AN: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I'm really having fun writing this!

Disclaimer: Nope, Naruto isn't mine and never will be!

Chapter 3

After sending the messenger hawk back to Konoha, Kakashi sat by the fire for a good hour, thinking about how he was going to explain the mission to his team. As much as he dreaded doing it, he would be forced to tell the young ninja the full story; otherwise, they would only be suspicious and question his every order. But when he did tell them, Kakashi wondered how they would react. The tale was not a pleasant one and it emphasized the more distasteful aspects of shinobi life. Well, didn't I just decide that they were ready for this? There's no going back now.

Sighing in defeat, Kakashi prepared to wake his team, even though there were almost two hours left until dawn. They would have to leave at first light and he needed enough time to explain everything. The jonin knelt next to Sasuke, and shook the raven-haired boy's shoulder. Eyes popping open immediately, Sasuke sat up and met Kakashi's unreadable gaze. "What's wrong?"

The older ninja just shook his head. "Wake the others and pack up. I'll explain over breakfast."

Sensing his teacher's seriousness, Sasuke complied without question. While the Uchiha roused the other genin, Kakashi folded up his own bedroll and waited for the three to join him around the still smoldering fire. Studying the decoded mission assignment once more, Kakashi mulled over how to begin what would be a long explanation.

When the young ninja sluggishly emerged from the shadows, Kakashi motioned for them to sit. Naruto yawned loudly and gave his sensei a glare. "What's going on? There's hours until dawn!"

"Oh, quit complaining. Here, eat this and be quiet!" scolded Sakura as she tossed the blonde a granola bar. However, as she turned her head back toward Kakashi, the jonin could see the worry in her eyes. "So, Sensei, has something happened?"

"We've been assigned a new mission. An A-ranked one." Kakashi replied in his no-nonsense tone.

Naruto's eyes lit up in anticipation. "Really? What kind of mission?"

"There is a farm about 10 kilometers from here. A Leaf shinobi named Hurin Shinowa, codename Owl, resides there. We are to go there and investigate his whereabouts."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "What? All we have to do is see if this guy is home? That's totally lame!"

Kakashi raised his hand in truce. "Naruto, please let me finish." Giving each of his students a meaningful look, the jonin continued. "The elders are worried that there has been a security breach. Top secret documents regarding his location and mission have turned up missing. They could have just been accidentally destroyed during Orochimaru's invasion, but it's far more likely that they were stolen by Sand shinobi during the attack. On top of that, Owl is supposed to send a report every month, but he hasn't been heard from since weeks before the Sound invasion. So, our mission is to find him and warn him that he has been compromised." Kakashi dared not add voice to his fears for Owl's safety. There was no evidence yet that the documents were even stolen, and Owl was often late with his reports. Looking up at his students, the masked jonin prepared himself for their outburst of questions.

Sasuke was first to chime in. "If this ninja is in ANBU, why aren't they dealing with it?"

Kakashi allowed himself a wry chuckle. "You're right, Sasuke. Normally, this would be ANBU business. However, there is currently no one in Leaf's ANBU that even knows of Owl's existence."

That got their attention. Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction and Sakura gasped out loud. Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"With the Third Hokage gone, there are only three people who are supposed to know of Owl's whereabouts, let alone the fact that he is alive. The two elders of Konoha, and myself. That is why I'm the only one who can do this mission, and you three just happen to be along for the ride in case I need you. Are you getting the picture? You're being trusted with top secret information, so don't ever breathe a word of this mission to anyone. Understood?"

Hearing the command in their teacher's voice, the three genin immediately responded in unison. "Yes, sir!"

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now…" Pausing to collect his thoughts, the jonin glanced upward at the still star laden sky. But, before he could go on, the air was suddenly filled with questions.

"Sensei, why are you so sure the Sand would steal the documents and not the Sound?"

"What's so special about this guy's mission?"

"Why are you the only one who knows that Owl is alive?"

Sighing in consternation, Kakashi could only wait for the onslaught to stop. When there was finally a gap in the flood of questions, he gave his students a small smile. "Can I talk now?"

