Wards and Watching
Chapter 4: Wards and Watching
Week 1
Sasuke-
Sasuke ran.
They’d been running for days towards the school that was the object of their mission. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san had set a pace and their Cells followed them without complaint, so it seemed that they would reach their destination on time. Sasuke kept pace beside Naruto and while they had, at times, attempted to race one another, they hadn’t been able to move far ahead before Kakashi-sensei called them to heel.
Scotland was covered in snow. The air was crisp, clean. Everything felt new, but while Sasuke had been initially grateful to leave Konohagakure, he found that being away from it had presented another anxiety for him. He found that he constantly worried about Orochimaru finding him since he’d left the safety of the village. It was extremely unlikely; there was no reason to think he would even know where to look for Sasuke, but Orochimaru was… beyond reason.
“Right,” Gai-san called out, dragging Sasuke out of his thoughts. “Here we are.”
Everyone stopped. They were at the edge of a vast, dark forest. To the left and right, it seemed to stretch on for miles. It wasn't as intimidating as the Forest of Death, of course, but it was still a sight to behold with old trees and the distant cries of animals. Sasuke stared at the forest, trying to see what creatures could be making the noises, but he saw nothing beyond the first few yards as the trees were too thick. The Forest of Death that surrounded Konohagakure had trees many times larger and Sasuke knew what dangerous creatures lurked in the shadows of that forest.
A chill ran up Sasuke’s spine. He looked away from the trees. He’d met Orochimaru in The Forest of Death. To get his thoughts away from that memory, Sasuke turned his attention to the two Cells.
Sakura didn’t like the sudden stop and stood tensely with her fingers dangling near her hip where her kunai - a small dagger - was holstered. "What's wrong? We're close, aren't we?"
Kakashi-sensei waved his hand, as if to dismiss her misgivings. “Nothing’s wrong and, yes, we are close. We just need to see to a minor detail before we enter the territory of the wizards.” He gestured to the forest. “This is the Forbidden Forest and marks what the wizards consider the boundary of the Hogwarts School. That means we have one thing to do before we can continue on."
"Why? How long will this take?" Naruto had never been known for his patience. He tapped one foot irritably and scowled at the forest, eager to get moving. No doubt he wanted to make as good an impression as possible at their first important mission in months. "Can't we just go?"
"The school is on the other side of this forest, about a four day's walk, a couple of hours run for us." Kakashi-sensei's eye sparkled, making it seems as if he were smiling. "If you're so impatient, go on ahead of us."
Naruto, who took everything at face value, nodded and grinned. "I'll meet you on the other side of the forest, then!" He didn't get far. Naruto bound towards the forest's edge, but stopped very suddenly. He put his hands to his stomach and turned back to face them looking quite pale. "What…what is this?"
"Oh?" Kakashi-sensei asked. "Is something wrong?"
Gai-san shook his head. "Don't tease him. It's unkind. Come back here, Naruto. You won't like trying to force your way into that forest."
Stubborn as he always was, Naruto did try to take another step forward, but his face suddenly went green and he flinched and doubled over in pain. He didn't try again and walked back to the group. As he walked, Naruto's back straightened and the discomfort faded easily from his face. "What's wrong with this place? I felt like I was going to be sick. It was awful. Worse than that flu I had."
Sasuke remembered that flu. For a week and a half Naruto had been confined to bed while he suffered terrible aches and a fever. He hadn’t wanted to eat anything and had therefore lost a good deal of weight. It had taken days to get his strength back, even with helpful advice from everyone Iruka-sensei knew. Even Tsunade had come to help with her legendary healing talent, but nothing made any difference. Nothing Iruka-sensei tried had been able to ease Naruto's pain. It had been so bad that near the end, Naruto had cried.
"I'm tired," Naruto had whispered with tears drying on his cheeks. His eyes were closed and Tsunade had sadly said that Naruto was more asleep than awake and might not even be aware of what was going on around him or what he was saying. "Let me sleep."
But Iruka-sensei had bathed Naruto's face with water. "Not yet. You can't sleep yet. Stay awake and talk to me. Come on, talk to me, son."
