Kakashi and Obito swiftly entered through one of the windows of the storage rooms with Bisuke leading the way. They slithered towards the door and waited for Bisuke's signal that the hallway was empty before making a silent rush to the Uzumaki's door. The door was locked, but the mechanism was simple. Kakashi took out a lockpick and shifted it around with purpose for a few seconds, quickly opening the door.
He entered the room first, raising his finger to his mouth to silence the woman who was lying on the bed as Obito and Bisuke shuffled inside. The woman stood up in alarm but was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and remained quiet. She stood on guard but clearly wasn't a ninja judging by the lack of proper stance, further confirming her civilian status. Why she was willing to hear them out, Kakashi wasn't sure. But he was grateful that she didn't make a fuss as he closed the door.
"Are you ok?" Obito asked, breaking the silence first but keeping his voice a whisper.
"Who are you?" The woman replied instead, swaying lightly on her feet from fatigue but refusing to sit down with two strange kids in her room.
"We're from Konoha," Kakashi explained getting straight to the point. "We know an Uzumaki back in the village, and we want to help you escape."
"Another Uzumaki?" she was cautiously optimistic.
"Kushina-neesan," Obito nodded energetically. "They call her the Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero because she gets crazy scary when she's angry. Do you know her?" Obito asked hopefully.
The woman contemplated the name for a moment then shook her head, "Doesn't ring a bell. Then again, we're all scattered. Uzushiogakure fell when I was still a child."
"Oh yeah, I'm... I'm sorry," Obito mumbled not sure how to reply.
She waved his concern away, "It happened a long time ago."
Kakashi was about to share his own condolences but then saw her sway on her feet again, "You need to sit down; you're really tired."
"One moment," she crouched next to the bed and opened a secret compartment in her drawer. She took out a small box and ruffled through the paper slips inside. Seals, Kakashi noted. Uzumaki seals. Grabbing the one she was looking for; she carefully hid the box and then made her way to the door. Obito and Kakashi sidestepped out of her way and watched her stick the seal on the door.
"Allow me," Kakashi said and moved to charge the seal, so that she didn't waste any extra energy. He inspected the seal and recognized it as a privacy seal. It would mask their voices, but not their chakra signatures so they had to remain vigilant.
"Privacy seals," she elaborated. "They usually leave me alone after I heal a lot of people so we should be fine. Never hurts to be extra careful."
"Bisuke will also alert us if someone is approaching," Kakashi pointed at his dog who nodded confidently. "Please sit down now, you need to rest."
"Thank you, sweetheart," she smiled warmly at them before sitting down on her bed with a tired sigh.
If Kushina is a whirlpool, this woman is a soft stream, Kakashi noted. It was probably a terrible assumption to make but with Kushina and Naruto being bundles of chaotic energy, he assumed the high chakra levels genetic to the Uzumaki made them all a bit crazy. It's probably just Kushina-san's own brand of frenzied genetics, he concluded.
"Alright, now that we're set let's start from the top, what are you two doing here?" she asked kindly.
"I'm Uchiha Obito, the person who's going to be Hokage and protect everyone," Obito boasted. "But I don't need to wait till I'm Hokage to help, we're going to get you out of here and back home to Konoha where you'll be safe."
"Pleasure to meet such an outstanding young ninja," the woman replied genuinely that Kakashi wasn't sure if she really meant it or was humoring his teammate out of good manners. "I don't want to get you two into trouble, and I'm sure you're both great ninja but I know Konoha isn't allowed to intervene. I may not be a ninja but I'm well aware of the politics at play."
"Screw the politics," Obito growled. "What happened right now… that's… that's so wrong! They can't do that to anyone. They hurt you!"
The woman subconsciously rubbed at her sleeve above the bite marks, "I'm used to it." There was an undercurrent of sadness that they all picked up on. Bisuke jumped onto the bed and whined softly. She smiled at the dog and petted him gently.