Sakura, at least, had the grace to look embarrassed. Naruto and Sasuke just looked at him expectantly. Their response was exactly as he had predicted. They wouldn't be satisfied without the full story. Plus, if they were going to meet Owl, they needed to know everything. Kakashi was actually partly glad for the opportunity to see Hurin again and introduce his team. The three young shinobi could learn a lot from his former ANBU captain. He just wished that the circumstances weren't so serious. The Sand can't have gotten to him… we would've heard something by now, Kakashi reassured himself.

Clearing his throat, the silver-haired jonin returned his attention to his waiting team. "All of your questions are valid ones, and I'm going to try and answer them. But, for you to understand the gravity of this situation, I need to start at the beginning." Kakashi gave Naruto a cool stare. "No interruptions. Got it?"

The three genin nodded eagerly.

"Right. I guess it was twelve years ago, about a year after the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack. Konoha was still in shambles, and manpower was at an all time low. I had just turned fifteen and Owl was my ANBU captain…"

*****Flashback*****

Kakashi was in a foul mood. He was training alone in the ANBU practice grounds, restless with the lack of missions lately. The merciless attacks he was springing on the wood practice dummy weren't doing much to sate his pent up energy. Finishing a taijutsu combo with powerful roundhouse kick, Kakashi growled in frustration when the head of the dummy snapped off.

"Now, now, Wolf," said a voice behind him with a chuckle. "You can't expect mere solid oak to measure up to a moody teenager."

Kakashi spun around, launching a kunai at the man who so easily snuck up on him. Of course, Owl dodged it easily, not helping Kakashi's annoyance at his captain's mastery of chakra masking. Owl was the only shinobi that the young ANBU had trouble detecting, even with his acute sense of smell.

The ANBU captain was currently maskless and had a gentle smile across his thin lips. With shoulder length dark brown hair tied back in a warrior's tail, Hurin Shinowa was perhaps the most ordinary looking man in all of the Land of Fire. Neither unattractive nor handsome, he was someone no one noticed, which was what made him Konoha's number one assassin. Known not only for his obscenely high mission success rate and chakra masking ability, Hurin was considered the father figure to most of Konoha's ANBU. Still young at an age of 26, he was however, older than most of those left in the Hokage's ANBU. His experience and wisdom were desperately needed for the many young and naïve recruits who were allowed into ANBU's ranks following the Nine-Tailed Fox's wake of destruction. Kakashi considered himself extremely lucky to be assigned to Owl's primary team.

Removing his own wolf-faced porcelain mask, Kakashi gave his captain an aggravated glare. "I hope you're here to say we have a mission, Senpai. If not, then you better be ready to take a pummeling worse than what that training dummy got."

"Ho, ho, a little restless are you? Well, I think I've got the perfect cure for that." Owl pulled out a scroll from his pouch and tossed it to the silver-haired teen.

Catching the scroll, Kakashi unrolled it eagerly. After quickly skimming the contents, the young ANBU's lone black eye narrowed. "Another joint mission with the Sand? What's the Hokage thinking? It's only a matter of time before one of these goes badly. Forgive and forget is not a common practice in either of our villages."

Owl only shook his head. "Better get used to it. We need the money, and the daimyo of the Land of Wind knows we're currently cheaper hires than his own shinobi. I'm sure the Kazekage is not happy about it, but he'll have to get over it since his daimyo wants to downsize their military." Giving Kakashi a small smile, the older man added, "Besides, I've worked with one of these Sand ninja before. He's a good kid, reminds me of you."

"Hmph, if you say so," grunted Kakashi. "Well, this shouldn't be much trouble, anyway. A typical track and exterminate mission. The group of rogue ninja was recently spotted in the Land of Rivers… we can easily make it to the border by nightfall."

"That's the plan. We'll meet up with our assigned Sand ANBU first thing tomorrow morning at the target's last known location." Replacing his porcelain mask, Owl added, "We leave in half an hour. Get ready and meet me at the usual place."

Kakashi gave his captain a short bow. "Yes, Senpai." With that, the two shinobi sped off in opposite directions.

