Chapter fourteen

It took a while but eventually Kakashi had a make-shift map laid out in front of him. He'd memorized the way to the Iwagakure headquarter and after careful consideration he thought he had a grasp of which route the thieves would take to deliver the scroll. He didn't know how many people would escort it but he guessed between five or six. There wasn't much he could to but try to even out the odds. He'd considered the fact that they might choose a path across the rooftops but then deemed it unlikely. There were too many risky elements, a lot of nooks and crannies that could hide assailants. No, their best bet was probably to go as a troop through the streets. And when they did, Kakashi would be there, waiting for them. He had paid close attention to the layout of the city and there was a place that was perfect; a narrow alleyway with high walls. It was hard to survey, to get a grasp of.

"Okay, this is what we'll do," he said and Naruto leaned in to watch the map.

"I'll cause a distraction in the front, by the crossroads, thus boxing them in. And that's when you make your move, coming from somewhere around here," he circled an area on the map, "a place we'll choose later on, but the main thing here is that we have to do it at the same time. We have to assume these guys are just as good as we are, and that they will scatter the second they know something is amiss."

It was the first rule of stealing; it's always easier when people don't know that you're stealing from them.

"You need to move as fast as you can, and don't fight unless you have to. If we don't pull this off perfectly and get the scroll back, this whole thing will blow back on Konoha."

Naruto nodded solemnly, supporting his head on his hand, looking intently at the map.

"With me so far?" Kakashi asked.

Another nod.

"After you get the scroll we meet up here," he pointed towards a little street on the map, "I'll hold them off so that you can get away clean. Anyway, we will have stashed our bags there beforehand. We don't want them to trace us back to this apartment. The most important thing is to make sure you're not followed, otherwise they might figure out that we took the back road instead of the main road. The place is right between the two, and with a bit of luck they'll think we took the proper one, and it'll set them off our tracks, at least for a while."

He wondered how he would explain the next thing to Naruto. He knew he'd never accept it but he had to make him understand.

"Naruto,"

On the other side of the table the blond sat up straight, put his hands in his lap, undeniably aware of how serious Kakashi was being.

"Yes?"

"If I don't show up within ten minutes, you get your bag and the scroll and you go. I know you'll find your way back to Konoha with Pakkuns help."

He watched Narutos expression as he spoke, saw emotions flicker across too fast for him to follow, then leaving a grim look of defiance. He looked baffled at the mere thought of running and putting the scroll before Kakashi. Despite the fact that it was endearing it didn't stop the prickle of annoyance he felt. His life wasn't worth the lives that would inevitably be in danger if what was in that scroll got out and into the wrong hands. He'd made those kinds of decisions before and with an equation like that Kakashi's side always came up short. He did his job, every day, knowing that he would eventually be asked to die for his village. He'd made the choice a long time ago. By then Naruto had gotten back his ability to speak and he made good use of it.

"So you're saying that I should leave you?"

Kakashi sighed, knowing that he wasn't taking this well.

"Yes."

"I should leave you in a mob of angry people, all wanting to lop off your head? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well, in less direct terms, yes."

He took a moment to compose himself, about to explain the duties of a ninja when he glanced at Naruto, who was looking positively murderous.

I wonder who it is that truly wants to lop off my head.

For a faint second he almost expected Naruto to grab him, punch some sense into him. Kakashi tried explaining,

"This is what being a shinobi is all about, knowing that there are some things that you have to sacrifice-"

"Oh, some things like your life?" Naruto said hotly, on the verge of snarling.

He knew that Naruto had had enough of people dying for his sake, indirectly or not. He looked down on his own fingers, they were light against the sturdy wood the table was made out of.

"Naruto..." he said again, relished at the feel of his name across his lips. He was not above begging if it meant he would agree.

He met his gaze, stared into those blue eyes like a dying man looking up at the stars.

"I need you to do this for me. I need you to promise me."

Naruto didn't answer, his mouth was slightly open, prepared to shape words if only he could figure out which ones he needed.

