Behind the Mask
Rated: T for language and violence
Disclaimer: Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Summary: We all wear masks. But that only makes it harder to tell the difference between truth and lies.
Note: Special thanks to those that bothered to review. So review review review before this story runs at risk of me forgetting to update it until who knows when.
012: 决心
(decision)
Asuka sat at the dining room table, looking bored as she spun a white plate on the table, underneath her finger. Her mind was like a maelstrom of emotions, spinning and churning, moving too fast to actually process any thoughts. She sighed as she used both of her hands to spin the plate again before returning to her original position.
"Lady Asuka." Scolded the maid as she walked in with her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't play with the dinner ware like that. It might get broken."
Asuka's eyes flickered toward the maid, her cool and impenetrable mask of boredom cracking as she gave the maid a look that was seething with irritation. She slammed her hand down, trapping the plate underneath her long callused fingers. The maid twitched, startled, but continued to stare down Asuka. Asuka stood up, whipping the plate like a shuriken. It crashed into the wall behind the maids head and broken into tiny white pieces. The maid was unperturbed by Asuka's bad behavior as she looked down at the mess on the floor. Her maid was an ex-kunoichi who had long retired from active duty. Sometimes, however, living in the Eguchi household made her want to return to active duty…
"Who gives a shit?" Asuka muttered before stalking away, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder.
She ignored the maid's quiet tisk of her bad language as she quickly leaped up the stairs and strode over to a balcony that over looked the terrace in the backyard. The backyard itself was serenely quiet, but beyond the walls she could hear the hustle and bustle of Iwagakure. She squinted her eyes against the bright sun and thought back to her talk with her father. Her father was so willing to give all this up…so ready to turn this peaceful bright village into that of terror, destruction and bloodshed.
Once her father attacked Konoha, there would be no doubt that they would retaliate ten-fold. Asuka knew that if Iwa attacked Konoha, others would surely follow. Kumo and Ame would be quick to join Iwa's forces, especially if her father gave them the same stirring speech that he gave the war council. Suna however, would ally with Konoha which was a problem. Both Konoha and Suna had the biggest attack forces respectively and they had been good allies for a while now. This left Kiri up for grabs and whatever other minor shinobi villages would join in. Plus the rumor of Konoha traitor Orochimaru becoming Kage of his own shinobi village would surely pit them against Konoha if it was true. This would only mean the start of a Fourth Shinobi War and then where would it end? The provinces would tear each other apart, all in the name of perseverance. Then for sure the foreigners and the unnamed conqueror be set to take the country. Asuka sighed and banged her head against the wooden balcony.
Pulling tired, ragged fingers through her hair, she pulled away from the balcony and retreated back into the recesses of her house. She found herself in her room, digging through one of her bedroom drawers. Delicately lifting up the false wooden bottom of one of the drawers, she dug her hand in and pulled out the only item hidden inside; a fading picture.
Asuka dropped the false bottom and it landed with a click as she walked backward to her bed, caressing the picture softly with her thumb. Her mother was looking off to the side, so Asuka couldn't see her direct gaze. The wind must have been blowing, for soft delicate tresses were blowing in her face. Despite the hard maturity lines that were etched in her mother's face, her gaze was soft. Asuka smiled bitterly. She could remember that soft gaze; it was one of her earliest memories and one that she cherished the most.
Tears slipped from Asuka's eyes and they silently ran down her cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, she resisted the urge to crumple the picture in her hand. It was the only picture of her mother that she had. The day that her mother left, Asuka found her father in their backyard, creating a huge bonfire of all the pictures that he had of her mother. Asuka had screamed, cried and pleaded with him to stop, but it hadn't stopped all the pictures from turning to ash. The picture that she had now was the last she had, which was why it was hidden under her drawer where her father couldn't find it.
Sniffling and smoothing the picture out tenderly on her knee, Asuka knew that she had a choice to make. Although she could feel her heart cracking in two, Asuka angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I'll do it for you mom." She whispered into the air.
Glossary:
Suna: Village Hidden in the Sand
"Failure, after failure. How do you expect me to keep tolerating this Kabuto?" Although Orochimaru's voice was calm, it seemed to cut through the air like a steel edged blade.
Kabuto flicked his hand through his white ponytail as he sucked in a large breath to keep himself from lashing out. Inside, he was seething, boiling with rage for his master, yet when he looked up again at Orochimaru, he appeared meek and servile. His eyes almost glistened as he stared at Orochimaru, his thin lips pulled into a subtle pout.
"As I said, Sifu Orochimaru, it was not my fault."
