A/N: Not too sure how this will end up, regarding pairings. I've never written yaoi before, but if I could I'd make it SasuNaru. For now, I'll just see where the plot takes me.
I'm a sporadic updater. I try to write every day, but I spend a lot of time on my writing—I want it as good as it's gonna get before I post it here. Anyway, reviewing will make me write faster. *dodges spork thrown at author* Only if you want to, of course. He he.
Chapter 2:
The dawn of my second day in Otogakure found me strolling down the dusty street, gazing around—or rather, up at—the village like a gaping tourist. It was hard not to—the quick view I'd gotten last night in the fading sunlight hadn't done it justice. Simply put, it was amazing. Instead of chopping down all the trees and clearing out the land to establish foundations and construct buildings, Orochimaru had built buildings up around the immense trunks and supported by limbs in many places. Spacious decks provided places for shinobi (or the brave civilians who managed to climb all those stairs without chakra; poor things) to socialize. Lofty rope bridges stretched taut over my head, most wide enough for as many as fifteen people to walk across side by side. Eyes wide with glee, I couldn't help but be reminded of a giant jungle gym. All that was missing was a swing-set and a plastic slide.
Being stuck on the ground with the rest of the non-ninjas was just not going to do.
I spotted the nearest set of stairs, but one look at the thousands of steps had me forming hand seals. So much easier to just poof myself up there. It made me grateful that the Inn I was staying at was one of the closest to the ground, even though it was still a couple floors up; I couldn't waste chakra to get there using jutsu every time. I could almost hear my thighs screaming insults at me for condemning them to such torture, but hey, at least I'd get a lot of exercise in the coming months.
In a swirl of misty clouds and chakra-smoke, I arrived on what seemed like the main level of the tree house. Some heads turned in my direction, but looked away after a couple seconds. They must be pretty used to random people popping up instead of walking. Heh. I straightened, strolling down the boardwalk like I knew exactly where I was going.
.::xxXxx::.
Lifting one hand up to shade my face, I squinted into the sun to check my location. Quite a feat, since I was currently hanging upside-down with the other hand and some chakra to keep me in place. The last couple of hours had been exciting at first, like sightseeing, but then my scouting took on a more serious edge. With a sigh, I rolled my body up and onto the tree branch. The village was set up with the tallest, oldest trees in the center, which was where I was guessing Orochimaru's base was hidden. The security was tighter the closer you got to it, and there were lookout towers and guards stationed in intervals in that area, as well as the main walls surrounding the village.
I can't go any further than this, I decided. The security was too good for me to get in without a convincing disguise or a legitimate reason. I would have to observe some more, learn how the guards did their jobs and figure out some loopholes in the system. That was fine—I had plenty of time. Relaxing, I slumped against the wood, finding an oddly comfortable spot where the limb met the trunk.
The sun had traveled across the sky and was reuniting with the horizon as it always did. It wasn't dark yet, but the tree I resting in blocked a lot of the remaining sunshine and shaded my eyes. I slowly let them slide shut, watching the world with a sleepy, half-lidded gaze that did nothing to betray my alertness. I couldn't let my guard down. I'd been trailed all day by at least three ninja, I knew that much. But Orochimaru had some skilled shinobi on his hands, 'cause I hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of any of them.
The sudden presence of chakra nearby nearly spurred me to my feet, kunai in hand, but I reigned in the instincts and settled for lazily shifting my head to the left to nod at the blue-haired kunoichi. I wasn't surprised, not really. I had been expecting some kind of interrogation since I arrived. Frankly, I hadn't thought they'd let me enter their precious village without one.
"Hiya—Rai, was it? You don't mind answering a coupla questions for me, do ya? No? 'Course ya don't."
I just looked at her, doing my best to seem friendly and harmless. I even smiled my dazzling smile, but it didn't seem to have quite the same effect when it wasn't paired with bright blond hair and big blue eyes. That was too bad.
"Basically, where are you from and why did you leave? What was your previous profession?"
"I came from Kumogakure. I was a jounin there." Not ANBU, because I didn't know their secrets, and I wouldn't have sold out my second home even if I did. Jounin were safer. "I left the Cloud Village because of a . . . misunderstanding between the Raikage and I. It was going to turn bloody quickly unless one of us gave, and I chose to bow out gracefully before I did something I would regret." It didn't sound false because it wasn't. I had indeed left the Hidden Cloud Village with the Raikage's pet shinobi chasing me out.
