What's up everyone, thesaiyanjedi is finally back again with the latest chapter of "Shinachiku's First Adventure"!
First thing's first: I'm sorry I fell behind again. Things got a bit hectic at home, and I actually celebrated my birthday just yesterday. But anyway, I'm back again and I have a new chapter here for you.
Also, I would like to tell you all that the next story you will see from me will not be for this story but a one-shot I will be doing as a favor for one of my fans, Angelz1251. So keep a lookout for that.
About halfway through this chapter you will see Sakura and Karin do something that may upset my fellow NaruSaku fans, but I do have a rational reason for it which I'll discuss later.
Well then, lets get to reading!
Chapter 35: Deceptions
'Come on! Keep it going! Keep it going!'
Shinachiku was in the midst of his Rasengan training as the company took refuge at an inn in another village along the path back towards the Leaf Village. All of the children were receiving their own training from their own senior masters, while Tsunade was sneaking into the local hospital to 'borrow' some time in the laboratories to develop an antidote to Taka's serum.
At the moment, Shinachiku was working with three of his shadow clones. The real Shinachiku was compressing his chakra into his hand while one of his clones worked to contain it into a sphere and the second clone focused on changing its chakra nature to wind. The third clone, he was working on something extra special.
Konohamaru smiled at what he was seeing. 'Good. He's gotten the hang of his father's technique. It will due well enough for what's coming at the Summit. More training will be needed so he can do it by himself of course, but it will due for now.'
On the other side of the open field, Kakashi was monitoring Sarada's progress. She was coming along well enough as Kakashi could see sparks of lightning coming from the girl's arm, accompanied by a familiar noise that resembled a bird's chirping.
"ROAR! CHIDORI!"
Sarada thrust her technique into the face of her current instructor but, being the creator of this technique, Kakashi was able to counter it fairly easily.
"Looks like you still have some work to do before you have that down completely young lady," he said.
Sarada looked frustrated, "Agh! This is so frustrating! I should have it down path by now!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because the Chidori is my dad's jutsu!"
Kakashi stared at the girl coldly. "And you just assume that you need to progress at the exact same rate as your father?"
"I assume that's what he expects of me. Its like with my Sharingan! I know he's ashamed of me for not activating it yet."
"He said that to you?"
The girl paused awkwardly. "...Well...no. Not out loud he hasn't."
"Oh, I see. Then how do know that he's ashamed of you?"
"I...I don't, I mean..." Sarada paused before she came up with the best excuse she could come up with. "You think I don't know my own father sensei?"
"Of course not. But I like to think I know him pretty well myself. Sasuke had had a pretty troubled life, there can be no arguing that, but I don't see him as the kind to chastise his own child...Not anymore anyway."
Sarada didn't respond and instead turned her head to the side, her hand tucked back into her pocket. Kakashi took notice and tried to reassure her. "Sarada, I mean it, there is no shame in not activating your Sharingan—"
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?! NOTHING!"
Sarada's outburst stopped the former Copy Ninja in his tracks as he merely stared coldly, knowing exactly where this girl's anger was coming from.
The outburst was also loud enough to distract the other two ninjas that were present. Shinachiku and his clones turned their heads to the source of the voice to see the anger in the girl's eyes. Whatever had sparked it, it was much worse than the chewing out she had given him the day before during their training.
"Hey Sarada, what's going on?'
The girl came too once again, as if she had woken up from a daydream. "Wha-What? Oh, its nothing Shina." She turned to her sensei and bowed in respect. "Please forgive my disrespect sensei. I was out of turn."
Kakashi's eyes looked to the girl's pocket before he closed his eyes, briefly, and looked back at the girl. "Apology accepted. But make sure it does not happen again young lady."
"Hai sensei!"
Konohamaru felt that he ought to do something to cut the atmosphere and to calm things down a little bit. "Hey, tell you what kids, how about we all take a break so we can head back into town for some lunch. After that, lets trade up. Kakashi, you can take over for me on Shina's training and I'll see in I can help Sarada."
"Fair enough," Kakashi agreed. But he then walked over to the younger Jōnin and whispered something into his ear. "Listen, I'm becoming concerned for her. The longer she is forced to hide that thing—"
"You'd rather she let Shinachiku hold onto it? After what it already did to him, you'd risk a relapse? Or risk discarding it so Taka might claim it for their own?"
"Of course not." He turned back to the girl in the distance, "But mark my words, this cursed thing will be their downfall if this lasts too much longer."
