Kakashi burst through the door. He flickered in between Koshuu and Chiisai, and his fist flew into the man's stomach. Koshuu smacked into the wall and fell to the ground. The jonin yanked him up by the collar, his eye narrowing.
"You're too late," he chuckled. "My daughter won't be waking up again."
He tightened his grip, but his eye widened at Koshuu's words.
"She didn't tell you then, did she?" Koshuu released a bitter laugh.
"Karasu Kuroi."
He paused for a moment. "Hmm, that was my name, wasn't it." He smiled, "I've marinated in her sealed chakra for so long, I forgot. And you must be the son of the White Fang. You look like your father."
Kakashi's expression didn't change. "What are you planning?"
He glanced down at Chiisai. "A better world. And I only need one sacrifice to make it happen," he said. "The guest of honor is waiting now, and I want to make sure she suffers before the end. You should probably get her to a hospital before she bleeds to death."
Before Kakashi could respond, Koshuu went limp.
Kakashi dropped him and turned to Chiisai. She and Tori lay on the ground, adjacent to each other. Kakashi came to a crouch beside her, his eye widening at the small puddle of blood forming. He cursed under his breath and checked her pulse. Her hair stuck to her face, and as he wiped the wet strands away, he finally saw the damage on her face.
Her nose was broken, blood dribbling down her mouth and chin. She was bruised under her eyes, her forehead was swelling and the side split open. She had been in this state only a week ago, and Kakashi suspected that it wasn't a coincidence.
He cradled her broken body, his hand already sticky with warmth. But Tori didn't move. He laid still, his chest no longer rising and falling.
"I'm sorry, Chiisai," Kakashi whispered to the unconscious woman. His thoughts flickered back to Naruto and Sasuke as he finished, "Forgive me, I didn't make it in time."
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"We can't afford to have anything like this happen, we're vulnerable enough as it is with a new Hokage and the Akatsuki at our backs."
"Is it a sickness or an enemy attack?" Homura asked calmly, unlike the other council member.
The fifth Hokage's knuckles turned white, though her reply was civil. "It has been confirmed as an enemy attack, though we do not know if it is human."
"Not human? What else could it be then?" The old woman's voice was hard.
"A nightmare, a being that takes hold of your subconscious as you sleep."
"Then how can it be stopped?"
"The person who has the information is currently being tracked down. The situation will be under control soon."
Before they could rebuttal, an ANBU suddenly appeared, bowing his head toward the Hokage. "He has arrived, Lady Hokage."
Tsunade nodded to him before he disappeared. The woman stood up, leaving the two as she strode to the door. "This meeting is over." Shizune followed behind her, showing a look of apology toward the council. The door banged shut behind them, leaving them alone.
"She is too rash and clearly has no hold on the situation."
"As long as this continues, every villager is at risk. The Leaf must be protected."
"We should discuss this with Danzo."
"Hai."
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Chiisai's eye bolted open as she shot upright in the bed. Tori sat next to her, retracting his claws from her now bleed forearm. Her heart rammed against her sternum, almost bursting with adrenaline. Her face felt wet, and when she touched her cheek, her fingers were splayed with tears and blood. She stumbled off the bed, half running to the bathroom.
She saw herself in the mirror, her hair in every direction and her eyes wide with worry. She had cried in her sleep and her nose bled. Hurriedly, she shoved a wad of tissue up her nose as she tried to clean up the blood dripping off of her.
It was a dream. All of it was a dream.
But her mind wandered back to the nightmare, her nightmare. It was rare of her to dream now, and something so real as that dream had her on edge. Was the seal breaking? Was it a warning of what might come? No, her father was dead. She had killed him, and he wasn't coming back. And Kakashi Hatake helping her? Psh, even that was far-fetched for a dream.
But just to be sure, Chiisai went straight to the kitchen, climbing the counter to fetch her journals. Both top books were covered in dust, evidence that they had been untouched for years. Satisfied and heart at normal pace, she hopped down and retrieved a glass from the cabinet. Tori strolled on in, letting out a purr as he rubbed against her leg. She scooped him into a hug, grateful to have her cat alive beside her.
