Naruto
Chapter 4: Betrayal
"Kakashi, I need you for a special mission. This will not be recognized as an official mission, there is no paperwork, and no records of this will ever exist. I have assigned Yamanaka Ino to assassinate her lover of three years who I have discerned is a traitor, more specifically, a key Root operative. I have given her a week to see the completion of the mission, but if she does not, I want you to bring her in for insubordination, and I also want you to finish the mission in her stead."
The gray haired ex-ANBU stood silently before the Hokage. 'Would it be any easier for him? After all, Sasuke had been his student. Even though he didn't have that close of a bond with the boy, he did teach him most of what the ANBU knew.'
"Hai Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed and turned on his heel to leave the room.
As if reading his mind, Sarutobi sighed, "I know that you have a connection with him too. That's another reason why I chose you. But I also knew that you could overcome this to complete the mission, something that I'm afraid Yamanaka-san cannot do."
Kakashi had paused to listen to his leader's words, gave no response, and left.
The Hokage opened a drawer in his desk, pulled out his trusted pipe, lit it, and took a long drag. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that this was only the beginning.
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The mission report from Sasuke included mention of a strange red chakra that healed Naruto's wound seamlessly. He mentioned that it was the axillary artery that had been pierced, and normally that was a fatal battlefield wound. Miraculously, this non-shinobi survived and was back in perfect condition. Sakura pondered the implications of this finding. She looked towards the sleeping figure of the blonde haired patient that had checked in the other day; he was quite the enigma.
Swinging a chakra scanner over the area of his chakra coils she was given a shock. His chakra coils were completely twisted around and ruined. It would take a medic far beyond her capability to fix, and even that was doubtful. She was going to pull the scanner away when her eye caught a red wisp of chakra next to his pool of natural blue chakra. Turning to write down her findings, her face was met with the red and white robes of the Hokage. Startled, she dropped her clipboard and attempted to stand to properly address the Sandaime.
The wizened old man smiled down at her and put his hand on her shoulder. Despite the power radiating off of his seemingly frail frame, his presence and touch was comforting. She instantly calmed and gathered herself.
"Yes Hokage-sama?" she asked quickly.
"I thought it best to advise you about Naruto-kun's intriguing condition. Although it may go against all of your curiosity, I would like to ask you to stay away from the red chakra and not investigate further. I'm sorry that I cannot offer an explanation for my strange behavior, but please, do as I say."
Sakura was stunned, how important could this civilian and his red chakra be for the Hokage himself to step in on behalf of the man? Fighting against her instincts as a nurse, she pushed down her curiosity and tried her best to ignore it.
"It will be as you wish Hokage-sama." The pink haired nurse bowed, left the room to continue on her rounds.
The Hokage looked away from the direction in which she left and his gaze rested upon the slumbering form of Naruto.
"I know you're not sleeping Naruto-kun." The Hokage whispered, while letting a small smile creep onto his face.
"You could always tell with me Jiji." Naruto said as he sat up. "Thanks for covering for me, I wouldn't have enjoyed a bunch of questions concerning my," he looked around and continued softly, "condition."
The wrinkled man nodded, "Which is precisely why I came, Naruto-kun." He paused before continuing, "I also wanted to discuss with you the kenjutsu ability that you found during your battle with the Root operative."
"Yea, about that, I really don't know much about how it happened. I unsheathed the swords to make it seem as if I was a real ANBU agent, but as soon as I was attacked… I moved on my own, but… without my will." Naruto, despite his high IQ, was perplexed at his predicament.
At once, both people in the room said the same thing, "Itachi."
It was Itachi. The memories he implanted within Naruto weren't just from the Konoha database, they also included Itachi's fighting ability. Could this be just a fluke on Itachi's part or were there more memories along with this?
The Hokage thought for a moment, "Naruto, how did these abilities appear? What situation were you in?"
