The longest wait, I know. However, I just had a lot of distractions and such. But, I'll try to work through them. Please enjoy this--
Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Chapter 4
Darkness appeared to loom over the lair, sustaining the evil the place withheld from the outside beauty of the grounds. The grey walls and pillars supporting the malice within was only a sufficient amount, as with every new development in jutsu and information trusted to them, the bigger the building needed to be.
Traveling through the dim halls and passageways, light diminished with the faintest trail left. As the studies and experiments were what kept the ninja occupied, low maintenance around building stabilized, welcoming creatures and acrid smells to air.
However, apart from the dilapidating rooms, there, located near the back, stood a vast and lavish room that accommodated the man in charge of it all. Now, he, his apprentice, and assistant awaited the arrival of a guest, you see. The air in the room was rigid and intoxicating, keeping what would seem manic and deranged men from going crazy in the uncomfortable silence.
The time they spent without a word shed or thought voiced was undeniably harsh until, losing the last bit of respect for the moment, the youngest spoke. "Are you planning on explaining what you've done before he gets here? If it had something to do with—"
"It doesn't, and it isn't of your concern and won't be until I see it fit to tell you. If I ever see it fit to tell you." The eldest man, responding too quickly, said. "Besides, you haven't proven that you respect me. You haven't shown me that little stunt of yours was nothing more than a sort of teenage angst than an attempt of disobeying my direct orders."
Silence resumed as the third ninja in the room looked away, inhaling deeply, creating a barrier for the unfriendly murderous intent threatening to consume them all.
"Ah, and here he comes," stated the elder, his voice rugged and hoarse.
"Wouldn't it be wise to send Sasuke out? After all, you don't want him listening do you—?" asked the third man in the room.
The man with the hoarse voice gave a laugh, sending the third man a cold gaze. "Now, now, Kabuto, I need him here. I never said I would not let him figure out what I have done. If he is smart enough to derive a conclusion, he will not need to prove anything to me. Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke huffed silently as he turned away from the man. He chose to ignore the small laughter coming from the man's direction and glared toward the room's door, as it swung open.
A man clad in black attire bowed beneath the doorframe, his head tilted up as he watched for recognition. It was given and he continued into the room. A metal mask tattooed with a deep pulsating vein covered his face or gash over his left eye that ran from eye to the bottom. Upon further inspection, Sasuke and Kabuto alike supposed the domineering facial features appeared to penetrate through the mask. The mask permitted the man sight, his dark eyes formidable and keen. A black robe rested upon his shoulders, his metal face piercing through a dark shadow created from his hooded covering.
"Is it done?" The elder man asked as he gestured the man at his feet. He was very blunt, or so Kabuto believed. Kabuto knew the man was anxious for the news, in which diverted him from thinking clearly as to how he addressed people, forgetting to keep his presence of one ruling. Was he afraid the boy escaped the encounter with the help of his foolish teacher?
"Yes, straight through the back of his head. The man you warned me about couldn't even land a hit on me," said the man clad in black. "I hope you are satisfied with my success, Lord Orochimaru." As the man in the hood's anxiety rose as he awaited praise, the gash throbbed in black tinted dexterity. As he waited, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes took his time absorbing the man's figure.
Retrieving a small flask filled with crimson liquid out of his carrying bag, the man remembered the importance of it, hastily raising it to level Orochimaru's sight. Diligently, he tossed it to Kabuto as he was addressed to do.
"Excellent," remarked Orochimaru. Kabuto held the flask to the light, and allowed the man to marvel at it with a power hunger thirst, "This contains the poison as well, correct, Satoshi?"
Satoshi, the man with the mask, nodded reverently.
"You may go, now. Kabuto will guide you out," Orochimaru said.
"Thank you." Satoshi stood, veins beating harmoniously with his relief of knowing he had been acknowledged.
"No, thank you. You'll be remembered for this." Sasuke glared at Satoshi, searching for a sign of weakness. What would he need to do to get answers to his questions from the man? How daft can he be? Overwhelmed at his acceptance, it's given to anyone that gives Lord Orochimaru anything.