"You're getting some milk, Tori."
The cat let out a meow as she smiled down at him. She opened the door with one hand and paused. Why was her milk on the second shelf? She always kept it on the first shelf.
Shrugging, she retrieved the carton and poured some for her and Tori. It's not like someone would sneak in her apartment just to drink some milk.
"First a dream, then a nosebleed, and now my milk hopping shelves? This is going to be a very weird day, Tori."
The cat made a small noise in response before turning to his dish bowl. Chiisai glanced at the window. The Sun was only beginning to shed a sliver of light on the horizon.
"Maybe it's a bad sign. Maybe I should just stay home today," she said to Tori. "Going outside means I have to see people and socialize."
She set the glass in the sink, adding one more thing to the pile of dishes. She turned back and leaned against the counter. Frowning, Chiisai muttered, "If only I didn't have to make money."
Finally making a decision, Chiisai trudged back to her room to change clothes.
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Tsunade stood over Chiisai, her hand hovering over of the unconscious woman's back.
"There's nothing written here at all." Shizune rustled through the papers in her hands. "No profile, no power, no seal, nothing. I don't understand why the Third didn't document this."
Kakashi stood by Inoichi, his arms crossed and face serious. "Then we have to go with what we know. Kuroi believes himself to be more than human. He said he wanted to make a better world, and only one person would be sacrificed. He's going to torture and kill Chiisai, and then use her powers to ensnare everyone's mind."
"Which is why he needs to be stopped as soon as possible. And we need Chiisai in order to stop him."
Inoichi spoke up. "Everyone who is asleep has a barricade around their subconscious. It's neither ninjutsu or genjutsu; it's as if it's a living thing. When I drew near it, it tried to suck me into the person's dream." His hands clenched. "He must be controlling their dreams, creating his own world for each mind."
Body tense but voice calm, Tsunade said, "Once I heal her wounds, Inoichi, you will link Kakashi to Chiisai. It seems the Sharingan is our only hope."
"Hai."
"This mission cannot fail. We need to take control as soon as possible, or else we put the Land of Fire in danger." Tsunade removed her hands from Chiisai. "Rescue Chiisai and kill Kuroi at all costs."
Kakashi nodded. "We're ready."
Inoichi and Kakashi both stepped forward. The white haired jonin laid down beside Chiisai. Her chest rose and fell with each small breath she took. Her face was etched with dried blood, covering her otherwise peaceful expression. He had the sudden urge to reach for her hand, to reassure her that it would be okay.
As Inoichi placed a hand on both of their heads, he said, "I'm linking you to Chiisai's mind. Once we get in, I'll tell you what to do."
Kakashi nodded, took on last glance at Chiisai, and then closed his eye.
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Kakashi and Inoichi floated inside Chiisai's mind, her brain stemming up before them. A black substance swirled around part of her mind. Its fluidity was smooth and forever changing, letting out slick hiss as it reached out and receded. It reminded him of the monster he had faced just last night.
"Kuroi has part of everyone's mind sealed behind this barrier. It's cutting off the nerves that link it to the rest of the mind."
Kakashi's keen eye narrowed at the mass, trying to find a weakness by just observing. "So this should suck me into Chiisai's dream."
"Hai." Inoichi paused. "Once you're in, you won't have any contact with the outside world, I'm afraid. You will remain there until you have completed the mission."
"I understand." Kakashi began to move forward.
"One more thing," the man said. Kakashi stopped to look back as Inoichi continued. "I'm not sure what you'll be presented with in the dream world. Just remember that you are in a dream. Otherwise your Sharingan is meaningless."
Kakashi nodded while meeting his eyes. "I won't fail."
Inoichi nodded. "Good luck, Kakashi."
He nodded before hovering closer to the barrier. The darkness responded to his presence. Just like in his nightmare, the oily darkness shot out at him, grabbing his arm as it dragged him closer. He didn't retaliate. More spindles shot out with a violent hiss, yanking at his limbs and torso. Konoha loomed in his vision, of an early morning on a clear day.
The darkness dragged him through the barrier, leaving behind reality as he entered the dreamworld.