In the Darkness, Softly
Choices. They are important. But you must bear the consequences of your decisions for them to matter. Naruto thinks he knows this, but some things are beyond the understanding of a child when they are presented with the devils choice.
A/N
Dialogue normal/external speech
Dialogue inner thoughts
Dialogue supernatural speech
Dialogue supernatural inner thoughts
Chapter Started: 14Sep09
Chapter Completed:16Sep09
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto which still remains the intellectual property of its owner. Which is not me.
Chapter I
Winter had descended upon Konoha during the long, lethargic lead up from autumn. While there was abundance of snow, light showers combined with wind touched the village hidden in leaves as people hurried out of the inclement weather. Shinobi made their way across the rooftops, indifferent to the rain drops that fell from the heavens as they went about their duties. Civilians used umbrellas when they crossed the streets, cursing the light drizzle that obscured the sky and made life relatively miserable.
The old sandstone building was quite unremarkable within the financial district of Konoha. People clad in heavy overcoats made their way briskly towards their places of work as business continued on as usual. The heavy spending by Konoha Treasury for the last five years was doing enough to boost up confidence and consumer spending after the calamitous attack by the Kyuubi no Yoko. Consumption was increasing, with the population swelling from around the Elemental Nations as people decided to leave for the lucky country. Having some measure of rights for the civilian population was quite a novelty for most people, which drew in many immigrants who decided that being preyed upon by shinobi or bandits was quite hazardous to the health and wallet.
But this building was different as it conducted no business per se. There was no trading of financial instruments or balances that were checked. Money did flow in, but rarely flowed out in a legal manner. Four hundred and fifteen street had the appearance of a private bank which catered to the high net worth individuals that would not sully themselves with a retail account. But peculiarly, the clients that ostensibly held portfolios with UBK did not exist at all, except as convenient legal fictions.
Inside the main office sat a heavily bandaged man in loose flowing robes. The conspicuous loss of an arm combined with an eye patch made stand out compared to his colleague. Another middle aged man sat down, dressed in a single breasted suit cut in navy wool. He had a deep scar running across his cheek, being a few inches long that gave him a roguish look. His callused fingers drummed softly across an oaken desk as the two men met again for an issue that was pressing them for years.
"Are you sure that he will come?" asked the man in the suit.
Danzo sat back on his leather-backed chair as he looked outside his window. A despondent look was on his face as he shuffled the surveillance reports lying on his desk.
"What else do you propose, Mizuho?" he asked with agitation.
"Is Sarutobi really going to allow this?" Mizuho asked incredulously.
"He is willing to allow this to happen to the Yondaime's son," spat out the 'Ne' leader.
Both men frowned at seeing the greatest gift that the Fourth Hokage ever bestowed onto Konoha, for it to be spat upon by the ignorance of the other villagers.
"We have the nine tailed jinchuuriki given to us after so much pain and suffering, but people seemed determined to drive him against us with prejudice, or kill him."
Mizuho found himself nodding along in agreement and sighed unhappily.
"Sarutobi wants to so desperately appear impartial that he condones this. The council over-reaches itself completely, but he won't reign in those dogs, no matter what long term damage this will do to Konoha's power structure."
Danzo spat out those words with contempt that would have shocked most people. The erosion of shinobi superiority and the ascent of civilian rights galled him in ways that he couldn't express. It didn't help when the decisions of the herd were so illogical and self destructive that he felt a culling was in order.
Mizuho rubbed his temples before speaking out despondently, "You get what we feed. Rotten fruit comes from poisoned soil. We have no one to blame when this goes head over ass."
"And this will go head over ass," Danzo muttered darkly, "Sarutobi has forgotten that when decisions are divorced from consequences that this leads to utter tyranny and destruction. He might be comfortable in thinking that the new Hokage will be able to handle this situation."
"He is doing his best," Mizuho defended weakly.
"Perhaps," allowed the older man. "But then again there are always better ways of doing things. Things that might not be strictly legal, or right. But when you are in an intolerable position, sometimes you must take certain risks to ensure the right outcome."
"Why would the boy come to us? We are relative strangers to him, he has no real reason to trust us or to believe anything that we tell him. Even then the clues were cryptic enough that it could be seen that one of the Yondaime's faithful was looking out for the boy."
