"The pain started years ago, but I'd lived with it for so long at that point that I'd accepted it as an inevitable part of me."
The two ninja hadn't realized they'd fallen asleep, they awoke unsettled at the same time to scan their environment. It was still night, or perhaps very early morning, the sun was not up yet and they couldn't identify why they were disturbed from the long awaited for peaceful sleep. Neither ninja was naive enough to believe it was nothing, they got to their feet wearily. They proceeded out the park to walk in the city, there was a slight vibration beneath them and they paused to better identify it. Orochimaru looked up at the copy ninja to assess whether he had felt it too. Kakashi was the first to take initiative and grasped the others hand lightly to lead him without words where he wished to go. The Sannin found the vibration was getting stronger beneath them now and he watched the other in attempts to figure out why he wished to close the distance on the foreign disturbance.
They were in the city the lamp posts now making creaking noises as they shifted in their allocated spots. There was a sudden bang and both ninja stumbled as the earth shook, panicked screams were next heard until a sickening siren screeched down the streets a red light now flashing around the darkness in warning. There were several more bangs until it appeared as if the sky was falling. Helicopters buzzed by the falling pieces of the dome but they were soon blasted from the air and sent hurtling in a fiery mess to the city below. Kakashi yanked the smaller ninja aside to avoid the fallen metal hitting them. When the flying machines hit the floor they exploded in a red blur and destroyed the surrounding area. People were already limp on the street floor and police were now stationed everywhere. The two ninja bolted down the road to avoid being the next target of the explosion.
"Is someone attacking the dome?" Orochimaru asked wondering if perhaps the copy ninja was more clued up. Kakashi had no idea but he assumed it could perhaps be their allies. A white bird entered the dome through the broken home and soon hundreds of others followed it. They were unmistakable.
"It's Deidara." Orochimaru said before the other had a chance to answer. Kakashi wondered where he had found so many allies, there were hundreds of birds and many ninja leapt off their backs to land in the city. They departed, but they were in a city just outside the small one the two ninja resided in.
"We need to get to the other city." Kakashi's aid quickly, "we can escape with them but they're heading the opposite way to us."
"It's a war zone forwards." Orochimaru said worriedly, "without jutsu dodging the falling planes and explosions will be difficult."
"It may be our last chance to escape." Kakashi said, he headed towards the birds and the Sannin trotted after him. They avoided the flames which burnt the city streets and they moved over the broken buildings which had been brought down in the chaos. Orochimaru glanced at a mans corpse stuck between a blasted cars slightly hollow frame work. His eyes were lifeless but his face held the expression of fear. He quickly looked back up at the town ahead and they picked up their pace. The birds moved quicker in the air than the two chakara-less ninja could on their feet. They hurried as best they could but it was seemingly in vein as the distance got further instead of closer. They were eventually forced to stop when police swarmed the streets and blocked the way. They would never avoid their eyes and were unsure if the armed men would gun them down simply for being ninja.
"We need these collars off." Orochimaru said, "we can't hope to catch up in our current state."
"Any ideas?" Kakashi said placing a hand on his collar to establish it wouldn't simply fall off.
"Perhaps it can be over ridden? Maybe we can make the effects of the collar no longer apply." Orochimaru said, "the same way we overrode the dome."
"We would need another device." Kakashi said.
"The military is sure to answer this attack. They will try stop the ninjas chakara." Orochimaru stated, "if we get to the enforcements perhaps we can steal another device off them?"
"It's worth a shot- but we still need to bypass front line security." Kakashi said glancing at the cops who were still gathered and readied.
"Going around will waste all our time." Orochimaru admitted, "we need them to move, we could set off an explosion nearby them. They may scatter."
"Their cars are flammable." Kakashi agreed, "there is enough fire we just need one of their cars to catch light."
Orochimaru didn't need much more persuading, for a moment Kakashi felt slightly bad for killing the NW men who had only come to protect their city. The Sannin didn't seem to have any of those fears to hold him back so he trotted over to a piece of fallen building, he located a chipped piece of wood from a window pain and picked it up. Kakashi watched as he made sure he was not going to be seen by any fleeing NW citizens. Orochimaru took the wood and brought it to the fire which was blazing dangerously, he let the frame catch alight and darted to the cops cars. The copy ninja saw the others golden eyes fly up to him questioningly. Realising what his partner wanted the Jonin made off to cause a distraction in the distance. He didn't want to be seen either, but he knew he needed to make the men look away from the van the Sannin was standing near. Deciding that explosions were what they were clearly doing as of late the white haired shinobi grabbed hold of another piece of fallen wood and let it catch on fire before throwing the flame under a car a few meters from the cops.
Nothing happened but the ninja knew better than to stick around and wait, he darted away from the explosion that was soon to come and he narrowly missed being caught in its long reaching flaming arms. The bang had all the cops jumping and as expected they turned to face the noise their eyes obviously panicked at the thought of ninja being too close. Kakashi got back to his original hiding place to find the Sannin arriving at the same time.
