Chapter Twenty-Two: Shadows of the Hound
How long had it been since Hound last saw the village he was sworn to protect? Here he was, on a clandestine operation, far from the Land of Fire. The mission was simple in its directive: investigate the hidden village of Otogakure. But Otogakure was no ordinary hidden village. It wasn't a single place but a web of bases scattered across the Elemental Nations. The operation was off the books, the presence of Konoha shinobi this deep in Iwagakure territory a risk. An uncovered trace could spark the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Still, those responsible for the attack on Tetsu no Kuni needed to be brought to justice, no matter the danger. Hyūga Neji, code-named "Rat" for the operation, had been trained precisely for this mission. So had Rock Lee, known as "Ox." After nearly four years of training, the team now moved through quiet villages dressed in civilian attire, maintaining advanced Henge transformations. Kakashi, alias "Hound," kept his head down, pretending to be absorbed in his favorite orange book as they walked. "Our contact is up ahead," Neji murmured, his voice calm. Lee clenched a fist. "I am ready! Finally, we'll get to jump into the action!"
Kakashi glanced up briefly before burying himself back in his book. "This is the last leg of our mission. We've gathered everything we need to prove Otogakure is a threat. The experiments we've uncovered are horrifying. Once we get a name for whoever's truly behind Oto—because we know Gato's just a front—we can move forward with securing allied support to uproot them." Neji pushed open the door to the bar where their contact waited. Kakashi slid his book away and led the team inside, scanning the room with casual intensity as they moved to a shadowed corner booth. "What do you want, kid?" the contact grumbled as Kakashi took a seat. "Oh, you know…" Kakashi responded smoothly, his lone Sharingan eye glinting as he cast a subtle genjutsu over the bar. "…anything worth my trouble." The contact passed him a file. Kakashi opened it, and his eyes immediately recognized the location: Umi no Kuni, the Land of Seas. The images revealed a fortified island swathed in mist. "My sources tell me that whoever this scientist is, he's using the island as his main lab," the contact said. "He's recently received shipments so dense with chakra that they sensed it even through the suppressing seals." After scrutinizing every page, Kakashi summoned a flicker of katon chakra, reducing the file to ash. They slipped out of the bar with their contact in tow before he veered off, vanishing into the night. "All right, you know the drill," Kakashi murmured to the team. "We'll stick to the main road for another day, then start our prep." Lee's eyes sparkled. "By 'prep,' you must mean our flames of youth will blaze with glory!" Neji's eye twitched. "Lee, you realize no one actually understands what you mean, right?" Lee's face fell comically, but he recovered, beaming. "Do not worry, Kakashi-san! I vow to break you free of your stoic habits!"
Three Days Later - Coast of Umi no Kuni (Land of Seas)
On the coast of Umi no Kuni, two figures cloaked in black with red clouds moved through the fog. One had auburn hair and cold, sharp eyes: Sasori of the Red Sands. Beside him, a younger man with shaggy black hair and heavy bandages wrapped around his right eye matched his pace. They were on a mission, and Sasori had a lead: the Six Tails was rumored to be housed on a remote island south of Cha no Kuni, the Land of Tea. "We're here, Danzo-sama," Sasori muttered. Danzo nodded, excitement simmering beneath his hardened expression. This would be his first combat test in his new body, and he relished the thought. The island laboratory lay cloaked in thick fog, its presence only revealed in glimpses—a fortress melded into the cliffside, dark stone walls reinforced with metal, with dim, unnatural lights blinking from narrow, barred windows. Ancient script adorned the entrance, etched into the rock as a subtle warning. "Gato certainly has a taste for theatrics," Sasori muttered as they slipped inside.
Inside the Laboratory
Inside the base, Hound, Rat, and Ox moved like shadows, their modified ANBU attire blending seamlessly into the dark corridors. They advanced soundlessly, with Lee activating a seal that muted the surroundings. With a swift blow, he cracked the door open, allowing the others to slip through in silence. Neji's Byakugan activated, the blue chakra glow from his veins illuminating the pathway as he mapped out every enemy in the room. Moving with lethal precision, he struck each vital point, felling each guard silently. His tanto gleamed briefly before resting, tip pressed against the back of a cowering scientist as bodies dropped around them. Kakashi stepped forward, flicking his blade to clear it of blood. "Give us your research—everything." Fear struck deep in the scientist's eyes as he hurried to gather files, passing them shakily to Neji, who sealed them away. But Kakashi's body stiffened. Two powerful chakra signatures—one disturbingly familiar—pulsed from deeper within the lab. "Rat. Ox. You need to leave. Now." Neji glanced at Kakashi, concern flashing behind his mask. "Sir—" "That's a direct order. Get this information to Konoha. Inform them that Otogakure might be in possession of a jinchūriki." Neji's eyes widened, but he nodded. With a quick strike, Lee rendered the scientist unconscious, and the two ANBU barreled through the room, exiting via the window. Kakashi, now alone, moved further down the corridor. He would face them head-on, a lone hound against two formidable opponents in a battle that might test the limits of his skill—and his will.
