Kotori picked at her omelet, idly completing a sudoku puzzle at the table. Her mind was elsewhere, planning evacuation drills now that the ANBU boot camp had wrapped up. Both Shikaku and Masato were in agreement that it was sorely overdue. While all shinobi had the protocol memorized, a good number of them had never gone through it and the civilians were even less prepared. Most were prone to panic and that could prove fatal in a disaster. The Suna Invasion all those years ago had been methodical and carefully planned - they had had advanced warning of where and when Orochimaru would strike. This would be different. They hadn't had a full scale evacuation since the night of the Kyubi attack.
Kotori gripped her pencil tighter at the memory, stopping short of snapping it in half. The chaos and confusion that night - all of the death and destruction - She could remember all too well the full power of the nine tails fox. She could remember the dark, malicious chakra that was so thick the very air around it felt impossible to breathe in. The smoke billowing, buildings collapsing as people tried to flee, only to be killed by giant blasts of raw chakra. She could remember how all of their jutsu and weapons were nothing more than annoying gnats bouncing off of the Kyubi. Only the fourth Hokage had been able to contain it, sealing it within Naruto.
Kotori stared at the puzzle book in front of her, realizing she had messed up and had the number four twice in the same square. She sighed as she snapped it shut.
Her mind kept drifting to the corpse in the morgue. The cryptic message Kakashi and Shikamaru had decoded. The prisoner with Ibiki and Inoichi. She had been given what scraps of information they could extract, but she was clueless what it all meant. And even more frustrating, how to defend against it. The Land of Rain was the one country she had never been able to infiltrate with her chakra birds. For years they had been methodically killed if they got close to the border. Now she knew why.
The rinnegan. What myths they had said that the one who descended from the heavens with the rinnegan could be a God of Destruction or a God of Creation. It seemed that Pein was hellbent on destruction. A dojutsu that had only existed in myths and legends until now… combined with collecting the tailed beasts… Kotori felt very out of her depth. What could a normal kunoichi like her do to defend against such god-like powers? What chance did any of them stand?
She watched Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting across from her at the table. His own plate clean as he slowly drank his tea, flipping through the well-worn pages of Icha Icha while his mind no doubt travelled the same path as hers. She could see the tension ripple beneath his skin. Every muscle taunt. With Jiraiya gone, Tsunade had become even more reliant on him. Kakashi was one of the few with the strength to fight the Akatsuki and win. He had proven that time and time again.
His words to her all those weeks ago rang in her head. "We're just tools. If you break down, they will discard you and move on to someone else."
But while Kakashi would protest on her behalf, he would silently shoulder the village's burdens and never once complain. She feared for him.
The only silver lining was that in forcing her to care for herself, he too had to actually slow down and care for himself. They had reached a stalemate. As if the hypocrite didn't live off ration bars and push himself too far with his own training. So now they trained together in the mornings before having breakfast and heading off to their respective roles.
She reached across the table, holding his hand within hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back, his eye flicking up from the book to meet hers. He closed it in that familiar eye-smile; a habit even if he wasn't wearing his mask. But it was his smile - one reserved just for her - that filled her heart with warmth.
"Suppose we should get going?" She suggested, hating herself for being the one to break their quiet morning.
However, she had wanted to get to Intelligence by mid-morning to find out if Inoichi had managed to learn anything more from his Mind Walk. And then they had another strategy meeting with the Hokage and council where she would be presenting the evacuation drills. Kotori was sure that would be a complete nightmare as Danzo, Homura and Koharu would no doubt be disapproving over something.
"Yeah, I need to speak to Tsunade-sama. There's a strategy meeting that I've asked to be involved in."
Kotori felt as if his words poured a bucket of freezing water over her head. Oh fuck. She was a fool. She was an idiot. How the fuck did she expect to keep her new position a secret from Kakashi forever? She had no plan. She had no excuse. It was a miracle he hadn't figured it out yet. She had kept pushing that conversation off and now - well, he was going to be pissed. There was no getting around it, there would one thousand percent be an argument tonight.
Just rip the adhesive tape off, Kotori, she thought to herself.
