Chapter Text
A failed mission report is never something you want to turn in, especially for such an important mission.
Kakashi can't help but think about how the mission could have gone differently, about what could have led them to success. He replays the fight over and over in his head, hoping the answer will crawl out from whatever deep hole it was hiding in…...
But it's a lost cause.
The enemies were far too prepared.
No, it was his own team that was unprepared. Even though his group had consisted of 3 elite Shinobis, that had proved to not be near enough to complete this assignment.
But what were they lacking?
The mission itself sounded simple. Not easy, but simple. They needed some proof, or information. that a certain village was using their resources to steal forbidden jutsu scrolls from much smaller villages. And the “resources” that were being used just happened to be from the Leaf Village themselves.
They found themselves in debt to that village a while back during the Nine Tails attack. They were given resources, back-up, and funding by the now enemy village. Withdrawing those resources may very well end in a war between the two villages.
Although taking on some Ninja from said village wouldn't be too much of a problem, The concerning part of the hypothetical war itself resided with the alliances that belonged to that village. And the last thing the poor people of the Leaf Village wished for, were the loss of more lives.
But what were they lacking?
Their strategy could also be regarded as simple, still, not easy. But simple. All that they needed to do to complete the mission, was to confirm their theory. And bring back any form of evidence to prove to the Hokage, and the allies of the Leaf Village, that the Hidden Village in the Willows was in fact stealing scrolls of forbidden jutsu from surrounding villages. In case any sort of war were to break out.
Kakashi is quickly pulled out of his thoughts as he reaches the towering old wooden doors of the Hokages office. He knocks.
“Enter.” He hears distantly from the other side of the doors.
So he does.
The cold metal of the door knob zaps him awake a bit, if he wasn't already.
He walks over to the large semi circle desk at the far end of the room and places the refined, yet failed mission report onto the Hokages desk. It doesn’t take The Hokage more than a second to pick it up and start flipping through the pages in the folder.
It's embarrassingly empty.
The only sound that can be heard is the crisp pages turning by the hand of Hiruzen. Slowly, but surely, he reaches the end of the few pages that were set down before him.
Hiruzen closes the folder and slides it to the side of his desk.
There is a long, itchy clump of silence that dwells in the room for a bit.
Hiruzen folds his hands in front of his face and lets out a deep sigh.
The clock on the wall to the left of him is audibly ticking, as the seconds go by. Kakashi continues to stand there.
Just as Kakashi is about to speak up, Hiruzen cuts in.
“Your squad was shut down before you could even get in sight of their archives?”
……….
“Precisely.” Kakashi sighs.
Yet another deep sigh is heard from Hiruzen, this one longer than the last.
Hiruzen looks down at his desk.
“Hatake, please tell me you've at least managed to stay completely undercover….” He asks
“We made sure to leave no trace of the leaf, Lord Third.” Kakashi replies with confidence.
A third sigh sounds from Hiruzen. This one with a bit of relief in it.
Hiruzen picks up the folder back up from the side of his desk and opens it again.
The silence jumps around once again.
And Kakashi returns to his thoughts.
What were they lacking?
The mission was definitely different from others he'd been on previously. The Chakra of the enemy was far too sealed, and no one on their squad had the senses or skills to join their level.
The whole village was like a tall, tall maze, full of wards. He was sure their archive was completely locked up as well.
He wondered how even civilians of that village lived day to day life in an area like that, he was sure that village consisted of mostly ninjas for anything to be normal in that matter.
Even being in that village gave him a headache.
To think that a squad of 3 elite Shinobi couldn't take down the lot of them.
It was like everyone in that village had completely disregarded their need for sight. There weren't nearly any lanterns to light anything. And no matter how much Kakashi masked his chakra, enemy Shinobi seemed to have little to no trouble finding him.
Kakashi had suspected the village maybe had their own sort of their own system, or maybe things set up underground, but the more he thought about that, the crazier he started to sound.
Maybe there wasn't anything different they could have done. Maybe they had simply met their match.
And then it hits him.
And he feels stupid for not realizing it sooner.
“Lord third.”
Hiruzen looks up from the sad, empty mission report to look at Kakashi.
“We need a sensory type ninja in our squad if we want to continue and succeed in this mission.” Kakashi says.
