Chapter 24

In The Calm After the Storm

Iruka had never felt so useless in his entire life. All he could do was watch while Shizune curled into herself and occasionally moaned – trapped in whatever jutsu the enemy had attacked her with. He sighed and glanced around, trying to puzzle out why the Hokage's aide was in a hollowed out tree...knowing he'd probably not get an answer until Shizune woke – or Kakashi came back.

At the thought of the jonin, Iruka frowned. How was he supposed to make sure Kakashi made it back alive if he wasn't even with the man? He sighed again. Next time he's stupid enough to open his mouth in front of the Hokage he hoped it was for something a little less intense.

A slight movement at the edge of the tree's opening caught his attention. He bent down and saw dozens of dead or dying insects...some still chewing on the layers of pod that Iruka could now see was set within the trunk of the tree. On closer inspection, he could see the telltale signs of Mouse's wood jutsu.

Iruka scratched the scar tissue along his nose. Did the presence of the bugs mean Locust was back? But that made no sense...because even if he was, why would he have his insects uncover a hiding place that was obviously made for who they were trying to protect? He frowned and reached into his pouch for one of the small jars that at one time held the ANBU ointment. He bent down and carefully gripped a half dozen of the bugs and placed them into the jar, sealing it carefully. Maybe they could come in handy for the future once they returned to Konoha.

Putting the sample away, he glanced back at Shizune. She was still tightly curled in a fetal position – unaware he was even there. Iruka shook his head and jumped down to the ground to see what else he could find that might help down the road. He found Shizune's senbon from her arm holster scattered in a wide pattern – sticking out of trees and the ground. Iruka retrieved them – making sure to be careful, as he knew the young medic favored a particularly nasty poison, if memory served him correctly. He wrapped the needles in an extra scroll from his pouch – making sure to seal it and mark its contents clearly – it wouldn't do if someone accidentally pricked a finger on the poison-laced senbon. He'd return them to Shizune – once he was sure they were all safe again.

Next, Iruka went to where the pieces of Mouse's ANBU mask were scattered on the ground. He shuddered at the thought of how hard Mouse must have been hit to damage the mask – considering it took a full-force strike from a katana to break his own mask in the fight at the Hatake compound. When he saw the blood-stained edges of porcelain while packing the pieces into a pouch, his worry for the ANBU member increased. He looked back up at the opening in the tree and hoped this mission would end soon – because as much as he didn't want to admit it, Iruka could never do this kind of thing on a regular basis. It wasn't that he was physically incapable of it – hell, he'd proven at least that much on this journey – but he knew with certainty this his mind would never survive the rigors of being ANBU.

He clenched the last piece of Mouse's mask tight enough in his hand that it dug painfully into his skin. He wondered if every ANBU mission was this taxing on the body and soul. Iruka put the piece away and looked off into the forest. He'd have to ask Kakashi about it when they got back to Konoha...if they got back to Konoha.

A noise to his left broke him out of his thoughts and reminded him that he was still far from home and not even close to being safe. In the flash of an eye Iruka had hidden his chakra signature, drawn his borrowed katana, and hidden behind the nearest tree. A small group of shinobi approached – barely trying to hide their own presence – and Iruka found himself judging them before they'd even come into sight. He caught himself mid-thought and nearly laughed out loud...he was turning into an ANBU snob! No one back at the Mission Desk would ever expect that from him – that's for sure.

Before he had any more time to worry about how much he'd changed during the course of the mission, he started to hear the approaching shinobi talking...and that's when he realized just who was coming.

"Take it slower Neji – there's a lot of roots pushing through the ground here." The voice was unmistakably that of Izumo.

"I am perfectly capable of walking in a straight line without you pointing out the obvious, Izumo." Neji's tone showed Iruka he was more than upset with the older man's concern.

He pushed down the urge to laugh and allowed his chakra to return to its normal flow before stepping out from behind the tree – sheathing his katana as he moved. The scene that met his eyes made him wish he'd stayed behind the tree.

Izumo was walking in the lead – Neji had one hand gripped firmly on the chunin's shoulder – his eyes covered by bloodied bandages. Even with Izumo's dark hair covering half his face, it was obvious the chunin was getting frustrated – especially when Neji tripped and stumbled into his back even after his warnings.