"No?" Asked Orochimaru. "Then exactly whose fault is it? Because of you, I've lost my hold on the Feng family. And, not to mention, I still don't have the Tian Tang Jian. So, repeat to me again, how it is not your fault that I both have no sword, no girl and now an exposed identity?" Orochimaru had been building in volume until he exploded, his face eerily close to Kabuto's as droplets of spit flew from his mouth.
Kabuto cast his eyes downward. "My apologies, Sifu Orochimaru. Perhaps…perhaps if master had refrained from fighting the Kyuubi kid, then Kakashi would not have made the connection."
Kabuto had not been able to resist the small dig against Orochimaru although he knew it would cost him. As his eyes flicked upward, he saw Orochimaru was biting his lip with incensed rage and he could see the muscles twitching in his face.
"You better bite your tongue." Said Orochimaru, his voice trembling with rage. "If it weren't for you, none of this would be happening."
"She found out." Said Kabuto, dipping his head even further in obeisance. "There was nothing more I could do. I cut my losses."
Orochimaru's pupils widened dramatically. "Your losses? My losses you mean!" He shouted.
Kabuto didn't respond and Orochimaru stormed over to the dusty windowsill and slammed his palms against it. Orochimaru leaned heavily against the sill, heaving in deep breaths. Eventually, his breathing calmed and his complexion dulled from the red that stained his cheeks to his usual sickly pallor.
"Alright," Said Orochimaru, taking calmer steps toward Kabuto. "Perhaps we can turn your failure into our gain…"
He turned away from Kabuto again, and began to pace. "We can now focus all of our attention on obtaining the Uchiha boy, who can help us more in the long run anyway. Besides, didn't you say he was marrying the Feng girl?"
"Yes…" Said Kabuto.
"Perfect." Orochimaru purred. "As for the sword, we will wait until after Kakashi and his little shinobi leave. Less attention will be focused on the sword and Tsunade can be easily dealt with."
"What if Temari-xiaojie doesn't return the sword?" Said Kabuto meekly.
Orochimaru paused, his eyes gleaming. He seemed to be considering things before a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "We can just leave that dirty little bit to Tsunade and Kakashi. I bet they are no doubt anxious to have the sword back."
"Very good, Sifu, very good." Said Kabuto bowing his head, as if he were in gratitude to Orochimaru's intelligence. He let out a subtle sigh as Orochimaru became consumed in his thoughts about obtaining the Uchiha boy. It would be only a matter of time before the tables were turned.
Glossary:
Sifu - Master
Xiaojie - Chinese honorific, equivalent of Miss
Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto and Tsunade all stood in front of the still empty box that used to contain the Tian Tang Jian.
"I'm sorry laoshi." Said Sakura bowing her head. "When I confronted Temari, I thought…" She cut herself off and shook her head, her pink tresses swaying every which way. "Maybe I ruined our chances."
"No, Sakura," Naruto put in quickly, "You had the best intentions. Can't help that Temari is a rather stubborn bitch."
"Naruto." Scolded Kakashi quietly.
"She knows that she can't keep it forever." Put in Tsunade.
"Can't she?" Asked Sakura sadly.
"She knows that we know she has it." Put in Kakashi. "We will have to let the pressure of that get to her first before we can expect results." The silver haired Jounin stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"But who knows how long that would take." Complained Naruto loudly. "I think we should just bust in, find the sword…"
"Kakashi is right." Said Tsunade quickly, cutting Naruto off. "As much as it hurts to wait, it's just what we will have to do…"
Glossary:
Laoshi - Teacher
The air was hot and dense despite the chilly wind picking up outside as Asuka squeezed through the door of the densely packed restaurant. She quickly weaved around some groups of people waiting for their table and almost lost her footing as some small children ducked around her legs. Of course, this was to be expected and Asuka knew it would be no different if she came any other night. This restaurant was one of the most well known restaurants in all of Iwagakure. They were most famous for their spicy curry although the carried some other food items as well. However, no one really cared about those - they all came for the curry.
A waitress scurried past Asuka carrying two trays on top of her hands, each loaded with plates. Asuka was not easily impressed but she was impressed by anyone who decided to work here and had a good amount of respect for them. There was no doubt that some of these waitresses would make good shinobi.
