11,477Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I'm feeling like this is my year, everyone. It's finally time I get my hands on those sweet, juicy rights. Then the world will never be the same again.
Or... you know, it'll be exactly the same, just with one miniscule difference. But that still counts as change.
Chapter 85: Call To Action
In a puff of smoke, Naruto found himself standing at the edge of Konoha with a pristine view of the village. Even though he knew he would be returning to what was ostensibly a chaotic, destructive war, he couldn't keep the smile from his face.
He was home again, and he had mastered a new technique that would hopefully give him a leg up on the battlefield once he was deployed. His jump-up in strength and ability got the thumbs-up from Jiraiya. Even with one arm, that man was still a monster, so if Naruto's progress received Jiraiya's stamp of approval, it was good enough for him. While he couldn't wait to get to work and try to bring the war to a speedy end, there was something else that took greater precedence at the moment.
Naruto had spent two weeks away from his loved ones, one of them in particular. While it was standard procedure to always report to the Hokage upon returning to Konoha after an absence, even if it was for personal reasons, if only to let him know you were available again, the old man could wait. The first person he wanted to see was Ino.
The feeling had apparently been mutual. When he reached out to sense her and find her, he could feel her also approaching him.
As Naruto roamed the village to go and meet her, it was clear that Konoha was in full wartime mode. Squads that had yet to be dispatched were running drills inside of the village. Academy students were being instructed on their responsibilities to escort villagers to safety shelters in case the village was attacked.
The more he saw, the more sobering it was, and he hadn't even seen a battlefield yet.
By the time he saw Ino, Naruto was desperately grateful for the mood pick-me-up that his girlfriend just so happened to be. Dressed in her grey Torture and Interrogation uniform, she had clearly stepped out from work to come and see him. Ino smiled in relief at the sight of him and rushed over into Naruto's arms.
"I already knew you were alright, but it's still so good to see you in one piece," Ino tucked her head into the crook of Naruto's neck, allowing him to wrap her up tightly.
Naruto thought about telling her that even after escaping Pain there was no guarantee he would have survived, as Sage Mode training had been extremely dangerous, but figured it would serve no purpose other than ruining the moment. He would save that story for another time.
"Don't you ever pull that crap you pulled at the border again, you big dummy," Ino added, "We need you around. I need you around."
As happy as she was to see him, that was all the admonishment Ino was going to heap onto Naruto. He already knew how much she hated when he decided to play hero ball. That wasn't what Team 10 had been built on at its core. Even if Naruto had long since grown head and shoulders more powerful than Ino and Shikamaru, to the two of them, that didn't mean he needed to throw himself into the fire just to keep the rest of them out of it.
"I wouldn't have tried that bait-and-switch thing with Pain if I didn't know it would have worked," Naruto said, planting a kiss on the top of Ino's head, "I don't have a death wish, Ino-chan. There's still way too much I've got left to do around here."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Good. He knew better than to butt heads with her too hard on the issue. Ino just let out an affirmative hum against his neck and let the moment settle. Naruto was back, and they would have a little more time together before the war took its effect on their lives in earnest.
Once they had gotten their fill of each other for the time being, Naruto pulled back with a big grin, "Alright, I've been gone a little while. What's been happening?" He asked, requesting to be caught up.
At that, Ino's entire demeanor visibly changed, "Well... you have a cousin here in Konoha."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I know Tsunade's kicking around this place somewhere. No way she's gonna just leave during a war, no matter what she says. I'm surprised Sarutobi-jiji hasn't roped her into a posting somewhere yet," He said off-handedly before getting back on track, "I'm talking, like, war stuff. Or, like, what have you been up to?"
"No, Goldie-kun. Not Tsunade," Ino said, "You have another living relative. It's a long story, and we're still working through it."
Naruto found himself at a loss, stuck staring without the ability to put his thoughts into proper words. Eventually, he found his vocabulary, "...When you say working through it-."
"She's being interrogated right now," Ino said, gesturing to her own attire, indicating what she had likely been tending to when Naruto returned, "She defected from Oto."
All of this information kept coming at Naruto like a combination of punches. He had a cousin. He had a cousin who was being interrogated. He had a cousin who was being interrogated because she had been working for Orochimaru.
"What the fuck?" Naruto muttered, "I leave for two weeks, and this is what I get when I come back?"
"Home sweet home," Ino quipped, "Come on."
XxX
(Tsuchi no Kuni)
Deidara hadn't exactly been a willing recruit to Akatsuki. One of the main reasons he had hated Uchiha Itachi with every fiber of his being was not only because of how the man's ability completely outclassed his art, but because that display of dominance led to his being press-ganged into the terrorist organization.
Granted, once he had joined, he hadn't ever had a problem with the nature of the work. It was the fact that he had been brought aboard against his will that had been the issue. To that end, he found himself missing the old days. The days when he had been under the impression that they were a mercenary group looking to corner the shinobi market and put the hidden villages of the Five Great Shinobi Villages out of business. The truth of Akatsuki's existence was far more ludicrous and hard to associate with. At least, the truth according to what he had been told.
