Will of embers

Chapter 28

Kakashi felt like he had failed the Third Hokage. For all the time he had been in the Land of the Water, he had accomplished little. He felt frustrated and angry at himself. He had led his team into failure, and he was at a dead end right now. All his paths closed and exhausted.

It just didn't make any sense. The Fourth Mizukage was a madman, a strong madman with a powerful following. There was no other explanation for why he wanted to destroy certain bloodline clans while ignoring others. Why was the Yuki clan hunted down right now when they didn't do anything, while the Kagura clan was left out even when they were clearly preparing for a rebellion?

Nothing made sense, and every day in this forsaken land, Kakashi felt despair. He thought he could handle his feelings, but he was now always reminded of Rin. His nightmares had returned, and he started to suspect that they were clouding his judgment of the situation.

Kakashi didn't know what he should do. Might Guy, Anko, Shisui, and Yamato's lives depended on his decisions, and he didn't trust his judgment to make any. He needed more information, but it was too risky to get closer to the Bloody Mist. Shisui and Yamato weren't even supposed to interfere with the mission; they were only here to watch and learn from the rest of them.

As Kakashi was delving deeper into his mind, trying to find something resembling a plan that would give him a chance to succeed in his mission and wouldn't require him to sacrifice any of his comrades, a messenger bird found him. Bringing him a letter.

After checking Kakashi's identification seal, the bird gave him the letter. Checking the letter written in secret code understood only by his sharingan, Kakashi felt his knees weaken out of relief and fear.

Relief that his worry wasn't necessary anymore and fear that he has truly failed and has disappointed the Third Hokage. His mission was over. Jiraiya of the Sannin will take over his duties in the Land of the Water and Kakashi with his team will return home. Without showing any results, Kakashi could only imagine how the Third Hokage's enemies, namely Danzo, would use it against him.

"We've done more than enough, Kakashi," Unlike his looks and demeanor, Might Guy was a sharp shinobi and quickly discovered Kakashi's worry. "We have made contact with clans that are likely to leave the Land of the Water and have information of Yagura's forces and actions. There is nothing more for us to do."

That wasn't true. There was something behind Yagura's irrational actions. He felt something within the shadows of his country and Kirigakure moving. Out of everyone's sight, and as long as he couldn't discover what it was, his mission to him was a failure. Like he had failed Obito and Rin, he now felt he had failed the Third Hokage, too.

"Captain," Shisui appeared, moving unimaginably fast for his age. "A squad of shinobi are moving to our position. It looks like we were discovered."

"We are retreating," Kakashi quickly issued an order.

Even if they probably could easily take care of any squad of Kiri shinobi forces, apart from Yagura, Mei Terumi, and the seven swordsmen, they weren't even supposed to be in this country. So, it was better to escape any confrontation without leaving any traces of themselves. And their mission was already over, there was no need to fight.

…

"It makes no sense," Anko complained as all of them were hidden in a tree created by Yamato. "How were they able to follow us?"

"Sensors?" Shisui provided a possible answer.

"No, we were discovered," Kakashi replied. "They probably don't know our identities but know that we are foreign shinobi. How they discovered us, I don't know. But they moved on us too fast, like they knew our exact location."

"That would be right," An unfamiliar voice said within the tree, and the five of them turned to stare at a being of black and white emerging from the tree created by Yamato. "You shouldn't be snooping around where you don't belong."

Might Guy was the first to react. His fist blew a hole from within the tree. But Kakashi was quick to discover that their opponent wasn't in the blast area. Kakashi refused to use his sharingan as it would give away his identity and his place of origin. Shisui was smart to do the same. But their opponent was an unknown entity, and there was still a squad of shinobi nearby.

"Who was that?" Yamato asked; there was a trace of fear in his voice. "He felt so unnatural. It was scary."

"You felt him?" Kakashi asked.

"I am sorry, I felt his presence when he entered the tree," Yamato replied, still shivering. "But I was too scared to move or even say anything. This presence wasn't human. It was so dark and artificial. Something that didn't belong in this world."

"Can you sense it again?"

"There they are!"

Well, that would have to wait as the shinobi after they were closing in. Without a word, Anko spread a trap to hold them back while the rest of them dispersed in teams of two. Might Guy with Shisui and Kakashi with Yamato, while Anko will catch up to them later. They already had a location and secret passwords set up.

…

What was it? Kakashi couldn't get the weird and the abnormal thing that had discovered them out of his mind. Why would it even show itself to them? Was it playing with them? And the way it just appeared and disappeared made Kakashi worried. Kakashi's lone eye narrowed as he was focused on the small village they had entered. He won't be caught by surprise again.

Yamato was setting up the perimeter by creating roots under the ground. If that thing showed up again, he would be able to sense it through the roots. Like Shisui, Yamato was a genius that progressed alarmingly fast. Shisui was already catching up to Kakashi in speed, and his sharingan was developing at a fast pace. Yamato was also getting used to his abilities, and it seemed he would find a new way to use them every day.

Only now did Kakashi realize how much he had stagnated. As the snow fell on his straw hat, Kakashi was lamenting about his past. And for the first time in a while, he was starting to think of his future. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the crunch of someone stepping on freshly fallen snow. Kakashi carefully lifted his head to look at new arrivals.

"Fox. Alpha."

