Chapter 8 - The Leaf's Recovery Begins

“So the informant was an assassination attempt…damn, I sent you too soon!” Tsunade reprimanded herself, thinking aloud. “If I had given Ryouko a little more time to prove his loyalty to Orochimaru, this might not have happened…”

Tsunade took a gulp of tea (flavored with a tablespoon of sake that Shizune didn’t know about) before continuing.

“However, it wasn’t a total loss…instead of documents, we have a prisoner with a perfectly good tongue who, I’m sure, will be happy to tell us everything he knows. Ibikki will see to that. Mission passed, you four, excellent work.”

That was good enough for now. Naruto was ready to move on to the next mission, after a quick bowl of some piping-hot ramen. Now to find someone to mooch off…With Naruto’s growing reputation as a moocher, that was getting to be a mission by itself.

Sakura had training with Tsunade, after some rest. In the mean time, she had a question.

“Lady Tsunade, what’s Kakashi-sensei doing anyway? Wouldn’t he normally have come on a mission that important?”

Tsunade hedged the question with “I really can’t say…” Sakura knew that was all she was going to get out of Tsunade. To ask more would make Tsunade mad, and Tsunade was NOT fun when she was angry. Besides, Sakura didn’t need to worry about Kakashi-sensei, he could take care of himself, if anyone could.

--

Kakashi stared at the drawer he was going to open.

So it’s really going to happen that way…

Kakashi looked around, seeing that there was no-one around. Moving quickly, Kakashi locked the doors and shut the curtains. From there, he moved to a copy of Makeout Paradise on the wall. Kakashi took the book down, looking at the cover for a moment. Unlike his others, this one seemed unread. And that was true. The one Makeout book Kakashi had owned but never read. A book such as that, untouched by Kakashi, it was unheard of. But, this book was special.

Kakashi opened the pages, thumbing to page twenty-nine. After that page came what made the book so special. Kakashi turned the page once more. All the pages had been cut, a hole in the center of them. In the center were two brass kunai knives. The knives were small; so small that Kakashi could have put them in the palm of one hand with room to spare.

Kakashi turned the book over, flipping backward until he reached page two hundred. At page one-ninety-nine, there was another hole in the book, this one containing a scroll the size of Kakashi’s pinky. Kakashi removed that, then replaced the book with the utmost care on the wall.

All those years ago…when the Third Hokage told me… Kakashi’s mind flashed back in time, to his last day in ANBU.
--
“Kakashi, I’ve given this matter a great deal of thought…” the Third Hokage began. The Third was considerably younger than most in the village remembered. He still had black hair, although it had begun to recede. Age hadn’t yet shrunk the Third, so he was standing taller than his normal 5’4.

Kakashi finished polishing his sword, looking up at Lord Hokage.

“What is it, Lord Hokage?” Kakashi asked, concerned that the man had taken such a thoughtful tone of voice, as if he was still turning a problem over in his head.

“It’s you, Kakashi. ANBU has helped you become the warrior I always knew you could be. But…it’s costing you something much more precious than skills…”

Kakashi wracked his brain, but couldn’t fathom what the Third Hokage could be talking about.

“…It’s costing you your understanding of life. You’ve become TOO efficient, Kakashi. The emotion and understanding you received after your team’s tragedy…it’s begun to fade. You’re no longer the man who doesn’t understand the bond a team has…but neither are you the understanding individual you were after Obito’s gift.”

Kakashi’s visible eye had begun to waver. Anytime anyone talked about Obito, Kakashi immediately felt a rush of emotion.

“What do you mean, Lord Hokage?!” Kakashi nearly yelped, but managed to control his voice.

“Kakashi, you are a skilled jonin. However, I think you would do well to remember what it’s like to work with a team, instead of being a solo agent, as you have been for the past few years. That’s why I’m asking- not ordering- you to leave ANBU behind, and become a teacher: a field instructor. I daresay there are many leaves who could grow in your tree of wisdom, Kakashi.”

