Chapter 3
"Love left me hollow
I'm with you in the end
Cold, crippled and shallow
Don't leave me here again"
Breaking Benjamin - Hollow
19th November xxxx Academy-3:00pm
'Damn! What a boring week, sighs, at least it's over now, should have expected it, I should start sending Kage Bunshin to the academy, that way I can improve my speed and Tai Jutsu, yeah I will do that, now time to go practice that Fuuton: Daitoppa no Jutsu and Suidan no Jutsu.' These were the thoughts of Uzumaki Naruto as he left the academy. It's been the first week and well, let us just say that it was boring for him. He was currently heading to the training grounds to do some Tai, Gen and Nin-Jutsu training and also Chakra control. It was still fairly poor so it needed a lot of work.
He arrived at his past home for a couple of months in his not so distant past. Training ground 44. 'Well let's get it started" he muttered as he jumped into the forest. Five minutes later and he found a clearing.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" was a shout that was heard throughout the clearing.
When the smoke cleared, approximately, 1000 copies of the same person could be seen.
"Hmmm, that's about half my reserve, need a lot more control" he muttered.
"Alright guys, I want 4 groups move it!"
"Yes boss!"
"Ok, group one, continue on Chakra control. Let's master that water walking down. Group two, further split into smaller groups. Let's start on the elemental manipulation Yugao talked about. You know the drill, leaf cutting, leaf burning, leaf crumpling, water sphere holding and spark jumping. Group three start working on Daitoppa and group four the Suidan."
"Yes boss!"
They then scattered to, somewhere.
He then sat down to think.
'Let's see, I got all the Bunshin down, up to water walking for chakra control. Kunai and shuriken accuracy is so far academy level 3, and Tai-Jutsu is Genin at best. So another two Jutsu to my list. Hmm, should I start to learn sealing now or later?'
He asked Yugao about the scroll and how it worked. She said it was creating a personal dimensional space and putting an item, which you can un-seal it and get it the same way you placed it in. the scroll is made by using an ancient script which we call Fuin Jutsu, the art of sealing, from the time of the Rikudo Sennin, who used that to defeat the Jubi, the Yondaime also used it to 'kill' the Kyuubi. It is one of, if not, the hardest ninja arts in the world, which there are only a hand full of seal masters. Konoha had three, The Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, The Ben-Hime, Kushina Uzumaki and The Toad Sennin Jiraiya.
'Now we only have one' he finished his thought. 'I wonder thou, why she stuttered around that part about Kyuubi, like she was hiding something' he thought.
He took a book called simple sealing. It was a one off book created by Jiraiya, thou not very famous. He sighed.
"Well, better safe than sorry." He muttered. He created a clone to read up on it. Then he went to find another clearing.
"Anyways, let me continue my training."
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"
Another ten clones popped up.
"Alright let's get started with Taijutsu,"
"Hai!"
Naruto just chuckled.
"You got to love this Jutsu, I got to get a really good gift for her, hmm, I think I know the perfect thing, anyway, back to my personal training, body conditioning, let's see, I will start with the warm up and then some laps continued with push ups, sit ups, couple hundred punch and kicks, then a weight release run around."
And so, Naruto evening was filled with hard training in one of the most dangerous place in Konoha.
19th November xxxx 5:09pm Hokage Monument
Mikoto Uchiha. Ex Jounin, mother of three. Wife not by choice, but arranged marriage. She was the only heir to the leadership of the Uchiha clan, but she never was one for politics. She hated it. So her father, former leader, married her off to the then strongest.
No one new she threw the match.
Mikoto was a fair-skinned woman with long, straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron normally worn over it. At 5ft'4, 29 years of age, she was still beautiful as ever.
Currently she has at a roadblock in her life. She knew about the coup her 'husband' was planning.
She also knew how the Hokage was pushing her clan away.
What she didn't know was why. What the Sandime is up to?
He cut the number of high ranking mission to her clan, cut of funding as well. Kept back promotions to the members.
'It's like he is isolating us, but why? And why Itachi is the only one he has working at ANBU.'
She sighed. She needed a place to clear her mind and she was currently on the way.
How long before I get in?
Before it starts, before I begin?
How long before you decide?
Before I know what it feels like?
Where To, where do I go?
