Replica
By TwinEnigma
Warnings for Chapter: AU, language
Chapter Seven
"Shizune," one of the ANBU called from the tent flap. "We have a situation."
Shizune cursed under her breath. "Be right there," she called back loudly, turning to Ino. "Ino, Sai – get those two into the back, somewhere out of sight, and stay there. Can you do that?"
Both teens nodded.
"Good, good," she said, mentally steeling herself as she turned towards the tent flap. "Kakashi, with me."
Outside, Yamato and the ANBU operative were waiting. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, darting to the treeline and then back to meet their gaze.
Taking that as his cue, Yamato nodded and made a hand seal for a wood release. The ground rumbled threateningly for a moment before spitting out four perfectly formed wooden walls that enclosed the tent.
"Report," Shizune ordered.
"The elders are on the move, headed this way," Yamato said, deadly serious. "Looks like Root figured out we're hiding something high-priority and tipped them off."
"As if we didn't have enough problems," Kakashi grumbled. "How long?"
"Couple of minutes," the ANBU supplied.
Shizune shook her head in disbelief. This day just kept getting better and better. What happened? Had Tsunade made a bet before the invasion for some lottery that was supposed to be announced today and won?
Kakashi cursed under his breath, balling his hands into fists. "All right. We'll stall them here as long as we can. Yamato, take Blue Cat and scramble the sanitation team, highest priority. We meet here. Go."
Yamato and the ANBU operative did not need to be told twice. Both disappeared in a noiseless whirl of smoke. A half a moment later, the four wooden walls began to sink back into the earth.
"They can't get their hands on those two," Kakashi said quietly.
Shizune nodded in agreement and put on her sternest I-will-not-budge face.
So much more than mere lives were at stake.
The whole thing was surreal in a completely mind-numbingly horrific way, Karin decided. It wasn't like these were bunshin. No, bunshin didn't feel alive like these did. Not even that Naruto guy's shadow clones felt completely right. But these things? These things were flesh and blood, real, honest flesh and blood with pulses and feelings, and made her head swim with the echoes of both her and Sasuke's respective chakra signatures. She could feel them all in her head, scared, confused, cold and unbearably familiar.
It was too much. It made her stomach churn and she dismissed the jutsu, trying to hide a grimace.
"Easy, easy," one of that Naruto guy's shadow clones said as he helped one of Sasuke's copies into some medical scrubs they'd managed to scrounge up. "There you go."
Another one was helping the copy of herself that had been timed to this copy of Sasuke. Still more of the shadow clones were running around with a disturbing urgency, delivering blankets and clothes to the others and helping them get dressed.
There were so many of them.
That was one of the other things that bothered her about this. Sasuke, yes, Karin could understand them wanting to copy him. There was no reason not to. The Sharingan was ridiculously desirable as a bloodline. It made sense for someone to want to preserve that, no matter the cost. But her? No, Karin was no one special, from a ruined, underpowered village. Her most valuable skill was her tracking ability par excellence. Her healing ability wasn't too much to brag about either – convenient, yes, but ultimately inefficient and reliant on maintenance of a base level of chakra to avoid her own death.
But no, they'd copied her, too. One of her for each one of him, paired up in sets like the Ninja Sari and Kento dolls she used to play with as a kid.
And that made no fucking sense.
She couldn't wrap her head around it. What possible reason could they have to copy her too?
"Karin," Sasuke muttered, his fingers clenching her arm sluggishly. "We need to get out of here. Can you...?"
His other hand drifted towards his side and she swatted it away, hissing quietly, "My chakra's still too low."
Sasuke grumbled incoherently and his head lolled into her shoulder. "They'll take me back. I'll go to jail and that's if I'm lucky."
She sighed, pushing at him a little, until his head rested more comfortably. "Look, we'll figure something out."
"Didn't Naruto say they all smelled the same as us?" he asked, looking at the copies.
"Yes," she said slowly, realizing. "They won't be able to track us. Not with all these... well... us. They're us."
Same chakra, same bodies, same everything: truly them in every sense except memory. In that, they were blank slates just waiting to – oh no.
"They're us," she repeated, horror dawning anew. "Sasuke, they're us."
