Chapter 3

The Hunter and His Prey

Chuutetsu stared down at his hands while his conversation with Kakashi ran through his mind. If he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes, he never would have believed the words coming from the silver-haired man's lips. After all – this 'chak-a-ra' that the man spoke of sounded like something a street magician would use to dazzle his audience while his partner picked pockets. But Chuutetsu saw the energy Kakashi formed in his palm – and couldn't deny how he'd used it to miraculously speed up the healing of two feet that, earlier that very day, were not even close to being functional. Hell – he'd even watched in awed silence as the scratches across the young man's feet faded into barely perceivable lines.

Chuutetsu shook his head. He still didn't understand a lot of what Kakashi had tried to explain . . . 'chak-a-ra points' and 'nature something-or-others' . . . but he couldn't deny the fact that, once he'd told Kakashi what parts of his feet were damaged, and the young man directed that strange energy over the areas, that the feet could move and hold his weight as though they'd never been injured. It was just . . . well . . . unbelievable.

Kakashi told him that everyone had this 'chak-a-ra' within them, although Chuutetsu wasn't able to get any to form on his hands – no matter what way it was explained to him. Kakashi kept trying to hide his frustration with Chuutetsu's failures – but it was quickly evident that the silver-haired man was not used to teaching someone a skill that he obviously had mastered long ago.

Chuutetsu sighed and looked at his alarm clock. 9:45am

"Damn! I'm late – again!"

This would be the third time this week – and if he didn't get fired, it would be a miracle!

He rushed around the room trying to find his ID-badge and his lab coat – and nearly slammed into the wall when he managed to trip over the very article of clothing he was searching for. He must have dropped it to the floor last night after he returned from working with Kakashi well after his normal shift ended. Chuutetsu shook out what wrinkles he could from the lab coat and pulled it on. He shoved his hand into the pockets of the coat and was pleased to find his wayward badge in the right pocket.

Chuutetsu grabbed a piece of fruit out of the basket on the kitchen counter and turned to leave. He paused – allowing a smile to stretch across his lips – then turned back to the counter and grabbed a second piece of fruit. He'd stop by Kakashi's room and surprise the man with something other then the bland food they'd been serving him from the hospital kitchens.

Shoving the two pieces of fruit into his pockets, Chuutetsu headed out the door at a jog in the hopes that the supervising medic hadn't noticed his absence yet. He slowed to a stop when he was two blocks from the hospital. There were cries of despair tearing through the air, and people were wandering aimlessly through the streets. Chuutetsu's heart dropped into his stomach when he moved closer to the place he'd worked for the better part of the last twenty years, and saw smoke billowing out of the third floor windows.

"Kakashi . . ."

The name escaped his lips before he knew it, and it was followed by Chuutetsu looking nervously around to see if he could spy one of the mysterious enemies Kakashi tried to tell him about last night. But all he saw were the faces of his colleagues – some smeared with blood – others staring blankly while they staggered about in the streets. His eyes traveled back to the third floor windows. He had to go in there – had to check and see if Kakashi was still there.

Swallowing his fear – Chuutetsu forced his legs to move toward the building where he'd last seen Kakashi Hatake. Each step brought him closer to the chaos that once was the most advanced hospital in the country. He had to step over the bodies of two of the cadre in order to get into the building – and the smell of death was an almost physical assault to his senses once he entered into the dimly lit halls. Some small analytical part of his brain registered that the emergency generators were running – that explained the low light and the slight flicker of the bulbs. He pushed his body to continue up the stairwell until he was on the third floor. He found the door to Kakashi's room had been torn off the wall, and everything inside was destroyed.

Chuutetsu's heart beat loud in his ears as he made his way to the only piece of furniture still intact – mostly because it was built into the wall. The metal door was dented from where another piece of furniture obviously was thrown into it – but with a bit of effort, Chuutetsu was able to pry it open.

Chuutetsu let out a long breath when he saw the cabinet was empty . . . except for two wooden hangers that he recognized because he'd brought them from his own house to hold the borrowed clothing. He smiled to himself. Kakashi must have figured out they were coming for him and left. It would explain the angry way this room had been dismantled. Whoever was after the young man evidently did not like disappointment. But there was no blood within this room – and so Chuutetsu held out the hope that the young silver-haired man was still safe somewhere within the city.

