Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but Shizuka is mine.
An: Lots of Pov changing in this chapter, sorry if it screws with your head.
-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-
Chapter 13: Cursed Temple of Amaterasu
"Tell me everything she told you." A female voice demanded, sitting in her chair, looking out at the village. A dark-haired boy stood behind her, deep in thought.
While her expression was of annoyance, his cold face was completely blank.
"I will not tell you stories that are not mine to tell." He said quoting the very girl he had been sent to interrogate. "That was an order, Uchiha." the Hokage said.
Sasuke nodded, watching as she turned to look at him. "She told me how she met Itachi. It was completely accidental, apparently. The only big piece of information she said was that she'd lived with the Akatsuki for a year, prior to coming here." He told her.
The blond woman looked down for a second. "Is she a spy?" She mumbled.
"I don't know."
"Ok, one mission, easy C-rank. A small village near the border with Suna who has a problem in the nearby temple. Villagers claim that there's a ghost there, one who's been creating illusions all over the place. Just find out who it really is causing the trouble. Simple mission, very little chance of running into trouble." Tsunade told them.
Shizuka rolled her eyes. "We're going ghost-hunting?" She laughed.
"You are lucky to be getting any missions. The council elders wanted you in prison for affiliation with the Akatsuki." The Hokage said. Shizuka nodded, knowing it would do no good to comment.
"Hopefully, you won't find any trouble, but knowing you four… there will be." Tsunade grumbled.
Team seven sighed in unison and left. They set out half and hour later from the gates.
- - -(Sasuke's POV) - - -
"Let's set up camp now. That way we should be able to get to the village by noon tomorrow." Kakashi told them before sitting down with is book in one hand. Sasuke nodded and went to help put up the tent with Naruto.
Later that night, as Sasuke lay sleepless, he heard Shizuka mumble something to Kakashi, who was on watch duty. He listened carefully as he felt her chakra fade as she left. He wondered what Kakashi was doing, the whole team knew that they weren't supposed to let her out of their sight. He could tell that Shizuka was fairly far away, father then she would go if she say just had to go to the bathroom.
He could tell that Kakashi knew that to, but he didn't seem to care.
Slowly, Sasuke crawled out of the tent. He stood and dusted of his knees. He glanced over at his teacher, sitting on a stump with his book. He held one hand up, and was pointing to the west. "She went that way." He mumbled, never take his eye of the book.
Neither said a word as Sasuke walked in that direction.
He found her, sitting in the top-most braches of a giant tree. He crawled up easily, and watched her from a few feet away. She was staring at the dark, navy-black sky with glazed over, dead-looking eyes. She didn't move an inch to notify his presence for a long while, and for just as long he said nothing.
She never took her eyes off the glistening yellow-white stars as she spoke. "I've always loved the night sky, just when the moon is at its peak. The stars always seem to shine brighter in that instant, even if it is just that. An instant. It never last, but none the less I've always found it comforting. That the cold air returns each night to brush against the wings of those who dare to fly in its darkness. I've heard that one can live in it forever and never understand what it is really to fly at the peak of night. Those who do not belong fear it, but I find myself calling it home."
She paused. "You should be sleeping, Sasuke. It is late."
He didn't move. He knew that she was simply trying to tell him to leave her alone in the most complicated way possible.
"Should the wind decide that you are not welcome, and knock you out of this tree, do not expect me to catch you. You will fall, and from this height, you would not make it. You do not belong here." Shizuka told him quietly.
"Are you implying that you think that I fear heights?" He demanded.
She chuckled and turned her dead-like eyes on him. "No. I'm implying that you fear me."
He almost flinched. His obsidian black eyes widened, before going back to a strait face. He looked over at his teammate again. Her pale skin was almost pure-white in the deep moonlight, as was his. But her eyes, no her eyes were dead. No emotion swirled in there depths. Not anger, not happiness, not sorrows, neither fear nor excitement. They were dead. The deep, green blue of her right eye, appeared to be fading. Gone, in the light of the moon, they had disappeared.
He watched her none-existent movement. There was no twitch, no rustle of feathers in the breeze, no blinking. Just the sound of a soft heartbeat, and the gentle, weak, motions of her breath. Her dead eyes bore into his. He froze, unable to move. Then, the breeze rattled their hair, and obstructed Shizuka view of him, and he was free. His fist clenched in the effort not to le himself take a step back, an action that would make him fall out of the tree.
"You do no belong here."
Shizuka titled her head back to the sky, and stared. Free of her paralyzing gaze, Sasuke took a step towards away on his faltering legs. Shizuka let out a deep screeching cry, like an eagle's signal, and stood on her toes. A fierce wind crashed past them, and Shizuka's giant wings lifted her into the dark air, blending in with the night. It buffeted past Sasuke, and with one last push of force, the chakra the pinned his feet to the branch failed and he toppled downwards.
For a moment he almost understood. The wind sprawling past you're limbs, curled around you, the sound of the air moving.
