Chapter 38: Rescue

Unknown Location

The first thing Haku noticed when she woke up was the ache in the back of her head. The second was that she was standing on her feet, and her arms were chained to a wall. She pulled on the chains to see how secure they were.

"I wouldn't even bother," a man's voice caught her attention. Haku looked in front to see a heavily scared man with broad shoulders. "Those chains can hold men about as strong as me and are specially made for chakra."

Haku arched an eyebrow. "Made for chakra?" she asked.

The man nodded. "They're made from a special metal that can absorb chakra," he said. "Samurai and some shinobi like to use it for their blades. Let them channel their chakra right into them to give them a little extra oomph. But they also make for good restraints." He pointed his finger at the cuffs around Haku's wrists. "If you try to channel chakra into your hands to break out, those chains will absorb it, strengthening them."

Haku tested the man's statement and tried channeling some chakra into her hands. As soon as she felt the chakra draining from her, she frowned. She stopped her efforts and looked back at the man.

His smile had grown. "See what I mean?" He asked. "You won't be getting out of there any time soon."

Haku frowned. "What do you want with me?" She asked. "And what did you do with the others?" She was hoping that it would not be the worst-case scenario for her and the caravan merchants taken prisoners.

The man crossed his arms. "If you're worried if my men and I have going rape you and the other prisoners, I would put that out of your mind," he said. "We might be a band of rouge shinobi, but we do have professional standards. Besides, I have other plans for you."

"And those plans would be?" Haku asked, hoping she could get more information from the man.

The man gave her a knowing smile. "I'll let you think about that," he said, turning away from Haku. "But I will give you this little nugget of information since I have taken a liking to you. My name is Tano Kyo , and I lead this band of marry men." The man left the cell.

Haku lets out a breath and starts to look around the cell. She had to get out.

As Kyo left the cell, he turned to face one of his men. "Make sure she stays in there," he said. "Even with those chains, a good shinobi can still find a way out. That kunoichi strikes me as someone who is competent. Keep an eye on her."

The man nodded. "She won't be escaping on my watch," he said.

"See to it that she doesn't," Kyo said in an even tone. Then he walked down the hall of the fort. He was not surprised when Keiko appeared next to him. "The other prisoners have been secured." She reported.

Kyo nodded his head. "How are they?" He asked.

"Understandably shaken up," Keiko replied. "They are just civilians, after all. However, a few brave ones are holding out."

Kyo snorted. "They'll be broken off that once we have dealt with the shinobi," he said. "My message did get sent, did it?"

Keiko nodded her head. "I left the Hyūga woman behind so she can pass the message to Kakashi," she said. "I imagine the rest of the Konoha-nin are planning their next move if they aren't already on the move."

Kyo frowned. "I would have preferred her captured," he said.

Keiko shrugged her shoulders. "We already had one of the genin in our hands," she said. "That alone would motivate Kakashi to come after us, and we needed someone to convey our message. Besides, we can always capture her when we deal with him."

Kyo nodded, his frown slipping away. "I hope your contacts in Kumo are still good for something," he said. "Aside from Kakashi's head, that woman might be our biggest payout from this raid. Speaking of, we can start lining up buyers for the women we've captured."

Keiko nodded her head. "I'm already looking into it," she said. "Most of them will probably end as field laborers or house servants. Though a few, I imagine, will meet with a very different fate.

Kyo kept his expression even. He may have promised the Kunoichi that nothing would happen while they were in his care. But he never mentioned anything after that. "I don't see the boys being much more use other than for hard labor. We won't be getting much of anything from them."

Keiko pursed her lips. "I wouldn't say that," she said. "Certainly, the redhead would be good in the mines or tilling the land when he's older. His younger friend, though, looks like he could be something nice when he's grown up. I know a mistress or two who would love to get their hands on him."

Kyo snorted. "I imagine you do," he said. "Out of all the lunkheads here, you have always been my most useful subordinate. Do whatever you like, just so as long I get my cut of the pay. Understood?"

Keiko smirked. "Always," she said. "Now then, I believe we preparations to make. We do have guests coming by."

Caravan

"You realize you're walking into a trap here," Sara told Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded. "I know what I'm doing," he said. It's a risk, I know that. But right now, the enemy has all the cards, and the best chance we have is to walk and hope for the best. Besides, it's not like Yakumo and I are walking into this blind."

Next to Kakashi, Yakumo gave Sara a solemn nod. "We'll be okay, Sara-San," she said. "We'll rescue our teammate and the others. Then we can deal with the enemy shinobi."

Sara looked at Kakashi. "I still wish you would bring Sai with you," she said. "I understand wanting to leave me behind, but at least bring your other student; you could use the extra help."

Kakashi, however, remained unconvinced. "We already discussed this, Sara," he said. "Sai is staying behind to help guard the Caravan. We don't know what they could throw at the Caravan while Yakumo and I are away. You're good, Sara, but even you have your limits. Sai can keep you from being overwhelmed."

"He's right, Sara," Sai said, walking up. "I may be a lowly genin, but I can still be useful."

Kakashi nodded. "He's right," he said. "He's young but already more skilled than most genin." He might even be more skilled than most chunin. However, that wasn't something he would let slip in front of the boy. "Trust me, it's better we split our forces up like this. Yakumo and I will rescue the others."

That was when Yakumo stepped in. "Besides, it's not like it will be just the two of us," she said. Remember, they already have Haku up there. As her teammate, I have to believe she can break out on her own. When she does, I know she'll help us."

Sara looked at her with an even expression. "That's an awfully big assumption to risk," she said. "What if they have her locked up tight? What if they already killed her and the others?"

Kakashi knew that was a possibility, among other things, and looking at Yakumo, she did, too. "Because she's more valuable to them alive, for the moment," she replied. "She's alive, and as for tightly, they have her under lock and key. Well, that's just something we'll deal with when it comes."

"Yakumo-San is right, Sara-San," Sai said. "Haku will be fine. If it is in her power to escape, she will."

Sara looked at Sai with a look of surprise. "You have a lot of faith in your teammate, Sai," she said. "Are you sure it is well placed?"

Sai seemed to ponder the question briefly, then he nodded and smiled. "She is a remarkable Kunoichi," he replied; for a moment, Kakashi thought he saw the faintest tint of red on the pale boy's cheeks. "She will be fine."

Kakashi gave his genin an eye smile as he turned his attention to Sara. Perhaps this team will be fine, he thought to himself. "I count that as three votes of confidence, Sara-San. Trust me, I give you my word that will get out this fine—all of us." He would never fail his team again. He owed it to those he lost.

Sara sighed and shook her head. "All right then," she said with a smile. "Just be careful out there. You'll be walking into a trap here, and there is no telling what the enemy has prepared."

Kakashi and Yakumo nodded. "Nod to Sara-San," he responded. "Like I said, we're not walking into this blind. But let's not forget we have some surprises of our own."

Sara nodded and turned her attention to Sai. "Come on, Sai. We have preparations to make," she said, turning and walking away from the Caravan.

Sai looked at his sensei and teammate. "Good luck out there," he said, then followed Sara.

Kakashi nodded, surprised to learn that the sentiment from the ROOT agent was genuine. Perhaps there was a chance for him as well, but he would deal with that later. "Yakumo, you ready for this?" He asked.

Yakumo nodded. "I am," she said. The two Konoha-Nin turned to move away from the Caravan and were met by one of the merchants. "Minoru?"

The man had a graven-stricken expression. "You're going after the attackers, aren't you?" He asked.

He got a nod from Kakashi. "We were just on our way to meet them," he replied to the man.

Minoru looked at the pair of sensei and the student. "Please," he said, falling to the ground and putting his face to the ground. "Whatever else you do. Please just save my wife and son. Save my family."

Kakashi and Yakumo exchanged glances and looked down at the man. "Please, Minoru-San," Yakumo said, kneeling beside the man and helping him back to his feet. We were already planning on saving your family. So, please get to your feet."