"Ah, you know, about that - "
There was a deep rumble that shook her apartment building, rattling the plates on the table and sending her potted plants shattering to the ground. Both of them jumped up , immediately on guard. Within seconds she could hear her chakra birds calling out to her.
Chika dee dee dee
She held the bird seal, tunnelling through her network to find the source. Only to find these monstrous animals with black rods protruding from their bodies destroying parts of the village. Smoked billowed from where a giant three-headed dog knocked one building into another meanwhile a giant centipede wrapped itself around a building, crushing it. She leapt from one chakra bird to the next, taking in the scene from multiple angles.
This couldn't be happening. How the hell did they get past all of their security measures with no warning?!
"Kotori?"
She blinked, returning to her body. Her heart was in her throat as she forced herself to speak. The words felt like lead on her tongue. "It's the Akatsuki, they infiltrated the village. They're using summons as a diversion while they hunt from the shadows. They're looking for Naruto."
Time slowed down around them as Kotori and Kakashi stared at each other in horrified silence. She could see a dozen different emotions flicker through his grey eye.
"Kakashi - "
She wasn't ready. All their preparation, all their training, all of their countless discussions about this very moment - yet some part of her never thought it would actually happen.
He reached out his hand, pulling her close to him and kissed her deeply.
"Be careful," he said, his forehead touching hers. "I love you."
"I love you too." If she could have, she would have stayed forever in that moment.
But the ground shook beneath them, reminding them both of their duty to the village.
She forced her legs to move, grabbing her ANBU uniform and ninja gear before rushing over the rooftops towards ANBU HQ, where she would meet with the rest of the ANBU captains. Her chakra bird network doing its duty as they alerted all of the ANBU within the village and on border patrol to the invasion. Their warning song a symphony in her mind. Meanwhile her mind's eye was a near constant flood of activity from her chakra birds. Those giant beasts that had appeared were wrecking havoc on their village. It was too similar, ripping open a sixteen year old wound that could never fully heal. But she forced herself to observe and try to gather as much intel as she could before meeting with the ANBU.
She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin as she walked through ANBU HQ, her white cloak billowing behind her. Her chakra buzzed beneath the surface of her skin, making her presence feel bigger than the confines of her physical body.
She could hear the relief as ANBU scurried around her. "Captain, you're here!"
"Everyone! This is not a drill! The Akatsuki have infiltrated Konoha and are looking for Uzumaki Naruto. Get to your posts! Teams Hi, Ka and Ri, you're needed in sectors A3, B2 and A5. Contain the Akatsuki, clear the way for the chunin to evacuate the civilians. This is not a drill -get going, NOW!"
"Captain Hawk!" Captain Sable rushed to her side, falling in step as Kotori walked to the conference room.
"Have you seen the Commander?" Kotori asked her.
"He is with Hokage-sama."
"Right. Take your team, have them secure the hospital. Anyone who can be moved, get them out of the village. You know the protocol."
"Yes, Captain!"
Kotori noticed a large group of ANBU retreating further into the underground tunnels and at their lead, of course, Danzo.
"Where are you going?" Kotori demanded, her voice thundering over the noise and chaos. She could feel her fury build in her chest, but as always, she kept a careful control over it. Harnessing it as she flexed her chakra and let her raw power be felt. Like a gentle breeze that could swiftly become a deadly typhoon.
She noticed a number of them freeze in their tracks.
Danzo turned to face her, with a blank expression on his face. "Their post is to guard the evacuation point."
"Their post is where I say it is," Kotori coldly replied.
She highly doubted that they were going to guard the evacuation point - most likely they would retreat far underground and wait out the fighting. Cowards. She turned her attention to the ANBU members leaving with Danzo. Her jaw clenched as she spoke with crystal clarity, articulating every last syllable in her speech.
"The last time I checked, the chain of command in ANBU was the Hokage, the ANBU Commander and then myself. Danzo is either of those people. Konoha is under attack. Every last one of us should be out there defending the village while the genin and chunin work to evacuate the civilians. If you leave, you are abandoning the village you swore to protect in her time of need. How do you call yourselves shinobi of Konohagakure? What is your purpose if you won't defend the village when she needs you?"
