I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Escape
Menma opened his eyes and looked around. Dark cell. Dark outside the cell. He had chains connecting his feet, with about a foot and a half of slack, then another chain connecting his wrists with only two links in between. That chain was attached to a second suspending him from the ceiling. He pulled experimentally against his chains but the moment he began to exert any real force, the device in his stomach electrocuted him again, making him stop. He was definitely not breaking the chain through brute force, or a jutsu. Menma grinned, pulling himself up to his glove and grabbing the file he had tucked into it with his teeth, transferring it to his right hand before dropping down.
"Chakra or no, I'm not useless," Menma grinned. "I have never been so grateful for Yugao insisting on me learning to escape a prison without chakra. Even though that class sucked. I'll have to thank her when I get back."
Just then, he heard footsteps and dropped his head, closing his eyes. The cell across from him opened then closed and the footsteps left before he opened his eyes. Koyuki was across from him, staring at him coldly.
"Serves you right," Koyuki said.
"Yeah?" Menma asked. "You too."
"I know," Koyuki said, sounding sad.
"No spring," Menma said, making her look at him, his right hand filing at the first link connecting him to the ceiling. "You said there is no spring. What did you mean?"
"You'll see when the spring comes, Koyuki," Koyuki said. "My father used to say that. He used to tell me that if I never give up, that if I kept believing in the future, spring was sure to come. But this land has no spring. My father died. I fled from the land of snow, and I stopped believing. I was always running, always lying to people. Though mostly I was just lying to myself. My life has been one big charade. Becoming an actress, is about the one thing I was cut out for in this world."
Menma winced, staring at the floor. Then, he looked up at his hand. He had filed about a third of the way through.
"That's not going to change anything you know," Koyuki said.
Just as she did, Menma's fingers slipped on the file and it fell to the floor. Menma cursed and stared at it.
"Told you," Koyuki said. "In the end, all you can do is give up."
"It's a lot easier when you give up," Menma said, Koyuki turning to look at him as he used his left bicep to push his mask off, the mask falling to the ground. "You're not the only one who's been running from who you are. I'm sill running. Every day I lie to the people who matter the most to me. I go by an alias, I hide my face behind a mask. All because I'm afraid of what would happen if everyone knew who I am. My name isn't Menma Uzumaki. It's Naruto Uzumaki. In my village, Naruto Uzumaki was a monster. The the villagers tried to kill him. Officially, he died, and Menma Uzumaki showed up a week later trying to find him. Ever since that day, despite being a ninja now, despite having friends, I'm still too afraid to take the mask off. I use the fact that there's an order to hide my identity as an excuse, but really, no one would stop me from taking it off. I'm just too afraid. And even if I did take it off, the people who matter the most to me still don't even really know who I am, because they never knew who...or rather, what Naruto was. Even without the mask I would still be lying, and hiding my true identity. You can give up if you want. You can run and hide, and pretend to be someone you're not. But I know how that goes. You will be alone, even with the people you love. You will never be happy. Or, you can accept who you are, and stop running. You can take your rightful place as Princess Koyuki Kazahana, and then as Queen once we take down Doto. And we will take him down. I promise you that. But until then, just sit tight. I'll be right over."
He pulled himself up so his head was level with the link he had been filing, then began to pull his hands apart. The device attached to him began to electrocute him instantly, smoke curling up from it after a moment.
"Stop!" Koyuki gasped, standing. "You're going to kill yourself!"
"Not yet!" Menma snarled, pulling harder, electricity coursing over him constantly. "I'm not...finished yet! Not until...I tell Hinata...the truth!"
Koyuki stared at him. He shouted in pain and effort, yanking his hands apart, the link finally breaking and dropping him to the floor. He sighed, the smoke slowly stopping and clearing. He pushed himself up, his entire body feeling heavy.
"See?" Menma sighed. "No problem. This next part though..."
Menma picked up his mask, pulling it back on and walking to his cell bars.
"As a favor, don't call me Naruto," Menma said. "I abandoned that name, and I'm not ready to stop running yet. I'm still Menma Uzumaki."
Koyuki nodded just before before Menma reached out, grabbing the bars. Electricity blasted across him instantly, burning his clothes and making his hair stand on end. After a moment, he ripped his hands away and collapsed to the ground, his body numb but feeling, mostly pain, returning after a moment. An explosion shook the prison, then another, and another. Finally, two Snow ninja ran past, the second noticing Menma and running back, tearing the electricity seal tag off the lock and opening the door. The two ran in but the moment they were close enough, Menma jumped to his feet, slamming a haymaker into one's temple and knocking him out before slamming the other's head into the wall. He grabbed the keys, grinning at Koyuki as she stared at him in shock.
"Thought I was down for the count huh?" Menma grinned, removing the shackles from his wrists and ankles.
"Why would you grab the bars if you knew that would happen?" Koyuki demanded.
"Because," Menma smirked. "If they were paying attention, they would have noticed that my clothes weren't burnt by the electricity. Then they would have been more careful."
He unlocked his gate and walked across a catwalk to hers. Below him, and above him, there were countless more levels of cells, all with catwalks connecting them and the levels connected by elevators and stairways. Menma removed the seal tag from Koyuki's cage and unlocked it, then pulled it open and grinned.
"So, you ready to run again?"