“Lord Hokage…” Kakashi began to protest, but stopped himself. “If it’s what you think is right…I’ll resign from ANBU Black Ops...” Kakashi was a little choked up, but managed to say-

“…effective immediately.”

--

All those years ago…that was when Kakashi had locked this drawer. Now, it was time to open it once more. What was inside was going to cause Kakashi a rush of unwelcome emotions. But it had to be done. The Leaf came first.

--

“C’mon, this way!” Kiba called to the others, before patting Akamaru. “Don’t let it out of your site, boy!”

“You really think this’ll work?” Kankuro called over to Shino, who was on the other side of Hinata.

“…I think there’s a chance…” Shino, who rarely spoke, answered as shortly as possible.

“Damn it, I’m losing it! Hinata, little help?” Kiba asked. That was one reason Kurenai had recommended Kiba lead this mission, if she couldn’t be there herself. Kiba included Hinata, and always helped her when he could. While Kurenai had largely been a mother to Hinata, Kiba had been a kind of brother to her. Shino was encouraging, but a little creepy.

Hinata gave her shy nod and activated her Byakugan.

“Kiba, twenty meters northwest!” Hinata ‘yelled’.

“Thanks Hinata! Let’s go Akamaru!” Kiba steered Akamaru in the right direction.

Geez, he talks to that dog more than the rest of us. Is he waiting for the dog to start talking like a person or something? Kankuro thought sarcastically. He had almost said that aloud, but decided it wouldn’t be the smart thing to do right now. It was still new to him, but Gaara was really counting on Kankuro. That trust had taken so long to form, Kankuro didn’t want to betray it with an idiotic remark.

“…This way leads to the Rain Village…”

Shino’s words perked everyone up.

“So it IS them pulling this! I KNEW that guy wasn’t acting alone!” Kankuro declared. But Shino spoke up again.

“…No. The prisoner mentioned a rebellion…it’s more likely that the rebellion is behind this.”

“Hey, that’s right, that guy DID say that! Something about a ‘Shoichi’, and killing the Amekage!” Kiba remembered suddenly. “But why get the Sand Village involved, we already got the traitor…”

“Unless there’s OTHERS planning to rebel…In the Sand…if they could obtain huge power in the Rain by leaving and overthrowing a weak government…but who would do that? Everyone has complete loyalty to Gaara!” Kankuro protested.

“Is-isn’t it…” Hinata began, red in the face. She stopped, apparently thinking she was going to say something dumb.

“Go on, Hinata, what is it?” Kiba encouraged. C’mon Hinata, just say it! You see a lot of things that we don’t, you’ve gotta tell us!

“Isn’t it l-likely that this bird will lead us to someone w-who can tell us who’s planning to rebel? I mean, a list or something! …”

“That’s brilliant, Hinata!” Kiba yelled over, giving her an encouraging smile. HOW encouraging was hard to say, since Kiba’s fangs showed when he smiled. “Alright, let’s catch this guy and put this rebellion to rest!”

--

Naruto had finally found someone to mooch off. Iruka-sensei was always good for a kind word and a bowl of ramen- two things Naruto was ALWAYS hungry for.

“It’s a shame about that mission…then again, our village has had a lot of shame lately…” Iruka said over his bowl. Naruto, always ready to fight if his village was slighted, gave Iruka a mild glare over the steaming bowl that had been set in front of him.

“What do you mean, Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka peered down into his ramen, as though he expected the answers to materialize from the rich broth. He played with his chopsticks, picking up and dropping the noodles distractedly.

“I mean…well, about Ryouko. Turning traitor…it just doesn’t seem possible. Naruto, don’t take offense, but Sasuke has always had a seed of rebellion in him, and some of us had a feeling the day would come when he would follow his brother’s path, or at least something similar…with Ryouko, it was a complete shock…”

Naruto opened his mouth and almost told Iruka what had REALLY happened. But Kakashi’s voice ran through Naruto’s head.

Remember, in public, act as if Ryouko is a traitor, and you hate him.