"Did you do it?" Kakashi asked, another bang shattered the skies and the Sannin grinned in response. It was far closer to the cops than they had planned for and two men were sent flailing into the dirt. The rest scattered and some of the men barked orders for the men to stay in line. Their formation was now in ruin and the barricade they had once created was now nothing more than a few scattered police while others took shelter further form any explosive vehicles. The ninja took their cue to hide behind police cars which they knew were not going to unexpectedly blow up. After all the others had only done so because of the two hidden shinobi.
They were past the block but found that they were now hiding behind the only car left. Their next step would be out in the open all over again. They hesitated but knew it wouldn't be long until the police returned to their stations once the fear had settled.
"If we run they could open fire." Kakashi pointed out.
"If we stay they'll return and put us down anyway." Orochimaru added, "But I don't see many options. We could try run for the coverage of the buildings ahead, I don't think they will risk shooting their own citizens."
"Then we run I guess." Kakashi agreed, they didn't want to destroy their chances by being hasty, so they waited until they could hear the men behind them trying to figure out their next move. The NW men seemed easily startled, vastly unequipped for warfare unlike the fight driven ninja. The yelling, explosions and unavoidable anticipation was all normal to the shinobi, and to two elite ninja it was almost thrilling. They missed the fight, they missed the fight being fair. Orochimaru could feel his chakara begging to be released, its pleads almost hissed out as if they were animate, as if they were capable of feeling and talking. The collar held the potent chakara prisoner however, but for how long was unknown. They darted out their final hiding place and headed for the buildings, they heard the police yell for them to stop and they heard gunshots which only managed to penetrate the floor they ran on.
They safely made it across and the citizens screamed not because of the two ninja but because of the police opening fire. The cops did not stop, they did not even care that they had missed both ninja and accidently injured two people nearby. The one man was grounded, but then clutching his arm he got up and moved away in an almost dazed panic. The next victim to fall was a woman and she did not get up as blood leaked onto the street. Kakashi looked back from their now safe guarded watch point, sheltered in an ally street.
"They are killing their own." Kakashi said morbidly.
"They are scared, they'll shoot anything that moves I'm afraid." Orochimaru said back, he wasn't as saddened by the show, he knew how war went and he had hardened himself to the tragedies. A teenage boy ran across the street to attempt to get to the woman who had fallen, it didn't appear as if he knew her but he tried in vain to drag her out the street perhaps to take her to a hospital. Kakashi looked from the boy to the police, it was obvious they would shoot him by accident as well if he did not move. Orochimaru watched in surprise as Kakashi darted form their coverage.
"Don't!" He hissed but the Jonin was already by the boys side, he could see in an instant the woman was dead so he helped the boy back to safety.
The teen looked panicked but instantly noticed that the man was a ninja given his eye and marking. He didn't seem distressed with that fact and Kakashi checked him over for injury with a glance, seeing only a small trickle of blood on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" He asked, the teen nodded clearly still in too much shock to be able to conjure words. Kakashi looked across the street into the alleyway opposite him where he should have seen the Sannin. Orochimaru was no longer in the street corner anymore however. The boy couldn't stop looking at the red Sharingan and Kakashi found it hard to focus on both the teen and his disappearing lover.
"Thanks." The teen said as if he had just remembered his manners, too in shock still to believe the situation he was in. He didn't know how he was going to get home and he hardly trusted the white haired masked ninja. The boy yelped and moved around to hide behind the copy ninja when someone darted into the alleyway.
"What was that?! You could have been killed!" Orochimaru hissed to the copy ninja lightly swatting his arm. Kakashi ducked his head in apology.
"Sorry… I didn't want him getting shot." He said hoping it would be good enough, the narrowed eyes staring at him softened.
"Try thinking about yourself for once will you." Orochimaru muttered he looked at the teen, "Well? Don't you want to go home or something?"
The teen seemed nervous when the serpent looked at him despite being larger in build to the slim formed snake summoner.
"What are you?" He asked in more curiosity than shock or horror, The Sannin looked over slightly disgruntled, he was used to the rude questions by now and Kakashi knew the serpents reply was far nicer than it was in his head.
"Human." Orochimaru replied.
"Are those real?" He asked looking between the two males eyes.
"Yes, now back on the subject- are you going home or not?" Orochimaru hissed, Kakashi took over as the teen seemed unnerved at the males snakelike voice.
"Where is your home? Is it far from here?" Kakashi asked.
"No-o…" He stammered still on edge by the Sannin.
"Then we can take you on our way to the exit." Kakashi concluded.
"That is if it is on our way." Orochimaru rectified.
"Regardless." Kakashi answered, "He will get shot if we don't help him."
"So his lack of sense is going to be at our expense." Orochimaru asked, he could see the disappointment in the copy ninjas eyes and he settled himself to make up for his obvious lack of care. He gestured for the boy to lead and he didn't waste time obeying the unnaturally marked shinobi.
