"Do you really think this 'spy' exists?" Genma sighs, running a finger on the flat side of his kunai. He looks bored, and he is.
Ao looks at his friend with a worried expression, "Genma, don't say stuff like that. If Hokage-sama wants us to be on the lookout, he isn't kidding. Plus, you don't know where they might be hiding."
Genma scowls, "I think being in Torture and Investigation is getting to you. You're too paranoid. If this spy were really lurking around here, wouldn't Hokage-sama say something about any recently stolen documents? It's been two months since he gave that speech and I haven't sensed anything amiss. Have you?"
Ao scratches his neck before shaking his head, "So? If it's been two months and we haven't sensed anything, then the spy is extremely well integrated. Hound might be still on the lookout, but with her team, I don't think she's prioritizing the spy as much as she is training that team. She's relying a great deal on us. Plus, she exploded when she heard about Kakashi leaving to spy on the Akatsuki. She's not in any kind of position to look for this spy."
Genma scoffs, "I think she'll be quite motivated. The spy is probably working for the Akatsuki or Orochimaru. Kakashi's absence alone makes her angrier, especially after she said what she said about her being an ANBU preventing his death. She cares a lot about Kakashi, more than any of us could imagine. With him gone spying on the very things that could kill him, the least she could do is look for the spy and protect him from here."
Ao blinks, "That's…true."
"So," Genma digs a pointed finger in his friend's shoulder, "If not even she has found the spy, there must not really be a spy."
"I'm not totally convinced," Ao sighs, "But you definitely have a point."
"How'd you get up so quickly?" Hinata shields her eyes with a hand from the sun and looks up at Naruto in astonishment.
Naruto scratches the back of his neck, "Practice?"
Kosari knows it isn't just that. She briefly looks at her other two Genin before looking back at Naruto. Sasuke and Hinata are quickly catching up to Naruto, but not fast enough. Kosari throws a kunai and it cuts the boy's cheek, "A vantage point has its pros and cons. Pro: you can see people and things that are farther away. Con: those people can see you. If they can see you, they can strike. In a tree, it's a little like being a sitting duck if you're not in a densely forested area. Be aware of any attack."
Kosari flings several kunai at him, which he deflects with his own kunai. The boy swings down and lands rather ungracefully on the ground. He rubs a skinned knee and blows on it, cringing at the pain. He covers it with a hand. Kosari grabs his wrist and stares curiously at the open wound and watches in fascination as it closes right before her eyes. Amazing.
"K-kosari-sensei, a scratch like this isn't…that interesting, is it?" Naruto asks uneasily.
Kosari lets go, "Well, since you're done with what I'd initially planned, I suppose I can move on to walking on water."
"Don't leave us behind!" Hinata calls out, "Wait for us!"
"Why?" Kosari says, incredulous, "Just treat this as motivation to master this quicker." Kosari doesn't mention anything regarding how her expectations for the two clan children were much higher. As far as she knew, Naruto received no formal training from anyone while Hinata had her overbearing father and Sasuke had the great Uchiha Kagami, comrade to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Council, and Shimura Danzo all to himself.
Kosari leads Naruto to a gently flowing river and smirks at him, "Strip."
"W-what?" Naruto's face turns as red as his hair.
"You're going to fall in and you'll get sopping wet and it'll suck for you if you have to trudge home in soaked clothes," Kosari says.
"Oh," Naruto says, but eyes her with suspicion, "Fine," he takes off his shirt and pants and throws them down on the ground before stepping into the shallow end of the frigid water. He cringes, "Now what?"
"Apply the same concept," Kosari says, "You have to release chakra from your feet and step onto the surface. It'll be harder, though, because of the uneven surface and depending on the current and waves that may come, you'll have to adjust the amount at a moment's notice. After you get the hang of this, I'll be simulating a real battle scene for you. But, go on, try it," she gestures for him to move about.
The boy does and hesitantly begins.
