Oh, plot bunnies…why are you so cruel to my muse?

lol

Anyways, this was inspired by an unreleased story called "Shinigami" I put down on paper, and it was also inspired by "Konoha's Yellow Flash Really Hates Paperwork" by Sir Chris (it's a good story; on my fav list).

The plot is flimsy, so expect changes later on.

Warnings: character death, humorous darkness, violence, language and possible OOCness.

Enjoy! :3


Prologue: Façade's Hint


The night was dark, clouds covering everything but the moon, allowing the silver streams of light to show paths in the dark forest. The leaves were thinning out—and the animals of the night were hunting for the approaching cold weather. Already, frost was preserving what was left of the greenery. However, the animals of the day were peacefully sleeping in their homes.

But not everything was peaceful. There was one particular shadow that crept along the naked tree branches, swift and quiet. This particular shadow was Kakashi Hatake. As of now, he was hunting down a recent rogue from Konoha, as they were rather an important asset to the village. Kakashi was to bring them back alive; mainly because if they die, the bijū would go with them, and they would have to wait for nine years before getting a hold of the Kyūbi again.

The masked jōnin clenched his jaw, his body tensing as he finally found the signature he was looking for. He leaned around the smooth, cold bark, his eyes scanning the scrawny forest. It looked empty, but his other senses told him otherwise. But while he had the signature within his range, he could not pinpoint it. His eyes narrowed, his hand reaching out for a kunai.

He's here… Kakashi thought. But where is he?

The thirty-eight year old shinobi stared at the scenery, stretching his senses out even further. He scanned his surroundings again. Everything was absolutely still, and his only light was the moon—which wasn't much because the branches above still had enough cover to block most of it.

He snapped out of his muse when he suddenly felt a pulse of chakra.

Stsssss…

Kakashi's eyes widened, the scent of smoke filling his nose. He looked further down the trunk. Explosive tags decorated the bark, the entire quarter of the bottom trunk decorated by red. As quickly as his legs could go, he jumped away, jumping off of other tree's to get as far away as possible. He managed to get a yard or two away from the multiple explosive tags before they exploded in a flurry of smoke, wood, undergrowth, dirt and fire.

His head whipped around, frantically searching for the one responsible. But not being able to see them, he guided chakra towards his nose, sharpening it by a hundred thousand times. He sniffed the air. Smoke, fire, burning wood, undergrowth, animals and blood filled his nose. He frowned. It wasn't animal blood or anything. It smelled humane.

He was hit by something. Kakashi realized. Surely he wouldn't just stand in front of his own attack?

"I know you're still here," he spoke up. "I can smell the blood. Come out, Naruto Uzumaki."

Bushes to his left rustled. He jumped down from his tree perch, his kunai still held up for defense for just in case. A moment later, Naruto emerged from the bushes, his expression dead with pain and exhaustion. His breathing was heavy and rasped, and he was covered in blood. Kakashi's eyes widened. The wounds were terrible. He had nasty cuts and bruises all over, but the most terrible one was the hole in his chest. It was scarily close to his heart.

"What the hell happened to you…?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

Naruto chuckled weakly, collapsing on his side. He rolled onto his back, his eyes staring up at the dark night sky. "…M-my…b…bus…iness…"

The masked jōnin put his kunai down, slowly walking up to the newly announced rogue-nin. His eyes narrowed. "Well…in that case…mind telling me why you defected, Naruto?"

The Uzumaki smiled devilishly, though it was barely noticeable. If Kakashi wasn't paying attention and intently waiting for an answer, he wouldn't have noticed. "I-f…you…w-were in…m-my shoes…you…wo-would under…underst-and…b-but you…aren't…wh-what diff-difference would…it make…if I t-to-ld yo-u…?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "It would make every difference."

Naruto's devilish smile widened. "Heh…I'll give…you a…a hi-hint…" He lifted his bloody hand, weakly pointing at his former sensei's mask. "F-fa…çade…"

Façade? Kakashi silently echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Façade…" Naruto whispered, "…is your hint. F-figure…it out…o-okay…? Until…next…time…" His voice faded, and his arm fell back on the ground, his cerulean blue eyes losing their light.

The older shinobi couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath. He stared at the corpse for multiple seconds before rubbing his eyes to stop the tears from falling. But despite his efforts, he still felt a tear fall from his former student's death. He sighed. Naruto was a rogue ninja; he had chosen this path—he had defected on his own. So why would he cry for an enemy?

Kakashi paused for a second. He understood now. Was this how Naruto felt when Sasuke defected?


Two days later…


"So…he's dead…" Tsunade murmured. She rubbed her face. "Did…you kill him, Kakashi?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. He attacked me, and died minutes later." He pulled out a scroll, giving it to the Godaime. "I didn't get much out of him. All I got was 'façade'. Can Ino search his mind?"

"I can have her do that," she stated as she took the scroll. "Rest, I'll deal with everything else. I'll have Kiba and Hinata see to the scene when you've got the necessary rest. You are dismissed."

The Hatake nodded, turning and walking out of the office, leaving Tsunade alone. She internally sighed. Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but he was slowly breaking underneath his superior complexity self. She knew that. So did Sakura and Kakashi. Which is why she had to ask herself this: How would she tell Sasuke the news of Naruto's mysterious death?


Three days earlier, noon—unknown location…


"Devilish much?" The Kyūbi's ears flicked as he stared down at his bloody container. "Seriously, brat, why try this?"

Naruto glanced up at his attendant, his bloody lips curving in amusement. "Well you gotta try something new, right? This time it's just for fun."

Kurama chuckled, but his bemused expression faded rather quickly. "Playing with you-know-what isn't used for fun, kit."

He sighed. "I know, dattebayo. But you're no different. Why didn't you stop me?"

The bijū chuckled again. "That may be true, but remember the rules: You may not be seen until—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know that," Naruto interrupted. "Let's just get going. I don't want to waste anymore time."

Kurama blinked, but smirked, watching his bloody container walk away into darkness to 'redo' some things.


How was it? A review or five would be nice to hear. I probably won't continue this, though that is chance.

Peace! :3