To: Everyone who reviewed- THANKS! Um point one: thank you for liking my fic -.-;; point two: whatever is happening with Kurenai…MUAHAHAH you will have to wait. Thanks for saying Purgatory is funny, though I think I need to steer away from the silly side and get a bit more serious, ne? FORGIVE ME THE SPELLING MISTAKES!!! You should all know by now that grammar and spelling isn't really my forte.
To: TheOtaku Akatsuki: I guess you could say Sasuke and Sakura are his temporary parents…I like to think of them as older brother and sister if you get me…cuz they look after him as such. :)
To: Narukashi666: no I do not hate you hahaha, you're like, my most avid fan lool. CONGRADULATIONS! YOU HAVE WON A PRIZE! Its…a cookie.
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Purgatory
Chapter Seven
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"Alright, when we go in, I want Sakura to make them think we're not there, me an' Naruto will go in and knock them out. Can you do that Sakura?" Sasuke laid the plan, looking over to the pink haired girl. Said girl nodded, already going through the hand seals in her mind for the genjutsu.
Naruto nodded too, Spitz still nestled in his hair. For a second Sasuke thought the fox had nodded as well…maybe he was seeing things.
It went well. The Ame team they were trailing didn't know what hit them; they were all down within four seconds. Quite luckily Sasuke found a heaven scroll, a match to their earth. Jumping off, they made their way directly to the tower jumping through trees, dodging other teams, maybe even picking some off if they felt like it.
It was simple, so easy. So, obviously, something had to go wrong.
The wind ripped Sakura into a tree, Sasuke managed to stay put with chakra but Naruto was caught in mid-air and he was sent crashing through the forest.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed against the wind, trading looks with Sasuke.
Within minutes the wind let up, but Sasuke and Sakura didn't stick around to see who it was that attacked them, instead they shot off into the forest after their teammate. Whoever had done the jutsu was powerful, the chakra just lacing the wind was nearly half of their reserves, without a doubt the user's chakra was far higher than what they were prepared to deal with.
When Orochimaru came upon the clearing, he did not find the Uchiha. No matter, it was just a small delay. His golden eyes shone as he jumped after them, pursuing after his prize.
--
Naruto grunted when he landed. Well, he didn't really land…he bounced a couple times, rolled along the floor until he ran up into a tree.
"Owww." He groaned, massaging his back. He got to his feet and looked around. He felt very alone, the forest was dark, the moss covering the trees and ground blanketed every sound he made. There wasn't even sunlight, just a muted green color.
'Eheheheheheh!' Kyuubi giggled, 'You had better turn around. Ever heard of the little boy who cried SNAKE!' the demon yelled, and Naruto suddenly noticed the gigantic, molten purple snake looming high above him. How he missed it, even he didn't know. The snake reared back and Naruto suddenly felt the sense of something being off. He couldn't feel the snake there.
But it was so obviously there. Hmm…confounding.
OH! He could see the snake and hear it but not sense its presence, because it is summoned! Naruto laughed gleefully, dispatching the poor creature with a well placed drop kick and chakra smash. He giggled when the gigantic snake poofed up in smoke, disappearing like it was never there. So, who had the contract for snakes? Well, the nice pretty exam lady did, and…
Naruto's eyes darkened and his teeth lengthened. Snake-man.
He heard trees crack and turned just as Sasuke and Sakura landed in his clearing. Sasuke looked him over one and then turned to peer back the way they had come. Sakura grabbed the blonde arms and held him still for a look over and then crushed him to her chest. Sasuke said, "We have to keep moving, there's a guy behind us far beyond Genin capability."
The other two nodded and the three jumped off, racing to the tree canopies with deft feet and quick movements. Moving along quickly, as fast as safely possible the team passed over several teams, never once slowing or stopping. Yet it was in vain, when nearly just three quarters to the tower, only an hours travel left and they were halted in their places by a wave of devastating killing intent.
The wave even stopped Naruto in his tracks, though not out of fear. Kanashibari no jutsu pins the victim with well aimed intent, scaring them enough to stiffen their muscles. Naruto couldn't move, but his chakra could.