As far as Deidara knew, both Pain's lofty ideals for world peace weaponizing the biju and Madara's Moon's Eye Plan for peace were both b.s. as well. All he knew was that whatever their aims really were, the tailed beasts were still integral for both sides of Akatsuki. Which was why Deidara found himself venturing close to his old stomping grounds of Iwagakure.
He normally would have had no reason to venture back that way. He had outgrown anything that Iwagakure could offer him a long time ago, and the village's jinchuuriki had both been captured, their biju both extracted and accounted for. Still, that didn't mean there wasn't some blood that could be squeezed from this proverbial stone, and there was no one better equipped than him to do so, at least, according to Uchiha Madara.
"Lotta more cracks than I remember," Deidara remarked to himself in the middle of his infiltration of the village's territory.
The Elemental Nations were buzzing. That meant plenty of opportunity to move around amidst the chaos. It helped that much more when you had people in positions to assist with that.
The appearance of a sole individual finally prompted Deidara to stir after waiting around for hours. A nondescript Iwagakure kunoichi approached. Instead of turning her into a stain on the countryside, Deidara smirked, "No trouble getting her unnoticed?"
"Absolutely not," The Iwa kunoichi said, "They're all so up their own ass, I probably could have walked out through the front door if I really wanted to."
"Trouble on the homefront?" Deidara asked.
"They're still recovering from the Nine-Tails breakout. The Tsuchikage was up in arms about his allies managing to make it in and escape with him," The kunoichi explained, "Now though? He can't decide how to take advantage of the war. Does he use Konoha's situation to finally swoop in and smash Taki, or does he look to Suna and try to get over on them while they're focused east?"
Deidara snorted, "Sounds like the old fence-sitter, un."
Onoki could always be counted on to find some way to try and swoop in to pick the bones of any given situation. That predictability had been a headache to rival villages for years in times of strife, and even a benefit to Akatsuki, back in the days when the Tsuchikage outsourced sensitive work to them, before the group started making their real aims known. Here as well, it would serve as another positive for Akatsuki.
"We need the Nanabi in the field," Deidara said, "Somewhere we can get to her, un."
"I wouldn't worry about that," The kunoichi said, "We've got White Zetsu in positions that can help move that along. It shouldn't take a lot. Maybe a few more in key positions to make decisions... but we're working on that."
It was the concept of Henge no Jutsu taken to its perfect conclusion. Cloned beings capable of becoming copies of any person they absorbed the chakra of, nigh indistinguishable from the genuine article, even by sensors. It was one of the most terrifying concepts Deidara could mentally conjure as a shinobi, and yet Madara had managed to manifest it into reality. During the time the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and Uchiha Sasuke had been captured, before the clouds of war had truly begun to gather, he had already planted White Zetsu in Iwa as sleeper agents.
With Yakushi Kabuto's painstakingly gathered notes on key individuals in the village, however, Madara had refined his approach – supplanting the suggested shinobi with his own obedient underlings.
It wasn't just Iwagakure he had such designs for either, it was every hidden village. Suna and Konoha, obviously. With the fog of war clouding every action those two villages made, slipping White Zetsu into sensitive positions would be the easiest in those two places.
With Akatsuki seemingly split into two opposing factions, Deidara had no idea what Pain would have up his sleeve, but with what he knew of Madara's side thus far, he could confidently say he wouldn't have wanted any part in fighting him.
Being crushed by overwhelming direct force wasn't the scariest possibility to most shinobi. Instead, it was the thought of being defeated without ever knowing it was happening, without having the opportunity, even the inkling, to defend oneself.
Deidara would take his chances going head-to-head with Pain a hundred times over rather than be outmaneuvered from the shadows by a force he would never even be aware of.
XxX
(Konohagakure no Sato – Konoha Intelligence Division HQ – Cold Interrogation Room)
Uzumaki Naruto was simple. He always had been. Morino Ibiki didn't consider that an insult. In his long career as an interrogator, he had learned that it was often the simplest individuals that were the toughest to crack. Even when you understood how they operated, getting what you wanted from them could often be quite difficult.
Simple did not mean easy. Tasks that were simple could still be hard to accomplish. Similarly, saying that something was complex did not inherently mean that it was difficult.
As Ibiki stood with Naruto in the observation area of an interrogation room, behind the one-way glass, he couldn't help but read every emotion in the would-be jounin's face as he stared at Ino interviewing Karin. It was a mixture of several things, both positive and negative. Nevertheless, it was evident that he didn't know how to feel, or what he was supposed to do. Regardless, the young man's hands were tied until orders came down from higher up. All he could do for the time being was watch.
Such a feeling had to be an exercise in suffering for someone so action oriented.
Inside of the interrogation room, Ino swore she could feel Naruto's gaze. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was right where she had left him before entering.
The cold interrogation room wasn't the friendliest place in Konoha, but it was better than the alternative. The fact that Karin had willingly come to them and surrendered meant that she would be subjected to an interview first before any more drastic measures would be taken.
It was hard for Ino to get a read on Karin. One moment, she seemed skittish, eyes darting around nervously as she rubbed at her arms. The next, she was irritable and brazen, sitting slouched, eyes sharp, as though she were displeased with her reception. It was during one of these moments that she spoke up.
