Tensions were growing between the leaf and the mist, so Lord Third sent a request to the Mizukage for a meeting between the two leaders. They agreed that they would meet on a small island on the edge of the Land of Water. It was halfway in Leaf territory, and halfway in Mist territory, and the two villages had long designated it as a demilitarized zone. Neither country was allowed to place any shinobi there, nor create any offensive or defensive strategies involving that island. Out of respect for the treaty of the island, people didn't even live on it. There was just a single structure in which meetings were occasionally held between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
For weeks, more and more leaf shinobi teams were stationed up and down the coast. In preparation for the Hokage's trip, the outposts along the planned routes were also stocked with ANBU. All of the teams loyal to the Hokage were sent out. Team Ky was in the outpost closest to the port Lord Third would sail from. The heaviest ANBU presence was at the port. But only one team would be going with Lord Third to the island. They could not have a heavy ANBU presence on the island, to avoid inciting a war between the two villages.
Akira stood on the balcony that surrounded the observation room, looking out over the trees at the night sky and the mountains in the distance. Her sensory ability was on high alert, but she remained relaxed, enjoying the peace. The leaves were still green, despite it being early fall. She looked up at the stars and crossed her arms, tracing the constellations in her mind's eye.
Despite admiring the scenery, she was aware of someone climbing the staircase behind her.
"How's it lookin'?" A low voice asked.
"Quiet. Nothing to note, sir," Akira replied.
Kakashi walked up behind her and stopped on her left side. He looked up at the stars as well, hands in his pockets.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have your own outpost to guard?" Akira asked quietly, smirking. She found it amusing when Kakashi sought her out, even if they were on duty. And it was always for some very trivial thing that he could have figured out himself, or gotten from Seek.
He shrugged. "Eh, Tenzo's got it covered. Besides, Seek and I were meeting up to discuss some things."
Akira raised an eyebrow and looked up at Kakashi, suddenly thankful that neither one of them had their mask on.
"What kind of things?" Akira asked. She admired the way the stars reflected in his eye. The beautiful black that she had always loved.
"Don't worry about it. Stay focused on your task at hand."
Akira frowned but turned back to face the forest. Did he catch her staring? She just didn't get to see his eyes much anymore, that's all. Both of their teams had been on assignments and missions almost nonstop in the last few months because of the potential war. They only briefly saw each other every once in a while. But pulling rank? Seriously? That was just rude. It was her team's outpost, after all, Kakashi was just visiting.
"Yes sir," she muttered under her breath.
Kakashi bumped her with his elbow. "Oh, and happy birthday." He said, smiling, eyes crinkling up a bit at the corners.
"So that's why you're here!" She grinned and looked back up at him. Her birthday had been a couple of days beforehand, but this was the first they had seen each other in two weeks. "I bet you and Seek didn't even need to talk, you could've sent a falcon. You're here for me, aren't you?"
"Shut it..." Kakashi growled, glaring at her. But he was clearly flustered, which pleased her.
Akira turned to face him. "Sooo, since it's my birthday, where's my present, Kaaashi?" She smiled sweetly and cocked her head to the side.
Kakashi scrunched up his nose and looked away from her. Akira could see a faint pink blush on his cheeks peeking over the top of his mask.
"You're spoiled, you know that?" He put a palm on her forehead and pushed her backward.
"Am not!" She protested.
"You're on duty, Fox," he said.
Akira growled in her throat.
Stupid ranks.
She stepped back to his side. Akira crossed her arms and huffed, but did a quick sensory scan. There was still nothing out there.
"I did get you something though," Kakashi said. He pulled a box out of his pocket and held it out for her to take.
Akira slowly uncrossed her arms and took the box from him, glancing up at him as she did so. He still wasn't looking at her, and his face was a bit red. What was up with him?
The box was much lighter than she expected, and when she opened it she was shocked by its contents.
The bottom of the box was lined with a piece of white cloth, and sitting on top of it was a silver chain necklace with a leaf symbol charm attached.
Her jaw dropped. She gently picked up the jewelry and admired it in the moonlight.
"Wow, this is beautiful," she breathed. "Thank you, Kashi!"
"Yeah," he reached up and rubbed the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. "I figured with everything that's happened the last year you deserve something a bit nicer than a book."
Akira clasped the necklace behind her neck and shifted it into place over her shirt.
She looked back up at Kakashi, smiling proudly. "What do you think?"
He looked down at her and his blush deepened. He turned away again.
"Yeah... I mean–it looks nice."
Akira giggled. "Thank you."
"Sure."
Akira admired the charm a bit more, then looked back out at the horizon. In the distance, the sun was slowly starting to come up, and the black of the night sky was turning a deep purple. Akira saw bats zipping around over the trees, searching for moths in the air. The only other things that stirred in the forest were animals. The sea sparkled just beyond the trees, reflecting the first light of dawn.
"I did actually have to talk to Seek."
"What about?" Akira asked.
"Team Ro is being reassigned. We are moving to the treaty island today, accompanying Lord Third," Kakashi said quietly.
