Cursed Mirrors
Disclaimer: Not mine; never will be. Need I say more?
Summary: The night of the Kyuubi attack and its subsequent sealing, has a side effect that no one could have predicted when the Kyuubi decides to gift it's container with a unique ability, so that no one could hurt its Jinchuuriki. But not even Kyuubi itself could have foreseen how much this ability would evolve, and without meaning to create a monster worse than the Bijuu. Main pairing will be Naruto/FemKyuubi (Master/Servant).
Chapter 11:
"Reflections of Betrayal; Part IV"
"Normal speaking"
"Thoughts"
"Demon speaking"-
"Demon thoughts"
Shows change in time and place
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Naruto´s safe house
There was a glum atmosphere surrounding the members of Naruto´s group. With Tei unconscious, Naruto sealed away, and Haku death, the team had been reduced to just three active members, of which only two had any special techniques given to them by Naruto to help them, and while Yuugao was a very experienced ANBU, her fight with Jiraiya had cost her, her sword, leaving her severely weakened, far more than she was comfortable admitting.
It had been five days since Haku´s death and thing for the group were getting tense.
Yuugao was in a depressive state, something neither Kurenai nor Hinata could really understand, and as the days went the woman began getting more and more aggressive, it had gotten to the point that Kurenai was fearing the ex ANBU would actually attack one of them.
Hinata, surprisingly, was dealing with the situation better than the other two, even after all that happen in the previous days, she had clung to the hope that Naruto would return very soon and everything would be fine again; in many ways, Kurenai envied Hinata´s blind faith in their leader.
Kurenai for her part spent the days trying to calm Yuugao down, doing her best to not let the woman get on her nerves, no matter how infuriating she found her, she did her best to ignore the need to kick the woman´s ass; Naruto wouldn't want them to fight between them, and also, Kurenai was sure Yuugao could defeat her so that helped her keep her composure.
Kurenai could see that they needed something to happen, and soon, either Tei awakening or Naruto to return, because if something wasn't done soon Yuugao may very well snap, or in the worst scenario, Jiraiya could track them down again. The real problem was that she could think of nothing to help Tei, and she had no knowledge of how to break Naruto´s seal, so the only thing she could do was wait.
Some distance away from Naruto´s safe house
"It looks like I don't have much time"
Standing in the middle of the forest, gazing in the direction of his hidden base, where his teammates were waiting for him, was Naruto. The seal that kept him contain was broken not 10 minutes ago, and he appeared in the place where he was originally sealed.
Using one of the mirrors in his base he was able to check up on his teammates, only to discover that they were starting to descend into depression, the blond knew he needed to return, and fast.
He had put his trust in Tei to keep the team calm and focused on their task, but he didn't count on them encountering Jiraiya, or Tei being force to use the Kyuubi´s power, therefore breaking the seal he had put on her to limit her access to the bijuu´s chakra, and falling into a coma.
This was another thing to worry about. The relationship between Tei and Naruto was based, initially, on a lie told by Naruto the first day they met. Naruto told her that he absorbed her power to turn himself into the next Kyuubi, and that couldn't be further from the truth, he couldn't help but worry about how she would react when she learned the truth about that day.
Shaking his head to get rid of those depressive thoughts, Naruto decided to focus on finding Jiraiya, and Tsunade by extension, as soon as possible so he could finish his mission and return as soon as possible to his team.
Sending a last look in the direction he knew Tei was resting, Naruto turned around and disappeared within the trees. As he leapt from tree to tree, Naruto began to focus on the glass shard that he implanted under Jiraiya´s skin, glad that he had a contingency plan in case he needed to locate Jiraiya in a hurry.
It didn't take him long to connect with Jiraiya´s glass shard, and after noticing that he was actually going in the wrong direction, turned around to head directly towards the sage, and hopefully Tsunade.
"Just wait a little more, everyone"
With Jiraiya
Heaving a sight of exasperation, Jiraiya could only look as his old teammate, downed a full bottle of sake in a single gulp. The two members of the sannin were currently in a town named Tanzaku-Gai, a big city somewhere north of fire country, the place where Jiraiya finally managed to track Tsunade down.
The truth was that their meeting was pure luck on Jiraiya´s side, who after looking all over the town for her, decided to go grab a bite to eat and maybe a drink, only to find Tsunade in the first bar he entered. Jiraiya had greeted Tsunade in his usual over the top style, instantly annoying the woman
"This is a surprise" Tsunade slurred, this and the little blush on her cheeks showing that she had already consumed a considerable quantity of alcohol. "I wasn't expecting so many familiar faces today" Tsunade took a pause to grab another bottle of sake, to serve herself another drink.
