"Kyo Hoshimi; long term surveillance and intelligence mission. 4 years ago; seemed requested..." Tsunade lazily lifted the folder towards Kakashi. The cyclops-ed man skims the document.
"This was obviously approved by the Sandime...why did he return now then?" The busty blond yawned, not particularity interested in the matter.
"He'd been sending back information over the years, stopped for a while the paper work says, returned after recently discovering my inauguration, sort of changes things." She finally looks up at the jonin before her a bit more scrutinizing. "Why so keen on this guy?"
"He's...an acquaintance of Naruto's." Kakashi had to force his words. Like it or not his student had a friendship with the man; a man he wasn't fond of. He'd rather not admit a loud because it makes his reason less steady for asking.
"and...is it a concern?" The hokage is well known for her tough love on the boy, all the same it was love. She'd put people through walls for less, so if something was up with her favorite knucklehead, she wanted to know.
"I'm just being a good Sensei. taking note of who spends so much time with my students is all." He grumbled that last bit, then sighed"...I don't actually have anything on him..."
"But you dislike him...are we jealous now?" Kakashi dead panned a look at woman. She laughed outright. "Well Kakashi I did ask you to look after the gaki, now your being a mom about it huh?" The man eye smiled but internally rolled his eyes. He stifled the need to tell her how off Naruto had been. He had no proof but felt that Kyo was somehow involved. Though honestly as far as he could see it was more positive for the kid than not. He checks out on paper too. Perhaps he was feeling put out...
He was there in that tower with the hokage, both ignorant that the very blond they spoke of was anything but okay. The memory seal had been removed as The white haired man left Tsunade to her sake. Naruto was making himself sick as the Hokage drank herself to sleep and his Sensei read at home. Later both would think back to this wondering if they had been more forceful, tried harder, worried more, not dismissed things...if it had helped. Naruto's silence all this time did not help him and all 3 parties shouldn't have blame to share, but they'd pick it up anyways.
Three days later and for the rest of said week, the other members would arrive at the Narutos door step only to be turned away without even seeing the kid. He was sick. No he wouldn't go see the hokage. No he didn't need anything. He would come back soon. He stuck to his word and arrived at the end of the week to the meeting spot of the bridge. Sakura and Sasuke were there already and Kakashi was still running (purposely) late.
"Hey." A wide but unfamiliar grin greeted them. Naruto never looked so...ill and his smile so forced. He was a bit paler and his hair seemed oily, spikes not as spiky and the color duller. But everything else from the neck down was the same. Sakura was visibly shocked and Sasuke knew how to school himself better but internally was pretty much the same.
"Naruto...are you-"
"-Sorry for being gone so long. I'm still getting better but I'm good to train and go on mission believe it." He cut off the girl and she furrowed her brow. His voice was odd, but he seemed overall okay, just odd. Sasuke maybe a scoffing sound and the spell was broken a moment. That was normal. Back to odd because Naruto looked indifferent and just grinned that fake grin. Sakura never got to say anything else because the telltale poof had come.
"Yo!" Naruto fought a shutter; instead simply shifted, smile still stitched in place.
"You're late!" Sakura rounded on Kakashi but she nervously cast a glance to her odd teammate. He didn't join her in yelling, he just kept smiling.
"Ma ma I was...oh Naruto you're back." He'd followed her look and similar to the uchiha, repressed the urge to outwardly acknowledge the boys appearance. He was the type to observe. He could plainly see that was the fakest smile he'd ever seen. Fro Naruto at least, but it was convincing, it'd be for anyone else who didn't know the kid. It was too stiff, like if he moved it, it would literally crumble off his face.
No one confronted him about it. These past few months Naruto had grown quieter and was always off on his own, though from what they knew, he was with Kyo. No one questioned when he would speed off the same even though he didn't look nearly as happy. Naruto wasn't going anywhere near that man though. Even if he'd try, there would be no finding him. Kyo was set to not be around the boy either...more so out of fear.
They went about missions and training but Naruto was doing poorly. He avoided spars or lost them quickly. Kakashi was getting tired of no change. If anything Naruto seemed worse and he was getting it in mind to tell the hokage to set the boy straight. It had been two weeks since he was "recovered" from the flu as he claimed. Kakashi thought to head off the source of his worries first though. Before such a talk occured, team 7 along with team 10 were assigned a joint mission. Disturbances had been reported in a neighboring village not too far off from Konoha, a few days travel at most. He'd speak to the boy then, can't exactly escape in the field.
