The Light in the Fifth Floor Bedroom

by Gaaras-Gothic-Ninja-Sappy-Sue

Naruto had absolutely no problem with his new apartment...That is...before he looked out his window. Rated M for future chapters.

18. The Strange Thing About Sasori Akasuna

The Light in the Fifth Floor Bedroom

Warnings: Long. Mysteries just piling on top of each other. Some material might be offensive.

Chapter Eighteen: The Strange Thing About Sasori Akasuna

---

Seichi sat in front of his grandparents' fireplace. They lived in the most northern part of Northern-sect, where the ground was white with snow for most of the year and the sun shone so bright during the afternoon that there were public service announcements every day on the 12 o'clock news to wear sunscreen. His grandfather liked to run down the list of town folk and family members who'd come down with skin cancer with an unnerving sense of pride. He would talk of his days as the community doctor before he retired, when people were still ignorant of the effects of constant exposure to ultraviolet rays and ignored his warnings against the damage the sun could cause. His grandmother would nod along next to him – they never stood or sat more than a few feet from each other – in her reclining chair with her hands folded, her almost white hair falling like bangs on her tired, wrinkled face. White hair that if he squinted, he could see the light, pink stripes of color that were passed down to his mother.

Seichi hated it here.

It was cold and there was never anything to do. A woman came every day to homeschool him, and once things were settled, he would have to take aptitude exams and enroll into the elementary school nearby.

But Seichi didn't want to go to school here.

His grandmother mumbled something from her chair and stood, light hair falling in front of her shoulders. "Don't sit too close to the fire, son." she warned. "Sakura..." she hesitated a little, and Seichi didn't have to see her to know that her head was probably held downcast, eyes distant and sadly nostalgic. "...she used to always…" She trailed off and Seichi turned to look at her. She was smoothing down her skirt and when she saw her grandson looking she smiled. "I'm going to make us all some tea." she announced, before heading towards the kitchen.

Seichi turned back to face the fireplace. Every moment in this house was like that. Slow. Boring. All expectations for excitement were met with disappointment. This is why he hated old people.

When he'd heard the news of his mother, it was almost like she had been immortalized in death. He wanted to forgive the times she had hurt him, the times that her jealousy over his affection towards his father (and vice versa) had caused her to lash out. Seichi knew his mother loved him. She was just weak. She had tried her best.

When he'd heard that she'd been locked away for her own protection, from her own insanity… He'd wept. He'd wept for days, like the child he was but pretended not to be.

Then they sent him here, where the snow never stopped falling and the sun shone for sixteen hours in the day.

He missed his mother. He wanted to go home.

He wanted to see his father.

The flames crackled against the wood and licked the red brick inside the fireplace. Every day the brick would remind him of the day he walked into building 1313. He remembered how he trembled, the way the fire did now, in the wake of those green eyes. He remembered thinking, how could they be so cold? They had reminded him of Mila, the house cat who'd been in his mother's family for 6 years before he was born, then died after he turned five. Seichi had found it behind the couch, stiff and staring blankly ahead, yellow eyes listless and frigid, the way that man's had been when he looked down at Seichi from behind his doorway.

When he invited Seichi in, of course Seichi had hesitated. The man didn't have to say words; he simply moved aside and opened the door wider so that Seichi could see the dark apartment inside.

And it was strange because Seichi had been told so many times not to trust strangers, not to get into cars with strangers…

Yet he had been willing to go into that man's apartment.

Gaara's home.

Seichi's eyes narrowed now, at the fireplace.

When he had left the apartment, Gaara never said "Don't tell anyone what I showed you, or else."

He had simply let him go.

Did he know that Seichi would say nothing? Or was it more like he did not care if he did? Still, he had lied to Naruto.

What if someone dies if he told them what he knew? This constantly plagued the young boy's thoughts. Those eyes, the ease with which the man had let him go – it felt like an unspoken threat. Or like a promise. Maybe it was the simple fact that the man knew Seichi would say nothing. He knew Seichi would not disrupt the flow of ignorance that plagued everyone else.

But every day Seichi stared at the fireplace, was another day that guilt racked him, forced him to wonder, if he had made a mistake.

---

Naruto was waking up.

"This, on top of everything else that's happened won't be good for him. You know that."

Tsunade's hushed voice slowly began to register with his ears. She was never really good at whispering, but it was the anger in her tone, more than the actual words, that took the blonde from his dreamless sleep.

"And I'm getting really sick and tired of you coming here uninvited." His grandmother continued indignantly. "A federal investigation? And now you want to keep him in some hotel? What makes you think I would let you take him, use him to find someone who has nothing to do with him?"

Who was she talking to?

"Your concern is not entirely misplaced." replied someone infinitely calmer. "As I've said before, I speak on behalf of my entire department when I say we put Naruto's safety above every—"

"Then why won't you stop coming here and just leave him alone?" Tsunade hissed back. "It's the police that got him into this God damned mess anyway. You didn't protect him when he needed your help, and now he's in the hospital—" she paused, lest her anger took a hold of her. "He needs his rest." She finished finally.

