33. Hammer, Anvil or Steel
Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they're always there.
Hello, my faithful readers. Sorry for the long delay on this chapter, but it's the usual excuses… life, work, etc. and while I love writing, it doesn't change the fact that the bills gotta be paid.
So, as usual I'd like to thank Titokhan and my anonymous beta for their continued help and support, along with MattWilson83 for taking time out of his busy drawing schedule to chat with me on a number of occasions at the drop of a hat. You guys are the best.
This chapter is dedicated to fellow FanFiction writer, Ayrmed who passed away recently. Her death hit me particularly hard, because both she and my wife suffer from the same medical condition. From the earliest days of my story, she was kind enough to leave me a review and even went so far as to allow me to help her out on her own story, Love's Never Easy. She was a good friend, a wonderful person and I, along with many other writers here in the community will miss her very much.
No disclaimer this chapter. I just don't feel like making one. But I don't own Naruto.
On with the show.
Chapter 33 – Hammer, Anvil or Steel
"Tsunade," Naruto breathed, "They asked us to send Tsunade. They wanted her out of the village."
His face paled. He'd sent Sakura on that mission instead.
Her entire team was walking straight into a trap.
The chakra pressure in the room skyrocketed and Shino gasped, grabbing a nearby chair for support. Otherwise, he would have collapsed to his knees.
"Think of all the tracking and recovery teams that are currently in the village," Naruto demanded, his eyes blazing red with Kurama's chakra. "I want heavy hitters over speed. Spit out a name."
Shino drew a shaky breath, and his voice came out as a hoarse croak. Right now, even standing was a major effort.
"Shino!" Naruto barked.
"T-Team Hana is in the village," Shino sputtered out. "They just got back from a mission a f-few days ago. They're the best w-we have, period."
Naruto slammed his hand down on the corner of his desk, hitting the button that summoned his ANBU guard. Half a second later they were kneeling in his office, shaking just like Shino was under the intense chakra pressure Naruto was emitting.
"Y-Yes, Lord Hokage?" the one wearing a Mongoose mask forced out.
"You… get me Kakashi." He pointed at the second one, wearing a Raccoon mask. "You get me Sasuke – he's out at Training Ground 3. And you two," he finished, pointing at the ANBU wearing Rabbit and Sparrow masks, "get me Team Hana. I don't care what any of them are doing – I want them all in my office in ten minutes. Now move!"
The ANBU nodded and quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Shino."
The Aburame eyed his classmate warily from behind his dark glasses. He hadn't seen Naruto this focused and intense since that meeting in this very same office when he first became Hokage.
"Get over to the code division and find whoever it was that verified the original message." He pointed at one of the chairs in front of his desk. "I want that person sitting there in five minutes. I've got questions I want answered before everyone else shows up."
***Sidestep***
"Now, when you cast genjutsu, it's important to remember three key things – strength, purpose and application," Hinata explained, as she drew the three words, along with several symbols on the chalkboard. "Strength is the strength of your chakra, which in turn translates into the strength of your illusion. Sometimes, it's best to be subtle in capturing your enemy in genjutsu that uses less chakra, making it harder to detect. Of course this has the downside of being less complex, and easier to break once they realize it."
Hinata turned to face the class, noticing that everyone – including Hikaru – was either taking notes or paying rapt attention to her lecture. She smiled to herself thinking maybe, after all this time she was finally good enough at classroom speaking to maintain his interest.
She pointed at the second word. "Purpose means to always consider the purpose of your genjutsu. Is it distraction? Interrogation? Capture? Basic genjutsu can be effective for simple tasks, like tricking a shinobi into walking off a cliff, or into a trap but creating a complex jutsu is difficult, and often relies on how creative you can be with your imagination. It's the finer details that make it stronger and more convincing."
Kiyomi Yamanaka raised her hand. "Excuse me sensei, but I don't get that. How can your imagination make the genjutsu stronger?"
"Simple," Hinata answered, smiling at the girl. She pointed back at the symbols written on the left hand side of the chalkboard. "These are the hand signs that you would use to perform a simple genjutsu; one that creates the illusion of being in the middle of a forest of lotus trees on a perfect summer day."
"Now, think of how much more convincing the illusion would be if you imagined birds chirping in the background, a breeze rustling through the trees, or even a couple of deer eating the grass nearby."
A chorus of "oh's" and "yeah's" answered back, as the students nodded in understanding.
Hinata began to draw a second set of symbols on the board, but then she suddenly cried out in pain as her hand spasmed reflexively and clenched, snapping the chalk in half. She felt nauseous and reached out, using her desk for support.
"Mom!" Hikaru shouted, rising out of his seat in concern. "What's wrong?"
Hinata shook her head. "I'm… I'm fine, Hikaru." She flexed her hand several times, trying to get the feeling back into it. "The… muscles in my hand cramped up for some reason."
The rest of the class looked on, wondering what just happened but Hikaru knew what she was really referring to – something from his father came through the seal on her hand. Outside of a select group of people, no one knew about it and his parents wanted to keep it that way – which meant he couldn't outright ask what it was.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes." Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she rubbed the back of her hand absently. "It just felt a little… scary, that's all. Please take your seat."
Hikaru latched onto that word – scary. And he could tell his mother was concerned, which is the reason why she'd purposely said it.
He wondered what could scare someone who took on people like Pain, Madara Uchiha and Kaguya without even flinching. And he had a feeling that his mother was thinking the exact same thing.
***End Sidestep***
Kakashi arrived at the Hokage Tower by shunshin, feeling both curious and a bit irked. His girlfriend, Hanari got released from the hospital yesterday, and they were finally spending some together without doctors, nurses or Reira hanging around.
The staff always seemed to walk in at the worst possible moment when Hanari was trying to molest him in her hospital room. They made it very clear that this was not a love hotel, and that she just needed to wait until she was released.
Hanari's response to that wasn't very ladylike. In fact, her choice of words had been rather colorful, even by Kakashi's standards.
So when she finally got out, she told him there were two things she wanted to do before anything else… get a decent meal, and fuck his brains out.
Kakashi opted to get some food first, because it would definitely help with his stamina later. Later on, as he looked back on it, he realized he should have chosen the second option because halfway through the meal, the ANBU codenamed Mongoose showed up and told him that the Hokage was demanding his presence immediately.
In all the time Naruto had been Hokage, he'd never demanded anything of Kakashi. Sure, he'd forcefully asked but never demanded. And he didn't miss the tremble in Mongoose's voice, either. Whatever Naruto did or said to scare the ANBU, it had to be big – and his suspicions were confirmed when he entered the Hokage's office.
Naruto was hovering over someone from the code division, pinning him in place with an icy, penetrating stare while Shino was off to the side, doing his best to keep from being noticed. Both men had broken out in a cold sweat.
"So all of the usual security measures cleared?" Naruto asked, pressing his lips together as he glared at the nervous man in front of him.
"Y-Yes, Lord Hokage," he replied, gripping the arms of his chair hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "As I said, the handwriting matched samples we had on file, and it bore the Kusagakure seal. Both the parchment, and the seal were infused with chakra specific to Grass Ninja. It was even signed by a member of their village council!"
Naruto waved the scroll in front of his face. "Could this message have been faked, Saigo?"
"It… It would be highly doubtful, Lord Hokage." A few beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as the man shook his head. "In order to do something like that, it would take a tremendous amount of skill, planning and deception. I'll never say something is impossible, but the odds of pulling off something like that would be less than three percent."
Naruto continued to stare at the man, still clearly frustrated. Saigo basically just verified everything he was already thinking – faking something like this took a lot more skill and resources than most people had access to, and the only reason they would have gone to all this trouble was to get Tsunade out of the village. It was the only part of the message they were specific about.
Was it someone in Kusa that planned all this? That would make the most sense, because every item needed to fake the message could only be found in their village. But if that was their game, then why send a message back at all, telling him the original was a forgery?