Sasuke had never heard Iruka-sensei call Naruto ‘son’ and he wondered if Iruka-sensei knew how much it would mean to Naruto if he had been awake enough to hear it.
All through Naruto’s sickness, Iruka-sensei had sat with Naruto and spoken to him, patting Naruto’s hair, fluffing his pillow, or straightening his blankets. He didn’t hesitate to change sweaty pajamas or bed sheets so Naruto could at least get a little comfortable sleep. Sasuke brought food and drink for Iruka-sensei and every few hours Kakashi-sensei would take Iruka-sensei’s place at Naruto’s side after he chased Iruka-sensei away to get rest.
Naruto didn’t open his eyes. "Let me sleep. Please let me sleep. It hurts. Everything hurts. I’m cold. Let me sleep."
"Not yet."
Seeing Naruto half-laying on Iruka-sensei's lap, unable to wake, had frightened Sasuke more than he'd wanted to admit. It was too easy to think that Naruto, with all his immense power, was nearly invincible. He wasn’t. Despite the demon trapped inside him, Naruto was mortal and Sasuke had honestly thought Naruto might die during those last days. His recovery had been celebrated by his friends as nothing less than a miracle.
If the pain of just walking towards the Forbidden Forest was so terrible, they wouldn't be able to complete the mission.
Gai-san answered, "It's not the forest, but the people who live on the other side that have caused the feeling, Naruto. The wizards are a suspicious, frightened people and firmly believe that all those without magic should be kept out of 'their' world. To do that they've put spells on…"
"What?" Naruto asked. "Hold on! Wait! Spells?"
"Spells are rather like genjutsu. Wizards deal quite a bit with illusions and power manipulation. The sickness you felt just now was a spell to repel people with no magic."
"But," Sakura looked at the forest with a frown. "We can do genjutsu. Why would this spell affect us? Ah," she flushed a little and glanced at Lee, guiltily. "Well… I mean…"
Lee laughed and waved away her concern. His lack of chakra was well-known and apparently he wasn't sensitive about it. As far as Sasuke was concerned, Lee had nothing to be sensitive about. Considering his skills of taijutsu, Lee was just as valuable an asset to the village as anyone.
Kakashi-sensei slipped off his backpack and sat cross-legged on the ground with Gai-san. "My brilliant young student, aren't you listening? Magic is LIKE genjutsu. The two are not the same. We do not use magic and they do not use genjutsu." He took a pot of ink stopped with a cork out of this bag and set it on the ground in front of him.
Tenten nodded thoughtfully and balanced a long senbon needle on the tip of a finger with practiced ease. "Which is more powerful?"
"Neither. They are simply different," Gai-san cheerfully told her as he, too, took ink out of his bag. "Both powers are great, though I think I can safely say that shinobi’s have an advantage over wizards. Did you know that they aren't allowed to kill? They aren't even allowed to hire people to kill for them."
"In fact, if word gets out that this headmaster has hired us he would probably be convicted of a crime." Kakashi-sensei's shoulders shook, as if he were laughing. "He must be desperate to risk so much. But even if he does get caught, they won't kill him. They'll imprison him."
Sasuke frowned. "I don't understand. Is that all?"
"Well, in their defense, their only prison is rather nasty, I'm told. Perhaps it's bad enough to make death look lenient by comparison. That’s not really our business, though. Come here, everyone, and we’ll show you how we’re going to work around their magic.”
Kakashi-
The whole taboo about killing was just another facet of the wizard community that Kakashi found amusing. He kept silent while Gai went on about the strange habits of the wizards. Of course, he already knew all of what Gai was saying. He, like most of his rank, had spent time in the wizard community doing undercover work or carrying out other missions. Kakashi's last time in the wizard community had been a simple assassination of some minor politician.
The Cells went to their sensei’s when they were told to and sat down with them. No one complained about the snow melting into their clothes. Cold was just another inconvenience shinobi were trained to ignore.
