Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Gentle Lesson: The Restoration of the Hatake ❯ Dark Eyes ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I don't own Naruto… or Kakashi…

Dark Eyes

Looking down over the cliff's edge, at the mist covered forest spreading out below their feet Team 7 drew a deep breath of content. Unlike the wilderness of Sand, Cloud green and full of rivers reminded the three young Jounins of their home town.

“Aaaa! This seems like home!” Naruto exclaimed, stretching up and putting his hands behind his head.

“Baka! Keep it down! Our mission isn't done yet!” Sakura hissed.

“Keep up your guard, idiot! No relaxing till we get home.”

Sasuke looked nervously, twitched his head to the right and froze imperceptibly. Three fingers up and then down.

“Yeah, yeah, bastard. Paranoid as usual…”

Sakura was miming `cut-your-throat'. To no avail.

“You guys need to relax! “You know. Calm down.”

Sasuke jerked out two kunai.

Sakura followed suit.

“Like I said - this is gonna be a piece of - “

THUD!

Six shuriken fell at Sasuke's, Sakura's and Naruto's feet.

The tense silence was broken by Naruto's screech.

“What the FUCK!”

Six nins jumped out of the trees - with the nod of his head, Sasuke, followed closely by Sakura ran headlong down the steep cliff - Naruto madly scrambled after them.

“Hey! Wait up!”

His voice was drowned by a BOOM!

Sasuke's two explosion tags took out part of the cliff - and only two shinobi.

“Six chakra signatures,” he rapped out sternly. “Coming at us from all sides. Fuck. They're good.”

“OWWWW!!! That hurt!”

Naruto hunched on the ground, rubbing a swelling bum on his head.

“Pull yourself together!” Sakura barked.

“Stop behaving like a brat - and get serious!”

Naruto stood up, growling.

“Those bastards! Slowing us down! HOW THE FUCK DARE THEY!!!”

“Well…” Sasuke sighed to Sakura. “At least he's revved up now…”

Sakura giggled - then her face got serious.

“Who are these guys?”

Her question remained unanswered as the three Leaf Jounins were attacked simultaneously from all sides.

“Guh!” Naruto reeled back, pulling out a kunai from his shoulder. “These guys are good.”

Fifteen minutes later, Team 7 cut down the numbers to three - but in reality, the odds weren't that good. Sasuke had a weak ankle; Sakura hadn't been able to totally alleviate the sprain he had incurred from a trip. Naruto had long disappeared - that worried Sakura even more. Separating from one's team was never a good idea.

“The idiot better be okay…” huffed Sasuke.

Sakura finally managed to fall near enough to her opponent - dodging his vicious long range needle attack - gathering her chakra quickly; she socked him in the jaw - breaking it in two, cracking up into his skull. A deft kunai swipe slit the man's throat, ending the fight - Sakura wheeled around to find Sasuke.

The dark-haired boy was now on the defensive - both nins were bleeding. Sakura intervening placed her signature cheery blossom genjutsu on the enemy. It was just enough to slow him.

A pause long enough for the chidori to find its mark.

“Let me have a look at your ankle,” Sakura said.

She went unheeded - Sasuke was already disappearing in the direction he last saw Naruto go.

“We've got to find him. I got the feeling he took on the strongest, smartest nin as usual. Idiot.”

A sonic BOOM rumbled close by. The two Leaf Jounins sped up.

Naruto.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Damn!

Damndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamn

And fuck.

Naruto tried to still his trembling body - backing away slowly.

Don't look scared. Never show fear.

The blonde had landed beside the corpse of his enemy (who had fallen on a pile of rocks with a heavy SPLUD).

He had landed into another pile of shit. Exhausted and tense, Naruto's lips thinned as he tried to calculate the odds.

Not good.

I've already used a one tail - to go any further would be suicidal - I could end up harming -

Sasuke. Sakura.

I don't know. Should I want you here? Perhaps it is best you stay away.

Several more landed behind him - the clothing of these men were different - enemy because they were nowhere near like Konoha's men - the tattoos on their upper arms were different - and the shape of their masks.

Their ivory white masks.

ANBU.

Kakashi-sama.

The silence was creepy.

This is the world he lives in.

Sensei.

Naruto darted forward - the odds weren't good, he supposed - but then, he'd never really paid attention to those kinds of things.

Ero-Sannin always said I had all the luck in the world.

His Kage Bunshins took out one of the ANBU - as well as destroying themselves. But before Naruto could even call on the fox's power - something sank into his neck - his limbs went numb and he found himself paralyzed as he was lamed against a tree trunk with his hand.

He hung there helpless as another phantom approached unsheathing his katana.

“Naruto!” screeched Sakura, trying to at least unnerve the ANBU - to stop the sword. She stood there alone at the edge of the clearing - looking beat up and totally fragile.

“Where there's one, there are three,” murmured one mask. Four disappeared.

The round clearing fell into another silence. Laden with chakra and intensity.

A whizzing sound and dull thunks. Sasuke suddenly appeared at Sakura's side - panting while he clutched his side.

“Sasuke -“ gritted out Naruto - trying to will his body to move.

GGGRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

A huge snarl filled the air - some grey blurs bounded out of the woods - four of them - huge jaws gaping - several joined it - mauling three ANBU who had dropped their guard.

Naruto toppled over sideways in time with the headless corpse of his captor - a following blur of steel swept around and ran itself through the body of the fifth ANBU.

The black streak seemed to consist of black, white and grey. The grey blurs were fur, fangs and claws.