"He's had his rest." The other person countered. "We know your grandson's condition, Tsunade. It's been six days and the intel we've gathered of his rapidly improving state—"

"You shouldn't be getting any information on him at all. There are rules of confidentiality—"

"This goes beyond any confidentiality clause, doctor." The voice, although calm, made Naruto inwardly wince. "Lives are in danger, and keeping the one person who can save those lives in captivity—"

"Captivity—?"

"I understand that you want to keep him safe but holding him here—"

"You say captivity as if I—"

"There are measures that will be taken to ensure the safety of this city, doctor. And don't think we don't have a way to completely remove you from supervising your grandson—"

"How can a freak of nature like you think you're in any position to threaten me?"

Tsuande's voice became grave, and Naruto officially tried to move in his bed. It was hard because his movements had been so limited for such a long time. He grunted as he tried to sit up.

Tsunade was at his side so quickly that the harsh breath she'd inhaled from across the room when he'd first shifted was now exhaling into his face. "Naruto, are you all right? Did we wake you?"

"Naruto-san." Naruto blinked when the last person he expected to see stood at the end of his bed. She smiled at him. "It's nice to see you again."

"H…Haku." He rasped out.

The woman nodded at him, that small smile never leaving her face. Or his face. Naruto was still confused about the chief's sex, but he assumed since she dressed like a woman, he would think of her as one.

"You don't have to worry about her." And that was Tsunade, turning to glare at the chief. "Momochi was just leaving."

"Grandma," Naruto complained, letting the annoyance coat his voice. He wondered how many times his grandmother turned police officials away in the last…what was it that Haku said? Six days?

"She's getting in the way of your recovery." Tsunade explained. "Her and all the others who keep trying to come here."

"But I feel…I feel fine." Naruto replied, looking at her.

Tsunade glared down at her grandson. "Do you have any idea what you've just gone through? Do you really think a week is enough for you to recover? And this is just from the physical strain. We have to think about your mental health too." She was so close to the blonde that Naruto could feel her every breath.

He winced but did not back down. He tried to glare. "I know exactly what I've been through. You…you're the one who doesn't know anything." He added. "Trust me, tt would be better if you just…stayed out of this. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

Tsunade looked back at him almost blankly.

"He's right, doctor." Haku didn't even sound smug. "It's better you stay out of this for now. You've done your part, and now the police have to do theirs. It's also time that Naruto do his par—"

"He has no part!" Tsunade exclaimed, surprising the both of them. "Naruto has no part in any of this! You think I'm just going to let him go back to the very thing that put him in the hospital in the first place? If you keep insisting on dragging my grandson into your bullshit, I'm going to make sure to take him far, far away—"

"Grandma, jeez!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring at her again. "This is exactly why I left home! You're so damned overbearing. Listen to me for once. I'm not a child."

"But you're my grandson." Tsunade stressed, coming in close again, looking a little desperate. "You do understand how much you mean to me, don't you? You do understand how idiotic it is for you to be dragged back into the very thing that caused you harm, don't you? They want to keep you under constant surveillance, Naruto. They want to book you in a hotel and have men guard your door, and use you whenever they feel like it. Is that what you want? To be some kind of bait to these people? To be handled whenever they see fit? You don't need to be a part of that. You can come home, Naruto."

Naruto's mouth worked, and his eyes kept going from Haku's to his grandmother's at the mention of a hotel and surveillance. In the end he couldn't really come up with anything to say. "Gr…grandma. I…It's just so much has changed since I…"

"Since you abandoned the only family you had left?" Tsunade countered cruelly. "Do you think you'd be in this mess if you had listened to me, Naruto? If you'd never left? I tried to make you stay… but you wanted to leave so badly. And look what happens when I don't pry, Naruto. You almost got yourself killed."

"Grandma…" Naruto interrupted, running a tired hand through his hair. "I am a part of this. I've always been. This isn't something the police put me up to. All of this...was inevitable. I know you're worried but I want to help. I need to help them. "

Tsunade's eyes narrowed to the point of slits, and she hovered over the blonde like a dark cloud. Naruto could see the wheels turning in her head, her anger making her lips quiver and her eyebrows twitch. Her hand that Naruto only now realized had been resting on his bed was now tightening on the sheets.

"I could have left you to die, you know that?" Tsunade's voice was low. "I could have left you in that forest to rot, knowing what your mother did to my son." Her words became very hot and her eyes bore into the blonde's face like he was a parasite. "But I took you in, because I know he lives in you. Despite your degenerate other half, I love you, Naruto. And this is how you repay—"

"Grandma—" Naruto tried to interject, eyes wide and taken aback.

"You say you've changed but you're still a damned selfish brat like you mother was." She pulled away from her grandson suddenly. "If you want to throw yourself in this mess that's fine with me. I'm done trying to protect you." She took that chance to stalk around the bed and out of the room, shoving Haku to the side as she did.

Naruto called out to her, hurt and confused, but his grandmother didn't stop.

When silence ruled the room for several moments, Haku finally cleared her throat.