"I- I can't."

"Please."

Kakashi knew he was being unreasonable but he had to know that if the time came and push came to shove, that he would do what was right. He had to enter this mission knowing whole-heartedly that Naruto would back him up on this.

The other man looked down, away.

"Fine," he said in a strangled voice.

"Just so that we're clear."

A curt nod.

There seemed to be too little air in the room and his head hurt. He soldiered on with the plan, it was unavoidable to go through it at least once from start to finish.

"All goes well, I'll meet you there and we'll make our way home. Questions?"

He shook his head.

Kakashi then proceeded to call Bisuke.

As soon as he'd appeared he asked, "Any news from Pakkun?"

The dog shook his head, creating little flopping noises with his ears.

"No, by the looks of it they don't know what's coming. There's been no suspicious activity, no increase in security."

"Alright," Kakashi said. "Tell him it's go time tomorrow and that he should be ready around lunch. We'll do the same thing as we did in Kirigakure, only now we're just two and I don't think that thing with the minister will work. Also things may get dicey. He should focus on Naruto, following him to the meeting point, and if I'm not there in ten, they both go. Got it?"

"Mhm." He left.

Naruto smiled for the first time that day, immediately sensing that there was a story behind it.

"What happened with the minister?"

They had a mightily disappointing pre-cooked lunch, Kakashi didn't want it to go to waste but neither did he feel particularly inclined to carry it back to Konoha.

"Ugh, I'd gotten used to normal food..." Naruto said and eyed the bag with a suspicious expression.

Kakashi sighed and finished his food.

"It's better than nothing. Also I think our budget is getting a little tight. You're getting a proper dinner, I promise."

Naruto looked pleased.

"That's all I wanted to hear."

Some twenty minutes later they were both done and Naruto waited outside when Kakashi went around to turn the lights off, locked the door and then pulled on the handle, making sure it was properly locked. Out on the street he consulted the map in his mind and went left, Naruto trailing quietly behind him.

They went to the planned rendezvous point, a shabby looking alley. It was empty aside from a single, old trashcan.

"This will do nicely. And it's got lots of escape options. You think you'll find your way here again later?"

He nodded yes.

"Across the street from the bakery and then take a right. I got it."

Kakashi threw a final look on the stale wall and set out to the other location where he had planned the ambush. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do. There seemed to have been some sort of factory in the building next to them. He tried the door, which was locked. There hadn't been anyone here for a while. He checked to see if there was any witnesses and after coming up short he scaled the wall to the second floor. The window was busted and he climbed in. He waved for Naruto to join him.

"Okay, let's go over the plan again, now that we're actually here."

Naruto climbed in through the window and then looked down onto the street.

"I'll cause a distraction using genjutsu, and that should buy you enough time to find the scroll and get it and you, out of here. We don't know how good these guys are. Don't underestimate them."

He nodded, seemed ethereal in the sunlight that was slipping out across his skin, making it look so soft and warm, Kakashi wondered if his whisker scars would actually feel like scars under his fingers-

He cleared his throat.

"That's it for now. I'll explain how chakra trails work on the way."

They walked for maybe ten minutes, nestling in between houses and little shops until the wound up on a backstreet of some sort, an empty alley in the middle of two abandoned apartment complexes. This was just right. He scanner the area, could find no people. There seemed to be a couple of cats though, but he figured they wouldn't mind. What he was about to teach Naruto was used widely in ANBU as a way to do headcounts easily and, if you became good at it, then also tracking opponents. He wouldn't have thought Naruto the type but he had seen for himself how quickly he'd found him that first day here. He clearly had an affinity for it and it would simply be wasteful not to help him refine it. It was also fulfilling on a professional level; Naruto was simply fun to teach, and he'd rarely encountered a more capable student.