Akira lowered her chin in thought. "And Team Ky?"
Kakashi's team was at the closest outpost to the south. The port Lord Third would be leaving from was on the coast, and the same distance to each outpost.
"Team Ky will stay here and cover both outposts. Seek will go over the details later."
Akira nodded. "I'm a bit surprised Lord Third is going along with this, despite everything going on."
While the Mist had not launched any direct attacks against the leaf, rogue ninjas from the Mist continued to cause issues in the Land of Fire. Not only that, but they had been cleaning up after the drug operation takedown for months. They had uncovered information on other operatives throughout the nation and were in the process of tracking them all and disposing of them. It had been the long-term operation that Team Ky was working on.
But that was what was happening behind the scenes. Missions to the Land of Waves had drastically decreased in occurrence, for both the regular shinobi and the ANBU. The political battle raged as Lord Third attempted to come to a peaceful agreement with the Mist to reduce tensions.
"I suspect he's hoping to negotiate with the Mizukage. This may be our last chance to do so."
If this didn't work and tensions weren't eased then they were at risk of another war breaking out. So far they had been able to avoid any direct contact between the two villages, but if anything went wrong with the meeting, that could change very quickly.
"When will Lord Third be arriving?"
"This morning. My team will join his guard and escort him to the island. We will stay with him until the meeting concludes. If all goes well, we should be back at the border in two days."
"Two days, huh?" Akira looked up at Kakashi with an eyebrow raised. Behind her, she sensed Seek climbing the stairs.
Kakashi looked a bit uneasy. He nodded. "Two days. Enough time to get there, have the meeting, and get back."
"And enough time for a war to start."
He looked down at her and sighed. "Yeah, that too."
"I hope Lord Third can talk his way out of this one."
"If he can't then you can say goodbye to the peace we have had the last couple of years," Seek said from behind them. He walked over so he was standing to Kakashi's left. "Let's hope that doesn't happen. I'm not eager to get back on the front lines."
"Me either," Kakashi said. His chakra grew a bit heavier.
Akira hadn't been old enough to fight in the last war. She was still in the academy when it had finally ended, but she had seen plenty of the effects of war. Hell, she had lost friends during the war. She hoped she would never have to go through that again. More than anything, she hoped that Kakashi would never have to go through that again.
But they were shinobi after all. They were weapons of the nations they served. Death was in the job description.
Kakashi unclipped his mask from his belt and slid it into place over his face.
"I better be on my way," he said. Kakashi turned to Akira and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, you've got this."
"You too. Be careful, Kashi."
He gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, then jumped straight out of the outpost tower and into the forest below. Akira kept a careful watch on him as he made his way over to his team's outpost, using her sensory ability to track him.
"When Lord Third comes through we will be splitting up. Half of Team Ky will go cover the other outpost. Owl, Deer, and I will go. I'm leaving you in charge here."
"Me?!" Akira asked, shocked.
Seek nodded. "You'll be the most experienced here, other than Bear. But he has expressed that he does not want any leadership responsibilities. So it falls to you."
"But-but what if something goes wrong? What if we're attacked?" Akira asked. Then she dropped into a whisper. "What if I mess up again?"
Seek turned to face her, and Akira followed suit. "We've already discussed this, Fox. What happened on that mission was not your fault, no matter how much you believe it was. I believe that you can do this. You know the protocols. It won't be any different than normal guard duty. You'll just be the one assigning roles. You can do this."
Akira bit her lip and nodded. She did not have as much confidence in herself as Seek had in her.
"You'll do fine, Akira." His voice was stern now.
She nodded with a little more conviction this time. Despite some practice now, Akira was still not used to being handed the reins. After Juke had been promoted a few months ago, Seek had started treating her as his second in command. She did her best not to outwardly show her unease about it and stepped up when she had to. For some reason, Seek seemed determined to rebuild her confidence in her leadership skills.
So when midmorning came and Seek left with Owl and Deer in tow, Akira did her best to appear in control. She came up with a watch schedule with Bear and Frog. Afterward, she did an inventory of the food store in the kitchen and cleaned up the bunk room. It helped to put her mind at ease. Solving minor problems made her feel like she was more in control of the situation. Even something as simple as laundry made Akira feel better.
Doing odd jobs was how she spent much of her waking time when she wasn't on watch duty. They took turns, swapping out every three hours. It allowed for long enough breaks to keep up with training and sleeping. Having a plan made things easier.
But still, every chakra signature she felt passing by put Akira on edge.
The two days soon passed, and Akira found that Seek had been right. It was just normal watch duty. Lord Third was making his way back up the road with a large guard around him, dew sparkling on their clothes in the morning sunlight. Nothing exciting had happened at the outpost, but the glum look on the guards' faces told Akira that things had not exactly gone to plan on the island. Lord Third and his guard entered Akira's outpost and climbed to the top of the observatory.
Akira kneeled and lowered her head. Beside her, Frog and Bear copied her action. Lord Third crossed to the railing and looked out over the forest in the direction of the Land of Water.
