That day, after finishing a mission and returning to the ANBU base, Kageyama Kokugetsu was chatting with his squad in First Unit's ready room when footsteps approached.
Kokugetsu flicked a glance; Hawk, who sat nearest the door, rose and slid it open.
"Captain's here—and he brought a newcomer."
The three stood. Kokugetsu stepped to the entrance.
"Good work, all of you—especially you, Night," said the division captain Elephant, warm-voiced, eyes fond, as if looking at a treasure.
Ever since Kokugetsu had joined Third Division, Elephant's load had lightened, and their mission count and completion rate had climbed to the top. Winning had become pleasantly effortless.
"Just doing my duty, Captain," Kokugetsu answered, steady.
It really wasn't hard. Most jobs his Elephant-Shift clone could handle; only a few required his personal touch for safety's sake.
Elephant gave Kokugetsu a friendly pat on the shoulder, then stepped aside. "This is your squad's new member. The Hokage specifically assigned him to you."
"Welcome, Kakashi." Kokugetsu offered his right hand.
"Captain, I'll be in your care," Kakashi said flatly, the tone a little stiff.
"Hah, Kakashi, who'd have thought? Tables turn, and now you're under me," Kokugetsu laughed, hands on hips, shamelessly pleased.
Kakashi couldn't keep the poker face; he rolled an irritable eye.
"Don't sulk. Your teacher is the Fourth Hokage," Kokugetsu went on. "We're acquainted, so the idea is I, the old hand, show you the ropes. Once you're up to speed you'll be transferred out, and before long you'll be my peer."
He slung an arm over Kakashi's shoulder with instant familiarity, making the other boy visibly uncomfortable.
"Could you not learn that from Gai?" Kakashi muttered.
"Gai cares about you. Chin up, Kakashi." Kokugetsu let go and patted his shoulder.
After a beat, Kakashi murmured, "Thanks."
"Come on, let me introduce you." Kokugetsu pointed around. "This is Wolf of the Aburame, Snake of the Inuzuka, and Hawk of the Nara. And this is Hatake Kakashi—you've heard of him."
Old and new exchanged greetings; the air stayed easy.
"Night, take Kakashi to finish onboarding, show him around ANBU, and walk him through mission flow," Elephant said. "I've got things to handle."
"No problem."
Two days later, masked as Hound, Kakashi went out on his first assignment with Third Division, First Unit.
Takigakure had secretly requested Konoha's help: remove the Minister of Finance in the Land of Hot Water whom Kumogakure had propped up. The Cloud were an aggressive, warlike lot; neither Takigakure's leadership nor the Hot Water daimyō wanted their influence to sink too deep. During the war they hadn't dared; now it was different. Because of the minister's position he was guarded by disguised Cloud ninja, hired bounty-nin, and rogues—an S-rank mission.
A day later, First Unit slipped into Hot Water. They traveled by the loneliest routes and avoided contact with anyone. After resting through the day, a little after eight at night they gathered in the shadows of a street near the minister's mansion.
"Tasking starts now," Kokugetsu whispered. "Each of you take a cardinal direction and scout. One hour—rendezvous here."
"Yes, Captain," all four answered low.
No one asked what he would be doing. Kokugetsu was pleased, especially with Kakashi. The other three already knew his style: don't ask; if you must ask, the answer is 'just complete the mission.' Kakashi, a born shinobi, also knew what to do—and what not to.
"Move."
He cut his hand through the air. The four vanished.
An hour later the five regrouped in the alley's shade.
Each subordinate produced a sheet sketched with the layout from their direction—positions of ninja, soldiers, and samurai, patrol rhythms, the target's location. Kokugetsu laid the four maps together and, by moonlight and keen eyes, read them cleanly.
"Thoughts?"
"Captain," Hawk murmured, "with your skills infiltration is easy. Our risk of detection is high. The Cloud security's no joke. I suggest the four of us feint and draw them off while you slip in and do the cut."
"I agree," Wolf said. "Don't split the feint—stick together. Start with silent kills as we can; once we're made, posture like a hard push. They won't read our real aim, and we can cover each other."
Kokugetsu nodded and looked to Snake.
Snake spread his hands. "You know me, Captain. Brains aren't my strong suit."
The Inuzuka weren't famous for thinking things through—but that was relative. As ANBU elite, Snake still had chops.
When it was his turn, Kakashi said quietly, "I propose I take point on the assault and cover the withdrawal."
"Hey, rookie, don't show up and snatch my job," Snake grumbled—really to shield the newcomer. "At least ease in."
"Thank you, senpai, but I'm a jōnin. A jōnin who came through the war," Kakashi said, cool as ever.
"I…" Snake fell silent. Right—he was a jōnin, a prodigy. How did he forget?
"I take point by habit. Switching roles suddenly might slow me down," Kakashi added.
"Fine," Kokugetsu decided. "Both of you on point. The other two support, and keep them from overcommitting. Stagger cover on withdrawal. Settle yourselves—thirty minutes to go time. Same rally point."
"Yes, Captain."
Half an hour later they moved.
Once the four kicked up trouble and most of the guards peeled off to respond, Kokugetsu went straight in, slipped into the study, and took the target's head.
On the way he casually eliminated two Cloud and two bounty-nin. It was all light and easy.
He stepped back out and fired the signal. The four broke contact by turns and fell back, covering one another. At rendezvous they were no worse than lightly wounded. Three tokubetsu jōnin and a jōnin were no pushovers, and Kokugetsu's kill had been so fast there was little chance for losses.
Together they withdrew swiftly from Hot Water and rested at a Northern Frontier outpost in the Land of Fire.
Deep in the camp, beneath a bright moon, First Unit sat in a ring around a bonfire, working through a generous midnight spread.
"Captain, what are you reading?"
"You've had that out since we crossed the border," Snake said, curious. The others glanced over—Kakashi sideways, with his eyes.
"Do you know Ninshū?" Kokugetsu asked without looking up.
All four shook their heads.
"Ninshū was the forerunner of shinobi, founded by the Sage of Six Paths. This is a travelogue written a thousand years ago by a Ninshū disciple who followed him for a time. True or not, it's interesting.
"For example: a thousand years back, a powerful shinobi who'd gone astray captured a tailed beast and crudely sealed it into his own body, then ran wild on that power. The Sage learned of it, went to defeat him, and freed the beast to return to the wilds.
"The man did not die on the spot when it was removed. He lived for a while. The author asked the Sage why.
"The Sage said the man's life force was exceptionally abundant, so he could linger even with the beast stripped out. If, at that point, even a portion of the tailed beast were sealed back inside him, he would go on living."
At secrets of the Sage and tailed beasts, the four forgot to eat.
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