"I thought Konoha was supposed to be the strongest, richest hidden village," Karin remarked, "Is this what counts for hospitality around here?"
"You're not a diplomat, you're a defector. I don't know what you expected," Ino replied dryly, "You might just be a spy for Otogakure. How would we know?"
Karin rolled her eyes, "Oto is destroyed. Orochimaru is dead. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy to have any kind of leadership structure in place outside of, 'Do what I say or I'll experiment on you.,'" She said, "Actually, he'd probably still experiment on you anyway."
Ino knew this already. Intelligence gleaned from another of Orochimaru's former subjects, Juugo, had given them that much long ago. What Juugo lacked in knowledge of Oto's bases and movements due to his status as a long-term prisoner, he made up for in knowing about how the system worked.
"So, what will happen now?" Ino asked, "With Orochimaru gone, you said there's no other leadership in place."
Karin pursed her lips, remembering her last time seeing Orochimaru's second-in-command, "I mean... there was one other person that could have taken over. But I don't think that will happen anymore. Not after Kabuto abandoned us in Tetsu no Kuni."
Naruto's fists tightened behind the observation glass. Time and the experiences he had endured since Kabuto's subterfuge came to light had not taken the sting of those events away. Kabuto's treachery had cost lives, including Naruto's first mentor Iruka. Iruka's death was a wound that time had not yet healed.
"After Jiraiya-sama killed Orochimaru, right?" Ino asked, keeping her tone even and conversational, "I guess running Oto wasn't really a priority for him."
"Kabuto is a rat. He knows a sinking ship when he's on one," Karin said, shaking her head, "Even if we made it out of Tetsu no Kuni whole, why would he stick around and try to pull a bunch of criminals and cutthroats together around him? Orochimaru did it, but that's Orochimaru."
Orochimaru had corralled the hodgepodge of shinobi that comprised his forces through respect, fear, and outright press-ganging prisoners with talent and ability into the ranks. Kabuto was a remarkably dangerous man in his own right, but to say he was as powerful as Orochimaru was preposterous. Orochimaru also had a reputation that preceded him, something Kabuto also could not boast.
It wouldn't have been farfetched to image Kabuto slashing enough throats to kick any dissenters back into line, but the time and effort that would have taken simply wasn't something Karin could have ever seen him doing. It just wasn't his style.
Karin let out a tired sigh, "I can see why he left when he had the chance. Akatsuki came to recruit him. Why would he bother struggling in the blood and mud with us?"
"What!?" Naruto said behind the glass. Thankfully, Karin couldn't hear him. Hearing about Kabuto had gotten his blood up, but knowing that he had jumped ship to Akatsuki only worsened his mood.
What Karin had revealed was news to Ino; startling and unwelcome news at that. Still, she was good enough at her job that she didn't outwardly react.
"And you thought he had the right idea, huh?" Ino continued to probe, "No love for Oto?"
Karin rested her cheek in her hand, fixing Ino with an unamused look, "No one has, or had, love or loyalty for Oto. Anyone who was loyal at all was only ever loyal to Orochimaru. Now that he's dead... I expect there's going to be a scramble sooner or later for what's left of his assets."
Orochimaru promised many people power in exchange for serving him. He provided it in his own way, despite using them as pawns and test subjects, however even the strongest in his employ knew that there was only so much power and influence they would ever be allowed to accrue... at least while their master lived. With his death, they would probably try to snap up what they could to eke out their own little missing-nin fiefdoms.
Perhaps someone would think themselves Orochimaru's successor and would fight to bring all of Otogakure together under their own iron fist. Nature did abhor a vacuum, after all.
Either way, the end of snake sannin did not mean the end of the trouble that his influence brought. If anything, it fractured and split it into several separate, unpredictable cells.
"So, why Konoha? Why not anywhere else?" Ino eventually asked, "If you came all the way from Tetsu no Kuni, this is literally the farthest you could have gone looking for a hidden village without trying to cross the ocean. That, and out of all of the villages, we have the most beef with Oto."
Karin rolled her eyes. Any other hidden village would have executed her immediately due to her previous affiliation, without question. Even going to Konoha was a major risk, but they had a reputation of restraint that other villages didn't have, "I'm here because you have the most beef with Oto, which means you can use the kinds of intel I can give you," At that, her expression turned a bit pensive, "That and... you're the only place that has any connection with my clan."
"Right. The Uzumaki Clan."
"You don't believe me."
"I don't know what to believe," Ino said, "I know one Uzumaki. I've only ever known one Uzumaki. I've known him most of my life, and in all that time, he and I have never met another one."
"Maybe you did and just didn't know it," Karin shot back, "Like I told you before, after Uzushiogakure fell, the survivors didn't exactly make it a habit of advertising that they were Uzumaki."
As much as Ino wanted to keep digging into that topic, she had a job to do. She had already been allowed a personal exception with Naruto being granted access to the interview, "Let's put a pin in that for now, because it's really not relevant. Getting too deep into that here and now would be a cart before the horse kind of thing."