"She's…quite the woman." She voiced neutrally. "An incredible doctor…but a bit of a hot-head, I must say."

Naruto was still looking at the door, stricken with the emotions Tsunade left him with. She was always harsh with him, borderline cruel. But it came from a place of love, a place of worry. But not once had his grandmother ever, ever mentioned her son, his father to him. He had just never graced their topics of discussion. Not even his mother had ever brought him up. And although Tsunade had never hid her utter dislike for his mother to Naruto, to compare the two of them like that…

"Naruto…? You're upset."

The blonde blinked a few times, trying to come back down to earth. "Don't worry about it. This is what she does." He looked to the door again, holding onto his sheets, waiting for his grandmother to burst through, angry still, but forgiving. She did not come. And her words still stung.

"If you really need me to, I will come back another time when your mind is more equipped for the information I have for you today. But it really is for the best that we start—"

"No! No…Grandma she's…she's fine… I need to know what's happened. Six days, right? What have I…what have I missed?"

Haku nodded once before she took off her jacket and set it down on the foot of the bed. She looked relieved, as if she'd been waiting a long time for this moment. She began to pace, slow and calm, with her hands behind her back, as if gathering her thoughts. Finally she stopped at the end of the room, and she had a small, almost sad smile on her face.

"There's just…so much to say." She admitted softly. "I don't really know where to begin…I suppose I'll start with an outline of the plan we have in mind for the next few days…Like your grandmother said before, we will be admitting you into a hotel later today."

Naruto raised a hand for a moment, trying to follow. Haku said "admitting" like he was a patient and the hotel was a hospital. "Uhm…a hotel? Why?"

Haku raised eyebrows at the blonde. "You didn't think we'd allow you go live back at home on your own, did you?" she asked, genuinely surprised. "The Sectoral Bureau of Investigations are now involved in this case, Naruto. Needless to say we have some extra resources. Enough so that we can station you in one of our sites and keep tabs on you away from the privacy of your own apartment."

Naruto felt like he wanted to argue, but when he thought about it, it seemed logical. They needed to keep an eye on him. They needed to protect him. And of course he wouldn't be allowed back into his apartment. Not when someone had obviously been watching him from there. "Sectoral…The SBI? Weren't they involved before?"

"They only became involved when they thought organized terror against Northern-sect was a possibility. When they found sufficient evidence that Gaara was working on his own – especially when the two men he escaped from the prison with were apprehended – they pulled away and declared this a case concerning only the greater Northern-sect area. Now they're back and even leading parts of this investigation."

"Is it because of what happened at the house?"

"No. It's because – well it's due to a lot of things. Some of which will be shared with you today, if you're up for it. We'll of course keep some information to ourselves, for your safety, and for the safety of everyone working on this case."

Naruto opened his mouth to counter the statement, but after a moment he relaxed. "Because you don't trust me." He replied.

Haku gave him a small, sad smile. "It would be…presumptuous to trust you, Naruto. Even now. Especially now, I should say." She shrugged. "In my heart I know you are on our side. But I don't solve cases with my heart." Her smiled waned.

Naruto squeezed the sheets. It still felt a little ridiculous to him that they still didn't trust him. After all he'd been through. He was under their watchful eye most of the time. What else did he have to prove?

"So, what now then?" he asked. "I go to a hotel and just…wait there or something? Do nothing?"

"Well no, there certainly won't be "nothing" to do at the hotel. We will be preparing you for…I guess we can call it a mission. We will be paying a visit to someone who could be of real help to us in this case. We're going to see her on Friday. Two days from now."

"Who?"

"She was Gaara's…caretaker when he was released on parole. She's been questioned before but…some new information has come to light and we your perspective is appreciated."

Naruto tried to process the information. Gaara's caretaker? He vaguely remembered reading somewhere that Gaara wasn't allowed back into Suna when he was first released from prison. There had to be a place that previously incarcerated children were taken when they were on probation. But he thought it was an institution; "caretaker" made it sound like someone's home.

"But we'll get into that at the station. I need to take you there so that you can answer a few of the questions we have following the incident in Gaara's home. There's just so much we need to know about what happened there."

"Uhm. Yeah. Of course." Naruto was more interested in what the hell had happened in the past six days but it was important they knew about his dream – his memories.

"To tell you the truth, I thought we were going to have to forcibly take you from this hospital. Some of the sectoral agents assigned to this case were getting impatient with Tsunade…but I didn't want to rush her. They had an operation planned for tomorrow if I couldn't convince her to let you go today. "

"I didn't know." Naruto admitted. "Every time I woke up I just ate and she would tell me I needed more rest. I was kind of too out of it to question it... But I had wondered what was happening on the outside."

"Well we have you now. We will give you as much information as we can give, but first you have to tell us what happened in that house. We'll do this at the station."

"Wait. Can you tell me exactly why the SBI decided to get involved? Did…did something happen? Something bad… while I was out?"

Haku looked contemplative. "Not just a specific event but…an accumulation of discoveries. A rapidly growing online cult following being one of them."