"You may be used to it, but can your fetus handle it?" Kakashi asked bluntly. Obito bumped him none too gently on the side, giving him a glare for being inconsiderate. Kakashi lightly shoved him away from him but kept his focus on the woman.
The woman took a deep breath as her hand moved from her sleeve to her stomach, clenching lightly. After a few beats of silence, her eyes hardened in resolve, "No, no it can't. But if they catch me..." She left the words unspoken, yet her fear spoke volumes.
"We won't let them," Obito promised, even though nobody could promise that.
"I have a plan," Kakashi stepped in.
"It's too risky," she replied conflicted. On the one hand she wanted to protect her unborn child. On the other, she didn't want to be killed or get the young pair involved.
"He's really smart, Uzumaki-san." Obito reassured her as he pointed at Kakashi. "I know we're just kids, but we can get you to Konoha safely. Please trust us."
Kakashi was surprised by Obito's outspoken praise, even if he knew it was partly to convince her. Obito jumps from hurling insults to complimenting me as fast as Danzo grabs any opportunity to usurp power. Was he always this way? Kakashi wondered.
"Is that so," she smiled softly at Obito's plea before facing Kakashi. "Alright then, let's hear this plan," she said kindly. "But first, how about we introduce ourselves too? My name is Uzumaki Ayana."
"Hatake Kakashi," he replied. While sharing your name to strangers wasn't usually wise, Kakashi knew it was important to establish trust if he had a chance of getting her to agree to his plan to get her to Konoha.
"Uchiha Obito," Obito said, making Ayana try to hide her laughter.
"You already said that" Kakashi reminded him, resisting the urge to face-palm.
Obito blushed several shades of red as he stammered, "I knew that!"
"Anyway," Kakashi decided to spare his teammate further embarrassment, "before I finalize the plan I need to know. Are any of your guards skilled chakra sensors?" Kakashi knew as a civilian she probably didn't have the best assessment, but she may share some information that could help. As he always notes, knowledge was power.
"No," she shook her head. "I know they can sense tell I'm in the room. They have a guard throughout the night but once during the daytime I tried to escape. I could barely get a few meters away before they tracked my scent using dogs. So, I'm guessing that they can't sense distinct chakra signatures like I can.
"You're a sensor!" Obito exclaimed excitedly. Although his face was set in a grimace as she spoke, it's not every day you meet a skilled sensor. Even Obito could appreciate that.
"Why'd you think I trusted you so quickly?" Ayana smiled at his reaction. "I assure you that I am not a naïve woman despite not being a ninja. I can sense your kind chakra and good intentions."
"Kind? How can chakra be kind? And you can tell if we're lying?" Obito asked confused.
"Chakra sensing is complicated, and I don't think this is the time to get into the specifics," she replied gently. "I'll explain it to you in more detail later if fate allows us. But yes, your chakra reacts in different ways when you're lying, or worried, or happy and so forth. I can also feel your chakra in relation to your general personality."
"That's really cool!" Obito was fascinated and even Kakashi could respect her tremendous chakra sensing ability. He knew for a fact that Kushina didn't possess this skill. The Uzumaki were always full of surprises.
"To be very brief Obito-kun, your chakra is like a roaring but warm flame," she continued. Kakashi didn't think it was possible, but Obito blushed an even brighter red, reminiscent of the Uchiha crest he bore so proudly.
"While Kakashi-kun, your chakra is like the hush before a storm, a distant summer thunderstorm," she also shared her thoughts on his chakra. Fortunately for Kakashi, his mask hid the light flush in his cheeks. Personalized chakra signature readings should be kept private, he decided.
Kakashi coughed and changed the subject, "Ok then, well since it's dogs that's perfect. We can confuse dogs, right, Bisuke?"
"As easy as hunting a duck," Bisuke confirmed. A duck? Kakashi knew there was a story there that he needed to extract from his Ninken later.
"He speaks!" Ayana startled.
Bisuke, who was still on her lap, looked up to her lazily, "Of course I can."
"Summoning animals usually do," Kakashi said, used to civilians being surprised by this fact. "Alright, so here's the plan."
