Pretty Flowers
By Bashfulglowfly
Team Seven trudged alongside the merchant's wagon. They had been hired to escort this merchant from Yugakure back to his home in Fire Country. All along the route home, the man had delivered seeds to various farmers.
"This is boring!" moaned Naruto.
Sasuke scoffed "Not every merchant is worth attacking. You should enjoy missions like this."
Kakashi eye-smiled at the Last Uchiha. "Sasuke's right, Naruto. You need to enjoy the quiet missions when you can."
"Sensei, look at the pretty flowers." Exclaimed Sakura.
Kakashi followed her pointing finger.
Then he recalled what he'd just said to the boys.
FUCK! FUCKFUCKFUCK! I said the Q Word. Out loud! I can't believe I did that! I should know better!
Sakura was pointing at acres of poppies.
Opium poppies. That were about ready to drop their petals and start growing the pod that could become opium.
The merchant beamed down from his seat in the wagon. "And those poppies are highly profitable as well!" He grinned cheerfully. "I will be making quite a bit of money considering all of the seed that I've just delivered."
Kakashi took a deep breath and released it slowly. Fucking C missions. C missions that turn into A missions. And this dumbass thinks that I'm going to ignore this?
"Aren't those illegal?"
The merchant laughed "It's only illegal if you get caught! Besides, once it gets out how profitable it is, I will be overwhelmed with investors! And I have…contacts…who will see to it that I'm not bothered by legalities."
Opium was illegal throughout the Elemental Lands. Every Daimyo didn't want opium in his country. The merchant was right, opium was very profitable, but the cost to people was too high. And the Kages didn't want it because they knew damn good and well that far too many of their shinobi would use opium to try and escape their memories. And if too many shinobi in a Village became addicted…then it would be the end of that Village.
Kakashi sighed. This mission was going to be longer than he had expected. Of course, he was going to have to contact the Hokage and let him know. He probably won't want us to backtrack and eliminate this idiot's contacts ourselves. That would be an A rank mission at the very least. So, the Hokage will have a team take care of the sites here. After I finish questioning this fool, he may have to contact the other Kages and let them know where to send their shinobi, if there are fields outside of Fire.
Kakashi kept silent as they followed the wagon up to a small compound. Several people came rushing up to the merchant's wagon calling greetings. From the chatter, Kakashi knew that the three well-dressed adults were the merchant's spouse, brother, and sister-in-law. The children belonged to the two couples. The other people were servants. He counted nineteen people, including four children. Twenty. He could hear a baby's cry from inside the house.
From the sound of the cries, he would allow that child to live.
Kakashi got his students' attention.
"Don't let any of them escape."
Naruto frowned "Sensei…"
"Obey me." Kakashi growled.
Then he attacked.
He didn't kill the merchant. He would be needed for interrogation later. But he killed the merchant's wife, then his brother and sister-in-law. The servants ran screaming but Sasuke's Fireball stopped them long enough for Kakashi to land amongst them with his kunai.
Then it was time for the children.
They were huddled together screaming at the horror they had just witnessed. Kakashi uncovered his left eye and used his Sharigan to paralyze and silence the children. Then he killed them in a manner that was certainly more merciful than what he'd done to the adults.
"Sensei…why?" asked the wide-eyed Naruto. Sakura stood next to him, her eyes just as wide. Sasuke stood a few feet away, scuffing at the dirt with one sandal.
Kakashi ignored the merchant who was weeping and wailing on the ground behind him. His injuries were to keep him from running away. Not that the man wasn't going to die. He just wasn't going to die right now.
Kakashi stood in front of his team. "Those flowers out there. Those are opium poppies. Opium is a drug that is illegal in every Elemental Nation. This fool thought he could get us, get Konoha, to ignore his illegal activities. That will not happen. And soon I will show you how to interrogate a prisoner."
A scream of fear came behind him. And was ignored.
"Now, I want the three of you to use your chakra and see if there is anyone else nearby."
