Reader Reviews for Chapter 24/Recent Reviews
Cat488: Thank you! :D Yeah, poor Sensei… He really drew the short straw with this one… Well, hopefully this chapter will appease you somewhat!
Kakashifangirlnumber1000: Thank you! T.T Yay for being forgiven! Thank you for that; I'm glad the flashbacks came across alright! I was worried about that! Ahh, we all hope that… Well that's sure an idea, isn't it? I guess we'll have to see! ;)
MemoriesOfNobody: Whew, that's a relief… Thank you muchly! Glad you liked it! :3
KakashiKrazed: You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that you of all people don't mind waiting for my updates. :) Thank you! I'm really glad Raven and Iruka's flashbacks tied in well; that's what I was aiming for! Haha, I'm glad I can make you shiver somewhat! I guess we'll just see what happens when the ANBU teams finally reach Kakashi… Thank you very much; I really appreciate that. We are doing much better. Yeah! I've actually been in really good health recently, so I'm hoping it doesn't end soon! Hope you enjoy this chapter! I love your thoughts as always!
Prescripto13: Thank you very much! *shudders* Yeah, I agree… Being unconscious in a room with Orochimaru would be… Unsettling… O.O Hope you like this one!
slippup: Thanks! :D Hope you keep reading!
Fallen Angel Kakashi: Oh no, please don't feel guilty! That was just the day that he was called to Heaven, I suppose. Merely coincidence! As for your review, thanks muchly! Ooh, good guess! I'm glad you're already reading into things! Thank you very much; I really appreciate it. :)
.Syurp: Your username makes me giggle whenever I look at it, and I can't figure out why… XD Anyway! Haha, yeah, Orochimaru is definitely a ten on the creeper scale. Ah, it's alright! I'm doing much better now! Oh really? He did? Good to know! Though I wrote him freaking out because, well, it was kind of like a 'last straw' type thing. Plus he was a lot younger. XP Hehehe… Well… Sorry, but… I like my cliffies… And you kinda get one here too, so… Sorry! ^^'
Crazy4Zoro: By the way, I TOTALLY identify with your username! Go Zoro! XD Thank you very much! Glad you like it! Haha, I'm glad someone else realizes that! Cliffies are a writers best friend and a reader's worst nightmare! I hope so too! Good luck Kakashi! Hope you like this one too. :D
LunaQuetzal: Hahaha, because I'm very evil like that… XD If you've read any of my other stories, you'd see that I love cliffhangers to death. Glad that scene made you shiver! It certainly made me shiver while writing it… :/ Yay Jiraiya! Thanks again for your review!
anon (ann.): Thanks! Glad it's exciting! Hope you keep reading!
Sora Tayuya: Nah, don't worry about it! Daijobu! :D Thank you very much! I'm really happy you liked the flashbacks; they were the part I was most worried about! Jiraiyaaaaa! T.T I know; trust me, I'm not over it either… Who, three times! That's certainly an honor! O.O Thank you once again for your awesome review Sora-chan! Yours always make me smile!
Arrowachi: Thankies! Glad you liked the flashbacks! Yeah… Kakashi's in a pretty big pickle right now… XP Hm? What was that about the squad having to fight Kakashi? Internal battle? Huh? *whistles innocently* Thanks again! Glad you're still lovin' it! :3
juman1994: Yeah, it was quite a hectic couple months… But I appreciate your thoughts! I am feeling much better now!
lady shadow 009 (ann.): Thanks! Glad you like it!
The voice of Gai (ann.): Haha, I appreciate the thought. XD Yes, Gai is quite distraught right now!
Luinon (ann.): Hehe… Hehe… Don't worry; Kakashi will be… Relatively fine? Thanks! Ooh, nice realization there! :D Yeah, I figured that would be about the time when Kakashi would start to act like his dead teammate. Hope you like this chappie!
chirikyubi (ann.): Oh wow, thank you very much! :D That's a huge honor! I hope you'll keep reading!
Piper Julian: Thank you! I'm really happy you've enjoyed it so far! I hope you keep on enjoying it! :3
A/N: Another AMAZING amount of reviews for one chapter for me! :D Thanks a ton everyone!
