Chapter 4

Missing Pieces

Kakashi's mind felt numb. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the sight of his family home and he felt his chest tighten while his heart raced. The familiar smell of death assaulted his nose, and his dark eyes stung with unshed tears. He glanced down at hands that were so much smaller than they'd been in years – and he knew the nightmare had returned.

Beyond his tiny hands, Kakashi saw the dark red pool of blood lap against his bare feet, and he felt the thickness of that fluid between his toes while he slowly walked through it to his father's side. He knew what he'd find – after all, this was just a memory – no matter how real it felt – and memories didn't change. While a portion of his mind clung to that fact – trying desperately to keep from spiraling any farther into despair - his body continued through the motions it had taken over twenty years ago.

Kakashi saw his father kneeling on the floor with his head bowed down against his chest – the silver hair – so like his own – fell in a cascade over his unmasked face. One hand was still wrapped around the hilt of his tanto in a death grip – while the other lay palm up in the growing pool of blood on the floor.

Kakashi cringed inside – knowing what would come next – and unable to stop the memory from moving forward.

His hand reached up to his father's shoulder hoping to wake the man – still not understanding what he was witnessing. Instead, his touch caused the lifeless body to lose it's precarious balance and fall to the side, toppling over onto his own tiny body. Perhaps if he hadn't just finished the final round of the chunin exams he may have been able to dodge out of the way, but he couldn't. The dead weight was unforgiving as it pinned Kakashi's five-year old body under it – pushing him down into the growing pool of blood – and allowing his father's dead blue-gray eyes to stare accusingly into his own. Kakashi struggled to escape his entrapment – but the combination of grief, exhaustion, and the slick substance surrounding him, made it impossible. He lay there – his father's blood soaking into his hair, his clothing, his skin - until his Sensei found him hours later. Once Minato-sensei managed to pull him free from that living hell, Kakashi was never the same.

A part of him died that day. But it was far from over for him. The hours, days and weeks that followed were another testament to the cruelty of human beings.

His mind forced him to relive every detail of the interrogations he withstood before they'd let him so much as wash his father's blood from his hair. The whispers from shinobi and citizen alike wafted into his ears – the pain of those careless words as fresh in this memory as they were on the day of the funeral. How every eye avoided meeting his for months after the Hatake house had been boarded up. Each turned face and whispered taunt another stab to an already wounded heart.

Kakashi's mind struggled to free itself of whatever was trapping him in this cycle of misery, but he knew his chakra levels were dangerously low, and therefore he was forced to continue this travesty of memories – forced to replay the events that had forged him into the man he was today.

But it didn't end with the chaos of his family's shame. No – the world spun on it's heels once more and Kakashi found himself in the place where his first understandings of teamwork came to life. But it was at such a high cost that it, too, scarred his heart in ways that would never heal – no matter how much time passed.

He felt the fierce shove to his back from Obito as he took the hit from that boulder which should have ended his life – not the carefree Uchiha's. He felt his heart rip wide once more while he pounded his fist against the ground after failing to lift the enormous rock from the dark-haired boy. And he knew another piece of his heart was forever gone - even as Rin transplanted Obito's sharingan eye into the vacant socket within his own face.

Again the scent of death surrounded him. Again he wasn't strong enough to stop the crushing force against a body. And again he suffered from thoughtless whispers and jeers when he returned to Konoha weeks later – the mission labeled a success – although the team was one man less.

Kakashi's mind stung while his memories of what followed forced him to listen to barely veiled threats against his life by Obito's clan – the same clan which labeled the goggle-wearing boy a failure in their eyes just before they'd left on that mission. The same clan that petitioned the Hokage days later to force Kakashi to surrender what they deemed their sole property. Even after the Hokage stated the issue was closed – and the departing gift from Obito was Kakashi's by right – the villagers never saw him the same way again.

He could still feel the waves of killing intent from every member of that clan he'd pass on the streets from that point forward. Kakashi knew then, that if he ever was teamed with an Uchiha again, there was a clan-directive in place for him to meet with an 'accident' during the course of the mission.

Of course when the day came, two years later, for an Uchiha to be assigned with his team, that clan-directive played out differently then anyone would have expected. Kenzan Uchiha was directed to fill out Kakashi's three-man cell in a basic retrieval mission to the border of the Land of Grass. It was a simple B-ranked mission that should have taken less the five days to complete.

