A/N: The weekend is almost here! (rejoices) and so is Thanksgiving. Thank God. School gets so tiring, doesn't everyone agree? That said, we're nearing 30 chapters now! Oh my goodness! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well.
Warning: mwahahaha! I was feeling mean and decided to make some people hang off of cliffs…-cough- if you get what I'm saying.
Disclaimer: *clocks reaches 11:11:11 11/11/11* I wish I wish I wish I own Naruto…
Dark Angel: Chapter Twenty-Seven
Trust thyself only, and another shall not betray thee. –Thomas Fuller
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. –Helen Keller
She reached a hand carefully up to her headset, whispering words into it so faint someone standing three feet away couldn't have heard her.
The people on the other end of the connection, however, could. Quite clearly, too.
An affirmative noise rang in her ear, and she nodded crisply, standing up with some grace. Temari placed a hand on the tree trunk, feeling the scratchiness itch her hand as the other one met with her iron fan. Nobody was around her, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.
"We'll move out once it's dark. I'm not taking any chances, especially when this is just a recon mission, got it?" she barked—quietly, but barked nonetheless. The somewhat scared responses of her subordinates was all she got.
Temari narrowed her eyes at the gray village far away, shrouded in mystery and death. Her team had been tracking Uzumaki Naruto this far, and she was determined to find out if he was actually here. If they had been led on that wild, cold goose chase for nothing… She was going to kill Gaara, Kazekage or not. It was a good thing that one of her men had a tracking affinity involving a leaf and some scrolls.
She sighed before making sure once again that nobody was around her. Temari had even sent her own men away into the woods, knowing it was better to separate this close to the village than risk being caught together. Her team was all capable jounin, though sometimes they acted like scared gennin. She snorted, closing her eyes.
Sleep would've been a welcome notion, considering they had been travelling nonstop for the past few days after meeting Shikamaru. And besides continuing to track Naruto before the trail got too cold, the weather had been horrendous, especially for someone who was used to the heat of the desert. Temari officially hated the cold with a passion, and vowed next time someone had to volunteer to do this, she was making Kankuro. He already had those black clothes on; why not make use of their warmth?
But try as she might, Temari couldn't sleep.
Thoughts whirled in her mind, from her brothers to the rain to Naruto. Finally, she settled on going over their plan one last time, even though she was confident it was fool-proof.
Didn't history always remind you, though, that the most 'fool-proof' plans often aren't?
"Sneak in…" Temari muttered, eyes still closed. Or around would work just as well, she thought, nodding. Find where Naruto was, then launch the plan. No action, just catching up on Naruto, then report back to Gaara. They couldn't risk attacking Amegakure.
At last, her words and thoughts about her mission lulled her toward an uneasy, light sleep. Plans were simply that boring to an analyst like Temari, particularly plans where she had memorized every possible way things could go wrong to the smallest detail. But, won't you know, fate is evil like that. Fate had no intentions of Temari getting near Naruto, it seemed, or anyone other than the ones already near him.
She woke to find herself being attacked.
The harsh rap on the door brought them all whipping their heads around, even Sasuke, though his was considerably later.
The door then proceeded to burst open with a loud bang and who but Chiyoko stood there, looking smug and pleased, which Sakura had come to associate with her 'normal face'.
"My, you look as if you've been having a wonderful chat," she laughed gratingly. A platoon of ninjas flanked her, looking intimidating only because of their size. One chakra-enhanced punch from Sakura could send the whole bunch of them reeling though, she bet. Oh, how she would've liked to punch Chiyoko too, but she knew Sai wouldn't take well to that.
Sakura simply scowled in response to Chiyoko's words, her temper already igniting with a fury. Whatever tears had been emerging before quickly dried up and that resolve that had burned her fueled Sakura's rage even more. Here was someone she could blame. Here was someone who had caused so much hurt, just like them, and if Sakura took out her rage…
"Sakura," Sai murmured quietly, looking directly into her eyes. It was that look that brought Sakura down from the brink of fury, if only a little.
Sai looked so calm, so quiet and assured. Unlike the chaotic mess she liked to call her life.
Sakura needed someone like that right now, so she leaned on him for that support. For now.
Her breath evened out, her fist loosened, and she was able to face Chiyoko without going insane. "Our time is up, then."
"Yes," Chiyoko agreed. A wave of her hand parted the ninjas and formed a pathway for them to exit. Sai stood instantly, throwing a sharp look at his two teammates. Yamato followed instantly, but Sakura was stubborn and shook her head. Why should she leave? "You need to leave," Chiyoko said, abruptly, as if she'd guessed Sakura's thoughts.
