Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Naruto. I do own the Shasei clan and all related info I make up for it.
Summary: The Shasei were the most honoured clan in Konoha's history. Indeed if it wasn't for them Konoha would have fallen during the Kyuubi's attack. Known as "True ninja" the Shasei clan's skills at assassination were the stuff of legend. It is said that when a Shasei marks you as its target then nature itself will turn against you. When Naruto is attacked and left to die a slow, painful death the Hokage decides that Naruto must learn of the way of his mother's clan. Naruto finds the beginnings of a family who help him recover from the horrors he had to endure while he questions whether the Fourth made the right choice in saving an ungrateful village from destruction.
A/N: This is another one of my Naruto stories as you can see. As with all of my stories I will make try to this more than 100,000 words long and as believable as possible. As I am a sucker for romance this will be another pairing fic; NarutoxTenten. I will tell you how I handle my writing so you know what to expect, update wise. I have plans for several Naruto stories which I will publish at the same time. Throughout the course of time I will add to stories indiscriminately. I may write a lot for one story then add a bit to another before I choose to update but I will try to keep my chapters 10,000 words long. Basically I write when the inspiration hits me. Also check out my profile to see any polls and check out my other fics.
Also I do warn you, this first chapter is a little gory.
As always; read, review and enjoy.
"Where is that little monster!?"
"I think he went that way! After him!"
Naruto snickered as the group of Chuunin ran past his hiding place. He had just finished one of his more large scale pranks on the Elders of the village; he dyed their hair orange and their clothes pink, hung their undergarments from the village gate, freed several exotic birds from the zoo (and into the Elder's homes) and to top it all off he just gave a squad of Chuunin the slip. Life was good. Pulling himself out of the cart of watermelons he was hiding in and ignoring the owner's indignant cries he made his way down the street and towards Ichiraku Ramen to get his fix. He ignored the usual glares and muttering from the general population and just stared ahead. Finally he arrived and pushed aside the curtain while calling out his order.
"Hey Teuchi! A large miso and keep them coming!"
The old ramen chef turned and smiled at his favourite customer as he prepared the order. "Hey Naruto. You know I heard the strangest things while I was at the market today. Things about a blonde menace pranking the 'honourable' village Elders." He looked over his shoulder at Naruto pointedly.
"Yeah I heard that Yamanaka girl is a right bad egg." Naruto shook his head in exasperation. Teuchi laughed heartily as he set the bowl in front of the boy and returned to the back room.
"Well from what I hear it was a whiskered boy in orange that was the cause."
Naruto spun around to find himself face-to-face with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha himself. The old man was decked out in his usual garb as he smiled down at the boy he considered a second grandson.
Naruto pointed at the Hokage. "I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it and you can't prove I did it!"
"What if I told you I saw you doing it in my crystal ball?"
"I'd say your eyes were failing in your old age."
Sarutobi smirked as he pulled something from his robes. "What about these plans I saw you drop on your way in here, complete with guard routes, targets and escape routes?" He waved the pieces of paper out of Naruto's reach as the boy tried to grab them. After a few moments of trying to get back the evidence Naruto sat in his chair with a huff.
"Fine be that way. So what now; I have to apologize and try to make it sound convincing?"
Sarutobi sighed as he sat down beside the boy, ordering a bowl of pork ramen from Teuchi before he turned to the whiskered blonde. "Naruto why do you do this? You know you'll get into trouble so why take the risk?"
Naruto shrugged as he scooped up more noodles. "I was bored."
"I want the real answer Naruto."
Naruto sighed and set down his chopsticks. "When I was coming to see you the other day I walked past a few of those Elders in the Hokage Tower. When I came close they gave me the usual crap; muttering threats and calling me names, stuff like that. As usual I ignored them but then I head one calling you an 'old decrepit monkey that was to stupid to kill the demon'. That really pissed me off so I decided to get even. The rest is history."
Sarutobi smiled slightly. He was probably one of the only people in the village that Naruto liked, the others being the Ichiraku family and the boy's Chuunin instructor Umino Iruka. Normally Naruto ignored everyone that he didn't trust even if he had no reason to mistrust them. He wouldn't speak to anyone in the academy, in the Hokage Tower or even ninja the Sarutobi had sent out when he was looking for Naruto. Sarutobi tried to get him to open up to others more but it was a lost cause. Naruto just didn't trust easily.
"Well Naruto I appreciate you defending my honour but you should just ignore people like that in future."
Naruto picked up his chopsticks and bean eating again. "Duly noted."
The two ate in a comfortable silence for a while until Sarutobi spoke up.
"So how has it been at the academy?"
"It's been crap. The lectures are as boring as ever, the girls are as annoying as ever and the guys are as moronic as ever. It's a good thing that the summer break has started, I was this close to killing someone."
Sarutobi chuckled. "Yes, well you only have two more years before you take the exam and then you can become a fully fledged ninja, free forever from the horrors of academy life." 'And into the terror of D-ranked missions.' Sarutobi snickered at the thought.
They spent most of the day at the ramen stand until Sarutobi had to drag himself back to the true horror of ninja life; paperwork. The two parted ways with smiles on their faces, totally unaware of the unfriendly eyes watching them from the shadows.
Iyashii Hito used to be a ninja. He was born into a moderately wealthy family with two sisters, lived in a good neighbourhood and grew up with his two best friends Mizuki and Yuki. When the three friends graduated the academy they were lucky enough to be put on the same team. Life was going well and they had just returned after their first C-rank mission before they were informed; the Kyuubi would be attacking the village any time soon. Their sensei told them to help with the evacuations before he left them. They weren't on their own for more than ten minutes when they heard it. An almighty roar, like the bellowing of an angry god. The sky turned crimson and a wave of pure hatred flowed over the village, dropping many to their knees in primal panic. The ground shook and they turned to see a sight that would haunt many for years to come.
The Kyuubi, the Hell Fox of legend and greatest of the nine tore through the outer walls of the village like they were made of paper, sending debris and a few unlucky survivors hundreds of meters in the air and crashing down further into the village. The beast's fur seemed to glow red, the eyes redder still as its gargantuan tails flailed behind it, digging trenches in the ground and killing many. It was by far the tallest thing many had ever seen, even the Hokage Monument barely reached the top of its legs.
The Genin flew into a blind panic and ran as fast as they could to the nearest shelter. They were only a few minutes away when a nearby building exploded, sending massive pieces of its structure flying outwards. He and Mizuki escaped with only a few broken bones. Yuki didn't. She had been crushed completely, the only way of knowing that it was her under that large section of wall was the bloody arm sticking out from under the rubble. Around the wrist of the arm was one of the many beaded bracelets that Yuki was fond of making which bore her name.
Broken, bleeding and in both emotional and physical pain they managed to stumble into the shelter for medical treatment. When the Fourth Hokage stopped the demon and the attack ended they buried the dead and he and Mizuki were hospitalised. His career was over. The damage to Hito's spine left him with a bad limp and it was decided that he was unfit for active duty. Mizuki was kept on but the psychiatrist decided that he had a bad case of mental trauma and it was decided that he should only be allowed to advance as far as the rank of Chuunin until such time as he was deemed fit for promotion. It was an excuse. They knew Mizuki had no chance of being cleared.
When word got out that the Kyuubi was sealed into the body of a child they were furious. They demanded that the demon be killed as a way to get some means of revenge. What they didn't understand was why the Hokage refused. The child that was sacrificed was dead and gone, its body belonged to the Kyuubi now. But the Hokage refused to see reason, claiming that the child was innocent.
