Mind (Jutsu) Games

The Written Word Gets Out

Shikamaru wasn’t at his home, and Kakashi was about to leave when a fluttering piece of paper caught his eye. There were papers scattered all over the room, as though someone had sent a ream of it flying, but this one was different; it actually had writing on it. Examining it more closely, the copy ninja realized that it was the key to a code. He didn’t know what it decoded, but he was reasonably sure that it hadn’t been left there by accident, despite the disarray which ruled the rest of the room.

Moving on, Kakashi was determined to find Asuma.

The jounin instructor was sitting on a stool at the Ichiraku Ramenya, staring intently at his palm. “Oh, Kakashi, good. Maybe you can make sense of this. What is it with genius boys and codes?”

At the mention of a code, Kakashi held back what he’d been about to say. Taking the tiny slip of paper, Kakashi held up the key and compared the two quickly. The code was complicated, and the message was without word spaces, making it more difficult to crack. However, it was not that dissimilar from one Kakashi himself had developed as a child, and he had no problem deciphering the words. They didn’t lessen his anxiety, however.

Igotthisnotelastnightandyouneedtoknowwhatitsays“Wehaveyourgirlfriend.Ifyouwanttoseeheragain,you’llcometothecavesonthebackoftheHokageMountainalone.Don’ttellanyone,anddon’tdrawattentiontoyourself,orthegirlwon’tbetheretogreetyou.Well,maybeherbodywillbe.”I’mnotsostupidastothinkIcandothisalone.Getwhathelpyouneed,justkeepitquiet.


“We need to hurry,” Kakashi informed his friend, and they both moved off to look for help as the scarecrow relayed the information he’d discovered in Ino’s journal relating to the jutsu she was under, as well as what the note held. “I don’t care who all you bring, but not Ino’s father, and Kurenai needs to be there.”

“Why? I should think you’d want Ino’s father there, to reassure her,” Asuma trusted his friend, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t confused.

“That’s Kurenai’s job. Her father would not behave rationally, especially when he found out what Shikamaru did to her.” Kakashi’s voice was rational, but cold enough to freeze the waterfall had they been closer.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but as their sensei, he decided that he needed to at least ask. “What did Shikamaru do to Ino?”

Taking a deep breath to clear the anger starting to build in him, and reminding himself that the boy couldn’t have realized what was truly happening, Kakashi affected indifference. “They had sex.”

“They what?! Wait, how is that him doing something to her? It takes two to tango.”

“You should know,” Kakashi couldn’t resist the barb.

“As should you, but I’m serious.”

“It’s more complicated than mere sex. He took her when our unknown enemies had her under their control. She never had a chance to consent or refuse. For the most part, she seems to blame them, but she’s still upset with Shikamaru. She’s going to need counseling, and we need to have a woman she knows there to help her until we can get her real help. We do not need her father trying to kill the boy she loves, even if she is mad at him.”

Asuma nodded at that, and just in time, as they had reached the cleared where Kurenai and her team were training. They all looked up in surprise as the two jounin seemed to suddenly appear in their midst. “Kurenai,” Asuma took charge, “we have a problem.”

While he took her aside and gave her the details of the situation, Kakashi sent her team off to find the others they needed. His own team, Gai’s team, and Chouji. He really didn’t want to get genin involved, but then he reminded himself that they already were, and that Ino needed familiar faces. Though, he hoped that he could convince them to stay outside and set up traps to catch any of Ino’s captors, should they try to flee. And while he really didn’t like Gai that much, they fought far too well together for him not to ask for his help. Also, Gai was one of those annoyingly cheerful people who wouldn’t think worse of a person for something like this.

When the entirety of the group was assembled, Kakashi carefully laid out his plan. The jounin instructors would go in first, assess the situation, and call the genin in if it was necessary. Neji and Hinata were to watch for the signal, as well as watching for enemies trying to escape. The rest were responsible to setting traps for any unwary escapees, and were only to make their presence known if it was required to keep the enemy there. Shino, having an affinity for bugs, some of which could fly faster than even a ninja could move, had the responsibility of assessing the situation and calling for further back-up, should he deem it necessary. He was also given particular instructions as to who he could and could not have as reinforcements.

And with that, all they could do was pray.

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Greetings to you, my readers. I'm sorry for this one being so short, but I promise the next one will be longer and provide some answers. I'd love to hear what you all think about the story so far, including what you suspect is going on.
As always, have a great day and good reading.

Crimson Iris