In the meantime, Kosari looks at the messy pile of wrinkled clothes and frowns at them. Before she knows it, she's folded them and has thread, the kind medics use to close up wounds, and a needle and is stitching up holes. She feels someone watching her and sheepishly looks up. Naruto is standing not quite on the surface and is dripping wet. He looks at the woman with a newfound sense of fear, "Kosari-sensei…what are you doing?"
Kosari pushes down embarrassment before glaring at him, "What are you doing? Go back to practicing. I won't buy you any free ramen if you don't."
The prospect of free ramen causes Naruto to practice twice as hard. Kosari returns to her work and as the sun is setting, she finds that she not only has repaired every single hole, but has also stitched his name on the inside of his shirt and pants and even the inside straps of his shoes.
"Thanks," Naruto mutters, snatching it away from her. Kosari crosses her arms, "What else did you expect me to do? With the three of you going so slowly, I've got nothing better to do."
"Hobbies?" Naruto arches a brow as he tugs his shirt into place.
Kosari looks at the orange sun, "I don't have any."
"Why?" Naruto asks, shocked. "What have you been doing before you were our sensei?"
"Other shinobi work," Kosari says. "I didn't have time to think about those kinds of things."
Naruto rolls his eyes, "With this kind of stitching work, you should join some convalescent home to knit or something," then he grins, "But that free ramen deal is still on right?"
"You didn't master this yet," Kosari points out.
"Yeah, I know that," Naruto says childishly, "But, for the future, right?"
Kosari rolls her eyes, "Yes, for the future. Go on, go home. You're dismissed."
Kosari walks past him and approaches her other two students, "Did you two master it?"
Hinata wipes sweat from her brow, "Yes," she smiles genuinely.
"Show me, both of you," Kosari says.
The two are too eager to comply and race up the tree covered in marks from the kunai they'd used to mark their progress. Kosari watches as they make it all the way up and all the way down. She nods at both of them, "Good job. Tomorrow, meet up for a mission. Dismissed."
Hinata and Naruto walk away towards the residential districts. Kosari leans against a tree and crosses her arms with half-lidded eyes, "Uchiha-san, what is it? You've been uneasy ever since a few days ago when I stayed the night at the Uchiha compound. It isn't because of the body they found floating in the lake, is it?"
Kosari recalls the woman's body ANBU had found floating in the lake. The woman had been brutally beaten and stabbed. When they found her, she was still warm. The soil around the edge of the lake and blood on the dock showed obvious signs of a struggle. The woman didn't want to die, much like all of the Uchiha five years ago.
"No," Sasuke snaps, "I'm not some kid afraid of some random dead woman."
Kosari understands. Because he saw his own mother, dead. Hell, his entire clan over and over. "So what is it? Uchiha-sama is waiting for you."
"It's just…" Sasuke sighs, annoyed at himself for not spitting it out, "Never mind."
Kosari nods, furrowing her brows, "Okay. See you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah," Sasuke says and in the blink of an eye, she disappears in a flicker.
Sasuke tosses and turns in his sleep. It isn't just because Kagami is still at the Police Headquarters, helping some of the newer officers orient themselves. Sweat runs down his face and into the furrow between his brows. Something dark, but so bright, rips through his dream and the boy bolts straight up and pants. His breaths come out ragged before he swallows and calms down a little. He looks around and sees faint outlines of his room from the soft moonlight.
A dream… Yet, it was so real. I would rather see my own parents' deaths than see my best friend's death over and over again. I'll kill my brother for my parents' deaths and kill Shisui for my best friend's death. Shirusu was so young, younger than I was, had his whole life ahead of him, and should've been spared.
Sasuke grips the covers until his knuckles turn white. "Damn."
It was the same nightmare as the one after he'd passed Kosari's evaluation. Seeing Naruto's death, however annoying and lacking of understandability he was, set him off. More specifically, it reignites all those bad memories of his clan's demise and Itachi's genjutsu. Just being around Kosari makes his skin crawl.
