The long road back.

[The Riddlerr]

The long road back. Ch 2

Hey all, so this is a fanfic I'm going to be writing... I'm going to be continually updating this post with the links to the chapter so you won't have to go searching through the entire thread for it.

Hope you guys enjoy ^.^


Note: The chapters are most probably going to be long, like... Extensively long. So I hope you don't mind the read and don't forget to subscribe ;D



Chapter 1 will be placed in the post below.
Chapter 2 is located:

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[The Riddlerr]

Chapter 1;

The Konoha Mission desk was going through an extremely unusual and unorthodox quiet over the past few days, so much so that Iruka was having a rather troublesome time staying awake, let alone attentive. He’d just put in a full day at the Academy, training and honing in on the skills of the next generation of Konoha Shinobi. After numerous lessons, constant disruptions and – of course – the immaturity that comes with being a child... He had had a busy day, to say the least. He had to keep the children interested enough that they would actually learn something – But that wasn’t all, he also had to treat their wounds with band-aids, wipe their noses and dismantle their pranks. Iruka had also put in an additional few hours grading papers and gathering the lesson outlines for the next week, making sure they were all in order. Usually, the frantic pace of the Mission Desk was more than enough to keep him going; today however, he was finding it incredibly dull and boring. In a desperate and potentially last ditch effort to wake himself up, Iruka extended his arms out as far as he could overhead and stretched, rolling his neck slightly however this attempt failed when he yawned during the process and got a tad frantic. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and he subconsciously rubbed the scar across the centre of his face as he glanced around in sheer embarrassment, having to stifle a second yawn during this process. Luckily for him, the only other Chuunin in the room – Itsushika – Had been too busy reading one of those books’ that Jiraiya-sama had written to notice Iruka’s embarrassing transgression.

Iruka became more bored by the second and had to hold back a frustrated sigh when his eyes glanced over to the wall clock and revealed that he still had more than 2 hours left in his shift. Running his hands through his hair and scratching his head, Iruka then began rolling his shoulders and stretched once more, making sure not to yawn this time as he looked out the window. He was hit with quite a bit of surprise when he saw his reflection and had seen precisely how tired and out of it he looked. Using this reflection like a mirror, Iruka straightened up his outfit and rubbed the bags which were forming under his eyes... It seemed to help, slightly, though he still had this tired and ‘over it’ look. He wasn’t very impressed with what he saw and frowned, the reflection frowning back. Iruka took the hair band off his head and brushed it from front to back with his hands. After doing this a few times, Iruka pulled his hair tightly and retied it back up into the usual neat ponytail he wears. Due to how tired he was, this took him a few attempts as he seemed to miss a few strands that had a mind of their own and went in an entirely different direction to what he had wanted. His brow furrowed now and this time he couldn’t hold back his frustration whilst he worked his hair again, this time recapturing the look he was so accustomed to. Only once his hair and outfit had been straightened up a bit did he now venture to look through the glass, outward to the village below.

Lampposts illuminated small sections of the quiet and sleepy village, the light seeming to stick together in groups at the bottom of the posts whilst the rest of the streets had a much darker and had a paler complexion due to the small amounts of light from the lampposts as well as moon which shone brightly above, it was almost a full moon and Iruka stared at it for a few moments before returning his vision back down to the village. Hardly anyone was out this time at night, and those that were appeared to be heading home after what he assumed were quite long days – Or hoped. He couldn’t wait to get home to his warm bed and get a relaxing sleep, only to do it all tomorrow. Quiet nights such as this were such a rarity for any Hidden Village, especially one like Konohagakure which had quite a large population count. He knew he should have been happy with the silence, but somehow, some part of him missed that frenzy, something he had seemed to like and grew accustomed too. Iruka sighed once more and stood up from his chair, opting to possibly walk around the room just for something to do. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, but he just couldn’t help it... Iruka’s eyes slipped and he glanced back at the clock. He groaned and wanted to slam his head on the table, or punch something... Not even 5 minutes had passed... Time just seemed to be going so slowly tonight.

