A/N: Switching to First Person PoV from now on. I will see how it feels and decide if I want to stay this way. Would appreciate feedback.

We made it to an outpost of Konoha, without being attacked by the demon brothers or Zabuza, thankfully. I doubted Anko could take Zabuza in a one on one. The land was slightly misty, due to its location next to the massive body of water that when crossed would lead to the land of waves. The outpost itself was a simple hidden tower, which provided enough shelter from the elements as well as good vision in all directions. We were to relieve another genin team like ourselves. Anko explained our duties and how time would be spent. We were to split up in cycles. Some would patrol while the other half would keep watch on the tower. Both teams would communicate via flares if something happened. We would also sleep in shifts. As well as change when we sleep, switching between night and day patrols, seemingly at random, so if someone was observing us it would be difficult to make a plan to sneak by. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t done before but adapting to such sleep cycles was annoying. It seems like I wasted my money on the beginner seal pack, since I wouldn’t have any time to practice, similarly we didn’t have any time left to ourselves. It was a month-long intense regime of sleep, watch and patrol. Anko would not have us slack at all. Well not completely as chakra control was something I could practice on the move. Something I did while tree hopping was loosen and tighten my grip on the trees, getting a better feeling of using chakra to swing around a branch simply with the chakra magnetism. Although the watchtower duty was boring I could train my Byakugan, trying to see farther and farther as well as behind me. One such day I saw four shinobi approach from leaf territory with one of them carrying a smaller person. They were travelling rather quickly in obvious haste. I shot the red flare as instructed on day one. Called out to Ino.

“I see four unmarked shinobi, moving through the trees, they are fast.”

“What do we do?” She asked worriedly, trying to keep panic from overtaking her.

“We can’t wait for sensei, I will move to set an ambush in their path, it’s a short distance from here, you will guide Anko to me, so wait until she arrives.” I explained the plan and jumped as I didn’t have much time until interception. Upon reaching the spot they would pass through, I laid traps, but prioritised setting up the all the explosive tags I had. It wasn’t really feasible for me to fight them head on, so my plan was to simply delay them. I distanced the explosive enough to not trigger each other. When they got close enough I hid, hopefully to deliver a fatal blow. Waiting, as always was dreadful. The pre battle anticipation, the knowledge that this was it, no way back all there was the fight and feeling of dread slowly filling you. I watched as they approached closer and closer.

“Four adult males, one possible hostage, young and unconscious. Close rhombus formation with hostage as point. Fight in a minefield, with an opening ambush. Enemy capabilities unknown, strength unknown. Enemy will reach the killzone in 3,2,1.”

I lightly tossed a flash bang from my hiding spot, aiming for the leader’s face.

“Ambush!” He yelled.

As the flash went off I attacked the closest enemy, the right point of the rhombus. I couldn’t afford to attack the back of their formation as that would leave me too far from the hostage. Stabbed directly towards the throat, the man reacted even blind. His arm deflected mine slightly. What would have been a kunai in the throat, became a slashed open artery. He would bleed out in seconds. The leader taking the brunt of the flashbang was taking the longest to recover. I threw my last kunai at the enemy that would have been the left side of the rhombus and the second closest to my position. I also threw a barrage of shuriken to the farthest man on my left. At this point they all moved to ground level. The former reacted to his allies voice and raised an earth wall in my direction covering himself. The latter had mostly recovered already as he dodged and deflected most of the shurikens, but one hit him in the thigh. The man had reacted quick enough to deflect and seeing he couldn't get all of the projectiles he moved his leg enough to avoid a lethal artery cut. I rushed towards the man hiding behind the earth wall. Lamenting the fact that I still didn’t have any viable jutsu I could use in a fight. With my Byakugan I noticed the man on my left tossing his own shuriken barrage at me. Which I dodged without even turning and reached my target. It seems he had his eyes open when the flashbang went off as his eyes were still closed. He opened them as he heard my footsteps right next to him. I engaged in Taijutsu, trying to goad him towards an explosive tag, right behind him. Punching and kicking aggressively, purely trying to keep the pressure up on him instead of going for a lethal blow. Even half blind he blocked, deflected and dodged, showing he wasn’t panicking in an ambush scenario. I noticed chakra flare up from the leader and an earth spike shot towards my chest. I barely twisted into a neutral stance from my aggressive Taijutsu to dodge the spike. The man I was fighting pulled a kunai and tried to attack me, with the opportunity given to him by his leader. The back end of the rhombus, the man to my left, was dashing towards me as well only a few steps away. I could read their movements, even if they were fast. I moved my right foot forward and my left shoulder back dodging the kunai aimed at my heart. Simultaneously extending my right hand for a throat punch. I saw his expression shift to surprise as I crushed his throat and kicked him towards the tag behind him. It went off with a loud boom and I dashed into the smoke created by it. I kept an eye on them as I ran towards the closest explosive trap I placed earlier.