Sasuke pushes off the covers and stands. He wanders through the house, feeling his way around until he can reach the kitchen to get a drink of water and try to remind himself that it was a nightmare. A nightmare. It can't possibly hurt him.
He trips over something and inadvertently slams into a bookshelf before landing on the ground with a painful thud. A thick rectangle of paper hits his head and lands in front of his face. The moonlight illuminates the waxy paper and Sasuke gazes at the paper, no, photograph. He grimaces; it was the one that gave him nightmares.
It's a photo, worn at the edges, of Shisui playing with his friend. Sasuke's blood boils. It's revolting to Sasuke for Shisui to be playing with his own son, a boy named Uchiha Shirusu, mere weeks before he stabs the (then) five-year-old over and over without a shred of remorse. Shisui had played the kind and proud father ever since the boy's birth up until the day he defected from the village. In sharp contrast, the boy's mother was never in any of the photos. Sasuke wonders bleakly if Shisui had done away with his wife before the massacre. It wouldn't surprise him in the least; Shisui was hiding his murderous and cruel side, just as Itachi had until he killed their parents.
Coffee.
Kosari ladles an off-white batter into an oiled pan and watches as the batter solidifies and puffs up. Bubbles rise and pop, leaving empty holes. Kosari takes a pair of chopsticks, not necessarily the most ideal utensil in her opinion but it does the job, and flips it over. She grins at the scent of the…pastry, she supposes, and stirs her cup of steaming coffee with another hand. She used to like coffee diluted with milk and sugar, but after the apple and, really, five years of not tasting sugar, sweet things had to be either unsweetened or eaten in tandem with unsweetened coffee or tea.
And, because coffee staves off sleep (the ally of the enemy, for the enemy can strike while one nods off) she prefers it. A stack of around twenty of the puffy, golden brown pastries is rounded off with yet another from the pan. Kosari carefully lifts the plate and watches nervously as the tower of pastries wobbles and quivers, threatening to fall. She manages to make it to the low table, not her ideal table but it does the job, and places the plate down. She takes a sip of her coffee with her free hand and sighs in content.
Coffee.
She grabs softened butter and slathers it on generously. She trots to the fridge and grabs a metal tin with a dark and thick and sticky and shiny liquid inside and inhales deeply. She hadn't opened it since before she entered ANBU. She places a small spoon inside and carefully and frugally drizzles it on. Her knife cuts a piece and she grabs her chopsticks, ready to finally eat—
"Hey, Hound. You got a minute?" someone knocks at the door.
How dare…the nerve! She was about to I was about to eat!
"Yes," Kosari responds and stands. Before she can take one more step towards the door, the door is kicked in and Kosari looks at Anko with pure malice, "Mitarashi-san, replacement doors cost 5,000 ryo."
"Nice place," Genma steps in and pushes the senbon in the corner of his mouth to the other side of his mouth, "A little dusty and barren, though. You don't own much, do you?" and it's a genuine question. "Kakashi's place is a little more customized, what with the bookshelves and such."
"What is that?" Anko points at the tall stack of pastries, "What…what is it? I've never, ever seen anything like this…ever."
"Experiments," Kosari says curtly, "Why did you two come?"
Anko's eyes glitter, "The spy. You're the only other one we can talk to."
"What about Ao-san?" Kosari asks.
"That's the thing," Genma sighs, "He didn't show up today. I looked all around for him, and he's just…gone."
Kosari doesn't understand, "Are you implying that he's the spy or that the spy may have taken him? Did Hokage-sama send him on a mission?"
"You haven't any leads?" Genma asks.
"Answer my question," Kosari says, "And I'll answer yours."
Anko snickers. Genma takes out his senbon and eyes the pastries. Kosari rolls her eyes, exasperated and wished they would simply leave, and leans against her fridge with her arms crossed, "Come on, spit it out."
