Here's the second part of the prologue. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did the show would be called Kakashi XD
Edit: Thanks to 3DY3Namite for beta'ing this chapter :)
The next morning, Kakashi and Katsumi were standing the village gate, saying goodbye to the guards.
Katsumi brought her hands up in a dog sign and looked over at her masked teammate. "What color?" she asked simply.
"Green," Kakashi replied, easily understanding the question.
Nodding, the golden eyed Chūnin flashed through the hand signs and released a bit of chakra, causing a small cloud of white smoke to engulf her. When the smoke cleared, Katsumi still looked the same, except for her eyes. The previously gold slitted eyes were now a normal green with a regular pupil.
It's good that she can fight and still hold the Henge, or else she would have to wear a mask, since she can't use a genjutsu to change the color.
"Let's head out," Kakashi said before taking off into the trees with Henged Katsumi right on his heels.
Both of them only carried a small pack that was light and easy to carry. Kakashi was nowhere near a seals master, but he had learned how to make storage scrolls from his sensei. Katsumi's mother had taught her about the common seals before she died, so Katsumi knew the basics and was only a few levels behind Kakashi in that area, which her sensei was working on with her.
After traveling via tree hopping for a while, the two teammates jumped back to the ground to conserve chakra and avoid arriving at the meeting place too early.
"How is your new jutsu coming along, Kashi?" Katsumi asked after a while, breaking the silence.
The silver haired prodigy glanced at her with a bit of pride in his eyes, though only those close to him would be able to detect it. "It seems to be almost ready to use. It creates a small crater instead of an explosion when it hits a target now," he told her.
"Great! Have you decided what you are going to name it yet?" she questioned, her now green eyes flashing with amusement as she remembered the other names he had come up with.
Kakashi nodded once. "Chidori."
"Hn."
I really wish she had avoided inheriting that trait.
Shaking his head, Kakashi sighed. "There is no doubt about it; you are definitely related to the Uchiha's."
"You just have to remind me of that, don't you?" she said and rolled her eyes before noticing that he was doing his annoying eye-smiles. "Besides, I've heard you "Hn" too," Katsumi added with a smirk, causing Kakashi to shoot her a glare.
"It's only because I've heard you do it so much. It must be a form of some contagious disease," he retorted, trying to maintain some dignity instead of getting drawn into bickering.
Rolling her eyes, Katsumi grinned and nudged Kakashi. "Come on; let's race to the meeting point!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "No using your kekkei genkai," he warned her.
"...Hn," she grunted and jumped into the trees.
Some things never change.
Kakashi did not even bother protesting her head start as he disappeared into the trees after her.
….
Once there, Kakashi and Katsumi waited in the trees for the clients to arrive. During war times it was important to make sure enemy shinobi did not request fake missions in order to launch surprise attacks.
It was not long before the young Chūnins heard the sound of wagon wheels and footsteps heading towards them. The wagon soon pulled into view and stopped at the meeting point. There were five guards and three movers in the group; all of them seemed to be on edge, as if expecting an attack.
Katsumi glanced over at Kakashi who nodded and disappeared with a Shunshin. She watched the reactions of the ones in the clearing as her teammate flickered around the edge of the clearing. None of the travelers reacted to the use of chakra and by the time Kakashi had returned, she had decided it was safe to interact with the clients.
Jumping down into the clearing, the two Chūnin managed to keep a straight face as the movers and guards about jumped out of their skins.
"We are the shinobi that the Daimyo hired to protect your cargo until you reach its new destination," Kakashi informed them calmly, noticing that more than one of the guards had disbelieving expressions.
The lead guard took a step forward. "The password?" he asked, keeping a hand on his sword's sheath.
The silver haired Chūnin did not miss a beat and quickly replied. "There is no password because such information can easily be intercepted by spies."
The guard gave a satisfied nod and took up his position next to the wagon again.
"Is the Hokage trying to insult us by sending two kids?" one of the movers asked, sounding upset.
Katsumi raised an eyebrow and stared at them for a few moments, making them uneasy before she spoke. "We are both of Chūnin rank and are highly skilled for our age. Now can we please get moving before any bandits that are after you do catch up?"
The guards nodded while the movers picked up the wagon handles and started moving forward once again.
After an unspoken agreement, Kakashi moved to guard the front of the wagon while Katsumi trailed behind to protect the sides and back.
The group traveled in the formation for two days, only stopping at night to set up camp. Katsumi would only release the Henge on her eyes at night when everyone else was asleep while she and Kakashi took turns keeping watch.
