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The Esoteric

I

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Kakashi was bored. Standing amidst a field of barren wasteland with a nauseating stench hanging in the air, he was starting to get more than a little irritated as well. He looked up at the grey sky and sighed. It was a simple mission: watch the border that separated Konoha from Hidden Sound. He had never expected the landscape to change so drastically, though. He was still within the Fire Country, but if he took one step further he would have found himself in the Sound's territory. So far he had not seen any spare ninja wandering about the area. But if they really wanted to get to Konoha, he was sure they would have found alternative routes. Crossing the border would be simply too easy and Orochimaru was not that much of a fool.

"Hungry?"

Without glancing back, Kakashi stretched out his hand to take the small rice ball. Lowering his mask slightly, he bit into it slowly. "Thanks, Kurenai," he said.

The older woman smiled. "You're taking this quite seriously," she remarked amusedly as she regarded Kakashi's wary form.

"Hm? There are no stars out," replied Kakashi enigmatically.

Kurenai arched an eyebrow. "I still can't believe Hokage-sama would believe Orochimaru would send his ninjas here. She of all people should know how he is," she said, biting into her own snack.

Kakashi nodded slightly and suddenly took out something from his pocket. Kurenai watched in exasperation as he began reading Icha Icha Paradaisu. Sometimes she wondered what his fascination with the book was.

"Yo! Did you save any for me, Kurenai?" interjected a new voice.

Kurenai turned around to see Asuma grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes. "Save what?" she asked nonchalantly.

But Asuma looked unfazed. "Rice balls," he answered bluntly.

Kurenai crossed her arms. "Sorry, I ate them all," she replied.

At Asuma's saddened expression, Kurenai hid a smile.

"Hey Kurenai, stop joking around and just hand him an rice ball. Asuma whining isn't a pretty picture," voiced Kakashi suddenly.

Asuma nodded approvingly to Kakashi's words and Kurenai sighed deeply as she tossed a rice ball to him. "Naturally, the two men would side against the woman," she muttered to herself.

"Say, these aren't half bad. You made them yourself, Kurenai?" commented Asuma with some astonishment as he quickly devoured the rice ball.

Kurenai flashed him a glare. "What? You don't expect a woman like me to know how to cook?" she inquired sharply.

Asuma quickly shot her an apologetic smile. "No, no, of course not!" he replied unconvincingly.

"Why you," muttered Kurenai as she promptly began chasing Asuma around the field.

Kakashi watched them with some amusement before putting away his book. Suddenly Asuma and Kurenai became much more interesting. He crossed his arms and smiled slightly. Even if the mission was a bore, at least these two could provide some entertainment. Kakashi wondered if they even knew how foolish they looked-like two stubborn children who didn't want to admit their crushes on each other.

The silver-haired Jounin tilted his head back and stared at the sky, which had now turned to a dusky copper tone. He scowled at the uncleanness of the air. What had happened in this particular region to make it so inhabitable was something Kakashi pondered on. The rest of the Fire Country wasn't like this. Did some battle occur here recently? Kakashi allowed his visible eye to wander the land. There were high cliffs on the horizon and no sign of life whatsoever. The trees were stripped bare and soot coated their branches. Kakashi himself was seated on a large boulder that jutted out from thousands of smaller, bulky rocks. Kurenai was chasing after Asuma on ground that was uneven and dusty. This region would make for a good training area at the very least if it weren't for the dreadful smell. That was yet another mystery Kakashi wanted an answer to. The scent was so pungent it became nearly tangible.

"Maybe we should head back to camp," murmured Kakashi to himself as he stood up slowly, still surveying his surroundings. Uneasiness welled up within him. "Kurenai! Asuma! Let's go!"

The two Jounins stopped and gazed at Kakashi wonderingly. "What's wrong?" inquired Asuma as he walked towards him. Kurenai followed silently.

"Oh, nothing. I was just getting bored of watching you two chase each other like rabbits," he replied lightly, hiding his apprehension efficiently from the other two.

Asuma crossed his arms stubbornly while Kurenai wore an indignant look on her face.

"What do you-?"

But before Kurenai could finish her sentence, a shuriken came flying in front of her, landing on the ground with a quiver. At once, the three Jounins leapt away to form a defensive stance. Kakashi stood warily in the middle. The silence was palpable and he grew on edge. Whoever the enemy was, they held a definite advantage. He, Asuma, and Kurenai still had yet to grow accustomed to fighting in such a landscape while their opponent seemed to know the region very well. It was nearly pitch black now and there was no moonlight to aid them; Kakashi became slightly agitated.

"I can't see a damn thing," muttered Asuma in complaint.

"Just relax," assured Kakashi. His Sharingan would be useless in this situation.

"I can't believe we let ourselves fall into such a gullible trap," remarked Kurenai bitterly.

Kakashi had to agree with her. He had been examining the area for a long while and hadn't caught a single trace of an enemy nearby. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. His heartbeat was increasing; he needed to steady himself if he was going to fight. But all any of them could now was wait for a sign.

