Dangerous Bond

Part 47

"But why?!" Sakura yelled as her fists tightened. Although she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against their sensei, none of them would.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his forehead to lessen his growing headache. "Why are you getting worked up?" He questioned once he finally looked down at his kids.

"Why? What's to say you won't do that to us? to me?" Sakura snapped, disbelief in her tone.

"Well, I would've done that by now." Kakashi rolled his eye before narrowing it at the three looking at him as if he were suddenly an enemy "A ninja shouldn't assume without knowing the whole story. It could cost you your life" He finished. He meant it as advice for the future but realized it may have come off as a threat as the genin stiffened.

"Then tell us" Sasuke quipped. 

Kakashi glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell us the whole story" The Uchiha cleared up, calmness in his tone and eyes.

Naruto remained silent although agreed with Sasuke as he waited for all the details.

Kakashi looked at them and sighed "It was for a mission." 

"Were you still Anbu then?" Sakura quietly questioned as he didn't continue.

Upon receiving a nod, the trio looked down with disappointment. Kakashi noticed their reactions and sighed before looking around. He waved hand signs and before anyone could question him further, the four found themselves deep within the woods near an old, run-down, cottage.

"What is this place?" Naruto questioned as he looked around at the thick coverage of bushes and trees hanging over each other. Hardly any sunlight shone through the small spaces of the tree leaves.

Sakura looked on at the cottage with skepticism as vines covered the building inside and out. The windows were broken and the door barely hung off its hinges.

Sasuke didn't much care where he was, he was simply curious about what his Sensei had done to this mystery girl.

"This is an old Andu recovery station. It was abandoned during the war when enemies discovered it and set traps. Many died but the area has since been excavated" Kakashi looked around with a bored look in his eye.

"Although..." He continued, looking down at the three with a playful but serious expression "Try not to move around too much. They may not have removed everything".

The trio rolled their eyes at his attempt to make them scared although still took heed to his caution.

"Now, about this mission." Kakashi began, though his voice was strict.

"What I'm about to tell you, I tell you only because you three need to understand the kind of missions you'll face in the future." 

The genin leaned forward, anxious to hear what he had to say.

"I was tasked with a retrieval mission. A high-paying customer had lost his ten-year-old daughter to the trade-"

"The trade?" Naruto questioned, a confused look on his face.

"The black market" Kakashi cleared before moving on as if he'd talked about the weather.

The three looked at each other with shock. They had no idea the black market actually existed.

"I had tracked her down after a week of searching near her hometown but when I found her, they'd been keeping her underground in conditions that were sickening." Kakashi took a moment to pause as he remembered that day.

"While I had either killed or incapacitated everyone nearby, she was still so afraid to leave the cell...It wasn't until I had carried her halfway to her home that I found out why." Kakashi's eye hardened.