A Glass Of Crimson Souls

29) the will of fire

Every muscle in Kakashi's body ached. He had not felt like this since last year, when Tsunade had gotten drunk one fine morning and ordered him to spar with her. Kakashi had spent nearly three hours dodging the Godaime's attacks, falling trees and all, until she'd finally collapsed, snoring.

The forests surrounding their camp were soaking in the blood of the fallen. Kakashi had always found trees to be calming and comforting, but when they were decorated with the lives of his companions, they were uncanny and unfamiliar. As clouds began to accumulate above them, Kakashi waved to Genma nearby, who bounded up to him immediately.

"Looks like it's going to storm again," said Kakashi. "I need you take all those who are critically wounded and retreat to the medic camp. How many have we lost?"

"More than half of the team, taichou. Many jounin as well."

Kakashi grimaced. In death, ranks did not matter. He was truthfully surprised that he was not injured as badly as he expected; between the Seven Ninja of the Mist and countless others resurrected beings who could not feel pain, Kakashi was faring quite well indeed.

He glanced down around him, where both the bodies of the fallen nin and the sham bodies of the Edo-Tensei were scattered and interspersed. The Edo-Tensei was a terrible jutsu. The dead were supposed to stay dead. People were not supposed to be given second chances…though his brief conversation with Haku and Zabuza had him thinking otherwise.

"Any other news?" Kakashi asked.

"The Kages have engaged in combat with their predecessors," said the jounin nervously. "So far, the previous Kazekage has at least been sighted."

Kakashi uttered a low curse. The prospects of this war were growing blacker by the second. Who would he have to fight next? Minato, his father, or heavens forbid, Rin or Obito?

No, thought Kakashi, blinking the rain out of his eyes. Rin had been only a child when she'd died. The same went for Obito. There was no merit in bringing back dead children who could not contribute much power to this war.

Sadly enough, this realization brought him some relief.

Pakkun suddenly appeared beside Kakashi's right foot, his presence marked by a sound alarmingly close to a sneeze.

"Bless you," said Kakashi. "News from the medical camp?"

"Crowded, and with low supplies," was the unsurprising answer. "Sakura and Miho are at least in decent shape. Tired, but not injured."

"Good. Best keep it that way." Kakashi turned to Genma. "We'll march our platoon to join the Kages. I want the jounin evenly distributed amidst all ranks, with sensors at the front."

"The sensors are dead, sir," he answered gravely.

"I thought we had deployed three sensors with guards. Are all three…?"

"Yes, taichou. Some of their guards deserted them, leaving them under-protected."

Kakashi did not even blink at the news of this treason.

"Very well. I'll lead the vanguard."

"Taichou, that's not—"

"If there were another option, I would suggest otherwise, but it seems choices are scarce as of late."

"There is another option, sir. Chiaki Miho's skills as a sensor are widely known."

"She is better known as a medic, and I need her and Sakura to support each other."

Truthfully, Miho was best known as the widow of Konoha's most fearsome mass murderer, but with her recent pardon and Konoha's impending doom, no one brought up this rumor.