Okay, for Lessons Learned From a C Ranked Mission readers who are wondering how in the world this story fits in the timeline:
Prologue- After the safe camp is set up, before the Konoha rescue teams arrive
***Time Jump***
Chapter 1 and following. - If you look back over chapter 15 of Lessons Learned…, you should be able to figure out exactly what's going on. =)
Or you can wait for the end of the story to find out.
Sometimes, the stealthiest entrances are made right through the front door.
The primary entrance to Orochimaru's den lay hidden under genjutsu and protected under seals. Only once the three Sound ninja accessed it from the inside did it become visible.
Two of those Sound ninja moved out, searching for the source of their unexpected power outage. The third remained at the entrance, standing guard. Before long, the apparent cause was discovered and, as it could not be immediately fixed, the ninja re-entered the facility, dead rabbit in hand to verify their findings.
Just as the portal swung closed, a lone leaf drifted lazily through the air. It danced lightly in the breeze, spining twice before getting caught in the crevice, wedged between the door and its limestone frame.
The entry was sealed from within and for the next few minutes, silence reigned.
Finally, cautiously, a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village dropped down as well. He crouched, cat-like, by the door and closed his eyes, allowing his enhanced hearing to track the receding footsteps. Listening closely, he waited until the guards left the immediate area.
A hand sign transformed the wedged "leaf" into a strip of parchment inscribed with intricate ink seals.
Another hand sign activated the parchment, which acted as a key to the door. Since the enemies' seals had been applied over the Leaf seal, it retained the impression of the enemy chakra and could temporarily unlock the entryway.
The door swung open noiselessly. Iruka peered inside then finally nodded to his accomplices. The genin dropped down beside him, and before they entered Iruka took this opportunity for one last reinforcement of his directives. "Remember, team, this is a lightning operation: Get in. Get Ka…"
"…Get Kakashi. Get out," Naruto and Sakura chimed in and finished.
"We know sensei," Sakura assured. "You've already told us that."
"Over and over again," Naruto added with a grimace.
Repetition is a teacher's tool, but perhaps he had overdone it just a bit. The sensei couldn't help but worry a little that his charges would do something reckless. As if entering the Snake Sannin's domain weren't reckless enough.
Having entered, the door shut and re-sealed behind them. Iruka pocketed his new custom-fit paper key. The parchment retained the memory of the seals applied over it. So long as the door wasn't outfitted with new seals before it was time to leave, they could make use of this for an exit.
And if not, well, there was always the sewer pipes.
Here at the main entrance, a rank, musty odor assaulted their nostrils. A faint humming noise emitted from a few glowing chakra tags along the limestone wall, obviously slapped on in hasty response to the black-out. While it did offer at least minimal illumination, the sickly green light also cast eerily contorted shadows along the dank lair, giving the atmosphere a ghastly nightmarish quality. Rather fitting, considered their location.
The three intruders used chakra to attach themselves to the ceiling like they would normally do with trees. As ninja of the Leaf, they understood how effective it can be to conceal oneself above the enemy. An elementary shadow-cloaking jutsu, taught to every Academy student, shrouded each infiltrator in a covering of darkness.
Iruka was relieved to note that Orochimaru's lair had relatively high ceilings, with the dead light fixtures located halfway up the walls. Even if the power returned while they were inside, a few extra shadows on the ceiling would not be conspicuous.
As they moved along, the chunin couldn't help but be pleased at seeing how far along both genin had come in concealing their chakra and cloaking their physical presence. You've taught your students well, Kakashi.
Preliminary intelligence gathering- a success. Infiltration- coming along smoothly.
Now for the actual retrieval.
Iruka had stolen his fair share of secret documents in his lifetime; now he'd have to expand on those skills in order to retrieve an individual rather than information.
One crucial aspect to retrieval operations was the ability to communicate with teammates, even while maintaining complete silence. A nearly-invisible line of slender chakra thread connected the three ninja for just that reason.
The passageway branched off in three directions. Iruka sent a tiny chakra pulse along the thread, a signal for the others to hold their positions. He closed his eyes and concentrated, allowing his chakra to enhance his hearing once again.
His own heartbeat superseded the other noises at first. His teammates' slight breathing came through next. Iruka listened beyond that, interpreting certain noises as the sound of mice scrounging for food, and water dripping from a pipe.
He heard the soft shuffle of footsteps as well, in both directions. There were many people in this compound. But that still didn't tell him which way to go.
A distant scream assaulted his ultra-heightened hearing. Iruka cringed and put a hand over his ringing ear, but was too well trained to vocalize either his pain or surprise. The ringing subsided, and in its place came the realization that the cry sounded like it may have been the copy nin's.
