So slow the update - apologies and thank you again for r & r!
Chapter 14
The shinobi on the metal slab stared at the ceiling quietly. Of course; he was still following the last orders he had received. His body was drenched in sweat, and the whites of his eyes were shot red from the pressures he had experienced from within; but that was just the evidence of what had passed in the last four hours. He was solid and still, calm and ready. When Danzou passed the mask through his field of vision, there was no twitch like before; the intense feelings about it were offline and inaccessible. The old man set it aside. If things had gone as they should, he would now have to instruct Umino to continue to wear it. The emotional need to have his disfigured face covered should no longer manifest itself.
He sat heavily. He should release the bindings and let the man up, but it didn't make much difference to either one of them at the moment, and he was so very tired. If the wail of the alert siren hadn't resonated clear into the isolated room, Danzou might have fallen asleep right there.
Ibiki pounded on the door, having overcome the perimeter security measures. His team had left the telltale signs of forced entry with the splintered wood in the gateway. It was part of the setup and the excuse to evacuate and search the premises. It didn't matter if the old man bought it if they hit pay dirt. But if they came up empty…there had to be some measure of believability to their story.
Danzou called out once he reached the front door, and Ibiki responded in the right codeword. The door opened and the hastily re-wrapped head peered out. "What is the nature of the emergency, Morino-san?" he asked stiffly.
"Escaped prisoner, Danzou-san. We need to search your compound. The trail leads to here and your gate was breached . Step out and Puma will escort you to safety. Is anyone else inside?"
"You know damn well there is, what sort of foolishness is this?" Danzou huffed. "We're in a delicate stage of training, I can't just be taking off or hauling him out of there at a moment's notice." But the protests died when Danzou caught the presence of the Hyuuga in the corner of his lone eye. That was bad news. If the Byakugan fell upon him, the precious items his belt pouch held would be revealed in an instant. Hyuuga Neji was standing at the ready, but his eyes were not activated. Discovery at this point would end it all his plans here and now.
"We only want to assure your safety. I'll send my men in to bring Umino out. Once we recapture the prisoner or sound the all clear, we'll escort you back in." Ibiki was feigning urgency to move the old man now; the goal was to get him out without allowing him a return trip in now, so they could search the premises cold.
Danzou contemplated his options. Going back in was not one of them. That Hyuuga's eye ability could activate at any minute, and he needed to be far away by then.
The damning evidence of the embedded mission scroll had been erased, the blood characters rendered invisible once attached to the assignee. Iruka was sealed and suppressed; they would get nothing from him. No, there was no reason to fight them on this. The only thing at risk was hanging from his belt and the only other secret to be betrayed was wrapped in cloth and a part of his own face. It was time to go.
"You handle this however you see fit. But understand this: I'm going to file a complaint about this with your shill queen Tsunade. Just make damn sure you leave everything the way you found it - including my student. I'm holding you responsible, Morino." With that, Danzou made handsigns and teleported away, leaving Ibiki puzzled and more suspicious. It was with utmost caution that he waved his shinobi in close to consult on how to proceed, given this unusually wide open permission to go forth with their search.
There were few traps past the entry. For men the caliber of this team, they were no more challenging than turning a doorknob. Neji activated the Byakugan and stopped them for a moment. For a place said to be a secret stronghold for rituals and practices unknown to the shinobi mainstream, by and large there was little to detect out of the ordinary…except for one specific area.
He shook his head…the impressions from beyond the black door at the end of the hallway were disturbing and strange. A strong flow of chakra also inhabited that room. He waved them to the door; it showed the signs of having being sealed repeatedly, but at the moment, it was open to access. Genma, as point man, went in first, his senbon poised , silent and ready for anything.
What greeted him was the sight of a man strapped to a steel tilt-table, of the sort autopsies were conducted on. It took only a second to realize who this must be; the sight of the mask nearby on the floor further confirmed it.
It was a blow to Genma to see the true nature of Iruka's injuries. He had not imagined this sort of deformity, only bad scars or such. It struck him at once why the event had so changed his former friend to the point where they no longer spoke. He had refused to try and coax Iruka out from hiding after the incident, in disdain for his vanity at wearing the mask and hiding like a pouting girl too ugly for a prom date. Shizuni's hysterics were too ridiculous to take seriously about his refusal to have a restorative procedure. A real shinobi, like Raidou, stood taller and displayed his real face, scars and all, like a man. Iruka would never learn to act properly if he were coddled for bad behavior or allowed to hide. Genma had been disappointed in his weakness and lack of character.
