The Monster Within Us All

by NYC0123

Mito and Naruto Uzumaki are two children, both born in tragedy. Their birth leads into a story of suspense, and mystery. How do monsters come to be? Are they born, or are they created? Mito attempts to discover the answers to these questions. All the while trying to stop her psychopathic brother from leading the world into ruin. [Heavily based on Naoki Urasawa's Monster].

10. Chapter Ten

In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity (Erik Erikson).

The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Ten

Sasuke wasn't typically one for celebrations, but he felt like this was a party he wouldn't be allowed to opt out of. He, Mito, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had finally recovered after yesterday's battle and were currently at a fun restaurant. Ironically, it was the oldest members of their group who were behaving the worst. Jiraiya and Tsunade challenged one another to a drinking contest and were currently seated in the bar section of the restaurant. Sasuke could only watch in morbid fascination as the two Sannin drank more than he believed to be humanly possible. They were even beginning to draw a crowd of amazed onlookers.

He brought his attention back to the table where he, Mito and Shizune were still currently sitting at. Shizune had her nose in a menu and looked pretty excited to get some food in her stomach. No doubt she needed to replenish her energy after nearly dying yesterday. Watching her mannerisms, he wondered how such a shy and polite woman could handle dealing with Tsunade's shenanigans for multiple decades; he could only assume she was pretty difficult to deal with. As soon as he made that thought, he heard the thunderous sound of Tsunade slamming her now empty sake bottle on the bar table followed by the wild cheers of the fellow patrons. Yep, it was official, the universe just loved proving him right.

"So," Shizune said, interrupting his thoughts and breaking the ice. "How long have you two been genin?"

"Almost a year now," Mito answered with a bright smile. "However, it's felt like we've been at this for decades with all we've been through in this short time."

Sasuke couldn't help but agree with his teammate's statement. He'd like to meet a genin team in history that had been through more than them in their first year. They encountered bloodthirsty pirates, the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, an invasion, and now they played a part in recruiting the 5th Hokage and defeating an S-Rank Shinobi. You honestly couldn't make this stuff up.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Shizune asked with concern. "You don't seem like you're enjoying yourself."

Sasuke was about to respond, but Mito did for him. "Yeah, Sasuke is just a bit too nerdy for this kind of scene," Mito clarified while giving Sasuke a taunting grin. However, she soon leaned towards Shizune and whispered something that was still loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "Honestly, Jiraiya-sensei and I think that he is uncomfortable around women."

Shizune almost spit out her drink and blushed in embarrassment. It was evident that Mito's joke made the prudish medical ninja uncomfortable. Sasuke glared at his teammate in indignation and decided that this would be the moment in which he would get her back.

"Not everyone is as 'comfortable' around women as you are," he said with the classic Uchiha smirk. "Dyke."

He soon regretted it, however, as in her shock at hearing his joke, Shizune spit-taked the tea she was drinking directly into his face. The feeling of the hot beverage soaking his hair and face was soon followed up with the sound of Mito laughing uproariously at him. He looked over at Shizune and noticed that she was covering her mouth and was blushing from head to toe.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she shouted in embarrassment. "I'll go get you a towel."

Before he could tell her that it was alright, she darted towards the kitchen to ask for a cloth. He finally directed his glare towards his teammate, who was grinning at him cheekily. "It must be rough, Sasuke," she said, not sounding at all sympathetic. "This was the first time you ever tried to be funny, and it literally blew up in your face."

"Do you pull your witty quips directly from the divine source of all comedy?" Sasuke asked in an irritated huff. Immediately after, Shizune was back and handed him a cloth as she apologized profusely once again. He was happy to be able to wipe his hair and face before it got sticky from the mess. When he finished, he saw that their food had finally arrived and they all began eating.

He supposed it would be best if he stuck to being the silent type; it was more of his style anyway.

~Break~

"Talk," Ibiki demanded in an emotionally detached voice. In front of him was a man hanging by his hands from the ceiling.

He and Kakashi had managed to capture a man they believed to be associated with the monster they were pursuing. They had yet to find any information regarding the name of the mysterious mastermind of the murders throughout Fire Country, so they decided that to avoid confusion they would just refer to him as 'the monster.'

They took their captive to an abandoned warehouse located in an obscure village located in the southwestern area of the Land of Fire. They bound his hands and then attached the rope to bar on the ceiling so their captive would have to hang uncomfortably from his hand. Kakashi wasn't the expert on interrogation, that honor went to Ibiki; so he decided that he would just spectate for now.

"I-I don't know anything," the man said. Ibiki hadn't inflicted any physical torture on the man, but he didn't need to. Ibiki had such an intimidating aura that it made those with weak wills shatter like glass.