It was ten years later when Mizuki brought the news. The demon, Uzumaki Naruto, was to begin at the academy by order of the Hokage. What was even more surprising was that the Hokage would have Anbu discreetly observe the class to make sure there were no 'accidents'. Mizuki was pissed and spent a good part of the night ranting.
As Hito watched the Hokage and the demon part like old friends a thought formed in his head and a malicious smile crossed his face. He drew back into the shadows and thought about his plan to be rid of the demon forever. The only sound of his retreat was the steady tap, tap, tap of a cane.
Naruto whistled as he walked home, his hands in his pockets. It was dark now, having been in the ramen stand with the Hokage for most of the day they never realised that it was late until Teuchi told them the stand was closing for the night. Naruto felt guilty that he'd cause Sarutobi-Jiji another late night but the Hokage just waved his apologies off, telling him he was glad to have been able to get out of the office and catch up.
As he made his way down the dark streets he noticed the usual nightlife starting to come out. Couples were going on dates, friends were hanging out and he even saw what was unmistakably a group of women out on a Hen Night (A/N: What we call a woman's bachelor party in Scotland.). They all gave him those same annoying glares that he didn't feel like dealing with tonight so he took to the back streets to avoid any drunken idiots who wanted to try and kill him again.
He walked through the darkened alleys until he came to the edge of one of the larger training areas, designed to host over one hundred ninja for large scale training sessions. The mini forest hadn't been used since the last war and was usually open to the public as a park on select days. He decided to take a shortcut through the trees to get to his apartment.
He weaved between the large trees, unmindful of the local wildlife he could encounter. He was surrounded by darkness. To many the dark would be impossible to see through but Naruto had always possessed very good eyesight, in fact the dark was hardly an issue.
Suddenly he heard a sharp snap behind him and he spun on his heels to try and see what was the cause. He saw nothing in the trees or on the ground and after a minute he was on his way again.
He was walking for five minutes when he was struck from behind and his world went black.
He awoke with a pounding headache and a coppery taste in his mouth. All around him he could hear voices and below him he could feel the mulch of the forest floor and smell its earthy scent in his nose. He cranked one eye open to see the dark forest in front of him and from behind him there was a glow from what smelled like fire. It was also the direction the voices were coming from.
"I can't believe how easy that was!" One voice laughed.
"I know! The mighty demon brought down with one hit."
"What now?"
A voice crackled maliciously. "Now we go through with the plan."
Naruto mentally swore. It was more of those damn villagers and by the sound of it, it was a pretty big group. He started to plan how he was going to get out of this one when he was grabbed from behind and yanked backwards. He was dragged into the middle of a circle made up of villagers and ninja. A few had flaming torches in their hands and others had weapons of all different shapes and sizes. He was dumped on the ground with a kick to the ribs for good measure and the ninja that had grabbed him backed off into the group. He looked around and sighed. There had to have been fifty or more. He wasn't afraid, this had happened too often to wonder what would happen so he did what he always did. He would be annoyingly apathetic.
"Oh come on," He said as he looked at the gathered people. "Flaming torches? That's so cliché. What is this, a bad horror movie?"
One of the ninja scoffed. "Look the demon has some guts. Should we see what colour they are?" He tried intimidation as he pulled a curved dagger from his belt, its blade seemed to glow in the dark.
"No." Another man stopped him. He looked as if he was in his mid twenties with a powerful build and he walked with a cane. "We don't want him to die too quickly."
"Aww, you care." Naruto gushed.
The man scowled at the boy. "Be quiet you piece of shit! You're going to suffer for every single death you caused."
"Now you must have me confused with someone else. I've never killed."
Naruto could sense that the villagers were getting angry but he didn't care, it was always the same story. Beat him up, leave him for dead, he healed then the whole thing would start all over again a few days later. Really it was that monotonous.
"The little bastard's mocking us! I say we kill him now!" There were shouts of agreement throughout the but the man with the cane quickly silenced them.
"QUIET! Don't you want this demon to suffer for all the sorrow he caused? Don't you want to cause him the same pain he caused you? If we kill him outright then he would escape his proper punishment." He turned to face Naruto, a look of malicious glee plastered on his face. "Don't worry," He said to the crowd without taking his eyes off Naruto. "The demon will suffer for all the he has done."
'Well that was ominous.' Naruto thought.
"Mizuki!" The man called into the crowd.
'I should have known Mizuki-teme would have been part of one of these little parties, he always was a bastard to me in class.' Naruto sneered in his mind but his face showed only mild surprise. The light haired Chuunin stepped forward, a cruel smile on his face. "Hey Teme-sensei! Didn't know you were stupid enough to try this."
Mizuki cast a dirty look in Naruto's direction before he stepped up to the man with the cane. "Hito?" He asked.
The man identified as Hito spoke to him. "You know the plan?"
"Yeah, while he's here I, along with a few other ninja will report sightings of him on the other side of the village. He should be dead from his wounds long before any help arrives."
"Good, good." Hito mumbled. "Now, how about we make this demon pay!" He shouted to the assembled group. Unanimous agreement came in the form of cheers from the bloodthirsty group. One of the ninja stepped forward and placed a heavy looking burlap sack on the ground in front of Hito before stepping back into the crowd. The group was starting to get riled up as Hito grabbed a hold of the sack and tugged revealing what was inside.
It was a large spool of barbed wire.
As the group started to close in, weapons drawn and a mad look in their eyes, there was only one thought in Naruto's mind.
'This is not going to be pretty.'
Sarutobi sat in his office trying to do paperwork. Trying being the operative word. He was sitting in his chair, smoking his pipe while drumming his fingers on the desk as he looked out of his window. The reason for this state of agitation? Naruto had not shown up at his office at all that morning. Usually the boy would show up every morning and they would talk for a while. There were two reasons for these visits. He would get out of his apartment and interact with someone as Sarutobi often worried that Naruto would become a recluse and forget how to interact with others. It was part of Sarutobi's plan to get Naruto to socialise more. And the second reason was that Sarutobi would be assured that the boy was alright. When Naruto showed up every morning it allowed Sarutobi to see if anyone had tried to harm him. There had been a few attacks in the past and Sarutobi had punished those responsible accordingly but he still worried so he told Naruto to come to his office each day for a 'visit'.
But today Naruto had not arrived and that worried him.
Usually he arrived at nine o'clock every morning but since school was out Sarutobi thought that the blonde could have been having a sleep in. When Naruto didn't show up at eleven o'clock Sarutobi started to get anxious but waited. When twelve o'clock came and went Sarutobi really began to worry. Naruto would like to sleep in but he never slept this late.
Making up his mind Sarutobi finished signing his name on the form he was working on and left the office in search of the boy he considered a second grandson. He first went to Ichiraku ramen but the boy wasn't there and hadn't been there all day so he made for Naruto's apartment. The apartment building was in a secluded part of Konoha, one that Sarutobi thought would give Naruto some peace from the imbeciles that thought him a demon. To the casual observer the building appeared decrepit. The cracks that ran along its walls and the many boarded up windows were in fact a sort of camouflage. The cracks presented no structural danger and the boards on the windows gave the place a very abandoned look. Inside the apartment was a different story. Sarutobi had four apartments reconstructed to make one moderately sized home; two apartments made one floor and the two directly above made the upstairs. Naruto didn't need all the space but Sarutobi thought he deserved to have a little luxury as his life outside the walls was, for lack of a better word, shit.
He walked up the stairs and into the apartment.
