A Deep Cry 51
The trip wasn't really going as planned as the two faced few difficulties that caused inconvenient delay. Naruto – who wasn't pleased to have Sai around – had to keep Sai under his eyes by acting as normal as he could, something that Sai noticed easily since he was an expert at faking emotions. Despite that, the two ghouls ended up bonding by training together instead of talking, which helped both feel a little better inside, Sai; by doing something of value and Naruto; by benefiting from Sai's skills so he could become stronger to be able to protect his beloved Sasuke.
Although Naruto was trying his best to keep himself under control, his training with Sai was mostly real. The moment he remembers the painful look on Sasuke's face when he told him that Itachi was gone his anger would rise to the surface and he'd become more violent. Sai, in the other hand, would immediately notice the shift in Naruto's movements, urges and glares, and would get serious so he won't end up being killed by Naruto's hands, which was always a possibility.
To Sai, this trip with Naruto was part of his road of redemption, which is why he stayed around and accepted all the hate and anger Naruto was directing at him willingly and unwillingly, for he thought that this was the only way to win Naruto's trust. He, just like Naruto, told himself that, "I'll tolerate even you if it means being with Sasuke again, Naruto."
Knowing that those battles were dangerous for the two of them didn't stop them from having them. Whenever Naruto asks for a battle Sai would accept without hesitation. This brought them closer to each other without them realizing it. What the two ghouls didn't know however is that by the time they reached the land of water, the one they were worried about and longing to reach was already in Orochimaru's lab being treated like a rat lab. Had they known about this they would've hurried there even if it means crossing the sea swimming to reach his whereabouts, but the winds weren't on Sasuke's side, for his only hope to survive was delayed even more by the inconvenient of ships schedules.
The two clueless ghouls had to wait for the next ship to seal, which was sailing the next morning, meaning more wasted time. They had to spend the night waiting by the beach, which was still full of visitors for it was still summer time.
Naruto lay down on the sand while Sai went to check around instead of sitting there doing nothing. Feeling the cold sand under his back, he shut his eyes and relaxed his muscles, remembering the warmth of his beloved one.
"What are you doing now, Sasuke? Are you worried? Are you mad? We haven't talked since that time… I'm horrible, aren't I?
I didn't even call to let you know that I'm okay… I should've apologized for yelling at you and breaking my phone so you won't reach me…
I'm awful when I go mad…
But then again… why didn't you call again yet? I even bought a new phone so you could reach me… You haven't called me in like four days now...
It feels so long… Are you still mad? Should I call you?"
Naruto picked his phone while keeping his eyes shut. He placed it on his chest and inhaled deeply then raised it in front of his face, opened his eyes and dialed Sasuke's number hesitantly,
"I'm doing it. I don't care if you're busy. I have to apologize." He mumbled to himself.
But the call was never answered. No matter how many times the phone rang, the voice he wanted to hear never answered. In his uncertainty, he dropped his arm and stared at the sky with sad blue eyes,
"Still mad, I see… Fine, I'll fucking wait…" he mumbled.
To add to his bad mood, a very annoying giggles were ranging from few steps away keeping him from falling asleep. No matter how much he tried to ignore those annoying giggles he kept failing. It was their stupid sound that made them hard to ignore. He opened his eyes in frustration, rolled his body to the other side and searched for the one making all the noises. Once he spotted the old white-haired man who was making those noisy laughs he placed a grim expression on his face in disgust,
"An old man, sitting on a boulder with a small telescope hidden under his thigh, holding a small notebook in his hands while blushing with enjoyment.
Is that a camera? Ugh..."
Naruto sighed, leaned his head on his hand without getting off and mumbled to the old man in disapproval, "Pervert."
The old man jumped, "Huh! Shit! Did someone just catch me peeping!?"
He shifted his eyes to meet with Naruto's squinted eyes, blushed in embarrassment while scratching the back of his head nervously, buried in shame, and mumbled,
"No. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't peeping or anything… hehehe!" he laughed nervously, pointlessly thinking of an excuse.