"We know you don't know much, if you did they wouldn't have allowed you to live after using you," Ibiki responded. "However, you may have learned something important without realizing it."

The man was sweating under Ibiki's intense gaze, and his wrists were beginning to get very sore from the bindings. He closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to remember something, anything, that would get him out of this situation. When thinking back on the events that no doubt put him in this position he remembered when he met with a group of mysterious men several days ago. They offered to pay him a substantial amount of money in exchange for information about his neighbor.

He didn't know why anyone would want to know anything about his neighbor, but he wasn't going to turn down easy money. He explained that the man moved next door about two years ago and that he kept entirely to himself. From what he was able to see of the man, he was old, with a bald head and a white beard. After telling the men what they wanted to know, they paid him and left, never to be seen by him again.

He figured that nothing would come out of it, but a few hours ago he was captured by these two Konoha shinobi. It was at that moment that he knew he'd messed up. The men that had paid him must have been dangerous criminals of some sort. He never wanted to get involved with such people. However, who would turn down that much money?

"O-Ok," the hanging man said in an attempt to save himself. "They wanted me to tell them everything I knew about my former neighbor. The man had just moved out a few weeks ago, so I figured I wouldn't be hurting anyone by telling them."

"What did you tell them?" Ibiki demanded.

"I told them what he looked like and what his habits were," the man answered with tears in his eyes. "He was an old man with a bald head and a white beard. He never socialized with anyone in the community and rarely left his house. However, three weeks ago he moved out, leaving most of his stuff in his house. He was definitely in a rush."

Ibiki nodded at the information and then chopped the man in the neck, knocking him unconscious. He turned away from his captive and looked towards Kakashi. It was evident the masked jonin had been playing close attention because he looked like he was racking his brain.

"Looks like we know who their next target is," Ibiki said, and he walked towards his partner. "Whoever this 'old man' is, he'll likely be found dead somewhere soon if we don't do anything about it."

"I feel like I remember someone who matched the description we were just given," Kakashi mumbled to himself, still loud enough for Ibiki to hear. "Elderly man with a bald head and white beard. I definitely know someone like that."

"There are likely many people in this country that fit that description," Ibiki said. "How can you be sure that the individual you're thinking about is the same person they're looking for?"

"Because, I just remembered who it was, and now I'm one hundred percent sure it's the same guy," Kakashi said with clarity. "The man who was the director of Orphanage 8 was an elderly man with a bald head and a white beard. His name was Zaki Takejiro."

Ibiki looked skeptical, "Didn't everyone at Orphanage 8 die?"

Kakashi nodded, "For the most part, yes." he clarified before he continued to explain. "However, we managed to ID all of the bodies, and none of them belonged to Takejiro. He was the only member of the staff that wasn't identified after the tragedy. I always believed that he fled from the village and was taking refuge somewhere else. I think we may have just found out where."

"It makes sense," Ibiki said. "Many of the people who have been killed over the past two years were in some way associated with that mysterious orphanage. The former head of the Fire Countries Ministry of Health, Mura Ichiyo was killed by pirates as he attempted to flee the country. It was you who discovered that Orphanage 8 was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. That connects Mura-san to the facility." Ibiki explained before continuing, "The Beautiful Minds research group studied the behavior of the Orphanage's occupants roughly thirty years ago, and now they are all dead."

"And now the former director of the facility is being hunted," Kakashi said, finishing his partner's thought. "It would only make sense to assume that the person ordering these murders also has a connection to Orphanage 8."

Ibiki hummed but didn't respond. This was all beginning to make a lot more sense. Now that they finally managed to discover a connection between all of the murders, it would be much easier to find out the identity of the one responsible. The best way for them to do that would be to find Takejiro before he too was murdered. No doubt he would possess valuable information.

One could only hope so.

~Break~

The entire town was a bustling bastion of joy. Mito and Sasuke had left their three adult companions so they could enjoy the festival. Well, Mito wanted to go, and she forced Sasuke to come with her. The Uchiha survivor had no idea why Tanzuka-gai was throwing a festival, but he honestly didn't care enough to ask. He had spent the last thirty minutes being forced to play childish games as if he were some kind of little kid. However, Mito was having a lot of fun so he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it.

He absentmindedly wondered how Mito was able to fit so much food inside her tiny body. Sasuke could seriously make the argument that Mito had purchased at least one snack from every stand in the large town. It was almost as if she were some kind of insatiable black hole. Perhaps this was why she had so much chakra? Maybe he should start eating more.