Their whole village must be sensory type ninja.
There's a pause.
“What makes you say that, Hatake?” Asks Lord Third.
Kakashi thinks about the best way to relay his theory.
“The whole village is confusing, it only makes sense to someone who can sense things on their level. It's a system that only they can understand, otherwise, it's just like a horrible corn maze. It now makes sense why we couldn't seem to mask ourselves well enough.” Kakashi replies, hoping his analysis makes enough sense.
Hiruzen looks back at his desk, at the mission report.
“And you're sure that a sensory ninja would help with that problem?” Hiruzen questions.
“I'm certain.”
A forth sigh is heard from the Hokage before he slides his chair over to the far end of the semi circle desk to sort through another tall folder of papers.
He becomes more and more upset with each turn of a paper.
Until he stops at one sheet of paper.
And his distressed expression deepens.
Before sorting through the folder of papers again, a bit slower this time.
Kakashi can tell Hiruzen is upset. Whether it be from the expression on his face, or the tapping of his foot, or the fact that he has looked through these papers three times.
“Everything alright, Lord Third?” Kakashi asks, becoming slightly worried himself.
The silence stirs.
Hiruzen closes the folder, sliding it back to its original position on the side of his desk.
Hiruzen takes a deep breath in, and Kakashi can't help but try to prepare for whatever he is about to say next.
“There aren't any sensory type ninja who aren't away on a mission as of right now. There's no one I can send on this mission for at least a week.”
Damn it.
“You're sure?” Kakashi questions.
“Of course I am Hatake.”
He pauses. Before sighing a fifth, and final time.
“All except for one. But you're not going to like this Kakashi, and neither do I…. But we may not have a choice right now.” Hiruzen finishes
Kakashi wonders if Hiruzen is being this suspenseful on purpose, or if it is truly such a wacky idea that he is actually this unsure.
He wonders if it's maybe someone who is younger, or too unqualified for a mission like this. Maybe this sensor is too violent? Or maybe too softhearted. Why is deploying this sensor such a strange idea?
Kakashi's thinking is then interrupted.
“His name is Umino Iruka.”
……….
What??!??
Kakashi curses in his head.
“My apologies Lord Third, but you can't be serious. Umino is a chunin. What makes you think someone like him can handle this type of mission?.....He is a school teacher.” Kakashi tries to reason
“You said you needed a sensor, Hatake. He is the only person in this entire village who meets those needs right now. It doesn't matter what his occupation is at the moment.” Hiruzen states firmly.
Tsk.
Would it be better to wait for someone more qualified? Maybe. But that maybe could be the difference from a battle they fight alone, overpowered by the enemy, to a battle they fight with allies by their side.
This time Kakashi sighs.
“Do we even know the extent of his skill in that matter? From what I know, Umino hasn't been out in the field for years.” Kakashi inquires.
……..
Hiruzen taps on the face of his wooden desk three times, thinking.
“We know he is a sensory type ninja Hatake…I don't like this idea just as much as you. Chunin or not, he is still a shinobi. If we were to wait, that time may very well be what causes the leaf village to fall.” Hiruzen answers.
Damn it.
…
“Yes, Lord Third.” Kakashi is forced to agree.
“Good. Now, please summon Umino. I would like to give him the mission tonight, for tomorrow.” Hiruzen orders the ANBU at the other end of the room.
And Kakashi realizes how dark it's gotten since he's come here.
In the time it takes for Iruka to be summoned, all Kakashi can do is worry. When did this mission become this dire? Or was it always this important and he had yet to realize it until they pulled out a last resort? There are so many things that could go wrong. Too many.
Within minutes, Iruka has found his way into the Hokages office.
Kakashi can't help but feel a little guilty for the terrified yet nervous look on Iruka's face.
Iruka is quietly fidgeting with his hands, but immediately stops when the Hokage finally speaks up.
“Umino.”
….
“Lord Third.” Iruka replies
Hiruzen smiles a bit
“You have been summoned for a very important mission.” Hiruzen relays.
He turns around in his chair and reaches for a thick folder from across his desk.
Kakashi wonders how he even remembers what is what with that much of a mess on his desk.
He slides the folder in front of the two shinobi at the other side of his desk.