The streets back proved to be difficult, and the Sannin couldn't pretend he did not notice the boy constantly watching him as the serpent moved. He tried not to take offense at the obviousness of the others blatant lack of acceptance as he continued walking. There were many gunshots, the snake summoner didn't know what the copy ninja was thinking offering the NW citizen a friendly guide home. He should have been grateful enough the white haired Shinobi moved him out of shooting range. They needed to get to the hole and escape, they did not need more distractions.
"I'm sure we will make it in time." Kakashi said, almost as if he could read his lovers thoughts. The snake glanced at him with slitted eyes, ones that screamed they were not convinced and quite honestly rather pissed off. The effeminate ninja swished past his lover to take the lead, the boys stares finally agitating him enough to force him further along the path. They cut through many streets and found many shot down ninja corpses as they did so. Some limp bodies belonged to citizens, but they were far fewer than the shinobi. Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest and stepped over a body elegantly his hair swaying behind him playfully. He heard the sound of his partner and the saved NW teen talking. He didn't care for their conversation and tried his best not to actually listen.
He let his mind wander off, allowing the sound of bullets to fade into the background. He felt someone tug on his hair and he flicked himself away after flinching. He shot angry eyes at the teen who had tugged his hair, something he expected from a juvenile.
"I was just checking if it was real- sorry." He said, the serpent did not know how to respond.
"Real?" He snapped.
"It's really long, especially for a guy... You are a guy right?" He asked, he was less unsure of the Sannin now it appeared. Orochimaru let his irritated eyes fall away from the teen to look back up at the road.
"I am thanks for noticing." He replied sarcastically as he guided his tugged on hair back to place. Kakashi had bridged the distance quickly to move the teen away, he flashed apologetic eyes at the smaller ninja. Orochimaru didn't take notice, it wasn't from the copy ninja he wanted an apology from.
"Do people confuse you often? It's the hair- nah, it's everything." He said as he walked beside Kakashi who did his best to hush him. Orochimaru was glad to see an opening from the alley which led back on to the street. He gestured to it.
"You should know your way home from here correct? We don't need to follow you further." Orochimaru said, he passed a warning stare at the Jonin, daring him to offer more unnecessary help.
"Aren't the cops out there?" The teen asked anxiously.
"Your cops." Orochimaru stated, "they should help you shouldn't they? The streets aren't as panicked and blinded here."
It was evident the citizen was not convinced and the prospect was disgusting to Kakashi. The police were the equivalent to the Jonin back in the village. No young ninja feared their own Jonin, they rushed to them, took relief in knowing they were safe when they were found by their own homelands warriors. This was not the case for the NW citizens it seemed, as they did not trust the men who swore to protect them. They hid from them in a crises. It was troubling, at least it was too the copy ninja. Orochimaru did not think it too strange. He was considered a freak, a monster before he had done anything. He never found comfort in the Jonin, he did not see why the teen should take comfort in his form of Jonin either. He didn't care about the badge one wore, he didn't trust and that was that.
"How far are we for your home?" Kakashi asked.
"Ten minutes on the street. I can't take any more side streets to get home." He said.
"We can't go out there, they'll kill us we are ninja." Orochimaru said.
"We can't leave him." Kakashi argued.
"We can actually." Orochimaru hissed, he met his partners slightly hurt eyes. He knew the copy ninja deeply cared about anyone weak, anyone who was considered the underdog. He knew he wished for the Sannin to share his views. The serpent ran his fingers through his hair and took a step back to allow Kakashi to take the lead. It was against his nature to take a risk for someone he didn't care about nor need later on. But for the Jonin he would lay his armour down. The others eyes lit up, alerting the Sannin to the fact that he was evidently greatly relieved and satisfied. They snuck into the open road, it was risky and the snake summoner felt his stomach knot in anticipation. Kakashi took the lead, the boy second and the Sannin keeping watch from the back. Kakashi looked for their next place to advance too, the snake summoner trotted up behind the boy and yanked him down.
"Get down." He reprimanded, the boy nodded apologetically. It would surely be twice as risky now with the inexperienced NW citizen followed close behind.
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"How are we fending?" The Cloud Jonin asked as he appeared beside Asuma who stood on top of one of the giant clay birds. The Leaf ninja looked over the field worriedly.
"Not well. We have gotten a lot of ninja out but we planned on seizing at least a few more cities. The military hasn't let us get past one." Asuma said, he watched as ninja were slaughtered in their masses. When the police arrived the ninja had trumped them with little effort, but when Satorus men appeared the tables took a drastic turn. Unforgivably out of the ninjas favour, they watched as they were taken down in their groups.
"Have ninja escaped?" The Cloud ninja asked sullenly.
"Yes, Deidara kept his word. He has been doing great with his team in escorting ninja out. If we leave in the next half an hour we will have gained more ninja than we lost. However we must evacuate immediately on my command or it will be the opposite, and we will have ruined our own progress." Asuma replied, the other ninja nodded and departed to spread the message, to ensure the shinobi would evacuate on time and ensure the mission was not a failure. The clay bird kept itself in the air never moving from the spot the self deemed leader stood on. Another came soaring past as it detonated into a building bringing the mass of concrete to the ground. Screams were heard from the people below both ninja and NW alike.