Naruto blinked, taken aback for a moment. He thought he was going to hear something along the lines of another bomb going off. "A cult?"

"Yes. Gaara Sabaku Kaze has…developed a significant cult following online." She said the world cult as if she wasn't sure if it was what she wanted to call it. "He's always had followers, but there's been a sudden surge of activity and we aren't sure why. There are sites popping up all over the internet and…at first we thought it was the work of the typical desolate individuals who fell in love with Kaze after the incident in Mushroom tech. But now we think…it might be a little more than that."

"A site…" Naruto tried to confirm. "Well, what's in it?"

Haku nodded. "Sites. Plural. They keep resurfacing even after our team shuts them down…As for what's in them…let's save that conversation for later; I'd like to tell you the details once we reach the station. After of course, you've answered our questions."

Naruto hesitated for a moment. "Your questions. Of course." Naruto was prepared to answer those questions. He needed to tell them what he knew anyway. It was important that the police knew that he'd met Gaara before. Twice. "So…are we going?"

Haku seemed to contemplate the question for a moment before she took her jacket from the bed. "Yes. We just need to sign you out of this place." Her eyes traveled to the door expectantly, and as if she'd cast a spell, a nurse suddenly stepped inside, holding a clipboard.

She paused when she saw Haku. "Uhm…" Her eyes looked to the clock in the room. "Are you allowed to be in here? Visiting hours aren't for another hour or so." She informed carefully. "You'll have to step out as I check his vitals."

Haku gave the woman a smile that was nothing short of award winning. "That won't be necessary. Naruto-san is being discharged today." She buttoned her work jacket and pulled her hair out from the collar. "He's an adult so I'm sure the front desk will have something he can just sign so we can both be on our way…?"

The nurse hesitated. "Oh. Well…it's just that Dr. Tsunade insists that—"

"What Dr. Tsunade insists is of no concern to me." Haku interrupted swiftly. "May you fetch his clothes? We will be leaving the hospital shortly."

"But—"

"We don't have much time." Another swift interruption followed with a sweet smile.

The nurse hesitated once before she finally left the room.

The chief turned to Naruto, same smile on her face. "I don't suppose you'll have trouble walking to my car, will you?"

Naruto blinked at her, then wiggled his toes. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd actually stood up. His grandmother really knew how to put him on lockdown. "I'm pretty sure I can." He replied, pulling the sheet off of his legs and swinging them over the side of the bed. He waved them back and forth. His legs worked fine.

"Good. I'm glad."

Naruto turned to her, eyebrows slightly raised and features cautious.

Haku's smile was soft. "We were all very worried about you, Naruto." Her voice was near a whisper. "We're glad you're okay."

He put his head down. "Yeah. Me too."

The same nurse came in through the door a little while later. She had a pile of clothes in her hands. "The clothes you came with were confiscated by police, sir. These sweatpants and t-shirt should do for now." She gave them to him, and Naruto accepted them warily. Was he supposed to change with the both of them watching? And what was he supposed to do about underwear? He sure as hell wasn't wearing one now, and he couldn't see one in the pile of clothes.

"I've notified the desk nurse that you'll be there soon to checkout. She'll have the forms ready when you arrive."

Haku gave the woman her thanks as Naruto tried to put on his clothes in a dignified manner, slipping out of his gown carefully and pulling the black sweat pants on first.

The nurse was gone by the time he finished putting all the clothes on, and when he turned Haku was by the door, waiting expectantly.

"Are you ready?"

Naruto stood there, blinking for one moment. That causal question felt unnecessarily loaded in that moment.

Was he ready?

"I hope so."

---

They'd spoken very little in the car. Haku wanted to save all of his questions and their answers for when they were at their destination. She made a few calls during the car ride, seeing if certain people were at the station. She shook her head every time Naruto asked something he thought was a simple question.

And it made Naruto really nervous. What was going on besides the online cult sites? Did Gaara send another letter? Was someone else dead? And what about this "mission" he had on Friday?

"We need to hear what you have to say first." Was all Haku could say.

She drove the way someone who worked for the justice department should drive: right on the speed limit and cautious of every street sign. Not once did her eyes leave the road when Naruto spoke.

"The more we learn, the more we realize we don't know." She had said with her eyes ahead. "Which is why I want you to be prepared to answer our questions thoughtfully and truthfully, all right? You must leave nothing out. The tiniest details are crucial at this point."

Naruto had nodded. That had been his plan anyway.

When they arrived at the station Naruto was in his own thoughts, thinking of who he would see and of who he wouldn't see now.

For some reason Masashi flashed through his mind before Sai did. That old, old man. How much of all this was his fault? How much of it was not? His death was so sudden, and Naruto really hoped the chief wasn't a part of the already huge puzzle they needed to solve.

Naruto had to go through security even though he'd just come from the hospital with the chief to vouch for his harmlessness. An older man patted him down heavily, groping his pocketless sweatpants and feeling through his white flimsy t-shirt.