The large, white, square sticker slapped on top of the folder reads one letter. “S”.
Kakashi has been given a mission with this sticker before.
Iruka has not.
Kakashi can hear Iruka's audible swallow as the folder is presented to him.
“Please review the contents of this folder, Umino.” Hiruzen says.
So Iruka takes a step closer to the semi circle desk before picking up the folder to look through it.
It's easy for Kakashi to notice how uneasy Iruka becomes with each line he reads. And the levels of confusion and fear his expression walks through. After a good bit, he closes the folder. Before setting it back down on the desk.
Iruka nervously rubs the back of his neck with his hand. He looks down before speaking to the Hokage.
“I'm sorry, but Lord Third, what makes you think I qualify for this har-.. important of a mission..?” Iruka questions.
The first sigh of what Kakashi predicts will be many sounds from Hiruzen.
“A sensory type ninja plays a very crucial role in the success of this mission, Umino….”
He pauses
“And you happen to be the only one around as of right now. For a while.” Hiruzen finishes.
Iruka looks back up as his hands return to his sides. He stutters for only a second before returning to silence.
Both of them know it's a dangerous mission.
Iruka looks to his side before speaking again.
“Do I have a choice?..” Iruka says, sounding almost guilty.
Hiruzen sighs once again.
The silence only lasts for a few beats.
Hiruzen’s expression deepens to yet another upset appearance.
“Yes…..But do not take any longer than an hour, Umino.” Hiruzen half grumbles.
Kakashi doesn't know whether he wants Iruka to accept the mission, or not. It's obvious why Iruka is unsure. And honestly, Kakashi is surprised Iruka hasn't walked out of the room yet. It's undeniably a huge leap of faith, and now Iruka is a hinge on which this all relies on.
Iruka then starts quietly fidgeting with his hands once again.
Kakashi is already thinking about alternatives in his head, because honestly, Iruka might also have to be crazy for him to accept this mission.
“I'll do it.” Iruka says clearly.
What!?????
Hiruzen smiles a bit more than before.
“Splendid. The both of you have tonight to prepare and no more. Please make good use of your time.”
“Yes, Lord Third.” Is heard from both of them, Kakashi before Iruka.
……….
Splendid it is not. At least for Kakashi. He isn't near sure about what to even strategize with Iruka. He has a basic understanding of the sensory type, but not near enough to direct him as to what to do. And he knows Iruka will be relying on him to guide him through the mission.
The need for a sensory type had come from the fact Kakashi and his squad couldn't manage to figure out how to even move through that village. He was sure that the basis of their defense included some form of genjutsu,(Imagine Minecraft blindness effect.) but there were layers to the enemy's system. Layers that required more than just basic chakra recognition. Afterall, Kakashi wasn't in the enemy village for too long. So there's only so much to take away from their first attempt. But he just hopes, he prays that things will make sense for Iruka when they get there.
And he most importantly hopes that his theory is correct.
“Hatake-San”
Kakashi hears from Iruka the second they step out of the Hokages office.
“Will there be any other squad members joining us on this mission?” Iruka asks him as they walk down the wide hallway.
Kakashi had hoped there would be, but from the lack of people the Hokage had just summoned, the answer was disappointing.
“I don't believe there will be.” Kakashi replies, sort of apologizing for dragging Iruka into this.
As they near the end of the hallway, Kakashi wonders if he should ask Iruka to help strategize for the mission together. But in the end, Kakashi wouldn't even know what to tell him. Even if strategizing is the responsible thing to do, he lets Iruka head home, because it's late. Later than it should be.
Kakashi doesn't get any sleep. Not that he planned to, but the fact still stands. The day ahead of him is undoubtedly terrifying. It's bound to be confusing. He wishes he knew Iruka maybe just a little better, because maybe then, comms wouldn't seem so difficult. As he knew they would be.
The best possible outcome as to what happens when they get there would be that everything just suddenly makes sense to Iruka, that their previous mistakes of their first attempt would be promptly revealed, but he knew that most likely wouldn't be the case. It'd be best if it went on as a ‘brains and brawn’ type situation, Iruka as the brains and Kakashi as the brawn.......Corny.