In a way this was good news, he supposed. A screaming Kakashi meant a living Kakashi. Still, Iruka did not want to imagine what sort of duress would be required to elicit such a pain-wracked response from the legendary jounin.
At least now he had a direction. A single tug on the chakra thread instructed the genin to follow him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Somewhere along the way, their dank cave-like surroundings transformed into sleek, metallic walls. The air became colder. The atmosphere more clinical. While this seemed strange, Iruka had more pressing things to worry about than a random change in décor.
Vigilant guards can be a problem for would-be infiltrators. They took their job seriously, paid careful attention to every sight and sound around them, and jumped to investigate every little noise.
Iruka had tasked Naruto with dealing with such dedicated sentry. The boy's solid shadow clones provided careful distractions to these guards, leading them from their post with sounds and movements that inevitably turned out to be "rattling pipes" or "those darn rats again."
But even the best guards become disinterested. Spending countless hours on watch, and never having anything show up, will take its toll on most anyone's level of awareness. The more bored a guard was, the better it was for the opposition.
Sakura was tasked with the use of an elementary technique called emotional projection. A ninja knew how to manipulate others by influencing them with certain feelings. Sakura, with her strong emotional capacity and affinity for genjutsu, was a natural at this skill. Imagining some of the driest lectures she'd ever received, she assaulted her targets with the overwhelming and sense-dulling sensation of utter boredom. These guards were then easy to sneak past, or ripe prey for a simple genjutsu cast by the chunin squad leader.
Iruka's breath caught when Kakashi's screams went suddenly silent.
By the kage, he hoped that meant the termination of the jounin's torture session, and not that of his life. No, Iruka comforted himself, if Orochimaru wanted Kakashi dead, the opportunities had been plentiful. That Sannin was after something else.
He continued in the general direction of their captured comrade's cries, but determining an exact location would be difficult now that they had been silenced.
The chunin signaled with the chakra thread for his teammates to wait as he stopped to investigate one suspicious room. Iruka unwound more thread as he left the two further behind, knowing that at his signal they would either follow or turn back.
When he entered the room, still attached firmly to the ceiling, his eyes widened at the revelation of what he'd found.
Not Kakashi, but the next best thing. Information.
This…this was a file room…no doubt full of all types of intelligence that would have his superiors back in Konoha drooling in anticipation. Could it contain the site of Orochimaru's other hidden bases and laboratories? His plans for future attacks? Perhaps here was where that Snake was keeping records of the results of his experimentation.
The paperwork ninja found himself lusting after the contents of these files. How long would it take to steal or make copies of the information? How much risk could he afford, in dealing with whatever traps and seals were sure to protect them from being tampered?
"Get in. Get Kakashi. Get out." Iruka mentally chanted. Ironic that the mantra he forced down his genin's throat was now guiding him.
With the time and danger involved in getting into such sensitive intelligence, he'd put Naruto and Sakura at greater risk and drastically decrease their chances of successfully rescuing the copy ninja undetected. He could not, would not, sacrifice their lives for information, however potentially valuable it may be. Sorry Ibiki.
He was about to turn back when he felt a warning pulse flow through the chakra wire, followed by two gentle tugs. The genin were letting him know that two enemies were approaching this room. If Iruka left now, he would likely be spotted.
Scooting into the darkest corner, he made sure his shadow and chakra cloaking were perfectly in place and waited. Just in case, he slowed his breathing and heartbeat to minimize the chance of being heard.
Two ninja entered the room. One Iruka instantly recognized as the traitor, Yakushi Kabuto, the young man who took out eight Konoha ANBU in an attempt to get at Sasuke.
The chunin willed his heart not to beat faster in anxiety. He was hidden. His genin were hidden. Sasuke was a half day's journey away. Kabuto didn't know he was here. For now he had the advantage.
The two ninja approached a darkened computer terminal. Iruka hadn't noticed it before. Odd, since he was usually very observant. He must have really been distracted by his desire for the files.
Iruka despised computers. Once, at Hayate's behest, they tried to install one in the mission room, but found the machine to be slow and inconvenient. Then one day it crashed and its memory erased, making Iruka fiercely glad that he had insisted on maintaining paper files as usual.
Despite all those problems, Hayate had still insisted that computers were the future, that one day they would all but replace traditional scroll and parchment. Like that would ever happen.
Apparently, Orochimaru saw some value in those irritating machines as well.
The unknown ninja began to boot the computer system. He waved a hand at the now lit screen. "As you can see, Kabuto, we have enough power in the backup generator to keep most of the machines in the laboratories running, as well as some of our computer systems. The rest will have to wait until we're back to full power."