It was the bloodiest thing Asuma had ever seen, many bodies were on the floors and the buildings only made the damage appear that much worse. Another bird glided over but this time it did not aim to cause more havoc but stopped just short of the Jonins own clay masterpiece. Asuma looked behind him to meet eyes with the man responsible for creating the birds. Deidara had his arms crossed over his chest.
"You've done well." Asuma, "has word reached you about our timing for leaving?"
"Yes." Deidara said, "but I'm not coming back with you. I'll escort everyone out, then I'm coming back in to find Orochimaru and Kakashi."
"That sounds noble Deidara, but it's foolish." Asuma warned, "if it were simple I would help you, but if you think it over you will realize it is only going to serve a futile effort. They will find ways to prevent your bombs and birds from affecting their borders. You will be trapped in here with them and you will be gone from our military. If you want to save them you'd wait until the time was right."
"They could die in the time I wait." Deidara said.
"They could already be dead." Asuma replied, "we cannot act on what ifs in war. That's a lesson my father taught me. If you wish to save someone do it right, don't do it on impulse. That can serve to make a situation worse. You need to do it the safest way possible, to ensure the survival of everyone."
"We should move out now." A familiar voice called, Shikamaru stood on one of the highest buildings near to their birds, several other ninja bounced up the building and landed beside him until another atop a bird came to give them a lift. Asuma nodded, he trusted the Nara's judgement, they had made much progress.
"Call everyone in. Do what you want Deidara, but first help our men out." Asuma said, the blond nodded and his bird spun backwards to hurtle around for the shinobi. The clay creations stopped obeying the person on top of them and acted out their masters will. The ninja were being escorted out in masses while Jonin with chakara distracted the military. They did not fear the military chasing them out, there was far too much damage to deal with inside their borders that trying to track the ninja down in the forests would be a fools game.
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They appeared by the boys apparent house and the Sannin showed his hastiness to leave with his agitated movements. Kakashi wanted to ensure the teens house was safe, the bombs flying around could easily had damaged the structure making it a hazard. They entered it and Orochimaru rushed in after, deciding it would make matters speed along. It was well known that the serpent had a fondness of his jutsu and power, it was after all his end term goal mastering every technique. It did not surprise the Konoha Jonin that his partner was desperate to regain their lost power, it wasn't however the copy ninjas first priority. He had always put others above him, and he wouldn't stop just because the said person belonged to an enemies society. The teen had no say on where he stood, and so he was in fact innocent. Kakashi would not turn his back on anyone innocent. He hated the concept of the weak dying because the strong waged wars they could not do alone. He hated that some were considered to be nothing more than collateral damage or worse yet sacrifices. He hated that word. Sacrifice. It was a cruel word, one he hated to even think of.
"I think it's safe." Kakashi said as a bomb sounded in the distance, the teen looked at him apologetically, they were standing on the highest floor of the second story house and he had shifted his eyes away from the window.
"They are gone." He stammered, it wasn't the copy ninja who spun around first. It wasn't in his nature but the Sannin cussed as he saw the birds disappearing through the opening in the dome, the military closing in on the hole to ensure they stayed outside.
"That's just great." Orochimaru snapped, he turned to face his partner, the teen slunk away from his angered eyes.
"There will be another way." Kakashi tried to reassure him, it was a futile effort.
"You don't know that Kakashi." He hissed, "we wasted our time saving some kid. Now we are as good as stuck here with the military tightening their defenses every strike ninja take at them. This could well be our last chance of seeing the outside world and we've gone and saved an enemy. Fucking brilliant."
"Easy." Kakashi warned sensing the teens discomfort at being labelled an enemy.
"It's so much easier playing the good guy isn't it my love." Orochimaru hissed dryly, "saving the world, getting them to see you as a hero. Letting people who try and look out for themselves appear to be monsters. Is that how you live your life? Trying to appease everyone else so that you die a great man. Acting selfless to appear a hero which ironically in turn means you are the most selfish person regardless."
"I don't do it for my image, I do it because it is right." Kakashi snapped back.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru replied, "well my last few days here have been rather rough, so excuse me for being a little bit pissed that you chose to spare some kid on the streets life, which in a typical twist of fate means I must be stuck here again. To endure hell knows what for the next few months before low and behold we get given another opportunity you may very well squander again."
"Next time you can run off on your own then. If I'm such a burden when I try to do what ninja were trained to do." Kakashi snapped again, "we weren't trained for self gain, we were trained to save lives."
"That sounds pretty but it's all lies our teachers spin." Orochimaru said, "saving people is good and well but not if you are in no position to do so. Running on an emotional reasoning sounds better, it sounds kinder and makes everyone rest easy. Running on logic would advance us, but it makes us appear to be monsters. The man who spares the wolf despite its threat may seem like a merciful man, but the sheep it moves off to devour may see that story differently. It's all a cycle. One man does something good to better his reputation and the man who is simply trying to live is cast aside as selfish."