Jiraiya felt a little alarm at Tsunade´s words "Did Orochimaru already met with her?"
"Did another of the casino´s debt collectors find you again?" Jiraiya jested, not letting his real thoughts be seen on his face, trying to get Tsunade to reveal the details herself. He could just ask her of course, but Tsunade could be stubborn at times, so it was best to let her say what she wanted first.
Tsunade lowered her bottle to send Jiraiya an irritated look at his joke, contemplating at the same time if she should tell him anything, and in the end deciding that it didn't matter one way or another.
"Orochimaru decided to stop by, to ´relive old memories´, or so he said" Tsunade commented with a dismissive wave of her hand, but was actually paying close attention to Jiraiya´s reaction, so she managed to notice him become tense for a moment and the slight hitch in his breathing.
It only took Jiraiya a fraction of a second to regain control and forcibly relax again, but Tsunade, frankly, didn't want to hear anything from her old pervert of a teammate and forestalled any comments he might have.
"What do you want, Jiraiya? Don't tell me you came to ´relive old memories´ as well, I didn't believe the snake and I won't believe you either" Tsunade´s voice was hard, bordering on harsh, the signs of inebriation that were previously on her voice and face disappearing in that instant.
Jiraiya took a moment to observe his teammate, taking note of the seriousness of her stare and her aggressive posture, and decided to just tell the truth, she needed to know what was happening.
"Sarutobi~sensei is death" Jiraiya said in a somber tone.
"I know, Orochimaru bragged about how successful his invasion was, and how it ended with the death of that idiot teacher of ours" replied Tsunade, her voice having a touch of anger at the end. "He had a meaningless death, just like all the other Hokage" although her anger cover it well, Jiraiya was able to hear the slight sadness in her voice.
"Tsunade…"
"Killed by his own prized student, a fitting death for an old fool!" Tsunade exclaimed, her voice full of bitterness.
"Killed by his own student?" Jiraiya asked confused. "Sarutobi~sensei was killed by Uzumaki Naruto, not by Orochimaru" explained Jiraiya.
Jiraiya could see that his words surprised Tsunade, it was clear to see that Orochimaru tried to take credit for Sarutobi´s death, or maybe Tsunade just misinterpreted him.
"Who the hell is Uzumaki Naruto?" demanded Tsunade, her voice soft but full of anger, for some reason it angered more to know that Hiruzen had been killed by someone other than Orochimaru. This was the opening that Jiraiya needed to explain everything to her, so he took a deep breath to prepare for a difficult conversation.
"The Kyuubi´s Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, interfered during the invasion and managed to assassinate the Sandaime while I was busy battling Orochimaru" Tsunade´s eyes widened at hearing that someone so young could take down her sensei, she remembered the brat, or at least she remembered that he was barely old enough to be out of the academy.
"I´m guessing Orochimaru came to you to ask you to heal his arms" realizing that it wasn't a question so Tsunade didn't answer. "I was the one to put him in that condition. I actually came to warn you, besides Orochimaru, Uzumaki Naruto is looking for you as well" Jiraiya lapsed into a silence to let Tsunade think about that.
"Looking for me? What would he want from me?" Tsunade continued before Jiraiya could answer. "More importantly, the Kyuubi´s Jinchuuriki must be, what, 13, 14 years old? How did he manage to kill sensei?"
After not hearing an answer, Tsunade turned to look at Jiraiya, and was surprise to see him looking down, almost sad or melancholic, his back was hunched, and his hands were gripping his glass so hard that she could hear it creak, it was only the look in his eyes that told her that he was actually furious, it was a weird combination, sad, melancholic and anger, the only other time she remembered seeing him like this was when his old student, the Yondaime, perished against the Kyuubi.
"Naruto… has become a very dangerous person" Jiraiya said finally, almost uncertain, as if he didn't want to admit that. "Sensei suspected much the same, he knew Naruto was hiding something, something dangerous, but he refused to do anything for the love he felt for the child"
"So he knew about a threat and never did anything?" Tsunade asked incredulous.
"Sensei asked me to take care of him, to find the truth about him" Jiraiya clenched his fist as he remembered his las mission from Sarutobi, which was the last real conversation he had with his teacher.
"And what did you find?" Tsunade asked, curious about the Jinchuuriki.
"I found… a monster" The porcelain glass in Jiraiya´s hands broke under the pressure of Jiraiya´s strength.