Either way, he'd gotten everything he could from the man sitting in front of him, whose eyes were darting around like a trapped animal, looking for any avenue of escape.
"Thank you, Saigo. I appreciate you being so thorough at your job," Naruto said, his tone softer but no less frustrated. He waved his hand towards the doorway. "You can go."
Saigo nodded vigorously and scrambled towards the door, tripping over his own feet a few times in his haste to get out as fast as he could.
"Naruto," Kakashi chided him, as he watched the man disappear down the hallway, "was it really necessary to scare him like that? And why did you need to see me so suddenly? What's going on?"
"We've got a problem, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto tossed him the scroll he'd been holding. He sat down in his desk chair and began rubbing his temples worriedly. "The message you're holding is a fake."
"I gathered as much from the way you were grilling Saigo." Kakashi opened it up and started to scan the document. "It looks very convincing."
"That's why I had Saigo in my office."
"How'd you find out it was a fake?"
"Standard protocol," Naruto grunted. "When the medical assistance team left the village I sent a messenger hawk, telling Kusa they were on the way." He reached into his desk and produced another scroll. "They responded with this – asking what the hell we were talking about, because the only medical problems they have are colicky babies, seniors with gout and an injured chūnin. The guy who penned that request has been missing for six days, which means he couldn't have written it."
"So the entire medical emergency was fake, but they still used a real disease. Something only Tsunade could cure," Kakashi reasoned, narrowing his eye suspiciously. "And they made sure to ask for her specifically. That means she was probably the target all along."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I figured," Naruto snapped. "And if that's true, they'll be prepared for her, super-strength and all."
"Okay, you figured all this out without me." Kakashi rolled the scroll up and handed it back to him. "But none of this explains why you sent an obviously shaken ANBU to get me, saying you need me in your office immediately. Even if they're gunning for her, Tsunade isn't some helpless genin – she's more than capable of taking care of herself. Why not just send a quick support team to bring them back?"
"Because I didn't send Tsunade. I sent Sakura, Shizune and two chūnin instead."
Kakashi paled. "Oh, shit."
"Exactly," Naruto agreed. "Sakura hasn't been on mission since she found out she was pregnant, and she just started training again. I don't know the last time Shizune went on a mission and she's been pulling double duty at the hospital, covering for both Sakura and Tsunade. Plus, I'm thinking whoever faked that letter plans on having enough firepower to take out Tsunade, which will definitely be enough to take out Sakura and Shizune. I mean, if they were in prime condition I wouldn't be worried so much, but with everything that's been going on over the past year…" He paused for a moment, adding up the sum of Sakura and Shizune's current battle abilities. "Unless you wanna tell me I'm wrong and that right now, the two of them combined are equal to or better than their teacher."
Kakashi mulled that over for a few seconds. "No," he answered, shaking his head. "They're close, but Tsunade still has Sakura beat in battle experience. Shizune is capable, but she doesn't have Tsunade or Sakura's strength. She's always been more focused on assisting Tsunade, which is why she's rarely been in battle. Even in the fourth shinobi war she was a medic, not a fighter."
"And that's the reason why I demanded to see you so quick." Naruto drummed his fingers on his desk in agitation. Something else was bothering him – he wasn't sure what it was exactly, but the feeling definitely wasn't good. "I need you to run the ANBU while Sasuke is out of the village."
"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked in surprise. "You're planning on sending him with the recovery team?"
"He's gonna find out one way or another and when he does, do you think you can stop him from going?"
Another pause. Even though he couldn't see it, Naruto could sense Kakashi frowning behind his mask.
"Point taken. Other than you, I don't think anyone could stop Sasuke."
"Stop me from what?"
The two of them turned and saw Sasuke standing in the doorway and for people like Naruto and Kakashi, who were both pretty good at reading body language, they could tell Sasuke was uneasy and slightly on edge. Both men sensed this could turn ugly, very quickly.
Behind him was Team Hana, composed of Hana Inuzuka, Asami Hyūga and Kaya Aburame. They reminded him very much of Team Kurenai, with a few notable personality exceptions. The main ones being Kaya was a little more outgoing than Shino, Asami was like Neji BEFORE Naruto kicked his ass at the chūnin exams and Hana was more like her mother, Tsume than Kiba.
Hana was a leader that both commanded, as well as earned other people's respect. Her team was forged by countless missions and hardened through battle.
And for what I need, they're absolutely perfect, Naruto thought to himself.
"All of you, get in here." He pointed to the spot right next to where Kakashi was sitting. "Last one through the door, close it behind you."
Sasuke stepped forward first, followed by Hana and her team. Naruto activated the privacy seals in the room once the door was closed.
"What's going on, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, moving closer to the desk. "What were you just talking about? Stop me from what?"
Kami, sometimes I hate my fucking job. Naruto grimaced, and looked Sasuke dead in the eyes. "From going after Sakura and her team. We just found out that the message from Kusagakure asking for medical assistance was a fake."
The chakra pressure in the room spiked, and the tomoe in Sasuke's Sharingan eyes began to spin. A corrosive, dark purple aura surrounded the Uchiha, flaring at various points as he fought to keep his emotions under control. Feelings of anger, guilt and regret began to permeate the air, causing the face of everyone there but Naruto and Kakashi to turn pale. The members of Team Hana shivered as their skin began to crawl from the corrosive chakra leaking into the room.
Kakashi didn't flinch, but decided he was too close to the epicenter of this potential disaster. He remembered very vividly the aftermath of the last fight he saw between the two men – not that he thought this would escalate to that level but still, he felt some distance would be good. So he casually got up and moved several feet away to sit on the couch.
"Lower the seals." Sasuke demanded, clenching his fists.
"Hold on a minute. I need to…"
"I said lower the fucking seals, Naruto!" Sasuke slammed his fist down, shattering a large chunk of the front of the desk. "I'm going after her!"
Kakashi shielded his face from the debris with his arms, while Team Hana walked over to join Shino in the far corner of the office. They were a highly skilled, elite jōnin team but all of them knew better than to deal with an angry Uchiha.
Naruto slammed his own fist down, breaking the rest of his desk in half. "Get a grip, Sasuke!" he yelled angrily, stepping forward and grabbing his shirt, jerking him close to that their faces were only inches from each other. "I'll let you go after her, but there are things you need to take care of before you run out of the village!"
Sasuke angrily shoved him away. "Like what?" he spat through clenched teeth.
"Like your daughter, idiot! Someone needs to take care of her…"
At the mention of Mikomi, Sasuke's look softened and the aura around his body receded a bit. "Ino's been helping me out. She can just keep doing it while I'm gone."
"Damn it, don't just assume she'll fucking do it!" Naruto jabbed an admonishing finger into Sasuke's chest. "While you're out there I want you focused, not worrying every five minutes about who's taking care of Mikomi because Ino had other plans. She'll probably do it, but don't demand a fucking thing! Get over there and ask her nicely. Once she says yes, pack a mission bag and meet Hana and the rest of her team at the front gate in thirty minutes. I'm having Kakashi fill in for you as head of the ANBU, so that's one less thing you have to worry about."
Naruto turned his attention to Hana, who was still huddled with her team and Shino on the far side of the room. "You're in charge of this mission, Hana. Sasuke has to follow your orders, but you also need to listen to him. Remember the reason why he's going with you – and what you'd do if you were in the same situation."
She inclined her head. "Understood, Lord Hokage."
"Good." He flipped over the right side of his desk, exposing the part that raised and lowered the privacy seals. "Like I said – pack your mission bags and meet at the front gate in thirty minutes. Catch up to Sakura and her team as fast as possible, then escort them back to Konoha. If anyone attacks you, deal with them – but I want at least one of them brought back alive for interrogation. I wanna know who the fuck is behind all of this. Understand?"
They all nodded. Satisfied, Naruto lowered the seals and gestured towards the door. "Then get going. And good luck."
