Chapter Text
Iruka had awoken with the worst migraine he had ever had, it felt like someone was ripping his head in half. His head lolled heavy on his neck and smacked into something hard and cold. Rock? He smelled dampness and earth. And he wanted so desperately to see his surroundings, but all he could do was try to let that frustration out with a shaky breath and try to orientate himself. So he let out a low click and felt the vibrations feed back to him. He was in someplace the size of a small room, but long. And it certainly echoed a lot more than a building. He was definitely somewhere underground. A cave? Likely.
Iruka was restrained, and he felt bindings around his wrists and fingers, which were definitely there to keep him from doing any hand signs. His legs were bound in a kneeling position, quite uncomfortably tight, and his legs were numb, and he was stuck to the stone wall by what felt like a metal bar. ‘Well this was going to be fun to get out of.’ Iruka thought to himself.
“Karuba?” Iruka spoke out with a garbled tone. His throat was dry and tasted stale. Karuba didn’t seem to be around, he couldn’t sense his chakra.
Iruka sighed and took slow, deep breaths to clear his airway, and fill his lungs with fresh, mentally stimulating oxygen. This was going to be fine, clearly he had been ambushed and taken by someone who didn’t like how close they were getting to the truth. Maybe this would lead to something helpful. He just needed to be careful.
Speaking of careful. He just realized he had made a couple sounds, and that wasn’t very sneaky of him. Wonderful, his captors likely had heard him. Though they were not currently in this room with him. And the thick rock made it hard to get a sense for things beyond what he could bounce the sound off of.
Then he heard footsteps. One person was coming his way from ahead of him somewhere, sounded like down a winding tunnel.
“Ah, sleeping beauty is awake. Wonderful. Time to get some information.”
This voice was intimately familiar to him, it was his own voice. This must be the fucker who was masquerading as him in order to get close to children to kidnap them. Iruka’s blood boiled.
“You’re not going to get away with this. Even if you hide your voice from me.” Iruka says, spitting venom with his tone.
“Oh, believe me, I will. And you’re going to help me.” The echo of his own voice speaking in a coquettish smug manner made Iruka feel sick, but he kept a straight face and decided to make the most of the time he had. So he took a deep breath and decided now was the best time to try something new he had been working on. His own ears be damned.
But before he got the chance, a blade was pressed to his throat and he felt a hot line of blood drip down his neck.
His captor tutted, and reprimanded him. “Now, now, let’s not do anything stupid. I just want to talk.”
Iruka was filled with fury, and fear. But he had to be strong. Help was surely on the way. And no one was more tenacious in an emergency than Sharingan Kakashi.
- - -
As Kakashi, Pakkun, and Karuba neared the cave, they took their positions and observed. The messages from the cave had stopped just a bit ago, and that was a tad suspicious. But it also made Kakashi worry that there wasn’t much time left to swoop in and take care of the situation.
“We don’t have time to wait for backup. Let’s get started. Pakkun. Search for multiple entrances and report back to me, Karuba you’re with me checking the front opening for traps and signs of the enemy. Let’s move.”
And move they did, stealthily and silently. There were a few traps, but no one guarding the opening that they could sense, smell, see, or hear. But that just meant they had to be extra cautious.
Kakashi set about defusing the traps, and Karuba kept watch. Then they moved back to their previous vantage point to wait on Pakkun.
Pakkun returned and reported one other entrance, but that it looked intentionally caved in, and he couldn’t smell any signs of Iruka being back there.
“So this is definitely a trap then.” Kakashi surmised. One entrance, no guards, just trapped. Something to try and throw them off. But Kakashi wasn’t going to let that work.
“We could try getting in through the back, since they don’t want us there. But that would be loud, and take a lot of resources. We aren’t exactly outfitted for that scale of entry.” Pakkun stated.
Kakashi nodded in agreement. “I think we should take the main entrance, and try to get to Iruka first, he seems to have information about the children, and the enemy. Maybe that will help us.”
“We should try to have a clone enter first. That may draw them out.” Karuba suggested.
“Good idea, and we’ll be close by to catch them off guard.” Kakashi knelt on the ground and focused on the plan. “We need to take them alive so they can be interrogated. I want this child trafficking ring to be obliterated.”
“You got it boss. Iruka wants that too. We all do.” Karuba comforted.
“Right, well let’s send in the clone.” Kakashi said and they got to work.
- - -
It didn’t go so well. The clone he sent in was dissipated by a Senbon so fast it even shocked Kakashi.
So he uncovered his sharingan to watch closer, and sent in another one. This one was taken out just as quickly. An immediately deadly hit quicker than most eyes could see. But with the sharingan he caught a glimpse of the direction it was coming from. A hidden turn in the cave, shielding the enemy from sight. This cave had rough walls and jagged corners. There were all sorts of crooks to hide in. This would be tricky.
