Leaves in the Wind

Chapter Thirty-One: The Golden Thread

A flash of green and brown streaked over the roofs of Konoha; sandaled feet dropped against tile for a fraction of a second, lifted and moments later, touched down in a series of rapid repetition. Iruka leapt, seconds behind Kakashi who was a blur even to him at their speed. Isamu had mentioned something about Yasuo, and as Iruka's mind had traveled that tangent, images of a bloodied seventeen-year-old pierced his thoughts. He did not need anything further. It was a warning from Sensei or it was his own awareness, but no time had been wasted in alerting the others.

The training grounds.

They disturbed a flock of birds roosting on one of the roofs and the fowl rose around them, noiselessly flapping their wings and taking to the darkening skies.

"Freedom comes at a price." Sensei chided. Iruka steadfastly ignored it, focusing entirely on his movements and on Kakashi's.

Both men concealed themselves as they drew nearer. They could feel the enormity of Kuro's aura and Yasuo's desperately low chakara levels pulsating around them. Chuunin and missing nin were moving at highly accelerated speeds; they were already deeply entangled in a spar.

Progress of a battle was engraved into their immediate environment. Blood pooled on the ground, glistened across leaves, kunai, shuriken, and feathers lodged deep into wood. Kuro was keeping his chakara under good enough control to keep anything overly suspicious from reaching out into the open, but it seemed that Yasuo had become desperate, attempting to advertise his location whenever a convenient occasion arose. Upturned soil and snapped branches littered the ground they passed. A cigarette stub lay smoldering in the shadows of shredded underbrush.

An abrupt, resonating clang of clashing metal sounded from the north, and instantaneously, Iruka and Kakashi concealed their presences. Missing nin and Chuunin were locked in close range combat, dancing inches together before springing feet apart, muscles coiling and uncoiling, weapons slicing the air as each continued to dart toward then away from his opponent. Kakashi alighted upon a branch.

Twenty yards in the south, east, and western directions revealed silence. Ten yards ahead of him, partially obscured by tree branches and leaves, were the combatants. The boy threw punches with his weapons, striking at the other shinobi before vanishing. Yasuo was a good ninja, but in no way could he possibly compare to the Harogami missing nin. Guerrilla warfare was his only option, and as far as Kakashi could tell, it was working - considering the boy was still alive.

His gaze snapped to the audible 'shing' of metal claws sheathing and unsheathing as Kuro toyed with Yasuo. He was playing in the sense that he was always playing with someone's mind; however, something in the way he carried himself now drew not Kakashi's eye, but Iruka's. The Chuunin signaled to his companion, indicating Kuro and simulating hesitation with a series of hand motions. Kuro's movement appeared fluid, but the Jounin could, indeed, see some small jerks in the man's maneuvers. It looked like he was distracted, yes, but if anything, the missing nin radiated anger.

Iruka's fingers dug into the wood of the tree trunk supporting his weight. He was worried for the sake of his former student yet still he was a shinobi of Konohagakure, and even though apprehension was threatening to overcome him and the taunting of a devil lingered in his mind, the prospect of battle excited him. This man had killed innocent civilians and excellent shinobi, most of whom he had known personally. He was not above vengeance himself.

He slowly glanced at Kakashi.

Kakashi lifted his hand to the level of his head, keeping his palm outward. They held positions, poised for battle.

Yasuo now leapt back into view. The boy made a quick swipe at Kuro's back where tattered fabric fluttered around the numerous marks already made. The blade connected, but the attack instantly turned into a graze that merely ripped more cloth as Kuro took a quick forward step. He ducked down, dodging a swipe at his head, and then rolled to the right, narrowly escaping a powerful kick.

Kakashi's wrist flicked forward.

A shuriken clipped Kuro's ear, and the man turned his grinning face to the tree tops. "Oh sensei, is that you? And Kakashi-san?" He knew full well neither man would answer, so he took it upon himself to deliver another blow to Yasuo from behind, decoy bunshin vanishing with a loud 'poof'. His foot connected with Yasuo's spine, catapulting the boy forward through the air.

