Yamato awoke with a startle, his vision was blurry, his head felt like it was going to explode and his entire body ached he didn't dare to move a muscle. Most of his pain was concentrated just above the left side of his hip, he hissed but nothing came out, he tried to yell for help but his voice was too hoarse so he just coughed. "W-where am I?" He thought as he tried to push back all the pain, "Where are Naruto and the others?" The leaf ninja looked at his surroundings warily as soon as his vision cleared up a bit, "I'm in a cave? How... did I get here?" He thought as he tried to remember what had happen before all of this.
"Come on Naruto your late!" Sakura yelled with her hand on her cocked hip.
"Hold on! I've been running around all day!" The young Uzumaki replied.
"You're later then what Kakashi sensei is."
"Well, excuse me if I had to run infinite errands for people, geese!"
"Are you being smart with me!?"
"Huh? What!? No, of course not, Sakura take it easy!" Naruto panicked as he put both hand in front of him as if to calm the Konoichi down.
Yamato stared and smiled as the two argued, "Where back to normal again..." he thought as he turned to Sai who fake smiled silently, "We have been having trouble though out the weeks with the Akatsuki and now we can finally relax."
"HIYA!" Sakura growled as she landed a punch on the back of Naruto's head leaving a huge bump, "Hmph!"
"Hey!" Yamato called as they turned towards him, "Don't we have a mission underway?" he placed his hands on his hips.
"Oh, right," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head where he was recently hit, "What is our mission anyway, Captain Yamato?"
"Our mission is to: go to the land of grass and find out why civilians and ninja have been going missing," he paused and put on his dark scary face, "And if we fail this... You will be the one missing." Chills were sent up Naruto's and Sakura's spines making them shiver slightly, "No pressure or anything."
"Y-yeah no pressure..." Sakura said as she sweet dropped.
"Let's go."
They traveled to the land of grass within 2 days, soon they walked out of the forest and into an over grown swamp terrain the dark, twisted trees slightly blocking the sun and the screeches of an animal in distress from the distance were quite frightening. "This place is... creepy," Naruto said as he looked around.
"Be careful we don't know what's capturing people so don't let your guard down," Yamato said as he inverted his eyes everywhere suspiciously.
"Right!" everyone said as they followed Yamato through the swamp.
A couple of minutes of hearing Naruto complain about the mosquitoes and Sakura threatening him and Sai just being Sai. Once in a while Yamato got a strange chill go up his spine, he looked around trying not to act nervous or get the others worried, "There's someone watching us..." He thought as he continued to walk acting like he isn't alarmed, "I should be more cautious."
"Captain Yamato?" Sakura said.
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Are you okay?" She paused, "you haven't said anything in a while."
"Yeah! You're acting weird..." Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes.
"Huh? I guess it's just the past events," Yamato said smiling and scratching his head still trying not to act suspicious... but clearly failing, he was about to say something else but something came speeding at him from the corner of his eye, time seemed to good slowly as a kunai hurled towards him, luckily he managed to doge backwards with just a small scratch on his left cheek.
The others gasped as they turned to their attackers, 6 ninja, but they don't have any hitai-ate to represent their village. Sai guest they were from the grass, "Who are you guys?" Naruto asked in a hurry.
A man with a black gas mask chuckles, switching his eyes on each of them, "Heh, heh... We're your greatest nightmares," he said as the corners of his mouth curved wickedly, but of course they couldn't see it through his mask, but in his eyes, "Go!" the mysterious ninjas shot from the trees darting toward the 4 leaf.
"Let's see how strong you are little girl!" a female growled as she swung her double bladed axe through the air, Sakura gasped as the blade was inches away from her neck, she back flipped away from the older female and got into a fighting stance and dashed towards her landing a kick at her cheek making her stumble backwards painfully. Sakura launched her fist towards her, but she skillfully dodged it, "Hm, it seems I've been underestimating you, girl," the woman grinned as she wiped away some blood that fell from her lip, "But you'll need more than that to defeat me!" She sprinted towards her and tightly gripped her axe in her hand.