“All right. I know where they are. We can sneak around the left side of the opening to avoid giving them the right angle to shoot at. Let’s take them out and move further in.” The ninken nodded and followed Kakashi.
The successfully made it into the first chamber of the cave and Karuba dove around the corner, staying low, hoping to catch them off guard by the angle of attack, and Kakashi came in immediately afterwards, kunai deflecting another senbon as they launched at the shinobi. They had their features covered, and retreated while volleying senbon in their direction. Using the tight cave walls to their advantage to slip away.
Kakashi called for a halt to their chase, and regrouped, as not to get overwhelmed. They even doubled back to the cave entrance to make sure they wouldn’t be flanked and caught in the middle. And sure enough, there was one of the members sneaking into the cave entrance. They had been watched. Sneaky fucker.
Kakashi lunged at the shinobi from around the bend they had been pushed into. Catching them off guard. A lethal strike to the throat. But the enemy exploded into smoke. Nothing but a clone.
‘Alright.’ Kakashi sneered under his mask. ‘This was going to be trickier than I thought.’ He confessed to himself.
The enemy was gaining information about them as they battled clones and sneak attacks. They didn’t have the numbers right now to play this game.
“Alright. Plan B!” Kakashi signed. And Karuba and Pakkun flanked him closely, as Kakashi started setting up traps of his own at the entrance, and in the tunnel they had just cleared part of. This would let him know if anyone followed them in from the front. Now they could focus on finding Iruka.
They made their way through turns and small caverns in the dark. Checking and setting traps. So far none of them had gone off. But that didn’t mean they were working. It just meant they could keep an eye on their six less often.
Eventually they found a room with a lantern. It held supplies and food. That was good. It meant they were getting closer.
Karuba sniffed the air and pawed Kakashi. Kakashi looked to Karuba, and Karuba pointed to the left of a fork in their path. Apparently he smelled something useful that way.
‘Iruka?’ Kakashi signed. And Karuba nodded yes, but he looked worried. Kakashi’s eyes widened for a moment before he refocused himself on their progress from here.
They made their way through the discombobulating bends and twists of the cave system here. And eventually made it to a corner that they could see light coming around. Kakashi paused. This was where Iruka was? And no guard in the tunnel? Odd.
But then Kakashi had to wonder if they were stupid enough to bother with Iruka, when getting out of the cave with the children was probably their priority.
Then Kakashi had a thought. ‘Pakkun.’ He signed quickly. ‘Did you actually touch the cave in. Was it REAL?’ He punctuated heavily as he signed.
Pakkun nodded.
Kakashi sighed in relief. But wondered just how many of these tunnels looped around and if there were exits further away than what they found. It was a huge possibility. And Kakashi’s head swam a bit at how horrible it was dealing with caves.
‘Okay. Let’s proceed.’ Kakashi refocused and could sense two chakra’s in the room, One unfamiliar, the other, Iruka.
Good. This they could handle. As long as no others joined the fray.
‘Keep watch.’ Kakashi signed at Pakkun. And Karuba flanked Kakashi.
They moved in tandem, and burst into the room, the shrouded figure with the senbon’s let a barrage loose against them, and Kakashi spied Iruka as he deflected them, and dodged. Kakashi gestured for Karuba to go to Iruka, and Kakashi made the shinobi his main target. He was fast as lightning, and got in close to the enemy, but they were quick too, and Kakashi had to make room between them because those Senbon needles were no joke. One wrong move and he could be made immobile, or worse.
They fought, a bit of push and pull with each other testing their guard and offense. Until they were both down on the ground, Kakashi was nicked by a senbon, but it was the perfect opening for Kakashi to kick the needles out of the shinobi’s hand. And tackled him to the ground. Pinning his arms down so he couldn’t throw more of them, Kakashi ripped the mask down off of their face in the scuffle, and saw none other than the face of the dead shinobi, Dai.
Rage bloomed in his core, that they would wear a dead shinobi’s face to hide their own. But before he got a chance to show that rage with his fists, the enemy slipped a needle out of his mouth and blew it at Kakashi’s face, Kakashi barely dodging to the side in time without letting this scum wriggle free.
But this Dai look alike would not go down easily. And they landed a hard strike of their knee directly to Kakashi’s gut, and ribs. Kakashi gasped and continued to try and grapple him as best he could.
Finally, Kakashi got a good hit or two in, and was able to knock them out. Silence descended, and he glanced over at Karuba and Iruka, who were side by side. Karuba was sniffing Iruka, and licking his wounds a bit. Karuba sneezed once. Iruka looked both strong and scared. And he was definitely injured. There was blood and lacerations all over him. Bleeding through his clothing, and Iruka was a bit slumped over.
