AN: How's everybody doing?! Here's a brand-spanking-new chapter for you! This is part two of the 'Dammit, Danzo! Arc'. As always, review please, and let me know your thoughts! Enjoy!
Chapter 36:
Naruto stared dejectedly down at the village of Konoha from his perch atop the head of the Fourth Hokage on the Hokage Monument. His mind was racing with thoughts; thoughts that he did not want to face, but they kept bubbling to the surface: no matter how much he tried to force them down.
Sasuke and Itachi knew. The two boys he had come to think of as brothers now knew his deepest secret! Naruto felt a surge of outrage and terror as he pulled on his hair in agitation. They'd never accept him now! The Uchiha brothers would surely decide to go the same way as the village and ostracize him! He wouldn't be surprised if they petitioned their mother to have him thrown back out onto the streets of the village!
The thought of Mikoto made Naruto pause in his fretful state. She had told him that she knew of his burden, and didn't hate him for it! Perhaps, she would talk to Sasuke and Itachi, maybe she could convince them that he wasn't a monster to be chased away? The thought filled him with a semblance of hope, and then, filled him with guilt soon after.
What did he prove by running away? If he had stayed at the Uchiha household, he could've tried to talk to the brothers, right? Naruto shook his head frantically.
"You're being stupid," Naruto muttered to himself. "There's no way they'd want to talk to me now that they know what I am..."
From deep inside the recesses of his mind, Kurama chimed into Naruto's line of thought.
"I don't know about that, brat," the great fox grumbled. "The female Uchiha meat-sack was being completely sincere with you. I can tell..."
Naruto scowled as he heard the voice of the creature that caused all of his grief in the first place. Friendly or not, there was still the fact that Kurama was the reason Naruto had suffered so much throughout his life.
'Oh yeah!?' Naruto yelled mentally at his tenant. And how the hell would you know if she was or not!? For all I know, she didn't mean anything she said to me! Sasuke and Itachi definitely hate me now too!'
Kurama growled in irritation at his warden's flippant tone.
"I'll have you know, brat!" Kurama snarled indignantly. "That I have an ability known as Negative-Emotions Sensing! I can tell if someone means us harm; therefore: you have the same power! You just don't know how to use it yet!"
Naruto blinked in confusion. Kurama huffed when he felt the boy's bewilderment.
"Simply put," Kurama explained. "You could tell at an instinctual level that the woman was being honest with you; that's why you reacted to her words so strongly. Also, this power is the very same reason you were able to sense that 'shadow' of ours..."
Naruto felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of the masked shadow. Quickly calming himself, he posed a question:
"Then why couldn't I just use it before?" The boy asked skeptically. Kurama rolled his eyes from his place behind the bars of Naruto's seal at the stupid question.
"We covered this before too, brat!" The fox retorted. "I told you that I was asleep for the earlier part of your life, and didn't wake up fully until a year ago. That means that any of my abilities were dormant in you as well, until I awoke...Now that we have established somewhat of a friendship, or whatever you want to call it, you have access to the ability!"
Naruto's eyes widened in excitement. Regardless of his current predicament, learning that he had a new ability bolstered the boy's spirits somewhat.
'How do I use it, then?!' Naruto exclaimed, causing Kurama to sweat-drop slightly.
'This brat is going to be the end of me...I swear it.' Kurama thought.
"Listen up: because I'm not repeating myself," Kurama answered testily, causing Naruto to perk up in full attention. "The process is really quite simple. All you have to do is focus on chakra signatures..."
Naruto squinted his eyes, and tilted his head in confusion.
'Why chakra signatures?' He asked bewilderingly. 'Can't I just tell another way? I mean-'
"Shut up and listen, brat!" Barked Kurama in agitation, causing Naruto to cut his train of thought off at once. When Kurama felt the boy settle down, he continued; albeit in a more irritated tone. "You have to sense chakra signatures because...Well, because that's just how it works, alright!? Anyway: once you've done that, you'll get a feeling that will tell you if someone means you harm, or is not being honest with you."
Naruto nodded sagely, causing the fox to roll his eyes again. Kurama knew for a fact that his warden didn't completely understand the explanation: he didn't even have to try sensing the boy out to grasp that much.
'Sounds useful..' Naruto thought sarcastically. 'But how does that solve my problem with Sasuke and Itachi?'
Kurama growled indignantly at the boy's blatant dismissal of such a powerful weapon.
"Be grateful brat!" Kurama barked, even louder than last time. "I don't bestow my ability to sense emotions to anyone! For instance: I didn't even consider it for my last two containers, and they had better heads on their shoulders than you're showing right now!"
Naruto gasped out loud, and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
'I thought you said that the night you were sealed into me by the Fourth was the first time you've ever been sealed! Now you're telling me that I'm your THIRD Jinchuuriki!?'
