Will of Fire: Kakashi Hatake

Chapter 31

After splitting the rabbit and enjoying the rodent meat as best they could, Akira and Kakashi cleaned up camp and started the journey back to the outpost. They had each taken a food pill before they left and had filled their water flasks, then had set off northward back in the direction they had come from. Kakashi led the way, and Akira did her best to stay as close as possible to him.  She ran on his right side, so her weakened left side was protected. She had her senses peeled, but she never sensed anyone else the entire way back.

They ran through the night. The outpost finally came into view just as the sun started to rise in the east. The forest came to an end, replaced by rolling fields of long grasses. They dropped to the ground and started walking upon Akira's reassurance that there were no chakra signatures anywhere out there, except the ones of their teammates in the outpost.

Dew soaked the bandages around Akira's legs, and the smell of wet grass invaded her nose. The sun had fully breached the horizon by now and cast long shadows across the field. The morning air was cool and fresh. The only sounds were the occasional chirp of a bird and the rustling of the tall grass as they moved through it.

Akira took a deep breath in and sighed. This was the kind of morning she wished she could always wake up to. Something peaceful like this.

Kakashi stayed close by, almost brushing her shoulder with his arm. While she was relaxing and enjoying the morning, he stayed tense with his head on a swivel.

"Calm down, Kashi, there's nobody out here. Besides, the outpost is right there, we could yell and have backup over here."

"You never know. Someone could be hiding their chakra signature from us."

Akira rolled her eyes. "Okay fine, yes, it's possible to hide your chakra signature. But that nose of yours would pick up anything out here. There's nothing to hide your scent in."

"Give it a rest, Akira. Hell, you should be paying more attention too," he said, right as Akira stepped in a hole and stumbled sideways into him. Kakashi caught her and helped her straighten back up. "Case and point."

She glared up at him. "I'm tired, okay?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "And your guard is down. Hence why mine is up."

She shook her head but didn't argue with him. He was right afterall. Her wound had been sapping her strength overnight, and she was exhausted.

When they reached the outpost, Trig was waiting at the door for them. His shoulders slumped in relief when he saw that they were okay.

"You guys were gone for a full day," he said. "Did you get him?"

Akira and Kakashi stopped in front of him.

"We had to track him to a cave about a day's run from here," Kakashi responded. Akira could hear the relief in his voice, and saw his shoulders sag a bit. He pulled off his mask and ran a hand over his face. "But yeah, we got him. What's the damage?"

Trig's face fell. "We lost Blue and Mink. Blight was badly injured, he's doing okay now. Everyone else only sustained minor injuries. The village was completely destroyed, but thankfully most of the people survived this time."

The last village their target had attacked had been completely wiped out.

They entered the outpost and were able to get a better picture of the injuries everyone had. Akira learned that Blue had been crushed by a rock, and Mink had bled out on the battlefield. Seek had broken his arm. Frog had received a large wound to his thigh. It made it glaringly obvious to Akira why the ANBU did not often engage in battles such as the one they had had. They were assassins, not soldiers. They were not used to open fields and no room for subtlety.