"We promise you that your family and all the others will come back with us," Kakashi said.

Minoru was back on his feet, tears almost coming from his eyes. "Thank you, thank you," he said.

"Let's go, Yakumo," Kakashi said.

"Right, Kakashi-Sensei."

"So, that's where they're hiding out," Yakumo commented. "It looks like an old fort."

Next to her, Kakashi nodded. "Yes," he said. The pair hid in a tree line, allowing them to overlook the fort. "Judging by its architecture, I would say it probably comes from the time of the Warring States. My guess would be towards its middle period or the end of the era."

Yakumo looked at her sensei with a bit of surprise. "I didn't know you were versed in architecture," she said. "When did that happen?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I am Jōnin. We're expected to know a few things," he replied. "Plus, I was a member of the ANBU before becoming a Jōnin Sensei. I had to infiltrate a few forts like this one."

Yakumo nodded and turned her attention to the fort's entrance. "I can see two guards at the gates and three more along the walls," she reported. "You think they could be shinobi?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I think they're just regular guards," he stated. "I get the impression that we're dealing with a mixed group of bandits and shinobi. I can see three shinobi hiding around the front of the fort."

Yakumo hummed in agreement. She managed to spot two of the shinobi mentioned afterward. She would have to ask Kakashi where the third one was. "So, what do we do?" She asked. "Do we try to sneak in and rescue our people? Or do we walk in through the front door?" Right into a trap.

"They likely have a better understanding of the fort's layout than we do," Kakashi said. "So, even if we were to find a hidden entrance, they most likely already have people watching it."

Yakumo nodded. Any self-respecting shinobi would thoroughly investigate their base of operations and ensure that all the entrances and exits are covered. "So, the front door it is, then," she said.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, they did invite us here," he said. "It would be rude not to accept their offer."

"Please tell me you at least have a plan here," Yakumo said to her sensei.

"I'm a shinobi," Kakashi responded. We always have a plan. Just listen closely and follow my lead."

Meanwhile, back in the dungeons, Haku slowly breathed in and out. She moved her head to one of her chained hands and breathed out onto the metal. She smiled when a bit of frost appeared on the chain.

The man didn't realize that the chains would only absorb her chakra if she channeled it to her hands. She couldn't do any ninjutsu with her arms restrained like this. But there are other places where chakra could be channeled.

Haku continued to breathe on her chains.

Caravan

Sara knew the enemy was coming long before Sai made his report. "They're here," he said.

Sara nodded and took a step away from the Caravan. "Everyone get to safety," she shouted. She activates her Bykugan, allowing her field of vision to expand.

From behind her, she saw the merchants and their families running to their carts. Sai was close to her side, already drawing his weapon. In front of her, she saw the enemy slowly encircling them.

"We know you're there," Sara proclaimed loudly for the enemy to hear. "So, the Bykugan can see all things," one of the enemies said, stepping out from the shadows. A very large man holding a spiked mace almost as big as Sara's body. He has it over his shoulder. From around, more of the enemy emerged. Sara counts about two dozen bandits. Of them, three or four, she guessed, had shinobi training, including the large man with the mace. "You must have seen us coming a mile away."

"Several, actually," Sara answered.

The man smirked at her. "I see that your Jōnin friend isn't here," he said, looking around. "In fact, I would say that you and that brat are all that stands between us and our payday."

Sara held her stance, not wanting to give the man anything. "So, I was right," she said. "Your little invitation was a trap."

The man and the rest of the attackers started to laugh. "What?" Would you have honestly believed we just invited you for a cup of tea?" The leader of the group mocked.

Sara smirked at the man while assuming a fighting stance. "It was a possibility," she quipped at the man.

The man frowned. "I'll take the Hyūga woman," he told his forces. "The rest of you can go after the genin. When we're done with them, the Caravan will be ours. Remember our boss's orders, take everything they have, and kill anyone who tries to stop you. Understood?"

"Hai!" All the bandits shouted. Then they charged at the pair of Konoha-nin.

"Our guests have arrived," an underling reported.

Kyo smiled to himself. "How many of them?"

"Two of them," the underling answered. "Kakashi and a Kunoichi with a katana."

Kyo nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. "Must be a kenjutsu specialist. Send them in, but keep a close eye on them. They have something planned." Any shinobi that willfully walked into a trap was either very foolish or had something planned. Kyo was willing to bet it was the latter.

"The others should be making short work of the caravan right about now," Keiko said next to Kyo.

Kyo nodded. "Yes, very soon, not only will we have whatever the Caravan as. But we will have Kakashi's head and a live Hyūga to give to Kumo." With the riches Kyo and his band of bandits stand to gain, they all could very well retire and live a comfortable life. A tempting prospect, Kyo could find a nice remote villa with a good view and settle down. A life of luxury surrounded by beautiful women and good food and drink. A twinkle appeared in Kyo's eyes. Who knows, perhaps he could even get one of the women to sire him a hire.

Then he shook his head, deciding that wasn't the life for him right now. He enjoyed his life as it is. A few moments later, the underling entered the chamber with two others in tow.

One was the legendary Kakashi, and the other was a young Kunoichi with long brown hair and a katana at her hip. Keiko smiled to himself. The girl would be easy enough to deal with. Kakashi, however, would be the real challenge.

To anyone else, even other shinobi, the silver-haired Jōnin looked like the lazy sort, like he could care less what was happening. Kyo could see right through the man's façade and see him as a coiled snake ready to strike.

One glance at Keiko told him she had reached the same conclusion. "Our guest, boss," the underling said before he took his position nearby.

Kyo made a disarming smile at Kakashi and his students. "Well, well, it truly is the legendary Kakashi Hatake," he said, standing up but not moving from his seat. "The man known as the Copycat Ninja and believed to have copied more than a thousand jutsu."

Kakashi gave Kyo what he guessed was a smile. "I see my reputation has preceded me," he said. "Though I fear that some of my feats have been exaggerated. The thousand jutsu thing does seem a bit overblown. Don't you think?"

Kyo nodded. "Perhaps it is," he replied to the Konoha-nin. "But doubtless, you know a great many jutsu thanks to that Sharingan of yours." He pointed directly at the man's headband where it covered one of his eyes. "You're hiding underneath that headband of yours, aren't you."

Kakashi chuckled. "I see you do know something about me," he said. "But I'm afraid that I'm at a disadvantage here. You seem to know quite a bit about me, whereas I don't know your name."

"I'm surprised that you don't," Kyo said with a smile. "It's not as easy for shinobi to get our names out. After all, I don't have the benefit of a big and powerful village behind me. I'm just a lowly independent shinobi in a minor country. You can call me Kyo Kyo." He then gestured to the Kunoichi standing next to him. "And this is Higa Keiko. You could say she's my right hand."

"A pleasure to meet you," Keiko said with a mocking bow. "I must say I'm surprised not to see the Hyūga woman here. I thought she would be eager for a little revenge after I beat her."

Kyo smirked at seeing Kakashi giving Keike a side-eye. "I imagine she does want some payback for her defeat," he said. "But she agreed to stay behind to protect our clients. Professionalism and all, you know how it is."

Kyo nodded, showing he agreed. If only more of his men understood that concept, then his band would be a force to reckon with. "Afraid that more of my people will attack the caravan while you are away?" He made a very subtle gesture for his people to begin their move.

The silver-haired Jōnin gave him that strange eye smile. "Well, you did invite us right into a trap," he said. Then the man seemed to flicker, and before they could react, two of Kyo's men were slumping to the floor dead, throats cut open.

Kyo narrowed his eyes. He saw the whole thing happen in a blur of motion. Kyo's hand went straight for his weapon as Keiko assumed a fighting position next to him. Kakashi himself seemed unimpressed as he stood in the room with his genin student, grabbing the hilt of her weapon.