Naruto waited for a response from his tenant, but heard nothing for several moments before the fox replied:
"That's not important right now, brat." Kurama huffed, although Naruto could sense a bit of discomfort in the fox's usually cynical tone. "The point is: you have the ability to use as you wish now. As for your problem with your meat-sack 'family', I'd suggest sensing them to see if they really are honest if they tell you they don't mind about you containing me."
Kurama's reminder that he had to confront the Uchiha brothers about his burden filled Naruto with anxiousness, that was briefly forgotten while the fox explained his new ability to him. He hung his head and glanced at his hands that were folded in his lap. What would he find out if he used his ability to make sure Sasuke and Itachi were being honest with him? Beyond that: what if there wasn't a need to use it? What if the two of them came straight out and told him that they didn't want anything to do with him?
Naruto grasped at his chest as he felt a surge of panic overtake him. He realized that this was precisely why he wasn't back at the Uchiha household trying to explain himself! There were too many 'what-if's'. If he went back and talked to Mikoto, used his new power, and found out that her statements earlier were all lies; he didn't know if he'd be able to cope with it!
He took a few large heaves of the cold night air to calm himself down. He hadn't done any of that stuff yet. Yet being the keyword. He needed to think of how to approach the situation with the Uchiha brothers, not get worked up over it!
Naruto stood up slowly and was surprised to realize that he was trembling slightly. Was it from his nerves about what he was about to do?
He realized this was not the case, when he felt an overwhelming sense of danger right behind him. Wheeling around, and dropping into a ready combat stance Anko had taught him, he faced the source of the tension, only to have his eyes widen in shock and horror.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," said the raspy voice of his 'shadow'. "Long time, no see, huh?"
Naruto gulped as he backed up a few steps, but then realized that he was at a dead-end. There was only a few feet between him and the shadow on one side, and he was standing mere inches from the drop-off point of the head of the Fourth carved into the mountain on the other. Glancing backwards at the the drop, he surmised that he could easily scale down the cliff-face, but he would need time to gather his chakra just right to make sure he didn't slip off. If he fell, there'd be no branches like on a tree for him to at least grab onto, only solid ground would meet his descent.
Turning to face his only other option, which was to hopefully distract the shadow long enough to slip away, he grit his teeth and growled:
"What do you want!?"
The masked shadow said nothing for a moment, and then answered:
"I'm here to give you some information I think you'll be most interested in, Naruto-kun."
Seeing the boy ready himself for an attack, the shadow chuckled, causing Naruto to falter somewhat in his stance and regard the shadow warily.
"You still don't understand, apparently." The shadow remarked as it watched the boy's eyes narrow in confusion. "You cannot fight me. And I have no reason to fight you. As I said before: I am only here to give you some information I think you'll be interested in..."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the masked figure. Everything in him was screaming at him to get away as fast as possible, but for some reason: Naruto couldn't help but be curious about what the shadow had to say. It was stupid, he knew that; but what if it was something he really needed to know? The problem was; he didn't trust the shadow at all: but he still wanted to know what it had to say. The shadow in a way had warned him about the Uchiha coup, so what if it was going to tell him something just as urgent?
Naruto suddenly felt a pulse from Kurama and remembered that he had the ability to sense deception now! Feeling more confident that he would be able to discern truth from lies, he straightened his posture, crossed his arms, and glared at his stalker with extreme caution.
"What information could you possibly have?" Naruto scoffed derisively. The shadow said nothing for a moment, before he chuckled.
"I was wondering if you'd want to listen or not," it informed him. "I'm glad you'll hear me out. We're not so different, you and I, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto felt his confidence fade as quickly as it had come, only to be replaced by umbrageous outrage.
"DON'T COMPARE ME TO YOU!" Naruto roared, pointing a finger at the masked shadow. "WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE, YOU HEAR ME!?"
The shadow chuckled again and waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, how little you understand, Naruto-kun," it chided. "But, believe what you wish. Anyway, I came to inform you that your friends are in danger..."
Naruto rushed toward the shadow aiming to grab him and demand to know what he was talking about. When he approached the masked figure, he was shocked as it simply phased right through him, as if it were made out of smoke, and ended up right where he was standing only a few seconds ago. The shadow shook it's head in disappointment.
"What did I say to you about fighting me?" It remarked. "It's not possible. Anyway, a man named Danzo has your friends, Sasame and Sai held in his base..."
Naruto felt his anger cool as he sensed that the shadow wasn't lying, only to have it replaced by worry. Sasame-chan and Sai? Why did this 'Danzo' guy take them?
"Where are they!?" Naruto demanded, anger spilling into every syllable. The shadow cocked it's head.