But when Kakashi was settling in for his rest, leaving Kenzan on watch, he heard Rin's voice cry out in warning. Kakashi spun – his kunai already in hand – just in time to see Kenzan's look of horror as the sword he'd meant to use on Kakashi had skewered the young medical-ninja instead. Kakashi bit back on the anger that had flared to life, and somehow had kept for disemboweling the Uchiha – but even with the troublemaker subdued, Kakashi had been unable to keep Rin from succumbing to the deadly poison the fool's blade had been coated with. He'd been unable to keep his promise to Obito – he failed to protect Rin.

Another piece of Kakashi's already damaged heart chipped away when Rin's eyes glazed over while he held her in his arms. He knew there'd be no tears. He'd been unable to cry since the day he was pinned under his father's body. The closest he'd come to tears since then had been the day he'd received the sharingan – and then it was only Obito's eye that flowed. But even that eye was dried up this day.

Kakashi relived the disgrace he felt when he'd returned to Konoha later that week – again the mission was labeled a success – the scroll they'd been sent for had been retrieved. But again – he was down one teammate, and the Uchiha clan had to disown one of their own to keep his failure from tainting their precious name. The hatred they held for him doubled, and Kakashi felt his shoulders slouch under the ever-present weight of the village's judgment on him. He'd taken to burying his nose in a book to keep from having to meet anyone's gaze as he walked through the village.

Kakashi's mind kept trying to reinforce that fact that this was all just a dream – but the realism in the scents, the sights, the feel of every thing he did, made it harder and harder for him to hold on.

His heart clenched tighter still when the world tipped on end again. He knew – before the scene solidified around him – that this vision would be unbearable. But he had no choice. There was no way out of this hell.

Kakashi was only a few years older now, but he'd become one of the ANBU's top killing machines. With the porcelain mask on, he was able to separate himself farther from those around him. Even his Sensei – who'd become Hokage earlier in the year - treated him differently when the mask was in place. Perhaps that was why the blond-haired leader of the Leaf Village had been able to coldly order him to the front line to distract the Kyuubi, while he stayed behind to finish creating the jutsu that would seal his fate.

Whatever the reason, Kakashi had the perfect view to see the Hokage – his Sensei – his only remaining link to his humanity – fall to his death. Kakashi felt his heart ice over while his voice screamed out from behind the wolf mask on his face. If he'd only been stronger – faster – he might have been the one to make that final sacrifice to save the village. But instead, he could only stand by – useless – while his world crashed all around him.

Kakashi's mind spiraled farther into the visions – one horrifying moment building upon the next – until all that was left was a broken shell – a faceless tool – the ANBU Wolf.

And with that thought, strangely enough, came a moment of utter clarity and calm within his mind. A moment that Kakashi clasped onto with all his might, and used to break free from the nightmares that held him prisoner. The Wolf opened eyes that were crusted over from too many days locked within that dreamlike state. He peered through the gloom of a small room to find himself chained to a wall – alone.

He took one shuddering breath – ever aware that his body was still not fully recovered – and allowed himself to relax his muscles. His captors would show themselves to him soon enough – and when they did – it would be the Wolf who would make them pay for all they'd put him through.

-- --


Iruka watched in silent awe while the ANBU members systematically scoured the alleyway from one end to the other before they gathered once more to share their information with each other. Only after every member had their say did Crow piece together the puzzle for his official report. All these years of manning the mission desk on his off hours from the Academy, and he'd never really understood the level of skill these unknown shinobi used for even the tiniest part of their missions.

Iruka sat with Chuutetsu at the alley entrance and waited for the others to finish. Locust and Bear had rejoined them just before they'd reached this alley, and his bugs verified that Kakashi was definitely here a short time ago. They'd also confirmed that some of the blood found along the walls was indeed the Copy-ninja's.

The ANBU saw this as a good sign – and after Chuutetsu explained that the dead tend not to bleed – Iruka found himself looking at the news as a good omen as well. If they had only gotten here earlier, perhaps they could have kept Kakashi from the hands of whoever was causing city-wide destruction.