"A jounin? Can you elaborate on that? How many missions have you gone on anyway?"
"111 D-rank, 193 C-rank, 217 B-rank, 178 A-rank, 16 S-rank. I've led a team occasionally and work well with others, but most of my work has been solo. I was going to be assigned a genin team before I left, but because of the situation, it never worked out."
"Why did you come here? To Oto?"
"I heard about it years ago, before it became a Great Shinobi Country. It was the first place I thought of when I deserted. I wasn't sure where the village was, so I just wandered around until you and that kid found me. Hey—whatever happened to him anyway?"
Okay, so maybe a tough ninja shouldn't care about some half-pint brat that tried to fight him once, but I couldn't get the image out of my head of him glaring at me, surrounded by flames. It was his eyes—they reminded me of me, somehow.
Predictably, Amaya brushed off the inquiry—"Don't worry about it. He was taken care of." Why do I get the feeling Akihiro's not doing so well right about now? Amaya tilted her head, watching me closer. "Do you have any plans or wishes for the future?"
I snorted, amused. Here was the point where Naruto Uzumaki would loudly and confidently announce that he was going to be the next Hokage. Rai the missing-nin just shrugged a bit. "I'm fine with pretty much anything." I didn't know it at the time, but those words were going to come back to bite me where it hurts real bad.
"I see," was all Amaya said.
After a moment's silence, in which I did nothing but blink at her, Amaya rolled her eyes and motioned for me to rise. "Come on then. We've got orders from the top. It's time to introduce you to some other shinobi." A shiver of unease at her words had me assessing her words and actions, trying to guess what exactly she meant.
I stretched languidly and followed her, noting she was leading me away from the main, busy part of the village. The sun was almost gone now, but the darkness did not hinder my vision. My night-vision was better than most; one of the many perks of having an all-powerful, thousand year-old fox demon sealed into your mind.
I couldn't tell where we were going. Amaya was much faster than me, even though I could tell she was holding back, and I was forced to concentrate solely on keeping her in sight. I didn't have the time to try to memorize where we'd been, but something told me the route we were taking was the long way anyway.
Amaya didn't stop until we were at the very outskirts of the village. I dropped down to the street after her, my body tense with foreboding. Abandoned warehouses rose up around us, trash along the sidewalks rustled in the wind. We were shrouded in shadows, the only working streetlight flickering weakly at the end of the block. If it hadn't been for the Kyuubi, I would barely be able to see anything. It didn't get past me that this would be the perfect place for an ambush. I widened my eyes anyway and peered around me as if it was too dark for my eyes. There was no sense to alerting her that I could make out the slightest details of my surroundings.
My sensitive nose caught a whiff of a scent that made me wrinkle my face in distaste. I knew that scent well. I turned my head, searching the shadowed doorways for the form to match to the smell. My eyes locked on the man that stepped out of the warehouse beside us. I'm undercover, I reminded myself. I can't tear his face off because I'm not supposed to know him.
Kabuto reached up to push his glasses up his nose, staring at me with a smirk that made me want to bare my teeth and growl. I bet he wouldn't be arrogant if he could see the real identity of the man standing before him in a darkened street at night. Last time we'd crossed paths, I'd knocked him with one blow.
"Good job, Amaya. I'll take him from here," He said. Even if I hadn't been looking at his face, I still would have noticed that smirk by the tone of his voice.
Take me? What was that about? I glanced at Amaya. She frowned briefly. She looked at me, and then looked away just as quickly when she met my eyes. She didn't seem to like Kabuto either, but it was obvious she wasn't going to argue with him. If things were the same as before, Kabuto was probably still Orochimaru's right-hand man.
Kabuto went into the warehouse, looking back over his shoulder at me. "Follow me," He commanded, exasperated. I didn't like where this was going. He flicked silver bangs out of his eyes, waiting for me to stop stalling and obey.
But I'd had enough of staying quiet and meek. I could only keep up my act for so long. The real Naruto had to slip out sometime. "Hold on. What's going on? And is it really too much to ask to introduce yourself?" I narrowed my eyes, cautiously facing Kabuto. As much as I was sure I could take him in a fight, I also knew that the medic-nin could sever muscle from bone or disable charka in an instant. Talented freak.