"Naruto?" He called. No answer. He checked the rooms but found nothing. Now he was really worried. He swept out the door, wracking his brain for any ideas as to where the boy could be. Finding none he made a 'come here' motion with his hand an immediately he was surrounded by a squad of Anbu. The captain stepped up to him, a dog mask with blue marking covering his face.
"You summoned us Hokage-sama?"
"Inu I want you to take your team out and locate Naruto, I think something's wrong."
"With respect Hokage-sama our primary duty is to guard-"
Sarutobi cut him off. "Who am I?"
The Anbu was confused by the strange question. "You're the Hokage."
"And what is a Hokage?"
"The Hokage is the leader of the village and the strongest ninja in the village."
"So if I'm the strongest and smartest ninja in the village don't you think I can take care of myself?"
The Anbu nodded before he and his group disappeared in search of the wayward blonde. Sarutobi cast a look to the sky a heaved a heavy sigh, hoping that Naruto was alright.
It was later that night when Sarutobi sat in his office, his lit pipe encasing him in a smoky haze. There had been no word from the Anbu team he had sent out but he was expecting an update any minute now. He had tried to take his mind off thing with paperwork but he just couldn't concentrate. All day there had been a cold pit of fear in his stomach. There wasn't much that could cause a Kage fear so this showed how much he worried for the sake of the small blonde haired child. He was about to begin pacing when there was a swirl of leaves in front of his desk and from it emerged the Anbu captain.
"Report." Sarutobi ordered immediately, his hands laced in front of him.
"We began searching the usual places were Naruto frequents but we found nothing so we began searching the local hospitals and morgues but still nothing. At this point in time its safe to assume that something has happened to him and I would suggest bringing in more ninja to search for him before something happens to him." 'Although I fear something may have already happened.'
Sarutobi nodded. "Inform Iruka, Mizuki, Tsume and her daughter, Anko, Shibi and Aoba that I want them in this office now." He ordered.
Inu nodded and disappeared. Sarutobi took up his pipe again, the bad feeling in his stomach even stronger than before.
Iruka was worried. When the Anbu captain had informed him that he was wanted in the Hokage's office he figured that the village leader wanted to go over the prospects of the next term of academy students but when he arrived to find six other grim faced ninja he knew something was up. When the Hokage mentioned Naruto his first thought was that the blonde haired youngster had preformed another one of his large scale pranks but he quickly threw aside that notion, knowing that the Hokage wouldn't have summoned that many high ranking ninja, two clan heads even, for something as trivial as that.
When the Hokage told them that Naruto was missing Iruka felt a drop of pure dread fall into his stomach. He cared a lot for the ramen loving boy and even thought of him as a surrogate little brother. He soaked up every detail that the Hokage could give and when the team deployed he headed straight for the areas that meant something to Naruto. He first went to the clearing in the forest were the boy would sometimes train but found nothing. He moved on to the Hokage Monument where he would go to think but didn't find anything. After that he tried the small shack that Naruto had constructed on a small secluded cliff beside a waterfall, the grove that was worn into the cliff face was big enough for Naruto to build a flimsy hut that he would stay in to get away from the village for a while. No luck.
Iruka searched all the places he could think of and each time he didn't find anything another drop was added to the growing pool of anxiety in his chest. Eventually it got dark and Tsume had to order him to go home and get some rest. He eventually relented and left for his bed but no sleep came, instead thoughts of what could have been happening to Naruto at that moment flitted through his head, robbing him of any chance of rest.
It was now the fourth day since Naruto went missing and Iruka was a wreck. This wasn't like the other times when Naruto had hid from everyone. He usually stayed away for a couple of hours but always checked in with Sarutobi-sama in the mornings. The constant false leads weren't doing much for her patience either. There had received reports from ninja that Naruto had been spotted in different parts of the village all week but when they went to investigate they found no clues.
Right now they were searching a warehouse where Naruto had been attacked a few years ago. Iruka had been the one to find him and the place brought back some bad memories. He climbed down from the rafters with a sigh. There were no clues here either. He was just about to check to see if Shibi had found anything when a voice called out to him.
"Iruka!"
He looked over the railing to see Mizuki standing at the door to the warehouse. "We've had another report of a boy matching Naruto's description over in the market district. One of the store owners reported seeing Naruto near the general store late last night."
Iruka sighed. The marked district was across town. As he climbed down the ladder he promised that if he found out someone was giving false tips to hinder the search he'd break their jaw. He never saw the smirk on Mizuki's face.
Sarutobi angrily paced is office. Naruto had been missing for a whole week and there was still no clue as to where he was. Sarutobi was considering sending for Jiraiya to aid in the search. If Naruto had been taken out of the village then Jiraiya would be able to find him. The spy network his student had constructed was very effective.
Sarutobi cast his thoughts back to an hour before and the reason for his particularly foul mood. His former team mates and current 'advisors' Koharu and Homura had arrived to discuss the search for Naruto. Even that old crippled viper Danzou had somehow wormed his way into the meeting. They believed that the search was consuming too many resources and that it should be called off. When one of them commented that Naruto's death wouldn't be any great loss and that many would even welcome it Sarutobi snapped. The amount of killing intent that had flooded forth from his body surprised even him and terrified the three that had been in front of him. He warned them that if they tried to hinder the investigation in any way then the next time anyone saw them it would be to pull their rotting corpses from the river. The three left the room as quickly as they could while trying to retain some dignity.
Sarutobi went to the large window of his office and looked out over the village. It was dark now and he could clearly see where each district of the village began and another ended. The multi-coloured neon lights of the entertainment district was by far the most eye-catching and directly beside that was the residential district, the orange glow of the streetlights giving it away. The factory district was a large section of darkness with only a few lights indicating late workers among the closed buildings. Sarutobi sighed as he rested his head against the cool glass, feeling everyone of his sixty-nine years. He thought for the thousandth time about who could have been responsible for this. He glared out at the village knowing that there were a number of people who would simply love the chance to do harm to Naruto despite his warnings and the wishes of the Yondaime. Sometimes the extent of the villages hate of a boy that had no say in who or what he was made Sarutobi want to reconsider his oath to lead and protect the village. Sarutobi silently promised that if they found those responsible then he would be there for every single interrogation and gladly sign their death warrants.
He heard the door open and someone enter.
"Hokage-sama?" It was Tsume's daughter, Inuzuka Hana. Sarutobi turned to her. The eighteen year old Chuunin was standing at attention in front of his desk with one of her nin-ken beside her. Sarutobi couldn't tell which one it was, they all looked the same to him.
"Have you found anything yet?" He asked wearily as he rubbed his temples.
Hana was a little taken aback by how old the Hokage suddenly seemed and felt for the old man. She had seen Naruto in the office plenty of times and she could see how close the two were. The Hokage had always made time for the boy and had even allowed him to sit in the Kage booth during her Chuunin exams.
"No Hokage-sama, nothing yet." She replied gently. Sarutobi sighed and slumped down into his chair. Just then the door opened and in walked Hana's mother Tsume. The Inuzuka matriarch was with her one-eyed companion Kuromaru, who went to sit beside Hana's companion. Sarutobi merely glanced at her, the question evident in his eyes. She shook her head. Sarutobi tiredly took up his pipe and looked at the two women.
"Well its getting dark, you should probably head on home and we can try again to-"
The door to the office was suddenly slammed open, cracking the wall were it rebounded. Another of Hana's companions stood in the doorway, barking at the top of its lungs. It seemed to be trying to get as much attention as it could and doing a good job of it too. Hana walked up to it and calmed by putting her hand on its muzzle.
"Whoa! Slow down. Now what were you saying?"
The dog barked a few more times and Hana spun to face Sarutobi. "He says he's found Naruto! He's alive but badly hurt! He's in training ground seventy-four!"