Hana and her team left without a word, followed closely by Shino. As they all walked out the door Sasuke spared one last scathing glance at Naruto before using the shunshin, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Kakashi and Naruto stared at the empty spot. They were concerned about Sasuke, but Kakashi was worried for his student, while Naruto was worried for his brother.
"That actually went better than I expected," Kakashi noted dryly, glancing around the room. "Most of the office is still intact."
"Yeah. You know, I'm beginning to understand why Tsunade put a stipend for new desks in the annual budget." He stepped over the shattered pile of lumber and steel and collapsed in his chair. "It's a real shame. I liked that desk." He'd never tell Kakashi the reason why, which was because of that day Hinata surprised him with 'lunch' in his office. "But I'm glad that's the only casualty."
Kakashi grunted in agreement. "I hate to say it Naruto, but… I've got one of my hunches about this whole thing. And it isn't good."
The Hokage of Konoha heaved a heavy sigh, and then buried his face in his hands. "So do I, Kakashi-sensei. And I pray to Kami that we're both wrong about that."
The man sitting on the stone bench closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the rays of the late afternoon sun wash over his face.
"I knew this wasn't going to be easy," Hiashi Hyūga murmured to himself. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "But this is much harder than I thought it would be."
"This was your sanctuary." He smiled as his gaze wandered around the private garden, set deep inside the Hyūga compound. His eyes settled on a patch of sunflowers, off to one side of a small lilac tree. "You loved everything here, but those were always your favorite. And when I look around, and see the color and life that surrounds me, I can't help but think that a part of you still remains here."
"I'm… sorry I haven't come here more often. And that it's been so long since I've talked to you," he said, hanging his head in shame. A cloud passed in front of the sun, casting a grey shroud over everything. He turned his head to stare at the empty seat next to him. "I still miss you." He reached out, caressing the spot almost lovingly. "And it's hard for me to say, but the reason why I avoid this place is because it reminds me of what I've lost."
"But I need your advice and counsel." Hiashi clutched the robes over his chest, like a sharp pain was stabbing at his heart. "Our daughters… they still care about me and love me, even though I've given them no reason to. They want me to be happy again – to be like I was before fate so cruelly took you away from me."
He stared at the pad of paper in his lap. The list given to him was lying on top, with all twenty two items laid out in perfect penmanship. For the last hour, he'd been trying to write one single name, but all he'd managed was the letter "M", and nothing more.
"You know what they've asked of me, and you know their reasons why. I want to be a better father, to both our children and our grandchildren. And I want to be a better person as well." He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "They only want what's best for me; I know they do but the thought of finding someone else… it feels like I'm discarding what we had. Like I'm betraying the love I had – still have – for you."
A light wind blew through the garden, causing the flowers to sway a bit and the leaves in the lilac tree to rustle. The overcast sky made the breeze colder than it normally would have been and Hiashi shivered as it passed over his exposed arms and neck.
"I'm torn between the two paths before me," he admitted sadly, "and I don't know what to do."
And then a sunbeam broke through the clouds, hitting the spot on the stone bench next to him. Hiashi stared at it in surprise, watching as it slowly moved towards his chest and settled there, warming his heart. A moment later the clouds dissipated and the entire garden was bathed in sunlight once again.
Hiashi smiled slightly, grateful for what he just experienced. "Thank you, Hitomiko," he muttered under his breath. "Thank you so much."
"Hiashi-sama? Did you say something?"
He turned and noticed his longtime assistant, Kō standing in the entryway to the garden.
"No, I was merely… talking to myself. Nothing to be concerned with." Hiashi cocked an eyebrow. "Although, I'm curious as to why you're here, since this is my family's private garden."
Kō inclined his head. "My apologies, Hiashi-sama. Lord Neji has asked if you could meet with him in an hour. Several tentative trade agreements were delivered today from the Land of Tea, and he would like your advice, seeing as how you were the one who initiated the proposals while you were head of the clan."
Very shrewd, Neji. By asking for my advice you're showing the elders, as well as the council that my input is still important and that it will remain business as usual within the clan. "I will be available, yes."
"Thank you. I'll inform Lord Neji." Kō turned to leave and then paused, thinking something was definitely off about this entire scene. "Hiashi-sama, forgive me for asking but it's been some time since I've seen you alone, in this garden. Is… everything okay?"
Hiashi gave a short laugh. Other than his daughters, only Kō could deduce something like that since he'd known Hiashi for many years, and knew his moods and mannerisms well. A thought suddenly occurred to him that maybe Kō knew him well enough to… assist him with his problem, as well as keep it a secret.
"I'm… fine, Kō. But actually, there IS something I could use your help with." He gestured towards the empty spot next to him. "Please, have a seat."
Kō eyed him skeptically. When Lady Hitomiko had died all those years ago Hiashi became very reclusive, insensitive and emotionally detached to everyone and everything around him, but the invitation he'd just extended had actually been cordial. This was a side of Hiashi that he hadn't seen in quite a long time, and with it being so out of character, Kō jokingly wondered if this might in fact be a clone, grown in a lab somewhere rather than the real thing.
"I had a meeting with all three of my daughters a few days ago." He smiled to himself as Kō's eyes widened briefly in surprise at the subtle comment – that he considered Tenten to be as much of a daughter to him as Hinata and Hanabi. "It seems they've discovered the reason why I've been spending so much time with them lately – to be a better father to them, which in turn would make me a better grandfather to their children."
"They have banded together, and decided as a group to allow me to be a bigger part of my grandchildren's lives. However, they have all made a singular request which for me, would be a rather drastic change. They want me to find someone to share my life with once again."
Kō blinked a few times in confusion. "Umm… I'm not sure I heard you correctly, Hiashi-sama." The conversation just stepped past surprising, and moved into the realm of the strange and bizarre. "It sounded like your daughters want you to start dating again, hoping that you'll get remarried."
"You didn't mishear me, Kō. But that's not even the extent of it." Hiashi almost groaned, handing him the list. "They also gave me this – as a guide, to help me find someone with what they believe are the right qualities."
Kō took the piece of paper. "This is quite a list. It takes up almost the entire sheet."
"I'm well aware of that, yes."
Kō briefly ticked off the items. "Confirmed shopaholic who loves showering her family with gifts? A woman with a healthy sexual appetite who's kinky, but not sadistic? Has to know how to make cinnamon rolls, including the icing?" He pursed his lips disapprovingly. "No disrespect intended Hiashi-sama, but what child in their right mind would give their parent a list like this?"
"Their current conditions are more than likely influencing their decision making processes," Hiashi deadpanned, "and it's causing them to overcompensate with some of their choices. I believe they're trying too hard to push me out of my comfort zone, and well… the list certainly speaks for itself."
Kō snorted. "It still doesn't change the fact that they're being totally unrealistic. Not that I'll ever tell them that." He pointed disbelievingly at the document. "And you're seriously considering this?"
Hiashi hesitated, glancing once again at the document. He knew that once he admitted it to someone other than himself, there was no turning back. "Hinata, Hanabi and Tenten… they were all correct in pointing out that my downward spiral started when Hitomiko died. And if I'm truly interested in changing my ways, I need to find what's been missing." He chuckled wryly. "Plus, I promised them I would make the effort. And I may be many things, but I am a Hyūga first and foremost – and we always honor our word."
Kō glanced between Hiashi and the piece of paper several times. "So then, you… just said you wanted my help. Is it for this?" he asked, waving the list around.
"It is, yes."
"Do they have to have all the qualities listed here? Because to be honest, some of these would push even MY sensibilities to the breaking point."
Hiashi shook his head. "Thankfully, no," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "They all agreed that my happiness is more important than their suggestions. But I would still like to include as many items as I can if possible, in order to placate my daughters."
Kō let all of that sink in. A number of things had come together, making this a truly surreal moment. Considering Tenten to be as much of a daughter as Hinata and Hanabi was definitely surprising, but the biggest shock was Hiashi finally moving on from Hitomiko's death and seriously looking for someone to share the rest of his life with.