"That's your view on the world. But as always, everyone is out to get you. You personally. No one is perfect Orochimaru. Not me and certainly not you." Kakashi said finally. The Sannin averted his lurid eyes.
"That's the difference between us." Orochimaru said, but he didn't feel he was in any mood to elaborate, the copy ninja on the other hand was in no mood to allow evasive statements.
"What is?" He snapped.
"Leave it." Orochimaru replied gazing out the window to distract himself.
"Don't say things and leave them to become bigger problems than they should be. What did you mean by that?" Kakashi said again, he placed himself in between the window and the Sannin to regain his eyes. Orochimaru hissed and moved away but the copy ninja didn't allow him to put distance between them, "answer me-"
"Fine. Why is it when you are not perfect you can say you are only human, yet when I am imperfect there is always someone from the crowd to cast me out as a monster." He said, his eyes betrayed him revealing his genuine hurt, "and don't say it's because of what I did. I didn't have to draw blood for your people to assume the worst of me. So yes, I see people in a negative light, I see them as cruel, as threats. But I didn't just decide to have a morbid view of everyone, it was something I learnt through experience. Through trying to do good but getting kicked for it regardless. I'm sorry for losing the value of others when they never gave me any value to begin with. If you see them as good then you're lucky, you obviously had a different experience on this world than I have."
They hadn't noticed the boy had left the room, he returned and it was only then that they noticed he had been absent. He seemed less on edge by the Sannin and the first words that left his mouth was an apology.
"Sorry." He said with less fear, "for assuming you were dangerous... like everyone else apparently."
The serpent did not know how to respond, it was the first time anyone else had really received his point, and he certainly hadn't expected someone, least of all an enemy, to apologize for their judgement. Kakashi shook his head and ran a hand through his hair as he turned away. He felt a mixture of guilt and anger, but the guilt only made him feel more angry at the situation. Angry with the way he handled matters, how the snake handled matters and how they were both now finally out of ways to handle anything at all.
"It's fine, you were probably closer to the truth than I'd like to believe anyway." Orochimaru muttered, the copy ninja looked at him but the Sannin did not meet his eyes, instead he moved around them both and went down the stairs. He was finally tired of trying, it had been easier when the world called him a monster and he went along with it. It was becoming an increasingly impossible challenge, doing good and still receiving the same treatment. Still not getting acceptance. At least if he accepted his lot in life he could go along with their accusations, as he had done in the past. They called him a monster and so he became one. That was simpler, that was perhaps his fate, and just maybe he had been wrong, just maybe you could not choose your fate at all. The boy looked over at Kakashi, unsure of what he was going to do. It was obvious neither ninja had anywhere to go now that they had missed their gap.
He finally noticed the collar around his neck and he tried his best to hide his curiosity until finally he had to ask.
"Were you just freed from a pit fight?" He asked, he was aware of ninja fights. However most ninja were still without chakara once the neck pieces were off. The boy was not aware that the Sannin and copy ninja would in fact regain theirs as the dome did not work against them any more.
"Hm? Oh yeah, we escaped shortly before we entered the city actually." Kakashi said, the teen nodded, he then sat down on his bed. There was scream down stairs and then yelling. The scream belonged to a woman, the yelling from a man. The boy rushed to the stairs and yelled out for his parents to calm down, it was then that Kakashi realized his lover may have not been the guest they'd expected to come home too, especially since they were probably worried about their son after the explosions and military interference. Kakashi raced down the stairs next to see a man slightly larger than he was, although greatly less in shape, pinning the serpent to the kitchen wall. Orochimaru was trying his best to wriggle free as the father passed questioning eyes at the teen and copy ninja. The mother stood far from everyone until she grabbed her sons arm and pulled him into the lounge where she hoped they would be safe.
Kakashi rushed the man and tried to pull him off his partner without upsetting and panicking him too much. He was physically much stronger due to being fit, the other simply an ordinary man. Eventually the teen came back out with his mother who issued her husband let him be. Orochimaru moved away as soon as he received a tiny gap and brought his hand to his head where a small trickle of blood now ran down. The copy ninja tried to check on his injury but he was denied such right as the serpent moved away. A clear indication that situations like these did not mean he would be forgiven due to distraction.
"I don't want ninja in my house." The man snapped, he was more frightened than rude.
"If the military catches them here we could be locked up." The mother said with a bit more calm in her voice, she glanced between the two.
"They'll be killed if we send them out on the street." The teen tried reasoning, there was a small laughing sound from inside, the voice belonging to someone young, although the gender of the toddler was unknown. The mother yelled for the child to remain in the lounge where it was safe, naturally the younger member of the family had no perception of danger and entered curiously. It was a girl both ninja analyzed, and out of respect, for the mothers fears they both crossed the kitchen to put space between them and the weakest person, to allow the parents to be physical walls between them.
"Fine. Just until the military is off the streets, as soon as it's safe they are gone." The mother said, she then looked at her husband, "and he has a gun. So just try anything ninja."
"We don't need your hospitality but thank you for the gesture." Orochimaru said, he was hushed by the copy ninja who looked over at him.