Instead – they were still playing the role of pursuers. . . seemingly always just one step behind. Iruka watched Crow roll up his field report and set it on the ground. He knelt beside it, drew the tip of his kunai across his palm, and then proceeded to make a long series of hand signs before thrusting his hand to the ground for a textbook summing jutsu.

Not surprisingly, Crow summoned a rather impressive looking bird into the alley. Chuutetsu's startled gasp caused that black-feathered bird to rustle its feathers, but it made no move to fly off. Crow stretched one hand out and the bird hopped onto his wrist as though it was something it did every day of the week. Crow smoothed the feather's of its breast with the back of his knuckles earning him a soft caw from the creature, and then he reached down for the field scroll. With a skill that Iruka knew was born from hundreds of such movements, Crow fastened the strip of parchment securely to the summoned bird's taloned leg with one hand. After a final scratch on the bird's breast, Crow lifted his wrist and the bird into the air and watched as it sailed up into the sky, circled once, and then headed in the direction of Konoha.

If nothing else – that report would be enough for Tsunade to keep from having to declare Kakashi as assumed dead. Iruka hoped that the news might just be enough to place some of the spark back into Naruto's eyes. But part of him knew that the blue-eyed boy, along with Sakura and Sai, would not be the same unless they could actually rescue Kakashi and bring him back to them.

Crow signaled to the group to head out, and they started to follow Locust's bugs once more – this time with the knowledge that they were closing in on their goal.

-- --


Tsunade still wasn't able to convince Sakura to talk about what had happened on the last mission. Even when she tried to pull the rank of Hokage on her, the young woman had remained silent. Her normally bright jade eyes were dull and unfocused as she stared out the window of her hospital room, and it nearly broke Tsunade's heart to see her apprentice so disturbed.

The boys weren't doing much better. She'd pretty much expected Naruto to be a wreck – after all, the kid had always been emotional. What she hadn't expected was for Sai to have been so effected. Hell – that one was ANBU after all – and was schooled by none other then Danzou to push all emotions away. But when she'd met with the two young men earlier they'd barely registered that she was talking to them.

Tsunade sighed and looked at the partial report Naruto submitted. He'd only placed the bare minimum of details on the paper . . . and scrawled a note on the bottom that said she'd have to wait for Kakashi-sensei to return before a final report could be handed in.

"Brat." The word was whispered – and to be honest with herself, Tsunade wasn't one hundred percent sure if she was directing it toward Naruto – or the absent Kakashi.

A knock on the door brought Tsunade out of her musings. "Enter!"

"You asked for me, Hokage?" The deep voice of Ibiki Morino brought a tired smile to Tsunade's lips.

"Ibiki. . . I have a favor to ask of you." Ibiki's eyes betrayed nothing of what he was thinking, and Tsunade found herself holding her breath until he answered.

"And what might that be, Hokage?"

Was that a hint of amusement she heard in the interrogator's voice? Tsunade sighed.

"I know this isn't your normal line of work, Ibiki – but I need you to find out some information for me."

Ibiki's brow furrowed. "How is that not my normal line of work, Hokage?"

Tsunade handed Ibiki Naruto's report and let him read it. Once he finished and looked up again she leaned back in her chair.

"Ibiki Morino – I need you to find out what those three know."

The torture specialist frowned. "I assume you'd rather I didn't use my usual methods?"

Tsunade cringed a bit at that. "Ibiki – I know that you can get people to talk without laying a single finger on them. Hell, you're probably one of the only people alive that can get Kakashi to talk about more then the latest Icha Icha novel. I have faith that you'll find the right way to get through to them."

Ibiki placed the report back on her desk and nodded once. "I'll see what I can do, Hokage."

He turned and headed for the door.

"Ibiki. . ." He stopped and turned his head back toward her. "Thank you."

He grunted, nodded once more, and left the office. Tsunade leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She could only hope that Ibiki would be able to find some way to get through to the three kids. They were much too young to already have had their minds shattered.

Then sound of the door opening made Tsunade open her eyes to see Shizune walking to her desk with an urgency in her eyes and a sheet of paper in her hand. Tsunade leaned forward, expectantly.

"Lady Tsunade – this just came in. It's from the retrieval squad!"