Genma shakes his head, "No."
"Well," Kosari scratches her birthmark, "Not really. Just a few."
"Who?" Anko asks. "Truth be told, I haven't gotten very far."
Kosari looks up at her ceiling.
I didn't just waste all that time I couldn't sleep. I figured that the spy was either a former ally, like a Konoha shinobi that was lured or persuaded to work for the enemy, or a foreigner, like a merchant, who blended in well with Konoha society and was familiar enough with the society to stay undetected within the village for two months. I'd ruled out the Jounin that the Hokage had summoned before I was deployed to the Land of Iron, so it meant that the spy was a Jounin of a clearance level 13 or lower, such as a Chuunin of a clearance level of 10 or higher. That narrowed down my search within the general shinobi population somewhat. But this would only be truly helpful if my only enemy was the Akatsuki. Orochimaru's spy would also fit perfectly within these parameters, but something else narrows down my search even further: Orochimaru's spy is embedded within areas that have access to confidential records of shinobi that carry or carried kekkei genkai, like the hospital, Torture and Investigation, First and Second-in-Command ANBU Black Ops and the warden of the Prison. Meaning, the head of the hospital, the leader of the medic corps, any Jounin or Chuunin in T&I, Monkey, Hawk, and the warden.
Kosari narrows her eyes at a spider crawling above.
Nohara Rin's apartment doesn't contain anything regarding anything except medical textbooks, scrolls, and a few scattered papers about the hospital and training new staff. Her chakra system wasn't disrupted in the slightest, so no genjutsu. She's an unlikely candidate with many friends, even the Genjutsu Mistress Yūhi Kurenai, that would sense even the slightest change in her. Her counterpart, a man named Yamagata Ochiru, the leader of the medic corps, doesn't have high enough clearance. Recently, within T&I, a wave of new prospective underlings has joined. All of them are new Chuunin and lack any sort of information or clearance. Moreno Ibiki, four of his Jounin and two of his Chuunin assistants could potentially be the spies, especially because their high esteem among the Hokage and his Elders and Council could wave off any infraction or…slip-up the spy has. With Monkey and Hawk under Danzo-sama's close supervision, it's incredibly doubtful. Lastly, the warden of the Prison hasn't returned to Konoha due to a vacation for over a month. That time period makes him an unlikely candidate.
"It's bothering me a little that I haven't had enough time to look into this thoroughly because of my preoccupation with my team," Kosari sends up a senbon and stabs the spider's head, "But, there's evidence that an unauthorized person infiltrated confidential files of around two hundred patients in the hospital and used both Nohara Rin and Yamagata Ochiru's passwords to get access to the files. Moreno Ibiki, his four Jounin assistants, and two Chuunin assistants may also be the spy. To some extent, Nohara Rin could be an unwitting accomplice, but that's beside the issue," Kosari says. "The warden could be the spy as well. He's been gone for over a month, meaning that he could've gathered information quickly within the first month and then gone back to the Akatsuki or Orochimaru during the second month to help plan their next move."
"Sorry, Kosari-chan," Anko laughs, "I kinda doubted you, being such a stiff ANBU and all. You're pretty capable."
"I'm just following standard reconnaissance procedure," Kosari mutters, "Did you have any lead whatsoever?"
"No, not really. But to think that spies could be in my Division is kinda scary," Anko laughs and laughs.
"The other thing that bothers me more is that there could be domestic allies within the village, especially the border corps, for both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. In regards to the Akatsuki, it could be anyone letting the spy or an Akatsuki member in and out of the village undetected within the border corps, or any merchant that's stayed in Konoha for a series of extended periods of time. In other words, a nondescript merchant that's got experience trading with Konoha and has a six-month visa or a twelve-month one. I didn't have enough time to look into the sheer number of merchants that have these kinds of visas. The spies could be living right next door and I wouldn't know, at least not now," Kosari purses her lips.