Koyuki grinned and nodded, standing.
"Yes," Koyuki said. "Let's get out of here."
He nodded, taking her hand and running down the catwalk to the nearest elevator, taking it to the top floor. Just as they stepped out, a length of chakra-laces string attached itself to the ceiling, a Snow ninja landing in front of them. Menma stepped forward instantly, attacking the ninja with several punches and kicks before the ninja jumped back.
"Hold it, hold it Menma!" the ninja said, throwing off his uniform to reveal Kakashi. "It's me!"
"Kakashi Sensei!" Menma said, eyes wide. "Sorry about that."
"It's alright," Kakashi said, pulling out Menma's ninja tool pouch with both of his kunai pouches containing his trench knives. "Here."
He tossed it to Menma and Menma caught it, putting it all in its place then grinned.
"Can you use your sensory skills?" Menma asked.
"No," Menma said. "This thing's blocking my chakra."
"Alright," Kakashi nodded. "Are you alright Princess?"
"Yeah," Koyuki said. "You switched my Hex Crystal for a fake without telling me didn't you?"
"I did," Kakashi nodded. "Sorry about that, but I figured this is what he was after."
He handed her the crystal and she stared at it for a moment before putting the necklace on. Just then, several Snow ninja tumbled past the doorway behind Kakashi and Sasuke and Sakura sprinted over.
"This place is crawling with guards," Sakura said.
"Where's Hinata?" Menma asked.
"I'm here!" Hinata called out from a level below them, running up the wall and landing beside Menma holding out her hand, his necklace resting in her palm.
He felt his neck. In all the commotion, he hadn't even realized it was gone.
"I didn't think you would want to leave without this," Hinata said.
"You went off alone, to get me a necklace?" Menma asked.
Hinata blushed slightly but nodded. Menma grinned and hugged her.
"You're the best Hinata," Menma smiled.
Her blush darkened a little as he stepped back, taking the necklace and pulling it on.
"That's...I see," Kakashi mused. "Alright, let's get out of here."
"This way," Koyuki said, turning and running down the catwalk, into the hallway opposite where Sakura and Sasuke had exited.
The others turned, following her. The hallway curved and wound through the prison, or castle, or whatever they were in, but there were no guards. Then, suddenly, the ran into a very large open room. They stopped in the center just before the lights on their right came on, revealing a raised section, roughly fifty feet high with a throne on top. Doto stood from the throne, laughing and then clapping.
"Well done, Koyuki," Doto said.
Menma's stomach dropped as Koyuki turned, running up the steps to Doto's side. Kakashi moved to follow and the three ninja Menma's team had fought before appeared in his way. Koyuki set the Hex Crystal in Doto's hand and turned to look back at the others.
"This shouldn't be a surprise to any of you," Koyuki said. "I mean really, I am an actress, right...Menma?"
Menma's eyes widened. She didn't call him Naruto. Why wouldn't she? If she was a traitor, she had no reason not to. Except, she wasn't a traitor. It was all an act. But it wasn't for them.
"There you have it, another brilliant performance by Yukie Fujikaze," Doto said.
"Yes," Yukie said. "It was all an act."
She drew Sandayu's tanto and stepped forward, stabbing Doto in the chest.
"No!" Menma shouted. "He's wearing Chakra Armor!"
Koyuki's eyes widened just before Doto grabbed her by the throat, grinning widely as his other hand gripped hers, pulling her tanto away from him before squeezing, making her shout in pain and drop the tanto. Then, he punched her in the stomach, knocking her out and dropping her, then removing his robe. Unlike Nadare and the others' armor, his was black with a blue green cloth around his waist with a purple belt. Also unlike the others, his armor was plated.
"You're very smart, boy," Doto said. "That's right. It's our latest prototype."
Menma sprinted past the first three, then up the stairs at Doto. At the last second, Doto's right fist flashed up, crashing into Menma's jaw and hurling him backward, off the balcony.
"Menma!" Hinata shouted, sprinting forward, catching him before he could hit the ground.
"Damn it!" Menma growled.
"You're wasting your time," Doto stated as Menma stood again. "Every ounce of your chakra has been sealed. Come Koyuki. Let's go. Beyond the rainbow."
Koyuki stared at Doto just before the roof above them exploded, beginning to collapse. A wire attached to Doto's back began to pull him up and Menma hurled a kunai with a rope attached, the knife bouncing off of Doto's armor and the rope wrapping around Koyuki's arm. Menma was dragged up through the debris after Doto, praying the others got away, just before the wings on Doto's back extended. Doto looked down at Menma as he flew, narrowing his eyes. Then he flew around, his razor sharp wing slicing through the rope easily, dropping Menma. Menma fell fast, crashing down through the trees, breaking a couple of ribs and his left leg.
"Damn it!" Menma growled, pushing himself up. "You're not getting away from me!"
He began to limp after Doto, but within seconds it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to be of any use with a broken leg. Suddenly, a cart pulled up with the director, assistant director, and the camera crew on it.
"Hop on!" the director said, swatting his rolled up script on the railing to the cart.
Menma grinned, climbing on and setting leg out in front of himself.
"God I wish I had spent more time studying with Lady Tsunade," Menma sighed, resting his hands on his leg, green chakra forming around them. "I hope I can fix it in time."
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