Kakashi hurried to tie up the criminal, and finally went over to Iruka and said “Hey, Got your message. One down. Four to go. Let’s get you out of this.” And set to work assessing the way they had tied up his precious Iruka.
He removed the tape from his fingers, and tried to dislodge the pipe from the cave wall, but it was hammered in place really well. So he decided to ungag Iruka first, while he worked on the bindings around his wrists. Karuba was carefully taking a kunai to the bindings on Iruka’s legs. They would get him out of this in no time. Kakashi took a deep breath, trying to keep his head about himself and his task.
Iruka gasped and coughed when he was ungagged. And tested his voice out a few times before finally saying. “The kids- the kids are here. We have to get them. I don’t know how many there are, but I think they’re trying to get them out of here, like NOW!”
“We’re getting you free first, then we move together. Can you still fight?”
“I- Yes. I will fight for these kids to be free.”
“I didn’t mean ‘do you want to’. I meant ‘are you too injured?’”
“I know what you meant, Kakashi.” Iruka snapped, and then took a breath. “No. I’m not a liability. It’s all superficial.”
Kakashi finally sawed through the metal zip ties on Iruka’s wrists, and Iruka’s arms shot forward quickly, rubbing his wrists, before standing up and getting his body in gear.
“Hi Karuba. Good boy.” Iruka said and petted him briefly.
Kakashi stood and gave Iruka a once-over. Making sure there weren’t any obviously lethal injuries on him before they got moving. Kakashi moved his fingers along Iruka’s collar, and fixed his shirt. Pulling his dog tags out from under the collar as he did so. He gently tugged the necklace towards him, and kissed Iruka tenderly.
Iruka’s eyes shot open in surprise, but he kissed Kakashi back, sinking into the kiss, only for a moment before prompting Kakashi that they should get moving if they want to rescue the kids.
“I think I know the general direction towards the kids. I did some echolocation when they were gone. I think I can find them.” Iruka looked desperate to get going, and of course he would have agonized about being so close to them, and not being able to save the children.
Kakashi glanced at Karuba. Karuba sneezed, and Kakashi chuckled and nodded. “Excellent.” Kakashi said, and called Pakkun into the room. Kakashi gave Pakkun an order to stay here and guard the prisoner until reinforcements arrive, and to tell them they went further into the cave.
“Roger, boss!” Pakkun replied with a little snort, and sat on top of the unconscious enemy.
Kakashi looked at the bound shinobi, his disguise as Dai broken, revealing their true face. It wasn’t anyone they recognized. But that simply provided more questions.
Still, they had more to do yet. So Kakashi took a breath and said “Lead the way, sensei.”
Iruka nodded and headed out of the room, leading the way. The three of them moved onwards, and Iruka clicked and felt his way along the jagged walls, his hands getting scuffed and scraped as he hurried through the tunnels. And they occasionally swapped positions so that Kakashi could check around corners for the enemy, and or set traps behind them. And Karuba helped lead Iruka safely around rocks and holes in their path. Iruka was panting hard from the pace he was setting, but Kakashi was doing a good job of keeping pace with him. And so far the cave had been quiet. Too quiet.
Kakashi wondered if the kids would actually be there, or if they had already been moved. He kept it to himself though.
“I think it’s just ahead of here. Kakashi, can you scout ahead? Karuba back him up. I’ll follow you.
“Iruka, you need me to guide you. I’m not leaving you.” Karuba said and sat down stubbornly.
“Fine.” Iruka huffed and held onto Karuba’s harness, and walked forward with him. “Then I’m right behind you, Kakashi. Let’s go.”
“Okay.” Kakashi said, and moved forwards towards the distant glowing light.
Once they got to the neck of the room, Kakashi stopped, and Karuba did too. But Iruka stumbled and crashed into Kakashi, sending the both of them into the room without any preparation for what lay ahead. Kakashi tried to muffle his fall, but Iruka yelped, ruining that. So Kakashi did the next best thing he could think of. He tucked into a ball, and kicked Iruka with all of his might off of him and into the middle of the room. Karuba came up behind Kakashi, growling and barring his teeth, keeping ‘Iruka’ ahead of them in the room.
As Iruka, or who claimed to be Iruka, stood up. He rubbed his torso and turned around, the lie revealed.. “Ahhhhh, that really hurt, how could you do that to me ‘My Love.’” The imposter said, and took out his weapons.
“You’re not ‘my love.’” Kakashi said bluntly. And crouched, ready for attack as he assessed the whole room. There was one additional enemy in here, and next to them was the REAL Iruka. And best of all he was awake and breathing. Now the real fight would begin.
- - -