Hey everybody! Well, after so many months, we're finally back. I have played Revelations, and will attempt to integrate the game into my story, at varying levels of course. Without further ado, here is Chapter 10 of Blade of the Fox.
Previously…
"Then it's all coming together," Naruto said, and the two returned to their base, planning the next phase of their operation.
Naruto stood in front of the window to the Assassin's hideout, gazing at the flickering lights of the Village. He observed the occasional reflection of the moon from a patrolman's armor, before it would disappear. Running a hand over his bearded chin, he pondered on Neji's words.
"The three people living in the Leaf, besides the Templars, at this moment who have the ability to still use chakra are myself, Hinata, and Lady Hokage."
What happened to the rest of the Hyuuga clan? he wondered, gazing in the direction of the compound. Something seemed off about it, but from this distance, he couldn't make out what it was. Turning to Kakashi, who was sitting at a table a ways away, poring over documents, he said, "I'm going out. There're some things I need to find out about some of our new allies." Kakashi paused for a moment, looking up from his work, before he nodded, standing up.
"I'm going with you," Kakashi stated, walking over and opening the window in the Fourth's eye. Naruto was silent for a moment, before Kakashi gave him a look stating that his decision was final. Naruto nodded after a few seconds, before leaping out, executing another perfect Leap of Faith.
He climbed out of the pile of flowers, waiting until he heard Kakashi climb out, before he took off, leaping through the trees until he reached a building. He quickly scrambled up, silencing the guard on top, and set him down gently as Kakashi climbed up next to him. Taking a moment to get his bearings, Naruto continued on, Kakashi following the young Master Assassin.
As they finally reached the compound, rain started pouring down, making the already dark night pitch-black. This seems rather ominous, he commented to the Kyuubi, and he sensed the Fox's agreement. Squinting to see though the pouring sheets, he saw the walls, towering over the buildings as per usual. Looking harder, he thought he saw some kind of decoration on the parapets, looking like a line of iron bars with an orb on top of each. A sense of dread filled him as an idea rose in his head as to what they were, and he leapt onto an adjacent building, hoping to get a better view.
As the top of the wall came into greater focus, he cried out in alarm and disgust. What he had first taken to be decoration were dozens of metal stakes, each one skewering a head. He slowly fell to his knees, shaking in horror as he saw the face of Hanabi, her expression speaking as to some horror that had befallen her before her execution. Knowing Sasuke's newest penchant for young women, he shuddered to guess at what it was. On the highest stake, resting above the door to the compound, was the head of Hiashi Hyuuga. Gritting his teeth in anger, Naruto rose, before charging forward and hurling himself over the gap, landing on the wall and grabbing the edge, pulling himself over and vaulting onto the top of the central building.
As he landed on the roof, the wood gave way underneath him, and he fell several stories to the ground. Groaning as he lifted himself up, he saw that the entire building had been set to flame; the few parts that had been untouched were spattered with blood. Exiting the building, he blanched at the dozens of truncated bodies lying in the courtyard. They had been arranged into two piles; the men were thrown on one side, their clothes marred with blood and mud, while the women had been thrown onto another pile. The women wore no clothing, giving credit to his earlier theory as to their fate.
Every building had been burned; every statue had been toppled; every wall had been slashed, bloodied, or burned. As Kakashi landed next to him, Naruto roared out in anger, his cry echoing off of the stone walls. Kakashi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Naruto sighed, pulling his hood tighter over his head to keep the rain out of his eyes. "I failed everyone, Kakashi," he murmured, shivering in the cold. "I tried to stop the Templars while I was still here, and I failed. I got myself caught, I had to run, and because I was gone the Village was attacked. Tsunade's captured, Sakura is forced to sleep with Sasuke, and all the Kunoichi have been reduced to courtesans!" Turning his gaze to the sky, he roared in anger. "I've failed my love, my family, and now the people too? What do you want from me?" he screamed, hoping some deity would answer him.
