Author's Note: Hey readers, its NewYear's Tragedy, we hope you enjoy this next chapter. Its just me due to our story plot but you'll hear from my partner in the next chapter. Our updates will hopefully be getting faster. Thanks for reading.
Naruto
One... Two... Three...
A yell of anguish echoed in the clearing and embedded itself into his memory forever.
Three seconds. That's all it took until all hell broke loose. Her knees gave out from underneath her and her limp, bloodied form collapsed into the guard's waiting arms. He struggled to hold her weight, his eyes widening in sheer panic. The guard known as Akasun wiped a hand across her face smearing crimson down her face. She wasn't responding to his touch. She never would. His head shot up whipping around wildly, searching.
"Tsuchi! It's Sakura!" He cried towards Naruto's henge. "Get the Mizukage!"
The blood from her self inflicted wounds were pooling around her body as he rose to his feet bringing her limp body with him. Akasun's gray flak jacket was darkening with the amount and if Naruto didn't know beforehand that she cut areas that just bled a lot, he would have really believed she would die.
"What happened?" Naruto cried, his voice betraying an emotion that was not at all faked.
Sakura was in Akasun's arms now, bridal style, and her eyelids slightly parted and not blinking. Naruto should have expected the full effect of Sakura's poisonous mixture, but seeing it first hand; the results were devastating. Blood trickled from the inside of her nose and her skin was a deadly pale. Blood ran down her arm and fell out of sight in between her fingers. Fingers, two of which were broken. Her body was covered in blossoming bruises that formed sickening blues and reds. To seal the tragic picture was a small curvature of her lips as if smiling in her last seconds of breath. With each movement her holder made, she did not stir. Fingers pressed against her carotid artery searching but finding nothing. It was all an act. Fake. Yet, it didn't stop the overwhelming feeling of despair that was threatening to take him over.
His skilled assassin part of him kicked in to take over. "Take Sakura to the hospital!" Naruto commanded the other guard. "I'll get the Mizukage." He added to himself quietly.
Naruto took a step forward as if testing out his footing and began to head towards the village gates. Her heard the shuffling of clothing and then footsteps. The guard was next to him in the next second with Sakura, his eyes holding a killer fire within. He stopped next to the deceptive Leaf jounin, his hands shaking around her form with pent up rage.
"Sound the alarm." The guard ordered his voice hard. "Sakura Haruno's mission was a Priority Red S-rank." He took off inside the village leaving Naruto to wonder what the hell he meant.
Without further stalling, Naruto was through the tall gate. He took off in a sprint looking for a tower that might belong to the Mist Kage. Villagers stared after him in worry but he did not stop. The architecture of this village was completely different than that of the Leaf making it harder to find who he was looking for. Concrete cylinders rose from the ground with trees planted atop of them. Every building appeared at first glance the same, but amp on closer inspection he noted there were different size cylinders. Taller ones, shorter ones, and even thinner ones. Every now and then he was fly past a normal looking home but that was not often. That wasn't even the worst part. The whole damn area had a thin layer of mist over it like a blanket. You couldn't see anyone or anything a distance away. There was no time to inquire where exactly the Mizukage was. Just time to act. His heart rate increased as he took a sharp left leaving what he assumed was the residual area. His boots clicked loudly as he ran down a wet alley way in between two buildings. Troubling thoughts began to swirl in his head.
What had that gate guard meant? Priority Red? What the hell does that mean?
This is bad, the blonde thought. Each second he and Sakura stayed in this village, the more likely they will never get out. He had to get to the damn hospital! Not run errands searching for the Godaime Mizukage!
An uncomfortable sensation shot through his body like something fell on him. He heard a grunt of pain when Naruto barely registered he had collided head first with another person when he jumped out from the alley. Because of his ninja like grace, the Leaf nin remained on his feet but the poor person he ran into went straight to the ground. The wet, muddy ground.
"Damn. I'm sorry!" Naruto apologized, his hand reaching out to help the person.