Just then, the sound of a quiet snore came from the other desk and Iruka glanced over to see itsushika was fast asleep, his beloved book acting like a shield for his face from the light whilst his head was perched back over the end of the chair. Iruka chuckled softly at the entire irony of the current situation – Lucky itsushika, why did he get to sleep? Oh well, he thought to himself and reached a conscious decision to just let the man sleep... Though a commotion in the hallway had caused Itsushika to wake up suddenly. Before Itsushika managed to lift the book from his eyes, Iruka was already out of his chair and at the door – He’d recognized the voice of Naruto immediately and the urgency and fear in his tone was enough to remove any fatigue that Iruka had just previously had.

”Where’s the Hokage!? Come on, we don’t have any time! Granny Tsunade has to take whatever this thing is so we can go back for him! HEY DON’T TOUCH ME! I’m...

”Naruto! Calm down, what’s the matter?” Iruka interjected, looking at the boy, his eyes scanning both Naruto and Sai as they turned their attentions away from the guard and to him.

Naruto’s words were so frantic, he was a mess... Literally. He appeared to be clutching some kind of scroll case in one dirty hand whilst he argued with a guard in the hallway whom had just physically stopped Naruto from entering. His blond hair was all over the place, his clothing looked as if it had been washed by a lion – It was torn in various places and had smears of what looked like blood, along with traces of wounds that were quickly healing at the exposed skin. At his right, Sai was also looking a bit messed up and was probably more worse for wear than Naruto at this point. Sai’s pale skin was riddled with cuts and bruises whilst his eyes held something that Iruka could only lead to as one thing – Fear... Sai was terrified... And this had got Iruka quite alarmed, especially considering Sai wasn’t one to normally show emotions... Ever! His black hair was sticking to his forehead with what he was hoping was sweat, though he didn’t ask. Iruka swallowed the lump in his throat, he knew Naruto had gone on a mission with Sai, Sakura and Kakashi near the Land of Waves – After all, they had planned to get ramen together when he returned... But obviously something had gone terribly wrong. He glanced around the hall but there was no sign of Kakashi or Sakura... Where were they? He tried to smile and approached the youths, hoping to try and soothe some of their distress, as well as figure out exactly what was going on...

”Naruto... Sai... We’ll send someone to find the Lady Hokage for you, Ok? Everything will be fine.” He tried to make his voice sound as calm and reassuring as possible, but he didn’t even know what was going on.

Iruka exchanged a look with one of the guards and simply nod his head, the guard immediately vanishing from his spot near instantly to retrieve Lady Tsunade. Once he was gone, Iruka returned his full attention to his former pupil but something wasn’t right... Naruto’s eyes were showing strong signs of cautiousness, he was scanning everywhere – It was like he was waiting to be ambushed. It was only now when he had actually noticed the bloody Kunai he was still clutching in his other hand that Iruka frowned and looked towards Sai – Though he didn’t seem to be doing any better either – Which was quite disturbing considering the rumours that circulated about him being a member of Root: And if the rumours about Root are true, then Sai shouldn’t have any emotion to show... Yet he still had his Tanto in his right hand, wielding it in a defensive position... Yet they were safely home in konohagakure. Iruka chewed his bottom lip and began to become lost in thought, trying desperately to recall exactly what Team Kakashi’s mission had entailed and whilst his mind raced, he desperately tried to calm the boys down before they hurt themselves... Or someone else.

”Naruto... Sai...” His voice had changed now, taking on a tone that he used in the Academy with fidgety and agitated children at the Academy, a tone similar to the one he used to talk to Naruto with. ”Until Lady Hokage arrives, why don’t you put your weapons away and take a breath? You guys look exhausted.”

Sai blinked at him, he seemed dumbfounded and his head tilted to the side slightly, though when his gaze shifted downward to his hands – It seemed like he had entirely forgotten he was still even wielding his Tanto. Iruka let out a small sigh of relief when he lowered the weapon, though he still didn’t sheathe the blade. Meanwhile, Naruto’s expression grew distant and he was no longer looking directly at Iruka, it was more like he was looking through him... Lost in thought or memories... But he quickly snapped out of it and began shaking his head quickly.

”It doesn’t matter if we’re tired! I wouldn’t care if I needed to be in the Hospital with Sakura-chan... We have to go back Iruka-sensei... WE HAVE TO GO BACK!” Naruto’s voice had started to become louder towards the end, like he was the sensei and Iruka was the student – Naruto appeared to be ordering Iruka, what had happened!?!