"It is true that buildings may be destroyed and many lives will be lost," Danzo said. "But Konoha is greater than either of those things. What we are protecting is an idea. The idea that Senju Hashirama and Tobirama dedicated their lives to building. We will mourn those who died today defending the village. Then the survivors will rebuild this village into a stronger, more resilient -"
"Oh stop with your fucking bullshit!" Kotori snapped, all of the pent up fury she had been containing for month, no, years, finally being unleashed. "You want to run and hide and wait out the battle, hope that we all perish so that you can become the next Hokage. You want to rule over the ashes? Do you really think the Will of Fire will be so easily smothered? Even if we die here today, we'll keep rising like a goddamn phoenix. You fucking coward!"
She could hear a round of applause from the usually stoic ANBU echoing in the corridor. It was probably not her finest moment. Calling Shimura Danzo a coward in front of half the ANBU Black Ops would only piss him off and she could see from the ugly snarl on his face that he took great offence at the slight. On the chance that she somehow managed to survive this battle, she was sure there would be hell to pay.
But damn if it didn't feel good.
Danzo smiled cruelly. "Thank you for your service, Captain Hawk. I'll be sure to put flowers on your grave, even if no one else remembers the life of an insignificant kunoichi with no legacy."
"I'll be waiting for you in hell!" Kotori snarled at Danzo's retreating back.
However it wasn't all in vain. A few of the Root agents glanced at each other before choosing to remain behind. She counted fifteen of them - including Captain Seal. Kotori wished she could say she was surprised, but she had long suspected many of their allegiance.
"Are you going to fight with us or are you going to be a problem?" Kotori asked him.
"We joined Danzo because of village politics," Seal said. "But that doesn't mean we'd abandon our neighbours and comrades. This fight is bigger than us or you."
"Thank you."
Her eyes scanned the hallway, finding Ken and Mamoru waiting for her in the wings. She signalled for them to wait for her as she shouted orders, dispatching teams to the sectors that her chakra birds detected the Akatsuki members in.
"Captain," Mamoru greeted. "How are your chakra levels? Monitoring your network must be extensive."
"It's manageable," she said. She had been training for this reason, slowly strengthening and increasing her reserves over years like any muscle. She didn't have the chakra reserves anywhere near someone like Yamato or Kakashi, but she had been made Hinoki's replacement for a reason. Plus, she could always reabsorb her chakra birds for a momentary boost.
"Still, try to avoid using your more extensive jutsu unless necessary," Ken advised her. "Mamoru and I will cover for you."
They rushed through the ANBU tunnels, taking the spiralling stairs until they were inside Hokage Tower. Ken and Mamoru flanked her on both sides, a slight step behind her. All around them, shinobi rushed throughout the corridors. The tower was rocked as several explosions sounded outside.
Genma was standing outside of the Hokage's office, rapidly giving orders to the dozens of jonin and chunin forces who had gathered in front. Aoba, Raidou and Anko were among them.
"Captain Hawk!" Genma said, noticing her. "Shizune and the Commander just left - they're on their way to meet with the Interrogation Corps!"
"And Tsunade-sama?"
"She's on the rooftop, not to be disturbed."
As he spoke, she could see Tsunade clearly in her mind's eye. One of the chakra birds was on the rooftop with her and four ANBU guards, Yugao among them. Tsunade was at work, using her power to locate and heal as many as she could.
Raidou approached her, lightly grabbing her forearm. His voice was soft as he asked, "Shiori and the kids - ?"
She understood what he wanted from her. She held the bird seal as she tunnelled through her chakra bird network until she found her. Shiori was holding her eldest son's hand while she had her newborn son swaddled against her chest.
"They made it to the evacuation queue, Aimi is helping direct civilians." Both Raidou and Genma visibly relaxed and Kotori was glad she could offer them some comfort before they joined the thick of the battle. Aoba glanced over and for his benefit she added, "Chiha is with them too."
"And Kurenai?" Raidou asked.
"She's with Shikamaru."