"You act as if I took your friends, Naruto-kun," it observed, with a hint of mirth in it's tone. "I'm trying to tell you that, if you'll just let me..."
Naruto took a few steadying breaths, but could still feel his anger creeping just below the surface. It drove him crazy that the shadow wasn't lying to him! His friends really were in trouble!
"Where. Are. They?" Naruto hissed. The shadow regarded him quietly for a few moments before it simply pointed westward.
"You'll find the entrance to the base a little ways past the Naka River. It's entrance is hidden by a thick patch of moss that grows on the largest tree in the forest. I'm sure you know which tree I'm talking about?"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. The fact of the matter was: he did know which tree the shadow was referring to. When Naruto still lived at the Konoha Orphanage, he would run away into the woods, just to get away from Suzuka, the matron, who hated him. While in the woods, he had come upon the giant tree, and often sat underneath it wondering what he had done to deserve such harsh treatment. He had no idea that there was an entrance to a base there! How could he not have at least discovered that while he explored? More importantly: how did the shadow know about that!?
Naruto relaxed his posture slightly, but glared mistrustfully at the shadow.
"And am I supposed to just assume that you're not just going to follow and capture me on the way?" Naruto spat.
The shadow chuckled and shook it's head again.
"It's not yet time for you to come over to my side, Naruto-kun." It answered cryptically. "Trust me: when that time comes, you will know. And you will have to do it."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the shadow. It had said something similar before when they last met. What was it talking about? He would never join the shadow willingly!
"Whatever," Naruto replied venomously. "I don't care what you say, I'm never going to join you!"
With one more hateful glare at the shadow, who remained motionless and silent, Naruto took off, heading in the direction the shadow had told him.
When Naruto was completely out of view, the shadow began to laugh. After several moments, it calmed down and gazed in the direction the whiskered-boy had just run toward.
"Oh, Naruto-kun," it remarked with malicious glee. "I'm eager for the day that I hear you pledge your willing cooperation to me! Because..."
The shadow smirked under it's mask.
"You most certainly will ."
Anko was getting irritated. She, together with Shisui, had combed all of Naruto's usual stomping grounds across the village, and had come up with nothing. She cursed under her breath. Shisui shot a reassuring smile at her as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop, keeping an eye out for the blonde-haired boy.
"Don't worry, Anko-san," Shisui said consolingly. "We'll find Naruto-kun: I swore to Itachi that'd I'd do whatever I could to help. Naruto's family now, after all!"
Anko smiled at the Uchiha, glad to know that besides her, someone else was taking the search for Naruto seriously. She glanced over at Shisui and watched him, as he roved over the streets of the village with his eyes, his red sharingan glowing slightly in the dark.
Shisui had short, unkempt black hair, and a relatively broad nose. His eyelashes were well-defined, turning upwards at each end. He wore the standard attire of most Uchiha clansmen: a high-collared, dark colored shirt, with his clan's red-and-white fan insignia on the back. He was wearing black pants, and sandals. He also wore a tanto horizontally on his back, so that the hilt was on his right shoulder.
Anko had heard of, and seen Shisui before, but she had never worked with him until now. She was somewhat put-off when Sarutobi had paired her with him, as she expected him to have the standard 'holier-than-thou' attitude that most of his clansmen displayed. However, she was surprised when she found him to be easy-going and cheerful, and not the least bit arrogant. The guy had a right to be though, in Anko's opinion. Shisui was known throughout the Konoha shinobi force as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' for his mastery of the shunshin technique. It was said that the boy could move so fast that he seemed to vanish without a trace while utilizing shunshin in combat. To top it all off, the boy was only a year older than Itachi, at fourteen!
Anko grumbled as the two of them continued hopping from roof to roof searching for Naruto.
'Nineteen-years-old, and I still pale in comparison to Itachi and Shisui...Way to go, Anko...way to go...'
Shisui stopped abruptly on the next roof over which caused Anko to snap out of her thoughts and look at him expectantly.
"What is it?" She inquired urgently. "Did you find him?!"
Shisui's eye's narrowed as he glanced right over Anko's shoulder, observing something else entirely. Anko, not one to be ignored, waved her hand in the Uchiha's face, prompting him to look at her.
"Hello?" Anko called loudly. "Did you hear me?!"
Shisui nodded and then pointed in the direction he was previously looking.
"I didn't find Naruto-kun," Shisui began, "but look at the Hokage Monument: can you feel that chakra coming from up there? It's weird..."
Anko wheeled around and gazed at the Hokage Monument, not noticing anything abnormal about the place. Then again: she didn't have the Sharingan. Casting out her senses using chakra, her eyes opened seconds later with a snap, shocking Shisui slightly when Anko quickly turned to face him.