As he blocked the steam-powered kick, Jiraya cursed for the fourth time that day. His first curse was uttered when their first surprise attack took out four ninja, leaving Yusei to fight three at a time. His second, was when his shadow clone with the distraction team dispersed. They were winning the fight, but now the fate of Noriya and Seiji was unknown. His third curse was expelled when his red haroi was burnt mid-battle… he had just purchased that one recently too!
And his he continued his fight with the jinchuriki, he knew many more curses will follow. So far, the combatants had been evenly balanced. The landscape was littered with the remnants of explosions, curtesy of Han's steam release and Jiraya's boiling oil release techniques. Jiraya knew from the last time they fought that he couldn't allow Han time to use the jinchuriki transformation.
Although Han used the steam technique to power his taijutsu, Jiraya was no slacker. After sparring with Minato multiple times and dealing with his students' speed, as well as entering the fight with sage mode active and the two toad sages on his shoulder, he kept up with the jinchuriki's advanced taijutsu.
Additionally, while Jiraya was at a disadvantage as the high pressure of the steam could disperse his boiling oil release, his fire and boiling oil releases worked well-enough as a defensive counter. Even if Jiraya couldn't land a finishing blow using the elemental attacks, they stopped Han's attacks against him. This allowed Jiraya to pressure Han from the moment they started the fight, always staying close to him. Moreover, the longer the fight went on, the more Jiraya was able to read his opponent and slowly turn the fight in his favor. Han was strong, but Jiraya had vastly more experience.
The jinchuriki remained outwardly calm but internally was starting to worry. Han, who is renowned for his close-combat steam-armor charges, was used to ninja trying to force him into mid-range battles rather than letting him close the distance. Therefore, he was always able to easily transform in the jinchuriki cloak. It took a few seconds, but his opponents were usually far away enough. Jiraya was the first ninja to want to fight against him in close quarters. Begrudgingly, he was impressed. Screw whoever gave us this intel and forgot to mention that Jiraya of the freaking Sanin was the one invading the bridge.
Knowing it was risky, but that that the battle's pace needed to change, Han prepared his next attack. He started to gather more of Kokuo's chakra as superheated steam began to swirl around him. The air crackled with intense heat, and faint wisps of boiling mist seeped from the seams of his armor.
With a sharp grunt, Han slammed his foot into the ground. The built-up steam blasted outward in a violent burst, unleashing a concussive wave that tore through the earth underfoot and ripped into Jiraya's defenses. The Sannin braced himself, but the shockwave hit like a hammer, hurling him backward.
For an instant, victory seemed near. But when Han tried to advance, his armor hissed and rattled, the overheated joints of his gear locking up from the extreme pressure. Steam vented wildly, filling the air with scorching vapor as he stood frozen, unable to move for precious seconds.
That momentary lapse was all Jiraiya needed to regain his footing and prepare his next move. Knowing this was a turning point in the battle, Jiraya signaled the husband-wife toad pair to action. "Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil," they yelled in unison. A burst of wind, oil and fire rushed towards the jinchuriki. The elements mixed together in a fiery inferno, the heat so intense that the air around the jutsu distorted as it hurled forward.
Han desperately channeled steam, knowing that he could negate most of the damage by dispersing it his steam blast pressure, he wouldn't be able to escape unscathed. He desperately launched himself to the left to avoid the powerful blast that engulfed the area. Without the use of his locked appendages, he landed clumsily on his side,
Jiraya already knew that winning a raw elemental clash against steam release would fail and was expecting Han to avoid the attack. The true goal was to distract him long enough to catch him with this next long-range attack.
The second they had unleashed the first attack, the two frog sages had leapt into the sky, "Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant," they spoke in unison. Jiraya had followed Han's trajectory and was already running in close once more as the jinchuriki regained his footing.
Between the roaring flames and clumsy evasion, Han wasn't aware of the toads' attack and focused on blocking Jiraya as they clashed together once more. Before Han was even aware of what was happening, the toad chant's waves reverberated around them.