"As I said before, I was under attack, but then they came out of nowhere… I… I think that they require some sort of a catalyst, or a trigger that allows me to be able to use the memories."
It was a logical conclusion, and the Hokage agreed with the diagnosis, "If that's the case, then I think we should test them and the extent that they go to." Sarutobi picked up Naruto's chart and studied it, "You're fine, and I'm giving you official permission to go. I want you to be on Training Ground 7 for your test, it won't be a real test, don't worry."
Naruto sat there with a forlorn expression on his face. He didn't want this; he didn't want any of it, and yet, there it was.
'Fuck.'
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Being told to report to a random training ground with no explanation from the Hokage left the Jounin feeling… worried. Gekkou Hayate was not a man that was ever flustered, but the emergency hawk had mentioned that it was urgent from the Hokage. It had to be a matter of national security, but then why was he the only one here?
He coughed; the chronic sickness was closing its skeletal grip on his lungs. He knew that he only had a few years left… if he took it easy, but the life of a Jounin is never easy, the nurses gave him 8 months at best. At worst… he chose not to think about it.
He felt the shunshin before he saw it. Then the rush of leaves came and when they flew away, it left a Hokage and a… civilian in its wake. All thoughts of national security left his head as he examined the civilian closely. It was Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, last he heard, the boy's chakra coils were ruined due to the sealing, and his ninja dreams had disappeared along with his happiness. After that day nobody ever complained of prankings and odd disturbances during the night, it seemed that Naruto had dropped off of the face of the planet. Now here he was… with the Hokage and two swords strapped to his back. Swordsman? The boy became a samurai?
"Hayate, I'm glad you could come. I'm sorry about the urgent request and the lack of an explanation; it's just that we were in a rush. You're here because you're the premier kenjutsu master in Konoha, and we needed a test for Naruto here," he pointed to the boy, "something happened and now he needs to get tested on his kenjutsu skills, please no techniques, just a swordfight."
"If it isn't out of my pay grade, could you inform me of what that 'something' was?" asked Hayate, he looked pointedly at the teen.
The Hokage sighed, "I think you'll understand soon enough. It'll be better if you find out for yourself during your fight."
Gekkou Hayate nodded and unsheathed his sword. His movements were fluid and practiced. Getting into a comfortable stance, he held his blade two handed pointing at Naruto. Naruto reached behind him and did the same.
'A dual-wielder and he looks almost as comfortable with the blade as I. I haven't fought one since… Uchiha Itachi.' His eyes narrowed; he had heard the strange rumors of Uchiha Itachi's death whispered amongst the Jounin ranks, this was bizarre.
Each waiting for the other to make the first move, they stared at each other. Gekkou Hayate saw the fear and uncertainty in Naruto's eyes, his body attested to his skill, but his eyes gave him away. The boy didn't know what he was doing, and yet, he did. This was enough to give him a headache. Launching himself forward at the boy he swung it with deadly precision at Naruto's neck. If the Hokage felt that Naruto was good enough to challenge him, then he would have no problem with an all out fight.
Closing his eyes and shutting out his mind, he let his body take over; after all, it wasn't his brain doing the work. Opening his eyes, his world was clarified and he had a heightened sense of the environment around him. It was like using his instincts, just that they weren't his, but those of Itachi's.
Naruto held up his blades and blocked the attack while somersaulting backwards to lessen the impact. Landing lightly on his feet he began a flurry of attacks. Smashing Hayate's blade aside with his sword, he brought his ninjato around for a strike at the man's chest, but his opponent wasn't known as a sword master for nothing. With lightning speed the Jounin brought his katana back to the front and stopped the attack with the flat of his blade. The terrain could no longer hold up to the power of the fighters and they both flew back from the release of the earth. Their slide had left tear marks along the ground. It was only the beginning.
