Inheritance

CHAPTER 16

This could of course meant complacency on the part of the rookie ninja, however Kakashi somewhat doubted that. Hana already had a years worth of experience out in the field, and that was only so low because missions had taken a back-seat to her medical training. Shikamaru seemed to be as cool and composed under pressure as his father was, and Kakashi knew the Nara wouldn't underestimate the gravity of the situation. Naruto would have concerned him if they were in this position a few months ago, but even a cursory glance at the blonde assuaged most of Kakashi's worry. It was clear how much the Genin had grown since the night he found out about his father, and his time with Yuugao and Jiraiya had pushed him farther forward than anyone, possibly even the Sandaime himself, could have anticipated.

Despite that however, Kakashi doubted that the Genin that made up his squad would be a match for the enemy that had been strong enough to severely wound Baki, and capture or kill the rest of his squad. His lone eye turned it's gaze to the sheer rock walls that surrounded the Konoha ninja and carefully watched the top of the canyon for any signs of movement.

Somewhere up there, he supposed, lurked an enemy that, if they were unlucky enough, he would have to fight in order to give the Genin he had with him any hope of escaping. He didn't doubt the young shinobi that accompanied him were talented, but anybody capable of bringing down someone of Baki's calibre would be, quite simply, out of their league.

Two identical figures cautiously made their way through the canyon back towards where they had entered it in the first place, fully alert, searching for any trace of an enemy. Although they were aware that, as Kage Bunshin, it wasn't a particularly large issue if they were 'killed'; it was vital that if they were to be defeated, they obtained at least a snippet of information about the enemy for the original to use. However this was getting ever harder as the minutes went by. Night was falling, and with it, the scant light the sun provided the inside of the canyon was disappearing, making it almost impossible to see more than a few metres in any direction.

One of the Bunshin paused momentarily, and strained it's senses. He could have sworn he heard a noise from the dense walls of the canyon, almost like a faint scratching – similar to the sound a snake made as it moved across solid ground. That was when he spotted it. Almost as if the canyon's side was a liquid, the surface of the rock began to displace before the Bunshin's eyes, mesmerised by the sight before him, the Bunshin lost focus, and was instantly dispelled as an arm wielding a kunai shot from the rock itself, slashing the blade across the Naruto replica's face. The second Bunshin immediately took a step back from the wall that the threat had emerged from and watched fascinated as the hand withdrew back into the canyon wall.

The remaining Bunshin's instincts screamed at him to move as he felt the air around begin to heat, and he nearly dived to the side too late, only managing to dodge the fire jutsu that had been launched at him by a fraction. The Bunshin got shakily to his feet, only to feel a hand clasp roughly across his mouth and a sharp pain to explode in his chest.

"And I was so looking forward to watching you fucking burn. Even if you are just a Kage Bunshin."

With that, the assailant released his grip on the Bunshin and removed his blade from it's chest; leaving it to begin to fall, before dispelling in a puff of smoke. The figure glanced angrily towards the canyon wall.

"What the fuck was that? There you were lecturing me not to give away any techniques, and you go ahead and use your best one! What about you're chakra? We're fighting Hatake Kakashi. Tonight!"

Slowly another figure emerged from the canyon wall, stepping away from the solid rock as though it were some kind of portal to another dimension.

"Calm down. I didn't show it for long enough for any of them to be able to work out exactly what it was. Besides, did you get a look at his face. We have another of our targets. Activate the seals. We move now."