Scream

[17] Works

Tsunade stares at all her elite nin, rounded up in the hospital and knocked out. Two have major injuries but nowhere near enough damage to kill them.

Whoever did this didn't want to kill them. But when Tsunade asks for who they encountered, not a single one of them remembers. She narrows her eyes, staring at the multitudes of Nin that are now out of action because of someone in the Akatsuki.

"Kakashi," she turns to the man who is leaning against the wall, reading his book.

"Hm?" He looks up at his Hokage, putting the book away and pushing off the wall.

"Did Masaru have any special ninjutsu as a summons?" She asks, crossing her arms.

Kakashi thinks for a second, trying to remember if Masaru ever showed any type of unusual activity in front of him. He shakes his head.

"I never saw Masaru do anything apart from rip people to shreds." He says, his voice loose and casual.

Tsunade nods, looking towards the man who has to be treated on his stomach because he doesn't currently have a back.

"Why Masaru?" Kakashi asks, "I thought these guys were sent to the Akatsuki?"

"They were, Orochimaru's trap set off a warning to his old Konoha base, telling us where it was. But I think they may have been intercepted on the way. Ran into Kagami by accident." Tsunade picks her words carefully, not looking at the man, "I wouldn't be surprised if they are resentful of us. But they didn't kill anyone."

"It could be anyone. They might have just not been able to finish off the job, feeling the back up coming." Kakashi says, not wanting to believe that Konoha Nin ran into his sister when he can't even track her himself.

He has been looking for her for over a year. Pakkun saw her once to give her the photos but left too quickly to know where she was. Now there is not a single flash of her anywhere. Even if these Nin did run into her they have no memory of it. From Kakashi's point of view, these ninja ran onto someone other than Kagami, someone with powers the girl doesn't have.

"True, there could be a greater threat to Konoha on the loose," Tsunade says, carefully eyeing the man beside her.

Kakashi tenses up for a second, only enough for Tsunade's trained eye to just pick up on. Kakashi pulls his book back out and opens it, pretending to read it. In reality, his mind is racing and he can't think of anything but his sister who is roaming the lands by herself.

"Tsunade-sama, do you really think Kagami is a threat to Konoha?" He asks, his eyes lazily looking at the pages.

"Yes." Tsunade says, looking away from him and walking towards the door, "I believe she is one that must not be underestimated, or given any chances. Until we can prove her innocents, she is guilty."

Kakashi stands still as the woman leaves, closing the door loudly and leaving the man to his own thoughts.

Kakashi sighs and looks away from the book, looking out the window to the Hokage Mountain, the sun setting over it slowly.

'It would seem you can never get away?'

Shikamaru, who is leaning against the wall in the hallway watches his Hokage go, lazily looking down at his feet so she doesn't notice his gaze. As she turns the corner and leaves, he pushes off the way and enters the room, shuffling towards Kakashi slowly as he continues to stare out the window.

"They don't believe her."

"They won't."

Shikamaru is caught off guard by Kakashi's reply. The teen looks up to Kakashi, his eyes slightly narrowed.