He looked at her like she'd just realized something he'd figured out ages ago. "No," he said, somberly, "They're not. They're... I don't know. They're just wrong."
"That's not what I was talking about," Karin groaned, twisting her sleeves in her hands in frustration. "Sasuke, why would they copy us – you and me in particular – and take away everything that makes us who and what we are? Think about it. What would they have to gain if all we had were our specific abilities and nothing else?"
His brow furrowed as he started to consider. Suddenly, his face drained of color and he looked at her in wide-eyed realization. "No, no, that's not... you don't think...?"
"Time to go," Naruto interrupted, looming over them. "Oi, Sasuke, you don't look too good."
"I'm fine," Sasuke managed, swallowing back whatever he'd been about to say before. "Just... promise me you'll destroy this place."
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Of course," Naruto said, looking genuinely bewildered. He stooped, holding out a hand. "Now, come on, we gotta go."
Shikamaru waited, his eyes fixed on the massive freight elevator. Or, rather, on the hundred and two confused, disoriented teenagers currently gathered on it, under the watchful eyes of Kiba, Akamaru and Chouji. He rolled the cigarette between his fingers. Fifty-one copies each of Sasuke and the girl, Karin, not counting the first two they'd sent back to Konoha. And there, sitting at the edge of the group, were the original two, recognizable only by their clothing.
"We should keep an eye on them," he said, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Naruto and Sakura.
"I know," Naruto said.
Sakura nodded in agreement. "That injury will slow him down a bit though, at least until she gets enough chakra back to heal him safely."
So, they had considered the possibility Sasuke would bolt and prepared for it. Shikamaru sighed – at least it was a little less trouble for him.
"Did you guys find anything when you were looking?" Sakura asked. "Anything at all that could tell us what they were trying to do down here?"
Shikamaru's mouth went completely dry.
"We didn't see anything," Kiba called over his shoulder. He looked back at them. "Just bodies. Whatever they were doing down here, they didn't keep records."
"No, no, they wouldn't," Sakura agreed, her gaze lowering. "I was sort of hoping I could confirm something, though."
"Oh?" Shikamaru managed, coughing a little.
"Well, we did notice something a little unusual about the copies – I'd need to get them back to a hospital for some tests to be sure – but I think I might have a theory about why they're so unlike any ones we've seen before," Sakura hesitated. "It's a bit out there, mind, and very, very theoretical, but it's the only logical conclusion based on their particular quirks."
"And that is?" Shikamaru pressed.
"Give me a couple of minutes to sort it all out," Sakura said, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefingers as she swung over the guardrail and landed on the elevator. "I'm still putting it together."
A loud crack and an ominous rumble suddenly shook the corridor. The lights swayed crazily as Neji, Shino and Rock ran towards them.
"Tenten, Hinata, start it up!" Shikamaru called out, jumping over the guardrail, the others following on his heels. He did a quick visual check, making sure no one was missing, and nodded in the direction of the two girls at the controls.
Tenten threw the next switch.
The freight elevator gave a shuddering lurch and started to slowly climb, dust pouring out of the corridor and into the elevator shaft.
"There's nothing here," Sasuke said, starting to stand.
Suigetsu elbowed him in the head, forcing him back down into the bushes. "Just because you don't see anything doesn't mean there isn't something there, idiot!"
"You know, that can't be helping his memory loss any," Karin commented, rolling her eyes.
Suigetsu groaned. "How the hell am I supposed to know that? I'm not a medic!" He paused, glaring at her, and added, "You shouldn't be giving medical advice anyway – you don't even know who you are!"
"And who's fault is that?" she asked.
Suigetsu stopped mid-retort as he realized she was serious. For a moment, it almost felt like the banter they'd had a while ago, before Madara entered the picture and started putting ideas in Sasuke's stupid fat head. He paused, grunting, and finally said, "Sasuke's actually."
"What?" Sasuke practically squeaked, horrified – really, Suigetsu wouldn't have thought he was even capable of that sound, let alone the ridiculous face he was making. He kind of wished he had a camera.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's your fault," Suigetsu said, glaring at the large open field in front of them in an attempt to keep a straight face. "And even if it's not, it should be, since you dragged us to that stupid summit in the first place."
"But I don't even remember doing that!" Sasuke protested.