Kakashi said, “Now, what you have to worry about is the difference between magic and genjutsu. There is enough of a difference between the two for there to be problems. What Naruto felt when he approached the forest is what people with no control over magic feel whenever they get close to it because there is a magical spell cast on the forest. The theory behind this particular spell is that anyone with no magic will leave because they don't like the feeling of the forest. As we have no magic," Kakashi held up his bottle of ink. "We must ward ourselves against their spells. We are going to draw wards on all of you to prevent the magic of this place from affecting you. That’s all it will do. It will make you able to walk into that forest without feeling ill.”
With a flourish Gai dipped the tip of his index finger into his inkpot then motioned for his Cell to gather closer around him. Kakashi wondered what it was like to have such an obedient Cell. Gai said, "My most esteemed rival and myself have come prepared for the challenges these wizards throw. We will get passed the magic. Lee, you’re up first!” He practically shouted it as he beamed at his student. “I think the arms will be enough. Sleeves up.”
Lee smiled in return, obviously pleased to have been chosen, and quickly pushed the sleeves of his green jumpsuit up to his elbows. He didn’t hesitate for an instant, the perfect image of trust and obedience.
Kakashi looked at his Cell, all of them looking apprehensive. Still, they watched as Gai easily drew on Lee’s left arm and then on his right. A line here, a swirl there, a protective symbol, and before long, Lee had been warded against the magic of the forest.
“That’s it?” Naruto almost laughed. He went to sit in front of Kakashi and happily got his own warding. He pushed his sleeves up and happily let Kakashi draw on his arms. “Why are they on the arms? What do the symbols mean? Is it a special kind of ink? Can we keep them forever, ‘cause I think they’d be real handy to have if I have to come back here.”
Kakashi grinned a little at Naruto’s questions. The boy might have faults, but curiosity was a sign of intelligence, he’d heard. “They are on the arms because your arms are easy to get to and so long as you don’t roll your sleeves up they won’t be visible to anyone. It is not a special kind of ink. No, you can’t keep them forever.”
Through it all, Sasuke stared. Sasuke stared alternately between Kakashi and Gai. His face was pale and his hands trembled. When he realized Kakashi was watching him, Sasuke lowered his eyes to the snow around his boots.
'If I find Orochimaru, I'll kill him.' Because Kakashi, as Cell leader, had been told what Orochimaru had done to Sasuke and he felt such a rage at what had been done to one of his kids. It had not escaped his notice or Iruka's that Sasuke avoided being touched if he could at all help it. 'He hurt my student. My kid.'
"Problem?" Kakashi asked Sasuke, as casually as he could. Of course there was a problem. His entire Cell had problems. "Come along. Don't stare at me. I'll start to think you don't trust me."
"My most favorite rival would not take advantage of his Cell by doing anything inappropriate," Gai-san cheerfully reassured them.
Sasuke flinched. No doubt he flinched at being so obvious.
"You think too poorly of your jonin if you worry so. This is all necessary. Without these wards, you won't be able to complete the mission." Gai dipped his finger into the inkpot and drew out the bright blue ink, wiping off the dripping excess on the edge of the pot's mouth. "Neji, it’s your turn."
Kakashi had been watching Sasuke when Gai spoke. The reaction was subtle, but it was there. Sasuke frowned and his eyebrows drew together. Good. He knew how important the mission was. Not just for the sake of the commission the village was getting, but for Sasuke himself.
Sakura raised her chin. "Right. This is part of the job. We can do this. We can ALL do this.” And she gave Sasuke an encouraging smile. “I’ll go next.” Sakura, who was, without a doubt, the brightest of his students, had known all along how vital it was that Sasuke complete this mission without any mistakes. She would do everything she could to support her cellmate.
Naruto’s arms were quickly done and Kakashi dismissed him and had Sakura sit in front of him. Due to the cold weather, she, too, wore long-sleeves and she pushed them up to her elbows and held out both arms to Kakashi.
"So, what are wards?" Sakura asked. "Are they like seals? Do we need to worry about Naruto’s… you know?"