Kunai fled towards Kuro, forcing the man to promptly dodge. In that instant, Kakashi leapt from the trees and a harsh thud sounded as Yasuo impacted into the Jounin's arms. Heels dug into soft soil as he was pushed back by the force of the blow.

The boy shuddered, fingers curling into the fabric of Kakashi's sleeve as he slumped forward. Yasuo hacked and gasped, wiping away blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thanks," he murmured weakly, yet relieved. He slowly found his footing and pulled away to lean against a tree for support.

Kuro smirked, drawing a pale, wet tongue across his blue lips. "Finally, someone worthy of my time. I've been waiting for this." He laughed loudly, raucously, his eyes never leaving Yasuo's torn body. "Sensei wasn't letting us have any fun."

Golden eyes flashed. The missing nin charged and feinted to the sides, fully aware that both shinobi could see the bluff. Artificial claws unsheathed and sang as they sliced the air, clashing with a great clang of metal on metal as now they grated against an expertly drawn kunai knife. Iruka met Kuro's smirk with a grim set frown.

"You too, sensei?" The ex-medical ninja chided. "I have no inclination to fight against your textbook maneuvers." Kuro flipped away as one of Iruka's legs hooked around his and pulled forward. "You fail!"

Kuro's movement was suddenly stopped, and a sudden, tight pressure spread in between his shoulder blades. Blood splashed as Kakashi ripped back his kunai knife and jumped away from Kuro's range of motion.

"You stabbed me." The man laughed, springing up into the trees, reaching into a pocket and whipping out a cigarette and a lighter, quickly putting tobacco to flame. He flicked a few ashes at them before taking a long, slow drag. "Come on, Sharingan user. I want a challenge."

Kakashi stared up at Kuro through two mismatched eyes. His right foot shifted backwards and his form blurred. For an instant, all traces of his aura were gone then a foot slammed across Kuro's smiling face, throwing him through the air and hurdling towards the ground. The missing nin's image exploded in a cloud of smoke, joining the thin ringlets that had been left over from Kuro's cigarette. Laughter rang out around them.

"Bunshin," Kakashi muttered with disdain, eyes flickering to his right and then his left.

Yasuo saw the threat before either of his comrades. His head snapped up and he braced the tree for stability against his dizziness. "Iruka-sensei! Behind you!"

The Chuunin dived left and out of the corner of one eye, observed a volley of chakra hardened feathers slice the air where his flesh and bone had once presented a target. He underhandedly flipped a few kunai toward Kuro's presence and whirled away as another cloud of projectiles approached. Iruka landed on an overhanging tree branch, swayed, leapt to another branch higher up and cringed as dull thuds resonated within the trees around him. Kuro was no longer aiming at anyone or anything. He was letting fly deadly weapons with no regard to where they became embedded.

And lighting cigarettes while enjoying his opponents struggle.

A second of disbelief jarred Iruka's movements and he instinctively sought out Yasuo. The boy was fine. And Kakashi-?

Faint, barely visible cigarette smoke was already trailing behind him.

There was a silver flash as Kakashi and kunai connected with Kuro. The light and dark blurs ripped away from each other and re-assimilated into the trees, leaving only a faint trail of smoke floating in the younger twin's wake. Another barrage of fast attacks scattered through the air against the backdrop of the enemy's loud, yet strained laughter. Blood splattered into the treetops with every swipe, but its true origin remained unknown to the two Chuunin below.

Dirt and leaves exploded as a white streak was suddenly pelted into the ground. Kakashi's form blurred as he dropped downward, feet ramming into Kuro's chest. A kunai brutally ripped across a pale throat, and he leapt backward, landing in the ready position for a return attack if it came.

Kuro's thin lips curled into a sardonic grin as he rose and staggered, reaching tentatively to the vicious, gushing gash, slowly sliding his fingers over it. He flourished the tainted hand. Thin tendrils of smoke wafted lazily from a discarded cigarette a few feet beyond, and as it drifted into him, it began winding around the missing nin's neck. Aside from a repeated wave of the hand, Kuro gave no signs of further movement. He seemed to be quietly dying on his feet.

