It took Genma far too long to make sense of that question. Far too long. He stared dumbly at Kakashi -- at the new bandanna and freshly covered eye, at the length of old scar cutting down Kakashi's cheek -- and tried to remember who Baiji was.

Kakashi evidently took Genma's muteness as a sign that Baiji -- who the hell was Baiji? -- had fared poorly. The raw grief that transited across Kakashi's single exposed eye was finally what made it plain for Genma. He'd seen that expression on Kakashi's face once before, over the lifeless body of a large brown and black dog. Over Arihiro.

He couldn't make another grab for Kakashi without tipping their captors off to something happening between them. Genma grasped for some other tactic and came up with not much. "You remember that mission to Wave Country? The one where that kid was supposedly kidnapped but it turned out he was hiding under the tea house?"

Kakashi stared at him like he'd gone mad. Contact. They needed contact. Genma swallowed, swayed, and fell against Kakashi. Hardly an acting job. Kakashi nearly toppled himself, but he caught Genma, and Genma got his hand back on Kakashi's arm.

He's safe, Genma tapped frantically. Baiji's safe! They were going to kill him, so I ordered him to go. He un-summoned himself.

Kakashi gave Genma a numb, entirely too mistrusting look. Genma didn't have any idea how to change that. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity, and those Iwa bastard were watching. They'd use this against them. Scent Kakashi's distress, and the seeds of doubt. They'd recognize that crack between Konoha comrades and drive a wedge into it. Use them against each other in entirely new, and much more horrific ways than just forcing one to watch while the other was tortured.

"I feel like hell," Genma whispered. "And that's no lie. I swear on the Heroes' Stone and my tattoo."