Guided by Kabuto, Satoshi walked out of the room, taking all the tension with him. Sasuke would not allow Orochimaru to discover his disturbance as he ambled to the foot of the bed the man lay in.
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The brilliant moon shone with marvelous opalescent light. It sparkled upon all surfaces, bringing a serene sort of scene to the room. Silence overrode the chirping crickets, the odd buzzing that tickles the inside of ears when sleep is needed and warmth is welcomed, and mute unrealistic dreams that creep upon the unexpected.
Straining her eyes to keep from falling, she rubbed her temples, stretching the area's skin in a relaxing massage. As tired as she was, after a long day's worth of work, relaxing her mind and soothing her aching joints came normally to her. However young she looked, she knew her body was growing weak and needed attention.
Inhaling deeply, she held her breath until her lungs throbbed for air. Then, a soft pound came across her door, and she tilted her head up. Oddly, she held her breath again as a hesitant voice called out. The familiarity and security the voice held brought calm to her soul. Knowing the door was unlocked; she cleared her voice and declared her presence. "Come on in—"
Without a moment's wait, Jiraiya strolled in cautiously smiling. He waved to her and shoved his hands in his pockets.
She made no advance in his direction, giving him a false impression that inclined she did not desire his presence. She wanted company; talking, just talking, took the mind numbing sensation from her sleep deprived self. The man's liveliness was something she needed, wanted. Maybe that energy the mass of wrinkles held would emit enough to spare.
Peaking through strands of blonde hair, she spotted Jiraiya lounging on the green couch, patiently waiting an audience. That's rather kind, Tsunade thought, why can't he act like this when he has to?
"So, why are you here?" she asked kindly, sighing as she got a good look at his vigorous face.
"I was just in the area and… wanted to see how you were," he stated nonchalantly.
"Liar," she retorted. "You never come by to see me unless you want something, want to try and seduce me, or something wrong has happened. So, tell me, what is it?"
"I can't just come by and see you?" It was a simple question to say the least, a very simple question. And there was a simple answer.
"No." Tsunade stated. "You couldn't have known I was here, anyway... You can here purposely."
"That's right; I didn't know you were here. I was hoping you would be, though," he said, sighing. He ran his fingers through his gray hair and grinned cockily. "You do look rather tired, why don't you leave with me and head to my apartment—?"
Jiraiya waggled his brows as Tsunade's anger woke and began nagging her thoughts. "Are you fucking serious? You can't be serious—you came to my office at," Tsunade glanced at the wall clock on the opposite, slightly aghast, "at 1:41 just to try and see whether I'd be foolish enough to even listen to you?"
"Hold it…" The man brought his hand up, hoping she would resist the urge to hop out from behind her desk, from her chair, to the couch and pound him. He did not have the energy to fight back her strong striking movements. "I was just fooling around. I really do have a reason for coming here."
"So, what is it?" She had not even risen from her chair, her fingers massaging her forehead.
For the oddest reason, Jiraiya shake off the feeling he had whenever he thought hard upon Tsunade's motives and moods. There had been long nights when he had spent Naruto (grueling training sessions and such), the poor little thirteen year old falling straight to sleep. On those nights, he had had time to lie awake, pleased with his apprentice's success and his ability to do whatever the hell he wanted without his niggling, large breasted friend back in Konoha telling him what not to do or say. Then, as soon as his thought ventured from his day's finds for his next dirty novel to back to his first home, daydreams of Tsunade came to mind. It might have been his urges but, most of the time, he wondered whether she was okay, whether he really did bother her as much as she stated.
As of the day he and Naruto arrived back in Konoha, after his meeting with Tsunade, he pondered whether he was wrong. What if something bigger than him was happening, and because he could be as dense as Naruto at times, he was just too clueless to get the point?
