"Where are Kakashi and Yamato?" Sakura noticed the two missing from the group. Sasuke turned to look around the main hall, where everyone was currently eating breakfast.
"Who knows?" He shrugged it off and piled on some scrambled eggs onto his plate and continued to move down the line.
"Perhaps something happened," Sai guessed, picking up various different small breakfast foods.
"Nah, they're probably fine," Naruto replied. "I mean, we're talking about Kakashi. If anything happened, he would have taken care of it." He slapped some oatmeal into a bowl and offered Sakura some as well. She shook her head.
The four of them remained quiet while getting the rest of their food, and then headed to a table together. As they sat down, Kakashi and Yamato walked through the entrance to the hall.
"See? They're fine," Naruto pointed out, still chewing his food.
"It's rude to talk with your mouth full," Sakura scolded.
"What are you, my mom?" Naruto laughed teasingly, poking Sakura's arm. She slapped his hand away.
"Just eat your food," Sasuke's face twitched in annoyance at the two.
As they continued to eat, they watched Kakashi and Yamato get their food together. They didn't speak to each other at all, aside from pointing at a piece of food that the other could grab more easily, and exchanging said item. Then they made their way to the table.
Sai didn't know if he was reading too much into it, but he could swear there was a sort of tension between the two. He figured it was better not to ask, and started sketching out a picture of the apple he had picked up. Immediately, Sakura took interest and leaned over the table to watch.
Naruto couldn't take the silence for very long.
"So," he started, obnoxiously loud, "today we're training in taijutsu, right?"
Yamato nodded. "That's correct."
Naruto started to get excited. "Are we gonna learn how to be super bad ass, like the Hyuga's and the Uchiha?"
"Idiot, the Uchiha specialize in genjutsu," Sasuke popped off, already sick of Naruto for the day.
"Whatever, you know what I meant." Naruto glared at Sasuke, the corner of his lip twitching.
"No, obviously, I don't know what you mean," Sasuke couldn't help the smart ass remark. Naruto slammed his hands on the table and stood up. Sasuke quickly did the same.
Sakura, having been sitting in the middle of them, let out a squeal of fear and ducked down, covering her head with her hands.
Yamato began laughing nervously, motioning for the two to sit back down. "Guys, can we not do this today? It's been a long night."
By this point, Kakashi had teleported behind the two boys. He pressed his hands on their shoulders, and shoved the both of them back down, causing their plates and utensils to clatter onto the floor.
"I won't teach either of you anything if you don't behave!"
There was a dead silence. Everyone was staring at the group of six. Yamato laughed nervously again, praying no one of importance saw. He didn't want these kids to ruin their own chance for the Chunin Exams.
Kakashi sighed, and walked out of the main hall, leaving his food behind. As he walked out, he bumped into Itachi.
"Sorry," he muttered, not looking up to see who he had bumped into, not caring enough to read their chakra signature either, and tried to continue walking.
"Kakashi," Itachi turned and spoke assertively.
Kakashi stopped and faced Itachi. "Oh, I'm sorry..."
Itachi eyed Kakashi. "You still look like hell."
"Didn't sleep."
"I thought you solved that?"
"Yeah well... just had a long night. You know."
"I see."
Kakashi nodded in confirmation, shifting uneasily, wanting to leave.
"I am going to need your help with something." Itachi's smooth voice seemed to be accompanied by a cold chill.
Kakashi blinked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I'm assigning ANBU around the village to keep watch. We're short a few members, since they've been sent out on recon missions, and the task force members are too busy with interrogations, so I had to resort to asking you. I was actually on my way to ask you now." He thought for a moment. "You can decline if you wish, but I would hope that you take into consideration how beneficial your skills will be to us."
Kakashi entertained the thought in his mind, knowing that Itachi was simply trying to butter him up. He looked down, cheeking his tongue to the side of his mouth thoughtfully.
"Alright," he decided. "It shouldn't be a problem." Actually, this was a huge problem, but if the Hokage had OK'd Itachi's request to ask Kakashi, he figured he had no choice anyways.
Itachi nodded. "Thank you. Your first post is tonight on the west side of the village at nine."
"Understood." Kakashi thought for a moment.
"One more thing," Itachi added.
Kakashi eyed him inquisitively.
"You'll be partnered with Yamato," he resolved, and then walked inside.
Wait-what? Yamato? Kakashi was dumbfounded. Then it hit him like a brick. Yamato is ANBU as well. How did I not recognize him? Ashamed, Kakashi walked back to the cabin. That makes more sense, then... I feel like an ass.
OUTSIDE OF CAMP
It was around midday. The sound of birds singing echoed throughout the forest. Stealthily, the two men walked so that they barely made a sound. Nature seemed to pay them no mind, as they weren't upsetting anything around them. After a long while of silence between the two, Deidara let out a long, exasperated sigh, making it obvious he had something on his mind.
Brushing back his blond bangs and tucking them loosely behind his ear, only to have them fall in front of his face again, he questioned, "how many of us are there?"
Hidan looked over at Deidara. "I'm unsure."
Throwing his arms up and placing his hands behind his head, as if opening up his lungs to take in more oxygen, Deidara stated,
"I don't really understand what it is we are supposed to be doing for this guy, but as long as I'm free to do as I wish, I suppose I can't really complain."