Then, a flash of grey, an awkward yank and Sasuke was upright again. He felt the strong beats of wings, and sensed the strength of the one who carried him. Shizuka's small, clawed hands held him up under his armpits. She caught him.
Her enormous black wings beat, and she sat him down on the tree again. The wind had died down and the gentle breeze had returned.
He watched as she pulled around in a few loops, curling over him, high above like a falcon circling prey. An owl hooted in the distance and a lone raven croaked. A deep eagle's cry sounded above his head, loud and clear. Shizuka drifted back down, the tips of her wings bending softly. Then she stood on the very highest branch, that looked as though it should have long-since broken under her weight. But stay it did, as did she.
She jumped down beside him carefully, and lifted him up again. Just as he went to protest, she jumped from the tree and in seconds they were already on the ground. She let him go and took a few steps away, her back facing him.
Sasuke stared. "Shizuka… They didn't actually send you to Ibiki, did they?" He whispered.
The girl chuckled. She turned to face him with a smile. Her eyes didn't meet his, but he could tell that the life had returned to them. She was clutching onto one of her arms, where he could see the faint outline of a deep scar under her sleeve. She gave him a small smile, and said.
"Of course not."
He could tell that she was lying.
- - -(Shizuka's POV)- - -
Shizuka returned in the morning, as she had promised, and never even gave Sasuke a look. The walk to the village was plain.
Naruto noticed the unease between his two teammates and tried to trick them multiple times into talking to each other. It never worked. The two were as silent as stone.
The village greeted the ninja with pure relief. They knew that there problem would now be fixed, and for that they were all happy. As the team walked around they heard story after story about the so-called ghost.
It appeared that while the ghost had never really hurt someone, they had the sinking impression that it soon would. It had trick people into walking circle around the village for hours. It had made things disappeared only to return on the other side of the street a few minutes later. And most recently, it had led a girl of only four years old to the temple, and was there for hours. They found the girl on the edge of the village, completely brainwashed.
The temple had long since been abandoned, they said. The girl had been found sitting on the ground, like nothing had ever happened. They spoke of how she was telling them all these weird things. They thought that she was under a genjutsu so they tried to keep her inside with her parents help. They began calling the temple the curse temple of Amaterasu, a sun goddess whose shrine resided there.
"Can we speak with her?" Shizuka asked when they spoke with one man.
He bit his lip. "I can point you in the right direction, but you'd have to ask her parents, of course." She nodded.
A little while later that's where they were. Her parents had agreed to let them see their daughter, if only to see if she was indeed under genjutsu. They decided to let Shizuka go in alone, since too many would overwhelm her. Shizuka walked into the girl bedroom and smiled. The little girl was sitting on her bed, drawing on a piece of paper with a pack of crayons.
The little girl looked sweetly up at her with wide eyes. Shizuka smiled. "Hello, Kana. My name is Shizuka, and I've been sent to take care of that ghost. Can you tell me about it?" She asked.
The little girl looked back down at her picture and started doodling again. "Please don't hurt her, she's my friend."
"Don't worry I just want to talk to her. She's been scaring the villagers a lot. I just don't want her to get in trouble. What can you tell me about when you went over to the temple?" The teen smiled.
The little girl pointed one short finger at her picture; a very blurry picture of a white wolf lying in the grass. "That's her." Kana said.
"She's a very pretty wolf. Is that the one who led you to the temple?"
Kana nodded, before continuing on her picture.
"Do you think that if I went over to the temple that she'd still be there? I'd like to see her very much." Shizuka asked quietly.
"Of course, silly! That's where she lives!" The little girl laughed. Shizuka grinned and placed a hand on her head. Ruffling the girl's hair, she giggled. "Thank you, I'll come by to see you later, alright Kana?"
The child nodded, a wide toothed smile on her face.
Once back outside, she saw Kakashi speaking with the child's parents. Shizuka walked up. "No signs of genjutsu, so don't worry. It's just her imagination." She told the parents, before turning to Kakashi. "We should go check out the temple, before nightfall. Our 'ghost' might just still be there." He nodded.
Less then twenty minutes later, team seven stood outside the entrance of the abandoned temple, which was just out of town. The grass rustled in the breeze. It was cloudy out now, despite being sunny not half and hour ago.
The building was in utter disrepair. The large Tori gate at the top of the small staircase was old and rotting, and a handful of walls looked ready to fall over. Vines overgrew with weeds in every crevice, yet beauty remained in every wild flower, every dusty paw print in the sand from animals that passed, and every little patch of perfect green grass. An air of peace rested in this place, not one of fear.
"Split up. Shizuka, Sasuke take the left wing, Naruto and I will take the right wing. Meet back here in twenty minutes." Kakashi told them firmly before walking off towards the building. Naruto shrugged and followed him.
The two Genin walked off, and unspoken communication leading them as they walked side by side.
- - -(Kakashi's Pov)- - -
Kakashi could sense it. He could sense that this was no normal place. It was not home to any human, or any animal. The presence here was in the air. He could sense something, but where and what was a mystery.