…
"Welcome home, my son…"
Yuuka folded her arms distastefully as she watched the scene unfold before her. She glared hatefully at the man who had taken away Lord Orochimaru's attention, though she knew it would do no good. He was still there and would probably still be there for a considerable amount of time. After all, Lord Orochimaru was quite fond of him…
"Miserable Leaf brat… I don't see the appeal," She thought nastily, meeting his gaze for a moment. However, she had to quickly look away from him after only a few seconds.
That look in his eye… That… Odd blank look. It wasn't natural.
Of course, it was all planned out this way. He wasn't exactly going to look 'normal' in his current mental condition. Unfortunately, their research hadn't reached that peak yet. But still… Just because it was expected didn't mean that Yuuka was going to like it.
Kakashi suddenly went down to one knee and bowed his head towards Orochimaru, making a new flare of rage jump up inside of Yuuka. Her fists clutched angrily at her sides.
It made her even angrier when Orochimaru laughed gleefully and placed one of his hands on top of the young man's head.
This wasn't fair! She was the one who made the poison! She was the one who spent days making sure it was absolutely perfect for her master! She was the one who gave the damn Hatake the doses! In fact, she was the whole reason he was under Lord Orochimaru's control! Why wasn't her lord praising her?
"Calm yourself, Yuuka," Kenshin whispered suddenly from her side. A twinge of apprehension laced his speech.
She took a few deep breaths and slowly unclenched her fists, feeling the air around her grow suddenly more fresh and crisp. Kenshin's brow furrowed as he spoke to her again:
"Do not become so distraught," He whispered, "You know what will happen if you let your temper get the best of you."
"I know," She replied, rather snappishly. One wouldn't easily forget lighting a building on fire with just their own anger.
As Yuuka brought her gaze back up to a regular level, the menacing flash of glasses caught her attention. She froze in her spot. Kabuto looked at her straight in the eyes with a calm evil in his face that only he could achieve.
She quickly turned away and gulped down the large lump that had formed in her throat. A bead of sweat dripped from her face. Kenshin was right… She couldn't afford to let her temper get away from her again.
"Who knows how many more chances I'll get?"
…...
… Who was he?
"Kakashi…" Orochimaru cooed in a pleased tone.
Kakashi? That sounded familiar. Was it a name? His name? Or perhaps his lord was just referring to someone else? … No. He was looking right down at him. It had to be his name…
The young silver-haired man kept his head lowered in respect, listening intently as his lord began to speak again. To some measure of his surprise, the Sannin actually knelt down to look at him face to face.
"Your name is Kakashi… Understand?"
"Kakashi…" The man tested out the name, mulling over it for a moment before nodding his head obediently, "Understood, sir."
Kakashi… Kakashi… Why did that name sound so familiar? The more it was said, the more familiar it sounded. Well, it was his name, or so Lord Orochimaru told him. And if his lord told him, he would believe it without a second thought.
But there was something else there with that name… Something that he felt like he should remember. His blank face did not betray the confusion he felt, however, as he looked at Orochimaru's happy face.
"Good," Orochimaru smiled widely, "Now who do you serve?"
Kakashi blinked, and the response was almost mechanical.
"I do- and always will –serve you, Lord Orochimaru."
And as Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed loudly in grim triumph, Kakashi wondered why- in the back of his mind -something was screaming that what he had just said…
Was horribly, horribly wrong.
…...
"What do you think, Kuraru?" Fang asked his animal companion, bending down to look at the large dog in the face.
Kuraru sniffed the air in a few different directions before gesturing to the left with a small bark. Fang looked in that direction then nodded, giving Kuraru a quick scratch behind his ear:
"Alright. Good job, buddy," He turned around to face the rest of the group, who were scattered in the dense tree cover, "To the west from here, everyone."
"You're positive, Fang?" Raven asked.
"Kuraru's nose doesn't lie," Fang said quickly, almost defensively, "Besides, from the way things are looking, Kakashi's lost a lot of blood… It's not going to be that hard to catch his scent. Even if they've moved him farther away."