Naruto took a more sullen gulp of ramen. “Yeah…you think you know someone, huh Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka seemed to regret brining this up. “Yeah…I thought I knew you, Naruto. But, boy, you’ve changed- in a good way. You’ve gotten stronger, maybe even stronger than any of us thought. Someday you’ll be the pride of the Hidden Leaf, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he took the huge compliment in. Naruto couldn’t resist pushing it just a little…

“Does that mean I get another bowl, Iruka-sensei?”

“WHAT?! NO!”

“I’M GONNA REMEMBER THIS WHEN I’M HOKAGE, IRUKA-SENSEI!”

--

Sai placed his latest painting on the wall at home. Another one with no title, this one was of the area just outside the Hidden Leaf. Sai had finally found time to finish the painting. As he was hanging the painting, Sai sensed someone in the room with him. Having his brush in hand, Sai spun around and blocked an incoming kunai with it.

“Still sharp…” a masked ANBU agent said in a toneless voice. Sai didn’t respond, he just stared at the agent. Sai didn’t have to wonder why this agent was here, he knew. It was also disappointing to Sai that the agent had come. Things weren’t the same in Sai’s mind.

“Your orders have changed. They’re in this envelope, memorize the contents, then destroy them.”

Sai took the envelope, still not saying anything. The agent nodded, apparently satisfied with no response.

“You’ve haven’t completely forgotten what you are…someone with-”

“Someone with no past, and with no future. Nothing exists for me except the mission.” Sai spoke for the first time, giving the response that would send the ANBU agent on his way.

“Right.” With that, the ANBU agent disappeared, leaving Sai alone, holding the envelope with his new orders. Sai didn’t open the envelope yet. This time, he was going to have company when he opened it. Being on Team Kakashi had showed Sai there was more to being a Shinobi, and more to life, than just blindly following orders. There was so much more…Sai was only scratching the surface. But he didn’t want to stop. The time had to come to remove his branch from ROOT. It was a risky move, but Sai had enough of Danzou controlling his life.

--

Kakashi took the two small kunai knives and placed them between his thumb and pinky on his left hand. The small scroll was tucked between his thumb and index finger of his right hand. Kakashi stopped for a minute, making sure of his aim, before pushing left hand forward. The two small kunai stuck into two small, all-but-invisible lines in the wood of the drawer. Kakashi then let go of the two knives long enough to fit the small scroll in to what looked like an opening for a key. Satisfied, Kakashi moved both hands back to the two small knives. Taking one in each hand, Kakashi turned the left key in a half-turn to the right, and the right key a half-turn to the left. There was a click from the drawer which told Kakashi he had done everything right so far.

“Release!” Kakashi remembered in the nick of time that he had put a protective genjutsu on this drawer. If that genjutsu had hit him, Kakashi might have been out of it for days. That wouldn’t have been good. That in mind, Kakashi slid the drawer open.

Inside was a scroll. INSIDE the scroll was a picture that meant a lot to Kakashi. It was the only time that Kakashi had posed for a picture with his father. Kakashi, even now, could see the resemblance he had to his father. Kakashi had since surpassed his father in terms of skill, but Kakashi didn’t have a son, as his father had at this age. Forcing those thoughts aside, Kakashi found the small scroll he had pushed through the lock. The reason for using the scroll like a key was that the scroll pushed through an exploding tag that would have been activated, if Kakashi had tried to open the drawer normally. The two kunai knives had done the same thing to two other tags.

Breathing deeply, Kakashi opened the tiny scroll after paying the blood tribute. Inside was a small nail. Kakashi took the nail and poked it into the far right corner of the bottom of the drawer. The nail deactivated yet another exploding tag, and also acted as a key to allow Kakashi access to the next part of the drawer. The false bottom was so well done that even Kakashi’s Sharingan couldn’t pick out the weak spot. It was all from memory. And memories were what came flooding back to Kakashi as his hand searched for the right spot to pull up the bottom of the drawer.

Kakashi flicked the blood off his sword with one hand, while the other tugged the headband back over his eye. It had been a perfect mission. Five assassinations. Scum of the earth who deserved to die- right? They murdered, embezzled, assaulted…wasn’t it better without them?

