Okay all, here's the next chapter of Hearts Torn In Two. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and added me to their faves and alerts lists. I very much appreciate it.
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Hearts Torn In Two.
Chapter Ten – The Long Lonely Road.
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Hijiri was sat playing with the younger children. They all seemed quite down, and with his parents away on a mission, this was the best he could do for them. As it got darker, Hijiri wasn't happy to realise that Mikoto hadn't returned from the academy yet. Hijiri saw Minato and Kushina looking quite disturbed. "What's going on you two? Have you seen Mikoto?" Hijiri asked. The pair shook their heads.
"No, Hi-Chan we haven't seen her since we left the academy. She was doing some extra kunai practise and she said she'd come home after us. But she hasn't come back yet." Kushina answered. Minato nodded his agreement to his twin's statement. Hijiri felt that something wasn't right as he told the twins to stay with the younger children, and to inform Hana and Itachi that he was looking for Mikoto when they got home. The one night Hana and Itachi were both late with paperwork duties, had to be the one night someone disappeared. Hijiri would've laughed at the irony but he was more worried than amused by his Uncle's situation.
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Hana and Itachi both wanted to sleep when they got back to the Uchiha compound. When they walked into the main house, there were a whole bunch of children to greet them, but there was no Hijiri, no Hisoka and no Mikoto. "Where are your Satanic Spawn brothers?" Itachi directed his question to Kushina.
"Hisoka hasn't been home at all today. Hijiri told me to tell you that he was out looking for Mikoto when you got back. He hasn't been gone too long. I think he's just worried because she didn't come back yet." Kushina replied. Itachi felt a knot of dread pull at his insides. Hana felt a rising wave of unease.
"I'll go and search as well. If Hijiri comes back tell him I'll check in at the house every hour. When Hisoka gets back tell him what's happened." Itachi said.
"I'll be searching too. I'm sorry that you have to look after all the kids Kushina." Hana said softly. Kushina shook her head, some of the strands of red freeing from her braid.
"It's okay Auntie Hana. I'm worried about Mikoto-Chan too." Kushina stated.
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Hijiri was running around, searching every place that Mikoto usually went. He went to the Ramen stand first, but found it was about to close and that the owner, old Teuchi, hadn't seen hide nor hair of Mikoto. Hijiri then knocked on Kimi's door. The woman smiled comfortingly at Hijiri and she did her best to try and calm him, but Kimi, nor her husband, nor Haru or Kai, had seen Mikoto either. Hijiri then went to Anko and Kakashi's home and knocked. The door opened only for Anko and Kakashi to be there. "Sorry to bother you Anko-Sensei, Kakashi-San, but have either of you, or Obito, seen my little cousin Mikoto?" Hijiri asked. Anko frowned as Kakashi raised a brow.
"I haven't seen her since early this morning when Obito walked with her, Kushina and Minato to the academy." Anko replied thoughtfully.
"I'm sorry Hijiri but I haven't seen her either." Kakashi answered calmly.
"Obito-kun?" Anko called. The three tails Jinchuriki came out of what Hijiri knew was the living room.
"What's wrong Mum?" Obito asked.
"Have you seen Mikoto since the academy today?" Anko asked.
"No Mum. She said she was staying to do extra target practise and I walked with the twins as far as here, and they went home. Mikoto said she'd be home before sundown. Didn't she come back?" Obito directed his last comment at Hijiri.
"No, she didn't come home Obito. We're really worried." Hijiri replied. Obito's eyes flashed that eerie yellow again.
"It'll be alright Obito. I'm sure that Itachi and Hana are already out looking too. I'm sure she probably lost track of time." Anko told the boy. He didn't look convinced, but he seemed to be calming down, and the eerie yellow seemed to have disappeared again.
"I'll get going. I'll let you know when we find her okay? I'll send one of my summons." Hijiri said. Obito nodded and Hijiri knew as he took off looking again, that Obito would wait all night for a response.
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Itachi found himself at the academy rather quickly. Everything was locked up, of course, but the target practise area was usually well lit and left for students to practise whenever they felt it necessary. There was no sign of Mikoto there. Itachi felt something brush against his leg and looked down at Sir Chocolate. "Maybe Hijiri really is training you to be a ninja cat." Itachi murmured. Sir Chocolate looked up at him sadly, questioningly, almost. "If I knew where Mikoto was, then I'd tell you. Satanic Cat." Itachi muttered. He carried on walking around, hoping to catch sight of his daughter, while Sir Chocolate followed along behind him.