Once again, Hayate took the offensive and spun his blade in a dizzying pattern before Naruto's eyes, barely able to keep up; a kick to the chest sent him falling to the ground. One of his blades slipped out of his hand and he struggled to keep his footing. Running forwards he thrust his ninjato at Hayate's eyes with a speed that he had never used before, it obviously surprised his opponent as well. The blade left a small scratch on the bridge of his nose and a drop of blood dripped from the cut. First blood.
Running back over to his fallen sword he spun to block Hayate's swing, while at the same time kicking up his ninjato and catching it in a spin he almost caught the man's chest. Hayate sensed this coming and swerved back in time to avoid the attack and also kicking dirt into Naruto's eyes. Fighting and trying to blink the earth of out his eyes, Naruto began fighting a losing battle. His vision blurred and all he could use was the sounds of his enemy's feet on the ground and his harsh breath rattling in his lungs.
The battle was truly a sight to behold, a macabre dance of death. The blades were flashing in the sunlight and Naruto slowly regained ground against his much stronger adversary. But Gekkou Hayate was not a man to be taken lightly, returning to the battle in full blast he spun and slashed in a variety of different ways, each scoring small cuts upon the Jinchuuriki. Just as soon as these cuts appeared, they disappeared in a small red wisp of chakra which was evidence of the beast contained within his body. Ignoring the small victories, he moved in for the killing strike. He had maneuvered the boy into a small clearing of his choice and at that precise moment, Naruto stepped backwards and was thrown off balance by a rut in the ground. Hayate's eyes flashed as he saw his perfectly planned opening and slipped through Naruto's defenses. At once his blade was at Naruto's throat.
The Hokage clapped in admiration of Hayate and Naruto's skill with their weapons. It had been an impressive battle between them, but as he watched, he noticed that Naruto's fighting style – if it could be attributed to the Jinchuuriki – was identical to the form that Uchiha Itachi used. Gekkou Hayate lent a hand to his opponent who had been sprawled on the ground, and he was brought up. Shaking Naruto's hand, he said, "It was an incredibly challenging fight, an honor that I bestow to few people."
Naruto felt awkward about receiving this obviously high praise, as it wasn't him fighting, but rather the memories that Itachi had left within him. "T-thank you." stuttered Naruto.
The Hokage told Naruto to go back to his shop and get some rest, before his next mission. He turned to his trusted Jounin associate and asked him, "Well? Do you understand now?"
Gekkou Hayate could say nothing for a while, "I don't know if the conclusion that I arrived at is the right one. During my fight, I didn't see Naruto fighting me, but rather, Uchiha Itachi. So are the rumors true then?" Hayate clarified, "The ones that say that Uchiha Itachi was on a state-sponsored killing rampage?"
The Hokage felt no choice but to tell him the truth. "What I'm going to tell you is Top Secret information. If this new got out to any… undesirables, then the entire village's security is compromised. Are you aware of the seriousness of this situation?"
Before Hayate responded, the Hokage sent multiple shadow clones to form a perimeter around them, to watch for enemy shinobi, as well as scanning the area for voice recording devices and cameras. Once he was sure it was secure, he nodded for the Jounin to speak.
"Hai Hokage-sama. Please continue."
Sarutobi Hiruzen began speaking, "I sent Uchiha Itachi to destroy Konoha's database. I felt that Root had infiltrated too far into our ranks, so rather than risking all of Konoha's secrets of falling into Root's hands, I decided to get rid of it. Uchiha Itachi discerned the situation as well, and volunteered to do the job. He knew that it would result in his death, but he felt the need to sacrifice himself, even if it meant giving his legacy a taint that would last forever."
Gekkou Hayate finally understood and his respect for the shinobi grew. He had always known Itachi to be a steadfast patriot, and his last act was completely out of character. Now his name was cleared in his book, but in the minds of the rest of Konoha, the name still held the memories of betrayal.