A group of four Anbu guards were walking down the corridor of Konoha's Strict Correctional Facility, all of them coming back from their break. They were manning the night shift and were about ready to arrive at their posts. They wore Anbu masks to conceal their identities as they marched to their duties.
"Hey!"
The four Anbu stopped and readied their weapons at the sound of the voice. They relaxed however once they saw who it was.
"Randamu, the mercenary," one of the Anbu confirmed.
"What are you doing here?" another one of the Anbu questioned.
"I had a message I needed to deliver to the warden. But that's not important. Listen, there's been an accident over here and another guard's gotten hurt really bad! You guys are the first ones to come around, so can you please help out! We need to get this guy to a medic right now!"
The Anbu al looked to one another in silent conversation, then as one they followed Randamu into a dark hallway where there weren't any security cameras installed. Further and further in he led them, until at last they came to the end of the hall to find no injured party waiting for them.
"Hey! What is this?" An Anbu questioned in irritation.
"Its called an ambush."
The voice came from out of the shadows. The four Anbu did not get to see who had said it and did not have enough time to react before they were mobbed and knocked out by four attackers.
One of the strangers knocked out one of the guards with a precise blow to the back of the neck, much like how he had knocked out his own godson several days before in the Land of Whirlpools. The other stranger wasn't in the mood for stealth at the moment so he took a more direct approach, that being a hard left hook right into a guard's face. The remaining two strangers, both women, used their studies in medicine and science to take a different tactic. They each grabbed one of the two remaining Anbu from behind, ripped their masks off, and clasped their hands over their mouths and noses to cut off their air. The two guards struggled but were not able to break free of the women's grip. After several seconds, both Anbu passed out and slumped to the floor to join their fallen companions.
"Well that went well," Karin quipped.
"Yeah, now lets get moving," Sakura ordered as she started stripping off the Anbu's uniform.
The other three followed suit, Naruto fighting the urges to get a peak at his wife as his wife put the Anbu's uniform on over her own clothes, inevitably exposing some of her own skin in the process. Sasuke seemed a little bit less interested in his own wife's changing, but that was just because he was always the more focused of the two men anyway.
Of course, little did the two men know that their wives caught a look at their husband's bare chest as well during this little disguise session. Sakura and Karin's minds briefly drifted off into fantasies of themselves alone with their men, thinking about it had been since either of them—
'Jeez! Get a grip girl!' Both Sakura and Karin thought at the same time. There was too much work to be done right to be thinking about that!
After they were all done, they four of them were all disguised as the Anbu guards they had just knocked out, their masks hiding their true identities. They also made sure to procure the guard's weapons; without their chakra at their disposal, they were going to need all the assets they could get.
"Alright," Naruto said as he took charge, "this is a infiltration and rescue mission first, escape mission second. We use these disguises to sneak through the prison unnoticed until we find our friends, free them, and get the hell out of here so we can stop Uragi before the Summit starts."
The others all nodded their heads, even Sasuke.
"What about me?" Randamu asked pointing to himself.
"As far as Taka knows you're still on their side," Sasuke stated. "You won't need a disguise and it will be simple enough to come up with an excuse for why you are traveling with an Anbu escort."
"Yeah but...I still think that it would have been a lot easier if we had stuck with the escape plan I had in mind when I busted you guys out."
"Oh yeah," Karin said sarcastically, "because just running through the prison with swords drawn hacking and slashing at everything that moves when we're easily outnumbered here was a brilliant idea!"
"I told you I could heal form whatever they could throw at me!"
"But WE can't!" Sakura snapped in anger. "Randamu, suppose we did it your way, you standing in front of us with us four behind. What could happen if on of the guards get lucky and lands a crucial shot at one of us? We'd be vulnerable and unable to heal ourselves."
Randamu huffed in irritation. "I know Naruto would have gone with a full frontal assault."
The former Hokage merely shifted his eyes beneath his mask. "I'm a lot older and less stupid than I used to be. Sometimes stealth and secrecy are the best option."
"Come on," Sasuke interrupted, "lets stop wasting time and get moving."
Naruto raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. "I thought I was the one giving the orders here?" Sasuke did not dignify that question with response, so they all started moving without any more words.