The two thirteen-year-olds finally got to the point where they had taken part in every activity the festival had to offer. Sasuke almost cried in joy as he realized that he could finally get some sleep. How was it that Mito had so much energy? The last Uchiha decided that once they returned to Konoha, he'd submit her for testing, to make sure she wasn't some kind of strange alien.

"Sooo, Sasuke," Mito sang with a cheeky grin. "Are you missing your Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke looked at her like she had grown a second head, "My what?" he asked.

"Oh, you think I don't notice the way she acts around you," Mito clarified, before mimicking Sakura's voice. "Sasuke-kun, please be careful, I worry about you," she said in a poor imitation of their pink haired teammate. "It's like you two are married already."

"Do you ever shut up?" Sasuke asked in his usual irritated voice. He wouldn't be shocked if Mito Uzumaki would be the death of him. She'd probably give him a brain aneurysm by the time he was twenty.

"Alright, alright, enough is enough," Mito said, having mercy on the poor boy. "But what are you going to do about her? Sakura is a good person, and she deserves to know whether or not you're ever going to return her feelings."

Sasuke gave Mito a deadpan stare as they continued walking, "Are we seriously talking about this right now?" he asked, in a voice stricken with annoyed disbelief.

"What? Sakura is a cute girl. You need to make an honest woman out of her before someone else does. I heard Rock Lee has the hots for her so your time may be running out." Mito warned in a voice that she tried to make sound serious, but failed miserably.

"This isn't happening," Sasuke groaned to himself while closing his eyes. Perhaps he thought if he pretended that this wasn't really happening, he'd find out that it actually wasn't. It was wishful thinking, but when someone was suffering as much as he was at the moment, all they could do is wish.

"There's always the possibility that I could snatch her from you too," Mito teased, enjoying his misery. "She's not quite my type, but I can make do."

"You're disgusting," Sasuke growled. Not that he had anything against Mito being into women, but it didn't mean he wanted to hear about it. Mito didn't seem upset by his statement and simply laughed. God, she was insufferable; she knew how to push his buttons better than anyone else.

Without even thinking about it, they had walked into a portion of the town that was almost entirely deserted. It was the residential area, and nobody was home since they were all at the festival. It actually made for a rather disturbing sight. The streets were empty, and it was dark out, like in a horror movie. Sasuke half expected a tumble weed to bounce across the road in front of them.

Sasuke was about to tell Mito that they should head back when he noticed movement from within the alley. He placed his arm in front of his teammate to prevent her from moving any further towards the possible threat. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Jeez, Sasuke," she said. "You're going to get gray hair with all the worrying you do."

"Be ready, we're being watched," he warned. Mito was perceptive enough to notice the seriousness of his tone and dropped her previous silliness. The last Uchiha's paranoia proved correct when a large figure exited the alley way and walked towards them until he was a few feet away. The man was very tall, with a bandaged sword on his back that was almost the same length as his body. He had strange blue skin, gill-like marks on his cheeks, and small beady eyes, similar to that of a sharks. He placed his hand on the hilt of his enormous blade and gave them a smile, showing his pointed teeth.

"Well, would you look at my luck," he said in a voice laced with bloodthirsty undertones. "I didn't play any of the festival games, and yet, I've still managed to get my prize."

The man was looking directly at Mito when he made his comment, so Sasuke knew the 'prize' was her. If the situation were less dire he would have shaken his head at how often weirdos took a strange interest in his redheaded teammate; it was like she was a magnet for trouble. It didn't help that whenever those weirdos came her way, he had to help deal with them. At this point, he felt as though he should be getting paid for his trouble.

The man flared his chakra and the two Konoha genin instantly tensed. Whoever this guy was, he had enormous reserves of chakra; and unlike Mito, he probably had many years of experience controlling his. This guy was more dangerous than Miyako, and they were lucky to have beaten her as easily as they did.

"Stop it, Kisame," a voice Sasuke found familiar droned from behind them. "You'll attract attention."

The world seemed to slow down, and everything began to matter less and less to Sasuke as he turned to look at the second intruder. As soon as he saw the two Sharingan eyes gleaming in the dark, he realized that it was exactly who he thought it was. His body tensed and his Sharingan blazed to life, adding to his rage filled expression. Itachi Uchiha, the man he had long ago vowed to kill, was standing before him.

"It's been a long time, Sasuke."

~Break~

They had been traveling for several days and only recently made it out of the deserts of their own country. They were commanded by the Council of Suna to bring a message to Konoha. The message consisted of an apology and an explanation for their actions during the Chunin Exams. Hopefully, the next Hokage would understand and realize that they'd be wasting their time fighting against each other. The real threat was the individual who manipulated the events of the Invasion of Konoha in the first place, Orochimaru. The man killed their Kazekage and then murdered Konoha's Hokage. He was the common enemy, and they should work together to defeat him.

