Mask of Sanity
After a minute of chase Naruto realized that he had lost whatever he was following. Sprinting across the tree limbs, he finally slowed his pace and came to a halt. Crouching on a tree branch, Naruto tried to slow his heavy breathing; though it was more from agitation than exhaustion.
I know I saw someone. But was it the Sound again?
While he couldn't deny that they obviously had something of interest around the area, it just didn't seem very logical to him for there to be another around so soon. He also couldn't believe that a sound ninja similar to the ones he'd encountered earlier would be able to give him the slip. As a result, another possibility crept into his mind.
The Akatsuki.
It was one topic that he had heard about all the time, yet knew little about. In truth, they were the primary reason Jiraiya had decided to take Naruto in as his student. While even Jiraiya's information concerning the group had been limited, he did know that for whatever reason, the Akatsuki were intent on obtaining the Kyuubi…or any other Jinchuriki for that matter. Naruto had been cautioned all throughout his training to be constantly on his guard, especially when alone. Jiraiya had also informed him that if the Akatsuki were to get a hold of him, any attempt at extracting the Kyuubi would likely lead to his death.
Lucky me.
Invading his thought, a deep, familiar voice bellowed in.
You're slipping boy.
Shut up, I don't need this from you right now.
All that training and you're still so slow.
Speed is irrelevant if you don't know where you're going...I just lost track of it. Besides you should be encouraging my growth. If the Akatsuki ever do get a hold of me, you're toast.
Naruto smirked at the mental silence that followed.
Leaping down from the tree, he scanned the surrounding woods a final time before heading back towards the village. It was during this walk that he realized just how exhausted he felt, both mentally and physically. His whole body was aching, an extremely familiar sensation that Naruto had become accustomed to during his training. However, he figured most of his fatigue was likely caused by his extensive use of Kyuubi chakra earlier in the day.
Just as he reached the forest's edge he could see Kakashi and Kurenai quickly heading towards his location.
Naruto waved as they approached him, "I guess you heard from Hinata?"
Kurenai nodded, "She said you needed backup."
"Was it more of the Sound?" Kakashi questioned.
Naruto shrugged and replied simply, "I don't know."
Before Kakashi could respond, Naruto clarified, "I mean, it could have been another Sound. But it also could've been…something else."
The implications of Naruto's statement did not escape Kakashi, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Putting her hands on her hips, Kurenai sighed. "Well, at least everything seems alright."
"Sorry for the false alarm," Naruto said with a yawn, "but I think it's time for some sleep. I'm pretty tired."
A smirk could be detected through Kakashi's mask, "Back to the hospital?"
"In my own bed…I'll deal with Tsunade in the morning." Naruto replied, and began heading back to the village.
Kurenai chuckled as Naruto walked out of earshot. "I almost didn't recognize him at first. He's changed so much over the years."
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She had been standing at the gates the whole time, awaiting their return.
"I…I'm sorry I was not there, but Kurenai told me to stay in the village."
Naruto was a bit surprised as he wasn't expecting any sort of apology. "Whoa Hinata, you don't have anything to be sorry about; it was just me making a big deal out of nothing. Anyways it's pretty late…how about we call it a night?"
Her gaze directed slightly towards the ground, Hinata gave a stiff nod.
With that Naruto continued walking past the city gates.
As Naruto passed by, Hinata reflexively laced her fingers in an anxious manner; a habit that she hated and had been trying to break. She opened her mouth to call Naruto's attention, but for the second time that night, she found that she could not get the words out.
Slowly as Naruto faded into the night, Hinata finally released a few soft words. "Naruto-kun…welcome home…"
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"W…what did you say?"
Mounted atop the Sound Nin that he had finally managed to pin to the ground, Naruto could see an almost victorious smirk on his face.
"Awww did I hit a soft spot?" The Nin said with mock distress. "Don't look so hurt, you're the one that asked about him."
Naruto tightened his grip on the Nin's shoulders. "You're lying."
The Sound Nin looked directly into Naruto's eyes, which seemed to be searching for any semblance of truth. Lifting his head from the ground as much as he could manage, the Sound Nin repeated, "Uchiha Sasuke, is dead."
Naruto was stunned. All he could do was continue to stare in disbelief as hundreds of possible scenarios sporadically played out in his mind.
A grin spread across the face of the Sound Nin. Reveling in the mental distress he was causing his captor, the Sound Nin continued his verbal assault, "It's all his fault really…when you're stupid enough to cross Orochimaru, nothing less should be expe…"
The Nin's words were cut short by a sickly cracking noise. Naruto's grip had unconsciously tightened…so much that he had crushed the shoulder blades of his captive.
Yes…it has been a long time since you have been so angered, boy. Let us show this one the consequences of his…disrespect.
Suddenly Naruto's world went black, and he found himself behind the bars of a small cage suspended in a seemingly empty void. However, peering into the distance he was able make out a small image of the Sound Nin amidst the darkness. Slowly but surely a familiarly gruesome sequence of events began to play out in front of him. All the while the Nin's pleading screams seemed to resonate within the cage.
No, this isn't right…I…I have to stop this!
In a panic, Naruto clutched the bars and tried to pull them apart, but they would not budge. The cries still continuing, Naruto began to kick and punch at the bars with all his might. Soon he started screaming himself, with each strike he gave out a desperate cry in the hopes that the cold iron bars would finally give way. Slowly, as the Nin's voice became fainter, so did Naruto's efforts. Eventually, with a final choked breathe, the sounds came to a stop.