The fallen person was a young teenager wearing a grey flak jacket and a mesh undershirt. Just by this appearance alone, Naruto could tell he was obviously no civilian and judging by his reaction to being hit, he was no jounin either. More along the level of a chuunin or advanced genin. He was a little on the slender side standing inches below Naruto's own height which could explain why he went straight for the ground when Naruto hit him. He had unnaturally bright blonde hair held back by a forehead protector displaying his affiliation and vivid green irises. He face held boyish youth but was beginning to frame into a strong, rigid jaw line. He was not looking at the Naruto but rather focused on rubbing his back side in discomfort.
"Watch where you're going!" The boy snapped rubbing a hand through the strands of his blonde hair.
"Tsuchi?" He asked finally looking up at his 'attacker,' his hand pausing on his head. "What are you doing in the village? Shouldn't you be at the gates?" He asked confusion overshadowing his anger.
Naruto gave a sly smile. "Ah, yes. I should but-" He paused, his expression becoming grave. "There is an emergency- do you know where the Mizukage is right now?"
The boy stepped up to his feet, his face concerned. "She should be in her building.." He trailed, pointing to a cylinder building wider than the rest. "Why what's going on?"
Naruto was already running towards the building and calling out behind him. "Sorry! No time to explain!"
Naruto was at the doors of the wide building and pulling them back with ease. He got into the building with no difficultly (just confused stares) but as he made his way to the top floor he wondered how he would explain barging in on the Mizukage. Don't people need an appointment to request an audience with her? Perhaps he could run around and scream at people that questioned him that a Priority Red S-Rank mission went wrong? Naruto scoffed at that stupid idea.
It turned out that was exactly what he did. As soon as the words were uttered, the shinobi on guard of the top floor ushered him towards the Mizukage's office immediately. In the next moment he found himself kneeling before the Mizukage who was giving him an odd look from behind her desk. A jounin with bleach white hair was seated across from her, with an annoyed look about him like Naruto interrupted an important conversation.
Damn. Too late to go back, Naruto thought hastily.
"Mizukage-sama." Naruto dipped his head respectfully before playing out the part of a concerned fellow shinobi. "Sakura Haruno has returned from her mission. She is critically injured, ma'am!" He looked up at the Mist Kage. "Akasun has taken her to the hospital and asked me to get you. Her condition is severe." He added contorting his face in one of that of impending despair.
The Kage rose to her feet, pushing her chair back with a loud scrapping noise. She removed the blue Kage hat from atop her head and set it down on the desk. Her pace was evenly balanced as she walked until she stood in front of her desk.
"How long ago was this?" She asked her words sounding more like an order.
"Approximately five minutes, Mizukage-sama." He answered hoping damn well she would be too concerned to see through his facade.
She leaned back into the wooden desk, thinking. Her expression was calm and controlled when she asked another question.
"Did she say anything?"
"Yes." Naruto nodded his head. "She said that he was dead and she killed him." He faked panic. "I didn't know what she meant but she collapsed right after." He drew in a sharp breath. "Mizukage-sama, there is something else.." He trailed.
"What is it?"
"Akasun sent me to scout the trees when he heard a noise that turned out to be Sakura. I found this a few clicks away from the direction she came in." Naruto proceeded to pull his own metal Leaf headband from his pocket.
He was in the lion's den now, Naruto perceived. This was it. Convince the Mizukage and you convince the village. If she even slightly detected he was an impostor, it would all be over. He would be killed on the spot and Sakura would probably wake up hearing a 'crazy' story of how a Leaf nin snuck in the village and tried to assassinate Mizukage by lying about a Mist nin's death.
The Mizukage strode over to him and took the battered forehead protector from his outstretched palm. Dried blood still clung to the metal from Sakura and his fight. Her eyes inspected the scratched metal symbol of the Leaf. After a little while she tossed the mark of his loyalty to the jounin who caught it easily. Her eyes narrowed in thought before she spoke to the Mist shinobi whose conversation had been interrupted with her.