She couldn't find Kosuke or her daughters, but that was to be expected. The Nara typically sheltered in the lower levels of the Nara Research facility in the mountains. They would be safe there.
Another explosion sounded from outside, causing the tower to shake. Kotori braced herself so that she wouldn't be knocked to the ground.
"I'll be taking a platoon to combat the Akatsuki," Genma said, drawing her attention back to the situation at hand. "If your birds have seen anything useful, now's the time."
"My birds have spied half a dozen members of the Akatsuki," Kotori said, filling him in on what sectors her birds had seen them. "Get them alone - Kakashi said that they can see through each others eyes."
Genma clapped her on the back as they parted ways. He took his platoon into the village while Kotori, Ken and Mamoru made for the Intelligence Office via rooftops.
Chika dee dee dee
Her chakra birds cried out in warning and all three of them slowed. The monstrous three headed dog with wings on its back appeared, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake as its giant paws stomped on buildings, crushing them like tin cans. Chunin rushed in to direct the civilians away.
"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu." She sliced through the leg of the beast, stopping it from taking another step.
"Lightning Style: Four Pillar Trap!" Ken was next as four pillars rose from the earth, electrocuting the beast inside. It snarled as it tried to break free.
"Earth Style: Buddha Fuhda!" Mamoru shouted, his barrier sealing the beast away.
The three of them leapt out of the way, landing one of the pillars.
"Did we get it?" Ken asked.
But then Mamoru's barrier seal crumbled and the beast emerged from it, breaking free of Ken's pillars as a fourth head sprouted from its neck. Even the wound from where Kotori had sliced its leg had healed, leaving no physical damage.
"What? It's grown more heads!" Kotori shouted.
"We need to take on the castor rather than fight this thing," Mamoru said.
The three of them joined where the Commander, Shizune, Inoichi, Ino and Ibiki were faced off with two of the beasts and the summoner, one of the Peins that had infiltrated the village.
"They are powerful summonings," Mamoru informed them, "Everyone please be careful."
"There's no mistake, I saw her inside the memories of the Hidden Rain ninja," Inoichi was saying, unable to take his eyes off the female Akatsuki member on top of the rhino summon. "But how can this be?"
"What is it?" Shizune asked.
"When I saw her, she was a corpse."
Shizune seemed deep in thought. "Inoichi please give me more details, we might be able to figure this out."
"Right now? But we can't!"
"Leave this to the ANBU and me," Ibiki said. "Get out of here!"
As Inoichi, Ino, Shizune and Masato made a break for the cipher division, Ibiki stayed behind with them to hold off the beasts.
"You'll have to get through us first," Ibiki growled.
"We'll deal with the dog!" Kotori shouted as the group split up, leaving Ibiki to handle the rhino and summoner. "Formation B!"
If the first formation failed, then they needed to take it up a notch.
"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu!" Kotori sliced both legs, sending the dog crashing face forward.
"Lightning Style: Four Pillar Trap!" The dog yelped as Ken trapped it once again within four pillars, electrocuting it.
"Earth Style: Mud Fall." Mud poured over the dog from Mamoru's jutsu.
"Lightning Style: Sixteen Pillar Trap!" Ken called out next, completely barricading the dog inside with the most intense form of his Pillar Trap jutsu.
"Fire Style: Mystic Firing Jutsu." Mamoru incinerated the dog with his jutsu.
Ken's Sixteen Pillar Trap crumbled, revealing the ashy remains of the beast. Kotori held her breath, did they do it this time?
Only for the ashy remains of the beast to crumble and give way. It was completely unharmed! At the same time, the rhino managed to break free of Ibiki's Iron Maiden and the summoner escaped from his jutsu. She summoned dozens more of the creatures. Kotori could hear her chakra birds all calling out in unison as monster after monster appeared in different sectors. Platoons of ANBU and jonin alike rushed to contain them.
And with that, the summoner leapt on top of an ugly bird with a beak like a drill and flew off.
"I'll pursue her," Kotori said, slapping the palm of her hand on the rooftop and summoning Raiden. "Get the rest contained!"