"This isn't your fault, Naruto," Kakashi said, turning the young man so they were eye-to-eye. "The blame for this rests solely on Sasuke and Madara. They are the ones who besieged Konoha, and they are the ones who we have dedicated ourselves to stopping." Wrapping an arm around Naruto's shoulder, he led him out of the compound, before bringing him to Ichiraku's, the stand remarkably having been left alone. A quick disguise jutsu transformed them into two of the guards, and they ate quietly. Naruto felt rather uncomfortable as Teuchi and Ayame glared at him, assuming he was just a regular guard. A smile graced his lips for a minute, before he curled his ring finger, revealing to him that he was an Assassin. He saw understanding dawn in their eyes, and after paying for the meal, he and Kakashi strolled through the streets.
As the rain picked up once again, Naruto and Kakashi ducked into a covered bazaar, wringing out their soaked clothing. As Naruto finally pulled his hood back up, he heard a moan, so quiet that even his Assassin senses nearly missed it. Casting a sideways glance at Kakashi, who nodded, revealing he had heard it as well, the two silently unsheathed their swords, tiptoeing through the shadows until they reached the corner. Kneeling down so Kakashi could look over him, both carefully looked around the corner. Naruto frowned as he saw the source of the sound.
Hidden in the alleyway were a man and a woman, rutting against one of the brick walls. The man was holding her off the ground, using the wall for support, and the woman had her legs wrapped around his waist, her underwear hanging off her right ankle and the neck of her dress pulled below her breasts. As Kakashi turned away, making a sound of disgust, Naruto activated his Eagle Vision. His eyes widened as they came into view, glowing a bright gold. "It's Suigetsu and Karin," he whispered, and Kakashi froze, quickly doing a double take. Naruto held up his hand, before sheathing his sword and quickly scaling the slick building, reaching the top and perching at one of the corners of the building like a gargoyle. Kakashi quickly mimicked him, taking up an opposite corner. They silently kept their perches, waiting for the right moment.
The two kept at it for some time, ignoring the pouring rain until Karin threw her head back, and Suigetsu jerked his hips forward one last time. The two shuddered for a few moments, before Suigetsu merely let go of Karin, allowing her to fall on her ass as he laughed. She swore at him quietly, a blush on her face as she pulled her underwear back up and covered her breasts, and he buckled his pants. The two parted ways, walking in opposite directions and refusing to say another word to each other. Naruto quickly motioned for Kakashi to follow and capture Karin, before he slowly began tailing Suigetsu.
As he slowly crept across the slick rooftops, he watched Suigetsu's every movement. He favors his right foot slightly over his left… whenever he turns a corner he tends to keep to the inside, making the movement quickly so as to have the upper hand on anyone waiting behind it. His right arm maintains a slight amount of tension, allowing him to quickly draw his sword in a tight jam. I'm not going to be able to do an Air Assassination; he stays too close to the buildings for me to have an adequate chance of not hitting the walls. Nor do I believe an Assassination from behind will work; he has a kind of stiffness in his spine that hints toward full armor. Raising his left hand, he quickly rotated the Hidden Gun to the front, and loaded a Poison
Dart into it. Taking careful aim at Suigetsu's neck, he fired the dart, grinning as it sunk into the man's skin.
Instantly, Suigetsu slammed against the wall, drawing a broadsword and scrabbling at his neck with his free hand. Naruto strode forward, casually walking off the edge of the roof. Breaking his fall with a roll, he drew Zabuza's blade as soon as he was on his feet, grinning as Suigetsu stared at the blade in disbelief. "Resistance is futile," Naruto stated, lowering the blade. "With that poison in your system, you'll die within a minute, less if you struggle." Suigetsu's face drew up into a mask of anxious defeat, before he slowly lowered his own blade, the steel rattling against the cobbled ground.
"I curse you, Assassin," he said, sliding down the wall as he felt his legs weaken. "You think we all want this? I joined Sasuke before he was a Templar, before I knew anything about the group! It was my fealty or my life." Naruto silently observed the white-haired man as foam began to fleck his lips. "With my dying breath I curse you," he murmured. "May you die a broken man."
As the light faded from Suigetsu's eyes, Naruto kneeled down, running his hand over the lids. "Requiescat in Pace," he murmured. A quick once-over revealed little on the man; a handful of ryo, a couple food pills, and a roster of mercenary trainees. With him gone, they won't be well-trained, Naruto thought, rising to his feet. They may recruit more, but their greatest hope lies in their undead army, along with the White Zetsus.