After everything they had been through together, and the sacrifices Kō had made for his family, he was honored that Hiashi had asked for his help. He took the pen and pad of paper, noticing the "M" written on the sheet. For a brief moment, he wondered who Hiashi had been thinking of when he wrote the letter, but he pushed the thought aside and scribbled it out.
"Well, then… personality characteristics are all well and good, but I think we should start with the basics."
"Basics?" Hiashi blinked in confusion.
"Yes, basics." He placed the point of the pen at the top of the paper and smiled. "What color hair do you like? Blondes, brunettes, redheads or… other?"
Just as the sun began to set over Konoha, Naruto left his office. Between the tidal wave of bad news he'd received today, and the stress from worrying about both Sasuke and Sakura's team, he decided he'd had enough for one day. He took care of all the pressing matters and emergencies, and pushed everything – including a massive stack of paperwork – off until tomorrow.
He briefly thought about hitting one of the local bars, since other than training he'd found it to be the best way to relieve some stress, but figured that might be the wrong move for three reasons. First, Hinata might not approve of him coming home drunk. He couldn't recall if she'd ever seen him that way – most of his really bad episodes occurred after he'd left the village, and once he got married he decided not to drink that heavy anymore. Second, he could get just as drunk at home if he wanted and finally, all he wanted to do right now was spend some time with his family, especially Hinata. He really needed someone to talk to, and he promised she'd be the one he came to first – as long as the subject wasn't classified.
Although, he couldn't help but wonder how this particular topic would be received. Anything dealing with Sakura wasn't his family's favorite subject right now.
As he walked into his house, he could hear Hinata in the kitchen, probably cleaning up the dinner dishes. Hopefully, she'd saved a plate of food for him. He had no problems going to Ichiraku if he needed to but given the choice, he much preferred her cooking.
He peered into the kitchen, and saw her not only cleaning the dinner dishes, but also the countertops and floors. Naruto remembered reading that all pregnant women go through this – something called a 'nesting phase' – where every surface had to be impeccably clean. But a plateful of food was still on the kitchen table, waiting for him.
He leaned against the door frame while he stared at his wife's figure. He couldn't help but think how incredibly beautiful she was, even though it looked like she was hiding a small watermelon underneath her shirt… which was only natural, considering she was carrying twins. But she'd probably look sexy no matter what – even when she was old and gray.
Naruto smiled and shook his head. It still baffled him how someone like Hinata could ever love someone like him. He'd never really asked, but it was a surefire bet she'd probably had a ton of boys interested in her when they were younger, along with several arranged marriage proposals from nobles and lords, who held quite a bit more political power than he did. Men that were classier, richer and definitely more refined than he'd ever be.
And in spite of all that, she chose him. And waited for him. And took care of his son.
It was a debt he'd never be able to repay. But then the thought of what might have happened to Sakura and Shizune flashed through his mind, and he came back down from his euphoric high.
"Hey, Hinata…."
She dropped the plate she'd been washing in the sink and whirled around, getting into the Gentle Fist stance.
"Whoa!" He took a step back, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I give, I give! Take me, but please don't hurt my family!"
The fierce look on her face quickly vanished. "I believe I'll take you up on that offer, Naruto-kun," she deadpanned, giving him a sly smile as she hugged him warmly, "because I'm never, ever letting you go. But I'd like to know if you're okay."
"Uhh, yeah Hinata. I'm okay," he replied awkwardly, hugging her back before pulling her arms from around his neck. "Why do you ask?"
It was then that he noticed the bandage wrapped around her right hand. "What happened?" he asked, holding it gingerly and examining it. "Did you accidentally burn yourself while cooking dinner?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, it's just… the seal hurt me today, and it's been a little tender and sensitive since then. It happened sometime around one o'clock, while I was teaching Hikaru's class. If I hadn't shut it down, it might have been worse."
Naruto blanched. That was during the meeting in his office with Sasuke, and his emotions were certainly running high at that point. "I'm sorry about that, Hime. I didn't mean to hurt you, things just got a little out of control during a mission briefing. I promise I'll be more careful in the future."
She eyed him curiously, then guided him over to the table and forced him to sit down in front of his dinner. "That was an awfully powerful surge of emotions, Naruto-kun." She gestured towards the plate, indicating he should start eating. "What happened, exactly?"
He sighed, picking up his chopsticks and bringing a few bites into his mouth. It was something called 'drowned beef', and like everything else Hinata cooked for him, it was absolutely delicious. "One of the missions I sent a team out on yesterday took a serious twist," Naruto mumbled around a mouthful of food. "They might be in danger."
"That's happened several times since you've been Hokage, and it doesn't explain why my hand felt like it was being stabbed by half a dozen poison senbon," she commented flatly. "What's different about this one compared to the others?"
Another chopstick full of meat and peppers was halfway to Naruto's mouth when she asked the question, causing him to stop and place them back on his plate. "Yesterday, the village received a message from Kusagakure, saying an enemy shinobi poisoned part of their water supply and two dozen people got sick – including ten children. The disease was something supposedly so rare that no one in their village could cure it, so they asked for Tsunade's assistance."
"None of what you said so far is out of the ordinary, Naruto-kun."
He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. The headache he'd had for most of the day was starting to flare back up. "That's because I found out today that the message was a very convincing fake. The handwriting samples, chakra and seal all matched one of the members of the Kusagakure council. I sent a reply, telling them help was on the way but they sent another message back, saying that there were only a few people in the village that were sick, but nothing they couldn't handle. Plus, the guy who wrote the original message – Rinji was his name – has been missing for six days, so there's no way he's the one who sent it. More than likely, whoever it was used him to forge the message and killed him afterwards to cover their tracks."
Hinata listened as her husband worriedly explained the situation. When he paused, she placed her hand comfortingly over his and tried to offer some words of support. "I understand your concern but despite her age, Lady Tsunade is more than capable of taking care of herself. And I'm sure you didn't send her on this mission alone."
Naruto closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, sighing wearily. "That's where you're wrong, Hinata. I didn't send Tsunade on the mission at all. Her chakra control is still screwed up from our fight so I sent Sakura, Shizune and two chūnin instead."
The emotion vanished from her face but she didn't withdraw her hand. "Oh," she said simply. "But Sakura is still a capable fighter Naruto-kun, and the chūnin you sent with her and Shizune more than likely have quite a bit of experience. Don't you think they'll be able to handle themselves?"
He was surprised when the only thing that happened when he mentioned Sakura's name was Hinata's face going blank. There was still some bad blood between them, sure… but maybe just like him, Hinata was starting to realize Sakura was trying to make things right between them.
"That's the thing, Hinata. I'm betting whoever faked that letter must've been pretty confident that they could capture or kill Tsunade, which means it'll be enough to do the same with Sakura and Shizune. Unless you wanna tell me that right now, Sakura and Shizune combined are equal or better than Tsunade in a fight."
Hinata stared vacantly at him as she thought about it, then shook her head. "I can't say for sure. Neither of them are in peak condition, but that doesn't mean they're helpless." She suddenly scrunched her face. "This entire thing sounds way too suspicious, Naruto-kun. Lady Tsunade is well respected and loved, not just here but in the rest of the elemental nations. Assuming for the moment that you're right and not being overly paranoid, the amount of planning, skill and resources that would be needed to pull this off can't be coincidental. What about those other members of the Mienai Segi? Could they be behind this?"
His eyes went wide in surprise. Sometimes he forgot how smart his wife truly was. "I never considered that, but I probably should've."
"Well, maybe this will teach you a lesson about talking to me more often."
"Alright," he groused, "point taken. Maybe I should make you one of my advisors when you're done teaching at the academy."
"I doubt you could afford me," Hinata teased, the corner of her lips twitching. "I'm the Lady Hokage and Matriarch of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans. My advice doesn't come cheap."