The scarred man laughed softly before taking a sip of his tea, "We tempted him. We have extended our hand in protection against some of the drunken fools that would assault him. He knows that we exist and will protect him unlike Hiruzen. That our word is as good as our bonds."
"Good thing that securities regulation doesn't exist in Konoha," the suited man replied dryly, "Will that be enough?" he asked uncertainly.
The scarred man rubbed his chin before nodding, "Normally yes, but he does have a genuine desire to protect this village. To make the villagers see how wrong they are in their treatment of him. To get their respect and admiration. Such innocence...."
Mizuho had an awed expression on his face before his eyes narrowed in despair, "His very existence should be sufficient. But this is ... frankly it's inspiring in a way that ... words just fail me. If we have a battalion of people like Uzumaki –"
"We could conquer the world," Danzo interrupted with a sigh, "the dedication, the morale, the sheer stubbornness would see us through anything. But sadly, we only have one of him."
With some disgust, Danzo continued on his diatribe.
"And look what Sarutobi would condemn him to. He needs to be trained, to have his frustrations turned into something constructive. And to have any hate or resentment to flower and lay root would be catastrophic for all of us. We did not bleed for our nation to have it destroyed from within."
His associate agreed fully with the sentiment behind the 'Ne' leader's words before giving his own insights.
"Any other kid that would be subjected to what Uzumaki has been through would constitute abuse. Yet because of his unique ... situation, it has been allowed to go on."
"Enough is enough," Mizuho concluded.
Danzo stood up and started to pace his office furiously, "Evil happens when people let it. Compromises weaken integrity and the soul. After so many years in power Sarutobi is now blind or indifferent to the consequences of his decision."
"He will find out though," warned Mizuho.
"Maybe," allowed the older man as he circled a face that appeared on the surveillance report of a man that had thought it was a brave thing to beat up a small child. The punishment handed out by the civilian courts was so laughable that it had actually encouraged more attacks on the blond boy. Death was going too far, even Sarutobi had his limits. But the constant degradation would not bode well in the long term.
"We will see what his response will be when it happens. Let us test his resolve against ours and see who will prevail."
This is a nice place.
The wet weather continued on for the week, making everyone hurry along and ignore the poorly dressed blond boy as he held the note in his hand. He stood on the street, indecision warring across his face as he was confronted with a choice he could never fully understand. Narrowing his eyes and taking deep breaths, he gripped onto his umbrella with a tightened fist as he carefully unfolded his note and read it again.
Come for answers.
Those simple words along with an address had been on the boy's mind since he received it. A potential beating was interrupted by a black clad shinobi that showed Naruto why he wanted to be a ninja in the first place. With contemptuous ease his assailant had his arm broken in two places before being tossed into a dumpster.
Naruto was shocked by the sudden violence that was not directed at him and stared at his hero in admiration.
"That was so cool!" he said excitedly and with open worship.
'Mi' looked at the drunk civilian with disdain before facing the blue eyed boy that was the Yondaime's legacy to Konoha.
Kami kid, you look like a little runt. How can Sarutobi let this happen to you?
"You okay gaki?"
Naruto scowled a bit at being called a brat before nodding enthusiastically.
Despite himself, the operator found himself being amused with the boy that had taken two roundhouse punches to his face without blinking.
"Yeah, I've had worse," he responded nonchalantly.
'Mi' frowned slightly, concerned that such violence was so blasé to the kid. He reached into his pouch to complete the second part of his duty.
The blond flinched slightly at the movement, but relaxed when a piece of parchment was revealed and pushed into his hand. He took it gingerly before looking quizzically at the older man.
"Read it when you have a chance to do so. And make a choice when you do as well."
"What?" Naruto said eloquently as 'Mi' jumped up onto the roof with a grim smile on his face.
Since that night his treatment had gradually improved, but the hostility that long formed part of Uzumaki Naruto's life had not stopped. His dreams featured his protector, effortlessly taking out his tormentor with casual ease that he envied.
This was why he had stared at the piece of paper for over a week before he found himself outside the offices of UBK. The cold stone facade made him feel uncomfortable before he mustered up his curiosity and pushed open the door. The resistance was substantial as the hinges moved forward stately, giving the young boy a slow unveiling of the bank. Heavy crimson carpeting and flame lamps gave a peculiar old world feeling to the entire institution. A steward raised his eyebrows at the young orphan's entrance. He made for a rather sad sight, being sopping wet without adequate coverage.