When a Kusa nin jumped out of the trees and landed before them, a sickening smirk on her face, Naruto snarled and struck, a whip of red chakra lashing out and slicing where the nin had been standing. This broke her concentration and the kanashibari fell, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to move again.
The team huddled on one branch, backs facing each other to watch the woman stalk them.
"How cute," the woman smiled slimily, "three little genin. Looks like I caught up to you, Sasuke-kun." The woman smiled and licked her lips.
"Who are you?" Sasuke growled, taking a kunai and holding it steady in front of him.
"You would know me as…" the woman took a hold of her face and pulled it off, "Orochimaru." Golden eyes grinned maliciously.
Naruto snarled again, "Kill him, betrayer, traitor, fiend." His eyes were dangerously cold, blue chips of glacier focused solely on the Konoha missing nin.
"You think you can kill me? Kyuubi child?" at the genin's surprise he laughed, "ah yes, I know of you. Tsunade and Jiraiya's little pet project." Naruto growled at the title, flexing his fingers. Sasuke on the other hand had a hand behind his back, signaling the other two to his plan. Sakura go left, Naruto fall from above and he would go left, strike to kill.
They burst into motion, Naruto flickering confusingly here and there to distract the man while Sasuke and Sakura sprinted into position, converging form the sides onto the pale man. Sakura threw some poisoned tipped senbon, herding the man forward into Naruto's sudden kick. The blonde materialized in front of the pale man, kicking his squarely in the stomach and sending his flying straight towards Sasuke.
The Uchiha did some nifty wire work and cut Orochimaru straight into a tree side, not a heartbeat later blowing the entire tree on fire. The three stood together peering straight into the fire, hoping that somehow they actually got him, although the chance was slim.
They were proven wrong when all was left was clay mud, baked onto the side of the burnt tree. Orochimaru appeared in their formation, solidly kicking Sakura into a nearby branch. She cried out in pain, several of her ribs breaking and putting her out of commission for a while until she could fix them.
Sasuke was thrown backwards and Naruto flickered away before the man could touch him. Orochimaru grinned, "That was a nice one, too bad it didn't work. Sad, the pick haired bitch didn't die, oh well. That will change." He chuckled, watching as his words affected the both of them.
Naruto growled lowly, crouching and siphoning a bit of Kyuubi's chakra into his veins, lengthening his claws and reddening his eyes. Kakashi told him he couldn't take form the fox unless it was a dire situation, by Naruto's reckoning. It was a dire situation. Sasuke turned on his Sharingan, anger sparking another comma into his left eye, balancing the two.
Orochimaru licked his lips at the sight of the doujutsu, saying, "Sasuke-kun, what beautiful eyes. I will have them as my own, as I will have you little Uchiha." Sasuke felt a bit of himself shake at the man's words.
Naruto roared and flickered to Orochimaru's side, punching a good one on his cheek. "You won't touch him!" Naruto raged, grabbing the man's arms as he was flung away, pulling him back for another kick. Orochimaru grabbed his foot and pulled him into his body, pinning the boy's arms and legs with his own.
"Fiery. Maybe' I'll bring you along. One for my body, one for my bed." Orochimaru stretched out his long tongue, ignoring Naruto's struggles and licked to boys cheek, hands moving down to grab his lithe butt underneath the white kimono. Naruto roared into his face, thinking only, 'Not silver not silver not silver not silver, kill him, kill him, he should die, I HATE SNAKES!"
Naruto ripped himself free, propelling Orochimaru back and into Sasuke's waiting fire ball. Naruto fought Kyuubi's instincts back, falling to one knee to keep the fox from overcoming his consciousness.
'What a bastard, let me kill him for touching us so, let me kill him for silver. Silver will love us for killing him, kill him rip, tear, kill, blood. Kill them all, feel the anger, feel the blood, blood, blood…' the fox ranted on.
Naruto panted, watching with red eyes as Sasuke fought the pale man alone, the blonde unable to move because of the fox's demands.
Sasuke himself was having a hard time; he knew the man was toying with him, so why didn't he finish it? Orochimaru pinned him again with his killing intent, Sasuke growled within his mind because of his inability to move. Orochimaru stalked closer, aware of Naruto's movement behind him.
