The Case-Book of Kakashi Hatake

The Beginning {Part 6}

The cab ride back to the station was filled with my retelling of how my little information gathering session went.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, "What I want to know is if the attacker, or attackers, were trying to trap just anyone in that alley, blocking them in with a cart pulled across the entrance, or if they were targeting Asuma specifically. Asuma was kind to everyone, though. He had absolutely no enemies, who would want to kill him?"

"I would have to agree; Asuma was one of the few people to go through life without making enemies, but he could have been targeted to get a message across to the people close to him," I replied. "For example, do you know who his father was?"

"Who, Asuma's father? I just always assumed that he was dead or absent since he never talked about him."

I chuckled, "Absent, yes; dead, certainly not. His father was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage."

Shikamaru choked on his spit, "Wha- The... the Hokage is Asuma's father?" He leaned his head back onto the bouncing hansom seat behind him. "Why the hell was he living in that crappy apartment?"

"Sarutobi had wanted Asuma to try to become the Hokage as well. Asuma refused and Sarutobi practically disowned him, but he was still his only child. If someone wanted to get the Hokage's attention, killing his son would be the way to do it."

"Let me guess, that's what you would have done if you wanted to send a message to an important official," the Inspector said with an accusatory sideways glance towards me.

"Yes, that's exactly what I would have done," I replied flatly. "Though, that brings up another possibility. Asuma and Kurenai are the only people I have spent time with since returning from the war. Unlike Asuma, I have made many, many enemies in my life, and though I'd hate to think that my past would come back to hurt the very people who've tried to help me move beyond it, this is a legitimate possibility that must be considered."

"If someone was doing this in revenge against you, who would be the most likely suspects?"

I laughed, full on deep-throated laughter as Shikamaru gaped at me. "Where do you want me to start? Most of the Land of Earth would love to see me dead along with any remaining members of the Blood Mists still holding a desire to get revenge on the 'Copy Nin,' there's the family of the previous daimyo of the Land of Rice Paddies, a few groups in Kumo, and even several high-ranking council members in this country would like to see me dead. Like I said, I've made many enemies in my life."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Is there anyone who doesn't want you dead?"

"I was an assassin and an ANBU operative for over a decade, there are few people out there who aren't in some way connected to some one I've killed. At least," I sighed and ran a hand down my face, "that's what it feels like sometimes."

An awkward silence fell over the cab. The hustle and bustle of the streets had been loud enough to keep our conversation from reaching the cabbie standing behind us, reins in hand, but even though the noise level hadn't changed, an oppressive quiet seemed to have settled over the area.

"The Blood Mists," Shikamaru suddenly blurted out, "I thought that they had lost power about two years ago, before the war broke out. They had such a tight grip on the Land of Water, makes you wonder how a regime like that could topple so quickly."

"They have lost their power, yes," I replied, "but there are still several of them left like Yagura, the man behind it all. He's gone into hiding, though. No one's seen hide nor hair of him since the night of the collapse. And then there's the Demon of the Mist, but I heard that he deserted a few months before the fall. As for how they fell, I spent four years camped in the swamps outside Kiri, picking off any members foolish enough to travel without full protection."