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Hana found herself at the Inuzuka compound. She hoped that maybe Mikoto had decided to come and visit her cousins for a little while. It was a slim hope but it was the first thing she thought of. Hana knocked on the door, and it was Naruko who answered. The girl had her straight, dark hair, very like Hinata's, tied into two pigtails at the sides of her head. Her strange eyes stared at Hana for a moment. "Auntie Hana? What's up?" Naruko asked. A big smile crossed her face. Isamu also appeared not a moment later.
"Come in Auntie Hana." Isamu said cheerfully to his Aunt.
"Who's at the door Isamu?" Hana heard Kiba call as she stepped into the entryway.
"It's Auntie Hana!" Naruko answered. Isamu glared at his little sister before grabbing the girl in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles against her scalp. She squealed and struggled as Isamu started tickling her. That was when Kiba appeared.
"Sis? What's going on?" Kiba asked. He knew his older sister very well. He knew she wouldn't have come to disturb them, after she'd just finished a mission, unless it was important.
"Mikoto is missing. I was hoping that she'd come here to see Isamu and Naruko and just… lost track of time." Hana pleaded. Kiba shook his head.
"We haven't seen her sis. I'm so sorry. You want some help looking for her?" Kiba asked.
"Itachi and Hijiri are out looking. I guess another set of eyes wouldn't hurt." Hana replied.
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Hijiri checked back into the house after an hour, only to find that Hisoka hadn't come back home yet. "Are you sure he didn't maybe just sneak into his room Kushina?" Hijiri asked.
"You could ask me the same question Aniki!" Minato exclaimed unhappily.
"Yeah but you're usually too distracted playing with the other kids to listen out for that." Hijiri replied. Minato pouted petulantly and Hijiri couldn't help grinning and ruffling his little brother's blond hair affectionately. After all, Minato was a carbon copy of their dad, just younger, and it was hard to cope with those big, blue, puppy eyes when he turned them on you. At least that was how the family felt. For some reason puppy eyes did not work on their Dad. He was the only one you couldn't guilt trip into letting you off. "I know you'd notice if it was a stranger Minato, but you barely notice if it's one of us." Hijiri placated. Minato nodded and ginned, then went back to playing with the smaller children.
"I didn't hear anything Aniki but maybe, like Minato, I'm just used to Hisoka sneaking in the window." Kushina told her brother. Hijiri nodded and went up to Hisoka's room, hoping that his brother was there. However, when he looked in the room, he noticed that the drawers and wardrobe were open. He noticed that some of Hisoka's clothing, the more durable and well worn things, were missing. Hijiri also noted that all of Hisoka's ninja equipment was gone and a horrible feeling of dread coiled in his stomach and clenched at his heart, like acid eating away at his insides. Now he realised there was one place he hadn't gone to search for Mikoto, and that was only road out of the village. Within moments he was gone.
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Itachi met Hana and Kiba at the Uchiha compound. "You haven't found anything?" Itachi asked. But he knew the answer. There was no sign of Mikoto. Hana shook her head, tears glistened in her eyes but didn't fall.
"We've searched through all the training grounds, even the one here in the Uchiha compound. We've knocked on the door of every person Mikoto knows. Not a trace." Kiba replied.
"Hijiri said he's going to check the road out of the village." The trio looked at Kushina, who'd opened the door and looked at them. The young girl looked upset. "Hisoka is gone too. All his stuff is gone." Kushina added sadly. Itachi could see that his niece had been crying, there were tear streaks along her face, which the academy student swiped at angrily, trying to hide her upset.
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Hijiri had come to the only road out of the village, and found that the place was deserted. He walked along slowly, until he noticed a flash of dark hair, fluttering in the breeze. Hijiri ran over and knelt down next to the bench where he saw Mikoto lying. "Mikoto. Come on Mikoto. Wake up kiddo." Hijiri said gently. He gently tapped her face and the eleven-year-old started fluttering her eyelashes. "Mikoto talk to me." Hijiri said more urgently. Mikoto groaned weakly.
"My head hurts. Where's Hisoka Aniki?" Mikoto groaned out groggily.
"What do you mean Mikoto? Was Hisoka with you?" Hijiri asked.
"Yeah. He was leaving. I wanted to say goodbye. He hugged me real tight. I couldn't even breathe. He told me he loved me, and then I don't really remember after that." Mikoto said softly. Hijiri picked up Mikoto and carried her to the hospital. He sent one of his summons to tell Itachi and Hana what was happening. After all, they needed to know their daughter was safe. But Hijiri knew that Hisoka would never really hurt Mikoto. He was only taking her to the hospital because Mikoto seemed very groggy, and Hijiri wanted to make sure that she was fine.