The first signs of trouble started around noon on the third day.
Kakashi was traveling in front of the wagon when he noticed some birds take off suddenly from nearby tree, screeching in warning as they flew away. He narrowed his eyes and then tilted his head to the side, focusing chakra to his ears to increase his hearing.
The sounds of the clients and Katsumi walking intensified first, followed by the movement of the local animals. After a few seconds of listening Kakashi find what he was listening for, the sound of leaves and twigs being crushed by many footsteps in the forest around them.
I half expected an attack at night, but I guess they think we wouldn't be expecting them now. It's still not a smart move when facing shinobi.
Glancing back at Katsumi, Kakashi caught her eye and then quickly signed to her using the ANBU short-hand they had learned thanks to the Hokage's orders.
'Enemy close - not shinobi - go check'
Katsumi nodded and then silently stepped off the trail, disappearing into the forest.
The guards noticed the exchange and tensed up, flinching as Katsumi reappeared behind them.
'Five of them - muscle - no brains - easy win - careful - carrying kunai - shuriken - plus big weapons' Katsumi quickly signed to him.
Kakashi nodded and jumped into the trees.
Standard bandits, though if they even know how to use kunai and shuriken is unknown; Katsumi can stop any attacks while I handle the rest.
After a few moments Kakashi spotted five men traveling through the undergrowth. The largest one was carrying a spiked ball attached to a chain and was wearing some beat up battle armor. The other four had swords and Kakashi could see the kunai and shuriken pouches attached to their legs.
Still moving silently, the silver haired shinobi slipped behind them, pulling out two kunai with one hand. He threw both of them at the same time, hitting two of the swordsman in the back of the skull. With a dull scrape, the kunai penetrated bone, killing them instantly.
"Kuso! Shinobi! Attack now!" one of the others shouted as their teammates fell to the ground.
The three remaining bandits ran towards the edge of the forest. The one that shouted ran almost sideways keeping an eye out for more kunai.
When Kakashi hurled a handful of shuriken at them, the man deflected them with his own shuriken.
You want a weapons fight? You got one.
…..
By that time the other two had made it out into the open. They ran towards Katsumi before splitting up, holding their weapons at ready. The largest bandit swung the spike ball around his head a few times before letting it go, causing it to fly towards Katsumi and her clients. The other bandit quickly hurled two handfuls of kunai and shuriken at her from the opposite side.
Staying calm, Katsumi glanced back at the panicked guards and movers. "Calm down and stick together; we can handle simple bandits," she told them as she flashed through hand signs.
As soon as she finished, Katsumi slammed her hand onto the ground. "Doton: Tsuchi Kairō!"
The ground around them suddenly shot up and formed a protective dome around all of them, leaving only a small opening at the top as it deflected the weapons.
"Stay here, I'll release the jutsu as soon as the fight is over," Katsumi ordered, receiving quick nods before she used a chakra enforced jump to fly out of the opening.
As soon as she landed outside the dome, she weaves a few more hand signs as the (not so bright) bandits rushed towards her again.
"Suiton: Hahonryū," Katsumi whispered as she formed to small, yet powerful, rotating balls of water in each hand before throwing them at her attackers.
The water balls struck both of them in the chest, causing them to fly back, knocking the wind out of them.
As they struggled to stand back up, the dark haired Chūnin flashed through one last set of hand seals.
"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu," she said and disappeared into the ground.
Before the two bandits knew what was happening, they were suddenly jerked into the ground up to their necks. Katsumi emerged from the ground behind them and quietly knocked them out.
Kakashi emerged from the woods a few moments later.
"I've already disposed of the other three bodies," he informed her.
Katsumi nodded wordlessly and turned to dispel the dome jutsu over their clients as Kakashi finished off the last two bandits.
…..
Later that night the group had stopped to set up camp. As the small camp fire crackled quietly from the semi-wet wood, Kakashi and Katsumi sat beside it; neither were ready to go to sleep.
The guards and movers had already retreated into the tents were fast asleep, so Katsumi had dropped the Henge for the night.
Kakashi was keeping a worried eye on his teammate, who was staring into the fire with a distant expression on her face as her gold eyes glowed eerily in the light.
"Kat, don't let your emotions affect the mission," Kakashi said quietly, drawing her attention.
Katsumi looked up from the fire to meet his eyes. "Easier said than done," she said with a wry smile. "Besides they've never had on effect on my fighting skills, so I don't see the problem with it."
I hope after this war is over, Hokage-sama will let her either retire or take only C or D rank missions. She shouldn't have to be put through this.