"It seems the Leaf's jinchuriki has been assassinated. Put the village on high alert." She ordered to the seated Mist nin. "A couple of things could have gone wrong for her to return in this state: The Leaf could have seen through her disguise and are preparing retaliation. The Kyuubi container could have even released vast amounts of dangerous chakra in the fight, thus tainting the vicinity." She sighed as if concerned with the destructive proprieties of the demon chakra. "If what Tsuchi says is true and Sakura dies of her wounds; it could very well mean the mission was a success and was completed without a hitch." She paused and glanced at the village from a small window, her features taking on a look of sheer determination. "However, we must take all necessary precautions incase it was compromised."
The shinobi who was seated at the end of her desk grunted, his own metal headband clinking against his neck.
"Activate the barrier then?"
Barrier? Something that protected the village from outside intrusion? Well, that complicated matters a bit.
The Mizukage nodded and the older shinobi placed the stolen headband in his pocket then rose to head out the door, without looking at Naruto. The door slammed behind him and she turned her gaze back on Naruto.
"We're going to the hospital." She stated. "Grab a hold of my arm, I'll teleport us there."
'Tsuchi' rose to his feet and stepped over to stand next to the Mizukage. A woman who very nearly reminded him of Tsunade but on a whole different level. For one, the Mist Kage was a brunette and two she was giving him this weird look like a tiger eyes its prey. Trying not to show his hesitation, he lightly grasped her forearm and looked up expectantly at her.
"You could grab a little harder." She said in a sultry way causing Naruto to pale as if he missed some inside joke.
She chuckled solemnly trying to lighten the mood. The reaction on his part must have been common for Tsuchi, Naruto realized with relief because in the next second the office was blurring and the scene changed completely.
They stood in a crowded hospital atmosphere. People in white were running around shouting orders at one another, while injured shinobi were rolled in on stretchers. The entire wing they were in smelled of sterile items and the faint, lingering scent of iron.
"A team just came back wounded." The Mizukage explained before walking towards a man, the crowd parting for her like a river to a tree.
Naruto meekly followed her, his steps more slowed and deliberate. He stopped a few feet behind her as she conversed with the man who he assumed was the head medic. There were a lot of hand motions as they talked. She listened intently to every word he spoke. Her eyes widened at some parts then softened at others with a look one might describe at acceptance. Then it came the time he uttered those words you never want to hear in your lifetime.
"She didn't make it." He spoke slowly looking down as if ashamed.
Naruto froze soon hearing those words. And ever so easy, he sunk into the role of Tsuchi who failed to get Sakura help in time.
"Where is she..?" Naruto begged the medic, his face downcast.
The man turned on the devastated gate guard, his eyes wide with understanding. "Room 201."
'Tsuchi' didn't wait. He was plowing through the crowd of people, his steps becoming unstable. He barely heard the Mizukage calling out to him, but he did not stop. He bumped into a doctor and nearly tripped over a heart monitor, but he never halted his war path. He weakly registered room two hundred and one was before him. His hand reached out and slowly grasped the door handle so hard that his knuckles bleached. The door was opened with a small shove. The sight that greeted him was one he didn't predict.
Sakura lay in the hospital bed, her skin as white as the sheets at her abdomen. A man and women stood next to her, their eyes red with shed tears. The man didn't seem to hear the door open; he was not there mentally at all. The women removed her hand from Sakura's face after brushing some fallen strands from her face. She turned towards her husband shifting her face away from the body of someone she must have cared for greatly. The grey eyes of his henge met the green orbs of the man and Naruto knew. He fell to his knees in the doorway, his eyes never leaving the man.
"I'm sorry." The words came before he even realized he said them.
These people were Sakura's family. The very ones she was leaving just for him. A family that obviously cared very much for her. He never had that. But she did. And she was leaving them behind in a web of lies.
His teeth clenched together in frustration at their situation. Fingers constricted tightly into fists at his sides as he stared at the sight before him.
"Damn it." He hissed under his breath.
Why the hell did Tsunade assign him this mission? Maybe if he never even met Sakura, she wouldn't have to sacrifice so much just to be with him. No. There was use of that foolish thought. She was destined to meet him because of the Mizukage's order. She had no choice but to eliminate him. Then why didn't she?! If he was dead, she wouldn't have to do this. If she had just killed him in the first place..