Tsunade held out her hand, trying to keep it from shaking, while Shizune laid the transcript on her palm. She swallowed back her fear and placed the paper on her desk to read. Once she made it past the first four lines she sank back in her chair and let out a large sigh.

Shizune leaned forward. "What is it? Did they find him? Is he . . ."

Tsunade allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Shizune – they haven't rescued him yet."

"Rescued?!? Then Kakashi's alive?!?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Yeah – that brat's still alive." She looked back down at the transcript and frowned.

Shizune leaned forward. "What's wrong Lady Tsunade?"

"From what the ANBU report says, Kakashi was tracked to outside the Five Great Countries where he had been nursed back to health. But someone got to him before our team could, and by the sounds of it, a lot of good people died at the hands of whoever has him now."

Shizune gasped and placed one hand to her chest. "Do you think they'll kill him?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I honestly don't know. But if they went to that much trouble to recapture him – they must have a need for him."

Tsunade sighed and handed the report back to Shizune. "Bring this to Ibiki Morino. He might be able to use some of this information to help him with his current task."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

-- --


Akuma reclined on his bed with his eyes closed, relishing the waves of despair and anguish his current prey was experiencing in his nightmare jutsu. The level of pain and suffering this one had witnessed in his lifetime was so vast that he fully expected the man to be trapped within his mind for the entire journey back to the Land of Lightning. So when his connection to Kakashi Hatake abruptly ended when they were only two-thirds of the way back, he was more then a bit surprised.

He opened his eyes and let out a small sigh and spoke into the empty room. "Don't tell me the man's heart gave out. I would have thought the great Copy-ninja was made of sterner stuff than that."

Akuma pushed himself off his bed and lazily stretched the kinks out of his muscles. Three days away from their destination, and it looked like now he'd have to explain to Kurogane that he'd miscalculated his nephew's strength. Oh well – he knew he'd eventually lose the man's favor – this was just sooner then he would have liked. Perhaps he could find a way to blame this on one of the men Kurogane had forced him to take along on the trip. Yes – that would work nicely.

He moved silently through the ship and down to the lower deck, where his prey was being stored. A single guard stood in front of the door – Akuma frowned. There were supposed to be two guards posted at all times.

That lone guard snapped to attention at his approach. "He hasn't made a sound in over an hour, sir."

Akuma glared at the man. "I didn't ask for your input."

Akuma moved toward the door – the guard swallowed and stepped to the side, pushing the door open as he moved. Akuma stepped into the gloom, taking a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the lower light. The prey was where he'd left him – his body was slumped against the far wall. His legs were outstretched along the floor – back pressed against the wall – arms pinned in manacles above his head. That head was tipped forward, the chin resting on a chest that seemed unnaturally still – an unruly wave of tea-stained hair cascaded down, hiding the features of the famous Copy-ninja. The sleeves of his shirt fell down to his elbows – displaying a strange patchwork of pale white skin, tea-stained skin and darkening bruises.

In the dim light of the small room, the man looked more like the scarecrow he'd been named for than the Master of a Thousand jutsu.

Akuma narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Come in here."

His words were directed to the guard, while his attention remained firmly on the man chained to the wall. His voice had not elicited even the smallest reaction from the Copy-ninja.

The guard stopped next to him. Akuma continued staring at Kakashi while he addressed Kuragane's man. "Check to see if he's breathing."

The guard took a deep breath and then moved to the chained-man. He was just about to lean in to feel for a pulse when the prisoner's body moved with such a fluid grace that Akuma had no choice but to be impressed. The hands captured within the manacles grasped the chains fastened to the wall and used them as leverage for the rest of his body. Kakashi's back arched, his long legs swept out, catching the guard unaware, and pinning the fool to the ground with his head positioned between Kakashi's lower legs. Before the guard had a chance to struggle, Akuma saw Kakashi shift his position once more, and violently twist his body in such a way that the sound as the guard's neck snapped echoed off the room's walls.

Only when the guard stopped moving did Kakashi lift his head up to meet Akuma's gaze. The man's mismatched eyes held an edge to them that made Akuma realize that perhaps some of the stories he'd heard of Kakashi's past were not entirely false. He narrowed his eyes and kept his voice emotionless as he motioned to the guard's body.