The dark corridors were lined with crumbling dirt and weeds.
There was a loud crash behind him, but he found himself unable to turn. In the fray of kicked up dirt clouds, Naruto disappeared.
Kakashi could sense it. The presence here had found him first. And here it proved that even he could easily fall under genjutsu.
Blindness. There was no sight here, he thought, but it was not true. A pale light buzzed even in the darkness. With a resounding crash he sensed the rocks falling above them. Them. He wasn't alone, no, he wasn't alone. He could sense them. His friends.
His head pounded as he was force to relive the memory. Why? He couldn't understand it. He didn't want to understand it.
In a last ditch effort he covered his head with his hands as he felt himself being thrown out of the way of the falling boulders. A strangled gasp, and the crash as the giant rock fell. He felt it again, the sudden drop of strength in the air.
Sight was returning to him, and the pale skin of his arm came into view. He couldn't move his body more a moment. He heard a moan behind him. He didn't need to try to turn to see who it was.
He didn't want to hear the voice that followed. For it had haunted his dreams for many nights. But hear it he did, the strangled gasping voice of his best friend. Yes, his best friend. He could admit it now. To bad he wasn't alive to hear it anymore. He was too late.
"Daijoubu ka? Rin… Kakashi?"
Obito's pained voice sounded forced. 'Are you alright? Rin… Kakashi?' He had mumbled. Those were the words he had said. Obito knew that he was dead, but he wouldn't let them be too.
Kakashi felt himself being pulled up in his younger body. Fear enveloping his one uncovered eye. He ran up and immediately tried to push the enormous boulder of his friend. He already knew that there was no point. He could do nothing but listen as Obito told him that it was useless. That he was dying anyways. He could do nothing but swear in rage and let himself cry for the first time since his father's death.
That was the day that Obito Uchiha, black sheep of the Uchiha clan, had died and given him his Sharingan.
"Whatever the village may say… Kakashi, you're a great Jonin." Obito told him, a smile on his face as he gave away his Sharingan to save his friend.
"I'm about to die, but… I'll become your eye and…see the future… for you." Obito said, only seconds before Rin, there medic nin teammate and friend transplanted his eye into Kakashi's.
Tears flowed freely from Kakashi's eyes that night, as he watched his friend die.
Rin had been saved from the blast, but the elder Kakashi knew. He had failed at his promise. Later, he had failed her too.
"Hayakusiro! Go, hurry! Take Rin and go. Protect her."
Kakashi woke stiff, with tears in both his, and Obito's eye.
- - -(Naruto's Pov)- - -
Naruto crawled along the ground, wincing. He'd banged his leg on something and had fallen down into the basement of the temple through a trap door. It smelled of musty old scrolls.
He sensed something behind him, at last second, but it was too late. He had already fallen under its illusion.
Red chakra seeped through the village, his village. This was his home, and he was destroying it. He barely felt the connection between him and the body that moved with a destructive force.
The Kyuubi was free, and bodies lay scrambled at his feet. The giant fox was growing its last tail. Naruto would vanish and the fox would have completely taken control.
The Kyuubi no Yoko was back.
He heard the villager's cries of despair as they tried to run. He fought and fought but there was nothing he could do.
He observed the scene from a distance, away from all the others. Tears streamed down his face, as he screamed. His worst nightmare was playing out before his eyes.
The village was crumbling, Konoha had fallen.
Buildings were ravaged, innocents slaughtered, but the Konoha nin stood true and strong. They knew that this would be there last fight. They knew that they would be seen as the ones who had fought. They stood there ground against the demon. The world would here of this. The Konoha shinobi who stood to face the Kyuubi once more.
They could only hope that the world would survive its wrath long enough to know that they had tried to stop it. They could only hope, but even that was fading.
The beast ruby colored eye flashed in rage as a solid fire-jutsu burned its front paw.
Naruto whimpered when he saw what lay at the demons feet. Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino… and many others lay dead. He watched, crying as Sakura's limp body was added to the pile. Kakashi was fighting with the other Jonin's. The Kyuubi spun itself over to them, and let out a huge roar. Kakashi fell.
A sudden loud cry was heard, and Naruto turned to see who it was.
Shizuka and Sasuke jumped out, battered and broken. There was a loud growl from the Kyuubi when he saw the familiar Sharingan. They didn't last a second before they were scoped up in the jaws of the giant monster. The crushing sound of bones cracking and Naruto's vision faded.
Naruto woke on the cold floor, shivering. Tears streamed down his face. He could do naught but force himself to stand. He forced fear of his face and told himself that as long as he stayed strong and fought against the Kyuubi, his vision would never come true.
-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-
An: Ah ha ha! Illusions! Do you think I did a good job with Obito's death scene? I think that I did, even if I ended up re-watching that episode like three times to make sure that I got it right.
"Daijoubu ka?" as previous stated, means "Are you alright?"
"Hayakusiro" is the impolite way to say hurry up.