"When I went to confront him, I only managed to injure him, but in the end I was defeated and captured" Tsunade was surprise, to think that such a young child would be able to defeat ninja of Sarutobi´s and Jiraiya´s level was almost unimaginable to her.
Tsunade sat there, watching as Jiraiya removed the little pieces of glass that cut into his palm, using a napkin to clean the little bit of blood that came out, she did her best to not look or think about the blood. After a couple of moments of silence, she decided to ask.
"So, what would he want with me?"
"During our fight, he lost his right arm and eye, he would need a highly trained medic Nin to recover from the damage I did" Jiraiya explained, his voice serious, and his eyes hard.
"And you think he will come to me?"
"It was Naruto himself who told me he would, or at least he hinted at that"
They both lapsed into silence after that, drinking like old friends, each lost in their own thoughts. Tsunade had a feeling that Jiraiya hadn't told her everything, but was sure that he would, eventually. While Jiraiya was internally freaking out, trying to think of a way to tell Tsunade that Konoha wanted her to come back and become the Godaime Hokage.
Streets of Tanzaku Gai
A woman was wandering the streets of the big town she found herself in. She had straight shoulder length black hair, wearing a black Kimono with a white outline, tied together by a white obi. The most peculiar thing about her was the fact that she was carrying a little pig that wore a blue vest.
This woman was Shizune Kato, Tsunade´s apprentice. And the pig was Tonton, her pet.
Shizune was wandering around town, trying to find a way to kill time, after Tsunade told her to leave her to drink alone in a bar when she noticed Jiraiya enter, so she could converse with him in private.
Shizune let out a sad sight at the thought of her master. Life with Tsunade hadn't been easy, after the death of her uncle Dan, Shizune made the decision to leave Konoha alongside the slug sannin, the woman she looked up to as a child, accepting to become her student.
The training had been brutal, most of the time Tsunade would push her to the limit, and sometimes beyond that, but it was effective, and Shizune could say with some measure of certainty, and pride, that she was one of the best medical ninja in the world.
But while his training went great, the same could not be said of the relationship between student and teacher.
Shizune was forced to watch over the years as the woman she admired became a shadow of what she was. Transforming from the strong woman that she remembered as a child into a woman full of bitterness and remorse. Wasting away her life in gambling and alcohol. Shizune was really worried about her master and yearned for the day that she could see the old Tsunade back, the woman who captured her uncle´s heart.
She was impotent to do anything, only able to see as Tsunade continued down the road to self-destruction. She would do anything, pay any price, just to see Tsunade revert to her old self.
On a roof on the side of the street, unknown to Shizune, Naruto was watching her. His true objective, Tsunade´s apprentice.
"It seems Danzou´s Intel was right, that woman fill the description of Tsunade´s student" Letting his usual smile to appear on his face, Naruto decided to get to work, it was time to get himself a medic.
Dropping down to an alleyway, Naruto began preparing to use his Cursed Mirror: Infinite Illusion technique, the same technique he used on Kurenai, on their way back from wave country.
Naruto waited for Shizune to pass by the alleyway he was in before activating his technique. The objective of his technique this time wasn't a total change of heart like with Kurenai, Naruto was aiming to make her a little more trusting of him, and to make her mind focus on all the frustrations in her life.
Unaware of Naruto, Shizune just continued to wander around town, letting her thought wander as she did, but she could feel herself growing frustrated as her thought took her down memory lane, making her remember every single thing that she hated about her master. This wasn't the first time she felt like this, during her travels she could remember many times that she felt like screaming at her master, but somehow, this time felt different.
All previous times she felt this way, she just decided to keep it all inside, and ignore her frustrations, but this time she felt the need to talk about her troubles, I felt as if she tried to repress it this time she would explode.
She was jarred from her thought when she collided with someone, and fell down. Looking up she was met with a blue eye that looked at her with concern.
"Are you alright?" the person in front of her asked, extending his left arm to help her up. Shizune took notice that his right eye was closed shut, and that his right arm was covered in bandages, and from the way it dangled it was probably due to some injury.
"Oh, yes, I´m alright, thank you!" exclaimed Shizune, grabbing his arm to pull herself up, and giving him a smile. "I´m sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" she finished in an embarrassed tone.
"No, its fine, I´m Naruto" he introduced himself, shaking her hand that was still clasped in his in form of greeting.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Shizune" She greeted back with a nice smile. "He seems nice" then she heard a little snort and bent down to pick up her pig again, who had fallen when she did. "And this is Tonton"
Naruto just smile a little bit brighter, making Shizune smile back, for some reason she felt really happy to have met this boy, it felt as if she could trust him.
