Author's Note: The title of this chapter and the one before it go together as "Breaking slowly…" Which is basically what happens! You also might hate me after this chapter…
Chapter Nine: Slowly
There was no progress… Naruto opened a box and placed the family portrait on the front desk. At least they still had their old home. The elders had assured him that this was not a permanent arrangement. Himitsu was only taking over until the Tsuchi was found and dealt with, and afterward he would return to his home and Naruto would take over again as Hokage. The title had not been given away… They had simply told him that he was on leave to take care of family business.
Naruto sighed and looked at Hinata with a smile. "I like this house," he said.
"It's better than that one room apartment we shared for a while," Hinata admitted, returning his smile. Naruto actually felt somewhat better without the pressures of Hokage. Kakashi was keeping an eye on Himitsu for him, so he at least could rest easy knowing that masked man wasn't going to go on a murdering rampage.
"It is," Naruto said. "So, I'm guessing you have missions today…?"
"I do." Hinata answered. "What are you doing today…?"
Naruto shrugged. "The elders want me to take time off completely… so no missions. I might go talk to Sakura or Tsunade about Boruto's condition."
Hinata grinned. "Good. Maybe they've come across something that can help."
"I hope so…"
Hinata walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm leaving. Why don't you use some of your clones to unpack the boxes and clean this place up, hm?"
"Yes, mother," Naruto teased. He walked her to the door, and after her and Himawari left for their missions, Naruto made several Shadow Clones. "Alright, guys," he said to the small army. "Hinata wants this house unpacked and spotless! I'll be back shortly, and it better be done!" Naruto pointed to one of the clones. "You're in charge."
When the clones got to work, Naruto walked outside and stretched. He hadn't made Shadow Clones for mundane tasks in years and, for some reason, it felt good. He sighed and started down the streets, keeping, again, to back roads. He avoided the hospital for a while, not wanting to be there yet… His legs brought him to Iruka's grave after a while. He smiled sadly at the stone. "It's all falling apart…" he muttered… "But… I think it's getting better. I have time now… to find the ones who did this to you, Iruka-sensei… I will find them… And, don't even think about seeing Boruto any time soon, you got that? You can't have him yet… I'm not finished with him…"
"Hokage-sama!"
Naruto turned. Old habits die hard. "Ansho…?" He looked down at his spy. "I'm not the Hokage right now…"
"But, I have a message for you! The Hyuuga elders want to speak with you! It's about the Tsuchi!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Bring me…"
The girl nodded and the two took off for the compound. Naruto skipped formalities when they arrived and he barged into the Elders' housing.
"Ah… Ansho brought you," the head Elder said with a smile. "I knew that she was a spy." Naruto grabbed her shoulder. "Oh, stop it," the man snapped. "We can't afford to lose another one of our children, what with Danchi and Airisu dead. I can't blame her for choosing the village over her Clan, after all…"
"Why am I here?" Naruto asked.
"Patience, Naruto… The Tsuchi are eager to meet you…"
"I'm eager to meet with them as well," Naruto said. "We have much to discuss… And you all will be under arrest once I'm through here for conspiring against the village."
"Yes, we are aware of what we've done and are quite happy to turn ourselves in, as long as the Hyuuga Clan is spared."
"I hadn't intended on bringing harm to your Clan… I'm not Danzo…"
The man nodded. "Good. Now, a meeting has been requested and I am merely here to tell you where to have your meeting."
"Fine. Where is it?"
"The Hokage Monument…" the man answered. Naruto was gone in the blink of an eye. He rushed through the village at his top speed, arriving at the monument in a matter of moments. He stood on top of his own monument and turned to see a hooded figure waiting for him. Naruto clenched his fists, but resisted the urge to simply push the man off the building. The figure wore a black cloak with a hood and veil that completely obscured his face. Naruto attempted to locate a chakra signal, but found none at all. He didn't even sense the entity.
"It is an honor…" the person before him said. Its voice was neither male, nor female. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "We have been waiting for you, Naruto-sama… You got our messages, I hope…"
"If you mean the hundreds you killed… yeah, I got that…" Naruto snapped. "What do you and your group want?"
The thing laughed. It was dry and humorless. The sound sent a chill down Naruto's spine. I do not like this… Kurama growled.
"You are humorous, Uzumaki Naruto… Our intentions are not something that can merely be… explained. They must be shown. I'm sure we got your attention with that attack on the arena, did we not?" Naruto nodded. "Good."
