Getting Lost on the Roads of Life - a KakaSaku Story [CONCLUDED]

The Protector

The methane containers were heavy. And he had to ensure not to make any noise when he moved them, which was tricky, given that the sound of metal on stone carried far in these damn caves. Taking a few fortifying breaths, thinking his achy back would need an extra long and caring massage after all of this, Kakashi bent down again to...

"Pssst, Kakashi!"

Startled, Kakashi yelped and almost dropped the container he was handling. "Goddammit, Sasuke!" his heart hammering in his throat, he glared at the black haired Uchiha poking his head in, "how did you get here so fast?"

"We were looking for you when your dogs found us," Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.

Sasuke stepped into the cave, took a good look around, spotted the methane tanks and narrowed his eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah," Kakashi grinned. "But let's do it better this time. No turning red and..." he gestured at Sasuke, "wings and stuff, okay?"

"Tch," Sasuke huffed. "I needed to defend myself."

Kakashi nodded. "That's it, isn't it. But this time, we both know that neither of us has a reason to kill the other. Frankly, I always considered myself a friend of the Uchihas."

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke looked him over from head to toe, wrinkling his nose disdainfully. "You certainly profited from my clan's powers."

"I have no Sharingan anymore, Sasuke," Kakashi shrugged as if he didn't feel the loss much too acutely. "I think they wanted to render me temporarily powerless. These feel like my old eyes."

He wiggled his eyebrows and blinked his eyelids. After hours of using the new set of eyes in the dim lights down here, he had gotten used to them. His eyesight wasn't exactly perfect, but he'd take slightly blurry over blind anytime.

"No more Sharingan? That's not good," Sasuke grumbled. "I'm not in good shape either. The serum makes me weak and my chakra control is unpredictable."

"How many soldiers did you bring?"

"Only thirty."

Kakashi sighed. There were several hundred oni masks.

"We didn't think we needed to fight anyone, we only came to extract and rescue you," Sasuke bristled.

"Is the Mizukage with you?"

"Yeah," Sasuke pulled a face, "horrible woman. She's waiting outside."

"Hm," Kakashi tapped a finger against his nose, thinking. Thirty. Thirty Shinobi from two villages who weren't used to fighting together.

"Extraction and rescue is no option," he finally said. "It took me long enough to find this damn place again."

"What Jutsu do they use to hide it?" Sasuke asked, sounding mildly interested. "Some special barrier jutsu we don't know?"

"I have not the faintest clue," Kakashi shook his head. Not the faintest clue about many things. "How long have I been gone?"

"You left for the Capital nine days ago," Sasuke informed him stiffly. "Konoha was attacked on the second day. They didn't get Sarada like they planned to."

Kakashi nodded, relieved. At least that part of the plan had gone right.

Sasuke appeared angry. "These are the guys who attacked Konoha before?"

Kakashi nodded, gritting his teeth.

"Do you know why they came last year? Not for Sarada, she wasn't in the village back then."