"Liar." Naruto said with a crooked eyebrow.
"I'm not laying!"
"I saw you peep—
"Whaaa! Shut it!" He panicked, got off, got closer to Naruto and murmured, "How much to keep your goddamn mouth shut, kid?"
"Are you bribing me, Ero-sennin?"
"E... Ero… sennin!?"
"You look like a sage with that long white hair and those outdated clothes. Sennin."
"A sage?"
"A stupid sage though."
"Haa! How dare you mock your elders, cat face?"
"C… cat face! These are birthmarks, you pervert!" Naruto shouted.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! Don't shout! People are staring! People are staring! People are staring!"
"Humph. Like I care."
"I'll pay you, goddammit! How much do you want?"
Naruto jerked his neck and grinned, "A thousand."
"Huh?" he jumped.
"Give me one thousands and I won't say anything about this."
"Go to hell! That's too much!"
"Fine. Eight hundred."
"I'll give you eight coins."
"Whom do you take me for? Fuck that! I'm going to tell on you."
"A hundred. A hundred is reasonable. Take it."
"Five hundred."
"Three hundred."
"Deal." Naruto grinned.
"What a pain in the ass." He passed the money and added, "Here, now go away, brat."
"This is my spot. I was here first. You go." he said with a teasing smile.
"What the…? This is a good spot for me! I can watch from here without being caught!"
"Pervert."
"Shh! Don't say that out loud, you fool! I just gave you money to shut you up!"
"Right. Hey, do you know when the ships usually leaves, Ero-sennin?"
"Stop calling me that!" he yelled.
"Alright already! So… do you know?"
"They leave so early in the morning."
"Hmm… We still have to wait then… Sucks..." he sighed.
"Where are you from, brat?"
"Konoha."
"Whoa! I'm from Konoha too! Small world. Such a small world."
"You don't look like someone from Konoha with those outdated clothes, Ero-sennin."
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" he sighed, "I'm a traveler, you idiot. We don't stick to certain fashion."
"A traveler, you say…" Naruto blinked, "Hey, have you been to the lands of snow before?"
"Of course I have! In fact, I'm heading there tomorrow."
"Really! You're traveling on a ship too?"
"That's right. Why do you ask? You're going there too, brat?"
"Hey, stop calling me brat. My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Huh!? U... Uzumaki…!? DI dyou say Uzumaki Naruto? Oh my god! You're… you're an Uzumaki? No way! You're Minato's son?"
"Whoaa… You know my dad!?" the boy blinked.
"Minato was one of my brilliant students!"
"Students?! What are you? A teacher or something?"
"I'm a warrior! I teach martial arts."
"Realllly?"
"What's with the surprised look?!"
"You don't look like a warrior, Ero-sennin!"
"My name is the great Jiraiya-sama! Stop calling me Ero-whatever, you idiot!"
"So...! So you trained my dad!? Really?"
"Yes! I made him a real warrior!" he said proudly.
Naruto shut his gaped mouth and lowered his eyes. A hint of pain - which Jiraiya didn't fail to notice - crossed his face as he murmured, "My parents died when I was little. I don't know much about them… I didn't know that my dad was a warrior … I know that he was with the force... but a warrior?"
"Don't put that face on, Naruto. Your dad was a real hero. Be proud of him."
"You know… someone said to me the same thing before… It makes me want to know more about my dad…"
"Really? That person must be aware of things. That's rare."
Naruto gazed at Jiraiya and said in a deep tone, "Tell me more… tell me about my dad. I want to hear more."
"Tell ya what, how about we travel together tomorrow and I tell you few things about your dad?"
Naruto's eyes shined beautifully, A real smile drew on his lips as he nodded, "Deal!" he said.
"Good. The ship leaves at 8:00 a.m. don't be late."
