Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Cashile collapsed on her side in front of Naruto, who was too shocked to catch her. In the same moment, several armored ninja sprang out. One kicked Naruto back, away from Cashile. Then a whole new fight began.
"These aren't Frost Village Shinobi!" Kakashi shouted, fighting off two at once, "They must be part of an organization!"
He kicks one of the enemy away and pins the other with his kunai at his throat. "Who are you?!" He roars, "Who do you work for?!"
"The... Phoenix shall rise... Again."
Kakashi stands and glances around. There were far too many of them. This should have been an S ranked mission for a team of ANBU to carry out.
"Retreat!" Kakashi ordered Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. They obey immediately, springing behind him. "What about Cashile?" Sakura sobs slightly.
"We can't just leave her behind, believe it!"
Kakashi glanced towards Cashile, her body practically hidden by the writhing mass of enemies. He stretched out his senses, searching in vain for the slightest sign of life, the smallest flicker of chakra. She lay prone on the ground, not moving in the slightest.
Kakashi turn and ran, forcing his genin in front of him.
"What about--"
"She's dead, Naruto," Kakashi said as gently as possible while running away from a hoard of enemies.
"I don't believe it!" Naruto shouted, "She can't be!"
Kakashi pressed his lips together and continued running.
When they exited the Land of Lightning the ninja gave up pursuit. At Kakashi's okay the three genin collapsed, breathing harsh.
"We abandoned Cashile," Naruto panted.
"Naruto..." Sakura said sadly.
"No! She's not dead! Would you want us to give up on you?" He challenged.
"While we can't be sure of anything without her body--"
"Then let's go get her!"
"I checked the best I could without her body. No chakra. She wasn't breathing. The pool of blood beside her..."
"But she's... She's Cashile," Sakura cried.
"She'll probably be declared dead, if only to give us closure. The other option is MIA, but 90% of shinobi Missing in action..."
"Have died," Sasuke finished.
Kakashi seems to draw comfort from talking about what will happen next. "The people who attacked us weren't affiliated with the Village Hidden in Frost, so we can't declare war on them, especially if we don't want to get other villages involved. But we got a name, and we can begin researching the organization."
"A name?" Sasuke asks sharply.
"The Rising Phoenix."
***
A grave aura surrounded Team Seven. It cast out pain, suffering, loss.
The life of a shinobi.
The first teammate the three genin had lost, and Kakashi's third. So he knew how to properly bury the mixture of emotions swirling inside his chest, unlike his students, who were feeling the unimaginable loss in a way that would visibly weigh on them for a long, long time.
Kakashi had had no faith in Cashile. He outrightly had thought of her as a traitorous bitch. Only Naruto had seen through her conflict, had seen her internally sparring with herself to gain control again.
YOU ARE READING
The Frailty of Genius (A Naruto Fan Fiction)
FanfictionCashile Kuroki is alone. No family, and no friends. Not exactly hated, just.... ignored. Just how she likes it. She's viewed as reckless and ambitious, but she's always in control. Every move is calculated, every person is observed. She controls pe...