"You'll find out soon enough. I'm Kabuto. Now, if you'll follow me . . ." Kabuto raised his eyebrows, impatient as he pointed ahead of him. I glowered, but I wasn't going to get anywhere standing here and asking questions. I might was well find out what was going on. I moved through the doorway after Kabuto, melting with ease into the gloomy dark. As I did, I though I heard Amaya's soft murmur, too quiet for Kabuto's ears.
"Good luck."
I didn't pause to wonder about the whispered comment.
In seconds, we turned a corner and emerged into a huge room. And by huge, I mean like how-the-hell-could-an-underground-stadium-fit-into-a-normal-size-building huge. That was literally what it was. We were standing on a ledge, overlooking the area below. From up there, I could see splotches and stains in the sand covered ground that looked suspiciously similar to old, dried blood. I showed no surprise on my carefully composed face; I could feel Kabuto's scrutinizing gaze on me. I didn't look at him.
There was tingle of warning down my spine, a feather-light brush of wind that was out of place in the still air. Not thinking, I reacted. My arms swung up in a cross to block the kick at my chest. I skidded backwards, ignoring the throbbing from the force of the blow. There was no time to attack, just counter as another kick landed on my forearms. With a twist of my wrist, I grasped Kabuto's ankle and swung him around. Unsurprisingly, he landed on his feet. I waited in a crouch, but he just straightened up and let that irritatingly conceited smirk cover his face.
"Seems like you're competent enough," Kabuto drawled. He cocked his head, watching me in a way that made my skin crawl. "This is the first step to becoming an official Sound-nin. An initiation test, if you will."
He waved his hand at the arena below. Carefully, I looked to see what he was pointing at. During our brief clash, nine wide doors had opened along the sides. As I watched, one ninja emerged from each, walking to stand near the middle of the huge battleground. I had a nasty feeling I knew what was coming next.
"Including you, there are nine other shinobi. They have already been informed of the test: a free-for-all battle. Last ninja standing wins. There are no other rules. As of now, you have two choices: You may go ahead and fight, or you may choose to be escorted out of the village. You must understand," Kabuto pushed his glasses farther up his nose again, "that should you choose to go, we will be forced to remove all memories of your stay here in Otogakure. So . . . Rai. Which will it be?"
My heart beat rapidly, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I clenched my hands into fists, then forced them to relax as soon as I felt my palms sting from pressing my nails into them. So that was it, eh? I'd been expecting some sort of test or fight. They probably just wanted to see if we could fight, see our jutsus. But nine other opponents—that was a bit much. I couldn't let it bother me. I'd do whatever it took to complete this mission.
Without another moment's hesitation, I grabbed the railing and swung myself over, dropping a distance that would have killed lesser men. It didn't faze me.
I landed comfortably on all fours, not bothering to stand up as I surveyed the others. All I saw in the cold eyes watching me was plain, hardened ninja. These were no chuunin. Danzou could have trained them for all the emotion I saw. Which was exactly none. It reminded me of Sai, and everything he'd gone through under Danzou's command. But these people weren't like my teammate. I couldn't change them with some words and well-aimed punches. I didn't really want to kill them, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Despite my reservations, I was actually looking forward to the challenge. I could never back down from a little competition. As the first few ninjas made their moves, I let a feral grin show my pointed canines, knowing that along with the position I was still in, it would unnerve at least some of them.
I was so going to win.
.::xxXxx::.
Panting, I wiped the sweat out of my eyes, not noticing that the action smeared a streak of blood across my unwhiskered face. My hand tightened around the kunai I held. I held my breath, then it out in a shuddering sigh, trying to slow the rapid pounding in my chest.
Slowly, a satisfied grin slipped over my lips. The ground was littered with motionless bodies. Widening puddles of blood splattered all around me, the crimson liquid dripping off my weapon to make yet another. I waited a moment, but it seemed the fight was really over. It had taken a while, but I had dispatched each and every one of the nine ninja.
I raised my arms over my head, stretching out the weary muscles. I winced as I felt the wounds along my arm and back. They hurt pretty badly now, but they would be healed by morning. I tried not to show it, but the fight had taken a lot out of me. All I wanted to do now was collapse onto the bed back at the hotel. Unfortunately, there was still that slimy medic to deal with. I could sense him around here, watching me. I wondered what he thought of the fight.