Meanwhile Iruka spotted Lizard guiding Badger – whose hands were also wrapped in bloodied bandages – and Raidou walking beside Kotetsu – whose arm was in a makeshift sling, but otherwise looked none the worse for wear. Iruka felt a sense of relief on two accounts...all of them were still alive, and his chunin Mission Desk coworkers had held up better than some of the others.

Kotetsu smiled widely and waved his uninjured arm in greeting. "Iruka! You're still alive!"

Iruka couldn't help but grin back. "Yeah – looks like it's harder to kill a chunin than they thought."

"Heh – could be because we've survived Mission Desk duties for as long as we have...guess it pays to be able to dodge whatever the Hokage throws our way."

Iruka stepped closer and frowned. "Looks like you didn't quite dodge it all, Kotetsu. Are you alright?"

Kotetsu blushed slightly and shrugged. "What can I say? The Hokage never threw trees at us – they're a bit harder to dodge."

Iruka's eyes went wide. Trees!?! Just what the hell happened in their fight? He shifted his attention to where Badger was sitting on a stump with his bandaged hands perched on his knees. He was about to say something to the elder ANBU when a subtle hand signal from Lizard told him to stay silent. Iruka furrowed his brows in frustration, but respected the ANBU's wishes. Instead, he moved over to where Izumo was trying to get Neji to sit on another stump and failing miserably.

Iruka placed his hand on Neji's shoulder and felt the boy tense under his touch. He used his very best sensei-voice in an attempt to get the young Hyuga to relax. "Neji – it's me – Iruka-sensei...please have a seat and let me take a look at your eyes, okay?"

"Iruka-sensei?"

The lost tone in Neji's voice brought Iruka back to his initial introduction to the branch-member of the Hyuga clan. He remembered how the dark-haired boy couldn't grasp the simplest concepts regarding teamwork during his first year at the Academy...something Iruka blamed on the Hyuga clan's tendency toward being arrogant. It wasn't until Neji was placed in Gai's team – at Iruka's urging to the Third Hokage – that, at last, the boy started forming the bonds which molded him into the outstanding jonin he was today. But now – Neji's voice reminded Iruka of that unsure little boy so long ago – and it nearly broke his heart to see him so uncertain.

He tried to keep his voice light when he addressed the boy. "It's me, Neji...and contrary to popular belief, I'm not half bad at field medicine."

Izumo guided Neji to the stump successfully this time, and stood to the side to give Iruka room to begin his exam. "Can you tell me what happened, Neji?"

Again, the boy tensed, but he spoke. "We were waiting for Kabuto and his partner to walk into our ambush when they found a way to surprise us."

Iruka gasped. "Kabuto?!? It was definitely Kabuto Yakushi?"

Neji sighed. "Yes, Iruka-sensei. He used some forbidden jutsu to burrow under the ground and take us by surprise. He managed to avoid my Byakugan and took me out of the equation in the first strike."

Izumo continued the tale – his voice tight in his throat. "The little bastard was the only one to attack our group – and after Neji, he targeted Badger – then he sank back into the ground before we could counter attack. He snapped Kotetsu's arm like it was made of glass, and was headed for me when Mouse nearly skewered the bastard with a spear of wood. After that, Kabuto melted into the ground and didn't come back. Mouse ordered us to stay together and ran off toward where the pod was hidden."

Izumo took his bandanna off his head and ran his fingers through his hair before continuing. "I bandaged them up as best as I could – but that was about all I could do."

Iruka placed a comforting hand on his friend's arm. "You did fine, Izumo."

The other chunin nodded once in acknowledgment and then busied himself tying his bandanna back in place. Iruka returned his attention to Neji and started unwrapping the bandages – more than a bit fearful of what he might see under the layers of bloodied material. When the final layer came loose, he bit his bottom lip to keep from voicing his dismay. Neji's right eye was barely contained behind his bloodied eyelid, and the left had blood oozing out of its tear duct.

Iruka tried to keep his voice as calm as he could. "Neji – can you see anything out of either eye?"

The young man seemed to tense at his question, and Iruka knew this had to be the worst injury ever for someone with an eye-based blood-trait. With a slightly shaky voice, Neji responded. "I can see shapes – but somethings off. The shapes don't line up right. And my left eye is burning."

Iruka frowned. "Okay Neji. I'm going to try and stop that burning first. This is going to feel a little strange – but try not to move."