Gai chewed on his bottom lip uncomfortably. This was definitely a bittersweet situation for them. It was good because Kakashi's scent could be traced, but at the same time it wasn't very good because the fact that his scent was so evident meant that he had lost a lot of blood… The Green Beast sighed quietly. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse by the second…
"… You doing alright, Gai?" Asuma's quiet but worried voice came from his left.
Gai closed his eyes momentarily before choosing how to answer, "Yes, I'm fine. I suppose I'm just… Tired of this mission… That's all."
Asuma chuckled dryly, "Never thought I'd hear Maito Gai say he was tired of a mission…"
"Why do you ask?"
Asuma's gaze sobered again as he returned his gaze to the path of trees in front of them, "… You've been really quiet for a while now. It's not like you. I was just worried is all," He smirked good-naturedly at his friend.
Gai smiled back softly, his own eyes locked on the path ahead, "Well, although I appreciate the concern, don't bother yourself… I'm just having trouble… Adjusting, is all."
Asuma frowned, "… You mean the news about Kakashi?"
Gai chuckled without humor, "Well, yes and no," Asuma looked puzzled. Gai continued, "I mean… It's missions like these that make me realize… I'm really not ANBU material."
Asuma allowed surprise to settle on his face, caught off guard by the response given. He honestly would never have expected Gai to say something like that… "Not ANBU material? What do you mean by that?"
Gai shook his head, "Never mind, it's nothing."
Asuma's brow furrowed again as Gai turned his full attention back to the path. That was certainly an odd thing to hear Gai say… However… The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Gai's really been on edge since the mission started… I just thought that he was worried about Kakashi. Well, we all are, but… He seems to be even more concerned for some reason. And the fact that he said he wasn't ANBU material… Maybe he's referring to the attitude the ANBU have about their missions…" He took a quick look around the group, "All of the ANBU here are trained professionals… Even though most of them had strong friendships with Kakashi, they're taught not to show anxiety in such a way that a normal shinobi would. None of them seem to visibly 'care' about what's happened to the man…"
Asuma looked back over to Gai, "I guess that's what he meant…" His eyes glimmered with empathy, "Gai… He's never been very good at hiding his emotions… This whole thing with Kakashi's probably got his mind running around in circles… He was even there when Kakashi got the Curse Mark… I'm sure he feels guilty about that too… Hanging around a group of people like this who seal most of their emotions away must be making him antsy anyway…"
Gai, oblivious to his teammate's unfurling of the situation, kept his eyes ahead of him and had to really focus to keep from speeding up ahead of Raven, "Don't break the formation, Gai… Come on…" He thought to himself uneasily.
That was another thing about the ANBU that Gai didn't particularly like. The Green Beast was well-known for his almost constant energy during missions. He would always be the one to race forward ahead of the group, challenging everyone else to a race of sorts to see who get there first. That wasn't the case here, though… If he did that now, well… There'd probably be nothing left of him once his teammates got done with him.
The ANBU were too structured for him. And that fact made him all the more anxious.
Gai swore to himself that this would be the last bloody ANBU mission he ever went on.
…...
Naruto fell to his back with a tired gasp, chest heaving. That had been one of the more intense training routines he'd done, not to mention with a practice dummy. However, the young blond shinobi wasn't going to complain; the workout had given him exactly what he wanted: an outlet.
Even after Iruka's encouraging words and story earlier, Naruto couldn't get over the frustration and worry he felt over his sensei's predicament. The more he tried to put it out of his mind, the more he thought about it. It was a never-ending cycle.
So, the Genin decided to try and work off some of his frustration with exercise. It worked most of the time. He would beat up a practice dummy a little and his stress would melt right off of him. He glanced back up at the dummy he had been mercilessly pounding on just seconds before with gave a tired smirk.
"I don't think I've ever done that much damage before," He muttered to himself, "Yeah, well, your sensei's never been held captive by that snake bastard before," His mind replied dryly. Naruto frowned. A new feeling of frustration flared up in his system, "Well, looks like we're back to square one…"
"Thought you might be out here," A familiarly playful voice said from above him.
