AN: This is going to be told from two different points of view going back and forth between two journals, so to make it easier to follow I'm going to use different fonts. Kakashi's journal entries will be in italics, and Iruka's will continue to be in a regular font. The prologue and epilogue are labeled as such and in regular font. I know I said this would just be Kakashi's journal, but I just couldn't get to a point where I was happy with it that way.

Kakashi would be about 21 in this and still in ANBU.

Prologue:

The Hokage sat at his desk going over, for the second time in as many months, a journal events recorded by his shinobi. The difference this time being that he had two corresponding accounts to compare. The second having been penned, quite unrepentantly, by the Anbu operative sent to find the young teacher and his students. Perhaps it was a testament to how dire the times had become, that even the most elite of his warriors felt the need to leave something of themselves behind, committed to paper in the event of their deaths. Or something worse, as that alternative was now an ugly reality that constantly lurked directly outside Konoha's towering walls.

Pushing dark and useless thoughts aside the Hokage turned back to the task at hand. Opening both journals in tandem he began to read back and forth between them.

Monday, April 29th

I've decided to use an old jutsu I learned to transfer my thoughts onto paper so that I can keep a record of my search for the academy sensei and his students. Not something I would normally do but the fact that Umino's journal is the only thing that prompted the search for him makes me think that the idea has merit. I'm packing at top speed now so that I can set out to find him. Everything feels as though it has been moving at top speed for some time now. The most important thing to pack is water. The rivers have become unsafe to drink from now since you can never be sure of what's rotting up stream.

Tuesday, April 30th

I left the city so early this morning it was still practically last night. I went over the wall since the gates always stay closed now. We managed to get the last of those things out of Konoha about a week ago but they still swarm the walls, always looking for a way back in. The medics, those who survived the initial rush on the hospital, keep trying to convince us that those things are just very sick people, but it's hard to look at it that way. I had to help capture and restrain the ones who had turned but still retained a better portion of their abilities. Some of them were people I had known, worked with, gone out for drinks with. I didn't see any of who they were left in their eyes as we strapped them down. They keep talking about finding a cure and have even dispatched a team to locate Tsunade in the hopes that she could help. I can't say that my hopes are high. Right now, I'm just going to focus on finding the people I have some chance of saving.

Mon. April 1st,

I hadn't planned to continue writing once we left the school but I've realized that the process gives me the sense of normalcy I need to be able to cope with the chaos that the world has become around me. I was incredibly grateful when I found this composition notebook in the pack I was carrying.

The trip out of the city was a nightmare. I'm still amazed that we made it out in one piece. No mission I've ever gone on has rattled my nerves so much. Of course, no mission has ever involved keeping eleven young children safe from hoards of potential enemies all on my own. What are we going to do now that we're in the open and completely exposed? How am I going to manage to rest and keep the children safe throughout the night? I haven't slept yet since we left and I know that I'll get sloppy soon if this keeps up. There are so many questions now that I didn't think of before. I suppose it doesn't matter though; there was no way we could have remained where we were.

Wednesday, May 1st

I have Pakkun and Bisuke with me and we're looking for any sign of Umino-sensei and his students while heading North ourselves. It would be easier if I could summon the whole pack and send them ahead but I won't risk it. Even though there is no sign that the infection can be transferred to animals they can still be attacked, and attacks by the infected are always brutal. I'm keeping these two in sight at all times.

Even though the nin-ken have the sensei's scent I'm hoping that we don't find anything yet. The trail should be cold by now. If there's anything left of Umino or his students in the area it couldn't mean anything good.

Tues. April 2nd,

Finally able to get some rest. Shikamaru suggested we sleep in the trees since the infected don't seem able to climb them. It means taking extra time to secure make-shift "nests" so that none of the children will fall, but the trade off is worth it. So far, our presence seems to go unnoticed overnight as nothing was waiting for us at the base of the trees in the morning. I can only hope that continues.

Friday, May 3rd

We found our first sign of the sensei today. There was a backpack at the base of a tree that had been so ripped and shredded it was barely recognizable. The scent of one of the students still clung to its tattered remains. There was the body of a man that looks to have been infected lying nearby. It looks as if the 'man' must have tried to attack one of the students and ended up grabbing the pack instead before being taken out by Umino.