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Later that evening, when Hana, Itachi and Kiba had arrived at the hospital and Tsunade had checked Mikoto over. The group were gathered around the bed of a sleeping Mikoto. "Hijiri, what did Mikoto tell you about how this happened?" Tsunade asked. Hijiri was trembling as he answered.
"Hisoka knocked her out. It seems… it seems that he's left the village." Hijiri said. His voice was shaking and he hated himself for saying it. He knew they would send Anbu looking for Hisoka, and he was worried about what would happen. At least his brother would be bought back. At least, Hijiri hoped so.
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One week later, Naruto and Sasuke had just made it back into the village, after their latest mission. Things seemed different when they arrived. For one thing, Itachi and Tsunade were at the gate to greet them. "What's going on Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked.
"Aniki?" Sasuke asked Itachi. Both looked away.
"It's not one of the kids is it? What happened? Tell me no one got hurt?" Naruto shot out.
"Hisoka has defected." Itachi replied softly. Both Sasuke and Naruto stared at Itachi incredulously.
"No! That's impossible! Hisoka is loyal to this village! He wants to head up the interrogation squad one day! His whole family is here and he loves us! Why would he defect?" Naruto yelled.
"Naruto." Tsunade tried to calm him down. Naruto glared.
"No! This is some twisted ass joke right? It's not funny Baa-Chan! What the hell is going on?" Naruto yelled. Sasuke couldn't speak. His hands clenched into fists. Despite everything, he knew that Itachi would never make such a joke and neither would Tsunade. Hisoka had left the village.
"Naruto let's listen to what happened." Sasuke told his husband softly. Naruto was shaking. When Sasuke looked at him, he saw that there were tears streaking down Naruto's face.
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As they listened to what had happened, Naruto and Sasuke waited for Tsunade to tell them one thing. Who had gone looking for their son? Everything felt wrong, as Naruto waited to hear what happened. "I sent Anbu to find him. Sai joined the group, along with Kiba. Itachi was in another Anbu group." Tsunade answered their silent questions.
"I just got back today. There's no trace. Hisoka learned from the best ninja this village has to offer, he knows how to hide his tracks. We're waiting for the second group to come back. But Neji and Hana were with me and we found no trace." Itachi told his brother and brother-in-law sadly.
"We can't just give up on him." Naruto whispered.
"We're not giving up on him." Sasuke said.
"I don't know why he'd knock Mikoto out and just leave her there. He loves Mikoto, like he loves all the kids." Naruto stated.
"It's because he loves Mikoto that he knocked her out." The group turned to look at Hijiri.
"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked Hijiri gently.
"If he wanted to leave and Mikoto came upon him, and he didn't care about her at all. He would have killed her outright. He would've hidden her, and we'd still be searching for her, none the wiser, until we finally started using ninja hounds. However, he just knocked her out, and left her on the third bench down, before the gates. She wasn't hurt, she wasn't hidden. Anyone could have walked past and seen her, she was easy to find if we knew where to look. He does care. I think… I think he's just not getting over what happened to Kohana and…" Hijiri trailed off. He didn't like to think about what had happened to Kohana either.
"He's been disillusioned. He doesn't know what to do with himself, and running away is something that appeals, when you don't know if the ideals you grew up with are right or not." Itachi finished. Hijiri, Naruto, Sasuke and Tsunade stared at Itachi. "Hisoka wouldn't talk to anyone. He can't get over the death of his teammate. There isn't very much we could do to help him. It's more likely that he left so that he could find out what he believes in." Itachi added. Hijiri nodded.
"Uncle Itachi is probably right. It doesn't make this any easier." Hijiri concurred.
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Three months later, Hisoka was in water country. Things were different for him now. Being on the road hadn't changed his feelings. He was wearing a fox shaped mask as he crept through the small town. After all, he was a rogue ninja now, and took missions to make money to eat. He'd snuck into the compound of Lord Shukio of the land of water, He wasn't the Daimiyo. Hisoka wouldn't take jobs involving the Daimiyos. However, this man was evil. He'd had his daughter and her fiancé killed for the fact that the man was poor and his daughter had disobeyed him. Now his own son was hiring Hisoka as an assassin. Being an assassin was something Hisoka could deal with easily now. He could hurt people. He'd been hurt, so he didn't see the difference. Of course, his first assassination mission, two weeks after he'd left Konoha, had made him sick to his stomach, but now it was routine. He snuck into the room of Lord Shukio with ease. There were no Shinobi protecting this compound. Of course there weren't. This man thought he was safe no matter what. Hisoka found the man in bed. A young girl sat at the side of the bed weeping. Hisoka could see her clothes were torn. She was barely the same age as Mikoto or Kushina. Hisoka felt sick. The mask on his face didn't cover his eyes, that shone like onyx. He looked at the girl with kindness. "What's your name?" He whispered.