Then head heard it: a high-pitched whistling sound that was nearing them at an alarming rate. Kakashi didn't think to stop it-he knew that would be impossible.

"Move!" he warned out loud.

A strong gust of wind grazed the side of his face, leaving behind a cut below his eye. Kakashi blinked in surprise as he wiped away the blood.

"Everyone all right?" queried Asuma, now a few more meters away from him, Kakashi estimated.

"Yeah," affirmed Kurenai, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Be careful. The enemy is quick," warned Kakashi.

"Gee, thanks for the advice," remarked Asuma sarcastically.

Another high-pitched sound was issued, this time seemingly louder and bearing a slight echo. Kakashi focused hard on the sound. The first one was softer and lighter. This one seemed to hold a double timbre.

There's two, Kakashi thought in alarm as he dodged the first attack and then barely avoiding the second wave as it grazed his arm, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Kakashi cursed to himself as he heard Asuma and Kurenai both scramble to avoid the double attack. Before he could even recover himself, a third wave was sounded. This one hit Kakashi completely, knocking him to the ground in pain.

"Shit," cursed Kakashi as he heard Kurenai scream somewhere ahead of him. We need light.

Quickly forming the seals, Kakashi issued a fierce ball of fire. It landed a few feet away from him, briefly lighting up the entire area for a short while. As he scanned the scene before him, he caught glimpse of their enemy. His dismay grew once he realized it was only one man causing them their troubles. The ninja was dressed entirely in black and the insignia on the forehead protector was foreign to Kakashi.

Without further thought, Kakashi leapt towards the enemy, catching him off guard. As soon as his hands touched the ninja's clothing, the light from the fire dissipated, leaving them rolling around in darkness once again. However, Kakashi was now alert and knew he had the real enemy in his grip when he heard the gasps of struggle.

"Kakashi!" exclaimed Asuma as he swiftly lit a torch.

Both he and Kurenai ran to Kakashi and his captive, who was still trying in vain to get away. Kakashi shot them both a look. "What took you so long, eh?" he inquired casually.

Asuma breathed a sigh of relief before chuckling. "Well, we knew you'd be able to take care of yourself," he replied as he leaned down to further study their opponent. His eyebrows crinkled once he caught sight of his forehead protector. "That emblem…I've never seen it before."

"Should we knock him out and take him back?" suggested Kurenai.

Kakashi frowned. "Let's see what he has to say," he said before snatching the mask off of the ninja's face.

A young man that appeared roughly close to Kakashi's age gazed back at them furiously with hazel eyes. He wriggled around some more under Kakashi's grip before finally succumbing to his capture bitterly. Kurenai tilted her head to the side curiously.

"And who are you?" she asked sharply.

The young man was silent, but he glared at her angrily. Asuma sighed and scratched his head in thought. "People nowadays are just so stubborn," he muttered.

"Listen," remarked Kakashi suddenly as he took out a kunai, holding it close to the man's neck, "just tell us where you're from. We don't have time for games."

The ninja regarded Kakashi silently before finally opening his mouth. "You're Konoha's ninja," he said in a low tone.

Kakashi arched an eyebrow. "Yes, we are. And you?" he shot back.

"I come bearing a message for Tsunade-sama," the man replied.

"What is the message?" asked Kurenai.

The ninja looked at her crossly. "It is only meant for Tsunade-sama," he stated firmly.

Kakashi pressed the edge of his kunai deeper into the man's throat. "So why did you attack us?" he inquired lightly despite the fierceness of his movements.

"I wasn't sure who you were. I thought you were from the Sound. It was only until you fired the Katon Jutsu did I realize my mistake," the man replied, his tone humbler.

"Hmm," murmured Kakashi before he promptly pressed two fingers into the man's neck, rendering him unconscious.

"Finally!" exclaimed Asuma as he eyed Kakashi wearily. "I was starting to wonder how long you were going to keep interrogating him."

Kakashi handed the man over to Asuma. "It's good to know your enemy," he retorted before grimacing slightly at the pain from his ribs. Whatever village this man came from, his techniques were unseen.

"Are you all right?" asked Kurenai in concern.

Kakashi looked at her before laughing slightly. "I could ask you the same question," he replied, taking in the long cut that decorated her right forearm.

Kurenai shrugged. "It's not deep," she said shortly.

"Say, what are we going to do with him?" inquired Asuma suddenly as they began walking back to their site.

Kakashi thought to himself for a moment. "Someone will take him back to Konoha. He has a message for Hokage-sama after all," he answered simply.

"You actually trust him?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

Kakashi didn't reply. He was gazing at their surroundings again. The darkness had lifted. He could see now that there was in fact a moon out. Its light was dim but still very much evident compared to the blackness they were in only a few minutes ago. He looked again at the foreign ninja. He was sure of it now. Whatever that darkness was, it was linked to him somehow. Kakashi frowned. It seemed like they were in for more mysteries.

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TBC