Naruto’s words had been spoken with such strong conviction and full of emotion. Iruka himself was beginning to become stressed and worried now, where were the others? What were they doing!?! Then it hit him, Iruka had remembered their mission... It was a typical B-Rank Mission, an Escort from a small village on the border of the Land of Waves to Konohagakure – They were meant to bring the man back to meet with Hokage-sama – It was supposed to be a quick and easy mission, a “by-the-book job” as they called it. Iruka’s eyes glanced back at the scroll still clutched tightly in Naruto’s hands and his eyes narrowed, moving closer to the boys he saw them twitch slightly and tense their muscles in anticipation, were they waiting for Iruka to attack them? He needed to find a way to make them relax, and he had to do so fast.

”Naruto...” Iruka began, but he was interrupted and didn’t get a chance to finish what he was saying.

Behind Naruto, Tsunade had appeared with an ANBU member on either side of her. She looked as if she’d just been woken up and pulled out of bed, but when it came to addressing the boys – This was strictly business.

”Alright brat – REPORT!”

Naruto practically threw the scroll at her, his hand had moved that fast – The ANBU members on either side reacted just as quickly and stepped in front of the Hokage as if they were trying to protect her. Naruto’s eyes simply shifted from each of the ANBU members before returning his gaze back to Tsunade.

”Here, take the stupid thing. We have to go back... Come on Sai.” His voice had the same amount of conviction and emotion as it had before, and Tsunade’s eyes quickly widened in shock.

Naruto was always known for being hot headed and extremely rash, but this was a side of him Tsunade had only ever seen once before – And that was 3 years ago when he had failed to bring Sasuke back. Tsunade blinked and looked at both Naruto and Sai, her eyes scanning the boys up and down before she spoke;

”What happened? Where’s Lord Taisetsu? She had asked..

Naruto scrunched his face up like he did anytime he was remember something he didn’t want to – Something unpleasant and he turned away... His arms beginning to shake whilst his breathe became erratic and uneven. Sai’s quiet voice filled in the growing silence.

”He’s dead.”

Tsunade’s face reached a whole new level of shock and her eyes began looking around quite frantically before quickly returning to the young Shinobi in front of her. The ANBU guard had slowly retreated back to their positions at her side when she spoke again, this time Iruka could hear a touch of anxiety in her tone...

”What about Sakura!?”

Iruka’s own mind was now hit with shock, he had been so worried about Naruto and Sai that he had totally forgot about the young Medic Sakura, or even their Sensei Kakashi. Before the silence extended for too long, Sai spoke once again, trying to sound professional like he always had before;
”We took Sakura immediately to the hospital to be taken care of.”

Tsunade’s face seemed to feel a bit more relaxed and let out a sigh of relief... She closed her eyes now and spoke again, taking in what appeared to be deep breaths to calm herself down.

”And Kakashi too, I suppose...?”

A small sob had then escaped Naruto’s throat and he put his head down, closing his eyes so that no one could see his face – He was fighting back tears. Once again, Sai spoke like he had done before, however the strain in his voice was evident – He had grown close to his new Sensei and his new Team...

”We... We had to leave him behind.”

Iruka felt an almost unimaginable amount of dread fill him within and he spoke without even realizing.

”WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT HIM BEHIND!?!”

Sai’s eyes immediately widened and that look of fear had returned, he raised his sword defensively and was ready to protect himself. Iruka hadn’t completely realized, but he shouted and his words came out much fiercer and more hostile than he had intended them too, though this time it was Naruto that spoke and answered his words;

”He didn’t give us a choice, Iruka-sensei! He knew they would follow him, especially after they kill Lord Taisetsu! Naruto took a pause and looked at the scroll which was still in his hands for Lady Tsunade was yet to take it from his grasp. ”Kakashi-sensei made us swear to bring this back to you at all costs, then he took off in the opposite direction.”

Naruto now took a shuddering breath and forcefully pushed the unknown scroll into Tsunade’s hand, he couldn’t wait to stop holding the scroll so he could return to help Kakashi. A hiss escaped Naruto’s lips and his emotions began to rise, which was never a good thing with him.

”I said take the stupid thing already!”

Tsunade took the scroll and looked at it closely, her eyes examining the scroll, though only briefly before they returned back to the boys.

”Naruto, why was Kakashi so sure they’d follow him?”

