Well, here's Chapter 4. Now that I'm past the 5,000 word mark, I'm hoping it'll expand the amount of readers this gets. I know some people don't search for stories unless they're above 10,000 words which I'm hoping to reach by next month.

Chapter 4

Sai pushed his cold ramen away and turned around.

"Oh! Hello again."

Hitomi stood before him, smiling.

"Hello." Sai replied, his voice emotionless.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" Teuchi called out from behind the counter.

"Could I have two bowls of miso ramen to go?" She asked.

Teuchi nodded and set to work. Hitomi sat down beside Sai and looked at him.

"How are you? Where are your friends?"

Sai stared at the ground before answering. "They're off training."

Hitomi nodded, his lack of emotion causing her to lose a bit of her smile. Sai continued to stare at the ground, lost in thought, until Hitomi's voice penetrated his mind.

"Is something troubling you?" she asked.

He hesitated before responding, not sure how to start.

"Is it your friends?" she put in for him.

Sai nodded. "I don't know how to act in front of them."

Hitomi smiled a bit wider at that. "Well, whenever I see my friends, I smile to show that I'm happy to see them."

He nodded. "I know how to smile and when. It's just that I don't know how to go beyond that. And I'm afraid…"

"Afraid?"

"…Afraid of saying the wrong thing, something that will hurt them." He finished

Hitomi nodded, her face serious. "Well…I'm sure it will come to you soon. You can also talk to your friends, tell them how you feel. Your friends will help you, I'm sure of it."

Sai leaned his arms against his knees as he thought on that.

"Is there any other way?" he asked after a few moments.

She smiled at his effort to be a better friend. "Well, when I was in another village they had a library. In it, they had a section on how to be a better person. Maybe your village has books like that."

Sai sat up straight, the advice hitting him like lightning. He looked at her, her smile still showing.

"Uh…thank you. Thank you for the advice." He said, gratitude in his voice.

He stood, leaving until Hitomi's voice stopped him.

"I never did learn your name. Would you tell me?"

He turned around and bowed. "I'm Sai."

She bowed her head in return. "Good luck, Sai."

He nodded and left, heading for the Hokage compound in the distance.

"Miss? Your order is ready." Teuchi announced, placing a bag in front of her.

"Ah! Thank you!" Hitomi turned around, picking up the bag and paying.

Konoha Hospital – Late Evening

Giggles could be heard from the recovery room. The nurses avoided that room for as long as they could; they found it weird that its only occupant could giggle so much. That is, until they read the title of the books he was reading.

Kakashi chuckled, he always found a joke that he would finally understand after reading Icha-Icha Paradise again. Not to mention that it was his 75th time re-reading it. He sighed and put the book down on his nightstand.

"You two should come in now. No need to wait till midnight." He called out in the empty room.

The door to the recovery room slid open and two, a female and male, similarly dressed ninjas stepped in.

"How'd you sense us? We slowed our chakra flow to minimal levels." The man asked.

Kakashi tapped his nose. "You both smell of vinegar. And I don't even have a nin-dog's nose."

The man sighed and looked at the woman. "I told you we'd smell if we used it."

The woman nodded and continued to stare at Kakashi.

"Now…" Kakashi sat up straighter, "If you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves. You both have Konoha headbands but I've never seen you two around before."

The man nodded and gestured to the woman standing next to him. "This is Hitomi, my most trusted friend. And me?"

He de-masked himself and smiled. "I think you should remember."

"You're - !"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

"You! You're supposed to be dead!" He almost shouted.

Mokoto shook his head. He walked up to Kakashi's bed and sat down in the empty chair beside it, on Kakashi's left side.

"Disappointed that I'm not?" Mokoto asked.

Kakashi reigned in his initial shock and composed himself.

"Explain this." He said, his tone layered with anger.

Mokoto looked at his old friend with worry. "You're mad. I guess you've come to the conclusion yourself then."

Kakashi's hand tightened into a fist.

"You're either an imposter, bringing a memory back to haunt me or you're really him. If you are him, all circumstances that would make you hide yourself from your own village aren't exactly the actions of a loyal ninja."
"On the contrary Kakashi," Mokoto replied evenly, "I am very loyal to Konoha. Otherwise I'd have cut my Leaf a long time ago."

Kakashi used his right hand to grab a kunai he'd hidden under his sheets. "So explain, why?"

Hitomi walked forward and around the other side of his bed.

"He's on a mission." She replied softly.

"Mission?"

Mokoto nodded. "The results of this mission could save Konoha from anymore destruction."

Kakashi stared hard at Mokoto, still not believing that his old friend was still alive.

"Destruction?"

Mokoto scratched his head. "I heard what happened; what Orochimaru did. It would never have happened if you guys had been caught off guard."

"And why are you revealing yourself to me now?" Kakashi asked.

"Because my mission is failing. I need you if it is to succeed."

Kakashi sighed and leaned back.

"Sorry then. I'm stuck in bed so I can't help you. But still, explain. The word mission doesn't explain."

Mokoto nodded. "I'll explain everything if you come with me."

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm stuck in bed. Hokage's orders."

Mokoto sighed. This wasn't going as well as planned.

"You were always a stickler for the rules…until Obito died. Then you were as wild as him."

"I didn't go wild. I just found my way to follow the rules and do theright thing." Kakashi replied, stressing the word 'right.'

Mokoto nodded. "I didn't mean any disrespect. Obito was my friend too. But still, I need you to come with me. My mission can't be put out into the open."

Kakashi stared at Mokoto. When he had heard that Mokoto was dead, he stayed in his room for three whole days without eating. All his friends, Obito, Rin, his teacher, and finally Mokoto were gone. He only had himself for comfort. That and Obito's grave.

"What is your mission?" Kakashi asked.

Mokoto paused before answering. "I said I'd explain if you – "

"No." Kakashi interrupted, "Now. You're my friend 'Ko but you spent six years in hiding, letting us believe you were dead. I'm glad you're alive, truly glad, but the circumstances of your death are too suspicious for me to pass over. Explain, or I'll be forced to report this to the Hokage."

Mokoto sighed. This was not going as planned at all.

"I'm sorry Kakashi, really I am. I didn't mean for it to go like this." He replied, the regret evident in his voice.

He snapped his fingers. Kakashi lifted his right arm, his kunai ready to block. And then he felt it, a prick. Kakashi looked to his right and found a syringe sticking in his arm. Hitomi looked at Kakashi with steely resolution but also pity.

"I'm sorry 'Ko couldn't convince you." She whispered, pushing the contents of the syringe into Kakashi's arm.

In a heartbeat, Kakashi's vision began to darken. His arm dropped and the syringe fell out of his arm, drops of blood spattering the pure white tiles of the floor. He tried to form seals but his whole body grew numb. He couldn't even twitch a finger.

"Y-you…" Kakashi whispered.

"Don't worry." Motoko soothed, "It's just an anesthetic. You'll be out for the better part of twelve hours."

Kakashi slumped back onto his pillow, his body growing numb, and all the while only one thing going through his mind.

Why?

So did you like it or what? One thing my "editor" told me was that Kakashi was taken too easily and there needs to be a ninja battle soon. I know, I already planned a ninja battle in Chapter 6 which is in development. Also Kakashi was taken easily because even though he suspected his friend as a traitor, he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I guess if I was a better writer, I wouldn't need to explain that. Review, review, review...