A/N The first part of this chapter was written by Nex-thanarak. Thanks you rock!
Chapter 14
Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably, groaning. He must have somehow rolled out of bed into a sitting position. Not the floor, since he was sitting with his feet pressed to the ground. On the trunk by his bed, maybe? Or somehow had he gotten to the chair by his desk? He was in a chair, actually; he could feel its back pressing against the back of his head. He tried to shift his arms to rub the sore area and froze.
He was bound. His arms and legs were tied to the chair.
In a rush he remembered what had happened. The sentry, easily breaking his shadow capture jutsu and disappearing. Being struck, the sensation of falling while blackness closed in around him.
And now he was here, wherever here was. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a small room, less than six feet by six feet, the only light a candle somewhere behind him, making a flickering shadow of him sitting on the chair against the only door, which was directly in front of him. The only other furniture in the room was some sort of surgical table a bit in front and to the side of him, in plain view. There was nothing on the table.
So they had captured him, whoever they were. And if he was tied to a chair in this small room instead of in some cell somewhere it likely meant they intended to question him.
Shikamaru closed his eyes again, steadying his breathing, and then slumped his head back down the way it had been and went motionless. Since the door was in front of him he could feign sleep and watch with slitted eyes as his interrogator entered. Since the candle was behind him it would be hard to tell he was awake, or read his face in any way for that matter. That was odd: usually it was a bright light, directly in front of the interrogation subject which not only dazed and confused the subject but also made his face perfectly clear and easy to read.
But he wasn't complaining. If the interrogator thought he was asleep he might act more naturally, and perhaps he could get some information from the person's appearance and clothing that would tell him where he was.
He waited in silence for what seemed a long time, but couldn't have been too long since the candle remained burning strongly: most candles didn't burn for more than a few hours, and he had no idea how long it had been burning before he woke up. Then there was a thump behind the door, and it creaked open.
Shikamaru made a special effort to be still and keep his breathing even as he gazed at the silhouette with slitted eyes. The figure that entered was dressed plainly and seemed to have a hood on, though it was hard to be certain with his eyes nearly shut. He was carrying a bag in one hand. For a moment the figure paused in the doorway, likely looking at him, and then he entered, shutting the door.
If the man knew he was awake he gave no sign; he brought the bag to the small surgical table and began drawing things out of it. Shikamaru couldn't identify any of the objects, except that there were a lot of sharp points, serrated edges, and things for grabbing and twisting. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what they were for.
Despite his ruse, he couldn't help but jump slightly as the man abruptly spoke. Not loudly, but in a low, calm voice. "They tell me you're smart, boy. Or at the very least skilled. That ambush spot you picked was about the best to be found along that sentry's patrol route, and your positioning and attack were just about perfect."
Shikamaru debated the pros and cons of continuing to feign unconsciousness. Likely he'd already given away some sign that he was awake, and it would be safe to assume that after sitting in this uncomfortable chair for hours he'd be awake anyway. So without any sort of pretense at waking up he simply lifted his head and opened his eyes.
Interesting. In his limited interrogation training he'd learned that interrogators tried to be as open as possible. They dressed casually, never covered their face or eyes, spoke open, frank sentences, and tried to seem sinister and companionable at the same time. Interrogation was all about making the prisoner think they were just a minor annoyance and you didn't really want to hurt them, but you would.
Then again, that might be more of a Konoha style. This interrogator from another village or organization was masked and hooded with black cloth, his eyes barely visible. Even his voice was muffled, with a grating quality to it that suggested he was deliberately trying to deepen it. An intimidating tactic?
Though he tried to stop himself, Shikamaru's gaze darted back to that tray of torture implements. Well, in shogi it was a common practice to prevent an opponent from even attempting an attack by maneuvering to make that attack futile. He met those shadowed eyes again and braced himself. "I may be young, but you won't break me with pain." To prove his point, he very deliberately bit down on his tongue. Agony bloomed in his mouth, so intense it made him dizzy, but he fought to keep his expression neutral as he continued to meet the interrogator's gaze. He didn't know how well he did, but unless he was seriously mistaken his actions had shocked the man. He spat the blood flowing into his mouth out onto the floor. "Do feel free to try, though."