"Before he undertook the mission, he asked of me a strange favor. He asked me to release the fully undisclosed version of Uzumaki Naruto's profile. At the time, I didn't know why, maybe to satisfy a past curiosity, but I pushed it to the back of my mind; there were more pressing matters at hand. He did as he was asked and did it to perfection. But then, he did something that confounded me. He activated his Sharingan and memorized everything within the database. From that point he went to the home of Uzumaki Naruto and died giving all of the information to him."
The sickly Jounin's mind connected all the dots and so he responded, "So this explains the connection between Itachi's sword styles imbedded in Naruto's body?"
The Hokage nodded.
"It will be certainly interesting to watch how this progresses."
The Jounin could do nothing but nod in assent. It certainly would.
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Sakura heard a knock on her door. Looking through the peephole she could see that it was Sasuke. She looked at her watch; it was 2 in the morning. What was he doing here?
Opening the door she greeted her… visitor. Rubbing her eyes and shaking off the sleep she asked, "So what brings you here? Shouldn't you be busy ravishing your cover?"
Sasuke smirked, "Oh, I did, believe me. She'll be remembering that one for a while." Sakura huffed at the indignity, "But you know, I would've much rather it been you."
At this the pink haired nurse smiled; it was just the expected response. Her infatuation with him since their Genin days had blossomed into a full fledged relationship, until one day, Sasuke was forced to change it all for Root. Danzo split them so that Sasuke could have a better influence within the ANBU ranks, it hurt, but of course, it was for the greater good.
Sasuke's countenance changed from the smirk into its normal serious expression. "Sakura, I have a problem. From multiple sources that I've heard from, it seems that the Hokage has ordered my assassination and knows that I'm part of Root. I need to get out of Konoha, away from Root, away from all of this. I'm going to be leaving at the end of the week; I just wanted to give you an early notice. I'll keep in touch; don't worry about me."
The man gave a small smile and turned to leave but Sakura grabbed his arm. "Sasuke, are you sure about this?"
Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder, "Yea, I'm sure. I can't stay here any longer if I want to live."
His words reassured her but his eyes gave him away. Usually Sasuke sported a calm and serious demeanor and his eyes were like black mirrors, but today, his eyes were somber.
"I'll go with you Sasuke! I'll help you, heal you when you're hurt and fight alongside you in your battles. It'll be everything we've ever dreamed of. We could have kids, raise a family, and be happy together."
Sasuke frowned, "You know it can't be like that Sakura. They're going to hunt us, and there are going to be Hunter-nins every where we turn. We won't be able to have kids, this dream won't exist Sakura. I'm sorry, but this is a thing I have to do alone. I found someone willing to grant me immunity, but it can only be me. They won't take you."
Sakura let her tears fall onto his hand, "We'll find a way to do it Sasuke. I know we can." But on the inside, both of them knew the futility of her words.
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Creeping back into bed was one of the hardest things Sasuke had ever done. It was made even harder due to the fact that his lover was one of the lightest sleepers in ANBU. Holding his breath, using every stealth technique known to mankind, he somehow managed to get onto the mattress, so one could imagine Sasuke's surprise when he heard Ino speaking to him.
"You smell like… women's perfume."
'Shit! Sakura hugged me, what's a good excuse?' Sasuke's mind frantically searched for an explanation. "I had to drop in on an old friend of mine, something about…" The ANBU commander hunted for words, "…condoms."
Sasuke mentally smacked himself in the forehead. How could he be so stupid, what kind of excuse was that?
Ino's voice dripped with sarcasm, "Condoms huh? Did you… personally show her what it looks like on the penis?"
Cursing him and his stupidity he turned over and faked sleep.
"I know it was Sakura. She's got a distinct perfume." Ino in turn pretended to sleep.
The night passed in uncomfortable silence as the pair laid there. Morning came and tensions were tight.
'I have to kill him? This is the only way to break my bond with him. He might have felt that it was fake all along, but I felt something, or at least I thought I did.'