Han summoned more steam to create a wall of fire to block the attack. What Han didn't know was that the attack wasn't physical even if it presented as such. The genjutsu bypassed the physical barrier and the jinchuriki's movements froze as he was ensnared in the illusion.
Not wasting the chance as Han's steam-based defenses finally fell, Jiraya moved to deliver the decisive finishing strike. A stream of blood gushed from the jinchuriki's neck as his head rolled to the left and the body collapsed. As the jinchuriki's life faded away, the pent-up steam he had been building up, coupled with the release of Kokuo's chakra, created another power blast that rocked the battlefield.
Jiraya was suddenly flung into the edge of the canyon and slammed into the ridge before he started falling into the ravine. As the final vestiges of his consciousnesses began to fade, Jiraya managed to use Needle Jizo to protect his body right before his back slammed into the surface below, and he knew no more.
Kakashi and Obito sat in one of the tables at the corner as they ate their lunch. They had aligned on all the details of the plan they'd launch tomorrow night. Kakashi would have preferred an extra day to observe the guards, but it wasn't clear how long they'd be in Hateno Village. Their deployment was added support until the Kannabi Bridge was destroyed. At most, they'd stay an extra day or two. Having Uzumaki Ayana escape the same day they left would be more suspicious. They couldn't chance it.
"I can't stand leaving her there," Obito whispered, barely touching his food.
"Not here," Kakashi warned. Watching Obito's face twist as if constipated at those words, Kakashi sighed, "It's the best way to secure her a happier future. Just two more days. Now drop it."
"Whatever," Obito stabbed a piece of egg aggressively before stuffing it into his mouth.
"Good job, you killed the egg," Kakashi snorted as he snuck in another spoonful of food without anyone seeing. It was still weird to think that his old team had all seen his face. As a child, he didn't have the skills to eat quickly without those close to him catching glimpses of his face. Hence, he had a general rule as kid to not eat outside his home or team training grounds. On the occasions where his team went to a restaurant, Kakashi made sure he sat in a way where they blocked his view so he could eat in peace. It was a welcome change to be able to eat without his companions trying to catch him without the mask on.
Obito's eyebrows twitched in annoyance but thankfully he didn't reply. He picked at his food, clearly in distress, "I never felt guilty for eating before."
Ahh this is now about the poverty situation in Hateno Village now, Kakashi realized. "Hopefully the war ends soon, and everybody will be better for it," he said.
"Except the losing side, right?" Obito asked.
"It's been going on for so long so I think all parties will be ready to agree to generous terms if it means the end of the fighting," Kakashi said. It was what had happened in the past. When Iwa, the main aggressor, was forced to drop out of the war, Konoha and Kumo decided to stop fighting after a few weeks because they didn't want to lose manpower and remain the strongest two nations. The people also didn't have the energy and drive to continue. Everyone just wanted the war to end. Sure, Iwa had to pay reparations and lost some territory, but the terms in general were quite forgiving. The Stone still harbored ill-will towards Konoha for being the reason they lost the war, but they didn't act upon it and focused on rebuilding.
"And you say that I'm the blindly optimistic one," Obito raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Witnessing some of the realities of the world had shaken him. Kakashi wasn't worried though, Obito will snap out of it soon. It wasn't in the Uchiha's nature to be sulky and morbid.
Without warning, Obito slapped his cheeks and took a deep breath, startling everyone in the building. "I can't lose to you in hope! The war will end peacefully, and as Hokage, I'll make sure the peace remains."
That was quick, Kakashi sweat-dropped as the other ninja in the room startled. Some had even leapt from their chairs, kunai brandished and whipping their heads around for the danger.
"Oi kid, don't start shouting randomly around ninja! We're all tense. Didn't your sensei teach you anything?" a man yelled.
"Don't you dare say anything about Minato-sensei!" Obito leapt from his chair and yelled back even more loudly.
Kakashi grabbed Obito's sleeve and pushed him back down onto the chair, "Sorry sorry, it's been a long day."