The company of five walked together down the halls of the prison, Randamu in front and the others behind two at a time. The four ninja were standing straight and stiff to appear as professional as possible and to not draw attention. A couple of Anbu questioned why Randamu was they and why he was under four-man guard, but the excuse was that Uragi specifically ordered it while the red-masked loudmouth was here attending to professional business on the interim-Hokage's behalf. Sasuke was careful to place himself away from the guards they passed by so they would not notice his limp sleeve that flapped in the air, a telltale sign of his missing arm and, therefore, a dead giveaway to his true identity.
They searched the prison until they finally came to the control room, filled with monitors for all of the cells in the prison. for the record, they got lucky in that, when Randamu first arrived at the prison, he had drugged the tea that was drunk by the guard on monitor duty so that he would not be able to report the breakout to security.
The room had been quiet ever since, as it often was when security was in there by himself. Two more Anbu were standing watch outside the control room that were not there when Randamu came here the first time. They would need to be removed for the operation to continue.
"Let Karin and I handle this," Sakura said.
The two women left the group to go approach the guards. As soon as they saw them approach, the security stiffed up and questioned both of them.
"What is the meaning of this?" One of the Anbu asked, saying it more as a blunt statement than as a legitimate question.
"We have been assigned to relieve you of guard duty," Sakura answered. "Lord Uragi's orders."
The two guards looks to one another before turning back to face them.
"We weren't notified," the other Anbu stated. "We'd better report in to confirm—"
"Oh, is that really necessary?" Karin asked in a particularly suggestive voice. She got her self really close to one of the guards and even put her hand on his chest. "Can't this just stay between you as me handsome?"
The guard was, to say the least,, overwhelmed by this mysterious kunoichi's forwardness. "M-Miss? I don't know who you are, but there are clear rules about inappropriate activity while on du—"
The guard never got to finish his sentence because before he knew it, Karin had lifted both of their masks up just enough to expose their lower faces, and then she slammed her lips onto the guard's.
"Hey! What the—"
The other guard was about the make a move to stop the sudden action, but he too was cut off because Sakura had done the exact same thing, lifting up both of their masks enough for her to kiss him on the lips.
Over in the corner, Naruto and Sasuke were, needless to say, less than pleased to see this. Sasuke was actually scowling beneath his mask, and Naruto was clenching his fist in irritation. Even if they were both mature enough to know that this was all part of their wives' plan to get into the control room, that didn't make it any easier for them to watch.
"Aw man!" Randamu whined. "Look what they're doing! I swear if this wasn't a deep cover mission I'd so be playing some Barry White music right now!"
"Shut up!" Both the Uzumaki and the Uchiha shouted as one.
The two guards had allowed their hormones to overtake them as they related into their respective kisses. As they were distracted, Karin slyly guided her hands down to the guard's waist. silently snapping the keys off of his belt.
That was Sakura's cue to finally break the lip lock, along with Karin. As disgusting as that experience was, it was all worth it now that they got what they needed. Now they just needed to keep up the act until they left.
"Like we said boys," Sakura said in a sexy voice, "we've got the net watch...But feel free to stop by at the end of our shift..."
Karin finished her friend's sentence for her, in an equally suggestive voice. "...For some fun."
That was all the encouragement the now very impressionable males needed as they left the two women to fill their posts, with the false-promise of more fun to come in the future.
Once the two guards left, Karin used her key to the unlock the door and both women went inside. Once the door was closed, they both gagged and spat out saliva in total disgust.
"AAH!" Sakura cried. "Oh GOD! His breath! Yuck!"
"EEK! Gross!" Karin was no less disgusted. "I think that guy tried to slip me the tongue!"
"I can't believe you started that Karin!"
"He was going to call us out! I had to think of something!"
"Yeah! But you could have just knocked them out of something!"
"I was afraid we might be on camera! Besides, you did the same thing!"
"Only to stop the other guy! God! What if Naruto and Sasuke were watching us?!"
"Well they're gonna be pissed, naturally. But at least we did what we had to do to get in here. I mean, let's face it, we're kunoichis, the art of seduction is one of the greatest weapons we have."
Sakura really did not want to admit it, but Karin did technically have a point. Still, she was fully prepared for a serious backlashing from Naruto for this; after all, she knew that she would act no differently is she had caught him charming another woman all for the sake of completing a mission.
Well, whatever the case, they were inside the room now and wouldn't you know it, the security guard inside the room was still out like a light.
"Right where Randamu left you," Sakura said aloud.
"Alright, lets take a look at the monitors," Karin advised.
The two women scanned the screens before them and carefully looked for the cameras that showed where their friends were being held captive.
