Poll results:

Gaara 11
Matatabi 6
Shikamaru 5
Sasuke 4
Other 2
Itachi 2
Kakashi 1
Haku 1

Total 32

A guest guessed that he's an OC. Let me tell you this, I may be evil, but I'm not THAT evil. In other words, it didn't occur to me to troll everyone reading this into guessing and then it turning out to be an OC. I just wanted to tell y'all this because it would be impossible for any of you to predict what my OC would be like and I'm one of those idiotic evil geniuses who is so proud of their plan they reveal it to the good guys, who then thwart said plan.

Sasuke's POV

"I hope you've learned your lesson now, Sasuke." Itachi sighed as he untied me. Naruko was definitely going to pay. Uchihas do not lose or dangle over a hundred feet from the ground.

"And this so called lesson would be?" Itachi shook his head and looked at me sternly.

"You do not piss of kunoichi. Ever. If you do, nobody tries to calm her down for fear of also incurring her wrath." That was my brother's interpretation of this? Naruko was the dead last! A dobe. Something Naruko was NOT a competent kunoichi. But then, were any kunoichi truly competent? When I voiced my thoughts about this to Itachi, he paled.

"If you value your life, do not repeat that when any kunoichi are around. Unless you wish to piss them off, although one could say that is your ultimate goal, as immediately after you experience the results of angering a kunoichi, you seek to do it again." Point taken, but Naruko was too stupid and useless to be any real danger.

"Naruko's a pathetic excuse for a kunoichi. Angering a weakling like her shouldn't do any harm." Itachi twitches.

"Firstly, you JUST experienced her wrath so you really shouldn't be saying this. Secondly, Naruko is not weak, as you've been shown. Repeatedly. And lastly, let's assume you're right and Naruko is the weakest kunoichi in existence." Finally Itachi comes around to my way of thinking. "If Naruko is the weakest, then what happens if you insult any of the other, much stronger kunoichi?" Hn. I suppose I should just keep my mouth shut from now on.

Itachi is interrupted when Mizuki, one of the Academy teachers, sprints through the clearing. He rushes right past us onward away from Konoha. He has a giant scroll on his back. Iruka rushes forwards, clearly out of breath.

"Mizuki... *wheeze* Stole... *wheeze* Scroll of Sealing!" Itachi nods and rushes off after him. I hesitate for a moment. If I went after Mizuki, then Naruko's name would be cleared and she would stop being tortured. And that would be a shame. On the other hand, Mizuki had committed TREASON. He was a traitor, and if given the choice between punishing a comrade that I hate or a traitor, I'd choose the traitor every time. I turned to Sakura. She might be somewhat useful.

"Let's go catch that traitor."


Ibiki's POV

I've really lost my touch. No matter what I tried with this girl, she kept insisting that she hadn't stolen the scroll and more importantly, was not reduced to a gibbering wreck.

Physical torture was useless to her. Most people shuddered at the very idea of pain and would tell me what I wanted to know quickly in order to avoid it. Personally, I had a low view of these people and hurt them anyways for their cowardice. She was different. What would have reduced a hardened ninja to screaming had no visible effect on her. On top of that, any wounds inflicted healed almost instantaneously. It would be sooo much easier if I could simply break her spirit, or simply trick her into divulging the information, but she was a tough nut to crack. Her will was unbreakable and she kept insisting that she hadn't stolen the scroll. I was briefed about the evidence against her, and it was pretty damning.

This was so frustrating! I was on the verge of just calling in a favor with Inoichi and letting him deal with her. He'd never let me hear the end of it, but it would probably be worth it to see that smug look on her face disappear.

"Now, now Ibiki-san, you finally get to interrogate someone who's challenging, to say the least, and you're frustrated? I heard that you are one of the best interrogators in the five great shinobi nations and yet you can't get the information you want out of a brat like me? Not quite living up to your reputation. Maybe you've just gone soft." Said brat is unbreakable. On top of that, she's taunting me in the same manner that I usually use to interrogate prisoners. Is she playing with me? I can generally tell which battles I can win and which ones I will undoubtedly lose. This is going to be a crushing defeat for me if I continue. Time to call in that favor with Inoichi.

"Aww... You don't want to play with me anymore?" So this was all a game to her. Dammit.


Sasuke's POV

"Give it up, Mizuki. You're cornered." Mizuki only grinned.

"It's all worth it, anyways. Even if I get caught, your teammate will have been tortured for almost an hour now. My sole regret is that I couldn't watch as that witch suffered." Same here. But what grudge did Mizuki have against Naruko?

"What do you have against Naruko?" My curiosity was now piqued. Mizuki smiled nastily at us.

"Well it all comes down to a well-known fact about your teammate, but most likely neither of you two genin know it and both of you are the ones in the most danger." Itachi and Iruka paled noticeably. Finally Iruka spoke up.

"This isn't your story to tell, Mizuki! Let Naruko tell them when she's ready." Sakura glared at Iruka, obviously pissed that everyone seemed to know something that she didn't.

"How about we let the brats decide. They're the ones who need to know the most, after all." I looked over at Sakura. She nodded.

"We want to know the truth about Namikaze Naruko."