Naruto dodged a kunai that hurled towards him, but they kept coming, "Stop hiding, throwing Kunai and start fighting me, coward!" he yelled as he took out his own kunai and threw them in different directions hoping to get them out of the trees.
"Ah!"
Naruto heard a scream and a thud, "Gotcha!"
"Hey! Leave him alone!" a blond man from behind yelled as he kicked Naruto in his side knocking him to the ground, "Are you okay eight!?"
A young boy crawled out of the bushed and stood gripping tight onto his wound nodding, "He's just a kid?!" Naruto shouted confused and guiltily as he got on his two feet.
"I'm not weak I'll show you, fool!" he yelled, "Three, can we take him down together?" The so called three nodded as he took out 5 shiriken.
Sai painted 3 wolves on his scroll and then they came to life running towards his opponent who just stood still silently until he moved his hands into a jutsu form, "Fire style! Inferno jutsu!" a huge spray of fire licked the wolves exterminating them as fast as Sai could blink, Sai gasped as the fire burnt his left arm leaving a burn mark, he yelped at the stinging pain.
"Sai!" Naruto yelled as he dodged yet another attack, he then ran to his friend but his way was blocked by the boy, "damn it!"
Yamato punch the ninja in the face sending him hurtling to a tree smacking into it, but the body turned into a puff of smoke, "A clone?" he thought in his head as he hastily looked around.
"Up here!" A voice came from above him, he gasped as he jumped away from the man smashing the ground with his fist, sending rocks flying everywhere.
"Are you the ninja who kidnaped those people?" Yamato asked as he ran towards the older throwing a kunai before swinging his fist towards him.
"Heh, heh... Maybe you'll just have to find out," the man laughed as he dodged the kunai but was punched in the gut, "You have strength I'll give you that but, how fast are you?" he disappeared right in front of Yamato's eyes,making him look around in confusion again, before he could notice he was kicked in the back, the man took out a kunai and stabbed his prey, "What!?" he yelled in anger as Yamato turned into wood.
"I'm pretty fast, thank you," he said as he used his wood style to send the ninja 11 meters away crashing into the water and sinking.
Sakura done a final punch to the woman's head making her pass out, she panted trying to get her breath back, she turned to Sai who had killed his opponent, his hand on his burn, she ran towards him in worry, "Are you okay, Sai?"
Sai nodded taking his hand away from his wound to let Sakura heal it, Naruto jumped down next her, his attackers fled after he badly wounded three "Where's Captain Yamato?" he asked.
"Over there, he just defeated a ninja," Sai answered.
"Well, I'm going over to him," Naruto said before he ran off.
Yamato stared up at the last ninja who stood, "Well! You surprised me!" the masked man said in astonishment, "You defeated one of my strongest men without a scratch and so very fast at doing so, I applaud you," he clapped and smiled, "I can't wait to mess with your will..."
Yamato looked at him in confusion, "Mess with my will? What does he mean?" he thought as he noticed the man move and then darting towards him, "Huh!?" The man swung his leg at Yamato's head, but he ducked to dodge it, he was so fast Yamato's just lucky that he managed to dodge it. Before he could jump away he was kneed in the stomach with the man's other leg, making him cough blood, "How is h-he so fast?" The captain asked himself mentally.
"What's wrong? Am I too fast for you?" The masked man taunted as he grabbed Yamato's arm and spins him onto his back. He shot his elbow down to get his face but he dodged it skillfully, the brunette slammed his hands on the ground making a huge tree shoot from the dirt from underneath is opponent sending him air born.
"He could be useful..." The ninja who fell from the sky thought before he smashed in the ground leaving a crater on the ground that surrounded his body.
"Captain Yamato!" Naruto yelled as he ran to his Captain's side.
The masked man quickly got up on his legs and smacked his hands together forming a hand sign, "No you're not!" he paused, "I still have to test his steel!" A big, blue force field trapped him and Yamato in a bubble, Naruto kicked the force field but just got pushed back 4 feet. The masked man turned to Yamato with a smug look in his eyes, "Shall we?" he said as he dashed towards him kunai in hand. Yamato blocked his attack with another kunai and then he twisted his body around to kick the other in the side but he front flipped over Yamato landing behind him. Before Yamato had time to move, his leg was taken out and he stumbled to the ground, the man laughed and swung fist towards Yamato, but he turned his arm into a wooden mace and wacked him away, "Your stronger then you look, Yamato." The ninja tilted his head looking up and down his body making Yamato uncomfortable and step back.