Was she suffering from stress, had a threat against her village been sent, were enemy nin holding some poor child hostage? He did not know, and that was his main concern. It was not because he was overprotective, though. Knowing Tsunade had other worries other than his foolish little antics was what bothered Jiraiya because for the longest time, since their youth, he had been her own personal leech. A leech that enjoyed messing with his self-conscious underdeveloped young genin—it had been nice while it lasted. But, he wanted nothing more than to remain the only bother.
"Answer this truthfully," he began, finally. "Is anything wrong?"
Then, as though to answer his thoughts, she replied morosely, "Actually, yeah. I did not want to discuss this topic with you until it was a sure thing but I cannot help but wonder whether Naruto's encounter with the assassin was how described it—"
Jiraiya's interest heightened to a point where he had to sit up and lean forward. "Are you suggesting I may have twisted the situation?" The question was not asked in hopes of upsetting Tsunade, but, it sure seemed like it did as she shot up, alert.
Her eyes grew weary as soon as her temporary shock sank and she sighed. The man shied away from letting relief overwhelm him; the blonde was a powerhouse of anger, and at any moment, she could direct that anger at him if she wished to. "It's not that. I just—what if it wasn't an assassin?"
"What are you insane? The man came after Naruto and tried to kill him—!"
"From what you told me before, you told me you couldn't even stop him from stabbing Naruto! It seems to me that he was strong enough to slip by Naruto—strong enough to slip by you."
"And what does that tell you?"
"Well," she prodded the idea, her index fingers pushing against the table. "If he was sent to kill Naruto, then, he could have easily done it. I'm glad that didn't happen, but this one idea comes to mind. What if the assassin had an entirely different reason to flee and leave Naruto injured and leave without killing him immediately— what if he was not sent to kill Naruto?
"The weapon, the one that he used, did you keep it?" Tsunade asked.
Jiraiya sputtered nervously and said "No. You see —"
"What happened? Did the assassin take it?"
"No. But—" The man bit his lip, looking away.
Tsunade's brows furrowed as she sent him an inquiring gaze. "The dagger sort of sunk into Naruto neck's…"
The woman was far from flabbergasted, her eyes widening, her breath shortened to a series of questionable sucks of air. She shook her head as to clear her head of the new, horrifying discovery. "What—?" Tsunade managed to keep the unbelievingly loud outburst to something like a whisper.
"We can investigate…" Jiraiya began and leaned forward waiting for her to continue his thought.
She sighed, exasperated, and nodded. "Yes…We can investigate everything more clearly once we both get some rest, don't you think?"
"Sure, but I still don't think we can discover anything without a lead. And with one, what can we even learn from looking into the assassin's purpose, if he had one—" Jiraiya reasoned, his voice rising, his temper flaring.
"How can you think that? Everyone is driven by a motive. He must have had one," she stated, correcting his train of thought. "Think about it, what if…?"
Nervously, Tsunade bit her lip as she sat up straight, her eyes pleading for his understanding. He tilted his head back in exasperation, his hand striking the thick air suffocating his thought. He did not want to face the facts, he knew it was something he had to do but it pained and scared him to do so. Jiraiya had been the one to tell Tsunade about the risk Naruto was in since the age of twelve but the reason he had taken the boy was to train him so he would no longer stand at risk. If the woman's theories were correct, his training might have been vain. She could not sustain his fears with her foolish logic. She would not.
"What, Tsunade?" he asked, rancor dripped through the creases and loose ends of his voice. Don't say it— "Akatsuki has to do something with this," she proclaimed; it wasn't a question, much more of a statement. An undeniable truth settled as Akatsuki revealed itself as a reason for the boy's accident—attack.
"No. Not yet—" Jiraiya protested, ignoring her and the truthful possibility that things could change in a heartbeat for the greater good of the village.
"What will you succeed with fooling yourself? If we don't look into this, we will be risking Naruto's safety," the woman said, standing from her seat.