Kakashi did know and he felt a warm pride at having such a smart student to have thought of that detail. Naruto bore a seal on his stomach that trapped the nine-tailed fox demon inside him. “No. That’s a strong seal and the wards we’re putting on your arms protect all of you. He’ll be fine. Wards and seal are a little different. Seals literally seal something whether that be a demon or a curse." His eyes flickered to Sasuke and the curse mark on his throat that was still clearly visible. It was also very well sealed. "Wards are a protection from something. In our case, the wards will act like a mask and allow us to pass through the magic protecting this place. It will make the magic perceive us as wizards and ignore us. It's not too difficult, if you know what you're doing. Fortunately, Gai and I DO know what we're doing. There, you’re all done."
Sasuke-
It was all entirely proper.
Sasuke knew that Kakashi-sensei wouldn’t hurt them. He’d had plenty of opportunity since he’d become their sensei and they’d come under his care and protection, but he had never done anything that would hurt them. Gai-san, also, was entirely harmless when it came to his Cell. He was, in fact, almost overprotective. The very idea that either of them would hurt their Cells was nonsense. So the fear Sasuke felt when he watched Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei touch the bare skin of their students was utterly ridiculous. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t help it.
'Naruto calls Kakashi-sensei a pervert… he doesn't get it.' Because real perverts were nothing like Kakashi-sensei who just read raunchy books. Real perverts touch and say things… and do things…
Sakura, Tenten, and Neji had their arms marked with ink the same as their cellmates had and soon everyone was done but Sasuke. He dreaded the moment, but when it came he steeled himself and obediently went to sit in front of his sensei.
"This won't hurt,” Kakashi-sensei told him. “You can do this?"
"I trust you." And even if he didn't, Sasuke wouldn't have admitted it in front of Cell 9. He wouldn’t make his Cell look weak.
Sasuke twitched when Kakashi-sensei touched his arm, but immediately forced himself to be still. 'It's for the mission. It's important.' He tried hard to stay still and silent. Kakashi-sensei's hands weren't as long or as soft as Orochimaru's were. He didn't leer. He didn't…
Sasuke tried to focus on the other people around him to drag his thoughts away from Orochimaru. Neji kept his arms bare, letting his ink dry. Tenten checked and rechecked the scrolls that contained her hidden weapons. Those weapons were unlikely to be needed on such a mission, but she was a girl who liked to be prepared. Naruto paced around them, swinging his arms with pent-up energy. Sakura sat at Kakashi-sensei’s side, watching carefully as he drew the marks on Sasuke’s arms.
"I'm done," Kakashi-sensei said, at last.
"Is that it?" Naruto asked. "Are we done? Can we go?"
"Only if you want to go in without us old men to slow you down." Gai-san laughed at himself even as he and Kakashi-sensei turned to each other. "You didn't think jonin would be immune to magic, did you?" They drew the wards on each other’s arms and, when they’d finished, they stood up and had to stop their students from running into the forest. Gai-san beamed at them. "So full of spirit! I'm proud of you all! But as we will be here for three weeks there is one more precaution we must take." Gai-san called his Cell to him and had them stand side-by-side while Kakashi-sensei did the same with Cell 7.
Facing their students, Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san began a fast, long series of hand movements. Their hands moved so quickly that they seemed to blur as Sasuke watched. It went on and on, tiring just to watch. Kakashi-sensei looked at Sasuke even as his hands continued to speed through the hand signs. "I'm sorry. This might be a bit uncomfortable." Both men shot their arms out and a force struck hard enough to throw Sasuke off his feet.
When Sasuke woke, Naruto was shaking his shoulder and Sakura was gently slapping his face. Sakura let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness. We were starting to think you wouldn't wake up. I thought you'd be the first one up, not Lee."
Sasuke sat up with their help. He wasn't hurt, but shaken. Kakashi-sensei offered a hand to help Sasuke to his feet. "I did warn you."
"What was that?" Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the offer of help. He wasn't that weak. He didn't need help just to stand.
"The wards had to be locked. Now, they won't simply wash off when you wash or if you're caught in the rain. They're only made of ink, you know. We can take them off when the mission's over." Kakashi-sensei then said, “I’m afraid the locking of the wards can affect people differently. If it makes you feel better, you weren’t the only one knocked out, Sasuke.”
Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san turned to each other. They didn't exchange a word before they started the series of hand signs over again. They threw their power at each other. Unlike their students, neither jonin fainted. Both staggered a bit, but they stayed on their feet.