"And what does that mean, huh?" Karin demanded.
If there was an unsaid warning to what Ino had said, she went and threw any subtlety out the window, "It means it doesn't matter if you're connected to the Uzumaki Clan if you don't get asylum here in the first place."
Ino chose that to be the statement she left Karin to marinate over, rising from her seat and exiting the room, leaving the red-haired woman alone. A moment later, the door to the observation area opened. Ino breathed a deep sigh as she closed the door behind her. The first thing she wanted was to go to Naruto and wrap her arms around him, but she was still at work. His being allowed to sit in on the interview at all was a courtesy to the two of them already.
"So, what do you think, Morino-san?" Ino asked her superior.
Ibiki hummed. From what he could tell, Karin wasn't lying. Ino had come to the same conclusion, "Jiraiya-sama killed Orochimaru. That's confirmed."
Ino nodded, "I really don't know what the idea is if she's trying a deep cover play."
"The best way to deceive someone with intel? Feed them verifiable truth and sprinkle in the poison of your lie," Ibiki said, "But again, Orochimaru is dead. So, what would Kabuto care about doing anything against us?
"She said Kabuto joined Akatsuki. She wasn't lying about that," Ino recapped before sparing a glance Naruto's way, "And the Uzumaki thing..."
Akatsuki still needed to finish capturing the nine biju, and Naruto still possessed the Kyuubi. If Kabuto had joined them, he probably needed to deliver something of value to their aims... that is, if he didn't have something they wanted already – something that would help complete that task or beyond.
Kabuto could have sent Karin to infiltrate and get to Naruto, using her lineage as a hook. In fact, Kabuto may not have been the only person from the smoldering remains of Otogakure recruited to Akatsuki.
It was just about safe to say that Naruto would not be allowed around Karin anytime soon.
Ino didn't want to say it to Naruto while he was so obviously still processing everything, but there was a real possibility they would have to do a mind dive on Karin to determine the truth. Perhaps even more drastic measures would need to be taken.
Ibiki was soon to depart, having more work to do as the head of the division. In a matter of moments, a pair of shinobi entered the interrogation room to retrieve Karin. Ino stood next to Naruto as he watched the guards escort his would-be relative to where they were keeping her. His eyes never left her until she was gone, and his gaze remained on the closed door she departed through.
Ino laced her fingers with Naruto's, taking his hand into hers and giving it a squeeze, "Hey. You alright?"
"I'm okay," Naruto replied, smiling warmly at her, "Thanks, Ino-chan," Upon noticing her confusion, he elaborated, "You didn't have to bring me here. You didn't even have to tell me about any of this. Even if my clan's name is attached, this is still a village thing before anything else."
Ino frowned up at Naruto and leaned her head against him, "I love you. Unless it was an S-rank secret, there's no way I wasn't telling you about this," A cheeky grin then pulled at Ino's lips, "Besides, you're technically head of the Uzumaki Clan, so this would still be your business anyway."
"Oh. That's a good point," Naruto happily agreed, "This clan head thing is still brand new to me," It wasn't like he had gotten much use out of it to that point, aside from the clan grounds the mask temple and his new home resided on.
Ino giggled, pawing playfully at Naruto, "Don't worry. I'll help you figure it out."
Naruto pulled Ino close and wrapped his arms around her, "What would I do without you?"
"I dunno. Whatever you did for the whole time you were a Guardian Ninja."
"Yeah, and that sucked. I'm never leaving for that long again."
"You'd better not, if you know what's good for you."
"Oi. We giving orders now? You ain't in charge of me."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
The two softly repeated themselves and slowly drew closer until their lips met in a passionate kiss. The display was short lived when the door opened and Ibiki walked in on the blonde couple.
"Yamanaka," Ibiki sternly barked, frightening the two teenagers apart. From the dry expression his face held, he was less than impressed, "You're still on the job. Stop making out in the goddamn observation room."
"Yes, sir..." Browbeaten, Ino reluctantly released Naruto and started for the door to get back to work. Before leaving, however, she turned and blew a kiss, quietly mouthing 'later' to Naruto, a specific gleam in her eye as she did so.
Naruto grinned back, fingers touching at a small metal object in his pocket he hadn't had the opportunity to stash away properly yet, "Yeah. Later."
When the time was right.
XxX
(The Next Day – Kaminari no Kuni)
Hatake Kakashi was no stranger to the front lines during wartime. It had been a long time since the Third Shinobi World War, but he would never forget those tumultuous times; times that for better or worse laid the foundation for who he was as a man and a shinobi.
As one of the premier shinobi in all the Elemental Nations, he knew that whenever the next war started, he would be right in the thick of the most vital operations. But then again, that was how things had always been. Mentoring Team 7 had been a nice break for as long as that had lasted, but as his time as their active jounin sensei came to an end, the importance and danger of his missions rose once more.
Now back in the saddle as Konoha's go-to heavy-hitter, it stood to reason that when hostilities kicked off properly, he would receive some of the highest-value missions.