Don't stay too confident, the Kyuubi replied, lazily opening one eye. You have but one Apple against Madara's Staff and Apple. A madman with the power of Gods in his eyes and an Ancient Civilization at his fingertips… I shudder to think of a greater foe.
And how do the Bijuu factor into this? Naruto asked, remembering his fight with Zabuza. You told me that this involves Those Who Came Before. You weren't referring to the Pieces of Eden, nor were you referring to the Assassin bloodline. Why does Madara wish to gain the Nine? When the Kyuubi remained silent, Naruto sighed. Scaling the walls, he quickly returned to the rooftops, backtracking until he found Kakashi's trail, left behind for him to find. A few minute's work had him next to the Grand Master, who was carrying a bound and unconscious Karin on his shoulder.
"Suigetsu?" he asked. When Naruto remained silent, Kakashi nodded. "Good. With him gone, the mercenaries will be weaker, which will make our missions easier. We can probably get some information from this one," he said, shifting Karin on his shoulder. "I doubt she'll just give whatever she knows. We'll have to coerce her. Given her displays toward lust, this should be the perfect area for one of the recruit's seduction training."
"It would be a good idea to have Sai try this one," Naruto stated rubbing his chin. "It would allow him to practice emotion and compliments, as well as utilize some of his ROOT training if that fails." Kakashi looked thoughtful for a few seconds, until he nodded, his lips curled in an ironic smile. The two turned toward the Faces, before working their way home.
Shikamaru brushed off his hands on the leather apron tied to his front, grinning as he looked around at his latest masterpiece. Screw Madara and Sasuke; now that he had aligned himself with the Assassins, they had brought him to their base, to work on devices for them. The rest of the Nara clan had been moved to a safe location, allowing him to work with his mind at ease.
Casting his gaze around the room, he marveled at how simple he had made it appear. The room looked like any standard interrogation room; white walls, concrete floor, steel table and steel chairs. In one wall was embedded a one-way mirror, and speakers were hidden throughout so every sound the interrogated made would be heard from them. Running some chakra into his hands, he ran them over the walls, nodding as the seals he had designed glowed.
"So what exactly do those do?" Kiba asked, helping Shikamaru pack up his various welding and soldering equipment, looking confused at the high-tech gear.
"Well, when someone on the other side of the mirror channels a bit of chakra into the master seal, they can change the room to whatever they imagine, allowing it to become something that may either scare the subject or ease their fears, allowing them to talk more easily."
"So it controls Genjutsu?" Kiba asked, still confused as to the equipment that had been required.
"No," Shikamaru said, pulling a panel off the wall. Underneath was a maze of wire, rotors, gears, and other pieces of engineering that were over Kiba's head. "This technology will physically change the dimensions of the room. It can control ambient lighting," he said, pointing at the one bulb in the center of the ceiling, "it can control texture, changing cold steel to things like soft fur, and there are speakers to also influence comforting or disturbing sound. There are also devices to change the scent of the room. Want to try it out?"
Kiba nodded, taking a seat while Shikamaru went to the master control. Turning on the microphone, Shikamaru said, "First I'm going to activate a basic program I made; you'll be at the top of the Hokage Tower." Kiba nodded, and watched as the room suddenly began changing. Parts of the wall pulled back, their color and lighting changing to match the outdoors on a sunny day, while others slowly jutted out, forming various structures. When the room finally stopped moving, the image before him was so real he would have sworn on his life that Shikamaru had transported him to the Hokage Tower.
"This is pretty damn impressive," Kiba said, running his hands over the stone railing. His skin made the soft rustling sound of skin sliding across stone, and he felt the porous texture of the rock. He heard birds chirping, and felt a soft breeze rustling his clothing.
"That's one of the easing images. Ready for the torture setting?" Shikamaru asked, his hand hovering over the button in the control room. Kiba hesitantly nodded, and Shikamaru pressed the button, watching from safety as the inside transformed into a dark, ominous cave, water dripping from hanging stalagmites and echoing for what seemed an eternity before dying out. Flicking another switch, Shikamaru turned off the remaining light, pitching the cave into total blackness. An infrared scanner next to Shikamaru showed Kiba's movements, and leaning forward, the genius moved a few sliders on a soundboard, before randomizing the speaker the sound would come out of. Leaning forward into his seat, he spoke softly, the soundboard changing it to a demonic register.