-- --


Kakashi crouched in the corner of the alley – watching discreetly as a series of shabbily dressed citizens wandered by the entrance. Most were drunk – or otherwise impaired – and those that weren't were too busy following the drunks to notice him hiding in the shadows. A shiver crawled up his spine when a noticeably cold breeze danced down the vacant alley. Kakashi's clothes still weren't what he'd call a perfect replacement for his uniform – but they were marginally better then the thin material of the outfit Chuutetsu provided, and the darker colors were less likely to stick out in the shadows. Still – he was looking forward to getting back to Konoha, where he'd be able to indulge in a long soak in a hot spring for as long as he wanted.

Kakashi sighed and pulled the thin cloak around his shoulders. He settled back a bit deeper into the shadows and tried once more to rest his body and mind. He knew his enemy was somewhere in the city – based on the chatter in the local tavern – but he also knew his tricks with chakra tags on random animals weren't going to fool the person who'd been plaguing his dreams for long. Which meant his options for disguise were fairly limited. After all, it he attempted even a minor genjutsu, the use of chakra to create it would be enough to draw his hunter to him. And although he'd been tempted to use a shadow clone to lead the enemy astray – Kakashi had a feeling that the level of this particular foe was such that he'd easily be able to trace his location just bye destroying the clone and sensing the link to the original when the knowledge of the clone was reabsorbed. He just couldn't chance it.

That led Kakashi to his detour into the small tea shop just down the street from this alley. He'd entered the shop and acquired a particularly strong blend. Sneaking back out and into the alley, he'd managed to use water from a puddle to make a cold brew of the dark substance, and then spent quite a bit of time using it to dye his hair and skin as dark as he could. It was all he could think of to make his uniquely easy to identify features a little less obvious in this land of dark-skinned people. He'd tied a bandanna around his head – just in case his missed some roots – and pulled one edge of it over his sharingan. The last thing he needed was to accidentally open that eye and have its automatic drain of chakra send out a flare to his trackers. He'd caught his reflection in the darkened windows of an abandoned shop and had to admit he'd done a halfway decent job.

Pushing the day's adventures out of his mind, Kakashi tried once more to settle in for some rest. If he could just get a few hours in, he'd be ready to head toward the shore and attempt to find a way home. He sank a bit farther into the shadows and closed his eyes.

-- --


Akuma stared down at the small rodent pierced through by his kunai – the anger which he'd been holding back now boiled to the surface. This was the fourth chakra tag he'd wasted his time on since he'd entered this sorry excuse for a town – he was no closer to finding the target and time was running out. He directed his attention to one of the two dozen men Lord Kurogane sent to assist him.

"I want you to question every single person in this gods forsaken place. Someone here knows where Kakashi Hatake has gone – and I want them found . . .NOW!"

The wave of killing intent he sent out from every fiber of his being washed over the men gathered around him, and Akuma watched their eyes widen and their faces pale. Less then a moment later - they all scattered into the surrounding area. Almost immediately he heard the sounds of screams as the trained men began their search.

Akuma bent down and retrieved his kunai. He lowered his head, allowing his dark hair to cascade in front of his eyes, and took a moment to reign his anger in before standing once more. In his mind, he pictured the locations of this and the other tags he'd tracked. Then he stretched his senses out once more to see if there were any more signs of the Hatake chakra to be found. A smile slowly stretched across his lips when he predictably felt another flare of the same intensity as the last few. The trace was darting about erratically – which meant his prey must have attached his tag to yet another small animal. At least he could rule out checking in that direction.

Akuma turned his head in the only direction he hadn't found a trace of chakra yet, and decided perhaps he had this wrong – he shouldn't be tracking the chakra – he should be tracking the areas with an absence of chakra. He slowly made his way towards one of the seedier areas of the town, ever aware that time was running out.

-- --


Iruka stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, thankful to have solid ground under his feet once more. He stopped himself from following the sudden urge to kiss the ground in relief, and instead focused his attention on his teammates. Although he had no idea who these masked ANBU truly were, Iruka had taken to thinking of them in terms of what masks they wore. There was Crow – who seemed to be the leader of the group – considering he was the one the others looked to for any idea of what to do next. Then there was Locust – who, of course, was a member of the Aburame clan – but beyond that, Iruka didn't know which member he was. Although he was pretty sure he could rule out Shino – just based on height alone.

