Pakura immediately put out a hand to steady herself as she and Space-Time and appeared next to the house that was reserved for diplomats. Chrono Vitality appeared a moment later with a casual look on her face and glanced at Pakura's sickly face with a smirk. Despite travelling via teleportation multiple times, long distance travel by way of the Flying Thunder God technique was never easy on anyone who did not have a strong Space-Time affinity.
"I really want to burn that smirk off your face," Pakura grumbled as she regained her composure.
"You asked for the ride," Space chuckled.
She shot Space a dirty look but retreated into the house instead of continuing to argue. Chrono gave a nod to the ANBU agent that was hidden in a tree overlooking the courtyard before she and Space vanished in a streak of silver. They reappeared outside of the Hokage's Tower then walked in together and headed up the stairs.
No one stopped them, even as she knocked and opened the door without bothering to wait for Hiruzen to respond. He was sitting at his desk with a mountain of paperwork like usual, but despite the dark circles under his eyes, he seemed to be in a good mood. His pipe had been in his mouth, but he placed it aside and looked up at them expectingly.
"I assume that if you two are here, that means Pakura has safely arrived," Hiruzen remarked.
"Yes, we dropped her off at the house for the Sand Delegation," Space replied.
"Good, good."
"Is Minato still here?"
"No, he left to return to the Stone front yesterday. Are you taking his students with you?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes. Akari talked with Fugaku, who is willing to allow Kakashi to keep Obito's eye as long as he understands the importance of their friendship and the gift. She plans to assign her student, Shisui, to round out their team and keep them close to the main camp in hopes that it is safer," Space explained.
"A wise decision. How are things with the Uchiha?"
"Good. They have been incredibly helpful out in the field, and there hasn't been any conflicts within the army since we've settled into our rhythm."
"Good," he replied though his face did not look particularly happy.
Chrono rolled her eyes subtly while Space asked, "Are there orders ready for them, assigning them to the Mist front?"
Hiruzen opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out two scrolls. "I prepared these for you after Minato's request. Take good care of them. Kakashi has incredible potential, much like his father, so you must make sure that he still believes in the Will of Fire."
"Don't worry, Akari understands the importance of Kakashi and Rin," Space replied as she took the scrolls and tucked them away into a jacket pocket. "We'll gather the pair and return to the front at once."
"Good; keep up your good work on the Mist front," he replied dismissively.
Space nodded before she and Chrono teleported out of the office. The pair headed towards the hospital where Kakashi and Rin would likely be. Space started to walk towards the reception desk to inquire about the pair, but the two happened to turn the corner at that time.
"Akari sensei! What are you doing here?" Rin asked when she saw the clones.
"Minato pulled some strings and had you two transferred to my front, so we're here to pick you two up," Space explained, pulling out the two scrolls.
"He did?" Kakashi asked, taking the scroll and opening it right away.
"The Mist front?" Rin questioned.
"Yes. You've been medically cleared for duty, so with Kakashi's situation, it is better to address it quickly and with the proper respect," Chrono replied.
The white-haired boy with his eye hidden under his headband put a hand over it and said, "This was Obito's last wish."
"I know that, and Fugaku Uchiha knows that too, but he has a duty to his clan to ensure that their dojustu is not misused; it has incredible power and is the trademark of their clan. You'll need to formally request permission to keep the gift, but I promise that he will hear you out," Chrono explained.
"I understand," Kakashi replied as he tucked away his orders.
"Is there anything else that you need to do, or are you ready to leave?" Space asked.
"I'm ready to leave," he said without hesitation.
"I... I just... I'm ready to leave," Rin sighed.
"Would you like to see your family before you leave? I can stay behind while she takes Kakashi ahead; the journey will require two stops, so they can prepare camp for us," Space offered.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes, I'll head to market street and pick up some supplies while I wait for you to find me when you're ready," Space confirmed.
"Thank you, Akari sensei!" Rin said with a hint of smile, still aching from the loss of Obito, no doubt.
"Come closer, Kakashi, and we'll leave with the Flying Thunder God technique," Chrono instructed.
He nodded and stepped forward without glancing at Rin. There was a hint of disappointment on her face which she hid quickly, but both clones noticed it. It seemed that he needed a talk if Rin survived this mess ahead of them; after all, Kakashi had been single for his adult life in the series.
Chrono placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and they both vanished in a silver flash. Space and Rin left the hospital together and walked down the road before they parted ways. It was not the first time that one of Akari's clone had stopped by the stalls on market street, so they started preparing a large patch of their specialties when Space gave them a signal. By the time that she finished her usual string of restaurants, she teleported to the beginning and started to pick up the orders, sealing them away in a scroll for ease of transport. Rin rejoined Space near the end of her route, so she followed the clone to the last few stores then teleported away once the food was secured in a storage scroll.