Sighing, Kakashi shook his head. "But just now, your attention was somewhere else; what if an enemy attacked?" he asked, absently adjusting his mask.
Katsumi shrugged and reached towards the ground, picking up a small, jet black dog that had suddenly formed from seemingly out of nowhere. The dog wagged its tail before jumping out of her hand and running to Kakashi, growing larger as it did so until it was normal size.
"I only space out when you're around because I know you will warn me," she replied as the dog nosed Kakashi's knee until he petted it.
As he rubbed the animated dog's head, Kakashi smiled under his mask, honored by her trust in him.
Her control is getting even better; before she couldn't make it wag its tail and move at the same time.
"Why a dog?" he asked suddenly.
"Because I know it's your favorite," Katsumi told him with a smile, her slitted eyes back to their usual playfulness, much to Kakashi's relief.
"Go to sleep, I'll keep first watch," he told her firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Rolling her eyes, she stood up and moved towards the bed rolls that were out the open. "Fine. Night, Kashi," she told him as she lay down with her back to the fire.
Kakashi looked back down at the dog still at his feet and sighed in slight amusement. "Go to sleep, Katsumi," he told her again.
Katsumi chuckled and the dog melted between his fingers, the ink-like substance spreading out until it disappeared into the shadows.
Nothing can keep her down long. Kakashi thought with eye smiles before focusing on keeping watch.
…..
"Katsumi! Protect the wagon and clients!" Kakashi ordered as he Shunshined behind the bulky Iwa nin.
The group had been ambushed by two Iwa Jōnin that next day. Luckily Iwa standards were not the same as Konoha's, or else the two Chūnin would not have stood much of a chance without immediately blowing Katsumi's cover.
Katsumi heard her teammates order and immediately dropped into a protective stance, facing the second Iwa nin, who smirked and rushed forwards to engage her in taijutsu.
Dodging one of his punches, Katsumi delivered a side kick to his knee, causing him to stagger as the knee cracked a bit. Taking a step back, Katsumi once again flashed through hand signs and water balls formed in her hands. As she hurled them at the nin, he formed some hand signs and slammed his hand to the ground. A wall of earth shot up from the ground, blocking her attack.
Katsumi suddenly sensed movement in the ground beneath her and jumped into the air just in time to avoid the hands to shot out of ground to grab her.
As the nin crawled out of the ground, he smirked at her and finally spoke. "A water and earth elemental, huh? That plus the looks seem to match up. Now we just need to check the eyes," he said and pulled out a kunai.
Katsumi's eyes widened as she recognized the trench kunai, which could channel and hold chakra. One little cut and it would dispel her Henge, which was already a struggle to keep on at the moment.
As she jumped back to avoid the swipe, she suddenly felt the pressure of a genjutsu. Bringing her hand together, she muttered "Kai" as she stopped her chakra flow for a split second, only for the nin in front of her to disappear.
A split second later she felt a sharp, burning pain next to her right shoulder blade. Katsumi turned her head to look behind her and saw that the trench kunai was buried halfway into her shoulder, hindering her movements as blood steadily dripped out of the wound. As she spun to face the nin, who had jumped a few feet back after stabbing her, she shouted to the guards and movers. "Go into the forest and hide, we'll come after you after we take care of these shinobi," she ordered, her gold eyes flashing in pain and anger as she heard the sound of them moving away.
Katsumi kept a wary eye on the shinobi as she reached over her shoulder and pulled out the kunai with a slight wince.
"So I was right, I've found the last of the Shisou clan. I'll get a huge bounty after killing you," he said and suddenly palmed two yellow balls from his pocket.
Katsumi's eyes widened as she recognized them.
He threw the balls towards her and they exploded, causing a flash of blinding white light. As Katsumi's light sensitive eyes closed shut in pain, the nin suddenly struck her in the side with a powerful roundhouse kick, which sent her flying just as a high pitch chirping filled the air.
…
Kakashi was in a dangerous fight with the other nin. Even though Kakashi was a prodigy, he could not engage the man in taijutsu. Every time the Chūnin got close to him, the Jōnin would activate Doton: Domu and harden his body to the strength of stone.
Kakashi had tried using his lightning jutsu, but the nin would dodge them effortlessly, leaving him only a few options.
I'll need to use my new jutsu; it's the only thing strong and fast enough to pierce his hardened skin.
Flashing through hand signs, Kakashi nodded in satisfaction as the Jōnin froze once the genjutsu took over. It would take him a few moments to dispel it because Kakashi had blended two jutsu together, and a moment was all he needed.