Sarutobi was immediately in motion, all traces of fatigue noticeably absent. "Have him show us the way! Tsume gather both teams and a medical team then follow us, use our scents to find us!" He barked as he followed Hana out the door. They rushed down the stairs and out the door into the night. Hana was surprised to find that she was hard pressed to keep up with the aged Hokage, the 'old man' was travelling at speeds that belied his age. The ran across the rooftops, the cold night air whipping around them as they moved. The training grounds were just becoming visible when Tsume pulled up alongside them, the Anbu, search and medical teams trailing her.
They dropped to the ground in front of the perimeter fence and cleared it with one leap. In front of them they could hear barking but what Sarutobi heard made him worry. There was yelping and the sound of trees being broken intermixed with the barking. He turned to the Inuzuka women.
"Tsume! Hana! Send your companions ahead and try to find out what is making those noises." The nodded and with a simple jerk of the head the three dogs raced ahead of the group while the two trackers focused chakra into their ears and noses. After a few moments Tsume turned to the Hokage.
"I can smell a lot of things coming from that direction. There are powerful scents of crow, wolf and scents of bodily fluids, faeces and a lot of blood. There are a lot of different scents, both old and new but by my guess there is a pack of wolves and a large murder of crows ahead. There's also one other scent; fox."
Sarutobi's face turned grim. He did not like Tsume's answer as it wouldn't mean any good for Naruto. He doubled his pace hoping to get to the clearing quicker. Oh how he would regret that choice.
It took another five minutes before they reached the clearing where the smells and noises were coming from and they broke through the trees, only to stop abruptly as they took in the gruesome scene before them. This same scene would give many of them nightmares for years to come.
It was like an image straight from the darkest pit of hell.
In the middle of the clearing was the three Inuzuka companions, snarling and taking swipes at the pack of twenty or so wolves that tried to inch closer. The trees and ground were gouged up and covered in blood, a testament to the Inuzuka clan's vicious techniques. The dogs throaty growls were mixed in with the piercing cries of the large number of crows and raven who circled above.
It was the grisly image that the companions were guarding that stopped the veteran ninja cold.
There, suspended between two trees like some kind of sick decoration, was Naruto. The young blonde was held spread-eagle a few feet above the ground. Barbed wire was wrapped around his arms, neck, stomach and everywhere else on his body, digging into his skin and causing blood and foul smelling bodily fluids to pump weakly out of his body. Oh god the blood. It was everywhere; on his body, in his hair. It was on the wire, on the trees and the ground. On the muzzles and beaks of the animals that surrounded him. There were a number of kunai, shuriken and even a kitchen knife still imbedded in his torso that looked like they might have rusted. The sick bastards had put a burlap sack over the boy's head, the thick fabric around his eyes having been torn away by the carnivorous birds and his legs and lower torso bore scratches and teeth marks from the vicious wolves.
Sarutobi heard more than one person behind him loose their lunch as he fought to keep his own. This…was inhumane. In all his years he had never seen a more vile and repulsive sight. Even the remains of Orochimaru's test subjects were found in better conditions than this.
The wolf that was thrown into the tree next to him was all it took to jar him from his stupor. He spun to face the green faced ninja behind him, still caught up in the horror in front of them.
"KILL THOSE ANIMALS AND GET HIM DOWN FROM THERE NOW!"
The ninja snapped round to face him before they rushed forward to clear the area. Tsume and Hana, reunited with their partners tore into the beasts, followed closely by the Anbu while Sarutobi and Shibi brought down the mass of crows with a mixture of Katon jutsu and the Aburame clan's Kikai bugs. Iruka and Anko ploughed through the beasts as they cleared the way for the medical team to get to Naruto. The clearing was filled with the bodies of the creatures in moments. Sarutobi rushed towards the group of med-nin that now surrounded Naruto.
"Well?" He demanded when he reached them.
The head med-nin was the one that answered. "He's alive Hokage-sama but barely. The amount of blood around here is ten times more than the amount in an adult male. I simply can't understand how he's survived this long but he'll be dead soon if we don't get him to a hospital. We need some help getting him down from here."
"Nekko." Sarutobi ordered. A cat masked kunoichi stepped forward, one hand on the hilt of her sword. The medical team moved way as to not get it but close enough to catch Naruto when he fell. She focused her chakra through the blade of her sword to enhance it's edge and swung. Four quick slashes and Naruto began to fall forward before he was caught in a thick blanket. The blanket would stop the bleeding and warm him while allowing the healers to carry him without hurting themselves on the barbed wire. They wrapped him in the blanket, supporting his weight between them.
The head med-nin turned to Sarutobi. "We're ready now sir."
Sarutobi nodded and turned to the Anbu squad. "I want you to search the area for any trace of who did this. Leave no leaf unturned."
The Anbu squad nodded and Sarutobi led the others through the forest towards the hospital. He only hoped they could get there in time.
Sarutobi paced outside the operating room. It was early morning, roughly six hours since they had found Naruto in that clearing. He looked over at the group of ninja scattered around the corridor. He had dismissed them over five hours ago but they hadn't left. He didn't blame them. You don't see something like that then go home for dinner and a good nights sleep. The Inuzuka group sat on the padded benches, the hounds being stroked by their masters. He noticed that Hana had tears in her eyes. Shibi and Anko were leaning against the wall, the latter was spinning a kunai around her fingers, obviously deep in thought. Aoba and Mizuki were talking quietly. Sarutobi saw that Mizuki didn't look concerned as much as he looked nervous. He'd investigate that later. He glanced at an obviously distraught Iruka. The tanned Chuunin sat across from Tsume with his arms crossed, staring into space and bouncing his knee. He could tell that the image of Naruto in that clearing was praying on the young Chuunin's mind because it was praying on his too.
Sarutobi shook is head and began pacing again. The thought of doing that to an eleven year old boy was something that he couldn't understand. The thought of doing that to your worst enemy was something he couldn't understand. He knew that when he found those responsible there would be no court, no trial and no jury. There would only be an executioner.
He glanced at the clock. It was nine o'clock in the morning. Usually he'd be heading to the office by now and an hour later Naruto would come bursting in the door, a whirlwind of exuberance. He was just about to suggest that the group go home for some rest when the door to the operating theatre opened and from it emerged Dr. Nanashi, the head healer. She was covered in blood but she wore a tired smile across her face.
"We managed to stabilize him and patch up all the wounds. We gave him blood transfusions and connected him to an IV to get some of the weight back after we removed all the barbed wire. He's not fully healed but he's out of the woods now."
Sarutobi hung his head back and gave a sigh of relief. His grandson was safe. He heard similar reactions behind him and he couldn't help but smile.
"Well if Naruto is alright then I suggest you all go home and get some rest. I dare say you need it. If you'd like you can come back and visit him later." The group smiled and left for the door, intent on trying to forget what they saw and sleep. Iruka, and surprisingly Anko hesitated. It was Iruka that spoke.
"Can we-I mean could we-?"
Sarutobi smiled gently and turned to Dr. Nanashi. "We'll be in Naruto's room. If you could bring him?" She nodded and Sarutobi led the two ninja into and empty patients room.
They waited in silence for a few minutes before Naruto was wheeled in on a gurney. The boy was covered in bandages and with an IV connected to his arm. His face was extremely pale and his lips seemed to be turning back from blue to their normal colour. His face was gaunt and you could clearly count the number of ribs he had without worrying about a miscount. Iruka looked like he was physically in pain.