"Was it fun? Was Sakura worth the midnight escapade?" Ino pressed the matter.
Sasuke snapped, "Ino, shut the fuck up."
"I'm sure that's what you made Sakura do so that the neighbors couldn't hear her screaming in ecstasy." snapped the blonde.
The ANBU's chakra flared, "You know what? You make me sick. Yeah, I had a midnight sex session with my old girlfriend for all of… 5 minutes. I'm really that quick and she really enjoyed it. Is that what you wanted to hear? Is that it? Are you happy now?"
Sasuke's words, even though she knew that their relationship was a lie, still hurt her. Tears welled up in her eyes as each word struck her heart. It was what she wanted after all right?
All the shouting stopped however when they heard knocking on the door. When it opened it was their asset, Naruto. Ears turning red at his presence, the two began talking at the same time.
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
Flustered at being caught in a lover's quarrel, the two tried to cover it up by acting as if it never happened.
'Wow. Well I'll be darned, I just saw the ANBU commander and his girly girl fighting about… cheating.'
Naruto sensed their frustration, "Nevermind, please continue whatever it was that you were doing, I'll be going now."
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Ino stormed out of the apartment after Naruto left to blow some steam at an ANBU training facility. Meanwhile, Kakashi had heard everything that was going on. He understood Ino's tactic of trying to cut the strings that connected her heart to him, but it obviously wasn't working. He steeled himself for what he would have to do. Killing your own student is something that shouldn't ever be done. The Hokage couldn't do it with Orochimaru, and now Kakashi was being called to do something that would make Obito turn in his grave.
He would have no chance to cut all ties he had with his former student; all he could do was to cut his own heart. But he hid all of his sadness behind his orange book as he let out a string of perverted giggles. As a ninja, he was really good at lying to everyone else, after all, that was what ninja's were supposed to do, right? He deceived everyone and everyone bought it, that's just how things went.
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Sasuke groaned as he stretched out his arms in front of his computer. This was it; Ino was out of the apartment and now was Sasuke's chance to prevent Danzo from killing him. Sasuke pulled out a memory card and plugged it into the computer. Quickly taking all documents relating to Naruto, he dumped them into the card along with the audio files that they got when they bugged him. This should appease the vengeful Root leader.
The ANBU commander had placed himself into a high level of trust with the village, how did the Hokage find out about him? He was still confused about how his cover had been blown, maybe the Root agent that he 'fought' with earlier tattled on him. If he ever got the chance, he would beat the answer out of him. Turning his thoughts to the matter at hand, he erased all evidence of tampering with the files and pulled the card.
He crossed his fingers as he left the apartment. He whispered to himself, "Please work, please work, please work…"
Sasuke approached an inconspicuous stump in the middle of a park. Kneeling down as if to adjust his sandals; he tapped in a secret code on the side of the stump. The electronics within the system reacted to his code and it opened a small slit on the side. Sasuke looked around to see if anyone was watching, and dropped the memory card into the opening.
He, as Ino did earlier, just cut his ties with Root. Giving all of his information on Naruto was the last act that he would ever do for Root and he felt a large weight lift from his shoulders. He was so close to freedom.
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The card that Sasuke put into the stump would take four days to be processed and checked for threats. It would reach Danzo personally, so no chances were taken with the esteemed leader's safety. Careful not to tamper with the actual item itself, the scientists and ninjas examined it with extreme caution and discerned that it contained no threat to the beloved Danzo. This process would take three days, just in case there was a hidden timed charge and one day for an actual physical examination.
During the time that the memory card was being examined, Sasuke planned his departure from the village and Ino prepared herself for her mission. Sasuke had become distant from her after their fight and this eased her soul as she became determined to kill the traitor. Kakashi did much of the same things that Ino did. They sharpened their weapons, checked their jutsu repertoire, and stocked up on their soldier pills. Against Sasuke, who was a very formidable opponent, every little edge counted, for every little thing could determine life or death.