He begun easy, Naruto stood in the alley and his job was to determine whether Kakashi had gone left or right. While he stood there Kakashi was suddenly feeling gleeful, and smiled. He knew he shouldn't be doing this on a mission of all places but he couldn't help himself, wondered how many times he'd thought that during the last few days, he heard Naruto walking slowly and could almost taste the humming in the air from his enormous amount of chakra, all waiting to rush out if he called for it. But for this assignment even an ocean wouldn't be enough if you didn't use it like you should. Kakashi had gone to the left and he waited for Naruto to make up his mind, left or right, left or right... He picked right, and saw him as he appeared from the alley and turned his back on him.

"Over here," Kakashi said, joy spilling out of his voice, it tainted his words as carelessly as a wine stain on a white cloth. Naruto turned around quickly, there was something feline about it, like he didn't have to care about a schedule other people went by. He was part fox. He smiled too.

"I was sure you'd gone right!"

Kakashi shrugged, hadn't expected him to get it right the first time.

"Try again."

Naruto sighed and walked back into the alleyway, concentrated yet again, Kakashi remained where he was, a double play, Naruto probably thought he'd gone to the right this time, but no. It took a couple of tries, but then Naruto started getting it correct most of the time. Kakashi moved further away each time he found him, changed directions haphazardly, nestled in around the meandering little streets, loved the way it felt to be followed by someone he so much wanted to see. He imagined his chakra as a long, glimmering ribbon of energy that he left behind. The first times he'd gone for a more noticeable kind of trail, anyone with training would think of it as a smack upside the head, but Naruto had missed it. The lead he left now was just almost as faint as a normal chakra trail that most shinobi left behind if they weren't careful. It was, in other words, an ability that could turn out very useful. And Naruto was picking it up fast, which was hardly surprising. You could drone on and on about abstract concepts and he would be none the wiser, but the second you were out training and showed him how, he learned. Or perhaps it was just that he refused to quit until he did.

He had taken more turns than he could remember and was about to call it quits when he felt that magnetic wave in the air that meant he was getting closer. Naruto still had a long way to go when it came to hiding his own chakra and he wondered for a moment if it was possible at all, or if the power was too big to be apprehended and manipulated like that. Then again, if Naruto asked nicely Kurama might dial it down a bit... or maybe not.

He knew he was approaching, he was closing in from the left but then stopped. Kakashi took the opportunity that had presented itself to go out and mess with him a bit. He peeked out from behind the corner and saw that Naruto indeed had stopped, a look of deep concentration on his face. Kakashi decided to sneak past him, to see if he would notice the change in chakra. Carefully and without making a sound he padded past him-

He hadn't more than finished the thought when a hand shot out and pinned him to the wall. Naruto opened his eyes and smiled triumphantly.

"I got you!"

He dropped his hand and Kakashi reeled a bit before he steadied himself. It burned where he had touched him, and with a sense of impending doom he realized that his hand had sprawled across his heart on the left side of his chest. Naruto hadn't noticed and kept babbling on about chakra trails, liking them to comets and Kakashi couldn't follow his train of thought. There was a momentary lull and he hurried to hum in agreement, encouraging. He noticed that the hours had slipped out of his hands and he suggested that they go somewhere for dinner, making Naruto riled up.

"So, do you feel like you've learned something today?" Kakashi asked.

He nodded vigorously in response.

"Yeah, a lot. If you believe it, haha."

"I didn't think you'd notice me sneaking past you. That was a good catch."

He'd really tried to hide by then, and was not expecting Naruto to pick up on it.

He shrugged. "I knew what to look for. Your chakra feels a certain way. Sharp, almost."

Sharp? As in pointy? Threatening?

"Huh," was all he managed to say. By then they had arrived at the ramen place again, and despite him not being overly fond of it he did nothing to change it. He ordered the same thing as last time. There was considerably less customers there than what he had thought, and only two of the tables had guests.