When he reached his small apartment, it only took Kakashi a few minutes to gather any needed supplies. The young ANBU figured that the mission wouldn't last more than a week, so he packed light. In truth, Kakashi was betting that they would be back in 4 days at most, but an ANBU was always prepared for the worst. Owl and Wolf were an unstoppable team for hunting down rogue shinobi. Kakashi's ninja hounds could track a scent anywhere, and Owl was able to sneak up on almost anyone, making assassinations that much easier. Working with two Sand shinobi would only slow them down. But, since the rogues were from the Land of Wind, at least one Sand ANBU needed to be along to take care of the bodies. The Kazekage wasn't about to let Konoha ANBU extract any village secrets from the remains of former Sand ninja.

Giving his gear a final check, Kakashi left his apartment and headed for the memorial stone, his and Owl's normal meeting place. Since he was early (it's not as if he would be anywhere else), Kakashi took the opportunity to meditate in front of the memorial for all of Konoha's fallen. The deaths of Rin and his sensei still felt raw, even a year past the Kyuubi's attack. But, so many had lost their lives that day, and he needed to be strong and carry on their legacy. ANBU was the perfect match for him, a place where his skills were needed, a place where masks were used to bury emotions. He was sure that if Obito were here, the idealistic Uchiha would be angry with his choice. ANBU's first rule was the mission before everything else, after all. But, Obito wasn't there, he was dead, and Kakashi needed something to ground him. All he could do was honor his teammate's memory and try to keep at least a piece of himself human. He owed his former team that much.

Another ten minutes passed before Owl walked up to where Kakashi knelt. Knowing it was time to leave, Kakashi murmured a final prayer, stood up, and donned his porcelain mask, becoming Wolf. Turning to his captain, Wolf wasn't surprised to see Owl performing his own silent ritual in front of the obsidian stone. The older ANBU had lost his younger brother, who had just made jonin, in the Kyuubi attack. Hurin visited the memorial before every mission, and so it only made sense for them to meet here whenever they were paired together. Neither of them ever spoke about their losses, but they understood each other's pain without having to voice it, and that understanding was the only comfort they could share.

With a final bow, Owl straightened and looked at his subordinate. "Ready, Wolf?"

With a curt nod, the silver-haired teen followed his captain toward the village gates. As soon as the village had disappeared behind them, the two ANBU leaped into the trees and moved at a pace so fast, that it was as if they were never there at all.

Owl and Wolf had made it to the Land of Rivers without incident and were now walking toward a small cabin, the place where the group of three Sand rogues had been last seen. Kakashi could see two Sand ANBU talking with a young girl, no older than twelve, who was obviously grief stricken. As the two Leaf ninja got closer, they could hear the girl trying to choke off her sobs, as if she were too ashamed to cry outright.

Hearing their approach, one of the Sand ANBU turned towards them and gave a salute, right fist across his chest. "It's good to see you, Owl." From his voice, Kakashi could tell that the ninja was only a year or two older than himself, though they were about the same height. The white mask covering his face was decorated with only a single thin stripe of red splicing diagonally across. Unruly dirty blond hair covered his ears and brushed across the forehead of his mask.

Owl returned the salute. "Likewise, Edge." Pointing a thumb at Kakashi, he added, "This here is Wolf."

"Good to meet you, that's my captain, Arrow." Edge replied with a gesture towards the other Sand shinobi, who was taking notes on a scroll. Edge's captain was tall, with hefty shoulders, and had short auburn hair. His mask was painted with a red horizontal stripe across the eyeholes. At each end of the stripe was a blue triangle pointed outward, making the shape of a double-headed arrow. Sand ANBU traditions were different in some ways than Leaf's. They used codenames from objects, usually weapons, instead of animals. Kakashi supposed it was just another way to emphasize that ANBU should consider themselves tools instead of human.

Without acknowledging the introduction, Arrow knelt in front of the girl, forcing her to look into his mask-shadowed eyes. "Are you sure that there's nothing else you can tell us?" His voice was surprisingly gentle.

"Th-that's all I remember, ANBU, sir." The girl stammered as she continued to fight her tears.