It hadn't been fun being out there in the cold. He really wished he had his small jacket, but apparently the police had taken it into custody. Small goose bumps were beginning to appear on his skin, where blonde hair stood.

When they left the security area they entered the same back area Obito had taken him to before, only they passed the room Naruto recognized, and went to one further down. Naruto could already hear the commotion before the two of them entered the room. Shouting, things moving around, people shuffling. He wasn't ready when Haku suddenly opened the door to the room, and stepped inside. She held the door open so Naruto could follow.

The silence that fell over when he entered was abrupt, tangible. Naruto winced.

The usual suspects were there, like Zabuza, Hinata, and Lee. Seeing those three relieved him. He remembered how scared he was when he saw Zabuza and Lee collapse in Gaara's house. Obito wasn't there and there were a lot of others that Naruto did not recognize. One face in particular quite surprised him. Kurenai – the autopsy woman. She nodded to him once, with eyes that were nowhere near as solemn as everyone else's. She looked excited. Behind her a few people were scuffling around and closing what looked like large folders. One turned off an overhead so the images on the whiteboard in front of the room disappeared before Naruto could look at them. Naruto raised a cautious eyebrow in their direction. What had they been looking at?

"So," And that was Zabuza, forcing Naruto to tear his eyes from the others. He was wearing one less layer than Naruto was used to. The usual large jacket that adorned him lay discarded somewhere so all he had on was a tight black wife-beater. "That old hag finally set you free from that damned hospital?"

Naruto hesitated. "She was worried about me."

"Naruto!" Lee's exclaim came a little belatedly. His voice was loud but hesitant. "It's so good to see you…well…alive!"

"So this is Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto turned to the voice and found two people over by Kurenai walking towards him.

"Naruto," Haku put a hand on the blonde's back. "These are agents Zetsu and Kimimaro. They've been dispatched from Southern-sect to keep an eye on you and the investigation within this police department. They're here to help."

"And to bring this whole operation down once we sniff out the rat that's been feeding intel to the ememy." One of them said. He looked at Naruto as he said that. He had a strange skin condition. A little more than half of his face was considerably darker than the other, and when Naruto looked at his hands he saw the condition existed there too, with spots of dark and light skin. "Any pieces you miss, anything that becomes amiss within the city-wide investigation will be reported and dealt with."

The other man who'd said nothing yet came up to Naruto and extended a hand. "Agent Kimimaro."

Naruto shook the hand hesitantly, but he felt much a better vibe with this man than the one with the skin condition. He was pale in a way that reminded him of Gaara, but his hair was very light. He had darkness under his eyes that also reminded him of Gaara. A sign of constant fatigue, most likely.

"So we've come all the way here to listen to what you have to say." Zetsu explained. "Can we get to it, please?" he looked around room, impatient.

"Please, Naruto. Have a seat."

Naruto followed Haku's orders, and was seated right in front of Hinata not unlike the last time he was in a room like this. She had her laptop in front of her, and was carefully looking at the blonde from behind her fringe. She nodded once. "It's good to see you well." She spoke quietly.

"We'll get right to business then." Zabuza stood beside the table with his arms crossed. Everyone seemed to settle against the wall or take a seat. All eyes were on the blonde.

Naruto swallowed. "Y-yeah." Now he was really anxious. "H…Haku said something about a site?"

There were collective shared looks around the room. Zabuza nodded solemnly. "Yes. We'll get to that later. But first, we need to know exactly what happened at Gaara's. Before and after we passed out."

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it again. Why were they all staring at him like that? As if they didn't trust him.

Zabuza noticed his hesitation and rapped the table twice with hard knuckles. "Listen, kid. You do realize that we are being generous by not just putting you into our custody and straight up interrogating like a suspect, right?"

"What?" Why would he be in custody?

"Get a sense of how it looked, Naruto." And that was Haku, coming forwards as if to dull Zabuza's heavy energy. "Our officers were knocked out by a gas, but they remember you still standing as they fell…And when they woke up an hour afterwards…Sai had been shot."

It took a moment for Naruto to realize what the hell they were insinuating. "Wait. You think I had something to do with Sai?" voicing it aloud caused him to nearly choke on the words. "Wh—I got knocked out too." he raised his voice suddenly, sitting up and clenching his hands into fists on the table. He couldn't believe this.

"And I don't suppose you would know exactly who shot him?" Haku asked calmly. "The weapon we found beside your body was contaminated with blood. But no fingerprints."

"Maybe because Sai's brains splattered all over it when Gaara pulled the damn trigger!" Naruto shouted, looking at the people in the room in anger. To think that he thought he was coming over here to help people with an investigation, when in fact he was being accused yet again, for something he couldn't have done.

A heavy silence passed around the room.

"So Gaara was there."

"Of course he wa—!" Naruto paused then, catching himself.

Wait.

Wait.

It…

It made sense.

Their suspicions made sense.

He looked around the room cautiously. The men who'd been with him were knocked out way before Gaara entered the room. Gaara's presence completely eluded them. Of course they were only hearing this now.