Much of his work took him far behind the established frontlines, where there was no hope for support or reinforcements if things went wrong. He had been offered a team of his choosing by the Hokage, even an ANBU squad, if he wished, but in the end, he had declined. Kakashi felt he could handle things on his own, and didn't want Konoha to risk spreading itself thin, using people who could have been of more use elsewhere. After all, in the early days of the conflict, it was still uncertain as to just what kind of force Suna could muster, even with the loss of their jinchuuriki Gaara.
That was something Kakashi simply couldn't wrap his head around. The Kazekage wasn't a fool. Why would they even push for war, knowing they had lost one of their premier assets in Gaara? As unfair as it was to label a human being as a war asset, it didn't change the fact that this was what Shukaku's jinchuuriki had been.
Suna believed it was all Konoha's doing, all because of a masked individual claiming to be Uchiha Madara. That same individual had apparently infiltrated Konoha not long before capturing Gaara. The only thing anyone knew for certain was that he was affiliated with Akatsuki.
As much as the war effort needed someone of Kakashi's caliber, he was likely the best equipped to try and look into the movements of Madara imposter.
That, and it was somewhat personal, with 'Madara's' seeming interest in meddling with Sasuke. Thus, it was on Kakashi to find him. But the man was a veritable ghost. Fortunately, the other remaining members of Akatsuki weren't.
Kakashi held a piece of shredded Akatsuki cloak in his hand, courtesy of Hidan from a confrontation months ago with several Konoha shinobi, including Kakashi's own students. The organization's resident immortal left so much of his own blood on the garment, it was a mere trifle for Kakashi to summon his ninken and enlist their noses to sniff him out.
It wasn't a surprise that Kakashi's search took him beyond Hi no Kuni's border. His hounds led him deep into Kaminari no Kuni, making him grateful for his time in the ANBU ranks and his frequent missions deep in hostile territory. Ever since rumblings of war sprang up, even villages that weren't involved in the hostilities between Suna and Konoha had stepped up their patrols along their nations' borders and countrysides.
The last thing Konoha needed was Kakashi being discovered anywhere near Kumogakure. While the Raikage had stayed out of things thus far, it wasn't hard to consider him taking any reason presented to him to declare war. The man had no love for Konoha or Suna. Any missteps could result in the Fourth Shinobi World War. Then again, Akatsuki seemed to be doing a good job of that on their own, with how they provoked Suna into fighting Konoha. That was why they, and this 'Madara' needed to be dealt with before the situation became even worse.
Kakashi stopped for a moment near the crooked, rocky shoreline along Kaminari no Kuni's east coast. In the distance, he could see a stray storm on the horizon, sending bolts of lightning down onto the water. He was close. His summoned hounds had been sent to scout ahead, with orders to dispel once they could confirm the target.
Before long, a small brown pug in a blue vest and forehead protector appeared before him, "Pakkun," Kakashi said, acknowledging the diminutive summon animal.
"Yo," The tiny dog saluted with one bandaged paw before gesturing with his head, "We found the hideout and dealt with the security measures ourselves, but... well, you're going to want to see for yourself."
Pakkun led Kakashi along various cliffs and ledges that made up the steep, uneven shoreline. There were various caverns, crevices, and tiny openings that could serve as hiding places. One of these wound up being their destination. From how Pakkun led Kakashi through the twists, turns, and various narrowing passages within, he had clearly scouted farther ahead than Kakashi had wanted him to.
It was just as well. That way, at least one of them wouldn't be surprised at what they saw once the tunnels opened up. In the first major corridor they came across, Kakashi's single visible eye went wide at what they found.
Plant men. White Zetsu.
He recalled reading about Sasuke's run-in with one in the report of his time while captured by Iwa. There was another situation at the Fire Daimyo's court where plant men had infiltrated and replaced nobles and members of the staff with near perfect transformations. Here though, there were dozens, seemingly sitting around underground and waiting.
This wasn't good. They weren't too far from Kumogakure. If history was anything to go from, it was a matter of time before they were dispatched to infiltrate. It certainly wasn't Konoha's problem if they did, but depending on what happened down the line, it could have wound up being everyone's problem. Besides, such a thing simply couldn't be allowed to stand. Whatever the White Zetsu were meant to do, it was on the orders of Akatsuki. Thus, it was in the interests of Kakashi's interests to thwart them.
Without another word, Kakashi gave Pakkun a pat on the head for a good job, then formed the hand seal to dispel him in a small puff of smoke. Raising his headband to reveal his Sharingan, his gaze never left the crowd of White Zetsu. Kakashi slowly, deliberately rolled through three more hand seals, triggering a jutsu meant to engage the enemy.
"Doton: Iwayado Kuzushi (Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction)!"
The delicate balance of support in the rocks that kept the cave intact was compromised, causing it to quickly collapse without warning. The White Zetsu were hardly able to register that anything was happening at all before rocks started falling and their ranks started thinning.
Performing that jutsu left Kakashi with bitter feelings, reminding him of one of the low points of his life, but there was no denying that it had its uses in distracting the White Zetsu and thinning their numbers. Using the cover and chaos of the cave-in, Kakashi formed his signature jutsu, Raikiri, in both hands. Quickly dashing through the ranks of remaining White Zetsu, he mopped them up, violently tearing into them as he ran past. He refused to allow any to escape.