"Probably for the best," Suigetsu muttered under his breath and then cleared his throat, piping up, "Karin, you sure this is the place?"
She nodded. "I can feel it stronger now. It's below us."
"Right," Suigetsu said, narrowing his eyes at the map and then at the field. "Underground base, which means there's a hidden door around here."
The ground suddenly shuddered, a cloud of dust billowing up from the middle of the field.
"What the hell was that?" Sasuke demanded from the ground, his Sharingan already blazing.
Suigetsu frowned, bringing his sword to a more defensive posture. "I think someone's home."
Sasuke started getting to his feet.
"Idiot! Stay down!" Suigetsu hissed, grabbing for him. The nimble little bastard avoided his hand and made a beeline straight for Karin. As soon as he saw her face, Suigetsu paled and cursed his own stupidity again.
Karin was shaking, wide-eyed but not seeing, her hands clutching her head in obvious distress.
"Karin, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked, trying to pull her hands away. He looked back over his shoulder, the number of tomoe in his eyes rapidly increasing. "What's wrong with her, Suigetsu? What's happening to her?"
"It's her ability – damn it, I'm such a stupid shit," Suigetsu muttered, hurrying over. "She doesn't remember how to shut it off!"
Belatedly, he realized that meant Sasuke didn't know how to shut his off either and Sasuke was only getting more agitated. This wasn't going to end well. If he went to that crazy upgraded eye of his, well... Suigetsu had seen what it did to their enemies and no matter how much Karin annoyed him before all this mess happened, she didn't deserve to have her brain turned into rice pudding.
"Sasuke, you have Sharingan – do that hypnosis thing! Look into her eyes and tell her to calm down," Suigetsu ordered.
"What?" Sasuke sputtered, incredulous. "But... I don't know how to do that!"
"You don't have to! Just look in her eyes and tell her what to do," Suigetsu growled. "She'll listen. She likes you a lot –a lot more than you know and she'll probably kill me for telling you when she remembers everything..."
Sasuke blinked in confusion.
Suigetsu groaned, grabbed him and shoved him at Karin. "Never mind that - just... she'll listen! Stare in her eyes and tell her to focus on you! Hurry up!"
Sasuke nodded, steeling himself as he turned and took a step closer. He then tripped gracelessly over his own foot and landed face-first in her cleavage, sending them both bowling over and knocking the wind out of her as she hit the ground. "Crap, are you okay, Karin?" Sasuke blurted, practically flinging himself back to an upright position and trying to see if she was all right.
Karin blinked for a moment, catching her breath, and then shrieked, her face turning as red as her hair. "Idiot! Get off! Off!"
"I'm trying!" Sasuke managed, tugging at his sleeve as his face turned red as a tomato. "My sleeve's caught in your zipper!"
Suigetsu sighed, rubbing his forehead. Really, it would be a miracle if they survived this at all, let alone long enough to get the two of them medical attention. He turned away, back towards the field and paused, eyes widening in shock.
"No fucking way," he breathed.
"We understand you admitted an unusual patient earlier today," Homura said, flatly. "One delivered via toad summons, to be specific."
Blunt and to the point, Shizune noted. Very well, if that was to be the tone the elders were going to take, she could dispense with formalities. "There was a civilian casualty in the pursuit of a certain missing nin. Sakura forwarded him to us for emergency treatment," she said in her iciest impression of a thoroughly displeased Tsunade.
"Civilian casualties are not our immediate concern – civilian patients should be forwarded to civilian hospitals," Koharu glared at her.
Shizune frowned, countering archly, "In case you'd failed to notice, we are currently short on both civilian and military medical facilities."
"It is also our responsibility," Kakashi added, stepping forward. "The missing nin in question is... was one of ours."
"We are not responsible for the actions of a madman," Koharu countered. "Insisting on giving a civilian reparations for such is ridiculous."
Shizune sighed, already getting frustrated.
"His younger siblings were watching," Kakashi explained, frowning beneath his mask. "After Danzo's blunder at the summit, we can't afford to look bad – especially not to the civilians."
"True, he has put us in a bit of a bind," Homura agreed. He then leveled them both with a particularly icy glare. "However, you should have informed us of the situation. An unauthorized civilian-"
"Who was bleeding out from severe abdominal trauma," Shizune interrupted.
