Author's Note: Another update from school. You guys are lucky. :P
Haha nah, I'm lucky that I have so many people who like this story! Thank you everyone!
And thanks to those of you who were concerned about my car situation, hahaha. Looks like it should be fixed by tonight, which is good. :)
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I don't think it's very long, but hopefully still good? haha.
Reviews would be splendid, as always. :D
Thank you to Angel42497, Ninja Trio's Best, Sara and Kisa, and BlackRose723 for reviewing the last chapter. You are amazing!

Seven: Deliberation

When I had finally made it home, I opened the door only to be greeted by a very impatient-looking Kakashi sitting on the kitchen countertop. His drooping right eye stared, unwavering, in my direction, as if he had been sitting there awaiting my arrival the entire day. Normally I would have laughed at such a pitiful act, but there was so much on my mind that I simply scoffed instead. Kicking the door shut, I stepped further into the room and placed my hands on my hips. "Why are you here?" I asked.

"I'm waiting for dinner," he replied, kicking his feet in a childlike manner.

"Well I'm not cooking," I sighed, advancing past him and entering the living room. I threw myself face-first onto the sofa and closed my eyes.

I could hear Kakashi's disbelieving gasp as he slid himself off of the counter, his shoes tapping gently against the hardwood floor as he did so. "You mean I sat around here waiting for you for no reason?"

I craned my neck to flash him a confused look. "You've been here all day?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I had nothing better to do…"

"Ah, of course," I rolled my eyes, returning my head to the comfort of the soft cushion underneath me.

Kakashi took a seat in a living chair across from the couch. He looked at me for a long time, as if trying to figure out exactly what I was thinking. After a long silence, Kakashi sighed in defeat as he remembered that he, in fact, wasn't a mind reader and finally asked, "What's on your mind?"

I flipped myself over so that I was lying on my back, placing one hand beneath my head and the other over my stomach. "Well, before I get into that, I'm going to have to tell you about today's mission."

"Alright."

"Much to my surprise, Lady Hokage assigned us an escort mission, meaning we actually got to leave the village for the first time."

"Where'd you go?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Tanzaku Town. Now—"

"Who did you have to escort?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "A merchant."

"What did he sell?"

"Kakashi, for crying out loud!" I half-yelled-half-laughed.

Kakashi joined me in laughter. "Alright, alright. I'll listen."

"As I was saying," I continued, glaring in his direction, "On the way to Tanzaku Town, we encountered enemies. They seemed just like regular bandits, but… after what one of the men said… I'm not so sure…"

"What did he say?" Kakashi inquired, leaning forward in his seat. He placed his elbows on his knees while resting his chin atop his laced fingers.

"Well, Nikko stupidly charged into battle even though I specifically told him not to. He was quickly captured by one of the men, who almost pierced a kunai straight through the boy's chest. Luckily, Toshiro, the wielder of the Isami clan's kekkei genkai, threw himself in front of the attack. After puncturing the man's vital chakra points, he began absorbing his chakra, using it to heal the wound from the kunai. Before he could be finished off, however, the men managed to escape. They said that they'd 'found what they're after' before they took off."

"'Found what they're after?'" Kakashi repeated.

I nodded. "I've been trying to figure out what they meant by it."

"You said they were bandits?"

"I thought so at first," I responded, "but, now that I think about it, they didn't steal anything. Hell, they didn't even seem interested in the merchant at all. It seemed like… like they just wanted to fight."

Kakashi closed his eyes. The only sound he made was the gentle exhalation of air through his nose. "Could they have been testing your skills?" He finally suggested.

I shrugged. "I guess it's a possibility, but why would they do it? What's so special about a group of Genin ninja and their Jonin leader?"

After a moment of reflection, Kakashi and I simultaneously locked eyes, as if we both had realizations at the same time. "Could it be…" Kakashi started.

"The Kiseigan?" I finished.

"It is possible," Kakashi stated, "I mean, there have been multiple instances where outsiders attempted to unlock the secrets of kekkei genkai for themselves. The Byakugan, for example."

"Yeah," I breathed, "those Cloud ninja bastards kidnapped Hinata when she was just three years old… Those cowards… She was too young to even defend herself!"

"People are willing to do just about anything they can to gain more power," Kakashi said in a low voice.

As I thought about what was being said, I began to reflect on today's mission. I thought about Toshiro's unveiling of the Kiseigan, and I remembered how Toshiro's target writhed in pain as the life was slowly sucked out of him. The man's twin managed to save him, and I remembered the wicked grin that crept onto his face as he muttered, "This must be the Isami boy, then."

I gasped as I recalled the evil hiss of his voice and the glint of victory in his narrowed eyes. "Shit," I cursed under my breath, "Now that I think of it, I did find it particularly strange that they had been expecting Toshiro. One of the man said, 'This must be the Isami boy,' as Toshiro was using his Kiseigan on the other."

"Sure sounds like they're after the boy," Kakashi concluded.

I started to panic. I bolted upright and headed for the front door. "I need to inform Lady Tsunade of this."

"I'm coming with you," Kakashi told me, lifting himself out of his chair to follow me.

Thankfully the sun had completely disappeared for the night, meaning that we didn't have to meander through a sea of villagers on our way to the Hokage Mansion. Sprinting the whole way, we arrived at the building in a matter of minutes. We raced up the stairs, skipping one or two at a time, and when we reached the top floor, I impatiently bashed my knuckles against the Hokage's closed door. Before she had even finished the phrase, "Come in," I had almost kicked the door off of the hinges.

"Lady Hokage!" I cried as I dashed into the room. Kakashi placed a hand on my shoulder, as if telling me without words to calm down. The touch of his hand brought me back to my senses.

"What is it, Kaeda? Kakashi?" Lady Tsunade inquired, furrowing her eyebrows at my dramatic entry. She tapped a stack of papers against the top of her desk before placing them inside a folder and closing it.

"We're terribly sorry for the intrusion," Kakashi apologized on my behalf, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"We believe that Toshiro Isami is a target for kidnapping," I quickly explained.

The Fifth's eyes hardened upon hearing me. "On what basis?" She asked seriously.

"Occurrences during today's mission suggest that a group of unknown enemies is after the Isami clan's kekkei genkai, the Kiseigan." I told her.

Her brown eyes shifted to the side for a moment as she thought in silence. "Alright," she finally replied, "I'm listening."