Naruto tried to kick the chakra wall again, but kept getting pushed back, "What's happening?" Sakura asked as he approached.
"Yamato's fighting alone in there, and that guy looks pretty tough."
"Huh?" she turned to Yamato who just got on his two feet staring at the man lying on the ground, "They seem to be talking..." she thought.
"We can't just stay here and do nothing!"
Sai examined the force field, "He seems to be using chakra wall jutsu, it's quite a powerful jutsu, but if we at least crack it we can smash it down," Naruto turned towards it and grinned.
"Great! So all we have to do is keep hitting it," Naruto said as he ran to punch it again but still got pushed back to the ground.
Sakura sweet dropped, "I don't think we can get in that easily."
"Your right," Sai agreed, "We have to use our strongest attacks on it to get in,"
"That means using most of our chakra, doesn't it?" Sai nodded at Sakura's cunning question, "Then let's do it," Sakura ferociously swung her fist towards the wall shouting, "Cherry blossom punch!" the ground underneath her stared to crack but the wall seemed unharmed.
"Rasangan!" Naruto yelled as the blue ball in his hand smashed into the blue force field as Sai painted some sort of monster to scratch it.
Yamato panted as he stumbled back a few steps, "Have you had enough... yet?" the man panted though his gas mask.
"What about you?" Yamato paused to pant, "You... seem exhausted."
"Maybe... but... I'm not finished with you yet!" the ninja yet again ran towards Yamato who gasped.
"I'm all most out of chakra, but I can't stop now," he thought as he dodge an attack and noticed that Naruto and the others were trying to break the shield, "Hurry up guys, I don't know how much longer I can go on for,"
"Finally!" Naruto cheered as he saw a big crack in the wall.
"Naruto use Rasangan on it," Sakura said.
"right!" A clone appeared beside Naruto using its hands to form a blue orb on his then disappeared as soon as it was done, "Rasangan!"
SMASH!
Yamato flinched at the noise, "What!? NO!" The masked man yelled before he took out a needle and caught Yamato off guard, "Here!" the shinobi gasped and yelped at the pain in his neck but then it numbed.
"A drug?" he thought before he slapped the man's hand away and pulled out the syringe.
"Damn it, I didn't get all of it in!" he thought.
"Captain Yamato!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards him.
"Oh, no you don't!" the masked man yelled as he grabbed the woozy Yamato and placed a kunai to his neck.
Yamato tried his best to stay conscious, if he fell his throat might be cut, he couldn't risk it, he weakly struggled against the man's arms, "Let... go..."
"Stop struggling," he whispered in his ear, "or else I'll make this a whole lot more uncomfortable for you," he grinned under his masked before shifting his arm just below Yamato's hips making him slightly flush hoping no one would notice. He stopped struggling against him and concentrated on standing trying to ignore his uncomfortable and embarrassing position.
"Let him go, you sick, pervert!" Naruto growled as he took one step towards him.
"Take another step, fine out what happens." The man brought the kunai closer to his hostage's neck
"Naruto," Sakura said as she placed a hand on her friends shoulder.
"That's a good boy," The man said as he received a death stare from Naruto, "Looks like we'll take our leave," he released Yamato who fell to the ground and was now slightly unconscious now hearing the man yell, "Sky burial jutsu!" and the noise of the ground cracking and shuttering and then, silence and darkness...
"That still doesn't explain how I got here, but," Yamato paused in thought, "At least I know who's been kidnapping those people, now I have to find my way out of here..." he slowly and painfully got on his feet, but extreme pain hit his side making him fall to the ground and scream hoarsely. He noticed he wasn't wearing his vest so he just pulled up his shirt to stare in horror at a bloody stitched line running from his hip to the middle of his rib cage, "W-what did they do to me!?" he thought as he panicked wide eyed. He got up again without falling and clumsily walked down a tunnel gripping onto his aching stitches, "I better be careful I don't know if there's anyone here," he walked until he met a stream, "W-water!" he cheered. He was about to drink some but he didn't know what could be in this water, pollution, poison? He's probably going to regret this but he ignored the water and continued on his way out.