When the canines took guard point at the edge of the clearing, Sakura and Sasuke running to their comrade's side, propped up Naruto and turned to see the remaining three ANBU converge on their rescuer who now stood still as stone in the clearing.

Tall. Lean. Muscled. Wiry. Fierce white mask. Black uniform.

And a wild mop of grey hair - some strands sticking out in all directions - but for the most part it was shaggy, long and unkempt.

It hurt.

Sakura just stared.

The boys would never understand.

Our sensei normally so much together. Neat even if not on time. Careful. Responsible.

He looks almost - wild.

From their distance, his eyes seemed like black holes - his tense body ready for attack.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, one of the men began to twitch - chakra swirled wildly. It was black - a black hole with three trailing edges - it widened, engulfing the shinobi's chest - then - his upper body.

Now, he was flailing trying to pull away but to no avail.

His arms disappeared and his legs - and then his head. The clearing fell silent again as the black hole shrunk again.

“What the hell?” muttered one of the ANBU.

The other one stopped away.

“Ummm… um…. Hey, hey,” whispered Naruto. “Is that -“

“I don't know.”

The two ANBUs, rushing on the Leaf shinobi, sliced the nin in half - it collapsed in a rush of water.

“Mizu bunshin!”

Suddenly, Kakashi flickered behind the shorter one - without warning the man fell with a sliced throat.

“How did he do that?”

“Is that - is that -“
”Shhhhhhh!”

“How the hell do I know?”

“I've never seen a jutsu like that before!”

The last ANBU fought like a wild thing - whirling together, katanas clashing - it was a beautiful dance - no less beautiful because of the danger.

It was a glorious dance of death.

Sakura, watching the light body bend, sway, turn - the muscular thighs, the pale arms with the Leaf tattoo standing out. Just watching, her breath was taken away. The danger, the bodies, the animality of the moment - it made her -

She couldn't name it.

Kakashi-sensei.

If it is him - he is beautiful.

Her breath caught in her throat - and although she couldn't take her eyes off him, she knew that her comrades were just as riveted. Another Konoha ANBU clone appeared and successfully diverting the enemy ANBU's attention, attacked only to disappear in grey smoke.

The other Leaf's katana suddenly charged with a strange white chakra running along its blade, swept down unstoppable - the power - the total abnormality -

It was stunning.

“That - that -“

“What the hell is that?”

“It can't be sensei,” Sasuke murmured. “He never displayed white chakra like that. That's - that's -“

“Just unnatural,” Sakura whispered.

“But so cool!” Naruto crowed. His eyes shifted sideways. “And kind of weird….”

“Unnerving.”

CRACK!

The white chakra blade fell - breaking through the opposing katana. !

Regardless, the enemy took the chance to bury his broken blade into the heart of the grey-haired shinobi.

There was a frozen moment.

Then a strange sound.

Chi.

With a light poof, the body disappeared again - as the smoke dissipated, a log materialized.

chichichi chichichi chichichi chichichi chichichi chichichi chichichi chichichi

It was familiar.

They turned to Sasuke.

Chichichi chichichi

It was unfamiliar.

The ANBU turned just in time to see a grey streak coming toward him - he turned to flee - only to be pinned to the spot by two of the huge dogs.

It was grey streak, holding a wild ball of lightning.

Team 7 saw it all - the chakra-strengthened hand, plunging through the rib cage, spraying bits of torn flesh and blood forward.

They saw it all.

It was a shock. To see a black glove sticking through the brown ANBU vest. It withdrew - and the corpse fell forward unheeded - revealing the remaining victory now standing closer.

Team 7 froze.

Sakura's green eyes widened.

“Kakashi-sensei!”

Kakashi-sensei.

Shadows fell over the shinobi's eyes - Kakashi-sensei - they understood then what Gaara meant.

“Even if you find him - I don't think he'd be the one you remember. It happens. It would best to let him go.”

“Your sensei is gone.”

Say goodbye.

Even Naruto was speechless.

Kakashi-sensei.

Kakashi-sensei was no more.

There shadows dropped out of the bush.

ANBU Wolf tipped his head ever so slightly in greeting. A Bear mask barked out a harsh laughter, flipping his long black ponytail over his shoulder.

“We got the other four, the bastards.”

Behind him stood two other uncertainly - from their looks, they seemed no older than Naruto and his team.

“Captain, we must leave,” one of them said in a nervous voice.

ANBU Bear slung an arm familiarly around Wolf.

“C'mon. Let's leave the losers.”

His voice was low and seductive; his hand squeezed his comrade's shoulder.

As if on reflex, their sensei twisted around, punching his comrade full in the face. Hitting a teammate without any remorse.

Bear's body disappeared into the brush. The two young ANBU dashed off, visibly resigned - as if this were a normal thing.

But then, Sakura thought, Kakashi-sensei was always very physically distant from others.

“Young pup,” growled an older canine summoning.

Wolf turned.

Team 7 looked up.

He turned - a wolf howled somewhere - Sasuke and Naruto whipped around to peer behind them into the forest.

Sakura got up and ran forward.

Every second flew by as Kakashi turned away - and darted upward to the tree branch. Her fingers just caught the upper ends of his fingers.

There was no warmth. Only cold glove hard and black.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Her voice seemed shrill to her as it blew away in the wind with frail green leaves.

He didn't answer.

Kakashi.

By the time the boys looked around, he was gone.

He was gone.

And only Sakura remained - staring at the spot she last saw him.

Shock and hurt.

He was gone.

So this is goodbye.