Beginnings

[Kakashi Hatake]

The sun was setting gradually over a bustling forest settlement, darkness slowly fighting back the light. Shopkeepers had begun to close their doors, their patrons trotting merrily home down the simple, dirt roads of the humble village. Soon the sun would be gone as well, completing its daily journey and vanishing behind the lush trees that encompassed the town. What little light that remained had stained the skies red-orange, casting a golden glow over the land.

In his office atop the tallest building in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Third Hokage sat in silence, reviewing mission reports and puffing thoughtfully on a long, wooden pipe. An elderly man, though by no means decrepit, Hiruzen Sarutobi could already feel fatigue creeping over him; creeping, as the night does over the day. He turned to gaze out the window, barely catching sight of the sun before it plunged behind the tree line.

“There has been another rumor of Akatsuki sightings in the Land of Fire,” a quiet, raspy voice broke the tranquil silence. “The feudal lord is become increasingly nervous.” The voice’s source stepped out of the shadows and into view; an elderly veteran leaning heavily on a thick walking stick. The cane thunked loudly against the wooden floor as he slowly crossed the threshold.

“Indeed,” Sarutobi nodded. “Your intel is never wrong, Lord Danzo.”

“I try my best, Hiruzen. Heaven knows my Root has a much higher success rate than your underlings.” The crippled elder remained motionless in the doorway, staring across the room at his leader.

The Hokage ignored the jab. “We must send an ANBU squad to the border. These rumors should be verified before we jump to any conclusions.” He lowered the pipe from his lips, resting it gently on his desk. “I have just the squad in mind.”

Danzo scoffed. “What we need is swift military force. I will send my best agents at once. ”

“We cannot be too hasty, Lord Danzo.” Sarutobi smiled as the gentle clip-clop of sole on tile was heard from outside his window, “Regardless, it seems my choice has already been alerted.”

“You called, Lord Third?”

A tall, lean figure appeared in the window, stepping through the opening effortlessly. He wore the standard ANBU uniform: black ninja sandals and pants on his lower half, with a gray flak jacket and sleeveless black undershirt covering his torso. Long black gloves reached from mid-bicep to his fingertips, with steel forearm guards fitted over them. On his face he wore a porcelain mask, painted red-and-white to resemble a dog. A tuft of gray hair sprang from the top of his head, easily visible behind his mask.

“Yes. Please arouse the rest of your squad and head for the Land of Grass immediately. You are to inquire about any sightings of ninja wearing red and black cloaks. Any information should be sent immediately by messenger hawk. That is all.”

The newcomer nodded, darting quickly out the window, into the night.

“A foolish choice, Hiruzen. What will he do if he meets an old friend?” Danzo inquired, stepping forward to glance out the open window.

“I have faith in his judgment.” Sarutobi said with a smile, picking up his pipe.

- -

Akutsuki… the shinobi mused, springing from rooftop to rooftop. I had better move fast. He crossed the village quickly, remaining hidden from any citizens who had yet to return home. He had been away from the Hokage residence for no longer than 10 minutes before he finally touched down at the ANBU Barracks.

“Anyway, that’s the long and short of it.” The masked ninja said, addressing his squad-mates.

“We’re leaving now?” A youthful-looking ninja whined, rubbing his feet. “But I just got off patrol duty!”

“Hokage’s orders.” His lavender-haired kunoichi partner snapped, buckling her flak jacket. “Anyway, get your ass in gear. Even without Lord Hokage’s edict, Captain Hatake still gave you an order.”

The silver haired shinobi smirked behind his mask. “Uh…yeah. What she said.”

[Kakashi Hatake]

The trio darted silently through Konoha, quickly nearing the border of the village. Kakashi headed the pack, followed by the other members of Team Ro: Yūgao and Tenzō, in full Anbu regalia. They slowed as they reached the village gate, stopping for a brief moment. Night had finally swallowed the village, silence blotting out all sound. Yūgao and Tenzō double-checked their supplies as Kakashi shuffled his feet absent-mindedly in the dirt.

“Captain Hatake, shall I prepare the jutsu?”

Despite the relative mundanity of their current assignment, the silver-haired Jōnin felt...restless. The calm in the air seemed to him to be especially eerie that night. He could feel his chakra fluctuating erratically within his body, differing greatly from his normal placid flow. The shinobi brushed this feeling off; he was not one to suddenly cave to superstition. He concentrated for a moment, forcing his chakra back into alignment. After a moment he glanced at his subordinates, nodding in response.

“Ninja Art:” Tenzō began, his hands rapidly forming the required hand seals, “True Sight!”

Kakashi felt his vision blur for a brief moment, returning a moment later with greater acuity. The inky blackness covering the trail into the forest seemed to lift, replaced with a lighter shade of gray. Though not perfect, this technique would allow the group to progress under the cover of darkness.

“Captain, why would they be in the Land of Grass of all places?” Yūgao inquired, her quiet voice perfectly audible through the silent night, even muffled by her mask.

“Not sure,” Kakashi replied, glancing over his right shoulder at the lavender-haired kunoichi, “but it’s the last place they were seen. Let's get going.”
With one last look at the village, the trio dashed headlong into the forest. The team kept pace with their Captain, traveling in a triangle formation.

“I've been thinking, the Land of Grass borders the Land of Fire,” Tenzō began after some time, “Perhaps Lord Third thinks Akatsuki have a base there?”

“But why would that matter?” Yūgao responded, “Lord Third must believe that Konoha is threatened; are they planning some assassination or abduction?”

“Quiet down, you two.” Kakashi called over his shoulder, “We're trying to keep a low profile.”

