Chapter Three || 第3章

Simplicity || 単純さ

"Simplicity makes me happy, and to be happy is all that matters." A. Keys and A. Hepburn

"Tenzou," Kono tried to shake her comrade back to consciousness. "Wake up. Tenzou? Tenzou?"

After a few more futile attempts, she sighed and turned to Kakashi. "He's not going to wake up. I'll carry him back."

"You sure? I can do it." Kakashi offered.

She gave him an amused look, dropping her shoulders with a sigh, "Mhmm, while also carrying the chakra prison? I don't think so."

Scratching the back of his neck, Kakashi gave a closed-eye smile in response, "Well, I wouldn't exactly be carrying a chakra prison. Just a sealed capsule of wanted man." He chuckled. "Are you questioning my capabilities?"

"Of course not," she stifled a small laugh. "You're . . . How do I say this nicely? . . . one of a kind."

He raised an eyebrow half-heartedly, "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Kono dodged the question. "That I'm going to gather the bodies of Kikkoma's subordinates and transfer them to a space-time scroll while you wrap up sealing Kikkoma."

"Hn," Kakashi grunted, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Of course. Of course that's what you meant."

She laughed as she turned to gather the bodies-shadows streaked with moonlight consuming her very being.

One hand in his pocket, the grey-haired shinobi sighed with a contemplative expression. Kono's presence was calming in contrast to the other ANBUs he was assigned missions with. It would be a lie to say that he didn't look forward to every mission with her.

"Aish," he snapped out of his daze, opening his backpack for the sealing materials. The things Kono did to him.

"Ready?" Kono asked, folding the scrolls containing the corpses.

Kakashi performed one last hand seal to secure his fūinjutsu before teasing with a tepid salute, "Yes, ma'am."

She quickly gave him a look of faux annoyance, "'Ma'am' my ass."

The copycat nin waved off his jest as he tied the sealed Kikkoma around his back, "Hai, hai. Let's get going."

With that being said, Kakashi threw her a teasing glance and leapt into the canopies, leaving Kono to hastily steady Tenzou on her back and follow suit.

It wasn't long before Kono caught up to her captain, and she didn't hesitate to chide him the moment she did, "You couldn't wait one more second?"

"I said 'let's go,' didn't I?" he joked, not missing a beat in his brisk pace back to Konoha.

Scrunching her brow, Kono paused, as if to replay the memory in her head, "I don't think so. You said 'let's get going.' I'm pretty sure there's a difference."

Kakashi mused, "Meaning lies in its interpretation. The point is that you should've been ready."

"Oh, so are you going to lecture me now?"

Kakashi glanced back at her briefly, "I don't know, should I?"

"Of course not," she replied without missing a beat. "I'm not the one who needs lecturing."

"And I am?" His look quickly changed to that of a small smirk as he made eye contact with her. "And what would you lecture me in? Got any hidden specialties?"

She shook her head at him, training her face straight ahead, unsure if there was any hidden connotation behind his words. "You're crazy," she muttered under her breath.

"Hmm, what'd you say?" Kakashi further teased, the closed-eye smile plastered across his face letting her know that he heard what she said.

Before Kono could quip back, the shinobi propped on her back groaned, words barely comprehensible. "A-Are you guys bickering again?"

Kakashi and Kono exchanged looks before chuckling.

"Well, well," Kakashi goaded. "Look who's finally awake. Guess we didn't need you that much after all."

Groggily, Tenzou tried to wind up an arm to punch the scarecrow but failed due to his fatigue. "If I had enough energy, I'd slap you, senpai."

Kono chuckled before clearing her throat in guise. Tenzou was giving her his signature glare, and if anything scared her, it was that glare- the glare that could see through your soul and darkest thoughts and turn your sweetest dreams into nightmares.

"Tsk," Kono chided, not only defending Tenzou from any more of Kakashi's taunts but also defending herself from Tenzou's glares. "You guys are such children."

"You're one to talk," Tenzou deadpanned. "You're the one tolerates all of this-" Gesturing up and down at the grey-haired shinobi. "-This mess."

