"My name is Toru."

The smiling tall, tan man with brown hair introduced himself again.

(Name) and Kakashi, Sukea in that moment, were uneasy and unsure if they could trust that man. So Kakashi smiled and extended his hand out to shake Toru's.

"My name is Sukea. I'm a freelance reporter. And this is my partner Yuna. We were told to meet someone here because they volunteered to 'help' us." Kakashi tried to hide his suspicions so Toru wouldn't catch on.

Toru laughed and shook Kakashi's hand.

"Well Sukea, you must've been accompanying the main lady of this mission here. If you don't believe me, I have a scroll that confirms that I am here to help you on your mission from Lady Mizukage." Toru said while approaching (Name) and handing her the scroll. Toru winked at you as you took the scroll from him, which did not go unnoticed by Kakashi. You had a slight blush as a result but tried to focus on reading the scroll.

"Dear (Name),

It has been quite a long time! On behalf of the Village Hidden in the Mist, I am very thankful you are willing to take care of our problem with these group of criminals. Our efforts against them have not gotten us very far, so I hope this escort I arranged to assist you on this mission proves useful. If you need anything else for this mission do not hesitate to ask.

Best of luck,
Lady Mizukage"

You sighed with relief after reading the letter. Kakashi raised his eyebrow at you just to confirm if Toru could be trusted. You nodded while smiling at Toru.

"I believe you, my real name is (Name). I'm the person you were assigned to help. 'Sukea' is actaully-"

"-going to take pictures of any evidence we stumble upon for this mission." Kakashi said while putting his arm around (Name), smiling.

"Oh, well that seems useful. Thank you for helping, Sukea." Toru said while bowing to him.

"Sorry, (Name). I think I'll keep my identity hidden, at least until I figure out this man's true intentions." Kakashi thought as he continued to smile and observed Toru while he spoke with you.

"So for now, I'll get you two a room in the local hotel and then we can discuss the plan for the mission." Toru said as he turned around and started guiding them to the hotel. Before you could even follow, Kakashi grabbed your arm and whispered in your ear.

"Be on your guard. He may say he's from the Mist, but there's something off about him. Don't let him get so close to you." You backed away and tilted your head in confusion.

"What makes you say that? He brought the scroll to confirm who he was like I was informed he would. I know what I'm doing, you just worry about yourself." You said as you walked away, catching up with Toru.

Kakashi sighed as he watched you walk away.

"I forgot how stubborn and hard headed you were. Either way, I'm still gonna keep an eye on that Toru. I got a feeling he isn't who he says he is."

~ Time Skip ~

You and Kakashi were in a restaurant with Toru discussing some information about the mission. You knew Kakashi would soon connect the dots and possibly scold you later for keeping secrets from him after he discovers the truth. But at the moment, he was just acting clueless.

"We've gotten some reports from villagers that the gang we are after is causing trouble in this village. And when I mean trouble, I mean going as far as trying to control the village. Our current mission requires us to stop them before that happens, to prevent them from taking more lives and stealing money." Toru said before he took a sip of tea from his cup and kept his attention right on you. Kakashi felt his anger slowly rise but he kept his composure in his appearance.

"Yes, I know. But first thing we need to do is find the base and infiltrate them. We need to collect as much information as possible so we can decide what to do for our next move. Sukea, for your safety, I'm going to have to ask you to sit this one out." You said as you looked directly at Kakashi. He sighed and nodded his head.

"I understand completely, I'd only be a burden to you. I'll remain at the hotel then." He smiled, but on the inside, Kakashi was frustrated.

Toru smirked as he sipped his tea, but as he set his tea down, it turned into a smile.

"Then it's settled! We will begin at midnight, and please be prepared for anything (Name). We don't know how strong or smart this group is, so bring ninja tools just for security."

"Right, thank you so much for your help Toru." You all made your way outside the restaurant, said your goodbyes, and parted ways.

~ Time Skip ~

Toru made his way inside a shady bar. The lights were dim and there was smoke everywhere due to the customers inside smoking. Some were drinking and gambling, while others were being 'entertained' by the women that worked there. Toru greeted the bartender and went to the storage room. There was a secret door on the floor containing a hall which lead to a very large hidden hideout. Toru had followed the secret passage towards the large area and saw criminals everywhere around him laughing and joking around. He grew a tick mark and one of the men noticed and grew pale.

"T-The Boss is back!" All the men froze in place and bowed as Toru walked to a bone-like throne.

"Welcome back, Boss!"

"Yeah yeah. Takashi! Did you get anymore information out of that Hidden Mist ninja?" Toru said as he sat on the throne and crossed his legs, looking at the man kneeled beside him.

"Hai! Apparently, (Name) has something in her possession that will lead to Lady Hikairi's long lost sword you've been searching for, sir. He was going to lead (Name) to a chamber were Lady Hikairi sealed the weapon." Toru smirked and chuckled.

"Excellent, I'll have her and the sword of my old lover. But it seems I have an annoying thorn in my side. That damn, Hatake Kakashi." Toru frowned as he was lost in thought.

"The only way I'll make (Name) mine, is if I get rid of Kakashi first." Toru clenched his fist.

"It seems like you and I have a common enemy." Toru stood up and looked around the room to see who the voice belonged to.

"Who's there?!"

Slowly emerged a familiar masked man wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it, from the ground in the center of the room. One of the men tried to tackle him, but instead slipped right through him, leaving the rest of the men in shock.

"You're from the Akatsuki. Who are you, and what business do you have here?" Toru questioned him while giving him a look of suspicion.

"I am Uchiha Madara, and I simply wish to join forces to get rid of Kakashi." He smirked under his mask. Toru snickered and crossed his arms.

"Uchiha Madara is dead, stop playing pretend. I can handle Kakashi all by myself." Toru smirked and folded his arms. Madara (who we all know and love as Tobi!) activated his Sharingan and put Toru under a genjutsu. Toru groaned in pain as Madara laughed. Takashi released him from the genjutsu as soon as he started screaming. Toru glared at Madara while panting.

"Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you, but you cannot take down Kakashi just yourself or with your men. You will need my help."

"What's the catch? What's in it for you if you help me get what I want?" Toru said as he regained his balance. Madara slowly slipped through the ground, telling Toru his last words before he departed.

"Let's just say that a piece trash like Kakashi needs to be taken out."

Authors note: IM SO SORRY!!!! School is just really stressful and I just got on break! I can relax and write but during school I get stressed to the point where I can't even write. Please forgive me! Also shoutout to dxrwin for making me a new cover! I absolutely love it!