"That – is why I am the only one with the key."

Kakashi's lips pulled away from his teeth slightly and a low growl emitted from his throat. Without a hint at his intent, the Copy-ninja kicked the lifeless body across the room. Akuma stopped it with a well-placed foot, and he studied his prisoner's face. Something had changed in the man's gaze since they'd met in the alley. There was something deadly – no, not deadly . . . lethal – in those mismatched eyes now that made Akuma glad he'd had the foresight to invest in the chakra-dampening iron that comprised the prisoner's chains.

Akuma pushed his hair behind one ear and contemplated the man chained to the wall. Somehow – even with these special restraints – this man was able to break his nightmare jutsu. And it was now crystal clear that his danger wasn't limited to his use of chakra alone. Akuma stepped over the dead body at his feet and watched Kakashi's muscles ripple under his tea-mottled skin – no doubt waiting for him to get close enough to reach. But Akuma wasn't that foolish – he stopped just beyond the man's feet and tipped his head ever-so-slightly toward his right shoulder. He took his time and scanned every inch of the captive's body before making any further moves. All through this, Kakashi's eyes stayed narrowed and fixed on him – as though the man was imaging the many ways he wanted to kill him.

Akuma pushed that thought from his mind and concentrated on his own task. . . how to keep Kakashi from being troublesome. He would need to use a jutsu that was ancient – one that he hadn't needed to use in a very long time. As such, he needed to remain conscious of every movement he made during the complicated hand signs. But once it was finished, the Copy-ninja would be unable to fight back until the jutsu was released – which Akuma didn't intend on doing until the man was delivered into the hands of Lord Kurogane.

Akuma drew in a long breath and began the string of fifty-two separate hand signs that would ensure him of one very helpless prisoner. The look on Kakashi's face by the time the twentieth sign was completed went from loathing to curiosity. By the time the thirtieth sign was made it was clear he was beginning to sense what the outcome of the jutsu would be – and Akuma had to fight down the urge to break his concentration to gloat. By the fortieth sign, Kakashi's eyes widened in recognition, and he struggled to pull free of his chains. By the fiftieth sign, Akuma was surrounded by a pale yellow glow, as the chakra needed to complete the jutsu gathered. The fifty-second sign was followed by the words that would put form and purpose to that gathered energy.

"Fuuton – Saibou Kanashibari!" [literally – Wind Jutsu – cell binding hand and foot]

The chakra spun around Akuma's body, and formed into a writhing mass of clawed hands which shot out from his chest and headed straight for Kakashi. Each hand gripped a different part of the prisoner's body until every inch of him was covered. Every time one of those hands made contact with Kakashi, it ripped a fresh scream out of the jonin's lungs. By the time it was over, every muscle on the prisoner's body was tensed, and his eyes – so full of loathing moments before – stared unfocused, while his face was twisted into a mask of agony.

Akuma fell to his knees when it was over – his head bowed, his shoulders slumped, allowing his long hair to fall nearly to the floor with the movement. His breath came is gasps for long minutes until he regained his composure. It had been many years since he'd first performed this jutsu – and he hoped it would be many more before he ever had to do it again. He could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. Akuma wiped his lips with the back of his hand, noting the trail of red liquid left behind on his knuckles, and lifted his head until the Copy-ninja was in view.

The man's body held a pale yellow sheen to it – while the power of the jutsu continued to bind every inch of the man at a cellular level. This was one of very few jutsu his father had passed down to him – and was the very same one that ended up killing the old man a few years after he'd passed on the knowledge. Akuma smiled – remembering the exquisite way the failed jutsu peeled his father's flesh away – until all that was left were his bleached bones. It had given Akuma the inspiration he'd needed to modify this very jutsu for some of his more destructive methods of attack.

Using those thoughts to calm his mind, Akuma pushed himself back to standing – confident this jutsu would not be so easy for Kakashi Hatake to break free of. He pulled the door shut and slowly made his way back to his room on the upper deck. After a glass of sake and a good rest he'd be ready for the remainder of the trip.

-- --


Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, a half eaten cup of instant ramen in one hand while his chopsticks were perched in the other hand. He stared into the space between his knees, trying unsuccessfully to push his memories down. All he could see was blood – everywhere.