"We will just be shot upon sight out there. We can leave tomorrow if they are willing for us to stay the night." Kakashi said, the Sannin did not seem impressed. He shook his head but remained silent in an evident annoyance. He seemed to uncaring to bother fight back however, "we would definitely appreciate the refuge until things settle."
"We have two couches, you can stay there." The man said watching them carefully, and to make a point he moved to a safe and took out a gun from its dark area. Kakashi didn't much care about the gun, to be honest he had never really seen many fall victim to its evil. The serpent noticeably shied away from it, he was not going to pretend the concept of the something so quick consuming a life did not unnerve him. Death had always been something he feared, the gun seemed like a machine waiting to take life, waiting to dull the livings eyes. The man noticed the serpents evident fear, Kakashi did as well.
"I'm not going to use this unless you try something." The man said, the words both meant to alert the ninja to their place as well as relieve some of the smaller ninjas fears.
"We understand perfectly, thank you." Kakashi said respectfully, knowing very well that they were at the families mercy. Both due to their ability to call the cops and due to the fact that they owned a gun and knew how to use one. Something both ninja wanted to know for safeties sake but lacked the ability to obtain one and lacked the ability to get someone to teach them. They supposed if they got their jutsu back it would be no problem. The family went upstairs, making it clear the ninja were not allowed to set foot on the upper floor. They didn't mind the arrangement and kept to the lounge, where the family locked the doors between the main house and living area to ensure the ninja could not get upstairs.
Kakashi wasn't sure if it was because the Sannin was mad at him or if it was because of practical reasons but the serpent slept on his own couch, the copy ninja alone on the second one. Neither one of them managed to fall asleep easily, the serpent eventually deciding he wasn't going to bother try. He sat on the windowsill looking at the street, looking at the moonless dark sky thinking about things the copy ninja could only try and guess. Orochimaru ran his fingers through his hair as he unknotted any strands that had become tangled. It was the most minor issue present, but Kakashi swore the main thing keeping him awake was the fact that he was denied the ability to check on the small gash his lover had just received. It wasn't important, but his human mind struggled to put it to rest, he wasn't satisfied until he knew for himself that his partner was fine. Orochimaru wouldn't let him check him over however.
Both ninja were rather uncomfortable with dry blood staining their tops due to the previous arrangement. Other ninja, the blood from men they may have fought along side if not for the cruel conditions now smearing their shirts and pants, leaving a haunting reminder of what their fate could well have been. The copy ninja could see a small shiver run up his lovers back, the cold night air somehow passing through the thin window glass and wooden frame. He didn't get up to wrap his arms around him as he wanted to, he gave the other his needed space. He tried to process the words that had been hissed at him earlier. Then the words he had given the teen when he apologized. Perhaps he should have held his tongue, although most wouldn't say it true the Sannin was very much affected by his emotions. He may very well mask his feelings well, but he was most certainly still affected by them. He was in a constant battle with the world and even his own mind. Never resting for a moment to just be a person, a human with simple emotions and thoughts, it always had to be bigger than that, have more meaning. Perhaps him being forced to be wiser than his years all his life had led him down the path of seeking out the worlds answers. Perhaps Konoha had created a monster- or more, perhaps Konoha had created a man who believed he was.
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Hidan. Sat with his bade in the earth below him, he sat with one leg propped up on his other as he listened to his old work partner losing his temper, yelling at their leaders. Deidara had taken his bird back towards the entrance they had just made but his bird was shot down, not by the military but by ninja of his own army. Asuma had told the Cloud Jonin not to but they had over ridden the mans orders due to higher up Cloud leaders. They had ruined the blond ninjas last attempt to get in to the city and now the hole was completely closed in by military forces. It would be out right suicide going near the entrance and the ex-Akatsuki member was hardly holding it together with the ordeal. Asuma tried to calm him down as best he could, he was equally as annoyed with the cloud leaders, it had been the blonds choice. They had no right to deny him. They claimed they did so due to the fact that they would need his abilities later on in the war. Deidara made it clear that as it stood he wasn't helping them if his life depended on it. Hidan watched out the corner of his eye, he got to his feet and moved closer when the debate got more heated. The Jonin trying to talk Deidara down moved forwards coming a few inches too close to the blond.
Hidan wasn't a fan of getting involved, but he was satisfied with the fight he had been in, he had done many rituals with the blood gained from enemies. However he was in no mood to watch another man pick on someone he had once worked with. He had no cares about the cloud Jonin, but he felt he owed some small part of him to Deidara. He intercepted the man and shoved him backwards, the Jonin was unnerved knowing full well how mad Hidan truly was, and also, how immortal he was.
"Fuck off will ya." He muttered to the man, and the Jonin did just that leaving Hidan, Deidara and Asuma alone. The immortal turned to the blond, he could see the anger in his blue eyes, he could almost feel it resonating off him. Facing the man he didn't know what he was exactly supposed to do or say, he was fine in the heat of battle. But emotions, even the angrier ones, was a field he was no master in. Thankfully Asuma stepped in to fill the silence.