I have conflicted feelings about this discovery. It shows that Umino is serious about protecting his students; however, it makes me wonder. What happens if one of the student becomes infected? How will Umino handle it? Would he do the smart thing and leave the child behind or would he try to bring them along, to the detriment of the rest of the party? And what happens to the students if Umino himself becomes infected while trying to defend them? There are simply to many variables at play here. The only thing I can be sure of is that I need to find this man and his students as quickly as possible.

Fri. April 5th,

Up until this point we had been doing a good job of avoiding infected individuals, skirting around the areas where we could hear their groans. I thought we would be able to keep it up since there are so few here in the woods compared to how it was in Konoha. I was wrong. Hinata was attacked today. One of those things popped up behind her and latched onto her pack. Thank goodness it didn't actually grab her because the first thing it did was to sink its teeth into the material it held. Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke were closest and all grabbed onto her and got her away before the thing could realize it didn't truly have hold of her. In retrospect, I'm amazed at how fast they acted. I was also amazed at the strength the infected man showed, ripping the pack to pieces in a matter of seconds. It makes me sick to think that could have been sweet, little Hinata in his grasp. I sent a kunai into his skull and allowed the children to stare in shock for a minute. We had all passed him. He had looked just like another body collapsed at the bottom of a tree. It made no sound, no movement.

I apologized to Hinata and told everyone that I would be more careful from now on. I could tell by the looks on their faces that I wasn't the only one. We had to move out then, and quickly because we could hear more of those things drawing near. The commotion must have attracted their attention and drawn them in. I think we've lost them all now. At least the children don't seen to blame me for what happened today. They all still trust me and look to me for guidance. I hope their trust hasn't been misplaced.

Saturday, May 4th

There's a town about a days travel ahead. Under different circumstances, nothing could persuade me to enter it. But I can't rule out the possibility that Umino and his students may have tried to find shelter there. I would hope that he wouldn't have done something so foolish but the panic that this infection has brought with it has caused wiser men to do stupider things. I don't look forward to what tomorrow holds. Any once populated area is bound to be crawling with the infected by now. If Umino and his children have managed to hole-up there I don't know how I'm going to manage to get them out.

Sun. April 7th,

There's a town nearby here. I've stopped there several times on my way home from missions that have finished ahead of schedule. The prospect up bulking up our provisions is tempting but with so many infected in the woods the town has likely seen infection also. Do I want to take the risk?

Monday, May 6th

There was no sign of the sensei or his students in the little town and thank God for that. I'm sure if they had been there I would have found nothing but their bodies when I arrived. I was barely able to escape the damned place myself. I had to dismiss the nin-ken and chidori my way through an ally wall to get away and that still almost wasn't enough when one of them surprised me when it revealed that it still possessed shinobi speed. It had been mixed in with the others before I started getting away and that makes me wonder. Had it just been one of them and only got faster when it believed its meal to be escaping, or was it hiding amongst them planning an attack? Those of the infected left with the ability to strategize are few and far between, but they are by far the most dangerous.

Mon. April 8th,

I decided the risk of entering the town was too great. All I really had to do was think back to how lucky we were to escape Konoha in one piece and my decision was made for me. We will continue North towards the mountains, it's our best chance of finding a safe haven.

Tuesday, May 7th

My water supply is getting low but I'm only about 2days away from the northern mountain range so I should be okay. Unsafe as the rivers may be, the snow is clean. Still no further signs of the sensei. I wonder if that means he has made it to his mountain.

Wednesday, May 8th

I made a horrible discovery today and got the answer to a question I now wish I had never asked. It turns out that Umino is smart enough to know he shouldn't bring an infected student with him. I found a small infected girl trapped up a tree today. It looks like Umino must have placed her there to try and keep her safe before she turned. An empty bag of chips caught in one of the trees forks and the remains of a bandage over an obvious bite wound on her arm confirm this.

She was stalking her branch looking like she had lost the ability to climb back down. The carnage on the ground around her was enough to paint a clear picture of what must have happened. A total of six bodies lay dead and rotting on the forest floor. It looks like they had been hunting in a pack of sorts. It's the first time I've seen this behavior in infected individuals outside of a town or village. Given the circumstances, I'm amazed that only one of the students ended up infected. Umino-sensei must have more skill than I had given him credit for. Never-the-less, I need to find him as quickly as possible. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't anxious to get away from the snarling little girl who looks like she might be considering pouncing on me from her tree.

