Inheritance

CHAPTER 16

'But why would he just Shunshin straight into the clearing. It's common knowledge that Shunshin's movements can, to an extent, be traced easily...'

Kakashi's lone eye widened mid-charge as he realised his error, and without stopping his charge, he formed the signs for the 'Kawarimi no jutsu'. At almost that exact moment, single hand armed with a kunai shot from the ground below the Konoha ninja, looking to cause serious damage to Kakashi's legs. Anticipating the attack, the cycloptic Jonin activated his jutsu, the attack inches away from striking him, and the enemy shinobi found himself striking at a large rock that had initially been next to the trio of Genin.

"Hatake Kakashi." The enemy shinobi who had launched the attack from underground began, his face struggling to conceal his apparent anger at the Jonin. "I expected a little more than a basic jutsu like Kawarimi from the man who has copied over one thousand jutsu."

"What's the point in wasting chakra, if all I need to beat the likes of you is the basics anyway?" Kakashi retorted, appearing far more nonchalant than he actually felt, attempting to see if he could get a rise out of his opponents.

"I've had enough of fucking sitting here and looking at you Hatake! I'm gonna tear out that bastard eye and ram it down your damn throat!" The ninja who had used Shunshin to move into the clearing, took a step forward ready to charge at the Konoha nin.

"Hitoshi! Take another step and you're a dead man." The other shinobi hissed the warning to his comrade, his eyes never leaving Kakashi as he spoke. The man identified as Hitoshi narrowed his eyes dangerously, and ground his teeth in anger, but held his position all the same. "Listen, once that jutsu is ready, we can finish Hatake for good. But it can only happen once the jutsu is ready, and even then, we have to work together, otherwise we'll end up like the others. We've waited too long for this to screw it up now!"

The mans words seemed to calm Hitoshi down, if only a little. However, the respite had allowed Kakashi time to analyse the pair in front of him a little closer, and attempt to identify the enemy before him. Suddenly, the name brought a memory to the forefront of Kakashi's mind, a memory that the veteran of the Third Shinobi War would rather forget.

"Isao Hitoshi and Masanori Eiji. Former Genin of Iwagakure..." Kakashi paused; unsure of how to proceed, this being a topic he had fully intended to never have to breach, if he could at all help it. Unfortunately, he doubted he had much say in the matter at this point in time, and was pretty sure that he wanted to be the first one to answer the question the Genin team he commanded would inevitably have. "...And survivors of the 'Raiden Massacre'."

The Jonin looked directly into the eyes of his enemies, and saw the venomous glares of two people out for revenge, no matter the cost. Another two lives warped and destroyed by war, another two lives warped and destroyed by his own two hands.

"I've never heard of the 'Raiden Massacre' before, how the hell does it involve you, Kakashi-sensei?" Predictably, it was Naruto that spoke up first, Hana still trying to get Baki ready to move in case Kakashi couldn't put the two Iwa shinobi down alone, and Shikamaru most likely having heard enough to work out the link between the event Kakashi spoke of, and the Jonin himself.

"You wouldn't of heard about, because your bastard of a Yondaime Hokage filed it away as a black listed mission before the end of the Third Shinobi War, and made it an A-rank village secret. I'm willing to bet there are only two or three people left Konoha who even know the event even happened." It was Hitoshi that answered the question, his words carrying an acidic edge to them, one that made Kakashi mentally grimace.

"That's probable one of the worst things in my opinion." This time it was Eiji who spoke, his words lacking the unbridled rage that his partner's did; instead, carrying a bitter sting to them, reminding Kakashi somewhat of himself after the end of the war. "The fact that the day when 27 Iwagakure Genin, none of them older than 13 years of age were slaughtered by a Konoha Jonin, when they posed no legitimate threat to Konoha, so close to the end of the war; a day that is still anually mourned in Iwa, is a criminal offense to even mention in Konoha, all so your village can maintain it's reputation."