"Okay, fine. You win the argument," Naruto conceded, "but let's stop talking about what an idiot I am and get back on topic. Tsunade sounds like someone Gideon would want to get his hands on, but Sakura and Shizune… he'd kill them without a second thought. He has a tendency to do that when he doesn't get exactly what he wants." He groaned, and buried his head in his hands. "I just hope to Kami I'm wrong about this feeling I've got."
"I hope so too. While Sakura and I might have our differences, I wouldn't want to see her injured or killed."
Injured or killed… The words stung, because he remembered what Hikaru had done several days ago. "Speaking of which… where is our son?"
Hinata shot him a curious sideways glance. "He's upstairs in his room, doing his homework. Why?"
"Neji gave me something for him today." He reached into his coat and pulled out the ornate wooden box. "This was found in Nezumi's room," he said, opening the lid. "It's the scroll given to the Hyūga by the Uzumaki clan, spelling out every little detail of the caged bird seal."
She looked at the weathered and yellowed scroll in wonder; extending her hand hesitantly towards it. Her fingertips stopped about three inches away and she pulled back, almost like she was afraid to touch it. "Neji just gave this to you?"
"Loaned is more like it. He wants Hikaru to start working on a safer way to remove the seal, along with a replacement. He thought this would make it a lot easier to do." Naruto closed the box and tucked it under his arm. "I'm gonna go give this to him and then if you don't mind, I'd like to turn in early. With everything that happened today, I just… really feel like just having you close tonight."
Hinata watched his back as he left the room and trudged toward the stairs, leaving a half-finished plate of food on the table – which very rarely happened. And she hoped that later on tonight, she could help him ease the weight on his shoulders because her husband was finally making progress in opening up to her.
She loved him, deeply and forever – but she'd give anything to have the old Naruto back.
"Sasuke!"
Still running, with his eyes blazing red, he turned his head and glared back over his shoulder. Night had fallen about an hour ago, and the crescent moon hanging in the sky was giving off very little light, but for someone who possessed the Sharingan that meant nothing. He could see clear as day Hana Inuzuka and the triplets about twenty yards behind him. Her teammates, Asami Hyūga and Kaya Aburame were even farther behind.
He slowed his rapid pace and stopped, waiting for Hana and her dogs to catch up to him. "Is there a problem?"
"Right now you're my problem," Hana growled as she pointed towards Asami and Kaya, who were struggling to keep up. "We've been pushing for hours without a break because YOU refuse to slow down or even stop. My team needs food and rest."
Sasuke glanced at Kaya and Asami, who just caught up with them. They were both breathing heavily and looked like they were about ready to collapse. Apparently, they didn't have the same level of stamina either he, Hana or her dogs had. "That's not an option we have right now."
"It's not an option but a necessity," Hana said matter-of-factly. "None of us are going to be in any condition to fight if we keep this up and besides that, me and Kaya can't see in the dark. Travelling for us is potentially dangerous, especially if there's an enemy out there waiting for us. We need to stop – probably for the night."
Kaya opened her mission pack and began distributing food. Asami took large, but rather delicate bites of her energy bar while the hounds tore ravenously into the slabs of meat tossed at them. Hana split a loaf of bread and cheese with Kaya then extended the bag towards Sasuke, giving him his choice of whatever was left over.
Sasuke's eyes whirled in agitation as he roughly pushed the mission pack aside. "And every minute we waste could end up being catastrophic to my wife and her team." The muscles in his jaw flexed as he ground his teeth, angry over the cavalier attitude being displayed in front of him. "All I see right now is a team more interested in stuffing their faces, rather than potentially saving lives."
The chill in the night air grew heavier as Kaya and Asami stared coldly at him, while Hana's hounds growled dangerously over the insult just leveled at both them and their pack. Hana held up her hand, silencing them and telling her team to remain calm before stepping close to Sasuke and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Look Sasuke, I get why this is important to you," she said soothingly, "I really do. But you gotta realize that comments like that don't help. All of us are concerned about Sakura and her team – but if Kaya and Asami keep going, they're gonna collapse from exhaustion and it'll only make matters worse. So unless you know of a way to keep moving while we all get some rest, then you just need to wait at least an hour before we get going again."
She walked over and sat on the ground, eating with her team in silence. Sasuke watched them with a small hint of jealousy, thinking that could've been him, Sakura and Naruto if things hadn't gotten so fucked up. The whole downward spiral started when he'd left the village, and things got even worse after the war. It wasn't until Naruto came back to the village that he'd even thought about being less of an asshole to everyone, including his own wife.
He was acting like his old self – and that's not what he wanted. He had been wrong to use those words with Hana and her team, and accuse them of not caring but he was bound and determined to get to Sakura as quick as possible. Asami and Kaya needed rest, but he needed to keep moving so unless someone carried them, he was stuck waiting.
Unless someone carried them…
His gaze settled on the only other dōjutsu user in the group. "Asami – I realize you are physically exhausted, but I would like to ask you a question. Are your chakra levels high enough so that you could activate your Byakugan for a few hours straight?"
Damn it Sasuke, Hana thought as she ground her teeth in frustration, I just said my team needed some rest and not one word got through that thick fucking Uchiha skull of yours. She opened her mouth to say if he was that eager to keep going, he could just leave on his own, but Asami spoke up first.
"As long as I don't have to run and use my Byakugan at the same time, I believe so. Why?"
"Because I may have a solution to our problem. However, what I'm about to do utilizes a large portion of my chakra, so I'll need you to guide us through dark, since my concentration will be elsewhere."
The three women stared at each other for a moment, before Kaya cocked a curious eyebrow. "May I ask what jutsu you are referring to, Uchiha-san?"
"Hana," Sasuke drawled, ignoring her question as his eyes settled into a kaleidoscope pattern, "please keep your ninken under control." He took several steps back from the group, putting some distance between them. "I wouldn't want them to get hurt if they mistakenly attack me. I've already put them on edge enough as it is."
Hana signaled her dogs to remain calm, while she and her team wondered what he could possibly be planning. But then Kaya's question was answered when a purple aura erupted around Sasuke, growing rapidly to about fifty feet in height within a matter of a few seconds. A skeleton formed, but with one significant difference – it had four arms, not two. Armor appeared, covering the entire thing and two blinding yellow orbs stared at the group from underneath the helmet.
"Susanoo…" Hana breathed, while Kaya and Asami merely stared wordlessly at the sight. The fully realized form of the technique was definitely impressive, as well as intimidating and it showed how large of a power gap there was between Sasuke and her team. If they'd been stupid enough to attack him after he made that insulting comment, Hana knew they would have lost. Badly.
The purple apparition bent down, extending all four arms – one each toward Asami, Kaya, Hana and finally her ninken. Everyone eyed both Sasuke and the proffered glowing purple hands guardedly, since they seemed more dangerous than safe.
"Climb on," Sasuke motioned with his arm from where he was floating in the middle of Susanoo's chest. "My chakra will keep you in place. You have my word that you won't be injured or fall off."
Kaya and Asami looked towards their team leader who, after debating it for a few seconds gave a quick nod of approval. They all stepped into the palms waiting in front of them, surprised as they remained steady while the hands rose up to the same level as Sasuke.
"You should all be able to eat and get some rest while I cover the last remaining distance for us by air." Two wings appeared on Susanoo's back and unfurled, surprising the members of Team Hana even more as they gaped in awe at the versatility of the technique. "Asami, please use your Byakugan to keep us going in the right direction. We're going to be moving fast, and even the slightest mistake will place us miles off-course."
With a strong push of its wings the glowing purple form of Susanoo pushed off the ground, flying rapidly in the last direction they had been traveling. And Sasuke hoped that when they found Sakura and her team, it wouldn't be too late.
Kakashi opened the door to his apartment, exhausted both mentally and physically from the day's events. After packing his mission bag and talking to Ino, Sasuke had left the village in an obvious rush, not bothering to debrief him on everything the ANBU were involved in. So he'd spent most of the afternoon bringing himself up to speed, then he'd made adjustments to the village security and several black-ops missions based near Kusagakure after discussing it with Naruto and Shino.