The orderlies placed Naruto on the bed and covered in in more blankets than usual. Sarutobi thanked them as they left and he walked over to the bed. Without taking his eyes off Naruto's face he called to the doctor.
"How long do you think it will be before he wakes up?"
"Hard to tell but it'll be awhile. The amount of damage done to his body? Well…in medical terms he should be dead. I guess the only reason he survived was because of his 'special circumstances'. But his physical wounds aren't what worry me."
Sarutobi turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"Hokage-sama think about it. Naruto was beaten, burned and stabbed before he was wrapped in barbed wire and suspended off the ground. The smell of his blood attracted predators which will have found a bound child easy prey. He contracted hypothermia from the cold and the damage that his bodily acids caused when his organs were ripped open caused severe damage as well. Couple that with the fact that his unique healing abilities barely kept him alive?" She shook her head. "Hokage-sama the simplest way to put this is that Naruto was being eaten alive out there for seven whole days while he was tangled in barbed wire and extremely cold. He was probably begging for a death that wouldn't come. It would be the worst kind of torture imaginable. What that would do to his mental state is beyond me."
Tears were flowing thick and free down Iruka's face as he stroked the hair of his 'little brother'. Anko had hers eyes clenched shut trying to fight back tears of her own while it was only Sarutobi's strong will that stopped his sorrow from showing. He couldn't imagine what Naruto must have gone through during those seven days. Seven days of pure constant pain was…unimaginable.
"Do you think his mind could withstand a mind walker looking through his memory?"
Dr. Nanashi scratched her head. "I don't know sir, you'd have to ask one of them. Though I'd suggest you get a natural mind walker like Yamanaka Inoichi to do it. If there is any danger then you'd want the best to be in charge."
Sarutobi nodded as he looked back over at Naruto's prone form. "I'll make the arraignments. Iruka, Anko, you should get some rest, you're dead on your feet."
The two nodded and slowly left while Sarutobi went to find the man who could possibly give him the names of those that were responsible for the attack.
Hana walked into the kitchen later that day to find her mother staring into her coffee, obviously lost in thought. She hadn't gotten much sleep, the knowledge that Naruto was alright couldn't beat back the image of him suspended between those trees like a hunk of meet. She spent hours trying to get the phantom screams of Naruto out of her head s she imagined what had been happening to him before her partner found him.
"Hey mom." She yawned as she poured herself some coffee.
"Couldn't sleep?" Her mother asked.
Hana shook her head as she sat at the table, the cup clutched in her hands. Tsume nodded and joined her daughter at the table.
"It's just so hard." Hana said after a moments silence. "I mean, who could do that to a small child? It looked like something out of a nightmare."
"It took a sick bastard to leave him the way we found him." Tsume agreed as she took a sip. "Makes you wonder don't it; anyone we passed today could have been involved and we wouldn't have known. I guess sometimes you don't know people as well as you think. If someone had told me twelve years ago that someone from our village would do that to a small kid I would have knocked him on his ass. But now…"
Hana nodded. Konoha was known as the more peaceful of the hidden villages but to do that to a small child showed that it wasn't the nice little community it made itself out to be. "I remember the last time we saw him. It was when we picked Kiba up from the academy when it let out for the summer. He was just sitting on the old tree swing looking at the other kids with their parents. You could tell he felt left out; it was in his eyes."
Tsume nodded. "Yeah, that's got to be rough; passing the advancement exam but having no one to celebrate with then seeing all the other kids go off with their families. Really hammers home the loneliness."
"Poor kid." Hana commented. "Not even a Genin yet and having to go through something that would break most Jounin. I mean god, he's just a few months younger than Kiba!"
Tsume made a noise of agreement as she drank. While she my try to get Kiba to act more mature he was still her baby. To see someone his age go through that made her think about what it would be like if that was her son. The thought gave her a sick feeling in her stomach so she put down her coffee. She suddenly found a new appreciation for her son and vowed to spend as much time with him as she could before he graduated the academy and went into thee dirty life of a ninja.
'Speak of the devil.' She thought as Kiba stumbled into the kitchen, obviously just up from a late night.
"Mornin'" He grunted as he got a snack from the fridge. He looked at his mother and sister as he took a swig of milk. "You two look like crap."
They chuckled. "Rough night." Tsume told him.
He sat at the table with a sandwich while Tsume and Hana cleaned their cups. Tsume thought for a minute before she turned to Kiba. "What are you doing today?"
Kiba looked at her as he ate. "Nothing major. I was going to take Akamaru for a walk and get him used to the neighbourhood." Akamaru was his new nin-ken and Kuromaru's own pup. The white pup had been chosen as Kiba's partner just recently after it's birth and had yet to familiarise itself with its new surroundings.
"What say we take the companions to the park for the day? No training, just a family day out." She offered. Hana smiled while Kiba looked surprised.
"Okay." He said before he went to change. Hana turned to her mother.
"A day at the park huh? That should be good."
"Yeah," Tsume said as she left the kitchen. "Just a day as a family."
"Are you sure he an handle it?"
"Yes Hokage-sama. As long as he isn't dead I should be able safely walk his mind."
Sarutobi stood in Naruto's hospital room with Yamanaka Inoichi. The blonde Jounin was preparing to enter Naruto's mind to get te identities of those responsible for putting the boy in this condition.
Inoichi moved to sit beside Naruto's bed as he began the chain of hand seals for the Yamanaka's signature mind jutsu; Shinshinten (Mind Body Change).
"How will you remember every face in the memory?" Sarutobi enquired.
"The memory will be photographic at first before it fades completely. It stops the amount of memories we pick up in our careers from overloading our minds." He finished the seals and aimed his hands at Naruto. "Shinshinten no jutsu."
Inoichi's world went from the bright, sterile hospital room to a murky sewer filled with scummy water and dripping pipes. He noted that the wall bore a lot of cracks.
'This kid is going to need some major psychiatric help for this. I'm surprised he's still sane, if only barely' He thought as he walked down the tunneltowards the doors to Naruto's memories. He passed a large gateway from which he could hear what sounded like breathing. Whatever it was, the breathing sounded laboured. 'It must have used a lot of chakra to keep him alive.' Inoichi mused as he moved on.
Eventually he came to a large set of double iron doors. He shoved them open to reveal a strange sight. The doors led to a wide room filled with staircases but the staircases didn't just go up and down. They went from side to side, backwards and forwards and upside down leading to doors in the floor, walls, ceiling and in the middle of other staircases. Inoichi looked normal, like he was used to seeing stairs that would be physically impossible to climb which he was. This was the Hall of Memories, the setion in every humans mind where their recollections are stored. He walked over to the closest and most recent door. Its surface was of a rusty metal and he was sickened to see claw marks on the door and barbed wire wrapped around the frame. He grasped the handle, taking a moment to prepare him self, then opened the door.
Sarutobi watched over the slumped form of Inoichi as the Jounin walked Naruto's mind. It had been a little under two hours ago that he went into Naruto's mind and he was getting fidgety. He had just eased himself into a chair when Inoichi's head snapped up as the Jounin gasped for breath like a man who just broke through the surface of the ocean. Inoichi's face was blank for a second before it took of a look of pure rage. He surged from his seat and began pacing, obviously restraining himself from running out the door.
"Hokage-sama even if you don't order the death of everyone that was in that clearing I'm still going to kill them." He snarled.
"I take it you know who was there?" Sarutobi asked.
"Oh yes." Inoichi laughed mirthlessly. "I remember the face of every single man, woman and ninja that was involved."
"Try to calm down and tell me what happened."