Kyo pulled his weapon, an old sword well-maintained over its life. "I see we didn't get anything past you," he commented.

Kakashi shrugged, lazily pulling out a kunai. "I am a Jōnin for a reason," he said. "I'll tell you what. Since I'm feeling courteous today, I'll make an offer with you."

Kyo arched an eyebrow at the Konoha-nin. He had a suspicion about the man's offer. "Let's hear it," he said.

"You give me back my student and the women and children you kidnapped," Kakashi said. "Then we leave this place, and no one has to die today. I would appreciate it if you also called off your attack on the Caravan as well."

"A generous offer," Kyo admitted. "But I'm afraid that I'll have to decline. Your head is far more valuable. Not to mention what Kumo will pay for a live Hyūga. As for your students, I might be inclined to let them live. If they were to join my band of misfits."

Kakashi sighed. "Then we are at an impasse," he said. "Yakumo ready yourself."

The genin, Yakumo, nodded. "Kakashi-sensei," she said, assuming a fighting stance.

Kyo grinned. "Keiko and I will take care of Kakashi," he said. "The rest of you can handle the genin."

Dungeon

Haku felt a shiver running down her arm as the metal of the cuffs slowly turned to ice. She didn't know how much time had passed since she started breathing on the chains, steadily freezing them solid.

Just a little more, Haku told herself as she let a chilled breath out on the cuff around her wrist. She was already seeing a couple of cracks in the now icy chains. Just a couple more breaths, and she would be…

With one good pull, she broke her hand free from the chains. Haku looked at her now free hand with a smile after letting out a tired breath. She slammed the frozen cuff against the unfrozen one for good measure, shattering it completely and freeing her wrist.

Her wrist and hand felt very cold but were free now. Haku made a few hand signs with her free hand and channeled her chakra. "Ice Style: Freezing Hand!"

A cold chill ran across her hand as the chakra gathered and formed the jutsu. Around it, she could see small ice crystals forming in the air. She puts her hand on the other handcuff, instantly freezing it. A yank and smash later, Haku was free to walk about her prison cell.

After a moment to collect her thoughts, the kunoichi began her plan of escape. She knocked on the back of the prison door to get the attention of any guards posted outside.

A couple of seconds later, a pair of men walked in to see an empty dungeon room. "Where did the?" The pair crumbled to the floor after Haku dealt a swift blow to the backs of each man's neck.

Haku swiftly left the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She went to look for the other prisoners and a way out of this place.

Caravan

Sai ducked under a sword swing from a bandit and slipped into the man's guard. Before the man could react to defend himself, Sai plunged his blade into his chest. Hearing footsteps behind him, Sai pulled his sword out and swung around.

"Die you littghaauh!" The bandit collapsed to the ground with his throat slashed open. Sai then moved to block a sword strike from a third attacker and quickly curved his sword up, cutting through the bandit's shoulder and severing the arm.

The man screamed out in pain, quickly dropping his weapon, and clutching to his stump of a shoulder. Then Sai's sword found its way into his neck. Sai jumped back as a hail of kunai descended on him.

Sai landed and quickly deflected two more kunai thrown at him. Sai looked at his opponent. "Not bad for a little kid," the man said, standing a short distance away from him. "Is this what passes for a genin in Konoha?"

Sai held his sword tightly, analyzing his opponent. Judging by how the man carried himself, Sai guessed he was around mid to high genin level. Possibly a low chunin in skill. Sai turned his eyes to the side, sensing another opponent approaching him. Another shinobi, about around the same skill level as the first.

"Let's take care of this brat," the second man said. "Then we can loot the caravan all we want."

The first man nodded. "If we're quick enough, we'll get something good before the others can," he said.

That was when Sai noticed the bandits moving towards one of the carts. If he had not been as well trained to suppress his emotions, Sai would have smiled at this moment.

As the bandits approached the cart, several dark figures exploded out of it and flew straight for them. The bandits' screams filled the air as they were attacked by what appeared to be a pair of lions and a giant snake.

The first of the shinobi bandits look on in surprise at the ink creatures attacking the bandits. "What are those things?" He asked. That was when Sai acted. In a blur of motion, Sai appeared in front of the man. Before the shinobi-trained bandit could react, Sai plunged his sword into the man's chest. The man was dead before his body could hit the ground.

Sai turned around and blocked an attack from his second opponent. The man was glaring daggers at him. "You little punk," he said in a snarl. "You'll pay for that."

Sai tilted his head to the side and smiled at the man. "I'm afraid I don't have any money on me," he said. "Do you take IOUs?"

The man's face contorted into anger and swung his weapon. For a second, Sai wondered how Sara was doing, and then he parried the attack.

Sara was not doing as well as she would have liked. Her opponent, a rather larger man, swung his mace around. Sara backed away from the swing, feeling the displaced air rushing over her. The man kept his forward momentum and kept swinging his mace, forcing Sara to move farther and farther.

A mace as large as the man was carrying was definitely an unconventional weapon for a shinobi. But Sara's opponent knew how to use it to his advantage. His swings were not wild and uncontrolled like one would expect from a blunt weapon like a mace. Each swing of the spiked weapon was controlled and measured, carrying momentum from the previous swing. Each swing was also wide, creating a cone of death for anyone in the way, in this case, Sara. But the swings were never wide enough to leave an opening or to throw the man's balance off.

Sara found it difficult to exploit an opening the man had. In contrast to his appearance, the man was surprisingly fast when wielding his weapon. Sara had to use every advantage she had to stay ahead of her opponent. She was smaller and nimbler than the man, and she used that.

Her opponent swung his mace down on her, intending to crush her. Sara, though, side-stepped and slipped right into the man's guard. Channeling some chakra to her fingertips, shot out a series of jabs at the man's arm, shoulder, and chest. Each strike closes a tenketsu point, cutting off the flow of chakra.

Sara pulled back from her attack as the man brought his mace around to strike at her side. Then she jumped over another strike and landed a short distance from the man. Sara held her fighting stance, smirking as she saw the man examining his arm and shoulder.

"It would be wise of you to surrender now," Sara said. "I've managed to close most of the tenketsu points in your right arm and a fair number around your chest. Your ability to use chakra has been hampered."

The man examined his arm like it was some scientific specimen. "Is that so?" He asked, clenching his hand into a fist, and sending the Hyūga kunoichi a smirk. "How about we put that little test to work, shall we?"

He put his mace on his back and held his hands together for a series of handsigns. Sara instinctively was on alert. "Try as you might, you can! Impossible!" Sara gasped as she saw chakra flow in the man's arm.

Her moment of shock allowed the man to finish his jutsu. "Doton: Fractured Earth!" He slammed his hands on the ground. A crack formed in front of the man and opened to form a fissure straight for Sara.

Acting instinctively, Sara jumped to the side to avoid falling into the newly formed fissure. "But I closed your tenketsu points!" Sara shouted at the man. "You should not be able to do that."

"Did you really?" The man's voice from beside Sara. Then, Sara realized her opponent was not where he was a moment ago. Again, listening to that little voice inside her head, Sara jumped.

Barely managing to avoid a swing from a mace. Barely being the operative word here, as the tip of the mace's outermost spike clipped her in the arm, cutting through cloth and flesh. Sara winced but ignored the sting pain that shot through her arm.

Sara landed and then jumped again to distance herself from her opponent. When she landed, Sara had her other hand over the wound across her arm. She pulled her hand away, seeing the blood on her palm. She glared back at the man responsible for it. She activated her Byakugan and saw the chakra flow through the man's body, including his right arm. With some focus, she could see that the tenketsu points along that arm were still open.

"But I hit them all," she said aloud. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Her opponent nodded at her. "Ahh, but you never bothered to check and see if they actually closed," the man said. "You did hit them," he pulled his arm out and rolled up his sleeve. Sara deactivated her Byakugan and saw red marks across his arm. The points were her gentle fist had hit. "But they didn't close like you wanted them to."