The young man looked away now and Iruka felt his heart sink, he was standing here staring at the utter helplessness on the boy’s face. Sai began to fill in the missing pieces that everyone so desperately needed.

”We were outnumbered and Kakashi-senpai knew they would do whatever they needed to in order to obtain that scroll, especially after they brutally and mercilessly murdered Lord Taisetsu.

He made sure the enemy saw him give us the scroll, though he also made sure some of them saw him ‘secretly’ store a scroll within his vest and then he ordered us to scatter.”

Sai paused here and glanced from Iruka to Tsunade and back again. Iruka was nodding his head slightly and was trying to figure out Kakashi’s thought process and what was going through his head at that moment in time.

”So he wanted to hide the real scroll in plain sight, knowing the enemy would never expect him to give it to anyone else, correct?”

Sai simply nodded... ”The plan was successful. The enemy only sent a handful after Naruto-kun and I – The rest of them ran after Kakashi-senpai.”

Tsunade had been quietly examining the scroll, but she was still attentive and listening in to the conversation which was taking place before her. ”How many went after Kakashi?”

Sai paused and took a few moments to respond, his index finger seemed to be dotting around whilst his lips moved but said nothing and Iruka realized he was counting them in his head... ”Thirty...

Iruka and Tsunade both spoke as one, with the same amount of shock and disbelief drawn across both of their faces.. ”THIRTY!!?!”

Naruto began trembling as he spoke, his body still extremely fatigued and shaken up from the whole ordeal – ”That’s why we have to go back! He needs our help! You have to send us back, immediately!”

Tsunade’s eyes shifted over to Naruto and she tried to show empathy for the boy’s suffering, but her next words had shocked all of them – ”No – He won’t.”

Naruto and Sai were more shocked than ever, they couldn’t belief it – Both the boys were completely dumbfounded... Yet neither of them had the chance to speak before Iruka interjected and put a voice to the distress of the 3 of them. ”WHAT!?! Why would you say that!?”

Tsunade shot him a stern look immediately, but Iruka wasn’t fazed, he was beyond worrying about any of that... Kakashi was the Village’s top Jonin and one of its strongest Assets. Even from a young age, that man was destined for great things – A genius... A prodigy... These were words that were always present as he was growing up, but even a genius like Kakashi would need help against such astounding odds.

Tsunade was the next to speak though, responding to his outburst in the best way she could put it... ”Thirty-to-one are odds that I wouldn’t even dream of taking... Not even in my wildest imagination.” Iruka looked at her and his cheeks started to glow red from embarrassment, she was right – Yet she continued her logic; ”I can NOT allow our resources to be wasted in such a way, and ‘Sharingan’ Hatake Kakashi would agree with me on this.”

Iruka clenched his fists, though she was right, he still didn’t believe what she was doing was the right thing. His face had quickly shifted from embarrassed to furious, and his growing anger didn’t show signs of subsiding.

”THIS IS CRAZY!” How can you let him go so easily!?! He is one of the strongest Shinobi in the Village – An asset that we need to protect!”

Tsunade’s eyes once again met Iruka’s and though he was mad, a fire had begun igniting in her eyes and as they both knew, she had the bigger temper and after all ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ – Or so the saying went. Tsunade’s eyes narrowed, Iruka was beginning to cross the line and it would soon push Tsunade too far.

”Easily? Are you really that naive, Iruka?” she asked and that was when Iruka saw it.

Peering into her gaze, he saw a deep sadness in her eyes and a haunted look behind her stern face, a side that not many people ever saw of Tsunade – Her vulnerable past appeared to have caught up to her in this moment and Iruka bowed his head shamefully.

”Please forgive me, Hokage-sama. I had no right to speak to you like that.” he had spoken, his words entirely filled with humility.

Iruka kept his head down, even after he heard Tsunade sigh.. ”Iruka, I know this isn’t east for you to take – But it is what it is. All that’s left for us to do is send out a retrieval squad for verification and – if necessary – to destroy and traces of evidence.”

Iruka heard a sob from Naruto, he had gone quiet for a little while and Iruka shot a glance in his direction – The Genin had lowered himself into a seated position on the floor and buried his face in his hands. His words were hard to hear, they were like an arrow through the heart, yet it made Iruka realize how grown up and matured Naruto had become since his time as a young hooligan at the Academy.

