that the gods would favor him, but a man could try.
Kakashi inspected the constantly growing liquid in his shoe and cursed under his breath. Lodged in the thigh of his right leg was a sizeable shard of tree shrapnel. Kakashi growled deep in his chest, frustrated with the current circumstances he found himself in. The enemy had managed to not only separate him from Sakura but had also succeeded in luring him into the clump of trees that had been rigged with explosives and injured him in the process.
Swiftly, Kakashi dug in the pockets of his flak jacket searching for a roll of bandages. He managed to find a mostly used sleeve of soldier pills in his left shoulder pocket and hoped like hell it wouldn't come down to that before he shoved it back into the compartment. The very last pocket he checked held what he needed – a suture needle, suture, and bandages. Kakashi thanked his habit of keeping things "just in case" before reexamining the chunk of tree in his leg.
The foreign object needed to be removed, but he didn't have anything with him to staunch the inevitable blood bath that would follow its removal. And if Kakashi was honest with himself, he wasn't looking forward to the pain of yanking it out or suturing the wound closed. He hadn't been pursued by any enemy nin, and he had a terrible suspicion as to why that was.
He needed to take care of this inconvenience quickly and then find Sakura.