"There they are!" Sakura pointed at two particular screens.
Studying the cameras, it appeared that the others were being held a special wing kept under heavy guard. Shikamaru, Temari and Kankurō were all sharing a cell together, while across from them in another cell were Sai, Ino, Chōji and Kurai. Hinata, Kiba and Shino were locked in together in the third cell, and Lee and Tenten had the fourth cell fourth cell all to themselves.
Everyone was accounted for, but the Karin noticed something suspicious. "Hey, where's Gaara?"
Sakura looks at the monitors more closely. "I don't know. But we'll find out when we get them out of there, Do we know which wing they're in?"
"Yeah," Karin pointed to the readout a the corner of the screen. "Detention block AA-23. Come on, lets go report back to the guys."
And so the two kunoichis shut down the security cameras, all of them, before they exited the control room and made their way back down the hall to their husbands...Their husbands who both had their arms folded and, even with their masks hiding their faces, both women could tell they were upset.
"Naruto," Sakura began, "honey, I know what you're thinking, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to see that, but I swear we only did what we had to do to get rid of security."
"Yes," Karin chimed in. "Sasuke, you know I would never—"
Karin was caught off guard as she and Sakura were both grabbed by their husband, who had copied their wives little tactic earlier by lifting both off their masks up long enough to give them a passionate kiss.
Sakura and Karin were obviously caught off guard, but they were quick to relax into their kisses and wrap their arms around their men. Karin slipped her tongue into Sasuke's mouth, eager to savor his taste and wipe the putrid smell of the other guard from her mouth. Sakura did the same and even moaned into her husband's mouth as he felt her run his hands along her body.
Randamu could only stand there and write things down on a tiny notebook that he pulled form nowhere. "Note to self: If your lover has to kiss another man for the sake of a mission, apparently kissing her back is a good way of letting her know you forgive her."
After breaking their passionate lip lock, Naruto looked her in her emerald eyes and demanded something of her. "Just tell me those words I need to hear."
Sakura knew exactly what he wanted, so she placed her hand on his whiskered cheek and spoke from her heart. "I love you."
As she kissed him again Karin grabbed Sasuke's face and looked him in the eyes. "And I love you."
The Uchiha's only reaction was merely to say "I know" before he kissed her.
"Ahem!"
The two couple's turned to look at the source of the noise, their kooky friend in the red mask. "I hate to interrupt you four lovebirds, but maybe we should go looking for your friends now?"
Naruto and Sasuke nodded to on another in agreement before they each looked to their wives.
"Karin, did you and Sakura find out which cells they're being held in?"
"Yes Sasuke, they're in detention block AA-23."
"Then what are we waiting for," Naruto asked matter-of-factly as he put his Anbu mask back over his face. "Lets get started already!
"Alright, lets see you try it."
"Right!"
Shinachiku created four shadow clones to resume his Rasengan training. Only this time they were not working on actually making a Rasengan like he was with Konohamaru. Instead, Kakashi was having the boy go through a different kind of exercise. He and each of his clones were holding a leaf in the palms of their hands and were focusing their chakra upon the leaf to make it cut in two.
This was the same training that the old master had put the boy's father through long ago, in order to help him to master his change in chakra nature. Sadly, Shinachiku was at a disadvantage that his father did not have. for while Shinachiku could easily make several shadow clones, he did not have the Nine Tails' unlimited chakra reserves within his system and therefore his ability to train with his father's technique was limited.
Still, Kakashi reasoned that this would be the best option with the time that was available to them.
'Come on...Come on...COME ON!'
Shinachiku focused as hard as possible, using all of the concentration that he had, holding that concentration for what felt like hours. Until, at last, he could withstand it no longer and collapsed from exhaustion, his shadow clones puffing out of existence before he hit the ground.
Although, the boy never did hit the ground as Kakashi was able to use his ninja speed to catch him before he suffered a concussion. He laid the exhausted boy on the grass as he slept.
But, careful not to wake him, the old master opened up the boy's clenched fist to see what it held. The leaf was not cut clean through, but the cut was remarkable deep, nearly halfway already!
'Remarkable...even his father wasn't able to progress this quickly this early into his training. There may be hope for this lad yet.'
Looking up from his current charge, Kakashi observed Konohamaru, who at the moment was busy with a sparring match between himself and the daughter of the Uchiha clan. Every blow the Sarutobi threw the girl was able to either block or evade. Her own blows were numerous, and while Konohamaru was able to block them well enough (he was a Jōnin after all), he was impressed with her ferocity.
