Special Thanks: A BIG thank you goes to unjaundiced for pointing out the misspelling of ninjutsu, and of the greyhound 'Uuhei's correct name. And to ravarath for suggesting the more correct medical term 'anticoagulant.' And thank you every one for the reviews and comments!
CHAPTER 4: Ghost Stories
“Kakashi, wait! I have to stop!” Iruka paused to lean against the trunk of a huge tree before he could lose his hold on his ANBU transformation disguise. Sweat beaded in his scalp and dribbled in long lines under the hot mask. The Chuunin was more than a little surprised that he had been able to travel for more than half an hour nonstop in their flight through the dense forest, but now he felt that he was nearly at his limit.
The ANBU disguised Jounin appeared suddenly before Iruka. “We shouldn’t stop for very long. I can carry you on my back if you ‘re having trouble.”
“No, I should be fine.” Iruka straightened himself, determined not to show any more weakness. Before Kakashi could make another comment he hopped towards the next tree. He felt the chakra control in his legs falter the moment he landed on the wide branch, “Shit!” he cursed as he barely regained his balance before slipping off.
Kakashi was instantly behind the Chuunin. His grip on Iruka’s shoulder was tight and the tone of his voice brooked no argument. “We can’t afford you making any more visible tracks in your condition.” Before his companion could properly voice any protests, Kakashi grabbed Iruka and flung him over his shoulders as if he were carrying the carcass of a large game animal.
“Put me down!” Iruka hissed angrily, doing his best to restrain himself from shouting. The Copy-nin’s grasp on his right arm and thigh was firm and unmoving. “I can run by myself, damn it!”
“Are you always this noisy?” Kakashi’s voice almost sounded amused as he leaped down towards the earth. He landed softly onto a dew laden glade as if the added weight of another fully grown man was of little consequence. “We don’t have much farther to go, so you can deal with this indignity. Your injury is slowing us down enough as it is.”
Iruka seethed at the comment, but couldn’t deny the older shinobi's logic. With a puff of smoke the ANBU disguise disappeared to leave the Chuunin in his original form as the last dregs of his chakra reserves drained away. “I could have taken more pills” he muttered.
“Taking any more of those energy drugs would just hurt you in the long run.” Kakashi replied as he ran through the tall grass before leaping up back into the trees. “Take my advice from personal experience.”
“Kakashi-san!” Pakkun appeared suddenly before the pair. The Jounin had to reinforce the chakra in his feet to prevent himself and his added weight from crashing into the nin-dog on the broad tree limb. “We are almost at our destination. Wait here while I go sniff it out.”
“Sure thing.” Kakashi complied as he gently slid Iruka down from his shoulders. The little nin-dog turned and disappeared into the forest. “How are you feeling?” he asked his companion.
“I think I’m alright’.” Iruka had to resist slumping against the tree. “Just tired.”
“You did travel a lot longer than most people would have in your condition.” The Jounin studied the tracks they had made and debated on booby-trapping a few paper bombs, but decided against it in favor of leaving less of a trail to follow.
Iruka couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself, despite Kakashi carrying him in the last few minutes. “Yeah, considering I’ve practically had all of my blood replaced” he huffed as he checked the shuriken in his thigh holster.
“You can rest once we reach the cart.” Kakashi bent down to smooth the few footprints that dimpled the moss covered tree branch. “When we get there, I want you to hide in the back while I drive. We will continue into the River Country and camp out in the woods until I find a lead to this ‘Hashibara Clan’ that this assassin spoke of. Hopefully it won’t take more than a few months at the most.”
Iruka did not like the sound of that, but found little choice in the matter.
Pakkun emerged from a cluster of leaves besides Iruka’s left foot. The nin-dog wrinkled its nose as he bounded towards Kakashi. “All clear,” the pug reported. “There’s no sign of anyone poking around in a ten kilometer radius, besides that Genma fellow who left the supplies.”
“Thank you, Pakkun.” Kakashi saluted the nin-dog. “I will call you later if we need you again.” The pug disappeared in a puff of smoke at the Copy-nin’s dismissal. “Let’s go, Iruka-Sensei.”