"I won't!"
It was Naruto's fate that brought him to the man who knew a lot about his father's secrets. Naruto, the boy who had no parents all along, had no idea why or how his father died. All he was told is that his father died on duty, 'missing in action' was all they wrote on his file. The grim details of Minato's death were kept hidden that only few brilliant people were able to touch part of the hidden truth. Shisui - The bright detective of the Uchiha - was one of those people.
Full of curiosity, Naruto joined Jiraya in his quiet moment shortly after the ship sealed. The old man was sitting alone, holding a small notebook and a pen but not writing anything. To Naruto's eyes, Jiraya seemed lost in thoughts to the point of not feeling his presence. Naruto, the excited boy, got closer and sat next to Jiraiya after he made sure Sai don't bothers them, for he didn't want Sai to know anything about his past.
"You seem troubled, Ero-sennin. Is everything okay?"
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that, brat." he sighed.
"Stop calling me a brat!"
Jiraiya smiled with closed eyes like a loving father. He then patted the wooden floor with his palm, "Take a seat, Naruto." he said.
Naruto didn't say anything back. He sat next to the old man like an obedient child while keeping his curious eyes lowered, pointlessly trying to hide his obvious curiosity.
"You want me to tell you about Minato, right? Where should I start...?"
His childish curiosity raised to the surface when he said, "I don't care. I will listen to anything you have to say about my dad."
A faint smile crossed the old man's lips then vanished almost immediately, giving a place for the sore gaze to set on the old man's face. He lowered his eyes and said,
"… Minato... he was one of those people who happen to have a well awareness of reality. He, as you know, was with the force, a servant of the law. Maybe this is where he started noticing things… unusual things. Things that one can't explain without opposing logic... supernatural things..."
"What do you mean?" he mumbled hesitantly.
Jiraiya said without looking at Naruto's eyes, "I'm sure you're familiar with this topic since you are a real living ghoul yourself, Naruto."
Naruto gasped, "H… How…?!"
Jiraiya smile, "I've been dealing with ghouls long enough to recognize them from their smell. I know that ghouls' blood smells different than humans' blood. Your blood has a stronger smell and has slightly thicker consistency than humans' blood. I can capture that smell easily now, which is why I can tell that your friend is also a ghoul."
Naruto lowered his head and nodded while Jiraiya continued, "Don't feel down. There's no point in feeling down. It can't be helped now. You have to accept it."
"I know…"
"Your father used to investigate any unusual cases he hears about until one day he finally found the ugly truth. He was working on this case… It was about people going missing when leaving the land of fire by train through the lands of sound. There was no clear explanation for this. No technical problems, no nothing… 'Why the land of sound?', your father questioned. This is why he took a trip with few of his elite men to the land of sound by train to see everything with his own eyes."
Jiraiya sighed, "I wasn't there to join him. I'm a traveler. I don't stay in one place for too long. When that case turned up, I was busy with my training in a far isolated island. It's the place I trained Minato in. I'd go there every once in a while. It's almost like home to me..."
"You said that you're a warrior… what kind of mortal arts do you practice?"
"The art of the samurai. I trained your father and he combined his skills with the gun and the modern weapons with his skills with the sword. This made him tough to beat, for he was good with both close and mid-long distance combats."
"I… didn't know any of this… it's amazing!"
"Yeah. Minato was amazing. That's why he had the courage to go check the x-field without hesitation. You were still a baby at the time, loved and cherished by your loving parents..."
Naruto didn't know how to react or what to say. He didn't remember his parents. He didn't know when he was born or where. He was always the orphan infant that was left alone after his parents died. Knowing that he once had a loving family made him draft away in thoughts,
"I was loved and cherished... This man saw it... I finally found someone who witnessed it... I wonder what was it like? To have a loving mother and a caring father... I wonder how it feels?"