The surprise attack paid off. In a matter of seconds, Kakashi counted nearly one-hundred enemies felled by his hand before he took his leave of the cave. His timing couldn't have been better, as he was able to make it out in enough time to watch part of the cliffside collapse in on itself.
For a moment, Kakashi wondered if he had done the right thing. It had been a judgment call to target the White Zetsu instead of focusing his energy on getting to Hidan. With as close as he probably was, there would be no way that the man hadn't heard or seen what had transpired. While Kakashi likely could track him down once more if need be, the element of surprise was lost.
He had no need to worry about pursuing Hidan once more. Instead of fleeing, the man in question appeared shortly thereafter, seemingly emerging from the rubble unscathed.
Hidan ran a hand through his silver hair in annoyance as he looked around, "Well, fuck," He cursed, "Didn't even manage to make it into the damn place before I was made," At that, Hidan noticed Kakashi. He squinted and noticed the insignia on his forehead protector, "Oh, you're not even from Kumo. You're from Konoha. Never mind. Just have to kill you and I'm good to go."
Kakashi regarded the S-rank criminal calmly, "You don't seem very put out about-," He gestured to the pulverized cliffside, containing the dead, crushed remains of the one-hundred White Zetsu before him, "-All of this."
Hidan waved the entire scene off, "Whatever. All I have to do is ask Madara for more. Sure, it takes some time to grow 'em, but it's not like we don't have more."
"How many more?"
"Beats me. Not like I'd tell you anyway."
"That's fine," Kakashi said, drawing a kunai, "I'll be getting everything I need out of you soon enough as it is."
At that, Hidan's smirk faded, "Tch. You Konoha shinobi are all such cocky heathens," He said, brandishing his triple-bladed scythe, "All you're getting from me is a quality death."
XxX
(Konohagakure no Sato – Mission Assignment Desk)
Bright and early, Naruto was summoned from his home for a mission. The ANBU sent to fetch him managed to make it a two-for-one, requesting Ino as well, who had been asleep on his chest in bed when the knock at his door came. It would be a Team 10 affair, it seemed.
Within the hour, the couple stood before the Hokage alongside Shikamaru. Right next to them, Sasuke, Sakura, and Chouji were also present, seemingly just as in the dark as to the nature of their would-be assignment.
Hiruzen waited until both teams were fully gathered before revealing anything. He set out a pair of scrolls on the table before them, far apart from one another, "Team 7," He said, looking to Sasuke, Sakura, and Chouji. Just as quickly, his eyes snapped over to Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru, "Team 10," he said in acknowledgment, "You are here today, because I have an assignment for each of your squads."
They figured that much, but it was nice to have it clarified regardless, "Not together though, right?" Sakura asked.
Hiruzen nodded, "At other ends of the country, actually. Which is where the point of this conversation comes in," He gestured to the scrolls, "As you can see, there are two missions, but you can only take one. Which one would you like?"
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "You're letting us decide?"
"Do make your choice quickly," Hiruzen said, "Time is of the essence for each of them."
From there, it didn't take Naruto much more time to figure out what was going on. This was the first part of his jounin exam. Sasuke's too, seeing as how he was also there. A quick look over at Sasuke and a meeting of eyes showed that he too had come to the same conclusion.
The two of them stepped forward and cracked open the seals on each scroll to begin reading.
One scroll described an incursion from a Sunagakure strike force into southern Hi no Kuni. They had taken a pair of villages, Hachou Village and Tonika Village, and eradicated the defenders there. With a vital resource there that Suna sought for themselves, and the potential of Suna using the location to press deeper into the heart of the country, the mission was to force them out by any means necessary before reinforcements arrived and they could claim the area as a foothold.
The second scroll described a mission meant to assist Konoha's ally Takigakure. Skrimishers from Iwa were pushing beyond the established limits of the treaty established at the end of the last war. Scouts discovered two battalions attempting to amass in secret. It seemed that the Tsuchikage was finally set to make his long-expected move while Konoha was otherwise occupied. The mission was to provide front-line support for their ally, working independently, yet in conjunction with Taki until they were relieved of duty.
Both Naruto and Sasuke quickly shared the mission details between each other and their teammates. They were both A-rank missions, albeit with distinct differences between them. All there was to do was make a decision.
As much as Naruto wanted to take the mission to assist Taki, it might have been redundant for him to be there. Fuu likely would be front and center in the chance that hostilities commenced. Two jinchuuriki fighting one battle when that kind of firepower could have been more evenly distributed elsewhere seemed too aggressive a move for what they knew of the situation. It was also a tactical faux pas to potentially tie two such assets up when there was fighting to be done elsewhere. Suna might catch wind of Naruto's presence far away from the lines and launch a full assault. This way, at least he could tie up forces that could be used in the active war they were already fighting.