"Asuka." The girl whispered back.
"You should leave. Head to Konoha. The people there are kind and will look after you. No one will hurt you there. They'll protect you." Hisoka whispered.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm the Blood Fox. You don't need to be scared of me. Only the evil do." Hisoka whispered back. The girl nodded, tears still streaking down her cheeks as she ran out of the room. Hisoka pulled out his sword, his eyes twisted into the Mangekyo Sharingan. He prodded the man with its edge and the man's eyes shot awake at the sharp dig. Before he could scream, Hisoka smirked under his mask. "Tsukiyomi." Hisoka whispered. After only a few seconds, Lord Shukio was a shivering, weeping wreck.
"Please kill me." The man begged, tears streaming from his eyes. Living horror etched within his soul.
"Of course." Hisoka whispered. He bought his sword down, straight through the man's heart. The next morning, when the guards came to check on their lord, they were horrified to see he had been run through. But what horrified them even more were their lord's eyes. They were filled with horrors that none of them could imagine. On the wall, painted in blood was a message.
Tell your new leader to be better than this coward or it could mean the difference in me taking or refusing his assassination request!
The son of Lord Shukio felt his hands tremble, as he looked at the message, and decided to make sure to be a good leader. Not that that wasn't the plan before, but he feared what the boy he'd hired had done to his father. He didn't want to be in the same position.
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One week later, a young girl crept through the gates of Konoha. It was dark and night time. She walked through the gates and with the last coin she had she wanted to find some sort of food. She saw a small bar, which she could smell served food. She walked in. Her lank, light brown hair hung down her back in a messy ponytail. Her eyes, dull with sadness, were a very light blue, as she walked in to the bar. A friendly old man was behind the bar. A young woman was with him. "Hello there. Are you new to Konoha?" The old man asked. The girl nodded shyly. Before she could say anymore, she passed out and fell to the ground.
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Hisoka found himself in Wind country. He was hidden under a black cloak, his fox mask in a side pouch. He was eating something in an inn that he'd decided to stay at. He was waiting for a contact to find him. After all, going to meet anyone at all, was far too dangerous. He'd be walking into someone's home turf. That was not how he did things. He was called smart for a reason. It wasn't just about the IQ. "Are you the Blood Fox?" Someone asked next to him. He allowed his eyes to scan over the person who'd spoken. A woman. She seemed to be in her late teens, early twenties at a stretch. She dressed down, but the way she carried herself gave her away as nobility of some kind. He had been told to expect a woman with light brown hair. He checked over her quickly, using Sharingan, he couldn't see or sense any genjutsu or traps set about this woman. No illusionary techniques either. He turned to face the woman.
"Who wants to know?" He asked.
"I'm the rebellious cub." The woman whispered. Hisoka smirked, not that he could be seen within the depths of the black hood. That was the code name he'd been told to listen out for.
"Then you've found the Blood Fox. I'm sure we have business to discuss." Hisoka said seriously. The woman nodded and the pair left the room.
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As soon as the child had fainted, Teuchi had rushed to the house, next door to his stand and knocked on the purple door. Kimi opened up not even fifteen seconds later. "There's a little girl in my ramen stand. She's collapsed. She didn't even get to say her name. Poor kid." Teuchi told Kimi quickly. Kimi nodded and came to the stand, to see the child on the floor. Ayame was next to her, brushing the child's hair from her forehead. Kimi checked her over and then looked at Teuchi and Ayame.
"I need to get her to the hospital. Her injuries are horrible and I'd rather be at the hospital if something goes wrong." Kimi stated firmly. That was when Hijiri appeared in the stand.
"Oh my God! What happened to the kid?" Hijiri asked.
"She just came in here and collapsed." Teuchi related quickly.
"Did she say anything?" Hijiri asked. Teuchi shook his head.
"I asked her if she was new here and she nodded. Then she collapsed." Teuchi replied. Hijiri picked the small child up.