"Why?" Sakura retorted, standing up and almost knocking over her chair. Chiyoko, contrary to popular belief—and Sakura's own beliefs—looked strangely serious. Sakura decided that she didn't like that look very much.
"You came here to get information on the Akatsuki and nothing more. Am I correct?"
Sakura opened her mouth, but Yamato answered instead. "Yes, that is."
"And tell me, what did I promise you in return if you did that simple mission for me?"
"…information." That was grudgingly pulled from Sakura's mouth when nobody else said it.
Chiyoko looked pleased, seriousness wiped away. "Why, you're right! And I also said something about if you helped me capture Naruto, and you did, so then you've helped me accomplish more than I could've done on my own. Bravo. As a reward, you may be treated to anything in my library."
"Anything?" a ninja near her, startled, exclaimed. "But that's—" He was silenced, eyes going blank and wide; a telltale sign of a genjutsu. Another ninja pulled his comrade into the crowd, enveloping the pair, leaving Sakura and her teammates staring in the direction that the two left in, wondering what had just happened. What was wrong with this library? Or…
It turned out Chiyoko had been waiting for an answer. Sai filled in this time, nodding his head. "Of course. We would be—pleased." He hesitated, like he wanted to say more but didn't know how to word it.
"And after that," Chiyoko continued, not letting Sai speak. "You must leave my premises immediately."
"What!" Sakura started to stride forward, but Sai's arm stopped her. "No! You've got N—why should we leave?" She changed words in the middle of the sentence, cutting herself off angrily.
"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. You have done more than enough for me, so I am simply repaying the favor. Don't forget that I am the one supplying my hospitality. I can have you worse than kicked out if I wanted to, simply on a word or on a whim." Chiyoko looked more dangerous than ever, and it made Sakura want to kick babies, something she never did, especially since she was a medic. "Once you have gathered enough information, you must leave. Understand?"
"Understood."
Sai took the lead, and Yamato stood behind Sakura, as if to make sure she wouldn't run away or something like that. She had no choice but to walk along, making sure not to conceal her disdain when she approached Chiyoko. The woman didn't see, however, because her attention was focused on something behind Sakura.
It was only when Yamato was almost out the door that she let herself look back—just once, she told herself. Not for regrets, not for Naruto, not for Sasuke, not for the past…
Sakura didn't know what she was looking back for, but she did.
All she saw in the brief second before the door was slammed in her face and they were flanked by ninjas was a snatch of black—Sasuke—a brief glint of amber—Chiyoko, standing alone—and Naruto's eyes, glinting in the light, cold and hard.
Then she saw nothing but iron.
The three of them were pushed along by the shinobi, never talking. The only noise penetrating the air was the sound of many, many feet brushing the hard floor. They took countless turns once again, and she could've sworn they were just taking the turns to confuse them. Maybe they were.
A ninja in the front, taller than the rest and burlier than the rest, raised a hand. The ninjas around them instantly stopped too, as if they'd been expecting the signal. Sakura on the other hand had not been expecting such a thing, and narrowly missed tripping over one ninja and smashing into another. Only Yamato's hand on her shoulder steadied her.
She glanced up to see the man in the front, probably the leader of this little group, form some hands signs including tiger, boar, and monkey. They weren't exactly slow, per say, but it was just formed in a pattern that made it hard for Sakura to catch. It wasn't like any pattern she had seen before, or any jutsu that she knew; it must have been another jutsu Chiyoko made up, like the summoning door one. And indeed, this one was very much like that, except it summoned a hallway, not doors.
The wall parted with a grating rocky sound, loud in the too quiet silence. The hallway was short and squat and not very long, so only a few shinobi could follow the three in, including the leader. The wall rumbled shut behind them, and for a few brief seconds Sakura panicked, thinking that they were going to be crushed and pulverized to the bone.
But no, that wasn't what happened. Only the outside wall closed, not the small space the hallway was in, much to her everlasting relief.
Sai nodded to her before motioning to the man who placed his hand on the opposite wall of the hallway, and this time a pair of doors did shimmer into existence. They were pushed in, and then the doors disappeared, leaving Sakura, Sai, and Yamato in a circular room…filled to the brim with books of every size and shape known to man.
"Oh my God…" Sakura hissed, turning in a slow circle. This was just too much to take in. How long had it taken Chiyoko to even create all this? Create all the special doors and hallways and rooms hidden behind walls? How could Amegakure be so big, underground, as to fit all this? She doubted that even Shikamaru could answer her questions. It had to be some jutsu…another jutsu, she meant.
