Another Perfect Wonder

Iruka’s heart raced.  The woman was standing to his right. The kunai was gripped loosely enough she could stab or throw it. He could use a left hook to throw her off balance and buy enough time to teleport.  The coat wasn’t a flak vest, but it was thick enough a stab wound wouldn’t immediately be fatal. 

 

Once he got to the safe house he could draw enough of Kakashi’s blood to summon his ninken and treat his injury.  If nothing else he could die in the standoff while the ninken escaped with Kakashi.

 

“Answer my question,” the woman changed her grip to a thrusting position and moved back in front of him.  “Who is this and why are you carrying her?”

 

Iruka didn’t feel the other chakra signature until the man’s hands were on him. “Leave him. It’s that crazy civilian we told you about.”

 

“Takamoto-kun! He could be a rapist or a kidnapper!” the woman shrieked.

 

“Not our concern. Continue on your mission,” the man barked completely dismissing Iruka.

 

 “But…”  the kunoichi began looking from Kakashi to Iruka and back to her companion.

 

“He could cook her and eat her and it wouldn’t be our problem,” Takamoto hissed, “You have your orders. Now MOVE CHUUNIN!”

 

“Yes jounin-sama!” They quickly disappeared without leaving a single disturbance to the snow.

 

Iruka resumed his forward movement and exhaled in relief once he reached the cabin.  He sat on the bed and unwrapped Kakashi.

 

“You do look feminine from this angle.” Iruka marveled.

 

The woman had ironically exposed part of Kakashi’s face he kept uncovered; but the blond bangs and peaceful expression made him look more like a fairy tale princess than a deadly ninja.   He settled Kakashi in the bed and relit the fire before checking the man’s vitals.  

 

He thought about cooking the ration bar he’d brought with him to feed Kakashi and decided against it; instead choosing to use his leftovers. He checked the riceballs and pot of fish broth he’d made the previous for night poison before crushing one of the rice bowls and scoping it into a smaller pot to make gruel.

 

He mashed the rice and added more broth and a fever reducer to the cup he prepared for Kakashi and pulled the Copy Nin into his lap for feeding. When the cup was empty he lay him back down and whispered in his ear. “I’ll be back soon. Sleep well until then.”

 

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Kakashi rolled onto his side and buried deeper into the covers.  It wasn’t long before this new position made him aware of the growing ache in his bladder.  The cloudiness of sleep slowly dissipated as he realized he’d been given enough liquid to actually have a full bladder. 

 

He shifted slowly, biting back the anticipatory groan of his broken ribs scrubbing against each other. That pain didn’t come nor did the agony of pushing himself to rise using a broken arm, two broken hands and ten broken fingers. He tried to open his eyes but the lids surrounded Obito’s Sharingan barely responded so he focused on opening the other one.

 

He was on a bed in a room made of wood, not stone. He tried to search for another presence using chakra, but his body wouldn’t respond.  He tried to inhale deeply but was rewarded with a violent cough for his efforts. His stuffy nose was unable to detect much, but there was the distinct lack of dungeon scents: blood, sweat, urine, mildew, rats and shit.

 

He had convinced himself the fresh air from earlier was a dream but now he wasn’t so certain. Ninja often staged rescues and used a free form genjutsu to trick a captive into revealing information. Even if it were a ruse it never hurt to be aware of the terrain.

 

He sat up carefully and took in his surroundings. To the right there was an open interior door leading to what looked like a kitchen. Another door was on the wall farthest from him.  There was a coat rack beside it to he guessed it was the entrance.

 

 The room he occupied was large with a deep set fireplace on the opposite wall. The hearth was large enough for cooking and various racks and hooks lined the walls to form its mantle.  There was a rough table and three chairs on the same side as the bed. Other than drying racks built into the walls and the clotheslines connecting them, the room contained no other furniture.