"When Minato reached the land of sound, he noticed the heavy mist surrounding it, which was unusual. Your father started documenting what he saw in his recorder. This evidence was kept safe with me all along. I didn't trust the force or anyone enough to give this to. The only man I grew interest in was a young detective that showed real dedication to his work... but that man got turned into a ghoul... that's when I hesitated, ending up not giving it to anyone..." Jiraiya pulled a small recorder out and murmured with painful look on his face,
"Naruto... Prepare yourself for hearing the truth about your father from the man himself…"
"..." Naruto swallowed.
"It won't be easy... are you ready, Naruto?" he said in a loving voice.
Naruto nodded, "Yes." he said.
The old man nodded then pressed the play button with his shaky finger.
A man's voice rang when the recording started,
"We reached the land of sound at 8:00 P.M... We walked out of the train immediately. The place is covered with heavy mist even though it's still summertime…! Something doesn't seem right…?"
"We're in the station now. The people working here look a little strange… they felt different… they look so gloomy... It's as if something horrible had happened recently? Maybe it's because of the bad rumors people are spreading about this place... It sure feels depressing here..."
"The lady that sells the tickets looks so sad... I wonder if she lost someone dear recently…? She didn't even speak a word to us..."
"We've just left the station after doing some investigation. It's almost 9 P.M. I see a guy standing few meters away from the station..."
"Let's talk to him.." Minato said to his men.
"He looks odd… Is he sick or something?" One of his men commented.
"He's smiling to me!? Hey there! How is it going?" Minato said.
"Don't act so friendly, Minato... The guy looks scary to me."
"Keep it down! He'll hear you!"
"Heh, look at that. Minato is already talking to him." a fading voice said.
Minato's voice resonated, "How is it going? Can you help me with something? I need directions."
"Sir, I'm talking to you... would please respond?" Mianta said.
"Oh... Is it the recorder? I'll just turn it off if it bothers you..."
The recording cut off then went back, "So I asked him if he has heard about anything unusual around. He pointed at a forest and said nothing. I asked if he thinks it's safe for us to go there. He shook his head negatively with widely opened eyes. I guess that's a big no... He then opened his mouth and showed me that he had no tongue… his tongue was cut off… That's why he couldn't speak…"
"When I told him that I plan to go to the forest anyways, he immediately walked away, almost ran... He seemed too scared to me... Looks like he didn't want anything to do with us… also, that forest...?"
"We entered the forest a second ago. It was dark and scary... The dogs picked a smell and started parking before we entered the forest, but now they just stopped... they're not moving from their places! I think they sensed danger..."
"This dog isn't as scared! Let's follow it! It will guide us to the source of that smell." Minato said to his men.
"Are You sure about this, captain? Don't look safe!" a man asked.
"We have to check this! We came this far! we can't go back now..." Mianta said.
"The deeper we go the stronger the smell gets… What is it? It's awful? It's like the smell of rotten food…"
"I suggested we split into three teams, three-men cells teams. My team will go first." Minata said.
"Got it."
"Right."
"Okay."
Few voices said.
A loud white noise suddenly resonated, corrupting the recording. When it went away, Minato's voice came back, "... reached an open area… It… it's covered with a lot of... and dead bodies... The bodies were torn apart dreadfully… It's a horrible scene...!"
"I can't take it! This is to much!" Someone shouted.
"Don't look at them... Look away." Minato said to the guy then continued,
"The smell is really awful it's making me nauseous… Some of the bodies are rotten... and some are..."
"... checked few bodies and I can say for sure that some of the wounds and marks on the bodies belonged to some wild animal…... a wolf maybe?"
A loud roaring suddenly resonated! The sound of people gasps, shout, cries and warn got recoded.
"What's that?"
"I don't know? ...Sounded like screaming?"
"Gather around! Prepare to shoot." Minato said.
"Something is coming this way!"
"Don't lose your calm. Concentrate." Minato commanded with a firm tone.
"Whoaaaa!"
"Guahhh!"