"Oh, I'm a mess?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck innocently. "Haha, I didn't know that."

Tenzou stared at him inscrutably, eyes deadpanning once again, "You're nothing but a mess, senpai." He then turned to Kono, saying, "Thanks for carrying me. I can support myself from here."

The team paused their trek, and just as the wood-user tried to get off Kono's back, he tripped backwards, but Kono caught him by his arm.

"Support yourself from here, eh?" Kono teased with a small smile before proceeding to re-prop Tenzou on her back.

Tenzou sighed, compensating his prior statement with a small smile, "Sorry, senpai. I owe you one."

She waved it off, "No need to owe anyone anything."

"You're the best, senpai," he smiled at her before turning to Kakashi with a one-eighty change in tone- his signature glare in effect. "Unlike you."

"What?" Kakashi pointed at himself, continuing his innocent charade. "What did I do?"

"You-" Tenzou raised his finger at his captain shaking with fake anger. "You . . ."

"You what?" Kakashi smiled innocently at his friend's response.

Tenzou quickly turned to Kono, "Can you near him so I can smack him?"

Kono laughed before replying with a tranquil smile on her face, "No, we're going home. Stop it, you two."

Her attempt to calm their banter failed as the two bickered onward.

"I hate you, you know that?" Tenzou shouted at Kakashi.

"Sh," Kakashi pressed his finger to his mask, teasing. "You'll awaken the monsters in the forest who'll eat you up alive."

"Oi!" the wood-user at this point was fuming, smoke escaping his ears. "I'm not a kid!"

"What?" Kakashi feigned shock. "I could have sworn . . ."

Tenzou clenched his fist like no tomorrow, trying to figure out how to respond to the scarecrow.

Kono smiled ruminatively at the scene before her- Kakashi acting all innocent and Tenzou trying to reason with the playful nin. Their conversation would carry on all the way back to Konoha, and Kono couldn't help but chuckle at their affable antics.

At the rate of their banter, they reached the gates of Konoha before daybreak, and once they did, Kakashi was quick to assign their roles.

"Kono," Kakashi instructed. "Take Tenzou to the ANBU clinic and then rendezvous with me at Intelligence Division. Don't forget the scroll. I'll bring Kikkoma to Ibiki and then we'll discuss with him and Inoichi regarding what we should do with the scroll."

"No, no," Tenzou tried to assure Kakashi. "I'm fine. Let's go to the intelligence division first. Worry about me later."

"No," Kakashi responded sternly, "Your health comes first. Don't try to dissuade me on this. It's obvious you're in pain." And with that, Kakashi gently tapped his partner's ankle, at which the wood user grimaced in response.

"H-hai," Tenzou reluctantly acquiesced.

Kono nodded, "Then it's settled. See you in a bit, Kakashi."

And the two of them dispersed.

"Rest up, okay?" Kono patted Tenzou on his back.

"As if I-. Hn," Tenzou tensed as the medic inserted an IV in his arm. "As if I have a choice."

Kono smiled softly, "Don't cause too much trouble."

"I won't," Tenzou chuckled as she turned to leave the room.

"Shunshin no jutsu," Kono performed the tiger seal before appearing at the steps of the intelligence division.

"Right on time," said Kakashi, leaning on the side of the entrance.

Kono nodded, grabbing the scroll strapped at her side pocket. "Where are Ibiki and Inoichi?"

"They're reviewing their approach to crack Kikkoma, so we're just going to take the scroll to the autopsy division for now. The Hokage will meet us there for a report."

"I'm assuming you briefed them already then?" Kono asked as they headed inside the building.

Kakashi nodded, "It's weird though. It's been so long, I forgot Ibiki and I were in the same graduating class. He's done so much in the division already that it feels like he's been there forever."

Kono chuckled, "Time sure flies."

They took one last turn before entering the main autopsy room. There, Kono released the corpses from the scroll.

"Kaifū no jutsu," Kono performed the appropriate hand seals to release the bodies of Kikkoma's subordinates. They then proceeded to set the bodies on the mortuary tables.