He didn't wait for the younger man to respond – knowing time was of the essence if Neji was to stand a chance of being able to have this injury reversed once they got back home. He pursed his lips in concentration, and fed a thin stream of chakra into the inner workings of Neji's left eye. He managed to find the blood vessels behind the eye which Kabuto obviously severed and did his best to mend them so they'd stop leaking blood. Next he shifted his attention to the other eye and saw the underlying cause of its current position was that the actual muscles and ligaments surrounding the eye socket were shredded. There was nothing he could do for this one, aside from physically returning the orb into the socket and applying a pressure bandage to keep it in place. But even advanced field medicine didn't include rebuilding internal tissue that had been shredded – so Neji's only hope was if they got back to Konoha soon.

Iruka reached into his pouch and pulled out what he realized was his very last field dressing and frowned. "Izumo – go up into the tree to where Shizune is and bring me back her medical kit."

"You've got it, Iruka." Izumo placed a hand on Neji's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I'll be right back kid...hang in there."

Once the chunin left, Neji's whispered words caught Iruka's attention. "What does the fool think I'll do if he is gone? Run away?"

Iruka chuckled lightly at the slightly disgusted tone the jonin's voice took. "He's just worried about a comrade, Neji. He didn't mean any insult by it."

Neji moved to rub at his left eye until Iruka gently caught his wrist and guided the hand back to his lap. The jonin sighed. "Tell me the truth, Iruka-sensei. What are my chances for getting my vision back?"

"I'm not a medic Neji...I can't be sure one way or the other." He readied the bandage to convert it from a basic field dressing into a pressure bandage while continuing to talk soothingly to Neji. "But what I can tell you is that both eyes are still intact and, if we just manage to keep them clean, then I'm sure Lady Tsunade will be able to fix you up in no time at all."

Neji was silent through the rest of the procedure – which Iruka was thankful for. He had to be very careful handling the younger man's right eye and gently pushing it back into its socket before applying the pressure bandage in place. The last thing he wanted to do, after all, was explain to the boy's uncle that he'd mistakenly pushed his finger through Neji's otherwise uninjured eyeball.

Iruka had just finished tying off the bandage when Izumo showed up with Shizune's medical kit. It only took him a moment to locate what he needed, and after applying another field dressing over Neji's left eye, Iruka wrapped a protective swath of gauze over both eyes and then took a moment to make sure the Hyuga had no other injuries.

"Okay, Neji. That should hold you until we can get back. Make sure you let me know if there's any change in how either eye feels."

Neji took a deep breath before replying. "I will let you know if anything changes, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka smiled – knowing that was as close to a thank you as anyone in the Hyuga clan ever gave...with the possible exception of Neji's cousin, Hinata, that is. He turned his attention to Kotetsu next – hoping that by the time he finished with the chunin he might be able to convince Badger to let him examine his hands. If not – he could only hope the damage wasn't something that could have been avoided with quick treatment. He sighed and pushed the negative thoughts from his mind. He placed a smile on his face and walked over to Kotetsu.

The chunin's normally cheerful face held a serious gaze and Iruka nearly dropped his smile. "Why the long face, Kotetsu?"

"How's the Hyuga kid? Were you able to heal him?"

Iruka let his smile stretch wider. Leave it to Kotetsu to be more worried about his injured comrades than himself. "He's not in danger – in fact if we can get him the proper care soon I don't think he'll lose any vision at all."

Kotetsu let a burst of air through his teeth in obvious relief. "That's good to hear, Iruka. I never like seeing that much blood coming out of anyones eyes."

Now Iruka was chuckling a bit. "I never knew you were so squeamish Kotetsu."

Kotetsu shrugged and scratched under the thin bandage that was always present across the bridge of his nose. "What can I say, Iruka. I've never been terribly fond of injuries."

"You might be in the wrong line of business in that case, Kotetsu." Iruka untied the makeshift sling from the chunin's arm and carefully inspected the damage.

"Well? What's the verdict?"

Iruka placed a splint on his friend's arm and found himself unable to resist playing with the man's fears. "I'm sorry Kotetsu...there's nothing I can do for you. You'll never be able to play violin."

The look of anguish on Kotetsu's face swiftly changed to one of confusion. "Hey – wait a minute...I've never been able to play the violin!"

