Kindred Spirits

Chapter 7: Around Every Fire Exists Shadow

To most of its inhabitants, Konoha was a safe village – a place of refuge. But it also had a colder, darker side few knew of. And by the four walls that surrounded Miyuki, she was witnessing Konoha's venom first hand. Two ANBU stood guard at one of the barred walls – to keep an eye on her, while another four took point at each of the cardinal directions to thwart any escape attempts. She didn't have to see them to know they were there, she could sense them.

For now they had little to fear from the ninja from Hidden Spirit. Curled up in the corner, Miyuki had set up a pale blue barrier around herself in which no one would be able to penetrate. Fear kept her locked away, fear at what she had done and what she had become – not any fear from the six guards placed around her. When she had called out to the fourth scroll, she had done so with the intent of freeing her mother's soul. Without the scroll inside her body, Orochimaru would have little reason to continue weaving his jutsu and keeping Olha alive. Miyuki hadn't counted on all three scrolls being absorbed into her body at the same time.

And what had happened afterward… she didn't even want to think about. She was just relieved she'd been able to protect Sasuke from the blunt of the attack. Had she brought about his doom, erasing his dream of vengeance for his village, she would never have forgiven herself.

More disturbing and confusing still was the knowledge that Konoha had been behind the attack of her home. For so many years, she'd hated – with all her heart and soul – those who had destroyed her people. When she had slaughtered the mercenary camp, she'd done so believing they were the same group who'd committed the genocide. Knowing the people who had saved her from her mother's fate and aided her back to health, that they were the actual culprits, she didn't know how to feel. Worse yet was that when she tried to renew her hatred for the village – and its inhabitants – all she could do was picture Sasuke.

Though her personal feelings about him were…complicated, she did not hate him and did not wish to hold him accountable for what happened over 100 years ago.

So for now, she would lock out the outside world and turn within herself to seek the answers she so needed.

Within a separate cell, on the other side of the village, Uchiha Sasuke sat thinking about the possible number of outcomes that could follow his betrayal and subsequent return to the village. Already both Sakura and Naruto had been in to see him and each attempted to get him to talk and explain why he'd turned against the village. Sakura was most annoying because she'd assumed his sole purpose had been to aid Miyuki. What she didn't understand was that he would do anything to accomplish his mission of vengeance and at that moment, he felt helping Miyuki somehow brought him close to that goal.

He hadn't known or even dreamed how close he would get. For in actuality, his brother and the supposed group Akatsuki that Itachi now affiliated himself with had been directly related to Miyuki and the scrolls and Sasuke was closer than ever to fulfilling his revenge.

Now all he had to do was get back with Miyuki so the two could plan how to track down Akatsuki and destroy them.

The unlocking of the front gate to his cell broke Sasuke from his thoughts and he glanced up nonchalantly. The ANBU had tried to interrogate him already but the defense Sasuke placed up using Sharingan made probing his mind impossible. Never again would he let anyone break into his last and only true refuge.

He was surprised when Tsunade herself walked in with her hands placed firmly on her hips. "Follow me."

Back in her office, Sasuke stood with his arms crossed facing the fifth hokage of Konoha village. He showed no emotion as she saw down, placed her elbows on the table, and stared at him for long minutes.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the charges brought against you have a punishment of ten years or more in Konoha's Strict Correctional Facility." She paused for any change in demeanor, but when she got none, she continued, "But I've brought you here now to tell you you're free to go."

This did get a reaction from the young ninja and he blinked to make sure he'd heard right. "What?"

Tsunade allowed herself a smile. "You're free to go." Her expression hardened and her hands came up to rest under her chin. "In truth I had no idea the elders would send the ANBU so soon. Otherwise I would have warned you or protested against it."

Sasuke waited a moment before asking the burning question on his mind. "Did…Konoha do it?"

Tsunade sighed before answering. "As I understand it, the second hokage ordered Konoha and this allies the hidden village of sand and mist, to go to Miyuki's village and get them to destroy the scrolls. They were too powerful for any one village to own. The leader was stubborn and said the scrolls represented the very heart of what the village of spirit stood for and refused to give them up. The details are sketchy and its not known who attacked first but…"

"Miyuki's village was only a minor ninja village and couldn't stand up against the forces facing them…they were slaughtered."