Jiraiya chuckled bitterly. "Why would anyone want to believe such things—you want me to believe it's all up to us to keep Naruto from harms way? It's the most stressful shit I've ever had to do, Tsunade! It pains me; of course I don't want to believe it—"
"Then you know I'm right. We have to start—" Tsunade explained, but Jiraiya interrupted her by hastily gesticulating.
"I will not—"
"Yes you will! If you do not concede willingly, I will make it your mission to do so, and you will not be able to get out of that. I will assign the task to you—I am Hokage. And you will obey. You got that?"
Grudgingly, he nodded, at a loss for words. He flared his nostrils as he glared Tsunade. "I got it, Hokage-sama." Jiraiya stood up, hands on his knees. "But, we can't tell Naruto—he'll get all riled up and they'll be no stopping him; he'll leave the Village and go chase down Akatsuki members or the Uchiha boy, whatever he sees fit. We have to keep the boy here, in the Village, out of harms way. And if we really are going to start looking into this—we have to increase the security at the gate—"
"Don't you think I know that? Now, we will have enough time to address this situation when we have both gotten some rest—you probably need it more than I do. You've been snapping at me this entire time." She paused. "Come by around twelve; I'll have Shizune bring us up some lunch.
"Sounds good," he admitted.
"And we can invite Naruto—"
Jiraiya cocked a brow and asked. "Why?"
"I think we should run a few tests on Naruto…" She said.
Then, turning toward the door, a sigh of relief followed him out. "Whatever you say, Tsunade-sama."
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The two men walked solemnly down the corridors of Orochimaru's vast, dingy, grotesque lair. The air surrounding them cushioned their thought and movement. Tension overwhelmed the men as their thoughts zoomed in, clouding the tight thought sequence.
Both had questions, a sure dislike growing, but neither knew how to address the other. The questions grew jumbled and mutated with each step they took toward the exit.
Kabuto looked over his shoulder, eying the masked, hooded man strolling behind him. Surprisingly enough, the man smirked, the mask contorting at Satoshi's will. That is not a mask—is it? Normal masks cannot do that… his face, maybe—? One of questions obscuring his mind leveled his thought surface but Satoshi was faster.
"What do you do here?"
"I don't believe that's your business," Kabuto snapped quietly.
Suddenly, splitting through the delicate threads of their uncomfortable silence and awkwardness, Satoshi laughed. "Well, I have a reason to know so." The man waited to be addressed or questioned by the gray-haired, round-spectacle bearing man leading him through the endless labyrinth. When he received no recognition, he continued dreamily. "You see, I haven't met he man… or woman… that is supposed to work on the antidote—I have information to give them…"
"Is that so?" Kabuto asked half-heartedly, grinding his teeth. "Once Orochimaru-sama assigns the man to the task, I'm sure it wouldn't take long for him to inform you. Well, that is if it were necessary for you to know. However, I wouldn't be sticking my nose into places where it didn't belong if I were you."
Kabuto inhaled deeply, as he caught sight of the grand doorway, Satoshi's exit. A spin-tingling shock rushed down his back as the man realized the masked man's gaze lay intently upon the back of his head. He turned bitterly and matched his gaze. What is your secret…?
"Well, I believe thanks are in order, anyhow. I can see myself out from here," Satoshi commented slyly, pointing to the door, showing no form of grasp over Kabuto's threat or discomfort. "See you around, medicine man."
With that, as Satoshi haughtily rushed out, Kabuto caught understanding. The hooded man knew he was the one, and without any confirmation, set upon revealing his secret.
Author's Notes: The longest chapter as of yet. Hopefully you took into consideration the length and realized it was okay waiting for this to come out. Please review. If you have questions or comments, please, dont be shy-- ask/comment away!
And, I believe I want a beta reader. If any of you are beta readers and want to beta this story... or any of the other stories I'm writing, feel free to PM me. If not, I'll spend some time looking through some of my favorite authors to see if they are betas.
How do you like Satoshi-kun? :D
Next, I'm sure to have some sort of Naruto/Hinata friendship time! And, I think it's time for a two month time skip! Wanna know why-- read to find out!