Temari was glad that her village was willing to put an end to any future conflict. She knew that the main reason for their decisions was because, in their current state, Suna stood no chance against Konoha in an all out war. There was also the fact that for many years before the events of the Exams, Konoha and Suna were loyal allies. She hoped that the actions of that snake bastard wouldn't put an end to that mutually beneficial friendship. Nobody in Suna had been comfortable with the idea of an invasion, but they had to follow the orders of their Kazekage. Imagine how they all felt when they discovered that their leader had been murdered and was being impersonated the entire time. Temari knew her father wasn't the greatest man ever, but he wasn't a war monger; he never would have broken the treaty between Suna and Konoha, and that was probably why he was killed.

"Let's stop here and camp for the evening," Temari's sensei, Baki, said. The envoy group was small and consisted of her, her sensei, and a couple of chunin. She was told to go along because of her pedigree due to her lineage; there was also the fact that she was the most diplomatic of the three sand siblings. She figured that sending the daughter of their village's former leader would be seen as an act of goodwill. It made sense, so she didn't argue.

"Temari," Baki ordered once more, getting her attention. "Go to the nearby river and collect water."

She nodded and gathered everyone's canteens before going on her way. Honestly, she was happy about the opportunity for solitude. There was little time for her to mourn the death of her father since his tragic demise. He wasn't perfect, but he was her flesh and blood, and she loved him. A part of her resented him for what he did to Gaara, but he was still her father. Speaking of Gaara, he had been acting very strange lately; strange in the sense that he hadn't tried to kill anyone. It seemed that whatever Mito Uzumaki said to him after their fight must have impacted him a lot. If she saw the red-haired girl when they reached Konoha, she'd have to thank her.

She finally made it to the riverbank and couldn't help but noticed the way the moon reflected on the water. She filled the canteens but was in no rush to leave as she stayed crouched before the water and stared at her reflection. When observing her visage, she couldn't help but be reminded of her later mother. She closed her eyes in sadness and felt the bombardment of all the negative emotions that she had been fighting off for the last few months.

She stood up and started walking down the river while counting the stars that were above her. No matter how chaotic and ever changing her life was, the stars would always be in the sky, every evening. It didn't do much in regards to making her feel any better, but it was a start.

She was surprised when she noticed that she wasn't alone in the area. The speed in which she jumped into the nearby brush was pretty impressive, and she was revealed to discover that the other individual hadn't noticed her. He was young, probably around her brother's age, with blonde hair and beautiful pale skin. However, what caught her attention the most was that he was waist deep in the water cleaning himself. She wasn't able to see his lower body, but she could only assume that he was completely naked. This made he blush because while she was a hardened shinobi, she was still a growing girl. And the age difference didn't really matter when the boy was so beautiful.

He turned his body around, and she was able to see his face. She didn't think it was possible, but she blushed even more. It wasn't that he had an extremely cut build or anything; in fact, he was actually skinny and lean. However, his face was angelic and unlike anything she had ever seen before. He was so beautiful that he'd probably be mistaken for a woman if his hair was any longer. He could only be described as being inhumanly beautiful, as the moonlight shined directly on him.

"Why don't you join me?" he asked in a voice that was as elegant as his appearance. He didn't open his eyes as he addressed her and continued scrubbing his right shoulder.

Her first instinct was to flee, but she didn't want him to think she was some strange pervert, so she exited the brush and walked forward until she was standing at the edge of the riverbank. For once, she was too nervous to say anything, so she stayed silent.

"It's a beautiful evening," he said with a gentle smile. He opened his eyes to reveal the most beautiful cerulean orbs she had ever seen. "Are you enjoying it?"

"Y-Yes," she answered, cursing her nervousness as she stammered. She quickly removed her sandals and sat at the edge of the river and placed her feet in the water. Hopefully, this would help her to relax and stop making a fool of herself.

He turned back around, so he was no longer facing her and continued with his business. "What is troubling you?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Temari didn't know why, but she felt like she could vent a little bit to this person. She spent the next several minutes explaining how both her parent were dead, and how her brother had suffered immensely as a child, and the guilt she felt for not doing anything about it. Then she explained the sadness she felt at being unable to make any friends in her village due to her lineage. Only when she finished did she realize that she revealed so much to this stranger. He hadn't spoken at all during her mini-rant and just continued softly scrubbing himself. She thought that he was ignoring her before he finally spoke.