"This is all my fault." Naruto ground out from Tsuchi's lips. "It wasn't enough. I couldn't... I should have-" Naruto cut his words off trying to maintain his position as Tsuchi but at the same time apologize for his actions as Naruto.
His eyes were directed to the floor, his body shaking from restraining multiple emotions bottled up in him. His right fist tensed before he slammed it on the adjacent dry wall. The plaster cracked underneath of the weight but all he could think of was how unfair this was. They couldn't both live together, even in separate villages. The mission failure would only result in the mission being resigned and another worse outcome received. The Kages of both respectful villages would soon figure out they are both trying to kill off important key shinobi to each village. He couldn't be the cause of another ninja war and for that reason he and Sakura had to do this. And that's what was pissing him off. He had no other choice. There was only one path to take and it was inexorable. Fate had won again.
A hand clapped down softly on his shoulder drawing himself away from his conflicting thoughts. Sakura's father was standing before him, his eyes crinkled in a sad smile.
"It's okay, son. The medics said she was gone before she even reached the gates. You did everything you could." Her day her gave a light squeeze to his shoulder. "Sakura wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
Naruto couldn't help but stare up at the man in wonder. Here he was, a man who had failed to save his daughter and he was trying to cheer him up? The action reminded him a bit of someone he knew. So it was true then. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.
The Mizukage knocked lightly on the door before coming into the now over occupied room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Haruno..." The leader of the Mist started.
Sakura's mom left Sakura's side to sadly greet the Mizukage. Her husband's hand dropped from Naruto shoulder and gave a small bow before boldly speaking to the Kage.
"Lady Mei, did our daughter.." He paused trying to hold back the emotion. "Did our daughter do her duty and succeed in her mission?"
His wife was now next to him, her hands grabbing onto his arm for support.
"Sakura Haruno completed her mission successfully at the cost of her life." The Mizukage answered with honor.
A tear slid down the man's face as he took a deep breath. "That's what she would of wanted."
'Tsuchi' slowly rose to his feet and approached Sakura's 'dead' figure. The blood from earlier had been washed off leaving just the memory of it have ever been there. Her skin was not so bruised leaving him to suspect they medical staff have covered them up with make-up for her parents benefit. He placed the back of his hand against her cheek and froze when his skin made contact. She was cold. No warmth radiated from her person. Just coldness and paper like skin. Almost like she had never been alive and it was some sick delusional dream.
Voices faded back into his subconscious and a particular detail stuck out in his mind. He directed more of his attention to eavesdropping.
"No, no. I'll go with Sakura." Her father was saying a strong emotion coming onto him. "I want to make sure she gets there."
Her mother's voice interjected in. "What about Shiro, honey? We need to get back home before he finds out from someone else."
"I'll go." Naruto voiced his opinion hardening his face when he realized this could be his chance.
If there was one thing he even remotely liked about the Village Hidden in the Mist, it was the village's shinobi death laws. In the case of a shinobi being killed in action, the village must bury the body immediately. This law prevented bounty hunters from requiring bodies and grave robbers from benefiting from the deceased. In order to do this, the dead bodies were buried in an undisclosed location. Not even family of the deceased knew where. This addition to the law was added after a brother of a KIA-ed shinobi was murdered just so his brother could steal his kekkei genkai. So, the bodies were buried in an unmarked location and the name of the deceased was placed on a memorial wall where family/friends could pay their respects. This way there was not a huge cemetery of thousands dead and the dead shinobi still retained their honor for falling in the name of Kirigakure. This being said, Sakura would soon be buried. And that's what the Mizukage and her parents were discussing. Who would escort Sakura to her final resting place?
"I'll make sure she gets to funeral home." Naruto paused looking at the pale body on the bed. "It's the least I could do."
Her father appeared like he was about to protest before his wife stopped him. "Hiroshi, let's talk to Shiro. He needs the support; this will be very hard on him. He is probably waiting at home alone after going to training with his team." Her voice cracked with emotion. "Our daughter isn't here anymore."
The man who now looked ten years older gave Sakura a lingering gaze. He reluctantly agreed and followed her out the door.
The Mizukage then turned to him.