Some people cleared out of the way of Asuka's line of vision and she spotted her father sitting at a table a few feet away. She quickly made her way over to where he was sitting. Tonight was her fathers 'Curry Night' – otherwise known as the day her father could indulge in his favorite food while having dinner with Asuka's aunt – his ex wife's sister. Asuka thought this was a good balancing act. The curry would be able to placate her father while dealing with her aunt whom her father hated. But the hate was mutual as her aunt hated her father as well. Her aunt never approved of her mother's marriage to her father and was outwardly pleased when Asuka's mother left. Since no one knew where Asuka's mother was, her aunt had taken it upon herself to meet with her father once a week to check in on him and Asuka to make sure that her father wasn't corrupting her only niece. Oh if she only knew the things she had done for her father…
"Aunt Mimi." Greeted Asuka as she slid into the seat next to her father and across from her aunt.
Her aunt's face immediately brightened at Asuka's entrance. She put down her tea, a smile spreading across her face.
"Asuka my dear." Greeted her aunt reaching across the table for Asuka's hand. "This is a pleasant surprise, what made you decide to come?"
Her aunt's face turned questioning as she looked from Asuka to her father. Daichi suddenly stiffened besides Asuka and she saw him peering at her out of the corner of his eye.
Her aunt cocked her head slightly, waiting for Asuka to respond. Asuka knew that her aunt Minako was no dummy. Her aunt suspected that Asuka had come to this dinner because she had something to complain about. Her aunt was expecting her to rat on her father, hoping desperately in fact, that she would rat on him. Her father was obviously worried that Asuka was going to express some disapproval and anger at his treatment of her a couple of days ago. Her father might have been a powerful shinobi and Tsuchikage, but against the verbal and possible beating her aunt would dish out, he was a very vulnerable man.
"I just came to propose an idea to my father." Explained Asuka in a calm voice.
Her aunt leaned back, obviously disappointed by her choice of words, but her eyes were calculating, waiting to bend Asuka's words to her cause.
"Well..." Continued Asuka, faking uncertainty at her words. "After my father and I discussed a few things the other day..." Said Asuka, peering at her father slightly. She saw that he was holding his breath and had his face turned away from her, refusing to look at her. Asuka repressed a smile.
"I wanted to ask my father for permission to travel to Peking."
Daichi's eyes widened and his head snapped around to stare at Asuka. Asuka looked at him as if she had not noticed his unusual behavior. "I thought it would be nice for me to go and learn a few things..." Asuka raised her eyebrows suggestively. Her father had been trying to convince her ever since the war council meeting that he wanted her to scout Peking and take note of their military forces and how their shinobi forces had changed since the Third War. Asuka had flat out refused at first, but her father had been adamant.
Daichi cleared his throat and nodded his head, looking more comfortable than he had a few minutes ago. "Of course Asuka, I'm sure that would make for pleasing trip. I'm glad you decided to see things the way I see them." He said in a casual voice.
"Of course, you must know that I would have eventually." Replied Asuka gazing into the area above her aunt's head. She could see that her aunts face had soured as her attempt at a fight had disappeared. But her aunt's face was still kind; she was not as sadistic as she could not be happy at her own niece's success.
"Well..." Said Asuka sliding out of her father's seat. "I must be going. I apologize for interrupting your dinner, I was just so excited about my decision that I needed father's approval as soon as possible." Explained Asuka, clasping her hands behind her back.
"You won't join us to eat?" Questioned her aunt, saddened at her niece's departure.
"I shouldn't intrude." Said Asuka bowing. "Good bye Aunt Mimi, it was nice to see you again. I'll see you at home father." And then Asuka quickly departed.
Once outside in the brisk fall air, she beamed at her success. At least under Aunt Mimi's watchful eyes, her father had not been willing to question her motives farther.
With dark eyes, Konan watched as the moon shimmered through the water like dancing white ribbons. The breeze coming off the water was chilling and she could taste the salt in the air. Waves beneath her crashed nosily against the rocks. The rough waves were the sign of changing temperatures, although they never changed much this far to the south. Konan mused at how accurate it was to call this place the Land of the Waves.
With nimble fingers, Kohan quickly folded the small square of white paper in her hands. The sleeves on her dark blue qi pao were long, but they didn't hinder Konan's work. She had a small pocket sown into the sleeves of all her qi pao so that she could store origami paper for easy access. The paper that she worked with was always white.
Finishing, Konan smiled lightly as she held the small paper flower in the palm of her hand. Reaching up, she plucked one paper flower from her hair and let it flutter away in the breeze before putting the new one in her hair. The old flower drifted away before finally disappearing into the waves of darkness.
With her hands now unoccupied, Konan turned around, and sighed. She squinted her eyes against the darkness, trying to make out some of the lights of the city beyond the ocean, but around her all there was darkness as if something around her was swallowing the light.
"Konan."