With quick hand signs the snake man lengthened his neck, bit Sasuke's shoulder and stretched back smiling sickeningly like the gross fuck he was, "You will come to find me Sasuke. Whether it is of your own decision or mine, you will come to me for the power you desire." Those words would haunt the Uchiha for the rest of his life.
Naruto saw red; the snake man had marked the blonde's family, the blonde's territory. The snake would pay. Roaring he flickered behind the man, dodging at the last second and flipping around to his front to swipe with his claws. Grinning as the lengthened claws sliced through flesh, Naruto danced away, ready for another attack.
Orochimaru's tongue shot out, wrapping around the blonde, pinning his arms and legs in. He was helpless, and that burned more fiercely than a katon jutsu.
"Little baby fox. So delicious," Orochimaru ran a hand down Naruto's chest, sliding his white kimono out of the way. Naruto struggled harder, straining his neck to get a bite at the man's face, "So nice, so pretty. Can't have you messing with Sasuke-kun, now can I? I guess I'll have to find you when I have Sasuke-kun, maybe rip you away from whomever you have already hmm? A certain silver haired jounin I think?" Naruto snarled at him, the red chakra leaking faster and rougher, hot enough to burn the pale man's face.
With a chuckle, Orochimaru slammed his fingers into the blonde's stomach.
"Goodnight little fox, until I come for you and Sasuke-kun."
Then, Naruto saw black.
Seconds later, Sakura appeared this side, holding her barely healed ribs and growled to herself in anger and fear. Her teammates had been thrashed by one of the Sannin, while she had only stood by and watched. She was useless, she had not improved. Now she was alone with two unconscious teammates, both who seemed to be in a whole lot of pain in a forest full of people out for their blood.
Fuck.
--
He was alone, it was dark, it was a sewer and it was wet. He knew where he was.
"Hello Kyuubi."
The great beast grinned down at him, 'Eve…in…itt…one.' It seemed to notice its inability to speak complete sentences and grimaced, great red eyes turning to the bars of his cage and glaring in distaste at the lining of purple chakra.
Naruto frowned, he noticed the chakra too. There was some sort of sheen across the bars surface as well; obviously it was what was impairing Kyuubi's ability to talk to him. Strange. Naruto gave a jaunty wave to the demon, noticing its anger at being cut off from its host and left the giant chamber. He began wandering down the sewer halls, heading towards a peculiar feeling at the other end of the hall. He passed by doors of different sizes and colors.
There was a purple one, of medium height with a spiked door knob. A large yellow one that seemed to glow in utter joy, a small one adjacent from it, a padlock hanging from the knob and upon closer inspection had a timer on it, four months and twenty days. A litter further down, the closest to the peculiar white feeling at the end was a tall but skinny door, in the shape of a coffin. There were lager spikes on the doorknob, and huge heavy looking chains bolted across it, the chains glowed with an eerie white looks and had a peculiar smell. (AN: if you get what I'm talking about with these then I congratulate you.)
Obviously the coffin-like door was bad and the chains were good. Naruto didn't open any of them, all too aware of the consequences if he were lured into one of his many feelings or dreams.
Running along the walls and ceiling connecting the doors were many hundreds of blue lines, pulsing with chakra. They seemed to conduct the blue chakra in shafts, pipes all through the hallway and through the doors.
Naruto shook off the oddness and proceeded to skip merrily to the white feeling a the end, it was a soft light coming from the end of the hall, a white square that had the beginnings of a bad idea. Naruto didn't care, he was happy, the bastard of a demon fox that lived in his brain was not talking to him and for that he was eternally grateful. What was odd was Naruto felt particularly light and drowsy as he neared the white light.
Maybe the light was taking him back to Kura-kun and Suke-chan? To Kashi-sensei-kun! He entered the light without a second thought and within seconds of it over-riding his sense, the pain crashed down on his small form. Maybe it was a bad idea after all.
