The Hidden Truths of the Village Hidden in the Leaves
Summary: Starting after the trip to the Land of the Waves, Sasuke has developed a sense of overprotectivness a shinobi feels towards their partner and Naruto has to deal with new surprises every day. The secret behind the Uchiha clan massacre is revealed and Orochimaru is scared of one man. ANBU and foxes flock towards Naruto as much as danger does. A whole new take on the life of Team 7 and co.
Black eyes roved over the enemy shinobi behind a white mask with red patterns here and there, observing their formations and thinking of best ways to infiltrate them, as was his mission. Wind whipped around his long black hair, as always tied in a ponytail, as he crouched on top of one of the trees in the vacancy of the meeting spot. A day into his mission and he was already agitated. Not by the mission itself but because it really will take both him and Kuro Onyx to complete it unless the meeting takes place in a more populated area. After all, he couldn't just walk up to them and ask them what they were doing.
His mission was made tougher as he constantly kept thinking back to his charge and the fact that he was alone without any protection. Like he told the Sandaime, those other ninja with him were nothing more but a distraction from Naruto. The blond was too noticeable even for the decoys to fulfill that function. Screw Kakashi and the other jonin, if someone rally wanted Naruto, they could get past the jonins and go straight for the blond. He could only hope that Sasuke, who seems to be developing a partnership with the Kyuubi vessel, would be nearby and stop any possible enemies from taking the blond away, because that would truly be, as the Nara would say, troublesome. He'd rather not needlessly go out searching for the blond for a few hours and then have to trek back to the village with the unconscious boy on his shoulders, how he once used to carry his baby brother.
Thoughts of his younger brother were thoughts he tried his best to avoid. They made him want to go back to the way things were before the Kyuubi attack, something he knew was impossible. Besides, Naruto wouldn't exist then if that were to happen and he had grown fond of the little blond.
He wondered what his brother was doing right now. Probably training himself into the ground, the stubborn boy that he was. It was another family trait that was unhealthy but persisted no matter how many generations passed. He still remembered how his smile had always made his day, despite spending most of it fending off any and all possible threats to his charge. He will always regret not being able to spend more time with him, but what's done is done. His little brother had grown up quite a bit up till now and he was yet to grow even more, both physically and mentally.
A shift in the shinobi before him alerted him to them moving to anther location and, as silently as a shadow, the ANBU followed them. They never even suspected that he was following them, which surprised him. He had heard quite a bit about these six ninja, especially that silver-haired, glasses guy. He was his favorite, closely followed by the white-haired one. He studied them all and decided that the two albinos were his greatest worries if he were to end up needing to confront them, not that they will pose too much trouble to him. Hell, Kuro Onyx would be able to beat them on his own and he was just a bird. Then again, he was his bird and he had had him since he was in the Academy.
He sent Kuro Onyx a little up ahead to scout the area and was pleased when, moments later, his trusted companion informed him that there was a small village up ahead and there were more Suna officials there. He frowned behind his mask, wondering why Suna officials would be meeting these people, before deciding to just leave the guessing for someone else and instead focus on his mission.
However, this meant good news. They were going into a populated area where he could easily slip into the crowd and spy on their dealings. And since he can do that without the help of Kuro Onyx, it meant that the raven could go and watch over Naruto-sama! The ANBU captain without a squad called back his bird and the black flier was keeping pace with him in minutes. He smiled under his mask at it, as it had taken a while for them to match each other's pace. It was racing Kuro Onyx that actually made him as fast as he was.
''Go watch over Naruto-sama.'' The bird flew with him a few more seconds before changing course and the man returned his attention to the group he was following. He would follow them and soon join Kuro Onyx in their duty for the past twelve years. As they approached the little village, the ANBU realized he was a bit more relaxed now that he knew Kuro Onyx will be watching over Naruto.
A few hours later, when his raven was sending him images of what it was seeing, the ANBU will almost blow his cover (and for the first time ever, no less) by spluttering at what he was watching, then almost growling in anger. He fixed a glare at the people meeting, as if urging them to hurry the fuck up.
Naruto was in greater danger than he had imagined when he had thought the clients to be suspicious.
00000
As promised, a few hours later, Kakashi returned into their shared room, but kept quiet upon seeing that the blond had fallen asleep, still in henge and still holding the sleeping Sasuke's head in his lap. And he daren't make a move with the way Naruto's fox was staring at him, as if daring him to wake them up and see what will happen. He was tempted to do it just so he could see what the furry creature would do but then decided against it. It would be a waste, if Naruto had finally managed to keep Sasuke calm long enough to get some rest himself.
Instead, the silver haired jonin sat heavily on his own bed, staring at the wall opposite him, deep in thought. They got nothing out of the two attackers. Nada. Zilch. And they had spent hours on the both of them. Gai had been close to going all Konoha Red Beast at them, but Kakashi had reminded him that they need them broken mentally, not physically. That, and they didn't have the money to waste on paying the repairs for the hotel.