~~~~~~~
About a kilometer away from the main camp's walls, two flashes of silver stopped and revealed Space, Chrono, Kakashi, and Rin. Both Kakashi and Rin were extremely pale, and Rin even collapsed to her knees, breathing hard as she resisted the urge to vomit. Space and Chrono chuckled to themselves as the clones with Space-Time affinity had developed a twisted amusement at their passengers suffering.
"Keep following the road and you'll see the walls of the main camp once you make it over that hill; you two head to the camp once you recover," Space said.
"Akari will expect you two within the hour," Chrono added.
"Th... thank you for taking us to the front," Kakashi managed to say with some difficulties.
The two clones gave them a nod then dismissed themselves. The forest around them was quiet, but that was common so close to the camp, especially with ninjas patrolling the area... and Shisui and I were sitting up in a nearby tree. We decided to check them out so that Shisui could see his new teammates before he truly joined them.
With the clones gone, Kakashi leaned back against a tree then slid down to a sitting position, groaning, "Never... never do that again."
"It wasn't pleasant," Rin agreed.
"I'm starting to understand why Commander Sarutobi scares people."
Rin straightened with effort. "Let's… just try to look normal when we arrive."
Recovering enough, Rin stood up and offered a hand to Kakashi. He rubbed his face, as if it would ease the discomfort of rapid teleportation but doing that raised his forehead protector enough to reveal the crimson eye hidden underneath. Shisui noticed the Sharingan and looked to me with surprise, but I simply held a finger to my lips. Rin helped Kakashi to his feet and the pair headed towards the main camp.
"Sensei… was that a Sharingan?" Shisui asked after they were far enough away.
"Yes, it was Obito's, his teammate," I answered. "Fugaku knows about it, and you'll be taking Kakashi to him once I meet with the pair."
"Understood," he replied with a more relaxed look on his face.
"Ready?" I asked.
He nodded, so I placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported us both back to the command center. Shikaku was sitting at the map table as usual and did not even bother looking up from his paperwork.
"You can head back to your quarters for now. I want to meet them with Shikaku first."
"Yes, sensei," he said with a nod before he walked out.
"Kakashi and Rin have arrived, I take it?" Shikaku asked.
"Yes, they should be here within an hour," I replied.
"Good... when do you want to send them out?"
"The day after tomorrow perhaps. I plan on testing their synergy tonight before I make any decisions; I also want Yuri to test Rin's skills with medical ninjutsu and knowledge. I can't send off my student before knowing they can work together; otherwise, Kakashi and Rin can find duties here while Shisui will remain in his position for now. He's barely ten and still contributes to the battlefield."
Shikaku chuckled as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it then said, "You baby him more than your own brother, so cold."
"My brother and his teammates were all taught by me together and put them through my own survival trial before I allowed them to take on serious missions... and they graduated with their class. Kakashi and Rin have served on the Stone front, so I know they are capable, and I don't doubt Shisui's ability," I retorted with a smirk. "Alert me when they arrive."
He waved his hand and turned his attention back to the scrolls in front of him. I chuckled and teleported below to my room which was lit by lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The passageway was closed, but with the wind tunnels that Earth had carved out over the months, there was still a light breeze underground. I walked over to my desk and picked up one of the two bracelets that I had purchased this morning from the city, checking the seals before tucking it into my pocket. It was a long shot to keep track of Rin if, and when, Madara made his move, but it was the least that I could do to provide them with custom, low-key signaling devices as my team had them as well.
I grabbed a few pieces of jerky and had a bite before I sensed Shikaku send chakra through the marked Nara Clan pin on his vest collar. Before teleporting up, I sent a message to Shisui asking him to come in a couple of minutes. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at me, turning slightly pale, while Rin gave me a weak smile.
"Commander Sarutobi," he said stiffly.
"Hatake. Nohara," I greeted with a nod. "Welcome to the Mist front. I see my clones brought you here in one piece."
"Yes, one piece," Rin replied with a subtly groan.
I chuckled, "You'll recover. Everyone does… eventually. Aside from motion sickness, how are you doing? Minato told me about Obito."
"Ready for duty, commander," Kakashi replied.
"Obito would want us to keep fighting to protect our friends and family back in the Village," Rin added.
"If that is your wish. I've arranged a few simple tests to see where I will assign you. My personal student, Shisui Uchiha, will join you two and form a team, joining the strike force, if you can pass my tests, otherwise, I'll split you two up and station you differently around camp," I ordered.