"Don't take it so hard on yourself, Tsuchi." She stepped out the door then looked back at Sakura one more time. "The coroners are on their way. After you are done here head back to the gate. Akasun is there currently but he has requested a momentary leave."
"I understand, Mizukage-sama." He replied in a detached voice as she disappeared through the door and two men came in.
A grey haired man spoke. "You're the escort?"
"Yes." Naruto replied evenly.
"Very well." He fully walked into the room and the second man pushed in a metal stretcher.
The second man, a much younger man, pulled the stretcher up next to the hospital bed. They proceeded to drape a white cloth over Sakura's face signaling the universal sign for deceased. As they did this, Naruto switched into assassin mind frame and was judging their strength in order to complete their plan. The two had very little chakra, almost fleeting. This meant one of two things. One- they were almost dying. Or two- they were civilians.
"We have a carriage out back." The grey headed man spoke as he transferred Sakura to the metal stretcher. "You can ride with my assistant and I until we get close to the morgue. After that, the laws say we cannot let you stay any longer."
"That's alright." Naruto said calmly his inner mind beginning to smirk.
Both men tucked the white sheet in around her body as the man continued to talk. "Such a shame. I'm sorry you had to go through this."
"As am I." Naruto sighed.
The man nodded his head and returned to an upright position. "Alright, let's go."
Then Sakura was wheeled to her final destination as Naruto trudged silently behind a knowing look on his face.
The layer mist had increased since he last been outside. It was almost suffocating. Something about it too was not natural. He could only assume its heavy presence had something to do with the barrier that jounin had spoke of earlier. Naruto felt a bump that jarred his body as the wheels of his ride slowed down. The coroner's carriage pulled to a stop next to a small building near the main village's gate. The horses whined, then began to stomp their hooves to the ground eager to keep on. The blonde Leaf jounin regarded the dirt road silently. Just by the direction of the road, Naruto could assume the burial of fallen shinobi was not actually in the village. He heard the grinding of gravel against boots as one of the men headed around to the back opening of the carriage. He picked up the flap of fabric and looked directly inside. It was the younger man, Naruto noted.
"Hey." He called out. "This is your stop."
"I see." The blonde spoke slowly, his voice dropping as he shifted to the edge of the opening.
Throwing a leg over the side, 'Tsuchi' jumped out the back of the carriage next to the younger man. The rocks crunched under his feet when he landed. Naruto glanced up at the moon lighted hazy surrounding the carriage. You couldn't see five feet in front of you and that was just perfect.
The younger man smiled slightly then looked off towards his fallen 'comrade.' "Well, it was-!"
He was abruptly cut off when Naruto had pulled his arm back and punched the man in the face as hard as he could with his right hand. The blow easily knocked him out cold. Naruto quickly caught his falling body and laid him down into the back of the carriage. Glancing to his right and left to insure no one saw, the blonde preceded to lift the poor man's legs into the carriage. He then stepped past the coroner's assistant to get Sakura. Knowing the longer he stayed the more likely he would be noticed, Naruto threw the pink haired women over his shoulder and stepped out the back of the carriage. He walked slowly to the front of the carriage towards the grey haired man who was driving the horses. Naruto began a series of hand signals as he walked to the front. By the time he reached the man, the jutsu was complete. Without being a ninja, the civilian man would never know he had been doped. The coroner had gone lax in his seat and he stared emptily out in the distance.
"You are to head to the morgue. Your assistant fell on his face and knocked himself out cold." He told the man was under a very vivid genjutsu. "You have already buried Sakura Haruno while you waited for your partner to wake up. You dropped Tsuchi off here and he headed to the village's gates. When I release the genjutsu no one will be standing here and you will head to the morgue because Sakura is buried and your partner is unconscious. Is everything I said correct?"
"Yes, that is correct." He replied in a detached voice.
Naruto smiled before doing the 'ram' hand sign. The man shook his head in confusion and gazed around, his eyes glancing over Naruto as if he wasn't there.
"Stupid Tamaki." He muttered before cracking the whips.