"But how?" Sara asked. This was not good. If this man had some kind of counter to the gentle fist, then Sara knew she was in real trouble. Worse, if this man passed on what he knew, it would be dark days ahead for the Hyūga clan.

The man smirked at her. The man patted his stomach with his free hand. "In case you haven't noticed, I got a thicker skin than most people," he said. "And well," his smirk grew. "Why don't you have another look with those eyes of yours? See if you notice something."

Sara hesitated to do as the man said, but the mystery of what was going on here was too much for her to ignore. "Byakugan!" Sara shouted, activating her genkai kekkei. She then focused her attention on her opponent. At first, Sara did not notice anything different from the man and almost wrought it off as a cheap trick from him.

Then she noticed it, and if she had her Byakugan off, she would have narrowed her eyes at the sight. Across the man's skin was a thin layer of chakra. Almost unnoticeable even for the eyes of the Hyūga. Sara deactivated her genkai kekkei. "An impressive technique," she said, glaring at the man.

"It's a little something my grandma taught me," her opponent explained. "By generating a thin layer of chakra over my skin, I provide it with that extra protection. Depending on the circumstances, I can thicken or thin that layer as needed. Though obviously, the former requires more chakra. So, I only use that to protect myself from what would have been fatal blows."

Sara nodded. She was starting to see how the man's technique worked. It wasn't all that different from the tree or water walking techniques. But instead of focusing the chakra in his feet, he spread it across his body. It would also explain why her attempts to close his tenketsu points failed.

The layer of chakra must have absorbed or disturbed the chakra from her fingertips as she struck the man with her gentle fist. So, now the question was, how would she get around that? Sara could already think of a few ways.

The man held his mace out at Sara. "I think that's enough talking," the man said. His eyes turned elsewhere for a second. "My men are having a little trouble with your genin friend. So, I'm going to have to make this short."

Sara resumed her fighting stance. She reactivated her Byakugan and started to channel her chakra to her feet. "I had hoped to save this for another time," she muttered silently. "But I guess I have no choice now."

Tiny sparks of electricity enveloped her fingers.

Unknown Fort

Yakumo twisted out of the way of a spear strike to her side and swung her sword at her attacker. The man stepped back and used the shaft of his weapon to block the sword strike.

Yakumo then twisted her sword and swung at her other opponent, a man with a sword like hers.

The man parried the attack and stepped in closer to the young kunoichi. His sword came down on Yakumo, only to pass through empty air a second later.

A short distance away, Kakashi was in the middle of his own battle against two opponents. The pair of Shinobi and Kunoichi was good that much the Sharingan user would admit. Just on the way, they were fighting Kakashi. I guess they both were around the level of a Jōnin. Not bad for a pair with no clan backing and not coming from a hidden village. Blocking an attack from the man, Kakashi wonders if they might have come from a shinobi family.

Shinobi outside of the hidden villages were not a complete rarity. While it was true that most clans and shinobi families had settled down in a village, it did not mean all of them had. They were rare, but one could still find a shinobi clan/family not affiliated with the villages.

Kakashi suspected his opponents must come from one. He didn't see any sigils or indication that the pair came from a clan, so he assumed they must be from a minor shinobi family.

That, coupled with the fact that the pair operated in a minor country, put Kakashi in a bit of a dilemma. He had no other information on them. Knowing who the enemy was is key to beating them.

Kakashi twisted around, blocking a fist strike from the shinobi with one hand and using the other to pull out a kunai to block projectiles thrown by the Kunoichi. "Not bad for a pair of unknown Shinobi," Kakashi said.

He formed a quick flurry of handsigns and slammed his hands to the ground. "Doton: Moving Mud Wall." A slap of earth erupted from the ground and hurtled for the Kunoichi.

The kunoichi moved out of the way, finishing her own set of hand signs. "Koton: Blazing Lance!"

The kunoichi took a deep breath and spat out a long stream of fire at Kakashi. Kakashi jumped to the side, avoiding the lance of fire as it impacted the ground. Kakashi twisted around the air to see his other opponent bringing a rocked-covered fist down on him.

The last thing Kakashi saw was the man smiling as the fist went through him. Then, his body exploded into a cloud of smoke. Kyo only had a second to look confused before he whirled around and used his rock-encased hand to block a hail of furry bullets. Then Keiko came in front of him and slammed her hands to the ground to create an Earth wall blocking a massive fireball that would have consumed him.

The earth wall fell, revealing the pair sending annoyed looks at the very alive Kakashi. "Not bad indeed," he said non-chantey.

The man, Kyo, smirked at him. "What thought we wouldn't be any match for since we didn't come from a big fancy village?" He asked, not hiding his contempt. "Or from a now defuncted clan."

Kakashi narrowed his single good eye at the man. "So, you did do your homework," he said.

Kyo's smile grew. "The Hatake name used to be renown even out here," he said. "But then your father came along and dragged it through the mud. Tell me what it feels like to be the son of a failure?"

Kakashi was silent momentarily, acting like the man had gotten to him. "How about I show you," he said. He vanished and reappeared right in front of his enemy.

Yakumo arched her sword, trying to catch her opponent in the arm. However, the man had shifted his body to avoid the blade cutting through his arm. Then he thrust his spear forward.

Yakumo took a step to the side to avoid the forward thrust. Just as the man was pulling his weapon back for another attack, Yakumo's hand shot out and grabbed the weapon by the shaft. The young kunoichi then swung her sword at the man, hoping to catch the man in his chest.

Then Yakumo saw a glint out of her eye. She pulled her sword back, let go of the spear, and barely managed to jump back. The blade of another sword cut right through the fabric of her tunic on her left arm, but thankfully not any deeper.

Yakumo landed on the ground and was about to attack her opponents when a sword burst through her chest. Yakumo dropped her sword, letting it hit the ground with a loud clang, briefly getting the attention of all.

Coughing up a thick wad of blood, Yakumo turned her head around to see another shinobi had gotten behind her and was holding the sword that had cut pierced through her back out of her chest.

That was when Yakumo felt two more weapons enter her body: another sword and a spear. Yakumo smiled.

The sound of a sword hitting the ground caught the attention of Kakashi forcing his attention from the fight for a split second. He turned his head just in time to see Yakumo be stabbed through the stomach and chest by a spear and a sword, respectively. A third weapon was sticking out from her chest, having been thrust through her back. He saw the smile on his genin's face.

"Well, well, it looks like you're down a student," the kunoichi, Keiko, said with a wide grin. "At this rate, you won't have any students left."

Kakashi looked away from the sight and looked at his opponents. "Are you sure about that?" He asked.

His question had the desired effect of catching his opponents off guard. "What the hell?" Kyo shouted. "Don't you care that one of your students was just killed?"

Kakashi looked at the man like he was an idiot. Meanwhile, the kunoichi next to him narrowed her eyes at the Konoha Jōnin. She seemed to be processing what was going on. "I would if that is actually what happened," Kakashi said casually. "You might want to take a closer look."

The two turned their attention to the sight of the impaled genin, as did Kakashi. The silver-haired Jōnin smiled when he saw Yakumo's body start to ripple and shift, like an image in a pond after a rock had been thrown.

In fact, all the figures around her started to shift around as well. After another moment, Yakumo was gone, and in her place was one of the bandits holding a sword through the air. A spear and a sword plunge right through the man's chest, blood dripping from his wounds and his mouth.

His killers pulled their weapons out from the man and quickly turned their weapons on each other as their comrades fell dead to the floor. Kakashi turned his attention back to his opponents. He was pleased to see the looks of shock on their faces.

"A genjutsu," Keiko said, turning her body around to face Kakashi. Her partner was still in a state of shock, looking at what was happening. "You put us under a genjutsu. Your student was never here to begin with. How did you do that? And without us noticing?"

