Word Count: 2026

A/N: Yeah, this chapter is shorter than the other one but I didn't really want to go beyond where I ended. shrugs It might be laziness, or it could be chalked up to the fact that I had nothing else I wanted to write.

Ninja who fought in the Third Great Shinobi War tended to stray from using the word 'friend'. It was foolish they knew, it was like they were children again, trying to rationalize never playing a game because they last time they did, they were hurt. Never using the word 'friend' gave the ninja of that generation a sense of detachment from their emotions, the same detachment that the elders of the village deemed a characteristic of a perfect shinobi.

And perfect shinobi is what they had to be. They were supposed to feel nothing when they slit the throat of a Rock genin nine-year-old that fought for her life and for her village, they were supposed to feel nothing when they attacked a town of rogue ninja hiding with their wives and children and burned it to the ground. They were to feel nothing when they saw a comrade felled by senbon to the entire right side of their body, or when they saw a comrade decapitated by a sword attack they never saw coming. They were to feel nothing, and that was okay, because they weren't friends, and it didn't matter.

In that generation, friends were gutted with kunai and tortured to death protecting false information. In that generation, friends no more than fourteen years of age were sent on recon missions where, even if you were male or female, you slept with the enemy, and hoped to get some information back to your teammates before you were found and killed. In that generation, the only thing a ninja needed was a comrade in arms. No one is quite sure when the line between comrade and friend became blurred.

Some ninja think it was when Genma dragged Raido's half-burned body back from enemy lines, injured and exhausted himself, his arm broken in three places. Others think it was when Shikaku used his clan's forbidden jutsu in order to buy Choza and Inoichi more time, their bodies broken from a Doton jutsu (as far as he was concerned it was much too troublesome to even try and make himself believe that Inoichi and Choza weren't his best friends). Some believe it was when Kurenai took a kunai in the back for Anko, the same kunai that everyone else hoped would kill her; after all she was the only one who survived Orochimaru's experiment, and as far as everyone else was concerned, Anko was better off dead.

Ninja who fought in the Third Great Shinobi War tended to stray from using the word 'friend'. That's what made it okay for Asuma to drag Kakashi's half-dead body away from the chidori'd ninja that had nearly put a katana through Asuma's heart, it then made it okay for Asuma pull down Kakashi's mask and do everything in his power to make him breathe again, if only because he hated being indebted to anyone.

If it was ever noticed, no one ever commented on how Konoha ninja were so protective towards others that people from other villages wouldn't quite label 'friend'.

Ninja who fought in the Third Great Shinobi War had no need for friends, all they needed to be perfect shinobi were comrades; although no one is quite sure when the line between comrade and family became blurred.

-

"We'll stop here." Kakashi stated, dropping down from a tree limb and landing in a enclosed clearing.

This mission, he would be giving the orders, having been appointed team captain upon arrival to the front gates. To his surprise, Tsunade had met them all there and briefed them on the mission again, this time offering up some last minute information ANBU's Intelligence had dug up about the blood-limit their target possessed.

Apparently part of it was an off-shoot of the Byakugan, descending from a group of Hyuuga that refused to become a part of Konoha back when Shodai was in the first stages of founding the village. From what was known of them now, their eyes are even more far removed than the eyes of Kurenai's clan, what without the inbreeding the Konoha-based Hyuuga used to keep their blood pure, it also seemed that they had crossed blood with the Takeda Clan, a clan known for their tactical brilliance and for their legendary blood lust. Just from hearing the name of the Takeda Clan alone, Kakashi knew that this mission was not going to be a walk in the park.

They had been traveling for about two hours at ANBU pace, so they were doing pretty well on time. "We'll rest here for fifteen minutes," Kakashi continued, "and then continue moving, after we travel for another two hours we'll rest again and then continue until it gets dark, got it?"

"Because ninjas are supposed to be run into the ground." Genma remarked in a sarcastic off-handed manner, dropping to the forest floor with an undignified grunt.

"No actually," Raido began airily, leaning up against a tree across the way from Genma, "ninja are supposed to be flaky man-whores who get wasted the night before a mission. But it's alright really, most people get that confused."

"Oh yeah, very funny Rai-chan, that's not somethin' I wanna hear from you after you --"

"Just like a married couple, aren't they? Heartwarming." Asuma commented, taking a drag of his cigarette and ignoring the display, chuckling lightly when Kakashi did nothing but roll his eye.

"I suppose you could call it that." Kakashi remarked dryly, taking a seat by Asuma --who, as usual had commandeered the use of the most comfortable place there was, which, in this case was nothing more than a rather large moss-covered log in the middle of the enclosure.

Kakashi sighed, not knowing exactly what was going to happen, and not being in complete control unnerved him. Granted, his speculation on the ANBU affiliation of his teammates was spot on (with the exception of Asuma, who served a brief stint as an ANBU bodyguard before he left to become one of the 12 Guard Ninjas of Fire --which, to say, was many years ago), and he knew somewhat of the type of person they were going up against, but that was about all he had.

As wary as he was, (no matter how many times Genma told him to, "Take that stick out of your ass and stop worrying Kakashi", he paid him no mind, the day he would stop being paranoid will be the day where he's either six feet under or in too many pieces to find) Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that this was just about the best team that could have been chosen for any scenario that would arise. He had a poisons expert, a go-to man, and someone who knew a little bit of everything (and was a sturdy as an oak tree), between them and his genius, most of their missions had gone off without the slightest hitch. And it helped that he had known these men for over a decade, Asuma in particular he had known since he was around 12 (how Asuma and Obito became friends was really beyond him, but in Obito's book, you were friends from the moment you made eye contact and didn't glare at him like he was a complete loser--meaning that Kakashi wasn't very high on his list of friends most of the time).