Tsunade nodded. "Even after everything the scrolls were hidden away and Konoha's elders have feared the day of their reappearance in history."

"But none of that is Miyuki's fault!" Sasuke argued.

"I know that but she's dangerous. We've discovered that she has all four scrolls inside her." When Sasuke again looked surprised, Tsunade explained. "We didn't have to interrogate her to find out. ANBU were able to examine her from afar and tell what had happened. Everything about her is off the charts. She can't control the power within her and until a solution can be devised, keeping her contained is for her own good."

A moment of silence passed when Tsunade added, "I understand how you feel. I don't like having her locked up either. Just give me some time. I'll work with the elders and try to get Miyuki free, ok?"

Sasuke nodded slowly and turned to leave before Tsunade could probably dismiss him.

While Miyuki remained huddled in the corner, she heard the door to the prison block open and footsteps approach her cell. Every time someone entered her cell, she could feel them try and break through her barrier. Now when the footsteps stopped outside the bars that kept her caged, she heard the one and only voice she'd wanted to hear since waking up.

"Miyuki, are you ok?"

The voice was as cold as the first day she met him and her head rose from the crook of her arms. "S-Sasuke-kun?" When their eyes met, she gasped at the red Sharingan that stared back at her. Then all of a sudden, everything surrounding Sasuke and Miyuki turned black, the ANBU, the cage, everything just disappeared.

Frightened, Miyuki tightened the defenses of the shield and went on alert. The image of Sasuke walked towards her and knelt before her shield. Placing a single palm against its cool surface, the boy-ninja looked gently at her and she could see the smallest of smiles touch his lips. "Sorry for not warning you, but this is the only way I could speak to you without the ANBU listening in."

Keeping up her shield, Miyuki looked around at the never-ending darkness. "W-what is this place?"

"I created a illusion where we could talk in private. It's something Kakashi starting teaching me during my training for the Chunin exams."

Still not sure this was the real Sasuke, Miyuki tested him. "What happened to you when Orochimaru stabbed you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Orochimaru didn't." He looked up with fierce confidence. "My brother did."

Relief flooded Miyuki and no longer afraid this wasn't the real Sasuke, the lone ninja girl lowered her shield and dove her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around his back and squeezed as hard as she dared. "Oh Sasuke-kun! I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't want to hurt you."

Shock jolted Sasuke at the move and he was unsure how to react. Only once before when Sakura thought he'd died fighting Haku had any girl shown him this much emotion. Back then he was slightly revolted by the sound Sakura's crying made in his ears and the jostling only hurt his wounds more. Now the sound of Miyuki's crying broke his heart and made him want to comfort her, but he wasn't sure what to do.

Thinking back when he came home tired or injured from his intensive training, Sasuke remembered his mother hugging him and stroking his hair. Looking down at the crying girl now, Sasuke slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her close. One of his hands came up and stroked her raven black hair.

"I'm not sure how, but I'll find a way to get you out of here." He pulled back and looked her straight in the eye. "We'll find out where Itachi and the Akatsuki are and we'll make them pay. I just need you to sit tight until I come for you."

Miyuki nodded. "The ANBU keep trying to interrogate me. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out."

In response to this, Sasuke smirked. "I know you. They won't be able to win because you won't let them. Just do your best until I come back and I promise I will free you."

Slowly Miyuki nodded and hugged Sasuke one last time before he recalled the jutsu and the next second she was looking at him through the bars of her cell as if no time had passed. She nodded once and he turned to leave.

As soon as Sasuke left the building where Miyuki was being held, he bolted towards the one place that could give him the answers he needed. He knew he couldn't just break her free and convincing the elders would be even less effective if he didn't fully understand what it was he was dealing with. He knew so little about the scrolls that he worried Tsunade could be right and that Miyuki could be a danger to herself and everyone around her. He knew that if he could find some information he'd stand a better chance.

He also knew that the Konoha library where he'd done most of his studying for the academy would pointless because the elders would have safely hidden away such incriminating evidence against the village. And there was only one place that was safe enough for it…under the hokage's own building.

Sasuke had first found out about it through books and scrolls that were left behind when his village had been obliterated. He'd learned much about his clan and some of their darker secrets such as militia artillery storages for emergencies. One of the other things he'd found out was that there was a second library hidden below the hokage's building that was used to keep sensitive information imperative to the leaders of Konoha. The information about Miyuki's Village of Spirit would have had to been stored there.