"Don't run away! Don't leave your positions!" Minato shouted.
"Ghosts! Ghosts!"
"Oh my god! Ghosts!"
"Calm down! Aim your guns and prepare to fire. On my mark! FIRE!" Minato shouted.
The sound of continues gunshots resonated, followed by loud screams and painful cries.
"Run for you lives! The bullets don't work against them!"
"They're fast!" Minato mumbled.
"What the fuck are they!? Zombies?!"
"Help! Help! Whaaaa!"
"Fall back! Retreat!" Minato shouted then added, "Stay together! Don't split!"
"Help! He— waaaahhhhhh
Screaming sounds resonated. Cries, moans, groans and roaring. The sound of flesh hitting another flesh and bones cracking echoed in Naruto's ears, making his heart race in fear and worry. Loud gasps, continues panting followed by the sounds of people being smothered to death...
"What the hell happened to them...! They're being slaughtered!
I can hear the sound of their bones cracking!"
THe small recorder kept plying the horrible screams for a while. Naruto shut his ears in rejection, he was picturing it, the low sounds his ghoul's ears could pick made him almost live the moment. He only removed his hands off of his ears when his father's voice resonated again,
"This is hell! This is he—
Uhhhh…"
Minato's vibrating voice mumbled between his gasps, "They're killing everyone! They're fast…! Haa… They have strong skins that bullets can't pierce!"
"... Red eyes! Why? Why red eyes? Are they humans!?"
"Haa.. haaa… They killed my… my men! I'm being followed…!"
He suddenly shouted, "Watch out! Behind you!"
A far voice screamed, "Waaaa I don't want to DIE! MINAT—
"Tsk… They're not humans! They're monsters!"
"They're feeding on us!"
"Minato! This way! Hurry!" someone called.
"We're leaving the forest! They're still following us!"
"FIRE! FIRE AT WILL!" Minato shouted.
"Bullets don't work! Tsk!"
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
"Smoke?"
"It's a sleeping gas! Hurry! Hurry before you inhale it!"
Minato's huffing voice came back, "We're out of the forest! The gas is spreading fast. I can't see anything in there! We're running away…... do you sense them?" he asked.
"No! Looks like they stopped?"
"Was it the smoke?"
"Don't just stop yet! Keep running! Those human eaters might come out any second now!"
"Our friends are still in there…!" Minato said.
"They're all dead! Move! Move before you die too!"
"They're not following us anymore. I don't see or feel them." Minato argued.
"What are they…?"
"I don't know but they weren't humans!"
"Those red eyes! What's with the red eyes! I haven't seen anything like that before!"
"Did you get injured?"
"Nothing serious."
"We'll fall back for now… we can't keep going like this… we lost so many men… only three people survived, including myself." Minato said.
"Minato… I think I see something moving there!"
"Where?"
"Look! There!"
"Is that…? That's one of our men!" Minato said.
"He lost his arms! Oh my god! He's trying to escape!"
"We… we can't look away!" Minato huffed.
"But he's dead! We can't save him! He's beyond saving!"
"He's still breathing! I'm going to get him. You guys wait here!" Minato's loud gasps made it clear that he was running.
"No, Minato! They maybe still following him! They will—
"I won't let one of my men die without fighting back! He can be saved!" Minato shouted.
Running, panting, calling, "This way! Come this way!"
A far cry resonated, "Help me! Help me! Please!"
"They're not follow you anymore! They won't leave the forest... Go easy on yourself. I'm coming to you!" Minato said.
"They killed everyone! They… they…!"
"I'm only few steps a way from him. He's shaking... and he's heavily bleeding." he called, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here now. You will survive this. Walk with me. Can you walk?"
"Ye… yes… Don't leave me! Don't leave me behind, Sir!"
"I won't. Let me help you. We need to hurry."
Noise with no words followed with Minato's voice, "Let's find a place to rest. We must treat his wounds... He's fading!"
