Third Person POV
Kakashi was finishing packing his things, still trying to process the earlier events, when he had to stop to answer the front door. And when he opened it, he saw Amaya standing there.
To his surprise, the Uzumaki wasn't wearing her Anbu uniform like he imagined she would be when she came to meet him. She was wearing the casual clothes she usually wore at home.
She wasn't carrying any weapons, though she had a backpack over her shoulder. Kakashi gave her a quick, confused once-over before looking directly at the redhead.
– Aren't we officially leaving the village on a mission? – The platinum-haired boy asked.
– We are – She said casually – But we don't need uniforms or weapons. We won't be confronting any enemies.
As strange as all this was, Kakashi didn't question the redhead again. She must have some reason for arranging things this way..., he pondered to himself. Then, he made room for the Uzumaki to enter his house.
– I thought you said you'd come at ten on the dot – Hatake spoke as he went back to his things to finish packing.
– I ended up getting ready faster than I thought – Amaya said calmly, taking off her shoes – So I came straight over.
– Well, since you're here, tell me: What are you really up to with this "mission"? – Kakashi made sure to emphasize the word 'mission,' which made the Uzumaki give a soft laugh.
– I already said, it's partly about your present – The Uzumaki said simply and sat on the living room sofa, watching the platinum-haired boy.
– Seems more like a voluntary kidnapping to me... – Hatake complained lightly, annoyed by the lack of information from the redhead, and she laughed.
– The only hint I can give is that the place we're going is related to you and my Anbu mission to the Land of Earth.
Kakashi looked at her immediately, curious about her words. It wasn't a precise hint or one that gave away what she was planning, but it showed it was something serious, given it involved that particular mission.
It's true, almost no one outside the Anbu knew how she and the squad she was serving with at the time managed to pass through the Land of Waterfalls without being detected..., the platinum-haired boy pondered for a moment.
Amaya smiled slightly, observing Hatake's curiosity and pondering over her words. She was eager for them to get going, both to officially close that mission and to give the platinum-haired boy his present.
– Well, I think that's everything I need for a few days – Hatake said a short while later, bringing the Uzumaki out of her thoughts.
The two youngsters went to the entrance of the house, each putting on their own shoes. As soon as he locked his front door, Kakashi turned his attention to the redhead.
– So, "Queen of Mysteries," which alternative route are we taking to the Land of Waterfalls? – Hatake slung his backpack over his shoulder – And how many stops will we make until we get there? – The redhead stared at him.
– Who said we're making any stops before our destination? – The Uzumaki asked rhetorically with a faint, amused smile as she stopped near Kakashi, and he stared at her, not understanding.
And before any question could come from Hatake, Amaya placed her hand on his shoulder. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Kakashi had to blink a few times at the sudden change of scenery, finding himself in a well-lit forest near the entrance of a cave with Amaya.
– Where… are we? – Hatake asked, still stunned by the natural landscape around him.
– Near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls – Amaya calmly explained as she retrieved her kunai hidden in a nearby tree, amused by the boy's surprised expression – Let's go.
When Kakashi looked at the redhead, he saw her heading towards the rock formation further ahead. From that point on, only she could guide them to a certain spot on the path.
She teleported us with the Hiraishin..., Kakashi deduced as he followed the Uzumaki. So that means this cave is the passage she used with the Anbu to cross through Taki.
They had barely passed the entrance of that cave when the platinum-haired boy could notice a very faint scent of dew in the air. How can there be a smell like that around here?, he wondered. It hasn't rained in days...
– Keep your chakra suppressed until I say otherwise and try not to make any noise – Amaya suddenly warned, making Hatake drop his thoughts about the scent he had noticed.
He didn't need to think much to understand why the Uzumaki had made that request: They were entering enemy territory, even if out of their direct line of sight.
Kakashi gave a faint nod when the redhead glanced at him. And immediately after, she extended her hand to him. Although there was a fair amount of natural light inside that cave, with the slightest carelessness, one of them could end up lost from the other.
Amaya knew this, unlike Hatake, who stared at her without understanding her gesture. But he took the redhead's hand a few moments later. Although he didn't understand yet, he knew the Uzumaki must have a reason for doing it.
And in the very first minutes, Kakashi discovered it: The cave was a kind of natural labyrinth. The platinum-haired boy tried to mentally memorize the path they were taking, but he couldn't absorb all the details.
Almost everything here is the same..., he thought. But Amaya moves so calmly it's almost as if she knows the way by heart. He had to hold back a low laugh. And she probably does, with her ridiculous memory...
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Several more good minutes passed, and the area of the cave where Kakashi and Amaya were walking began to show larger cracks in its structure, letting more light into the environment.
And it was by observing this that Hatake noticed he was still holding the redhead's hand. There was no longer a need to do so, but neither of them had, until then, really realized to let go.
Kakashi fixed his gaze on his hand and the Uzumaki's, but made no move to let go. Although he knew he no longer needed to keep them together in that place, he didn't feel bothered to continue that way there.
And that created openings for questions in his mind: Why wasn't he bothered or even minding holding hands with her? Had Amaya noticed it like he had? And if she had, didn't she mind either?
However, unlike Hatake, who was oblivious to the surroundings, Amaya had her senses sharpened to what was happening around her and the platinum-haired boy with her. Her mind hadn't given her time to ponder the way they were both proceeding there, as something caught her attention, putting her on alert.
The redhead tightened her grip on Hatake's hand, and the platinum-haired boy looked at her at the subtle squeeze, surprised by what she did next:
The Uzumaki pushed him against a nearby wall, next to a large crack in the cave wall that gave a partial view of the outside. She kept him pinned using her own body against his.