'Great, 4 days with all these people...' Naruto was not thrilled to be in close proximity to the others for so long. He was eating even less, though he was grateful to be nightmare/vision free. That would have been worse. It's hard to dream running on fumes and nodding off due to exhaustion. He was mainly being maintained by the Kyubbi. Though a powerful being...something from nothing is impossible.
What little Naruto ate and kept down had to due. He mostly avoided eating, kept down very little and forced out anything during the times his mind would wander back to those memories. Any thought of that man...or that man. They'd lost their names in his head. Easier to keep them out altogether. He was also always cold and chose thicker versions of his clothing, to keep out the chill and hide his shrinking form.
"Forehead, what's with the baka?" Ino whispered to the pink haired girl. A tick mark formed momentarily but looking over to said boy made her sigh. He was quieter and she'd think to be happy but it was weird. Choji and Shikamaru attempted to get the boy to speak but that would be the only time he did; he'd respond well enough, just never go further.
"Like I should know Ino-pig!...He's been like this for a while. Actually he's worse." Sakura was contemplative.
"What do you mean?"Ino leaned in her gossip radar perking.
"Well we had a mission months ago and right after he was just weird...He seemed to gotten better when this jonin, er Kyo-san started hanging around. Like they knew each other from a while ago. He never really told us much, he's not around at all, just always with that guy...and I mean he's even been avoiding the ramen shop with us. I'd be happy he's not all over me asking me out and all but..." Sakura turned to Ino in concern. "I'm not sure what's up with him..." She deflated. Meanwhile Ino's gossip alarms were blaring and she smiled smugly.
"Well don't go thinking you can use that to your advantage for alone time with Sasuke-kun." Their conversation was lost in useless prattle. The group was already traveling, it was the second day and they would soon reach their destination but it seemed like they'd have to set camp again. The first night, Naruto took first watch as they had dinner and disappeared into his tent after switching shifts with Sakura. She wanted to offer him something but he sped off smile clicked on.
Kakashi assigned night watch and Asuma got first. Naruto wasn't thrilled because as they sat at their fire, people were looking at him. He thought expectantly. 'They want me to eat...' Meanwhile the group was rather oblivious to his dilemma. Shikamaru was staring though, he was aware since he laid eyes on the boy that something was really off. He need only observe more to understand. Ino was cook for the night and passed out "ramen" of all things. Shikamaru gazed harder as the blond ramen loving idiot looked utterly disgusted at his plate; behind that stupid false grin. He ate slowly and it almost looked painful.
"Naruto-baka what is your problem?!" Ino's tact was always lacking. Her outburst had the pineapple headed boy grumbling 'troublesome'. Naruto looked somewhere between surprised and cautious. Like Ino was going to toss her soup at him, his answer may very well do that, the Nara concluded.
"Is there an issue with my cooking?! It's ramen, I thought it was 'kami's gift to the five great nations'?!" Everyone was looking now.
"Eh?...I don't know what you're going on about?" He was forceing this stuff down as it was. Ino wasn't the best cook either, but he was keeping up a front and getting pretty pissed to be put on the spot mid meal.
"You look like you're being poisoned! You keep making this face and it's annoying baka. Do you not like ramen now?" Ino though tactless was a Yamanaka, subconsciously trained in picking up human behavior. Whether she liked to to notice or not, it was easy for her to see how uncomfortable Naruto was eating her food. Though that's all she thought of. That it was an insult to her cooking. Naruto on the other hand was ready to retch from stress, eating too much for himself and not really liking the stuff anyways.
"Fine! No, I don't really like it, but I'm eating it so relax." He ground out gripping his bowl tighter. Ino was livid and her team sensed trouble. They looked at the girl apprehensively.
"SO YOU ARE SAYING MY COOKING BAD! And like you would even know! From what I hear you don't even go to the stand in town anymore." She proclaimed down her nose at him. Naruto shot Sakura pointed look and she had it with in her to look sorry, if not somewhat confused. Kakashi was trying to intervene sweat dropping.
"Ma, ma-" but Ino just barreled on.
"You've been off all over with some jonin. Bet he can't cook worth much, you should be lucky I made this." Kakashi was watching Naruto face drain to a Sasuke-esk pale, but his mouth was clamped shut. Sakura being the obvious source of information, fidgeted beside the man.