The recorder made a lot of noise, then Minato's voice came back, "I… it's been… I don't know… hours… he… our friend died… his heart has stopped…"
Moaning, crying, gasping, and desperate calls...
Minato panted, "I don't know what to do…. We didn't find anything helpful… I put my men in this hell… My men are… I… I'm so sorry…"
"Kush...ina… Na…ru..."
The recorder cut then went on again, "… His wounds…!" Minato gasped in a shock.
"How come?! What the hell happened!? What is this?"
"He's recovering! How come!"
"Impossible!"
"This is inhuman!"
"What did they do to him?"
"He's still not breathing though…!"
"This is unnatural! Is this some sort of reanimation?"
"I don't even believe in that shit! What the fuck? What should we do with him, Minato-san?"
"I need to watch this! This is important! Does your phones still work?" Minato asked.
"I lost mine in the woods…"
"Main is broken but still turns on…"
"Does the camera work?"
"Let me check… the screen is damaged… the battery is so low… but… oh! It worked… However the lens seems to be damaged…"
"It's all we have. I want to take some photos of this." Minato said.
The sound of the shutter resonated repeatedly. Minato's voice, "I hope those will help… his small wounds completely healed on their own! The deep ones stopped bleeding… He's still lifeless!"
"How is that possible!?"
"This is crazy! I can't take this anymore!"
"Huh! HEY!"
"Hey! Wait! Hey! Come back! Don't run away!" Minato called.
Loud gasps. Heavy breathing. Loud Noise.
Minato's vibrating voice, "H… h… I... don't… believe this!... he's up!"
"He rose from the dead!"
Roaring…
"He's screaming at us!"
"He's glaring! Is he going to attack us! N… R… Run!"
Crying of pain ranged loudly. Minato's cries resonated followed by so much noise…
"No... No! Please! Stop! You can't do this! You're not like them! STOP! Don't eat your...!"
"H… Oh... oh my goodness…. He's eating him alive… he… I can't even…"
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I have to do this… I … won't let what we did go to waste…" Minato shouted in panic!
Minato's voice seemed far and low. A lot of noise was interfering. a clench sound resonated from distance, "… My sword doesn't… work!" his voice sounded a little further than before.
"He's too strong…!"
"Thick! Very thick skin!"
"Uhhhh…"
"Please… lend me… strength…."
"Gwuahhh…"
"I… can't… even…"
"I'm sorry…"
"… uhhh…""
"Kushina…"
"Naru—
…
I… uwahhhh… uhhh…"
With tears in his eyes, Jiraya shut the recorder and murmured in a painful voice, "The rest is just… painful cries of pain and loud roaring..."
Naruto, the one who could almost feel the whole thing, was trembling in fear, widely opened eyes, huffing breath, trembling body and racing heartbeats. His shock was too great that his started trembling violently that the sound of his clenching teeth reached Jiraiya's ears to add to his pain. THe shocked ghoul couldn't even form a word, blink or shift his eyes. He didn't know any of this. He never knew how his father died, He never imagined it to be anything like that.
Feeling the fear and the pain that fell on the kid's soul, Jiraya wiped his eyes with his hand then hugged Naruto to his chest dearly, "I'm sorry about your father…. Naruto." he murmured to the shaking boy.
Naruto, the one who has never felt the warmth of a real father, cried his eyes out for his lost father, the hero that died for humanity. He didn't know why it hurt so much when he didn't even remember how his father looked, yet he couldn't stop his tears. His chest hurt so bad that he started gasping deeply. Even though he didn't remember a thing about his father or his mother, his heart just couldn't take it.
That night on that lonely ship, Naruto cried for his father for the first time. He's been always crying for being left alone but that night he cried for losing that man. He cried for not knowing a thing about that man. He cried for not remembering that man…
"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry…. I… wish I… could remember you…
I'm so lucky to be your son… father…"
To Be Continued
