A Naruto Fanfic

Konoha's Trap Master

Chapter 1: Being Found

It was cold and damp. No light was able to penetrate the murkiness of the cell. The sound of water dripping on the stone floor echoed around the chamber shrouded in darkness.

Drip.

That sound was driving him crazy.

Drip. Drip.

How long had he been in this oppressive darkness, listening to that detestable dripping? A couple of hours, a few days, weeks, or even years? He didn't know, a part of him didn't care. Another part was silently screaming for a release from his prison. To be freed from the suffocating darkness and endless dripping that was slowly consuming his sanity.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

There was a moment of silence. He held his breath.

Drip.

He sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. After all, surely someone somewhere should know that he was still alive. Someone should know he wasn't dead, and that they should be searching for him. In fact, they should have never let him step a foot in this place, they should have found him before then. That's what should of happened.

But he knew that what should of happened never did. Perhaps it never would. Or maybe by the time that they finally got round to finding him, it would be too late. After all, he didn't have a reason to be alive anymore. He didn't know why he was still alive at all. He should have died the moment that man got what he wanted. But he lived. That man should of killed him when he realized that he had survived. But he didn't. Instead that man had thrown him in this chamber, cut off from the rest of the world.

Why? Why was he still alive? He repeatedly asked that to himself, trying to understand why he was allowed to live. He didn't have a bloodline, or any special techniques, or anything that was really worth something. Was it the fact that he looked liked his father, and because they couldn't hurt him they choose to hurt his son instead? Maybe there was just some sick amusement in tormenting him? Or maybe because he survived the extraction there was value in letting him live?

Yes, that had to be it. As far as he knew, not only was he the first person to survive an extraction, he also seemed to have an odd connection to the statue where the demons were sealed. After his demon had been removed, he felt cold, so very cold, and empty, like a part of him was missing. Then he could hear his demon talking, in fact, he could hear all of the demons that Akatsuki had collected. After that, he felt an enormous force try to pull him into the statue, and he had been unable to move or think, the pain was so great.

He had learned that the further away from the statue he was, the colder he became, but the less pain he would be in. The closer he was the more pain he would be in, but the less cold he would be. So far he hadn't been able to find any middle ground between the two. It didn't help when some of the members of Akatsuki had dragged him out of his chamber to throw him in front of the statue, just so they could watch him scream.

Yet they had stopped doing that some time ago, and the pain that had always accompanied him being close to the statue had suddenly vanished, making him wonder if they had just abandoned him. He was thankful that now the pain was gone he could think clearly, but the cold that he now felt deep inside him, radiating through his frail figure, was just as bad. As numb as he was, at least now he had a shot of escaping.

Sighing again, he prepared himself for the only task he had set himself to do. A very painful task, as everything seemed to be lately. He tensed, and cautiously raised his index finger. Then he waited for a few seconds before he raised his hand, and winced. He repeated this process with his other hand, then wriggled his toes, bent his knees and elbows slightly, and slowly moved his head from side to side. He hadn't moved for awhile, so he was quite stiff, but after a few minutes of stretching on his uncomfortable bed he was able to pull himself into a sitting position.

He waited a moment, straining his ears to see if he could hear anyone past the iron door, just in case that today was the day when his captors returned. When he was sure he was alone, he slung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the dull pain that throbbed around his stomach where his seal had been. Breathing slowly, he brought his hands into a seal and tried to mold chakra.

Immediately the pain turned from a dull throb to a searing agony, and spread throughout his entire body. He screamed, and fell back onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his legs up to his chest and curled into a ball with a slight whimper. Here was the reason why he hadn't escaped yet: he hadn't been able to use chakra. If it wasn't for this problem, he would rasengan the door off it's hinges and he home free. But he couldn't, and it frustrated him to no end.

Obviously today he would remain captive in a hideout with no guards, the only thing coming between him and freedom being a large iron door with creaky hinges.

He didn't know how long it had been since his last escape attempt, but what he did know was that there would be no more. Starvation and dehydration had taken there toll, he was too weak to move. His bones were more noticeable then ever, his throat and lips were parched, and his eyes were so dry he could barely open them. His hair had gotten longer, it now fell over his eyes, and his nails were longer and chipped. It was an effort just to breathe, it felt like he had to force his lungs to operate.

There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to die here, in a small dark chamber as an emancipated skeleton and all alone. Oddly enough, it didn't bother him. It did at first, he thought about it all the time, but not now. His last experience as a prisoner had taken all of his will and smashed it. He was now just a weak, lonely boy that wanted to be put out of his misery.

Although not all of his time as a captive had been bad. He estimated that about a week ago, Sakura came and gave him a striptease, which he thoroughly enjoyed. A short time after that, Sasuke came and told him that he was returning to Konoha, so he shouldn't worry about keeping his promise and that he would protect the village for him. Then just yesterday Jiraiya sat on the end of his bed, and told him that he was proud of him. That he shouldn't be afraid of dying, that there would be people waiting for him when he got to heaven. He said that his parents couldn't wait to meet him, although they would be sad that he had died so soon. Then he ruffled his hair, and said that he was proud of him again, and added that he was the grandson he never had, which would of made him cry if he was able to, but he couldn't, so instead he just smiled slightly.

After that visit, he had been content. He knew that he was hallucinating, but it was something that Jiraiya would of said. Or perhaps he really did visit, some of the things his master could do amazed him still. So he just waited for his end to come, thinking back on his life through all the years. Surprisingly, he couldn't think of anything he would want to change. Not even what happened at the Valley of the End. After all, Sasuke leaving was the thing that drove him to become strong.

Although obviously not strong enough, going by the situation he was in now. He just hoped that no one else would pay from him not being able to prevent having his demon removed from his body. And he prayed that the last jinchuriki wouldn't fall into the hands of the Akatsuki. He didn't know what the organization's plans were, but anything that involved nine insanely powerful demons could not be good.

Feeling his end coming near, with his last few breaths he pleaded to whatever Kamisama would listen and begged that his friends would survive the coming battle.

Just at that point, he thought he heard a noise. What he thought was a loud crash echoed through the hideout. But he couldn't be sure, as he was struggling to hold onto consciousness. And what were the chances of someone finding him just as he was about to die? There was another loud crash, this one sounded closer then the previous. The sounds continued to move towards him, accompanied by what could be shouts.

Suddenly there was a loud screech, and the first beam of light that he had seen since his imprisonment lit up his gaunt face. He heard murmuring, and light footsteps making their way towards him. When they stopped, a cautious hand was placed on his neck, feeling for a pulse. A high pitched sound that nearly ruptured his eardrums followed. He grit his teeth in annoyance. Why did he have to be subjected to such vile noise when he was on his death bed?

The next thing he knew, he was scooped up and held next to something warm, and a calm, deep voice silenced the shrill that was assaulting his ears. After a few more quiet words, he felt wind rush against his body, along with movement that he associated with running at high speeds. He thought that whoever was carrying him might have spoken to him, but darkness was starting to creep in on him. This was either the greatest hallucination he'd ever had, or he was incredibly lucky. Regardless of which it was, he snuggled closer to the person's warmth, ignoring their shivers at his icy touch.

Uzumaki Naruto had been found.