The Shepherd's Dog
Author: remthedogsitter
Rating: M
Summary: It's been five years since Iruka left the village on an important mission and Kakashi has been searching for him ever since. Kakashi's journey leads him deep into iron country where he is later rescued by a shepherd and his eight dogs. Will Kakashi manage to solve the mystery and save Iruka in time?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form
A/N: is anyone still reading this?
Chapter 3: Self
Kakashi froze at the sound of the wolf's voice that rose above the drumbeats. His whole body tensed and Kaimu cuddled around him whined softly, nuzzling his side gently and a heavy paw on his good leg to keep him from standing. His hand reached down to grip his staff thinking he may have no other choice.
"Be still Shinobi." Shinjiru gave him a lupine grin as it settled on its haunches a respectful distance away however close enough to be able to nibble on some of the sheep. "Would you believe me if I said I am here as a friend and not your enemy?"
Kakashi remained silent, his sharingan beneath the cloth covering his eye swirled madly of its own accord. Shinjiru stared into his eye with the normal pair of eyes he had, the sharingan and byakugan closed and its breath whirled into clouds about his face half lit by the fire.
"I will not harm you." He said gently, laying his head down on his paws as he sunk to the ground, munching on a sheep leg. "Do you know this night? This place? Wolf and man meet here and renew their covenant with the earth. There is much you don't know I think and much you and I must overcome."
"Why should I trust you?" His head felt thick and heavy, he barely noticed himself leaning against Kaimu for support.
"Any hatred quelled gives room to reason... and for this." The wolf inched a little closer to the man and sent out a small sliver of chakra in his direction. "I had been welcomed into your pack that is in pieces now, the connection muddled, the sun is covered and the moon has fallen dark into an eclipse." He began to speak in riddles.
Kakashi felt it however, the layers of delicate chakra with Iruka's, the old Iruka's chakra had weaved together. They were still whole within the crimson colored beast and his charka was true, clear and welcoming.
"However I cannot speak with you in length here, neither the time nor the place." He said quietly leaning in closer to the white haired man. "I can say though, let go of the world you came from, of who you thought you were. You're no longer a shinobi but a stranger in this place, in the same way that your love from then is no longer now, not a shinobi but a shepherd of not just sheep but the spirits of this place."
As quick as he came the crimson wolf took his leave, the other wolves and dogs did not acknowledge him but when he bowed to their leader and to Iruka they did as well.
Kakashi's chin hit his chest, asleep.
"Iruka, what happened last night?" Kakashi asked as the shepherd laid out a canvas sheet so they could have lunch. The weather had took a turn for the better and the man led them to take the sheep out to pasture where they could.
The shepherd began unpacking their lunch first however, pastys a little larger than both his hands put together. He handed him the bigger piece and began to dig into his own.
Kakashi watched Iruka holding it almost like a watermelon and bit into the center. He followed the example with a tentative bite on his piece, before he could stop himself he let out a small pleased groan. The filling was thinly cut strips of beef, cubes of sweet potato and tender pods of green peas and it was still pleasantly warm.
"In this place, this mountain it is believed that men were born from the love of a wolf and a god." The shepherd explained between bites of his food and swigs of ale from the skin between them. "It was taboo of course, because the gods of the mountain were very much fickle and the wolves were only their messengers to the beasts of the earth. The god was killed and became this mountain, the she-wolf bore the first humans that had intelligence and speech. There were already some sort of mankind on earth at that time but they were simple minded like beasts and couldn't speak."
Kakashi waited for Iruka to continue his story, watching the sheep digging in the snow and grazing on the grass that hid beneath.
"In other places, wolves are killed and seen as enemies or competition for land and food but here we acknowledge them as brothers and have old blood rules. They shall not hunt our animals and we shall respect their land and sometimes we exchange gifts such as the protection of the village for sheep. They will only eat sheep that has been slaughtered for them and they let us hunt on their land as well during certain times of the year." He wiped his hands on his pants and took up his shepherd's staff again and without another word went back to the dogs and sheep.
"Knowing the illusion is not enough to break it."A familiar voice whispered, somewhere behind him and true enough Shinjiru was there curled around a few trees comfortably. "We are in my sister's illusion, an illusion tailored on top of reality so much so it may be impossible to differentiate the two. Is the illusion copying reality or reality copying the illusion?"
Kakashi stared at him, he was sure he didn't feel the presence a few moments ago. "Your sister's illusion?"
"The creature that the sun of my brothers followed, another that escaped from the snake man." He nodded his head. "After my spirit was cleansed I searched for my roots and found my way back here to the land of my ancestors where the spirits are strong. It was by pure chance I saw my brothers and that creature here but I was unable to do anything. Hence here we are in an illusion."
The copy nin remained silent, thinking over the information. If Iruka and the pups were unable to escape for five years now, what could he do that they haven't done?
"Knowing the illusion is not enough to break it." he repeated "You must be within it, accepting it genuinely then you must break free from it. It becomes the equivalent of rejecting reality itself, rejecting what you believed as truth. In short, I must make this illusion my reality, and my life as a ninja the dream."
It was Shinjiru's turn to stare and smile. "Somewhere in this place is where my sister keeps her heart. Take it to draw her out and maybe there we will stand a chance."
To lose my self. Kakashi swallowed, thinking of Iruka and what they had and the home that was waiting for them. If he changed, if he was not himself would he still love the man he spent all this time searching for? He took to another way of thinking however if I become a man that is not Kakashi perhaps he will love the man that is now not Iruka and in turn would love him back. It was a gamble.
"When you sleep tonight I shall help you accept this world and dream of the other. You won't remember me or our plan, you will just know. It is already a part of your self that does not forget, try to find his as well." The crimson wolf smiled again before disappearing. "Jibun wo shinjiru as my mother said."
Believe in your self.
A/N: Ok things are getting weird in the story : )) raise your hand if your still reading this story cause I'm not sure if people still are xD reviews keep me writing k? hmm the next chap im half way through already mwhahaha the story is just beginning