If you never try, then you'll never know.
How long do I have to climb,
Up on the side of this mountain of mine?
She was confused, and ensnared at the same time.
'Who is that? The voice sounds familiar, thou he sounds very good.'
Look up, I look up at night,
Planets are moving at the speed of light.
Climb up, up in the trees,
every chance that you get,
is a chance you seize. -Don't own any part of Coldplay songs. (Coldplay-Speed of sound)-
She reached the top and saw him leaning on the railing with a book out.
'That's Naruto? He supposed to be Kushina's boy. Damn! He got some good talent in singing'
She then noticed he stopped and was staring at her.
"U-Uchiha-sama, sorry, to bother you, I-I'll go."
She frowned when he looked scared at her, then the name, he called her 'sama.'
"Naruto-kun, stop. You weren't bothering me; I quite enjoyed listening to you."
She noticed him stop. He turned around and looked surprised.
"Y-You know me?"
Well she wasn't expecting him to ask that question.
"Yes, I do. I know quite a bit about you, but please come. Let's sit and talk a little."
Again he looked shocked.
"Huh? You want to t-talk with me?" She sighed, and then cursed the Sandime. Foolish man.
"Yes Naruto. Please. Sit with me."
He looked like he wouldn't for a bit, but then he came at sat next to her.
"So were you singing?" she asked after a couple of minutes of silence.
"Uh, yea. It's kind of like my hobby. A, way to…free myself, express myself you could say." He replied, a little quietly to the end.
Mikoto just nodded a little sadden.
"You are really good at it."
He looked at her. "Really? You think so?"
She smiled. "Yes. Would you mind singing for me?"
Naruto was shocked once more. He looked over the village in thought for a bit.
"You said you knew about me." He stared at her, "What exactly do you know? More importantly, why does this village, this…hell hole…treat me like I'm some, abomination that should not be alive."
"And, my parents. Are they alive? Who, who are, were…my parents, did they want me? Did they leave me? Did they hate me?
Did they love me?"
She sighed.
She pondered on his little expressive rant for a minute.
'You really deserved better Naruto; I really should've been more helpful towards you. I hope Kushina can forgive me.'
"I knew your mom, Naruto. She has your last name, but her full name, Kushina Uzumaki"
His head snapped up to that. Mikoto just raised her hand to silence him.
"I can be arrested for this, but you deserve to know, so please keep quiet about this ok?"
He nodded.
She sighed once more.
"From what I heard the day after all hell broke loose in the village, the night of the Kyuubi attack, she died giving birth to you. She really was excited about meeting you Naruto. Trust me about this than anything else. She loved you. She wanted you to be a surprise, so when she had check-ups about you, she never wanted to know about if you were a girl or boy."
She chuckled at a memory. "A couple days before you were born, we passed each other on the street. I recently had Sasuke and Miko, she asked me if it would be painful, when it's time to deliver. Trust me it is, but at the end of it all, when you hold your child, or in my case children, it's worth it."
Naruto as he was instructed remained quiet. But at the end of it, it hurt more than ever, but he felt a little lighter knowing he was wanted. He opened his book to the last page and held a drawing he made. It looked quite old, with how the edges crumpled and torn, but in the centre was the drawing. It wasn't anything professional, but it could be seen as a blonde/yellow haired woman, blue eyes. Next to her was what could be seen as a little boy with blonde/yellow hair and blue eyes. And next to him was what seemed to be an older version of the boy. He passed his fingers over the female.
'Kushina, my mom.'
"C-can you describe her for me?"
She hmmed, "Well, growing up Kushina was a headstrong, impulsive, eccentric, and stubborn girl, and she was also talkative and tomboyish."
She started to chuckle again.
"Kushina also had a verbal tic, she would end her sentences with dattebane, and she hoped it wouldn't be a trait that will be passed down to you Naruto"
"Well I don't really have any tics like that, but I do have sometimes an urge when I was smaller, dattebayo."
"Really now, hehehe, that's cute." She chuckled. Naruto got a little flustered.
"Well, as an adult, Kushina was very level-headed and cheerful thou she retained her quick temper from childhood and occasionally lashed out violently at others if they angered her. She also was fearless. Your mom was one of the bravest person I knew Naruto, and I do miss her a lot."