Currently Locust and Crow were conversing quietly to the side – likely trying to determine which direction to go next. Meanwhile, Bear, Mouse, Badger, Rat and Lizard were rechecking their packs and waiting for orders. Iruka stood a little bit separate from the others – not on purpose – but somehow it just seemed to work out that way. He sighed and turned his attention back toward Crow just in time to see the man signal for Iruka to join him and Locust.

Iruka was glad he was wearing his mask – as it hid the surprise he was sure was plastered over his face. He quickly walked to their side.

"Is there something I can do for you, Crow?"

Iruka heard a small chuckle from behind Crow's mask and realized, after-the-fact, that he'd used his naming method out loud. While he felt the heat rise in his cheeks, he concentrated on Crow's words – thankful once again for the mask on his face.

"Iruka-sensei, we need to ask your opinion. Can you think of any reason why the insects would insist that Kakashi-senpai's location was in five separate locations?"

Iruka looked from Crow to Locust and back again. He scratched at the back of his head while he thought about the question. "I can only think of two reasons for that. Either Kakashi has clones scattered about, or he's using chakra-tags."

Locust snorted – as though offended at the simplicity of the answer. Iruka tried not to take it personally and explained his logic to the ANBU. "I assumed that the levels of chakra were close – if not identical – or you wouldn't have asked the question the way you did. There are only two known methods to producing that effect – clones and chakra tags. At least that's what the textbooks have always shown."

Crow nodded and turned his attention back to Locust. "Check out the closest two for verification. Take one of the others with you. We'll move toward the farther areas."

Locust nodded once and signaled for Bear to join him. By the time the others moved to Crow's side, Locust and Bear were nowhere to be seen. Iruka was trying to reign in his growing excitement. After all – Locust's bugs actually sensed Kakashi's chakra! That had to mean he was alive . . . that – or the bugs were wrong.

Iruka frowned at that thought. He remembered an quiet conversation he'd overheard on the boat trip here. Rat and Badger were laying odds on whether Locust's bugs were leading them on a wild goose chase. Evidently, something similar happened once before on another mission. Locust's bugs insisted they had the right trail and led them right into an ambush.

The farther out to sea the bugs led them, the higher the odds rose on the bet. So that now, as they were heading inland, the odds were twenty to one against Kakashi even being here. Iruka pushed down his doubts and tried to cling to the hope that Team Kakashi's leader would somehow prove those odds wrong.

The retrieval team was soon reaching the outskirts of a large settlement. There were no walls surrounding it, and no guards posted to bar their entrance. The buildings ranged from small one floor dwellings to larger, multi-floor stone monstrosities that reached taller then some of the trees. All of the roads were hard packed and well kept.

Iruka had been so intent on the settlement, he almost missed Crow's raised fist – which signaled to them to stop. Luckily, Iruka managed not to slam into Crow's back as he skidded to a stop on the branch of a tree. Meanwhile, Crow raised two fingers on that same hand, and then motioned sharply to the right and then to the left. Iruka saw Mouse and Badger head off to the right, while Rat and Lizard went to the left. Crow moved his two fingers toward the front and Iruka swallowed deeply as he joined Crow.

Iruka wondered what caused Crow to suddenly split the team up, when his focus was drawn to a body dangling from what was likely a flag pole at one point. The young man's face was frozen in agony, and it was obvious that he'd been tortured before being hung like this. Iruka took another look at the settlement and started noticing a few other disturbing scenes.

There were overturned benches here and there, doors on the row of houses in front of them seemed kicked in, and there was an eerie silence throughout the area. Iruka chided himself. How could he have been so wrapped up in the strange architecture and not have noticed the signs of obvious enemy engagement. Iruka nearly jumped when Crow's low voice whispered in his ear.

"The one hanging is in a uniform – likely they belonged to what passes for authority here. Whoever did this meant it as a warning to the others to cooperate or die."

Iruka swallowed back a sob. This waste of life was part of why he'd chosen to be a teacher. He knew he didn't have the nature to be confronted by this day after day and not be twisted by it. Yet again, he realized the ANBU life would never be for him. Iruka did his best to keep his disgust from his voice.

"How long ago do you think this was done?"

Crow answered with a tone that made Iruka think the man was pleased with his line of thought. "This isn't a fresh kill, and the body is beyond the state of rigor. My guess, without a closer look, is he's been there a few days."

"Days?" Iruka knew his voice carried his surprise. "So then these maniacs have had at least that long to try and find Kakashi?"

Crow grunted. "So it would seem."