They sat down in the far back, Kakashi finished his food as fast as usual and spent the time keeping an eye out for trouble. Naruto was weary from training and less cautious than he should be. Despite that Kakashi felt that the advantages gained outweighed the possible risks. Besides, he was confident that Naruto would recover by tomorrow. He excused himself to go to the bathroom and reminded Naruto to stay on the lookout. He mustn't have understood what he meant because when he returned there was a girl standing by their table, talking to Naruto who smiled pleasantly. No other way to say it- Kakashi was downright irked. But he was nothing if not experienced, so he put up a polite front and went back to sit opposite him. She turned to him.

"Hi," she said, sugar sweet.

"Hi," he drawled back, not even remotely impressed by her advances.

"So are you going to stay long?" she asked Naruto.

It took a second for his mind to remember that she'd been sitting by one of the tables when they'd walked in. She was a good deal shorter than he was, she had long brown hair and a pretty face. She looked good, she was attractive. From the way she carried herself you could tell she knew it too. He hadn't been paying attention to their conversation but he thought he heard Naruto replying in a vague manner and Kakashi looked at him. He seemed relaxed, used to it, and maybe he was. He looked up at her expectantly, earnestly, he cared about their meaningless talk. Kakashi had a not so sudden urge to leave. Or barf. Whichever came first. He tried putting this in an experienced light, tried seeing it through an emerald of actions inflicted upon him, told himself that if he could handle war criminals bragging about their deeds and not kill them he could damn well endure this too. Why did Naruto have to be so compliant and sociable? So captivating? He exuded energy, something pure, and people fell for him like there was no tomorrow. One of these days Naruto would find someone he liked, it was bound to happen. He was young and good-looking and kind-hearted and he'd find a girl and settle down, maybe request fewer missions, start a family, and no matter what happened he would leave him. It didn't matter which of the roads he took, because Kakashi would end up alone.

"Thank you but, uh, I think we'd better get going."

Naruto got up, shot Kakashi a wary look at Kakashi and walked past the girl who looked incredulously at him. Whatever she had said, she'd been sure it would work. He grabbed his jacket and followed suit. Naruto paid, which too was a surprise, and Kakashi was not so little confused when they stepped outside.

"What happened?" he asked as they started walking.

"Didn't you- didn't you hear her?" he stammered, his cheeks becoming tinted with red.

"Maa, it must have been something interesting to make you look like that," he replied, and suddenly felt gleeful.

They walked across an empty square and Kakashi was immediately aware of another persons presence. He knelt down on one knee and pretended to fix his sandals and the wraps around his legs and Naruto stopped too, surprised.

"There's someone following us," Kakashi breathed, because the person had stopped when he did. Their best option was to lose the tail without arousing suspicion. He got up, slowly, kept on walking as if nothing had happened. He turned at the crossing, went in the opposite direction than he should.

"Follow my lead," he said to Naruto and started walking down the street, which was brimming with life. He checked and yes, they were still being followed. Ahead of them a regal-looking hotel was splayed out and he gestured towards it to get Naruto to follow. As they entered the building Kakashi took it upon himself to close the door, hoping for a shot at a view of whoever was following them. A shaggy looking guy looked in their direction and he couldn't discern more before his time was up and the door clicked shut behind him.

It was indeed a nice hotel, he thought as he let his eyes wander around the tasteful interior. Freshly cut flowers graced the foyer they were in, and the low sofas and armchairs strategically placed throughout the room were perfect for late night conversations.

"Now what?" Naruto asked, looking nervous.

"Now we get out of here."

He started down the hallway, smiled his winning smile at the ones by the reception desk and continued past it towards the rooms. Surely he didn't look like he belonged there, not with his worn clothes and generally unruly demeanor, but these people knew better than to ask questions. A thick carpet on the floor made their steps inaudible. At the end of the hallway there was a staircase leading up and a corridor to the right with even more rooms. Whichever would do, he thought, and knocked on the closest door, branded with 112.

"Room service," he called.

"Uh, sensei, what are you-"

He was interrupted as a grumpy looking man in his forties flung open the door.

"I didn't order anything."