Kakashi spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of directions he would give to Iruka, because “Just do your thing.” Probably wasn't going to cut it. He'd never really faced such an important mission with such a lack of preparation, it was worrying. But they had to try whatever.
The original plan was to simply sneak into their archives where the scrolls were most likely kept, crack the wards, and bring back some sort of proof that the scrolls were held by the enemy village. They managed to hold a position in the village for fifteen minutes. Even then, they were being tracked by the enemy the entire time. He hoped that Iruka could figure out what the key to the enemy's system was, or at least be able to track the enemies better than he could.
It was a crazy leap of faith that relied upon both of them. And Kakashi prayed it would work out.
__________________________________________
It's nearing 1am, and Iruka receives a quick knock on his apartment door.
Who the hell is trying to reach him right now?
Iruka opens the door slowly, half trying to hide the kunai held tightly in his left hand, in case the person at his door meant no harm to him.
He was expecting a person, but instead, what he finds outside of his door, is a uniform neatly folded. Alongside a white, porcelain ANBU mask.
It freaks him about a bit at first at the fact that the person he sensed outside his door just moments ago has nearly erased their presence. Nearly.
But he knows that's how ANBU operate, and pays it no mind. An ANBU must have delivered this bundle to him.
Right. He recalls the mission folder that was presented to him mere hours ago. The mission was listed as a completely undercover mission. This must be the ANBU uniform he is supposed to wear.
He gulps as he remembers how important of a mission this is, and how he has never once been undercover.
“There's a first for everything…. “He sighs to himself before picking up the bundle of clothes as well as the mask.
He brings it inside and sets it down on his dinner table, away from the preparation/training mess that is his living room as of right now. And he is correct. The uniform is nothing but the standard ANBU uniform, and freakishly enough, it's in his size exactly. He picks up the white porcelain mask and examines its red detailing. It has spots of red around its eyes that pool down to the bottom of the mask, avoiding the snout, a red triangular nose, and rounded ears. He carefully turns it over to the inside of the mask and notices a slim sticker at the top of the forehead area that reads:
“Temporary: TANUKI.”
Tanuki…. That must be his new code name.
He knows he can't spend too much time stressing over the fact that he's going to have to act as ANBU tomorrow. He has to knock the rest of the dust off his senses. It's not like it's been forever since he has had to be acute with his senses, but on a night like this, there is no way he's going to find himself sleeping tonight.
He returns back to his living room. But before he continues his preparation, he worries that he'll over exhaust himself before tomorrow rolls around. But instead of thinking, he chucks another food pill in his mouth and closes his eyes. And he begins to feel. He begins to feel for any type of motion that is happening around him.
Whether it be in his apartment, his neighbors, or the entire village. Of course, it's easy right now. Which doesn't help. It's only easy because absolutely nobody is masking any chakra as of right now. But it'll do. Which makes it loud. Loud to his senses. He hears things in frequencies.
And it's buzzing everywhere.
__________________________
Kakashi is up as early as late as he goes to bed. He as well had received an old gift last night. The same one he did the night before.
“Temporary: HOUND.”
It's nothing new to him. He thinks it a bit funny that they made the effort to give him his old mask though. His nerves are at a surprising low, considering the day ahead of him. It's around 5am. And they plan to head out in an hour, due to the lengthy travel to the enemy village that lies ahead of them.
He wonders what mask they gave Iruka. A pointless thought. But hopefully not a bird mask. Everyone on the ANBU force, when Kakashi was still a part of it, had agreed that the bird masks were the most unflattering of all the species. He still stands by that.
It's quiet outside. Kakashi takes a second to listen to the birds outside his apartment window. He feels the dew on his windowsill. ‘Calm before the storm.’ He thinks. He continues to wander around his apartment as he feels his nerves begin to uncover themselves. With nothing else to do, he feels defeated. So he suits up.
He's done it time and time again. It’s something you don't forget.
As soon as he makes the decision to leave, he is already at the gates of the Leaf Village. The only way in and out. Soon, he begins to wonder when his singular squad member will show up.
But he doesn't mind waiting.
_____________________
Iruka managed to get in a three hour nap before he awoke.
The second he stepped out of bed, he felt a hollow pit open up in his stomach. This isn't a normal morning. He isn't headed for the academy, or the mission desk. He's headed to what may be the most important mission he will ever have taken on. And that scares the heck out of him. He won't be seeing any students today, he won't be stamping any papers.