A knock on the door caused him to squeeze the ramen cup a bit too tight – sending cold broth and sticky noodles plummeting across his knees and toward the floor. Naruto blinked at the mess, not really sure how it happened – and not feeling inclined to do much about it. The knock came again – this time followed by a voice he'd only ever heard once or twice before.

"Open the door, Naruto – I know you're in there."

Naruto blinked and slowly moved to pull the door open – it couldn't possibly be who he thought it was – could it? Sure enough – Ibiki Morino stood outside his apartment, looking every bit as imposing as he did on the first day of the chunin exam so long ago.

"Ibiki?" Naruto's eyes widened as the scarred man took a step toward him. "Did I do something wrong?"

The master interrogator shook his head and frowned. "Just once I'd like someone to say something other then that when I come to their door."

Naruto blinked again. "Huh?"

Ibiki stepped past Naruto and let himself into the apartment. After a moment more, Naruto shut the door, turned back toward Ibiki, and stared at the man. Ibiki moved to the only chair in the place and sat down, motioning for Naruto to come closer. Swallowing back his fear, Naruto walked toward the bandanna-wearing leader of the T&I unit. He honestly couldn't think of anything he'd done since he'd been back that would be worthy of a visit from Ibiki Morino. In fact, he hadn't been out of his apartment in weeks.

Naruto furrowed his brow as he came to a stop in front of the man. "What's going on?"

"Sit down, Naruto."

Naruto scratched at his ear. "Umm – You're on the only chair."

Ibiki sighed and stood up. He motioned to the vacated seat. "Sit down, Naruto."

He did as he was told, picking stray pieces of ramen off his pants in an attempt to keep from freaking out. This only managed to work until a strong hand gripped his shoulder from behind. Without a thought, Naruto darted out of the chair and crouched in the corner, his breath coming in hard gasps, his mind clouding over with the memories of the last mission. When, after a few tense moments, his eyes finally focused on Ibiki's face, Naruto shuddered and sank down to the floor – only then realizing he'd pulled his kunai out. He dropped the weapon and buried his face in his hands and sobbed – like he had every night since their return.

-- --


Ibiki had seen a lot over the years, but the three young shinobi he'd been asked to visit today were something he wouldn't forget any time soon. Each one was a mess in their own right.

Sakura had been in a near catatonic state . . . spending her days staring out her hospital room window. All the reports from hospital staff stated she was unresponsive to any and all outside stimuli – to the point that she was being fed intravenously – totally unaware of what was going on around her.

Ibiki entered her room and found the young kunoichi exactly as she'd been described to him. But he noticed something none of the others had. . . she wasn't staring into space - unaware . . . she was staring at a specific point. He looked out the window in the direction she'd stared for the better part of the last three weeks – straight toward the building that housed Kakashi Hatake's apartment. And Ibiki knew he had the words that might unlock her mind from its captivity. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered those words so only she could hear them.

"Sakura, we've just received word – Kakashi Hatake is alive."

At first, there was no response – but slowly . . . ever so slowly, Sakura took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leaned into Ibiki's body with a sigh and a sob. He let the young woman cling to his jacket for countless minutes, and stroked her long pink hair soothingly.

Eventually, he pulled himself free of her grip, and knelt down until his face was level with hers. "Sakura." His voice was firm enough that she opened her eyes in response to it. "They'll find him."

She seemed to finally thaw from the grip that held her frozen at the window for so long, and he watched her eyes brighten just a bit from his words. He left the room certain that her recovery would take a turn for the better, and headed toward where Sai was last seen.

Ibiki knew this one was a member of ROOT – and as such, he expected a certain level of detachment to have been bred into him. So when he found the boy standing at the edge of the Academy grounds, watching the children while they played in the yard, Ibiki had to rethink where Sai's mindset might be. He watched silently until the moment when he noticed Sai's empty hand clench into a fist, and his shoulders tense. He followed Sai's line of sight and saw he was focused on two small boys practicing their kunai skills.

Ibiki was at Sai's side in an instant – he stepped into the ROOT member's view and watched as the boy tried to comprehend who he was. Recognition was slow – but it came at last, and Sai relaxed ever so slightly when his dark eyes fixed on Ibiki's hard stare.

