Things We Do For Love

CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE

Kakashi's P.O.V. 

Our mission had been unsuccessful. The teams' efforts and time were wasted as we reached the rubbles of the once Uchiha hideout. Debris and concrete were lying atop each other, land desecrated and burning. Not an animal or bird in sight, a fully desolated landscape that showed no mercy to its inhabitants. Kurenai's sensory team was unable to find a trace of the last surviving Uchiha, leaving all of us in a state of utter frenzy and hopelessness. More than us, Naruto took it personally as he frustratingly punched a wall, stating how he had failed his friend once again. I wanted to comfort the teen but this was the harsh reality of shinobi world. Even if mere words could lessen the pain, it was best to endure this agony and fuel his resolve to save his friend. Well, at least, his friend was alive. Dark clouds and pouring rain added a melancholic effect on all of us. This had been the closest I got to Sasuke.

While the rest of the team burst into fits of discussion and planning their next moves, I remained pondering at a corner. I was shocked beyond words could describe but it wasn't because of the failed mission. It was the sudden appearance of a masked man, wearing the Akatsuki cloak and showing off his red blinking Sharingan at me. The aura, the stature and pride in his voice were unnerving. It was a promise that he would eliminate me when the right time came. The way he had looked at me – the bloodlust and anger – made it seem as if he wanted nothing more but to rip me apart with bare hands.

What was I supposed to tell the council? How could I tell them that there was supposedly another Uchiha alive? That Itachi was killed by Sasuke and the mysterious masked man had mastered the technique of traveling through space? His skills surpassed the Fourth Hokage, given that he had complete control of dimensional travel without weaving signs. Worst of all, this man possessed Sasuke in his base and we had no clue whether he was torturing the boy or recruiting him on his team. That meant, I was not to trust Sasuke Uchiha. My body shivered at the idea of fighting my former prodigal student and yet, I couldn't let Naruto or Sakura take the brunt of the force. It could be fatal if they fought Sasuke at this point. Sakura's feelings would blind her from seeing how evil the young man had turned into and Naruto's righteousness would never allow him to properly fight against the Uchiha. Unlike Sasuke who harbored strong feelings of hatred, the other two depended on their shared thoughts of rivalry, bond and respect. In fact, everyone in the Leaf wanted to protect Sasuke and bring him back. But for the first time ever, I could understand what Jiraiya-sama meant. Evil needed to be eradicated to ensure none other evil were bred out of it, even if it meant annihilating my former pupil. However, my judgement would be finalized only when I was sure that Sasuke had forsaken his village.

For now, the rescue mission was still on. The plan was to monitor the rest of the village and figure out where the Akatsuki could have taken shelter. If I was correct in my analysis, there should be only about four remaining members. And two of them, the masked man and the plant guy, were already here guarding Sasuke. If we could track those two, it could possibly lead us to the lost boy.

I hoped that under Yamato's guidance, Naruto and Sakura would be able to find a lead. Unfortunately, I had been called off the mission and summoned back by Godaime.

With each step I took towards Konoha, my mind played through the countless scenarios of the council's reactions to my news. Just like the past few operations, I had failed to bring good news and failed to rescue Sasuke. My team's efforts were under scrutiny and I was sure that my wife's inability to integrate among the Anbu Black Ops was being questioned as well. With rising competition between the villages and threat to Jinchuriki, political unrest was the aftermath of the creative chaos by Akatsuki. Being called back to the village mid-task only meant that I was summoned to either guide another mission or to be assessed once again.