"And we're done," Kakashi-sensei told them, at last. "Let's get moving, shall we? As soon as we reach the school grounds our mission starts. The sooner it starts, the sooner we can go home." He and Gai-san took off together, leading their students through the Forbidden Forest at a comfortable dash.
Later-
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was massive.
On the edge of the forest, Sasuke stood on a branch high in one of the old trees and looked out at the school.
Lacking elegance and grace, the school made up for it in sheer mass. The place was big. There was no other way to describe the castle. Sasuke had never actually seen a castle before, but he had to admit to being impressed. He'd never had a place as the target of a mission before and the mission intrigued him. There would be no killing or guarding, just looking for clues and loopholes in security.
"Flaw number one," Neji landed on the tree branch next to Sasuke. "Assumption of invulnerability. We haven't encountered a single guard or any protection other than the spell we've already bypassed."
"Agreed," Sasuke said, softly. "So, we know shinobi can get in." Sasuke thought, 'If the wards stay in place, this shouldn't be too difficult.'
Sasuke had never had to deal with wizards directly, though he had heard of them. He knew they were considered a dangerous society for their illogical ways, overly complicated laws, and cruelty. Law in shinobi villages was simple - the head of the village was always obeyed, absolutely.
"I have heard my uncle speak of Hogwarts," Neji said. "He spoke about it during lessons when we were young, when it was thought that Hinata-sama would head the clan one day and would need the information. This is a powerful place, not only magically, but politically. The headmaster is deeply respected by all levels of their government."
There was a large lake and a massive tree. Sasuke saw a wide field with high bleachers and, a short distance from where Neji and Sasuke stood, there was a large, round stone hut with billowing smoke wafting from a chimney. The land was covered in snow, a white blanket that sparkled in the afternoon sun. Somehow, even in the deep of winter, the trees around them held onto their leaves. It was a beautiful place.
"Uchiha, if you betray us again," Neji didn't look at Sasuke. "I will kill you. There will be no mercy from the Hokage. No more chances."
"I understand." Neji would not have an easy job of it. No matter what the circumstances, Sasuke had survived too long to give up his life easily. "I will not hurt my Cell."
"And the rest of us?"
Sasuke held his silence. He would offer no promises to another Cell. It was his Cell and Iruka-sensei who had stood by him when he'd needed them. They were the ones who still believed in him after all he'd done.
"More than just your Cell went to take you back from Orochimaru, Uchiha."
"You went to stop me from helping Orochimaru even if it meant killing me. You went because the Hokage wants my bloodline limit for the future of Konohagakure. She cannot have the sharigan dying with me. My Cell went to save me." Sasuke stared hard at Neji. "There is a difference."
Neji seemed to think about what Sasuke said. "Perhaps. I will still kill you at the first sign of betrayal. MY Cell is here and I won’t let you put them in danger."
Sasuke could hardly argue with that. "Understood.”
"Can you see anything with the sharigan?"
Sasuke activated his sharigan - his eyes turned blood red with swirling black tomoe marks - and looked carefully at the students milling around the school. "Interesting. I see…" It was hard to describe. Sasuke had never seen anything quite like it. The sharigan was a unique talent limited to Sasuke’s family and it allowed him to see so well that he could almost instantly understand and copy anything he watched someone do. He could see chakra, but… what he saw… "It’s not chakra. It must be their magic. It’s different, but I can see energy being drawn to them. Chakra comes from within, but this magic is coming from all around. It looks like it's coming out of the air around them. It hovers around them like an aura. I need to get closer. From what Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san have said, wizards can be very dangerous."
Neji scoffed. "I don't believe they're a real threat to us. They can't control chakra. I doubt a single one of them even knows how to properly use their own body. Still, we shall see once we get a closer look at them." Neji focused on the school and then turned his eyes up to a flock of owls soaring overhead. "A closer look is definitely in order."
Hogwarts didn't look like a school.
School, to Sasuke, was the Academy.