Sasuke went over his supplies and deemed that he had enough to survive for five days alone in the wilderness. After that he would be forced to hunt and gather for sustenance. The trip, given that there were no distractions, would take 7 days, but this was a best case scenario. Orochimaru had promised him immunity from Konoha, as well as covering up his identity as well as he could. This was all for a price of course, with the Sannin there always was. He knew of Orochimaru's sick dream of becoming immortal, as well as his desire to learn every single jutsu there was to learn. But when the time comes, Sasuke was sure that he could defeat Orochimaru. This was not arrogance in his eyes; it was the cold, hard truth.
Naruto was ignored in this situation as both his handlers became increasingly preoccupied with their separate worries. He was sure of his ability to protect himself though and his worries, as opposed to those of his handlers, decreased. He spent his time refining his sword making and practicing in a small clearing with his newfound skills. He knew something big was going to happen as the tension was tightening noticeably. He didn't know what, but given enough time, he would be able to find out.
The Jinchuuriki went onto his computer and broke into the government files, the not so classified ones, as those were all safely locked inside his brain. He searched through all the documents concerning missions as well as daily reports from the Hokage to the council. There was mention of Root and this was what intrigued Naruto. The information concerning Root was kept to a minimum and the documents revealed nothing more than what Naruto already knew.
Naruto realized that whatever was happening was going on undocumented due to the secretive nature of the operations. This must be what was bothering Ino and Sasuke; he also noticed the arrival of Kakashi, who was unaware of, or ignorant of Naruto's security cameras following his every move. 'Watching the watcher.' thought Naruto and the irony was not lost on him. Leaning back in his chair he tried to think.
'So what to do now? If there was no written documentation of the things going on behind the scenes of Konoha, how to find out? Of course! Watch what was going on in the village itself.' Naruto reviewed tapes of the past week, trying to find out what Sasuke and Ino had been doing that would reveal to him their secrets. Nighttime was fast approaching and the only thing that lit Naruto's room was his computer screen. He heard the fight from outside of Ino and Sasuke's apartment and he saw himself walking up to the door. Fast forwarding through the parts he already knew, he saw Sasuke sit down at the computer after Ino left and watched carefully. Maybe something here would disclose the precious information. He noticed Sasuke's furtive glances around him, making sure that he was not being watched. He had obviously underestimated Naruto's security system. His mistake.
Naruto observed Sasuke leaving the apartment mouthing words to himself. He also noticed the crossed fingers and the memory card clutched in his hand. Something strange was going on. Fast forwarding until Sasuke stopped to adjust his sandals, he noticed again the furtive glances of Sasuke's as well as the tapping on the stump. That was no random tapping, as the slit opened and the memory card fell in. Naruto's eyes widened. He reversed back to when Sasuke was on the computer. Naruto zoomed in as much as the resolution would allow and saw something that shocked him. It was a photo of himself.
The pieces fell into place in Naruto's mind. Kakashi keeping surveillance on Ino and Sasuke, Ino's distance from Sasuke when before they were gushing lovebirds, all the evidence pointed to the fact that Sasuke was a traitor. Sasuke had information on Naruto, the confidential information that didn't technically exist, and would cause Konoha to fall into ruin. That stump could've been a Root drop-off site, and Sasuke was reporting in to Danzo, the secretive leader of the rebel group.
The implications were serious. Village security was at stake, as well as his life. Grabbing his newly made swords and slinging them over his back he left his place to go stop Sasuke. All this time he professed that he had no ability, no chance of fighting against someone obviously superior in skill and strength. But now, he had Itachi on his side.
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Sasuke looked around his apartment that he shared with his 'lover' Ino. He felt that after the argument, any emotional attachments Ino might still have had were cut. There was nothing holding him back in Konoha, nothing to tweak his heart to try to reconcile his deeds and his crimes against his nation. He opened the door and left.
