Chapter 9: Kitsune's Mission
Streams of moonlight shone through the dense forest canopy, leaves rustling from the wind. A cacophony of insect buzzing and nighttime foragers saturated the surroundings with white noise. A tree branch bent down from the weight of a predator.
Kitsune peered into the distance. He'd been tracking his quarry for three days now, deep into the land of hot water. His target, though not moving quickly, seemed inexhaustible. They must have known someone was onto them. Either that, or they were paranoid.
Kitsune ran his fingers along the weapon holster at his thigh. Fatigued and against a cautious opponent, maybe this was the mission to finally do him in. Not that it mattered. An effective tool got the job done one way or another. He wouldn't allow even death to tarnish his mission record. If fate had him bleed out afterwards, that would just be icing on the cake.
Sadly, he'd received specific orders to ensure there would be no political consequences from this mission. The peace talks with Kumo had almost fallen through as it was, and Konoha absolutely could not afford to spark a conflict. It needed to be a clean kill, potentially attributed to anyone and pointing to no one. He couldn't even use foreign jutsu to frame someone else, only weapons.
Kitsune reckoned this caution was unfounded. Whoever wound up ending this person should be lauded for their work, not berated for reaching beyond their borders. He could attribute at least four civilian murders to his quarry's passing since the start of this hunt, and he sensed today would mark a fifth. The wind carried the scent of fresh blood.
Kitsune stilled his heart. The forest was beginning to clear and he could see a farmhouse in the distance. He dropped into a crouch, cushioning his fall with chakra, and made sure to stay behind cover as he approached the building. The smell of blood only intensified as nature's thrum fell away.
A corpse was chained to a trunk at the forest's edge. The ground beneath the victim's body was soaked and a large sanguine circle had been drawn around it. The captive must have struggled painfully against their bindings, tearing their skin on the metal links. It was hard to tell what exactly killed them, their ragged, torn form riddled with lacerations, holes, and broken bones. It looked fresh enough they couldn't have been dead for more than an hour.
Kitsune averted his eye. He'd come across plenty of harrowing sights in his career, but there was no need to let one's gaze linger on something so grotesque. The poor man would be avenged soon. One could practically taste the murderer's stench wafting from the farmstead ahead.
The surrounding fields had been harvested recently, leaving only a wide open space between himself and his target's presumed location. He would need to be quick.
Kitsune had enough of this silence anyway.
His left eye spun to life and honed in on the putrid chakra. A blade was drawn and he kicked off the dead bark, flickering forward at the speed of thought. Crashing through the window barely slowed his momentum before he slammed into his target legs-first. The robed killer was kicked into the back wall and pierced through the heart in short order. Kitsune didn't even leave them time to blink.
Wet wheezing escaped the dying man's lips as he balefully glared up at his assailant. His breathing grew more and more shallow and he slowly slumped to the side, sprawling across the floor. Another swing of his tanto would suffice to separate the head from the villain's shoulders, and Kitsune would have his proof of completion.
Metal bit into Kitsune's leg, tearing a chunk of flesh from the calf. He lept a few steps back, weapon held at the ready. Had he not kept his Sharingan unveiled, the wild strike would have crippled him completely. The previously unmoving corpse rose back to full height.
The reanimated man seemed no worse for wear, silently evaluating Kitsune's next move. In his hand was a flat blade, a few inches long and curved near the top—possibly a farmer's implement. Though judging by what must have been weeks worth of dried blood it can't have originated from here.
"You will make a fine sacrifice," the man said, his voice a rough whisper.
Despite the killer's strange regenerative ability and Kitsune's leg wound, the next few exchanges made it obvious who had the upper hand in this fight. His foe was slower, had a shorter range, and was clearly not proficient in prolonged close quarters engagements. Though he had some level of shinobi training, he had yet to display any ninjutsu.
Recognizing just how outclassed he was, the killer flung his torn up robe at Kitsune's head in an attempt to distract him. It was followed by a flurry of cuts, heedless of any wounds incurred in retaliation. Kitsune easily read his opponent's moves and disarmed him without suffering any damage.
The man only grunted in response to the blood leaking from the stump of his dismembered limb. Kitsune noted it wasn't draining as quickly as usual for such a wound, but it wasn't fully regenerating either. Hopefully this wretch would perish once enough wounds accumulated.
The fight continued much as it had, until the target let himself get impaled through the torso, pulling the blade deeper to reach for his would-be assassin.
Kitsune immediately let go of his sword and unleashed a hail of thrown weapons. The killer toppled to the floor leaking blood from every part of his body—the flow no longer artificially slowed by his strange technique. One more kick to snap the cockroach's neck, and the deed was finally done.