"Give me two good reasons why I shouldn't kill you right now…" Naruto snapped.
"If you'd like to try, then I won't stop you…" The entity walked towards Naruto and the man stepped back, but it kept coming. Naruto stopped until the thing stood before him and reached up to touch his face. His whole body shook at the chill that he could feel through the entity's glove. Naruto attempted to push through the thing, but his hands passed through and the space where the illusion stood was colder than the coldest night. Naruto stumbled back.
"What… are you…?"
"There are jutsus that not even the great Orochimaru knew about," the thing explained.
"What do you want?!" Naruto snapped.
"To stall you…" it answered. Naruto's heart dropped.
"Who's casting this illusion? Where are you?"
"I would imagine that my master is finished at the hospital by now… He had… someone to visit…" Naruto's eyes widened and he fled from the mountain, instantaneously appearing in his son's hospital room.
"Boruto!" he called. The boy was gone. Naruto spun around, looking for anyone, and feeling for any leftover chakra… but there was none. "Where are you?!" he yelled. A movement in the corner caught his eye and he lunged without even looking to identify it.
He found himself on top of another cloaked and veiled person. He ripped the veil from the face, revealing a man looking around the age of twenty. Naruto didn't even wait. He punched the man once, twice, and continued until blood covered his knuckles, but he stopped before he killed the man. "Where is my son?!" he growled.
"Such a good father…" the man said with a laugh. "So… concerned for your child. Why don't you try to sense his chakra…? You can do that, can't you?" Naruto made a Shadow clone to gather sage energy while he held down the man. After the clone had done his job, Naruto slipped into his sage form and felt out over the village… Boruto was still in the hospital…
"What's going on…?" he asked.
"They took him away for tests," the man said. Naruto threw a punch at the man. He took it graciously. "Are you done?"
"Far from it," Naruto growled angrily. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to talk… You and I… we could work together…"
"I'd never work with the likes of you!" Naruto snapped. "Now, explain yourself in the next thirty seconds, or I let you meet Kurama…"
"So hasty… I was told you had the patience of a saint…"
"Twenty seconds…"
"Fine… I'm here to offer you a deal, Naruto-kun… You have something I want, and I have something you need…"
"I don't negotiate with terrorists… Ten seconds."
"Oh, but you will when you learn what I have to say…"
"Five…"
"I can save your son!"
Naruto stopped counting. "Sakura and Tsunade can save my son." He snapped.
"Can they? Really…? If they could, wouldn't he be up and walking by now? Face it… they can't get him out of this coma."
"And you can…?"
It would be wise not to listen to him… Kurama cautioned, but Naruto ignored it.
"I cannot… But I know a medic who can… And he'd love to meet you…"
"I'd love to meet him too," Naruto said. "But I don't trust you… at all… Who is this medic?"
"All in due time, Naruto-kun… All in due time…" Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists in annoyance.
"Give me a name!"
"I'll give you a meeting place…" the man said. "That is all. You are to meet with the medic and members of Tsuchi where the old Uchiha Hideout used to stand… Come alone, and tell no one of your whereabouts…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't trust the man at all, but this was his chance to meet with the Tsuchi… He could take them all out in one move, then this nightmare would be over… "When?"
"Midnight, tomorrow night," the man answered calmly.
"Fine. You said I had something you want. What do I need to bring…?"
"You will get more instructions at the meeting place," the man said.
Naruto nodded. He grabbed the man's arm and pulled him roughly to his feet. "Now… You are coming with me."
The man smirked. "Sorry, Naruto-kun…" he said. "But my duty here is finished." Naruto's eyes widened and he grabbed the man's other hand, but the method he was to use to kill himself was not a weapon. It was a capsule hidden in his mouth that spread poison that killed him almost instantly. Naruto dropped the body, disgusted and horrified at the same time. What kind of organization was this, that they would throw life away like that…? Naruto called for a nurse before disappearing.
You cannot be considering this… Kurama chided as Naruto started for his house.
Of course I am… Naruto answered. This is my chance to get some answers and maybe bring someone alive so we can figure out what we're up against…
Kurama was silent after that, leaving Naruto feeling lonely. It wasn't a bad idea… This was their first lead… He didn't like not telling anyone, but if it meant that he could get information, and maybe help for his son, then he'd risk it. The village was safe without him…
Naruto said nothing when Hinata arrived home, and even when Himawari returned, he stayed detached. All Hinata's attempts to ask what was bothering him fell through and eventually she gave up and Naruto went to the roof of his house. He stared out at the village. After several minutes, he closed his eyes to find himself in the fox's room…
What should we do, Kurama…? He asked. I want to trust Sakura and Tsunade… and I know I shouldn't trust the Tsuchi… but if they can save Boruto… and if I can get information… it's worth the risk… right..?