But this, this image was nearly inhuman. Kakashi had been eye-witness to this, and yet when asked, would tell no one the details. He told them to have the balls to ask the man in question directly or leave it alone. In addition to the flash of guilt and regret at having misjudged and lost a friend, he felt a snap of anger that Hatake had set him up for it. The copy-nin had never corrected him when he spoke of his loss of respect over the vanity of the mask and the reclusiveness. Still orchestrating distance between 'his chunin' and anyone who dared to pass the time with him, long past the day when Iruka was no longer his nor chunin.
No wonder he'd chosen to take a path in the opposite direction. No wonder he'd never gotten over it and never stopped with the mask business.
Neji and Ibiki stepped in at his hand sign for 'all clear'. There was no one else in the room, no visible sign of danger.
Neji reeled back. There has been an incredible volume of lost life here.He was having difficulty getting through the impressions of half-life filling the room, unseen by the other men. But as soon as he locked on Iruka's chakra the irregularities struck him sharply. He stepped up to the table in a quick, fluid movement. "Something's wrong with him." The Hyuuga took the sight of Iruka's face without much reaction. Yes, it was unfortunate, but he was not shocked or disturbed. Iruka-sensei's hardships were old news. The matter at hand was deeper within.
Genma looked up in alarm at Neji and down at Iruka's calm expression. Ibiki stepped forward as well.
"Iruka. Are you all right?" Ibiki asked.
"Yes." Iruka's voice was even and strong, if oddly incurious at their sudden arrival.
Neji shook his head and concentrated on tracing the bisected chakra throughout the restrained body. A full, vigorous flow of the energy circulated in the unbroken paths, but with their routes slightly altered. And yet…a sizable amount was trapped and strangulated, and situated where no chakra path was meant to be.
"You know where you are? Who I am?"
"This is Danzou-sama's training room. You are Morino Ibiki."
"Why are you strapped down like this?"
Iruka said nothing.
"Umino. I asked you a question. Why the restraints?"
"They restrict movement."
"Of course. But why?"
Silence.
"Answer me, Umino. Why?"
Silence.
"Aren't you going to answer me?"
"No."
"Look, Danzou left. He won't be back for a while. I'm only asking because I'd like to take these straps off, but I don't want to interfere if this disturbs something you were in the middle of. So just tell me why - and I can probably take them off."
"My orders are to remain here. Releasing the straps will not release me. Your interference would make no sense."
"Can I…" Neji reached forward with a hand, hovering over Iruka's chest. Re-channeling a shinobi's chakra to this degree was akin to amputating limbs and switching them. Even if the parts were made functional again in their new locations, they would forever be in the wrong place doing things in an unnatural manner. The feeling would be gut-wrenching and horrible. Yet here was the nin in his altered state, calm and asserting himself clearly. The re-channeled chakra mainstream was working overtime in a very efficient manner.
But the trapped pocket of chakra was a writhing mass of desperation. It was contained in a very tight area and none of it touched the flow of the vital channels. Over time, this mass would fester, weaken and die if it couldn't reconnect.
Knowing the theory of ROOT, it didn't take much imagination to figure out what elements of Iruka's inner being the old hawk was sectioning off for destruction. But this method was as cruel of a means of removing the emotional element from a warrior as there could be. Neji pulled his hand back and regarded Iruka's now silent and motionless form with a sick feeling. Once this disruption followed its natural course, his name would be the only thing left intact. If Danzou christened him with a ROOT identity, they may as well engrave the name of Umino Iruka on the memorial.
Genma turned away and began searching the room with rough, exaggerated slamming of doors and drawers. He'd stumbled on death scenes that hadn't wrenched him as hard as this. What the hell, this was all right with Ibiki? They were just going to leave Iruka like that?
Neji began casting his search again, but he'd already taken in the area and the only things he'd picked up were in this room. The eyes were not here.
"We're taking him with us, right?" Genma demanded, right in Ibiki's face.
His superior hardened and stared with a black ferocity few lived to recall. "No. He's in training. And per your mission parameters, this goes nowhere. You will tell no one. Not even about his true appearance."
Genma scowled as he stood down.
Ibiki knew that he might have some attitude from the special jounin. He should have left him to guard the perimeter instead of Puma. An ANBU would never speak out in this manner.
Neji was rubbing lightly at his temples. "We've struck out."
"What have you come for?" Iruka asked.
"An escaped prisoner," Ibiki answered quickly, in case Genma had some misguided idea to confide in Iruka to alert him about Jeninki's eyes. The subject of handling a conversation with Iruka had not been addressed beforehand. It was clear that he could not be assumed to be on their side where Danzou was concerned.