“Please, just Iruka.” The Chuunin readied himself to follow Kakashi. “I get that title enough from the students I teach.”
“Alright then.” Kakashi shrugged and gestured with a nod towards their destination. “Shall we, Iruka?”
Iruka nodded grimly and leaped to follow the Copy-nin.
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It was nearly dawn by the time they reached the supply cart. It was a worn down humble little thing, and nearly twice Iruka’s age. The cart and all its gears were sturdily made but possessed no canopy or cover, and its once brilliant blue paint was faded and badly peeling. The mule that drove the cart did not look any better. It was an animal nearly past its prime and judging by how it regarded the two men, seemed to have a temper to boot. Iruka approved at how inconsequential both the animal and cart appeared. They were both a perfect means to arouse less suspicion of two refugee shinobi in flight.
“Ah, this will do very well.” Kakashi mused as he approached the old mule and patted its thick neck. The mule snorted and tried to bite the Copy-nin’s hand. “Hop on in. There’s plenty of blankets for you to sleep under.”
The truth was, Iruka was exhausted. He gingerly climbed into the cart and pulled a thick blanket over himself. He was barely able to fit into the wagon bed among all the supplies and trade goods that the Kakashi would need while performing his alias as a traveling merchant.
Kakashi nodded as Iruka hid himself. “Stay out of sight until I say otherwise.” He made a series of quick hand symbols and transformed into the form of a man in his late fifties. The old man was dressed in fine but worn blue and green traveling clothes; a black eye patch hid the sensitive Sharingan from view but allowed for immediate access. Kakashi had made sure that his disguise was a rather insubstantial one that was easy to dismiss on the road, like the mule and the cart. The aging merchant had a rotund belly and a short graying beard that framed a face that seemed to smile easily. The guise was an especially good one for information gathering in seedy roadside inns and villages.
The Copy-nin leaped into the drivers’ seat with an agility that did not fit the old merchant persona. Already he could hear the slow rhythmic breathing of his companion sleeping in the uncovered cart, the sounds muffled under several layers of thick blankets. With a smile of grim satisfaction, Kakashi flicked the reins to urge the cart into motion.
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‘I am going to go mad.’ Iruka thought as tried vainly to block the horrid noise from reaching his ears. No matter what he did, the sounds of off-key singing still managed to invade his gauze-plugged ears.
Nearly a week had passed since the two Konoha shinobi had successfully fled the Fire Country. Iruka had spent the majority his days trapped out of sight in the back of the cart while under a pile of hot itchy blankets. At first he had been able to sleep the hours away, but doing so was proving difficult the further they traveled into the westernmost part River Country. The sounds of passing travelers and bustling villages became fewer and farther in-between as they rode into more isolated territories. The roads were less maintained and eluded the Chuunin his sleep as he was constantly jostled about, which also made his still-healing wound throb with pain.
It didn’t help matters either that Kakashi (still disguised as the traveling merchant) had taken up to singing in a nasally ‘old man’ voice to pass the time. Even worse, the stupid mule would join in occasionally by braying along.
“Ooooh~! There was a laa~dy I know, “Who had pretty lo~ong legs and a mighty fine pair of ba~ags! “That were always in your fa~ace! But, Ooooh~! “When she fluttered her ee~eyes you can never kiss her goo~odbye! “Because when she wiggled her hi~ips, you just had to kiss her li~ips! “That’s because, boy! Does one have to aa~ask, “When she has such a nice big Aaaa~ass!” The mule paused in its tracks to let out an uproarious bray that echoed down the road.
‘Utterly, utterly mad!’ Iruka gritted his teeth in resolve and poked his head out from under the blankets. “Hey! What’s the point of me hiding in this stinking cart if you and that stupid animal can’t shut the hell up!”
“It’s very rare for me to be able to sing as I travel.” Kakashi replied. He turned his head to look at the Chuunin, the one visible eye had retained its familiar half-lidded appearance. “Besides, the less of a proper shinobi I act, the less likely that the enemy’s attention will turn upon us.” The eye turned up in glee. “Besides, I can’t sing such fun songs at the top of my lungs in the middle of Konoha!”
‘If he weren’t such an exceptional shinobi, I would have been able to kill both him and that stupid mule already!’ Iruka shot once last glare at the Copy-nin, then threw the blankets back over his head.