The sound of a distant explosion caught their attention. In the distance they spotted a plume of black smoke reaching toward the sky. Crow turned his head back toward Iruka.

"Perhaps they haven't managed it quite yet. Let's go."

With that, Crow jumped to the ground and headed into the shadows of the buildings. Iruka did his best to duplicate the ANBU's stealthy moves, holding tightly onto the hope that they'd find signs of Kakashi soon.

-- --


Chuutetsu's day went from bad to worse when he happened across the body of his junior medic sitting just inside the linen supply room. "Samidare . . . what did they do to you?"

He knew full well what they'd done. The medic's intestines surrounding Samidare's body showed Chuutetsu everything he needed to know about the fatal cut. And the look of acceptance permanently etched on the younger man's face showed him that the knowledge was known by him too.

Chuutetsu bent down and closed the lids over the once bright eyes of his junior. Not for the first time that morning, he realized that the only reason he wasn't dead with the others was the fact that he'd been late. If he'd been on time – he knew with a cold certainty that he'd have been tortured in such a way as well. What was worse – is that he was the one person in this hospital who actually held the information the attackers were likely searching for – namely, the location of Kakashi Hatake.

Chuutetsu stood back up and moved away from this latest scene of death. Every turn he'd taken within the halls of the hospital led him to more gruesome discoveries. He pressed on until, at last, he'd reached the outside. But even here, the stench of death surrounded him. He choked back the bile in his throat and forced his legs to carry him away from his place of employment. Although a small part of his mind screamed that he should stay here and care for the dying and wounded, Chuutetsu had to find the silver-haired man. He couldn't explain the need – even to himself – but he had to find him.

Chuutetsu's last conversation with the man was about the seedier sections of the city. Kakashi seemed overly interested in those darker places, and Chuutetsu had to assume that it held some deeper meaning to the younger man. So he'd start his search for Kakashi there.

The farther into the city streets he went, the more evident it was that these enemies of Kakashi's were not normal men. There was a trail of destruction and death everywhere he looked. The attackers didn't care if their victims were old or young, male or female – they seemed to use the same methods of torture on everyone he passed.

Chuutetsu picked up his pace, trying to keep as close to the buildings as he could. He jumped at every sound he heard, and nearly had a heart attack when a stray cat leaped in front of him. He let loose a sigh and pushed on toward his goal.

He'd finally reached the edges of the Dark District, as it was commonly referred to, when he felt a strong arm wrap around his neck and a sharp edge of steel press against his throat. Chuutetsu's heart sped up as his mind tried to comprehend the fact he'd just been caught by the very people he was trying to avoid.

Chuutetsu closed his eyes and waited for death to claim him. But it didn't come. In fact, the sharp blade at his throat was pulled away slightly. He opened his eyes and turned his face toward his attacker. A painted mask of a fierce bird stared back at him, and in the next moment he was released from the man's grip. Chuutetsu's knees buckled from the fear of his situation, and he collapsed in a heap onto the ground.

The bird-masked man's focus was on something behind Chuutetsu. The menacing voice did nothing to calm his frayed nerves. "Is there a reason you signaled for me to stop, sensei?"

Another slightly muffled voice responded. "This man isn't your enemy. His clothing and mannerisms mark him as a healer more then a hunter. May I speak with him before you use other methods?"

Chuutetsu turned toward the other voice and saw another white mask amidst a sea of dark, nondescript clothing – although this one was totally blank. The first man's voice rumbled in answer.

"You have five minutes, sensei."

The blank-masked man sighed and stepped closer still to Chuutetsu. He squatted on the ground and moved his hand up to his mask. Chuutetsu flinched at the movement. The man lifted the white mask to the side to reveal the features of a young man with soft brown eyes, a scar across the bridge of his nose, and a soothing smile on his tanned face. Somehow, amidst the sea of chaos around them, this man was able to calm his frayed nerves at least a bit. When he spoke without the mask, his voice held a gentle timber to it that made his words all the easier to respond to.

"I apologize for my companion's actions." Chuutetsu heard the other man grunt at that, but the unmasked man seemed to ignore him and continued talking. "It's just that with all the unrest around here that he assumed you might be one of the ones who caused it."

Chuutetsu's eyes widened while the words seeped into his brain. If these two thought he'd caused this chaos – then who the hell were they? Finally he found his voice. "I was thinking the same thing about you."

The man in front of him laughed. The sound seemed out of place considering everything that had happened, yet it managed to relax Chuutetsu a bit more.