Genma couldn't think of anything else to do but pick up the mask off of the floor and at least offer it.
Iruka looked at the mask held out in the unsteady hand, then at the aggravated shinobi.
"That is mine. You have my permission to keep it, if that's what you're asking," Iruka said.
"No, I…" Shiranui set the mask back on the floor and backed away.
Ibiki sighed with his eyes closed. Genma was either an idiot or a much closer acquaintance to Iruka than he ever let on. Enough was enough. "Shiranui. Take the perimeter guard. Send Puma in. Now!"
What a fiasco. All they managed to do was piss off Danzou, and possibly alert him to their scrutiny.
Checking the blank scroll and the empty medication vials, Ibiki finished his quick search and beckoned to Neji.
The Hyuuga was still concentrating on something. He broke it off and followed the older man to the door.
"Be well, Iruka-san," Ibiki said as they left. "We must move on with our search."
Silence was the return farewell.
Iruka watched the door close behind them as they left. They came seeking something but it was not true that they sought an escapee. Escapees did not lurk in drawers or cabinets nor wait around while they casually offered to release trainees. This was the sort of information Danzou-sama would need to know. Iruka waited patiently for his mentor's return and the opportunity to advise him of the shinobi's poorly executed attempt at subterfuge.
xxxxxxx
Nothing, the whole mess seemed to be for nothing. Ibiki walked with set jaw and downcast stare. His three men trailed, just as silent, heading for the conference room.
The torture specialist's large shoulders felt heavy with the burden of failing to end this now. Seeing Iruka, strapped down and unmarked, left him more disturbed than he cared to admit. The sight of physical torture would be much more acceptable. The empty vial and the expended scroll gave him all the clues he needed to know about the method being used there. Danzou was deconstructing Umino's mind on an organic level. The effects of that sort of tinkering were not always reversible.
They were right, though. Regardless of that fact that their search had turned up nothing, Ibiki still believed that Danzou was behind the re-emergence of the Uzingan, and the theft of the ones in custody.
There had to be a way to tip his hand.
The small entourage made it way down the narrow hallway to the debriefing room and followed the massive shinobi in to settle at the conference table in restless tension. Ibiki secured the door.
He nodded to Puma.
"Nothing. No one came near, tried to enter, no sign of surveillance or avatars. No messengers. When Danzou-san left, he transported out of the quadrant completely," Puma reported.
"Genma."
"Didn't see anything out of the ordinary except in the training room. There were a number of poisonous scorpions under a deanimation jutsu in the cabinet. There were controlled substances in there as well. I'll make a list for the report. Other than that, I saw what you saw."
"Neji."
"The objective was not there. On the other hand, Iruka-sensei…I'm sorry, I misspoke. Iruka-san is in some danger. His chakra has been bi-directed and there is a pocket that has been unnaturally sectioned off. It can only atrophy and deteriorate in the manner it's been sealed in. The Byakugan does not reveal the nature of this chakra. I have some educated guesses as to what it might be, as you no doubt have. Loyalties, emotional ties, that sort of thing, perhaps. It won't survive unless it's re-channeled back to the main flow. And there's something else."
Genma was staring at Ibiki, watching for any sign that this was convincing him to make a move on Iruka's behalf. If it was, it didn't show on the outside.
"There are traces of half-life everywhere in that training room. I've never felt so many in one place."
"What do you make of it?" Ibiki leaned forward with an intense stare.
"Ah…as far as that goes, I just don't know." Neji shrugged. "It's not at all clear."
"Give me a little more than that. What do you mean by half-lives?"
"Traces of the dead. Something you see with certain jutsu that destroy the body but not the life force in a trained chakra user. I would say a hundred at least, I think many more. But the logistics don't add up. Would he have been able to kill a hundred shinobi right here without our knowledge?
"Shiranui, get that substance list down on paper. This is not good. We're back to square one. Where would he be keeping them?" Ibiki drummed the tabletop in concentration. "Puma. Re-deploy. Sweep the village and see if you can tell where Danzou went. There's an old ROOT mission room by the Southwest guard station. He still holds lodge with the alumni there from time to time. Check the homes of the old co-councils Tsutaka and Fukawa; check Ugoi's room at the elder hostel, too. When you find him, send a messenger and Neji, you'll join him then and see if you can detect anything. Move out now."
"What of Iruka-san?" Neji asked quietly.
"The division of his chakra. Would it facilitate a transplant in any way? Is it possible that he's being prepared to received the eyes?"