Obito was about to shout something else, but Kakashi stepped on his foot and making his teammate wince in pain. The other Konoha ninja shook their heads and went back to their food, fortunately dismissing the whole ordeal as childish antics.
"Did you have to step so hard?" Obito pouted as he rubbed his foot, his eyes glistening with held back tears.
"It seemed necessary at the time," Kakashi replied unapologetically. "Besides, if you want to be Hokage, you can't have people hate you. You aren't trusted and respected because you become Hokage, you become Hokage because people respect you."
"Oh," Obito's eyes widened in realization. "That makes so much sense! I never thought about it that way."
Kakashi recalled the moment when Shikaku had told him he was close to being voted in as Hokage. When Kakashi denied he was good for the role, Shikaku told him that almost everyone in Konoha trusted him to always strive for what's best for Konoha, and that's what made him qualified. It was quite a long journey from the disgraced White Fang's son to Hokage candidate. Regardless, he wanted nothing to do with that role. Better to make sure Obito didn't screw it up.
"I don't know what's going on with you, but you're different," Obito gave him a curious look.
"Almost dying can do that to a person," Kakashi replied indifferently.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Obito asked with concern.
"Not two hours ago you accused me of being a manipulative heartless bastard and now you're worried about me?" Kakashi asked in annoyance. Obito switching between liking and hating him at the drop of a coin was starting to bug Kakashi. He had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders and didn't have time to manage his teammate's mood switches.
Obito winced at the reminder, but stood his ground "You can't be upset with me for wondering why you'd break the rules. You never did before. Besides, I want to make sure you're ok so that you don't screw up." Kakashi was easily able to tell that Obito was lying. He was concerned, but not about screwing the mission up. He was concerned for Kakashi. He just didn't want to admit it.
"I'm fine. If you want something to worry about, focus on how you'll accomplish your task," Kakashi said, before picking up his plate and leaving the table. "Come on then, we need to get back on patrol."
Obito wanted to stop Kakashi, wanted to raise his arm and block his teammate's path. He wanted to talk. His body wouldn't move though. He let Kakashi pass him without speaking up and silently followed him. Standing side by side as they washed their dishes, Obito couldn't help but remember the first time he had talked to Kakashi after the genius had graduated from the academy.
Kakashi was already running around on missions by then. Instead of praise, Obito was hearing annoyed Konoha ninja complaining about Kakashi's rule-obsession. Hence, despite a part of him being jealous that Kakashi was out there and fighting for Konoha, another part was worried.
Therefore, when Obito saw Kakashi sitting in the middle of the playground at sunset, he found it strange and decided to talk to him. He didn't think much of it was he walked up to him. Afterall, before leaving the academy, Obito and Kakashi were somewhat friends. At any rate, Kakashi tolerated his presence, and they would engage in conversation. If Obito was honest, he had missed Kakashi even if the other boy was usually very quiet and mostly replied with one-worded answers.
He had walked up to him confidently and asked him about his missions. When Kakashi dismissed him, he had gotten angry, telling the other boy he was only worried about him. Obito recalled the exact words that shock him: I'm not so desperate as to need a weak ninja wannabe like you to worry about me. Obito saw the hurt in Kakashi's eyes, but his anger blinded him to Kakashi's pain, and he lashed out. When they became teammates, the division between them only continued to grow.
Now here he was again, standing next to Kakashi, angry but also concerned. This time though, Kakashi had saved his life. Kakashi chose to stay behind, to die, to protect him and Rin. This wasn't the same as the past. He knew Kakashi cared, irrespective of what the other boy said.
"Not this time," Obito vowed silently. "This time, I'm not letting him run away!"
"Look, I only wanted…" Obito began but was interrupted by a comrade barging into the building full of distress.
"Jiraya-sama was injured badly." The man announced as he ran to the second-in-command, Itou Eisaku. "They're only a few meters out. You need to send a message to Tsunade-sama to come and treat him. NOW."