Kurama opened one eye and let out a massive sigh that caused waves in the water-filled room. Doing what must be done is hard, kid… the fox grumbled. But I cannot advise you to not follow this lead… but perhaps you should somehow let Kakashi know something is going on…
They said not to tell anyone…
No, he said to come alone and not to tell anyone where you were going… No one said you could not be followed… Act cryptic tomorrow… He will keep an eye on you…
Naruto nodded. He had missed Kurama's advice… Thanks! He said.
Do not mention it…
Naruto opened his eyes and looked out at the village again. Kurama was right… He jumped back onto the ground and went inside to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning, he said good-bye to his family and started directly to Kakashi's house. He passed the man and waved sadly, trying to get his attention. "Naruto! How are you doing…?" Kakashi asked worriedly.
"Fine…" Naruto grumbled. "It's just… all falling apart…"
"I know it feels like that, Naruto… but you still have a lot of people in your life…"
Naruto sighed. "Sasuke's missing and Boruto is in a coma… Iruka is dead and I've been stripped of my title… it doesn't feel like I have a lot left…"
"Boruto will be fine," Kakashi assured his student. "Don't worry so much! It's not like you!"
Naruto sighed and pulled away from Kakashi. "Hey… You mind keeping an eye on Hinata for me…?" he asked. "Tell her… not to worry about me… okay…?"
Kakashi blinked. "Naruto…?"
"I won't be home tonight… I love them, you know… But, I just can't be with them…" Naruto muttered. He heard Kurama snicker.
"You know I'd love them like my own family, but…"
"You don't have to worry about me, either, okay…?"
"Naruto…"
The man ignored his sensei as he walked away with his head down and his hands shoved into his pocket. A little strong… Kurama said.
Think I scared him…?
He will not let you out of his sight, Kurama assured Naruto. Naruto nodded and headed back to his house to pack weapons and food pills. At noon, he left the village. It felt weird… He hadn't been out of the village in quite some time, and definitely not alone… If he did leave, he made sure to take Boruto so that the boy could see the outside world. Naruto knew that he could travel the distance in a matter of minutes, but he wanted to give whoever was following him a chance to keep up.
He kept alert the entire time he walked. He scanned as he walked, keeping an eye out for any chakra signal that he didn't want to be there. If someone was following him, they were doing a good job of staying hidden.
Naruto took his time getting to the Uchiha hideout. It was passed sundown when he got there, but well enough before midnight that he had time to look around. This could be a trap… Kurama muttered. Naruto nodded, but a quick search with both a chakra scan and shadow clones revealed no traps or enemies... Naruto narrowed his eyes. That was almost more suspicious than finding a trap. Naruto walked to the wall where Sasuke had fallen and sat with his legs crossed and his back to the wall.
"Uzumaki Naruto…?"
The voice didn't surprise Naruto. He had felt the woman's presence long before she showed herself. He nodded without opening his eyes. "I take it you are the Medic…?" he asked.
"No…"
Naruto's eyes snapped open. "I was told I would be meeting the Medic and members of the Tsuchi… You're the only one here…"
"I understand… Your contact did not know all the details… It was insurance… in case he was not able to terminate the mission before you got him into custody… The fact that you have come alone means that you have heeded his warnings and are agreeing to the terms…"
"I don't need anyone to come with me," Naruto said as he stood. The girl was young… Thirteen, if that… Naruto clenched his fist.
"Of course, Naruto-sama…" The girl said with a bow. Naruto shook his head. They were smart by sending him a child… They knew he wouldn't be as rough with a young girl as he had been with the man in the hospital room. They knew he wouldn't hurt a child… so he had no choice.
"What's next…? And what's with all the hoops…?"
"The Tsuchi have not survived this long by not being thorough, Naruto-sama…" the girl answered quietly.
"Of course…"
"You will follow me now…" Naruto nodded and the girl started away. Their progress was painfully slow… The sun rose and climbed up in the sky, then made its way down, but they kept walking. Any attempts to get information from the girl was futile. Many times through their walk, Naruto considered grabbing the young child and dragging her back to Konoha... but he couldn't. He would risk everything if he did. She may be just as clueless as the poor man from the hospital, and if that was the case, then he just lost his chance to learn anything about the Tsuchi.