The interrogator turned and moved to the door with hurried steps, throwing it open. "I need a medic in here!" he yelled, and for a moment he forgot to deepen his voice.
Shikamaru watched that open door, trying to assess the situation rationally both as a means of ignoring the pain and to plan his next move. His interrogator had been more than shocked by his actions, he'd been shaken, and almost frightened. Was he truly an experienced interrogator, or was he a novice? And if so, why was he here instead of someone more experienced?
Who held him captive, and what did they want from him? He was a mere genin, hardly part of the Hokage's plans. He didn't know the patrol routes or mission plans of jonins or even chunins, and information on his own missions was hardly worth torturing out of him. He might know something about Konohagakure's defenses, but it was no more than any other villager could learn.
In short, did he know anything important enough to justify the trap of a nuke-nin and a score of bandits, and at least the sentry he'd ambushed far more powerful than him? Once the enemy had realized they'd captured nothing more than a genin, why had they not killed him or simply taken him prisoner? Why this interrogation room, the shrouded interrogator?
Rushing feet marked the entrance of a medical ninja, his face also shrouded with a cloth tied so only his eyes were visible. His hands weren't gentle as they grabbed Shikamaru's jaw and forced his mouth open, but that might have simply been urgency. "Spit," the medic ordered. Shikamaru complied, and then the medic's fingers, glowing green with healing chakra, began probing at his tongue.
Shikamaru ignored the process. Why were they so concerned for his well-being? And why were they trying to keep their identities hidden? The Nara family was more influential then some within Konoha's politics, and he might have made a good hostage. At the same time his father was hardly prominent, and neither was he. They couldn't have known who they had when they captured him, and he hadn't offered a name.
Was it possible those who had captured him were Konoha traitors, ones who either valued his life or his information too greatly to see him harmed? Or...
Or perhaps they weren't traitors, but still Konoha shinobi. He'd heard Naruto's story of Inoichi-sensei's little deception, making the reckless blond genin think his teammates were dead. Was this another deception, by Ibiki-sensei this time, perhaps further training in resisting interrogation? It would explain why him deliberately injuring himself had caused such a panic: teaching was one thing, but torturing kids was something quite different. If word got out that a jonin-sensei had done something careless that resulted in his genin student being hurt it would cause a major uproar.
The medic backed away, and Shikamaru moved his tongue experimentally. It still hurt, and felt thicker than usual, but otherwise it was fine. His interrogator returned, curtly dismissing the medic, who shut the door behind him, throwing the room back into that gloom with only the one candle behind him burning.
"A nice little stunt you pulled, boy. But you're a fool if you think pain is the only way to get a person to talk."
Shikamaru couldn't help it; he smiled. "So you're not going to torture me? Or maybe you can't?" No response. "I would recognize Ibiki-sensei's voice, even if he tried to change it. Are you one of his subordinates, then? He'll shout at you til he's hoarse when he hears one of his students nearly bit his tongue off on your watch."
Shikamaru had been expecting a lot of things from the man. Shock, perhaps. Fear, maybe. Anger, even. But when the interrogator threw back his head and laughed he was completely confused.
"Ibiki, is it?" he asked, drawing a small notebook out of his pocket and scribbling something down. "And he's your teacher. See, you're already talking, and I didn't even have to do anything to you."
For a moment Shikamaru could only gape. Had he been wrong? Was he actually the prisoner of enemies of Konoha? But no, it still didn't make any sense. "You were awfully quick to send for a medic when I bit my tongue. Why do you care if you're not one of Sensei's subordinates?"
"Can't talk without a tongue," the man replied calmly, still scribbling. "Care to tell me your name, boy? The name of your teammates?" Shikamaru weighed the benefits of making some sarcastic reply, then remained silent. The man didn't seem too disturbed. "You're part of one of those four-man teams the Leaf seems so fond of, right? Is this Ibiki your jonin-sensei? Where was he when the attack took place?"