She noticed he got sad once again, and was staring at a piece of paper with a drawing. When she saw it, she smiled.
"You might want to change that drawing Naruto, heh, your mom was a red head."
Naruto looked surprised at that. "A red head? You sure?"
"Yep, and she had it long. It reached her ankles with shoulder-length strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left. I really am jealous of it thou, I wonder how she kept it so beautiful. She fair skin and violet eyes. In her childhood, she had a round face, which, with her red hair naturally framing both sides of her face, made her look like a tomato."
Mikoto then started to laugh. Naruto looked at her in confusion.
"Sorry, hehe, it's just that she hated that nickname thou it stuck with her for a while. Tomato-chan."
Naruto smiled a little. "What about my father Mikoto-san"
She got very quiet and very serious.
"Your father, Naruto, was a very dangerous person to his enemies, and a very feared individual. He is also very famous and you know a lot about him. I doubt I can tell you much, you already probably know, and personally, I never interacted much with him. He was too much of a guy who loves the spotlight, and I never liked someone like that. And although i told Kushina she was 'fan-girling' on him, she still ended marrying him in the end."
She took a breather and sighed.
"His action also made you who you are, and why the village hates you were because of his action. In the academy they probably already told you how the Kyuubi was killed. Well that is a lie; because the Kyuubi is basically Chakra, and the basis of Chakra is life energy, and Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it transforms from one form to another. So the only way to 'kill' the Kyuubi was to…"
"Seal it." Naruto interrupted her. Mikoto although surprised nodded.
"And the Kyuubi is a powerful being, and the container strong enough to hold a being of the Kyuubi calibre is another living human being."
Naruto eyes widen in understanding,
"And your father was the one to do that. Your father, Naruto sealed the Kyuubi, into you. Your father was the…"
"Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Mikoto expected a lot of things. Shouting, cursing, denial. Even a mental breakdown to Kyuubi being released. But not laughing.
But one thing it wasn't a normal laugh. It was,
Hollow.
Empty.
Cold.
It started off as a chuckle till almost you could see Naruto was forcibly holding it back.
After almost five minutes. He calmed down. She noticed his fist were white, his book in his hand crushed, and he had tears flowing from his eyes.
She didn't know if it was from the laughter or sadness.
"Naruto, are you okay?" she asked, visibly worried.
Naruto took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself. After a minute, he was relaxed.
"Mikoto-san, thank you. You helped me more than you will ever know. You gave me something more precious than anything this world has to offer. You gave something an every orphan would ever want. Whatever I can do, that's in my power to repay you, I will strive till the day I die to give you. I am forever in your debt."
Naruto bowed to her.
Mikoto was shocked and flustered.
"N-Na-Naruto-kun, please don't bow to me, please. Kushina was and will always be my best friend. It's the least I can do for her."
"And it remains; I will always be I your debt."
She sighed, "Well, if so, then lets meet here every evening from 5pm to talk or whatever, and you can sing any new songs you have for me, ok?"
Naruto just nodded. "No problem with that."
They sat down and glanced at the setting sun. He remembered his dinner meeting with Yugao. If she was bringing friends he can bring one as well.
"Mikoto-san, I have to go to dinner with a friend, thou I don't know any of them, just the one person who invited me. Perhaps will you want to go with me?"
Mikoto thought about the request. It's not like she has much to do at home. Sasuke will be probably training, and Itachi is on an ANBU mission. Miko will probably be worried bout her, but she can see about herself for a bit. Fugaku is either busy with clan meeting or police force work. And plus she hasn't done anything worthwhile for herself. So the decision was clear.
"What time would you like me to be there, and what's the place?"
Rocking Ninja 8:03pm
Naruto was nervous. He glanced at the clock near the wall. He was thinking this was a really bad idea.
'I shouldn't do this. I've never done this before. What the hell am I thinking. What the hell is she thinking. Asking me to this. I'm so not ready.'
"Hey kid, you alright?" a gruff voice ask him. Naruto glanced at him. He was a little chubby, but tall. Plain looking guy. "You're up. If Yugao is right, I may not need anyone else. Hope you can do this for real. It's sad, the old entertainer died, but he was decent. So go give em hell"
Naruto sighed once again. "You owe me Yugao. Although 1000ryo is plenty, I don't do this for people's entertainment."
