Wildflower Book 1 | Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter7: Reunion

True to his purpose, Kakashi woke up bright and very early the next morning. By "in the morning", in Jōnin terms, they meant that one was expected to be ready by midnight. So, as the formidable Jōnin that he was, Kakashi was at the gate by five minutes past twelve, which was a wee bit late.

His designated teammates for this mission, also Jōnin, were already used to this and so they remained silent.

The mission was expected to span over two weeks, and was A-ranked. It was simple, really, they had to survey the Western border and check on the border post. The village hadn't heard from the people there in a while, and it was starting to be suspicious.

The travel there on foot would take a long one and day and eight hours. With their speed, the Jōnin would make it in a maximum of five hours if they avoided main routes, which they were bound to do. So they did, and they arrived at about an hour before sunrise, and that was when their search began in earnest.

They didn't go directly to the border post, just in case it had been infiltrated. Instead they lingered just beyond its threshold for a few days and came up with a plan while monitoring the activity nearby.

After that they approached under the guise of tourists, and entered the village. This was where the real fun began.

...

It was a day like any other. Sasuke had gone to school like he normally did. After that he headed to the library, like usual. He didn't stay for long this time. Then he walked the route near the river, just like always. He didn't know why it had been different today, but he was somewhat grateful.

Just as the boy reached the end of the river route, a masked man appeared out of thin air, scaring him out of his wit.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Sandaime Hokage-sama would like to see you.", the man said as he looked down at Sasuke. The boy was surprised by this but, having been taught about these things, he knew it wasn't a hoax. So, he allowed the man to take him.
He was suspicious and scared the whole time but he didn't let it show, just in case he was being kidnapped. It wouldn't be good to let a kidnapper know that you're aware of their plans. They teleported, leaving the boy dizzy and feeling lost, and so it was a relief to see himself in front of the Hokage's office in the next second.

"Wait here.", the Anbu said, before turning into a small whirlwind, leaving the boy alone in the corridor.

Sasuke sat down on the bench and waited patiently. It wasn't too much later that the Hokage stepped out of the office. The boy stood up and greeted the man politely. The Hokage smiled at this and responded with a nod before saying, "Come with me, young Sasuke."

They went to the very bottom of the tower, where they proceed to an underground base. Sasuke wasn't sure why, but he had his little suspicions. He was obviously being taken to meet someone, but who? That question remained unanswered as they walked down two flights of stairs. The many turns through winding and crossing corridors had him a bit disoriented. He would never remember the route, he noted sheepishly.

The entered a section where people, Anbu agents exclusively, were being treated with first aid. It was an infirmary, Sasuke realised.
Finally they arrived at a rather isolated room, which Sasuke felt was a bit strange. However, despite the many questions that he had, he chose to wait and see just where things were going. The Hokage seemed to hesitate for a moment before knocking. The door opened ever so slightly as he did so.

"Oh no...", Sasuke heard a familiar voice whisper from inside the room.
"That was my best drawing.", the voice said again. Sasuke was frozen in place right there and then, unsure of what he was hearing. He was sure that his mind was playing tricks on him and, for a moment, he shut down. He didn't even feel when the Hokage nudged him gently into the room. He didn't feel when his legs carried him to the side of the bed where his sister waited. He only saw himself in her arms, breaking down for the first time since...