"What's wrong?" Shisui inquired as he noticed Anko's face pale.
Anko didn't answer, and simply began sprinting at full speed across the rooftops of the village, towards the monument, Shisui following close behind.
After several moments of silence between them, Shisui got fed up with being kept in the dark.
"Anko-san!" He called, causing the Snake Mistress to momentarily glance back at him. "What is it!? Do you know where Naruto-kun is!?"
"If the person I'm sensing is who I think it is, then I have no doubt that Naruto's with them!" Anko replied.
Shisui narrowed his eyes.
"If I had to make a guess from the chakra signature, I'd say it's not someone we want Naruto-kun to be around, right?"
Anko was grateful that Shisui had the foresight to know that she couldn't tell him exactly who she was talking about. So, instead of answering she simply nodded and continued jumping towards the monument at full speed.
'Naruto,' Anko thought desperately. 'Please be alright!'
When the two of them arrived on top of the monument, Anko cursed loudly into the night. The chakra she had sensed, no less than five seconds ago, was completely gone!
"Dammit!" Anko yelled, punching a nearby tree in frustration. "We're too late!"
Shisui, who was gazing around at their surroundings shook his head slowly and replied:
"I don't think so, Anko-san," he said calmly. "If you'd just calm yourself for a moment and sense out the area, you'd know that Naruto-kun was definitely just here."
Anko rounded on the Uchiha teen and glared at him.
"I know that Naruto was here!" She bellowed. "But if that thing was up here too; and I'm certain that it was, then it could've taken Naruto with it when it left!"
Shisui cocked an eyebrow in interest.
"Is this the mysterious stalker that's been following Naruto-kun around?"
Anko blinked at Shisui's statement.
"Wait a minute!" Anko retorted. "You already knew about the shadow!?"
Shisui crossed his arms indignantly.
"Hey," he replied in a mock-hurt sounding tone. "I'm a member of ANBU, you know!"
Anko blinked again. She had forgotten that. She blushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Sorry," she apologized, looking down at her feet. "I forgot that you were. But yeah: that chakra you sensed was the shadow that's been stalking Naruto. If it was here with him then I have no doubt that something terrible is about to happen!"
Shisui nodded, and closed his eyes. Anko remained silent, knowing that the boy was most likely trying to find Naruto's chakra signature. Yet another thing on Shisui's list of talents: he was a gifted sensor. After about a minute of standing completely motionless, his eyes snapped open and he turned to Anko with wide eyes.
"I've found Naruto-kun's chakra signature!" He exclaimed breathlessly. "He's moving due west from here, and he's probably about a mile and a half from us! "
Shisui's expression fell into a confused frown.
"Naruto-kun has so much chakra," he began slowly. "I can't believe I wasn't able to get a lock on it before..."
Anko shook her head at the Uchiha's statement.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," she replied. "One of the troubling things about the shadow is it's ability to mask chakra signatures. It was able to fool the Hokage into thinking that a shadow-double of me was the real thing until I intervened in the situation."
Shisui's eyes widened in alarm.
"Wait, what!?"
"Never mind," Anko snapped. "It's a long story. We need to go after Naruto right now!"
Shisui shook his head this time.
"You need to go after Naruto-kun," he said solemnly. "I need to tell Lord Hokage that the shadow may be somewhere within the village: he'll want to know."
Anko hesitated for a moment, and then slowly nodded in understanding.
"Alright," she said. "Let him know that I'll take Naruto back to the Uchiha district when I find him, okay?"
Shisui nodded, and true to his nickname: quickly vanished from sight, using a high-powered shunshin.
Anko watched the spot the young Uchiha teen had just vanished from for a moment, before she turned her gaze towards the direction that her student was heading. She jumped right off of the Hokage monument, using chakra to cushion her impact as she hit the nearest rooftop and began running westward. While she ran, she only had one thought bouncing around her head concerning her student:
'Naruto, when I find you... you are in so much trouble!'
Sarutobi sighed as he looked out the window of his office. He had just dismissed Homura and Koharu, who demanded to know what his edict of martial law was being instated for. He did not blame them for demanding answers, but he didn't have time to bicker back and forth with his two old teammates. He was Hokage, and as such, he sometimes made decisions without consulting anyone about them beforehand, but only if it was of dire importance. This situation, most certainly was.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the presence of a ninja appear in his office, and quickly turned around.
"Shisui," he said with a small amount of surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here? Did you find Naruto-kun?"
Shisui nodded.
"I sensed out his chakra signature and pointed Anko-san in the direction Naruto-kun was heading..."
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed.
"That's all well and good, my boy," Sarutobi replied. "But, if that's the case: why aren't you with Anko-chan, then?"
Shisui's expression turned stony as he fixed his gaze on Sarutobi.