Shikamaru said nothing, cursing his stupidity. He always impressed people with his genius, but he'd blabbed like Naruto, arrogantly assuming his assessment of the situation was the correct one. The possibility still remained that this was a test by his sensei, but there was nothing to be gained from acting on that assumption. He'd been outmaneuvered, and handily. Everything he said could give information to the enemy, and there was nothing to gain from conversation. It was time to become silent.
There was a long, drawn out silence as those hooded eyes looked at him. Then the interrogator tried more questions, all seemingly inane but potentially catastrophic in enemy hands. Shikamaru replied to none of them, refusing to be drawn in. After almost an hour of question after question fed to him by that calm, relentless voice, there was finally another pause in the questioning.
"I see you're going for silence, boy. Commendable in your situation." His interrogator walked around behind him, and a moment later the dim light of the candle disappeared. "But I'll teach you to open your mouth. You're going to be alone in the dark, now. When you finally decide you want water, all you have to do is ask. Just say "water", if you can't bring yourself to speak any more than that." Footsteps echoed in the small chamber, and then the door opened and a silhouette appeared in it. With a clang it shut, and a moment later he was alone in the dark, already hungry and thirsty.
. . . . .
Sacrifice, that was it. Death by thirst was a terrible way to go, but if he could die so easily and avoid betraying his village he'd do it. All he had to do was ignore the dryness in his mouth, the dizziness, and in a few days it would be over.
He sat in the darkness, miserable. A few days was easy enough to imagine, except that he had no idea how much time was passing in this pitch black, and the worse it became the longer time would seem to stretch. He couldn't give up though. Even to say "water" was a psychological defeat, as good as openly admitting he could be broken. From there he'd cave to every necessity, until he was selling them tidbits that could get his friends killed for even something so simple as using the privy.
He refused to do it. He didn't care how bad the agony of hunger and thirst became, how the darkness pressed on him.
What seemed like an eternity in the darkness passed, and then from somewhere he began to hear the steady drip, drip, drip of water plinking into a container. He had no doubts that tempting sound was for his benefit, and it wouldn't cease until he caved and begged for water. Even after so short a time, it surprised him how great a temptation that was, and it was becoming more and more tempting by the moment. It was just a word, not information about his village. He could say it, and have a drink, and his mind would be clear and strong to resist other interrogation attempts.
That was bad. His clever mind itself was trying to betray him, as surely as he'd betray his friends if he spoke. So instead of giving into the temptation he did his best to fall asleep.
. . . . .
Icy water shocked him awake, gasping and spluttering, and when he opened his mouth wide to breathe around the torrent a funnel was jammed between his teeth, and water was pouring down his throat. He desperately breathed through his nose, even as he eagerly gulped the delicious, cold life sinking into his empty gut and making it slosh like a waterbag.
Somewhere behind that darkness his interrogator spoke. "Bring him." Shikamaru felt his chair jolt as hands gripped its arms and threw him backwards. For a moment he flailed, but then more hands grabbed its legs and picked it up, carrying him. The light dazzled him, and he could see nothing more than a plain, utilitarian hallway until he was carried through another door.
There were two more chairs in the center of the small room, lit by electric bulbs, his teammates slumped with their backs to him. He was carried over and dropped beside Naruto. The blond genin was unconscious, his entire face a mass of bruises and one leg bent awkwardly.
"What did you do to him?" he demanded of his interrogator, still shrouded and standing in front of them. The others had backed away. It wasn't until the man inclined his head mockingly, as if in gratitude, that he realized he'd broken his resolve to remain silent.
"It was obvious you'd be the hardest to get information from," the man said with open satisfaction. "I decided not to bother, and went on to easier targets. Luckily your friends were willing to give me what I needed." He laughed. "I'll admit, I'm impressed by you. You lasted nearly three days with a few drops poured down your throat while you were unconscious. But I'm grateful to your friends, and they begged that you be spared as well, so I'm going to let you all go."
Shikamaru blinked, still dazed by the water in the face and the bright lights. "You are?"
"Of course. You'll have to wait a couple days, though, until we complete our attack. Then you're free to go where you will. You can even go home, though it won't be there for you." With another laugh the man walked around behind them, and a moment later he heard the squeak of hinges as the room's door closed.
