Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. Also, song is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.
Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.
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so, so you think you can tell
Heaven from hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
The gate was closed for the night, but the guards stood not far off. The messenger slipped by them nevertheless, and continued on towards the tower. The Jounin vest dirtied with soil, dust and blood, headband slipping down on the woman's forehead. It was merely luck that stopped her from going straight to the tower.
As it was, Kakashi was having a difficult time getting to sleep that night. He worried that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke wouldn't be able to do anything for another few days; his thoughts lay on checking on them before he could actually get some rest. It happened in a stroke of luck that was not only favorable for Konoha, but for a certain blond boy who was not where he was "supposed" to be. Kakashi stepped from the apartment building, thinking that just walking would soothe his troubled mind and perhaps get some of the kinks out from his harried travels the previous couple of days. And so he stepped into the path of a hurrying woman: one that was not within her right to be there, especially without a pass. The woman whirled, showing expertise movements of Jounin rank. Kakashi's hand reached, snatching her vest in a seasoned sort of experience. Within a millisecond he had her pinned to the wall, kunai at her throat and a question spilling from his lips.
"State your name, rank, and purpose." The woman's throat was tight, it sounded as if she were winded from running a long distance. Her information came out in a wheeze; Kakashi loosened his grasp slightly to allow her a bit more room.
"Endo Kaya, Iwagakure Jounin, my purpose is to alert the Hokage to the fact that Fire Country's Hontokage has gone rogue: the Tsuchikage's dead." Kakashi studied her. Her information seemed sincere: though why the Hontokage would choose to go after the Tsuchikage was beyond him. This really was business for the Hokage.
"I'll take you to him." He re-holstered his kunai, bit his thumb and produced a summons out of the dust, "Pakkun, fetch the Hokage: quickly, if you please."
Kakashi immediately paid mind to the seemingly dazed young woman. Kaya, now why did that name sound familiar? Perhaps it was coincidence that he had met a Kaya: Jounin from Earth Country a little over three years previous. He brushed it off; they had matters to attend to. He led the way towards the tower, his round-about way not only making time for the Kage to reach his office, but to confuse this 'Kaya' as to the location of their Kage's hold.
Within the hour Endo Kaya had described everything she had seen to the Sandaime. A flurry of orders and suddenly the ANBU headquarters were buzzing with noise. Armor clinking, weapons checked and re-checked, clouds of smoke screening an operative's teleportation, and general chatter filled the building. Kakashi hadn't been informed of anything except to "stay put". Kaya was taken to the hospital where she could be given a once-over. Still, Kakashi didn't wish to part with the woman. Not due to any attraction he held for her, but for the briefest of moments he thought he had seen some other agenda hidden in her dark gaze. Of course, the very moment Kakashi started to protest was the very moment that the Hokage gave him a meaningful glance. He said nothing.
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And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
Keiko wasn't sure what he thought he was doing, letting these run-down and nearly exhausted shinobi in on not only the village's secrets, but the fact that he had enlisted their help. Certainly The Lion and he could be to Konoha and back simply enough and they wouldn't have to be worried about injuries on the way. As it was, the Namikaze realized that these six survivors needed medical help, reassurance, and they needed to feel as if they were doing something for their country: which they had done enough for already. Keiko still wasn't positive on how he had managed to slip-up badly enough that a whole city was nearly wiped off the map. What a stupid, elementary error. He looked over to The Lion.
"I suppose they're one step ahead of us. Already have someone there." He didn't waste breath on explaining anything. The others around them listened. It wasn't the Lion who answered, however. The ANBU operative who had accompanied them on their way into the ambush: the Frog.
"Kaya." The croak-ish voice indicated how the operative got his name. Keiko thought on his answer. The Lion merely gazed at him, both were thinking along the same lines. Sure, their enemy would be one step ahead: and Kaya was (not to offend anyone else) the cleverest one they had. Keiko thought back to the conversation he had with the Lion on a few days short of a week earlier. In the bath, they had concluded to watch out for her. The depth of her treason was something to be dealt with. That is, if the Tsuchikage's message was the truth. If Kaya was behind everything then she was aiming to devastate the Shinobi Nations. So far she had caused Grass and Rain to start pushing at one another's borders, undermined Iwagakure completely as well as assassinating the Tsuchikage. Next would be Konoha, since Keiko had involved himself. This would not be good. The only thing he could think was that he did wish for the level of familiarity that Kakashi and the Genin Team gave him. But they weren't working together; therefore Keiko was on his own. He looked to the Lion then stole a glance at the Frog. No, he was not on his own. He had a team here as well.
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How i wish, how i wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year
Back in Konoha the Hokage was making some last moment arrangements known to the ANBU team and the Jounins gathered before him.
"What we've heard from the Earth Country Jounin must be taken with a grain of salt. There was perhaps a misunderstanding. We must proceed with caution. Do not attack. Only defend yourself, capture if you must apprehend. We don't want to cause any more of a disturbance than necessary. Just get the Hontokage to explain himself." He left the 'if you can' part out. He didn't need to undermine his own authority too early in the game. He still had to deal with the medics in order to insure that Endo Kaya was well taken care of. He saluted the shinobi before him: his gesture to seeing them off. A moment later he was alone, contemplating how Keiko could have flown under his radar, if Endo Kaya was indeed telling the truth.
