Target: Rin

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"Come on Rin, move it!" Kakashi shouted behind him at the young woman tailing him.

"O-okay," the medical kunoichi said slightly winded as if they had been running full out for hours but was truthfully a handful of minutes. She pushed herself harder, but then fell flat on her face as her foot snagged on something. She felt a weakness come over her for a moment, but it ended as she pulled her foot free after climbing to her hands and knees. She looked back in order to see what she had tripped over, but frowned as nothing obvious presented itself.

The moment slipped from her mind as her attention was pulled to the trees where she spotted several members of the Prajna descending towards her. Before she could react though, Kakashi appeared in the air between her and her attackers easily dispatching them.

Landing next to her, the Jounin said, "Are you alright?"

Rin frowned internally at Kakashi's tone as ever since Obito's death he had been emotionally distant. In truth it felt as if he had put a wall between them. And while she had to admit that Kakashi had never shown any signs that he carried any feelings for her besides those of a teammate. His current treatment of her made her feel more like a client that he had been hired to protect then a teammate or potential lover. It was a bitter pill to swallow that Obito's last request to Kakashi may have been the final nail in the coffin to her dream of one day starting a relationship with him.

She pushed such thoughts aside as Kakashi began rifling through one of the dead shinobi's pockets and pouches prompting her to ask, "What are you doing?"

"I'm hoping these guys are carrying some clue as to why they are interfering with our mission. The latest intel we have is that the shinobi village in the Land of Woods was destroyed. So the question is... what are they doing in Taki?"

Rin shrugged scanning for any sign of pursuit as she responded, "They're probably survivors hiring themselves out as mercenaries."

"That's what I'm thinking." Kakashi agreed. "But what I want to know is who hired them. The orders that we are carrying to the units helping to defend Taki from Iwa are important. But Iwa would likely send its own people. Whoever hired these guys is going to great lengths to keep his fingerprints out of it. That leads me to believe it's either a third party hoping to sell our plans to the highest bidder, or perhaps worse..." Kakashi trailed off leaving Rin to imagine what he meant. Before she could ask though a kunai shot from the woods aimed at Kakashi's back. He spun deflecting it into the ground before saying, "Looks like we've overstayed our welcome."

"Hand over the orders boy and we'll let you live. The girl can stay though, we'll show her a real good time."

Rin shrunk into Kakashi's shadow as several of the former Anbu of the Land of Woods chuckled at their team leader's comment. She could also feel several of the men lustful gazes traveling over her making her shiver. She felt a spark of girlish joy as Kakashi said, "It'll be okay Rin." It quickly died out though as he finished with, "I promised Obito that I'd protect you."

Once more reminded of the promise she felt was barring her path to a relationship with her crush she stepped from behind him saying annoyed, "I don't need protecting Kakashi."

She charged forward pulling a kunai from her pouch prompting the Prajna leader to say amused, "Watch out boys this kittens got fangs."

A few of his men chuckled and much to her chagrin the Prajna commander managed to block her attack. With a tanto he had strapped to his back. He lashed out with a kick that she managed to sidestep, but he in turn avoided her counter-attack causing him to leap away. She charged after him intent on proving to Kakashi that she could handle herself and didn't need him treating her as if she was some glass doll in need of his protection. She heard Kakashi shouting for her not to get too far away from him. However she paid him no mind as her focus was solely directed on her opponent and her desire to best him in order to prove herself to Kakashi.

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