Kakashi gave his opponent an eye smile. "Actually, it was my cute little genin who placed you under the genjutsu," he explained. "She was here, but only for a moment. Long enough to put you under her spell."

Kyo puts his hands together. "KAI!" He shouted, sending out a massive pulse of chakra. Normally, a pulse like that would have broken the genjutsu his men were under. But they kept fighting each other. And, in a moment, killed. The man with the sword swings his weapon out, decapitating his would-be ally.

The man had a victorious smirk before a kunai buried itself in his skull, courtesy of Kakashi. "Nice, try," Kakashi said. "But you'll find my student's genjutsu won't be so easily broken. It is her clan's specialty."

"A clan brat, ehh?" Kyo said. He turned his head to face his partner. "Keiko, I want you to go after the girl. There's no telling what kind of trouble she can cause. I'll hand mister one eye here." He looked at Kakashi with an arrogant smile.

The Kunoichi nodded at him and ran off. To be stopped a second later by a second Kakashi. "Now, where are you going?" The second Kakashi asked. "A little rude to leave the party so early?"

The Kunoichi glared at the shadow clone.

Dungeon area

Daisuke was scared that he would admit it right now. He was scared for himself, he was scared for the women he was being held captive with, and most of all, he was scared for his best friend.

Daisuke looked over at the younger boy chained next to him. Akito was trying to hold up a brave face, but his eyes and cheeks were swollen red from all the tears. Looking around the cell, he could see that a lot of the women were trying to be brave as well. Most of them had failed.

Daisuke tried to put on his best smile, but even he could tell it was strained. "Hey, Akito," he said, trying to get his friend's attention. The younger boy looked at him with eyes that were still watery. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"We will?" Akito asked.

Daisuke half nodded. "Yeah, we'll be fine," he said. "Any moment now, we'll be rescued by the shinobi, and we'll be back home before the sun can set."

"But," Akito said. "The ice lady was taken too, and they beat that other lady."

Daisuke shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about it," he responded. "I'm sure Haku is fine. In fact, I'm willing to bet that she's broken out already and is on her way to rescue us."

Akito sniffed. "You think so?" He asked. "Wh-what about the others? About the Hyūga lady?"

Daisuke nodded. "I'm sure she's fine too," he said, wanting to convince himself. "She and the other Shinobi are probably already coming to rescue us. So, don't worry about it. We'll be fine. I know it."

"Listen to your friend, honey," Akito's mother said from the other side of the cell. She was looking at her son with pleading eyes. "We'll be fine. Just stay calm. The Shinobi will rescue us, I know it. They have to."

Looking around the cell again, Daisuke could tell the others had listened to the conversation. He could hope in their eyes, even if it was just a small amount. Daisuke looked at Akito's mother, where they shared a glance.

Both did not want to admit it allowed. But they knew that if the Shinobi didn't come or they failed in their mission, the fate of everyone in the cell would not look good. A lot of the women Daisuke could guess what would happen to them. He could even guess what would happen to him. But he was worried about his friend Akito. There was no telling what would happen to him; it was unlikely he would be able to handle a life of hard labor. If he were lucky, he would end up being a domestic servant like some of the women. Daisuke didn't want to think if Akito was unlucky.

"We'll get out of this," Daisuke said. "We have to."

Akito opened his mouth to say something when a commotion outside grabbed everyone's attention. All eyes went to the cell door as the noise continued for several seconds before silence returned.

Then the door opened, and Daisuke and everyone else braced themselves for an appearance from their captors. Never in his life was Daisuke happy to be wrong and happier to see a beautiful woman.

The Ice lady from before, Haku walked into the cell and smiled at them. "There you are."

Haku broke off the last of the chains binding the prisoners. "Thank you so much," the woman said. "We owe you, our lives."

Haku nodded, grateful that everyone from the Caravan was okay, including the two boys she had been escorting last night. "You shouldn't thank me yet," she said after ensuring everyone was all right. "We're still inside enemy territory and have no idea how far we are from the caravan, even if we escape."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Daisuke said. "Let's get out of here." Several of the women in the dungeon nodded their heads in agreement.

Haku could understand their eagerness to get out; she wanted to do something. But she could not, in good conscience, risk the safety of her clients, both as a professional and as a person. "Not before I scout ahead," she said. "I'll find us a safe path out of here, and then I'll come back. Until then, I need all of you to stay here. Is that understood?"

Some occupants looked like they didn't like what they heard. However, they held themselves in place and nodded at her. She looked at the boys, getting nods from them.

"Don't worry about us," Akito's mother said with a wry smile. "We'll be safe here. Just find us a way out of here."

Haku nodded. "Stay safe," she said. Then she left the room. Carefully and quickly, she snuck through the hallways of the bandit's hideout. She had already long since guessed that her captors had set themselves up in an old fort, possibly from around the time of the Waring States Era.

She had been inside several such forts thanks to her travels with Zabuza. So, she had a general idea of what to expect from the place. From what she saw of the stone walls, Haku guessed she and the other prisoners were being held under the fort, maybe a level or two below the ground.

Haku knew there was a chance of exits and entrances at the underground levels of the fort. But she knew they would be difficult to find as they were often hidden, even inside the fort itself.

That meant the best chance Haku, and the others had was to try to find a path to the main level and seek out an exit from there. The front entrance was obviously a no-go as that would be guarded. But if she could get to the main level, she could find a way out.

"You there? What are?" The man never got to finish as senbon punctured his neck, sending him to the ground, still alive.

Unfortunately, the man was not alone. Two others rounded the corner and saw her by the prone form of their comrade. They both drew their weapons, pikes. "Stop it right there." One of them shouts as the pair charge at her.

Haku pulled out a handful of senbon, getting ready for a fight. She knew she would have to make this quick. When the pair were about halfway to her, she was prepared to throw her senbon. The two men suddenly stopped and came to a halt.

Surprise stopped Haku from throwing her senbon as the men stood where they stopped. A glazed look had come over their eyes. "What the?"

"You have me to thank for that," Yakumo's voice came through the hall. Haku smiled as she saw her team walking into view from behind her. "Right now, those two think they just saw you running off and are chasing after you. Care to finish them off?"

Haku nodded and threw her senbon, striking at the pressure points in the men's bodies. Both crumbled to the floor, the glazed look remaining in their eyes. Haku turned to face Yakumo.

"It's good to see you," she said. "But how did you get here? Did you get captured as well?"

Yakumo shook her head. "No," she said. "Sara told us what happened."

"Sara-San? She's okay?" Haku asked. She hadn't seen or heard anything about Sara since she had been captured. Haku had feared the worst.

"She's fine," Yakumo confirmed for Haku. "She was beaten by another group of the bandits led by a Kunoichi. But they left her behind for a message."

"A message?" Haku asked.

Yakumo shook her head. "I'll explain on the way," she said. "But right now, Kakashi is fighting the leader of these bandits and that Kunoichi I told you about. We need to find the others and get them out."

"I can show you the way," Haku replied. "I was looking for a way out when I ran into those men and you."

Yakumo nodded. "Good, then we can get out of here," she said.

"What about Sai and Sara? Are they here, too?" Haku said, turning around to show her teammate where the other prisoners were.

"I'll explain everything on the way," Yakumo said. "Come, let's get moving."

Caravan

Masato smiled to himself as he took another swing at the Hyūga Kunoichi. The woman easily dodged the attack. Seeing the opening he left open, the Hyūga slept into his guard and did that little thing with her Gentle Fist. The bit where she was supposed to close off his tenketsu points.

A good strategy, but not that it would be any good. Not while he still had his protective layer of chakra stopping a thing like that. In the back of his mind, he reminded himself to thank his grandmother for developing the technique. A good woman she was, passing her technique down had been the best thing she had done for him. That or her recipe for udon she used to make for him.

He slammed a fist down on the Hyūga Kunoichi, only for her to see the attack coming and pull herself away from him. However, she ended up in the arc of Masato's mace swing. The spiked weapons slammed into the woman's body, sending it flying.