In the dim, shadowed depths of Gato's hidden laboratory, Kakashi stood alone, the faint hum of electricity crackling in the air. His ANBU mask was pulled aside, revealing his Sharingan, the red eye alert and flickering with a quiet menace. The place reeked of old blood, antiseptic, and something darker — the smell of human experimentation, of lives twisted and ruined in the name of power. Every corner seemed to hide whispers of the suffering that had taken place here. Opposite him, Danzo's lean figure emerged from the shadows, his expression cool and unreadable, his sharp eyes narrowing as they measured Kakashi's stance. Beside him, Sasori loomed, looking unnervingly calm as he pulled a scroll from within his cloak. His face was shrouded by a quiet satisfaction, the detached glee of a man who had long abandoned his humanity. The pale, flickering light of the lab cast eerie shadows on his face, his smirk barely visible beneath the hood of his cloak. "Why am I not surprised it's you, Kakashi?" Danzo's voice was as cold as the steel edge of his weapon. He shifted his stance slightly, the blade he wielded reflecting a pale gleam.
Kakashi's gaze darted between them, quickly assessing his options. Danzo was calculating and ruthless, and Sasori was a master of poison and puppetry. Together, they made for a formidable team. Still, he couldn't afford to let them halt Lee and Neji's escape; the young shinobi had fought hard just to reach this point. Kakashi had made his decision the moment he stepped into this underground maze of twisted experiments and cruel intentions: if necessary, he would burn the entire place to the ground to ensure their safety. "If you both think I'll step aside and let you do as you please, then you're more arrogant than I thought," Kakashi replied, his voice a low growl. Sasori's eyes gleamed with an almost childish excitement, his fingers flicking across the scroll he held with practiced ease. "I've been meaning to test something new on a subject. You'll make an interesting puppet, Hatake." In a fluid motion, Sasori unleashed a summoning scroll, and with a faint poof of smoke, three puppets materialized. They were armored and segmented, each joint a weapon in itself, with gleaming steel edges that glinted ominously. The puppets spread out in an arc around Kakashi, trapping him between the two rogue shinobi and the metallic figures that clattered ominously.
Kakashi drew his kunai, his Sharingan following the puppets' movements, analyzing every twitch and angle. "I wouldn't count on that," he murmured, flipping the kunai in his hand as he sank into a defensive stance. In a blink, Danzo lunged forward, his blade aimed directly at Kakashi's heart. Kakashi sidestepped, but Danzo anticipated the move, shifting his angle to follow through with a sweeping slash. Kakashi deflected it, but the force of the blow sent a sharp jolt up his arm. He gritted his teeth and ducked as one of Sasori's puppets swung a bladed arm at his head, missing by inches. The second puppet followed immediately, its mouth opening to release a cloud of purple gas — poison.
Kakashi leapt back, forming a quick hand seal. "Fūton: toppa (Wind Release: Breakthrough)" A powerful gust of wind exploded from his hands, dispersing the poison and slamming into the puppets, pushing them back. But as soon as he landed, Danzo was there again, pressing his attack relentlessly, forcing Kakashi to keep moving. His Sharingan tracked every move, predicting Danzo's shifts, every twist of his weapon. Yet, Danzo's strikes came with a ferocity and precision that betrayed his hunger for dominance, each blow meant to bring Kakashi to his knees. As Kakashi blocked another strike, a sudden flash of red movement entered his peripheral vision. Sasori had summoned another puppet — this one larger, with serrated blades extending from each arm. It clanked forward like some twisted marionette, its red eyes gleaming with a cruel light.
Before Kakashi could react, the puppet lunged, its bladed arms slicing through the air. He twisted, dodging the first swing by a hair, but the second cut tore through his sleeve, grazing his arm with a sting that felt cold and hot at the same time. Poison, he realized instantly, already feeling the slight numbing spread across his forearm. "Looks like you can't keep up," Danzo sneered, his face shadowed in grim satisfaction. "They said you were talented, but you seem... distracted." Kakashi ignored the taunt, dropping into a lower stance as he evaded another of Danzo's attacks. The laboratory walls rattled slightly, reacting to the violent skirmish, dust drifting down from above. Kakashi knew he needed to turn this around — quickly.