Kakashi feinted forward and then ducked to the right. His fist connected with Kuro's side, pounding him to the ground. Mismatched eyes kept carefully trained on the smoke winding through the air. "Stay back," he warned Iruka and Yasuo. The elder Chuunin did not need his words; however, Yasuo responded by taking a cautious step backward. Kakashi approached the limp form on the ground. An array of kunai thudded into the enemy's back.

Kuro twitched.

Iruka shifted on his branch, coughed and froze with one hand on a kunai. He eyed the still smoldering cigarette and the twitching left hand. "The smoke. Kakashi, the smoke."

"What does the smoke do?" Yasuo murmured quietly.

The Jounin stepped forward. "The smoke is controlled by breathing chakara into it. If it enters your body, it will shut down your chakra system, making ninjutsu and genjutsu impossible to use." He clapped his hands together once. "But he's used it on me once. I won't be fooled by it again." He reached out and ran his hand through it. It snaked up his arm, and then the form disbanded. "If you disrupt the chakara, then he can't control it. The effort is useless."

"Yes, but he was intent on utilizing it-" The Chuunin slipped out of the trees, landing at Kakashi's side. "He used it for a reason." Iruka ghosted a hand across his own neck. "And we both watched him use it on himself. He seems dead, however..."

Kakashi kicked at Kuro's shoulder, rolling the man onto his back.

"It's healing." Yasuo's eyes widened, watching in awe as the edges of the gash slowly continued to melt together. "How did-"

"It won't matter if he doesn't have a body left to revive." Kakashi began to form hand seals. He took in a deep breath and lifted his fingers to his lips. "Katon-"

Kuro's eyes flickered.

The body blurred and vanished. Iruka recoiled as feathers became embedded in his right arm. Ten feet away, the Harogami's body was perched unsteadily on its feet, wobbling in place as though about to plummet forward from its tree branch. More projectiles were held between trembling fingers. Its wrist twitched and the feathers were released, rocketing toward Kakashi as the wielder lurched forward then back.

Shuriken clashed with the feathers, the metal weapons clattering to the forest floor and the feathers spiraling wildly in various directions. Iruka gritted his teeth together. Those were the last of what he had with him…

Kuro wobbled in place on the branch, procuring yet another handful of feathers from within the confines of his clothing. His head was lulling back with each slight movement. The man's physical vitals were gone yet Iruka could feel chakara pulsating faintly from within.

Harogami Kuro was now a fully functioning meat puppet.

"Oh shit!"

"Stand back, Yasuo-kun!" Kakashi shoved at the boy as another array of feathers struck grass. Shuriken were produced and flung forward, slicing at the body. It rocked slightly and the arm jerked. The Jounin jumped back, barely dodging another attack.

Yasuo cringed as he staggered for protection behind a tree. His hand kept tightly clamped over a bleeding wound in his side. The boy's dark eyes flickered around their area, still trying to be helpful despite his situation. "Is someone controlling him, Iruka-sensei? They couldn't possibly be too far away if they are."

"That would explain the chakara flow," Iruka glanced around as well, "but I can't sense anyone else within a reasonable distance. He's being controlled but…"

"What if the older brother is already on his-"

Iruka roughly shoved the boy out of the way of a well honed kick. The puppet danced back as it hit solid ground. It pivoted and rocketed toward the Chuunin. He snagged its arm and hurled it violently over his head and into the ground, whirling to slam a foot into its chest. It rasped. He slammed his sandaled foot down a second time and hit dirt as the body rolled over and away, jerking to its feet. It produced more feathers.

The hand was smacked by a well aimed shuriken and harmless feathers fluttered to the ground. "It has to be the other brother," Kakashi announced. He yanked at a set of kunai from the nearest tree and tossed one to Iruka. "They must share a single life force. That would explain the ability to revive. One is simply an extension of the other." Another thrown shuriken knocked at another handful of feathers. "However, he's significantly weaker."