The thought of Shikamaru suddenly brought on the thought of the rest of her friends.
Were they worrying now? No doubt they had all returned home to Konoha by now—it had been, what, at least a week. Would Ino be scared? What about everyone else? Tsunade would probably be calm. She would know that nothing could go wrong, Sakura reasoned. Not with Yamato-taichou helping them.
Sakura wished more than anything, though, that she was home. Safe and sound. That she hadn't signed up for this mission after all—but then, if she hadn't, she never would've been able to see Naruto again; Naruto or Sasuke.
And that was something she couldn't have given up. Not for anything in the world.
She closed her eyes, shutting out the sight of the stone room.
Were their paths doomed for the rest of eternity to be like this? Forever running in and out of each other, barely crossing before spinning off to some other fate immediately? That was a fear Sakura couldn't get rid of, no matter how she tried.
Was Team 7 doomed to be broken forever?
"Sakura!"
Her name brought her back to reality, and she blinked to see Sai staring at something above her. "Sai?"
"Look." His voice was grim as he lifted an arm toward the same thing he was staring at.
Sakura wheeled, glancing up instinctively. Nothing registered in her mind at first. What was she seeing? Something round, giant, with one single large pointer that was slowly ticking away to the left. "What's that?"
"A clock." Yamato sounded as grim as Sai looked, and he was already pacing away to look at the books on the shelves. "We need to get working or else we're not going to have enough time."
"Time?" Sakura echoed, taking a closer look at the 'clock'. She discovered it actually was a clock on closer inspection. It was white and had no numbers at all to distinguish it, but it was indeed a clock—no, not a clock, she realized. A timer. That was why Yamato was talking about time and running out… She turned to see Sai also walking the other way, trailing his hand on the bookshelves. "We're timed?" She couldn't help sounding incredulous. They were being timed, for something they helped Chiyoko do? That woman just reached a new level of cruelty.
"What did you think? This is Chiyoko we're talking about, remember." Sai gave a fake sounding laugh, pulling a slick leather journal with a ribbon hanging out of it off the shelf. His black head glanced down, reading the words as he spoke. "Judging by the clock, we've got about three hours. Better get reading." He tossed the book on the floor, leaving it sprawled in an undignified manner. Sakura winced; after many years of being Tsunade's assistant, she couldn't stand to see important documents mistreated like that. However, when she moved to pick it up, Sai just waved his hand. "Don't. Chiyoko wouldn't care anyway. She only looks at this stuff once and then never again."
Sakura stopped herself with difficulty, turning a suspicious look on Sai to make up for it. He didn't notice, immersed in another shorter book. "And how would you know all this?"
"Habit. It's part of what we were trained to do as to not depend on only one source," he replied absentmindedly, also tossing this book on the floor with a loud thump. Sakura stood there for a bit longer, gaping.
At last, it was Yamato who forced her to 'work'. "Sakura, if you're just going to stand there, we don't need you on the team." He shot her a stern look that made her hurry to stand on the opposite end of the circular room and pull something out randomly. She began reading, drinking the words in, before she realized it was a book about building a wooden house, of all things, and Sakura tossed it away too.
And that was how the pattern repeated itself for a good quarter hour.
"I can't find anything!" she yelled, throwing yet another scroll to the floor. It unfurled itself and lay right side up, all its top secret techniques about Kirigakure's ANBU jutsus laid out for the world to see. Sakura didn't care.
Sai and Yamato, however, didn't care either. They barely looked up from their studies; Yamato already had a large book tucked under one arm and several scrolls in the other. Sai was carrying a huge encyclopedia looking thing, flipping through it carelessly.
"You just aren't looking in the right places," Sai told her, setting the encyclopedia down carefully. A cloud of dust still emerged from the book despite his carefulness, making him cough once. "Look for stuff about the Akatsuki. My section was sorted alphabetically."
"Mine was sorted based on the level of power," Yamato said from beside her, having nearly worked all the way around his section. Books lay scattered on the ground to show for his hard work, like birds with broken wings fallen from the sky.
Sakura listened to the words of her teammates carefully before turning to analyze her own circular stretch of bookshelves with a critical eye. It obviously wasn't alphabetically sorted—she had gone from one random book to another. She didn't think it was about power either. What did building a house have to do with jutsus? No, her bookshelves were sorted in a way she couldn't decipher.
"I don't know what mine is sorted as," she muttered, frustrated. More of the books on her shelves had been dumped on the ground, contents more unread than not, than any of Sai's and Yamato's. Sakura turned to scan her shelves again with a critical eye, noting the higher levels of the bookcases she hadn't checked yet. They looked as dusty and uninteresting as the rest.