He was fast approaching the main gate, his fake mission papers held tightly in his hand. He was sweating; his freedom awaited him just outside the gates. About a mile away from his destination, a black blur shot out in front of him. He had been discovered.
He had been hoping to avoid confrontations, but now it seemed unavoidable. He was going to have to fight his way out of Konoha, possibly killing his ex-comrades in the process.
"For crimes against the nation of Konoha, you have been sentenced to death, Uchiha Sasuke. This is mandated by the Third Fire Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama. There will be no rights given, there will be no trial. I alone am your jury, judge, and executioner. You will receive the punishment that all traitors receive. Prepare yourself."
There they were the official words that condemned him. He would have to act fast, other ANBU were surely on their way. He flipped through handseals and said, "Doton: Doryuu Taiga."
Immediately a river of mud enveloped his enemy and he followed up with another technique, "Doton: Doriyuudan!"
From the river of mud came an earth dragon of unimaginable size. His opponent could do nothing but stare in horror as their death quickly approached them. The jutsu required the caster's full attention to control and Sasuke was held in concentration.
Ino looked on as the dragon was about to come crashing down upon her. She closed her eyes, sad that she died with so many regrets about her life. As she lifted her head and her eyes to face her death, she was struck by a million little pieces of dried up mud.
Sasuke was bleeding, he didn't know how or why, but he was bleeding. Somebody had sliced at him and broke his concentration during the chakra costly technique. He was furious. He pulsed his chakra in all directions and sensed a disturbance to his left. Sending a kunai hurtling towards his enemy at insane speeds he was fast behind it as he tried to kill his opponent. The sound of metal ringing on metal reached his ears as he came face to face with his adversary, Uzumaki Naruto.
'Fuck.' Now he was in a predicament, he couldn't kill Naruto, because that means his peace offering to Danzo would be for naught, as the database would be oozing out on the ground mixed with Naruto's brains. He had to incapacitate the guy so as to not kill him, but to take him out as a threat permanently. His choices were limited.
Ino pulled herself from the mud that had held her frozen and tore off her mask while charging at Sasuke. She arrived just as Sasuke ran Naruto through with his own sword. It wasn't a fatal wound, but one that would surely become one if not given immediate medical attention. Naruto couldn't be counted on as an ally in this fight anymore. She had been caught off guard by Sasuke's first onslaught of jutsu's but now she was more prepared. She saw with a clarity that she had never felt before, her senses were heightened and everything dropped away from her except for Sasuke.
Ino attacked with taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu, she gave her everything to kill the man that had broken her heart and thrown it away like trash. She threw him back with her vengeance. She transformed her grief into strength, her anger into power, and her fear into determination. Like an unstoppable juggernaut Ino quickly overpowered her opponent and all seemed right. She would win. Her blade was poised to slit Sasuke's throat, and she saw death in her enemy's eyes. It was over.
The last few seconds passed by as if in slow motion. The ninjato flashed in the moonlight, reflecting off of it the white orb in the sky, a stark contrast to the blood that covered the ground and the fighters. She felt an elation in her heart, the one that always appears when a kill is about to be made. The feeling that they would not die, but rather that they would kill the one that threatened them. It was perfect.
But perfection was not meant to last, and the peace of the moment was shattered as a figure dropped out of the sky. Sasuke had come so close to accepting his death, but at that second, hope flared in his heart. Sakura.
Ino was slammed by Sakura's punch and flew into a stone wall that cracked under the immense pressure. Amidst the rubble Ino's mind struggled to register what had happened. NO! It couldn't be that Sakura was Root too? Who did she know that wasn't turned by the traitorous organization?
Her strength faded as she had expended all of her energy in her fight with Sasuke. She would die, just as before. Sakura would come and finish the deed. But it seemed that death didn't want Ino that day as Kakashi arrived on the scene. He had been told to only intervene when Ino couldn't finish the job, and that time was now.