Iruka laughed while finishing his work. "Of course not – do you think I'm a miracle worker?"

Kotetsu swung at Iruka's head with his uninjured hand, but he was able to duck with practiced ease. "That wasn't funny Iruka! You had me worried!"

"Ah – sorry Kotetsu. You should be fine so long as we keep you splinted for awhile. The breaks didn't seem to move the bones out of place. You were very lucky."

The chunin placed his arm back into the sling and frowned. "Yeah – lucky, right."

Iruka sighed and turned toward where his final patient was sitting on a stump. Badger's head was hanging toward his chest – his bandaged hands held awkwardly in front of him – while Lizard and Raidou spoke quietly to him. Iruka frowned. There was something very unsettling seeing a Nara this shaken up.

He crossed over to where they were standing and caught the gaze of Raidou...wordlessly asking the jonin if it was safe to approach Badger yet. He frowned but nodded once. Iruka set a neutral expression on his face and moved in front of the injured ANBU. He set the medical kit on the ground and reached out to gently take the man's right hand in his.

"I need to check your hands, Badger. Please let me know if I cause you any pain."

The older man grunted once but made no move to pull away, so Iruka continued with his examination. He carefully unwound the bandage until the man's tanned hand was exposed. Iruka cringed at the fact there were multiple incisions on both sides of the hand – some looking like they went straight through from front to back. The other hand revealed more of the same – with one particularly nasty cut that was still bleeding freely.

Iruka shook his head and bent down to rummage through Shizune's bag again. He pulled out some antiseptic wipes and some blood pills – handing the pills to Lizard to administer to Badger while he worked on the wounds. He deliberately concentrated on his work so Badger wouldn't feel uneasy about having his mask removed to take the pills.

It was obvious that Kabuto was involved in this injury based on the precise placement of the incisions. The bastard managed to sever at least three major chakra pathways in Badger's right hand, and two more in the left. Unfortunately Iruka didn't have the level of control needed to repair that damage. The best he could do – just like with Neji – was to stop the bleeding, clean the wounds, and bandage them properly until they could get to someone more skilled.

When he finally finished he glanced up at Badger and tried to smile at the man. "I know you are probably aware of this already Badger, but please avoid using your chakra until a trained medic gives you the okay."

"That is bothersome – but necessary." Badger seemed less agitated than when he'd first seem him, and his response made Iruka relax a bit more.

He stood up and shouldered the medical kit before heading back toward the hollowed out tree. All that he had left to do before he could truly relax was to check on Shizune once more. He jumped up into the opening and saw something he never thought he'd see...Shizune was sitting up – rubbing her dark eyes with her hands.

"Shizune...you're awake!"

The young woman frowned and fixed her gaze on him. "Iruka-sensei?" She glanced around at the space and her eyes went wide. "Dammit! They got her..."

Iruka went to her side and placed a comforting arm around the woman's shoulder. She placed her face into her hands and sobbed. All Iruka could do was pull her into an embrace and wait for the medic to pull herself together before he'd learn anything more about what happened.

-- --


Kakashi leaned heavily on Buru – his largest hound – as he struggled to keep on his feet. They crossed the distance to where Crow was sitting next to Tenzou and Issanni, and he frowned when his eyes landed on the still body of the girl. He could smell the blood that pooled under her and he knew that she was gone even before Tenzou spoke to him.

"She is dead, Kakashi-senpai..." The younger man's breath was coming hard, and it was obvious he was in severe pain from his injuries. "I failed you."

Kakashi moved to Tenzou's side and met his eyes. "You tried your best...that's all I've ever asked of you."

"But...your children..."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "If it was meant to be, they would have survived. This way at least I don't need to worry about Orochimaru getting his hands on them."

Crow interrupted them. "Kakashi – what the hell was that jutsu you used? I've never seen anything like it."

He turned toward where the other hounds were still guarding Akuma. "Yeah – trust me – you don't ever want to be on the receiving side of this one."

"Shit – Kakashi..." Crow's voice held an edge of surprise to it.

He turned his head toward the ANBU Captain. "What?"

"When were you going to tell me you were injured that badly?" Crow's tone reminded Kakashi so much of Iruka-sensei that he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sure I've had worse, Crow. I'm fine."

"Ummm – Kakashi-senpai, I've seen you get injured enough times to think maybe you might be wrong this time." Tenzou's words made him wonder just what he was missing about his injury that had them both so concerned.