There was only silence as Shikamaru sat, full of despair. He had faith in his village, of course, in Will of Fire that fueled its defenders. But the interrogator had seemed so satisfied, so confident. What if whatever information he'd gotten from Naruto and Sakura really was all he needed to carry out his attack?
"Naruto," he hissed. There was no response. "Naruto," he said a bit louder, rocking his chair until his shoulder bumped his teammate's. After a few more tries Naruto groaned and shook his head groggily, lifting it to look around with pure confusion.
"Wha?" he said with effort through a swollen jaw. Then he stiffened. "Oh no. Oh no, no NO! What did I do? What did I say?" His wide blue eyes turned and caught Shikamaru's, and they were so full of guilt and despair that Shikamaru felt as if it were being transferred to him so he felt it as well.
"I don't know," he hissed. "What did you tell them?"
The blue eyes blinked, confused. "I...I don't know." Then they widened again. "Ibiki-sensei! Teammate, where was he when the attack began? I was being beaten, and they were asking me questions, and I said something about him, and then the beating stopped and they left me in the dark."
Shikamaru felt a moment of panic. Was this what it was about, then? Were they looking for information about Sensei? "What did you tell him?" he demanded.
Those eyes pled with him. "Where was Ibiki? If I told them something they could use to find him..."
"He was probably in his office," Shikamaru said. "What did you tell them, baka?"
Naruto looked even more confused. "Office?"
"Yes his office!" Shikamaru shouted, frustrated. "T&I headquarters, second sub-level, room 305. Naruto, what did you tell him?"
The guilt and confusion faded from those clear blue eyes, and Naruto smiled. "Nothing. But you just did." On the other side of Naruto Sakura disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a clone, and Naruto's face dissolved into the cowled features of his interrogator, using a transformation jutsu. The man pushed up from the chair, kicking it aside with a laugh. "Thank you, boy. I still don't have your name, but I have all I need to find and capture Morino Ibiki. He'll tell me what I really need to know, although I still have use for you. You're going to help me get that information from him. And who knows, maybe you'll finally get your wish and be tortured, if only to make him talk."
Shikamaru stared at his interrogator, shocked. He'd thought he could endure pain, discomfort, torment. He'd thought he could outsmart his interrogator, see through his questions, and perhaps find out more about the man than the man was trying to find out about him. But again he'd been tricked, this time fatally.
And it had only taken a few days! What kind of fool was he, to betray his sensei with barely a few words, with a trick he should have seen through so easily?
"Kill me," he said dully. He wouldn't give this man anything more, even if it meant his death. "Or release me and let me die trying to stop you."
The hooded figure laughed again. "Why should I do either? You've been so helpful, and you'll continue to be helpful. Who knows, maybe after I get what I need from Morino I'll even let you go like I promised. Until then I'm done with you. Farewell." Again the man walked around behind him, his steady, even footfalls heading for the door.
"Kill me!" Shikamaru shouted. "Don't make me betray my sensei any more!" He began jerking in his chair, trying to tip it so he'd smash himself against the chair the interrogator had kicked over. He didn't know if he even could manage to hurt himself tied to this chair, but he meant to try it, if only to prevent himself from being a further liability to Ibiki-sensei.
But only moments later hands caught at the chair, shackling its legs to blocks of lead so he couldn't move it, and no matter how he jerked and thrashed it no longer budged. He was left alone once more, with the single dim bulb providing his only light.
He wished he were back in the darkness, and that he'd never opened his mouth.
.
.
Ino followed the somber group of genin and their sensei into the courtyard of ANBU HQ. More then a week had passed since their friends from team 10 had been captured on that disastrous mission, and today their sensei finally had news about their friends. But, considering where they were meeting, it couldn't be very good news. If their friends had been recovered surely they would have met at the Hokage Tower, or at least the hospital, but not here.
Ino had cried the whole way back from that awful mission, and she had a feeling that after today she'd want to cry again. Still, she had to know what had happened to her friends, so she resolutely followed Ibiki-sensei down into the bowls of ANBU HQ. Ibiki-sensei stopped in a long, well lit room, with three large glass windows on one wall.