"Hm?" Naruto craned his neck up to see a head of spiky white hair smiling down at him, "Pervy Sage!" He rolled around to his knees.
"Hey there Naruto," Jiraiya said cordially, "Been a while, huh?"
"I'll say!" Naruto gave his mentor a smile before allowing confusion to settle on his face, "But… What are you doing back so soon? I thought you were gonna be gone for a while?"
"That was the plan," Jiraiya shrugged, sitting down by his student and leaning against one of the training dummies.
"… So…?" Naruto pressed.
"I heard about Kakashi," Jiraiya offered simply. No use in beating around the bush, he figured.
"Oh…" Naruto's face fell into the frustrated frown that he found himself wearing a lot lately.
The Toad Sage shrugged again, "It is what it is… There's no point in getting so bent outta shape about it."
Naruto sighed and leaned back on the dummy he'd been pummeling earlier. He closed his eyes momentarily, "… Hey Pervy Sage?"
"Hm?"
"What do you think will happen? To Kakashi-sensei I mean."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… What do you think Orochimaru really wants with him?"
Jiraiya's gaze narrowed. He thought that was what the boy meant, "It's hard to say, I suppose… Orochimaru's mind has been so warped by greed and power that even I have trouble figuring him out at times…"
Across the clearing in a tree, a spider sat patiently in the middle of its web, watching carefully as an unknowing butterfly came its way. Before it realized what had happened, the butterfly was caught in the spider's death trap, squirming around viciously, trying to escape.
"I heard… I heard that he was going to use Kakashi-sensei for some 'Plan B' or something… What does that mean?" Naruto looked at his mentor with curiosity in his blue eyes.
Jiraiya's eyes locked on the butterfly caught in the spider's web and his eyes narrowed just slightly, "Who knows? No one, really, except for Orochimaru…" He stood up, "Though, in my own personal opinion, I think that 'Plan B' thing is a load of crap," Naruto looked surprised, "But that's just what I think."
By now, Naruto had caught a glimpse of the spider and butterfly, and watched the scene momentarily before turning his head back down to the ground. The sight of the butterfly struggling so viciously made him queasy for some reason, "… What if they're too late?"
Jiraiya realized right away that the boy was referring to the ANBU teams, "Definitely a possibility," Naruto's fists clenched, "But not the only one," The young shinobi looked up at his newest sensei again as he started to walk forward, "But no matter how much worrying we do over it, the outcome won't change. All we can do now is wait… And be patient with the world."
That made Naruto's eyes widen. He suddenly remembered back to something that Kakashi-sensei had told him a few days ago, though it seemed so much longer ago.
"When you learn to be patient with the world…"
"If we do that…" Jiraiya continued, arriving at the spider web. He pulled the object apart effortlessly, letting the alive- albeit disoriented -butterfly flutter away, and leaving the spider frustratingly try to scramble onto the tree before his web totally collapsed. Jiraiya turned to Naruto as he shook the sticky web off his hand, smiling, "Then everything should turn out the way it's supposed to."
A gradual smile made its way across the blond ninja's face, and he nodded in agreement. He looked up to see the butterfly flying away. Back to where it belonged, back to its family…
Back to its home.
…...
"This is it!" Fang suddenly exclaimed from the front of the group.
Everyone visibly tensed. Especially the man in the green jumpsuit. Raven immediately took charge, "Where is it Fang?"
"Below us," The man responded, "It's in a small clearing up ahead."
Raven nodded. He held his arm out, and everyone halted in their tracks, "Owl?" He said, more of a command than a question.
The astute man nodded from his position towards the back and held one of his hands up in the sign of the tiger, focusing his chakra, "… Only four of them," He responded, "Chakra levels normal."
"Right," Raven nodded again. His voice suddenly took on a dark tone, "Everyone, prepare for battle."
…...
"It would seem that the Konoha dogs are here, milord," Kabuto said, closing the steel door behind him.
Orochimaru grinned darkly from in front of him, "Fine. Let them come…" His gaze turned to his left, where three men stood loyally, waiting for his instruction, "Kenshin, Masaru."
"Yes, milord!" The two answered in unison, bowing their heads down.