"We'll get her to the hospital, shall we Aunt Kimi?" Hijiri asked softly. Kimi nodded and the pair walked out.
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Hisoka sat on his bed, once he entered his room in the inn. Before he spoke to his 'guest' he made the signs for silencing jutsus. He knew there was no way he could allow others to overhear his business discussions. It was bad for him, bad for the customer and bad for his revenue. "So what is it that you want from me Rebellious Cub?" Hisoka asked.
"My name is Noriko Shubiri, I need something that I'm not sure you can do." The woman replied.
"Tell me what it is first, Miss Shubiri." Hisoka said flatly.
"My little brother is eleven years old. He was snatched from my family compound a few nights ago. We've received a letter proclaiming that he is dead. I don't believe this is true." Noriko told Hisoka.
"What makes you suspicious?" Hisoka asked.
"My Uncle runs our family affairs at the moment. The deaths of my parents made him the sole guardian of my brother and I." Noriko replied.
"You believe your Uncle is behind this kidnapping?" Hisoka asked.
"Yes. When my brother turns eighteen he takes the reins of the family in hand. I've been his tutor, as my father and mother tutored me. In nine days he is supposed to sign a legal document declaring that he understands the responsibilities for which he has been taught. However in the event that my brother cannot make it to this signing, my Uncle gets to keep hold of the family business until my brother is twenty five." Noriko replied.
"So why do you think he's alive? Why would your Uncle not just kill him?" Hisoka asked.
"Because should it ever be found out that he'd done such a thing, then he would be executed immediately, by the law of our family. As it is, if he has had my brother taken and it is found out, he will no longer be able to carry on manning the family business." Noriko replied.
"And let me guess. In that event, you would be the sole guardian." Hisoka commented. Noriko nodded.
"I would be guardian until my brother comes of age. But I want him to have his rightful place. He has worked hard and earned the right to try. I never wanted to run my family's affairs. In actual fact, I wished to marry someone who lives in Suna. But I won't leave my brother all alone until he's old enough to look after himself." Noriko added.
"How old are you exactly Miss Shubiri?" Hisoka asked.
"I'm eighteen myself. In nine days time, my brother will be twelve. That's why the day is specific. At the age of twelve, my brother would be an adult in a ninja village, but he has a right to decide whether or not he will be ready for his responsibilities or whether he'd like more time." Noriko told Hisoka. Hisoka nodded.
"So what you want from me, is for me to find out the truth, behind your brother's disappearance and to bring him back to you if possible." Hisoka commented. Noriko nodded.
"I'm willing to pay you all the money I have in this world, to do this job for me." Noriko replied. Hisoka watched as Noriko placed a large money bag on the table. Hisoka picked it up.
"How much is in here exactly?" Hisoka asked.
"Five hundred thousand yen. It's everything I have in the world. But I would give it a thousand times over to save my brother." Noriko said firmly. Her stance was calm. Hisoka nodded as he gave the bag back to her.
"Count me out one hundred thousand. I'm not inclined to take someone's last penny." Hisoka stated. Noriko gave Hisoka a smile.
"Thank you." She told him.
"I need to know your brother's name. I don't think he'll take kindly to me otherwise." Hisoka said. Noriko smiled.
"My brother's name is Nobu." Noriko replied.
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When the child woke up, Tsunade and Kimi were sat beside her. "Can I ask your name, little one?" Kimi asked gently.
"M-m-my n-n-name is Asuka." The child said softly.
"What bought you here with all the injuries you had Asuka?" Tsunade asked gently.
"A man called the Blood Fox told me that I would be safe here. He killed my master. He was an evil man." Asuka said shakily.
"Who was evil Asuka?" Kimi asked.
"My master. But the other man, he was kind. He didn't hurt me, and he told me that Konoha was a safe place, and to go here and no one would hurt me." Asuka replied.
"We will do our best to keep you safe here Asuka. Do you have any family?" Tsunade asked. Asuka shook her head.
"No ma'am. The master bought me at a slave market. I don't know if anyone is alive from my family anymore." Asuka answered sadly. Tsunade sighed.
"Do you know what this 'Blood Fox' looked like Asuka?" Tsunade asked.
"He had gold hair, it stuck out over the top of his mask. And his eyes were really black. Like the night sky." Asuka replied. Tsunade and Kimi both felt something clench at their hearts, recognising Hisoka's description straight away. Both women had the same thought running through their minds.