"Maa, you sure?" Kakashi asked and squeezed past him to get into the room.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

Naruto slunk past him too and with a moderate degree of force Kakashi managed to open the window. The colder air rushed in. He looked out, the ground wasn't more than two meters away. He nestled his legs out and dropped down, and not a second later Naruto had joined him.

"Oi!" the man yelled but by the time he was at the window they were gone.

Kakashi unlocked the door with a content sigh.

"Ne, sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Why did we jump out through a hotel room window?"

He kept on forgetting that not everyone had received military training.

"Oh well, uh..."

How did you explain something that was so deeply ingrained in you so that it had become a reflex? How did you put words on the thoughts that you couldn't help having?

"First of all it's best to pretend you don't know you're being followed, it gives you more time to figure out who they are. Secondly, we don't want to lead him here, and a hotel gives you a solid reason for disappearing off the streets. And we couldn't go out the same way since he might still be watching."

"Oh," Naruto said.

"What did you think?"

He shrugged, smiled a lilting smile that left a trickle of warmth on his face.

"I thought it was some super secret ANBU plan."

"Well I did learn it in ANBU so..."

He called for Bisuke who appeared quickly. Kakashi waved the smoke away with his hand.

"I need you to check in with Pakkun and see if there's been any changes. We were followed by a guy just now and I need to know if one of theirs is responsible."

The ninken nodded. "Will do."

It didn't take more than a couple of minutes before he reappeared.

"He says there's only been one guy outside today and he got back two hours ago. Things are a little too calm. He thought it was fishy."

Were they suspecting anything? And if their pursuer wasn't one of them, who was he? Was it possible that he was from one of the other villages? It very well might be. Kakashi put that particular issue to the side for now; they'd make their play in just a few hours and then they would disappear. No, the most important thing was if the thieves had figured out that they were after them. If they were expecting them it would certainly make things harder.

He contemplated for a while. As he saw it he only had three options, either call the whole thing off, continue on as planned or attack the house where they were holding the scroll. He suspected that he would have to dispose of at least two people, just to get inside. He didn't know which room they kept it in, or the layout of the house, which he angrily realized was sloppy planning on his part. He knew he'd made his mind up a long time ago. He wouldn't go for an armed assault that would definitely get people killed, not when there was still another way. Despite Pakkun's hunch nothing had changed. He didn't doubt his judgment, far from it, but there was simply nothing he could do. They still had to move the scroll tomorrow, otherwise they would lose face in front of the leaders and basically blow their chances. The thieves probably knew this as well, and they would come prepared. This was going to be trouble, he knew it.

Oh well, he thought, resigning. Guess I'll just have to create some trouble of my own.

He woke up from his reveries when Bisuke strode by, carrying one of his spare scrolls in his mouth.

"Bisuke, what are you-"

The dog ignored him and dropped the scroll in front of Naruto who was sitting on his bed.

"Okay I did it, just this once, but kid," now he sounded downright menacing, "if you tell me to go fetch again I'll clobber you upside the head."

Naruto had the sense to look ashamed.

"I'm sorry," he said and patted his golden hair in a self-comforting gesture that tied a million little knots in Kakashis stomach as he watched it unfold. "I guess I got carried away..."

"Tch."

"Thank you Bisuke, you can go now," he said, dismissing the dog in an attempt to spare Narutos feelings.

"I think I offended him," he said weakly. "I didn't mean to, I forgot that he's a ninken."

"Ah, it's fine," Kakashi said.

"He likes you, he'll get over it."

It became quiet and Kakashi quickly made his bed. He'd have to get early the next day.

"Tomorrow's gonna be a long day," he offered as a way of saying goodnight.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed.

There was a dry, consoling sound as he turned around in his bed and made himself comfortable. Kakashi listened as he sighed, letting out those unconscious little sounds, and hearing them felt like having tiny pieces of his heart wandering off, as they belonged to him no longer.

Please, if you like it, then leave a review. It keeps me inspired and makes me want to write more!