Ino was sicked by what she saw through those windows, and even as she looked she could hear the gasps of shock and horror from the genin around her. For behind those three windows were three rooms, and in those rooms were the three missing genin of team 10. All of them were tightly bound to metal chairs. But their condition, Ino didn't think she'd ever forget their condition. Ino's stomach sank as she looked at Sakura who was sobbing and apologizing again and again for her betrayal; the blond genin had no idea what kind of betrayal her best friend could be speaking of. The Yamanaka's stomach sank further as she looked at Shikamaru who was thrashing and straining at his bonds, who was shouting over and over again to be killed while throwing insults at an enemy who wasn't there. But the most disturbing sight of all, The sight that would keep Ino from being able to eat anything for days, was Naruto. Lively, energetic Naruto sitting in his chair staring at nothing, while looking as lifeless as a corpse. Ino felt a sob catch in her throat as she turned away from the horrible sight.
After a few minutes of mourning for her broken friends she herd someone clear their throat, and Ino and the other genin turned their eyes to a somber looking Ibiki. In a voice thick with sorrowful intensity Ibiki-sensei said, "Take a good look-", Ibiki took a shuddering breath, "Take a good look at your friends. These three have more anti-interrogation training than the rest of you combined. They broke in a week. Ibiki looked each genin in the eye as his voice rose, "The first rule of interrogation is that everyone talks eventually!" Ibiki's voice quieted down to nearly that of a whisper, but the words were no less forceful, "And the first rule of being a shinobi is to not ever let yourself get captured!... Because if you are, you will talk and betray everyone you know and love."
Ino had tears streaming from her eyes as she watched Ibiki-sensei turn to look sorrowfully at his students. As the sensei quietly led their students from the room Ino's last view of that terrible place was Ibiki-sensei's sorrow, and Naruto's lifeless eyes.
.
.
None of the genin responded particularly well to Ibiki-sensei's lesson. Ino locked herself in her room and cried for two days strait until a frantic Inoichi got desperate enough to break down the door so he could comfort his daughter. Choji completely lost his appetite for a week, and only managed to eat what little he did in an attempt to keep his mother from worrying. Sasuke trained each day until his knuckles bled and his muscles screamed with exhaustion. He didn't care what Ibiki-sensei said, not everyone talked. His brother wouldn't talk, so he had to make sure he wouldn't either. Team Gai all trained themselves to exhaustion They may not have been as naïve as the nine rookies, but even they had never seen any of their comrades so broken; and seeing such a sight shocked them into striving to make themselves strong enough to never be in the same position. But it was team eight that had the most surprising reaction.
It was the day after Ibiki's lesson when Kiba went and collected his two teammates and took them to their teams normal training ground. When they got there Kiba spun around to study his two teammate's. Shino, for the most part, looked his usual stoic self, but Hinata was a basket case. Seeing the unbreakable Naruto broken had done more to harm Hinata than her family could have ever done. Kiba's lips thinned as his face took on a deadly serious look. He would bring Hinata out of her depression! Hinata and Shino were his team, his pack! And he would never let them be hurt like team ten had been!
With this determination driving him forward he spoke, "We've gotta improve our teamwork. If one of us is caught we need to have plans already in place so that we can recover our teammate quickly!"
Shino raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then nodded, "I agree, but I would like to suggest a fail-safe that will allow us to eliminate ourselves if it becomes clear that recovery has failed."
Kiba looked a little sick, "That's... a good idea, but let's work hard to make sure we never have to use it." As one Kiba and Shino turned towards Hinata and Kiba asked, "Hinata, are you with us?" Both boys frowned with worry as Hinata's only answer was a dazed nod. Kiba and Shino looked at each other and an understanding passed between them. Then, in a voice filled with conviction, Kiba stated, "Let's get better."
.
.
While team 8 were working hard to get stronger, The three genin of team psych were finally getting released from T&I headquarters. All three genin tried to avoid looking at their teammates, because every time they caught one of their teammates eye they saw their own dead eyes staring back at them from their teammates faces.