”Kakashi-sensei said you would say that – And he made me promise on my Nindo that I would accept whatever you said.”

Iruka cautiously moved to Naruto’s side, leaning down and placing an arm on the distraught young man’s shoulder. After a few moments, Naruto shifted his body and leaned into Iruka’s chest where he began crying. Seeing the agony and heartache in his former was suffering from, Iruka set himself a firm resolve and he turned towards Tsunade.

”Lady Tsunade... I have a favour to ask of you...”

She narrowed her eyes at his words and held a stern, yet curious face.. ”And what might that be Iruka?”

It was then that Iruka hardened his gaze and his face took on a whole different demeanour – ”Assign me to the retrieval squad.”

____________________________________

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[Urda]

Everything from the details of dialogue and character description to character development as shown in Kishi's "Naruto" was almost on point. I understand that you can't capture the full character development of Kishi, but I'm sure with some more work you can. However, The only problem I had was the Font and coloring for the writing. It was a bit hard on the eyes. I think you should at least change the size. Overall, awesome FanFic and I can't wait to read more. +Reps

PS: I just want to read more to see what's going on and if their is any action. I hope you incorporate so form of action. Dialogue is OK, but a bit action would be nice. Thank You.

 

[The Riddlerr]

There's going to be action, I'm just setting the scene and introducing the readers to the different elements of the stories and those involved, including a few nice twists.

And I'll adjust the size now... Sorry about that... Lol.

 

[Urda]

There's going to be action, I'm just setting the scene and introducing the readers to the different elements of the stories and those involved, including a few nice twists.

And I'll adjust the size now... Sorry about that... Lol.

"Plot-twist's" are the only thing that keep me interested when reading stories. Thanks, but already read the story. <LOL>

 

[The Riddlerr]

Lol touche...

I see what you did there >_O

 

[dragongoku]

very nice

 

[The Riddlerr]

Thanks.

 

[Troyard]

its nice

 

[The Riddlerr]

You must be registered for see links

Chapter 2.

The gentle purr of countless machines brought Kakashi back from the grip of death. The sound was oddly comforting for it had meant he had survived – Once again... though at the same time, something just wasn’t quite right. The tone in the way it echoed across the walls was wrong and the scents which hang about in the air – though they were antiseptic in nature – carried an underlying smell of the unknown, a smell of unfamiliarity. Kakashi allowed his awareness to sharpen further – although he made certain to keep his breathing controlled, his eyes shut and his chakra-flow as steady as he could. He could feel the warm and comfortable bed beneath him, with the fabric of a sheet being felt from about the waist down. He could also feel numerous wires trailing along his pale skin which would undoubtedly lead to the various machines which had kept him alive and could have still been keeping him alive now. His mask was gone, replaced by an oxygen mask which fed refreshing air to his mouth and nose. He also made a disturbing discovery that his wrists and ankles were being encircled by thick leather straps that felt broad and heavy – For some reason, he was being restrained. The only thing Kakashi was certain of – He was not in Konoha.

That thought left him wondering where he was and he began to ponder, though a noise from the right hand side of the room have drawn him back into his current predicament. From the sounds around him, he was trying to gain a mental picture of his surroundings without letting on that he was awake and conscious. He heard a door open and then quickly slide shut as a single person... No, 2 people entered the room. From the echo of their feet on the floor, they had made their way to his side and judging by the amount of steps – Kakashi had calculated precisely how far away the door was. The twin sets of footsteps were almost perfectly in sync with one another meaning it was highly likely that the 2 men were of the same height and build, with there being even more probability that those 2 men were adults. Kakashi’s deductions were partially confirmed when both men began speaking, the first in a low monotone voice whilst the second had a clear tenor.

”I still think we might be taking too many chances with this one...”

”Don’t be ridiculous. There’s nothing he can do in the shape he’s in, so just relax a little and remember our oath to heal.” Kakashi felt his warm fingers press against his wrist – Doubtlessly checking his pulse. ”You can’t tell me you aren’t just the least bit curious about him? And besides, there’s a strong chance that he won’t wake up at all.”

The other man grunted and walked to the opposite side of Kakashi’s bed, his voice sounding strained and he switched over to a harsh whisper... ”I wouldn’t count on that, Samidare... These readings show he’s probably already awake.”