The teams headed out, checking in with radios at various points until they crossed the Konoha border. Now, between the Grass and Rain countries, radio silence was due to tension, not from any spoken orders. They moved quickly: the ANBU in practice more than the Jounins for the fast-paced mission before them. Kakashi stole a look across to Gai, wondering how they were to stop a shinobi who had assassinated a Kage. The shared thought was halted as the comm buzzed in their ears.
"Something off to the left, headed for Konoha. All halt; turn about. Flank left." Although the Jounins weren't used to being ordered about, they did not delay, nor respond other than to swiftly change course. They were the fall-back in case whoever it was got beyond the ANBU. However, the way the ANBU sometimes ran was to allow them through, use the second team as a guard, then to surround and take out. By Kakashi's experience such a tactic had only been used on the offense, and was easily recognizable if the enemy had any ANBU experience themselves. Therefore, the probability of that being the plan was unlikely. Kakashi silently advanced, knowing in his gut that they were about to find what they had been looking for.
Something pattered to a stop on the path floor ahead of them. A person, masked, exhausted and obviously sent ahead as a scout. He looked back over his shoulder, then immediately put both hands in the air, showing he had no weapons. The ANBU Captain sent one of his own men down to the lone shinobi. They kept their distance, yet the other didn't speak. He made no move to communicate, he seemed to be waiting. As it was, the ANBU Captain moved the forces, spreading them out so as to have coverage in case his man was ambushed. Kakashi parted from the Jounins quietly. From his new vantage point he saw the other shinobi was of Iwagakure in origin. His dirty vest, tired stature, yet urgent approach towards the situation pointed towards the fact that he could very well be forced into doing what he was. Obviously the ANBU Captain had foresight to match Kakashi's. If this guy was waiting on their Hontokage to spring an attack, he was doing so rather patiently.
"Put down your weapons." The disembodied voice sounded boyish at best, though it lacked no authority. At mid-day it seemed as though this person, the Hontokage Kakashi reminded himself, was very well versed in hiding his team. He stayed just out of range from being surrounded, as if he had the whole scenario mapped out in his head. Kakashi had the nagging thought that was exactly what the Hontokage would do. Kakashi waited for any sort of signal.
"Put yours down." Aha, so they weren't going to just lie down and let this guy boss them around? Well, at the moment it seemed like a good idea to keep all arms up. There seemed to be an angry growl from a teammate from the other side of the situation.
"I can't do that. I see you're Konoha, but are you friendly?" Now was Kakashi's turn to grit his teeth. Friendly to whom? If they couldn't see who they were up against, then they couldn't exactly promise anything.
"We are friendly towards those with the same agenda as ours." A figure materialized behind the earlier shinobi. The masked figure glanced back at the orange-clad shinobi and nodded, falling back. The ANBU Operative down on the path drew a kunai, but kept it firmly within his grasp.
"State your name, rank, and purpose." The words from down on the path were muffled from behind masks, but the answer was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Namikaze Keiko, Konoha's Hontokage; my purpose is to seek aid from Konoha against a heavily armed and extensive group committing treason to Iwagakure." Everyone seemed to pause. A what group? How was it that Konoha had been told something completely different? Everyone remained stationary until the ANBU Captain laid down arms. The Captain teleported to the path, behind his team member.
"We were told not to attack the Hontokage, but to get information. We were told that you had assassinated the Tsuchikage; Earth Country was asking for assistance as well." The smaller figure before the Captain seemed to pause, considering this new information.
"I have no proof, but I am not the person who is responsible for the death of the Tsuchikage. I regret to inform that he was, however, assassinated. The one you are looking for is one Endo Kaya." Kaya? Gai and Kakashi exchanged a look then Anko dropped down from her perch on a branch.
"With your permission I will return to Konoha and track that bitch down." Her last words were laced with venom. At first Kakashi saw the sense in that, but as the Captain spoke he thought differently.
"Permission denied. Just wait, Anko; this needs to be sorted out before we go scattering to the four winds." The Hontokage nodded.
"I agree. However, I do have a small team, six of whom are from Iwagakure. They survived the battle there." He seemed to pause, "If all of yours will come out and talk, then we can all rest and learn what the other knows." It seemed to be more of an order than a suggestion, and the ANBU Captain thought about it before acting. Finally, after a moment he nodded.
"We have a truce thus far."
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Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
-----
As the Frog spoke, everyone listened to his croaking voice; some were speculative, others suspicious, but the majority believed his rambling tale of how he had come to realize Kaya was behind the attacks. The other Iwagakure shinobi listened with bowed heads, already mourning their lost companions and Kage. Keiko stood briefly to apologize for his lack of judgment during the impending assassination and take-over of the Hidden Village. Anko was sent back, but in her company was The Lion, each to keep the other in check. Although The Lion did seem reluctant to leave the Hontokage's side, he did as he was ordered. The rest of the night was dedicated on setting perimeter traps, exchanging watches, and resting. The injured were tended to, the aid forming a rocky friendship and an unlikely alliance between the two groups. Keiko did go out of his way to sit beside Kakashi later in the evening, but silence reigned.