The horses pulled away being the only living things that knew what really happened. Naruto and Sakura were gone before the carriage even made it out of sight. The blonde nin and his companion were already scaling up the village's main wall to the guard tower. Deciding to test a theory, the Leaf jounin began another more familiar jutsu. It wasn't long before there were two Narutos and the clone version of him took off to go pick up a loose end. The real Naruto landed heavily on the shingled roof of the sentry portion of the tower.
"Whose there?" A voice called out.
Naruto carefully rested Sakura on the roof and leaned over the roof to stare at Akasun upside down.
"It's just me. I'll take over per the Mizukage's orders." Naruto replied normally.
The chuunin looked relieved. "Ah, don't scare me next time. Jeez."
"I'm sorry." Naruto replied sincerity.
Akasun nodded his head. "Well, it's pretty easy night. The barrier is up so any physical form leaving and coming to and from the village will be detected by our teams."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. How convenient. So his suspicions were correct. He didn't know exactly how it worked but the heavy mist in the village was a part of it. The barrier was a signal to the Mist teams dispatched to defend the village. Anyone entering the village would be detected and detained. The same worked for the reverse. This made getting out of the village harder.
"Goodnight." Akasun said, motioning that he was leaving.
As soon as he disappeared from sight, Naruto dropped in with Sakura on his back. Naruto gently placed Sakura's out cold form onto the floor of the lookout tower. His eyes squeezed together tightly in determination. Taking a deep breath, the blonde reopened his eyes to reveal the eyes of a hard, stone cold killer. He had to treat this like any other assassination mission or it would all be over. Sakura and he had made a grave mistake and if he hadn't caught it in time they would both be as good as dead. He had played Tsuchi's part well but that was underlying problem. Naruto had played the part, not Tsuchi. The guard would awake and not remember anything that went on even when the Mizukage herself remembered talking to Tsuchi who was really Naruto. They would immediately expect foul play with the disappearance of his memories or his probable insistence that he never did what they saw him do. Most likely all fingers would point to the Leaf because of Sakura's 'successful' mission. This situation was more complicated that he could have ever predicted. And it was for that reason alone Tsuchi of the Mist could not survive the night. For everything to work, the loose end must be cut.
His henge has completely worn off by the time his shadow clone appeared and dropped the real body of Tsuchi to the floor. The clone disappeared in smoke as Naruto pulled out a scroll knowing he had to be fast. The blonde shinobi rolled the scroll out in front of him as he touch the paper with his own blood to release the seal. With a small pop, varies containers and weapons materialized into life on the scroll. Grabbing the black pair of gloves that rested on the scroll he smirked at thought of remembering to bring this scroll. This particular scroll was not ordinary. It was his assassination scroll that contained everything under the sun that could cover up a murder or pin it on someone else. Naruto pulled the gloves over his right hand, and then left before grabbing a brown bottle that rested in the far corner of the paper. Unscrewing the cap with his right hand, Naruto reached for a cotton swab with his left. The cap fell off the bottle as the blonde dumped a good amount of the liquid into the swab. Naruto hastily put the cap back on the bottle and crawled over to the unconscious Mist guard. Without slowing down, he removed Tsuchi's vest and raised his shirt. The drenched cotton swab was brushed across his chest and stomach spreading the liquid in long strokes. His motions were fast and rushed but the liquid eventually dampened before disappearing completely into the skin. Naruto tossed the swab back on the scroll and returned the guard's clothes back to its original position. He returned back to the scroll to grab a couple of empty and half filled liquor bottles before returning to the guard. Grabbing the man's hands in his gloved ones, Naruto preceded to smash Tsuchi's pads of his fingers on the glass of the bottle. Smudging the finger print identity would help the cover up in the long run. Naruto printed two empty bottles before tossing them about in the guard tower. The last slightly filled bottle that was printed, he set to the side for later.
He rose to his feet and returned to the supply scroll his eyes wandering over the items. A check list was already running through his mind. He would make it appear as the guard had drunken himself into oblivion over the death of Sakura. The liquid in brown container was actually concentrated alcohol that absorbs into skin. Therefore, in a blood test, he will have intoxicated cells. Tsuchi was still alive so unknown to him, the more his heart beat, the more he spread the alcohol through his bloodstream. The beer bottles were to make up the scene. And of course gloves: to leave no fingerprints. But that was not all. The story is implausible that a shinobi would die of alcohol poisoning so the final stage would to push Tsuchi off the wall. Perfect. Now, he just needed to break the spinal column of the Mist nin to prove instantaneous death.