"You cannot hide, Assassin," he whispered, and he saw Kiba jolt on the scanner, twisting and turning to find the source of the sound. "You will die here, hidden from the light of the sun, with no one to ever find you. No one to know you are gone." For good measure, Shikamaru had one of the speakers play the sound of shifting rubble, causing Kiba to twist around wildly. After some time, Shikamaru turned the speakers off, turning the lights up and changing the room back to its normal form. Kiba shivered for a moment, obviously creeped out, and Shikamaru apologized. "As you can see, it's very effective with the right settings."
"Is that so?" A voice whispered in Shikamaru's ear, and the inventor shouted in surprise, tumbling out of his chair and clutching his chest as Naruto laughed. Swearing loudly, Shikamaru took the proffered hand, being lifted to his feet in less than a second.
"Don't fucking do that!" he growled, punching Naruto in the chest. "God, I nearly had a heart attack." Naruto laughed again, before moving over to the soundboard. Turning the microphone on, he spoke.
"Kiba, this is Naruto. I have two tasks for you. First, find Sai and send him to me and Kakashi here ate the Interrogations Room; tell him to dress in street clothes. Second, I want you, Sonia, and Tenten to try and track down Jugo, Sasuke's mercenary recruiter. When you find him, I want you to follow him, observe his movements. When the time comes, I want the three of you to Assassinate him. He is extremely dangerous, Kiba; you all will have to work together on this." Kiba bowed, twisted his arm across him chest in the Assassin Salute, and ran off. Turning to Shikamaru, Naruto nodded, looking around at the impressive layout of their new chamber.
"Excellent work, Shikamaru," he said, playing around with the controls. "Would you be able to make a larger scale of this? Say, the size of a training field?"
Understanding dawned on Shikamaru's eyes, and he grinned, quickly gathering up the few blueprints still laying around. "Of course, of course," he replied, shaking with eagerness. "I'm running a bit low on some of the supplies I need, and this stuff is pretty expensive." Here, a wicked grin split Shikamaru's features. "If you can break into Sasuke's personal treasury, you cold collect enough gold to fund a dozen training rooms, and whatever personalized weapons you wanted me to create."
Naruto laughed at the idea, thrilled to be able to deliver such a blow to Sasuke. "Sounds like a plan. And since you mentioned weapons…"
As Kakashi strode into the new Interrogation Chamber, the room around him began to change, until it was filled with ornate Persian rugs, silk tapestries with various Oriental patterns, and a large, lavish bed, made as if for a sultan. Various perfumes and incenses filled the air, and as he set her down, his head swam as the scents battled for dominion. "Pretty damn good scene, Naruto," he said aloud, and Naruto murmured a thanks over the speaker system. As Karin began to stir, Sai walked in, and Kakashi quickly briefed him on his mission, before walking out, joining the young Master Assassin behind the mirror.
Naruto had removed hid numerous cloaks, opting to relax in a pair of baggy black pants and a simple white t-shirt. His feet, still in his knee-high suede boots, were casually resting on the soundboard, and as Kakashi sat down, the blonde offered him a bottle of sake. Taking the bottle, he downed the warm liquor, gasping quietly as it burned down his throat.
Karin sat up, looking around the room, and a slight blush suffused her cheeks as the incense swirled around. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around at the opulence of the room. Sai turned to look at her, and she blushed at seeing the man before her. Dressed in a pair of black trousers and an ornate red silk shirt, Sai looked very much like the various servants Sasuke had swirling around.
"You're in the Hokage Tower," Sai lied effortlessly, his voice even as he pressed a damp cloth to her head. "You're in General Sasuke's private quarters." The fact that Karin didn't know the obvious lie that this statement was meant that Sasuke had not seen fit to use her as he had used the other women. "You were captured by Assassins, and he managed to rescue you. He's chasing down the rest of the team." Kakashi nodded, impressed with the cover story Sai had provided, and how effortlessly he was telling it. The white-haired Grandmaster had met dozens of Jonin who didn't lie as well as this kid. "Can you tell us anything about the team that captured you?" Sai asked. Leaning over the controls, he slightly increased the heat and scent of the room.