"I can see how you might think that, considering how we introduced ourselves to you. Let me try and fix that." The man extended one empty hand out to Chuutetsu. "I'm Iruka. And you are?"

Chuutetsu's eyes narrowed, but he reached his own shaking hand out to grip the one in front of him. "Chuutetsu – Senior medic first class."

Iruka's smile widened, and he glanced up at the other man. "See, Crow? A medic – not an assassin."

Crow's voice didn't lighten when he responded. "You have yet to prove that to me, sensei."

Iruka sighed and returned his attention to Chuutetsu. Meanwhile – somewhere in the back of his mind Chuutetsu was remembering a snippet of conversation he'd had with Kakashi the night before.

"Iruka? Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes."

"Are you the same Iruka-sensei that teaches at the Academy?"

Chuutetsu watched a flicker of confusion cross the younger man's face, while he felt Crow's hand dig into his shoulder and heard the danger-laced words whispered in his ear. "What do you know of the Academy, medic?"

Chuutetsu swallowed and pushed words past a throat gone dry. "Only what Kakashi Hatake told me. He mentioned Iruka-sensei's name while explaining a theory to me. That's all. . . really!"

Iruka's voice held an edge of surprise to it. "Kakashi was teaching you?"

Chuutetsu blinked. "Well – trying to teach is more like it. He wasn't the most patient teacher."

Iruka laughed and Crow's grip loosened ever so slightly. "That's the best news I've heard all day, Chuutetsu."

Iruka stood back up and offered Chuutetsu a hand off the ground. Once Crow released his shoulder, he took the offered hand and stood as well. He frowned at the young man. "What's the best news? That Kakashi can't teach?"

"No – that you actually were talking with him. That means he's still alive!"

Crow stepped around to stand in front of him as well, although he made no move to remove his mask. "When did you see him last?"

Something in the man's tone made it crystal clear that he wasn't someone to lie to. "At the hospital."

Iruka frowned. "The hospital? Is he hurt?"

Chuutetsu ran a hand over his cropped hair. "He was. But he was much better after he used his 'chak-a-ra' on his remaining injuries."

Iruka nodded and smiled again. "That's chakra – not 'chak-a-ra.' I take it that was the theory Kakashi tried explaining?"

Chuutetsu nodded. "I'd never seen anything like it before. Is it true that everyone from where he comes from has this . . . chak . . .chakra?"

Iruka shrugged. "Not to the extent that Kakashi does – but yes."

Crow interrupted the conversation. "So that would explain how the tracker-bugs picked up the trail so strongly once we hit ground."

Iruka nodded again. "And likely why the enemy has taken action as well."

Chuutetsu's intake of breath caught their attention. "Who are the people after him? He seemed scared of what they might do if they caught up to him."

Iruka seemed startled by his words. "Scared?"

Chuutetsu scratched at his ear. "Well – more scared for us then himself, I think." He glanced around the streets. "Rightfully so, I guess."

Crow's voice took on a decided edge. "We need to find him."

Chuutetsu wasn't entirely sure when he'd decided these two were the good guys, but he offered up what little information he had all the same. "I can show you where I think he might have gone. Will that help?"

Iruka smiled back at him. "Yes, Chuutetsu. That would be great."

Before Chuutetsu had a chance to say anything more, Crow and Iruka tensed, drew knifes, and their heads snapped to the right. When Chuutetsu looked in that direction, he saw four more masked men approach, and noted the weapons in Iruka and Crow's hands were lowered. They must be members of their team.

More painted masks of animals stared at him while Crow addressed them. "Report."

"Whoever has done this is making a systematic search of the area. No signs of Wolf yet."

Chuutetsu looked toward Iruka. "Wolf?"

Iruka shrugged and whispered back to him. "That's probably Kakashi."

Chuutetsu edged closer to the unmasked man and motioned discreetly to the others. "You're not one of them, are you?"

Iruka grinned. "What gave it away?"

Chuutetsu furrowed his brow and asked what was nagging him. "But Kakashi is, isn't he?"

Iruka sighed. "He was."

"Was?"

Iruka nodded. "He's been an instructor and a team leader for the last six years or so."

Chuutetsu's expression must have shown his disbelief because Iruka scratched at his scar. "What's wrong, Chuutetsu? You look surprised."

"It's just – well – Kakashi doesn't look old enough to have been doing so much for so long."