Kotori took to the sky on the back of Raiden, surveying the chaos around her. The summoned bird used its beak to drill through buildings. It laid eggs mid flight that exploded down below. Buildings toppled over as shinobi rushed to get civilians out. Some of the streets had so much debris that it boxed people in. She could see the crowd gathering around the hospital as more and more people were rescued and taken for treatment.
There had to be some way to contain these beasts, some way to stop them. But if the combined strength of her, Mamoru and Ken weren't enough to defeat even one of the summoned monsters, what would?
A feeling of hopelessness weighed her down, the same one she had felt all those years ago as a twelve year old girl staring down the eyes of a massive chakra demon as it levelled her home and killed her family.
No. This wasn't the time to give into despair. Even if she couldn't destroy the beasts herself, she could hold them off, give time for the village to be secured and for the Commander and the others to come up with a plan to drive them out once and for all. It would have to be enough.
Chika dee dee dee
She held her hands in the bird seal, once more tunnelling through her chakra bird network. This time, she saw Kakashi, facing off against two of the Peins on his own. He had a chain wrapped around a rock and was straining, trying to keep himself from being pulled in by some unknown jutsu. One of the Pein had a large ribbed blade protruding from his chest as if it wanted to impale him.
Panic flooded her lungs and she could scarcely breathe.
Kakashi - no! Not him, she silently pleaded. She had to do something, and fast. He needed help.
Her chakra bird hovered on the edge of the battle, trying not to get sucked into its pull as she frantically searched for a way to help Kakashi. She found Choza and his platoon nearby. Her chakra bird circled around his head, tweeting urgently and trying to lead him towards Kakashi.
"That's one of Captain Kotori's birds," Choji realized.
"Then we should follow it," Choza announced, directing the platoon.
"Kotori!" Raiden's voice cut through.
She returned to her body in the moment the bird summon and its summoner slammed them both into a four storey building.
"Four Guardian Winds Barrier Jutsu!" She called out, keeping the building from collapsing over them as they hit the ground. She held the building within her jutsu as she forced herself to stand up. She had been distracted for too long, but it was worth it as already in her mind's eye she could see Choza and the others joining Kakashi.
Over head, Raiden and the bird summon clashed in the air. Swooping and diving at each other. She could feel the air move from Raiden's Wind Style attacks. She focused herself on the fight before her, holding the empty gaze of the summoner.
Kotori could feel herself slowing down as she fought with everything she had. Creating clones and using substitution jutsu each time the summoner got close to her. Mamoru's earlier warning coming back. She had been over exerting herself, trying to keep track of everything and everyone while using some of her more intensive jutsu.
She reabsorbed dozens of chakra birds that lingered outside the village, giving herself a boost.
"Lightning Style: Thunder hawk!" Kotori cried, the companion to Kakashi's Lightning Hound jutsu. It darted left and right, snaking across the street until it hit the summoner, electrocuting her. Kotori followed it up with a volley of Lightning Arrows, aiming for the eyes and other vital places.
There was no reaction. The summoner was completely unharmed. She didn't even seem to feel any pain. What the -
The bird dropped another egg. Kotori darted away, coughing from the smoke and ash that burned her lungs. The summoner was unnaturally strong as she grabbed Kotori with both hands and slammed her into the building.
"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" The summoner asked her. Her eerie, vacant expression staring at Kotori.
"Like I'm going to tell you," Kotori snarled, trying to free herself.
A flaming arrow pierced through the summoner's arm. Kotori's head whipped up to see Rika kneeling on the back of Tenjin, a determined look set on her young face as her arm pulled back with another Flaming Arrow at the ready.
Kotori had never been so terrified or so proud in her life.
AN: There's a scene in the Pein Invasion where three ANBU captains (the white cloaks) take on the dog summon. From the moment I saw that scene I knew the bird masked ANBU captain was going to be Kotori. Not how she looks (I'm pretty sure the ANBU in the anime is a dude), but artistic license ;) From there I was like "who's her ANBU captain buddies?" and created Mamoru (Lion) and Ken (Badger).
It wasn't until I re-watched, it takes in episode 160 and Kakashi dies in episode 159… but I picture those episodes happening concurrently.