Konohamaru threw a kick at the girl's legs but she leaped over it and retaliated by throwing a kunai straight at her teacher's head. He dodged it, but needed to do so with more speed than he was anticipating. He rolled out of the way and only had enough time to block her rapid assault of kicks and punches.
'What is with this girl?! It's like she's fighting like someone possessed! Like she's being overcome with fury over something! Like she's...Like she's...'
It was in the midst of their trading blows that the answer to the girl's reckless behavior became obvious. 'The gem. She's being fueled by the gem!'
"WAIT! Sarada wait!"
The girl was too caught up in her own thought to process her sensei's command. Instead she used the opening to push the adult ninja down to the ground, pin him, and hold a kunai straight at his throat!
Konohamaru, likely would have been gutted right there...had Kakashi not been paying close attention and grabbed the girl's wrist just in the knick of time! The girl struggled to free herself from the form kage's grip, but he remained firm.
"Drop it Sarada!" She struggled, growling like an animal while doing it, with traces of red in her usually black eyes. "I said drop it! NOW!"
Something finally came over the girl in that moment. The red light disappeared from her eyes and her reality came back into focus. She regained her awareness of where she was, and of where she was holding her kunai. Utter horror washed over her; she had nearly killed her own sensei, his sensei!
In a panic, Sarada leaped off of Konohamaru and dropped her kunai to the ground in disgust.
"S-Sen...Sensei I'm...I'm sorry."
Konohamaru got up, clear and understandable disappointment visible in his face but still with some clear recognition of what the source of all her aggression is.
"Sarada Uchiha," Kakashi yelled, "do you realize what you almost did?!"
"Hai sensei..."
"You could have killed your own instructor!"
"Hai sensei..."
"Young lady! I think you've had enough training for one day! Go back to the inn and wait for us there! That's an order!"
The girl was shocked. Had she really gone that far? But she knew better than to try arguing with her teachers, so she conceded and started walking back with her head hung low. "Hai sensei."
Konohamaru could only turn his head to the side and sigh as he saw the girl heading back to their resting place in shame. Kakashi was doing the right thing after all, but that did not mean that this could have been any less painful for her.
But, as she was walking past Kakashi, the older ninja grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving too soon. "Just a minute Sarada."
"What is it Konohamaru-sensei?"
"Young lady, before you go back, I'm afraid there's something I'm going to have to take from you."
"Alright, this is the correct wing," Naruto said. "Sakura, did you and Karin remember to shut down all the security cameras?"
"Yes. Form here on we shouldn't have a problem with alerting any more guards."
"OH!" Randamu clamored in with childlike excitement. "Does this mean I get to cut people up now?!"
Sasuke groaned allowed. "Yes, yes, if you absolutely have to."
"YAY!" The missing-nin with the mouth immediately reached for his two katana blades that were strapped to his back.
"BUT!" Sasuke shouted, "But don't draw your swords unless we actually get into a fight. Got it?!"
Randamu put his harms back down and pouted. "Aw man!"
The five shinobi walked in the same inconspicuous manner that they had been earlier, the four Leaf ninja masquerading as Anbu escort for Randamu, until they at last tracked down the correct wing of the detention block they were searching for. They were greeted by four Leaf ninja stationed there on security duty.
"What are all of you doing here?" one of the guards questioned.
"We've received orders from Lord Uragi himself," Naruto said in a put-on voice that sounded so laughably, cartoonishly fake that the others, his wife included, had to fight the urge to smack their own foreheads at their leader's familiar sense of stupidity.
"Hey," another one of the guards, a very young kunoichi, likely of Chūnin said to Naruto, "What's going on with your voice?"
Sasuke took that opening to step in, using another fake voice, but one that sounded far more natural and convincing. "Please excuse my partner her, he's been fighting a cold. But he is correct, Lord Uragi has sent us here to relieve you of duty guarding the prisoners."
"None of us received any notification," the first guard said. Behind him, the other three guards were already getting their weapons out.
The two women noticed this and did not need any spoken instructions from their husbands before they quietly moved themselves into position so that the guards would not take extra notice of them. Of course, they were able to do this thanks to an added distraction...
"Excuse me!" Randamu shouted loudly at the guards. "Did I hear you boys right? Are you daring to question the direct orders of Lord Uragi?! Or Taka?!"