Naruto just blinked as his eyes had to adjust to the dim and soft lighting that gently illuminated the welcoming room. He walked in tentatively, being completely uncomfortable in such a nice setting that he had to fight the urge to run out. His courage did not fail him, though he still was hopelessly lost. The note did not have any direction or person to go to, which made him frustrated and feeling like it was a joke being played on him.
It better not be a prank, I'm the one that pranks people dammit!
The deep sounds of footsteps striding across tiles attracted his attention. The steward made his way to the blond with a welcoming smile on his face.
"Ah, Uzumaki-kun, you have arrived. Can I take your umbrella?"
Naruto hung onto his tattered umbrella stubbornly, not trusting the man to give it back to him if he relinquished it.
The suited man gave him an open grin that made the boy relax somewhat.
"Don't worry. We will be placing it in the closet so it doesn't damage the carpet."
He noticed how the water was collecting at the tip of his umbrella, dripping down onto the woven carpet, with dismay. Looking slightly embarrassed, the man chuckled slightly before taking it gently from his hand.
"Now, Danzo-sama would like to meet you in the next half hour. He has several meetings lined up in the morning but will be with your shortly. Would you like me to show you to the waiting room?"
The boy nodded, looking uncomfortable at the courtesy and politeness that was extended towards him. As they walked deeper into the building, he took in the luxurious rooms that had many picture frames hanging on the walls. The carpet was thick and muffled their footsteps as they made their way into the inner sanctum of the bank.
Naruto noticed that there were rooms on the hall way that were bolted shut, with iron bands laced across the wood in a seemingly ornamental fashion. The steward saw his attention and decided to answer his unspoken question.
"Well Uzumaki-kun, this is a private bank which has seen its fair share of shinobi related burglaries before people realised that UBK was not an institution that people trifled with. Many of our accounts are kept within those offices that demand a high level of security, along with strongboxes."
They finally reached the end of the hallway, which opened up into a medium sized ante room dominated by a large table in the centre. Food was placed on trays, with cutlery and napkins placed on the far side of the table. His stomach started to grumble as he smelt the delicious aromas that wafted towards him. Looking somewhat embarrassed, he was surprised when a bone white porcelain plate was pushed into his hands.
"Feel free to enjoy some of the food. You are a guest after all, Uzumaki-kun."
"Really?" he asked with some excitement.
With an indulgent nod the waiter made the move to put some servings onto the blond's plate.
"It will go to waste otherwise."
Needing no more prompting the greedy blond began to take too much food at once, balancing it on a weird pyramid on his plate before sitting down happily. His hands began to blur as he wolfed down the food without taking a breath.
The steward looked vaguely ill as he saw Uzumaki eat like a duck. But he could not deny that the boy was a cute kid that most mothers would have adored. His whiskered cheeks stood out prominently as he happily munched on the rich food to him.
"You might wish to slow down, you will make yourself ill," chided the man. He handed him a napkin that Naruto took gratefully and wiped his mouth.
"Would you like a drink? I can get you some water if you like."
The boy nodded his head enthusiastically which made him smile. He left to another room to fetch a glass as the blond continued to dine on the best food in his short life.
This, is, so, awesome!
Everything was so finely cooked and seasoned that even the most discerning Hyuuga would find no fault with the catering. But it was somewhat wasted on Naruto's undeveloped palate whose ravenous hunger did not discriminate between fine and bland cuisine.
"Is everything to your... satisfaction?"
The boy blinked, the answer seemed overwhelmingly clear to him as he tried to swallow enough to answer.
"Good, really good."
"Well, I am glad to hear of it. Danzo-sama is ready to receive you. If you would follow me?"
"Who are you?"
Danzo grinned at the blunt question from the small kid in front of him. Other, less ignorant people would be frightened stupid to find themselves in front of the old warhawk of 'Ne', the secretive organisation that had operated in the darkness since Konoha's founding. It was oddly refreshing to see no hint of fear upon Uzumaki's face as he stared at him, with youthful curiosity and impatience.
Oh kami, I wonder if I was ever like that. So fresh faced, so innocent...
"Did you enjoy the food, Naruto-kun?" he asked with some amusement.
The blond flushed a bit before grinning infectiously, "I sure did! It was sooo good. Can I have some more?"
Danzo chuckled before nodding genially, "We can come to an arrangement later on, I guess. I am glad that you came to see us and you are well."
