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Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.

Kakashi had missed the rendezvous.

Not that anyone would be surprised, he thought ruefully. Hatake Kakashi, perpetually late. Just like Obito.

Jumping to a branch, he channelled chakra to his feet and leapt. He landed silently, some fifty metres ahead, sprang down to the ground and ran. He was tired. He'd been maintaining the Sharingan since he left the mansion, paranoid about any ambushes. If the target knew about the mission, it was perfectly possible that the whole thing had been a set-up. And like little lambs, we walked right into it. So much for looking underneath.

A flash of movement to his right caused him to veer sharply left. The fall-back position was only two miles away. Once he got there, he could rest. He turned to his right, rolling under a low-hanging branch, then sprinted. No further movement. He kept running. One mile. A large rock loomed in front of him. This time, Kakashi didn't bother with chakra. He simply leapt it in a bound, just clearing it, landing lightly and bounding on. There! He slowed to a walk, catching his breath, and moved into the clearing. He stepped over the first trip wire, ducked under the second and treaded carefully around a slightly raised patch of earth that concealed a landmine. Then, he closed his left eye, and covered it with his protector. The Sharingan, starved of activity, began to dissipate, though it would never truly stop. Kakashi moved to the centre of the clearing, and began to wait.

A whisper on his right made him look up. Toshi had arrived in the clearing. Kakashi rose, smiling slightly. His smile vanished when he saw the enormous wound in his team-mate's side. Toshi was bleeding heavily. Kakashi ran forward. "What happened?! Where's Genzo? And Jiro?"

Toshi coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Dead… We got… trouble. Kabuto, and some wizards." His legs gave way. Kakashi leapt forward to catch him. "Toshi! Stay with me. We'll get you home!"

Toshi smiled weakly. "Too late, Kakashi-san. I'm done for. I… did a fake death. They bought it… Gave me time to get here and… give intel."

Kakashi closed his eye. "Did they know you were coming?"

Toshi shook his head. "Not an ambush... Ran into them. They… more shocked than us. Wizard got Jiro. Green light… strange Jutsu. Genzo took out three, but Kabuto- " Toshi coughed. Blood streamed from his mouth. He began to choke, his words coming out as wet gargles. "Mission's safe… Kakashi-Sempai…" The choking turned to a bubbling as Toshi's mouth went slack. His eyes unfocused, and his limbs spasmed. Kakashi laid him down, and withdrew a knife. No sound, no smell, no trace. That's how a shinobi dies. Stepping forward, he began the gruesome duty.

When it was done, Kakashi sat by the rock, watching the fire consume the last of Toshi's remains. His team was dead, but he still had a mission to complete. Orochimaru knew about the mission, but Kabuto wasn't placed to ambush. So they only knew about an attempt, not the details of the plan. Which means –

The approach of two figures cut off his thoughts. Turning, he whipped out a kunai. Uchiha Itachi and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, had just arrived. Still holding the kunai, Kakashi said "They knew. And I think you told them."

Kisame hefted the Samehada. "What was that, boy?" Kakashi glared. "The mission was blown. It must have been you two." Kisame stepped forward, sword up. "Then I guess you'd better try and kill us, huh?"

Itachi lifted his hand. "Kisame-san, Kakashi-sempai. Don't fight. It would be a waste." Kisame stood down immediately, Kakashi a little more reluctantly. "Kakashi-sempai. If we wanted you dead, we would have simply wiped out you and your team when we first met. We did not betray you to our enemy."

Kakashi didn't relax. "Then how do you explain what happened?"

Itachi frowned slightly. "Tell me everything."

When the story was done, Itachi was silent for a while. Kakashi stared at him, still tense. Finally, the missing-nin looked up.

"I agree that it sounds like a set-up, Kakashi-sempai. However, given the lack of force that met you when you attacked the target, they couldn't have known too far in advance. Possibly, they hadn't set the trap for you, but for others."

Kakashi was unconvinced. "Who?"