Iruka felt disappointed, but did not dwell on it. Not everything could go according to plan. At least the lights were still down, as well as the security cameras.
Kabuto set open a folder he'd been carrying. "Well then, I need you to enter the latest data from the Hatake experiments. I'm going back to go retrieve more data from our subject."
"Yes, sir," the other responded.
Iruka sent his teammates a warning pulse that an enemy was about to exit from the room into the area where they were hidden. Then he cast one last longing look at the file cabinets around him, scowling at the man entering information on their Kakashi, before exiting himself.
At least there was one positive development. It seemed that following Kabuto would lead them to their copy ninja.
Iruka reunited with Naruto and Sakura. Pride swelled in him when the only way he could find them was to follow the chakra wire binding them together. Their cloaking skills were excellent. Of course, Naruto had loved this technique as early as his Academy days; it was the one he used most often for his infamous pranks. But back then, Iruka, at least, had been able to see through it. Now both children were able to seamlessly blend with their surroundings.
The three Leaf ninja followed Kabuto, keeping as much distance as possible between them. Iruka's acute hearing allowed him to follow without actually keeping visual contact with the Leaf defector.
Just how big is this place? the chunin wondered, as he made what seemed like dozens of twists and turns through the labyrinth-like hallways. His hands were being rubbed raw as he crawled upside down on the rough concrete ceiling. Too bad they didn't stick with the metallic motif from earlier. By now it was clear that this compound was purposely designed to cause confusion and disorientation.
The smell of drugs and antiseptics stung his nose, alerting him to their proximity to their target.
An oppressive surge of chakra and an overwhelming sense of dread weighed down on him, almost palpitable in its thickness. He heard Sakura gulp audibly and knew that his students felt it as well.
Finally, they made it outside the lab where Kakashi lay prisoner. Kabuto was, of course, already inside. Iruka opted to eavesdrop on the proceedings before deciding their next step.
"…ready to begin, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto finished saying.
A cold laugh sent chills down Iruka's spine. "It seems our last session was a bit much for dear Kakashi. He's still out cold." A wet noise followed this, which sounded very much like a tongue moving against flesh. "See if you can revive him first."
"As you wish, my Lord."
"I'll leave you to it, then." The Snake Sannin informed him. "When the next batch is ready, I'll have it sent over."
The Leaf ninja remained hidden on the ceiling, covered in shadows, as the mastermind behind Kakashi's abduction retreated from the laboratory. Breathlessly, they watched him move down the hall, opposite from where they themselves had travelled.
Every nerve and muscle taut, Iruka barely controlled his hands from shaking. Hidden though they were, just seeing the man they were about to cross brought to bear just how much he was endangering his former students.
It was quite sometime before the three of them dared to move again. Iruka crawled along the ceiling, backing away from the laboratory.
Recap, Iruka thought to himself. We found Kakashi, but Kabuto is currently in there with him. However, Orochimaru just left, and he is greater danger. The longer we wait, the more likely it becomes that he will return during the extraction. Not to mention the more damaged Kakashi himself will be, as a result of the experimentation.
Finally, Iruka found what he was looking for, an unoccupied room they had passed by moments earlier. He entered, locking the door behind them.
"Sensei, what are we going to do?" Sakura whispered faintly once the room was safely sealed and soundproofed.
Iruka rubbed his scar pensively. "I have a plan."
The chunin dropped down to the ground. His hands flew threw familiar seals as he focused his thoughts on the man who just left the laboratory. A thin cloud of chakra smoke obscured him for a moment before clearing up. In place of the Academy sensei, stood the very likeness of the pale-skinned Orochimaru.
"Well," he spread his arms out, presenting himself for inspection. "How did I do?" Iruka knew that his students had a close-up encounter with the Snake Sannin during the chunin exams. Iruka himself had never even seen the battle with the Hokage, since he had been involved with the evacuation. "This is the first time I've seen Orochimaru in years, and it was rather dark."
"Well… you did a pretty good job." Sakura finally offered. Naruto was too busy grimacing at the image of his hated foe to comment.
"Just pretty good?" Iruka could tell she was being polite and it made him uneasy. "I need to be better than pretty good if this is going to work. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, Sakura. Tell me what I did wrong."
"I-I think his eyebrows are thinner…don't you Naruto?" the kunoichi asked.
Naruto squinted and tilted his head to the side. "Yeeaahh…And his eyes were creepier."
"Creepier?" Iruka frowned.
"Creepier," the boy nodded decisively.
"Okaaay..." Iruka sighed, internally trying to decide what sort of concrete change would result in an increase of "creepiness" in those serpentine eyes.