He looked back over to the two sleeping boys and decided that they must be cold, so he took their comforters and draped them over them. Knowing that he can't do anything more for them or regarding their prisoners, Kakashi released his own henge and got ready for sleep, all the while feeling a bit unnerved with the stare of the cute little fox Naruto had picked up. He forced himself to relax as he lay in his bed, and with his years of training his body to do just that, he was asleep, out like a light, in a few minutes time.
And that's when Kurama made his move.
He could sense that all the others, even Gai, who was supposed to be guarding the room the Uchiha's attackers were being held in, was sound asleep. The attackers themselves were asleep and this was the Kyuubi's best opportunity. He made it past the Hatake's bed no problem, and he even slipped out of the room without the silver haired man stirring. That would put anyone on edge, if an S-rank shinobi were to appear so dead to he word, but Kurama had seen the strains he had been putting on his body by using Sharingan in the interrogations and, as someone who was no of the Uchiha blood, he could not take that for much longer. That was probably why they stopped in the first place. It would do them no good if their best fighter died. Kakashi will need a full night's rest in order to recover the chakra he had been using with his Sharingan eye, and that meant that he will sleep throughout the night as Kurama deals with the two attackers.
He easily slipped down the hall all the way to the room where they held their captives. As he had sensed earlier, Gai was as dead to the world as Kakashi was, but this guy had no excuse. He was just a too sound sleeper for his own good. If Kurama had been even a half decent ninja, he could have killed the green-spandex wearing man in more than twenty ways by now and he would have been too late to respond.
Taking one last look up and down the hallway, and one last glance at Gai, Kurama allowed his one tail to spread into the nine that were naturally there and he pushed the door open. It tried to creak, but Kurama was faster and he let out some of his chakra into the door joints to stop it from making a sound. He slipped into the room and allowed for the doors to shut, before turning to face the two he had come to see.
The room was dark but Kyuubi had sharper eyes, so he could see in the dark s if it were well lit. The two attackers were tied down to sturdy chairs in the middle of the room, bruises and cuts here and there from either their battle or the interrogation. The burnt edges of their clothing suggested that the Uchiha had at least gotten one technique in before they did whatever they did that made him the mess he was now. He felt surprisingly and smugly proud at the thought, before he pushed it down.
They were dressed in dark clothing that reminded him suspiciously of the wear one might have in the Land of Demons, but not quite. It was what someone would have worn centuries ago in the Land of Demons, not today. That unsettled the demon fox as he walked closer to them, keeping to the shadows of the room and keeping all but one tail out of sight. He wasn't about to give away his true identity just like that. No, that was going to be the sweetest part of his own interrogation of these two fools who dared attack Naruto's friend and made the blond suffer. Oh, yes. They would pay.
When he was about two meters away from them, the two attacker's head snapped up. Their eyes focused on the small, furry animal and a snarl tore itself from Shadow 1, as he was called. Shadow 2 just glared at the fox, allowing his eyes to taint red before looking the other way. Kurama surprised them as he gave his own, far more frightening snarl back and the glare in his still blue eyes was scary enough that Shadow 2 gulped down the sudden lump in his throat. Shadow 1 was staring wide eyed at the small creature, as the sound it had emitted sounded downright demonic.
Kurama sat in front of them, where he was clearly visible to the both of them but his tails were still kept in the dark. Their eyes were fearfully glued to his form and the Kyuubi no Kitsune allowed his face to stretch into a smug, arrogant and terrifying smirk. They nearly screamed when he spoke in his deep, rumbling voice, even as his chakra spread so that no sound could escape the room. He would not have anyone interrupting him.
''Now, you will tell me why you have attacked that boy.''
Shadow 1, feeling braver than Shadow 2. mustered up a glare of his own as he looked down upon the smallest occupant of the room. ''Why would we tell anything to you?!'' He hissed and Kurama tsked as he allowed a tail to slap the man across the face. He cried out in pain, as that same very tail could level mountains if it was used at its full strength. The hit Kurama had just delivered would have killed a normal man.
However, these two weren't normal. They were the sick creatures who thought themselves to be imperfect in their original for and had, as such, decided to make experiments until them made themselves into monsters. They were then deemed dangerous for the society and were killed, their souls and powers sealed away to be of use later on by the shinobi of the Land of Demons. They, beside the rather demonic kyuchiyose that those people summoned and used, were the favorite tools ninja of those dark lands loved to use. As they were already dead and halfway demons, they could take a lot more than normal beings could dish out. Too bad for them, because Kurama was far from a normal being and he had a lot to dish out.
''You will answer me or the consequences will be dire.''