"You-you said that you have answers," Naruto began tentatively.
Danzo nodded solemnly before gracing a genuine smile to the kid.
"I am a friend of your father," he began smoothly.
The jinchuuriki's eyes started to widen, along with his mouth, as he blinked in excitement.
The man looked intently into boy's eyes before continuing with sincerity, "And, and that makes you my friend as well."
"You do?! Who is he?! Where is he-"
Danzo held his finger to his mouth as Naruto's exuberance threatened to overwhelm him.
"There are some answers, but like all things, it comes with a cost."
"Why am I here?" he asked with frustration.
"You are here because you came to us," Danzo said smoothly.
Naruto looked desolate as he bit on his lip, "I- I just wanted to know. Why?"
"Why what?"
Naruto looked like he was going to explode as he burst out of his chair and started to rant, "Why do people hate me so much?! Where is my father?! Who is my father?! My mother?! Why am I alone?!"
His voice had so much bitterness that the old man couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the young blond.
"Why is this happening to me? I, I always tried to be a good boy. I am a good boy, aren't I?" he asked with anguish.
"None of this is your fault," Danzo began gently.
The tears in the boy's eyes were angrily wiped away as he stared at the 'Ne' leader.
Kami, those eyes... like sapphires. One day your enemies will look at them and see their own inadequacies and failures reflected back at them.
And then you will decide if they are to live or die.
Seeing that Naruto was in the right frame of mind, the older man leaned forward and spoke gravely, "There is something that I need to tell you. Things which are S ranked secrets."
"S ranked?!" Naruto piped out excitedly.
Knowing that it was pathetically easy to take advantage of the little boy, Danzo quashed the feeling that he was going to hell before moving on.
"Yes, some things that you have to know. But like I said, it comes at a cost."
"It's my life, I need to know. Just tell me!" demanded the boy.
"Everything has a price," Danzo repeated like a holy mantra, "like I said, you came to us. Why did you do that?"
The blond deflated a bit before admitting with some shame, "I-I just want to know. Who- who are my parents. Just-just what is going on? Jiji-san won't- won't tell me anything."
His eyes hardened as he clenched his fists in impotent rage, "I-I can't do this anymore. No-nothing makes sense! Being-being hopeless. Being ... helpless. I- I just can't!"
"I can understand that," Danzo replied amiably, "but I need to know more. We can give you training; make you better in nearly every way. We can tell you the truth so that your eyes can be opened. But you know Naruto, once you make this choice, you can never go back."
"I-I just want to save people, I need to know who I am," Naruto said resolutely.
"You will not be who you are, who you used to be anymore, after this," Danzo warned with a grimace.
The blond just gave an indifferent shrug, "I don't care."
To salve his conscience he stood up and pressed his point for one last time, "You will not be Uzumaki Naruto after all this is said and done."
Seeing as Uzumaki Naruto did not particularly enjoy being Uzumaki Naruto, it wasn't such a great loss.
"I will be whoever you want me to be, sir."
I hope one day you will forgive me for taking advantage of your innocence Naruto-kun. Even if you did make this choice, I still feel bad about it.
But the alternatives are too horrible to even contemplate.
"Is this really the best way to do this? Give him a new identity?"
"The damage goes way too deep," Katsumi said sadly.
The medic looked at her erstwhile boss with a pained look in her eyes. Her light brown hair waved softly as she presented her initial report to the 'Ne' leader. They were sitting in her office as she reviewed the interviews that she had with the boy.
He had been somewhat reluctant to speak of his past experiences when pressed, but had opened up to her gentle persistence. After a few meetings she was highly sympathetic to his situation, and could not comprehend the cruelty that he had been subject to. After having his secrets coaxed out of him, he had started to withdraw into himself, feeling ashamed of himself. It took many hours of therapy, along with the judicious use of hugs and kisses that helped him deal with the insecurities that plagued the blond boy.
She now looked at Naruto as the conflicted kid that had tremendous potential. She also saw very attractive qualities that could be developed into something special if it was given the right sort of nurturing. And he was so insufferably cute that she felt like cuddling him like a plush doll. There was something about his whiskered, chubby cheeks that made her all gushy inside, even as she tried to maintain her professional composure. She had carefully asked the other women in 'Ne' if they felt the same thing, which they all agreed to in principle. Having a kid around base was an unusual event, prompting the kunoichi within to deal with maternal feelings that they were surprised to feel. They were able to avoid the messier and tiresome period of child rearing to experience the happier child that hung onto their words like gospel.