"Whatever, can I just eat my food?" Naruto's jaw must hurt clamped so hard, Kakshi thought. Then Sasuke's timely annoyed scoff pulled the groups eyes.
"So loud, just drop it before the dobe starts whining. Don't want to upset Naru-chan." Sasuke's smirking jab was lost when a bowl shattered. Naruto had sprung to his feel and deserted the camp site so fast, most of them almost didn't see which way he went. Shikamaru broke the silence that followed.
"Troublesome woman." He sighed rising to his feet and gave a pointed look at the female in question then to Kakashi. Sakura was looking his way as well although a bit more helplessly. The man sighed standing as well.
"I'll go get him. Sakura and Choji can you clean up. Ino, Shikamaru...and Sasuke you three do a quick scout before we settle in. " With that he went off in the direction of his wayward student.
'Naru-chan' the name sent rage and revolution like a knife into his gut. When she mentioned Kyo as a jonin he had to fight real hard to keep on going but, Sasuke broke him. Naruto was bent over in the trees tossing up that stupid ramen. He pushed and retched That's how Kakashi found him.
"Naruto?" The boy froze. He quickly whipped his face and attempted to face his sensei. An assortment of black dots were dancing across his vision, and he had to lean on the tree he was near. "Are you still sick?" 'Oh thank kami, I really didn't want to explain that.' Naruto mentally breathed in relief because he really didn't want to be caught with his hand down his throat. He'd figured a way to just use his stomach muscle after seeing odd marks on his hands.
"I guess so. I'm fine now." He grumbled. 'I'm really not fine just go away so i can be on my own.'
"Naruto...I've been meaning to talk to you. You were sick for so long and sick now. I thought that the fox helps keep you well. Is there anything else bothering you?" Kakashi walked a bit closer and Naruto was peeved at how he had said the word sick. Like he thought it was bull.
"The fox does help, this is just...a bad one. Sorry for not healing freakishly fast enough for you." The blond hissed through clenched teeth, part anger part dizziness. He turned his back on the man and leaned a bit more on the tree to stay steady because the world was really starting to spin.
"Naruto I only ask because if you need to get well, it's okay to say so. If there is something also bothering you...if it's not just feeling ill...you can always talk to me too." Kakashi reached out and set his hand on the boy's shoulder but they both pulled back like they had been burned. Naruto looked terrified. He can't be touched, he hates it. Kakashi was bewildered by both that god fearing gaze and the frighteningly fragile bones he felt under thick fabric. Like he had touched a small bird. " Naruto..."
"Just don't!" With that he darted out leaving the jonin somewhat shocked for a second. He found himself quickly, mind going lighting fast at how wrong and bad things really were with his student.
Naruto crashed through the trees into a clearing almost startling the trio there. The patrol group of Ino, Shikamaru and Sasuke recovered quickly when they saw their orange comrade. As he stumbled forward something whizzed past his head, leaving a small scratch on his cheek. It was a kunai, it lay piercing the ground.
"Baka, you alerted enemy nin!" Ino shouted they hastened to get into fighting stances but Naruto was falling. He was crumbling because the black dots had grown so large they took up all his sight. Sasuke and Shikamaru ran forward but the Nara was caught by a blast. There had been an explosive note on that kunai between them. It sent the lazy boy hurtling hardest as he'd been closer, his head smashing into tree. Ino yelled out but someone materialized behind her scoping her into a choke hold.
Sasuke went into action but there were 4 of them to his now one as Shikamaru lay unconscious at the tree line. Blood pouring from a head wound. Ino was losing a battle for air and Naruto had been out since the start. He knew that blast should have alerted the others though. He went in for close combat but one burly man stepped forward and instead of striking back, he just grabbed the limb Sasuke had launched at him.
The enemys palms glew a hazy yellow and he felt something shutting down; his chakra. It wasn't like a drain but just like all access to it had been ripped away. It made him woozy and the man smiled as his struggle weakened. It didn't matter much when he felt a pain exploded in the side of his head.
When the others made it to the scene, the field was empty sans one blood stain on a tree and the blast mark from the explosion that had them running. Kakashi was kicking himself for not running right after Naruto. He'd gone to Asuma for council on what he thought was going on when they both heard a blast. It was from the direction of the camp, but Choji, Sakura , and the gear were fine. They got to it tracking the sound here, and all that was left was signs of a struggle and no bodies. Nin dogs at foot relayed that all foreign and comrade sent had left together. By choice hardly so.