He'd spent a few hours between bouts of panic and worry thinking about Team Seven. Not only the one he'd been in charge of with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura but the one he'd been on with Minato, Obito and Rin. Each had their own set of problems, but at least everyone on HIS team was still alive. Or at least he hoped so.
Right now, all he wanted was a beer and a good night's sleep. He opened the refrigerator, noting that he was down to his last bottle which was odd, since he could've sworn he just bought a six-pack two days ago.
He popped the cap and threw it on the counter before taking a long, hard drink. Now that he'd satisfied the first and only requirement, he walked down the hall towards his bedroom and opened the door.
"Well, well, well… I was beginning to think you'd never show up."
Ah. That's right. He'd forgotten how his day was originally supposed to end.
Hanari was lying on one side of his bed, wearing a fiery red kimono tied very loosely in the front, showing a healthy amount of cleavage and leaving very little to the imagination. Her legs were seductively crossed, so that the area where the kimono ended was covered in nothing but shadow. Her lips were painted the same shade of red as her kimono, and she was sucking on a bottle of beer, running her tongue around the rim after taking a long, hard drink.
Kakashi looked over and saw three empty bottles on his nightstand. So that's where the rest of my six-pack went.
"Hanari, I want you to know I appreciate what you're trying to do here. And under normal circumstances, I'd jump at the chance to have sex with you, no pun intended but if you wouldn't mind, could we… wait one more night?"
She stopped sucking on the bottle of beer. "You're kidding, right?" she asked incredulously. "I was gonna let you do whatever you wanted to me tonight. Whatever. You. Wanted." She added, emphasizing each word and the meaning behind it. "And you're seriously telling me you wanna wait?"
Kakashi sighed. He'd probably catch hell for this, but right now he didn't care. "Like I said – as much as I appreciate the offer, and everything that goes along with it, I'd still have to say yes. It's… been a very bad day." He walked over to the window and pushed it open so that he could lean on the windowsill while he sipped his beer, staring absently at the sky.
An alarm went off with Hanari. Her offer of unlimited, no holds barred sex aside his mind was definitely elsewhere, and while he didn't look that tired physically, it sounded like mentally he was about ready to collapse. She closed her kimono, tying it tightly before padding across the carpet to join him at the window, hugging him from behind.
"What the hell happened today? I was pretty pissed when the ANBU pulled you away to go see Naruto, but I get the feeling some next level shit went down."
"Not exactly," he responded, "at least not yet. It was more like… one of those days where the past comes back to haunt the present."
"Feel like talking about it? Or do you just want to let it slide?"
He smiled and squeezed her hand appreciatively. "As long as you're willing to listen. I know stuff like this tends to make you feel uncomfortable."
Her chest tightened as she flushed a little. He was right – the cutesy, emotional stuff really wasn't her strong suit. "Well, you're my boyfriend and you've listened to me go on and on about stuff. I guess it's only fair that I do the same thing for you once or twice a year."
Kakashi gave a small, dry chuckle. "Twice a year, huh? Your generosity knows no bounds."
"Hey. I'm a giver," she said mockingly. "Now what's eating you?"
He paused, taking another long sip of his beer. "Yesterday, Naruto sent a team to Kusagakure in response to a request for emergency medical aid. He found out today the message was a finely crafted forgery, and now Sakura and her team are probably in danger."
Hanari jerked her head up. "Sakura? That pink haired girl married to Sasuke?" She spun Kakashi around to face her. "Hinata and Hikaru don't say much, but rumor around town is that she's responsible for a whole lotta shit with Naruto and his family. I'm guessing she's the reason he left the village and ended up joining the Mienai Segi."
"Unfortunately, yes. I was the jōnin sensei in charge of their team – Team Seven, to be exact. Did you ever hear about the first time I met them?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Naruto never said anything about Konoha – other than this is where he was from."
Kakashi smirked, as the memory replayed in his head. "I was an hour or two late, as usual. I used to spend a lot of my mornings at the Memorial Stone, looking at… names." Obito. Minato. Rin. "When I finally walked into the classroom, Naruto set a prank for me and dropped an eraser on my head, covering me in chalk dust. He was the only one who laughed at that. Said it's what I deserved for being late."
Hanari eyed him skeptically. "He actually pranked you and laughed about it?"
"When he was younger, Naruto was the king of pranks in the village. Some of his more notable accomplishments were letting two skunks in heat loose in the Konoha Council chambers during a civilian council meeting, and infesting Koharu Utatane's desk with a small family of tarantulas." His lips twitched as he tried to hold back his laughter. "I was on a mission while that one happened. Inoichi told me her screams were heard by the entire village. The ANBU thought we were being attacked."
Hanari snorted as she imagined those two events. "That doesn't sound like the man I know. When he was with the Mienai Segi, Naruto never laughed. Not once."
"There are reasons for that." He led her over to the bed and lay down, pulling her alongside him. "And I think it's about time I filled you in on some of the backstory and history, so that you have more to go on than just rumors filled with half-truths. I'll leave some of the more personal stuff out for obvious reasons, but it'll definitely give you a better sense of why things are the way they are."
Hanari huffed in half disappointment. She would have preferred a different ending to this day other than storytime, but being here with Kakashi was still better by far than being in the hospital. "Fine. But make a shadow clone and send him out for more beer. If I'm not getting sex, I definitely want some alcohol."
"Set us down over there…" Asami pointed to a break in the forest. "There's a fire going about a mile ahead. It has to be them."
Susanoo swooped down, gliding on its wings towards the clearing. Sasuke was still floating in the center – beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his eyes throbbed from the effort of sustaining the technique for so long. They landed a bit harder than normal, and after setting down Hana and her team, Sasuke dispelled Susanno and collapsed, breathing heavy from exhaustion.
"Can… Can you see them?" he panted.
Asami shook her head, already having cancelled her Byakugan. "No. My eyes are just as exhausted as yours. Other than the campfire, I couldn't make anything out."
Determination set in and Sasuke scowled. Digging deep into reserves he barely knew were there, he took off running towards the campsite.
"Dammit Sasuke, wait…" Hana called out, but she was too late. He'd already vanished from the clearing. She smacked her forehead in frustration and grumbled, because if there really was an enemy out there, waiting for them in the shadows of the trees, Sasuke was running straight into an ambush.
Hana quickly issued orders to her team. "Kaya, send your kikachu out to scan the area before we get there. Asami, avoid using your eyes unless we're being attacked. They're exhausted enough as it is, and I don't want you making it any worse." She turned to her hounds. "You three, spread out. Tanimaru and Kanomaru, I want you fifty feet out to the left and right, respectively. Asamaru, you're with me. We all converge on the campsite at the same time."
Kaya nodded, sending a swarm of kikachu into the air before Hana gave the signal, motioning for them to go after Sasuke. They took off, moving at a moderate pace because not only might the enemy be lying in wait for them, but also because dodging through a thick forest of trees in the dead of night was a lot harder than people thought.
After a half a mile Hana paled. "We've got a problem," she said.
"More than those we already have?" Asami asked. "We're exhausted and running blind through a dark forest in the dead of night towards an area that could be primed for ambush – all because Sasuke is bound and determined to make it to Sakura as quickly as possible. What else is there?"
Hana paused for a moment before answering. "I smell blood. Lots of it."
Kaya shot a scathing look at Asami. "You had to go and jinx it, didn't you?"
No more words passed between them, but collectively they all decided to pick up speed, trying to close the last bit of distance and make it to the campsite as soon as possible. They knew Sasuke would definitely get there before them, and if the scene was as bad as they were imagining…
After another minute or so they converged on the campsite. The campfire was scattered and failing, casting a limited amount of light on an already small area. Faint outlines of Hana and her team were all that were visible – Sakura and her team were nowhere in sight.