Konan whirled around and took a few steps back as she was face to face with another person. Her eyes widened and her hands started to tremble. Her chakra flared out, as she tried to sense another familiar presence, but all around her there was nothing. Where was Pein?
"Shouling?" Konan called out, her lips trembling as she did. It always sent chills down her spine when she said the word. Konan squinted her eyes again, trying to make out the facial features of the shadow in front of her, but she could see nothing but the light silvery outline of the moon against the man.
"Thank you for meeting with me."
"I…I thought we would wait for Pein." Said Konan in a low voice.
"Pein will not be coming. He is finishing up some business for me."
Konan bit her lip, wondering what type of business this was. She felt insecure, being alone with the Leader. Pein was always there, to act as a buffer of sorts but now she was left alone and it frightened her.
"Tell me."
"The information he gave us was correct." Said Konan hesitantly. "There are ten ships docked at Canton, ten more out at sea…more may be on the way."
"Good. He will be of much use to us then. Keeping him out of the opium dens might be a problem, but none that we can't handle."
Konan's hands buried themselves in her long sleeves. "Won't…won't he be missed?"
"One gunman out of the sea of guilao that have infested the streets of Canton? No one would suspect a thing."
Konan bit her lip again. "But…But why would he want to join our cause? He has no…allegiance to this country, why should he –"
Konan was cut off by a brisk ticking that seemed to echo all around her from the shadows. There was silence that surrounded them before the shadows spoke again. "Tell me Konan, when our goal here is accomplished, what is to stop us from sailing across the ocean? From striking fear into the hearts of the guilao as they have done here, to us?"
Konan was silent as she contemplated the response. Her fingers began to shake from the cold.
"That young man will join us because he will be given the chance to live."
Glossary:
Shouling - Leader
Qi pao - Chinese dress
Guilao – derragatory term that was meant to mean 'white devils'
Asuka felt the wind whip through her hair as she galloped ahead of the two shinobi accompanying her. The sky was still dark as the sun started to peak up over the horizon. They galloped swiftly down the rocky ledges of the Qiling Mountains where Iwagakure was hidden. As they reached the bottom of the mountains, Asuka pulled on the reins of her horse, slowing the animal to a stop. The two shinobi stopped a short ways behind Asuka, sharing quick glances behind their masks.
"Jiangling?" Called out one of the shinobi.
Asuka put one hand up while the other pulled a file folder out from inside her tactical vest. It was worn around the edges, as if someone had handled it often. Asuka struck a match and silently watched the small flame for a moment before touching the flame to the folder. It instantly caught, illuminating Asuka's face in an orange glow as the flames consumed the folder and its contents inside.
"Speak of this to no one." Said Asuka to the two shinobi, although she did not look at them.
The two shinobi exchanged glances again before one of the bowed their head. "Yes, Jiangling." The were both Jounin, yet had no position on the war council and were not of rank to challenge or break Asuka's command.
Asuka let the flames eat up the folder until only a corner remained before she tossed it to the ground. She wiped the ashes off her lap before picking up the reins and galloping off without another word. The two shinobi were quick to follow her.
They did not witness the photo of Asuka's mother be consumed by the flames until it was nothing but ash on the dirt ground.
Glossary:
Jiangling – General
It was past midnight, but Sasuke was still awake as he lay in bed, the light from the moon coming in, falling in slants across his bed. His wedding date was approaching quickly and each time Sasuke thought about marrying Feng Temari he felt sick to his stomach. He wasn't ready to get married. Sure he had thought about maybe getting married at some point, but not at eighteen and not to the daughter of an aristocrat. Would Temari expect much from him as a husband? Sasuke didn't think he had much to offer her. Sure he had money and what not, but it wouldn't matter much with their families supporting them. Sasuke didn't know how to be a husband; he barely had friends and he didn't even talk with his own brother. And he really didn't want to have anything to do with having a family...not until he killed the murdering bastard that killed his parents and his clan. He really needed to focus on getting stronger.
Frustrated, Sasuke got out of bed and walked to the lone window inside his bedroom. His window on the second level over looked the entrance to the Uchiha complex. Everything looked strange and eerie outside and it was dead silent. Bare tree branches swayed in the darkness to an invisible gust of wind, leaves scuttled over the ground like mice. Sasuke looked around outside, finally noticing a strange object on a roof quite a few feet away.
When Sasuke realized what it was, he jumped back from the window with his heart beating erratically in his chest. The object vanished off the roof as quickly as he could blink his eyes.
A man had been staring at him from that roof. A man with a pale face. Sasuke felt fearful, for the first time in a while and wondered if he was safe in his own home.