Ibiki furrowed his brow. Why the hell hadn't the Hokage called him in sooner? Just from what he was witnessing between Sakura and Sai, the instability of these young shinobi was potentially dangerous to the village. He carefully placed one hand on Sai's arm, noticing the boy's emotionless features flash with something close to fear before settling back to its normal blank facade.

Ibiki made signs with his free hand and instantly moved himself and Sai to one of the T&I rooms back at headquarters. Sai took in the windowless room in a quick glance and Ibiki saw him relax even more. So – he was nervous when outside. Not for the first time, he wondered what hell these kids had gone through.

The only furniture in the room was two straight-backed wooden chairs. He motioned for Sai to take one while he moved the second one in front of him so he could meet the boy's eyes. Once they had settled in, Ibiki got straight to the point.

"Tell me what I need to know."

Sai's eyes opened wide and his already pale skin seemed to lose all color. His dark eyes looked wild for a brief moment, and Ibiki was afraid he'd lunge at him any second. He braced himself for a possible attack when the boy's hand reached toward his pouch – but then, Sai closed his eyes and pulled out a scroll. Wordlessly he handed the parchment to Ibiki.

The scroll contained various drawings and detailed accounts of the weapons and attacks the three young shinobi had encountered on their way back to Konoha. Although Ibiki only saw reference to five or six pursuers, the level of jutsus and weaponry detailed made him appreciate how difficult it must have been to return at all. By the looks of some of Sai's notes, Naruto's use of shadow clones was one of the main factors in their survival – along with Sai's ability to create his ink-creatures.

He rolled the scroll back up and placed in into his jacket for further examination after his meetings were completed. Ibiki turned his attention back to Sai – who was currently shifting his gaze nervously around the room. The frown resettled onto Ibiki's face.

"Sai – I've read the sorry excuse for a report that Naruto submitted." Sai avoided his gaze at those words. Ibiki growled. "I don't care if you met with the hounds of hell, there is no excuse for leaving important facts out of a report. Even Kakashi has never dared to submit such a useless report."

At the mention of Kakashi's name, Sai's head whipped back to lock eyes with Ibiki. The intensity of the ANBU member's stare surprised him, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he leaned forward.

"There's one vital piece of information in particular that Kakashi would never have left out of even a partial report. How did your client die?"

Sai's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment Ibiki thought he may have crossed the unseen line that could push the boy into a state similar to how he'd found Sakura. But instead, Sai pulled another scroll out and handed it over with a slight shake to his hands. His voice was barely audible as he relinquished this second scroll.

"I tried to draw it . . . but I just can't get it right." Sai swallowed. "This is the closest I've gotten."

Ibiki leaned back in his chair and opened this new scroll. The detail in the drawing was astounding. The figures seeming to leap off the page as he watched. The scenes were depicted in three separate areas of the scroll. The first showed Team Kakashi meeting with the client and the ornate scroll case handed over to them. But Ibiki noticed Sai included an ominous shadow on the edge of the drawing.

Ibiki narrowed his eyes and looked back at Sai. "None of you sensed the attackers?"

Sai looked down. "No."

Ibiki continued to open the scroll until the next scene was in view. It showed the client's body explode from the inside out – covering Team Kakashi with blood and more. Kakashi was already engaging two of the attackers and Sai's drawing showed over dozen more closing in on the Copy-ninja. The rest of Team Kakashi was shown in battle as well . . . with faceless bodies all around them. It was obvious from this scene that the enemy was already trying to separate Kakashi from the others. Again there was the shadowy figure – this time standing behind the client.

The final scene showed Kakashi running away from them – with the majority of the ninja chasing at his heels – the shadowy figure was reaching one hand out toward Kakashi's shoulder. Meanwhile Sai, Sakura and a half dozen Narutos were running in the opposite direction – one of the Narutos clutched the ornate scroll case to his chest. Ibiki narrowed his eyes when he noticed one detail in particular on Sai's drawing of the enemy ninjas.

"Are you certain that was the symbol they wore?" His finger was tracing over a depiction of the enemies' headband. It showed three staggered clouds – Lightning Country's symbol.

Sai nodded. "They all wore it."

