Kakashi paused in his sprint when the masked figure dropped in front of him. Neither moved. He studied the figure,  guard up: he was in enemy territory. It had armor slightly similar to the samurai further up north, but tighter, made so movement would be unencumbered. There was an emotionless mask covering the face of what Kakashi now inferred was an assassin.

He scanned the assassin further, spotting the throwing knives in the leather sash and the blades on both hips. There would definitely be many other weapons hidden out of sight. The assassin was on the smaller side, lithe, catlike; Kakashi would have the advantage of his bulk in a fight.

His observations were finished in a split second--almost as soon as they began. He remained relaxed, not conveying the sudden tension he felt or showing how a kunai was half a second away from leaping into his hand.

The blank faced assassin's gaze bored into Kakashi's eyes. "The Rising Phoenix has sentenced you to die," the assassin intoned.

That's when it clicked in Kakashi's mind. "You're the Claw!" He exclaimed, "You're the Claw of the Phoenix, the S ranked assassin in the Bingo Book!"

The Claw said nothing, mask hiding emotions, if there were any. The only response to Kakashi's exclamation was to slide two blades into waiting hands. Kakashi's only response to that was to raise his headband, revealing the sharingan.

"The Rising Phoenix has sentenced you to die," the Claw repeated emotionlessly.

"And what gives them the power to say who lives and who dies?" Kakashi spat back. "What gives you the power?"

Old grudges appeared evident on Kakaki's face, his last memories of confrontation with the Phoenix popping into his mind. His chest closed up, thinking of the student he'd lost in that fight. 

But he couldn't let her death be for nothing.

This was an opportunity to learn more about the organization; all that research within two years was finally paying up. This was what this mission was for, what everything was for: researching The Rising Phoenix.

"The Rising Phoenix has sentenced you to die."

With that final statement, the assassin attacked. Kakashi was immediately on the defensive as the Claw came at him with everything it had. It moved inhumanly, twisting and bending at incredible speed with no regard to it's own safety, just completing the mission.

Panting, Kakashi disengaged, jumping back to catch his breath. "My first solo mission in a long time and I get attacked by an assassin. Just my luck," he griped.

The Claw seemed to be breathing raggedly and was suddenly seized by a wracking cough. Kakashi tilted his head, curious as he watched the assassin collapse on one knee in the snow, shaking with the force of its coughs.

"You're sick," Kakashi observed. The Claw straightened immediately, chest heaving, but it was too late: its weakness had been revealed. "They sent you out even though you were sick?"

"The... The Rising Phoenix has..." the assassin rasped.

"Yeah, yeah, sentenced me to die, I get it," Kakashi finished, feeling something akin to pity spark in his chest as he viewed the assassin. How old could the Claw be? 14? 15? Definitely no older than 18.

But then there was no time for pity, and they were fighting again.

Desperate to land a hit, Kakashi swiped at the assassin's face, and the Claw was half a second late in blocking, reactions probably slowed by whatever sickness it had contracted. Kakashi's kunai dug into the mask and slashed it in half.

The two pieces slowly fell, one after the other.

As soon as Kakashi saw the scarred face under the mask, he made a choking sound, stumbling backwards. Short and choppy black green hair ruffled in the slight wind, and emotionless, empty black eyes bore into his.

"The Rising Phoenix has sentenced you to die," Cashile intoned.

"Cashile," Kakashi choked out, "But you... You died. You were declared dead."

Kakashi couldn't help but flinch and look away at the sight of Cashile's scarred face. The most prominent was an ugly, long scar that warped her cheek, tugging the skin in towards the scar. How many more injuries did that armor cover?

"Who is Cashile?"

That one sentence tore Kakashi in half, much like the broken mask that lay forgotten in the snow. "You are," he whispered, "You were."

"I am the Claw of the Phoenix. That is all I am. All I was. And all I ever will be."

The ominous message was slightly put off by the wracking cough and spew of blood that left Cashile's lips. "Oh God, Cashile, what have they done to you?" Kakashi asked, watching the girl with grief and horror, frozen by memories. "What have they done?"

Cashile, recognizing her own weakness, sent several knives spinning towards Kakashi. While he was occupied with blocking, she disappeared into the snow lined trees, springing away.

Without hesitation, Kakashi disregarded his mission; it was delivering an expensive figurine to a rich family. That was the cover, at least. In reality, he was supposed to be investigating the Rising Phoenix--nothing too risky, just poking around enough to understand the general size and reach of it.

Cashile definitely took precedence.

But Cashile hadn't left a trace or a trail, and Kakashi suspected that she would also have figured out how to disguise her scent. So he was down to the basics.

