Day 2 Morning

[Kakashi Hatake]

“Hey, Kakashi,”

The silver-haired shinobi’s eyelids flitted open, his pupils quickly shrinking as he struggled to focus on the blurry silhouette of his mentor standing over him. The grove in which he lay was bathed in an early morning glow, giving the blonde Kage an otherworldly quality. He blinked quickly in an attempt to banish the fatigue from his senses.

“We should probably get moving,” Minato asserted. “Based on what happened last time we encountered someone, we’re apt to be attacked if we stay put.”

Kakashi nodded in understanding, rising to his feet from his seat against a sturdy oak. The ninja duo had made camp for the night, choosing a sheltered grove just a few meters from a trickling brook to entrench for the evening. They had taken shifts keeping watch and making the occasional assay into the woods to ensure they were not being stalked, while the other slept. Though it was not the most restful arrangement, the twosome benefited from the mutual support. Kakashi grabbed up his futuristic firearm, following Minato back into the woods.

“I think the first order of business should be finding some something to eat,” the Fourth suggested, glancing at his companion who nodded readily. “After all, some of us didn’t have dinner last night.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that,” the sharingan-wielder replied, chuckling weakly. The Kage had been gone so long on his investigation that Kakashi had consumed most of the meager meal before he had returned.

Minato shook his head in response, chuckling softly to himself. “Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for any small game.”

The ANBU captain slowed to a stop, barely listening to Kage’s advice. He had noticed something odd a few meters to his right, just visible through the brush: while the vast majority of the flora in the area seemed remarkably untouched, there stood a single otherwise robust tree, absolutely shredded. The thick trunk had been torn into, chunks of bark and xylem littering the forest floor. The abrasions covered an area of nearly 3 meters up the tree’s height, from around knee-level to well past the shinobi’s head. Whatever had harmed the plant had neglected its peers, leaving the perimeter otherwise unharmed.

“What in the world happened here?” Minato inquired, striding toward the ravaged tree. He placed a palm against the rough bark, inspecting the damage. “Maybe a battle happened here?”

Kakashi shook his head, gesturing to the other trees. “Doubtful. There doesn't seem to be any signs of struggle.”

The blonde Kage cocked his head, glancing up and down at the mangled trunk. “You don’t think...maybe a Guardian?”

The silver-haired Prime paused, considering the notion. He had little idea what the Guardians of this island looked like, let alone what kind of power they possessed. If however something was capable of wrecking the plantlife in this manner, they were to be approached with caution.“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said finally, half-shrugging.

“Well, it seems like whatever it is, we should look into,” the fair-haired shinobi asserted, nodding in affirmation. “If it happens to be another Champion, maybe we can ally with them.”

Kakashi nodded, averting his gaze. He thought back to the scuffle they had had earlier, of attacking the knife-wielding blonde. Perhaps he was being too hard on himself for the error, but in a situation like this, caution was always the correct choice.

“There seem to be some tracks here…” Minato muttered, trailing off. He squatted below a low-hanging bow, digging through the leaves and various detritus. “I can’t really make anything out, but whatever it is seems to lead this way. You’ve done some tracking in ANBU, right?”

The scarecrow nodded, kneeling beside the Kage. “You’re right. These are definitely some kind of tracks. Not very fresh, but we can follow them.”

“You lead the way,” the blonde shinobi suggested, clapping a hand on the former Captain’s shoulder. “It’s sad to say that though I am a sensor-type, the magic on this Island dampens my abilities significantly. We’ll have to rely on old-fashioned techniques.”

The silver-haired shinobi nodded. He knew the feeling well; his sharingan had been effectively deactivated upon arrival. His mentor was correct, though; his special ops training was quite well suited for tracking their mark. “Alright, let’s go.”