"I came here to inform you that the 'shadow' is here."
Sarutobi's eyes widened and then narrowed until they were slits.
"I thought as much," he said quietly. "Did you run into it? Does it have Naruto-kun?"
Shisui shook his head.
"To answer your first question: no sir, we did not," he explained. "And to answer your second one...well, I'm not sure if it does or not. Anko-san and I sensed it's presence on the Hokage Monument and went to investigate, but it's chakra signature had just vanished by the time we got to the top of the mountain. Naruto seemed to be moving by himself when I picked up his trail, so I assume the shadow went elsewhere..."
Sarutobi nodded gravely and then said:
"Thank you for informing me. Now, I want you to go meet up with Anko and find Naruto-kun. I have no doubt that she'll run into Root agents that are also searching for the boy, and regardless of her skill, it's always good to have back-up."
Shisui nodded and quickly vanished from the office.
Sarutobi sighed again as he resumed looking out the window at the illuminated lights of the village in the darkness.
He stretched and groaned when he felt one of his muscles twitch irritably from disuse.
"I'm getting too old for this shit."
Sasame had taken a seat on the edge of Shin's bedside and watched as the boy continued to smile at her. After a while she began to feel irritated at the gesture.
"What?!" She barked. "Why are you smiling at me!?"
Shin chuckled and then winced in pain, causing Sasame's anger to flush away at once.
"S-sorry," Shin replied, with a smaller smile now. "It's just, since Sai stopped coming to visit, I haven't had anyone drop by...I was beginning to think everyone had forgotten about me..."
Sasame's head perked up when she heard Sai's name. She scowled.
"I don't know why anyone would want to see that jerk!" she snarled, crossing her arms.
Shin frowned slightly and slowly shook his head.
"Don't speak about him like that," Shin replied softly. "Sai's not a bad person...Then again, I haven't seen him for a while now. Is he doing alright?"
Sasame wanted to scream at Shin to let him know how foolish he was to care about Sai, but when she gazed at the boy, his eyes so full of concern, she caved.
"He's doing fine..." Sasame whispered. Then, letting her irritation at Sai get the best of her, she added: "You should know though: Sai is the one who got me thrown in here in the first place!"
Shin's eyes widened.
"Really?" He replied softly. "Why? What happened?"
Sasame groaned in exasperation. She didn't want to talk about how she was foolish enough to trust Sai to help her get the answers about Naruto that she wanted to know. She especially didn't want to tell the story to Shin, who seemed to hold the pale-skinned boy in high regard.
She glanced at Shin, who was watching her expectantly. She sighed and turned to face him.
"Alright," she began. "Here's what happened..."
Sasame went on to explain her whole story. Her father's death at the border between Rice and Fire country, her arrival in Konoha, her enrollment at the Academy, and meeting all of her friends there, to her current situation concerning Naruto.
When she finished her story, Shin was quiet for a while, and stared blankly at the ceiling, all hint of mirth and cheeriness gone from his face. The boy looked completely wrong without a smile on his face, unlike Sai who couldn't even conjure a genuine one. Sasame frowned as she watched him; he seemed so confused by what she had told him, especially concerning Sai.
Several moments later, Shin said:
"You know, Sai didn't used to be anything like that."
Sasame scoffed.
"I don't believe that!" She retorted. "There's no way Sai was ever someone who actually cared about his friends!"
Shin glared at Sasame when she finished her statement, causing her to flinch in alarm.
"Don't talk about Sai as if you know the real him!" Shin shot back. "I grew up with him! I know him better than-"
Shin's dialogue was abruptly cut off when he began to cough violently. Sasame made to move forward to help him, but Shin waved her off. Sasame was horrified when she saw blood on his hand when he finally stopped coughing.
"Are you okay?!" Sasame cried, rushing over to look at him. "I'm sorry: I shouldn't have said that!"
Shin smiled weakly.
"It's fine," he wheezed. "I just realized that I'd be mad too if Sai did what you just told me he did to you to me...so, don't apologize..."
Sasame looked down at the boy concernedly, and then felt a flush of anger rush through her. How could Danzo and the rest of Root simply leave Shin to suffer in this room all by himself? Did he even have a doctor that would check up on him?
"Shin-san," Sasame began quietly, causing the boy to look up at her. "Does anyone ever come in here to check up on you?"
Shin frowned as he shook his head.
"No," he replied glumly. "After the incident, a doctor would come in to check up on me once in a while, but one day, he just stopped coming. Sai was the only one who would sneak in here and talk to me...but eventually, he stopped coming too..."
Against her better judgment, Sasame placed a comforting hand over Shin's and gave it a squeeze. Shin seemed surprised at the gesture, but smiled and squeezed back.