He sniffed the air himself, listened, watched, desperate for a clue to lead him to his student. Finally, he spotted his first sign of which way Cashile had gone: a single pine needle resting on the otherwise spotless snow. Of course, any number of animals could have caused it, but it was all Kakashi had to go on.

And so he went.

It proved to be a good lead: several yards into the forest, Kakashi saw a single drop of crimson staining a lower hanging branch. It wasn't much, but it was something. Soon, he picked up a trail of sparse clues, few and far between, easy to miss.

But it was more than he'd had in two years/

At one point, he discovered the trail he'd been following was going in circles, and realized that whatever disease Cashile had must be messing with with her head. A fever, perhaps, could be muddling her thought process.

The thought scared Kakashi: if Cashile was this skilled, this hard to track when she was sick, then what could she do at full strength?

With the instinct of a hunter, Kakashi could sense he was reaching the end of the trail. He spotted a puddle of blood melting into the snow, probably coughed or vomited up, and that's when the trail became messy and easy to track.

He realized that she must have fallen out of the trees she'd been using to travel up until now. The trail indicated that she was crawling. Kakashi had lost lots of time trailing her--up to an hour at least--and had no idea for how long she'd been crawling in the snow.

He finally spotted her for the first time, collapsed in the middle of a clearing on her side. It appeared as though she had been heading towards the most advantageous area for her to survive in a fight when she realized she was unable to escape.

But now she was unconscious, lips blue and half buried in the snow, completely and utterly helpless.

The sight of her still body is like a blow to the stomach. He wasn't prepared to see it, see her, like this.

But he was a shinobi. Pushing back his emotions, Kakashi moved forward cautiously, making sure she was well and truly unconscious. Satisfied, he pulled out some ninja wire and began tying her ankles.

The best he could do was take her back to Konoha and hope she was still Cashile.

***

Kakashi froze when he felt the cold metal brush his throat. "Where am I?" Cashile hissed.

"I took all your weapons off of you," Kakashi said, shocked. "And I tied you up."

"I asked a question," she growled.

"We're just inside the boarder of Konoha," Kakashi replied slowly. He suddenly slammed his elbow into Cashile's stomach, and to his surprise she didn't automatically double over, despite the fact that the wind had clearly been knocked out of her.

They both quickly sprung away from each other, and Kakashi frowned when he saw that her weapon had simply been a sharp rock.

"Where are my weapons?" She narrowed her eyes. "Do not lie to me."

"You seem scared," Kakashi noted conversationally, "Why? What are you scared of?" She didn't respond. "Me?" Kakashi could see the slightest flicker of disdain. "Not me then. Maybe it's.... Them?"

Cashile's cheek twitched slightly, the clearest outward emotion Kakashi had yet seen. "Where are my weapons?" she repeated, eyes flicking around, assessing the situation.

"Why are you scared of Them?" Kakashi asked.

"I will not fail my mission," was Cashile's only response.

"How about this," Kakashi edged forward slightly, and Cashile immediately edged backwards. "Question for a question?"

"Quid pro quo?" Cashile asked, sounding more liked herself than ever, then immediately clutched the side of her head in pain.

"What was that?" Kakashi questioned.

"It does not matter," she wiped all emotion from her face easily, returning to her previous dead state. "I agree. Where are my weapons?"

"In my ninja pouch. Now, why're you scared of Them?"

"I have only once failed a mission. It did not happen again, and I do not intend to fail now," Cashile said shortly.

"That doesn't answer why you're scared of them," Kakashi challenged.

"It is... Not pleasant for me when I do not accomplish what they set me forth to do."

"So they hurt you if you fail?" Kakashi asked.

Cashile winced, a full body flinch that spoke volumes more than any answer would. "I believe that it is my turn to question you."

"Right," Kakashi nodded.

"How far have we travelled?"

Kakashi answered. "What's your mission right now?"

Cashile shut down more, if possible. "I am not to disclose details of current or past missions," she said.

"We had a deal,"  Kakashi reminded.

Cashile glanced to one side, before looking hesitantly back towards Kakashi. "I could be severely punished if They found out I disclosed any information to you."

Kakashi remained silent.

"I am to dispose of you as a message to Konoha to stop looking into The Rising Phoenix."

"Cashile..." Kakashi trailed off, knowing it was because he was afraid of the answer. "Do you know who I am?"

"You are Copy Ninja Kakashi, the Copy Cat Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, Sharingan no Kakashi, Hero of the Sharingan, Cold-Blooded Kakashi, Friend-Killer Kakashi-- and you are my target."