Iruka chuckled again. "Yeah – well he's always been a bit of a genius. Just ask him."

"Sensei." Crow's voice ended their discussion. "We need to move out."

Iruka sighed and redirected their conversation where it needed to go. "Where do you think Kakashi went, Chuutetsu?"

Chuutetsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then turned toward the Dark District. "There are four or five places in the back streets of Hyoukai Yobou that I told him about. He's likely gone to one of them."

"Hyoukai Yobou?" The curiosity in Crow's voice caught Chuutetsu off guard.

"Yes. This is the city of Hyoukai Yobou." He turned toward the self-professed Academy teacher. "Don't they teach basic geography at this Academy of yours?"

Iruka blushed slightly. "We tend not to concentrate on much outside the five shinobi countries." He scratched at the back of his head. "But I'll be suggesting a change of curriculum when we get back."

The group headed out after Chuutetsu supplied basic directions. He hoped they'd catch up to the silver-haired man before whoever was after him did.

-- --


"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

The stranger's voice sang out into the deserted streets, his words echoing off the walls of the alley.

The high-pitched whimper of his catch as she struggled within his grasp added a strange counterpoint to the scene.

"Come now. You know you can't just stand by and watch someone innocent get hurt – can you?"

Kakashi knew he should just ignore the bastard, but he saw the look of terror in the tea shop owner's eyes, and knew her current predicament was his fault. Maybe if he just limited himself to basic Taijutsu moves he'd remain hidden to the rest of his trackers.

His decision made, Kakashi stepped out from the shadows and faced the hulking form blocking the entrance to the alley.

"Seems like a piss-poor way to treat a lady." Kakashi could see, by the frown on the man's face and the blank expression on his captive, that his disguise was working.

"Who the hell are you?" The man's words were full of the confusion his face was showing.

Kakashi shrugged. "No one of importance. What say you let her go and we just pretend like this never happened?"

The brute of a man smiled dangerously and tossed the woman against the alley wall, knocking the wind out of her. "What say I just pound you into the ground instead, little man?"

Kakashi sighed. "I hate it when people call me that."

Before the man took a single step toward him, Kakashi was a blur of action. He moved faster then the naked eye could track as he swept his feet out to knock the larger man to the ground. He followed this up with a series of jabs and punches, and once the man regained his feet, Kakashi finished off with a well placed roundhouse kick.

The result was that the man now lay amidst a pile of broken crates, moaning and unable to move.

Kakashi turned back toward the woman sprawled at the entrance and moved to her side to help her stand up. "I'd suggest you go home and stay there, miss."

She nodded mutely and scurried back toward the tea shop. Kakashi sighed and was about to head into the city to find a new hiding spot, when he heard slow clapping from the opposite side of the street. His muscles tensed.

"I should have realized you'd try to hide your trademark hair and skin. And I must admit, your Taijutsu is rather impressive. Almost as impressive as your ability to mask your chakra – Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi turned toward the speaker and took in his appearance. He was taller then most men . . . a good head taller then himself. Long, black hair fell in waves over his shoulders and his pale face betrayed no emotion. Bare arms full of clearly defined muscle were folded across his chest, and the skin-tight black clothing gave away no clue of where this man came from. Piercing violet eyes showed Kakashi that he was no stranger to death, and something in their depths made him think the man rather enjoyed causing it.

Sensing there was no point in denying who he was, Kakashi met the man's eyes. "And just who the hell are you?"

The man's lips pulled into an amused smile, making Kakashi think of another black-haired man with a bent toward the dramatic. . . Orochimaru. Pushing down that thought, he concentrated on the man slowly crossing to his side of the street.

"I'm the one who was sent to fetch you, of course."

Kakashi sighed. Why did he always have to have the psychotic ones come looking for him? Just once he'd like someone a bit more stable after him.

"I don't much feel like being fetched today." His words came out more as a growl then anything else.

The man didn't seem to care as he moved closer yet. "I've been looking forward to this day, Copy-ninja."

"Great – another fan." Kakashi didn't wait for the other to make the first move. He channeled chakra into the bottom of his feet and jumped up onto the roof of the nearest building. He honestly didn't want to deal with this lunatic right now. After all, he still wasn't fully recovered from his previous injuries, and knew this man was likely packing more of a punch then the peon in the alley.