Naruto broke away from his teammates as quickly as he could. Looking at them only reminded him of the gnawing emptiness where his heart used to be. He couldn't bear this alone and he couldn't bear it with his teammate's maybe in a few days when they'd all healed a little, but not now. Out of options he went to the only person he could go to. Someone he wished he could keep out of this. But he needed comfort, and so he stood outside of academy room 325 listening to the voice of the man who had come closest to being a father to him. Naruto ignored the fact that it was the middle of lecture time at the academy and opened the door to see the face of his father. Naruto felt tears start to slip down his face as a confused and concerned sensei turned to look at him. "Iruka-sensei", Naruto whispered right before Iruka wrapped Naruto into his loving arms.
.
.
It had been two days. Two days since Sakura had been released from that hell that reminded her of her torture. Ibiki-sensei had tried to talk to her, but she couldn't talk to him about this. Before he let her go he told her to find someone to talk to, but she didn't know who she could go to. Her parents were civilians, they wouldn't understand and would use this to once again try and convince her to quit the shinobi program, and with how she was feeling right now, she might just give into their demands. She couldn't talk to her teammates, it hurt to even think of them. Ibiki-sensei was out of the question, she didn't know him well enough to trust him. So now she was going to see the one person she truly loathed, but also the one person she thought would, maybe understand. Sakura found her sitting in a tree wolfing down dango.
When Anko saw Sakura she was surprised, "Eh? What're you doin' here gaki?" She was even more surprised when she saw tears slip from Sakura's eyes.
Sakura sobbed, "I don't know what to do. I don't know who to go to. I hardly know Ibiki-sensei and my parent's wouldn't understand. I can't get rid of this emptiness where my heart is, I think it's growing, and I'm so scared. I don't know how to get rid of it and I didn't know who to ask. Please. Tell me how to get rid this horrible emptiness"
Anko stared down into the tear-filled eyes of Sakura, and didn't know what to do. Her specialty was breaking minds; not fixing them. But she remembered a time when she'd been just as broken as this girl below her, and just as alone. She knew she had to try. So she jumped down to the girls level and gave a gentle smile that her mouth barely remembered how to form, "All right Sakura. Say what ever you need to say. I'm listening."
.
.
Shikaku had never been a man of action. He much preferred to sit back and review all the options before going into a situation. But in this case he felt he needed to act even when vital information was missing. His son, Shikamaru, had locked himself in the shoji room of all places and hadn't budged from there in two days. His wife had tried to Shikamaru to talk to her and had gotten no response. She was starting to get really worried, and in truth, so was he. So, in spite of feeling out of his depth he went and broke open the shoji room door, and froze. Shikamaru was sitting at a shoji table playing a game with himself in the most frenzied state Shikaku had ever seen his son in.
After overcoming his surprise at his sons state he Shikaku went and sat down opposite him, "Son. What are you doing?"
"I have to get better." Was a distracted Shikamaru's reply.
"At?"
"Strategy."
"Why?"
With a yell of frustration Shikamaru threw the shoji board to the side, "Because I'm not good enough!"
Shikaku looked at his panting son, "Are you finally ready to talk about what happened?"
A tear slipped from one of Shikamaru's eyes as he said, "I can't. I can't think about what happened. It hurts too much."
Shikaku gave his son a sad look, "I know it hurts, but I promise you two things. One, the pain won't last forever, and two, the sooner you talk about it the sooner the pain will end."
Shikamaru wouldn't look at his father for several minutes but when he did look up he gave a hesitant nod, and started talking.
.
.
It had been almost a week since Ino had her melt down and now, thanks to her father, she was ready to face ninja life again. After Ibiki-sensei's lesson Ino realized she needed to get a lot stronger than she was now. With that in mind Ino walked into the Uchiha training grounds, and gasped at what she saw. In front of her Sasuke was pounding on a training log even though his knuckles were already raw and bleeding. "Sasuke-kun!" Ino shouted as she ran forward, "What are you doing? You're hurting yourself!"
Sasuke gave a snort of annoyance, "What are you doing here Ino? I'm trying to train."
Ino clasped her hands in front of herself and adopted a shy expression, "Well, after Ibiki-sensei's lesson I realized how important it was to get stronger, and I thought we could get stronger faster if we worked together." Ino finished her statement with hope shining from her eyes.