"You two go apprehend the Konoha filth at the entrance. Remember the plan," His eyes glinted as he said the last sentence.
The two nodded their heads together and disappeared before anyone could do as much as blink. Orochimaru glanced back at Kabuto, "Yuuka will be joining us, right Kabuto?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," He tapped his glasses back up his nose, a satisfied smile curving up around his cheeks, "She should be ready in a matter of minutes."
"Good…" the Sannin cooed. He clicked his tongue, "I really do hope she'll stop being such a rebellious little girl," As for you, Kakashi…"
Kakashi lowered himself to one knee as he had done previously, lowering his head in respect, "My lord?"
"You, my newest child, are the star attraction of the whole show…" His laugh bounced off the walls of the room.
For some unexplainable reason, Kakashi's fingers started twitching every time he heard that laugh.
…...
It only took one genjutsu and wind technique from Raven to take out the four ninja stationed in the front of the hideout. He motioned for the rest of the teams to follow him after he was done.
"Show off…" Badger muttered. Asuma chuckled from beside him.
Everyone suddenly split off into the groups they had originally been assigned to, though everyone ran into the base at once. Gai's heart thudded in his chest as they entered the underground facility, having to blink a few times to get his eyes to properly adjust to the dim light.
"It's like a maze in here…" Hiroto commented in somewhat awe as they made their way through.
"Don't be admiring it yet," Fang said from beside Raven, "At least not until we've found Kakashi."
"Which way?" Raven suddenly asked. Speaking of Kakashi…
"Straight ahead," Fang responded, "… Though I have my suspicions…"
"I agree," Raven said, voice lowering, "I don't like this. Nobody's here. Other than the shinobi we ran into at the entrance of course, and they weren't too talented to speak of."
"Whoa, slow down little Leaves!" A playful voice came from behind the northbound team. They turned around in surprise, though not caught off guard. Everyone in every squad immediately brought weapons out and screeched to a halt.
Masaru whistled, "Pretty nifty reaction time, wouldn't you say Kenshin?"
The samurai scoffed, "They are Konoha's 'elite force'. I suppose even elite from that pathetic village can be somewhat adequate."
"I take it you're the one who kidnapped Kakashi…" Panther hissed, glaring at Kenshin.
"That honor would belong to me, yes," Kenshin smiled.
"This is unsettling…" Raven thought, "They've placed themselves right between us and the west and eastbound teams. Not only that… But they did it so quickly that we barely noticed…" His gaze narrowed, "Their goal must be separation…"
Gai visibly bristled as Kenshin answered Panther's comment. He acted so damn proud of kidnapping Kakashi and then taking him to one of the sickest bastards in the whole world… What Gai wouldn't give to-
"No, Gai," Raven said quietly, holding a hand out. The Jounin hadn't realized that he had begun to step forward, "Restrain yourself. Though we're probably going to be playing right into their hands, we must move forward. It will do Kakashi no good if we all waste our time with these fools…"
Gai bit his lower lip agitatedly. Raven had a point, damn it…
After one quick glance around the northbound squad, Raven shot forward again, followed immediately by the other members of the team. There was no need for words, as the west and eastbound teams already knew what they were planning.
Masaru laughed, "Well, that was pretty darned rude of them! Oh well, though! She'll still get some fun out of it, won't she?"
Kenshin nodded, "That she will… I almost pity them… Having to take her on after she's had a 'session' with Kabuto…"
Panther and Fox quickly looked at each other once before darting off into separate hallways, their teammates hot on their trails. Once again, there was no need for talking as their plan was obviously clear. Kenshin and Masaru both looked at each other with a smile.
"Which group do you want?"
…...
"Are we getting closer, Fang?" Raven asked again. At this point, even he was getting a little anxious.
"Yes…" Fang nodded. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, though, that nobody liked. Kuraru made a low whining sound. Fang let some breath escape in a hiss, "Yeah, I know…"
"What?" Gai asked nervously.
"Well, you're not gonna believe this, but right now I'm picking up… Two Kakashis."
"What?" Gai's eyes widened.
"How is that possible?" Hiroto asked in shock.