Inoichi took a deep breath and began. "Naruto was walking home. He took a shortcut through the training grounds when he was hit from behind. When he woke up he was in a clearing surrounded by adults. They started calling him demon and threatening him but one that looked like the ring leader stopped them. It seemed he had it all planned out. They then proceeded to beat, stab and burn Naruto with everything they had. Inside of ten minutes he was lying on the ground bleeding with multiple broken bones and his clothes had been burned away. The one with the cane had them wrap Naruto tightly in barbed wire before having the wire wrapped around the trees and Naruto lifted off the ground. The ninja then lined up to use him as 'target practice'. After 'gently' removing their kunai while remembering to leave a few in they backed off. Before they left they put raw meat under him to attract the animals, not that his blood wouldn't have done it." Inoichi looked green as he recalled all he had witnessed in Naruto's mind.
Sarutobi's face became an ice cold scowl. "Then lets get you to a sketch artist and give our criminals some faces." Inoichi nodded and together they left for the Hokage tower.
"Ugh…where am I?"
Naruto woke up in a dark chamber, floating in a pool of water. He looked around as he unsteadily got to his feet. The chamber he was in was massive; fifty feet by fifty and he couldn't see the ceiling as it was cloaked in shadow. It was what was in front of him the took his breath away. A colossal set of brass gates blocked the way down one end of the corridor. The gates were comically held shut by a poster sized piece of paper with the kanji for seal on it.
"What the hell?" He murmured as he walked closer to investigate. He peered through the gaps in the gates but everything was covered in gloom. He strained is hearing when he heard a long, low rumbling. It sounded like…breathing? Deciding that venturing any further into the strange place would be a bad idea, he took a few steps back before he turned and headed for the smaller archway out of the camber.
"Why do you leave?"
He froze when he heard it. The voice was deep and slightly guttural and it seemed to resound off the walls of the chamber. He slowly turned back to the cage and his breath caught in his throat. From deep within the darkness two great crimson eyes seemed to glow as the stared upon Naruto, the slit pupils giving them a predatory feel but seeming to possess great intelligence.
"Why do you leave?" It asked again.
Naruto gulped and tried to force out some words. "What…who are you?"
There was a great gust of wind that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. "For one so young to have gone through that. I thought the humans of the village had more honour."
"Who are you?" Naruto called again, a little more strongly than before. Te eyes narrowed slightly, as if sizing him up. Neither spoke as a tense silence fell until Naruto's patience finally snapped.
"Answer me! Who the hell are you and where am I!?"
A strange noise emanated from the dark and it took a moment for Naruto to realise that the thing was chuckling. Fed up with this he turned to leave again when the voice spoke up.
"So brash. So fiery. So resilient. So much like her." The thing laughed. The eyes watched Naruto walk away before they spoke. "Why are you leaving…Naruto?"
Naruto stopped dead. How did this thing know his name? For that matter, what was that thing?
"How do you know my name?" He asked nervously, his back to the gate.
"I know quite a bit about you Naruto. I know that the villagers fear you, that you long for a family to call your own, that you have been alone for far too long and," Another sigh. "I know why they fear you."
Naruto gasped softly. He'd always wondered why he was treated like he was, why no one wanted him and why everyone seemed to hate him. Whenever he asked the Hokage the old man would look uncomfortable and promise to tell him one day. It infuriated him when he did that because 'one day' never came. Now here was someone who had the answer to his question.
"Why?" He whispered. "Why do they hate me?"
"Kit look at me." The voice said. Naruto turned to face the gates and looked into the glowing red eyes. There was the sound of movement and Naruto's eyes widened. From out of the shadows stepped a fox. The creature was large, roughly over one-hundred and fifty feet tall with well groomed red fur that seemed to shine with it's own light. Behind it, nine long tails flowed gracefully. The fox's fangs were larger than a grown man. Only one word escaped Naruto's lips.
"…Kyuubi…"
Naruto's legs began to tremble violently and he felt pure fear bubble up inside his chest. 'The Kyuubi!?' He mentally screamed. 'How is it alive, the Fourth Hokage killed it!' Naruto tried to step back but his legs gave out from under him and he fell with a splash into the shin high water, his eyes still locked with those of the demon.
The Kyuubi could sense the boy's fear and tried to calm him. "I'm not going to hurt you Naruto."
Naruto pointed a shaky finger at the large Kitsune. "B-but you're supposed to be d-dead."
The Kyuubi sighed again. "Naruto I was never killed."
"But the entire village was told. Why would Sarutobi-Jjij lie?"
"Ah yes. Sarutobi. I also want to find out why that old monkey never told you what really happened. He should have told you everything the second you were old enough to understand."
Naruto's head tilted to the side, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Come sit with me and I will explain." Naruto's eyes narrowed in distrust. The Kyuubi saw this. "I won't hurt you."
Naruto took a few small steps forward but it was obvious that he still didn't trust the giant fox. The Kyuubi folded its front legs and eased itself onto the floor while Naruto sat outside the cage. The Kyuubi took a moment before it began.
"Now to answer your earlier question, this place we're in is your mindscape. It is a representation of your brain, chakra circulatory system and the place where your memories are stored. It is also the location of my cell."
"Your cell."
The Kyuubi nodded. "Yes. This is where I was imprisoned by Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, when I attacked Konoha."
"Why did you attack?"
The Kyuubi looked away, its large face showed great emotional pain. "I was…tricked. I was placed in a very powerful genjutsu which sent me into a bloody rage." The fox took a slightly shaky breath, trying to compose itself. "I could see what I was doing and feel everything but I couldn't stop no matter how much I tried or how much I fought. It was like I was locked in my own mind being forced to watch the destruction I was causing. As strange as it sounds I was relieved beyond measure when I was defeated."
"You sound like you were fond of the village."
The Kyuubi nodded. "I was. I have been around Konoha since before the village was built and in times of great peril I acted as its guardian when no others could protect the village. I had many friends in the village. Friends which I was forced into killing. When I was defeated I made a vow to find those responsible for causing me to kill all those people even if it killed me."
"But we were told you were killed. How can you be in my mind?"
The Kyuubi sighed again and composed itself. I better start from the beginning. Eleven years ago when I attacked Konoha the ninja of the village tried to beat me back, a impossible feat considering I am the most powerful and ancient of all demons. It wasn't a battle; it was a massacre. Eventually the Fourth arrived on the field atop Gamabunta, the boss of the toads. We fought for over two hours to a standstill. Never let it be said that Hirashin no jutsu isn't effective. Anyway, I could tell that Minato was getting tired and when Gamabunta paused for a breather I struck." The Kyuubi chuckled. "I should have known it was a feint. The second I was close enough Gamabunta stabbed me through the mouth with his tanto, holding me in place just as Minato finished a series of hand seals. Suddenly everything went cold and I could feel my soul being split; one half into Minato and the other into the small child in his arms."
"Me?" Naruto asked disbelievingly.
The Kyuubi nodded. "Yes. Minato sealed my conscious and my yin chakra into you while he took my yang chakra."
Naruto's face was downcast, his hair overshadowing his eyes. "Why me?" It was almost inaudible. "Why did he chose me? Why was I chosen then left all by myself? Why the fuck did he do this to me!? My life's been hell because of him!"
"Naruto…"
Naruto was up and pacing now. His anger was boiling inside his chest and he needed to get it out somehow. "Didn't he know what my life would be like!? Every single day I've been treated like crap! I can't walk down the street without some damn villager glaring at me or calling me names! I can't buy decent food and what I can get is overpriced! I'm lucky if I can go a week without being attacked!" He was standing in front of the great brass bars of the seal, beating his fists bloody against them. Tears were in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "Those damn villagers spat on me, beat me up, burned me all because of what he did! They…they…"
The Kyuubi looked at Naruto with worry. "Naruto? Are you okay?"
