"Thirty-two bodies, all taken out by kunai," Yuma reported.

Kakashi nodded grimly, his one visible eye scanning the scene. "Looks like we found the whole gang. Or what's left of them, anyway."

The two Anbu agents had quickly surveyed the area, taking in the scattered corpses.

It was clear that whoever had done this was a professional - each kill was swift and precise, leaving no room for resistance.

Yuma's gaze drifted back to Kakashi.

"You think it could've been Motoki's team?" he asked, distractedly brushing a spider from his shoulder. "Maybe they finished the job before... you know."

But Kakashi wasn't convinced. The wounds, while expertly placed, were surprisingly shallow. Some hadn't even fully penetrated the skin.

And then there was the distinct lack of blood. If these bandits had been slain by Konoha shinobis, the ground should've been soaked with it.

Even more strange were the bodies themselves. They were hairless, with distorted features and skin that resembled fish scales.

And the puddles of slime beneath them... it was all just too bizarre.

No, something else was at play here.

"We keep moving," he told Yuma. "There's nothing more to learn here."

They pushed deeper into bandit territory, driven by Kakashi's hunch that this camp was just an outpost.

The real base, where they stored their ill-gotten gains, would be hidden nearby.

It didn't take long to find it - a cave, its entrance concealed by a tangle of branches and boulders.

To the untrained eye, it would've been invisible.

But to a pair of elite Anbu, it might as well have been marked with a neon sign.

Just as they prepared to enter, a flurry of movement above caught their attention.

Figures dropped from the trees, landing silently on the rocks that flanked the cave mouth.

Kakashi's blood ran cold as he took in their appearance. The distinctive armor, the stylized masks...

His grip on his blade tightened as he whispered, "The Kiri Anbu Squad."

His eyes locked onto the figures. "What are they doing here?"

This was a worst-case scenario. The presence of Kiri shinobis, deep in the heart of the Land of Fire, could mean only one thing - an act of war.

His mind raced, calculating odds and angles of attack. They were outnumbered, and with no idea how many more lurked in the shadows.

A direct confrontation would be suicide.

Their only chance was to fall back, to warn the Hokage of this new threat.

But before he could signal Yuma to retreat, the lead Kiri ninja stepped forward, hands raised in a calming gesture.

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"Stand down," he called out, his voice muffled behind his mask. "We're not here for you."

Kakashi hesitated, his instincts at odds with protocol. He knew the old code, a way for shinobis to avoid unnecessary conflict when their missions didn't align.

But he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

"This is the Land of Fire," he said evenly, letting his hand fall from his weapon. "Your presence here is an act of aggression."

The Kiri leader paused, considering his next words carefully.

In truth, he would've liked nothing more than to take advantage of their superior numbers and slaughter the Konoha Anbu where they stood.

It would be fitting retribution for the four Swordsmen of the Kiri who had fallen to Konoha's Sannin two years prior.

But the Mizukage's orders had been clear: deal with the missing-nin swiftly and silently. Completing that mission took priority over even the chance for revenge.

And so, with great reluctance, the Kiri leader held his bloodlust in check.

"We're pursuing a missing-nin from our village," he explained. "Once we have him, we'll leave your lands immediately."

It was a thin story, but one Kakashi couldn't openly challenge without risking an international incident.

He glanced at the assembled Kiri shinobis, taking note of their positions. Six visible, guarding the entrance.

Likely more inside. Even with Yuma and their hidden team member, the odds weren't in their favor.

No, the smart play was to gather what intel he could and report back to the Hokage.

Let the village leadership decide how to handle this unexpected presence of Kiri shinobis in their territory.

"The bandits back there," Kakashi said, jerking his head towards the camp. "Was that your handiwork?"

The Kiri ninja shook his head. "They were like that when we arrived. Figured it was your doing. Weren't they your mission?"

So, Motoki's team had taken out the bandits after all. But then they'd run afoul of this missing-nin, whoever he was.

He opened his mouth to press for more details, but a blood-curdling scream from deep within the cave cut him off.

In an instant, the Kiri shinobis were on alert, weapons drawn.

"We need to move," their leader barked, already turning towards the cave. "Kame, Hebi, with me. The rest of you, hold this position."

Without another word, half the squad vanished into the darkness, leaving Kakashi and Yuma alone at the entrance.

"What's the play, captain?" Yuma asked worriedly.

Kakashi frowned behind his mask. Every instinct told him to pursue, to unravel the mystery that had claimed Motoki's team.

But charging blindly into unknown danger was a rookie mistake. Something he couldn't afford to make.

"We wait," he said finally. "And watch. If the Kiri come out with their missing-nin, we let them go. Our priority is getting this information back to the village."

Yuma nodded, but then winced, rubbing his arm where the spider had bitten him earlier.

"You alright?" Kakashi asked, his eye narrowing.

"Yeah, just a bit numb. Don't think it was venomous. I'll be fine," Yuma replied.

They jumped into the trees, finding a vantage point that gave them a clear view of the cave entrance while keeping them hidden from sight.

----------

Minutes ticked by with no sign of the Kiri shinobis. The forest was unnaturally still, as if even the animals were spooked by the atmosphere.

"They're taking too long," Yuma muttered, shifting uneasily on his perch.

Another spider crawled up his leg, and he flicked it away with a shudder. "I don't like this. Something feels off."

Kakashi silently agreed. For an elite squad to take this much time subduing a single target... Something wasn't right.

Another scream echoed from the depths of the cave, followed by a silence that was somehow even more unnerving.

"We're going in," he decided, dropping soundlessly to the ground. "But we take it slow. No unnecessary risks. Our mission is reconnaissance, not rescue. Understood?"

Yuma nodded. "Lead the way, captain."

Kakashi knew that although it may be very dangerous inside the cave, their mission was to obtain all the information.

They had only obtained half of it so far, and it was definitely not enough to complete the mission. They had to press on, no matter the risk.

----------

The cave was dark and damp, the air thick with a foul smell that made their stomachs turn.

Kakashi and Yuma moved silently, keeping close to the walls as they made their way deeper into the cave, every sense on high alert.

As they rounded a corner, a faint light became visible ahead. He signaled for Yuma to hold position as he edged forward, using a small mirror to peer around the bend.

What he saw left him confused and uneasy.

The cave opened up into a large chamber, lit by flickering torches that cast shadows on the walls.

Scattered across the floor were the unmistakable weapons of the Kiri Anbu Squad.

They were all kneeling in prayer, facing towards the center of the room.

Towards the statue.

All except one, who moved as if in a trance towards the statue on the raised platform.

The statue itself was a thing of nightmares. Carved from an unknown stone, it depicted a figure that was both human and... something else.

Its face was a twisted mass of tentacles, its body a grotesque hybrid of man and octopus.

Kakashi tore his gaze away. Whatever this thing was, something didn't feel right.