NARUTO – CONFINEMENT

Chapter 1

Naruto's eyes scanned the area instinctively as he jumped over the trees, leading him closer and closer to the Grass Country. His mission was simple. Find the suspected ninja group and then return to the village with a report of their plans. A simple recon mission; he had done many with his team, but this was his first reconnaissance mission alone. Truth be told, he was slightly nervous but he wasn't going to return to Lady Tsunade without any information. That was scarier than the mission itself. A chill ran down his spine as he thought of how angry she would be if he actually had the nerve to return empty-handed. He shook his head to clear away the unpleasant image.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. He stopped on a tree branch ahead of him and glanced down. There was something sticking out of the ground in a small clearing, just below him. He gently hopped down from the tree branch and examined the strange object. The top of it was protruding about three inches above the dirt and he had no idea how long it was or how deep it was buried. He recognized the piece above the ground as a hilt of a sword. He could tell just by the metal engravings on the hilt that it was of Konoha origins. He grabbed it and yanked but it did not budge.

Now, with his interests perked, Naruto took a deep breath and pulled with all his might. This time the sword came straight out of the ground. Naruto stumbled and fall on his backside by the unexpected ease of the task. He held the sword out at arm's length and examined it thoroughly.

"This is definitely something of ours, but what is it doing all the way out here?" He held it closer and looked over the blade. "And the blade is made of our metals…." He sighed and placed the sword against a tree's trunk and made a small camp that would last the night. He curled up by a dim fire and fell into a fitful sleep.

Halfway through his slumber, something woke him. He had heard a small crack in the woods. It was faint, but loud enough to alert him that it was not a small rodent that had made the sound. No, it was something bigger, something much heavier that had made the noise.

He held a kunai tightly in his right hand and surveyed his surroundings. He could sense another person's chakara, but he could not make out from which direction it was coming from. Finally he heard a thump come from behind him. Before he could turn to defend himself from, a cloth had covered his mouth and nose. He swore to himself as he could feel his muscles failing him. He grunted and fell limply into unconsciousness , never to see his attacker.

Chapter 2

Sakura sat on her bed and stared out at the starry night sky. "Naruto, how are you doing on your first solo mission," she asked no one in particular. The young shinobi was worried for her old friend, but at the same time she knew that he had trained under Jiraiya, one of the Sannin and that he was capable of taking care of himself.

But old habits always crept up on her whenever Naruto was concerned. Memories of the young, loud, and obnoxious brat that had been hated by everyone in the village flowed through her mind as she gazed at the twinkling stars. She smiled as she thought of how much he had changed. Finally, reassured that her friend was all right, she climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. He grunted in pain as he head throbbed. He tried to push himself up, but something was binding his arms behind his back. He glanced around, confused. "Where am I? And why is everything so dark?"

"Ah… so you're finally awake."

Naruto gasped, as he heard the voice. He recognized the voice almost immediately.

"Kabuto! So it was you! You're the one who attacked me!"

Kabuto smirked. "Yes, were rather easy to capture, not that I'm surprised at all."

Naruto's temper flared. "Where are you," he yelled, walking around with his arms outstretched.

He then realized something, he can't see anything but he knows his eyes are open.

"Hey! Take this damned blindfold off of me! Look me in the face, you coward!"

Kabuto tilted his head. "Oh…?" He smirked again. "There's no blindfold."

Naruto reached up to his eyes. He was right, there was no blindfold. "Then what did you do to me!"

Kabuto's smirk widened. "So it seems the effects have already begun."

Naruto stopped and turned his head towards Kabuto's voice. "Effects? What do you mean?"

Kabuto sighed. "And as always, you're still slow on the uptake."

Naruto scoffed. "Answer my question!"

Kabuto smiled a wicked smile. "You've been poisoned, Naruto."

Naruto gasped. Poisoned? When? And then he remembered the cloth. "Damn! That's when!"

"Ahh, remember now, do we?"

"Shut up! Why did you poison me and where did you take me? "

"I poisoned you so that I could bring you here."

"Well where's here?"

" Orochimaru-sama's base."

Naruto's stomach tied itself into a tight knot. "Orochimaru!"

"But what does he want with me."

Kabuto shrugged. "Who knows. I'm only following orders."

Naruto's screamed in anger. Then he thought of something. "Hey, Kabuto…"

"Hmmm?"

"What good would I be to Orochimaru if I died because of your poison?"

"You would serve no purpose at all. That's why I have an antidote."

Naruto blinked in shock. "You have an antidote? Well give it to me!"

"I've been given orders to only give the antidote if you promise to cooperate with me and follow all of Orochimaru-sama's orders."

"Ah, to hell with that! As if I'd ever follow orders from you and that freak!"

Kabuto smirked and wiggled the bottle in his hand. "Well, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you a choice."

"The poison doesn't take full effect until the third day after it's been administrated. Why don't you think about it tonight and I'll come back tomorrow after you've had a good night's rest and see if you've changed your mind."

"It's either that, or I come down there and get rid of you myself."

Naruto stood in silence for a while, thinking. He was in a bad situation, but he had a chance to live for a while versus being killed right now.

"All right," he said after some thought. "I'll think it over."

"Good answer." Kabuto put the small vile in his pocket and turned to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. Enjoy your stay." He snickered and tightly closed the cell behind him, leaving Naruto alone in the cold, damp, cell.

Naruto held his hand out in front of him with three fingers up and two down. He knew how many fingers he was holding up, but he could not see them. Fear ran through his body. He knelt on the hard floor and covered his face with his hands. He really was blind.