“One must enjoy the little things in life, Sensei.” Kakashi flicked the reins to goad the old mule back into a brisk walk.
“I told you not to call me that!” Iruka grumped, his voice muffled by the thick layers of fabric. “And stop singing those lewd songs!”
“Quiet now, someone might be coming.” Kakashi lied with an obvious smile in his tone. The Chuunin had looked quite endearing with his hair tie loose and hair all askew from hiding.
‘He really should try to relax and let his hair down more.’ The Jounin thought with a private smile as he steered around a particularly deep pothole in the neglected road.
‘But then again, he’s kinda cute when he’s mad!’ ************************************************************************************
The two shinobi had reached the outskirts of an impoverished village named Gizan just as twilight was settled across the land. As part of his now well practiced routine of intelligence gathering, Kakashi had deposited Iruka at a distance in a remote location and had gone ahead with the cart to stay a night or two at the local Inn. He had little trouble in playing the part of traveling merchant ‘Nakayama Takahiro,’ who was a character prone to drink and the occasional hand at dice—and also an exceptionally good listener and manipulator of conversations. Towards the late hours Kakashi would rent a private room for his alias then transform some mundane object into the sleeping form of the old merchant. After doing so, he would slip outside in his original body to guard Iruka at the campsite, and then return to the Inn in the morning to make his alias’s appearance and collect his things. Iruka would be back safe in his hiding spot in the cart by dawn’s first light.
Kakashi had been busy at the Inn for nearly two days. The Jounin had yet to say what leads he was obtaining, and Iruka was more than eager to hear what those could be.
The Chuunin leaned a bit closer to the small fire to better warm his hands. Summer was waning and the nights were starting to get chilly. He wondered if the changing of the autumn leaves in the River Country would be as vibrant as they were in his native Fire Country. The River Country was far more rugged and mountainous than Iruka was familiar with, but he could not help but marvel at its beauty. Misty valleys, dense forests, high snow-capped mountain peaks, and of course, the many rivers and streams that contributed to country’s namesake. Iruka would have been enjoying himself and his surroundings far more if he hadn’t felt so isolated.
It almost felt like a lifetime ago when his daily life had been filled with the noise of children and the bustle of daily life in the Hidden Village of Leaf. Now he was virtually cut off from the rest of the world with only Kakashi, his nin-dogs, and the ill tempered mule as his constant companions. Iruka only occasionally saw the Jounin ’s nin-dogs, which kept guard kilometers away, but within barking range.
‘I’ve forgotten how sound carries so far in the wilderness,’ Iruka thought as an owl hooted softly in the gently swaying forest. A few crickets and frogs called by some water source in the distance. It was a serene place despite the isolation, far removed from the distraction of paperwork and hyperactive children.
'I really have been stuck inside the village walls for too long.’ Iruka’s stomach rumbled loudly. He briefly glanced at the rations pack and sighed
‘I wish there was something else to eat. My stomach is going to rot if I have to keep eating those sawdust bricks.’ With the exception of the meals Kakashi occasionally ate at the Inns, both men had practically lived off of ration bars and foraged food since they had began to travel. Once, Iruka had called the ration bars decent, but now he would rather chuck them into the nearest river. The one time Iruka had taken it upon himself to hunt without his bodyguard’s foreknowledge while away had nearly left the Chuunin trussed up for the night. Kakashi may appear to be a laid back elite Jounin, but now Iruka knew better and how seriously his companion took his duty.
‘He acts as if I am a wet-nosed Genin out on his first mission.’ Iruka stretched out his arms with a sigh as he relished the freedom of unrestricted movement. It was only when they stopped at night that he was finally able to freely roam without the the Copy-nin's single eye constantly scrutinizing his every move. His stomach rumbled again and Iruka had to restrain a groan of disgust as he bent down to root through his pack for a stale rations bar.
“Yo.” Kakashi’s lean figure materialized into the dim firelight.
Iruka had steeled himself long ago from the unannounced materializations. “Any luck?” he turned to ask.
“Yes and no.” Kakashi tossed a dead rabbit at Iruka’s feet. “I caught this on the way here; I’d figured that you’re getting tired of pack rations.”