"Well, I'm stuck in here with you for a while, I guess." Sasame replied jokingly, causing the boy to let out a quiet chuckle.
"That's true," he replied with a smile. "It's better than being alone..."
Sasame frowned at Shin's statement. What had the boy done to be tossed away so unceremoniously? Here he was, suffering from injuries Sasame couldn't even guess the severity of, and no one, not even a doctor came to see if he was alright! It was as if they wanted him to die...
"Hey, Shin-san," said Sasame quietly. "Since I answered your questions, do you think you can answer some of mine?"
Shin thought for a moment, and then nodded.
Sasame thought hard about what to ask the boy first. She wanted to know how he ended up in the state he was in, but she was also wondering why the boy seemed so fond of Sai. She wondered if all of it even mattered. If Naruto didn't come, what would Danzo end up doing with her? He obviously wouldn't allow her to leave: she knew exactly how to get in here, and could easily tell the Hokage where Danzo's base was.
Shaking her head of the thoughts, she turned to Shin and asked:
"Tell me your story."
Shin cocked his head to the side slightly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
Sasame realized that she might have asked too vague a question.
"You know," she elucidated. "How did you get here? Why did you join Root, and when did you meet Sai?"
Shin frowned in confusion.
"That's a lot of questions, Sasame." He remarked.
Sasame rolled her eyes and simply replied:
"Just tell me about your life. All of it."
Shin seemed to hesitate, and glanced past her at the door.
"Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm not going anywhere."
Shin smiled and let out a soft laugh.
"You're right," he replied. "Alright, I'll tell you."
Sasame adjusted her position on Shin's bed slightly so she could see him better and waited expectantly. Shin sighed deeply and then began to relay his story.
"I don't remember my parents, or where I lived before I came here." He said flatly. Sasame was surprised at how little he seemed to care about never knowing his parents, but listened as he continued on.
"Lord Danzo took me in and began to train me to become a ninja. It was hard work, and painful. You see, Root ninja are trained to not have any emotions, so we can be efficient and logical, without personal feelings coming in-between us and whatever mission we're on."
Sasame frowned at Shin's explanation.
"If that's the case, then why do you still seem to have them?"
Shin's face darkened slightly.
"I said 'Root ninja' not recruits," he replied glumly. "I never made the cut to actually become one of Lord Danzo's Root operatives. And that hurt so bad. The man practically raised me, I wanted nothing more than to help him achieve whatever he hoped to accomplish to pay him back for taking me in when no one else did."
Sasame crossed her arms and shook her head.
"It sounds like Danzo just scoops orphans right off the streets and plants them into his little army," she said scathingly. "That's not right!"
Shin smirked.
"Oh? And what's the alternative?" He asked. "Leave us on the streets? In overcrowded orphanages? Lord Danzo's methods of recruitment may be underhanded, but at least he gives us a purpose!"
Sasame was at a loss for words. She had just met Danzo! The man was obviously twisted in his ideals of right and wrong! She was astounded that Shin was defending his actions.
Before she could interrupt to tell Shin this, the boy cut her off by continuing his tale.
"While I was training here, I met Sai," Shin said, and a smile crept onto his face when he said Sai's name. "I thought he was a real dork at first. All he ever did was sit in the corner after training was over and draw in this little book he always carried around."
Sasame cocked an eyebrow in confusion. She had no idea that Sai could draw.
"Was he any good?" Sasame asked curiously. Shin laughed slightly at her question, causing her to look at him in bewilderment.
"It's funny you should ask that," Shin replied, still laughing slightly. "I asked myself the same question! That's how we first started talking to each other. I went over to see what he was drawing, and I was shocked to see that he had drawn a perfect portrait of the room and everyone in it from his view point! Like a photo!"
Sasame's eyes widened. She found it hard to believe that Sai could do anything like that. She wondered briefly why he had never done any drawing at the Academy.
"I told him I liked his drawing, and we started hanging out together after training," Shin continued. "A few weeks later, Lord Danzo paired each of us up with a partner to focus on teamwork and cooperation. I got paired with Sai, and we started to spend almost every hour of everyday with each other. Those were good times."
Shin smiled at the memory and Sasame couldn't help but be astonished by his story so far. Her brow furrowed after a moment, when a thought popped into her head.
"Obviously, they didn't last, so what happened?"
Shin's face fell, and he looked down at his hands that were resting on top of his blankets.
"Well," he began with a heavy sigh. "There was a reason why Lord Danzo put all of the recruits into pairs...There was a final test to see if we were worthy of becoming Root ninja officially."
Shin was silent for a long time after he finished, prompting Sasame to ask:
"I assume the test wasn't very pleasant?"
Shin laughed humorlessly. When he looked up at Sasame, she recoiled slightly when she saw how dead his eyes seemed.