"...Should not have been placed in the same tent as Tsunade," Homura finished, glaring at her. "It's a security risk."
"We're surrounded by ANBU at all times," Shizune argued. "They cleared the patient and his siblings when they were brought in to us."
"The siblings? They were brought as well?" Koharu asked, her voice rising sharply. She glared at Kakashi. "You should know better."
"They were just little kids," Kakashi explained, shrugging, "And they just watched their only surviving family member practically get cut in half. You try explaining that to a child."
The elders exchanged a pointed look and then Homura sighed, relaxing a little. "Very well. How long will they be here?"
Shizune took a deep breath. "The patient is resting in stable condition. It'll be some time before he regains consciousness."
"We'd like to speak to his siblings," Koharu said. "They need to be made aware of certain protocols."
Kakashi didn't move and Shizune resisted the urge to flinch as she pasted on a thin smile: "I'm sorry. I don't think that's a good idea right now. They've been through an awful lot."
"It'll just be for a moment," Koharu insisted, edging closer. "We'll go over the protocols and leave."
"No, no, it's really not necessary," Shizune protested. "I'll go over it with them when their brother is awake and ready to be discharged."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to keep us from seeing them for some reason, Shizune," Homura observed, glaring at her. "Is there something we should know about your patient and his siblings?"
Shizune shook her head. "No, no, it's not that! It's just, they're young and scared enough as it is!"
The elders gave her a look that plainly said they didn't believe a word she'd just said and then started for the tent flap.
"I really don't think you should go in there!" Shizune protested, trying to block them with her body. "They're resting!"
"You forget your place," Koharu said, acidly, and elbowed her way past her.
Shizune followed, stomach churning with anxiety. The tent was thankfully empty, equipment off, and only the two curtained off partitions visible. Good, she thought, nodding at Kakashi: they'd bought Ino and Sai enough time to hide.
"Over here, correct?" Koharu asked, indicating the partition to the right. She didn't wait for confirmation, pulling the curtain back with one tug.
An empty gurney, several operating lamps, medical equipment and some blood spatter was all that remained.
"Where is your patient?" Koharu demanded, rounding on them.
That was the certainly the question of the hour, Shizune thought. She swallowed nervously. They couldn't have gone very far, not with an unconscious man of Juugo's size, which meant... Her eyes flicked to Tsunade's bed, hidden behind the second partition. There was a large headboard on it, just big enough that someone could hide behind it if they kept low enough.
Koharu frowned, following her gaze, and reached for the second curtain.
Shizune resisted the urge to curse.
They'd need a miracle to get out of this one. There was seriously no way anyone would believe Sasuke Uchiha and his redheaded friend weren't there to do any harm, much less that they had no memories of anything they'd done.
"Shizune! What's all that fucking noise?"
Shizune's eyes widened, her jaw dropping as she looked back at Kakashi. That voice! She darted forward, scooping up her stethoscope, and drew back the curtain.
Tsunade was sitting up, her genjutsu already back in place, and she had a surly scowl on her face that deepened as soon as she saw the two elders. "What the hell's going on out there?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Tsunade," Shizune said, eyes watering with relief. "I tried to tell them to leave."
Homura placed a hand on Koharu's shoulder and steered her away. "We'll inform the ANBU and the Fire Lord of Lady Tsunade's recovery."
His tone clearly said that the matter hadn't been forgotten, but merely put on hold.
Tsunade waited until they'd exited the tent completely before leveling Shizune and Kakashi with a severe glance. "Would anyone care to explain to me why Sasuke Uchiha and two of his teammates are hiding behind my bed?"
Kakashi and Shizune exchanged a look.
"It's a long story," Kakashi said.
AN: Ninja Sari and Kento dolls. Like Barbie and Ken. For Ninja. DON'T ASK HOW MY BRAIN WORKS.
Suigetsu has the funniest Sasuke and Karin ever. No lie. I regret nothing about klutz!Sasuke and the zipper of doom.
We're almost to the end of this one. Man, I'm kinda going to miss it, if it weren't for the absurd numbers of characters involved and that this chapter had ridiculous levels of dialogue.
As to what's really going on, pay attention. All the hints have been given. That's all I can say.