He unsealed his guitar, and walked on the stage. He sat on the single stool and took a breath. He took one glance out on the open bar. They were quite a crowd.
He looked out looking for a few faces.
Black eyes, long brown hair, fang like tattoos, short violet hair, light brown eyes, wicked smirk, long black curvy hair, red ring eyes, and red lipstick, long black straight hair, fair skin framed with two chin length bangs, straight long purple hair, brown eyes. They all were chatting and glancing at the stage.
Hana Inuzuka, Anko Mitarashi, Kurenai Yuhi, Mikoto Uchiha, Yugao Uzuki.
He watched Yugao in her eyes with a knowing look. She just winked at him.
"Sigh; well let's get this over with."
Starset – Telepathic (Acoustic)
watch?v=QeCERMJr5mw
And if I had my way
I would run to the rescue
It never works that way
When you call a bluff
Oh, all the fools rush in
It's a battle to surround you
And all the fools want in
But I'm not giving up
I don't wanna let you go
But I can't stand to watch this
I don't wanna let you know
But you can read my mind
I feel it all the time
Felt it all around you
You had me under spell right from the start
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Blind, I fall into the line
That's waiting just to get you
But I don't ever know just what we are
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Look inside my brain
You know what I want before I tell you
Give me the words to say to make it enough
Don't want your star-crossed fate
You are the sun, I am the full moon
Don't leave me lost in vain
I can be what you want
I don't wanna let you go
But I can't stand to watch this
I don't wanna let you know
But you can read my mind
I feel it all the time
Felt it all around you
You had me under spell right from the start
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Blind, I fall into the line
That's waiting just to get you
But I don't ever know just what we are
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Telepathic
Telepathic
And you always turn away
Back to the start when I break through
You can run, you can run away
I will wait in the dark for you
Shoulda never fell this way
Cause you're the sun and I'm just a moon
I'm in the dark 'till you light the way
Cause I'm see through
You can read my mind
I feel it all the time
Felt it all around you
You had me under spell right from the start
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Blind, I fall into the line
That's waiting just to get you
But I don't ever know just what we are
I don't have a telepathic heart
Telepathic
Telepathic
Telepathic
Back at the table.
Silence. Awe.
That's the all-around mood at the girls table.
'Clap' its started with one, then another, 'Clap', then all around everyone.
The owner of the bar then came up to Naruto.
"Kid, that's what I call talent. You got yourself a Job. Every Friday, you come and perform, and ill double the price. Can't be rocking Ninja without the rock star."
Naruto just sighed and shook the owner's hand.
1 week later. 11:17pm – 26th November - Hokage Tower
Sarutobi was busy thinking about one Uzumaki Naruto. It's been a little over 2 weeks since his last beating attempt, because one Uzuki Yugao aka Neko has befriended him. Now this might be a good thing, but for Hiruzen Sarutobi, well not for his plans. His plans needed a friend less, lonely, broken boy who wanted attention and affection from anything, but it looks like it's not going to happen. She already killed his 2 main men that were there to make his life miserable.
"Damn, what to do...hmmmm, well first thing first i need to know what's going on"
Snapping his fingers, an ANBU appears in front of him.
"Get me Neko, ASAP!"
"Yes!"
Not even a minute later, Neko appears; dress in full uniform ready for combat.
"You called Hokage-sama?" she asks in a stoic voice.
"It's ok Neko, you can be at ease, i just want to talk about someone important in both our lives."
She relaxed a little, but when she heard that last part, her alertness was on full.
"Who might that be, Hokage-sama?"
"One Uzumaki Naruto, it seems that you two are very close"
Yugao watched the Hokage face carefully, wanting to know where this was going. She then answered his question.
"Yes, we are very good friends. Why?"
"I'm just, concerned, for his wellbeing, i want to know what are your, intentions, to him, you know he is not well liked, having Kyuubi sealed in him. I want to make sure that anyone that is close to him, i know about it to." he replied, never taking his eyes of her masked face, like it wasn't on her face at all.
"Intentions? I just want to be there for him! He is all alone, has no one there for him! I just want to be his friend and prove I'm sorry and also make sure he is knows that I'm sorry for not being there for him in the past. I did nothing when he needed someone then but now i am here." she replied a little heatedly.