The Chuunin smiled gratefully as he picked up the kill. He was familiar enough with his companion by now to know better than to press with questions. “Too bad we don’t have any rice to go with this.”
“I can always summon a ramen stand for you instead.” Kakashi teased as he seated himself besides the fire to prepare a spit as Iruka dressed the rabbit.
“There is no such jutsu for that” Iruka idly countered as he pulled out a skinning knife. The casual banter they exchanged with each other had become almost a routine. He watched Kakashi from the corner of his eye; it was actually a relief to see the Copy-nin in his natural form. During his daily travels with the Jounin in disguise, Iruka sometimes felt that he was traveling with a stranger and not the infamous 'Sharingan' Kakashi. At night when Kakashi visited without the transformation, his familiar appearance was reassuring in a way that Iruka found hard to describe.
The two men exchanged no further words until the rabbit was properly spitted and cooking. Iruka was about to test the bubbling meat when Kakashi suddenly spoke. “There’s a legend in these parts about a haunted shinobi clan house.”
Iruka only showed his disappointment at the news in a brief pause, and then probed at the cooking meat with the skinning knife. “Well, a camp fire is a good place for ghost stories.”
“Apparently it happened nearly sixty years ago. Everyone in the clan house went mad one night and turned on each other. The following morning, all that villagers found were piles of corpses and the floors soaked in blood. No one was spared; they were all slaughtered down to the last infant sleeping in the cradle.”
Iruka couldn’t help but feel a chill at that statement. Mass murders of shinobi or civilian clans were not unheard of, but infants? “It sounds suspicious, but how do we know if such an old story is related to my grandfather Hashi and the enemy who’s out to kill me?”
“Oh?” Kakashi turned his head to flash his companion a quick smile through his mask. “That’s because, dear Iruka, I found that the legend is called ‘The Hashibara Curse.’”
Iruka nearly jumped up in his excitement. “That must be it! We should go investigate that place at once!”
“I don’t think so.” Kakashi idly replied as he pulled a joint of dripping meat for himself. “All that I have heard so far is just tavern chatter, and we need to set up a more permanent base for you before I can investigate further.”
Iruka’s shoulders sagged visibly with disappointment. “You’re going to leave me behind?”
It was obvious to Kakashi that his companion itched for action, but he stood his ground. “My mission is to protect you, and with this genjutsu that the enemy possesses I can’t very well lead you into a village full of people. Besides, it is very likely that the enemy will have lookouts around the area, and are just waiting for you to come out of hiding.”
“I know.” Iruka stared glumly at the roasting meat, his appetite forgotten. The Chuunin was a sociable and busy person by nature, and he wasn’t sure how much more boredom and isolation he could take.
“Tomorrow I will leave the Inn, and then we’ll make our way southeast to find a more permanent camp. It shouldn’t be more than a day’s hard run away from Gizan village.” Kakashi pulled his mask down far enough for his teeth to tear into the steaming meat. Iruka had only seen the Jounin’s full face only occasionally when they ate. It was not exactly an exotic face, but a nice one to look at. He couldn’t help but admire how the firelight played over his companion’s ghostly white mane and pale skin.
Kakashi’s one eye rolled slyly to regard Iruka. “See something you like, Sensei?”
“Ah, I was just thinking,” Iruka’s face reddened at being caught and looked away. “If this incident really did happen with my family, then this rival clan who could be responsible has a long memory. Whatever happened to warrant such a massacre must have been pretty terrible for the enemy to involve its future generations.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” It was amusing in a way, how the Chuunin-Sensei could be so easily flustered. The pale flesh of his facial scar contrasted nicely when he blushed. “Sixty years is not exactly a long time for particularly stubborn shinobi warriors. Whatever grudge is being held against you may have originated from the First Shinobi War, a lot of atrocities were committed in those dark days, as in any war. The First Shinobi War was especially bloody and brutal.”
“I know that.” Iruka yanked a haunch from the cooked rabbit for himself. “I am a teacher and a shinobi after all.”
“Hmm, true. But you did not fight like I had during the Third Shinobi War.” Kakashi wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “I did my fair share of killing during that time, and plenty more since. I can name at least twenty different rival clans who would be more than happy to see my head cut off and rotting on a pike in their front yard.”