It would have if the log that had taken her place had not exploded into a shower of wood and splinters. Masato sped around and used his mace to block a hail of kunai. Lowering his weapon, he smirked at the woman. "I thought you, Hyūga, couldn't use ninjutsu?" He taunted the woman. "Something about it being beneath you. The same thing goes for weapons."

His opponent gave him a sharp glare. "Oh, please, even we can manage something as simple as substitution," she remarked. "And besides, I'm not exactly a traditional Hyūga. Not completely, anyway."

Masato frowned. Something in his mind told him that his opponent had just given something away. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

The Hyūga smirked at him. "If you haven't figured it out yet," she said. "Then I have already won this battle." She resumed the fighting of her clan's taijutsu, the Gentle Fist. Again, Masato noted that something was off about the stance.

But he ignored this and swung his mace at the kunoichi. At the same time, he molded his chakra in preparation for a jutsu. Masato frowned when he noticed his swing was not as fast or powerful as it should have been. In fact, his arms felt oddly sluggish, and his chakra was having a hard time flowing through his body.

The Hyūga twisted her body around to avoid the mace swing, then stepped back to avoid another blow. Masato finished molding his chakra. He slammed his mace into the ground, forcing his opponent back. In that motion, he let go of his weapon and flashed through a blur of handsigns.

"Doton: Earth Needle Shot." The ground at his feet cracked and rumbled. Then suddenly, needle-like slabs of rock shot from the ground and surged toward the Hyūga.

The Kunoichi gritted her teeth and assumed a different stance. Just as the projectiles would reach her, she spans around rapidly, a blue sphere enveloping her. "Heavenly Spin!"

The earth needles impacted the sphere of chakra and were swept aside by the currents. Masato frowned as the sphere dissipated, and the Hyūga kunoichi stopped her spinning.

"So, that's the ultimate defensive technique your clan is known for," Masato said. "The Heavenly Spin."

He saw his opponent smirking at him. "With this, it doesn't matter what you throw at me," she said. "The Heavenly Spin will counter it. Nothing can get past the Hyūga's ultimate defense."

Masato smiled. "Oh, yeah? We'll see about that," he said. See how well that ultimate defense of hers would hold up under his mace. The bandit shinobi moved to swing his weapon at the Hyūga woman.

That was when he felt his arm stiffening up. "What the?" He tried to move his arm but found he couldn't get past his shoulder, let alone above his head. "Why can't I move my arm?" He asked aloud.

"So, you finally noticed," the Hyūga woman said with a smirk. "Honestly, I thought you would notice something wrong sooner. But you come off as the thick type in more ways than one."

Masato glared at the woman. "What did you do?" It was then he noticed the stiffness in his legs. His whole body felt sluggish and stiff. "Wh-what happened?"

"Wh-what happened?"

Sara smirked at her opponent. Her new technique had finally taken effect. "You really haven't noticed a thing, have you?" She asked her foe. More like taunted. "And here I thought I was dealing with a fellow shinobi. But you're just a brutish thug pretending to be one."

Anger flashed across the face of her opponent. "You bitch," he howled. "I demand that you tell what you did." He tried to move towards her. But his moments were slow and sluggish.

"Very well then," she said. It wasn't like he would be around long enough to tell anyone. Not if she had anything to do about it. "I'll crank it up a bit so you can see it better." Sara started to channel more chakra into her fingers.

The crackle of electricity becomes more powerful and more pronounced. Enough that her opponent could notice, judging by the widening of his eyes. "You're hands," he said. "You're channeling elemental chakra into them."

Sara nodded. "Lighting chakra to be precise," she clarified. "What you are looking at is a modified version of the Gentle Fist. The Lightening Fist."

Her opponent gritted his teeth as he tried to move forward. "Another of the Hyūga's techniques. How many does your clan have?"

Sara smiled to herself. "Plenty," she answered. What she wasn't going to tell was that this was a technique she had made for herself. "As for this, well, you can already make a couple of guesses. I'll spell It out for you in case you are slow on the uptake. The conventional version of the gentle fist aims to target the chakra pathways of the body. This version targets the nervous system by injecting small jolts of electricity into the body. Instead of taking your ability to use chakra away, I deprive you of control of your own body."

"But my technique," Sara's opponent said. "It should have protected me. It should have disrupted any chakra going into my body."

"To a degree, it did protect you," Sara admitted to her enemy. "With anyone else, they would have been crippled a long time ago. That chakra coating must have absorbed some of the electricity. But even if it was generated by my chakra, I was still injecting electricity into your body. Your chakra coating might mitigate some of the effects, but ultimately, it can't stop your body from being paralyzed." Then, she assumed a position. "Now I believe it's time to end this."

Her opponent growled as he tried to lift up his mace, but to no avail. With a burst of chakra-enhanced speed, Sara appeared right in front of the thuggish shinobi. "Lighting Fist: Eight Trigrams: Single Lighting Palm."

Sara's palm was encased in crackling lightning as it shot forward and connected with the man's chest. Several volts of electricity arc right to the man's heart, stopping it.

Sara pulled back from her opponent and relaxed her posture. She watched as her opponent stood there, not realizing his death had already come. The man tried to take a step forward but was slow and sluggish. Then his eyes glazed over, and he let out a gutter choke as his body toppled over from the forward momentum.

With her Byakugan activated, she watched the man's chakra network still, and the chakra faded away. Sara let out a tired sigh. Her lighting fist was still new to her, and she took more chakra than the regular version of the gentle fist.

She was going through a mental checklist of things to do to mitigate that problem and others she had noticed whilst developing the form. Chief among them was getting her chakra control so she could more readily use her Lighting Fist. Then see about working on the technique itself. Maybe she could talk to Hitomi-Sama and Hinata-Sama about that. She knew they had their own version of the gentle fist. Their insights could help.

From now though, she will focus on her objective here. With her Byakugan, she could see that Kakashi's sole male student was holding up well against the bandit assault, keeping them at bay and using his ink creatures to form a second layer of protection around the Caravan.

But she could tell he was starting to struggle against being put on the defensive. The enemy had numbers on their side, and a few had some shinobi training. But now that the leader of this assault had been dealt with, Sara could turn her attention to helping the young genin.

It was time to show him what a chunin could do.

Bandit Fort

"Everyone this way," Yakumo called out to the group of captive merchants. "We're almost there. Haku, how are you holding up?"

"Just fine," Haku shouted back. She tossed her senbon downing a bandit charging down the hall. Haku and Yakumo managed to get the captives up to the main level and were making their way through the fort when a patrol of guards saw them.

Unfortunately, they sounded the alarm before the pair could take the patrol down. Since then, it had been a fighting retreat out of the fort.

Thankful between Yakumo's genjutsu and Haku's use of senbon and her genkai kekkei they had managed to protect the captive women and two boys. Now that the homestretch was in view, some of Yakumo's worries started to vanish.

"Just hold out a little longer," Yakumo shouted. A battle cry caught her attention. She looked over to see one of the bandits charging towards her, sword held high. A quick genjutsu had the man running away from her, thinking he was in another section of the fort. If he saw any other bandits, he would fight them, believing they were the enemy.

Honestly, sometimes, her gift for genjutsu scared her.

"Parlor tricks compared to what you can actually do," the Edo said. "You can do a lot better than just tricking these peons into seeing the others as their enemies. I can demonstrate if you like."

I don't think so. Yakumo shot back at the shadow.

She could hear the thing sulking in the back of her mind. "Oh, come on, Yakumo dear," it said. "They're not friends or even innocent bystanders. They're your enemies. Surely you can let me have fun with them?" The Edo was met with silence from Yakumo's mind. "Spoilsport."

The escaping group finally broke out into the courtyard of the fort and up to the front gates. The doors were still swung open from when Kakashi and her broke in. The prone forms of the guards still lay on the ground.