His teammates fell silent in response, heeding their Captain's command. A moment later, the silver-haired shinobi suddenly raised his right arm, extending a finger upward. Following his signal, the trio leapt into the trees and continued their pace through the foliage, jumping quickly from limb to limb.

As Team Ro weaved through the forest, navigating the dense branches of the oak forest, Kakashi was struck again by an unsettling feeling. Something about the atmosphere of the forest seemed different than normal, but not in any way that he could pin down. A chill ran down his spine as he hurdled a gnarly limb, an odd sound reaching his ears. It sounded like...whispering. The ordinarily stoic Captain stopped suddenly, glancing around quickly for the source of the noise.

“Everything alright Captain?” Tenzō inquired, stopping at his side.

“Yeah. I guess I must have heard an owl or something.” He raised his mask, wiping sweat from his brow. The cool night air felt good on his face. “Where's Yūgao?”
he asked, glancing behind him.

“She-”

A heavy silence suddenly met the Captain’s ears. Tenzō's voice, as well as the sounds of wind and wildlife had all vanished. The silence hung for a moment, taking Kakashi off-guard.

“S-she what, Tenzō?” He snapped, glancing to his left. The auburn-haired youth stood at his side, his mouth rapidly forming soundless words. “What!?” Kakashi repeated urgently, taking a step closer.

Tenzō cocked his head, mouthing words that never reached their target.

It was as if an invisible, soundproof barrier hand sprung up around the squad leader. The Anbu Captain could feel pangs of anxiety creeping up the back of his neck, his chakra now in chaos. Surely a genjutsu? He focused his Sharingan, gazing quickly around his location for the user, but finding no chakra signature. Anxiety now intensifying, he formed the half-ram release seal with his hand and stalled his chakra flow briefly, only for it to return to its chaotic movement immediately. Before he could muster another plan to break the illusion, his vision faded to black.

[Kakashi Hatake]

Kakashi felt the ground pulled from beneath him as his vision failed him and his consciousness was swallowed up by the void. What would become of the masked shinobi's squad, his mission, his village? Alone in the darkness, he would never find the answer to these questions; instead, he would have an entirely new array of queries both suggested and answered in nearly the same instant. The ANBU could scarcely tell how long he had been in the in-between, it could well have been years or simply the blink of an eye.

As the grinning silhouette finished its speech and faded back into nothingness, the silver-maned ninja began to feel gravity taking hold of his body once more. The sensation of falling returned, the twinge of anxiety in the pit of his stomach informing him that he had survived whatever strange event had just occurred. All at once his senses returned; the soft trickle of running water met his ears as droplets of cool liquid dripped into his neck. He opened his keen eyes quickly, staring through his porcelain mask down at the bright white...something, he had found himself upon. Groggily, the Prime rolled onto his side, looking for the source of the gurgling.

“A...fountain?” The shinobi muttered aloud, focusing on the structure.

A simple circular pool of water stood by his side, water spraying upward from the center. This body of gently flowing water was the only thing normal about the place he had found himself. He could spy nothing else around him; nothing, including sky or ground. Kakashi blinked hard a few times, attempting to recall how he had arrived here. It felt as if he had awoken from a long, calm slumber. He had never seen this place before, nor had he ever had the nightmare of the face within the void.

“Where am I...” Hatake began, raising himself to a sitting position. The question hung in the air for a moment before it all came rushing back to him. The Hokage's command, the mission to the Land of Grass, Team Ro. And now...here.

The masked Prime got to his feet quickly, brushing the nonexistent dust from his black trousers. In one swift motion he removed his ANBU mask, clipping it to his belt. His left eye opened wide, darting quickly around his position as its companion followed suit. The leaf shinobi knew of strong genjutsu users that could feign this type of illusion and his Sharingan would be his only hope of spying the truth. Still, as he scoured the area with his dojustu he could find no one pulling the strings.

“Where are you...” the scarecrow snarled, whipping his head back and forth. His right hand trailed to his belt, pulling a few hira-shuriken from a belt pouch. The fountain's spray was the only response.

Kakashi furrowed his brow, pumping more chakra into his copy-wheel eye. The nifty little gift from his long dead comrade had helped him escape a great many illusions, though it had seemingly failed him today. Was he facing another dojutsu wielder? The shinobi's mind conjured up the image of the only man he could imagine capable of such formidable illusion-casting. But why would he be here, so close to Konoha? He pondered this for a moment before he recalled what he had seen in his 'dream'.

“Omniverse...” The silver-maned ninja muttered, lowering his striking hand. He did not believe this fabricated tale for a moment, though he could find no real alternative. His memory, though somewhat faulty for the moment, informed him that he was last with his fellow ANBU operatives just west of Konoha. But now, the gray-eyed man found himself here, wherever 'here' was.

The scarecrow remained on the defensive, scanning the pure white nothingness in the distance for any sign of danger. He slowly pulled back his chakra, allowing his eye to rest. It seemed that it would be useless against this assault for the time being. Kakashi brought his left hand to his chest, forming a half-ram symbol with his fingers. He had a few choice jutsu prepared for whoever was manipulating him. The moments passed slowly, punctuated only by the nonstop patter of the fountain's contents. Finally, the shinobi lowered his guard, stowing the shuriken back in his pouch.

“I suppose you're waiting for me to come to you?” Hatake said to no one in particular. It's as good an idea as any, he thought.

The ANBU stretched his limbs experimentally, his full strength having almost returned. He stole a glance back at the fountain, eying it suspiciously before turning back toward the far-off blankness. Narrowing his eyes, the silver-maned shinobi thought he caught sight of a speck in the distance; precisely what, he was not entirely sure. With his chakra now back in a more or less normal alignment, something in the pit of his stomach urged him toward the object in the distance. Having no better ideas, the scarecrow began his trek across the vast expanse.