Kakashi had done everything he could to keep those people out of Sunagakure's hands. But there was another issue he could not ignore. The Kazekage had "paid" the Hokage for these prisoners, with land. And now that "meat" had barely been tasted before being snatched away.
Danzo was not pleased. More importantly, his most useful "weapon" had developed a problem. For a shinobi, losing an arm could mean losing half of one's strength. Danzo found himself torn between his frustration over Kakashi's reduced usefulness and the loss of the promised land. He didn't even know which anger came first.
So when both frustrations collided, he kicked Kakashi in the stomach. Hard.
"Three hundred people gone, and there are still more left, aren't there?!" Danzo barked. "Who gave you permission to negotiate with the Kazekage on your own?! Kakashi, who do you think you are?! You belong to me! Every part of you belongs to me, including that arm! You took my property and traded it with someone else?! Do you even understand who raised you?!"
The anger in his voice was real. The kick had not been gentle. Kakashi couldn't even cough up blood, his mask hid it, but he felt the wet warmth spreading beneath it. His body ached like it had been split open.
But none of that mattered. What mattered were Danzo's words. You belong to me. For a moment, Kakashi thought he was still a person. But Danzo had already decided otherwise. A dog.
Kakashi didn't speak. He had never said anything bad about Pakkun. Pakkun was his companion, one of the few he trusted completely. But being called a "dog" by another human still felt wrong. And painful.
He thought back to Gaara's question: are you Konoha's Kakashi, or Akatsuki's Kakashi? He thought he was Konoha's Kakashi. But Danzo thought he was a dog he owned. And Amegakure had called him a traitor. So what was he? Kakashi couldn't answer that anymore. Not even when he limped out of Konoha. Not even when he returned to the rain-soaked village. That question followed him everywhere. And soon it stopped mattering at all.
Because what awaited him was a scene of punishment. Not exactly torture, though it looked like it. More like "cleansing." A practice every village uses. Kakashi had once done the same, mask on, water gun in hand, washing down criminals under pressure so strong it hurt, humiliated, and controlled. At the time, he thought it was just part of the job.
Now, I'm still alive, and somehow that feels like an apology to the world. He didn't understand what he was anymore. But he understood one thing. It had to stop.
He couldn't find the valve. So he used the simplest method. He kicked. BOOM! An ANBU member was sent flying along with the equipment in his hands. Water sprayed everywhere.
Chaos followed. The operatives froze when they saw Kakashi. No one continued the "cleansing." Kakashi didn't care about looking cool. There was no point. He just kept kicking the people holding the high-pressure water guns, knocking them away one by one. Water flooded the room. The screaming faded.
Then someone finally snapped. "Damn it! Dog! Where the hell were you watching the gate?!" one man shouted.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He kicked him down instantly. The man tried to get up, but couldn't.
Then another voice came rushing in. A younger ANBU. "I-I didn't see him, captain!"
Kakashi didn't even look at him. He picked up a water gun and aimed it at the fallen operatives. High-pressure water erupted again. Now the begging came directly from them. "Stop, stop! This is pointless! We're just following orders!"
Kakashi ignored them. Until, CLICK. The water stopped. The valve was shut.
Hyuga Neji had arrived. "You've gone too far, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi dropped the water gun, smiling lazily with his familiar crescent eye. "Don't call me sensei," he said casually. "I never taught you anything."
Neji looked at the ruined room. Bodies scattered. Wet floor. Silence where screams had been. He didn't respond immediately. Then calmly said, "You really are a very 'responsible' senior, aren't you?"
Kakashi didn't argue. He just walked out.
He moved from the men's prison to the women's section. The sounds there were louder. And worse.
Inside, Mitarashi Anko was "having fun." Kakashi had never thought of her as cruel before. Or maybe he had, he just used to stand on her side. Now, it looks different. Very different.
High-pressure water at close range could leave burns in seconds. Long exposure could destroy muscle, bone, even organs. And the smell in the room meant more than one person had already died.
Anko was enjoying herself. Some ANBU worked nervously beside her. Others trembled. Even Kakashi, someone known for calm in chaos, could tell: this was beyond control.
So he stepped forward, grabbed Anko by the hair, and pulled. "Hey hey, Kakashi! Let go!"
He smiled faintly. "I've got something to tell you."
Anko glared. "What?"
"If this gets reported back," Kakashi said lightly, "your position as ANBU supervisor might be gone."
Anko froze. "Who the hell would dare report me?!"
Kakashi chuckled. "I would."
That simple answer changed the air. Anko tried to strike him, but he stopped her easily. "Don't get violent when you can't win an argument," he teased. It sounded almost playful. But in this place, it felt wrong. Very wrong.
Anko lowered the water gun, her expression turning cold. "If you report this," she said, "I'll make sure no one here leaves alive."
Kakashi didn't doubt her. That was the problem. She meant it.
He sighed, pulled the water gun away from her hand, and tossed it aside. "Let's go talk somewhere else."
"I'm not done yet."
"You're done," Kakashi said flatly. "Look at them. You've scared them enough already."
He pushed her out of the room. Behind them, ANBU instinctively resumed work, until Kakashi turned his gaze back. Cold. Sharp. The kind of look ANBU legends whispered about. "Stop. Clean this up properly."
"Yes, sir."
Outside, away from the prison blocks, Anko leaned against the wall. "So?" she asked lazily. "What is it?"
Kakashi looked at her. "You know how important they are to me. So give me a little face here."
Anko rolled her eyes. "I haven't done anything to you, have I?"
Kakashi answered honestly. "No." That was the truth. And in this war, truth didn't make anything easier.