Raven's expression soured, "… I think I know how…" He looked at Fang, "Let me guess: there are two different scents of blood that both smell like Kakashi, but one is much stronger than the other."
Fang nodded, "Spot on…"
"But… What does that mean?" Gai asked.
"That means that only one of these scents is actually Kakashi," Fang elaborated, "The other one is, well… His blood. Fresh blood, nonetheless."
"… Are you thinking the same thing I am, Fang?" Raven asked, in a quieter voice.
"… Yeah… The stronger scent isn't actually Kakashi."
Gai's face scrunched up in disgust as he realized what that statement entailed. His fists clenched in anger. His friend had lost so much blood here that the scent of that blood actually outweighed his own scent…
Fang suddenly gasped, "Stop!"
Gai, shocked out of his reverie, skidded to a stop as did Raven and Hiroto. He quickly took in his surroundings. He hadn't noticed, but they had left a hallway and entered a more square-shaped room. Only two torches lit up this one. Fang stood stone still, staring into one particularly dark corner of the room, where the vague outline of another opening stood.
The rest of the team, oblivious as to why their tracker had stopped so suddenly, noticed movement in front of the outlined opening. Gai squinted. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows and into the limited torchlight.
The shock of silver hair was all they needed to see.
Gai's mouth dropped open in obvious surprise as he took in the sight before him. The man was minus one Jounin vest and Konoha headband, and his clothes were in disarray. A large chunk of the right sleeve of his shirt looked like it had been torn off and bandages covered his arm. That arm seemed to be hanging a little more lifelessly than the other, which made the Jounin nervous. But other than that…
Kakashi looked… Alright. He was standing. That counted for something.
A relived smile crossed Gai's face as he took a step forward, "K-Kakashi… Kakashi, thank God you're alright!"
Raven held an arm out in front of his Jounin teammate and pushed him back, "Hold on, Gai…"
"What?" He obviously wasn't hiding the irritation in his voice, "This is our chance! We can-"
"I don't like his eyes…" Raven interrupted. He looked Kakashi eye to eye and saw…
Nothing. No warmth, no friendliness, not even recognition. His eyes were just blank.
Gai looked at his old friend's eyes as well, and he had to admit, they looked… Different. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. His voice held a note of desperation in it when he next spoke:
"Kakashi, it's me! Gai! And Raven and Fang! Even Hiroto! You remember us, don't you?" He made an attempt to laugh, "Come on; what's with the blank face?"
Kakashi brow furrowed just slightly, "I know none of you," Gai looked like he had just been punched in the stomach. Kakashi crouched into a fighting pose, "But you are enemies of my Lord. And for that reason, you must all die."
Author's Note:
I think I'm coming down with a serious illness… It's called Unable-To-Update-At-A-Reasonable-Time Disease… -.-'
Seriously! What is it with me nowadays? O.o Once again, and for the gazillionth time, I'm SO SO sorry about being late with an update. Again.
Part of the reason, I think, is because when I get Writer's Block, I get it BAD. Like, really bad. The bad where you stay awake at nights tossing and turning, trying to figure out how you should go about doing the chapter. *sigh* For everyone's sake, I hope I can overcome this horrible condition soon…
Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! This was the first of the actual 'Infiltration' chapters, which means we're getting close to the end! (T.T) This was really the introduction chapter; I.e., the one that sets up the battle scenes and intense moments and what not. So, even though it wasn't too action-y, I hope you still liked it!
-SPOILERS BELOW!-
Writing for Jiraiya made me sad, because he was SUCH a cool character, and they just had to do away with him… Whyyyyy, Kishimoto-san! If you were going to do away with anyone, why couldn't it have been someone uncool, like Sakura! (No offense to those of you who actually like her. I don't. At all. XP)
Read n' Review! I've already told you guys how much I appreciate your thoughts! :D
Oh! Also!
RANDOM POLL TIME!
I saw this on someone else's story (I think it was one of Santoryuu-Zoro's…) and I've wanted to do it for a while. Just out of curiosity! Plus I think it'd be fun. XD
How old do you think I am? Answer honestly!
I'll count up your answers and tell you in the next chappie! ;)