"At ease Team Ky," he said gruffly. The three ANBU members stood. Akira crossed the room to stand a few feet behind Lord Third. He lowered his chin slightly. "Were there any problems?"
"No, sir," Akira said.
"Good. We will wait for Seek and Dog to have a meeting. I'd like you to be there as well, Fox."
Akira's eyes widened. An invitation to such an important meeting? That was new. "Yes sir."
Behind them, Kakashi entered the observatory and came to stand next to Akira. "Clear for now, Lord Third."
"Fox, can you sense Seek?"
Akira instinctively reached out into their surroundings as far as she could. Indeed she sensed Seek's chakra signature. She retreated to a more manageable range.
"He's close, he should be here soon."
Lord Third hummed in response.
Kakashi bumped Akira with his elbow. "How'd it go?" He whispered.
"Fine, nothing happened," she whispered back. She paused for a moment before continuing. "It was easier than I thought it would be."
"Told you so," Kakashi sang.
Akira turned her head to look up at him, exasperated. "No, you didn't."
"Sure I did, two days ago."
"No, you didn't!"
"You just don't want me to be right."
"No, you didn't say shit. Seek did. You just said good luck."
"Hmm, no, I'm pretty sure I remember saying you'll be fine."
Lord Third sighed loudly. Akira and Kakashi snapped their heads around to look at him. "You know, it's difficult to think with you two bickering."
Akira bit her lip to cut off the retort she had formed for Kakashi.
"Right, sorry," Kakashi said. His voice sounded very tight as if that wasn't what he had wanted to say.
Lord Third chuckled. "No, no, it's okay. It's oddly refreshing hearing young shinobi such as yourselves bickering like that. Reminds me of the reason why we do these difficult things for our village, even if our efforts occasionally fail."
"Fail?" Akira asked.
"You'll understand in due time."
Akira glanced up at Kakashi, but his mask gave nothing away. She looked out over the forest and was relieved to see Seek in the near distance, jumping through the trees.
A moment later and Seek landed on the observatory balcony. He kneeled facing Lord Third.
"Ah, Seek, good," Lord Third said. He turned to face Seek. "At ease. Now we can discuss business."
They retreated into the observatory and down a floor to the map room. The door was closed behind the four of them as they grouped around the table. Seek and Kakashi removed their masks, and Akira rushed to follow suit. Her face grew warm in embarrassment when she realized she had unintentionally drawn more attention to herself.
Lord Third cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that the Fourth Mizukage and I were not able to come to an agreement."
Seek closed his eyes and frowned. Kakashi was frozen. Akira's jaw dropped.
"The Leaf Village demands retribution for stealing information from us. The Mist Village is claiming we attacked their outreach company on our land, ruining potential profits. They request financial retribution. We were unable to cooperate, in fact, I do believe things got worse. I'm afraid the worst may come to pass." Lord Third lowered his head.
"But, we can't enter another war," Seek said in a low voice. "We're at a disadvantage right now."
"I'm aware of that issue. However, we were able to remove the spy. In the past few months, we have initiated new tactics and protocols to misconstrue what the Mist Village may know." Lord Third sighed. "War was not declared. But the Fourth Mizukage made his intentions clear. He will not tolerate our presence on any of the Land of Water's territories. He will take any infiltration as an instigation of war."
"What about the Land of Fire?" Seek asked.
"We will respond in kind. Should there be any presence of Mist shinobi on our lands, we will consider war to have been started."
"So, a cold war then."
"Until it becomes hot," Kakashi said lowly.
Akira's eyes flickered between Kakashi and Seek. The two senior members didn't appear the slightest bit surprised. And neither of them were thrilled.
She looked back at Lord Third. "What do we do?" She asked.
Lord Third frowned slightly. "Defend the Land of Fire should a war start. Hopefully, we will be able to negotiate in the future to prevent any bloodshed. For now, we will respect the Fourth Mizukage's wishes, and not enter into the Land of Water. We must not let this get out to other villages, or else they may try to initiate a war by posing as the other side."
"How do we tell people that?" Seek asked.
"Quietly. We must not start a panic. No missions or visas to the Land of Water will be given nor approved." He sighed. "For now, I will continue back to the village. A chunin team will be here soon to switch out with you. I'd like you three to stay behind and the rest of your teams to come with me."
"Has a team taken over the other outpost?" Kakashi asked.
Lord Third nodded. "I sent for a chunin team for them as well. They will meet us further down the road."
Kakashi nodded. "We wait until the chunin arrive, I presume?"
"Yes. I expect you back to the village in two days."
The three of them nodded.
"I hope that another war does not start," Lord Third said, lowering his head and closing his eyes. "But, alas, that may be the reality that we face."
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Author's Note:
Hey guys! I will be editing chapters of this story in the future, so chapters may be reposted occasionally. I encourage everyone to read them again, because I will be adding a lot to my story to create some more depth and background.
Thank you so much for reading my story, I really appreciate it! Please vote and comment, it means the world to me when you do!
~Goovin