"Yes." he tried again, calmer. "He was there. He came in when everyone was passed out – but I wasn't. Not yet. And before he even came into the room he…" Naruto swallowed. Fuck. All the emotions he was feeling. Back and forth with Gaara. It was always back and forth. One minute he was a murderer the next he was an innocent boy who was raped. One minute he was a cold-blooded killer and the next he was the childhood friend Naruto had forgotten existed. And now he was a murderer again.

"He…he's the one who shot Sai." his voice shook. "Sai was getting up again…and I was so glad that he was okay…but then his head just—" Naruto held his head downcast, swallowing thick phlegm again and again.

There was another heavy silence, but Zabuza broke it before it could get too long. "We believe you kid. We believe you when you say you didn't kill Sai. It's just we never pegged you for someone who would ejaculate to the sound of a gunshot."

"Huh—?"

Then Naruto's breath hitched, and it was like a burst of flames ignited within his cheeks and stomach.

Oh.

Haku bent down so her face was near his. Her hand found its way to his back again. "We examined your clothes the day of the incident, Naruto…You can tell us the truth about what really happened."

Naruto was shuddering to his very core. Of shame and embarrassment.

He didn't know why light bulbs didn't go off in his head when that nurse said they'd taken his clothes. He kept his head down and his hands found their way on his lap, clutching the sweatpants material. How could he have forgotten that…that Gaara…

It was just everything…and the dream.

It was the dream that made him forget.

"Naruto…we need you to tell us exactly what happened. You won't be judged here."

Naruto shut his eyes tightly and let a shaky exhale escape his mouth. What the hell was she talking about? Of course he would be judged!

He couldn't believe this was happening. He should have thought this through in the car. He took his hands from his lap and folded them on the table, but he couldn't bring himself to look up at the people around the room. "I…I was scared." His voice was but a whisper. "When I saw Sai collapse I just…I was so scared. I'd never been scared like that before. I-I thought I was gonna shit my pants. A-and he told me that I…make him irrational." Naruto blinked and shook his head. He was jumping around now, skipping details in his nervousness.

"…H-he asked me if I remembered him yet…he made me watch the video on the T.V – and I was just so scared," he breathed, shutting his eyes tight so that the tears wouldn't fall. "I'd never been so afraid in my life, it was like—!...Like everything was collapsing around me. Like everything I'd worked for was for nothing and I thought for sure that I would die that night, I—" he stopped, tightening his hands together and trembling. "He told me he wanted me to feel something other than that fear. He told me…to think only of him."

Naruto let out a long frustrated sigh and took his hands to his moistening eyes. Fuck this.

Haku was rubbing circles around his back. "Are you saying…that you were raped, Naruto?" she asked softly.

Naruto's head shot up like a spring and he stared at the chief with disbelief. "W-what? N-no! I…he…he just…" he tried to find the words. "He just…he touched me." he tried to explain, his cheeks flaring. "W-with his hands." he murmured, looking back down. "Nothing else."

"And you ejaculated." Zabuza added plainly.

Naruto winced and didn't nod his head.

"Gaara Sabaku shoots one of our own, forces you to watch that obscene video, touches you…and you ejaculate." Zabuza repeated, sounding less than sympathetic.

"Zabuza." Haku said evenly. She glared up at her partner.

"I just don't understand how anyone could find it in themselves to orgasm when the splattered brain of a police officer and the rotting torso of God knows who is ten feet away."

Naruto's lips and chin quivered.

"This compromises you against our cause. I hope you know that." Zabuza's voice was still unsympathetic. "It would be one thing if you were just raped, but you're telling us otherwise. You're telling us he made advances at you, and despite the situation at hand, you responded to those advances. It makes me think there's something more between you two than you've told us—"

"I've told you everything!" Naruto cried suddenly, banging his hand on the table. One tear fell from his eye without his consent as he turned to glare at the larger chief. "I was so…afraid." he bit out, sounding a bit like a broken record. "I don't know…why my bo-dy—" betrayed me. He shut his eyes. "I was never sure what Gaara wanted. I-I'm still not sure. But. But he touched me, that's it." he insisted. "I'm not some fucking freak who gets turned on by death—"

"We know that, Naruto." It was Lee who was finally speaking up.

"Zabuza's being insensitive." Haku continued. You're the victim here, and it isn't your fault your body…" Haku hesitated before standing up straight. "And we had our theories. This was one of them. Can you be absolutely sure that it was Gaara who was in that house? That it was Gaara who shot Sai? That it was Gaara who raped you?"

Naruto was nodding, but he stopped at that last part. "He didn't rape me." he insisted.

"Then are you saying he touched you with your consent?"

"No!" he exclaimed, looking at the female chief with disbelief. "I…no."

"Naruto," Haku began, looking at him with sympathy in her eyes. "I know that this might be a lot to take in. But when someone touches you like that without consent..."

"But it wasn't rape—"

"Why are you defending him?" That was Zetsu. The man stared at Naruto evenly. "Why not grab at the idea that you were raped? Why aren't you clinging to any explanation that would make him your enemy and our ally? Do you have any idea how this makes you look? Defending his actions like that?"