"Uchiha?"
"I don't think tha..." Kakashi started.
"Shisui is well known as my student, so he should be able to prevent any other Uchiha from giving you a hard time. He is also very capable, so he should work well with you two... Here he is now," I explained then noticed him approaching via the Flying Thunder God mark he carried on his belt.
Shisui walked into the command center without hesitation, but his appearance had changed slightly from before, making me shake my head with amusement. As rumors of the "Purple Sarutobi" and "Silver Flash" grew, he decided that he wanted to make his own legend on the battlefield. For his birthday five months ago, I took him to the port where he had found a half-mask that 'matched' his Ghost technique, he said.
When Shisui wore the mask, it transformed his usual calm, thoughtful presence into something sharp. The black-silver upper half framed his eyes perfectly, turning his Sharingan into the focal point. The pale ivory tusks curved outward beside his cheeks, giving him a predatory smile. With his dark hair framing the edges and the collar of his light armor beneath, the mask made Shisui look like a haunting, elegant devil.
Kakashi blinked at his appearance. Rin tilted her head. I barely managed to keep from laughing as Shikaku comment, "Give Rin a mask and their team will be unified."
I coughed to hide the chuckle that nearly escaped and said, "Tomorrow, I'll test you on your teamwork, but for now, Shisui, please take Kakashi to see Fugaku. Kakashi, you will need to show your sincerity if you want to keep your gift. You'll accompany me, Rin."
"Yes, commander/sensei," the trio said practically in unison.
I smiled and nodded at them. Shisui took that as his signal to leave, and Kakashi followed behind. Motioning towards Rin, I led her out of the command center and through the camp. As we walked, I pulled out the simple metal bracelet and handed it to Rin.
"Like my team and Shisui, I'm giving you something that is easily disguised, yet can still signal me if you are in danger. Unfortunately, I might not always be able to respond since I am the commander of this front, but I'll do my best," I explained.
"Thank you, Commander Sarutobi," Rin replied softly.
"I'm taking you to the medical building to have Yuri evaluate your skills; I want to see how much you've improved since the last time I trained you."
"I've worked hard over the last year," she said with a note of determination in her voice.
I sighed, realizing that I had hit a sore spot with her, but kept walking. Loss and grief went along with being a ninja like fighting and killing. Rin did not faulter either since she had changed a lot from the innocent, young kunoichi that graduated over three years ago.
We continued onto the stone building which acted as the camp's field hospital. Aside from the lack of advanced medical equipment and proper patient beds, Yuri had turned this place into a proper hospital that was only second to the one in Konoha, even using Earth's help to customize the surgery suite, storage rooms, and even offices as she needed it. The building was never full, thankfully, but it was everything that she could want in a field hospital, even causing a few complaints about our conditions when at the Sand front.
"Commander! How can I help you?" Yuri asked as she entered the large treatment room, having been called upon our arrival.
"Yuri, it's good to see you. I was hoping you could check Rin's knowledge and skill level with medical ninjutsu. I gave her some direction in the past, so I need to figure out where she is at to know what I need to teach her next," I explained and motioned to Rin next to me.
"Of course, Akari-sama," Yuri agreed with a kind smile.
"You're going to teach me more?" Rin asked with surprise.
I chuckled, "You may not have been one of my students like Kurenai, but Minato and Kushina are like family to me. If the war had not happened, you and Kurenai would have had lessons with me followed by rounds in the Konoha hospital. Honestly, Kurenai wants to focus on her genjutsu, so I need someone to inherit my medical knowledge and build on it like I did with Tsunade's legacy."
It was like her eyes transformed into tiny stars as they shined with pure excitement. Many young kunoichi idolized Tsunade, so suggesting that I wanted to teach her part of Tsunade's legacy was an easy way to make her happy, which was probably the first time in weeks.
"I won't let you down, Akari-sensei!" she exclaimed, just like she used to call me when I first taught her medical ninjutsu over three years ago.
"I know you won't," I said, ruffling her hair like I did to most of my students. "I'll have Shisui come by later and show you where your, and Kakashi's, room is when you are done here."
"Thank you," she said.
I gave her a smile and nodded then glanced at Yuri. She gave me an understanding nod then ushered Rin to one of the shelving units where she started asking questions about general first aid. Knowing that she was in good hands, I left Rin behind and headed back to the command center, wondering how the next few months would play out.
A/N: Sorry, holiday plans got switched around because of family stuff, delaying this chapter and the next one. I'll try to have the next one out Monday. Thank you all for your patience!