Neji's head shook slowly. "If anything, it would make him more unsuitable, more unstable. To receive an eye ability such as the Uzingan, the chakra path needs to be unbroken. Any weakness or deviation would be magnified a thousand fold. With what's been done to him, I don't think he'd even revive afterward if they did the implant."
"So what's the point?" Ibiki frowned. "What value is he to Danzou?"
"Just an assistant, perhaps. Someone sworn to silence to help guard the secret." Neji offered.
"Maybe he's a decoy. Misdirection. Something to make us look here while he does something else over there." Genma frowned. "That's why the extreme fucking up to his chakra. Just making a freak display of him so we'll be distracted."
"Or maybe he really is creating the first man in the new ROOT army. Or all of the above. Who the hell knows." Ibiki watched Genma's list grow as the shinobi quickly transcribed the names of the drugs he'd seen from memory. "We still don't have enough information. We can't call it off yet. You two understand that."
Genma glanced up, then kept writing. It was true. He did understand. Whether or not he liked it was not relevant.
Neji nodded. "You're monitoring the situation."
"It's being monitored." He didn't elaborate, the details were not of any benefit for the two to know. Kakashi and Tsunade would need to be updated with Neji's findings. It sounded like Umino was experiencing the very serious business of making a ROOT soldier of a man, nothing more. The method was one he had never heard of before, but he'd never heard of converting a fully mature adult, either. It seemed logical that something extreme and out of the ordinary would be necessary. With Neji's insight, they probably knew more about the method than Danzou ever wanted them to. But still, it was not nearly enough.
Before long Puma was back, a messenger bird in his hand.
"I terminated the search, Morino-sama," he said regretfully. "I received word and followed up to confirm it. Danzou has already returned to his property; he's repaired the perimeter and re-entered the building. Interestingly enough, I was able to observe him erect a new jutsu barrier anchored with cast iron icons. As soon as he established them, all living presence was masked completely. With the icons activated, you cannot determine if anyone is within the perimeter or not."
"Not unexpected. This was a gamble, that it might cause him to be more cautious and defensive. For now, men, collaborate on the mission report. I want it complete, accurate and agreed upon. You will submit it to me; this goes to Tsunade, not to the mission room, and I'll hand-carry it. Get on it now. Puma, come get me when its done. I'll be in my office."
Ibiki left them then, and took his severe case of "investigator's block" with him. Ideas were just not coming into his head like they usually did. So much depended on his ability to foresee the deadly plans of enemies and turncoats. He flicked on the light and went to sit at his desk, staring bemused at the file cabinets Iruka had perfected for his pleasure years before. He had been able to maintain that precision, once established, and always had a small measure of satisfaction every time one of the drawers opened to reveal the orderly sight.
If that man stood before him, here and now, unrecognizable physically and mentally, what would he have to say? What would a man, after these assignments, what would he say if allowed to speak his mind without fear of reprimand?
Ibiki decided not to dwell on those questions and instead began to meditate on the larger issues at hand.
xxx
"So they didn't release you," Danzou said, bemused at the sight of Iruka exactly where and how he'd left him. "Did they offer?"
"Hai," Iruka said, still gazing at the ceiling. "I told them they were interfering."
"Oh. Well, I can only suppose they enjoyed that reaction."
"Sensei?"
"Never mind. I'm going to release you now."
"They were here on a false mission to find an escaped prisoner. They searched your drawers and cabinets instead. Hyuuga Neji was using the Byakugan to scan the room."
"Why, excellent, Iruka-kun. Excellent. Volunteering this report to me is most helpful. Do you know what they were really looking for?"
"No. They said they did not find what they sought. They were greatly disappointed."
"Ah. Well, how unfortunate for them. They want my secrets, Iruka. You know how your training is a secret. They would have that method for themselves. We can't have that, can we? They aren't responsible enough to have someone's life laid bare in their hands. They couldn't resist doing more harm than good. You know that first-hand, don't you, soldier? They made inexcusable mistakes as your overlords in the past. Where a more direct, logical method might have worked, they're forever resorting to base spy techniques, infiltration and seduction and deceit. Such amateurs. I'm sure that you fully understand now why we keep our own company and tell them nothing?"
"Yes, Danzou-sama."
"There. Get up now, do some stretches. How do you feel?"
"I am quite well."
"I have your first ROOT mission for you. And a name. And that uniform you used to crave. Although, you probably don't think it's all that important now. There's a mask, but it's only a half-mask. You would be easily identified no matter what at this point, since ROOT is a force of one at the moment."