Besides, clearing out tons of enemies who were dug in tight seemed like the kind of thing Naruto was supposed to be doing anyway. Not that Naruto felt Sasuke's team couldn't if they had to, but Naruto's brawn, Shikamaru's brain, and Ino's support and communication abilities were more useful in an active situation. Sasuke, Sakura, and Chouji were a quick response team, better equipped for the situation with Taki and Iwa, the nature of which they still weren't entirely privy to yet. Team 7's overall versatility would serve the fluidity of the border conflict better than Team 10's shock-and-awe approach, which would work better for quickly kicking the enemy out of a position.
In the end, Naruto chose to take his team to Tonika Village, while Sasuke meant to take his to Takigakure. Hiruzen didn't comment on the decision. He simply accepted it and pardoned both teams to prepare and leave.
Once they were outside, Shikamaru spoke up, "That was part of you guys' evaluation, right?" He asked, letting Naruto and Sasuke know he'd had the same thought as them, "Since when does Hokage-sama call anyone in for a mission, then give them a choice on what's available?"
"And only two choices," Sakura added, "Yeah, that was totally part of the evaluation."
"Do you think you made whatever choice he wanted you guys to make?" Chouji asked.
"Honestly? I don't care right now," Sasuke said, much to everyone else's confusion. Everyone but Naruto's anyway.
"Asuma-sensei said our evaluation is usually meant to put us into positions we might not be used to, to see what we're made of," Naruto said, following up on Sasuke's point, "But that's during peace. There's a war going on right now. It isn't the time to fuck around and experiment."
Sasuke smirked, "Exactly. We all know what we do best, so let's go do it. And if we chose wrong? So what? Who cares. It's just a stupid rank."
Naruto punched forward into the air, "Getting the job done is the only thing that matters right now!"
Because this wasn't a test. It wasn't a controlled examination. They were being sent on missions, high level ones, with very real consequences for the village if they failed. Even if they were being evaluated, everything that evaluation entailed was deadly serious.
XxX
(Kaminari no Kuni)
Knowing who he was to be sent after well in advance, Kakashi had ample time and opportunity to prepare for Hidan. There were already detailed notes on what he was capable of, thanks to Team 8 and Tsunade months prior.
No matter what, the last thing he could do was allow Hidan to draw even a drop of blood from him. If he did, and Hidan managed to ingest it, he was as good as dead. In that regard, Kakashi had rarely been more grateful to possess a Sharingan.
'Thank you, Obito,' Kakashi thought to himself as he dodged the wild swings of Hidan's scythe.
Kakashi was faster, but Hidan wasn't a slouch, and due to his fighting style only requiring the paltriest of wounds to be inflicted on his opponent to be potentially fatal, Hidan often attacked at the oddest angles. He could do so with little to no fear of counterattacks from his enemies. What was there to fear, after all, when no earthly force could kill you? That aside, he wasn't some ignorant berserker. He had elite evasive skills and was good enough with his scythe on offense to make Kakashi sweat.
Staying close to Hidan was a dangerous proposition, even with the skills of a man like Kakashi. One slight misstep could mean the end. Kakashi could see why two of the close-range specialists on Team 8 had so much trouble with Hidan. Kakashi, however, had numerous ranged options available to him.
And the best part from Kakashi's perspective? He didn't have to worry about killing Hidan, so he didn't have to hold back.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu)!"
A massive wave of water burst into the air from the nearby ocean and crashed down from above with the force of a waterfall. The impact was enough to wash away stray boulders and entire chunks of the nearby destroyed cliffside.
"Oi!" Hidan cursed, having taken refuge on a sheer cliff face to keep from being pulverized and pulled out to sea, "You can fuck right off with your little splash attack!"
Much to Kakashi's consternation, Hidan's survival instincts seemed to kick in whenever Kakashi fired off a powerful jutsu. It was like he had a sixth sense to what he could take head-on and what could potentially debilitate him. As much as he enjoyed inflicting pain on others through his Curse Jutsu, dealing with it when he wasn't linked to an enemy was simply a waste of suffering.
As the water below Hidan slowly drained out to sea, multiple clones of Kakashi formed from it, rushing up the wall after the murderous criminal. Dancing vertically on the cliff wall, Hidan made short work of all of Kakashi's Water Clones.
"Is that the best you've got?" Hidan taunted as he tore through the clones, "I expected Hatake Kakashi to be a more worthy sacrifice to Jashin-sama than this!"
Kakashi arms burst through the cliff wall near Hidan's feet, but the Akatsuki shinobi leapt clear of the wall, preferring to hurtle through the air than take his chances with whatever Kakashi had planned for him. As he leapt, however, Hidan dragged his scythe in his wake in the hopes he would slice into Kakashi as he retreated. It failed, but the action also stuck hidden explosive tags to the wall that went off the instant Hidan was clear.
*BOOM!*
While it wouldn't have been Hidan's preferred method of doing so, a kill was a kill. Not that he expected that to put Kakashi away.
Landing safely, he watched Kakashi do the same right in front of him. Hidan held his scythe at the ready, even though Kakashi refrained from pressing his attack further, "Well?" Hidan prompted, "You done, or what?"
Kakashi replied, clearly smiling at him how his eye crinkled in amusement, "Yes, actually. Shishienjin (Four Violet Flames Formation)."