"They were wrong to do that, I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." Asuma said, his eyes were serious, "but leaving the army is a sure way to die. And besides that your next shot at getting in to the dome will be through the army. Instead of running off you may as well stay until you get another opportunity to get inside."
"I wasn't going to leave." Deidara admitted, he had nowhere else to go, "but you can tell that bastard Riakage that I'm not listening to a damn order. Next time you plan an attack I'll get you all in, but you can find your own way out. Trust is gone. I could have gotten more support from my own enemy."
"I doubt that sincerely," Asuma said softly, then spoke a bit louder, "let's head back, cool off on the way home and then I will mention this to the Riakage."
"You'll be better off speaking to him. I'm in the mood to blow his entire island to dust." Deidara said his bird looked over at him with hollow eyes, as if it could listen in to the conversation, as if it was equally as angry as its creator. When the blond got on its back and took to the skies, the bird beat its wings furiously feeding off its masters energy. The ninja celebrated when they spoke to new faces, new ninja who were now free and almost in disbelief. They hadn't thought they would be saved on that night, on that cold rainy night where most started out rather morbid. Spirits were high at the success for the other ninja, it was the rogues walking up front who still had dark clouds covering their joys. Asuma strayed from the rogues, although he knew them more than the cloud Jonin he still avoided them, sticking to ninja who belonged, to nations. The rogues did not care, he could stick to what he knew instead of who he knew.
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The door clicked open and the copy ninja woke up, he noticed the serpent had not however. He must have been extremely tired to not have stirred as he usually would have. He was a much lighter sleeper than Kakashi was. The white haired shinobi got up to see it was the young girl entering, she must have snuck down the stairs in the early morning and unlocked the door. She was just over three he assumed and was clearly well aware of how to get in to rooms she wanted to be in. She startled when he got to his feet but she them recovered her nerve and came over to sit on the couch beside the ninja. She had bright eyes and the sun was not yet up, the traces of it was lightly falling in over the windowsill, but still it was a dimly lit room.
"I think your parents would want you with them." Kakashi said softly as to not disturb the Sannin or other residents. She shook her head roughly, her bobbed hair cut swishing with her wildly.
"I wanted to talk to real ninja." She said, her young voice not pronouncing the words entirely correctly.
"Maybe when your parents are around you can." Kakashi tried again, he didn't want the adults to come and accuse the ninja of anything. They undoubtedly did not want their youngest by cold blooded killers, and all NW citizens thought ninja to be like animals. Unaware of how to act in society, only used to murder.
"It's fine." She said, trying to argue with the adult as best she could but not quite giving enough evidence to win the debate. She didn't keep her voice down and the Sannin stirred, he still did not wake however. The girl was now more curios when she noticed the other still asleep, he probably looked safer to approach when he was not awake. She swung her legs back and forth on the edge of the couch playfully, she then looked up her messy hair knotted from her nights sleep.
"Why don't you ask your parents first?" Kakashi suggested, hoping they would be able to sort matters out instead. She shook her head again, indicating she wasn't going near her parents knowing full well they would stop her fun.
"What's that?" She asked still rather loudly, the serpent was finally disturbed by the unfamiliar sound and his golden eyes opened moving instantly over to the girl as he sat up. She seemed happy her voice had done the job of getting the other to be aware of her presence.
"What is what?" Kakashi asked calmly now knowing they were going to be out of their element trying to get the child back upstairs.
"On your neck." She said again, but her eyes were still on the new ninja entering the conversation. Orochimaru was now sitting on the couch instead of laying down, he still appeared rather tired, as if the night previous had not been a very good one. The copy ninja didn't know if he should feel responsible for it or not so he tried his best to not think about those matters.
"It's a collar." Kakashi said trying his best not to give the young information on some thing violent and awful. She was satisfied, believing it to be true, believing it was merely a collar. She still had more questions though.
"Is it so that you don't get lost?" She asked, the ninja weren't sure how to respond entirely, so she spoke again to clarify, "if a dog gets lost people call the number on the collar. Are you waiting for your owners?"
It was clear that brainwashing started early. The child was in the mindset that ninja were animals, so it was no wonder why she had no hang ups about believing they had to wear collars.
"Should you be down here without your parents?" Orochimaru asked, his voice notably soft and without traces of any usual mild hiss. He always tried his best to not scare the young, even though in all honesty, the young were never the ones fearful. They were always only curios, they did not know golden eyes were not normal, that there may be something wrong about the males slitted pupils.
"They're fine, but is it?" She asked again.
"Something like that yes." Orochimaru responded, she then looked at their clothes, the dark crimson still staining it.
"What's on your clothes?" She asked, neither one was about to tell the three year old it was blood, that may well scare the life from her.
"We have been outside for a while, so our clothes have gotten a bit dirty is all." Kakashi said, there was a frantic sound upstairs and the boots hitting the staircase echoed the passage until the father was in the room.
His eyes snapped to his child who sat happily by the ninja, he had his gun again and the sight of it made the Sannin increasingly uneasy. The girl was the first one to speak.