"It must be difficult for you," he said, turning over his shoulder and giving her a polite smile. "Clearly you have quite an immense amount of responsibility placed on your shoulders. You put so much effort into appearing unassailable in order to not worry those around you."

She was surprised by his comment, "How are you able to tell?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Your eyes," he explained. "People spend their entire lives crafting and projecting the image that they want people to see. However, you can see the true nature of a person when looking into their eyes."

Temari found herself plunged into even deeper thought after his words. Now that she thought about it, she supposed what he was saying was true. All her life she had been forced to look after herself while also taking care of her brothers. With all that going on, she couldn't afford to ever look weak or sad. Frankly, she was a little unnerved about how quickly this boy had just read her like a book. Was her facade of constant toughness obvious or was the angelic blonde in front of her just very perceptive?

"What brings you to the Land of Fire?" he asked her, keeping the conversation going.

She figured that there would be no adverse consequences in telling him, so she did, "We're on our way to Konohagakure no Sato. Hopefully, we'll be able to settle all that mess from the Chunin Exams."

Temari looked back up and was surprised to see that the blonde had disappeared. It was as if he had never been there in the first place; there weren't even any ripples in the water. She put her forehead in her hand and sighed heavily. How often would she be able to meet a caring and beautiful person like that? She had a feeling she'd regret not asking for his name for the rest of her life. He'd be the one that got away.

Naruto smiled to himself as he was standing deeper in the forest. It seemed that he and the Suna kunoichi were both going to the same place. However, he was confident that his reason for going to Konoha would be considered far less noble. Regardless, for the first time in years, he felt something stirring deep inside of him. Perhaps it was excitement? Because after all, he'd be meeting with his sister very soon.

He'd be giving her a great gift; the only gift a monster like him was capable of giving.

~Break~

He had never felt so weak in his entire life; not even the night of the Uchiha Massacre compared. At least then he was a young child who couldn't be expected to do much. However, now he had grown and matured as a person and a shinobi, and Itachi was still leagues ahead of him.

He was on his knees, gripping his wrist in extreme pain. He had attempted to kill his brother with the Chidori. However, it was easily blocked; and it got him a snapped wrist for his trouble. He didn't know how Mito was doing, but for once, he couldn't bring himself to care. All his attention was concentrated on the focus of all of his hatred.

Itachi didn't seem at all intimated by his gaze. In fact, it looked like his brother was looking at him like he was some kind of insect. Even in the Forest of Death when fighting Orochimaru, he didn't feel this hopeless. He had trained under Kakashi of the Sharingan and even a little bit under Jiraiya of the Sannin, and he was still outclassed. Itachi had never trained under such prestigious teachers.

"You're weak, Sasuke," Itachi stated plainly as if he were describing the weather.

Sasuke yelled in rage and rose to strike his brother in the face. However, he soon felt the wind knocked out of him as brother's fist was slammed into his gut. He couldn't see Itachi move, even with his Sharingan activated. Before he could attempt another attack, Itachi grabbed him by his neck and slammed him into a nearby building.

As Sasuke was being pressed into the wall, he was able to look in Mito's direction. The girl seemed terrified that her friend would be hurt. Thankfully, Jiraiya had arrived in time to prevent anything from happening to her. That was good, Sasuke was happy about that at least.

Itachi noticed how his focus had shifted to Mito and spoke, "Perhaps if you weren't so worried about her you'd be a little less pathetic." he criticized tonelessly, "I told you to bask in hatred, and yet, it looks like you focused more on playing with friends."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at his brother's words. Was Itachi right? Did he lack in ability because he focused too much on friendship? Sasuke immediately banished those thoughts from his mind, he wouldn't allow himself to be led along by his brother anymore.

"Perhaps you need a reminder," Itachi drawled, adding more pressure to the hold on his brother's neck. His eyes shifted into the Mangekyo, and he gazed into Sasuke's less mature Sharingan eyes.

Sasuke was transferred to a place that he remembered very well. This was the genjutsu Itachi had tortured him with all those years ago. He looked down at himself and saw that he was in his seven-year-old body. His gaze was forced back up with he saw his now deceased family walking through the Uchiha District; walking around him as if they couldn't see him. He tried to warn them, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Shuriken were launched into his aunt and uncle, and they were left as heaps on the ground. He continued to watch as Itachi proceeded to annihilate any and all Uchiha that attempted to stop him. Sasuke could only scream, the same way he cried all those years ago.

Before he could even blink, he was now standing in his old family home. He looked down and saw Itachi standing over his kneeling parents with a katana in hand.

"Mother! Father!" Sasuke shouted, already knowing what was going to happen.

Itachi swung the blade and cut into his parents as if they were livestock. Sasuke could only watch in silent horror as his parents bled to death on the floor.