He summoned a shadow clone without a word, the copy immediately darting to the left to draw the attention of the puppets while he dealt with Danzo. Sasori, however, wasn't fooled for long. He released another scroll, and the puppet on the far left erupted into a blaze of flames that lashed out at the clone, disintegrating it in an instant. Kakashi used the distraction to launch a counterattack. He lunged at Danzo, kunai flashing in his hand, aimed at Danzo's unguarded side. But Danzo's reflexes were quick; he parried the strike, angling his blade to lock against Kakashi's kunai, pinning it in place. "You'll have to do better than that," Danzo sneered, pressing forward with brute force. Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. "You're right," he said, and his Sharingan spun, capturing Danzo's gaze in an instant. The genjutsu took effect immediately. For a brief moment, Danzo's world turned upside down, disorienting him. Kakashi used the opening, disengaging and flipping backward, weaving hand signs with blinding speed. "(Raiton: Raiga) Lightning Release: Lightning Fang!"
Blue arcs of electricity crackled from his hands, jagged and hungry, and he thrust them forward. The lightning shot across the room in twin fangs of pure energy, zeroing in on Danzo and the puppet advancing on him. Danzo barely managed to break free of the genjutsu in time, throwing himself aside, but one of the puppets took the full brunt of the attack, sparking and smoking as it crumpled into a heap of shattered wood and twisted metal. Sasori's gaze darkened, a glimmer of annoyance finally breaking through his stoic expression. "You destroyed one of my favorites," he murmured coldly, drawing yet another scroll. "Perhaps I'll use your bones to make a replacement."
The lab shook violently as the intensity of the battle escalated, the floors and walls seeming to protest under the force of the blows exchanged. Kakashi took a brief second to steady his breathing. His arm throbbed where the poison had grazed him, but he pushed the pain aside, focusing all his attention on the two enemies before him. Danzo was already back on his feet, dusting himself off with an annoyed glare, while Sasori prepared to summon yet another puppet. Kakashi's mind raced, calculating his next move. He needed to stall them, but if he could take down even one of them, it might buy Lee and Neji the time they needed to escape and regroup. In the corner of his eye, he saw a loose panel on the wall, wires sparking from behind it. A plan formed, risky but perhaps their best chance. "You know, Danzo, for all your talk, I thought you'd be harder to keep up with," Kakashi taunted, hoping to provoke him just enough to fall into his trap.
Danzo's face twisted with fury, and he surged forward, blade flashing in a deadly arc. Kakashi feinted left, then right, drawing him closer to the exposed wiring. As Danzo struck, Kakashi caught his blade with his kunai, redirecting it with a twist of his wrist, causing Danzo to stumble directly into the sparking wires. Electricity jolted through Danzo, the shock freezing him momentarily as his body spasmed. Seizing the chance, Kakashi drove a knee into Danzo's stomach, sending him sprawling backward. The lab quaked again, debris shaking loose from the ceiling as the walls groaned under the strain. Sasori snarled, summoning a towering puppet, one Kakashi hadn't seen before — a massive creation bristling with weapons, its joints glowing ominously. "You'll regret that, Hatake," Sasori hissed, his eyes gleaming with malice. Kakashi raised his kunai, unflinching, as the monstrous puppet lurched forward. The tremors grew stronger, the walls starting to crack from the strain. With a final, shuddering groan, the laboratory walls buckled, fragments of concrete and steel raining down as the building began to collapse around them.
As the building collapsed, the group scattered. Kakashi focused chakra into the soles of his feet, leaping from platform to platform until they all landed a short distance from the remnants of the laboratory's lower floors. However, their attention was immediately drawn to a figure standing atop a rock formation. This was no ordinary Kumogakure shinobi—his long silver hair crackled with Raiton chakra, framing piercing blue eyes. Clad in the standard Kumo Jōnin attire, he was Yukito Sato, The Storm King, Kumo's commander and Raikage in everything but title. Beside him stood the unmistakable figure of the Two Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii. Kakashi quickly pieced together their likely purpose, recognizing an opportunity despite the obvious risk. Yukito commanded, "Go find the other two Konoha ANBU." Yugito's chakra surged, and she shot forward like a lightning bolt, obliterating the ground beneath her as she launched into action. Yukito descended smoothly, positioning himself between the Konoha and Akatsuki forces. Sasori instinctively flinched back, barely avoiding an immediate lethal strike as Yukito's Raiton chakra flared with precision, his katana moving at lightning speed. With a quick draw, he invoked "Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga (Lightning Release: Lightning Hound)," summoning six lightning hounds that charged, two at each opponent.