''You d-don't scare us!'' Shadow 2 screamed, only to get a kick from the tail in the stomach, knocking his breath out. Kurama tutted at them, still not moving from his place in front of them. He would let them act tough all they want, as he has a few more hours to deal with them. He was in no real hurry, as he would not leave this place without Naruto, even if it was to hunt down the big boss behind all this. Shadow 1 whimpered at the tutting sounds the fox was making and flinched back when those far too intelligent eyes to be of a normal animal or a lesser ranking kyuchiyose animal settled on him again. Sensing his fear, Kurama moved around so that he was completely out of Shadow 2's vision, staring up at Shadow 1.
''W-what do you want from us?!'' The man could no longer keep it in. No matter that he was now dead, and as such could not die again, he didn't like being around this ... thing! It's eyes creeped him out the most. They looked innocent, in their breathtaking shade of blue, but they were anything but! It was beyond unnerving to see such sinister emotions whirling in innocent eyes!
''I thought I l already told you,'' Kurama said in a fake hurt voice and Shadow 2 went rigid at the sound of that voice once again. It still caused fear to surge through his whole body, even if he could no longer see the fox. ''Tell me who summoned or hired you to attack the Uchiha brat. Tell me why they did it. Tell me what you used on the boy.'' Kurama circled them like a predator does its wounded and trapped pry, enjoying the moment before he could sink his claws and fangs into its warm skin. Oh, yes, he was enjoying this. Just because he was nice and good towards Naruto and, maybe, his friends didn't mean that he was no longer the Kyuubi that had attacked Konoha. It just meant that he could control his anger ... and that there was no one else controlling it in his place.
''We were summoned years a-ago, by a weak, dying ninja from the L-land of Demons. We were employed by his killer, then he was killed too, and we were employed by some g-guy like u-us, but he works for a m-mistress. Mistress of Shadows, she calls herself.''
''Was she the one that told you to go after Uchiha?'' Kurama asked of the man but it was Shadow 2 that answered this time.
''H-hai! The man contacted u-us via the employment contract and we were told to take down a g-guy named Uchiha S-Sasuke. Nothing lethal, j-just nightmares. T-to make him unable to f-fight.''
''He said to m-make him suffer.'' Shadow 1 added again.
''And who is this man? To make an employment contract with two demons, or half demons, one must meet their future employer. Who is he? What does he look like?'' Kurama continued questioning and the two attackers started shaking, as they knew that if they said anything, they will die. It's part of the contract. They are not allowed to betray their master's secrets. Even if they wanted to, they would be unable to, past one point of no return, when the contract starts burning them inside out. They whimpered and Kurama glared at them. ''Tell me, or something far worse than the contract feedback will occur to you.''
''W-we r-re-really c-can't!'' They said together and were answered with a growl before blue eyes returned to their true color, scaring the shit out of the two prisoners as red eyes gazed at them with anger, hatred and bloodlust. They screamed as another tail appeared to their eyes, but the Kyuubi's chakra was doing a great job of dampening the sounds, so no one was the wiser. The Kitsune walked closer to them, allowing all nine tails to come into view and tears started puring down their faces as they realized just who they had angered and how much. They whimpered and tried to curl up into themselves as two tails touched them each and Kurama basked in the scent of their fear. This sort of terror had not excited him since the first fight he had against Konoha village, and that was a long time ago. The second time, he had been too focused on first praising his new freedom and then having it cruelly snatched away in seconds. ''NO! P-PLEASE NO!''
''Just tell me who your employer is.'' The biju all but purred as he leaned i towards them, supporting his weight on three tails so he would be level with them. ''And maybe I will set you free.''
''Kyuubi-bi-bi!'' Shadow 1 screamed as another tail made a swipe for him.
''W-we only know that he's half imp! I swear, that's all we know! He captured us in the darkness! We never saw his face. We never met his mistress! All we know is that he is bound to her and that she resides in the Hills of Shadow on the territory of the Land of Demons! That's all we know, I swear! I swear!'' Shadow two yelled, tears log since streaming down his face, hiccups erupting from his choked throat.
''And what did you use on Uchiha?''
''A harmless genjutsu! If he can't face what he's afraid of, he can't break it! If he can't embrace it, he will be stuck like that forever.''
''What did you use against him?''
''I-it doesn't let us s-see their terrors, j-just manipulate them.'' Shadow 1 explained. ''Please, please believe us!''
''And why did they want him out of the way?''
''W-we were never told!''
''You gotta believe us!''
Kurama hummed and drew back. ''I do.'' The two men relaxed slightly. ''For now.'' And they were rigid again, staring at the fox that was getting comfortable, eyes fixed on them, those red, slit irises never leaving their forms for a second. It was going to be a long night, but at least he now knew the Uchiha would be fine. He was clinging to ''his brother'', which should be enough to dispel the genjutsu, but there was now the matter of why someone would target Sasuke. Why now?
'Unless this was not a coincidence!' The Kyuubi growled and the other inhabitants of the room whimpered. Kurama didn't pay them any mind, as he was too focused on figuring out if his host and his friends were in danger. These two were useless to him anyway.