"Through here," Yakumo called. One by the women went through the gates. "Then we're out of here. Haku, we're almost out. Just make sure the enemy can't stop us."

"Oh, I will," Haku replied. Before Yakumo replied, she and the others felt a frigid wind rushing over them. The Kurama heiress looked over and saw that her teammate had formed several of her ice mirrors. They are facing the main entry to the fort but still angled at each other to reflect their images.

"That is so cool," Daisuke said. He and Akito were standing by Yakumo. Even though the two boys were scared, they each had an excited gleam in their eyes.

As much as Yakumo wanted to agree with the kid, she still had a job to do. She turned to face the boys. "You two through those gates, now," she said, leaving no room for argument.

Akito, though, looked nervous. "Will we be safe out there?" He asked.

Yakumo puts her hands on his shoulders and nods her head. "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."

Daisuke grabs Akito's hand. "Come on, dude," he said. "Let's let the kunoichi do their job. Besides, we have a job of our own to do."

Akito looked at his friend. "What can we do?" He asked curiously.

Daisuke smiled at the blond-haired boy. "Simple," he replied. "We got to protect all these women and your mom, of course." He looks at Yakumo. "Don't worry, we'll keep the others safe. You just do what you came here to do."

Yakumo smiled at the redhead. "I will," she said. "Just make sure everyone is safe. Okay? The same thing goes for you." She looked at Akito. "You must be brave for a little longer. Can you do that?"

The young boy nodded. "I will," he said. "I'll protect everyone."

Yakumo smiled. "Then get going," she said. "I promise we'll be right behind you."

The boys nodded and ran off through the gates. When the last captive merchants got through the gates, Yakumo ran up to where Haku was. "Everyone is out. How do you want to play this?"

Haku emerged from one of her ice mirrors, appearing next to Yakumo. "Is Kakashi still inside the fort?" She asked.

Yakumo nodded. "Yeah, he was fighting the leader of this group and a Kunoichi," she replied. A lull had fallen over, suggesting the enemy was regrouping or there were not enough of them to mount a pursuit. Between Haku and her, they had managed to take several of the bandits and rogue shinobi, so Yakumo wagered it was the latter.

"Then here's my plan," Haku said. "I'll head inside to see if sensei needs help," she said. "At the very least, I can tell him everyone has escaped. You, on the other hand, will guide the captives back to the Caravan. You're the only one who knows the way back. And you look exhausted."

Yakumo wasn't going to deny that. She could feel how heavy her breath was. She had not been expecting action like this on what was supposed to be a simple escort mission. Given what happened with the other rookie teams, perhaps she should have been more prepared.

"You don't look any better either," Yakumo noted aloud. Haku looked haggard. "You sure you'll be of any help to Kakashi-Sensei?"

Haku nodded. "Fought alongside Zabuza-Sam in worse condition before," she said. Yakumo didn't have any doubts about that. "And I don't have to join the fight directly to help sensei. A more supportive role might be all he needs."

Yakumo nodded. "If you're sure," she said. She got a nod from Haku. "All right then, I'll get the others back to safety. But you make sure that Kakashi and you get out of here safe? Clear?"

Haku smiled. "Clear," she said. Then, she was gone in a blur of motion. Yakumo ran through the gates.

What had once been the audience chamber for the fort was now as close to unrecognizable as it could get. Gashes along the walls and floor. Scorch marks pocket the area, some still with fresh fires. Jagged rocks and discarded kunai littered the area. Prone bodies, some still alive, other life lay on the ground and on the walls, none belonging to the main combatants.

In short, the area looked like a warzone. Kakashi used his kunai to parry a pair of weapons thrown at him. To his side, he heard footsteps rapidly coming at him. He shifted his arms around to block an attack from Keiko, who at some point had pulled out a pair of chakra blades like the ones used by Asuma. However instead of using wind chakra, she was using water chakra.

Her partner was at the far side of the room, going through the motions to prepare a powerful ninjutsu. It was something Kakashi had no intention of letting him finish. This battle had already gone on longer than he would have liked.

That was down largely due to how well his opponents worked together. Kakashi was confident he could easily dispatch them if he were to fight them one-on-one. However, with the pair working together, they were putting up a decent fight. The two had settled into a rhythm. One would fight him at close range, while the other would provide support from range or throw out ninjutsu, then switch.

With a swift kick, Kakashi threw off Keiko and charged at Kyo. He twisted his kunai around, aiming it at the man's chest. But the kunoichi had quickly recovered and leaped out in front of Kakashi.

She slashes both her weapons at Kakashi, forcing him to halt his charge and take a step back. Keiko pressed her assault back, making Kakashi step back further, blocking or dodging each slash of her chakra blade.

Behind her, Kakashi saw that his second opponent was almost finished with his jutsu. A powerful one, Kakashi suspected. One that would force him to move out of the way and into a second well-prepared attack that he would be less likely to dodge.

Kakashi was already thinking of ways to avoid that trap and the second one that was likely to follow, along with his own counterassault.

"Having a hard time here?" Keiko mocked Kakashi with a wide grin. "Maybe you should have let me go after your brat. That way, you would only have to deal with the boss. Not that you would have stood a chance then."

"I like a challenge," Kakashi said. It did sound like a good idea, dividing the enemy so they could be picked off. He could have pulled it off if another highly skilled shinobi had been with him, preferably another Jōnin like Gai or Kunari. Sara could work, too; she was getting close to being a Jōnin.

But he could not risk that with his students. As good as they were, and with Kakashi's confidence in his students' abilities, he could not let Yakumo fight this Kunoichi alone. Haku probably stood the best chance against the woman, but at the time, she was indisposed.

Of course, by now, she and other captives were hopefully free and escaping the fort. A point he decided to make for his opponents. Their blades clashed together. "By now, my student should have freed the others," he said. "And more than likely, they have escaped this fort and are returning to the caravan."

Keiko huffed as she pulled back her weapons and came out Kakashi with another swing. "What makes you think a bunch of brats can handle our people?" She asked. "For all you know, your little genin is dead or joining her teammate as we speak. Then there's our little attack on the Caravan going on right now. What makes you think that you have a chance of winning today?"

Kakashi smiled as he saw a glint of light in the air. "Because I have faith in my team," Kakashi said. Then he ducked.

A look of confusion came over Kunoichi's face, then morphed to outright surprise as a hail of senbon was thrown at her. She deflected the entire barrage with her weapons. As she did, a cold whirlwind whipped around the chamber, forming numerous ice mirrors.

A figure appeared in the mirrors, all looking at the Kunoichi and holding a handful of senbon. "I suggest you give up now," Haku said firmly.

Keiko whipped her head around. "The hell?" She shouted. "Is that a Genkai Kekkei? How many clan brats do you have?"

But she got no answer as Kakashi was already charging right for Kyo. The kunoichi spun around to chase after him. But it was stopped by a rain of senbon. She managed to avoid or block most of them. But some had managed to pierce into her body. "Damn you!"

"You won't be helping your partner now," Haku said.

Kakashi charged right for the leader of the bandits. The man had a worried expression, but a smirk was winning out. "Too slow," he said, going into a final set of handsigns.

But Kakashi had already gone through his own handsigns, and his Sharingan was revealed. Suddenly, what sounded like a thousand birds chirping filled the chamber as Kakashi's hand was encased in electricity.

"Chidori!" Kakashi appeared right in front of the man and plunged his hand into his chest, exploding his heart. Kyo coughed up a fountain of blood, his hands clasped together in a final handsign.

The leader of the bandits looked at Kakashi with an expression of horror before his eyes rolled back into his head. Kakashi pulled his hand out from the man's chest, allowing his body to fall to the ground.

Kakashi did not spare the body a second glance as he turned around and faced the remaining opponent in the room. The Kunoichi was still surrounded by Haku's ice mirrors and noticeably had a bunch of senbon sticking out from her.