"Why are you so weak? Why aren't you helping us?"

He was shocked when his mother's corpse began speaking to him. She unnaturally twisted her neck and looked directly into his eyes. She was crying tears of pain and sadness, but to his horror, her eyes turned red, and the tears turned to streams of blood.

"You're no man," she growled in anger. Before she could continue the scene changed once again, and he was back where he began. He was forced to watch Itachi murder their entire clan and then his parents over and over and over and over; it was driving him mad. Each time his dead parents would make separate insulting comment to him; usually about how weak and pathetic he was.

Just when he thought it would never end, he was brought to the Uchiha training grounds. He was shocked when he saw Naruto Uzumaki appear in front of him. He immediately remembered this as the time the Uzumaki boy had randomly spoken to him seven years ago. The blonde boy opened his mouth and some of the things he said in the past echoed through Sasuke's head.

"Is it not better to be prepared for the worst? If you are always prepared for the worst, you'll never be disappointed, and you can only ever be pleasantly surprised."

"I can feel it flowing off of you. The immense desire to succeed, and the equally immense fear of failure. Why exist to meet the standards of others? Why not exist simply for yourself?"

"I hope that those people you care about never disappoint you, because then what would you have, other than yourself and a bunch of empty dreams?"

These were all things Naruto said during their first meeting. Now that he had experienced the painful betrayal of his brother, these words had a deeper meaning to him. If he had never put so much faith in Itachi, would he have been so heartbroken at his brother's betrayal? His thoughts then shifted to what Naruto said last; the most impactful of the three statements.

He had been disappointed by a person that he loved, and he was then left alone with a bunch of empty dreams. It was as if Mito's brother could see the future. However, he was soon shocked when Mito appeared, standing between him and Naruto.

She gave him that smile he loved so much, and he feared what would happen to her. She didn't seem to notice that her brother was behind her and gave Sasuke a friendly wave. Shockingly, Naruto's arms wrapped around the girl and he began dragging her towards his mouth, which had widened into an inhuman gaping maw. Sasuke watched in shocked silence as Mito was consumed by her brother in one bite.

Naruto's arms then stretched out, and he proceeded to devour everything in sight. Nothing seemed to escape the blonde boy's insatiable hunger. Eventually, he and Sasuke were left alone, floating in a vacuum of nothingness. Naruto had consumed everything in existence.

The blonde boy smiled at Sasuke as if nothing had happened and said, "Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large."

Before he could be tormented any further, his eyes fluttered open, and he was back in reality. He immediately heard an agonized scream and quickly realized that it was his. He had spent what felt like days in that hell hole his brother created just for him. However, what stuck with him the most, was the last vision.

Unlike the other things his brother had shown him, the vision of Naruto only appeared once, and it was the very last thing he saw. Once he was able to think with a bit more clarity, he recognized the words Naruto said right before he woke up. 'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large.' he thought to himself.

Kakashi had told him about the mysterious murders of the ANBU that were guarding him while he was incapacitated in the Tower of the Forest of Death. Apparently, while Sasuke was unconscious someone killed the guards, posed their bodies, and wrote something on the wall with their blood. The very phrase Naruto uttered was what the killer had written on the wall.

'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large.' Sasuke thought to himself one last time. Was Itachi trying to tell him that Naruto was responsible for the murders? Regardless, the message was clear; Naruto was dangerous.

He felt his vision becoming spotty and realized that he was falling asleep. The mental exhaustion caused by his torture likely resulted in his brain feeling as though it needed to shut off his consciousness; for his own safety. The last thing he saw before fading into darkness was his brother and the shark-like man fleeing from Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The last thing he felt was utter self-loathing.

~Break~

Their search had brought them all the way to the Land of Rivers. Through the use of reliable sources of information, they were able to track the movements of their target, Zaki Takejiro. It helped that Kakashi was able to follow the man's scent. He had Pakkun sniff a piece of Takejiro's clothing before they left. After the small dog was able to find the trail, they were off. Kakashi just hoped they got there before the enemy did.

Kakashi and Ibiki were both elite-jonin, so they were able to maintain a blistering pace for an extended period of time. However, they needed to be very careful since they were no longer in the Land of Fire. The rights that they possessed in the Fire Country did not apply in the Land of Rivers. If they were accused of a crime, they would not be granted a trial and would face imprisonment or death.