Back at Konoha lady Tsunade was stressed, "What's wrong my lady?" Shizune asked curiously.
The Hokage tensed, "team seven failed their mission two days ago," she paused, "And whatever was kidnapping people now kidnapped Tanzo,"
Shizune gasped, "Oh... Did you send search parties?"
"I'm trying to but I keep getting occupied."
"I'll send some to find him, my lady."
"Thank you, Shizune, get to it now please."
"Yes, my lady," Shizune ended the conversation with a bow and ran out of the room
"Damn it!" Naruto growled as he punched the wall of the building leaving a crack in it.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"I almost had him, but he just slipped out of my hand,"
His friend fell silent, "You did all you could Naruto, stop blaming yourself,"
"But..." Naruto thought back at his recent event.
The ground cracked and shuttered stones and rocks flew everywhere, "Captain Yamato!" Both Naruto and Sakura shouted as they ran towards him. The masked man had entertainment in his eyes it made Naruto sick just thinking about it, "You bastard!" he yelled, the ground around them soon cracked and disappeared leaving both Yamato and the man fall, of course the man would survive the fall or else he wouldn't have cast this jutsu, but Naruto didn't know about Yamato. Naruto jumped for him using shadow clones to hold him so he didn't fall, he grasped Yamato's wrist, he was completely unconscious now, Naruto could tell by how he hung his head down. He gasped when he felt his grip slowly slipping, "No! I'm... Not letting go!" he shouted, "I can't!" soon Yamato fell from his hand and continued to fall, "No! Yamato!" Naruto cried, everything seemed to slow down for a moment, Naruto watched Yamato's slightly closed eyes and his mouth moving but nothing really coming out. He seemed to be saying his name, "Naruto" tears shredded from Naruto's eye's, "NO!"
Naruto cringed, "I had him in my two hands and I just... let him slip."
"Naruto, Sakura!" A voice called behind them.
"Shizune," Sakura said in a questioning tone.
"I was sent to make search parties for Ta- Yamato," she slipped.
"Then I'm in!" Naruto burst.
"Good, you guys are going to search where you were on your last mission with Kakashi,"
"Right, let's go now!" Naruto and Sakura ran off before Shizune had a chance to comment.
She sighed and ran off to find another search party.
Yamato's face cringed as his head pounded as if someone just hit his skull with a sledge hammer, he placed his free hand on it to now notice his head frame was gone and more stitches just above his left eye, and what's this? There was something round and flat in it and other just below it. Then it hit him, "Oh, god..." he thought more frightened then ever, reminding him of his time with Orochimaru. He didn't feel bone what he felt was harder and smooth it was metal and the round objects were bolts and nuts, "W-what the fricking hell did they do to me!?" His fear and curiosity over whelmed him; he couldn't think straight he already felt that his world was slowly break and crumble. He felt claustrophobic, the cave walls closed in on him and the image of Orochimaru haunted him, "No! It's all in my head, I just need... to get out of here!" Yamato thought as he rapidly shook his head which ached even more. He started to at least jog it hurt like hell but if he didn't leave sooner he'd go insane. He entered a new room similar to the one he woke up in but this one frightened him the most, "What is this place?" Apart from the peaceful noise of a small waterfall, the terrible stench of blood met his nose. He stared at the blood stained walls and the meat hangers still dripping of the liquid, bodies disrespectfully piled in a corner and an altar surrounded by lit candles in the middle of it all and someone still alive was on it. Yamato hesitantly walked up to it, a woman she was burnt and scarred, her hair was burnt away and her body was well, badly burnt, Yamato couldn't tell what color skin she had she was covered in ashes and completely black her eyes red and staring straight into his eyes in pain. He stood silent for a moment before she started to talk.
