The Ripples of Time

Oh But Baby, I'm Toxic

To say Kakashi was worried would be an understatement- both to that specific emotion and to the cocktail of others warring for attention in his heart. He had no hope of naming them all, but he knew confusion and anxiety like he knew his face. The rest of whatever was happening in his chest?

No idea.

All he knew was that Aki went missing in the middle of the bell test (Naruto came up to him to explain, tears in his eyes as he told what memory the seal forced upon the red-head- and didn't that bring back memories? Of silver hair, a wide back, a misunderstood man forced to take the hate of an entire village for valuing lives over orders), a panicked expression on his face. Aki was just gone and so was Gaara, apparently.

The universe really just couldn't chill with the hatred towards Team 7, huh?

Sasuke was on his way back to Konoha, but they couldn't wait. Gaara was missing, and both Kakashi and Tsunade had a feeling Aki was already looking for the red-head.

Naruto had more than a feeling and had stated as much when they received the news, right after reporting to Tsunade about Aki's status. One meaningful look was enough to confirm that both blondes knew about the man (Kakashi eyed the silent communication, but shoved the implications to the back of his mind. He had an Uzumaki to find- he could focus on that particular puzzle another time), so Tsunade closed her eyes in thought for a long moment.

"Team 7, you'll go to Suna and meet up with Aki," she eventually stated, her eyes hard with a tired steel when she opened them. "As you're running on fewer members than usual, we'll have Sai join you as a temporary member." Tense nods were the only responses to her orders (surprising, considering Naruto's dislike for the pale boy, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth), and her office was empty in another breath.

Once alone (as alone as the Hokage could get, anyway), Tsunade let her head fall into her hands, a sigh and bone-deep tiredness entering her system. On one hand, she glumly thought, Aki's 'plan' has most certainly fallen through. On the other, he's just... gone. No doubt doing everything in his power to stop a future that looks to be more and more inevitable.

She sighed, her words muttered under her breath. "I'm too sober for this shit."

.

.

.

It was only the ANBU training and experience under his belt that kept Kakashi from getting antsy during the trip. His students, however, obviously didn't have that training, wearing their worry and anxiety like a sign. (Minus Sai, of course. Kakashi hoped that, with time and some Uzumaki exposure, the boy would eventually embrace his emotions- but that day was not today.)

Still, the trip to Suna took too long in Kakashi's opinion. He needed to be there yesterday, but they were only just reaching the sands encompassing and protecting the village. If the weather permitted, they'd make it to the village in a day and a half, but it was rare to go so long without a sandstorm of some kind. Coupled with Team 7 luck?

He estimated it'd take another day, just to wait out storms. As much as he wanted to just ignore them and push through, they couldn't risk getting turned around in it.

When no storm blocked out the horizon, Kakashi felt his heart drop. The only times Team 7 (in any iteration, as far back as Konoha's founding and the creation of their current team system) had good luck during a critical mission were the times someone important to them died.

He pushed the anxiety clawing at his throat down, focusing on the incoming wall of sand and stone. 

"It's so... eerie," Sakura whispered, eyes flitting from outpost to empty outpost, searching for a guard, a shinobi- anything to hint at any sort of life from their allies. "I thought the village would be on high alert by now..."