The man called Samidare let go of Kakashi’s wrist rather hastily with a gasp and Kakashi had wondered briefly why he was causing such fear, when it was quite obvious he wouldn’t be capable of doing much – if anything – to them in his current state. He sighed internally and came to the conclusion it would be easier to get answers if he just asked. He made a point of taking a deep breath before slowly and deliberately blinking his right eye open. It took him a couple of seconds to get his eye focused with the unfamiliar surroundings, though once he had managed it, he had to keep from laughing at the almost comical expression of fear and terror on the man’s face as he stared at him. After all, wasn’t this the same man who was just stating there was nothing to worry about from Kakashi?

The middle-aged man stood a bit taller than Kakashi and was solidly built, though you could see from the softness of his muscles that he was no Shinobi. His skin was the shade of wet sand, possibly from the exposure to strong sunlight, with his wavy brown hair falling just below his ears. His light blue eyes looked out of place amidst the darkness surrounding them and they currently held a look of abject terror within their depths. The startled man glanced across the bed at his companion...

”Chuutetsu, he’s staring at me... What do I do?”

The other man stepped around to Samidare’s side and let out a sigh... ”Well, I suppose we should ask him how he feels...”

Kakashi noticed with slight satisfaction that his assessment of the men whilst his eyes were closed wasn’t that far off the mark. The second man was only a touch shorter than the first, possibly an inch or 2 for specifics, but his muscles were more prominent which gave Kakashi the impression that this particular medic had training outside the field of medicine. This particular man’s skin was a few shades darker than Samidare’s – Almost the shade of coffee, whilst his greying hair was cropped close to his scalp. Kakashi watched Chuutetsu approach him;

”So you’ve finally rejoined the realm of the living, it seems...” The man stopped and furrowed his brow, seemingly examining Kakashi’s eye before he began continuing. ”Can you understand anything I’m saying?”

Kakashi frowned as the man asked his question in quite a slow tone, sounding out everything as best he could – It was like the way you spoke to a baby so they could understand what you were saying. He then took in a deep breath and forced a single word past his throat which had seemed disturbingly unused to performing such an act. ”Yes.”

The word itself was muffled slightly under the oxygen mask and the medic seemed to realize almost immediately that the mask wasn’t really needed anymore. The medic slowly reached across Kakashi’s face and removed the mask gently. Kakashi allowed a small frown to cross his lips before he spoke, his eyes flicking back and forth between both medics. ”Where am I?”

The 2 men exchanged some confused and curious glances with one another before Samidare approached and leaned closer. ”You don’t know where you are?”

Kakashi tried to shrug though he instantly began to regret that decision when dozens of cuts and scrapes he didn’t know he had all flared to life and caused him to tense his chest, back and arms. A low groan escaped his lips and his eye closed immediately in pain. After a moment and when the pain was somewhat bearable, Kakashi opened his eye again and looked at Samidare. ”I’m assuming this is a hospital...”

Again the men looked at one another with curious and concerning gazes, though this time it was Chuutetsu that answered. ”Yes, this is a hospital.”

Kakashi glanced around once more, not seeing anything in the room or on the men that would give him any hint as to where exactly he was. He knew he’d been heading towards the Land of Waves, but this room and these people didn’t seem to match the land at all. He resettled his gaze on Chuutetsu’s face and gave a slight tug against his wrist restraints, both men tensed at the movement.

”Is this really necessary?” He tried to keep his voice as harmless and as calm as he could.

”You really don’t remember how you got here, do you?” Chuutetsu asked, his brown eyes widening slightly.

Kakashi tried desperately to think of what he’d been doing before waking up in this room, but all the details he could recall were hazy and extremely unclear. He knew he was being chased and he also knew his team wasn’t going to be able to help him. He tried to remember more, but the more he tried to remember – The worse his head seemed to ache.

”No... I don’t.” His words carried a lot of frustration in their tone.

The 2 medics glanced at one another before they walked towards the door and began speaking in a hushed tone. Kakashi assumed this was so he couldn’t hear them, but with his acute hearing – He was able to hear every word.

Samidare’s voice sounded awed and cautious, almost like he didn’t believe what Kakashi was telling them. ”How could he not remember!?! He killed 6 of ‘The Cadre’ before they finally sedated him!”