From the rubble around Hidan, four Kakashi clones emerged, all kneeling, palms pressed together in front of their chests. A see-through barrier made of purple flames formed around Hidan, who glared at Kakashi in return.
"Do you think this bullshit barrier is going to hold me?" Hidan asked.
Kakashi shrugged, "If you're willing to set yourself on fire, be my guest," He quickly found out that Hidan hadn't been bluffing when the man ran directly into the barrier, immolating himself from head to toe, "...Alright then."
Hidan shrieked in pain and writhed on the waterlogged ground, eventually throwing off his burning robe. Breathing heavily, he slowly rose back to his feet, "Okay, so maybe getting out of here won't be so easy. But what now? You think I'm gonna say anything to you because I'm trapped? Or maybe you're gonna come in here and interrogate me," At that, he chuckled, "Come on in then. I dare you."
Kakashi stared at Hidan impassively. As he did, his Sharingan shifted patterns. Hidan found himself staring. He had seen that before – not just the Sharingan in general, but the pattern that Kakashi's eye shifted to. That didn't make any sense.
"Kamui (Authority of the Gods)."
One moment, Hidan's legs were in the same place they had always been. The next, they were severed above the knee, sliced off by some spiral vortex that formed around him, then just as quickly vanished.
"RRAAAAAGGGH!" Hidan roared, falling to the ground upon being dismembered. Kakashi didn't flinch, neither at the copious amounts of blood pouring from Hidan's stumps, nor at the volume of the yelling, "You tree-hugging heathen! I'll slice your fucking guts out! I'll skin you alive!"
"Let's try this again," Kakashi said in a pleasant tone, ignoring Hidan's screaming and ranting, "I have some questions, and I will be getting my answers. So, let's start with your friend 'Madara', shall we?"
"What about me, Kakashi?"
Kakashi slowly turned to see the masked man clad in an Akatsuki robe, sitting on a nearby cliff, observing the scene before him. He had appeared from seemingly nowhere, in line with the last time he had caught a glimpse of him teleporting away from Konoha. Now he had Kakashi's full attention. Hidan wasn't going anywhere, not trapped in a barrier without his legs.
"Speak of the devil," Kakashi said, "And here I came all this way for you. If I knew it was that easy, I would have just said your name out loud days ago and been done with it. Then again, I'm certain your name isn't Uchiha Madara."
"What's in a name, Hatake Kakashi?" Madara replied, "Whether I am Madara or I'm not, what's it to you?"
"Names have power," Kakashi said, "Names can also serve as a shield; a way for people to avoid accountability for the things they've done."
At that, Madara made a show of looking around, as if to see if Kakashi were speaking of someone else, "Do I look like I'm avoiding anything?"
"It looks to me like you and Akatsuki are avoiding the consequences for the war that your actions caused."
Madara chuckled. Before long, that chuckle turned to a full-blown laugh, one that became progressively more condescending and bitter in tone, "The war that my actions caused?" He said, "Tell me, Kakashi, Did Akatsuki declare war for Konoha and Suna, or did they do that themselves? Did Akatsuki tell Suna that we took Shukaku at Konoha's behest, or were they just looking to lash out at the only target they could reach? Beyond that, let's not pretend there wouldn't have been a war for some other arbitrary reason sooner or later. It's the only thing you can count on in this world, that humans will find some reason to kill one another."
Kakashi let out a contemplative hum, "Sounds a lot like avoiding responsibility to me."
"If anything, I'm planning to hold the entire shinobi world responsible for their actions," Madara replied, "Of course, you wouldn't know much about being held responsible for one's actions, would you, friend killer Kakashi?"
"..." Upon hearing the old derisive name people would refer to him by after perhaps the greatest tragedy of his life, a bolt of rage ran through Kakashi's body, one he buried deep within behind an impassive expression, "Well, as much as I enjoy a rousing debate, I did come here for a reason."
"As did I. As nice as it would be to live in a world where everyone got what they wanted, that day is still beyond us," Madara said. Pushing off the edge of his cliff, he dropped down to Kakashi's level, "Stand aside, 'Copy Ninja'. Going around you is the same as going through you as far as I'm concerned."
Knowing that a battle was coming, Hidan grit his teeth through the pain and shouted to Madara, "His Sharingan! The Copy Ninja's Sharingan is-!"
"-Shhh..." Madara pressed a finger to where his lips would have been underneath his expressionless mask, prompting Hidan to be silent, "It's rude to tell secrets, Hidan."
Hidan went dead silent when that single piercing red eye stared into his.
An eye with the same odd pattern as Kakashi's.
And that's the chapter. No, I am not dead. Not yet, anyway. If I am, I've been reincarnated by a necromancer who just really likes fanfiction.
Naruto is back from training on Sage Mode, and has no shortage of things to attend to. Between Akatsuki, the war, and an apparent relative in Karin, it stands that he'll have a lot to work on.
Aside from that, Tobi and Kakashi come face-to-face, eye-to-eye, and things are... touchy, to say the least.
I hope you guys enjoyed. Kenchi out.