One of the guards, the Chūnin, suddenly got a confused look on his face. "Taka? What are you talk—"
"UGH!"
The second guard's words were cut short as the two guards standing behind him fell to the floor. Sakura and Karin had seen to that. The two guards they had knocked out were holding weapons in their hands which, had the kunoichi's not acted sooner, they clearly would have used to kill their own coworker. Clearly, from the second guard's reaction, he was the only one of the four who was only here because of his job and was not a part of the Taka conspiracy.
"Hey!" the first guard shouted, instantly grabbing his weapon. He never got to get his weapon out though as he was instantly knocked down by a sweeping leg kick by Sasuke. As soon as he hit the floor, Randamu pulled out one of his swords and held it against the guard's throat.
"Keys! Now!" Naruto demanded of the guard.
"I don't have them. Even if I did, I'll never betray my order!"
"Have it your way."
Naruto then turned to Randamu who pressed the blade deeper into the guards throat, enough to successfully draw blood...And then the missing-nin, with ninja speed, pulled the sword away, flipped it in the air, caught it with his gloved hands, and knocked the guard out with a powerful blow to the head with the pummel.
This just left the innocent, unknowing guard left standing. Totally confused by what had just transpired and also a little terrified of what she had just gotten into, the young guard got out her kunai and held it in striking position.
"Freeze! Don't move!" the Chūnin shouted. "Make one move and I'll stop you!"
"Lower you weapon," Naruto commanded.
"You don't give orders to me! I answer to the Hokage!"
"Exactly."
The Chnin felt her guard soften at what the masked Anbu traitor had just said. "W-What did you say?"
The mysterious Anbu paused only briefly before continuing in the most calm, warm voice he could muster. "Young lady, you don't realize it but we've met before. In fact I've known you since you were just a little girl—"
"You know nothing about me! I am—"
"Mirai Sarutobi. Chūnin rank. Daughter of Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yūhi. Your grandfather was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage." He smiled beneath his mask. "I knew him well, he was kind of like a grandfather to me too."
The teenage kunoichi felt her resolve lighten even more as her eyes widened in surprise. "You...You knew my grandfather?"
"Yes. I'm also very close friends with your cousin, Konohamaru."
"You are? How?"
"Because I trained him. And now he's training my son."
That was it! That was the last clue the girl needed. the true identity of the masked stranger before her know suddenly became clear like a ton of bricks!
"Lord...Lord Seventh...?"
Smiling warmly, Naruto removed his mask, revealed his true identity with his bright blonde hair and those bright blue eyes and whisker marks that could not be mistaken for anyone else.
Overcome with shock, Mirai dropped her kunai to the ground and got on one knee and bowed her head. "Oh my...My Lord! Please forgive me! I did not know—"
"You have nothing to apologize for Mirai. You were just doing your duty. Actually, it warms my heart to know that you haven't been brought into this plot."
The girl raised her head in confusion. "Plot?"
Naruto nodded to his friends who promptly removed their own masks as well.
"Lady Sakura!" Mirai bowed in respect again. "M'lady, please forgive—"
"Apology accepted Mirai, thank you."
She looked at the other two ninja's that were a part of this company, recognize them as Sasuke Uchiha and his wife, despite not really knowing them well due to how rarely their family chose to remain in the village.
"Mirai," Naruto spoke up to get her attention, "I know you must have heard some awful things about Sakura and my, but I give you my word that none of them are true."
She paused, as if she were searching deep within herself, before answering back. "I know. I think I've always known my Lord. I always thought it was bizarre that such a good man could suddenly betray his village the way they say you did. I even questioned Captain Odaku about it." She looked straight at her Hokage again as she rose from her position. "But sir, please, what is really going on?"
Naruto traded looks to Sakura, Sasuke and Karin before continuing. "Mirai, you've been deceived. We all have. Konoha and all the great shinobi villages have been secretly infiltrated by a shadowy conspiracy called Taka."
"Taka?" Mirai found her eyes immediately turning towards Sasuke.
"It's not what you're thinking; my wife and I aren't involved."
"But—?"
"It's a long story."
"Mirai," Naruto spoke again, "Uragi is secretly a Taka leader. He has been ever since he came back to the village after the war. He's been plotting against us and planting double agents in our village ever since! He's been planning to collected to seven chakra gems to try to take over the whole world. He's even found a way to fully resurrect the dead as brainwashed servants to his very will!"
The girl was utterly stunned, almost unable to take all of this in. "H-How do you know all of this?"