"Why do I suddenly feel so… happy?"
Hotel room
After meeting Naruto, Shizune and he had spent the rest of the day together, walking around town, talking, and just enjoying themselves as if they were old friends, that hadn't met in a while.
Finally, after realizing how late it was, Shizune bid good bye to Naruto, telling him that she needed to return to her hotel or her companion could get worried, but asked him to meet again the next day, and agreeing to meet in front of a food stand they had dinner in.
Opening the door to her room, with a big smile etched on her face, Shizune couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun, or the last time she even had a friend. Her smile was erased when the smell of alcohol hit her full force, finally noticing the pass out figure of her mentor lying on the floor.
Letting out a sad sigh, her frustration, which Naruto had helped her forget, coming back to her, Shizune made her way to her master´s side to pick her up and put her back in bed, only for her anger to finally win out and with a huff and a scathing look, she walked back to her bed and went to sleep, leaving Tsunade on the floor.
As she felt asleep, a smile came back to her face, mumbling Naruto´s name in her sleep.
Next day
Tsunade opened her eyes, expecting to wake up in bed, only to be proven wrong when she felt her back pulse in pain when she tried to move, making her let out a groan in pain. Sitting up, and holding her head as the hang over hit her, Tsunade looked around confused as to why she was on the floor.
"This is weird, usually when I pass out, Shizune puts me in bed" The woman thought, just now noticing that she was alone in the room, although Shizune´s bed showed signs that she slept in it, besides on the bed she could see a clean change of clothes laid out, and she could now hear the sound of the shower running.
Tsunade stood up, only to sit back down again in her bed, when the dizziness from her night of drinking mad itself present, holding her forehead as her head throbbed in pain, and her back screamed in protest to her movements. She would need to ask Shizune to give her a massage later to get rid of that.
The sound of a door opening grabbed her attention in time to see Shizune exiting the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body, and another covering her hair in such a way that she could not see Tsunade looking at her.
Finishing drying her hair, Shizune pulled the towel off her head and finally noticed Tsunade looking at her.
"Do you need something, Tsunade~sama?"
Tsunade blinked when she notice a little bit of resentment in her student´s voice but decided that it was just the hang over playing tricks on her. Shaking her head, and regretting it immediately, Tsunade just remained quiet, her eyes close as she tried to bring her headache to a manageable level.
Tsunade could hear movements, probably Shizune getting dressed and ready for the day, it was then that the memories of last night came to her, and decided that the younger woman needed to be warned about the other person after her.
"Shizune" called Tsunade, but a reply never came, she opened her eyes to see Shizune continuing getting dressed, without paying attention to her. "Somethings weird… she seems different" This was the first time that Shizune had acted this way with her.
"Jiraiya told me about what really happened during the resent invasion to Konoha" Tsunade began, raising her glowing hand to her head to begin healing her headache. Shizune just let out a sound to let her know she was listening but didn't stop what she was doing, and to Tsunade it looked as though she was paying extra attention to her appearance.
"Apparently the Sandaime was assassinated by Uzumaki Naruto, and not by Orochimaru as I thought" Tsunade closed her eyes as a particular intense throb of pain hit her, so she missed her students eyes widening in surprise and her body tense for a moment.
"Naruto… killed Sandaime~sama?"
Unaware of her companion´s troubled thoughts, Tsunade continued explaining Jiraiya´s suspicious that he would come to look for her to get her to heal his right arm, and telling her to be on her guard, and to tell her if she saw someone suspicious.
Shizune wasn't listening though. Naruto, the person she met yesterday, who made her feel happy, and the first friend she had in years… was a criminal of Konoha, her village.
"The description fits, same name, same place of injury" In Shizune´s mind there was no way that the person she met yesterday and the killer of the Sandaime were two different people, there was no way the similarities were mere coincidence, but something stop her from saying anything to Tsunade. In the short time that she was with Naruto, she had felt no danger, or any indication that he was a bad person, and he had made her feel happy, and had been so honest with her…
"I need to talk to him" She decided "I need to talk to him and ask him to tell me the truth"
Not saying another word, or giving a second thought to her plan, Shizune finish getting ready, and exited the room, ignoring Tsunade, who had been speaking to her, surprising the sannin.
"What´s the matter with that girl?"
Streets of Tanzaku Gai
Walking on the streets on her way to meet up with Naruto, Shizune was taking the time to try to think of a way to ask the questions she needed answered.