And Naruto didn't know how to respond. "I…It's just…he wouldn't do that." he whispered.

"Wouldn't do what, Naruto? Even if it didn't involve penetration, he sexually assaulted you. You were molested."

"How could he be capable of that when his uncle did those things to him?" Naruto countered, voice barely audible. "How could he even be thinking that, when you all know how his uncle hurt him?"

Haku looked at him evenly. "It's not uncommon for those who've been hurt in the past to seek to inflict the same pain onto others in their adulthood." she explained softly. "Gaara's past doesn't make it any less plausible that he would do those things without your consent."

Naruto tried to speak, but couldn't find the words. His mind was going in so many different directions. And he had to think about it before he could really understand Haku's argument.

He hadn't wanted Gaara to touch him like that.

He had pushed Gaara away – initially.

It was his weakness, his fear, his confusion that turned his pushing into pulling, that turned his cries into moans, that made him move against the hand that touched him – without his consent.

And if Naruto had continued to struggle? If Naruto had continued to cry? If he had never panted the way he did, held onto the redhead the way he did, praying, pulling, aching for that final release? Would Gaara have stopped?

Naruto didn't know what to think.

He shook in his seat.

So….

He was…

Had he been raped?

"Naruto?"

He didn't look up. He only blinked at his fingers on the table.

He didn't know what to think.

And now all these questions. What did all of this mean? What did this make him? A straight man, moving desperately to the steady strokes of a male murderer.

So many things were wrong with that picture.

Naruto shut his eyes, defeated.

Every time he thought he'd figured something out, every time he thought he had one solid opinion about the redhead, it was discredited by a new more horrible realization.

"I understand that you're in shock…but I ask that you move past this for now." It was obvious Haku was trying very hard to be kind and urgent at the same time. "You have to tell us if there's anything else you found out, anything else Gaara told you in that house."

Naruto stayed quiet for long moments, staring at the table with a sad, dejected gaze. How could they even ask him to speak after that? His fingers twitched on his lap, and he couldn't help but feel betrayed by them somehow. How they'd shamelessly clenched the fabric of clothing on Gaara's shoulders, how they'd trembled when his body responded to the redhead's touching, how they'd relaxed when he came—

"Naruto." Haku was squeezing his shoulder. "We need to know what else he told you."

The blonde blinked impassively down at the hands he was beginning to hate. He traced the lines on them with his eyes, stopping at where the mark of Gaara's teeth would have been had he not let the wounds heal…

When he spoke he sounded like his whole being had deflated. "I had a dream."

"….A dream?"

Naruto worked his mouth. "No…not a dream. It was the past…replaying in my mind."

The silence betrayed everyone's confusion, but Naruto continued. "The gas put me in a really…really deep sleep." he whispered, his mind going to the sand, the bleeding hands, and the forest. "And while I slept I…I remembered."

"What do you mean?" Lee asked, coming forwards.

Naruto swallowed, opening his hands again. "The reason why Gaara keeps asking me if I remember him…is because I did meet him before."

There were belated sounds of surprise around the room.

"What? When? Where? How do you know? Did he tell you?"

"I remembered." Naruto repeated softly, despite the way everyone else's voice had raised. "I met him twice. Once when I was young. Nine years old. And again when I was fifteen. When I went looking for Sasuke."

"Naruto you're throwing us for a loop here. What do you mean you've met him before?"

Naruto finally looked up, staring at all of them with eyes he knew looked spent. He didn't even know where to begin at this point. What could he say when the word rape was swimming in his mind.

"I…" he hesitated.

But it was obvious where to start, he realized, wiping his hands on his lap.

From the beginning.

He breathed in deeply before he began to tell them exactly what his dream entailed, watching the disbelieving looks on their faces as they listened. He made sure they knew every single detail, because he knew that somehow it would coincide with facts they knew in real life. And he surprised himself with how effortlessly the dream fell from his lips, from detail to detail, before finally concluding with his run-in with Sasuke's headless body.

"…when it was over he told me that what I was seeing wasn't what he was…but how I remembered him…" Naruto murmured, narrowing his eyes into the distance. He wasn't sure he would ever understand what dream-Sasuke had meant. "I asked him what else there was to do and he told me to open my eyes. And I woke up…and it was over. "

The room was looking at Naruto with varied expressions on their faces. Most looked lost. Others disbelieving. No one knew what to say.

"There are…a lot of things that could have caused that…dream, Naruto." Of course it was Haku who spoke first, her voice careful as she put her hand on his back again.

"Dreams can be telling and at the same time very misleading…" Lee added from his end. "But…what was that last thing? About Sasuke?"

"He told me that I wasn't seeing what he was but how I remembered him." Naruto repeated. "And his body was holding his head in its arms. It was…" Creepy.

Everyone in the room looked at each other. Lee came in a little closer to Haku's ear and whispered something for a moment before falling back. Haku raised an eyebrow when Lee retreated and managed to look contemplative and disturbed at once.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, and took a note of the shift in the room, especially with Kurenai and the people who stood behind her.

