AN: I'm sorry that I'm being so evil guys. But, what fun would this story be if everything made sense right away? No, I'm going to keep making you bite your fingernails. Muwahahahahaha! Seriously though, this chapter was FUN to write, and I hope you enjoy it! Remember to review and send pairing ideas!
Chapter 09:
Sarutobi narrowed his eyes in rapt contemplation of what Anko had just reported to him so far.
"So, you've actually met the 'shadow', I see." he mused, stroking his beard gingerly. Anko nodded solemnly. He then glanced over at Naruto who was staring at Anko with wide eyes.
"Something to say, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto perked up at the sound of his name and regarded Sarutobi for a moment, as if trying to decide how to phrase his question.
"Well," he began hesitantly. "Why is this 'shadow guy' after me? I don't understand it, Old Man!"
Anko and Sarutobi exchanged a tense look before Sarutobi turned back to Naruto, who was looking at him pleadingly, waiting for an answer. Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and sighed dejectedly.
"I'm not sure, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi replied.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly at Sarutobi's answer. He could tell that the Old Man knew exactly why he was being targeted, and it frustrated him to no end that he was being lied to. Naruto opened his mouth to demand the truth, but was interrupted by Sarutobi who shot a pointed glance at him and added:
"Perhaps if we let Anko-chan continue her story, we can find out the answer."
Naruto sighed and nodded reluctantly. He gave Sarutobi a look that clearly said: 'You're going to tell me the truth after this!'
Sarutobi chuckled slightly at Naruto's indignant expression and turned to Anko, (who watched their exchange with an amused glint in her brown eyes), and nodded at her, prompting her to continue her story.
Anko's expression turned serious once more, and she proceeded to continue recounting her tale.
Anko looked on in a kind of horrified astonishment as she examined the 'Shadow Anko' that stood across from her with an evil glint in her eyes.
"No way." Anko whispered in disbelief. Shadow Anko laughed and crossed her arms.
"Yes way." She replied, taking a few steps toward Anko who stumbled back slightly. Shadow Anko reached into her jacket and withdrew a kunai, and began to twirl it across her fingers with a casual ease.
"Well, we should probably get this show on the road," she said nonchalantly. "The Master is watching, so I'd rather not make him wait to see something 'entertaining' as he put it!"
Anko gulped and withdrew her own kunai. She quickly reached for her pouch on her waist, and grasped some ninja wire, hoping to catch her doppelganger off-guard.
"Ah," remarked Shadow Anko, cocking an eyebrow in feigned interest. "The good old ninja wire maneuver eh?"
Anko tensed and looked at her double in shock. Shadow Anko sighed and lowered her kunai and shrugged,
"I'm a double of you, stupid." She remarked scathingly. "I know all of your tricks! There isn't a way for you to catch me off guard!"
Anko gritted her teeth and released the ninja wire in her hand back into her pouch. She raised her kunai to her face and grinned.
"We'll just have to see about that!"
The fight was brutal.
Anko wasn't really one to ever feel bad for others, but she did feel terrible about the state of the Uzumaki boy's apartment after her fight with her shadow self. Almost all of the boy's furniture was ruined, kunai and shuriken were scattered about, impaling everything from the floor to the kitchen cabinets. Luckily, the two of them somehow managed to spare the apartment windows, although Anko had no clue as to how.
Speaking of her double, she glanced down at herself, (boy, that was a weird statement!) who was beaten, bruised, and tied up tightly in a triple-knotted tangle of ninja wire. Anko had made sure to knock her evil double unconscious; it wouldn't do to have her wake up and begin her onslaught again.
Anko began to pick up the many ninja tools scattered around the small, run-down apartment, making sure not to leave anything that could incriminate her. She had technically broken into someone's house, after all. No doubt the boy would be home soon, and it would be really bad if he somehow could trace the destruction back to its source: namely, her. Regardless, Anko had no doubt that the Hokage would send ANBU to investigate the apartment anyways, but it couldn't hurt to cover her bases.
Several minutes later, when she was convinced she had cleaned up the best she could, Anko made her way for the kitchen. As she entered the room she noticed something glinting on the floor and crouched down to inspect it. To her surprise, she found the small piece of her kunai that the 'Shadow' had broken off when she tried to attack him/her earlier. Anko scowled as she thought that. She was beginning to wonder if the 'Shadow' was even human! She had never seen powers like its before, and the way it used that duplicating jutsu to create a 'shadow' of her...it was definitely abnormal.
Anko picked up the piece of discarded metal and made her way to the window before she smacked her forehead in realization.
"I can't BELIEVE I almost left without the 'shadow me'!"
She hurried back to where she left the unconscious double of herself tied up on the floor and carefully picked up the body, positioning it over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.
When she returned to the kitchen, she unlocked the latches on the window and propped it open as quietly as she could, glancing warily for any ANBU or patrols as she did so. When she was satisfied that she was in the clear, she hoisted her double's body out the window first, and placed the discarded piece of her kunai on the windowsill outside next. It would be bad if she stabbed herself as she tried to sneak out quietly.
By the time Anko got herself outside, she scanned her surroundings again for patrols and the like. Seeing and sensing none, she hoisted her double in her arms again and prepared to grab the piece of kunai on the windowsill. Just then, she spotted a lone ninja roof-hopping in her direction. He hadn't noticed her yet, but she couldn't afford to linger where she was, with a body draped over her shoulders! Can you say: shady?
She decided to cut her losses and leapt off the window ledge of the apartment and made her way down to street level, where she quietly and carefully made her way by shadows and stealth back to her own apartment. Her shadow-double in tow.
When Anko finished her story, both Sarutobi and Naruto were silent for a while. But of course, Naruto (being Naruto) couldn't stand the silence for long before he asked what was most likely on Sarutobi's mind as well:
"Okay, that explains about the break-in at my apartment, AND the kunai fragment that I found," he began suspiciously. "But, what did you do with your double's body, then?"
Sarutobi nodded his agreement to Naruto's question. Anko smiled and began to answer when the door to the office burst open with a loud 'BANG' to reveal...
An incredibly bruised and beaten Anko Mitarashi, who limped in urgently, pointing accusingly at the 'Anko' standing in front of the desk.
"Lord Hokage!" Anko shouted. "Get Naruto out of here! That's not the real me!"
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed coldly as he swiftly got up from his chair and made towards Naruto.
"I thought something was off when I unleashed my killer intent earlier," Sarutobi mused as he flashed toward Naruto, shielding him protectively. He signaled with his hand and four ANBU flickered into view, adding yet another protective wall for Naruto, who looked back and forth between the Anko at the desk in bewilderment, who was still smiling, and the Anko in the doorway who was glaring daggers at her counterpart.
"The real Anko Mitarashi wouldn't have reacted so strongly to it. I gave you the benefit of the doubt because of the ordeal you just explained but now that I know the truth..."
Sarutobi's killing intent blasted out of him like a dam bursting open. He flashed to 'Anko' and grasped her by the throat holding her a foot off the ground and roared:
"SURRENDER NOW, OR DIE WHERE YOU STAND!"
'Anko' grinned evilly and melted into shadow, easily escaping the Hokage's grip. She slithered her way to the large window behind the desk and reformed, turning to address the group before her.
"My Master will possess the fox, Hiruzen Sarutobi. One way or another..."
And with a sound like a lightning strike, the shadow-double of Anko Mitarashi crashed out the window of the Hokage's office, sending glass everywhere, and disappeared into the night, without a trace.
