Leaving Her Alone

*Chapter 6*

The sight she was met with, though, shocked her more than she cared to admit.

He wasn't looking her way at all - there wasn't even a sign that he'd even cast so much as a passing glance in her direction. His conversation with Kakashi went on uninterrupted...as if he hadn't even paid attention to her interaction with Sasuke. Her brow furrowed in frustrated confusion.

...What the hell is up with him...?!

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"So sensei, have you ever been to this Naoji place before?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes I have, though it's been quite a few years since my last visit. It wasn't nearly as prosperous then as it is now."

"Got any friends there?"

"No, I don't. However, the Leaf Village as a whole does has a pretty good rapport with them...and that is sure to work in our favor as we complete our mission."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Ok, that makes sense." he said. "So what exactly is our plan for completing this mission?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "That will be revealed in due time...but not right now." he responded casually. "We need to get a grasp on the state of things in Naoji first."

"Yeah I get that, but can't we just -"

"He's right, loser." Sasuke interjected, having listened to the brief conversation up until that point. "There's no sense in making a plan now when we don't even know what we're walking into."

Naruto cast a brief glare back at the raven-haired boy before facing forward again, huffing and rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Tch...whatever, jerk." he muttered. "Nobody was talking to you anyway..."

"Alright, you three...," Kakashi spoke aloud, halting the boys' bickering. "Let's go ahead and pick up the pace. We're just over halfway to our destination."

"Right!"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was late in the afternoon when the group finally reached Naoji. The moment they set foot inside the village's gated entrance, they were approached by a man in square-framed glasses.

"Begging your pardon, but would you happen to be the ninja team we're expecting from the Hidden Leaf Village?" he asked.

"That's correct." Kakashi replied.

"Excellent. Please, come with me." the man said before turning to lead them further into the village.

A few minutes later the group arrived at a large building located in the center of the village. Standing just outside of its entrance were three more men, all appearing to have been awaiting their arrival. The shortest of the three men stepped forward as the group came to a stop in front of them.

"Welcome, ninja of the Hidden Leaf! I'm so glad you have come." the man greeted, giving them a tired smile. "My name is Saizo Ebina, and I am the village leader. The man who acted as your escort today is my assistant, Sojiro Takada. Now that we've all gathered, let's go inside and discuss our situation and the current state of our village."

At that, the two men who stood just behind Saizo turned and opened the doors to the large building, allowing the group to enter before quickly shutting the doors behind them again. Saizo led them into a meeting room down a short hall to the right of the building's main entrance. Once everyone was seated around the room's large table, Saizo spoke up again.

"About three months ago, a man by the name of Toru Yahagi showed up at the village gates with two other individuals, demanding to speak to the village leadership." he began solemnly. "He refused to be turned away, saying that what he had to offer was 'necessary to the continuance of our prosperity'. Of course, it was anything but that."

"He offered to "protect" us...if we were willing to part with some of our accumulated wealth - 70% of it to be exact." Sojiro chimed in. "Said it was a small price to pay in exchange for the expert-level protection he'd be providing."

"Our declination of his offer upset him almost immediately." Saizo continued. "He went on a tirade, berating and belittling us as useless peons who had no use for the prosperity we'd amassed, and then threatening to take what we had by force. That fiasco would've come to blows, I fear, had he and his two lackeys not been promptly restrained and dragged out of the village."

The man paused briefly to release a wearied sigh as he ran his hand over his face.

"Not even two days later, the first in what would become a near constant string of raiding attacks occurred. They broke into stores and homes alike, taking whatever they got their hands on and attacking any who got in the way - all in the name of the Yahagi gang."

Kakashi's brow furrowed in thought. "That's quite the harrowing tale, Mr. Ebina. On the surface, it would appear that this Yahagi fellow's goal is to bully you into submission."

"That certainly seems to be the case." Saizo agreed morosely. "With every attack, the village suffers more and more. First, it was only damage to buildings, and the theft of our goods, possessions, and money. Then the attacks began to spill out into the surrounding area...with random passersby and would-be visitors being mugged when they got too close to the village. And now, the women and children are being targeted...though thankfully, they haven't been able to successfully abduct any."

"We'll aim to keep it that way." Kakashi said with finality as he sat up straighter in his seat.

"Damn right we will!" Naruto declared, shooting up from his own seat and slamming his fists down upon the table; righteous anger burned brightly within his coral blue eyes as he fixed his gaze upon the village leader. "Don't you worry, Mr. Ebina. We'll protect you and everyone else in this village, and we'll rip those scumbags a new one for what they've done to you!"

"To that end...," Kakashi turned to face his students, "you three are to assist in whatever way you are needed with the village's repairs, but you'll remain at the ready should this gang attempt another raid. While you're doing that, I'll track down their base of operations and formulate a take-down strategy once I see what we're dealing with. Is that understood?"

"Loud and clear, sensei!" Naruto said boisterously, thrusting his fist into the air. Sasuke and Sakura echoed their own understanding with nods of their heads.

Saizo smiled, a small glimmer of hope flickering within his dark brown eyes as he and Sojiro stood from their seats and bowed deeply.

"Your assistance is an answer to our prayers." he said, that glimmer of hope filtering into his voice. "Thank you...we are in your debt."