Sasori recovered, maneuvering his puppets to intercept the Kumo-nin's attack. He deflected one hound, while the other dissipated in a blinding strike. Meanwhile, Kakashi weaved through a set of hand seals, thick mist settling over the battlefield as Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique) took effect. The sudden veil allowed each combatant to gain ground, yet Sasori swiftly unrolled a scroll, summoning the puppet of the Fourth Kazekage. The puppet molded chakra, dark formations of iron sand materializing above the mist—an ominous assault looming out of sight. "Satetsu Shigure (Iron Sand Drizzle)!" Sasori commanded, and spinning pyramids of iron sand rained down, targeting anyone in their path. Danzo stepped forward, his Sharingan blazing. With a kunai in hand, he molded chakra to silently activate Fūton: Shinkūjin (Wind Release: Vacuum Blade), deflecting the spears of sand with precise, razor-sharp slices. Amidst the chaos, Kaito skillfully dodged, his blade clashing with Danzo's wind blade in a flurry of sparks. In that brief moment of distraction, they all momentarily forgot about the other formidable threat among them. In the mist, lightning gathered around Kakashi's hand as he seized the opportunity, lunging forward with Raikiri (Lightning Cutter). The attack lived up to its name, cleaving through Sasori's arm as he narrowly evaded the full force of the blow.
Forests of Cha no Kuni (Land of Tea)
Amidst the turbulent aura of chakra that electrified the air, another presence joined the fray, unnoticed by many but undeniable in its intensity. Neji felt it first—a familiar chakra signature he hadn't encountered since the Crimson Dawn. As he and Rock Lee closed the distance, Neji understood that speed alone wouldn't tip the scales; he would need something more. Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, sensed them too, feeling the once-distant chakra signatures come to a halt nearby. Her claws extended, and with a flash of demonic chakra, she lunged forward, bridging the gap in an instant. Neji braced, activating his Byakugan behind his mask, his stance calm but razor-sharp. Just as Yugito closed in, Rock Lee surged forward in a blur, his foot colliding with her mid-attack, sending her reeling back. Neji shunshined forward, his blade a glint of steel as he struck a clean line across her abdomen. Yugito snarled, catching herself against a tree, her chakra latching onto it to hold her ground. She appraised them with newfound caution, her inner fire flaring at the sight of their ANBU armor—a reminder of Konoha's uncompromising training protocols, especially the 'Yokai Suppression Protocol,' designed to handle threats of her kind. The two Konoha shinobi moved with purpose, reaching for the seals on their armor. Neji unsealed a pair of gloves inscribed with complex fūinjutsu, while Lee activated a seal that transformed his armor in a puff of smoke. Unperturbed, Yugito channeled chakra into her tenketsu with violent intensity, launching herself at Neji in a blaze of demonic energy. But Neji was ready, envisioning the Eight Trigrams as he moved. As she rocketed towards him, he sidestepped, meeting her speed with an elegant palm strike. The chakra-infused blow sent her crashing into the ground, blood spraying from her mouth.
But Yugito's defiance was undeterred. She exploded upward, the ground shattering beneath her. Rock Lee seized the opening, dashing weightlessly around her as her inner blue flames erupted. She lashed out, the fiery chakra swarming around her, but Neji countered with a sudden burst of chakra, spinning as he called out, "Kaiten!" The defensive dome dispersed the flames just long enough for Lee to strike, his punch landing with jaw-shattering force. Upon impact, a sealing array spread across a portion of her face, momentarily disrupting her bond with her tailed beast. Seizing the opening, Neji leapt into action, his Byakugan blazing as he struck each of her tenketsu with meticulous precision. "Hakke Hyaku Nijūhasshō! (Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms)," he intoned, each strike locking down her chakra points. The final palm connected, the sealing array flaring to life as Yugito stumbled, her vision dimming as she collapsed. Had she underestimated them? It was a grave mistake, for Konoha's ANBU were no ordinary shinobi. In the silence that followed, a shadow appeared in the sky—a blue-haired woman in an Akatsuki cloak, her wings crafted from paper. Hovering above them, she descended with a chilling calm. "I only want the Kumo-nin," she declared, her voice serene but unwavering. "No blood needs to be shed today." Neji and Lee exchanged a glance. This wasn't their mission. With a nod, they left, vanishing into the shadows as the paper angel landed gracefully beside Yugito. "They made this job a lot easier," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the fallen Jinchūriki. In the distance, explosions of chakra echoed, marking the next chapter in a battle far from over.