Chuutetsu’s voice sounded normal, and he supplied a bit more information to the matter. ”It could just be the result of the trauma from whatever brought him here. The others said he was striking out without focusing on anything around him whilst they pulled him from the water. In all honesty, I don’t even think he killed them on purpose... I actually don’t know how he managed to survive in the first place. The freezing temperatures of the Water should have killed him after a few mere minutes – though judging by the clothing he was wearing – I have a strong feeling that he’s from some place extremely far away. He could have been in the water for hours for all we know.”

Samidare seemed uncertain with his answer. ”I heard they’re still yet to figure out how he even ended up in that part of the ocean, though I do suppose the coldness of the water could be why those wounds didn’t kill him.”

Chuutetsu turned his head towards Kakashi, who simply looked at him with his single eye. ”I just hope he doesn’t turn out to be more trouble than he’s worth.”

Samidare seemed to nod his head in agreement and his gaze had now turned to Kakashi before turning back to Chuutetsu. ”Well then, I guess we should let the others know that he’s awake... At least then it will no longer be our concern.”

The grey-haired man’s gaze locked with Kakashi’s once more and his face seemed to soften slightly. ”We can let them know once we make sure his health is stable.”

”What!? But Chuutetsu.....”

The obvious senior of the 2 waves his companion’s worries away. ”Now now... you’re the one who reminded me of our oath to heal, Samidare. Let’s do our job properly.”

The 2 walked back to Kakashi’s side where the Jonin tried his best to look harmless whilst he began addressing Chuutetsu directly. ”Can you at least tell me what village I’m in?”

The man blinked than raised a single curious eye brow at Kakashi. ”Village? You’re in the city of Hyoukai Yobou. The nearest village would have to be on the far side of the ocean, in the Land of Mist... Is that where you’re from?”

Kakashi took in this information with a little more shock than he would have liked, however he tried his best to keep it from showing in his voice. ”No, I’m not from Kirigakure.”

Samidare’s voice chimed into the conversation. ”He looks like one of those freaks from the Land of Lightning anyway. Maybe that’s where he’s from... Isn’t that place supposed to be close to the Mist Village?”

Kakashi took a breath, shifting his gaze over. ”No.”

His mind was spinning now, how had he managed to get so far away from home? Just from this small amount of information, he figured this ‘Hyoukai Yobou’ place he was in had to be somewhere to the Northeast of the Mist and Lightning countries, but it was obviously outside of the Shinobi Lands or he was certain he would have heard of it before now. This also seemed to explain why they didn’t recognize the type of clothing he had been wearing. Was it at all possible that these people didn’t know anything about the Shinobi? He definitely needed more information.

Chuutetsu narrowed his gaze at Kakashi and moved his hand towards Kakashi’s closed left eye, his Sharingan eye. ”Is there a reason you’re keeping this eye shut so tightly? Are you in pain...?” The man paused and then pulled back. ”By the way... What exactly is your name?”

Kakashi had considered giving them a false name, but at that particular moment, his mind was still busy with trying to calculate where he was and catching up that the words left his mouth before he had any chance to stop them. ”Kakashi Hatake”

Chuutetsu smiled immediately, his face looking much friendlier and younger than it had before. ”Good good! That’s a start. I’m Chuutetsu and this is my junior – Samidare.”

Kakashi decided not to let him know that he’d already figured out that much information, plus more, and simply returned a quick smile. ”Pleased to meet you.”

Perhaps if he’d continued to ‘co-operate’ accordingly with these men, they might feel comfortable enough to let his restraints loose, giving him the chance to try and find his way home. The younger of the 2 still didn’t quite smile, he appeared to relax just a little from Kakashi’s polite response, but he was still rather nervous, cautious and anxious around Kakashi.

”Could I bother you for a sip of water? My throat is a bit dry...”

Kakashi noticed a slight blush creep onto Samidare’s face as he moved quickly to the side table and poured a small amount of water into a glass. He moved to Kakashi’s side and frowned when he started to bring the cup to Kakashi’s lips.

Chuutetsu immediately intervened and chided the man. ”Obviously the man can’t drink it when he’s flat on his back you idiot! Do they still teach the basics in your studies or were you not paying attention in this particular lesson!?!”

The senior medic turned back towards Kakashi with a hard edge in his eyes. ”Kakashim if we remove these restraints, do you promise not to cause any trouble and behave yourself?”