Ibiki closed the scroll and placed it with the first. "What about this shadow fellow you keep drawing?"

Sai shook his head. "I couldn't tell. He . . . it never seemed to fully form. It just dove in, struck, then left. We couldn't track it with our eyes."

Ibiki nodded his understanding. He locked eyes with Sai once more. "Luckily Kakashi has his sharingan – which would explain why he's been reported as still being alive."

Ibiki let these words sink in before standing and heading toward the door. He paused at the door and turned back toward the young ANBU member. "I expect you to submit a proper report by the end of the day."

Sai stood and bowed formally to him. "Yes sir."

Ibiki left the boy to search out Naruto. He figured Sai would find a way to work past whatever hell they'd been through. But based on what he'd seen in the two scrolls, he wondered how Naruto would be reacting. When he'd reached the small apartment and knocked on the door, he was pleased to see the kid was still responding to outside stimuli – at least he was one up on how Sakura had fared.

Of course – after he entered the apartment, Ibiki adjusted his assessment slightly. Naruto looked like he hadn't slept in days – there were dark circles under haunted blue eyes, his clothes were stained – with ramen by the looks of it, and his shoulders looked so tense that he wondered if the boy had relaxed at all since their return to Konoha. After getting him to sit down - Ibiki walked to Naruto and placed what he hoped would be a reassuring hand on the kid's shoulder.

Naruto moved so fast Ibiki had to admit he was impressed – that is until he saw the state the kid was in. Naruto looked liked a cornered dog – his kunai was gripped defensively in front of him – he was crouched low to the floor – and every fiber of his body seemed to radiate terror.

Ibiki frowned and slowly moved toward Naruto – keeping his empty hands outstretched to the side and trying his best to remain calm. The last thing he needed right now was for Naruto to slip into Kyuubi-mode. But the look in the kid's face didn't look like the familiar scowl of the fox-demon. . . it was more like he was lost and confused. Ibiki wondered again what the Hokage was thinking when she'd decided to leave these kids alone for so long.

He knelt in front of Naruto and tried to get the kid to calm down. "Naruto – I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

He continued to speak softly to the boy until – at last – Naruto seemed to understand who he was and that he was safe. Naruto shuddered and sank down to the floor – he buried his face in his hands and broke into sobs.

Ibiki ran a hand over his bandanna. He'd take a regular interrogation any day of the week. He was so close to getting down to the bottom of this mystery – if he could just get Naruto to open up to him. Because based on Sai's drawings – it was obvious to him that Naruto had the most contact with the Lightning ninjas and likely held the missing piece to the puzzle.

Remembering a discussion he'd had with Iruka a few months back, Ibiki realized the only way to get Naruto to open up was going to be with a gentle touch. The academy teacher mentioned the boy was especially responsive to physical contact. Ibiki sighed and moved closer to Naruto. The boy barely noticed him. He slowly placed one hand on Naruto's knee.

"I need your help." Still no response. Ibiki thought back to what broke the other two from their silence. "Naruto – Kakashi needs your help."

Naruto became completely still. He raised his tear-streaked face and Ibiki saw a faint glimmer of hope within those blue eyes. "Ka . . . Kakashi?"

Ibiki nodded. "He's still alive, Naruto, and he needs us to find him."

Naruto let loose such a large sigh the Ibiki couldn't help but turn his mouth up slightly in what passed for a smile for him. "Naruto – I know some of what you've been through. Sai showed me. What I need to know is why Lightning seems obsessed with that scroll. Did your clones overhear anything?"

Naruto shivered at his words and swallowed. "I kept asking them why they wanted it . . . and they kept laughing at me. They kept saying how the scroll wasn't as important as their other goal."

"Other goal?" Ibiki was confused. "What other goal?"

Naruto's words were so soft Ibiki had to lean in closer to hear them. "They want Kakashi-sensei back."

Ibiki stared back at the boy. "Back?"

Naruto nodded and threw himself into Ibiki's arms. The master of torture and interrogation held the boy, while in his mind he tried to comprehend this latest bit of information. He was still missing a few pieces to this puzzle. He narrowed his eyes while continuing to lend support to Naruto. He had a feeling he knew where he'd get those missing pieces . . . Tsunade.