Hidan couldn't help a cynical smile parting his thin lips as he continued to walk, his fingers itching to glide across the triplet-blade he had sheathed on his back, looking up at the clouds through the leaves of the trees.
"As long as we get to kill, that's all I care about." He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, tasting the blood from his past victims. He started to laugh maniacally. "To take a life... that is true judgment!"
At the sound of his exclamation, birds shrieked and flew away from the trees. The chirping and buzzing of insects around them had ceased. An eerie silence drifted among the two.
"Yes, well, I for one have decided to give up that kind of lifestyle," Deidara glanced at Hidan in contempt. "We were caught for a reason."
"But now we're free," Hidan mused. "We have been chosen. We must fulfill our duties to our best extent. Everything we do, we do for Jashin."
Deidara groaned at that reply.
"Speak for yourself."
All Hidan ever spoke about was his cult religion. Killing people to worship some God wasn't something Deidara could ever really entertain, but hey, whatever works, right?
The two continued on for a while longer, until suddenly, they heard a faint crunching sound on the path. They froze, dead in their spot, analyzing the forest around them.
Chhh. Another crunch. A few more, subtly growing louder. In the distance, a figure was walking towards them. It did not appear that this person had noticed their presence yet.
Hidan's smile stole his lips once again as he turned towards Deidara, arching an eyebrow with excitement.
"Shall we claim our first victim?"
"If you do, I will not partake."
Hidan then turned his attention back towards the person ahead, gracefully unsheathing his blade and proceeding to examine it. He narrowed his eyes, still smiling with lunacy. He lightly fingered the edge of the blade, allowing for a small cut on his middle fingertip. He watched as a drop of his crimson blood spilled out and dripped down his finger. Then, wrapping both hands around the handle, he prepared for his attack.
The person ahead of them had become visible. He seemed young, definitely still in adolescence. With his hands in his jean pockets, he walked in such a way that told the world he didn't care about anything. He stared down the two men in front of him, noticing full well that they weren't from around the area. He continued to walk straight towards them anyways, the spitting image of teenage angst.
Hidan took this as a challenge. He couldn't wait to kill his new prey. Deidara took a few steps back, sat down, crossed his legs and leaned his elbow on his knee, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, ready to enjoy the view.
The boy, after getting close enough to be within earshot, stopped and stared down the man standing before him.
"What do you want?" The boy glared at the man, annoyance strung in his voice.
Hidan begun to laugh hysterically. "What a disrespectful way to talk to your elders!" He laughed harder, bent over, holding his side, beginning to tear up from the joy. "This will be an exciting death." He then immediately stopped laughing and straightened up.
"A rule of mine is that I don't kill without knowing my victim's name." He pointed the edge of his blade towards his opponent. "Your name?"
The boy sneered. "I don't have time for this." He turned around and began to walk back. Hidan grit his teeth in annoyance, and began charging at the boy. Just as he was about to come down from his over hand blow, the boy pulled out a knife, and, in an instant, ducked, turned on his heel, and countered the triple sickle-like blade with the blade of his knife. Hidan's gaze was met by the blood red hue of the boy's Sharingan.
"Oh? What's this?" Hidan mused.
"You're getting old, Hidan," Deidara commented as a response before letting him finish. Hidan grunted in frustration. That fucker better shut up before I take him out, too. He then went for a side slash. Once again, his attack was blocked. He pushed himself backwards, trying to create an opening to hit his target, however this time the boy came at him, attempting to slash his throat. He used his arm, not caring about wounds, to block the knife and knocked the knife out of the kid's hand. The boy stepped back and pulled out another knife from his ninja kit.
After a series of charged hits and blocks, the two yet again were pressed against each others' blades. A drop of sweat dripped off of Hidan's forehead as he pushed all his weight into his weapon.
"My, the is the first time I've ever had to work for a kill," he stated with a dash of annoyance in his eccentric tone.
The boy only stared as a response. Hidan then jumped backwards, and lowered his sword. Looking down at the boy, he once again asked for a name. The boy remained silent.
Hidan threw down his sword, and, out of irritation, commented, "Your parents must have been daft, not to teach you manners."
The boy was now vexed at the mentioning of his parents. He, too, dropped his blade.
"Sasuke. Uchiha, Sasuke."
"Sasuke..." Hidan let the name sink in. "Why don't you work with us, Sasuke? Someone with skills like that could come in handy. Not to mention, a Sharingan user." A smirk appeared, slightly parting his lips.
"I couldn't care less to work for anyone with the likes of you." Sasuke turned around once again, beginning to walk away.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Sasuke stopped, sighed, and slowly looked over his shoulder. He eyed the two men behind him, contemplating whether they were worth the explanation. He finally decided.
"It's people like you who killed my parents."
A momentary silence that seemed like years occurred. Hidan then begun to chuckle quietly. Deidara had stood up again, picking up Hidan's weapon and handing it back to him. He sheathed it, but not before running his fingers up and down the blade once more.
"Well, that's too bad," he purred. "I can't help but get the feeling you would like the cause we are after."
This caught Sasuke's interest.
"Is that so?"