It wasn't as clean as he'd liked, but the Hokage would understand.
Detaching the head, sealing it away, and gathering up all his weapons took far longer than Kitsune was comfortable with. He continuously scanned the headless corpse for any movement, and was primed for it to suddenly jump at him. Though he loathed to draw attention to this place, perhaps it would be best to burn the remains.
Kitsune winced. His leg was still bleeding. He should have bandaged that right away. After a quick, painful, rinse and basic application of mending chakra, he carried the carcass out to the field and dumped it into a jutsu-made pit in the ground. Adding some hay to fuel the fire, he used basic nature conversion to set it aflame.
Kitsune then went back to where he'd found the farmer and freed him from his chains, deciding to offer the poor man a better burial. He did his best to wrap the body in a few sheets and buried him on the opposite side of the property, far away from the smouldering pit. It was there that he noticed more blood. Fresh, just like the farmer's had been.
This time, however, the blood left a trail. Small flecks appeared first, alongside dishevelled dirt. The blood increased in volume and frequency leading up to someone lying face down on the forest floor, a child.
Kitsune felt an urge to growl.
She too had been given a slow and agonising end. Fingers, toes, teeth, all broken before escalating into peeled skin and puncture wounds. This time, however, the killer hadn't gone quite as far. For whatever reason, the man had given up and allowed her to crawl deep into the forest before dying of blood loss. Kitsune's eyes lingered on the girl's torn wrists.
She may have still been alive when he first arrived.
The way home took three days on a good day, and that was disregarding Kitsune's state. He needed to find a place to rest and better take care of his wound.
Thankfully the land of hot water didn't get its name for nothing. While many hotsprings had been converted to tourist destinations, a few were too hot for civilian use and perfectly fit Kitsune's needs. Surely some near-boiling liquid would help rid his leg of any germs.
After having scrubbed his body and gear clean, he donned civilian clothes and spent a few hours at an inn. 'Arata' headed back towards fire country the very next day.
The trip was rather dull, but Kitsune appreciated the lack of interruptions. He stayed off the roads, passing through woods and foothills, eventually landing himself near a small agricultural town. He recalled having passed it a few times throughout his career. Konoha was only a day's walk away—mere hours for a shinobi's casual running speed.
Kitsune glanced back at the small township. His leg wasn't healing. Taking a bit of extra time might allow him to better patch up his wound and skip out on the hospital visit later. He could do without another earful by Ken-san.
Then again, entering the town would probably require another disguise. Even within Konoha civilians rarely reacted well to those in Anbu. Not to mention delaying his return may only exacerbate the issue. His wound's discomfort only worsened as time went on and he didn't want to be delayed unnecessarily. Perhaps—
Yelling interrupted his mental struggle. It came from one of the larger buildings. Kitsune instinctively unsheathed his sword before catching himself. This wasn't part of his mission. Surely someone else would deal with the issue.
His left eye twitched. And what if nobody did?
It was only some household squabble, not his place to intervene. Kitsune sheathed his blade just in time to hear a crash of noise. Alright, maybe it was more than a squabble. Nevertheless it wasn't his place to intervene.
So why was he walking towards the ruckus?
Many corpses had been etched into his memory, perfectly preserved by his late friend's gift. Enemies, comrades, innocent bystanders. It may not have been any of his business, but it couldn't hurt to take a look. He silently climbed up the tree standing near the house and peered through the open window.
Kitsune tensed, Sharingan blazing to life to confirm what he was seeing. A woman laid across a splintered table, her neck twisted. Further inside he noted someone else facing the doorway.
They—an older woman—were speaking. Something about, "...charades. You're a demon masquerading as a child!" She was holding a boy by the throat. "If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect you were the Ky-"
His tanto pierced the woman's chest and she dropped her would-be victim. Kitsune rolled the child over; they weren't moving. The boy didn't appear to be breathing, either. Had he been too late again? There were sounds from downstairs. Did others live here? He'd just incriminated himself. He needed to leave. The boy wasn't dead yet. What should he do? The child was so small, just like—
Kakashi grabbed him and leapt out the window.
What was he doing, running off to Konoha? This was a terrible idea. Small as it was, the settlement surely housed a healer. The left eye burned—always had been a crybaby. The boy in his arms wasn't crying. His windpipe was crushed. Kakashi didn't know enough medical ninjutsu to help him. Hopefully the child still drew a small amount of breath.
Kakashi's leg ached.
Days had passed by the time Kakashi hobbled into the Hokage's office. He noted Hiruzen looked almost as tired as Kakashi felt. He doubted it was blood poisoning in the Hokage's case.