He watched as the three concentrated. He already knew but the kids had to learn.
"I don't sense anyone other than the baby over there." Said Sakura, pointing at the house. The two boys indicated that they didn't sense anyone else either. "What's going to happen to the baby?"
"The baby will be given to a worthy family and will grow up knowing nothing about who he was born to or what happened here." Kakashi looked at Sasuke "Sasuke, this is where you come in."
"Sensei?"
"The poppy field. Burn it. Every inch. I want it all to be ashes. But only the poppy field. Don't let your Fire get out of control. Naruto, Sakura both of you have Water and Earth jutsus you are able to use. Go downwind from Sasuke to make sure the fire doesn't get out of control. Sasuke, you pick the place where you want to start. Let Naruto and Sakura know the direction they need to go. After the field is burned, make sure the fire is out completely. Make sure that a fire won't re-start after we leave. Move out."
The three children ran out of the compound. He could hear them actually communicating with each other.
He continued to ignore the merchant and walked into the house. He found the wailing baby. It needed a diaper change.
Why me? Oh, I know why…I used the Q Word. That's why.
As he changed the baby's diaper, he could smell smoke drifting through the air.
After making sure the baby was safely in its crib, Kakashi went back outside just as the three genin came back to the compound.
"Sensei, the field is burned." Reported Sasuke.
Naruto nodded "And then we all used jutsus to make sure the fire was out!"
Kakashi leapt to the wall surrounding the compound and took a look for himself. It was a typical Team Seven disaster area but there were no poppies in sight. He jumped back down and smiled at his students. "Good job."
The expressions on Naruto's and Sakura's faces would have made a pitch-black room as bright as day. Sasuke tried to hide his pleasure at the compliment but was unsuccessful.
Kakashi clapped his hands together briskly. "Now, you are going to get a lesson in how to interrogate a prisoner."
The four shinobi turned as one to the merchant who began to beg.
888888
The merchant was dead.
The interrogation had gone quite well. For a first interrogation for young genin, this was actually perfect. Kakashi carefully explained that most interrogations would not be as easy as this one had been because usually they would be questioning shinobi and they would have to use seals and jutsus to help get answers as well as physical methods. Kakashi only had to break one finger to get the merchant to talk.
And talk he did. The information he gave, if proven correct, would cause many throats to be cut. Even throats in the Courts of a couple of the Daimyos.
Kakashi summoned Pakkun and Bull. To Pakkun, he gave the written report that was to be given directly to the Hokage. "Tell him we'll wait here for further instructions."
The old pug grumbled then poofed out of sight.
Kakashi had Sakura get the baby along with a blanket. He made sure the baby was snuggly wrapped up then held it out to Bull who gently held the child in his mouth. "Make sure the village you drop him off at is far from here." Kakashi instructed. "I don't want anyone realizing the child is connected to this."
Bull nodded and with the child in his jaws poofed out of sight as well.
"What do we do now?" asked Sakura.
"We're going to blow up this compound." Replied Kakashi.
Naruto began to bounce up and down. "Can I do it? Can I?"
"Do you know how to make explosive tags?"
Naruto became downcast. "No." Then he brightened. "But you can show me!"
"I don't want to deal with that snarky little chuunin teacher of yours if you come home without all of your fingers. You can watch."
Kakashi made sure that they were far enough away that their chakra wouldn't activate the tags but close enough to see what he was doing. He had just finished placing the final tag on the front door when Pakkun returned.
"Gotta message for you, Boss."
"What is it?"
"Good job. Come home."
Kakashi nodded. He thanked Pakkun then dismissed him. "Watch." He ordered his students. He showed them the hand signs slowly at first so they could see clearly then he added his chakra and ran through the hand signs at speed.
"Run!"
The three genin ran down the road and Kakashi followed behind. The ground shook as the tags went off and the compound disappeared in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the compound was no more.
Kakashi turned and smiled at his genin. "Let's go home."