“Gods, Kakashi!” Iruka paused in mid-bite to give his companion a hard look. “Don’t say such things!”
“I’m just giving you an idea of what you might be facing, and a reason to be cautious.” Kakashi shrugged. “Some clans hold a deeper grudge than others, and all that matters to them is to see all descendents of their enemy’s dead and forgotten. A few would even go so far as to sell their souls in order to see that through.”
Iruka was far more unnerved by that statement then he would have liked to admit. He had never thought in all of his life while working primarily with children and paperwork that he would obtain such a potentially vengeful enemy. He hid his unease from Kakashi by concentrating on his food, which had gone cold and flavorless in his dry mouth.
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That night Iruka slept restlessly. He dreamed of children screaming in terror as their parents mercilessly slaughtered them, and of blood dripping slowly from cradles.
He jolted awake in a cold sweat the following morning, and despite his earlier excitement of discovering a lead to his predicament, Iruka found himself desperately hoping that the local legend of the ‘Hashibara Curse’ was not in any way related to himself. He had a very bad feeling about it, and his only comfort that morning was the fact that Kakashi had already left for the Inn before he could witness Iruka’s unease.
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A day and a half later, Kakashi brought Iruka to his new semi-permanent home.
“This is
it?” Iruka looked around the cave with blatant distaste. It was not a very large cave, but it was nestled in a hidden location near the tree line of a long dead volcano, which overlooked the village of Gizan. The cave could have been a rather cozy one, if it weren’t for all the dripping algae and thousands of slimy crawly things that littered the smooth stone floor and walls. “
This is where you want me to stay, for a couple of
weeks?!” If Kakashi had ever attended the Chuunin’s lectures, he would have recognized that particular tone of voice as one that was about to explode. Unfortunately for Kakashi, he was far too old to attend any of Iruka’s classes, and was therefore doomed.
“Oh I don’t know, maybe a little paint and a couple of throw pillows here and there would brighten the place up nicely.” Kakashi pointed up the cave ceiling to a slime trail following a huge bloated slug. “And look, you already have plenty of pets to keep you company!”
As if in answer to the Jounin’s statement, the said slug fell off the rock face and landed with a moist splat before the two shinobi’s feet.
Iruka’s shoulders trembled with the effort to contain his infamous temper. The only thing that saved the Kakashi from a proper verbal thrashing was the fact that yelling would echo throughout the entire river valley. Instead, he ground his teeth together and counted up to fifty before replying “I. Am. Not. Staying. Here!” Each word was emphasized with a sporadic eye twitch.
Kakashi looked Iruka up and down coolly. “You forget yourself, Sensei. I am your superior officer and bodyguard. This location is the best Pakkun and I could find with the most advantageous defense positions, for both yourself and the nin-dogs.” His half-lidded gaze scanned the room. “Besides, you did say that you wanted to be kept busy during the day. Making this place livable and slug-free should occupy your time nicely.”
Another slug fell from the wall. It landed on Iruka’s shoulder with an audible squelch and splattered slime all over the left side of his face and neck.
Kakashi’s eye closed in self-satisfaction. “See? You’re already getting started! If you light a fire and some torches, those slugs and algae should dry up and fall off those walls without any trouble.”
“Out! Get out
now!” Iruka stiffly strode over to the Copy-nin and forcefully pushed him towards the cave exit. “Before I
really kill you!”
“Oh? Was it something I said?” Kakashi asked nonchalantly, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the slug that fell on Iruka was chucked at the Copy-nin’s face. Kakashi briefly reappeared behind the Chuunin long enough to wipe a sticky glob of slime from his companion’s Hiate-ate. “I will be back later tonight. Don’t have too much fun without me, Sensei.” The Jounin disappeared for the final time before Iruka’s punch could connect to his face.
Iruka seethed for a few moments at the empty spot before turning back to the slimy cave. He rolled his sleeves up in determination as he walked, almost wishing that the assassin had succeeded in murdering him earlier, but for now he would have just settled for a door to slam into Kakashi’s smirking face.
END OF CHAPTER 4