"Tango. Echo."

Might Guy have returned with Shisui? Soon after, Anko arrived, too. She was a bit more tired, but she didn't seem to be in a rush, telling Kakashi that she managed to lead their enemy away from their scent. It seems like there was nothing for Kakashi to worry about in the end. With everyone here, Kakashi thought it would be best to rest for the night.

"Captain," Kakashi turned to Shisui as the boy was looking at a kid playing in the snow.

"I know," Kakashi replied.

Kakashi has long discovered that the kid's mother was a former shinobi hiding in this village from the Yuki clan. He wanted to make a connection through her, but she was too cautious of them. The kid, too, seemed to have possessed the ability from his clan. It was unconscious, but the kid moved the snow around him while he was running, making it easier for him.

It was too small of an action for an untrained eye to see, but to Kakashi and Shisui, it was obvious. Kakashi didn't make any moves about the kid and didn't even write a report about him. The rest of the villagers were already highly suspicious of them, and Kakashi could see that they hated shinobi, especially those clans.

If Kakashi approached the kid, he would only put him in unnecessary danger. But he also knew that the kid's abilities would show up one day, and someone would discover him. Then, only two things will happen. Either the kid will be killed, or the kid will be forced to kill. He will not have a chance at normal life.

Still, it seems that Shisui's observational skills have improved for him to notice something so slight. The scouting missions Kakashi gave him seem to make him better at it. It was an incredibly fast progression, far beyond what Kakashi had expected. The kid will soon reach a level where no one will be able to ignore him.

…

The farming town was too small for them to stay for more than a night. People here quickly noticed the strangers, and the information about them being here would spread quickly. That is why Kakashi was prepared to leave that night, and that is why he was surprised to be approached by a woman before he could enact his plan.

"Why are you here?" The woman didn't even blink at Kakashi's question, even when a kunai was held upon her pale neck.

"I know you are shinobi," Kakashi gathered that much; she was also a shinobi, a former one, though. "I still don't know from where, but I know you aren't from the Bloody Mist."

"And why do you think so?"

"Because you would have killed my son by now," Kakashi recognized her as the mother of the kid with the ability to wield chakra. "That's what the Bloody Mist does. They kill and destroy everything that isn't theirs. That they can't control and put to use. My boy is an anomaly, and I am a traitor. They would have killed us the moment they noticed us."

"I have no intentions of harming either you or your boy," Kakashi replied, putting down his kunai and signaling others not to do anything rash. "You don't need to worry about that."

"The most valuable weapon to a shinobi is deceitfulness," She replied. "But I can't afford not to believe you, and that's why I am here. I want you to take my son when you leave tonight."

"What an unusual request," Kakashi commented, surprised a bit.

"He will sooner or later discover his abilities, and so others will find out about him," She said. "By then, it will be too late. This land had suffered too much in recent years; nobody would be able to accept him, not even his father. So, I beg you, take him away while he is still young. While he is still too young to remember his parents."

Kakashi looked down at a woman kneeling before him. He could sense how desperate she was. But even then, Kakashi didn't know if he could take on such a request. If he helped a traitor of the Bloody Mist and someone found out about it, it would bring trouble to Konoha. But then again, it was his mission to offer a life in Konoha for those unfortunate people.

Sighing at what he was about to do, Kakashi looked at his team. If they are going to do this, they have to do it in the right way. So, as they left the farmer's town that night, they left with a three-year-old child stuffed into a bag. Kakashi already had a headache thinking of how he could explain the situation once Haku Yuki awakens. Well, he will leave it to the Hokage.

…

A lone figure sat in a place covered in shadows. His mask covered his face, leaving only one eye visible. Before him, a figure emerged from the ground. The creature's one half was white, the other black. The masked man barely reacted to it as he waited for it to speak.

"Kakashi Hatake is in the Land of Water."

There was a small reaction from the masked man. His lone eye shook for a moment before it regained its stillness. The lone eye settled upon the thing before him. Zetsu continued the report of Kakashi and his team. But even he only encountered Kakashi by pure chance and didn't know why they were there.

"As expected, nothing goes as planned," The masked man said. "Continue observing the situation in the Land of the Water. I fear that I might have underestimated an old man. The Third Hokage must have realized that something was amiss with the Fourth Mizukage. But it matters; if they come too close to the truth, I will simply dispose of these fools."

"As you wish, Obito," Zetsu replied. "Should I also keep a lookout for the Third Hokage?"

"No, even for you, it would be too dangerous to get close to him," Obito said. "I might have to visit my old home soon enough anyway, so I will check on him myself. And if that old fool does something he isn't supposed to, I might take care of him sooner than planned."

Zetsu nodded, but it felt something amiss. The plan was going as they had expected. Even with a few hiccups, it didn't seem that they needed to interfere too much. But the Third Hokage, like the Uchiha clan, might start getting in their way. So, they would have to get rid of them sooner rather than later.

A.N. Long time no see. Sorry for not updating for some time. I still have little time to write, but it seems I got used to my life in the military, and it became a lot easier. I still can't promise regular updates as things change inside the military in hours, and I have no idea if I will be let out of home the next weekend or not. But I will write every time I can. Hope you enjoy and forgive for grammar mistakes or rushing a bit. I have little time, and I am doing the best I can.