--
Sasuke had no idea where he was, but the pain the snake-freak had inflicted on him was gone. Obviously, he had passed out and was now dreaming, but did dreams usually feel so utterly real that he could feel himself and the floor beneath his feet? His breath came in visible puffs and he realized just how clod it was in the room.
Yes, it was a room, a black room with no windows or doors, just a black box he stood in, unable to get word out or to get word in. Turning, he screamed a couple times, "Naruto! Sakura! Wake up dammit!" he cursed to himself, he couldn't just leave them out there without anybody to protect them!
"Sasuke-kun." A voice whispered and he twisted around, a hand going down to an empty leg. When he noticed his lack of kunai pouch he growled and suddenly there was a kunai in his hand. It surprised him, but he was a bit more concerned about the creature that hadn't been there before. Before him curled a purple snake, its coiled length bigger than Sasuke's head. Its red eyes were peering creepily at him, emotionless.
"What do you want?"
The snake wired itself about, hovering its head in the freaky stillness all reptiles have the ability to do, "Sasuke-kun, you want power do you not?"
Sasuke just scowled more, gripping his imaginary kunai tighter.
"To kill him, the one who ruined your life? The one who took your family from you?" Sasuke stilled, the snake couldn't possibly know about…that could it?
"I can give you the power you want, the power to kill, destroy that man, your brother, Itachi." Sasuke felt an anger he hadn't felt so strongly in a long time bubble up in his throat. His features darkened and he could only see the emotionless eyes of his older brother, staring down at him. 'Pathetic' they said.
He gripped the kunai so hard it hurt, the anger, the hate was threatening to overcome him, he wanted to kill him, he wanted to kill Itachi. He needed the power to kill him, how could he get it?
"Take it Sasuke-kun, take the power you so righteously deserve." The snake whispered, a glowing ball of purple stuff hovering in front of the Uchiha. It didn't take longer than a second, some higher force pushed Sasuke's hand into it and then he knew no more.
--
Sasuke woke up first. The power, it over-whelmed him, he could feel it in every pore. He grinned laying down, turning his head over to see Sakura drowning some sound nin with a water jutsu. Standing up, Sasuke tried to contain his glee at the power rushing through him. Stepping out of the tree he started to chuckle, catching the attention of his teammate and the three sound nin. Looks like Sakura hadn't had enough energy to absolutely drown that nin.
From her battered state she seemed to have been fighting the three for a while and it was wearing down on her. Her hair had been cut loose, and now hung shorter that it had before, barely reaching past her chin. Cuts marred her face and her clothing were scuffled and dirty. However, the rage and determination in her eyes bespoke of how long she would have continued fighting the three. Her rage diminished into confusion and then fear when she caught sight of Sasuke standing under the tree.
"Sas_" "Sakura," he interrupted her, "Who did that to you? These three?" he regarded the three sound nins with disdain. Sakura didn't know what to say, so she settled on picking herself up from the ground and fussing over the nearly unconscious Rock Lee, unnoticed by Sasuke before.
Sasuke snorted and grinned over at the sound Nins, black marks flickering over his skin. Absolute evil poured off of him and the sound nins felt chills creep up their spines. "Y-yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it?!" Zaku said confidently, remembering what Kabuto said about Orochimaru's curse seal, and how it makes the wielder weak.
Sasuke just smirked….then he disappeared.
Zaku felt a boot in his back, and propelled forwards, opening his mouth to scream in pain. Before he landed there was a kunai in his gut, ripping out the side of his stomach. This time he really did scream, falling with a terrible crunch onto the dirt. Sasuke chuckled evilly and walked away towards Dosu, believing the boy done. Zaku, in a moment of great pain, stupidity and bravery, brought his arm up and channeled his chakra through the tubes in his arms.
"Zankuuha." He croaked.
The wind blast tore across the space towards Sasuke's back and hit the ground beneath his feet with a resounding boom. Dust was kicked up and obscured the view. Zaku grinned a bit, straightening up with an arm on his sliced stomach. "How was that you bas-"
Sasuke stood behind him, both wrists in hand, and a foot on his back. "I'm sorry," Sasuke said, almost jovially, "Were you trying to say something?"