Kakashi quickly stepped back and started weaving signs for his new jutsu. As he gripped his right arm with his left hand and the lighting chakra started forming in his palm, a sudden explosion of light caught his attention where Katsumi had been fighting.
She won't be defeated that easily. I'll finish this guy off though and go help her, since I know she won't deal any death blows.
As the chirping from the Chidori filled the air, Kakashi ran forward, ready to strike the Iwa nin who had just broke free of the genjutsu.
As he neared the Jōnin and raised his hand to attack, a black blur suddenly shot through the air towards them and Kakashi recognized it as Katsumi.
No! I won't be able to stop in time!
The next moment seemed to go by in slow motion for him. As Katsumi fell in front of him, the Chidori clipped the left side of her ribs, causing blood to splatter onto his hand.
Katsumi's short scream as she hit the ground was all it took for Kakashi to freeze in horror.
No... This should not have happened... She has to be okay!
He held his breath as Katsumi opened her eyes, looking past him with a fierce expression.
The Iwa nin!
Kakashi spun around to see the two Jōnin standing behind him, kunai in hand. Then he noticed two black tendrils had risen up from the ground, the sharpened points pierced through their necks.
She actually killed them...
A sudden cough from behind him grabbed his attention as the black substance melted away, letting the enemy dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Katsumi was looking up at Kakashi with pain filled eyes when he turned back around and he dropped down to his knees beside her.
"Hold still, you're going to be fine," Kakashi told her and weaved the hand signs for a diagnostic jutsu, while mentally panicking.
She has to be alright!
"I don't think I'll be making it back to Konoha," Katsumi said weakly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Kakashi stared in shock and horror as the diagnostics results came up. "No..."
"I know it wasn't a direct hit, but the edge of the attack clipped my heart. It's going to give out at any minute," she told him quietly. "That is one powerful jutsu."
Clenching his jaw tight, a few tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm never using that jutsu again. I'm so sorry, Kat!" Kakashi apologized fervently as he slid one arm under her neck and back, lifting her up a bit.
Her gold eyes hardened in a way that he rarely saw. "Don't blame yourself! Continue to work on that jutsu and promise me you won't let this eat you up inside!" she said sharply, only to flinch as her heart protested the strain.
Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I promise to try," he replied.
Nodding, Katsumi sighed. "You know, I never did get to see you without your mask."
Without hesitation, Kakashi reached up with his free hand and pulled down his mask, sending her a small smile.
Katsumi stared at him a moment before giving a strained chuckle. "I see now why you wear it. If you didn't you would have a fan club worse than any Uchiha."
Before Kakashi could respond, she spoke again. "Tell Gai I'll miss him, and let Hokage-sama tell Ochi-san. I don't want him to kill you when he finds out. Finish the mission, Kakashi," she said and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Hai," Kakashi said in a choked voice.
When Katsumi opened her eyes, she suddenly held her hand up and black tendrils came out from underneath her and gathered into her hand. After hovering there a moment, they suddenly blended together in the shape of a black rose, thorns and all.
Kakashi felt a surge of chakra from her before she handed to the rose to him.
"Keep this. I set it with chakra, so it will last forever," she said as he gingerly took it from her.
"Katsumi..." Kakashi swallowed back a sob and pulled her into a hug. "I'll never forget you."
Closing her slitted eyes one last time, Katsumi breathed her last words, "I promise, Kashi, if there is a way to come back, I will," she said and then fell limp in his arms.
First my father, and now her...
For the first time since his father's death, Kakashi let the tears fall unchecked and allowed them to take over as he held the body of his best friend.
Just open your eyes, just open your eyes and see that life is beautiful.
Will you swear on your life that no one will cry at my funeral?
~ Life is Beautiful by Sixx:A.M.
*Hides under rock* Don't kill me for that. heh heh.
That's it for the prologue. The actual chapters will be set during the Kage Summit meeting.
I'm not putting a word glossary unless I get a lot of requests for it, I think I described the techniques well enough that it's not necessary.
To clear things up a bit, Katsumi shortens the names of people she's close to, but if she calls them by their full name it's a serious situation. Katsumi doesn't like her named shortened to 'Kat' though because she feels it's a bad pun on her eyes. Kakashi is only allowed to call her that in serious times.
I'm considering writing a oneshot of the reaction when Kakashi returns and announces her death, which should be fun writing Ochi-san's reaction. It will probably be a while before I start working on it though.
Kakashi stopped working on the Chidori after this, but started it up again to coincide with the Kakashi chronicles events.