He went to the cabinet and fetched the sealed scrolls. No sign of tampering; those shinobi had been around the game long enough to know that trying to break into a man's sealed scrolls was not only dangerous, but practically a declaration of war.
"This scroll has your armor, the helmet, and the half-mask. The other has your mission. Perhaps you can use a silk kerchief, like your old associate Hatake, for the lower half under the mask."
"If you direct me to, I shall."
"I do. The lower half of your face is so distinctive anyone will know it's you otherwise. Likely, even nin from other villages have heard of your disfigurement. The blue mask is your common countenance, so that won't do in uniform. You're as distinctive as Hatake in your own way, either way. You'll be in their bingo books soon enough, if you aren't already. Once the next ROOT shinobi is trained, I'll have decide whether to lengthen the mask to blend you in. I might let this be. I might let the world know who has bested them this time. We shall see."
"Your ROOT name will be Even. It is a simple word of innocuous meaning. It merely identifies you to me. You will receive other names for other missions, names you will reveal to clients and other shinobi. But here, from here on out, there is no more Umino Iruka. There is only Even, who will go by many names before his service is through. For your first mission, your public name will be Tai. Public names will be short, three or four letters, and they will be common names you will have heard before. You will respond with the name Tai when asked your name by anyone, anyone but me. You will not respond to Umino Iruka while in ROOT gear. When asked if you are he, the response is no."
Iruka nodded.
"Even. Take your mission scroll and absorb its contents. Remember one thing: alive. You must try to bring the subject of this mission back alive, with as little physical damage as is possible."We'll do a test dress-out to be sure your uniform fits properly. Afterward, redress in your old clothes and return to your home and secure it for the duration. You will not be returning there for many months, if at all. You will depart in the pre-dawn, tomorrow."
"Hai."
"You're a very lucky man to have this new life at your age. You must make every effort to excel. Most men have but one long, slowly eroding existence. But you are reborn in the very midst of yours, and your arc now is upward. You have no endurance test to save up energy for - this is it. You must expend your full energy and life force into every mission you set upon. There is no long stretch to pace yourself for. This, from now on, is a sprint, so you must go all-out in every case. There is no end to any mission until you have achieved victory. To fail is to concede your life in the process. Am I clear, Even? Do you find yourself thinking in these ways already, as you have been trained?"
"It is clear. My dedication is to the death. My focus is my mission. My only allegiance is to you, master of ROOT. I exist as the instrument with which the vital functions of this faction are made into reality. My past is now all forfeit."
"Yes, just so. If you live it half so well as you speak it, all is as it should be." This shinobi was giving all the right answers, showing all the right attitudes. It seemed that the training, though rushed, had been an unqualified success.
Iruka, reading the name "Even" on the seal, broke open the scroll and began to take in the details of his assignment. It was a challenging mix of brute force, deftness and stealth that would be fully worthy of his new skills.
It was time to suit up and complete his rebirth. It began with the placement of the hard black ROOT body armor. The armor was placketed on burnished, blood-red over black leather body pieces and fit like a glove. Then he slipped on the dark mask after tying the black silk over his mouth. The outfit was flexible, protective, supportive. It presented a strong image the revealed nothing uniquely identifiable about the body underneath. In every way now, he was a new image, something never before seen. Danzou had designed the updated uniform with a completely new look and this was the prototype.
As soon as they agreed that the fit was acceptable, he removed it as ordered and returned to his old shinobi greens without hesitation. While Iruka would have proudly enjoyed seeing himself in the elite garb, and been reluctant to remove it, Even had no such vanity. There was but one thing that was meaningful to him now: his orders.
Danzou watched him leave without either of them saying a word. Having received his directions, Even carried them out without needless comment. He did not have to say goodbye or advise Danzou that he was leaving, and would be back. Those were givens per the orders.
For a split-second, Danzou had forgotten. He called out quickly, just as Even had a hand on the door.
"Your mask!" He bustled up after the bare-faced nin. "You need to continue to wear this mask when you are not in ROOT uniform."
Even nodded and took the shiny porcelain obediently, affixing it in a quick, smooth move. He turned and continued his way out the door, to go and tend to sealing away his small apartment for the duration.
Danzou shook his head and smiled to himself. No one else would likely ever know of his joke, but he didn't need to share it to enjoy it. 'Even' was a decent name, if a bit random, after all. In truth, he came up with it as the opposite to his first choice of name, the one he'd rejected because it sounded a bit silly - although "Odd" really would have been far more descriptive.
tbc