Tanimaru and Kanomaru emerged from the shadows to rejoin Hana and Asamaru. The hounds all shared a glance and then pointed their muzzles towards the edge of the forest. As Hana, Asami and Kaya edged closer they noticed Sasuke, sitting absolutely still with his back facing towards them. He was on his knees, staring at the ground… and he wasn't moving.
No crickets chirped, no leaves rustled and the cry of not one single animal could be heard. The crackling of the campfire and the water flowing from a nearby river were the only sounds that broke the eerie quiet of the night. Hana picked up a random piece of wood and using it as a makeshift torch, she and her team walked over to Sasuke, wondering what it was that stopped the Uchiha dead in his tracks.
But once they looked over his shoulder, they all immediately wished they hadn't.
Hana swallowed the bile that was forming in her throat. Her hounds whined and backed away. Kaya and Asami both turned green and while Kaya managed to keep it together Asami didn't fare as well. She hurriedly staggered a few paces away and fell to her knees, retching as she emptied the contents of her stomach.
The area in front of Sasuke was covered in a thick layer of human remains. There was an occasional eyeball or finger floating in the debris, but everything else looked like someone had taken two or three bodies and turned them into a fine paste, before dumping it over a large patch of earth and grass. As it stood, there was no way to tell exactly who or what the pile of flesh in front of them used to be.
"Kaya, get your kikachu back," Hana commanded, once she got her gag reflex under control. She pointed to the area in front of Sasuke. "This is too fresh, which means we either just missed them or they're out there, lying in wait for us. I wanna know if the area is secure."
The Aburame nodded, walking a few paces away from both the campfire and the gruesome scene before lifting her arms. A slight buzzing sound and a second or two later, the kikachu swarmed into the sleeves and collar of her coat, relaying whatever they managed to find out.
"We're alone," Kaya said, after taking a moment to assimilate the information. "The area for a two mile radius around us is secure. But… it's strange…" she tilted her head a bit to the side in puzzlement, "My kikachu were unable to find any trace of the enemy. It's as if they just up and… vanished."
Hana furrowed her brow. That shouldn't be possible. No matter how careful someone was, her team always found a trail to follow. It was the reason why they were the top tracking and recovery team in Konoha. It also helped that each one of them separately were among some the most powerful members in their respective clans.
The light breeze wafting through the trees suddenly changed direction, and Hana caught a whiff of something. Up until now, all she could smell was the overpowering scent of blood. She walked a few steps and took a bigger sniff, inhaling as much as she possibly could.
"I'm picking up two scents coming from that direction." She pointed west through the woods, towards the sound of the river. Sasuke perked up at hearing this, and a small glimmer of hope appeared in his weary eyes as he jumped to his feet.
"Sasuke, come with me. You two," she motioned towards Kaya and Asami, "stay here and make sure nothing disturbs the… evidence." She avoided using the word remains, since at this point it would have been like rubbing salt in an open wound.
The two of them and her dogs dashed off towards the river, Hana taking the lead and weaving in-between the trees as she followed the scent, which was steadily growing stronger. It was only a few hundred yards to the riverbank, but to both of them the time to get there seemed to stretch on for an eternity. When they finally reached the river, the scents stopped at the water's edge.
"We need to go downstream." Sasuke pointed down the riverbank. "Hana, take two of your dogs and search this side. Give me one and I'll take the other side."
Hana bristled internally at his tone but decided that given the situation, he deserved a pass right now. She glanced towards Kanomaru and motioned her head towards Sasuke, giving the unspoken command to go with him.
Kanomaru padded over to Sasuke and his eyes softened, thanking her without words for understanding. Hana turned and ran down her side of the river while Sasuke and Kanomaru jumped to the opposite bank. They ran for close to a mile, Sasuke looking with his weakened Sharingan and Kanomaru sniffing for any signs of life, but the only thing that changed besides the scenery was the river.
The sound was getting louder, and the swells were getting bigger. That meant there was a waterfall somewhere up ahead. A big one.
A bark from Kanomaru snapped Sasuke's attention from the rushing water back to the riverbank. He looked in the direction the dog was running towards and saw a single body washed up on shore, wedged in-between a pile of rocks which luckily enough kept whoever it was from being washed away by the current. Their face was turned away but still above water, which hopefully meant they hadn't drowned.
Straining to see who it was, he pushed some extra chakra into his eyes but cried out in pain. He'd overused his eyes in maintaining Susanoo for so long, so his visual range was limited at the moment, however before he was forced to stop overexerting his eyes, he was able to identify a few details.
The body was Shizune. And the rocks next to her head were coated in blood.
He skidded to a stop and reached down, carefully turning her over and cradling her head in the crook of his arm. There was a large gash on her head, which was where the blood on the rocks obviously came from – she definitely had a concussion along with a possible brain injury. He felt her neck for a pulse and found one – the beat was slow and steady, but it was definitely there. He gently picked her up and moved her several feet away from the riverbank, setting her down on a soft patch of grass.
"Kanomaru, go get Hana and bring her here as quickly as you can," Sasuke instructed the ninken. "Shizune needs more medical attention than I can provide."
Kanomaru barked and ran off to get help, while Sasuke continued to look Shizune over to see if she had any more visible injuries. Her breathing was shallow, but steady. Other than her head wound, there were no other signs of blood and it looked like she didn't have any broken bones. But her right hand was balled tightly into a fist, as if she was holding something important and precious beyond measure…
He pried her fist open to see what was inside – and immediately wished he hadn't. His mouth turned dry, and his hand trembled slightly as he reached out and took the object from Shizune's palm.
It was Sakura's wedding ring. The Uchiha crest carved into the wedding band on either side of the diamond left no doubt it was hers.
She never took it off. It was always with her, either on her finger or a chain around her neck. Even during surgery, she kept it in her pocket underneath her scrubs, because it meant that much to her.
There was only one reason why she would have allowed it out of her possession. Only one reason she would have given it away.
The hollow feeling in his chest ignited into a fire, fueled by anguish and rage and it moved upwards, settling behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut, not wanting to see either the ring or the world around him at this point. He threw his head back and let loose a scream of unbearable loss into the night air as he clenched his hand, digging the band into the flesh of his palm.
The scream coming from his lips changed from sorrow and loss to one of searing, mind-numbing pain. His eyes throbbed as tears of blood wept from the corners of his eyes, and his body exploded in an aura of dark, purple chakra.
Luckily enough for Hana, it made Sasuke that much easier to find in the darkness. When she and her ninken arrived barely a minute later he was on his hands and knees, groaning in agony.
"Sasuke, are… are you alright?" she asked, reaching out and grasping his shoulder lightly.
Sasuke slowly lifted his head, and stared at her with eyes that had been changed to the Rinnegan.
Gideon was seated at his desk, hidden deep within the mountains of Iwa, enjoying a rare moment of serenity. He'd spent a good portion of his day going over several intelligence reports that had just come in from Suna and Kiri, and he was allowing his mind and body to take a well-deserved break.
But then he sensed a familiar presence at the entrance to his secret base of operations, and he knew why she was here. A wicked smile appeared on his lips, since her appearance meant his night had suddenly become more interesting, and was far from over.
He opened his eyes as Nyx entered the room. Her clothing was torn in a few places, her face was bruised and she was limping on her left leg. Her eyes told him that right now, she would rather be anywhere else than standing in front of him.
I had better be misreading that last part, Gideon fumed silently. We need Tsunade in order to have any hope of success against Konoha. If she failed to capture the Senju, I'll have no qualms about sending Nyx into the lion's den to get her.
"From your look, I gather you had to take a personal hand in the mission."
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Yes and no. We ran into some unexpected problems and had to move faster than usual."
"Problems?" Gideon cocked a curious eyebrow, motioning towards the chair in front of his desk. Her legs were trembling slightly, and he could tell it was from exhaustion, and not fear. Physical strength and stamina were never her strong suit. Couple that with her appearance, and it was obvious she came straight back to Iwa without bothering to rest. "You know I don't like ambiguous terminology, Nyx. Be more specific."