--
Spitz was sniffling around his ear, that's what woke him. The little red fox whimpered and climbed inside the white robe, curling in a small fold of fabric, right above the boys heart. The little creature was surprisingly warm.
Naruto twitched, trying to open his eyes; he hurt. His body felt like it was on fire, every move he tried to make, his muscles conflicted with him, screaming against his wishes. The pain was centered on his stomach. The kyuubi seal. That was bad. He couldn't hear the fox in his head, couldn't even feel his presence. The blonde took a moment to enjoy the silence until his joy was interrupted by his teammates scream, "Sasuke! Stop!"
Oh dear, it seems there is some trouble.
Naruto fought to get up, nearly crying out in pain form just rolling over. Eventually, through stubbornness alone and a bit of chakra to help his limbs move, Naruto stumbled out from under the tree and into the clearing, taking in the nins and his teammates statuses.
Sakura was clutching Sasuke's arm to her chest, crying. There were creepy black marks flickering in his skin, receding back over his shoulder. Three sound nins lay on the dirt floor, only one conscious and staring in fear at Sasuke. It seemed one was dead, the female one had several kunai in her stomach and a shuriken in her forehead. One of the males was crumpled, bleeding on the ground with his arms in rather uncomfortable positions. The last member was trembling and trying to prop himself on his metal arm.
Strange.
"Hey, hey, Saku-kun, Sasu-chan. Am I late?" Naruto called out, leaning heavily against the tree, an arm across his stomach to put pressure on the burning pain. The two whipped their heads around, Sakura gasping at the pale shaking blonde. Something was hurting him, and it didn't seem to be the kyuubi.
"Naruto!" Sasuke and Sakura were by his side in an instant, Sasuke's hands were trembling as he hesitantly reached out. The Uchiha boy was sickened and shocked…how could he have lost himself so fully to the snake's power, why did he have to reach out for it? It was…consuming.
Naruto's knees buckled and he chuckled roughly, eyes un-focusing. So many shadows, dark shapes reaching out to him, their cold fingers drawing ever nearer. Kakashi….
Why was he thinking of Kakashi at a time like this? Naruto frowned, thinking off into space, ignoring the by play between the last remaining sound nin and his teammates. The silver haired man was by far the thing he thought about most, besides talking to Kyuubi that is. That jounin, Naruto envisioned his bare face in his mind and started to smile.
Kakashi was his.
"Naruto, we should get to the tower. Can you run?" Sasuke asked, keeping his face to the side, afraid to look into his teammates eyes. Naruto hummed a little tune back, trying to stand straight. Whatever was burning him in the middle didn't let him stand to his full height and he slumped forward in a cringe. Sasuke swallowed heavily and put one of the blonde's arms around his neck, inwardly noting the loss of his green hat. It was probably blown off sometime during the….fight.
The one with Orochimaru or the one where he demolished the sound nins he didn't know.
Sakura was pale, flicking her eyes uncomfortably from Naruto to Sasuke, worry creasing her forehead. "Come on, lets get to Kakashi." The name sparked a reaction for Naruto, who had been sagging between them as they ran. The boy lifted his head and grinned lopsidedly, his blue eyes cloudy and looking at things unseen.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted in return, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.
--
"Toss the scrolls!" Sasuke cried just in time, a poof of smoke in front of them set the genin on edge, until it cleared to show their jounin instructor, eye smiling and cheerily waving.
"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in relief, putting away her kunai. Sasuke grunted and was standing stiffly, obviously trying not to fall over. Naruto was swaying dangerously, a lidded look in his eyes.
"What in gods name happened to you three?" Kakashi said, his happy demeanor disappearing in an instant. Naruto lifted his head and blinked at his sensei's voice. "Kashi?" and fell forward, losing the strength to hold himself up.
Kakashi was there before he reached the floor, kneeling and holding the blonde to his chest. Kakashi's exposed eye was serous and worried, he looked at Sakura for answers, as she was the only one who didn't seem completely dead on her feet. As Sakura started to explain the happenings and arrival of Orochimaru, Kakashi rubbed a hand on Naruto's back. The blonde was scrunched in, his face pressed hard into the jounin's neck.