Tues. April 9th,

We were attacked today. Six of them rushed us at once. I heard a rustling in the underbrush to the side of our path and went to investigate thinking that it might be something I could catch for dinner. It turned out to be an infected female. I was so surprised, and she was so fast, that only my shinobi speed saved me from being bitten. Not a second after I killed her I heard a horrid scream behind me. Four more were quickly closing in on the students and one had already reached one of the girls, it's teeth sunken into her arm. I let my kunai fly, with more speed and skill than I realized I had, and killed them all. But it was already to late. They had been hunting us, lay a trap that I never saw coming because I was fool enough to think it was beyond their capabilities. I've paid a high price for my ignorance. One of my students has been bitten. It destroys me to even write about it. In the end I had to make a choice; bringing her with us would put everyone in danger, but leaving Ami behind also seemed like an unthinkable alternative. I know my decision will haunt me to the day I die.

Thursday, May 9th

I reached the mountains today. As much as I would like to keep pressing on, I can tell that the dark could hurrying towards my position can only bring a serious storm with them. There's a cave about halfway up on this mountain. I'll take shelter there for the night. I think it might be best if I continued my journey through these mountains by heading from one known cave system to the next. Not only is it the safest strategy for navigating this terrain, it also gives me the best chance of finding Umino-sensei.

Fri. April 12th,

We're finally at the mountains. I know of several caves around here; but, rather than trekking up the first mountain we come to, I'm going to move a bit further into the range. We'll travel partially up the sides of the mountains we pass instead of walking through the valleys. It's my belief that this will help keep us safe from both the infected and from the freak storms that roll through this area occasionally.

Friday, May 10th

The storm last night was vicious and it hasn't let up yet. I'm huddled in this little cave and have summoned the entire pack to keep me warm. I hope this stops soon. Even though I'm getting tired of listening to the howling of the wind I have to admit that it's better than the near constant groaning of the infected that I've spent so much time listening to lately.

Monday, May 13th

Blasted storm finally let up this morning. Next cave system is three mountains over from here. It means I will have to spend tonight outdoors, but it smells like the weather should stay good long enough for me to reach it safely.

Tues. April 16th,

Finally we're drawing close to the caves that I think will prove a safe spot for us. I've been taking my time to put down traps along the path just in case. At the rate we're moving we should reach the cave before nightfall.

I've come across a wide array of footprints on my way, however. If any infected have made it this far up the path then I know there truly isn't a safe place left anymore. But I will fight until the last of my strength gives out to keep these children alive and well.

Wednesday, May 15th

The pack scented the sensei and his students a little before noon today and I have come across several clever and well hidden traps in the past hour. I'm close enough that I can smell them now myself, along with about 20 other people. As wary about the unknown scents as I am I can't help but feel excited that it looks like I've finally found them. I just hope they're all alive and I'm not to late.

Epilogue:

When he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, Iruka was quick to pull out a kunai and spin to face the threat. He was startled to see that there was now a dog sitting at the entrance of the cave. When he realized the hound had a leaf headband tied around its neck he nearly wept in relief.

The animal raised its head and let out a howl that caught the attention of everyone else in the cave. The girls all squealed as 7 more dogs came into view. They were joined shortly by a tall, lanky frame that Iruka recognized as belonging to the copy-nin.

"Yo." the man said as he ducked inside and offered a two-fingered wave. Iruka could only stare in wonderment for a moment, even as he heard Izumo and Kotetsu collapsing on top of each other in relieved laughter behind him.

"Hatake-san," Iruka bowed in greeting, "Does this mean that it's safe to return home?"

Kakashi looked around at all of the hopeful faces shining up at him.

"The way back is still dangerous," he replied, "But Konoha itself is now clean and secure if you're willing to take the risk to go back."

He marveled as he watched all those little faces fill with determination.

"Konoha is home, Kakashi-san," Iruka said, voicing everyone's thoughts, "and if it's safe within the walls again then that is where we belong."

Behind him everyone nodded in agreement.

"How on Earth did you find us?"

Kakashi gestured to the nin-ken who were now enjoying being petted and adored by a group of children before pulling a leather bound journal out of his hip pouch and handing it to the stunned man in front of him.

"You gave us the heading," he answered, "and then we just followed our noses."

Iruka smiled brilliantly at him and nodded, managing to reflect his students determination even with the beaming smile on his features. He made his desire clear with a simple statement,

"Lets go home."

End

AN: May do one last part of this story and make a journal for Tsunade as she attempts to find a cure for the infection. Still debating.