Will of Fire: Kakashi Hatake

Chapter 39

Akira stood with her hands over their target's chest. The room around her was dark, and the only sound was the target's breathing. Chakra glowed red beneath her palms, casting eerie shadows around the room. Her own breathing was shaky, and she chewed on her lip. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck. This was it. Everything was riding on whether or not she could complete this jutsu successfully, without them getting caught.

Kakashi stood at the man's head, ready to intervene and knock the man out if necessary. His body was stiff, and his hand hovered over Eto's neck. The practice round had not been entirely smooth, but Akira's technique was still their best option. Akira hadn't taken into consideration how much pain a person could be in from a heart attack, and the traveler they had caught had had a very intense death. Kakashi knocked him out during the process of the heart attack alone three times. Not to mention the handful of times he'd knocked him out while Akira was performing the jutsu. The traveler had also started to fight at one point. Thankfully, Seek hadn't been in the area at the time, but the man had sat upward and started swinging at Kakashi. Akira promptly knocked him back out, but it badly rattled them both. The two shinobi decided they wouldn't tell Seek about the interaction, and if it happened with Eto, they would just deal with it quickly.

Seek was on the rooftop of the mansion, suppressing his chakra signature but keeping watch for trouble. Kakashi was also suppressing his signature, leaving Akira as the only one who was actively using chakra. And thus, the only one at risk of being detected by a sensory shinobi. From their surveillance, it didn't appear as if any of the guards were sensors. But the three leaf shinobi knew better than to assume that there weren't any present. Akira was especially worried about that. She was relieved that Seek and Kakashi were able to hide, but she herself was not able to do the same. It was a loose end in their operation that there was no way of tying up.

The two days they had spent in the other village in the Land of Water had been the longest two days of Akira's life. After coming up with a plan, it had just been a waiting game. No matter what she did, Akira just couldn't find a way to pass the time any faster. But when Seek finally said that they would be heading back to the Mist, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

Don't get nervous, get excited, she told herself. But what would happen if she screwed up? What happened if the man didn't die? Akira always had syringes and needles tucked away in her pocket. If her technique failed, she could create an air embolism in an artery, but there was no guarantee that would work either. What then? Suffocate him with his pillow? Push him out a window? There were only so many options on short notice that would make the death look like an accident.

For the first time on a mission, Akira couldn't turn her nervous energy into excitement. She desperately wished that she could spar with Kakashi again. The feeling she'd been left with afterward had been like the highs she'd get while running. It was exhilarating being able to actually train after not being able to for weeks. Seek had allowed them to work out, but no martial arts allowed. And absolutely no weapons. It had been torturing for Akira and Kakashi. But at least, here they were, finally doing the assassination.

It had been easy to get back into the Mist Village. They had once again slipped in with a crowd of tourists, easing their way past the guards at the gate that afternoon. It was now well past midnight, and the village outside the window was finally winding down from a long night of partying. Voices carried from outside, drifting in through the open window. Despite the risk of getting them caught, Akira and Kakashi had decided beforehand that leaving it open would be more beneficial. They would be able to better hear if Seek gave them a warning call, and it was an easier getaway should something happen.

The man stirred below her, face twisted in pain. Kakashi rolled the man's head to the side and delivered a hit to the pressure point of the back of his neck. Eto promptly fell back unconscious. Akira didn't even glance at Eto or Kakashi, trusting that the latter would prevent anything from happening like what the traveler they'd killed had done. Besides, she was almost done. Eto's artery was almost closed. Just a little bit more.