Suffocating. That's how I felt as I drowned in my own despair.
The pain. The fear. The remorse.
They all swirled deep inside me before I was awaken by Zetsu's throat clearing.
"Have fun scouting the village!" White Zetsu's chirpiness will always be appreciated, "I hope you've been competently taught…" on the other hand, Black Zetsu's comments will not be.
Before I knew it, both of them had sunk into the ground, perhaps to examine me to finish scouting the village and gather knowledge.
Usually it was Zetsu's job to do it, but this time it was for me to refamiliarize myself with the village before I free the Kyubi.
I placed my ANBU mask on before entering this place, Konoha.
As I moved, it wasn't long before I realized that I was leading myself to the training ground I practically lived at when I was younger. I was perched upon a tree and looked about and enjoyed the full view.
I stared longingly at the village I used to call home as I wondered to myself how I got myself to this point.
There was a commotion nearby and I quickly scanned the training grounds to find the source. I was taken aback. It was Kakashi and Gai. They were… Playing rock, paper, and scissors?
I chuckled to myself, as I never imagined a murderer would be playing such a thing.
All my past peers has already accepted my death, yet I'm standing on the edge, watching them. It was unhealthy and I knew it, but I kept watching the days pass without me.
The laughter, the cheeriness, and even the happiness within this village created a sense of homesickness even though I've been gone for 4 years.
I shook my head to clear those thoughts and feelings. I slipped through the trees before I reached the path. Kakashi's ear seemed to have followed me through the trees: he was still as clever as always. Though I'm sure my ANBU disguise was enough to hold up.
My feet hit the ground with silence before I began to move on to more populated areas. My hands itching with paranoia as I scouted out the area. My long hair flowed through the air current that I was creating from my speed. Soon I would take the identity of Madara to fight my first sensei. I swept through the trees watching and waiting for a sense of familiarity, but the village had changed so fast that I didn't recognize anything but the places… The people on the other hand were complete strangers. I'm sure some ninjas have sensed me, but with my ANBU mask on, my disguise and presence were ignored.
My first order of business was to track down Minato and find out where Kushina was giving birth to her son. I'm sure I would've been an uncle if I had returned… But Konoha was not the same without her. I couldn't bear the sight of the village knowing that she was gone.
I tried my best to focus on my mission, but the sight of an old woman froze me. It was her. It was the one who I helped carry the groceries for everyday. The reason I was always late… She seemed to be struggling underneath the weight of her newly bought produce. Resisting the urge to help was more difficult than I thought… My hand reached out to her, but I quickly stopped myself before I could take another step. The grandma dropped one of her bags, and before I or she knew it, I was right beside her with the bag in hand.
"Oh? I didn't realize ANBU members could be as polite as you!" She smiled up to me in appreciation, and I simply nodded, "Would you like to help me carry them home?" I nodded again as I took the items she handed to me. I could feel a disapproving glance from Zetsu, who I am sure is observing me.
We trudged down to her home silently (I'm sure she was very aware of the anonymity that ANBU members must hold), which I still could remember how to locate through muscle memory.
"Thank you. I used have a boy who aided me in this, but I heard he died on a mission," she started tearing up, "What a shame that such a lovely boy could disappear…." A sharp pang went through my chest as I watched her enter her own house. I couldn't help tear up as I recollected my lost and repressed dreams.
I took a deep sigh as I decided it was enough for today.
I'm sure Zetsu would be unhappy to do the tracking later, but my memories of the place have rushed back, and it should suffice for my end goal for this village.
Even though it holds hurtful memories, I still had that tugging desire to stay as I quietly left the village.
Author's Note: I made this on a whim, so it's mildly disconnected (maybe that's an understatement XD), I will perhaps edit it later and improve on it. I hope you enjoyed it ^^