Eventually, Naruto just tried to make small talk with the girl, but those attempts came up empty as well. It was well into the night by the time they finally stopped. The girl walked to a massive tree in the forest and just stepped through it. Naruto closed his eyes, sensing the illusion. It was well hidden, and anyone with normal chakra senses would pass right by it. Naruto stepped into the fake tree and followed the girl down a spiral staircase the led to a massive underground cavern.
"Naruto!" a booming voice called. "It is about time we met!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes and pinpointed the location of the voice. He was quick to attack the man who called out to him. "Are you the Medic?" he snapped, slamming the man into the wall.
"Well… if I was, I wouldn't be helping your son after this…" the man said. Naruto released him reluctantly.
"Are you?"
"Heavens no! I know nothing about medicine! And I'm not the leader, mind you."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. More hoops! He grabbed the man's throat. "You're coming back to the village with me to answer for your crimes!" he growled. He had had enough. He should have trusted Sakura and Tsunade to save Boruto, and should have told everyone where he was going so that he wouldn't be doing this alone.
"Don't be so rash, Naruto-kun…" the man said. He motioned behind them and Naruto turned around. He gasped and released the man again.
"Sasuke…?" His friend wasn't bound… and there was only one reason he would be there… No one forced Sasuke to do anything… "What are you doing here?"
"You're still naïve, Naruto… Nothing is black and white…"
"What is going on?!" Naruto shouted. Now he felt sick. After all this time, Sasuke was still against him. "Why are you here? I don't understand!"
"No… You don't…" Sasuke muttered. He couldn't look Naruto in the face.
"You know what they did to Konoha, don't you?" Naruto snapped angrily. "How can you be working with them?"
"It's because you don't understand…" Sasuke said.
"What do you all want?! You told me I had something you want! What is it?!"
He knew what it was… there was only one reason they had told him to come alone and not bring anything… it was because he always had what they wanted…
"Naruto!"
Naruto spun around and he suddenly felt ill. Everything made sense now… The meetings that made no sense… the extremely long walk here that had no purpose… They had wanted to separate him from his family… and now he knew why…
"Hinata! Himawari!" Naruto called out. His daughter and wife were bound and blindfolded. He started forward, but Sasuke jumped between him and his family. Naruto didn't care who Sasuke thought he was… "Move…"
"I can't do that, Naruto…" Sasuke muttered.
"Then I'll go through you…"
Sasuke opened his eyes, activating his Sharingan. "Fine…"
"Don't do this…" Naruto begged. "Whatever their promising you…" Naruto didn't have time to say anything else. His friend lunged at him and he dodged. Naruto tried to just get passed the Uchiha, but Sasuke wasn't yielding. He was thrown back into a wall. With a single hand sign, the cavern was covered in Shadow clones. If he could get some of them to Hinata and Himawari, then they could get free. All he had to do was untie Hinata's hands and she could fight.
Sasuke aimed an attack to the ground that sent a ripple, killing off many of the clones. The ones that survived continued their progress. The cavern was quickly filling up with other people who fought off the clones. Naruto glared at Sasuke. "You can stop this…!" he snapped. They could join together and be out of there in seconds… but with Sasuke fighting him, that wasn't an option. They were matched well enough that Naruto could barely keep up.
A scream stopped Naruto in his tracks. Sasuke hadn't noticed the stop in movements and he landed a punch on Naruto's face, sending him backwards again into the wall. By that time, he only had a couple clones left that were all busy with the new fighters in the room, but they stopped as well at the scream. Naruto stood, but by the time he had recovered from the direct hit, it was too late. He looked up just in time to see the knife rip through Hinata's throat. Blood gushed from the fatal wound.
Naruto dropped to his knees, shaking violently.
"You promised me no one would be killed!" someone screamed… Naruto thought it sounded like Sasuke, but he didn't care.
Give me chakra… he said to the fox.
Do not do this…
Give me chakra! Naruto shouted.
Naruto… We need to calm down…
"Give. Me. CHAKRA!" Naruto screamed as his body turned to yellow flames. He took one look at the bloody corpse, then lifted his burning eyes. A feral howl escaped his mouth and he rushed forward…
There would be no mercy…
Author's Note: Look… It's not easy making a usually level-headed and kind character go crazy! You gotta take everything he has... But, yeah… Enjoy that image… and good job, Sasuke… Good job!