Naruto was too far gone to hear the fox. Images flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. Images of blood and fire, the sound of shouting villagers, his screams and the cries of wolves and ravens stormed his mind as he recalled what happened in the forest. He began to tremble violently before he collapsed. Tears ran down his face unchecked and he curled into a ball trying to ward off the phantom pain of being eaten alive over and over again. He was unaware of the Kyuubi's concerned voice or the water that his head was submerged in. He was aware of the pair of arms that wrapped around him, drawing him into a comforting embrace and the enchanting song that hung in the air, chasing away the pain and the bad memories while filling him with a great sense of warmth. He wrapped his arms around the source of comfort and cried. He cried long and he cried hard until he couldn't cry anymore. He basked in the peaceful aura for a while longer before reluctantly pulling back to meet the most amazing sight he had ever seen.
In the place of the Kyuubi was a woman. She appeared to be in her twenties with long dark red hair that was brushed to give it a silky sheen and pulled back into a long ponytail that was held together by golden cylindrical clasps that fell to the back of her knees. She had a beautiful face and pale porcelain skin that seemed to glow with an inner light. Her eyes were striking; two emerald green orbs with slit pupils that expressed a wisdom and compassion far beyond the level capable of humans.
She wore fine robes. She wore a long black inner kimono that fell to her feet with a pure white obi tied around her waist and held together by a red silk sash. On her feet she wore a pair of highly polished black wooden sandals with small flowers painted on and a pair of tabi socks. Her outer kimono was magnificent. It was black with an intricate design of white swirls on it, each swirl branching off like a vine to create another swirl, the long sleeves of which fell past her hands.
Naruto could honestly say that he had never seen a more beautiful woman and doubted he ever would. She looked like an angel from heaven itself. She smiled a gentle loving smile at him as he tried to form words.
"Who…who are you?"
She laughed. The sound rang in the air like a thousand merry bells. "I'm the Kyuubi, Naruto." She told him.
Naruto blinked. "But…you were a fox." He had realised that he was in the Kyuubi's cage but oddly he felt like he wasn't in danger. Rather he felt a sense of security being there.
"All kitsune have the ability to take human form. You remembered what happened to you in the clearing and you were going into shock. I did what I could to comfort you until the memories passed." Her voice sounded ethereal and otherworldly, totally different from the guttural sounds she made as a fox.
Naruto began to well up again at the thought of what happened to him and the Kyuubi pulled him into another embrace, rubbing his back softly and whispering comforting words in his ear. He managed to compose himself but didn't leave the Kyuubi's embrace.
"Why did he chose me?" He asked.
The Kyuubi sighed softly as she rubbed his back. "I don't know Naruto. I'm sorry."
Naruto hiccupped as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "So what now?"
The Kyuubi cupped his chin and raised his head so that she was looking into his puffy red eyes. "You were very close to death but I managed to force enough of my chakra trough you to keep you alive. I'm so sorry that you had to spend all that time in the forest. Believe me, there were a lot of moments where I thought about cutting off my supply of chakra so that your suffering would end. Right now you are in hospital resting and it will take a few more days before you wake up and even then you will still be weak while your body recovers. After that I want you to find Sarutobi and give him a message from me. Tell him that Shiori demands that he tells you the truth about your mother."
Naruto looked up at her confused. "Who is Shiori? And what about my mother? Sarutobi-Jiji told me she was a Jounin that was killed in the attack."
She smiled down at him "I'm Shiori. You didn't think my name was 'Nine-tails' did you?" She asked with a smirk. Then she frowned. "And yes, your mother did die in the attack but there is so much Sarutobi hasn't told you about who she was and who you are. Now," She said with a playfully stern voice. "You need your rest so off to bed."
Naruto looked around, noting the dreary sewer didn't have anything in the way of furniture. "Uh Shiori-nee-chan?" Shiori looked surprised at the title but then her face broke into a radiant smile.
"Yes?"
"There are no beds."
Shiori stood, taking Naruto's hand in hers and tugging him up with her. She swept out her arm as if showing the chamber off. "This is your mind Naruto. If you want something here then all you have to do is imagine it."
Naruto nodded in understanding and closed his eyes, picturing his bed form his apartment. When he opened his eyes he was astonished to see it standing a few feet in front of him. He looked up at Shiori when she made a disapproving noise.
"Shiori-nee-chan?"
"We need to get you out of that apartment. That is no place for a child to live." She gestured with her arm and the tatty bed vanished only to be replaced with a warm looking king sized four poster bed. Naruto quickly scrambled under the covers and relaxed into the comfy mattress with a sigh. It was much better than the ratty worn thing he usually slept in and he couldn't even feel the springs. Shiori tucked him in and sat on the edge of the bed as she began to sing softly. The melody was so soothing that Naruto felt he could have listened to it forever. For the first time in his life Naruto fell asleep totally content and happy.
Sarutobi walked into the hospital early in the morning. He decided to visit Naruto before he joined Ibiki and Anko down in the Torture and Interrogation Division. They had made over forty arrests when Inoichi provided all the identities of those that had been involved in the attack and the rest were being rounded up at that moment. He had been disgusted with the people involved, especially the ninja. He'd sent Iruka to personally fetch Mizuki when his part in the plan was discovered. He later reported that Mizuki refused to cooperate and attacked leaving Iruka no choice but to kill him. He didn't believe him but he support him if his actions ever came to light.
It had been a little over a week since Naruto ad been found and he was still sleeping but Dr. Nanashi said that he would be awake any day now. Sarutobi was glad. Even though Naruto was fine physically Sarutobi was more worried about his mind. He had already asked Ibiki to perform a couple of tests on Naruto when he wakes up and if necessary become the boy's councillor. Ibiki was a master of the mind and an expert when it came to fixing trauma. He was often called upon when a ninja suffered from particularly severe trauma from a battle. Even though he used his skills mainly for torture Ibiki had many other layers to him.
He stepped into Naruto's room and went to the window. Throwing it open he then turned and sat at the well used seat beside Naruto's bed. Over the last couple of days many of the ninja who had been involved in the search had dropped in to check on the boy and even leave cards and other well wishes. Sarutobi smiled as he looked at the small bedside table crammed with cards. It was so easy to be sucked in by Naruto but not many gave him the chance.
He was broken out of his thoughts by a low moan and he looked immediately at Naruto. The blonde was trying to turn his head away from the light coming in through the windows, his eyes clenched shut as he mumbled under his breath. He was waking up!
"Naruto." Sarutobi said softly. "Naruto are you awake?"
Naruto's head turned towards the noise and slowly his eyes opened to reveal a pair of cerulean blue orbs staring hazily at the Hokage.
"Jiji?" The boy croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. Sarutobi immediately reached over and poured him glass of water. The boy drained the glass and let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks, I needed that."
"How do you feel Naruto?" Sarutobi asked as he took his seat once more.
Naruto shrugged. "Back's a little stiff and my throat feels like it's clogged with sandpaper."
"Naruto." Sarutobi said sternly. "I want a real answer."
Naruto sighed as he rubbed his neck. "My throat does feel sore. My skin feels a little tender and I have a bit of a stomach-ache. I feel a little weak and stiff. Other than that I'm fine."
Sarutobi nodded. It was better than he could have hoped nut he shouldn't have been put into that condition in the first place.
Naruto popped his neck and groaned. He felt s stiff as a board. He stretched and groaned in comfort as his bones righted themselves.