Kakashi had been caught off guard and was about to speak, such was his surprise at Amaya's behavior, but the girl brought her free hand to his mouth, preventing him from making any sound. Her greenish eyes watched the light falling beside them.
– I'm telling you, Konoha only gained an advantage against Stone by destroying the Kannabi Bridge because of the documents they stole... – A male adult voice could be heard approaching where the two youngsters were.
Finally, Hatake understood the reason for Amaya's sudden unusual behavior: She had noticed the presence of shinobi from the Village of Waterfalls and had completely removed them from the line of sight the men would have if they were to approach as they were doing at that moment.
– And just for that, they make us double the patrols? – The other Taki shinobi asked rhetorically, indignant, to his companion.
The sound of a sharp slap against someone's skin was clearly heard, given the proximity of the men to Amaya and Kakashi. They both stopped, and the two youngsters in the cave noticed it by the shadows of the enemies that became static right next to where they were.
– Idiot! Don't you understand that the Leaf ninjas only managed that because they passed through our territory?!
– That's just speculation, this crap! – The other complained – No one has ever managed to invade our borders without us driving them out! – The two shinobi started walking again, arguing among themselves about other trivialities.
Kakashi almost sighed in relief at the enemies' distance, while Amaya kept her eyes closed, attentive to the sounds of the two patrolling ninjas, ensuring they really hadn't noticed them or would return in that direction.
When the Uzumaki was satisfied with the enemies' distance, she opened her eyes again and turned her face toward Hatake.
And only at that moment, when their gazes met centimeters from each other, did they get a better glimpse of the situation they were in:
Just like their faces, their bodies were pressed against each other, with Amaya being the one keeping them that way since she had pinned Kakashi there. Their hands were still joined, and the Uzumaki subtly covered the platinum-haired boy's lips before her.
Everything that was about to happen in that moment would last a few seconds at most, although to the two involved it seemed like an eternity.
Their hearts were beating fast, and a strange sensation seemed to play in the pit of their stomachs. Neither could deduce if it was due to the previous dangerous situation or if it was truly because of their closeness at that moment.
And perhaps they would have remained that way for a few more seconds if Amaya's mind hadn't been the first to realize she should pull away, after all, it had been her who pinned Hatake against the wall although he could have matched her strength to push her away.
The redhead took a few steps back, freeing the platinum-haired boy's mouth and hand from her own hands, and lowered her head slightly, feeling unable to look at him given the burning she felt in her cheeks.
– S-Sorry... – She whispered extremely quietly, whether from embarrassment or to avoid attracting the attention of any enemy – Even though we won't be confronting the enemy, I should have warned you before that there was a chance of patrols from the Waterfalls ninjas.
– N-No, I should have paid attention – Hatake hurried to speak in the same tone of voice as the redhead and also without looking at her – We're outside the village after all, I got distracted...
(Looking back on that moment now, Kakashi believed that at any other time, the redhead would certainly have questioned him about his "distraction," and he would have been in a tight spot since it was due to them holding hands. Their mutual embarrassment ended up being very positive in that particular situation...)
– L-Let's keep going before others show up... – The redhead suggested a short while later, and Kakashi readily agreed.
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The two walked close to each other in absolute silence, with each one's mind making sure to remind them of the previous moment between them and what it had caused for each.
However, this wandering of the two youngsters only lasted until they felt someone watching them and a loud growl sounded in that part of the cave. Amaya was the first to stop and made a gesture for Hatake to do the same.
The sound of heavy footsteps was audible from the opposite direction they were facing, right in front of them. Kakashi felt uneasy at the sound of what was before them, and it only worsened when the creature emerged from the part where the sunlight didn't reach.
A dog just a few centimeters shorter than the two of them approached the light. The animal had light yellow fur and black coloring around its snout. Its expression looked irritable and entirely focused on the two youngsters.
Kakashi didn't dare move and might even have noticed, if he weren't so intimidated by that animal, that he had held his breath.
– Good morning, Puchi – The Uzumaki greeted the dog calmly, and Kakashi almost let his disbelief show.
Puchi, seriously?! This dog is a monster!, Hatake thought. He must be bigger than a standing adult! Kakashi would have observed the redhead's expression at that moment to know what was going through her mind, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the animal.
– Who are you? – The Kangal asked, and Hatake was surprised.
He talks?, the platinum-haired boy wondered. There's only one type of animal that can do that...
– Amaya Uzumaki – The redhead promptly answered – It hasn't been that long since I was here.
– I could recognize you, Amaya-san – Puchi said, still in a serious tone and without taking his eyes off Hatake – I meant this stranger with you – The Uzumaki allowed herself a laugh at the dog's comment.
– Don't worry about him, Puchi, he's…
– Kakashi Hatake – Another canine voice, female, was heard behind the Kangal.
The animal promptly made room for the other two dogs to approach the redhead and the platinum-haired boy. A white female Akita Inu stopped beside a black and white Husky, and Amaya smiled at them.
– Asami-san and Kori-san, it's good to see you again – The girl greeted them and bowed her head slightly.
Kakashi was surprised by the naturalness with which the Uzumaki treated the dogs, but what really caught his attention were the names of the two animals now before them: Hatake already knew them.
– By your expression, it seems you already recognize us – The Husky spoke up and kept his gaze directed at the platinum-haired boy.
Kakashi nodded faintly and bowed his head slightly, just as Amaya had done moments before, greeting the two dogs.
– Come, we have a lot to talk about – Asami said calmly and began walking towards the back of the cave, with Kori following right behind.
Amaya also made sure to follow the dogs, and Kakashi followed her. Although he was surprised by all this, Hatake started walking beside the redhead to talk to her.
– Amaya, these dogs... – He said quietly to the girl, who immediately looked at him – They're ninja dogs. And those two are... – The redhead smiled faintly.
– Your parents' summoning dogs.