Isaku immediately grabbed a paper and began scratching out a message in ink furiously. Kakashi didn't wait for his next set of orders. While everyone was distracted and asking for more details, he quietly left the building and headed towards the gates in a sprint. He was surprised that Obito had followed him without making a scene. Obito nodded seriously and the two of them increased their speed.
When they arrived at the gate, they saw a group of ninja already crowding the gate. A man was ordering everyone to stand back and maintain their posts. Kakashi assumed that this man was the commander, Watanabe-san. "Stay vigilant, Iwa could attack. Protect the village and protect Jiraya-sama."
The ninja listened to him and parted reluctantly as they returned to their posts across the wall. Now that the field of vision cleared, Kakashi saw Jiraya and another ninja lying down on makeshift stretchers. Surprisingly, he also saw his sensei walking next to Jiraya's stretcher, mouth in a deep-set frown.
"Sensei!" Obito ran up to the man once he noticed him a few seconds after Kakashi.
"Obito? You were stationed here? Kakashi, you too?" Minato's focus was clearly shaken, and he was taken aback at the sight of two of his students next to him.
"What are you two doing here?" Watanabe asked.
"Is Jiraya-sama going to be alright?" Kakashi ignored both questions as he fell in step with his sensei and assessed the Sanin. Jiraya had a few burn marks and bruises all over his body. Yet the main issue was clearly the man's back. Whoever provided initial treatment had stabilized the man's neck and spine.
"He broke his back," Minato said as they walked towards the medical center. They couldn't run as they didn't want to jostle Jiraya and make the injury worse. "It's… it could be really bad."
"How bad?" What do you mean?" Obito asked confused. Kakashi knew from his sensei's tone that Minato was worried about paralysis. Medical ninjutsu was amazing, but there were some injuries that even the best ninja couldn't heal. Traumatic injuries to the spine were always complicated.
"We'll have to wait for Tsunade-sama, if anyone can heal injuries like this it's her," Watanabe answered. Minato pursed his lips and didn't offer any reassurances.
"What about the other ninja?" Kakashi asked, turning his head to glance at the ninja being carried in another stretcher, the clean bandages on his leg already dotted with blood.
"Seiji-san will need extensive therapy, but his leg should go back to normal with time," Minato replied. Kakashi was glad to see some tension release at the mention of some good news. "Yusei-san made it without any major injuries," Minato pointed at a Hyuga walking next to Seiji, hand in a sling and littered with shallow wounds.
"What happened sensei?" Obito asked. They still had a few minutes before reaching the medical bay at their pace and the curiosity was eating him.
"That's confidential," Watanabe cut Minato off.
Minato waved away the man's concern, "The mission ended in success, the news is already spreading. We destroyed Iwa's Kannabi Bridge, a key logistical channel for their war efforts. We also killed many of their ninja when serving as a distraction. We're hopeful that this means Iwa will have to drop out of the war."
"It's more than many," Watanabe snorted. "From what I'm hearing, you killed around a thousand Iwa scum all by yourself, Yellow Flash."
Minato's expression barely changed, and for those who don't know him they'd think he was unaffected. Yet Kakashi was able to note the minuscule tension in his sensei's shoulder. Killing a thousand people was not easy, but he had done it again. Last time, Obito's death eclipsed everything else. I wonder how affected Minato-sensei was after killing so many last time?
"A… a thousand!" Obito yelled in astonishment. "Sensei! You're amazing!"
Minato replied with a strained smile yet failed to elaborate further on the matter.
"But who could get one up on Jiraya-sama?" Kakashi asked, mind reeling at the outcomes of the mission.
"Jiraya-sensei fought and killed the five-tailed jinchuriki," Minato let out a long-suffering sigh.
"He killed a jinchuriki from Iwa? Amazing." Obito was stunned. He grew up hearing warnings about how Iwa's jinchuriki were especially strong and had a flee-on-sight warning.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was stunned to a stop. What was a jinchuriki doing at the bridge? Curse the Kannabi Bridge to the deepest pit of the Shinigami's stomach!