Genma and Raido he knew from when he was first initiated into ANBU, they had dragged him from the ANBU lounge where he was passed out drunk after the ritualistic rookie initiation (read: drinking contest and hazing), actually, Raido dragged him home and put him to bed while Genma waited at the side of his bed so he could laugh his ass off as soon as Kakashi woke up.

Needless to say, Kakashi and Genma didn't exactly start off on the right foot, and, if Kakashi called correctly, the first thing he did upon seeing the said ninja, he promptly pulled down his mask and vomited all over him. Genma was so busy between being shocked and horrified beyond belief (and choking on his senbon) that he didn't even register that Hatake Kakashi had just removed his mask. (Later he would furious, he had bet 50 ryo that Kakashi had some sort of ghastly facial defect... or at least a mole.) Though, to be fair, Kakashi was equally mortified (even if he didn't show it), he had gotten drunk. Like, having-no-control-of-your-motor-functions drunk. But it really was a crap mission he had been assigned to, so as far as Kakashi's concerned, all's well that ends (remotely) well.

...Genma was an asshole, something that Kakashi would readily admit if anyone asked him, but there was something about his laid-back yet flamboyant demeanor that had struck Kakashi as contradictory and odd, but when Kakashi found out what Genma had done for Raido, he admitted to himself that he really couldn't be that bad. Genma was everything Kakashi was not, both in the presence of friends and in battle. In battle, Genma was the type of person that warned you that he would kick your ass, kick your ass, and if you were still alive afterward, he would boast very loudly about how badly he had kicked your ass. Granted, that attitude had toned down immensely over the years, but his competitive spirit was not something that could be beaten out of him.

And yet, even in the face of all that, the only thing that unnerved Kakashi about him was Genma's innate ability to just know. Everything. Quite frankly, it freaked Kakashi out.

Genma really should look into being Ibiki's assistant, creepy bastards that they both are.

Kakashi sighed, eyeing Asuma's laid-back position against the log as Raido and Genma continued bickering about something else in the background. Fifteen minutes was about to be up in, five, four, three, two, one...

"Alright children, break it up." Kakashi intoned condescendingly, coming up from his sitting position and stretching. They still had a fair amount of ground to cover before they would bed down until morning.

"As you command, Cap'n." Genma drawled, not hesitating to sneak in a witty comment as he took to his feet himself.

"If I were a lesser man, I might resent that, Hatake." Raido added, grinning.

"Now now, Namiashi-san," Asuma started, the corners of his mouth twitching in a would-be smirk, "none of us are insulting your manhood, so wouldn't it be best to, as they say, let sleeping dogs lie?"

"Of course you're not," Genma retorted on Raido's behalf, purposefully ignoring the insinuation, "because Raido's obviously the manliest man here --besides me, of course."

Raido sighed, shaking his head as he jumped to follow Kakashi's lead, refusing to deign and respond to Asuma or Genma.

"Is that so?" Asuma continued conversationally, following both Raido and Kakashi into the trees.

"'Course it is." Genma snorted, moving forward to run beside him, "the man is a stud. You know Kanako, right? The busty chuunin that hangs out at The Bronze?"

Asuma nodded.

"Yeah well, dude, I saw the both of them walk into the backroom one night and next thing I knew, she came out walking like she had a corkscrew between her legs. That and the other day he kept asking me for condoms. I mean no one has ever gotten her in a backroom. Maybe Rai has some kind of elaborate piercing, or a tat--"

"Genma!" Raido snapped, whipping his head around to face Genma, "I keep telling you that I had nothing to do with Kanako, I, for one don't want to end up with multiple sexually transmitted diseases and you know I was piss ass drunk that night, I could barely walk straight."

Genma opened his mouth to say something, but Raido cut him off, "And I asked you for a condom once, when you were sixteen. Don't be a douche bag Genma, just because you screw everything on two legs doesn't mean everyone else has to."

"Rai-chan...you're making me sad."

"Ugh!"

By now, Asuma had left the two and had resumed his position next to Kakashi. "Like a married couple, indeed."

Kakashi did nothing but roll his eye and move a little bit faster.

Kiki's Excuse Corner-

Yes, this story can pretty much be classified as a slight AU. Mostly because I don't know the background of these characters, and am going to be taking a lot of liberties with them (while still trying to stay within the bounds of IC). So really, don't take most things I write as canon. Mostly everything before the manga starts, except for Asuma's work as one of the 12 Ninja guards and Kakashi Gaiden, are made up. I have no clue who was in ANBU and who wasn't (except for Kakashi). And whether people who I'm saying are close really are is a whole 'nother matter entirely. But I happen to like stories that have the 'elite ninja' group as friends, so I decided to reflect that in my story.

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Dialogue is blech. I've never really been too good at dialogue, but I am trying my best. Any tips? Thought it was sub-par? Let me know.

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The Takeda Clan is an actual Japanese clan. In power from the 12th- 15th century. The most famous member of this clan was Takeda Shingen, who was famous of his tactical genius and innovations. And that is where I'm getting my basis for the clan as they are this story. I'm going to have a little bit more research on them and try and flesh this clan out, I think they're going to have a pretty big role in the story, I'm not sure, I only made them up today. But yeah, you can check out the Takeda clan on wikipedia.

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As for the currency that's going to be used in this story, I've used ryo. Mostly because I don't really consider the Naruto-verse to be that modern, even if they have electricity and t.v. and other junk like that. Besides, I like ryo.

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I noticed I got quite a few new Story Alerters. Don't be shy, tell me what you think. XD