Impatient as always, I shouted, "Oi! Kabuto! Fight's over, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Indeed," Kabuto stated dryly. I whirled to find him right behind me. "Nicely done." I didn't reply. My silver eyes fixed on his, waiting. There had to be something else. I mean, no way Konoha would just let any missing-nin who wandered by become Leaf shinobi just by winning a fight.
As if reading my mind, Kabuto spoke up. "You may go back to the hotel now. You're going to need the rest. Someone will be along to get you in a couple days."
It was a clear dismissal, one that made me clench my teeth to stop from protesting. I just defeated nine top-notch ninja for your little "test" and then you tell me to get lost?! Arg! But I was tired. I wouldn't feel comfortable around anyone until I stored up my chakra again. If I was attacked now, my chances of winning a tough battle without resorting to using the Kyuubi were pretty low.
So I just glared, nodded, and disappeared.
.::xxXxx::.
When I was sure the Cloud ninja had left, I bent to collect one of the bodies. I couldn't just leave them here; they'd have to be disposed of. Despite myself, I was disconcerted at the apparent ease with which he'd won the battle. I was now absolutely sure he was a skilled jounin. Powerful. Now if we can ensure his loyalty . . .
My hand grasped the first body's arm, intending to fling it over my shoulder. I froze when I felt a tentative thump-thump under my fingers. Sure I was imagining things, I pressed my forefinger to his neck, checking his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.
Rai hadn't killed this one. An error, or was it on purpose?
A weak groan issued from the man's mouth as I let him drop from my arms. With sudden suspicion, I hurried to check the other corpses. Sure enough, not a single one was dead. After examining them all, I just stood for a moment, trying to decide what that meant.
Every injury, every hit, was meant to dispatch, not kill. They were all in pretty bad condition, but nothing life-threatening. Unconscious. As a medic, I was thoroughly impressed. It was much, much more difficult to disarm that many jounin without really hurting them than it was to simply kill them. Most ninja would hear the words "free-for-all battle" and "last standing wins" and kill their opponents without a second thought. In the ninja world, you couldn't afford to have second thoughts. It would get you killed.
I had intended for the battle to be to the death, but Rai had seen that loophole and dived right through it. Honestly though, I wasn't complaining. All it meant for me was more test subjects. And there had been one or two ninja out of the group that might be worth adding to the ranks. It would have been a waste of new talent.
So the question remained: was Rai softhearted, or was he aiming to show me how skilled he was? I couldn't say for sure.
But certainly, Amaya had been right to warn Orochimaru. There was something different about this one.
.::xxXxx::.
Blood.
It was everywhere.
Thick, crimson liquid. Coating my hands. Splashing my face.
All around me. Blood. Hers.
Clawed hands clutch at my head, scratching furrows in my skin as I furiously try to wipe it away.
It . . . won't . . . come off . . .
Get it OFF!
I scream.
A roar echoes my fury in my head.
My own blood trickles down to merge with hers.
Hers.
Through slitted red eyes, I see the broken body before me.
Shredded. Destroyed. Unrecognizable.
I don't have to see. I can smell her.
She's dead.
Dead.
I bolted upright, gasping and wide-eyed. I fought the wild urges—remnants of the dream—that came one after another: Fight, flee, chase, kill. Do something. I felt the chakra in body responding, building up in preparation. My shoulders tensed, and my back arched. If I had fur, it would have been bristling all along my spine as I tried to get myself under control.
There was a faint, knowing rumble from inside my mind.
With a muttered curse, I stifled it. I couldn't afford to be ravaged by nightmares. Not now, and most certainly not here.
I shoved the eager chakra back where it came from, back to the demon who hadn't gotten out in years. It went reluctantly, leaving my body feeling strangely hollow in its wake. Once I was sure it was locked up nice and tight, I disentangled my limbs from the twisted sheets. At least I didn't fall out of bed this time. I shuffled over to the body-length mirror that hung from one wall. A relieved sigh slipped from my lips; silver eyes stared wearily back at me, not red like I'd half-expected.
I raise a hand to ruffle my unruly, spiky hair, only to be met with smooth, long locks. I sighed again. This was going to take some getting used to. The unkempt man in the mirror met my gaze and a yawn split his face. At the same time, a fierce growl gurgled in my stomach. Grinning sheepishly at my reflection, I dressed in some clean clothes and snatched my wallet from my pack.