"Is this all you two came for?" Kosari asks, arching a brow, "I was busy."
"With?" Anko presses.
"Eating," Kosari says flatly, "So unless you have some miraculous information, you two have my permission to leave."
"So pushy," Genma says.
"Can I have one?!" Anko asks impatiently. Before Kosari can say 'no' and throw her out of her apartment, Anko devours five of them. Kosari drops to her knees, "N-no…t-those are mine…" and all color drains from her face.
"What's this?" Anko looks at the tin with the thick liquid and dips a finger in. Kosari lunges at her, "Don't eat that!"
Anko's reflexes kick in and pin the Jounin to the ground. Kosari glares, but darkness envelops her vision before she can fight back.
Kosari opens her eyes. Pain and darkness are all she knows for a moment until her ears are assaulted by a loud crash and she turns away from the bright light. Weakness rings throughout her body and she groans, having never felt her chakra as far away from her as it did now. Military grade suppressors…I think…but…why?
Where was I?
Kosari hesitantly opens her eyes and sees a figure kneeling before her. Her eyes trail from the feet, clad in shinobi sandals, up the pants that are covered from the mid-thigh up by some sort of black cloth. Her heart stops when she settles on the face. It's a man with kind black eyes and his youth stolen from him and not a hint of malice in them.
Uchiha Itachi.
"I apprehended the two impostors," he says softly.
Kosari doesn't want to respond. She wants to just flicker away, or simply run, but without chakra and her arms far apart and restrained tightly, there's only two ways out: cooperating with Uchiha Itachi, the man that destroyed his entire clan, or death. Death would've been a good way out two months ago, when she'd been in ANBU. But now, death is a last resort, especially with the fact that Hiruzen had ordered her to take up Kakashi's team. And, dying would mean that she couldn't sink her fingers into the spy that dared infiltrate Konoha and give information to the enemy that Kakashi is much, much too close to. Just the notion of knowing that the spy is still alive makes her sick. Death, she decides, is not an option. As much as she doesn't want to admit, cooperation is her only way out. That, and a little bit of luck that Itachi doesn't kill her first. And I have really, really shitty luck.
"Why?" Kosari asks tonelessly, from one former ANBU to another.
"Because they were in my way. I have a proposition," Itachi says.
Kosari looks at his hands, "Why me? Why not someone else?"
Itachi's lips quirk up in amusement, "You know why."
You're so easy to read. Getting close to me means getting close to Sasuke and Naruto. "What's your proposition?" Kosari intones.
"No need to be so formal, Kosari-senpai," Itachi gives her a smile. "Orochimaru is a problem, not only because he used to be a member of the Akatsuki—"
Kosari's stomach drops. They know we know about them. Fuck. Shit. Damn it! Kakashi…
"—but also because of his recent movements and interest in kekkei genkai. He is a problem both to the Akatsuki and to Konoha as well. My proposition is this: in exchange for the sparing of Hatake Kakashi's life, which I can guarantee, the Akatsuki's spies will eliminate Orochimaru's spies, keep them out of Konoha, and will help to keep Orochimaru himself away from any kekkei genkai possessors. You, on the other hand, will do two things: keep the remaining Uchiha out of Orochimaru's grasp and…follow any orders."
Kosari feels sick, "What does that mean, 'follow any orders'?"
Itachi furrows his brows slightly, "There's a seal on your back that allows for an Uchiha, after performing a certain series of seals, to give an order and you must conform to the order."
Kosari's eyes widen and she meets his black ones, "No…"
Itachi looks at the woman carefully. He opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off, "That seal was deactivated when Uchiha Fugaku died."
"His death doesn't affect this," Itachi says simply. "Will you agree or not? You don't have to; Konoha is well off and you're quite capable in finding the spies and fortifying Konoha's security. However, the problem for you is whether or not you can both protect and prepare Uzumaki Naruto in such a small timeframe and keep the entirety of Konoha safe from Orochimaru, regardless of Kakashi. But, every shinobi has a breaking point, and Hatake Kakashi, the last of your family, is yours. His death will severely inhibit your productivity and ability to instruct your Genin team and protect Konoha."