Bark fluttered to the ground as Yasuo's fingers dug into it. His shoulder pressed against the trunk and he tilted his head forward, blinking against darkness creeping into the corner of his eyes. "Then it's no use taking them on one at a-"

"Perhaps," the Jounin cut him off. He took in a deep breath, lifted his fingers to his mouth. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu." Fire streamed forward and exploded into a perfect ball of roaring flames, engulfing Kuro's twitching body. Leaves, grass, and twigs began to crackle and recoil from the heat, disappearing into fluttering orange ashes.

Iruka's head snapped back and he twisted around to stare at the trees beyond Yasuo. "I swear they planned this. You were right, Yasuo-kun. Kakashi, Kuro's on his way. He's about fifty meters off and closing in."

The Harogami puppet thrashed wildly, a half-screech erupting from its torn throat as skin blistered, crackled and popped.

"Yasuo-kun, do you have any more weapons on you?"

The boy's hand dipped into his back pouch and then to his leg holster. A certain alertness was slowly returning to him with the heightened danger. "I've got strings, five exploding tags, and a few shuriken. The rest of my weapons have been scattered." His heart was racing and his muscles tensed as another wave of adrenalin struck him, but for the first time, his head felt clear. His voice remained steady and his eyes were determined. "I can hold my own."

The fire jutsu slowly began to die down, revealing the scorched forest floor and a charred, withering body. Kuro's back arched and his arm futilely jerked to the side, fingers grasping at nothing. Skin and clothing had melted down to one black and red layer, and the air was stagnant with the weighty stench of burned human flesh and hair. "There's no more time. We'll have to use it as bait. Prepare." Kakashi's presence disappeared as quickly as his body had.

Iruka vanished as well, closely followed by Yasuo. They felt the imprint of the elder Kuro drawing closer and soon enough, heard crashing in the trees not so far off. He wasn't doing anything to mask his presence; if anything, they could all feel the panic rolling off the man. He crashed through the underbrush a moment later, flanked above and on either side by small, black birds.

The academy sensei caught a flash of Kuro's expression as he charged towards the charred body of his brother. It was the look of a crazed man.

"I have no interest in conflict!" The newcomer shouted, making a desperate scramble towards his sibling.

Cords zinged and strained as they suddenly smacked through the army of birds and encircled Kuro, tugging tightly around the man's arms and torso. Kakashi pulled tighter as the brother jerked against the restraints, and lines of blood ran down pale skin as they ground into exposed flesh. "Then you'll keep this simple," Kakashi said, dropping down from the tree, cords held tightly in his hands. Eyes gleamed dangerously. "Because I'm a bit fed up with this game of tag."

Kuro met Kakashi's gaze with cold determination. "Nii-san and I…do not wish to fight." The birds, having taken to the trees due to Kakashi's disturbance, suddenly shifted in place, squawking and noisily flapping their wings. "I speak more for myself, than my brother. But for now, I want no conflict. I only want my brother." The elder Harogami closed his eyes for a moment. "I suppose you aren't willing to let me leave with him, alive?"

"That prospect is entirely dependent upon your level of cooperation." The wires twitched dangerously.

"Regardless of the level of cooperation, I will be killed. Perhaps not at your hands, Kakashi-san, but I will be disposed of for my betrayal of Konoha." Kuro twitched in place. "I do not wish to die quite yet. I don't believe my brother did either."

"Then you can make your decision." The Jounin shifted his foot to the side. "I can kill you now, or I can kill you after you help me."

"It largely depends on what you want from me, Kakashi-san."

"Tell me where 'Sensei' is hiding."

"We don't know."

"How can I locate him?"

Kuro raised a brow. His hands twitched. "You cannot locate him. He will locate you. And that is only if Sensei deigns to." He paused, glanced up into the trees then returned his gaze to Kakashi.

The wires twitched threateningly again. "You're not adding up to much use for me, Harogami-san."

"I am a medical ninja; I'm never much use outside of a hospital. If Sensei wishes to speak to you, he'll speak to you. But tracking him down is nearly impossible. He hides behind too many people. And he divides himself among the birds, too." Kuro nodded upward. "He is watching us now. Through them. Through Iruka-sensei and through Yasuo-kun."

