Book 1: Broken (Kiba Inuzuka Love Story)

Chapter 8

Naruto had been knocked to the ground and we both gasp upon seeing Kakashi with the Mist ninja duo in each arm, the second ninja now falling limp in Kakashi's arm.

Kakashi greets casually, "Hi."

Sakura gasps happily and Sasuke looks unhappy by Kakashi's sudden reappearance, since he'd stopped the enemy before the Uchiha could. I just give the silverette a raised eyebrow, surprised he's still alive and in one piece.

Naruto gasps in confusion, "Huh! But he was—!" He whips around and I follow his gaze to see a few chopped up logs on the ground, right where Kakashi had been just before the attack.

A flat expression crosses my face as I think, "Of course he would've used a Substitution Jutsu!"

Kakashi pauses as he turns away, Mist ninja in both arms, before he looks back at Naruto and apologises, "Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that."

I snap my gaze to Tazuna as he heaves a sigh of relief and slumps his shoulders.

Kakashi stops by Sasuke and Sakura as he compliments, "Good job, Sasuke. Very smooth. You, too, Sakura." He looks back at me, still standing by Naruto, fanning myself. "And, Kimiko, you were incredible. Though, I must ask why you're fanning yourself right now."

"She says it's because it was tough taking on those ninja, Kakashi Sensei," Sakura tells him, making Kakashi appear exaggerated.

"Hey." Sasuke turns to Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"You're not hurt are you... Scaredy Cat?" He teases, making Naruto growl in frustration, fists clenched.

Still with my deadpan look, I say flatly, "Naruto." This cuts off the blonde and he whips around to me. "Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out of you quickly." Naruto cries out as I turn to him fully, and he raises his injured left hand which has a bloody gash on the back of it. "You have to open the wound and remove it. It's in your blood. So don't move around. That spreads the poison."

Usually, I could care less but his whining and flailing around was getting on my nerves.

Naruto clenches his teeth as he continues to stare at his bloody wound.

Kakashi addresses the bridge builder, "By the way, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna starts as he exclaims, "Yeah, what?!"

Kakashi looks back at him as he says simply, "We need to talk."

                    🗡🗡🗡

After tying up the Mist ninja duo, we stand before them as Kakashi explains, "They're Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their specialty is relentless attack. They keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice."

The ninja with the king dark hair frowns at us as he demands to know, "How did you know about our ambush?"

Kakashi says simply, "A puddle, on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks?"

The ninja scowls at me fiercely as he recognises me, "You're the brat who stepped on me before!" This makes my teammates sweat drop.

"Well, maybe next time you should've thought about finding a better hiding place than one that's so out of place. You didn't really think this through, did you?" I retort, still with that same expression, making both ninja growl at me this time.

Tazuna says to Kakashi, "In that case, why'd you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?"

Kakashi answers, "I could have taken them out quickly, but then I'd have learned nothing." Kakashi narrows his visible eye. "I had to know who their target was and what they were after."