"But do you know-- do you who I am-- who I was... to you?" Kakashi's voice broke slightly.

"My question," Cashile replied emotionlessly. The slightest gleam of curiosity exuded from her as she cocked her head slightly. "What... Why..." She looked frustrated for a moment, as though she didn't know quite how to phrase the question. "Who..."

"Who am I?" Kakashi asked gently.

Cashile nodded, looking much like a small child.

"I'm a sensei. I was your sensei once, actually," Kakashi informed slowly, gauging her reaction. She seemed genuinely curious. "We were friends, sort of."

"Sort of?"

Kakashi allowed her the follow up question without hesitation. "I was the teacher, and you the student. Though more often we were like... Like arguing classmates," he remembered fondly, sadly.

"You lie," Cashile shook her head, "I am the Claw of the Phoenix. I have no past and no future. All there is is the mission."

"I think it's my turn for a question," Kakashi replied. "Why did you ask about me?" From what he'd gathered, she wasn't supposed to care about anything like that, just her orders and the mission. So why?

"I am... Different, than the other trainees. I feel... Curiosity. I... Question," Cashile explained slowly, each word falling from her mouth and dropping into the snow, muffled. "I am Broken."

Kakashi felt like crying.

This girl... What had brainwashed her into becoming such a.. a machine?

"Sorry I forgot to tell you guys," Kakashi gave a closed eyed smile, "This is your new teammate!"

"What?!?" Naruto looked as though he'd been thrown straight into hell. Sakura smiled, seeming happy to have a friend and fellow female on the team. Sasuke simply rolled his eyes slightly, obviously disdainful of the newcomer's presence. Kakashi sighed. He would have to work on that ego of his.

Sasuke looked up, dark eyes flashing. "Doesn't she have to pass the test?"

"I can put my own selfish interests aside and work as a team," Cashile said, smiling innocently at him, seeming to know what Kakashi's test consisted of, "I think I'd be able to pass the test."

The flashback hit Kakashi like a punch to the stomach. Back then, when they first became a  team, Cashile had been...

Well, she'd been selfish. She'd been manipulative. She'd been sarcastic. She'd been smart.

When Kakashi first met Cashile, he had known she was broken. Well, he wouldn't go as far as to say broken, but all the same he was prepared to help her grow, shape her into a fine shinobi, see the fallacy in her views.

But now... She was shattered. Kakashi wasn't even sure she was still Cashile.

"I have taken far too long to complete my mission," Cashile murmured, "But perhaps if I still complete it and return they will not kill me. The punishment will be... Severe, but that is only to be expected. I failed to please them this mission, but there are always more."

Now that the mission hadn't gone as planned, now that Cashile had to think and adapt, she seemed more open to talking. Kakashi took a cautious step forward and was rewarded when she didn't take a step back.

"Couldn't you... Escape?" Kakashi asked.

Confusion lit her eyes. "...Escape?"

"Get away from your... Your masters. Never return," Kakashi tried to explain.

A look of pure horror appeared in Cashile's face. Fear of Them seemed to be her only acceptable emotion, "They would kill me in the most horrible and excruciating way. They would..." There was glazed, haunted look that showed in her eye, and then her face contorted in pain. She shivered violently. "I... I can never do that. The consequences if I were to be found.. Caught," she whispered. She gripped herself tightly, as though she were in pain. "I may be the best... The most promising... But one day they would send a Claw after me that I would not be able to beat."

Kakashi couldn't tolerate this anymore; there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to let Cashile go back to her captors. She looked weak; frail yet strong; obviously sick; obviously tortured by her own conflicting emotions. Still, Kakashi didn't let his guard down. He had to play this out right.

His hand settled on her shoulder. She flinched under the weight of it, not seeming to have noticed he'd drawn so close. "Come back to Konoha, we will protect you," he said firmly.

Confliction flickered in her eyes, if only for moment. Then it was gone, the emotionless, calculating look restored. Her eyes emptied, and Kakashi saw her hand clench around the sharp rock.

"The Rising Phoenix has—"

In a flicker of movement, Kakashi drew back his fist and knocked her out.

"Has sentenced me to die, I know."

__________________________

Wow.

With this updated, the journey that is The Strength of Humanity has officially  begun.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?!

Cashile's the Rising Phoenix's assassin, Kakashi was attacked.... Pretty action packed first chapter, isn't it?

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I hope you guys enjoy this! We have a lot planned out for this story!

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I can read your mind.

omgomgomgomgomg spazspazspaz moarmoarmoar.

Hahah, yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. Even though I'm half creator of this marvelously suspenseful chapter :')

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Alrigjt gotta do this calc, so once again...

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