Will of Fire: Kakashi Hatake

Chapter 41

Hey guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated, but I have a good excuse, I promise! I got a kitty! His name is Henry, he's 3 and a half months old. Picture of the sweetest boy above!

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"Well hello, young Uzumaki." The fox's voice had a smooth, silky tone to it. Akira could practically hear its cunningness hiding underneath the surface. She watched it warily, hand still firmly pressed to the scroll and blood oozing from between her fingers, staining the old parchment. The fox sat down and cocked its head to the side, looking at Akira with wide eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Months ago, you said that if I used this scroll, help would come."

The fox inclined her chin slightly. "I did indeed."

"Well? Is it true? Or is there a catch?"

"It is true. There's no catch."

Akira narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"B-because you're a fox! Foxes lie, and steal, and cheat, and-and—"

"Are untrustworthy?"

"Yes!"

The fox only stared at Akira. "If you truly think that, then why did you use the scroll?"

She didn't have a response to that. Akira opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out.

"Why would I give you a tool that has no use? Seems a bit cruel to me. But perhaps that is normal for humans. Is that the case? Do humans give each other resources with empty promises attached?"

Akira looked at the fox incredulously. "I don't know, I don't care! That's not what's important right now!" She snapped. Akira forced herself to pause and take a deep breath, willing her heart rate to slow. When she had, she spoke more calmly. "I'm trying to track someone, but I can't pick up their chakra signature. When we talked, you said that foxes were more in tune with chakra than humans were. If that's true, then are you able to track him?"

The fox seemed to smile as she tilted her head forward ever so slightly. "Indeed, kit, I can."

What'd she just call me?

It didn't matter. Akira had more important things to think about. "His name is Kakashi Hatake. His summoning dogs dropped me here in this forest. I've tried to find my way through it, but I feel like it never ends, and I can't sense anyone no matter how hard I try."

"Ah, I see. You don't know where we are. Very understandable, seeing as you have yet to sign a contract with a summoning animal." The fox looked up at the trees above them. "We are in the Chie no Mori, the Forest of Wisdom. It is the home of many summoning species. Foxes, sparrows, crows, owls, bats, you name it. If it can be found in a forest, then its home is here."

"Sparrows?" Akira whispered. A memory of Sparrow's smiling face surfaced, accompanied by a stab of pain in her heart. "D-did a woman called Naoko ever come here?"

The fox shook her head. "I've never heard of such a name here. But this Kakashi Hatake sounds familiar. Is his primary summon called Pakkun?"

Akira's eyes widened. "Yes! Pakkun is the one who left me alone here!"

"Then I will be able to find him."

"How? I've been searching for hours!"

"My dear, not only am I more in tune with chakra, but I am also able to recognize chakra signatures after encountering them once. I can sense Pakkun's chakra signature on you, as well as Kakashi's. I can track faint traces of someone's chakra that they leave behind back to the owner."