Kakashi had held a small seed of anger, ever since Obito’s death. That seed just grew in size after missions like this. But at the same time, killing people who were just rotten felt right. As if, in some way, Obito hadn’t died in vain. Kakashi shook his head.

“ANBU doesn’t have feelings. We’re efficient and silent. That’s all there is to it. Five more names get crossed out of my BINGO book.”

Somehow, Kakashi knew it wasn’t that simple. But he could ignore that fact for now, and would as long as he could.

--

“Excuse me, Lady Tsunade?”

Tsunade was kind of surprised to see Sai. It wasn’t like him to come for a social call, and Tsunade hadn’t sent for him.

“Sai?” Tsunade said/asked.

“Yes. I’ve come with this…my latest orders…” Sai held the envelope out to Tsunade, who raised an eyebrow.

“I haven’t issued you any orders…” Tsunade said, a question in her tone.

“I know, my Lady. That’s why I brought this. Please, look inside.”

Tsunade opened the envelope, wary of genjutsus or poisons. The contents shocked her, but at the same time, they made sense. Tsunade let jonin and elders set mission sometimes, but this was close to the ‘treason’ end of the scale, as these orders undermined her own.

“Huh? That seal is Elder Danzou’s!” Shizune exclaimed upon seeing the broken wax seal on the envelope.

“I’m not surprised…” Tsunade mumbled. “Thank you, Sai. Now, what is the best course of action…arrest him? Using Sai won’t be any good…unless we play this up a little…no, we can’t afford to destroy the credibility we just got back…hmm?”

Tsunade was spared figured out a plan. Elder Danzou had come to her.

--

Sitting in bed, Sakura took up a pen and brought out her diary. As she thumbed through her previous entries, she ran across a sketch she had done. On one full page Sakura had drawn the Uchiha crest. On another, she had drawn the Hidden Leaf symbol. They were opposite each other. Two drawings representing real-life friction. Looking at both made Sakura sigh, so she turned the pages in her diary until she found a blank page.

Things have slowed down a little here. The buzz from all the antics has died down, thankfully. It’s hard to say you hate someone you…well, I haven’t sorted my feelings out. What Ryouko said keeps running through my head. About how any feelings I have for him right now aren’t real, they’re just gratitude for him saving my life. That’s the problem- I don’t know HOW to feel. And, now that I’ve had time to think, Sasuke might have been acting under Orochimaru’s orders. It makes perfect sense- populate the Uchiha clan, and give the clan to Orochimaru, and therefore, give him the Sharingan.

But at the same time…Sasuke could have ignored the order. He didn’t pursue us very hard, though. GAH! I keep going back and forth! I can’t sort my emotions out, there are too many of them!

On top of all this, Lady Tsunade keeps mentioning the Third Hokage. I think she’s having an identity crisis or something. She keeps reading these old scrolls, like she’s looking for something. It’s unnerving to see her…studying. The last time she did that, Lee needed a risky operation. What is Lady Tsunade planning? And why hasn’t she asked me, or Shizune, to help her? She NEVER does anything on her own!

Akatsuki…Orochimaru…Rain…this world is becoming so dangerous. It’s so hard to believe that we were at peace with everyone three years ago. ANBU is all over the streets now, patrolling around the clock. The jonin, too. The number of missions have nearly doubled, and we’re ALREADY short Shinobi! I’m stressing out too much, I know! But I can’t help but feel this…intense loyalty, I guess…to the Leaf Village. I guess Lady Tsunade was right- Ryouko leaving DID give us a surge of loyalty. I guess he was the right choice for this mission…

Not that that fact makes it any easier. He was the last of the Third Hokage’s students, and Orochimaru’s enemy because of it! NOW he’s alone with Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sasuke, and all those Sound Ninja?

And Naruto…he hasn’t said it, but it’s making both of us sick to pretend that Ryouko was a traitor. Sai once called Sasuke “a gutless little homo”. That wasn’t true, Sasuke isn’t any of those things. When he called Ryouko a ‘friend’…THAT was true.

I wish both of them would come back safely…and quickly. The Leaf just isn’t the same without them.

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