Kosari grits her teeth to the point where Itachi can hear it. He lowers his eyes at the woman and wishes he could apologize. But, that would make her less likely to agree to his terms.
For Kakashi, for Team 7, for Konoha… Kosari looks him in the eye, "I agree."
Itachi nods, "I'll reactivate the seal, then."
Kosari's arm restraints are removed. She kneels while Itachi steps behind her, "Take off your vest, and anything underneath."
Kosari feels her face heat up childishly, but she complies volitionally and holds her clothes to her chest tightly. Itachi frowns, "Forgive me, but this will hurt."
Kosari senses him prick his finger on a kunai and feels his glowing red sharingan eyes on her back with fading intricate black markings. He goes over them carefully in his own blood before bringing out a vial of someone else's blood and tracing it over only partly once more. He goes through a series of complicated seals before slamming both of his hands onto her back. As his chakra glows and sears her back, reaffirming the seal, she holds in a scream of pain. She can feel the ink and blood mixing in with her own repressed chakra and binding to her in; an agonizing white-hot sealing. Her body shakes with pain until Itachi lets go. It still burns painfully, but at least the source of the pain: the terribly foreign chakra intertwining with her own is gone.
Itachi examines the work. Flawless, of course, but he didn't expect her to bleed from the edges of where the ink was. Then again, it might've been due to the fact she was covered in somewhat recovering bruises and her chakra system was severely damaged to begin with (perhaps chakra exhaustion, he thinks) and his chakra and blood might've exacerbated her wounds, "Kosari-senpai, let go of your clothes and raise your arms," Itachi takes out a roll of bandages and carefully wraps the woman's torso in the thin white cotton strips. He ties it off and kneels in front of the woman after she pulls on her clothes, "Also, one more thing."
"What?" Kosari eyes him warily as he takes off her chakra suppressors.
"Don't tell anyone what happened here," Itachi says seriously.
Because it would jeopardize our agreement. Kosari nods, "I know," she sighs and before she can stop herself, her eyes roll into the back of her head and she falls forward. Itachi catches her and whisks her away to her apartment. Too many traps litter her windowsill when he gracefully lands in and a kunai stabs his leg and a senbon nicks his cheek. The Uchiha frowns slightly before placing the woman on her bed and vanishes into thin air.
"…burning up…"
So cold…too cold…
"…find something…"
Too warm…but…
"What?!...blow up…"
Important…something's important…
She reflexively turns away when something beyond icy touches her forehead. Something much too warm grabs her shoulders and pushes her down, keeping her in place. A sense of dissatisfaction and frustration bubbles up in her chest too quickly and she shudders alarmingly.
Kosari opens her eyes hesitantly and in a haze, she saw the world before her swimming and spinning. She focuses on two white dots close to her and furrows her brows in confusion. What…is that? After a few minutes of staring, the dots form eyes, surrounded by a fair skin tone slightly tanned by the sun and somewhat spiky brown hair. It's a man and the more she stares, the more she thinks she might know him.
"I'm…Kosari," she says, barely able to hear her own voice.
"I know," the man says kindly. "Don't you remember me?"
Kosari frowns, deep in thought. Her obsidian eyes shine sickly in the dim light. Her search through her many memories derails when she sees bright colors in the edge of her vision. She turns her head, wincing in pain, and sees red, blue, purple, white, and black. She blinks slowly, unsure of what it is and her heart rate jumps in panic.
Where am I? Who is this? Why am I in so much pain? Why is it so cold and so warm? Why can't I remember who he is? Why can't I see? Why…why can't I remember something important?
"I-I'm sorry…but I have to go…I've got to do something," Kosari says aloud. "It's important…"
The man doesn't let up his smile, "You can go do that later. For now, just stay here."