"The wizards who arrived recently. The ones on guard duty. New allies must always be treated cautiously, so it is unlikely that Voldemort would trust his safety solely to them. Your attack was merely a bonus for them."

"And the attack on our men?"

"You said yourself, it wasn't an ambush. Orochimaru probably ordered Kabuto to pursue you. It was simply bad luck that he managed to surprise your men."

Kakashi considered this. The explanations made sense. He was still unconvinced about Itachi's motives, but he did respect the man's analytical skills."So what have you accomplished?"

Kisame smiled, showing his teeth. "We, or rather, Itachi-san, had an interesting encounter with a witch. She was returning to Voldemort after being dispatched on a mission. She enlightened us on many things, but most importantly, she had been present at Voldemort's first meetings with Orochimaru. Someone had modified her memory, but we... persuaded her to remember fully. While you were off getting your men killed, we learned what the Snake wants with the wizard. And we know their schedule."

Kakashi frowned. "I need to inform the village about the loss of the team. We'll need back-up-" Itachi cut him off with a gesture. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sempai, but we do not have time. We shall finish this together, the three of us. That is the simplest approach."

Kakashi stared at his new allies, considering Itachi's proposition. Hoshigaki Kisame. Formerly one of the Mist's Seven. An unlimited reserve of chakra combined with a deadliness that surpasses my own. A truly terrible foe. And the other? Kakashi stared at the other. Uchiha Itachi, the legendary Sharingan genius. Captain of the ANBU at 13, he murdered his entire clan single-handedly. The best ninja to come from the leaf since the Third, maybe even since the First and Madara...

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Dumbledore removed his glasses, placed them on the desk, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Replacing his glasses, he looked at the two-way mirror. The pallid features of Severus Snape glared back.

"How much time do you have?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not much. We'd better be quick. What do you want to know?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "From the beginning, please Severus. What exactly happened?"

Snape frowned. "You remember the Durmstrang Ten? Svedets and his boys?" Dumbledore nodded. "They're dead. The Dark Lord personally despatched Svedets an hour ago." Dumbledore looked surprised. "Why?"

Snape grimaced. "The price of failure. His men had been set to guard the mansion. Last night, some intruders broke in. They killed the guards on the outside, then killed the ones stationed in the hall, and believe me, Dumbledore, they did not die prettily. They were butchered. The main hall was covered in blood, and the bodies had been hidden. Somehow, these intruders bypassed the wards, killed six wizards and attacked the Dark Lord himself!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Aurors?"

"No. We would have been told. Besides, Aurors prefer to capture, not kill, and they wouldn't be this messy. Another thing. THe Dark Lord has been spending a lot of time ensconced with his 'guest'. Apparently, he was with the Dark Lord during the attack, and he has now taken charge of security."

"Have you managed to learn more about him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Some. This new guest… He calls himself Orochimaru. We don't know where he's from, but he sounds Eastern. Maybe from the Five Countries. He's not a new Death Eater though. He's treated almost like… an equal. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Dark Lord was even a little scared of him, but that would be preposterous. The Dark Lord knows no fear."

"I see. Watch him closely, please, Severus. Anything else to report?"

"Cassandra Blake has disappeared. She was supposed to be liaising with some disenchanted members of the Ministry, but she didn't return from her last meeting. She's also been involved in some secret plans with the Dark Lord, which I have yet to discover the import of. She hasn't been captured by the Aurors as far as we can tell, so we suspect a third party. Any Order involvement?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, that wasn't us. Though it is a boon, I must say."

"Very well. I have to go. I'll be in contact again."

Snape's face disappeared from the mirror. Dumbledore again removed his glasses, and again massaged the bridge of his nose. He searched for a quill and some parchment, and scribbled a note. Motioning to Fawkes, he tied the note to the phoenix's leg, and whispered into its ear. Events were gathering in pace, and he needed to work hard to keep abreast of them. The Five Countries, mysterious attacks and murders. I pray this won't destroy everything.