"It could be something you haven't thought of." Yamato's suggestion was quiet as he pulled another scroll from the shelves. "Hm, Mangekyou Sharingan, huh? I didn't know Chiyoko knew this much."
"The things you don't know about Chiyoko would fill this library and more." Sai sounded calm as he looked at the last bookcase in his section before pulling off a particularly fat, green book. "Then again, the things I don't know about her would be just as much."
Sakura frowned, pulling her hair back before realizing she didn't have anything to tie it with and letting the strands go with a sigh. If there was nothing of use on the shelves she could reach, then she would have to climb higher to get it. Sakura gathered chakra on the soles of her feet and quickly jumped from shelf to shelf—or, rather, the shelves that looked reliable and wouldn't crack under her weight. Yamato shouted after her, but the wind rushing by in her ears blocked any possible sound. It was only when she reached the higher shelves, so close to the ceiling that she could almost brush it with her fingertips that she stopped, staring below. Sai and Yamato looked like somewhat large dots.
Sakura waved once down at them. "I'm going to look up here!" she called. The two dots made some type of notion before Yamato pointed to the clock, silently reminding her that they only had half an hour left.
Sakura nodded, even though they couldn't see her, and turned to the shelves in front of her, surveying them.
They were thick with dust, almost a centimeter thick in some places. Sakura grimaced quietly, the neat freak part of her medic training emerging as her fingers were stained with gray. She wiped as much of it off as she could, ignoring the thick, clogged feeling of the dust before reaching for the first book…and the only book on the shelf.
Up here, books were farther apart than the crammed state of the lower shelves. At most, five books would grace a shelf, but even though Sakura hadn't touched a book yet, she could feel that they were full of power and knowledge best left untouched. She shivered, forcing away the feeling and opening the book a little hesitantly. The first word that jumped out at her, handwritten in a neat but spiky handwriting, was Akatsuki.
In her surprise, Sakura let go of her grip on the shelf, falling backward for a split second before her feet found purchase on the wood, chakra gripping through her shoes. She let out a silent sigh of relief before narrowing her eyes; the pages wouldn't turn fast enough as she flipped through them, trying to soak as much information as her brilliant mind could allow. Which was a lot.
But even that wasn't enough.
Sakura threw the book down a good thirty feet to the ground, hearing a dull thump and Sai's voice, probably cursing her for nearly knocking him out. She didn't care. It still wasn't enough. It wasn't enough!
The information had been thorough, but useless. It was nothing Sakura didn't know herself, especially after spying, tracking, finding information from the deepest corners of the world for the past two years—almost everyone worth checking on except Chiyoko, and that was only because she didn't know Chiyoko existed.
Sakura half growled with dissatisfaction before reaching for the next book.
This one proved to be more detailed and more focused on Pein himself and the way his Paths worked. It was handwritten like the last, in the same handwriting too. Had Chiyoko gathered all this by herself? How many spies did she have placed around the village? How many were ordinary civilians, or ordinary working ninja, secretly leading a double life? Was there people watching her right now?
Suddenly feeling the prickle of paranoia fall on her, she turned so she was facing the ground, hair falling in a small curtain around her face. Sakura glanced sharply toward the clock, where the door had disappeared into. Nobody was there, or anywhere around them.
She looked down at the words on the page again, blurring into vague detail. No, she knew about Pein. He wasn't someone to be researched on. Sakura let the book fall again.
Another thought struck her as she reached for a scroll, labeled with an intricate seal. Sakura paused in removing the seal, thinking.
This was too much for Chiyoko to have gathered all on her own. Spies were a must, but then it came down to the question: how many spies did she have? How much influence did those spies have? Did…did she have spies in the Akatsuki? Could someone in the Akatsuki be a traitor?
Sakura shivered. She wouldn't want to be facing against Chiyoko if that was true. How much more power could this woman wield? She shook her head, quickly undoing the seal before bringing it up to her face. For a few tense moments, nothing focused, the words blurred and unreadable. Sakura squinted and then gasped, seeing the words now written clear as day across the faded yellow paper of the scroll.
What the…?
"Sai! Yamato!" she barked in her best 'I'm-the-medic-here-so-you-better-listen-or-someone-like-that-guy-on-the-table-is-going-to-die' voice, jumping many stories to the ground. Sakura managed to roll forward onto the balls of her feet, chakra cushioning the blow—but still, the shock ran up her legs in tremors, pitching her forward slightly before she got her balance and bolted up again.
