The fading orange sunlight shone through the dense tree tops as Kakashi leapt from branch to branch, his attention on the path ahead. His team of jonin were returning from a successful escort mission, and he was looking forward to finally catching some much needed rest.
It had been a long week and Kakashi could barely suppress a sigh as he landed on a nearby branch, senses tuned despite his lazy posture. His teammates were a few paces behind, so Kakashi was the first to spot the glint of light from the forest floor. He paused, glancing around.
There.
His visible grey eye narrowed as he studied the odd glimmer below. It appeared to be a person sprawled on the forest floor, unmoving. Kakashi tensed, immediately on alert. His gaze swept the surrounding trees but detected no signs of an enemy ambush.
Still, you could never be too cautious.
With a quick hand signal, Kakashi halted his teammates. Giving them a nod, he dropped from the branch, landing in a silent crouch a few feet from the figure. The individual was wearing strange clothing unlike anything Kakashi had seen in the Hidden Leaf village. Their eyes were closed and body unnaturally still - were they dead?
No...the slight rise of their chest said otherwise.
Kakashi crept closer, on high alert now for any danger. But the forest was quiet, only the calls of birds and rustle of leaves breaking the silence. They seemed alone, no enemy shinobi lying in wait.
At least, none that Kakashi could detect.
Still, he remained cautious even as he crouched down to check the individual's condition.
"Hey," Kakashi said, keeping his voice low. He gave their shoulder a light shake. "Can you hear me?"