"Yeah, you could say that," he said flatly. "You see, the test was designed to effectively wipe away any attachments we might have formed, any bonds. Even if the other recruits didn't become best friends like Sai and I did, they still were fond of each other in their own way. We ate, slept, worked, trained, and spent our free time with our partner. Lord Danzo said that we needed to know each other inside and out, so that we could work together at peak efficiency..."
Shin scrunched up his blanket as he clenched his fingers into fists. He began to shake, and his face showed a mixture of outrage and complete sorrow. Sasame had the distinct feeling she didn't want to know what this 'final test' consisted of, but Shin continued before she could ask him to stop.
"The 'final test'," Shin growled. "Was to kill your partner! It was meant to kill our emotions! My best friend! I'd even go as far to call Sai my brother!"
Sasame gasped in horror. How could Danzo create such a horrific test!? And the sheer fact that the test was meant to purge the cadets of all emotions was sickening to her! People needed emotions and feelings! It was what, in a nutshell, made them human in the first place!
Shin continued to grit his teeth in anger as he slowly continued on with his story.
"Sai and I didn't want to do the test when Lord Danzo told us what it consisted of. But you can't just say no. There's no such thing as leaving Root. See?"
Shin stuck out his tongue, and Sasame observed a strange black marking that covered the surface of it.
"What is that?" She asked quietly.
"It's a special seal," Shin answered. "Lord Danzo brands all Root ninja and recruits with one. It effectively will stop us from ever talking about Root or Lord Danzo if we are captured, or interrogated. The only exception to the rule is if we are in Root Headquarters, where we can openly discuss things, as long as Lord Danzo is in the vicinity at the same time we are. Because you said he captured you, and I haven't died yet, he must still be in the HQ."
Sasame gasped again.
"It..it will k-kill you!?" She breathed in horror.
Shin nodded gravely.
"It's a fail-safe to keep Lord Danzo's secrets out of the hands of his enemies. We'll die if the seal isn't removed by someone who is a Seal Master, or Lord Danzo. It can't even be tampered with by anyone under that level. Otherwise, we'll suffocate..."
Sasame shook her head slowly in shock. She couldn't believe the lengths Danzo went to make sure his subjects remained in his grasp. To place a seal upon someone with such a price: it was deplorable on the highest level.
Shin seemed to read Sasame's mind because he nodded glumly.
"So you see, Sai and I realized that we'd never be able to escape," he sighed. "Our only other option was to fight each other. We devised a plan to try and fool Lord Danzo into thinking that I wasn't able to fight on the day we were scheduled to take the test, but..."
Sasame was silent as Shin took a breath and then continued.
"But, Lord Danzo saw right through us! He had both of us dragged to the arena in the HQ and forced us to fight, or he swore to kill both of us right on the spot. We...we did. It was an even match, but I eventually was able to get Sai in a situation where I could've killed him..."
Sasame's eyes widened.
"So, what happened?" She breathed, in almost a whisper.
Shin glanced at her, his eyes full of sorrow.
"I...I hesitated when Lord Danzo told me to strike the killing blow..." He whispered. "He...he was outraged. He declared Sai the winner, and then had the entirety of Root make a lesson out of me. They beat me to an inch of my life until Lord Danzo ordered them to stop. He cast me in here, and told me that I would serve as an example to all the other recruits to show that weakness is not tolerable for a shinobi of Root. All because I didn't want to kill Sai! Is that so wrong!?"
Sasame felt rage build up within her. Danzo had to be stopped! His methods were cruel and completely inhumane! If the Hokage ever found out about what Danzo was doing...
She sighed. He wouldn't. She got the feeling that Danzo was very good at covering his tracks. The seal on Shin's tongue was the proof of that. The base was hidden, so there was no way anyone would ever stumble upon it by accident and find out what was happening down here. The thought made her stomach twist in outrage. She swore if she ever got out of this horrible place, she'd tell the Hokage everything that Danzo had done.
She looked at Shin, who sat dejectedly in his bed, his expression marred with anger and sadness. She silently swore that she'd get him out of here too. Shin needed real medical treatment. Beyond that, the boy needed to be as far from this place as possible. He deserved it. She cursed when another thought popped up in her head that she had denied purchase in her brain when it first surfaced:
Sai deserved freedom too.
What if everything the pale-skinned boy had done was to simply not end up like his best friend? What if Danzo had threatened Sai that if he didn't do what was asked of him he'd be killed?
Sasame felt hot tears begin to run down her face. She didn't understand why Shin and Sai had to go through so much suffering simply because they did what any sane person would do in their situation. Sai wasn't a monster, nor was Shin, nor were any of the Root agents that she had encountered. They were the result of one man's twisted ideals! And that man had to be stopped. At all costs.