"Sakura?" Yamato seemed startled, finger marking a page he was reading. "What is it? It's dangerous to jump from that high." The last sentence was added like an afterthought, and it reminded her painstakingly of Kakashi's reprimands.
The ones that she would never hear again.
Sakura clenched her teeth, forcing herself to forget just for a little about the memories that haunted her today, plagued her. What she would give to just forget them all like Sasuke and Naruto seemed to have... wouldn't that be a better life than the cursed on she led now?
"Time is almost up."
Sai reminded them of that important fact from a few feet away, eyes inscrutable. Sakura nodded harshly, fisting her hand and nearly crumpling the scroll before breathing out softly. "Look at this scroll. You wouldn't believe the contents."
Yamato took it from her, and Sai peered over his arm. Both eyes' widened to almost unbelievable limits. Even Sai's mouth hung open a little, like a fish's, and if Sakura hadn't known the contents of the scroll, she would have laughed. But she did know, and those contents were no laughing matter. At all.
"How did she get these?" Sai hissed out, jerking away from the scroll held in Yamato's hands like it was fire and the devil himself. Yamato dropped the scroll too, face tensing in concentration. "She's much better at this than I'd thought."
"Yes," Yamato muttered. He glanced at the clock again. "We can't carry anything out here, so I hope we've memorized every word we need."
"We can't leave," Sakura said urgently, taking a step toward the two when both shook their heads simultaneously.
"We've been over this, Sakura—"
"Would you risk Chiyoko's wrath? You know what she said—"
Sakura interrupted both of them. "I know! Don't you think I know? But we can't leave. Not when we know this much already. We need to help free Naruto and Sasuke." She looked pleadingly at them, wishing they'd understand how important this was to her. She couldn't leave. If they wanted to, they could—but she'd stay. And she said that.
"We can't leave without you, the Hokage would kill us," Yamato growled. He gave a huge sigh. "Are you dead set on staying? Why do you need to rescue Naruto and Sasuke? I'm sure they are competent enough to escape on their own. They're very high ranked missing-nins after all."
"Don't remind me," she whispered. "And I don't know why. I just…do."
Yamato was an ANBU. That was something most knew; just like the fact that ANBU were famous—or infamous, depending on how you looked at it—for being cold, merciless killing machines with no ties to people. Yamato didn't have much precious people, but the few he had mattered very much, and that included Naruto. During the short time he'd known him, something about the boy had been life-changing, to say the least. Unpredictable, loud, annoying, but with a serious, empathetic side and a knack of protecting his friends to his last breath… few could resist becoming Uzumaki Naruto's friend.
So despite being an ANBU, despite being a killer, despite all that, Yamato knew what Sakura was feeling. He wanted to stay too, maybe just to try and help out Naruto (not so much Sasuke) even though he clearly had no leftover feelings for them. It was an ingrained reaction. It was a stupid reaction. It was a reaction he and Sai and Sakura couldn't seem to let go of, no matter how many times Naruto made it clear that he didn't want them. That he didn't need them anymore, if he ever did at all.
"We're staying." He looked determined, and not even Sai argued with his leader. "We will find a way to get them out of Chiyoko's grasp. But first, we need a plan."
The three drew together briefly for a conference. Just as they were pulling apart, the wall rumbled apart to reveal…
Nobody?
Sakura jumped as a startled scream pierced the air. Even without words, she could hear the desperation, the fear in the scream. As soon as it started, it cut off with a somewhat garbled sound, and then the trio was running toward the door.
A rumble shook the floor as they were nearing the threshold. Sakura glanced back, then whipped her head back again, finally noticing what was happening. The library was collapsing! Books fell like stones from the sky, and one shelf had already entirely collapsed. The clock had crumbled away and a bright flash lit the world. When the flash dissipated, there was a strange circular seal burning bright on every document.
"The library's collapsing!" Sakura gasped, coming to a stop despite Sai's futile tugs on her arm.
"We can't stop, Sakura! We'll be buried alive."
"But—all the resources will be gone! We have to get some of them." Sakura broke free of Sai's grip, only to halt again when his chilling words reached her ears.
"Don't, Sakura. Don't you see the seals? Take one, and that seal on the ground in front of the door will burn you to ashes before you can say 'please'. This is merely a precaution." Sai's expression darkened infinitesimally, before whirling and dashing for the entryway as more and more objects fell from the sky. Sakura turned reluctantly too and darted toward the doorway; Yamato was already on the safe side.
Just as Sakura crossed over, a large chunk of stone fell right where she had been standing, pulverizing the concrete. Like that had triggered an explosion, more chunks rained down till the library and all its precious, once-in-a-lifetime supplies had been destroyed. Sakura felt an immense regret. Those could have been treasures.