"P-please, help" she spoke, the leaf ninja didn't know what to do, "Please," He nodded and put a serious face on, he knew what she meant now. He picked up a rusty cleaver that laid on the floor and brought it above his head, "Th-thank y-you," her last words were before she closed her eyes painfully smiling as Yamato swung the blade down to her throat, blood splattered on his cheek and across the already dried blood covered altar and her head rolled to the ground.
Yamato panted heavily as he dropped the cleaver, "These people are just sick!" He thought bitterly to himself as he stared at the woman's headless body in hatred, "What sort of monsters would do this!?" the environment around him made him want to throw up; it was just revolting making him angrier and angrier by the minute. Yamato gave a respectful bow to the woman before continuing on his way out.
Team seven and other teams ran through the trees, "If they managed to get Yamato we need to be extra careful, we don't know what they're capable of," said Kakashi as his speed increased through the trees.
"Right!" everyone said before they separated into their teams to search.
Naruto follow his sensei and his team mates with guilt clearly on his face, "Naruto..." Sakura thought sadly before continuing to follow Kakashi noticing that he was concerned as well by how fast he was going and Sai well... he was Sai, but Sakura knew that he was worried as well.
Yamato was tired he felt like he hadn't slept for days and his mouth and throat were as dry as a desert, if he didn't get fresh water any sooner he'd die of dehydration, but he had to keep going. He heard a noise, a noise of water flowing like a river, he painfully ran towards the noise but as soon as he got there he didn't even dare to drink out of it, he felt bile come up his throat but swallowed it back down. "This is just... indescribable, how could anyone do this without regretting it, no... How could they even do this in the first place?" he couldn't take it, it was so horrifying. A river of blood and dead bodies and hung from the ceiling were more put with strange markings on them this time, "Candles, signs, altars... Are they doing some rituals or something?" His anger grew stronger, "They are just sick!" he continued to follow the river trying his hardest not to look. He walked and walked until he froze in the spot, voices coming this way, he had to hide!
"Did you hear?" a female said.
"What?" a man asked.
"The grand master got pawn by the new arrival."
"Really?"
"Yeah, He must be pretty strong."
"Not anymore, Heh, heh."
"What did they do to him anyway?"
"Just experimented on his blood because of his wood style." The male chuckled
"Wood style? Isn't that the first hokage's jutsu?"
"Yeah, and they also..."
Their voices faded away as they walked down the tunnel unfazed by the blood, they know what they done to him, Yamato thought about it for a moment before following them, Blending in with the shadows and hiding behind things such as boulders and crates.
He could hear the male again as his sick laughter came back, "...planted a virus inside of his body and brain." Yamato's eyes widened in shock and horror.
"Oh! What sort of virus?" the woman asked in such a keen voice.
"I'm not sure, but I heard it will mess him up for good."
Yamato froze as their laughter faded away, "How could they do this?" he shook it off and snuck to find his way out. He walked until he jumped by a deep, loud voice.
"Over there! A survivor!" a man yelled as other came to surround him.
"Oh great," Yamato thought worried, "I don't have any chakra," he was knocked to the ground by a ninja behind him.
"You should have never of moved from your room," Yamato's eyes widened his face morphed into something else it wasn't human anymore he couldn't describe it, it was as if his face had been scratched off and his teeth turned into sharks teeth bits of flesh hung from his head and his eyes were missing.
Yamato turned to the others their faces just as horrifying, "what are they!?" he thought in panic as he shuffled away from the thing in front of him, "Was this what that man meant by messing with my will?" he kept going back until he bumped into someone, something. It grabbed his shoulder and pushed him to the ground, he was forced to look at it hideous and horrifying face, "Get off!" he shouted, "GET OFF OF ME!"
"What!?" the thing yelled as its scream die away, Yamato felt something wet splash on his body and the sound of water dripping he opened his eyes and looked up in horror, the dripping wasn't water it was the same red liquid that was in the river and covered that room, blood. The men that surrounded him were now dead and their faces back to normal, their limb bodies up high with long, thick and sharp wood shooting through them.