It took several adjustments, but once the illusion was up to standard, the children instructed him on the way Orochimaru smiled with the left side of his mouth lifted up higher than the right. Iruka flicked his tongue out a few times for practice sake. Then he made quick work of finding the right voice.
Henge no jutsu, the art of transformation, was one of Iruka's strongest abilities. He had fooled his former friend, Mizuki, into believing he was Naruto. He had fooled Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke; the children who spents hours on end with him, day after day, for several years; into believing he was an enemy ninja, when he tried to test their abilities before the chunin exam.
He could fool Kabuto into thinking he was Orochimaru, he thought fiercely. He had to. The consequence of failure was more than he cared to consider.
"I'm going in, without the chakra wire," Iruka told them finally. "You both remain in hiding outside the laboratory. You may enter only after I've gotten Kabuto to leave."
"But how can we warn you when someone's coming if you don't have the wire?" Sakura asked.
"You can't," he stated curtly. " It's a risk we'll have to take. I doubt Kabuto would fail to notice something like that." The genin exchanged a nervous glance, and Iruka smiled reassuringly, or, at least, what would have been reassuring if the features weren't Orochimaru's. "Now, let's go rescue Kakashi-sensei."
It was the right thing to say. The kids' eyes brightened and they nodded seriously. Sakura shrouded herself in shadows once more and resumed the high vantage point. Naruto followed suit, but before chakra walking to the ceiling, Iruka found himself smothered by the clingy shadow genin.
"Be careful, Iruka-sensei," Naruto whispered.
"I will," the chunin promised, shooing the boy away before he became too sentimental. Orochimaru was not sentimental.
Dangerous, ruthless, cunning, confident, these were the characteristics he needed to focus on at this moment.
He coolly entered the laboratory where Kabuto hovered over the form of their prisoner.
"Lord Orochimaru," the younger ninja straightened, then inclined his head. "The next batch couldn't be ready yet, could it?"
"Not quite," Iruka confirmed, exuding self-assurance and power that he did not truly feel. Next batch of what? Best to change the topic.
He continued in a silky tone. "Tell me, Kabuto, why have these idiots failed to bring the power back yet? This system collapse is trying my patience."
"My lord, we don't have skilled electricians in this base at the moment. It will take some time, but it shouldn't be too much longer."
"Hn." Iruka narrowed his pale gold, sufficiently creepy eyes. "And what of our pet? Is he conscious?"
Gliding closer to the examination table, the chunin restrained all visible reaction when getting his first real glimpse of the unmasked, barely dressed copy ninja.
A fragile paper doll, Kakashi's skin was nearly as white as Orochimaru's himself. Except where conspicuously marred by various contusions and injury. His arms were covered with needle marks and the telltale signs of collapsed veins. Tremors wracked the emaciated form, though he gave no sign of being lucid at the moment.
"I haven't been able to revive him," Kabuto admitted, interrupting Iruka's hasty analysis. "Shall I begin the procedure regardless?"
"No," Iruka hissed, both wanting to spare his comrade and making the conjecture that Orochimaru was something of a sadist. "We'll wait until our dear Kakashi is awake for that." He took a moment to stroke the copy ninja's abused neck, stifling the anger that surged upon noting the distinctly hand-shaped bruising. "I want to tear more screams from his throat."
"Yes, sir," Kabuto responded indifferently, indicating that Iruka's words had been the normal and expected response.
"Go and see what's taking so long to get the power back," Iruka continued. "I don't tolerate incompetence."
"Yes, sir."
The young man bowed, and in that instant Iruka realized this was probably the best chance he'd get to terminate this filthy turncoat. A well placed kunai could do the job if he managed to actually make proper contact. A poisoned kunai would make even a non-mortal wound fatal.
Even great men could die in simple ways.
And yet, a botched murder attempt would utterly destroy their real mission.
Kabuto straightened, and the moment was lost.
Get In. Get Kakashi. Get out. Iruka reminded himself again, trying not to feel too guilty about letting such an opportunity slip through his fingers. It wouldn't help Konoha, or Kakashi, if he got himself killed by doing something reckless.
Maintaining his role as Orochimaru he added, "I'm staying here with our pet for the moment. I do not want to be disturbed."
"Of course…Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto leapt forward as he sneered the last word, and Iruka belatedly realized he'd been discovered after all.
Thank you all for such an enthusiastic reception for this fic! It's an incredible encouragement. Thanks to terracannon876, chibi heishi, KakashiKrazed, Auphora66, Reidluver, Ir1s, Skater Valentine, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Hiya120, Ryuosen, dk-joy, Prescripto13, and deerang88 for reviewing!