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Two out of four was great given the circumstances. After our clash, I figured they were high genin at best. Didn’t know about the leader though. They were experienced however. Perhaps they weren’t even a combat oriented team. Still I didn’t doubt that they could and would kill me, now that the element of surprise was gone. The important question was however, if they were stupid enough to chase me or accept their losses and continue their mission, I doubted I could pull off another ambush and they still had the hostage. Hindsight perhaps I should have tried grabbing the kid they were carrying in the bag, instead of going for the kill. Ninja number two was going to chase me, but his leader shouted at him, stopping him.

“Forget him! We don’t have the time!” He shouted as he jumped up to a branch to continue running. Shit, they were not being dumb I lamented as I changed direction to run towards them instead of away. I didn’t have any ranged options available after using most of them on the traps I placed around. I would definitely need to learn that tool summoning seal as soon as possible and make a tattoo out of it too. The very next jump the leader made, landed him into an explosive tag. He reacted quickly, jumping back immediately. This was the only chance I would get, so I ran into their path. Activated my Sharingan as I looked straight into the leader’s eyes and spoke calmly.

“Perhaps, if you surrender you might live. No way you can escape, Kakashi of the Sharingan.” I bluffed, like a professional poker player, hoping that my appearance and the Sharingan might convince them that I am indeed Kakashi.

“What!? Impossible, what are you doing here?” The leader yelped in surprise, clearly having at least looked at a bingo book before. After a moment's contemplation he spoke again.

“No, no way. You are too short. Also where is your mask?” He asked. Understanding that they would not surrender, I did random hand signs, once again hoping they would not recognise them. I brought my hand to my mouth as I yelled.

“Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!” I watched as they scrambled for cover.

“You would harm the hostage!” The leader yelled as he ducked behind a tree. They froze for a moment when nothing happened. Realising he had been had, he dashed out towards me and yelled in anger.

“Kill him!”

I stepped closer and closer to a nearby explosive seal, as they ran towards me with killing intent. The leader charged too fast, I thought maybe I could hold on a little, given he had an arm occupied with carrying his hostage in what I now realised were just blankets and not a bag. I managed to raise my right hand and step back blocking a lethal blow, but still my arm met kunai and he cut deep, bone deep. I jumped back instead of engaging, right into my own trap, triggering it and intentionally tumbling down from the branches. He followed and I hoped the explosion would get him but I did not expect it to work. Just another second of delay. I did not stop and kept going to the next trap.

“That trick only works once, brat!” he snarled, unphased by the explosion. I read his movements as best as I could. He was being weighed down by another body and had only one arm to attack with and his teammate was lagging behind as I fought him and ran. Still every blow he made either I barely got out of the way or would graze me, leaving a cut behind.

“Are you even qualified to be here?” I asked, mocking the man. “You know I just graduated and you can’t even kill me.” Once again all I could do was hope my trick would bring me some modicum of an advantage. He did indeed get angrier as the fireball trick was enough to drop the mission to try and kill me. We kept exchanging blows, well more like he hit me and I took it.

“In a one versus four I killed two, what the fuck are you even doing in leaf territory if you can’t fight academy graduates.” I kept talking, as much as I could. Anger made him more predictable. The difference in skill was too much, eventually he managed a strike I could not avoid. His kunai lashed out towards my heart. I shifted, barely making the kunai miss my heart, it pierced my lung. I could feel it, as my breath hitched.

“I got you now, brat! Let’s see y-” He died mid sentence. Even with my Byakugan and my Sharingan still active, I did not see how. Suddenly something pierced his head and just like that he dropped. I froze in shock. Blood filled my lung and I had to cough it up to remember to use my Byakugan to look around. I saw the man’s teammate tied up by snakes. Anko sensei had finally arrived. Realisation made me relax as I let myself go and fall backwards, but I did not hit hard ground, instead I felt two soft mounds, she was holding me up.

“Your… chest… soft.” I mumbled in between coughing up more blood. Getting stabbed in the lung hurts like a motherfucker. Who would have thought. I would have, I of course knew. It had happened before. Well not a stab, but caught a bullet in the lung before, just lucky that time.

“Yeah, yeah you get a freebie this time.” Anko said, in a whisper, her mouth very close to my ear, close enough that I felt her breath.

“Not… free… killed… two” I spoke in wheezes once again.

“Stop, talking.” She ordered. “Do you want to die!?” She seemed upset.

It was no beast cloak level of regeneration, but I already felt my lung get better as I kept clearing the blood by coughing.

“M… fine… check… hostage.” I wheezed out after waiting a bit and enjoying Anko’s embrace. I could stay upright and maybe even walk slowly, but speaking was very troublesome. I saw the hostage stir and get up, as she cleared the blankets I saw who it was. I had just rescued little Hinata, the Hyuga princess.