"I'm aware," Kakashi responded starkly. "If that's all you have to offer, then your time has run out."

Both Chuunin shifted, already in a half dive out of the trees to either side of the ensnared man. Yasuo had withdrawn his shuriken, Iruka had dislodged several kunai from tree trunks and both were eager to pin the missing nin down.

The birds that had been temporarily roosting in the trees suddenly descended toward the ground at an unnatural speed. Yet again, Iruka faced the discomfort of a sky filled with suicidal fowl.

There was an audible 'snap' followed by a volley of several more disconcerting 'twangs'. Where Kuro had been standing, broken wires were ensnared over, around and through the corpses of a few wild crows. The charred remains of the other Harogami brother were gone.

Iruka growled and swiped at a few more crows, forcefully knocking one away with a kunai in the breast.

Yasuo was already ducking out of the path of the birds and starting after Kuro. Kakashi and Iruka soon followed after, pursued by a barrage of fowl. The Jounin dashed ahead of Yasuo as the boy paused momentarily at a branch. As Iruka passed him, he continued running at a slower pace through the trees. At a safe distance, he quickly turned and lifted his fingers. Eyes connected with the surging cloud of charging birds. "See ya."

Fire roared through whipping air as three explosive tags simultaneously activated. Loud, painful screeches reverberated throughout the treetops and small, flaming corpses began to plummet. A grin curled at Yasuo's lips as he quickly turned and dashed after Iruka's retreating form.

As sensei and former student ran side by side, Iruka flashed Yasuo a similar grin and withdrew a few of his own exploding tags.

Where those birds had fallen, many more would come to take their place.

---

It only took the ten minutes under Kuro's See no Evil invisibility technique to evade the pursuing shinobi and ten minutes was all it took to begin regenerating a pile of human remains. Organs had to be slowly pieced together from what had been liquefied. Tissue had to be regenerated. It was far worse than the Sky God jutsu damage- this time, he was dealing with burns. Quicker, he dodged through underbrush. He wasn't running from anyone now. He was trying to outrun death.

Lungs. Liver. Brain. Heart. Intestines, re-established. Muscles rebuilt.

Kuro poured his remaining energy into his brother as he ran and the farther they retreated into the forest, the closer he felt his Kuro-kun's spirit. At last, hours later, they reached a place in the fringes of Konoha's forests infested with black birds. Kuro stopped and set the regenerating corpse against a tree trunk, gingerly placing a pack of cigarettes next to it. Kuro would want to smoke when he woke up.

He felt a flicker of life. The steady drip of chakara slowly flowing back into a drained system.

A few crows above cawed loudly. Both brothers had only Sensei's dwindling favor to protect them now. And, Kuro supposed as he glanced at the seared flesh on the ground, it was better than nothing.

---

To remark that Iruka was agitated was a veritable understatement. After half an hour of pursuit and several hours more of searching, he was left embittered and restless. Harogami Kuro had not seemed to warrant as much anger previously as he did now. Apparently now, everything sparked either irritation or aggravation in Iruka, and to the chagrin of both Chuunin and Jounin companion, he elected to exempt himself from further conversation. He opted instead to politely -yet firmly- evict Isamu from his room and lock it with a vague threat that if anyone bothered him, he would assign them 'homework'. No Jounin present entirely understood this threat, but upon seeing Yasuo significantly pale at Iruka's words, they decided to honor the request and occasionally hover outside the bedroom door.

Every aspect of the previous encounter had been wrong. Disregarding the obvious, something was decidedly out of place. All of it was signifying something falling apart…the desperation and independence on the part of the Harogami Kuro stirred uneasiness within…

And thus Iruka left an exhausted and beaten Yasuo and a disgruntled Kakashi to deal with an overzealous Isamu and an exasperated Tekki.

"I won't say this surprises me," Tekki gruffly announced, hawk eyes reviewing his newest patients with distain. "Because it doesn't. I've had worse come walking in through the hospital's doors -or carried in pieces if you want some details. But those patients are ninja who understand that medical attention is necessary. These would be shinobi that are not jack asses and refuse to take antibiotics because of a foolish ideal called 'pride'."