Despite his skill and genius, fighting two incredibly high level ninja's was at his limit. Sakura was an accomplished medic who was just as dangerous with taijutsu as Rock Lee, and Sasuke was stronger in all departments. His genjutsu's were second only to Kurenai's, his ninjutsu was beyond that of even Kakashi's, and his taijutsu surpassed that of Maito Gai's. Sasuke was one of the most dangerous ninjas alive. It would take everything Kakashi had and more to defeat the two.
Sakura reached into her holster for a kunai. Tied to that kunai was a small ribbon, one that had been given to her by Ino when they were children. It was a form of cutting her ties with Konoha. Sakura threw that kunai with all her might in Ino's direction. The kunai embedded itself into the stone right next to Ino's face. In the moonlight she could see tears streaming down the kunoichi's face, everything that she had ever thought she loved had betrayed her in one night. First Sasuke, then Sakura, who else? Her parents? Ino thought of taking the kunai that was next to her and slitting her own throat.
Kakashi was planning his moves. He uncovered his sharingan and prepared to attack. He moved in easily under Sakura's guard, too easily it seemed and his suspicions were proven true as he attacked nothing but a shadow clone. He spun around to Sasuke and destroyed him with a powerful attack. But that resulted in nothing but a puff of smoke. He had been tricked; the two had left shadow clones and escaped. This was very uncharacteristic of him, failing a mission? That was unheard of with Hatake Kakashi. He couldn't chase them into the night, he would be outmatched as they had the time to prepare, and he had no choice but to report to the Hokage.
At that moment, the ANBU showed up responding to the chakra fluctuations in the area. They were too late; Kakashi told them to take care of Ino and Naruto and left to go find the Hokage.
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Naruto was slowly healing as the red chakra did its magic and fixed him perfectly. The ANBU picked him up and brought him to the hospital along with Ino. Clutched in Ino's hand was the kunai with the ribbon, and her other hand was hanging limply at her side, blood flowing unchecked out of her open wrist.
The ANBU, while transporting the wounded/dying, did a rudimentary healing jutsu on Ino's wrist, but it would only hold till they got to the hospital. That would be enough to keep the kunoichi alive for the time being.
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A day after the battle between Ino and Sasuke occurred overhead, Danzo opened a small package on his desk. It was a simple memory card from his now rogue agent Sasuke. A note was attached to the back.
It read, "A farewell gift."
Danzo smiled at the 'touching' gesture. He would have to send some agents to kill Sasuke eventually, regardless of the gift. Such a promising agent, so wasteful to have to kill the kid.
He turned in his chair to his computer and powered it up.
'The memory card must contain valuable information if he hopes it will appease me.' thought Danzo, examining the memory card.
Once the computer was fully loaded, he plugged in the card. He opened the folder inside of it and was shocked at what he saw. It was completely empty.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!?" The yell was heard all throughout the Root secret base.
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Upon hearing the yell, a scientist quickly excused himself to the bathroom. Locking the bathroom door behind him, he pried off the ventilation cover and crept inside. He scrambled his way out of the system and popped up above ground in a factory. Taking off his clothes and hiding them in the vent, he jumped down and left the building.
'Damn that was hard.' thought the fake scientist as he yanked off his wig. Bright blonde hair replaced the black wig that had covered it and held in his hand was a memory card.
'Feh. Let's trash this shit.' Naruto snapped it in half and tossed it into a nearby river.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE! READ BELOW! IMPORTANT NOTICE! READ BELOW!
A/N: I know I said I wouldn't do very many authors notes, and I'll try not to, but this time, it was unavoidable. First off, thanks for reading! Second, I would like to apologize for the weak ending (if you think so). Lastly, please give me reviews! I need them to improve upon my writing! It's inconceivable to me that my writing is perfect… it isn't… I know, so give me constructive criticism!! Thanks a bunch.
-Word of The Day