"We need to find their owners." She stated confidently, "they're lost, but they have collars."
The man noticed the collars for the first time, he seemed slightly in two minds about his reaction, probably aware of what the collars represented meaning he knew what they had been through to an extent. His gun was still looking far to trigger happy for the Sannin, the father beckoned for his daughter to come over. She did not but instead tried push her point again. She couldn't understand how anything would be more important than helping the lost. Her father tried to get her to come over but she did not, he seemed panicked, the fear for his child making him point his weapon at the ninja. The girl looked appalled at what her father was doing and defiantly told him to stop. He requested she come but she did not want to. Orochimaru shifted uneasily, it was obvious he was no longer able to ignore the threat of guns. He had no chakara and he wanted to avoid being shot ever again in his lifetime.
"I think you should go to your father." Kakashi said softly, the girl looked between them and then did as the ninja had said trotting over to her dad rather angrily.
"We want you out of our house in the next hour ninja." The father said. The man stormed up the stairs with his daughter, to replace him through the door the two ninja met eyes with the teen they had saved.
"Before you go, can I speak to you?"
"I think I'm done actually." Orochimaru said getting to his feet and making for the door, the teen did not try to physically stop him. Kakashi got to the Sannin's side and tried to pull him back.
"Just let him speak, he might have something important to say. We will leave straight after." The copy ninja tried. He was met with lurid eyes which screamed they were well past having enough.
"Don't touch me." He hissed, "I'm leaving now. I'm not waiting to be shot by someone who wasted my only opportunity to get out of this hell hole."
Although Kakashi could have physically made the smaller ninja stay he released his arm when the harsh words stung him. He watched his lover flick away from him and exit the house on to the dangerous streets which had settled since the devastation attack. The military had ended any dangers brought with it within the hour, clearly their technology handling such attacks well.
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It was not that the Sannin hated the teen personally, nor did he actually blame him solely for their failure at getting out. He had acted out because fear had made him, because he was once again reminded that although he had a chance to regain what meant the world to him, he was now stuck well without it. He was once again powerless, he had been powerless as a child, he refused to be weak again. He refused to not be able to defend himself. The gun had simply reminded him that they were back to square one, back to facing challenges he was not entirely sure he had the strength to endure. He was a Sannin, he should have faced them without complaint, but he was also human, and the constant battle was wearing him thin. There were too many threats, too much to lose. What if the military caught him, what if the military caught Kakashi. It was all horrible thoughts which he would only admit to himself scared him to death.
The NW citizens treated ninja poorly, and even that was an understatement. They were incredibly cruel and acted barbaric despite claiming it was the ninja who were so. The gun had shaken him so he tried his best to regain his usual calm, but it was not coming. He wondered if perhaps all the years of traumatic events were catching up to him. He wondered if he was having a panic attack, his chest was closing and his mind was blurring. He felt sick and as if he had no control over himself. Not for a moment did he worry about having a panic attack, as soon as he realized what it was he was angry at himself.
"Don't be pitiful." He hissed to himself, not much caring if people thought he was mad, they would judge him harshly no matter what, mad was not the worst thing someone had called him. He didn't allow his body to fall prey to a sign of weakness, or at least to what he deemed to be weak. He refused to let himself go through with the attack, he did the one thing a person shouldn't. He fought against it, only serving in making himself more shaken and sick. Still the stubborn snake refused to allow himself to be a victim to the natural reaction. His pride hissed at him, daring him to fall into such a weak mind frame. Weak only to the proud.
He certainly wasn't watching where he was going, he headed subconsciously somewhere he found familiar, a large park with the coverage of trees. He opened a gate to enter the large bordered off green area. When he looked around he was hoping the leaves and branches would remind him of the forests he always enjoyed walking through. It didn't and he found himself colliding with someone. He apologised then shook himself back in to focus, both the panic attack and mild concussion blinding him for a moment.
"Oro-chan." The voice was enough to evoke an entire new panic attack. Saura looked at the ninja with shock and relief, it confused the Sannin, they were as far as he remembered not on good terms. If he had jutsu he would have killed the man to beat him to the fight, but he did not so he backed up.
"Wait, I'm not calling Satoru!" Saura tried, but the name of the military only made him that much more frightened of the man. He backed up until he hit a tree where he glanced back to find more ground to place distance between them. Saura was quick to catch up.
Orochimaru forgot which way he came form in his panic and took off the opposite direction, to his dismay heading into more trees deeper into the park. It had to end somewhere and the ninja found himself reaching a fence higher than the one he had opened. His only way out was climbing it but with no jutsu it seemed rather futile. He heard footsteps behind and opted to rather try it. Worse case the man caught him, but if he were by some grace lucky he would manage to scale the vertical barrier. He felt Saura get a hold of his arm and pull his light form over to him. He hissed and put up a fight but the man over powered him, pulling him away from the fence until it was out of sight.
Authors note- A massive thank you to those who have left such lovely reviews. Those who do are awesome human beings! As always though, I must give a special thanks to the lovely Vampiredoll666 who has been nothing but an amazing support. Thanks for reading!