His knuckles bloody and aching, Naruto slumped down to his knees, peering out towards the image of the Nin's remains that seemed to be slowly increasing in size.
His face was stained with frustrated tears, "I didn't want this…"
Of course you do, or else it wouldn't be happening.
Ignoring the Kyuubi's statement, he clenched his fist and struck the cage a final time. "I DIDN'T FUCKING ASK FOR THIS!"
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Naruto quickly shot up from his bed. Completely drenched in sweat, he instinctively placed a hand over his chest to feel the rapid throbbing of his heart. Slightly disoriented, he slid over to the edge of the bed and placed his feet on the floor, slowly regaining his composure. The feel of the cold wood on his bare feet helped him finally reconnect with reality.
Apparently a decent night of sleep is too much to ask for anymore.
Nightmares had become a frequent occurrence for him, and they seemed to be getting progressively darker. While he had done his best to just shrug them off as nothing more than random dreams, the morbid imagery that they usually contained stayed with him a lot longer than he would like to admit.
As his breathing slowed, he turned to his nightstand and picked up a small, framed picture. The picture showed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura standing in front of Kakashi. After a few moments, Naruto sighed, "Team 7…just like we used to be."
Naruto's vision slowly shifted to Sasuke.
"There's no way…that you would be so careless. That Nin was lying. He was just trying to rile me up." Naruto closed his eyes, attempting to remove the picture from his mind. "I just can't believe that you could be…"
…Dead…
Naruto reflexively clenched his teeth, but opened his eyes when he heard an unexpected crack. Still holding the picture, he noticed a small trickle of blood dripping from the bottom of his hand. The frame now had a small fracture in the glass.
Right over Sasuke's image.
The frame shattered as it was dropped to the floor.
Naruto, who was still sitting on his bed, gazed blankly at the broken fragments that now lay scattered beneath him. It took him a few moments to realize that his hand was shaking, and he quickly clenched the side of the bed to steady it; a crimson red slowly seeped into the white sheets.
Naruto took a deep breath and shook his head, as if to bring himself to his senses. He took note of the faint light that was beaming through his window.
"Missions," he said to himself, "I really need something to do."
Ignoring the mess on the floor, he quickly dressed in his standard attire and began to head out. Facing the door, he pushed the words of the Sound Nin out of his head.
He was lying.
With that thought, Naruto left.
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Tsunade took a sip of her tea before resuming her conversation with Jiraiya. "I didn't think you'd be leaving so soon, at least not until Naruto settled back in."
"He can take care of himself for awhile, seeing as this is for his benefit anyways. The sooner we can get this seal issue resolved the sooner I can stop worrying about it. Besides," Jiraiya paused for a moment before continuing, "It's hard not to feel a bit responsible for the situation he's in right now. Until we can restore and reinforce his seal, it can't be guaranteed that Naruto will be in complete control of the Kyuubi."
Taking another sip, Tsunade set the cup on her desk. "Does Naruto rely on the Kyuubi's power that much now?"
Jiraiya nodded, "When he gets serious, it's like second nature to him. But, I didn't take him down this path because I doubted his base potential. It's just that three years isn't a lot time, especially for how strong Naruto needed to become. He knew the risks of training specifically with the Kyuubi chakra, but it was all the same to him. Training him to use that untapped power as his own was the only feasible route we could take, considering what he needed to achieve. But what's done is done. The only thing we can now is trust that it will all work out in the end."
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Naruto had managed to make it to Tsunade's office without causing too much commotion. As it was, not many even knew that he was back in the village; which was fine by him, as his morning hadn't put him in the most talkative mood. Nevertheless, he had briefly bumped into Shizune momentarily while walking through the halls. Her friendly greeting aside, Naruto was a little shaken by her foreboding information.
"You had better be glad Kakashi intervened. Tsunade-sama was ready to drag you back to the hospital herself when she heard you had snuck out."
He could only manage a meek "Thanks," at the time.
Right outside the door he could hear a faint discussion between Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Well, at least I'll have Ero-senin for backup.
Upon entering, Tsunade and Jiraiya broke off their discussion.
Jiraiya smiled as Naruto walked into the room, "Up bright and early I see. Couldn't wait to show yourself off to all the ladies eh?"
Naruto rolled his eyes.
Tsunade was not as good-humored, however, and threw Naruto a dark glare. "The "ladies" aside, it seems in the time you've spent with Jiraiya you've picked up his lack of common sense. I don't take it well when patients of mine up and leave without my approval."
With a sheepish grin, Naruto waved his arms dismissively. "I'm completely fine! I was really ok, I'm sure it looked a lot…worse…than it was…"
Yeah, I'm sure I looked just swell.
Attempting to divert the topic he quickly focused on his original intent. While his thoughts as of late concerned Sasuke's wellbeing, he didn't figure that was going to fly very well at the moment.
"So, I'm as ready as ever to give Orochimaru what he has coming to him, and bring Sasuke to his senses in the process. What do ya think?"
As it were, he decided it might be best to aim a little lower. "I'm ready to get back to missions."
Jiraiya dipped his head and gazed off to the side, as if to avoid the response he was anticipating.
Tsunade knew this would come up sooner or later, but she didn't expect to have to deal with it so early. Having already given the scenario great consideration, she replied to Naruto in confident, Hokage fashion.
"No."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Author's Note:
Sorry to be taking so long on this, but I hit a pretty bad combination of work/classes that has occupied my time for awhile now. I'm still writing, albeit at a sporadic pace. I do intend to keep going and finish this eventually, but consistency is something I can't guarantee at the moment. Again, thank you Mike for pre-reading this, and to all reviewers.