"How far?" Danzo asked angrily.
"Right into his subconscious. He has admitted as much that at times he hates them, the akuma that visit him at night, who once dragged him out into the streets to be pilloried before the Uchiha MPs decided to step in. As much as he would like to ignore it, there is a part of him that would gladly see Konoha burn for revenge."
"Then a new persona is for the best," concluded the 'Ne' leader.
Katsumi made a face before nodding ever so slightly, "That is one option. The other would be to give him immense amounts of therapy, but that is no guarantee. He feels what he feels. Right now he's a mess, a mix of wanting to be Konoha' saviour while secretly wanting it to burn. A new identity would be a way to get around it. But it is evil."
"A lesser or greater evil than letting him languish in the dark?" Danzo asked harshly.
The girl winced at the tone but held up her head defiantly, "You wanted my expert opinion and I am giving it to you. No matter what people say, or what those scientists believe, this method has risks. Playing with people's memories is a tricky thing, especially when we have the Kyuubi in the equation. He will have a clean slate, which I think would be beneficial, but it still will be there. And if he ever has a head injury or some trigger occurs, then who knows what would happen."
"Our options seem limited," Mizuho commented unhappily.
"They always are," agreed Danzo sourly.
Indeterminate Time Later
"You said that you wanted to save lives. To protect Konoha. You, you aren't a liar are you?"
Naruto looked at the kunai in his hand, his face torn in indecision as his sense of right and wrong clashed against his personal nindo. A man was tied up into a chair in front of him, the restraints cutting into his flesh as a sack was wrapped around his head.
"Who is he?" he asked softly.
"We have been through this before," Danzo replied curtly.
"What-what did he do?" Naruto asked desperately.
"It doesn't matter," came the dulcet tones of the scarred man.
The blond was still hesitant, which was all too apparent to the 'Ne' leader who tried to hide the guilt he felt from appearing on his face.
"You're going to make a choice sooner or later, son. You can't keep on putting it off," Danzo prodded gently.
Seeing that the jinchuuriki needed a bit of a push he decided to escalate the situation.
"Are you in?"
He left the words hanging in the air as Naruto struggled with himself, a moment that would define him and Konoha for the rest of his life.
"Or are you out?"
The boy gripped onto the blade before standing up. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before launching himself at the bound man. His arms pumped up and down as he stabbed at the man without any sense of mercy, an outlet for his frustrations being provided by the poor soul who screamed out in pain and desperation before being silenced forever.
Naruto's breathing became haggard as he dropped the kunai onto the floor. He started to shake as he realised it was his first kill that he ever made. The gravity of his deeds struck him without any cushioning as he staggered back towards his chair before dropping onto it. The wood protested against the impact before the blond fought back tears in his eyes as his innocence was lost.
Danzo walked over to the hooded corpse before taking off the sack. The man's horrified expression did little to affect the boy who merely stared at his bloody hands.
The 'Ne' leader placed two fingers onto the carotid artery, trying to feel for a pulse. Finding none, he gave a grim smile before making a slight motion with his hand. A man dressed in black appeared and dragged the corpse away.
Even if you didn't know it, the first steps of your revenge have been completed. That man thought he could assault you with impunity. He had to know it was a mistake to play games with a kitsune.
While he didn't make a habit of it, kidnapping civilians was an awfully good way of sending a subtle message to the rest of the population. A reminder that in a shinobi village, violence was always the ultimate and final solution to any problem.
"From here on you will no longer be Uzumaki Naruto," Danzo declared solemnly.
The blond looked up, curiosity on his face as he felt the mental conditioning solidifying in his mind. After days and days of being awake and exposed to toxins that haunted him with nightmares, the human contact with Danzo gave them a connection which would shake the rest of the Elemental Nations.
"Uzumaki Naruto was weak. He let others take advantage of him when he was innocent. Uzumaki Naruto would not be able to make the sacrifices that have to be made for the greater good."
"You will now be ... Hisayuki Machi."
The jinchuuriki blinked slowly as he absorbed the words into his consciousness. Comprehension dawned upon the kid that he was something new.
Something different.
Something... better.
"Welcome to the programme."
Forgive me Minato, but this is for the best.
Fin.
Welcome to a new beginning