He felt a wave of intense anger flare off the other man, and knew he'd chosen correctly when deciding not to face him. Kakashi sped over the rooftops, hoping to put enough distance between himself and his pursuer. It didn't take long though, before his lungs were burning. His body, it seemed, didn't care that he needed to escape. . . it decided that running so soon after his bout of Taijutsu just wasn't a good idea.

Kakashi skidded to a stop at the edge of a building and spun around just in time to see the black-haired man and a handful of others approaching.

"Dammit!"

He stepped backward and dropped over the side and into the space between two buildings, hoping the unexpected action would delay the inevitable. He really needed to stop thinking that way.

Kakashi had just set foot on the ground when he was jumped by even more of the dark-haired man's gang. A flash of hand signs later, and they were grappling with a rain barrel instead of him, but the respite was over before it began when a series of shuriken soared toward him, narrowly missing his arms and legs while he dodged out of their way. Another series of hand signs and he sent a volley of fireballs in the direction of the attack. He felt a small amount of satisfaction as a few of his pursuers screamed in agony.

Kakashi darted down the street, continuing to dodge numerous attacks of shuriken and kunai. It wasn't until he saw the towering brick walls around him that he recognized he'd been herded into a dead end. The buildings on all sides were too tall for him to jump on top of – even with a chakra boost. So he was cornered – no real weaponry of his own, and a very limited amount of chakra left to try a battle a psychotic and his band of merry wackos.

This made no sense. He didn't have the scroll they were after – he knew they knew that. So why the hell were they still so eager to catch him? It couldn't just be the reward in the bingo books. . .could it?

He shook his head. No – this went well beyond something so simple. After all – they'd tracked him down beyond the five nations.

The black-haired man stepped forward. His face no longer the emotionless mask it was earlier. Now it bore an expression of pure malice that Kakashi was sure would have caused other men to cower in fear. All it did for Kakashi was confirm that the man was not entirely sane.

Kakashi's breathing was labored – he knew his lungs were still not fully healed – and his muscles felt the strain of too much exertion after so many weeks of not being used. He felt aches in his shoulders, his back, his legs, and of course – his so recently recovered feet. He did his best not to let his enemies see his weakness. He pushed his bandanna free of his sharingan eye and watched the others approach.

"Kakashi Hatake. This would be so much easier if I was allowed to simply kill you." The man sighed dramatically. "But I've always enjoyed a challenge."

The last word wasn't even out of the man's mouth when he raced toward Kakashi with such speed that, even with his sharingan exposed, he'd barely managed to dodge the attack. The narrowness of the space between the buildings limited what Kakashi could try – both physically and through ninjutsu. So he ended up battling hand to hand with his hunter.

The man lashed out with such ferocity that it took everything Kakashi had not to buckle under the forces of his blows. The battle went on for many long minutes before the man finally made it past Kakashi's defenses to land a solid kick into his upper chest. Kakashi's already struggling lungs seemed to collapse in on themselves, and he found himself slammed against the wall and unable to pull a full breath in.

It was all the other man needed to finish the battle. He pinned Kakashi's throat to the wall and quickly made a series of hand signs he'd never seen before. The violet eyes stared into his own, and Kakashi felt the world tilt sharply when the man's free hand pressed against his forehead.

Before he knew what happened, he found himself kneeling in the blood surrounding his father's body once more.

-- --


Akuma watched Kakashi's body slide down the wall to land in a heap at his feet. He'd known the man would prove a challenge, but even in his weakened state the Copy-ninja was able to meet him nearly blow for blow. He bent down and removed the bandanna from the dyed hair. Akuma grabbed a handful of that hair in his fist and forced Kakashi's head back. Once he was certain the ninja was firmly ensnared in his jutsu, he released his grip and turned back to his men.

"Don't take any chances with him. Tie him in chakra dampening ropes and bring him to the ship. We leave at high tide."

"Yes sir."

Akuma rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks. It had been quite some time since he'd had to work so hard to capture his prey. But then again – he should have expected this, considering the man's family history. He smiled to himself. . . at least he'd be back before his deadline expired. Which meant he'd be in Lord Kurogane's good graces for a bit longer.

Akuma closed his eyes for a moment and focused his chakra on Kakashi's still form. The waves of emotion emanating from the man were most intriguing. He couldn't wait until they'd secured their prize on the ship so he'd have the time to discover just what memories could illicit such a response from the famous Copy-ninja. This trip back to the Land of Lightning was bound to be a most enjoyable one indeed.