Naruto stepped behind the unconscious man. He crouched down, his muscles tensing in anticipation. He cupped his hand under the neck of the guard before stopping.
'Eyes.' A voice butted in his subconscious.
'Eyes?' Naruto asked annoyed. 'What the hell does that mean?'
'His eyes are closed. It looks more believable if they were open.' The Fox pointed out rudely.
'Is that really necessary?' Naruto sighed. 'I'll have to wake him up and that's just cruel.'
A huff from the demon. 'Do what you want. Just don't come crying to me when they figure out his death was staged.'
Naruto glared at the adjacent wall when he realized the truth in the Fox's words. That damn sadistic demon.
"Fuck." He cursed before shaking Tsuchi roughly.
The man flinched but showed no signs of waking up. Annoyed at having to do this in the first place, Naruto shoved the Mist nin over hard before stopping him from slamming face first into the floor. The man twitched again as his fingers moved to feel the empty space in front of him. A dawning realization of another presence near him caused the guard to bolt to his feet.
"What the-?!" Was all Tsuchi could get out before a loud snap was heard and he doubled over to the floor his neck broken.
Naruto stood there for a few seconds behind him staring at the deceased shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Another senseless murder in cold blood. Another name to add to his list of those who had died by his hand. Sakura was going to be pissed.
Deciding not to fret on it for long, Naruto returned all the supplies besides his gloves to the scroll. With a small pop, he sealed the items to the paper once again and returned the scroll to his pouch.
Okay, now all he had to do was push the guard over the edge with that half filled beer bottle and there, another murder turned accident. The body of the guard would pass through the barrier of the village alerting Mist nin to this location. He would sneak out with Sakura when the body dropped so the breach in the barrier will appear as to just have been Tsuchi.
Naruto reached down to grab the body of the Mist nin by the vest when he felt a chakra signature closing in on his location. The level of chakra was no more than a chuunin but it was closing in fast. It couldn't be another guard for he was the only one scheduled for the main gate. It also couldn't be a passing team because the person's intended destination was this room.
"Damn." The blonde hissed flattening his back to the side of the wall beside the opening of the guard tower.
The chakra signature got closer and he heard the clicking of feet on the concrete of the wall. A shadow passed through the opening before an outline of a boy stepped into the room. Naruto was on him immediately, a kunai gripped securely in his hand.
"You!" The boy hissed as Naruto forced him to the ground.
That same thought had passed through Naruto's head because this was the same chuunin he had knocked to the ground earlier. Naruto said nothing and focused on forcing the kunai down to impale the newcomer. The boy resisted grabbing Naruto's wrists trying to overpower him but was failing. Naruto's strength far ascended his own.
"Why did you take Sakura's body?" The kid demanded between breaths.
Naruto leaned further onto the weapon causing the tip to touch right above the material of the Mist nin's vest.
His enemy gasped. "Answer me Leaf nin! I saw you take her from the carriage and head up here."
The Leaf nin's first thought was impossible because he had checked before leaving the carriage. Then it hit him. The more heavy hazy mist in the village was the perfect defense. The Mist's special technique that caused them to appear invisible in the mist. An intruder would never know he was being watched, much less how to fight off an enemy he couldn't see.
Naruto stared into the green eyes of his enemy that reflected so much hate. The Mist nin struggled harder, the weapon threatening to end him leaving his clothing.
"You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?! I'll sound the alarm and you're dead!" He declared his eyes leaving the blues of Naruto's to look at something on the wall next to him.
A detail the chuunin said did more harm than good to him in the end. By stating he would 'sound the alarm' it meant he had not already. Which of course meant he was the only one who saw him remove Sakura. That left this Mist nin the only witness. Naruto's eyes hardened when he knew he had no choice. The boy must of noticed the change too because his eyes widened in fear. The Leaf assassin forced the sharp weapon down, its tip aimed at the heart of his victim. The kunai shook with the force of one pushing and the other resisting. The metal passed through the grey vest as it sunk. Naruto knew when he touched skin because the boy began to struggle violently like a caught animal.