"Ah, Kakashi, good to finally see you," Hiruzen said, smiling cooly. "I take it your extended stay at the hospital has left you with more than enough time to consider your report."
Kakashi cleared his throat, adjusting his crutches. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
He'd originally been summoned here shortly after his mad dash to the emergency room, only to be held back due to the horrendously agitated state of his wound. Whatever had been on that accursed weapon was far nastier than mere dried blood.
"I began my investigation by interviewing the civilians mentioned by our client. They confirmed the stories of abductions and killings, and I personally followed up on our client's proposed most recent location. I discovered the missing couple in an abandoned cabin near the border to the land of hot water. They'd been brutalised and killed."
Kakashi went on to detail how his ninken had caught the killer's scent, leading him from one town to the next, each consistently housing less people than it had mere days before. When he came to describe the altercation between himself and the murderer, he was interrupted.
"You mean to tell me this man came back from the dead?" the Hokage questioned.
Kakashi shook his head. "A man can survive a stopped heart. He must have feigned unconsciousness while his regenerative ability sealed the wound."
"Were you able to discover the mechanics behind his healing ability?"
"No, Hokage-sama. This power was likely some form of blood limit, or long-lasting ritual. The Sharingan unveiled none of its underlying workings."
Hiruzen drummed his fingers on his desk. "I suppose that was to be expected. Carry on."
Kakashi continued to explain his actions, including the discovery of the farm's second murder victim and his slow-going return to Konoha. Once he finally got to his intervention on behalf of the boy, he was again cut off.
"Ah yes, you likely have not yet heard," Hiruzen said, "a messenger bird arrived today, reporting on the aftermath of your little stunt." Any trace of humour left the man's voice by the end of that sentence. "You left behind quite the mess. We were barely able to convince the populace it had been an enemy incursion."
"Pardon? Would that not disquiet them more?"
"More than our very own agent killing a respected member of the community?" Hiruzen challenged. "Regardless, I'm sure you know we do not tolerate fratricide. Chiyoko Yoshinori once served under Konoha, and thus you have committed a grave sin."
Kakashi frowned under his mask—friend killer. "Apologies, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen grunted in disapproval. "Well, accounting for the boy's eyewitness report and the unique circumstances of the situation, your sentence will not be too harsh. It seems that diverting some of our orphans outside Konoha had not worked out as well as we wished—not that you would have known this without an extensive investigation. What made you intervene so aggressively, Kakashi? You are not usually one to act beyond the scope of your orders."
"I had reasonable cause to believe she was about to divulge an S-rank secret," he argued.
"Was that why you chose to investigate the disturbance in the first place?" the Hokage asked knowingly. "Or, was it guilt? It took a few days to find the target, after all. A few more bodies on your conscience…"
Kakashi remained silent.
"I dearly hope you would reconsider talking to Inoichi, and as you still require punishment for your actions, I believe it would be a—"
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I doubt that is necessary," Kakashi interrupted. "I am of sound mind. Investigating the disturbance cost me little, and anyone would have acted the same."
Hiruzen slammed his palms against the desktop. "You killed a retired Konoha shinobi! One that to your knowledge had been a normal civilian. You could have easily detained them for questioning. You could have at least confirmed the situation instead of running off and leaving behind the scene of a double homicide in the middle of an orphanage!"
Kakashi's crutches shook minutely. Starting a shouting match would only prove Hiruzen's point. "I understand, Hokage-sama. I will report for eval once my leg has healed."
"You will report there tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp," Hiruzen interjected, "and you are barred from active duty until you have healed to my satisfaction. Understood?"
Kakashi limply nodded his head.
"I require an answer, Kitsune-san," Hiruzen ordered.
Kakashi straightened. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand."
Hiruzen grunted, pulling out his pipe. "Good. You are dismissed."
Kakashi limped away, hesitating at the door. "About the child… Where is he now?"
Hiruzen took a few puffs before answering, "In Konoha Orphanage. Naturally we would not return him to the scene of his near demise. Not to mention the questions it would raise with our cover story."
Kakashi suppressed a wince. "So his friends all think that the boy died?"
"Don't worry so much. He is still very young and has plenty of new children to acquaint himself with. If you're so anxious then might I interest you in taking up that security position I mentioned? He is in the same orphanage, after all."
This time, Kakashi flinched outright. "I will take it into consideration."
For now, however, he would simply trust Hiruzen's words. Kakashi needed to spend his final day of freedom wisely, and watching kids wasn't on the agenda. Sadly his wound meant ninjutsu wasn't on the table either. Decisions decisions…
At least he had the memorial stone to keep him busy for a few hours. Afterwards Kakashi could just improvise—read a book or something.