Shin looked up at Sasame and smiled sadly.
"Now you know the whole story," he said quietly. "Do you still hate Sai for what he's done? Do you understand why I said what I did about him?"
Sasame, in spite of her situation, smiled back.
"I completely understand, Shin-san," she answered. "And that's why..."
Shin looked at her in confusion.
"That's why?" He prompted.
"That's why," Sasame continued. "Even if it kills me, I'm going to make sure you and Sai are finally freed from Root, and Danzo!"
When Naruto arrived in the forest behind the orphanage the shadow had directed him to, he paused, apprehensive of what he was going to do. Impulsive he was, but he wasn't someone who had a death-wish. He was well-aware he was in over his head, but Sasame and Sai needed him! There wasn't time to go to the Old Man and tell him what was going on, right? What if Danzo planned on hurting them? Or worse?
Naruto shook his head. He couldn't think about that. He slapped his cheeks a few times to focus, and then focused his gaze on the forest in front of him.
Slowly, he took one step towards it, and then another. Soon after, he was walking through the dense underbrush and darkness of the woods he had explored while he still was at the orphanage. It seemed so long ago since he had prowled through this place! He was amazed that his feet seemed to know where to go, simply based on instinct! He continued walking, careful to stop every so often and listen to his surroundings to make sure he wasn't about to be attacked. While the shadow didn't lie when he told him that his friends were in danger, Naruto had no doubt that the masked figure was surely leading him into a trap of some kind. It seemed way too convenient that it would just show up where he was and simply give him free information. Naruto knew that there had to be a catch; but what the catch really was: Naruto hadn't a clue.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the silhouette of the giant tree he had sat under years ago came into view.
Upon stepping into the clearing the colossal tree, Naruto was captivated by how the tree still seemed just as majestic and titanic as it did years ago.
Making sure to be aware of his surroundings, Naruto crept towards the trunk of the tree and felt around in the darkness until he came across the large covering of moss the shadow had told him about. After feeling along its surface for several minutes, Naruto finally found a man-sized indent in the moss, and pulled it aside. He gasped when he noticed that there was a large staircase that led downward behind it. He narrowed his eyes to try and get some sort of idea of how far the stairs went, but he couldn't see much of anything in the darkness of of the night.
Before he could step into the tunnel and proceed down the stairs, he heard a voice call out to him.
"Hello, Naruto-san."
Naruto wheeled around and was shocked to see Sai standing behind him, his 'smile' fixed upon his pale face.
"SAI!" Naruto yelped, and then quickly lowered his tone. "What!? But, how!? I thought you were captured!"
Sai continued to smile as he approached Naruto with a casual gait in his step.
"I'm completely fine, Naruto-san," he replied. "As you can clearly see. However, Sasame is still inside the base."
Naruto's eyes widened, and he quickly craned his head to look back at the patch of moss that concealed the hidden entrance to the base. He wheeled back around to look at Sai with an expression of outrage and incredulity.
"Why didn't you get her out!?" Naruto demanded angrily. "In fact, how did you get out so easily!?"
Sai shook his head at Naruto's question.
"I see you still don't understand, Naruto-san." Sai said flatly, causing Naruto's eyebrows to rise in confusion.
"What's there to understand, Sai!?" Naruto replied impatiently. "You know where Sasame-chan is, don't you? Lead me there, and we'll get her out together!"
Sai stared at Naruto blankly.
"You're really trusting, you know that?" Sai remarked, causing Naruto to blow out a sigh of irritation.
"I'm not actually," Naruto replied. "I'm only trusting of people who I consider my friends! Which includes you: so help me!"
Naruto turned his back on the pale-skinned boy and began to enter the concealed base's entrance again. He began to turn when he didn't hear Sai's footfall behind him, only to come face to face with the boy.
"Sai, what-!?"
Suddenly, Naruto felt an alarming amount of danger emanating from his friend, and stepped back slowly.
"No, Sai..." Naruto whispered, his eyes filling with sorrow as the terrible truth washed over him. "You're not..You can't be!"
Sai smiled and moved so quickly Naruto didn't have a chance to react. With a quick chop to the back of the blonde's neck, Sai effectively knocked Naruto out cold.
Sai frowned as he stood over Naruto's motionless body.
"I wish I could be your friend, Naruto-san," Sai whispered. "But to save Shin's, and my own life, I have to complete my mission."
AN: And, that's a wrap (for now). Hopefully you guys liked Part II of the 'Dammit, Danzo! Arc'. Once again, make sure to let me know what you think so far. I'm really taking liberties with the story right now, but it will all make sense when I get to canon, and completely go nuts! Hahaha! Well, until next time, my friends: Afroman007, signing out!