Today, he’s the one fighting for the Leaf Village's future. And he’s a little freaked out about it.
He feels a small electric chill go down his spine as he enters his kitchen to see the ANBU mask staring back at him from the kitchen table. He stares at it for a long time. He stares for a good while before realizing he should be getting ready much faster than this.
So he grabs the mask, along with the uniform and slaps it all on. It takes him a little while but he gets it, after all it's probably the easiest task he will encounter for all of today. After he puts everything on he looks at himself in the mirror.
Holy shit.
He looks surprisingly menacing. To the point where he is sorta freaked out by his own reflection.
He wishes he was maybe taught a bit more before committing to this mission entirely. He is lacking in a lot of areas and quite unqualified in most. He wonders what roles he and Kakashi will be playing in this mission. And how much….. Fighting.. There will be. Of course, fighting is inevitable, but that doesn't mean Iruka won't avoid it at all costs.
God, he isn't meant for this.
The more he dwells in his thoughts, the more he wants to lock himself in his apartment.
And if that was an option, he’d sure as well take it. But it isn’t.
So he swallows everything weighing him down, he swallows everything holding him back, and heads over to the gates of the Leaf Village.
____________________________________________________________
Kakashi has only been waiting for about fifteen minutes. He expects to be waiting even longer.
In that time he thinks a little to himself. He’ll probably give Iruka a small rundown or at least catch him up on what had happened last time while they make their way to the enemy village. Afterall, it's a long trip. The housing and infrastructure of this village was far different from the Leafs, They used mainly stone and concrete for anything they built. It was like a maze of tall, towering castles in most places.
They weren't very on top of their greenery either, a lot of vines, or trees and bushes were very overgrown, which didn't at all help with the whole maze aspect of the village itself. Even though they–
“Hatake-San.”
Holy shit.
Kakashi’s head whips around a little faster than he hoped it would.
Kakashi didn’t even realize Iruka had shown up.
Was Iruka seriously that good at masking himself? Or was Kakashi so lost in thought he was too distracted to notice his arrival.
Possibly a little bit of both.
“Please, refer to me by my code name, Hound.” Hound says.
…….
“My apologies,..Hound.” Iruka replies.
A gust of morning wind walks by, it’s refreshing.
“Have you been given Tanuki?” Hound asks
“Yes.” Tanuki affirms with the sound of the porcelain tapping on his vest as he nods his head once.
Hound turns his head back towards the tall gates that tower over the Leaf village.
“Let's go.”
______________________________________
Tanuki manages to leap off the ground at the same time as Hound, and he's embarrassingly proud of himself for that.
Though he wishes he could keep up with Hound just a little bit more, he's only having trouble doing so because he is actively trying to retain the information Hound is telling him. Tanuki would rather fall behind a little than show up to the village completely clueless.
Tanuki hopes his nervousness does not show. And somehow, the only thing keeping him from stopping in his tracks and running away to his apartment is Hound's run-down of the spooky village they were about to make their way over too.
They run non-stop for what feels like 5 minutes before Hound completely finishes catching Tanuki up on information. He can't help but feel like their conversation was also a small warning to him.
And with the information he receives from Hound, he begins to brainstorm. But neither of them have enough information to come up with a formidable strategy. So for the most part, they progress in silence.
“You’re sure you can handle their system, Tanuki?” Hound asks.
……
Tanuki can't blame Hound for being wary of what skill he has to offer, but there is a little part of Tanuki in which he wants to surprise Hound with his skills. Just a little bit.
But it's not like there is much to surprise him with.
Or so he thinks.
But no, he definitely isn't sure he can handle anything. This is the most unsure Tanuki has ever been in a long while. And that's the one thing he is sure of.
But he can’t tell Hound that.
“Yes. For the most part, I'm sure, Hound.” He lies.
So Hound leaves it alone, as they continue to travel in silence.
Tanuki can't help but feel out of place in this uniform. He wonders how he looks right now, hopping from tree to tree wearing the getup. He wonders if he fits in the uniform, not in a matter of size, he just wondered if it looked right.