The small boy was trembling in pain, and whether the boy wanted to or not tears soaked into Kakashi's vest. By the time Sakura finished the short, clipped report, Sasuke had already sunk to the ground, holding his head in his hands and Kakashi was beginning to feel a sense of dread in his stomach.
"Alright," Kakashi sighed, hiking Naruto higher, swinging the boys legs around his hips. With his leg arm he lifted Sasuke, ignoring the boys mumbled protests and with his right caught Sakura before she could collapse. The girl had been trying, but her stamina was still not up to par. With his three students in his arms, Kakashi was quite the spectacle, three 13 year olds hanging off him like leeches.
Deciding he didn't have the strength to teleport the four of them to the Hokage, Kakashi took the long way, walking up the tower to the meeting room where the Hokage and the rest of the jounin's were. They would need to hear this immediately, from all three students. To conserve his students' pride, he dodged around anybody that came their way, so they couldn't see the aspiring ninjas cuddled in his arms. He felt a movement between Naruto and him, so he stopped, frowning.
Spitz climbed out, looking a bit worse fo rwear and yipped at Kakashi, jumping up to nestle in the jounins hair. "I'm begininng to thingk you have an obsention with hair." Kakashi spoke to the fox, the creautre only looked at him.
Sasuke had fallen asleep, and Naruto was dazing, one hand up in the jounin's hair and the other clutching his shoulders. Sasuke whimpered, "Ka..Na…Sa….please." sweat broke out over his face; the seal was hurting him. Sakura heard him and reached an arm over, putting her hand on his back. A small gesture, but comforting.
Kakashi suddenly was overwhelmed with pride.
"Kakashi. Love you." Naruto whispered, low enough that not even Sakura heard. And the boy passed out, the pain too much for him. Kakashi did his best to ignore the itching of his eyes, simply clutching his children tighter.
Outside the conference room, Kakashi ignored the odd looks from the receptionist and set his students in the waiting chairs. Then he entered, noticing the presence of most of the jounin teachers, as well two of the three Sannin.
"Hokage-sama, important news." His eye was dark and his boy tenser and more dangerous than many have ever seen the laid-back man. Sandaime eyed him and nodded, steepling his hands together.
"Today during their second test my students had a run-in with Orochimaru" breathes were taken, and the Hokage remained still, "Sasuke was given a curse mark that I or I hope Jiraiya-sama intends to seal right away, and Naruto has been given a seal over the Kyuubi's, its seems to be causing him pain and cuts off his chakra." With his report done, Kakashi remained silent but kept his eye on the Hokage, sometimes drifting over to Naruto's impromptu parents.
"I see." Sarutobi said, contemplating.
"Orochimaru, what does he want with your team, and my son!" Tsunade growled, a dark look crossing her features. Jiraiya put a hand on her shoulder, but he had the same stony expression as the Hokage.
"We have to get the Uchiha boy sealed! Who knows what would happen if we left him as is!" that was Anko, looking serious and worried for once. Several others voiced their complaints, but the Sandaime and Kakashi stayed silent, listening and thinking.
When the hubbub died down and everyone was looking to the Hokage for decisions, the elderly man asked Kakashi, "They're outside yes?" Kakashi nodded, "They're asleep though."
"Bring them in please, If you can." Kakashi nodded and exited the room, smiling when he saw his students cuddled together, sleeping. He lifted them again, accidentally waking Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura stayed asleep, she was always the one to sleep the deepest.
"Mm. sensei, what's happening?" Sasuke was too sleepy to realize his position in the jounin's arms, so his pride and ego were safe for the moment. Naruto groaned and lifted his head, blinking at Kakashi. His deep blue eyes were clear, looking with odd understanding at both Sasuke and Kakashi. What he had figured out, Kakashi could only wonder.
"You guys need to talk to the Hokage, okay? Leave Sakura asleep." Kakashi spoke in deep, low undertones. Sasuke nodded, kicking his feet to be let down, but Naruto just gave a small smile, letting his head and body curl up in Kakashi's arms.