It was time for breakfast.
Over the last couple of days, I'd become familiar with most of the village, particularly the food districts. Hey—a guy's gotta eat to keep up his strength, right? The fact that the only ramen bar's owner and cook already knew me by name was insignificant. Ramen had, and always would be, my main source of nourishment. Anyone who tells you that ramen isn't one of the food groups is either drunk or lying. So, naturally, I'd scouted out the place on my first trip to get something to eat. I didn't feel the need to hide my love for the noodley meal—no one here knew, and I doubted Orochimaru cared about my favorite food, much less kept tabs on who visited which restaurants.
Sadly, it didn't even come close to comparing to Ichiraku's ramen, but maybe that was to be expected. Leaf Village had the best everything, so you can assume the food's awesome as well. I plopped down on the stool, waving to the elderly women who owned the bar. She sent a toothy grin my way and began to make my usual, not bothering to ask me.
Breathing in the ambrosial fumes of cooking ramen, I absently kicked the metal bar of the stool in a light, mindless beat. I observed the bustling village from the shade of the bar, relaxed instead of on guard as I usually was. Small children chased each other in the streets, tailed by yipping puppies, threading through the crowd like experts. A smile tugged at my lips as I watched the shortest, dirtiest boy finally tackle the one in the lead—a well-dressed boy with squinty eyes.
"Here you are, Rai dear." A steamy bowl set in front of me quickly stole the spotlight from the kids. I split my chopsticks, gave the cook a hasty thank-you, and dug in with a fervor that was second only to when I fought.
After fifteen bowls or so—a light breakfast, really—I decided to walk around the village for a while. I didn't have anywhere to be. Patting my stomach contentedly, I let myself be swept away by the mass of busy villagers. I wasn't heading to a certain place. It was much easier just to go with flow, avoiding the occasional good-laden cart, or box-juggling shopper.
When I first became aware that there was someone following me—close behind, not from a distance like the others—I did nothing. After five more blocks, three right turns, and two stops to look at some merchant's wares I didn't really want, I was forced to conclude that they were either very bad at tailing unnoticed, or they wanted to get me alone.
No reason to delay the inevitable. I ducked into the next empty alley that I came to, put my back to wall, and waited.
I didn't wait long. Within five minutes, a hooded figure slipped in after me. I couldn't see the person's face, but an unfamiliar male voice, brisk and business-like, said, "Former Cloud shinobi Rai, you are to proceed to the Missions office straightaway." He held out a scrap of paper. I could see an address scribbled on it. Narrowing my eyes, I made no move to take the paper. "Amaya-sensei instructed me to give this to you, as you are new to Otogakure and wouldn't know how to get there."
Was there a hint of exasperation in his voice? I didn't care. Being paranoid had saved my life more than once. But now that he mentioned it, I could detect a faint trace of her scent on the paper. I took the paper, discreetly running a current of chakra through it as it touched my fingertips to disable any traps. Better safe than sorry. The man (teen?) jutsu'ed away as soon as it left his hand, as if ready to be done with his errand.
I crushed the directions in my hand, having already memorized the line of script. It was near here—I'd probably passed it on my way to get ramen. Tossing paper wad into the conveniently placed dumpster, I merged back into the crowd.
The mission scroll in hand, I exited the building. I was not sure how I felt about it. Pausing on the boardwalk to lean against the railing, I glanced down at the crowded street below.
"My first mission as a Sound ninja . . ."
How absurd. I never thought I'd be saying that. Even though it was a mission itself—for me to be a spy here—it was just weird. I let my eyes shut halfway, tilting my head as I stared in the direction of Konoha. My home. It made me wonder.
Had Sasuke ever thought of Konoha as home? Or had he abandoned all such thoughts after the slaughter of his family?
Did this strangely normal village become his home, in the very end?
Or worse, before he died . . . did Sasuke feel there was truly no place on earth he could return to? No one?
My eyes shut all the way, imagining him. Not as the cold snake's apprentice, but as the proud, arrogant boy I remembered. I guess what I really wanted to know was . . .
Did Sasuke ever stand right here, in this spot, look back to his old village—and think about the best friend he'd left behind?
.::xxXxx::.
A/N: Thanks so much to dragonfire04, roseearered, and star286 for being the first to review. I know I took a while getting it up, but I had a few wrinkles in the plot to work out. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