Again Kakashi began to ponder on exactly what had happened which gave warrant for his restraint, but he pushed the thought from his head quickly. In all honesty, with his current physical strength and chakra levels being both so extremely low, he couldn’t harm anyone even if he wanted to... But he wasn’t going to let these men know that right now. Instead, he slowly nodded his head and spoke in a soft whisper.

”I promise Chuutetsu.”

The grey-haired man waited a moment longed before he slowly reached for the first thick leather restraint. Kakashi did his best to remain absolutely still so he didn’t worry or startle the medic. Samidare’s concerned voice filled the silence.

”Are you sure that’s such a good idea, Chuutetsu?”

The other man chuckled as he began to unbuckle the restraint. ”I doubt he has enough energy right now to sit up unassisted, let alone cause any trouble. Besides – We’re not releasing his ankles, and he’s still completely hooked up to everything else. Now give me a hand with the other wrist and help me adjust his bed.”

The tone of his voice was just stern enough that Samidare quickly followed the directions without question. It bothered Kakashi a little bit that the appraisal of his condition by Chuutetsu was pretty close to spot on. Although he probably could have sat up on his own, the act likely would have taken all of his energy. Still, once he was no longer flat on his back, Kakashi began to feel much better.

Samidare lifted the glass to Kakashi’s lips once more. The medic flinched slightly when Kakashi’s hands took the cup just below his grip and guided it the rest of the way to his mouth. Kakashi savoured the cool liquid as it made its way down his dry throat which was craving some nice cold liquid. He frowned when Samidare pulled the cup away after just a few sips.

The junior medic’s voice sounded somewhat amused. ”Slowly Kakashi. You don’t want to rush things.”

Chuutetsu stepped forward once again and reached towards Kakashi’s left eye. Kakashi tensed and flinched slightly, his head tilting away from the medics’ hands with him fighting the urge to strike the hand away. All that would result in would be having the restraints reapplied.

”So then... Why exactly are you keeping this eye shut, hmm?” Kakashi felt the lids of his eye being pried open and heard the intake of breath from shock at the sight of the Red iris of his Sharingan Eye. Kakashi was waiting for the recognition of whom he was to settle in, but it never came. Instead, the senior medic had looked at him with an extremely confused expression. ”Has your eye always been that way?”

Before Kakashi had a chance to answer the unexpected questions, the door opened and a handful of new people rushed into the small room. A very young and rather loud and obnoxious man with an ugly turquoise jacket on pushed his way to the front of the group.

”Why didn’t you tell me he was awake!?! I should have your job for this Chuutetsu!”

Kakashi tensed when he noticed four of the new arrivals were all holding long and pointed metal rods, obviously some sort of weapon, and they were levelling them at him... He thought it best to remain still, and so he did. The medic turned back to face the far shorter and younger man.

”Lord Koharu, he only just awoke. We would have informed you immediately after performing our evaluation.”

The younger man narrowed his eyes and stormed past the medic to get a better view of Kakashi. He could just imagine what he looked like to the stranger. Once again, Kakashi noticed the skin tones around him were a lot closer to brown than white, so even to his own eyes, his pale skin looked only a shade darker than the sheets that were covering his legs. Thankfully his long silver hair was cascading over his forehead and blocking his left eye for the moment – So he knew that his Sharingan was shielded from the new scrutiny he was undergoing. Kakashi calmly turned his gaze towards the young man who obviously held a higher rank than those around him, though Kakashi doubted it was earned... He looked more like the pampered son of the person who was truly in charge around here. He was barely older than Naruto and his pudgy face was framed by straight black hair which had been slicked back across his brow with some kind of strange oily paste. His dark brown eyes were also set too close together and it made him look like an insect as he stared at him.

Kakashi wasn’t exactly sure who the hell these people were, but none of them seemed to recognize him at all, so perhaps there was still a way out of this mess. Kakashi bowed his head slightly. ”My Lord – My name is Kakashi Hatake and I humbly thank you for saving my life. I also apologize for any trouble I may have caused; however I do implore you to help me find my way home.”

His words had their intended effect, the young lord spluttered, unsure what to make of Kakashi and he resisted the urge to laugh, instead opting to wait silently with his head still lowered: Allowing the young fool to make the next move.