Keiko had her teeth gritted together when Kakashi spoke up. "Your partner is dead. I suggest you give up now before you end up joining him."

The Kunoichi looked at Kakashi and then passed him. A look of shock won out across her face. "No way," she said. "You couldn't have killed him that quickly."

Kakashi eyed the woman carefully; the Chidori had taken a lot out of him, and he was not sure if he had enough to do another. So, a bluff was in order. "Would you like a demonstration of how he died? I warn you, it might be the last demonstration you'll get."

In the reflection of the mirrors, Kakashi saw Haku readying another handful of senbon. "Please listen to him," she said. "I do not wish for there to be any more death than has already been today."

The kunoichi looked like she was weighing her options up. She looked between Kakashi and Haku several times. Keiko let out a long sigh, put her weapons away, and held her hands up. "I don't suppose you'll be willing to let me walk away from this. Will you?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Not after you threaten our clients like you did," he said. "We'll hold you until we return to Konoha. Then we can decide your fate from there." It was possible the Kunoichi, and her partner, had bounties in this country. It would be something to investigate.

Keiko snorted. "I thought not," she said. Kakashi's mind went into overdrive. But before he could do anything to act on it, the woman threw something onto the floor.

A thick plume of smoke exploded out from the Kunoichi. On instinct, Kakashi threw a pair of kunai into the cloud of smoke. All he got for his effort was the two distinct thunking noises.

Kakashi pulled out another kunai, readying himself for an attack. "Haku, can you see anything?"

"I can't sensei," Haku called back. "Smoke is too thick. I can't see a thing."

"Give me a second," Kakashi replied. Still keeping his senses sharp, Kakashi used a wind jutsu to blow out the smoke. With the thick cloud gone, he and Haku could see clearly again. The Kunoichi was nowhere in sight.

"Is she gone?" Haku asked. "Or is she hiding somewhere?"

Kakashi stood in his place, looking around the audience chamber. He puts his weapon away but does not relax his guard. "I think it might be the former."

Haku stepped out from one of her mirrors. "You think she might try to go after Yakumo and the others?" She asked. The mirrors melted away into puddles of water. "Or after the caravan?"

Kakashi had already dismissed that idea. "I doubt it," he responded. "More than likely, she is booking as far away as possible from us."

"So, it's over," Haku said.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I believe it is," he replied. "Let's search the fort first, though. Make sure they don't have any more captives here."

"Is a clean-up operation?" Haku asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No," he answered. "Once word gets out that the bosses are gone, the rest will scatter. We'll deal with them if they get in the way or come after the Caravan. But I think it's best to leave them for now. If they remain a problem, the country can always hire shinobi."

Haku nodded. "More than likely, Konoha," she said.

Kakashi gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Perhaps," he answered. "Then let us move."

Caravan, sometime later

"I think I see someone coming," one of the merchants shouted.

Sai and Sara were instantly on alert. Both Shinobi had their weapons drawn and set themselves into fighting positions.

The last of the attacking bandits had been disposed of after their leader had fallen by Sara. She had joined Sai in the main defense after that, and between the two of them, they had quickly dispatched anyone who tried to come close to the Caravan and the merchants.

After a while, the enemy wised up to the fact that they were getting nowhere, and what was left of them fled back to their fort.

"Could the enemy be making another attack?" Sai asked. It was the first thing that crossed his mind. It seemed unlikely to him, as it felt too soon, but it was not outside the realm of possibility.

"I'll check and see," Sara said, activating her Bykugan. "It's a small group, I see."

For some reason, Sai felt an odd warmth in his body. "Can you see who they are?" He asked.

It took Sara a second to answer, but when she answered, she smiled. "It's Kakashi and the others," she said. "They've returned."

Sai didn't know it at the time, but what he felt then was relief. The smile he had greeted his returning sensei and teammates was not as fake as he thought.

Two days later, Land of Honey

"Thank you again so much," the leader of the merchant caravan said, bowing to the group of Konoha shinobi. "Without you, we would have never made it back to our home country."

Kakashi chuckled and gave the man an eye smile. "No need to thank us," he said. "We were doing our job."

While Kakashi was talking with the head merchant, the genin were conversing with some of the merchants. "Do we really have to part here?" Daisuke said. "Can't you follow us to one of the towns? Or better stay with us?"

Yakumo chuckled and shook her head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that," she said.

"The mission report said to escort you to the border of the Land of Honey," Sai explained. "Anything passed that is not required."

"Plus, if we did stay with you, we would be running the risk of being labeled as nuke-nin," Haku added.

"Nuke-nin?" Akito asked. "What's that?"

"Not anything you want us to become," Haku answered. "I'm sorry to say, but we do have to go back home."

Both merchant boys had disappointed looks on their faces. "But we don't want to say goodbye," Akito said.

"Yeah, what if we never see you again?" Daisuke asked.

Yakumo giggled. "Don't worry," she said. She bent down so she could look the boys in the eyes. "This might be goodbye. But it doesn't mean we won't see each other again. I'm sure we'll meet again one day."

"But when will that be?" Akito asked.

"Someday," Haku answered. "But until then, you got to keep your chins up. Understand? No, sad faces here, all right?"

Akito and Daisuke still looked like they wanted to say more. But both boys nodded their heads after a moment. "Promise us, we'll meet again," Akito said. "Promise we'll see each other again."

Yakumo and Haku exchanged glances and giggled. "We promise," Haku said with a warm smile.

"We'll meet again," Yakumo said. "Isn't that right, Sai?"

Sai smiles with his eyes closed. "If fate allows it," he said. He promptly got an elbow to his side. "Besides, if your Caravan ever needs an escort again. You people can always hire us again." Haku gave him an approving nod.

"Really?" Akito asked. "Can we do that?"

"Sure, you can," Yakumo said. "So, don't be sad. We'll meet again. The same thing goes for you, too." She looked at Daisuke.

Daisuke huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm not sad," he said in a cracking voice. Then, a smile crosses his face. "But thanks."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi signaling for them. "Looks like we got to go," she said.

"Right now?" Akito said, his eyes watering up.

Yakumo smiled and put a finger to his lips. "Now, what did we say?" She asked the boy.

"Keep my chin up," Akito answered. He looked up at Yakumo, trying to force the frown from his face.

Yakumo nodded and stood up. "Now that's much better," she said. "We'll meet again, I promise it. Until then, be brave, and do us a favor."

Curiosity won out across Akito's features, and Daisuke also looked curious. "What?" They both asked.

"Look after each other and your families," Yakumo said. Then, she and her teammates turned around.

As the trio walked up to their sensei and Sara, Akito called out to them. "Someday, I'm going to be a great shinobi like you guys," they heard him say. "I'll be big and strong, and I'll protect everyone, including you guys. I promise."

The genin members of team 7 looked at each other, and each started to smile. "Well, that is something to look forward to," Yakumo said.

"Indeed, it is," Haku said.

"Maybe," Sai responded.

Yakumo's smile grew. "Come on, guys, let's go home."

"You got quite the team here," Sara commented.

Kakashi nodded. He was starting to see that. "I'll admit I was worried for a bit there," he said. "But they got through it."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Kakashi saw the Hyūga woman grinning at him. "All thanks to you," she said. "You taught them well, and I'm sure you have more to teach them."

Kakashi looked at his team and felt a slight smile tug at his lips under the mask. "Yeah, I do," he said. "Plenty more." It was time he started to treat them like they were his team. When they got back to the village, he would train them. He owed it to them and his deceased teammates.

"What about you?" He asked Sara. "Have you considered taking a team if you become a Jōnin?"

"I have thought about it," Sara answered. "But I think I'll wait a year or two before I do something like that."

Kakashi nodded, and he saw his genin walking up to him. "Well, guys?" He asked them. "Ready to go home?"

"Hai Sensei!"

"Then let's go home."