Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. Truth be told, I completed this chapter about one and a half weeks ago, but my microsoft word developped an attitude and now hates me because I didn't give it a cookie or something. What I'm getting at, is that I couldn't use the spell-check function, so I was going to do it when I got around to reinstalling word. I reinstalled it, and it's still giving me attitude. So "Fck it!" I exclaimed, and decided to give you guys the original .txt file instead. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm already halfway through the next chapter, but can't give any guarantees that I'll post it up next week.

Chapter 17

"Any leads?"

Kiyoshi took a moment to think, "We know that that only dogs that went astray have the hatred towards Naruto."

"That gives us nothing but reason to hold a stake-out. What else?"

Kiyoshi shrugged, "Nothing else. They travel in packs."

Kakashi didn't want to bother Pakkun without anything to give him. "Let's go find the dog that's bitten Naruto last."

"We caught one this morning. A little puppy that got lost," suggested Kiyoshi.

"Perfect, that'll save us time. Where is it?"

"The owner has probably already come to pick it up. Let's go the address."

Kakashi followed Kiyoshi out the front door. "You look much better than the last time I saw you on that ship," said Kakashi.

Kiyoshi smiled, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

Kakashi looked a bit more closely at Kiyoshi's face and then retracted without any sign of surprise, "That's a nice cover-job."

"Thanks. You wouldn't have recognize me if I hadn't kept it on."

The man looked up at the clouds as they walked down the street, "Your life is just one big fancy tea-party, isn't it?"

Kiyoshi nodded, "Yeah, I'm tired of making patch-jobs. I think it'll be time to retire soon."

Kakashi's smile vanished, and he looked back down at the teen. "What are you talking about?"

Kiyoshi grinned, "I'm gonna quit being a ninja. I want a peaceful job doing something where nobody could get hurt."

"There is no such job. Every job has its hazards. I knew a plumber who had to get his arm amputated because it got stuck in the toilet. There was also a painter that fell off a tree trying to paint a landscape; he broke seven ribs, right arm, and left leg. There is no job that's absolutely safe."

Kiyoshi grinned, "I'm thinking of becoming a writer."

Kakashi started considering all kinds of mutilations that profession could give him, but kept them all to himself. "Where's our puppy?"

"Should be just around that corner," replied Kiyoshi, and made the turn. What he saw froze him; it was the fanciest house he'd ever seen. Although he imagined the blueprints wouldn't be too different from those of his house, and the size was just about the same, the way it looked was astonishing and breath-taking, as if it were a mansion.

The front lawn had various statues made out of all kinds of simple tools, accessories, and house-ware. There was a large webbing sticking into many points throughout the lawn, expanding, multiplying and connecting into the house. It looked like a maze, like a forest of warped bamboo. The windows of the house were made out of multiple types of glass, and warped together with bottle-caps, CD's and several other eye-pleasing rubbish.

"Well," said Kiyoshi, staring at the big piece of art that was a house, "You don't see this every day."

"We could..." Suggested Kakashi, "It's just that the owner isn't too fond of strangers."

"You know him?"

"Her," Corrected Kakashi, "It's an old lady that never leaves this house. She is from a former elite ANBU unit that got disbanded soon after the nine-tailed fox's reign of terror.

"Why?"

"Who knows," shrugged Kakashi, "I was too young back then to know anything about it." He continued, "It was too deeply undercover back then for anyone to notice. I'm still not quite sure what the unit's purpose was, but I'll tell you this much," He looked up at the house, "You won't find anything that refers to it in any texts we have today. Everything has been burned."

Kiyoshi got confused, then shook his head, "Then how do you know about the unit's existance?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

The boy stared at Kakashi for a moment, then looked back at the house. There was a shadow behind one of the warped windows, it fled back into the house's dark insides when Kiyoshi's eyes met with it.

"Alright, let's go ask her," Said Kakashi and stepped into the webbing surrounding the front lawn.

Kakashi made a strange combination of motions and repeated the cycle several times, slowly getting closer and closer to the house.

Kiyoshi couldn't figure it out, he watched Kakashi's feet entangle around eachother, often changing the direction of where he was going. But slowly and surely, Kakashi was getting closer to the house.

Then he realized, "Traps..." There were numerous hidden traps all over the lawn. He soon realized that the word 'Numerous' was an understatement; there were countless traps of all elements and severities hidden so closely that even an experienced eye wouldn't make out.

A sweat drop rolled down Kiyoshi's spine; he started wondering how he was going to cross the mine-field.

Kakashi had already reached the door and was waving back at Kiyoshi to come. Kiyoshi squatted down and looked at the field from a different perspective. He then smiled and dashed forward with enough force to keep him airborne until he reached the other side. He unsheathed his kodachis and used them as leverage by stabbing the ground whilst in mid-air.