The fear of death was the last thing on Kakashi's mind. He felt his skin tingle in anticipation; he was closer than ever to finding the truth. All those years ago, when he learned that his father had died while investigating the same conspiracy, he decided to make this his life mission. To know that such an evil had toiled within Fire Country and Konoha for so long, likely right under Hokage-sama's nose, lit a flame in him. Finally, when realizing that his sensei's son, Naruto, had suffered due to these evil men, it was the final straw. He would put an end to this, even if it were the last thing he ever did.

"He's here," Pakkun said as they stopped in front of a small, almost desolate village. Their travel speed shifted to a slow walk as they followed Kakashi's personal summon to their target. The miniature pug had his nose towards the ground as they moved forward. However, his head suddenly snapped up, and he looked towards Kakashi. "His scent is mixed with blood."

Two Konoha jonin looked to one another and sprinted towards their destination. They soon found what they were looking for in the form of a large, tattered, barn. They both armed themselves with kunai and prepared to breach the door. Kakashi swung the door open, and the two elite-jonin darted through the doorway, prepared for anything. However, there was nobody inside to attempt to attack them; there was only a bloodied man tied to a chair.

"He's still alive," Pakkun alerted. "I can hear his heartbeat."

Kakashi thanked his dog-summon, and the animal dispelled. He and Ibiki approached the man with caution, not knowing if he was pretending to be asleep. Ibiki was able to notice through his expertise of torture that this man had, in fact, been interrogated. He also perfectly fit the description of the man they were looking for. Kakashi placed his hand on the elderly man's shoulder and jolted him awake with chakra.

"W-What?!" Takejiro said as he was forced back into conciseness. "I told you everything you-" however, a surprised look graced his face as he saw that there were two Konoha shinobi standing before him. "Who are you? Are you here to help me?"

"That depends," Ibiki answered, not seeming sympathetic to the man before him. "Are you Zaki Takejiro, former Director of Orphanage 8?"

Zaki lowered his head in resigned sadness, as if he accepted his fate, "Yes, that is me. I suppose you're here to kill me?"

"That also depends," Kakashi said in a laid back tone. "We have some questions to ask you; and while were above torture, we aren't above executing you for violating the rights of innocent children."

"What do you want to know?" Takejiro said, sounding oddly unafraid.

"We'd like to know," Kakashi said, pausing in the middle of his sentence. "The identity of the monster. I'm sure you know who we're referring to."

The man chuckled mirthlessly as if he were expecting that question, "Know who you're referring to?" Takejiro asked sarcastically. "Who do you think I've been running from all this time? Who do you think is responsible for me being tied to this chair?"

"He put you here?" Ibiki asked, tensing at the idea that the person they'd been hunting for was in the area.

"No," Takejiro clarified, much to the two jonin's disappointment. "But the person who did works for him."

"Who is he? Who is the monster?" Kakashi practically demanded. Today would be the day he'd learn the truth.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Everything froze for Kakashi as he finally heard the answer he had been traversing Fire Country for. Sadly, it wasn't nearly close to being the answer to he wanted. Minato-sensei's son? That was impossible, it must be a lie. However, when he looked into Takejiro's eyes, he knew that it was the truth. Through his years of experience, he had become skilled at reading people, and he could tell that it was not a lie. Such a stunning revelation left him feeling sick.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Ibiki asked, oblivious to Kakashi's internal suffering. "Wouldn't he only be thirteen-years-old at the moment?"

Takejiro laughed once more before, "Setting him to the standards of ordinary human beings is pointless. That child was destined for greatness the moment he was conceived. Never before has a child been born with a greater intellect. Not to mention he's the type of prodigy that appears once in a millennium. Ordinary people like you and me have no hope of understanding him."

Takejiro continued after letting his earlier statement sink in, "The kid toppled my facility without even lifting a finger. He built on the hatred of the other child occupants and played on their paranoia and fear. He released a fear mongering story that put them on edge, and they all slaughtered each other, and he sat at the top of the main stairway and watched. He gazed upon the suffering of others and felt content."

"It's because of you and your sick experiments!" Kakashi snapped. "If you hadn't messed with his mind, he'd be a healthy boy, and a lot of people would still be alive!"

"My experiments?" Takejiro asked with a short bark of laughter. "No, I could never hope of creating a masterpiece as perfect as him. He was a monster before I ever met him; a monster from the very beginning." The look in Takejiro's eyes did well to show just how far gone the man was psychologically, "And you speak of the prevention of death? You act like that boy is the only person in this world that kills. If I'm not mistaken, your profession centers around murder; you spend your entire lives learning how to kill. Animals kill one another for survival and food; however, murder is a human concept, it existed long before Naruto Uzumaki, and it will exist long after. Well, if he leaves anything standing, that is."

"Do you know what he said to me once?" Takejiro asked before Kakashi could retort. "He said that hatred is born when people come together and that humanity is destined to destroy itself. He want's to be the last person standing at the end of the world."