"That's alright. You know, you are really brave for getting through this." Arrow gently patted her shoulder. "Now, I need to go with my team and catch the bad ninja who did this, but I've sent for some of my friends to come and take you to our village where you'll be safe. So, can you be brave for a little while longer and wait here for them?"

Wide-eyed, the girl nodded. A spark of hope had flashed in her eyes at Arrow's words and she was finally able to wipe the last of her tears away. "Thank you, ANBU, sir. And please don't let them hurt you."

"Don't worry about me, little one. Try and cheer up, ok?" Giving the girl a finally pat, Arrow strolled over to where the other three ANBU stood. Gentle demeanor gone, the tall captain crossed his arms and gave Owl and Wolf long stares, sizing them up. "Glad you could make it, you two." His tone clearly said he was in fact, not glad.

Owl ignored the implied insult and simply nodded at the other captain. "Not a problem, what info do we have?"

Instead of replying, Arrow motioned towards Edge, who stood up a little straighter and cleared his throat. "Right. The night before last, the targets found this cabin, looking for shelter. We assume that they confronted the girl's father, demanding he turn over all his money and possessions. He obviously refused, a fight took place, and the targets quickly disposed of the man. The girl had been out, gathering berries, but she returned just as the three were leaving. She was smart enough to stay hidden, but she got a good look at one of them and confirmed his identity." Shaking his head sadly, Edge added, "Despicable… Sand shinobi turning to thievery and murder just because of the lack of work in the village."

"Save it, Edge," Arrow said coldly. Reaching into his belt pouch, Arrow pulled out a kunai that was wrapped in a dishtowel. "We got lucky when one of the fools left behind a weapon. I was told one of you would be an expert tracker. Will this be of use?"

Kakashi stepped forward and took the kunai. "If there is any sort of scent left on it, I can track it. Did the girl say which way they were headed?"

"East," Edge answered. "They're probably headed for the southern part of the Land of Fire, where there aren't many border guards."

"We'll be able to catch them before they get that far," Owl replied confidently. The Leaf ANBU gave Kakashi a quick glance and silver-haired teen nodded in reply to his captain's silent command.

Biting his thumb and making the five necessary hand signs swiftly, Wolf slammed his palm on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" Four ninja hounds appeared in a burst of smoke. Kakashi smiled behind his mask at the sight of his personal summons. Pakkun had been a present from his father long ago, right after he had made chunin, but the other three (Bull, Uhei, and Urushi) Kakashi had found as puppies and thoroughly trained them over the years. The young Hatake excelled at raising ninja hounds, and he had two more at home, still too young for field work.

Showing Pakkun the target's kunai, Wolf ordered, "Alright, we're on the tail of three rogue ninja. All we've got is one of their kunai, but search the area and try and distinguish their scents from the girl's and her father's."

"Hmph. Nothing we can't handle, boss." Pakkun drawled.

"Talking dogs?" Edge said in surprise.

Titlting his head toward the young Sand ninja, Pakkun retorted haughtily, "You got a problem with that, sonny?"

Raising his hands in appeasement, Edge let out a small chuckle. "Nope, don't mind me!"

A little annoyed at both Edge and Pakkun for wasting time, Kakashi signaled the pug to get to work. Sensing his master's impatience, Pakkun sighed grumpily, hopped off Bull's back, and began sniffing the nearby area. Kakashi then turned to Owl and said, "Senpai, I'm going search for more clues in and around the cabin. I should be ready shortly."

At his captain's nod, Wolf jogged to the cabin, only giving a passing glance to the young girl who was staring at his hounds in awe. Inspecting the front entrance revealed muddy boot tracks, and Kakashi whistled Uhei over to him. "Two of them left clear boot prints here, and there's been a lot of rain lately so if we lose their scent, we might be able to track them with prints alone." The bandaged female hound barked in acknowledgement and began searching for other prints in the soggy ground.

Steeling himself for the smell of death, Wolf pushed open the front door of the cabin and was immediately greeted with the sight of a butchered corpse. The victim's throat had been cut gruesomely and the bones of his left arm were jutting through the skin. Knowing that Arrow and Edge had already searched inside, Kakashi only took a quick look around. With the stench of the victim so strong, Wolf wasn't able to distinguish anything useful, so he took his leave, gratefully inhaling the fresh air outside.