"Let's go."
"Wait, Sai," Yamato interrupted, eyes inscrutable. "When you say precautions, is that the same meaning as when we say precautions in ANBU? I don't think that the library would be programmed to collapse just as our time went off."
Sai regarded his captain for a split second before nodding once. "Yes. It was merely a coincidence, though some might say nothing is a coincidence. But yes, it was a precaution... which means we are under attack."
"From what? Naruto?"
"No, Sakura." Sai's expression was grimmer than ever. "The only times we shut the library down, hidden as it is, is when an outside threat greater than even Naruto and Sasuke combined attacks. Only then, when the enemy might be capable of taking hold of her resources will Chiyoko close the library."
Sakura was about to respond when something shook the ground they were standing on. "Wha—?"
"Run!" Sai shouted suddenly, but it was too late.
The door slammed shut again with a dull clanging sound.
The two enemies regarded each other with wary eyes—well, neither was what you would call 'wary', but inside, that was what both were feeling. Even Chiyoko, infamous for her hidden emotions, couldn't help but feel the smallest amount of caution. Just as she was known for her capability of dissembling feelings, he was known for his unpredictability at, well, anything.
Being unpredictable did not clash well with her strengths. Fighting Uzumaki Naruto—oh yes, that would be interesting indeed, but only if she were the one to start it.
"Well then," she said softly, taking control once more. Familiar territory. Chiyoko would never admit it, but not being in control made her feel weak, and as any good shinobi should know, feeling weak generally leads to disaster. "Now that they're gone…"
"What do you want?" Naruto wasted no time getting straight to the point. He sank back into his chair, feeling the fatigue catch up to him despite his brave words. The Kyuubi growled something mocking in his mind.
"Just to talk." Chiyoko moved to the spot Sakura had vacated not moments ago, seating herself with precision. She watched both of them for a second. Neither responded, each looking far away in their own world, or maybe they simply didn't care, like Sasuke. He still had his eyes closed, re-gathering his strength for the next time a battle happened; and a battle would happen. It was inescapable, a daily part of what ninjas trained for every day. It was something that younger gennins yearned for, to have the glory and the honor... until they experienced death and finally learned that to fight had no meaning unless there was a purpose behind it.
Sasuke had learned that, despite local rumors, at a very young age. When Itachi murdered his clan—and his older brother was still out there, probably in this very city—Sasuke learned what it meant to have a goal. People in the village thought he was a traitor who didn't even deserve to breathe the same air they did. They thought that he was just another excellent ninja gone astray, with nothing to fight for. Well, they were wrong. Sasuke did have something to fight for. It just wasn't what most people would fight for: revenge.
And that, in their minds, made it wrong.
Just like Naruto leaving to 'protect his friends' was a dishonorable dream. Just who were they to judge them, when they had experienced no wrongs at all? When they had just led a perfect life with a perfect family, no hardships to date?
Exactly.
They had no right to judge anyone at all.
Sasuke's lips tilted up the tiniest bit, confident in the fact that he would bring down Chiyoko. She was no stronger than the last person to stand between him and his goal—in the end, all that matters is how strong your dream is. If it is stronger than your opponents, you will win, because you have a much stronger drive.
And revenge is a very powerful goal to possess.
"Why would you just want to 'talk'?" Naruto was clearly mistrustful of Chiyoko, and why wouldn't he be? She had imprisoned him before forcing him into working for her, and then probably killing him too. Not that Naruto would let her kill him…
"Don't worry. I won't injure you; not right now. I'm not that stupid." Her face twisted. "You said you would help, didn't you? You look like someone who keeps their word when they give it."
Naruto's eyes darkened just the tiniest bit. He didn't like digging up his past unnecessarily. "I used to" was all he said, short and simple. Chiyoko got the hidden message though, but she didn't leave it alone like someone smarter would have. Or rather, someone who was more sensitive to others' feelings.
But how can you be sensitive when you yourself don't feel a thing?
"What made you change?" she pressed, uncaring about low growl that reverberated once through the room. Sasuke, having already heard this story, resigned himself to sleep.
"Everything," Naruto answered, looking ominous. His hair shadowed his eyes, preventing her from seeing into them. Inside, though, the Kyuubi was roaring at him; something along the lines of 'shut that woman up!' and 'don't listen to her, kill her!' The normal bloodthirsty tactics.