When Sasuke had gone to the Academy for the first time, it was his big brother, Itachi, who had walked him there and introduced him to Iruka-sensei. "Stand up straight," Itachi had whispered to Sasuke as they walked down the wide halls of the Academy. "You want Umino-sensei to think well of you, don't you? Did you remember your lunch?"
Later, Itachi had butchered the family.
The Academy was a small building with only four classrooms, one classroom each for the nine, ten, eleven, and twelve-year-old classes. Roughly fifteen students to a class, so there were rarely more than eighty students in the whole academy at any one time. There were four teachers, each one staying with a single group of students for four years, until they graduated. For four years, Sasuke had studied under Iruka-sensei, the best of the teachers. The other teachers were nothing. He couldn't even remember their faces and decided that it was good fortune that put him in Iruka-sensei's class.
How many students resided in the school called Hogwarts? The place was bigger than some villages Sasuke had passed through. Perhaps there were hundreds of students. Perhaps it wasn't entirely a school, but only a few rooms that were being used. The rest of the castle could be deserted, for all that Sasuke knew.
"You two coming or what?" Naruto interrupted Sasuke's thoughts as he swung up next to Neji. He grinned. "Sakura has a plan all worked out."
Back at camp they found Sakura where they'd left her, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her wide brow furrowed in thought and her eyes unfocused. The only difference in their encampment was that Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei had pulled their bags into the high trees where, they told their students, they would be spending the night.
It was after they'd eaten and exchanged information about what they'd seen in their brief scouting mission that Sakura told everyone what she'd decided was the most effective plan. "It's simple. To be thorough, we need to scout inside and out looking for weak spots, right?" She didn't so much as pause before going on. "One of us has to get on the inside. We need someone to get close to the students. After all, security isn't only physical. There are more than likely students capable of letting enemies in. We'll need to single out a student and replace them."
Naruto made a face at her. "I don't get it."
"If we can have one of us directly interacting with the students and professors it will be all the easier to overhear rumors, whispers, and get a real feel for the place. The student we replace is going to have to be taken somewhere safe. Lee, you're the fastest so you'll take him back to the village and keep him safe. We've only got a couple of weeks, but if you keep him out here there's the danger of an attack the client fears could happen and the student might be hurt. Part of the mission is to avoid harming anyone."
"Yes!" Lee jumped to his feet and threw both fists into the air. "The most important job of all is mine! I won't let you down!"
Sakura went on, "We'll have to find the perfect target – someone that no one will miss, someone with no close friends and no ties who might realize the switch."
Switch? Sasuke frowned a bit. He hadn't thought about that. Substituting one of their own for one of the students was a good way to get information.
"I agree. It'll have to be just the right person and whoever does the replacing will have to use up a good deal of chakra on the constant illusion of keeping the face changed." Tenten smiled and looked at Neji. "We'll need some observation work done to find this perfect candidate to replace. We'll all take a run around the school to see what we can find and meet back here in about an hour."
Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san exchanged an amused look. "I feel old," Kakashi-sensei told Gai-san. "The children don't need us to help them plan anymore."
Gai-san started to cry. "It's so beautiful when they start to grow-up! Before we know it, they'll be killing targets without supervision."
They set out at once, dashing though the forest at a relatively easy run. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura took the canopy, running along the tops of the trees, while Neji, Tenten, and Lee jumped and swung from branch to branch near the middle of the trees. Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei ran on the ground, only occasionally journeying upwards to check on their Cells.
There were many creatures in the forest and most of them were different than what Sasuke had seen in the Forest of Death. They even happened to catch a glimpse of creatures that looked half-horse and half-human. Those, Kakashi-sensei had said, would bear watching.
There were insanely big spiders and lizards that breathed fire just as well as Sasuke. There were birds big enough to swallow cows and fearsome, moving trees. Sasuke enjoyed it. There were new, interesting things to see around every corner, new surprises. For the most part, they focused on the school, though.
That first day went well and before long, the target was found by Cell 9.
"Hey, wait!" All of Cell 7 stopped running and turned around when they heard Lee's voice behind them. With his incredible speed, Lee ran to them. “I wanted to stop you before you’d gone too far. Everyone else stopped a bit ago – Neji thinks he’s found the boy we can replace; he just went to get a closer look. Gai-san said to get you."