"I really wish you wouldn't do that Naruto, it's a horrible sound, especially from where I am." A voice said.
Naruto looked around the room, startled. 'I wonder who said that?'
"It was me Naruto. Shiori?"
Naruto's eyes widened. 'Shiori-nee-chan? Where are you?"
"I'm still in your mind Naruto. I can see, smell, taste and feel everything you do from here. I can also communicate with you as you can see, or rather hear."
"Naruto are you alright?" Sarutobi asked. He saw the boy look around the room seemingly confused before he stared off into space.
Naruto's head snapped round to face the Hokage, startled by the sudden interruption of his mental conversation with Shiori. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."
"Naruto give him the message."
"What? Now?'
"Yes, the sooner you tell him the sooner we get some questions answered. Also it should answer any questions Sarutobi has about any odd behaviour on your part."
"Naruto are you sure-?"
Naruto cut him off. "Jiji?"
"Yes?"
"Shiori demands that you tell me the truth about my mother."
Sarutobi went pale. There was only one was Naruto could have known about Shiori. "So you two have finally met? Then you know what really happened on the night of the Kyuubi attack?"
Naruto nodded. "Yes, I know what the bastard Fourth did to me."
Sarutobi frowned. "Naruto surely you understand that he did what he did to save the village."
"Yes," Naruto said. "I know he saved a bunch of ungrateful bastards and damned me in one go."
"What else could he have done Naruto? People were dieing left, right and centre. He had to make a choice to save the village."
"And naturally he chose the least bothersome choice. Instead of asking any of the 'proud families of Konoha' to provide a child to save the village he chose to just grab me off the street. He could have chosen someone else. Someone with a family so that even if the rest of the village shunned them there would be people that cared for them. Instead he picked up an orphan. Probably figured that no one would miss me if something went wrong, huh?"
Sarutobi was shocked at the sheer resentment in Naruto's words. The boy had always looked up to the Fourth and idolised him but it seemed that this latest attack had finally led him to resent the village and his life in it.
'I can't tell him the full truth about Minato right now. If I do it could lead to Naruto hating him forever. I just have to hope he can move past his resentment.' The Hokage decided.
"Anyway." Naruto said. "My mother?"
Sarutobi pondered it for a moment before he looked up at Naruto. "I don't think this would be the best place to discuss this. If you wait a day or two then you can rest while I get things organised. I'll tell you then."
Naruto frowned. "This isn't another one of your attempts to avoid answering the question is it?"
Sarutobi sadly shook his head. "No Naruto. I give you my word that you'll have your answers within three days. All I ask for is a little time. I daresay you aren't the only one who will want answers."
Naruto thought for a moment. 'What do you think Nee-chan?'
"He seems to be truthful Naruto. I say we trust him."
Naruto nodded. "Alright. Three days."
Sarutobi nodded and stood from his chair, dusting off his robes as he stood. "I should also ask you not to wander while you're here. Maybe you could pass the time reading your cards." He suggested as he left.
Naruto looked around and was shocked to discover a table full of colourful get-well cards. He reached out with a trembling hand and picked the first one up and began to read the note.
'No one has ever given me one of these before.'
The three days came and went and now Naruto stood in is hospital wearing a change of clothes that Iruka had gotten for him from home. It was nine o'clock and he was waiting for the Hokage to show up. The old man had told him to be ready as they were going out of the hospital. Naruto felt apprehensive about going out in public again but Shiori quickly calmed him, reminding him that he would be with the Hokage at all times and that no one would be able to harm him.
He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and in walked the Hokage, followed by two Jounin. Naruto recognised Ibiki straight away, the scarred interrogator had asked him bunch of questions before writing something down on his notepad. The Hokage said that Ibiki would be counselling him for his trauma. Naruto didn't need to ask what he meant. Every night for the past three days he had woken up screaming from nightmares about his time in the forest and it was only through Shiori's melodies that he could get any sleep at all as he was extremely reluctant to allow any of the doctors near him with a needle to sedate him. The second Jounin was someone who he had only heard about. Iruka had described Mitarashi Anko to him (while blushing like mad) and he'd even gotten a card from her that was decorated with dango. She also scribed a rather lewd joke on the back as a way to cheer him up. He still blushed when he thought about it.
"Good morning Naruto. Are you ready?" He asked.
Naruto nodded. "You bet old man. But can I ask, why are Ibiki and Anko here? Not that I'm complaining but I thought you were going to tell me about my mother."
"We are but some of the things I want to talk about concern Ibiki and Anko as well so I told them to come along. Well if you're ready?" Sarutobi asked as he bade Naruto towards the door. Naruto followed them out of the hospital and into the village. Naruto made sure to stay right beside the Hokage and kept his eyes down. Even though he couldn't see them he could feel the stares of the villagers on him. He was extremely tense, trying to make his body as small as possible while straining his ears to pick up any trace of someone who would try to sneak up on him.
Fifteen minutes later, although it felt like hours to Naruto, and the group came to the main gate. As they left the village Sarutobi made mental note to have a 'chat' with the Chuunin manning the gate after he heard him asking his partner if they were going out to 'put the fox to sleep'.
They walked down the traveller's road before Sarutobi veered off into the trees, the others close behind. Naruto unashamedly held the Hokage's hand all the way. The shaded tress brought back bad memories and Naruto silently willed the Hokage to move faster. The soon found an old footpath that looked like it hadn't been used in a few years. Sarutobi stopped them before handing each of them a medallion. They were fairly simple; all black with a white tree on the coins. Above the tree to the right was a white sunburst and to the left was a white crescent moon. Naruto didn't know what they were for but judging from the shock on the faces of Anko and Ibiki they knew.
"Is this-?" Anko asked before she was cut off.
"Yes," Sarutobi said. "Although wait till we're inside before you start asking questions."
Anko nodded before her face took on a dark look. "You'd better have a damn good reason for bringing me."
"I do Anko." Sarutobi said gently. "But we should get inside before we talk."
They followed the path for twenty minutes before the trees suddenly cleared and they came upon thee base of a mountain. Sarutobi showed them to a stone stairway and led them up it before it ended abruptly. They stepped onto a small ledge but there was nothing to see except solid rock.
"The medallions." Sarutobi ordered as he grasped the round metal in is hand. Naruto took out his medallion and watched in fascination as a section of the wall seemed to warp before disappearing completely. Naruto, Anko and Ibiki cautiously followed Sarutobi who strolled forward casually. The section of wall had vanished to reveal a small chamber containing only a single pillar that stood in the centre of the room and was raised to waist height. The top of the pillar was cut diagonally so that the top of the pillar faced the entryway they had just entered from. Aside from the door they had used there didn't appear to be any other doors. Naruto looked at Sarutobi in confusion.
"What is this place Jiji?"
Sarutobi waved him over to the pillar. "You'll see in a moment. Just press your had here and push chakra into the pillar."
Naruto did as instructed and stepped up to the stone. Placing his hand on the presented face of the pillar Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated to force chakra out of his hand.
Suddenly there was a great grinding sound and Naruto's eyes snapped open. The wall in front of them was being raised up like a portcullis, sunlight streaming into the chamber from underneath it. Naruto stepped in front of the pillar and watched with rapture as the door was raised, faintly aware of the others joining him. When the wall was raised the sight before him took Naruto's breath away.
Sarutobi placed a hand on his shoulder and the boy dumbly looked up, still numb from what he was seeing. "This is the home of arguably some of the most powerful ninja in history. It was the clan that your mother belonged to and the clan which you belong to. This Naruto, is the clan village of the Shasei."