"I know your history." Chiyoko's subject change was abrupt and unexpected, forcing him to glance up in minor confusion that was well masked. For once there was nothing displayed on her stolid face. "Alone, raised by nobody, cared for by nobody, a demon child. You felt like you were being mistreated for something you didn't even do, and closed yourself off. Yet, then you started playing pranks; the village's biggest nuisance and troublemaker. Why you would go through all that trouble to gain attention, when you simply could have done what you're doing now makes no sense to me." She shook her head despondently, but Naruto felt that there was something she wasn't saying. And besides that, how did she know so much about him?
"What's your point?" he interrupted harshly, not liking the way that this was going. Naruto didn't need to be reminded of his past…of his mistakes.
"Then," Chiyoko continued softly, completely ignoring Naruto. "You met your teammates. You met him"—she nodded at the seemingly out-of-it Uchiha—"and her, the pink-haired one. Oh, and how could I have forgotten? The famous—rather, infamous, my bad, Copycat Ninja, Hatake Kakashi." She lifted her eyebrows after displaying Kakashi's rather formidable title. "I guess if you left before that, you couldn't have become as powerful as you are now. That's the good thing about senseis and rivals; they push you to your limits… but as you must know, there is a limit for everyone, and once that limit is reached, you must turn to other places, such as the Kyuubi."
It was then her eyes lit in the strange gleam Naruto had noticed before, predatory and cruel. So it wasn't him that brought out that side of Chiyoko. Of course not. It was the fox, the one thing that everyone was after. A strange sense of bitterness twisted him briefly before his demon murmured soothing words in his ear, calming him. No, he might have changed somewhat to the way he was before Team 7, but he wasn't bitter. He wasn't alone.
"So what if I did? I know why I left." Naruto's eyes were cool, as cool as a raging fire red could get.
"To protect them, yes," Chiyoko agreed, "but that's not the reason you're still here now."
Naruto regarded her for a second, wondering if she'd been eavesdropping on their conversation before she'd barged in. But no, she seemed genuinely curious, although judging by this woman, curious could simply be another façade. "No. I'm out to destroy Konoha and the Akatsuki."
Chiyoko threw back her head and let out a startling peal of laughter.
And they say you have an annoying laugh…
Naruto frowned slightly at the insult, hearing the Kyuubi's strange barking laughter. He was right though; that woman's laugh was really grating on the nerves. It wasn't just the sound, it was the fakeness that accompanied it. She knew that her laugh was false sounding, but yet she continued to use it. It reminded Naruto of Sai. Did this woman come from Root too, perhaps? They were all trained to forget emotions after all.
Said woman finally settled down a bit, lips still curved into a sly smile. "Well then, we have some goals in common it seems."
"Which ones?" he answered acidly. "Both or Akatsuki? Am I on your menu too?"
"Oh, you would only be a tool. But both are correct, and anyone I can along the way." The second emotion Naruto had ever seen to cross Chiyoko's eyes appeared now: hatred, venomous and boiling, like Sasuke's eyes. There was something more than skin-deep about this woman. Something more than skin-deep about her hatred.
"What did Konoha ever do against you? Or Akatsuki?" Naruto resolved to remain calm and try and figure out this woman's mystery. Who said she was the only one allowed to be smart? He could be plenty smart, with the Kyuubi's help.
"Akatsuki? What do you think, those stupid brain-washing fools? They only want 'peace this' and 'peace that' while taking over the world while they're at it! They claim their objective is to eradicate all the hatred in the world, in the villages, in the way of the shinobi, but they most of all should know that that is impossible. Hatred has been occurring for eons. It will not stop now because of some airheaded red-cloud-wearing fool. And then all the other villages along the way are just as bad. They only want power. They're too selfish for themselves! What about others? Like the orphans? Like you? People are selfish," she spat.
Naruto, for the first time, realized that Chiyoko might not be the sanest person to walk the earth. She also had a tendency to ramble once she got started, something he wouldn't have expected from her cool and collected exterior.
But she wasn't done, unfortunately. "And Konoha… Oh, I have a personal grudge against Konoha. They are the ones who have done me wrong, everything wrong. First they took my parents. Then they took my siblings. Next they try and force me to become a killer, but they don't think that I'm smart, so smart that I was already planning their slaughter back then! They just want to make me into a mindless clone, like Sai and all the others." Her mouth twisted into a horrible grimace. "But like every antagonist who's story hasn't been told, I was discovered and banished. It was kept under wraps.
"I spent the next months training and finding someone who could train me. You see, I hadn't forgotten my revenge. I knew in order to overthrow something as large as Konoha, I needed supporters. So I gained them, in this village where people were already feeling rebellious, suspicious." Chiyoko's eyes were narrowed and sharp. Naruto got the feeling that she had told him more of her story than anyone else she knew, but he also got the feeling that there was something more that she wasn't telling him.