"Did I do this?" he asked himself as he looked at his blood covered hands, "but I didn't even make a hand sign," he stared at the bodies for a moment before he continued down the river. A couple of minutes later he entered a manmade stone hall and a door at the end of it, "My way out!?" he thought as all of his hope and happiness came back and he ran painfully to it, he twisted the knob and opened the door to have the moon light brighten his life once again, he smiled widely so happy he was out of there. Now he has to find his way out of this swamp.
Kakashi jumped through the trees until he stopped, "Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Where did you last see Yamato?" he paused, "The place might lend us some clues."
"Oh, well... over there, where that burial is," Naruto said as he pointed.
They ran over to the ditch to see the bottomless bottom, "Do you think he'd survive that fall?" Sakura asked as she looked down into the darkness.
"That man seemed to want him so I don't think so," Sai answered, everyone fell silent.
With team 8 Kiba sniffed the air unhappy with what he smelt and Akamaru whimpering, "What's wrong Kiba?" asked Shino.
"We smell blood, and a lot of it, it's the strongest of sent I ever smelt," Shino looked down to his feet before looking back to his friends.
"Maybe if we follow the smell we can find Captain Yamato,"
"Right," Kiba nodded as he followed the scent.
"Shino..." Hinata said as she followed her friends.
"Hm?"
"Do you think he's..."
Shino fell silent because he knew that there was a big chance that he was, "I'm sure we'll find him Hinata,"
They kept going until they came across a burial, "Naruto!" Kiba shouted.
Naruto looked up to see team 8 come running up to him, "Kiba, did you find anything?" Kakashi asked.
"I'm not sure but there's a scent of blood everywhere," he said, "But there's a scent that stands out from the rest and it's on the move."
"Do you think it could be Yamato?" Naruto asked very keen for the answer.
"Maybe,"
"Then let's follow it," Sakura said as she stepped forward.
"We don't know who or what it is yet, so be alarmed," Shino said with his hands in the pockets of his coat.
"right," they all said before following Kiba and Akamaru.
They came across a shrouded, treeless patch, Kakashi guessed they were somewhere in the middle of the swamp. "Look! Over there!" Shouted Naruto as he ran up to a body lying on the ground, "Captain Yamato!" he paused, "Oh, god," his body was covered in blood and he just laid like he was dead, Naruto placed two fingers on his neck to find a pulse, "Sakura!"
The others ran to his side to be shocked, Sakura searched his body for wounds, "Most of this blood," she paused, "isn't his," everyone fell silent once more.
Kakashi walked up to his ANBU friend and placed him on his own back, "Lets go back."
Everyone nodded before they all disappeared leaving this nightmare of a swamp.
Naruto sat in his chair, once in a while looking at his Captain as his pink headed friend stood beside him checking his health. Kakashi walked in followed lady Tsunade , "How is he?" she asked as she stood beside Sakura.
"He's has two strange stitched," Sakura paused, "One above his left eyebrow and the other the trails from his hip to his rib cage." Tsunade looked at her in confusion before pulling the blanket down to his waist, her brows furrowed.
"Tanzo, what have they done to you." She thought.
"Lady Tsunade? What does this mean?" Her student asked.
The Hokage placed as hand on the stiches on his torso, "He's been," she hesitated to say anymore, she switched her eyes from each of them.
"What? He's been what?" Naruto asked as he stood walking to Yamato's side.
"He's been cut open, and judging by the stitched on his forehead they seem to have done something to his brain,"
Everyone froze their faces full of shock and worry, there was silence nothing dared to leave from anyone's mouth, Naruto turned to the man who slept peacefully, "This all my fault..." he said as he looked down shadowing his face.
Sakura walked over to her friend, "Naruto, it couldn't be helped, it isn't your fault!"
Their heads snapped to a groaning noise coming from the bed, "Captain Yamato!" Naruto shouted as he jogged to his side.
Tsunade placed a hand on his shoulder but was slapped away as Yamato began to scream hoarsely "Get away from me!" he got off his bed, but clumsily tripped over his feet. He extended his arms in front of him and broke his fall, he turned over to a sitting position before frightfully crawling away.
"Yamato, it's us!" Kakashi said as he slowly to steps to his friend.
"NO!" he blocked his ears as he protectively brought his knees to his chest his eyes wide in fear and his pupils shrunk.