Kosari's heart is pounding in her ears and she tries to scuttle away, but a terrifying sluggishness and weakness that she can't begin to explain keeps her pinned down. "Who are you?" she asks.
"Hm?" the man doesn't seem to hear her.
"Who are you?" Kosari asks again, her voice growing shrill and soaking in panic and fear. Her eyes grow wide, "Who are you?!"
"Shh, calm down," the man says, "I'm Hyuuga Ko. It's been a long time, but we first met in the Academy. At first, you didn't speak a word. I thought you were just shy, but it turned out that you didn't speak very well. In fact, not at all. I don't know what other language there is in the world besides the one I'm speaking, but as you can probably tell, you became indistinguishable from a native speaker. Anyway, we graduated the same year and we had the same sensei. Time passed and I went back to my clan to help train the patriarch's children while you joined ANBU Black Ops. And then, you became Team 7's sensei."
Kosari's panic subsides somewhat, "Ko-san…I see," she licks her parched lips, "Why are you here?"
"Well," he turns, a whirlpool and muddle of color in Kosari's eyes, "Drink some water," he brings a cup to her lips, raises her head, and supports her shaking body. She downs it quickly and he lets go, "You didn't show up for a mission with your team. Your team reported this to the Hokage, who gave them your address. They found you running a very high fever with chills on your bed, wearing ripped and bloodstained pants and singed shirt. Naturally, they were alarmed, especially when they saw the state of your apartment, with some sort of food littered on the floor, the door kicked in, weapons lying around haphazardly, and bloodstains on the floor and walls. Naruto and Sasuke were kind enough to change you into different clothes while Hinata-sama hurried to get me, a medic," Ko holds her hand tightly, "I have a question for you."
Kosari feels a wave of panic rush over her, "No. I don't like questions."
"Nothing bad is going to happen," he says, smiling a little. I'd always liked her, being on the same team and all, but I'd never expect the strong Kosari to be so childlike. It's almost… "I promise. No one is going to hurt you. But, you have to tell me what happened. And, what is underneath the bandages around your torso?"
Kosari tries to turn away from him and curl up, but his rough hands hold her in place. He turns over the cloth on her forehead and she shivers at the cold and damp feeling cloth.
"Kosari, tell me. Please," Ko insists.
"I don't remember," Kosari says simply.
"Are you sure?" Ko asks, desperate to find whoever hurt her and end them. She nods.
"Where's my team?" Kosari asks.
"We're right here, Kosari-sensei," Naruto replies. Kosari's eyes slide over to the voice and she sees hazy figures sitting on her floor. Naruto's blue eyes and red hair come into focus. He stands and looms over her. She has enough sense about her to glare, "What?" and she doesn't phrase it like a question.
"Are you sure you're alright? I mean, that no one hurt you?" Naruto asks solemnly.
"Please go teach Hyuuga-san and—" Kosari wheezes painfully, "Uchiha-san water walking. I'll show you what to do next later. I expect the three of you to have water walking down to an art form—" Kosari coughs, "By the time I get over this. So go."
The three Genin nod and leave, somewhat apprehensively. Sasuke narrows his eyes at her, but she seems to look straight through him as if he were a ghost. The three disappear and leave the two Jounin.
Ko runs a hand through his hair, "I'll go get your door fixed. Just…don't move."
Kosari rolls her eyes. Like I could. "Yeah."
Hiruzen blows out a few rings of smoke before stamping his signature on a few hundred documents within the space of a minute. He'd had enough practice even before Minato took the hat. He places the papers into a box labeled 'outgoing' for his secretary to sort later and breathes a sigh of relief, ignoring the cold stare that the other piles of paperwork are giving him.
"Hokage-sama, there's something you should see," an ANBU flickers in front of him. Hiruzen sighs. Just when I thought I could relax.
"Fine," Hiruzen says and stands. "Show me."