Kakashi entered the room, Sasuke trailing after him. He went over to a small bench and laid Sakura down on it, taking off his vest to cover her with. Naruto had a tight hold on his neck, and obviously didn't want down, so Kakashi stood with his students before the Hokage, the blonde in his arms and the dark haired at his side.
"Uchiha Sasuke…do you know what happened in the forest?" Sarutobi asked, ignoring for now, Naruto and Kakashi. Tsunade in the background, only had eyes for Naruto, they narrowed as she saw the copy nin hold onto her precious blonde, and she had to restrain herself from running over to take him.
Sasuke nodded wearily, but his gaze was clear and clever, "Hai Hokage-sama. We were attacked a couple days in by Orochimaru, he bit me and put a seal on my neck and put one of Naruto's stomach. His seal seems to alter his chakra pathways and it hurts him constantly, my seal…." He grimaced painfully, "my seal, when I get angry or worked up…it changes me. I become reckless, and…vicious. I want it to stop." He said this with such conviction it put most of Anko's worries aside. Most….but not all.
"Can you feel it in you? Asking to, telling you to do things?" he question was intense and her face serious. Sasuke was surprised, and then grim, he nodded.
Sarutobi sighed and leaned back, "I see. We will have Jiraiya or Kakashi to fix that then, before tomorrow. The preliminaries are tomorrow morning and it will take you a nights sleep to recover from the sealing. Can we see the seal please?" Sasuke nodded again and pulled down his shirt.
Jiraiya hummed and said, "Easy enough, will take a stronger seal than what Hatake knows though. You will come with me." and the white haired Sannin took Sasuke by the shoulder and led him out.
Sandaime turned to Naruto and Kakashi, "Now, let Naruto speak to us please Kakashi." Kakashi nodded to his leader, bending to let Naruto stand on his feet, whispering a few words in his ear when the blonde didn't let go of his neck right away.
Naruto blinked slowly at Sandaime, offering his mother a weak double eye smile. Tsunade held back a sob and tears, she knelt before the boy, "Hey there baby, can you tell me where it hurts? Where the snake man hurt you?"
Naruto undid the top of his kimono, pulling it off his shoulders and letting it fall around his hips for modesty. He then called some chakra so they could see the seal, and steadied himself by taking a hold of the hem of Kakashi's shirt. This action did not escape the eyes of Tsunade or the ever watching Kurenai.
"It's a simple five point seal Sensei," Tsunade said, standing up and turning, "I can remove it now." Sarutobi nodded to her and she turned back to her adopted son.
"Okay Naruto I'm going to get rid of this seal, but it's going to hurt a bit okay?" she looked at Kakashi, "be ready to catch him." Then without ceremony she rammed her fingers hard into the spots around the Kyuubi's seal, sending the boy backwards and removing the chakra suppressor.
Kakashi had the boy in his arms, crouching even before Tsunade had take he hand away; he was clutching the trembling boy tight and rubbing his back. Naruto grunted and stood up again, smiling at his mother.
'I foooouunnd youuuu.' The voice was sickly sweet, an imaginary smile promised misery and pain.
Naruto's smile dropped.
Kakashi nodded to Sandaime, he had been dismissed to take his students home, leaving the Hokage and his female student to discuss the rest of the chuunin exams, and what they were going to do about Orochimaru. Naruto dug his face into Kakashi's side the minute the man started towards Sakura to carry her home. Kakashi frowned and crouched, taking the boy off to the side so they weren't the center of attention.
"What is it?" he whispered, taking hold of the boys shoulders.
"I can hear him again." Naruto mumbled, looking at his feet, sad blue eyes filled with thoughts and voices.
Kakashi closed his eyes, Kyuubi. The creature was a curse, and he suddenly felt like going into the seal to give the fox what for, just for hurting his little Naruto. Kakashi cringed at that, 'his little Naruto'. The boy didn't belong to him; he was only 13 for god's sake! Kakashi felt sickened with himself for loving a child 15 years younger, but that didn't stop him from picking the boy up and cuddling him to his chest, "Shh, its okay. He will go away eventually." He mumbled, walking over to get Sakura.
"But will he?" Naruto whispered, sliding his arms around Kakashi's neck, and Kakashi had no answer.