Ruins of the Demon Laboratory
The battle intensified, the Akatsuki pair now clearly at a disadvantage with Sasori debilitated, and Kakashi drained to the brink, feeling the harsh edge of his waning chakra. Yukito, by contrast, moved effortlessly—unfazed and still brimming with strength. He stood as a living legend, his reputation rumored to rival that of Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash). With a deadly elegance, Yukito weaved through their combined attacks, his blade flashing with ruthless precision as he left shallow but precise cuts on his opponents. A faint smirk hinted at enjoyment, though not exactly joy. It was more a warrior's satisfaction, the closest thing he'd felt to a worthy challenge since his clash with Konoha's White Fang. Kakashi, sensing Yukito's intense focus, decided to break the rhythm. As Danzo unleashed Fūton: Shinkūha (Wind Release: Vacuum Wave), a slicing torrent of wind surged toward Yukito, forcing him to adapt. Without hesitation, Kakashi wove his own hand seals, exhaling a surge of flames with Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu). The fire twisted into the wind, morphing into searing blades of flame that cut through the air like scythes. But Yukito was prepared. With a single, calculated hand seal, he summoned Fūton: Fuujin Seiken (Wind Release: Divine Fist of the Wind God). Kakashi's eyes widened, knowing all too well the devastation this technique could unleash. A massive fist of wind materialized, striking upward with a force that propelled the roaring flames skyward, merging them into a meteoric inferno that roared back down like a vengeful comet. The sky itself seemed to ignite with the collision of flame and wind. Realizing the imminent threat, Kakashi and Danzo locked eyes in silent agreement. With a near-simultaneous blur of hand seals, they shouted, "Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" A colossal wave of wind erupted from their combined force, tearing through the battlefield to intercept Yukito's jutsu. The clash of powers surged upward, turning the sky into a battlefield of flame and storm. The impact exploded in a thunderous shockwave, creating a massive mushroom cloud of fire that billowed high into the heavens, staining the sky with embers as if the very air were ablaze. For a brief moment, the world around them was illuminated with an apocalyptic light, casting their shadows on the ground like giants facing off in a clash of titans.
As the battle wore on, Yukito's lips curved into a faint smile, the flickering remnants of his opponents' chakra signatures dissipating into the storm. His opponent—Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja—stood before him, every muscle tensed and ready. But in his mind, Kakashi knew this needed to end soon; Kumogakure couldn't afford to lose an asset as critical as Yugito in times of looming war. And neither could Konoha afford for this battle to end in defeat. Yukito raised a hand toward the sky as droplets began to fall, each bead of rain humming with suppressed lightning. "Allow me to show you why they call me the Storm Incarnate," he murmured, voice edged with a calm menace. Kakashi's body pulsed as he controlled his breathing, his mind honing in as he opened the "Gate of Opening." Power surged through him, muscles taut as he blurred into motion, twisting and weaving through Yukito's barrage of strikes with razor precision. Kakashi's blade gleamed, clashing with Yukito's as lightning bolts split the sky, their electric energy exploding around them with deafening cracks. Seeing the intensity of Kakashi's assault, Danzo seized the opportunity, slipping from the chaos as he pulled Sasori with him, vanishing in a swirl of leaves to fulfill their mission.
But Yukito wasn't finished. Lightning danced around him with increasing ferocity, building into a storm of unchecked power. Kakashi's Sharingan spun, detecting a rising concentration of chakra above them. He looked up, eyes widening in recognition as Yukito inhaled deeply, his voice a low rumble amidst the howling winds. "Tell your father I said hello," Yukito intoned coldly, his voice barely a whisper against the growing tempest. With a single motion, he raised his hands to the sky. "Raiton: Raijin no Ikari (Lightning Release: Thunder God's Wrath)." An eruption of chakra split the heavens, casting a light so blinding it seared the sky and made the mountains tremble. The air itself vibrated with a force that could be felt miles away, winds gusting with unrestrained fury. Kakashi's eyes locked onto the maelstrom of energy above, Sharingan blazing as he instinctively summoned the Susanoo, its blue skeletal armor manifesting protectively around him. But it wasn't enough. The largest bolt of lightning Kakashi had ever seen crashed down with catastrophic force, a blinding spear of energy that stretched across the land. The earth cracked and splintered beneath them, an ocean of light consuming the battlefield in a shockwave that tore through mountains and fractured valleys.
"'o, this was it? Wait what?'
Shadows of Hound END