The ANBU nods and leads the Hokage to an alley where two mangled bodies lay. An ANBU with a hawk mask holds up a plastic bag with various papers in it. Kagami leans against a wall, glaring at the bodies with his sharingan. Hiruzen swallows. This can't be good.
"What is it?" Hiruzen asks the ANBU.
"Top-secret papers, stolen, of information of a few high-clearance Jounin's kekkei genkai," Hawk says formally.
Hiruzen looks at the bodies and then at Kagami, "Where there any witnesses?"
'No,' Kagami responds.
"Hokage-sama!" a few Jounin run up to the man. Hiruzen pushes them back before they can lay eyes on the scene. He regards them with a concerned but irritated look, "What's wrong?"
"Anko, Genma, and Ao are missing! We've looked all over for them and they've simply vanished!" Kurenai says, frantic. "I've asked everyone I can find about them, and no one knows a thing."
Anko, Ao, and Kosari were the ones I entrusted with being the one to do away with any spies. "And Kosari?"
"I can't find her either, "Kurenai says," But I looked in Kakashi's apartment just to see if she was there, and she wasn't, but his entire apartment looked as if someone had broken in and turned the whole place upside down. Someone was looking for something in his apartment, and that someone was skilled enough to evade all of his traps. I can't say anything for sure, but I can't help but think that all of this is related."
Hiruzen purses his lips, "Follow me," Hiruzen soars over rooftops and his white robes wave as he pushes forward with Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai following closely. The Kage practically flies up stairs and storms through a hallway. Ahead, he can see Hyuuga Ko nailing a nail in a hinge. He looks up and sees the grim faces of the four people in front of him and pales. "What happened?"
Without a response, Hiruzen bursts through the newly repaired door to see Kosari, a thin form under her blankets, shaking. To Hiruzen, it's both a relief and a concern, "Ko, what in Kami's name happened to her?"
"I don't know," Ko admits. "All I know is that her team found her in ripped and bloodstained clothes and bandages around her entire torso and with a burning fever. Her apartment was a mess, her door was kicked in, weapons littered the ground, and bloodstains everywhere, like she'd been attacked. I really don't know what happened."
Hiruzen places a hand on his head, "I'll explain later, to all of you, but could I ask you a favor Ko?"
"Yes, of course," Ko says, putting down the box of nails and hammer on the counter and brushes off his hands on his pants, walking over to Hiruzen. The man suddenly tackles Ko in a chokehold. His chakra flares and killer intent floods the room. Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai can barely breathe.
"Kakashi…" Kosari meekly whispers, her shaking stopping momentarily.
Ko flails, his eyes wide in horror. "I…I'm not…"
A few agonizing minutes pass until Hiruzen lets go. Ko coughs and wheezes as the color returns to his face. Hiruzen starts to apologize, but Ko holds up a hand, "It's fine. I understand. What did you want me to do?"
"Take Kosari to the Hyuuga compound. If Hiashi refuses, tell him to talk to me. Make sure nothing happens to her. No one is allowed to have any contact with her except you. Is that clear?" Hiruzen's voice is cold and deadly serious.
"Yes, sir," Ko says. He gathers Kosari in his arms, noting how worryingly light she is, and disappears. Hiruzen shakes his head and mutters, "The way I see it, Orochimaru's spies or the Akatsuki's spies must know we're on to them. This is only a warning. We need to find these spies before more things like this happen. At this rate, we're looking at all out war with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki," Hiruzen sighs deeply, "But before we do anything rash, we've got to wait for Kosari to recover enough to tell us what happened. In the meantime, Asuma," he looks at his son, "Summon the Council and clan heads. Send word for Jiraiya and Kakashi to return to the village."
"Yes, sir," Asuma leaves, along with the other Jounin. Hiruzen looks around Kosari's apartment before leaving, locking her door with a seal.
Itachi, Shisui, I don't think I can keep my promise after all. I'm so, so sorry.