"And now?" he prompted, already knowing what was coming next.
"And now, I've got you. I can bring down Konoha, crumble their walls until they bow down to my feet. I can finally get my vengeance."
That was what Naruto had been waiting for. Vengeance, revenge; of course Chiyoko would be the type of person to have that goal. Revenge, the only thing strong enough to keep her going, like Sasuke. Yes, this woman was a dangerous mix of Sasuke and Sai and even a bit of Naruto in her unpredictability to start ranting. She was unstable... but a clever, clever genius.
Too bad for her, Naruto didn't obey orders anymore.
Too bad for Naruto, though... he never had been able to keep his mouth shut. Not even for his own good.
"Who said I wanted to help you?"
Instantly, Chiyoko closed up quicker than a clam slamming shut, eyes walling off completely and her frame becoming rigid and straight. If Naruto didn't know better, he would've sworn she felt hurt. Her voice, low and portending future threats, was silky smooth like that of a snake's hiss. It instantly dispelled any lingering doubts Naruto might have had.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware you thought you had a choice." If possible, her eyes narrowed even further, going in for the kill. "You said you would help me. You die if you don't. Am I clear now?"
Naruto was reminded of when Chiyoko had hissed her warning to Sakura, telling her to leave her territory. She sounded even more dangerous now, but perhaps foolishly, Naruto continued not to fear her. That he could at least blame on the Kyuubi.
"I am myself. When I left my home, I wasn't looking for more authorities to tell me what to do. If I wanted that, I would have just remained in Konoha under the elders' rule, and I would have continued to submit. When I left Konoha, I left for my own goals! I will not follow anyone else's rules." The Kyuubi whispered something in his ear, and Naruto matched her voice by showing his smile, deprecating and insulting in its confidence. "Besides, if I recall correctly, I promised you to get rid of the Akatsuki. If you choose to destroy Konoha, do it quickly, or I will get there before you."
Chiyoko remained quiet for a minute. She seemed calculating, eyes darting to and fro like a bird's. At last, she sighed (fake fake fake) and looked up blankly. "You know, I wished I didn't have to do this. But I guess you leave me no choice, correct?"
Naruto instantly tensed, and he was aware of Sasuke bolting upright next to him, eyes red and spinning. His eyes were only focused on one thing, however: Chiyoko's fingers, now gripping a red scroll with gold thread tying it shut. She brought it up to her mouth, and was about to break the string when a terrified scream ripped through the air, rendering them all motionless for a split second.
Naruto would never know if that had been a lucky break for him—probably—or it had merely been a disappointment, because Chiyoko was stiffening and then bolting toward the door, leaving it swinging behind her softly. He got up too, ready to bolt after her, when an explosion shook the room, causing a large chunk of rubble to crash near their chairs. Sasuke shot past him, somehow having recovered his strength... until Naruto saw marks dotting his skin and realized he was using his curse mark.
He sighed, wondering what could be going wrong now. Was Fate so determined to make their lives miserable? Did she want them to stay here, forever?
Well, here was some news for Fate and Destiny both: he wasn't anyone's pawn. It was possible to defy the two seemingly omnipotent forces, and Naruto would be the first to do it.
He called on the Kyuubi's chakra, fueling him as he and Sasuke skidded into the hallway. Yes, Naruto was leaving. Who cared about Chiyoko and his promise? Promises were only made to be broken after all.
They were so close, Naruto could've tasted it. The freedom to air—freshness—no binds restraining him. They were so close...
But so far.
They reached the entrance to the hideout, hole in plaza and all, after weaving through countless maze-like corridors, only to be greeted with an army staring back at them.
It seemed Fate had her own pawns to contend with.
She wasn't about to let two of her most valuable pieces escape without her consent.
Haha, cliffhanger again? xD Three of them, no less. I'm so meaaaaan. – is shot – Also, I deserve to be shot for not answering reviews. I'll get around to it, I promise, as soon as I go check my email…T_T
Btw, has anyone been seeing the anime so far? I mean, what's up with all those fillers? Get to the story already! Meh, that's my biggest grievance in life right now. As for next week, the Thursday is Thanksgiving. I'll see if I can get it out on Thursday, or maybe it'll be Friday. It all depends on my family schedule and if I can get computer time :/
That said, I can think of nothing else… so that concludes this horribly cliff-hanger prone chapter! Ahahaha! See you next time!
TBC!