Getting in was going to be tricky though. Sasuke created a kage bushin halfway to his destination to throw off the ANBU following him. He'd easily noticed the agent as soon as he'd left Miyuki's cell. Obviously they knew he'd try to pull something. This way he would keep them busy while actually researching in the library. Of course, there was no guarantee he wouldn't get caught inside the building, but this at least bought him time.

Once close to the building, Sasuke looked around for anyone who might see him, then formed his hands into the seal of the Tiger. "Transformation jutsu." He whispered. In a puff of smoke, he turned himself into the small, yet fastest thing he could think of…a small black mouse. He ran across the floor and down the first staircase he saw. Always being weary of anyone nearby, he made his way deeper and deeper into the restricted areas of the hokage's building, until finally he found he door he was looking for.

Recalling his jutsu, Sasuke was once again glad he didn't have a tail and activated Sharingan to check the door for any traps. It was a good thing he did because the first thing he saw was a cleverly hidden seal on the door. He recognized the seal and being a member of Konoha, was able to release it without setting off an alarm.

Inside there were no such traps, probably because some of the material inside looked hundreds of years old. He began searching for anything that sounded like it pertained to the Village of Spirit but so far he didn't find anything. Finally he found the journal of the second hokage, which inside spoke of everything he had learned about the Village of Spirit and how he'd tried to convince them to hand over the scrolls.

While reading, Sasuke began to piece together the information. Tsunade had said that the kazekage had refused to hand over the scrolls because it represented everything for their village. Sasuke saw the symbol of the village in the book and recognized it as the same one from Miyuki's headband. For a ninja there are three forms of attack Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu. Each one is executed differently. Sasuke thought about the scrolls. Miyuki said she had the scrolls of mind and strength, didn't she? That would be Genjutsu and Taijutsu. So the one originally inside of her would have to be the third one Ninjutsu, the scroll of the soul. That's what makes the three triangles.

But if that was right then the one her mother had was the most important one of all. The last one Sasuke could only assume was the scroll of energy or chakra. It was the one that enabled the user to execute spells effortlessly and without strain just as Orochimaru and Itachi had told him.

Inside her cell, Miyuki did as told and protected herself inside her shield from every advance the ANBU had made, but as time passed their techniques got stronger. She wasn't getting tired, but she was getting scared. Infinite chakra or not, her shield was only as strong as her experience could make it. If she had been taught a better spell, it might hold out longer, but at this rate the ANBU might actually break through.

Just as her prediction expected, another solider appeared before her. He had his face hidden behind an ugly white and red mask, just like all the others. His chakra was concentrated on the tips of his fingers and he performed the seals for the jutsu one after the other. When he got to the end, he raised his arm, hand flat with the fingers pointed towards Miyuki. As he came down, Miyuki tightened her security once more, but watched in horror as his fingers penetrated her shield like a stabbing knife. The next instant his fingers were wrapped around her throat. With his free hand, he pulled out a white handkerchief from his back pocket and covered it cover Miyuki's nose and mouth.

She struggled but two more guards from outside had pinned her down and escape wasn't an option. As her muscles forcefully relaxed and Miyuki's body shut down little by little, she could only picture Sasuke's smiling face. When Miyuki's eyes closed and she passed out from the chloroform, the image of Sasuke was swallowed up by the surrounding darkness. Sasuke…

Looking up from the book, Sasuke frowned when he felt a wave of anxiety shoot through his body un-expectantly. He glanced around but didn't see anything so he turned back to his reading.

"Sasuke!" The voice of Sakura jolted him from his thoughts yet again and he jumped to his feet just in time to see Sakura and Naruto rush into the room. His first instinct was to fight, but he stopped when they looked more worried than angry. "It's Miyuki!"

"What? What happened!?" Instantly worried himself, Sasuke closed the journal and stuck it in his satchel for later.

"I just heard the elders tell Tsunade that they're taking Miyuki down to the basement of the prison!" Naruto reported. "They're going to seal her soul away!"

"They wouldn't!" Sasuke shouted but knew in order to protect the many, the elders would do whatever they had to. And Miyuki was going to be their next victim.