Seeing that Pakkun was still investigating, Kakashi turned to the young girl, who had nervously approached him. Wolf knew he wasn't particularly good with children, so he stayed silent and waited for her to say something.

"Um, Mister ANBU? Can I pet one of your dogs?"

Kakashi almost refused her, knowing that they needed to get moving, but he couldn't deny her something that would take her mind off her dead father. "Sure, let me call Bull." The large bulldog looked intimidating, but he actually was the tamest of all his hounds. At the sound of his master's low whistle, Bull came trotting over. Not needing a command from Kakashi, the bulldog lay down in front of the girl and rolled over, exposing his soft belly.

The girl giggled softly and tentatively rubbed the hound's stomach. Bull responded with a whine of pleasure, egging her on. Seeing that his presence was no longer needed, Kakashi met up with Pakkun and asked for the pug's report.

"They've definitely headed east, boss. From what I can tell, two of them have mediocre skills… they've left tracks all over the place for Uhei and Urushi to follow. That kunai has one of their scents. We don't have anything on the leader though, but I should be able to notice if they split up."

Kakashi knelt down and gave the pug a quick scratch behind the ears. "Good work, Pakkun. Send Uhei up ahead, the rest of us will follow shortly."

"All set?" Owl asked as he and the two Sand ANBU approached.

Wolf nodded. "We've got prints and scents of two of them that will be easily followed. As long as they stay together and it doesn't rain, we'll be able to track them all day."

"Impressive…" murmured Edge.

Kakashi looked to his captain, waiting for the order to move out, but Owl was engaged in a staring contest with Arrow. They were obviously having a silent duel for who would be leading the team. Something must have passed between them because Owl stepped back and relaxed his stance in submission. Wolf was slightly surprised at his captain's deference to Arrow, especially since they would most likely be heading into the Land of Fire. But, it was not his place to question his captain.

"Wolf, wasn't it?" Arrow asked impassively.

Kakashi responded by turning towards his new leader and nodding.

"Do you need the bulldog to effectively track the targets?"

Slightly confused, Kakashi shook his head. "No, the other three will be sufficient. Why?"

"I'd like him to stay with the girl until the other team gets here. They'll be here in a few hours and we've set up traps in the surrounding area, but she shouldn't be alone."

Although Arrow's request made sense, Wolf was taken aback by the Sand ninja being so easily distracted from the mission. He's not like most veteran ANBU… not even Owl would suggest leaving behind one of my hounds for something like this.

Still, an order was an order, so Kakashi signaled to Bull the instructions. Receiving a bark of acknowledgment, Kakashi turned back to Arrow. "He'll protect her for as long as she needs it."

"Good," replied the Sand ANBU. Giving each member of his new team a searching look, Arrow confirmed that all three were ready to head out. "Alright, it's time to get the scum. Wolf, you take point and just focus on tracking… we're counting on you to lead us to them. Owl, you and I will spread out behind to cover Wolf. Edge, stick to Wolf and pass on any messages from him to Owl and I. Understood?"

Glad that Arrow had refocused on the mission and sounded like a competent leader, Wolf saluted alongside Owl and Edge. With a command to Pakkun, Kakashi took off at a run, directing the four man team east into a forest. Feeling Edge's supporting presence close behind, Wolf focused his eyes and nose on his task. The scent and tracks were still fresh, but it wasn't clear how far ahead the targets had been able to get. However, it was only a matter of time before the elite team of ANBU caught up. The hunt was on.

To be continued…

AN: Sorry for ending the chapter in the middle of the flashback, but it's become longer than I expected! I originally wasn't going to use a flashback, but when I wrote this with Kakashi just explaining the main points, it was too boring, even to me!. Now, I can flesh out the OC's a lot better, but don't worry, this is first and foremost a Kakashi and Team 7 story. However, this is turning into a longer multi-chapter fic so I'm trying to make the plot interesting and detailed. Next chapter will conclude this flashback and we'll see Team 7 again! Thanks for reading!