268 Optimistic Asuma
"What? Did you say something Kakashi-Sama?" one of the masked men asked.
Kakashi looked back at him and said "I need to look around so patrol the perimeter for now. It won't take more than 10-15 mins so after that, you can take out all the weapons and leave this place."
Both the masked men instantly became happy when they heard this. They were already bored from guarding the smelly place. Now that Kakashi had told them that they didn't need to do this for after a mere 15 mins, the masked men nodded like obedient little kids and ran away to patrol the surroundings.
Seeing that he was now alone there, Kakashi pulled out a piece of folded paper. As he opened it he saw the different dots in random places on the paper. Kakashi connected a few dots on the paper with a pencil. He looked at it for a few seconds and then started drawing more lines.
He looked back at the red coast and pulled out a few kunais from his pocket. He then threw the kunais at different places on the coast and used a thin thread to connect them all together. To a third person, it may look like he was connecting them randomly but from time to time he was looking at the piece of paper in his hand as if following the markings he had made on the paper.
A few minutes later when he connected them all multiple times, Kakashi looked at the tallest tree around the coast and climbed up on it. As he looked down at the coast from a height, he saw many threads pass through a single point. Kakashi jumped near the point and with a swift motion of his kunai, he cut all the threads. He crouched down and started digging a small hole where the threads had met.
After digging 2 feet deep, Kakashi found 3 scrolls wrapped in a thing of cloth. Two of the three scrolls were storage scrolls while one was a messenger scroll. Kakashi opened the messenger scroll but there was only one line written on it.
'From us To them'
Someone else would not understand what this meant but for Kakashi who was used to such cryptic texts, this was a very easy message.
'By us, he means the hidden leaf and by them he means the bloodline faction.' Kakashi quickly uncoded what seemed like a very easy-to-read message to him. Kakashi then opened both scrolls and was shocked to see the number of weapons that were stored in it.
'So this is what he stole from the middle-sized base of the Mizukage faction. I must say this really is a large quantity. I first thought why didn't he just send me one of his bats but this is too big of a haul so I can understand the secrecy and he knows that we live in the Terumi estate so it won't be possible to contact us without making others suspicious but this kid could've at least written more on this scroll... at least his plans during the day of the prisoner exchange.' Kakashi thought as he put back everything inside the storage scrolls.
He then took back his kunais and left the coast. On the way, he met the two masked men and instructed them to pull out the weapons carefully and have them delivered to him today itself and also that they don't need to guard the coast anymore.
Kakashi then left the vicinity and went straight back to the Terumi clan estate. When he entered, he noticed that many eyes were on him. He did know that everyone with him was being monitored at all times but this was too much instead of the usual 1 person spying on him, now there were 3.
'They don't seem hostile to me so why are they keeping such a close eye on me? The clan leaders definitely decided something and these 3 are here to keep me from finding it.'
Kakashi decided not to react to this increased security and went to the guest house where everyone from the hidden leaf was staying. Even the spies who were exposed last night were now staying at the guest house. As he entered the gate of the warehouse, the eyes he felt on him were no more means the bloodline clans knew their limits.
He saw Asuma smoking while looking at the greenery around him and Shikamaru lying on the grass reading a book. Kakashi went and sat beside Asuma which caused Shikamaru to set aside his book and look at Kakashi. Asuma also stared at Kakashi to which he asked "What's the matter with you two?"
"Are you really not going to tell us anything? You left me, Kurenai, and the others just like that at the coast and you seemed pissed at our spy for what I don't know." Asuma said.
"I lost my temper for a second there...I know. I will tell you and Kurenai everything." Kakashi said.
"So its true? Yami really did torture one of our spies and severed his chakra points?" Shikamaru quickly asked which caused Asuma to wave his hands and say "Stop jumping to conclusions Shikamaru. Why would Yami be so brutal to one of our own? Kakashi don't listen to Shikamaru...he sometimes speaks without thinking." Asuma said.
Kakashi patted Asuma's shoulder and said "I am afraid Shikamaru has come to the right conclusion. It was Yami who did that to Eiji but Shikamaru have you guessed the reason?" Kakashi asked the last part to Shikamaru while ignoring the shock on Asuma's face.
Shikamaru laid back on the ground and said "I would've shortlisted a few reasons but with Yami at the center of it, I don't want to speculate and be wrong about it. Only he knows what he does and why he does it."
Kakashi stood up and said "Don't worry it's too simple this time. Your first guess is the right one and I am saying that without even knowing your first guess... that's how easy this is. Tell Asuma about it...I need to go freshen up a bit."
Asuma who was now more confused than ever looked at Shikamaru who was standing looking at Kakashi's back.
"No wonder you said that Kakashi looked pissed." Shikamaru said.
"What do you mean? And what was the first conclusion you came up with that Kakashi says is right?" Asuma questioned. He was now tired of hearing the cryptic talks and wanted straight answers.
"Eiji sold the meeting information to the Mizukage faction and Yami punished him for that." Shikamaru said. Asuma had no reason to doubt his words and subconsciously even he crushed the cigarette he had in his hands as he muttered "That bastard"
"I am surprised that you didn't guess this sensei...are you perhaps losing your edge." Shikamaru said in a teasing way.
Asuma chuckled and said "The thought did cross my mind but I didn't want it to be true."
"You always are optimistic." Shikamaru said and went inside the building.
"Is this generation brutal or was ours?" Asuma muttered and he lit another cigarette.
The same day in the evening while Kakashi was thinking about what questions to ask Eiji, he couldn't think of any. He knew that Yami must have already squeezed out everything that Eiji knows and has so if there was something that Kakashi needed to know then Yami would've told him. The scroll fool of weapons for the bloodline clans did hint that the conflict was growing near.
As Kakashi was thinking sitting on his bed, he suddenly looked up at the ceiling. He walked to the open window and suddenly vanished appearing on the roof of the building.
"Did you come out here for some open air or free information?" Kakashi asked as he looked at the man sitting in front of him. The man had his back turned toward Kakashi and was looking at the moon in the sky.
"None of it actually. I was wondering if you would like to have a drink with me. Don't worry I won't look at your face." the man chuckled.
Kakashi stepped further to the side of the man and said "You won't but what about her?"
The man raised his eyebrows and said"You are the first person to be able to recognize her." the man then looked at Kakashi and became more surprised because Kakashi had activated his Sharingan.
"Your daughter has never faced anyone like me then, Lord Yoshiro" Kakashi said and deactivated his Sharingan. Kakashi was once bested by Yami and it was possible because Kakashi didn't feel the need to activate his Sharingan and from then on Kakashi never made the same mistake again. Though it used a little more chakra, it was still worth his life.
"Now that's my kind of man Father." Mei chuckled as she appeared on the roof as well.
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