He landed on his fingertips and spun around onto his feet before getting up and sheathing his blades. He then dusted himself off and hooled up at Kakashi to find the man slightly impressed.

"Not bad, good enough for the ANBU. But you forgot the chakra-hidden traps."

Kiyoshi looked back at the field to find that one of the traps had been set off. Fortunately it was a slow trap and went off too late to catch him or push him off-balance.

"No biggie, I forgot about the light-traps," smiled Kakashi, pointing at a spot on the field, which he had passed when he crossed over. "I had to neutralize it when I stepped into it."

Kiyoshi smiled. The trap reminded him of Hikari's concealment technique. "Nobody's perfect."

"I see you're having fun with my traps," said an old lady. Neither of the men heard her coming, but she was there never the less. "Kakashi-kun, I haven't seen you in ages!" The woman had snow-white hair that went past her shoulders, her face was slightly wrinkled, and she was wearing dark purple robes.

"It shows," smiled Kakashi, "How've you been? Roku-sama?"

Kiyoshi looked at the happy old lady and turned back to Kakashi, "I thought you said she doesn't like visitors."

"That's not what I said, I said she doesn't like strangers."

"So..." said Kiyoshi, cautiously turning back to the old lady. Judging by the traps and professional sneaking, she wasn't an old lady to be taken lightly, and he was half-expecting her to make him dead in one way or another.

To his surprise, she was grinning so hard that her eyes were closed. "I'm known as Roku, feel free to call me that."

Kiyoshi's tension eased and he sighed with relief. "I'm Kiyoshi, pleased to meet you."

Roku still felt some caution coming from Kiyoshi, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you."

"Stranger..."

"Anyone who crossed my field and still resembles the form of a human being is no stranger to me," She explained and grinned, "You still look pretty human to me."

"Alright," replied Kiyoshi.

Kakashi stepped in, "I'm afraid we're here on business, Roku."

"Oh, sure come in, I'll make some tea."

This behavior amused Kiyoshi. He turned to Kakashi and said, "I think she just ignored you outright."

The two men followed her into the fashionably radiant house.

Sipping the aromatic peach tea, Kiyoshi had nearly forgotten the reason why he was there. He started making small-talk, "So..." he said, "Why do they call you Roku?"

Roku lowered her head, "That was my number in the assembly line of madness."

Kiyoshi realized that he his a nerve with his question, "If it's a bother, you don't have to say anything."

"No, it's alright," replied Roku.

"Roku-sama," interrupted Kakashi, "Don't go there."

The woman hesitated for a moment and looked over her shoulder. She sighed deeply; the aura of cheer that she had recently given off had dispersed, and replaced with the aura of pain and sadness. "Kakashi-kun..." she said, "It's hard..."

"I know," agreed Kakashi, "A ninja's life is never easy. But for your own sake, keep it in."

Kiyoshi desparately wanted to know what was going on, but kept his curiosity to himself, as the subject was a delicate one, in both; heart and duty. "We're here to talk to you about your puppy."

The woman sheered up, "Cute, ain't he?"

"Yeah, the little devil is trained in professional evasion! It took a team of three experienced shinobi over five hours to catch him!"

The woman started laughing, "What'd you expect? How would've he escaped my traps if he wasn't experienced in caution?"

Kiyoshi gave off a light chuckle, "He is cute though..."

"So what do you want to know?"

Kakashi stood up and started stretching, "Did you notice anything strange about Giggles when you got him back?"

Kiyoshi burst out in a rave of uncontrollable laughter, "You named that puppy 'Giggles'?"

Roku grinned, "Good name, ain't it?"

Kakashi interrupted again, "So was there anything out of place?"

The woman folded her arms, "Out of place?" she asked, "Yeah, there was something out of place with Giggles alright! Some punk had brainwashed him into rage! It took me a while to set the poor thing's mind back in order!"

Kiyoshi smiled, "Now we're getting somewhere," he turned to Kakashi, "Can you get Pakkun to talk to the puppy?"

"Why are you asking me? Ask Pakkun once I've sommoned him."

Roku shook her head, "Oh no, you're not summoning indoors! You may interrogate Giggles, but keep the summoning outdoors!"

"Very well, agreed Kakashi."

"Before we go," said Kiyoshi before getting up, "Who was watching us from the second floor when we came here?"

Roku tried to hide her flinch, yet it was still evident. "That was me," she eventually replied.

Kiyoshi knew quite well that it wasn't her, but left the conversation for another time. "Let's get your puppy," He then turned to Kakashi, "Go get Pakkun, and we'll meet you out back."

Kakashi nodded and went out to the back yard. The usual routine of hand motions and a palm thrust into the ground summoned Pakkun. "Hey, Pakkun."

Pakkun yawned and looked up at Kakashi, surprisingly displeased, "You woke me up..."

"Sorry, I need you to help us out."