"Please, Tekki-san," Isamu flipped a hand at the gruff man. "I doubt Yasuo-kun needs to hear one of your rants after-"

"Who, who, Isamu-san, did I say I was talking to?" A finger jerked in the air with every word of his rant. "No, I am not lecturing the boy, because he at least has the common sense to take his punishment like a man. Unlike this stubborn demon." Tekki directed a powerful glower at Kakashi, dismissing his cousin meandering around Iruka's kitchen in a lovely bright red kimono. He ignored the fact that Isamu was now beginning to fish through Iruka's drawers.

The Jounin in question simply stood with his back against the wall beside the window. His arms were casually crossed and his eyes were on the hallway that lead to Iruka's door.

Yasuo sat quietly on the couch, shirt removed and bandages tightly wrapped around nearly every inch of skin. He sighed again, fiddling uselessly with the battered hitae-ate in his hands. The boy leaned against the arm rest and tucked his face into the cushions. "We killed one," he finally offered, hoping to shift the attention away from the agitated Jounin. "Got away. But we killed one. He's sure to be out of commission for a long time."

The resident ex-head of hospital staff snorted, torn between scolding Kakashi, watching Isamu fiddle with a kitchen knife out of boredom, and fixing Yasuo with an incredulous, slightly demeaning stare. He respected the boy as a decent Chuunin, but honestly, some of the things the kid said ground his nerves. "Yasuo-kun, the longest that man will be 'out of commission' is a week at most." Eyebrows furrowed as Isamu began tossing knives into the air and Kakashi remained unresponsive. "Their ability to heal others is adequate, but their personal regeneration is superior. It's in the family blood. At least, that particular branch." Tekki's hand twitched in Isamu's direction. "I doubt burning him did much but create an inane urge to smoke."

"You're so negative," Yasuo scolded quietly. The boy fidgeted and huffed, giving up on the headband. It gingerly clicked against the coffee table. "You should have seen it, though." Yasuo paused, biting at his bottom lip momentarily. "It was…the most insane thing I've ever seen. Kuro-san was dead, but he was still moving." He closed his eyes and scratched at bruises on his neck. "They're scary. Just messed up."

"Actually," Isamu chimed in amiably, "I heard that branch of the family was heavily into strange religious rituals, incest and other such oddities. They have very strange traditions." The cross-dresser was experimenting with chopsticks and knives now. "But I suppose that with most kekki genkai carrying clans, that sort of thing isn't entirely uncommon. I have heard rumors concerning the Hyuuga."

"Which are not true," Tekki growled.

Isamu smiled brightly. "My family, however, was in no way inclined towards any such activities. We were, unfortunately, involved in some mass brainwashing and homicide in our homeland."

"I take no pride in my lineage."

"That is a very sad line of thought, Tekki-san." The cross-dresser balanced a chopstick on the tip of a particularly sharp cutting knife. "Tekki-tan. Tekki-ran. Tekki-chan. Tekki-rin, Tekki-"

"You need to have your injuries checked." Tekki directed The Glower at Kakashi once again.

The Jounin's single exposed eye rotated towards Tekki. He took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. "I check my own wounds." He stared out the window. It was not paranoia or caution, just observation. "They're nothing unusual. Take care of Yasuo-kun. He handled Harogami-san on his own."

Yasuo twitched, silently wishing Tekki's immanent attention away.

The medical ninja was equally as stubborn and far less collected. "I have already looked over the boy, he is fine. I have looked over Umino-san, he is fine. I would rather not look at you, but as a noble practitioner of the healing arts, I am not about to-"

"You know," they all turned at the blatantly cheerful lilt suddenly tacked onto Isamu's voice. "I might have known this 'Sensei' at some point in time."

Silence rolled over the gathered ninja. Yasuo slowly perked up and turned his attention expectantly upon his sensei. Kakashi joined him in the glance, though he held something akin to a glint of irritation in his eye.