He just watched her, like scrutinizing what she said.
"Hmm ok, i believe you."
They were broken out of their conversation by an ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, sorry for the interruption, but Gecko Hayate and his team, has returned from his mission, about 20 minutes ago, but he is critically injured, on his way back when transporting the package they were sent to collect. They were almost here when, passing by training ground 44 when the package just got frenzied. It got away and ran into the training ground. They chased and fought the package back down, and subdued it, but some thing came from behind and attacked Hayate-san. It got close and he was stab through the left lung. The other 2 members didn't see what it was. They didn't look for it either seeing his condition so they came back immediately. He is currently in ICU."
Yugao attention was immediately to the ANBU.
"What did the doctor say, will he be alright?"
The ANBU glance to the Hokage who was in deep thought. He glanced up and nodded.
"The doctor said that he is critical, and the wound was through and through. They are working hard to fix him up. That was all."
She turned back to the Hokage.
"Can i go see him now Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, you may, but before you go, what we talked about, you can do whatever you like."
"Thank you" and she disappeared.
Sarutobi turned back to the ANBU.
"What about the package?" he questioned.
"He was subdued and in ANBU Seal Cell. We sent a team to check the area for what "thing" attacked the team."
The Hokage nodded.
"Ok, keep me update."
"Yes, Hokage-sama" with that he disappeared.
"Hmmm... i could use this...yes...this is perfect" he muttered. He snapped his fingers.
"ANBU...get me...Danzo"
"Yes!"
Day Later - Ichiraku Ramen Stand – 28th November - 6:30pm
Naruto was sitting, eating his ramen a little sad and dejectedly. He was sitting here over 20 minutes now waiting for Yugao.
Ayame noticing his sad face came around and gave him a side hug.
"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" she asks
"Hmmm... I'm wondering where is Yugao. Its 2 days since last i saw her." was his reply.
"I'm sure she is fine, plus you got a small date tomorrow, remember. You are one lucky boy eh, dating at 10" she slapped him on the back.
He blushed a little at that.
"Hey, she asked me."
"Yeah, yeah"
"You want to come?" he asked suddenly.
"W-wh-what?" she stuttered out.
"It's not really a date; it's mostly a friend's hangout. I'm meeting some of her friends."
"Ohh...well I'll think about it"
"Well its tomorrow at Rocking Ninja, round 8pm, well I'm going, later." He got up, paid for his meal and left.
He went straight for home.
About 5 minutes later he entered his apartment but then blacked out.
"Package received, over" said a voice.
"Did he talk to anyone on the way, over?"
"I'm not sure, i just found him, but it doesn't look so, he still looks exhausted so he looks to be coming straight from a training grounds,it will be easy to do might part, over"
"Ok, well start the procedure, over and out"
Hospital – 9:27pm
Yugao has been outside Hayate room since he arrived. The doctor said he is stable and out of danger, but still unconscious. She talked to a doctor a few minutes ago asking about the injury he get, wanting to know what it was that attacked him.
"Whatever it was left a permanent damage in his lung. Some kind of bacteria/chakra mix. When we were working on him, the injury was getting worst. We contained it and stopped it. Well right now he is out of danger. Any hard work in the future will be hard for him now. He will have short breath and a permanent cough. We did the best we can. We also have a sample of the bacteria/chakra thing. We will see what it was that did it and see if we can identify the attacker."
She sat down, waiting for the doctors to say when it was good to enter.
1 hour later
Yugao was woken by a shake. She saw it was the doctor she talked to.
"It's ok now to see him, but just don't startle him to much ok. He is currently resting."
She just nodded.
As she entered the room, she could hear the heart monitor beeping. She sat down by a chair and just watched him.
"Sighs, I've been so busy with Naruto-kun that i didn't get a chance to talk with you Hayate for a while. Sorry i put our friendship on hold, but I've never been so happy before. It's like anytime I'm around him i cant stop smiling, he is an amazing boy, and will grow up to be one amazing man, and i cant wait for that." She whispered out.
She may not notice but Hayate was awake and heard everything.
"It's alright, Yugao" he whispered out "I forgive you"
Her head snapped up at that
"Hayate! Just relax and rest" She got up and went closer.