Kakashi was left in a stunned silence. He thought that when he discovered the identity of the killer, he'd spitting out question after question. But now, he almost wished he had never learned the truth.

"It's a shame," Takejiro continued with a disappointed shake of his head. "To let such a perfect being slip from my-"

Before he could finish his statement, a literal shadow rose from the ground and impaled him through the chest. Ibiki and Kakashi were on guard when they recognized the jutsu. 'A Nara?' Kakashi thought to himself, confused.

Ibiki saw a blank white mask mixed with the shadows of the top corner of the barn and launched a handful of kunai in that direction. A figure cloaked in black darted out of the way and landed on the floor in front of the entrance. The figure was cloaked from head to toe, so there was no hope in attempting to identify him. The shadowy man tilted his head, like a curious animal, and many more shadows rose from ground, all coiled in preparation to pierce that two Konoha jonin.

"Those are definitely Nara Clan techniques," Ibiki observed. "However, there aren't any Nara's listed in the Bingo Book as missing-nin."

Soon after his comment, Ibiki was forced to jump back as a giant claw-like hand formed from shadow attempted to eviscerate him. When he landed on the ground a few feet behind him, he heard a loud 'click' noise. He looked down, but before he could do anything, he was caught in an explosion.

Kakashi glanced at the blast and then drew a handful of shuriken from his pouch and threw them at his opponent with practiced efficiency. They were thrown in a way that would attack the mysterious Nara from multiple angles; only those extremely skilled in shurikenjutsu were able to make such a throw.

Before the shuriken could strike, thin shadow tendrils caught them mid-air. In a move Kakashi should've predicted ahead of time, the tendrils sent the shuriken back to their sender. Kakashi was forced to twist his body to dodge the spinning blades of death, but when he landed, he found he couldn't move. He soon saw that his shadow was connected to that of his enemies.

The creepy masked shinobi only stared silently at the man he had captured. However, much to Kakashi's surprise, dozens upon dozens of paper bombs revealed themselves to be coating the walls of the barn. So, Takejiro being so easy to find was a trap? Figures.

"He wants you dead, Kakashi-san," the masked man said, his voice sounded more like that of a ghost's.

The paper bombs began to burn, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his opponent, who didn't seem to be in a rush to escape. "You intend for us both to die here?" he asked casually as if he wasn't afraid of his predicament.

"I am simply one of many, and therefore, am disposable," the shadow user responded. "However, you are one of the only two people investigating matters that don't concern you. The need for you to die is paramount, and I shall do so by any means necessary."

The tags were nearly completely burned and the moment of his death seemed imminent. However, before Kakashi could gather what would probably be his last thoughts, he felt two hands rise from the ground and grab hold of his ankles. He was quickly dragged under the earth, and he felt the tremors created by the explosion above.

When he was pulled back out of the ground, he was a few hundred feet away from the now destroyed barn. He looked towards the person who rescued him and was pleasantly surprised. Apparently, Ibiki managed to survive his brush with death as well. The man had some slight burn marks on his clothes, but other than that he was fine. The two men looked back towards the barn, and Kakashi wondered if their assailant had died in the blast.

"He escaped," Ibiki said as if he could read Kakashi's mind. Considering how skilled Ibiki was at reading people, he wouldn't be surprised if the man could. "When he realized that I had saved you I guess he decided that staying in the blast radius would be pointless." Ibiki noted, "He is very evasive, it wouldn't shock me if he specializes in stealth and assassination."

"I would have died, Ibiki," Kakashi commented, off topic." But you saved my life, I appreciate it."

"You're the one who's going to catch this mastermind killer," Ibiki said. "The same man that killed Anko; and I intend for you and me to survive until we see it through."

"That 'mastermind killer' has a name," Kakashi corrected, downtrodden by the news. "As awful as it is to accept, we can't ignore this new information."

"I'm beginning to notice a trend of young prodigies turning out to be psychotic killers," Ibiki said, obviously alluding to Itachi Uchiha, and now, Naruto Uzumaki.

Kakashi was too depressed at the news to laugh at the admittedly funny comment. Had he been more perky enough, he'd of definitely been a little concerned about Ibiki making a joke; the guy was typically a brick wall. He began examining his body and noticed quite a few deep gash marks. He supposed that was to be expected when one gets dragged hundreds of feet through the hard earth. However, cuts were definitely better than being killed in an explosion, so he wasn't complaining. He'd need to clean his wounds so they wouldn't get infected, and some rest would be good too.

It seemed like it'd be a few days before they returned to Konoha.

~End~