"Kakashi-kun?" Minato noticed Kakashi's distress.
"You said the mission was top-secret," Kakashi needed answers, and he needed them now.
"Sometimes the unexpected happens," Minato replied darkly. At the same time, he signed for Kakashi to be quiet and drop the matter for now. His sensei was worried about a leak. Kakashi forced the next question down his throat, as much as he needed clarity this was not the time and place.
Minato changed the topic quickly, "Watanabe-san, any news on finding Uchiha Noriya?"
"Nothing yet," the man shook his head gravely. "I sent two teams as back-up. I hope we find him, alive."
"Noriya-san is missing?" Obito's eyes widened. Kakashi briefly wondered how his teammate knew this other Uchiha. Kakashi certainly didn't.
"Yes. We're not sure what happened. Between the blood loss and low chakra, Seiji-san blacked out. When he woke up, Noriya-san and one of the Iwa he was fighting were missing," Minato explained. "We sent a team to track him down. We all wanted to give chase, but with the severity of the wounds we had no choice but to evacuate the injured as soon as possible. The Two Toad Sages were with Jiraya-sama when I found him. Even with their Sage Mode, they couldn't detect hints of Noriya-san. Then again, they aren't as familiar with his chakra so that could mean nothing."
They arrived at the medical center and Hateno Village were giving them the royal treatment. Medics were already waiting outside and escorted the ninja inside. Representatives of the Maeda clan were there as well, reassuring the Konoha ninja that they would provide the best care and treatment they had.
A group of medics led the injured to beds and began treating them while Jiraya-sama was taken to a private room. Watanabe dropped back to take care of the mass injured and deal with the Maeda clan, leaving Jiraya's care to Minato. Obito and Kakashi trekked after their sensei, not wanting to leave him alone.
"Minato-san, I'm Haruto, the head-medic here. Don't worry, Jiraya-sama is in good hands," the man stated pridefully.
"Assess him but do nothing," Minato stated threateningly. "Tsunade-sama is coming, and injuries of this gravity are best left to the most experienced medic."
"Minato-san, I assure you that I'm the best Hateno has to offer," Haruto said.
"I don't doubt that, but any error on spinal injuries could spell permanent paralysis," Minato did not give the man any leeway. "Tsunade-sama will heal him. You may leave."
"I still haven't assessed him," Haruto proclaimed with annoyance.
"There's no need anymore, I take that back," Minato stood between the medic and Jiraya protectively. After witnessing the medic's boastfulness, Minato didn't trust him not to screw up in attempt to prove his worth. "You may leave, Haruto-san."
Haruto's face flushed red in anger, but nobody dared mess with Minato on a regular day. An angry and agitated Minato, Haruto was wise to high tail it out of there without another complaint.
Now that it was only Minato and his two students in the room. Minato collapsed on a chair, no longer masking his concern. His shoulders hunched forward, and his head tipped downwards as he rubbed the sides of his temple.
Obito turned to Kakashi and looked absolutely lost and unsure of what to do. Obito had never seen his sensei as anything but infallible. He clearly had no idea how to approach a vulnerable Minato.
Kakashi was going through his own turmoil about the outcomes of the mission. A potentially permanently disabled Sanin, a killed jinchuriki and a missing Uchiha. He couldn't even fathom the implications of these changes to the timeline. Also, what were the odds that another Uchiha would go MIA (missing in action). How could so many things change but also stay the same. Kakashi's mind was filling up with new theories as to how time travel worked and its consequences. Maybe the universe did not like change and tried to balance any actions Kakashi took? Maybe the universe was vengeful, causing more damage the more Kakashi tried to fix things?
Seeing Minato's state of mind, Kakashi forced himself to push these thoughts away for now and turn his full attention to his sensei. He could brainstorm his theories later.
"Jiraya-sama will be alright," Kakashi broke the silence. "Tsunade-sama is the best and he's her teammate. She won't rest until he's back on his feet."