Crow rose and crossed to his side. "Are you telling me you can't tell how bad those cuts are, Kakashi?"

He moved to shrug and that simple movement made his eye go wide as a sharp stinging pain ripped through his back...as though his skin was shifting in two separate directions. His sudden intake of breath was all the warning Crow was given before Kakashi dropped to his knees – overcome by waves of pain – and unable to keep upright any longer.

"I think I'll wait here with Tenzou while you go fetch Iruka – okay Crow?"

"Heh – sounds like a good plan Kakashi." Crow helped him settle into a more comfortable position before running off in the direction they'd come from.

The sounds of the hounds panting, Akuma occasionally moaning, and Kakashi and Tenzou's labored breathing were the only sounds in the clearing until the younger shinobi forced words through his lips.

"Kakashi-senpai?"

He glanced over to the dark-haired man. "Hmmm?"

The man's voice sounded meek. "Do you think we could go home now?"

Kakashi couldn't help but smile...his visible eye curving into a small crescent. "Yeah – I think that's a great idea, Tenzou."

-- --


Ibiki was wiping a wet cloth across Bear's forehead when the man's eyes snapped open and he sat up looking around the room in desperation. Strong hands gripped Ibiki's shirt and the eyes focused on his own.

"Where is he!?!"

Ibiki's face showed no sign of the surprise he was feeling at this very uncharacteristic action of the ANBU officer. "Where is who, Bear?"

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Wolf!"

Ibiki tipped his head slightly to the side. "He's safe and sound inside the seals we set in Kakashi's mind."

Once the words sank through, Bear relaxed and released his grip on Ibiki's shirt. "Then the seals held?"

"For the most part – yes – they held."

Bear frowned and leveled a look that the torture specialist knew meant he wanted answers. Ibiki sighed. "Kakashi reported the seals allowed the essence of Wolf to seep through on occasion – but they were still holding when he left."

"You let him leave!?! Without you or me with him?" Bear shook his head. "I hadn't realized you'd lost your mind while I was unconscious, Ibiki."

Ibiki growled. "Watch yourself, Bear."

The ANBU member placed his mask back into place and moved to swing his feet off the bed. "We need to catch up with him Ibiki."

He wasn't used to the Yamanaka being this tense and he knew he was must be missing something. "What haven't you told me Bear?"

The blond ran a hand along the back of his neck. "There was a fault in the seal – a crack in the layers – that if Wolf finds it, he could bring the whole damn thing down – and we'll lose Kakashi...for good this time. I tried to reinforce it towards the end – but if he's hearing Wolf in his mind...I obviously didn't get it all."

"Dammit! That's why you overtaxed your chakra...I should have realized it." Ibiki stood up and reached out a hand to help the ANBU to his feet.

"What the hell are you two doing? He can't go anywhere!" The civilian medic sounded more than a bit upset.

Ibiki rolled his eyes. He really didn't have time for this right now. If Bear's concerns proved true, every moment wasted here was one more moment where Wolf might break free.

"This isn't the time for you to try to understand us, medic. I suggest you stay out of our way."

Chuutetsu's face paled slightly, but it was obvious the man was going to be stupid enough to argue, that is – until Shikamaru placed a hand on the medic's shoulder.

"It may be troublesome, Chuutetsu, but you would better serve Kakashi-sensei by listening to Ibiki and Bear. They only have his well-being in mind, and have a much more intimate knowledge of just what risks the man is facing internally."

The medic frowned but put up no further argument. Ibiki was thankful the chunin had a sound head on his shoulders, and was thoroughly impressed with his ability to persuade the older man to remain calm. Shikamaru's skills were proving quite interesting indeed...but now was not the time to think of such things. He needed to concentrate on Kakashi Hatake.

He handed Bear a canteen and a few soldier pills – not the best way to get the man back in shape – but they didn't really have a choice. Once Ibiki was certain the medication had taken effect, the two of them headed out in the direction he knew Mouse and Shizune would be taking to return to Konoha. It seemed logical that that would be where Kakashi had gone as well.

Shikamaru would follow behind at a slower pace with the medic – and with luck – by the end of the day the groups would be back together and Bear's concerns for Kakashi's mind would be proven false. He didn't want to think about what he'd be forced to do to Wolf otherwise.