 

He sat up slowly as nature’s call grew stronger. He grabbed the headboard and pulled himself into a standing position – someone had healed him.  He flexed his fingers satisfied at their progress; he lifted his arms and winced at the movement.  He stepped gingerly on his ankle and had to stop himself from crying out.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to stop the room from swimming and corrected his earlier assessment – someone inexperienced had tried to heal him.

 

He leaned against the wall and slowly made his way down the hallway before him.  There were doors to his left and right. He opened the door on the right since it was closer. The unheated room contained rice balls sitting on a work bench, a small army of cast iron cookware lining the wall and several hooks hanging from the ceiling. The smell of tar and cleansers was unable to mask the unmistakable scent of tannic acid.

 

He moved across the hall and opened the door. The liquid in his body demanded immediate release as soon as he saw the toilet with the lid and seat already raised. Someone had gone through extreme lengths to re-hydrate him.  The last time he’d pissed for so long and felt so happy doing so Gai had challenged him to a tea drinking contest. The loser was the first one to leave the table. 

 

He sniffed the bar of soap and decided it was safe to wash his hands with it. He turned the knobs on the sink slowly and made sure what came out was clear and didn’t have a fragrance.  He raised his eyes following the knocking in the pipes to the raised tub. The more water ran in the sink the more bubbles appeared in the tub.

 

He turned off the knobs and sat on the toilet to get a closer look at the tub. It was large, wooden, and like most traditional tubs had a small fire pit below.  He leaned over and exhaled; that water also smelled safe.

 

He closed the door and was surprised to see a small stool and washing area complete with a large foot bowl in the corner.  After making sure it was empty he turned his attention to the cabinets beneath the counter – more soap, towels, bath salts, a lighter, a shaving kit, toilet paper and air freshener.

 

This time when he stood up Kakashi allowed himself to look the mirror. He already knew his mask would not be there. He squinted, the bathroom was dark but his skin appeared to be missing the demarcation line between what was covered and uncovered.

 

He had been in a dungeon for a while so it was possible the exposed part of his face had paled to produce the even color. His hair had been brushed down to cover most of his forehead. He was able to confirm the bone around the Sharingan had indeed been broken. Based on his earlier attempts he knew it would take a few weeks time to coax the swollen eye open.

 

He left the bathroom and made his way to the kitchen. The cabinets were open. Four clean dishes sat on the counter ready for use. There was a skillet on the stove and riceballs on the table.  He walked back to the bed. The right corner was untucked.  He looked back at the table; noticing one of the chairs had been pulled back. 

 

A large pot of water had been set on the hearth to boil. When he opened the bathroom door the toilet lid was raised. All items were signs someone had left in a hurry and would be returning. 

 

Pakkun had found the Konoha ninja.

 

Kakashi started to look out of the window and get his bearings but decided against it. He was too injured to fight and he didn’t know where his comrades were or their condition. Based on the temperature and the filtration tub he knew he was still in one of the northern countries.  He didn’t know what types of traps were being used to protect the building.  

 

The last thing he wanted to do was set one off and draw attention to his location; especially if an injured comrade was slowly making his way back to the shelter. He added two small logs to the fire and decided to be patient.

 

Kakashi wasn’t sure how long he waited but it didn’t take long for the jounin logic more commonly known as paranoia to kick in. He had no way of knowing if Pakkun really did find the team sent to rescue him or if it was an elaborate ruse. It didn’t feel like a genjutsu but even if it were he didn’t have the chakra to dispel it.  He was unable to open the Sharingan to try to see it.

 

No one wanted to start another war, but they all wanted to rid themselves of a strong enemy. It wouldn’t be the first time a nin from another village had been captured, tortured, healed enough to remove signs of torture and set free to die.

 

His broken bones and head injury could have easily happened by falling out of a tree. He was shoeless and naked except for a pair of boxer briefs. There were riceballs and water just waiting for him to get hungry or thirsty. Hypothermia and accidental poisoning could be blamed on the head injury. He was contemplating all they ways this could be a trap when he fell back asleep.