"Team?" Karin asked, her blush deepening slightly without her notice. "I don't remember much… but I think I saw only one. A man leapt down from the rooftops and next thing I know, I was here." Her features shifted slightly, confused, and asked, "Why would Sasuke rescue me? I thought he said he wanted nothing to do with me." Kakashi nodded slightly behind the mirror, not surprised that his former student had said such.
"The General may not have wanted anything to do with you," Sai began, "but he despises the Assassins to the point where he will do anything just to cause them even a minor inconvenience." Words continued to roll smoothly off of Sai's tongue, and Kakashi again increased the heat and incense. As Karin began to shift slightly, her blush encompassed more and more of her body, and Sai continued talking, taking advantage of her hazy state of mind. "Did the General not tell you of his plans to defeat the Assassins?" Sai asked, feigning genuine surprise that the woman had been left out of the loop.
Karin narrowed her eyes slightly, and sat up, poking a finger into Sai's chest. "Just because Sasuke doesn't pound me like he does every other girl in this Village doesn't mean I don't know anything," she growled, turning away from him and crossing her arms over her chest. Sai nodded slightly as he tended to another bruise, this one located on her arm.
"Is that why you and Suigetsu were having an affair?" he asked, and Karin stiffened, turning to him with a mortified look on her face.
"How did you know that?" she demanded, her voice shrill as she grabbed him by the collar. "He and I only ever did it in places where no one would recognize us, or where there was no one around!"
"Suigetsu was found dead just an alley away from where you were captured. Given his state, as well as the semen found in your womb when we found you, it wasn't hard to put two and two together." Karin's blush deepened even further, until her skin began to match her hair. Sai put on a comforting expression, and asked, "How do you feel about losing your partner?"
Karin sighed, before shrugging. "I never really liked Suigetsu. Sasuke wouldn't sleep with me despite my advances, Jugo's a sociopath, and Suigetsu had a dick, so I figured I might as well. It wasn't that hard; all I had to do was walk into his room and show him my chest. After that, we fucked like rabbits every chance we got." She rubbed her arm in embarrassment as Sai tended to a small cut they had put on her leg to try and sell the story. "He really was an ass about it. The first time we had sex, he pulled out of me and shoved his dick down my throat as he came. Made me choke. Whenever Sasuke needed to talk with Suigetsu, he would make sure I was kneeling naked in front of him and sucking his dick during the meeting. As soon as Sasuke would leave, Suigetsu would throw me on a table and pound my ass."
"Sounds like you were subject to a fair amount of abuse," Sai said, seeming almost like a therapist as Karin continued talking. Naruto shook his head in amazement behind the mirror, and rose to his feet. "I'm going to go and take a look at the security on Sasuke's personal finances, see if I can get some funds like Shikamaru said," he told Kakashi, rolling his stiff neck. Turning to look at Sai, he quirked an eyebrow as he saw the former ROOT member running his tongue down Karin's bared torso. "Try not to get too much enjoyment from watching this, you old perv," he joked with Kakashi, headed for the door.
"Did you ever read any of Jiraiya's books?" he asked, watching Naruto pause in the doorway. "There are some erotic parts to it, but overall they're more or less romance novels. Teach you how to treat a girl right, make her feel loved." Naruto laughed at his sensei's sappiness for a moment, before leaving.
Several hours later, Naruto crouched atop one of the curved pillars of the Hokage tower, blending in with the shadows cast by the surrounding trees. Watching the various people going in and out of the building. Snippets of conversation drifted up to him occasionally, mostly about mindless gossip, and this he tuned out. As two guards strode underneath, he heard mention of Tsunade, and turned his hearing toward them as he followed them along the rooftops.
"Sasuke's getting bored with her," one of them said, the taller of the two. "Says she ain't relenting. Tough gal, that one; very few could withstand that kind of torture."
"So what's he gonna do with her?" the other asked, adjusting the axe in his hand. The other drew a finger across his throat, before shaking his head and sighing. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and, drawing his crossbow, he took aim at the pair. He hesitated for a moment, before sheathing the weapon and turning to the tower.
It was high time the white knight rescued the princess.
Well, there you guys are! Tell me what you think in a review. And as a bit of pressure, here's an ultimatum; if I get a minimum of ten reviews for this chapter by the end of February 2012, Tsunade will survive. If not…
-Zeratide, out.