"I'm alright"
"Hayate, what was it that attacked you?"
"I, i dont know, but it was some kind of chakra thing. It felt like, like evil, and came from below. I think it was from the package, because it came from below me. It probably burrowed its way from underneath." He muttered out.
"That might explain why the rest of your team didn't see it."
They was a silence for a few minutes.
"Hayate, what was the package?"
"I can't say, sorry. The Hokage sworn us to silence, 'cough, cough'"
He started to cough and Yugao got worried. She rushed out not noticing a figure by the window.
She came back with a doctor.
"Hayate-san, relax please, you only make your injury worst" pleaded the doctor."
"The, pa-package, 'cough, cough', he, he, 'cough' bring to-to 'cough' i-its 'cough' ch-chakra"
"Chakra?"
Suddenly his heart monitor flat line.
"Hayate!" she screamed out.
"I'm sorry ANBU-san, i need you to step outside" a doctor said while pushing her out.
"Please, i beg you, please save him!" she pleaded.
"We are trying our best ok." He just said and closed the door.
Yugao just walked over and slumped in a chair. Tears leaking out of her eyes.
"Nekoooo-chan!"
She was hugged suddenly by a purple haired person.
"Anko? What are you doing here?" she sniffed out.
Anko got worried at that.
"You okay Yugao? What's wrong?"
"Hayate, he was injured, he, he might die, the doctors are trying to save him now"
She said while hugging Anko.
The room doors open and a doctor came out. "I'm sorry ANBU-san, but we couldn't save him. I'm sorry."
"Oh no, Hayate" she started to cry harder. Anko just held her friend for however long she needed.
"Come on, Yu-Chan, let's go." Anko said.
"Yeah" she just muttered.
Rocking Ninja - 12:30am
"Slow down, Yugao, let's go, you had enough to drink already" Anko said a little worriedly.
"Ohh, come on Anko, one more, k" she slurred out.
"Sighs, fine one more and we are gone ok."
"Yeah, yeah"
Anko and Yugao came here right after from the hospital, and Yugao started drinking right of the bat.
"Hey Yugao, i forgot to mention, i found Naruto by the Training grounds 44, again,round 6:30 this evening. Seems he has been training there for a while. You let him train there?"
"Huh, what was he doing there? No, I never told bout that ground."
"Don't know, i brought him in the hospital, doctor said he got some minor injuries, and, exhaustion? Probably was training, anyways, let's go, you finish your drink."
"Yeah, he was probably training, ok, let's go"
Hospital – 5:55pm – 29th November
"...urrghh, damn, what the hell hit me?"
"That's what i would like to know, Uzumaki-san" a stoic voiced asked.
"That's you Yu-Chan?" he asks while sitting up.
He then noticed his hands cuffed to the side of the bed. "Hey Yu-chan, whats going on? Why am i cuffed to the bed?"
"I will be asking the questions, Uzumaki-san, now where were you during the hours of 4-6pm, on November 19th?"
"uhh, what's going on, Yugao, its not getting funny anymore, and you're kind of scaring me, what's going on?" he asked again.
"Answer the question, Uzumaki-san, I won't repeat it again?"
"Ok, i was in training at, Training ground 44, why?" He saw her tensed.
"What time did you leave?"
"uhmm" he started to think, "i, i can't remember, i, was training and, and i, I made a set of clones."
"Clones?" she asked, still with the stern voice
He was still freaking out inside.
"Y-Yeah, th-the Shadow Clone, those c-clones are awesome, I g-gotta thank you for that. Then, then I- I think I-I c-can't remember. My head hurts, b-but I swear, I w-was just training. Why is m-my head hurting? I am s-seeing k-kind of red to."
"SLAP!"
"Yu- Yu-chan?" he stuttered out. He held his face which was stinging. He slowly turn his head back to her, seeing her face. She was trembling, her eyes teary, but they held so much hate.
"Don't! Don't Yu-chan me, you, you demon!" she shouted out. He visibly flinched and eyes widen at that.
"I thought i was wrong, but, it looks like they were right, they should have put you down long ago!"
He lowered his head with tears falling from his eyes that turned blank.
"Yu- Yugao-ch-san, what's going on?" his voice was blank, void of emotion.