Sasuke sighed, "I won't work with you. You'd just drag me down."
Ino looked surprised, "But Sasuke-kun! Teamwork always makes you stronger!"
"Only if your teammate's are strong. You're weak and not worthy of truly working with me."
Ino felt tears pool in her eyes as she turned to run away from Sasuke and the hurtful things he'd said. As Ino ran she wondered, for the first time since meeting Sasuke, if he was really worth chasing.
.
.
Naruto sat on top of the Hokage monument looking down on Konoha. It had been a hard week since he'd been released from Ibiki-sensei's care. While Iruka-sensei's comfort had gone a long way toward restoring Naruto back to his normal self; there was one question that wouldn't stop bothering Naruto. He was up here trying to find the answer to that question while staring down at a village that hated him. The blond boy was startled out of his thoughts by Sakura's voice, "Naruto? What are you pondering so deeply that you didn't even hear me coming?"
Naruto's thoughts froze for a moment before he was able to respond, "O-oh I was. I was just wondering why we do this."
Sakura looked confused, "Why we do... what?"
Naruto gave a sad sigh, "Why we risk our lives, our sanity, for a village that will never understand and will never really care."
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well. The reason I stay a shinobi is because my family and friends are here and they love this village. If the village was destroyed they'd be hurt. So I keep fighting."
Naruto looked absolutely heartbroken, "But Sakura, I don't have family."
Sakura looked genuinely surprised, "Of course you do!" Naruto opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off, "You have Iruka-sensei, Hokage-sama. Heck I know I think of you as my brother, and I bet Shikamaru feels much the same way. You do have a family here Naruto and if you can't fight for the village as a whole; which, by the way, I sort of get, then fight for us and our cause. Someday it will be easier to see the worth of the village, but until then fight for us."
Naruto stared at Sakura for a minute than laughed, "Wow Sakura, who would'a thought that you of people could be wise?"
Sakura gave Naruto a playful glare, "That's it? I come up here to make you feel better and all you can do is insult me? Run far Naruto cause when I catch you I'm not holding back!"
Naruto jumped up and took of running with Sakura right behind him. Their laughter echoing behind them.
.
.
It was a bright sunny day, but Hiruzen thought if the weather had any justice it would be pouring, or at least really cloudy. But no. The sun was shining. Stupid, stupid sun. Sarutobi sighed, "Izumo!"
A few minutes later a chunin cautiously popped his head through the door, "Yes Hokage-sama?"
"Get team psych here quickly." The Third sighed.
Izumo saluted and quickly went to do as his Kage ordered, but he couldn't help feeling a little sorry for team psych. After all, it was obvious Hokage-sama was not in a good mood. Oh well maybe Naruto would be able to cheer him up, he was good at that.
.
Twenty minutes later a curious Team Psych was escorted into their Kages office, but before they had a chance to ask what was going on Sarutobi spoke, "I've called you here to assign you you're first unsupervised intelligence gathering mission, but I know its only been a few weeks since you're ordeal and I want to know if you think you're ready to be totally immersed in the field. You're sensei thinks you're ready, but I don't want to send you out there unless you three think you can handle it."
The three genin looked at each other then Naruto stepped forward, "We're ready jiji. What's our mission?"
Hiruzen smiled, "I received a message from Kakashi it seems his team was sent into a mission before all the facts could be obtained. You're mission is to gather all the back information you can about their mission and then help them complete their objective." The Third held two scrolls out for Naruto to take, "This is the original mission scroll as well as the message Kakashi sent me. Also while you will have a fair amount of autonomy you will need to keep Kakashi informed of your progress, and you will need to obey any direct orders he gives you. Do you accept the mission?"
Once again the three genin looked at each other before Naruto answered, "We accept Hokage-jiji- I-I mean Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi chuckled and held out one more scroll, "Good. Leave as quickly as possible and when you rendezvous with Kakashi give him this scroll."
Naruto half-smiled and tilted his head to the side, "Uh jiji? Where exactly are we going?"
A brief flash of surprise passed over Hiruzen's face before he answered, "To the land of waves."