_________________________________________
Hound can’t help but find it funny how fitting Tanuki appears in his uniform.
It's a pointless thought. But with the lack of things happening, he lets his mind wander.
Hound doesn't know why he thought it’d look wrong in the first place. Actually no, it’s pretty obvious. There is never a world where Iruka would find his way into the ANBU forces, he does not fit any criteria. Sure, maybe he’d last a day or two, but there was no way he’d fare well in it in the long run.
………………
Hound can’t help but hope that he is underestimating Tanuki.
He feels a little guilty for thinking so low of the chunin traveling next to him. Afterall, he never really knew Tanuki too well before this. He still doesn't, but he shouldn't need too. He should be able to rely on Tanuki far more than he is right now, but Hound mostly acknowledges that he is at fault for not trusting him enough. Tanuki hasn't actually done anything to make Hound believe that he is unreliable, but he also hasn't really done anything to prove that he is reliable.
And that all just makes him realize how much of a shot in the dark this mission is.
Hound wonders if Tanuki has also taken all the risks into consideration, he wonders if he knows that he is very much risking his own life.
Every mission you risk your life, it’s expected for ninjas, but this mission in particular has such a lack of preparation and certainty, that the risk level has completely gone wack. And he hopes Tanuki recognizes that.
Slowly but surely, the enemy village slowly begins to creep into sight.
Hound slows down and lands lightly on a tree outside the gates.
So Tanuki does too.
Hound lets Taunki get a quick look at the terrain of the village before they wander in and lose most of their sight.
After a few seconds, Hound shoots Taunki a quick ANBU hand signal to say “let's go”, before realizing that Tanuki has no idea what that actually means. So he just waves his hand twice towards the village before leaping off the tree to perch on the village walls.
And Taunki quickly follows.
Hound stops at the first ward on the outsides of the village, the ward begins at the top of the stone walls that perimeter the village and climb all the way up the tip of the tallest tower in the village. The wards enclose the village like a box.
Hound and his squad had taken a good chunk of time last attempt to pick these wards.
It took them nearly two hours.
And that was with the three of them.
Now it's just Hound.
……And Tanuki.
Tanuki just kind of kneels awkwardly behind Hound for a good bit.
Hound hopes it's not too obvious that he's having trouble with these wards. The most concerning part is that the enemies had changed their wards since the last time he came here.
He should have predicted that.
Fuck.
He wonders how much time they have till the enemies notice them on their village’s wall.
He doesn't know, but the clock is ticking.
And Hound is horribly embarrassed to ask for help.
………
“Tanuki…, would you happen too-”
Hound is then interrupted as Taunki mimics Hounds current position by placing both hands flat up against the invisible wall of wards.
Another thirty minutes passes of both of them attempting to use their chakra to unwind the invisible wires of these complex wards.
Suddenly, Hound nearly stumbles off of the stone wall as the wall of wards he had been leaning on quickly disappears.
Tanuki and him have cracked the wards.
Well, mostly just Tanuki.
Hound glances over at Tanuki to see him already staring back. A mutual agreement that it was time to push forward.
They both silently leap off into the village, only to immediately be hit with a thick waft of pitch black smoke. And just like that, it's almost like it's midnight. They can only see so far ahead of them.
They manage to find their way to the nearest parapet to seek coverage for a few seconds.
Hound gets the same uncertain feeling of numbness that he felt the last time he was in this village.
It felt like trying to find your way around an apartment complex with your eyes closed.
Except his eyes were completely open and he was definitely outside.
And just like last time, the only thing he can do is wait for the enemy to appear and start conflict.
The only person Hound can sense is Tanuki by his side, and he only can sense him because he's that close to him.
At least that's what he thinks.
______________________________________________________
“Tanuki, can you sense anyone?” Hound asks.
Tanuki turns his head to look at Hound.
He's been so nervous since he had gotten here that he forgot that that's what he was supposed to be doing. Whoops.
From a quick feel with basic chakra recognition around him, there’s no one other than Hound.
So he quickly switches gears to start doing the one job he was given by coming here.
He begins to feel.
He feels for anything on the parapet next to him.
Then he feels for anything in the surrounding neighborhood.
Then he feels for anything in the entire village.
Fuck
……….
It's buzzing everywhere.