"I can´t just simply go out and say ´hey, I heard you are a criminal from Konoha, can you tell me how that happen? ´" Shaking her head in denial, Shizune decided that she needed to see Naruto first before deciding on what to ask.
"Shizune" hearing someone calling her name, Shizune turned to look and saw Naruto sitting on a bench waiting for her, the same smile from yesterday on his face, and she couldn't help but smile back at him, forgetting for a moment the important question she had for him.
They began wandering around town, talking about nothing, with Shizune occasionally retelling some of her travels and complaining about her master, Naruto made her feel as if she could just tell him anything.
Hours later, they found themselves on a food stand, enjoying a light snack, after spending all day having fun. Shizune had been ignoring her concerns about her new friend, deciding to just observe him first before reaching a conclusion, and had finally decided that she needed to hear his side of the story.
"What are you thinking about, Shizune?" Naruto asked when he noticed that Shizune was just looking at her food with a lost gaze.
"Naruto, please come with me there is a place I want to go" Shizune requested, and Naruto just gave her a smile and a nod. After that they finished their food, paid, and went on their way, with Shizune guiding them towards a place outside of town, where they could speak in private.
Naruto, walking besides Shizune, had an idea of what Shizune would say, after all it was logical to think that Jiraiya had already told Tsunade about him, and in turn she would have told Shizune, who made the connection between the killer of the Sandaime and her new friend. Danzou´s report said that Shizune was a very good Kunoichi, perhaps not the strongest but one with a sharp mind, so it wasn't that shocking that she would deduct everything.
After walking in silence for a couple of minutes, Shizune led them to a small patch of forest, and then she stopped in front of him.
"Naruto… did you kill the Sandaime Hokage?" Shizune asked without looking back at Naruto.
"Yes"
The answer came quick, without hesitation or remorse, making Shizune turn around quickly to look at Naruto´s eye, surprise evident in her face, it was clear she didn't expect for him to be so honest an open about such a grave crime. Shizune took a couple of deep breaths to regain her composure, before continuing.
"You came to this place looking for Tsunade~sama, right?" she didn't wait for Naruto to answer. "Then why are you here with me? Did you plan on using me to get to Tsunade?!" she ended in a scream, her voice full of anger and sadness. "I thought… I thought I found someone I could trust"
"You´re wrong, I came to this place looking for you" Naruto didn't react to Shizune´s anger and replied with a calm and clear tone, giving a smile to the confused woman. "I think you have the most potential and the right mentality for joining my cause"
It took Shizune a moment to understand that he wanted her, and not her master, it was a surprise that he even knew about her, but after a moment she decided that she only had one more question.
"Tel me why? Why are you doing all this? Why do you need me?"
Naruto looked deeply into her eyes, as if judging her, analyzing her, trying to see if she was ready to hear something like that, his full plans something only one other person knew completely, something that he haven't even told Tei, his closest confidant.
"Very well, I will tell you everything" Naruto decided, deciding that her loyalty was worth the risk. And so Naruto told her everything, what he hoped to accomplish, and the reason he need her help. At the end Shizune was speechless, overwhelm by Naruto´s words, to her it seemed like an impossible dream, but something inside her told her to believe in him, that if someone could reach such a goal, it would be him.
"Are you sure you will be able to do it?" asked Shizune once she regained her voice.
"Yes, there is no doubt in my mind or heart that I can accomplish my goals and make my dream a reality" Naruto´s voice was full of determination, leaving no place for doubt in his words, and Shizune was forced to acknowledge them.
Shizune closed her eyes, deep in thought. If Naruto managed to complete his plan then it was certain that thousands if not hundreds of thousands or even more would suffer, but as a result, a bright future would be assured for the world, it wouldn't erase conflict permanently, as long as humans existed there would be conflict, but full out wars would become a thing of history, and death would only come for the elderly and the sick, it would be a step towards a world of peace through conflict, a paradox if there ever was one.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Shizune decided to give him a chance to convince her of his ability, to make sure that he would make his dream a reality.
"I will help you, Naruto~sama, on one condition" Shizune began, changing the way she referred to her friend to a more respectful way.
Naruto was a little surprise that she would accept so easily, but decided to take it in stride, after all his technique only made her feel a little more trusting to him, and a little more open, but it didn't control her actions in any way, like with Kurenai at the beginning. So Naruto nodded his acceptance to her condition, whatever it may be.
"I exchange for my loyalty…" Shizune took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for something difficult. "I want you to kill, Senju Tsunade"
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END CHAPTER 11
R&R