Nyx gratefully accepted his offer and sat, sighing contentedly as she sank into the cushions. She was grateful to be off of her feet after traveling so far, so fast. "For starters, we had to attack sooner than we would have liked. We wanted to wait until they fell asleep, but I sensed a really strong presence coming towards us from the east – they were moving at really high speeds, too. More than likely it was a rescue team from Konoha, which meant they found out the message we sent was a fake."
Gideon frowned. "It was a calculated risk, but one we had to accept. Nevertheless, their response was much quicker than I thought it would be."
"Knowing Gabriel, he didn't take any chances and sent two or three of his strongest teams," Nyx griped. "Fighting them and that med team while trying to capture our target would've been a problem, especially since you wanted this whole operation kept a secret." She wearily rubbed her forehead. "We both know that when the body count rises, more people sit up and take notice. As it is, too many people died on this one."
That statement caught his interest. "How many were lost?"
"Two from Konoha, and one of the ANBU we brought with us for support. One person from Konoha might still be alive, though. She took a pretty nasty punch from Gilgy and flew backwards, slamming her head into a bunch of rocks near the riverbank." Nyx licked her lips hungrily – almost as if she was as salivating over the memory. "You should've heard the sound. It was beautiful. Like a wet towel smacking against the pavement. Anyway, Gilgy and I decided to let her just float away. She won't remember a thing when she recovers – if she doesn't drown and survives going over the waterfall, that is."
"That's only if your assumption regarding the severity of her head wound happens to be correct," he rebuked. "And what of the bodies?"
"We did just like you told us and had Gilgy shred them using that Earth Desecration technique of his," Nyx replied. "They won't be able to tell who is who, let alone how many there even are until they do some DNA testing – and even that will take a couple of weeks. When they get the results back though, they'll think that chick we took is just as dead as everyone else, since we left a ton of DNA evidence at the scene. No one's gonna come looking for her and even if they do, they won't know where to look since I erased our tracks and scent."
Gideon nodded in satisfaction, before narrowing his eyes. "And what about our prize?" he asked in a flat, emotionless and completely unnerving tone of voice.
Nyx sweatdropped. Gideon never took bad news well. The mere mention of even the tiniest fracture in his meticulously crafted plans was usually enough to set him off – her only saving grace was his moderately decent amount of self-restraint. That still didn't mean he wouldn't go ballistic on her skinny ass if he felt like it.
"Well… that's the thing. Tsunade wasn't in the med party. It was some bitch with pink hair. But she sure as hell punched like that chick with the big tits we were sent to get." She reached up and gingerly touched her bruised skin, wincing at the pain. "I mean, I'm gonna be limping for at least a week and look what that whore did to my face! I would've carved out her heart with a rusty kunai if Gilgy hadn't stopped me…"
"Gilgamesh is usually the one who prefers violence over rational thought – especially in situations such as that," Gideon mused. "What did he say that gave you pause?"
"Basically that even if supertits wasn't there, we should still bring someone back for you to question, or torture, or whatever the hell you decided to do. Pinky was definitely the most valuable one of the bunch – compared to her, the rest were cannon fodder."
"Interesting." He pulled a file off the bookshelf and laid it out on his desk. "You said 'pink hair'. Does she look like this?"
Nyx glanced at the picture. "Yeah, that's her. Who the hell is she?"
"Tsunade's apprentice." He snapped the file shut. "She's rumored to be almost as good as her mentor in several areas, most notably medical ninjutsu. However, the main and most important difference between the two is that she lacks the Senju bloodline."
"Well, there's more. She's the one who killed the ANBU we brought along – with one punch." Nyx closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Even just the memory of the encounter was giving her a headache. "Gilgamesh took her on after that, but she was giving the big man enough problems trying to capture her alive so I hopped into her mind, thinking I could knock her out the easy way. Problem is, not only is she very resistant to genjutsu, I found another personality lurking in her mind. A strong one."
His eyes widened slightly at this. "A split personality? That shouldn't have posed a problem for you."
"Normally, you'd be right." Nyx began pantomiming with her hands, trying to give a visual representation of her explanation. "Other personalities can develop over time, but they're almost always anchored by the primary one. They coexist, but the offshoot personality still relies on the functions of the main one to provide memories, thought processes and basic functions."
"But this one was stronger than most – it probably got created when she was young, like eight or nine years old and it was a pretty damn powerful emotional surge that did it. Now the thing has evolved into a full-blown entity. It's like her brain is…" Nyx frowned, trying to find the right word.
"Compartmentalized?" Gideon offered.
"Yeah. What you just said." Nyx sighed in relief. The conversation was actually going much better than she expected. Gideon hadn't tried to strangle her in anger even once, which was a good sign. "A second personality would just share the brain, but it's like this one decided to take over half of her brain for itself. Honestly, it could be another person if it had just had a body of its own."
"Ah. Now that's an interesting and intriguing comment…" Gideon leaned back in his chair and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder… would she be the hammer, the anvil or the steel?"
Nyx drew back a bit and eyed him warily. "Umm… that was pretty cryptic and obscure, even for you. Care to enlighten me as to what the fuck you meant by that?"
A dry, humorless chuckle escaped his lips as Gideon waved his hand dismissively. "It's of no consequence, Nyx. Just mulling potential outcomes for the clay we've been presented with. Things may yet prove to be beneficial – after all, the true test of a leader is finding a silver lining in every situation. And I believe I have one."
He grabbed a scroll off the bookshelf behind him. Nyx only made out the word 'Nidaime' before it disappeared into one of his pockets.
"Tell me – where is our guest at the moment?"
"Sub-level 4 of the Interrogation division," Nyx stated. "She's in the torture room, waiting for you. I've got her strung up on a rack with double the normal amount of chakra suppression seals plastered over it, just in case."
"Then let's go and offer her a proper greeting," Gideon replied, as a malicious grin split his face from ear to ear and he rubbed his hands together diabolically. At the moment, Nyx thought he looked more like a mad scientist than the methodical, highly intelligent person controlling Iwa from the shadows.
"It would be rude to keep her waiting any longer."
A/N: And there you have it.
There was a lot of stuff going on here, but bear in mind that it's basically just the first part. There's more to come, and the whole situation with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura will conclude next chapter. As an extra bonus, there's a hint in this chapter as to what's going to happen with Sakura. Extra points to whoever can guess it, and lets me know in their review.
Also, I know I'm going to catch hell for giving Sasuke the full Rinnegan, but I never got Kishimoto's reasoning for one Sharingan and one Rinnegan. And I think what happened qualifies as enough of a traumatic event to change his eyes.
Recommendation time! Once again, I find myself trying to find stories where the author is continuing to update, and perhaps doesn't have the following that it should.
So this time I'm recommending An Uzumaki Scorned by SilentSambo88. It's another time travel story but with several new twists, including Naruto being much more intelligent, ruthless and cold than normal. It makes the characters in my story feel tame by comparison. There are several conspiracies running around, and some of them may shock you but it makes the story much more enjoyable.
So get on over and read it! And leave a review when you do – I'm sure the author would appreciate it!
Here's the link, as usual remove the spaces and you know what to replace the stars with:
www . fanfiction. *** / s / 10743657
REVIEWS! I finally came back down to earth. After getting so many reviews for the last 5 chapters, I pulled in 61 last time – but I still appreciate each and every one. More importantly, I finally broke the 2,000 review barrier and that's a big milestone here on FanFiction. Thanks to all my readers who helped me achieve it.
So, did you like the chapter? Good? Bad? What would you like to see? What should I do differently? Please let me know with a review. I say this every time and it's always true – they help keep me moving, even when get a serious case of writer's block. So please, help keep my creative juices flowing and leave me one. Even if it's just something as simple as 'I loved it', words hold a lot of power when it comes to motivation.
That's all for now. Take care and stay safe.
Serious Sam