"At least Hisoka is safe…"
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Four days later, Hisoka trailed through the deserts of Wind Country. He knew better than to not have a plan. He was following the tracks he could find. He made sure to get information from informants that he either bribed or tortured for information. Soon he found himself outside of Wind country and in Rain Country. He climbed into the mountains that seemed to cut Wind and Rain off from each other. He still had five days left to get the boy back to his sister. He climbed up to the fourth cave. That was where he'd been told, some men kept a captive child. Once he got to the cave, he was determined to find the boy. Even if he only found a body, at least his sister would know what had happened to him. He decided to find a spot near the cave and get some sleep. He'd need to be well rested, just in case these captors were more than mercenaries.
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Naruto found himself over at the hospital. He looked at the small child carefully. "How old is she Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked.
"She says that she's ten. But she's so tiny. Probably due to malnutrition and illness. But she is getting better. She's responded to the treatments we've given her and she's doing well. I'd say she'll be fine in another week. But I have no idea where she will live. The orphanage is not really somewhere I can put this child. She needs special care and attention. She needs to be loved and looked after… after all she's been through." Tsunade told Naruto.
"You think Hisoka sent her here." Naruto said.
"I'm almost certain. Golden hair that spikes up, black eyes that she saw through his red fox mask. If I had been there myself I'd have identified him. But I wasn't. It's just an instinct." Tsunade replied. Naruto nodded.
"I'll talk to Sasuke and Itachi, and see if we can keep her with us. Hisoka wanted this child to be protected. The least we can do is protect her." Naruto stated. Tsunade nodded her understanding.
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Later that night, it was close to midnight, as Hisoka slipped into the dark cave. His Sharingan activated so that he could see within the dark confines of the stone walls. He listened out carefully for any noise and heard a soft snoring. He carried on towards it, and with luck, he found the mercenaries sleeping. He could tell they were mercenaries. None of them had a headband and none of them exuded much chakra. Hisoka smirked to himself. Then he saw a smaller form, huddled close to one of the walls. He could tell the form was not sleeping. Hisoka crept over and found himself face to face with a boy, who had jet black hair. The boy's eyes widened as he saw Hisoka, who placed a hand over the boy's mouth. "Are you Nobu Shubiri?" Hisoka whispered. The boy nodded. "Your sister Noriko sent me looking for you. I'm going to take you home to her." Hisoka said softly. Nobu looked unsure as to whether or not to trust him, but he got up slowly. Hisoka took his hand from Nobu's mouth and Nobu followed Hisoka. Only to trip over one of the mercenary's feet.
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Sasuke looked at Naruto incredulously. "You want us to adopt a ten-year-old?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeap." Naruto replied.
"On what grounds?" Sasuke asked.
"On the grounds that Tsunade is ninety nine point nine percent sure that this kid was sent to Konoha by Hisoka. She needs a family and she needs someone to protect her." Naruto answered. Sasuke sighed.
"Okay Naruto." Sasuke told the blond. Naruto was stupefied for a moment before he commented.
"I thought you'd be a lot more against the idea of this. I thought I'd have to have a huge argument with you, that involved angry make up sex afterwards." Naruto said.
"If you want we can still argue and have angry make-up sex. Or we can just agree and have angry sex anyway." Sasuke quipped.
"Touché." Naruto shot back.
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Hisoka glared as the mercenary woke up with a yell. Soon the others were up in arms. Hisoka pulled Nobu behind him and started making hand signs. Before, the mercenaries could even gather themselves together, Hisoka let a stream of fire spurt from his mouth. He heard the screams of the men. However, one of them seemed to have avoided the blast. "You're not taking our little friend anywhere kid!" The man yelled at Hisoka. Hisoka just grinned evilly.
"You've got no hope of beating me old man." Hisoka spat out. He hoped to capture the man. At least then, he could torture him for information on who hired him. The man rushed forward with a huge looking sword. Hisoka sighed as he used more hand signs. That was when a vine seemed to grow out of the cave floor and wrap around the mercenary, who had no idea what was happening. Hisoka knocked the man out, not really concerned about the other bodies lying around him.
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Three days later, Hisoka walked up to the Shubiri estate with Nobu. The bound Mercenary over his shoulder. He'd already tortured the man for information. He knew it was indeed Nobu and Noriko's uncle who had hired the mercenaries, to keep Nobu gone until after his twelfth birthday. As Noriko and Nobu were reunited and Hisoka gave Noriko the information he had found out, Noriko smiled at him. "Thank you Blood Fox. Thank you so much." Noriko told Hisoka. Hisoka nodded and went on his way. The long lonely road of the rogue Shinobi continued.