"...Because Taka sent my own parents out to kill me...and they have my master and my old friend as well."
Mirai seemed almost too scared to ask her next question. "W-What about my father? Or my grandfather?"
Naruto could only answered truthfully. "I don't know."
Mirai hung her head, deep in thought, and fuming with anger at the lie she had been living ever since this mess began.
"Mirai," Sakura spoke, "I know this is a lot to take in, but please, if there is anything you can do, please help us."
Mirai searched her soul, her heart for the right course of action, and that decision did not come to her with too much effort. Bowing her head again, she turned to her Hokage and bowed in respect.
"I am at your service, Lord Seventh."
The blonde jinchūriki smiled warmly. "At ease Mirai. And please...call me Naruto."
The girl actually blushed, "Arigato...Naruto."
"Hey!" Sasuke interrupted rudely, "this is all well and good, but we still came here to free our friends."
"Oh!" Mirai exclaimed, "I have the keys to their cells right here."
""Hey wait a minute!" Karin spoke up at last, having been listening to the drama unfold in curiosity this whole time. "What rank are you anyway dear?"
"Chūnin. Why?"
"Why in heck would Uragi choose to assign a Chūnin to guard duty of this many high-level shinobi prisoners?"
"He most likely meant it as a test," Sasuke reasoned. "He probably wanted to see is a Sarutobi, especially one her age, could be trusted to follow orders of her own accord and maybe even worthy of being brought into Taka's fold at a later time."
Mirai didn't say anything more, but inside she could been her stomach turning at the thought of almost allowing herself to be used so cruelly.
"Here, she said, "let me unlock to door and we'll get the others out."
"Arigato Mirai," Sakura smiled. "After we get our friends, you'd better—"
"Wait!"
The company stopped what they were doing at the sound of the girl's voice. She turned to Naruto to ask her one more, desperate question. "Naruto, these people, Taka...Did...Did they do something to my mother?"
Naruto was momentarily surprised by the question, but he was quick to answer it. "Yes. They locked her in prison with her peers for helping my daughter and her friends escape the village."
Tears were already forming in the girl's eyes...
"But she was able to escape with the others and got out. I saw her."
"You did?! Where?!"
"In Suna, a few days ago, when all of us were captured and brought back here. I'm not sure where she is right now, but wherever that is she's got the backup of several powerful Jōnin and some very promising Genin at her back."
Hearing that made Mirai feel a lot better! She dried her tears and got herself focused again. "Alright then, let me see if I can find the right key."
"'Take something from me?'" Sarada questioned, trying to break free of Kakashi's hold of her. "What are you talking about sensei?"
"Don't bother trying to hide it young lady. I know that your Aunt Sakura trusted you with the chakra gem."
The Uchiha girl's eyes widened as she suddenly got very, very nervous. "W-What are you talking about?"
"I told you to stop denying it." The retired kage sighed. "Sarada, I know that you're trying to hide it to protect Shinachiku, but it's obvious to me that the gem is having a very serious effect on you! Its already doing to you exactly what it did to him!"
She finally yanked her hand free of the old man's grasp. "So what if it does?! At lest one of us will be able to keep a cool head. Besides—"
"Besides what?" Konohamaru putted in.
"Besides, we both found it! It belongs just as much to me as it does to him. It's mine. The power is mine!"
"I think you've held onto that gem quite long enough!" Kakashi shouted.
Sarada growled, "You want it all for yourself don't you?!"
"SARADA UCHIHA! Don't take me as some filthy begger asking for power or wealth he can barely comprehend! I am NOT trying to rob you...!"
The old, masked ninja let out a fury he had not unleashed in a long time,. His voice was actually loud enough to terrify the young girl. It was almost as though he grew several feet right before her eyes, looming over her like a powerful force...
...But then he relaxed again as he came back down to a calm level. "...I'm trying to help you."
That was all it took. That was enough for the girl to open her eyes, to see the truth. this thing, this accursed thing that she was burdened with, it was destroying her. It would destroy both of them unless something was done with it soon.
And so Sarada, heir to the mighty Uchiha clan, broke down and cried into the old ninja's arms.
"Its alright, its alright," Kakashi hugged her to calm the girl down, before letting go to look her in the eyes. "I promised that I would look out for you , and Shinachiku. That I would get you both ready for the battle that's to come. And I will. But for right now I need you to trust me. Let it go."