"Don't play dumb, you killed Hayate yesterday, you stabbed him through his lung with you're demon chakra, poisoning him!" she shouted out.
Flashback – 12:13 pm 20th November
Yugao came into the hospital, dressed in all black coming from Hayate's funeral. She stilled had a few tears coming out of her eyes.
"Uzuki-san" a doctor called out, "the results have come through from Hayate-san wounds, and it was demon chakra, basically Kyuubi's, that was what R&D reports states."
Yugao was shocked. "Are you sure?"
"That's what the report says, also, Hokage is here and he wants to see you"
Still in shock, she just nodded.
"Ahh, Yugao-san, my apologies about Hayate, but i would like to know if you would like to interrogate Naruto-san?"
"Why?" she whispered out.
"Well, he is close to you, plus, he would answer you truthfully since he trusts you."
"Ok, but, if he was the one who, killed Hayate, or is loosing control of the demon, what will become of him?"
"I would say we execute and be rid of the Kyuubi, but we need Kyuubi, so, we will put him in ANBU Seal Cells and leave him there until further plans."
"Ok" she said simply.
Flashback end
Naruto mind was in disarray
"Kyuubi, demon chakra, what that's got to do with me?" he thought "Mikoto said it was sealed into me, and according to the seals book, it's just sealed in me, i cant unseal"
"I see you look confuse, what's wrong, demon?" she asked he flinched again.
"What do you mean demon chakra, Kyuubi, what does this has to do with me?"
"Hmmm, or i see, you still don't know, the Kyuubi wasn't killed by the Yondaime, he was sealed into you."
"b-but, how does that make me a demon, you said it yourself, it's like sealing a kunai into a scroll, I'm just the holder, aren't i?
He could see her head dropped a little like some question running through her mind but then she said, "True, but that doesn't mean anything, the seal probably is weakening. That is a common thing, seal weaken and sometimes fade over time."
His head dropped till his hair covered his eyes. His mind blank. He couldn't comprehend how things ended up like this.
'She's just like everyone else'
She got up to leave but stopped, she turned around, "i hate you, I HATE YOU! I never want to see you again and i hope that you die and fade away from memory and be sent to the lowest pits of hell!" she screamed out. Then she left.
Two ANBU came and picked him up and transported him to the ANBU Seal Cells.
If she did see his eyes, she would have seen that, her words broke him.
'Just end this now please' was his thoughts.
Rocking Ninja – 8:05pm
Yugao arrived at Rocking Ninja, looking very depressed, only wanting a drink.
"Hey, Yugao" that was one Genjutsu expert, Yuhi Kurenai. "Haven't seen you in a while, and where is Naruto?"
"Yeah, i want to meet him, maybe get him to sing for us, hehehe" that was Inuzuka Hana.
She flinched at that. She walked up to them an dropped in her seat. "He is not coming, he is in ANBU Seal Cells." She said simply.
"Ehh, wh-what happened? Why?" Hana stuttered out. Kurenai also had a surprise look on her face.
"Look, i don't want to talk about it, ok" she said drinking some sake.
"But why, why would they do that? Its not like he is some big criminal" Kurenai said.
"Because he killed Hayate."
"What!" Kurenai, Hana, Anko and Ayame shouted.
Ayame walked up to Yugao.
"What do you mean Naruto killed Hayate!" she demanded.
"Ayame, calm down" Anko pleaded.
"Why, she's lying, Naruto wouldn't do that! She is lying!" she claimed.
"Yes he did! Hokage-sama showed me all the evidence. November 26th, around 6:07pm, Hayate's team was attacked by the forest of death. The reports of Hayate wounds were from Kyuubi chakra. Naruto was there, in that forest, Anko also stated she found him in a clearing not to far from the attack site a few times when she makes her patrol rounds, around 6:33pm, and he said he was there from around after 3 till after 6. So how do you answer that?" Was her reply.
"With this!" she said, taking out a photo, "my dad took this out secretly, he said we looked cute, how i was hugging him, Naruto came by the stand every evening, around 6pm self. He sat there and ate 3 bowls of ramen, i still have the bill. He was waiting for you there, just like the day before. Said he missed you. He even invited me here. He said that he wanted me to meet you're friends to. I even heard him humming a tune, probably going to sing again for you. He sat there for almost half an hour, then he went home."