A familiar puff of smoke came into view, and both Kakashi and Kono stood straight to greet the approaching figure.

"Sandaime," they both addressed before kneeling.

Taking one last huff from his pipe, the Hokage replied, walking over to one of the autopsy tables, "What is your report?" The question was phrased more so like a statement, and his voice was groggy as usual from his smoking habits.

The kunoichi quickly glanced at Kakashi, as if to mentally hint that she would be giving the report.

"Kakashi, Tenzou, and I were surveying the perimeter of the Hācho Village when the enemy closed in on us. We then dispersed and eliminated his subordinates individually. In the process, Tenzou engaged with Kikkoma, resulting in his incapacitation. Kakashi and I then formulated a plan to capture him. We managed to cut some of his chakra circulation before Kakashi subdued him with Raikiri. We then sealed him in a chakra chamber before we transferred him into a mummified seal. I noticed nothing abnormal in his health and thus only did basic healing. However, we will wait the official results from the coroner for a more complete analysis.

"Also during the engagement, Kikkoma was able to list points from our personal history and details,. It was as if he somehow got his hands on the locked ANBU files in the vaults and read off them verbatim, indicating substantial memory abilities. The vaults also hold the Daimyō's personal files. Hence, if anything, I believe that Kikkoma was somehow able to access the vault by either breaking in or by code to get to the files. I may be out of line, but I would recommend changing the codes and locks to be safe."

"I see," the Third nodded, stroking his chin. "I will have Genma coordinate changing the vault locks. Did the intelligence division notify you when they will be able to extract the information?"

This time, it was Kakashi who replied, "They said to expect results within the week, though they should be able to get at least partial results within a day or two."

"Good," the Hokage thought aloud. "This is of utmost priority as of the moment. The Daimyō will have my head if I don't execute the man by the end of the week."

He sighed before continuing, "Finish up the paperwork for the mission and turn it in by tomorrow."

"Yes, Sandaime," both Kono and Kakashi responded before giving a curt bow. They both performed a sequence of hand seals before materializing in front of the thirteenth training ground.

"Well," Kakashi sighed as he took off his ANBU mask. "Good work. Mission complete."

Kono copied hsi action before scratching the back of her neck, "I wouldn't exactly call it complete until the paperwork is finished."

Kakashi rubbed his temple, "You just had to remind me."

Kono gave a small laugh, teasing, "It's my job as your subordinate, taichou."

"Aish," Kakashi flushed, leaning against the nearest tree. "Don't call me that."

Kono chuckled in response, walking over to stand beside him.

They stood there contently for a few more minutes, enjoying the little break they finally got by appreciating the scenery around them. The dawn was breaking with a few rays slipping through the canopies of the trees. Birds began to chirp their morning alarms with breezes carrying them far and wide. Kono took a deep breath to take in the moment, and Kakashi's sole eye quietly observed her from its periphery.

"Say," Kakashi suggested relaxedly, his leg propped up against the tree and arms now behind his head. "Would you be up for some training tomorrow?"

Kono paused, as if to mentally check if she had any plans or activities or not for the proposed date, before leaning further against the tree to face him with a tranquil smile, "Sounds good to me."

Kakashi responded with a content expression across his face, turning his stance to face her while shifting his arms so that they were now crossed. They locked gazes, each taking in the other's presence, before Kono subconsciously reached out her hand to fix a stray lock of his hair. Kakashi drew in his breath at her sudden action, observing her every movement- from her subawarely twirling his hair as she styled it back to her arm's hesitant return back to her side. They held their gaze for a few more moments before Kono snapped out of her daze, tearing her eyes away to the ground and gripping her hand close to her chest.

She gave a small, somewhat nervous, laugh as she stood up, barely giving Kakashi enough time to react, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she was gone in a puff of smoke.

"Wait-," he reached out after her to no avail, only the tendrils of smoke remaining where she stood. He slightly tugged his mask down to reduce the heat that had risen to his cheeks and stared the dawn, its flares of pink and red clashing with that of his own blush. "Aish."

He stood there for a few more minutes before leaving for the lockers to change and return home.