The girl dried her tears as she admitted to the truth. "You're right Kakashi-sensei...I'm sorry."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the object in question, the glowing red stone, the Power Gem. But as she proceeded to had the object in question over to her current teacher, she felt a familiar presence to the side of her. Turning in it's direction, the girl was horrified at who it was.
Standing up, staring at them, awakened from his slumber, was none other than Shinachiku Uzumaki. His eyes were glued to the glowing gems, seemingly entranced by its crimson radiance.
The boy's eyes then turned to the girl, his partners, his friend, the one who had been keeping it from him this whole time...and he looked very, very angry!
Oh boy! This doesn't look good!
So now Shinachiku knows that Sarada's go the chakra gem, and we've already seen what it's done to him and what's its currently doing to her...Yeah, this might end badly!
The title "Deceptions" is a collective reference to all of the trickery and lying our characters are doing in this chapter. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Karin are deceiving the security in the prison by disguising themselves as one of their own. Mirai had been deceived (as has all of Konoha) by the lies Taka had implemented to seize control, and, most nervous of all, Sarada has been deceiving Shinachiku because she has been hiding the chakra gem right under his nose this whole time.
Besides that, I want to address the scene where Sakura and Karin kiss the two guards to get into the control room. As I hope I've made perfectly clear, it was just an act! Part of my goal with this chapter was, now that the characters don't have access to their chakra, to show Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Karin doing some more traditional tactic like real ninja's would use. That includes spying, sneaking around, and traveling in disguise. As the story took shape, I realized that it felt a lot like a spy mission and I actually liked that approach to things. How often do you get to see these guys sneak around an enemy base in disguise instead of just punching things head on and blowing stuff up?
Anyway, if you know your spy movies, you would know that one of the most recurring clichés is that the spy will charm and/or seduce the villain of the opposite gender to get what they need. James Bond hits on every woman he meets, and we all know the femme fetale archetype. Sakura and Karin were merely tapping into that convention purely to get their mission done, and as I made clearly they did NOT enjoy doing it!
Also, the definition of kunoichi is a female ninja. Think about what a female ninja would most likely be trained to do in ancient times. As non-PC as is may seem today, they likely would have been taught to use they feminine whiles and sexuality to their advantage against male opponents. In the Chun-Li vs. Mai Shiranui episode of "Death Battle" Wiz and Boomstick discuss Mai's very revealing outfit and Wiz explains that she wears it for kunoichi, which he defines as "a female ninja method of sexually distracting a foe before striking."
Anyway, they did it to get what they needed, nothing more, and the guys, while naturally upset, forgave them. I hope that clears it up.
On a more positive note, our heroes now have a new ally in their struggle in the form of Mirai Sarutobi. She is a character I was planning on getting involving in the story for a long time but it never felt right until now. I first hinted at her distrust of Naruto and Sakura being labeled fugitives way back in Chapter 9, and now we see her part (hopefully) grow from here. One of my primary influences when I began this story was "Captain America: Civil War" and I always saw Mirai fulfilling the Agent 13 role from that film; not a hugely important character but a strong, competent one that proves she has our hero's back with things go down.
Sarada's arc in this chapter was clearly inspired by "The Lord of the Rings" with her increasing obsession with the chakra gem. Specifically, the scene at the end between her and Kakashi was directly inspired by a scene from "The Fellowship of the Ring," in which Gandalf tries to get Bilbo to give up the Ring before he leaves the Shire, similarly to what Kakashi does here. Kakashi's furious outburst, where he symbolically seems to grow in size and even the exacts words of dialogue, are directly based on what Gandalf does to scare Bilbo and snap him out of the grip the Ring has on him.
As for the other major plot line, Naruto and friend's sneaking around the prison in disguise was an obvious homage to "Star Wars" (or "Episode IV: A New Hope" if you prefer). The heroes disguising themselves to blend in among the enemy is a classic trope, but like most people, the first example I always think of is where Luke Skywalker and Han Solo famously disguise themselves as stormtroopers to sneak around the Death Star. They even escort Chewbacca to their destination not unlike how Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Karin are escorting Randamu.
By the way, did you notice that Naruto's friends are all being held in Detention Block AA-23? That's the same detention block where Princess Leia was held prisoner aboard the Death Star! What can I say? With "The Force Awakens" a mere thirteen days away from the time of this chapter's posting, my excitement is at a fever pitch right now! May the Force be with us all!
I think that's all I have for this time. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I thank you all once again for you patience and your support.
Until next time, see ya!