Now Yugao was shocked out of her mind. "b-but how was he in the training ground where Anko found him, how did Hayate wound have Kyu-" then it hit her, she stood there with wide eyes.
"What's wrong, Yugao?" Anko asked.
"Hayate said 'chakra', it couldbe from the 'package' they were transporting. That could explain the demon chakra from his wound, but that still doesn't explain how he was in the training grounds at the time, to reach from his home to that training ground will take at least 10 minutes at ninja speed."
"Well we have enough proof to get him out, but we will still need to investigate this, someone had to frame Naruto on this." Anko said. They just nodded.
Yugao mind was in a mess. She was thinking about all the things she said to Naruto. The words were echoing in her mind.
"I HATE YOU"
"I don't ever want to see you again"
"I hope you die and fade away from memory and be sent to the lowest pits of hell!"
She just dropped to the ground and started to cry. The others noticed this.
"What's wrong Yugao, you ok?" Kurenai asked.
"No, I'm not, i just remembered all the things i said to him, i blamed him for everything, and told him i hated him, called him a demon. I probably broken him, i abandoned him, what i did was probably the worst thing, the worst pain he probably went through. How can i ever face him now?" she cried out.
The four, Ayame, Hana, Kurenai and Anko just watched her sadly on the floor. Ayame went and helped her up.
"Well let's go help him first, get him out of there, then when we reach that bridge; we will cross it, ok?" She nodded.
They then headed straight for the Hokage office, two of them to get an innocent friend free.
Hokage tower – 9:07 pm
Sarutobi was such in a happy mood. He got his Icha Icha book, his pipe, paper work finish and his demon in chains ready to be his weapon. And the Uchiha clan is about to be under proper control. Nothing could go wrong now. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a knock on his door.
"Come in"
He saw 4 kunoichis; Anko, Yugao, Kurenai and Hana and a female civilian who works at that ramen stand, Ichiraku, Ayame.
"Now what can i do for you ladies." He asked.
Yugao rushed forward with the picture at hand. "Hokage–sama, Naruto was not the one who killed Hayate nor did he loose control of the Kyuubi either. He was not even at the area. He was at Ichiraku at the time, look"
"What!" he bellowed. He looked at the picture, seeing the boy getting a hug from Ayame, also the time and date the picture had. "Is this true, are you 100% sure?" he asked the teens.
She nodded, "My dad took it himself."
"DAMNIT!" he cursed in his head.
He sat back down, and puffed his pipe.
The girls explained what they found out and what Hayate said. They also explained how probably someone set him up. By the end of it, the Hokage was cursing a storm up in his head, but his face didn't let a hint of his emotion out.
"Hokage-sama, aren't you going to let him go?"
"Yes, go ahead and get him out, take this scroll also, it will be proof of my command, i will set a team up to investigate your findings. Good job on getting an innocent boy free."
They took the scroll, and rushed out to ANBU headquarters.
When they were gone, the Hokage face turned to a scowl. "ANBU! Get me Danzo, now!"
Not even 2 minutes laterthey were 4 puffs of smoke, where 3 blank masked individuals now stand. Danzo then came walking through the door. Team Deceit, a 3 man Team of ANBU level individuals who worked for the Hokage only, without question. They do anything the Hokage says. All missions for them are off record. Danzo Shimura, was the head of this team.
"What is this?" he asked as he threw the picture to them.
He picked it up and stared at it. The one who knocked and captured Naruto replied. His head had silver white hair standing in an angle "Sir, this is my fault, by the time i found him he was on his way home. I didn't know if he stopped anyway, or talked to anyone, so i just hypnotise him to forget ever coming home."
"Hmmm, well I'm disbanding the team. If this team leaks out to the public, or any part of this mission leaks out, well it will be disastrous. You are to rejoin ANBU, Kakashi, you have a choice either to reclaim your Inu mask or become Jounin."
Danzo said nothing.
"Sir, i will stay in ANBU for a while, then i will take a team up when i feel they is a good team to take."
"Ok, destroy any history of the team you guys have and reintegrate back to ANBU. Dismiss"
"Yes!"
Sarutobi and Danzo looked at each other.
"Plan B?"
Sarutobi just nodded. Danzo then disappeared in a puff of smoke.