"You Leaf piece of shit! I won't die by you or let you take my sister!" He screamed.
Naruto stilled.
"Sister..?" He asked his voice confused.
"Oh, now you talk." The boy bit back sarcastically.
The blonde shinobi remove his weapon from its deadly position over the boy's heart and put it to the chuunin's throat.
"Tell me. What is your name?" Naruto ordered.
"Go to hell!" The defensive Mist nin shot back.
A sensation pricked at the corners of his senses. Three foreign chakras were approaching his position. By their speed they would be here less than five minutes. A team of Mist ninja? His control of the situation was getting out of hand. He needed to end it and end it now.
"I don't have time for this." Naruto snarled.
He picked the chuunin from off the ground by his neck and slammed him into the wall.
"Tell me now or I will kill you." Naruto hissed his face very close to the chuunin's.
The young chuunin cringed. "Shiro Haruno." He spit back at him.
Naruto's eyes widened as he glanced over at the unconscious form of Sakura. Trying to wrack his brain for a description of her brother that she might had given him. It would be know use because the name her parents said earlier matched his.
"Sakura Haruno is your sister?" Naruto asked mournfully, dreading the answer.
"Yes." The chuunin clarified angrily.
Well, this could not possible get any worse. Naruto felt the need to slam his head against a wall repeatedly. Why in God's name did this kind of shit always happen to him? He thought shit hit the fan a while back but this? He could clearly hear the recited words of an assassin's rules run through his head: The Three Codes of Assassination
- Fraternizing with the enemy at any time is prohibited.
- Destroy any evidence linking your allegiance to the mission.
- Anything that can speak or write that sees the mission, must be eliminated.
Or in others words, don't fall in love with your target, don't get caught, and no witnesses.
And now he was about to break another code.
Flipping the kunai to the blunt side, Naruto proceeded to hit a point on Shiro's head affectedly knocking him out cold. The blonde carefully placed the brother of Sakura on the floor next to her. He was picking the dead Tsuchi up in the next second along with the beer bottle. Naruto staggered out of the opening of the tower with Tsuchi in tow. With a quick glance over the edge, he saw no ninja around the bottom of the drop. Naruto released the bottle over the edge and quickly gave Tsuchi a good shove over the edge as well. He didn't stick around to hear the landing for Naruto Uzumaki was picking up Sakura and the tag along.
Those three signatures he felt earlier were now moving at a faster rate and Naruto now knew he had been right. The barrier alerted them of a presence leaving the village. Naruto took a breath and jumped off the wall. It may be easy for him to fight against hundreds of shinobi but nothing prepared him for the crushing weight on his knees when he landed with the combined dead weight of his companions. He grunted in pain and force his body into a staggering run away from the Mist Village. There was no way in hell he would get away like this. Well, not fast at least. He cursed himself over and over for not being able to master his father's flashing dagger technique. That certain ability would come useful about right now.
The blonde made it past the dense tree line trying to put a good distance between the village and himself. The air was unnaturally humid and dense with water vapor. It was almost like it was about to rain but he knew it wouldn't. He hated the Mist. It wasn't the people or the air. It was how the water vapor made his clothes cling to his skin. He suppressed a shudder and focused on making a mental map of the world.
Alright, he is currently on the island of Water Country, more specifically near Kirigakure. He could head back to the Frost but the journey would go over more water than he wanted to and was in the complete opposite direction of their next phase of their plan. That being said, if he headed due west from this position he will eventually hit the ocean. If he kept at it, he would find himself in Wood Country- a territory smack dab in the middle of Fire and Water Country. Wood is a non-shinobi area and is filled with dense trees that could provide could coverage. It was not a main route ANBU and Leaf ninja used when traveling too. On the plus side the water travel distance was half that of the Frost too.
"Well." He said cheerfully out loud imagining Sakura coming at him with a weapon and slamming it into his jugular when she awoke and saw her brother. "Looks like we're going to Wood Country."