They followed Lee to where Kakashi-sensei, Gai-san, and Tenten were waiting on several large branches near the edge of the forest. All of them were watching the school and its students who were, once again, wandering around on the school grounds in heavy cloaks and thick scarves to protect themselves against the winter cold.
"Where's Neji?" Sakura asked when she landed beside Tenten.
"Getting a little closer. There. He doesn’t even think there will be much need for a lot of genjutsu for a disguise."
Sakura craned her neck and squinted her eyes, trying to get a closer look. "Which one's Neji?"
"He's… ah. There he is." Tenten nodded slightly to where a boy walked casually towards the trees where the Cells were waiting. The boy looked very little like Neji, but as Neji was acknowledged by all as the genius of his graduating class, the young shinobi with the most potential in Konohagakure, it was no great surprise that he was able to manage such a clever illusion. "Neji saw him and wanted to get a closer look just to be sure. You know," she glanced at Sakura. "We could do this without replacing anyone. Neji used genjutsu to take a nondescript form and just slipped in. I don't think anyone was the wiser."
"That was only for a few minutes," Sakura countered. "We need someone who can actually talk to the students and the teachers. Someone who can stay undercover for a couple of weeks, if necessary. They'll be bound to notice an extra student milling about. Even if we just do observation and use ninjutsu to sneak around the school the best we’ll do is overhear conversations. This way is better. Someone who can interact can direct conversations and get more information. If they are caught while trying to look around it won't look as suspicious."
Shortly after, Neji - without the genjustu disguise that made him look like a student - stood with them on the high branches of the trees. "He's a near perfect match for Uchiha. The physical resemblance is uncanny." Neji was never one to waste words. "We couldn't ask for better. He's pale and dark haired along with being of a similar height, though he doesn’t have the build Uchiha has. I think that won’t be a problem as the robes would disguise the difference. I suggest," he turned his eyes to Sakura and Tenten, who'd done most of the planning for the mission. "That Uchiha spends a day or so in observation of the boy."
Sasuke nodded, agreeing. He would need at least a day, if he was going to pass as a wizard for any amount of time. He would have to learn the boy's habits and mannerisms. The magic would prove a terrible hurdle, but Sasuke was confident in his skill and training. He would pass for the other boy.
"Did you find out what the insignias are for?" Tenten asked. At Sakura's questioning look, Tenten explained, "Those colorful badges they all wear. Did you see them? They wear scarves and gloves to match the colors of the badges. I was just curious what it all meant."
"There are four variations of the insignia with predominant colors of green, red, yellow, and blue as well as an animal symbolized on each one. There is a lion, a badger, a bird - perhaps an eagle or a hawk - and a serpent," Neji said. "I did not overhear the reason for the insignias and didn't think it wise to ask so blatant a question. I suppose it must be important."
Sasuke looked out at the students, again. "Which one is he?"
"There," Neji pointed to a lone boy. "That one."
Two days passed-
Neji watched the school. It wasn't unusual for him to take Lee or Tenten with him while he went to different spots in the forest to watch the school with his byakugan vision. The byakugan was different from Sasuke’s sharigan in that it allowed Neji to see everything. For almost 360 degrees all around himself, Neji could see virtually everything. He could see through objects and people. The only down-side was that it had a limited range and most of the castle was outside his range when he stayed in the forest. He needed to get closer.
“This is foolish,” Neji growled with frustration. “That building is too big!” Even when he would creep close at night, he couldn’t see all the way through it. “I need to get inside.”
“Concentrate on what you’ve already found outside the school,” Gai-san advised. “You’ve found tunnels underground that lead from the school to the forest and that nearby town. All that needs to be mapped out and it’s just as important as what's inside the school.”
Sasuke, also, watched. Unlike Neji, Sasuke focused on the boy.
After Neji had pointed out the boy, Sasuke had to agree that the similarity was remarkable. The boy might have been a long lost brother or cousin. While he watched, the others continued the sweep around the school. They never approached more than the edge of the forest, except for Neji's brief walk onto the grounds when he'd found the boy they would use.