"Exactly," Obito jumped in. Never comfortable with silence, the Uchiha took the chance to keep the conversation going, "Jiraya-sama is very strong. Everything will be fine."
Minato lifted his head up and saw the concern on his students' faces. He gave them a shaky smile, "Let's hope for the best then."
"Yes sir," Obito smiled brightly, happy to see his sensei feeling better.
"You never did tell me, what's your assignment? Don't you need to get back to it?" Minato asked. It was a good distraction from his circling thoughts.
"We were assigned to patrol the village farthest from the gates," Obito groused. "Basically, we were given the useless task."
"You have to work your way up, Obito-kun," Minato let out a small laugh at Obito's dismay. Obito perked up at that and began to describe in exaggerated detail the tediousness of their task. His over-the-top complaints and descriptions helped Minato relax.
"Then we went to the medical center, and you won't believe what happened," Obito's exuberance became a bit muted as he recalled the plight of Uzumaki Ayana.
"Turns out that the injured man has ties to the head of the village, Maeda-san," Kakashi cut his teammate off. "The thief will probably be executed without a second thought."
Obito caught on, and ended the story there, "It's so unfair. The village is suffering so much."
"Let's hope that Iwa can't continue, that will help bring life back to the village," Minato said. Kakashi could tell that the man didn't really believe that. If anything, the Maeda clan will take advantage of the chaos that follows the end of conflict to increase their wealth."
Once Minato turned to look at Jiraya again, Obito shot Kakashi a questioning look. Kakashi signed later but didn't elaborate. Minato had enough on his mind without adding the stress of helping an Uzumaki escape. The fact that his sensei never noticed the interplay between his students or that Kakashi cut Obito off purposefully showed how distracted his sensei was. Kakashi knew that it was best to wait and see before deciding whether to loop him in.
If anything, Kakashi was worried they would force Ayana to heal again. Based on what he'd observed so far, Hateno would keep Ayana a secret for fear of Konoha forcing them to hand her over despite their agreement. However, the temptation of gaining higher favor with Konoha by treating a Sanin could tip the scale the other way. He would bet his saber that the Maeda clan were now discussing the pros and cons of doing just that.
"Kakashi-kun, could you do me a favor?" Minato asked, still looking at Jiraya.
"Of course, sensei," Kakashi nodded.
"Please pen a letter to Orochimaru-sama," Minato asked. "He should know about Jiraya-sensei's condition. The missive sent to the outposts only explained the outcome of the mission but not the details of the injured. Jiraya-sensei would want Orochimaru-sama to know."
Kakashi wanted to say that Orochimaru probably didn't care about Jiraya based on the number of times the man had tried to kill the Toad Sanin in the future. Regardless, he decided to honor his sensei's wishes, and if he was being honest, he wanted a moment to collect his own thoughts.
"I'll be right back," Kakashi said. Before leaving, he nodded at Obito seriously: take care of him. Obito nodded back and went to sit on a chair next to Minato. Kakashi heard Obito launch into a tale about his patrol assignments as he left the room.
He avoided everyone else as he made his way outside the medical center. Before heading to the headquarters to send the message, Kakashi jumped to one of the roofs to take a breather.
What do I do now? He wondered. Uzumaki Ayana, the knowledge of the future… what was the best way to proceed? The consequences of the Kannabi Bridge made him feel like he was failing horrendously.
Despite his consuming thoughts, Kakashi didn't miss the slight movement on an adjacent roof. Only someone trying to remain hidden would move so cautiously. He quickly turned around, kunai blazing. It was brief, but Kakashi wouldn't forget that man. Half black and half white, he was looking into the window of Jiraya's room with a wide smirk before disappearing into the ground leaving no trace of his presence.
Akatsuki? That is, without a shadow of a doubt, the weird plant guy who was with Tobi. What's he doing here?
Pieces of an ambiguous puzzle began to click in Kakashi's brain, and he did not like the picture they were making. His mission had gotten infinitely bigger, and he no longer held the belief he could handle it all on his own.