"If he is powerful enough to spread so much of his energy over such far distances, then he must be from the main branch of the clan." Isamu flipped the chopstick and caught it on its tip. "He has all of our abilities, as far as I can gather. I must have known him. There was no one in the clan I didn't know." Isamu flung a knife, watched it twirl, and caught the handle expertly, swinging it through the air. He seemed proud of this display. "It could have been Narukami, but he whined so much and he didn't like birds. He didn't play with me either." The man laughed. "He almost stabbed me once. That was intentional, mind you."

"Get to the point, Isamu-san," Kakashi cut in. He shoved off the wall and pocketed his hands. "Who else could it have been?"

"Father, perhaps. But he was murdered in the revolt. I saw it happen."

Tekki rolled his eyes.

"Mother was murdered. Grandfather was murdered. Grandmother was murdered. Narukami, I don't know. But I rather hope he was impaled. I had five uncles and nine aunts. No, no. That would be five aunts and nine uncles? Well, it's been so long." The man slowly set the dining ware back into its respective cabinet, closing it just as cautiously. "My cousin Momoko-chan was powerful. I'm not sure what happened to her. She wasn't particularly fond of the family. In fact, she left a long time ago with an escort from Konoha."

"Who?" The silver-haired shinobi quickly pounced on the question. "And for what purpose?"

"It was a while ago. I had seen her in passing once, five or six years ago. At that time, she had established a relationship with the man who'd snatched her away." Isamu dramatically grasped at the air as if to illustrate. "At that time, she was calling herself 'Murakami Kasane'. She had altered her entire appearance. I could tell it was her because of the eyes. Contact or jutsu, you can't hide the clan's eyes."

"Murakami Kasane…" Kakashi pondered over the name for some time. "Do you remember the man's name?"

Isamu feigned indignation. "Of course I remember his name! He was a very nice man. A little plain but friendly. Not the best of shinobi but he was certainly well meaning. And good with children. He let me play with this new kind of explosive he was developing. That was, of course, before the revolt. I wasn't allowed to have that sort of thing when I was in hiding, you know."

"You repeatedly fail to answer the question, as always, idiot." Tekki grumbled. "And don't open that drawer again because I will not lift a finger to save your sorry ass if you cut yourself."

"Ahem, I am a veteran Jounin from the special o-"

"Who regularly got mugged, beat up his assassins then came whining to the hospital because you'd scraped yourself punching the guy."

Kakashi's disposition grew dangerous and they were silenced. "The name," he demanded softly.

Golden eyes flickered. "Fine, fine. He still went by the name 'Higashiyama Yukio' the last time I heard anything from them."

"…Yukio," the Jounin repeated. There was a momentary silence and eyes shifted towards him in response. "How old was he, Isamu-san?"

"Oh, I don't know. They would be middle aged now, I suppose."

Hatake Kakashi quickly crossed the room and walked down the hallway.

Yasuo peered over the edge of the couch and watched as the Jounin knocked once and then entered the room without waiting for a reply. The boy's deep brown eyes switched over to Isamu questioningly, and at gathering no response, he looked back to the door.

It quickly shut.

"I guess he's found something out," Yasuo murmured, sinking back into the couch.

---

The Jounin stood silently at the entrance to Iruka's room. His attention centered upon the Chuunin, who was sitting on the floor with scrolls laid out before him. The Chuunin was writing on one of them, deep in thought. This thought, however, had been rudely interrupted by a rudely intruding Jounin. Kakashi deflected the glare. The Jounin fully entered the room, slowly shifted the scrolls to the side, and crouched down in front of Iruka, silently demanding his full attention. "Will you answer a question, Iruka?"

Iruka offered him a light scowl. "Of course, Kakashi." Meaning he would but he was not above a completely useless, sarcastic response.

"I believe I've asked you this once before, but the situation has shifted. Do you still not remember what happened that day in the deeper training grounds when all of this began? The poison-dart plant incident."

Their gazes locked. "No."

"Fine," the Jounin accepted the stark response with a coolness that irked Iruka even further. After a stiff moment, Kakashi's eye turned to a crescent. "That's all I needed to know."