Using the sharigan, Sasuke watched all the magic he possibly could. From watching those few examples of magic, Sasuke was able to learn a little. He didn't like it. Iruka-sensei always said that a little information was a dangerous thing and Sasuke felt like he had far too little information to go on. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san, who had both preformed missions dealing with wizards, gave Sasuke as much information as they could, but it still didn’t seem like enough.
One little mistake, he knew, and he would be found out. The mission would fail. The Hokage would never trust him with anything. Perhaps he would be executed if she thought he'd done it on purpose. Perhaps he would just be cut from the Cell and someone else would be allowed to steal his place.
‘Stop it,’ Sasuke reprimanded himself at the dismal thoughts. ‘I can replicate anything. The sharigan will show me how to copy anything. Magic is different, as Kakashi-sensei told us, but it's close. Close enough for me to muddle through a couple of weeks.’
Sasuke, always with back-up, followed the boy into the school and learned what classes he had, where he slept, and where he spent his time. He learned the names of some of the boy's classmates and teachers. He learned the words to some magic spells and he learned how he should behave.
On the third morning of the mission, Kakashi-sensei sat by Sasuke at breakfast and asked, "Are you nervous?"
"I can do this, sensei."
"That's not what I asked. Anyway, you'll have to remember to be careful. Iruka won't be happy if I don't bring you home."
"The rest of the village might celebrate, though."
"Maybe. We'll be taking the boy as soon as everyone's eaten." Kakashi-sensei held a transmitter unit, an earpiece and a voice collar, in his hands. "The transmitters don't work, here. Sorry. One of the spells cast around this school is that technology doesn't work. We couldn't get passed it." The transmitter collar and earpiece was often used for shinobi Cells to communicate during missions. Sasuske had worn them more than once. "We can ward them, like we did to ourselves, so the transmitter itself works. The signal just won't get through. Something happens to it from when you speak into the voice collar and when it should reach the earpiece of whoever you're trying to talk to. The signal gets destroyed. They're useless."
"It's okay," Sasuke told him. "I'll take my chances."
"No, you won't." Kakashi-sensei looked at Sasuke seriously. "You know why we were put on this mission in the first place? Cell 9 could have handled this without us. If the Hokage had wanted to put two Cells on the mission just to satisfy the client, she should have chosen Kurenai's Cell. The Hokage could have had another Hyuuga, Hinata, and Aburame Shino along with his insects. Both of them are far better suited to espionage missions than anyone on our Cell. She chose us. Why?"
Sasuke did know why they were chosen. "To give me a chance to prove I can be relied upon."
"That's right. We cannot fail. You can't afford it and we don’t want to lose you. Gai sent Neji out with instructions to look for someone you could impersonate, giving you the most vital role of this mission. Luck gave us a boy who resembles you so that when our report is handed in to the Hokage, you will shine - if we succeed. You'll have a back-up at all times, but they'll have to keep completely concealed unless there is a situation in which you may be killed. Tenten will watch your back during the day and Sakura will guard you at night while you're sleeping. It's been agreed upon."
"By whom?" Sakura asked, sitting next to Kakashi-sensei. With a piece of rabbit she'd been eating still in hand, she frowned at Kakashi-sensei. "This is the first I've heard of it. Of course I'll do it, but…."
"But," Kakashi-sensei told her in a tone that forbade argument. "This was a command decision. Gai and I agreed and we are still the jonin of these Cells. Understand?"
"Yes, sir." Sakura bowed her head in apology. When she looked up, her face was red with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean anything, sensei. I just… I like all the planning part of the mission and I think I got used to it when you didn’t stop us from planning, earlier.”
Gai-san slapped Sakura on the shoulder and nearly knocked her over. "Don't look so down-hearted! We are both most happy with the decisions you've made Haruno-kun. You'll make a fine jonin, one day. However, there are some things important enough that there will be no discussion. Now," he looked around at everyone. "Have we all finished breakfast? Yes? Good." His eyes shone brightly and he punched a fist into the air. "Today, we find our target and begin infiltration."
Naruto laughed. "Don't you mean, 'Today we kidnap an unsuspecting boy'?"
To be continued…