"It's still…just a dream, Naruto." The chief finally said.

Dream. She stressed it as if she were genuinely concerned with Naruto's ability to tell the difference between it and reality.

"Having gone through so many emotions…you have to remember that your mind can be unreliable…" At this point the chief's words faded in and out for Naruto. He couldn't find it in himself to pay attention to someone who actively refused to believe him. "…Perhaps giving you these flashing images in your unconsciousness is your brain's way of—"

"They weren't "flashing images"…" Naruto's voice was indignant. But how was he going to convince them that the dream wasn't a dream at all, and instead an unconscious flow of consecutive, real memories. He should have anticipated people not believing him. They were all just so…concerned with his mental and physical health that they weren't listening to him. Even Zabuza looked a little worried.

"Perhaps Gaara concocted an elaborate gas that would affect you this way?" Haku asked. "Set you into a deep sleep and…muddle your mind somehow?"

Naruto thought about that.

"We still don't know why the gas affected you so much more than the others." Zabuza murmured. "Everyone passed out for less than an hour, but you…"

Naruto wondered if perhaps Gaara made it so that Naruto would remember the past? Made him fall into a sleep so deep that it somehow awoke faded images? But how was that possible? How could any concoction possibly revive his memories in that way? When Naruto voiced that option everyone looked at him then at each other. They still thought he was crazy.

"I'm not only concerned about your well-being, but with how the gas affected the officers on the scene." Haku continued.

Zabuza hummed in the corner. "Kakashi and I spoke before. I'm not sure I believe everything but it makes sense. In the case that Gaara has no intention of hurting us, then why make us fall unconscious in the first place? There must have been an easier way to get to talk to Naruto alone…"

"Which means that the gas must have some sort of purpose." Haku continued. "Something that might come up later on. For all we know Gaara has implanted something in your system, something that can't be detected immediately and that will be triggered by something in the future. Or a slow acting poison…" she trailed off.

Naruto's brows furrowed and he looked at Zabuza suddenly. The man didn't look particularly concerned, but the idea that something was probably swimming in him, infecting him without him knowing it…that had to scare him.

"Naruto, if you're sure that your dream is more than a dream and actually a memory, can you do me a favor and tell me the dates again?"

"The first time in the beginning of November. I was nine years old so…1998. The second time I was in the forest…near or after Christmas of 2004 I think. December. I was fifteen.

Lee hmm'ed stroking his chin. "Well the dates fall into place, but you could have just as easily known the dates beforehand. Gaara murdered his father November 5th, which I assume is around the time you met him—"

"I think I met him the day before." Naruto stressed, leaning forwards. "I remember the radio – my mom was angry and she shut it off – but before she did, someone was talking about the mayor and his family. Something bad had happened."

"So you're saying you met Gaara, became best friends one day before he murdered his family?" Zabuza interjected, scoffing as he did. "Now I think I know why Masashi had such a hard time dealing with you. Do you have any idea how ridiculous this all sounds? How can you be so quick to believe in your dreams—"

"Because when I woke up I remembered." Naruto stressed. "I know it sounds crazy but I remember—"

"Then how could you have forgotten?" Zabuza countered. "How could you have forgotten someone like that? Someone who bit your hand and supposedly saved your life in a nature preserve? Even if you really did forget, why did it take so long for you to remember, when Gaara has appeared to you so many times before this?"

"I—" Naruto paused, eyes pleading. "I-I don't know." he admitted. "I don't know how I could have forgotten…and I don't know why it's all suddenly coming to me now….But you have to believe me." he added, making fists with his hands. "It's not just the dream – I'm remembering other things too. It's like…the things that I've repressed are suddenly spilling out and I don't…I don't know what to do with everything except try to help."

When he was answered with silence his brows furrowed and he leaned back in his chair. "I know it sounds crazy…and I'm confused about some things too…but I know that I met him. Twice. And I know that…he doesn't want to hurt me…" he finished cautiously.

"And yet he raped you." Zabuza muttered, turning around.

"It wasn't—" Naruto stopped himself, breathing in sharply then exhaling shakily. "I don't think he meant to hurt me." Naruto tried to explain. "He said that…I make him…irrational sometimes…a-and that—"

"Naruto listen to yourself…" Haku was whispering. "You have to remember whose side you're on. Say that everything you're telling us is true and that you and Gaara actually were friends in the past, that he did help you in the forest. Don't let that compromise our responsibility – your responsibility – to track him down and put him back in prison where he belongs."

Naruto's brows furrowed, and he glared helplessly at the table. "I know that."

"I'm concerned with some of the details of your dream, Naruto." Lee spoke up again, coming closer to the table. "In the forest…you say Gaara told you he was being sought after for a crime people thought he committed. Are you saying that Gaara told you he didn't kill those students and teachers in Mushroom tech all those years ago?"

Naruto hesitated. He'd thought about that too. But if he said he was going to believe in everything his mind brought to him in those two days of sleep, he had to include that too. "Yeah. I think that's exactly what he's saying."

Everyone in the room looked at each other.

"Surely you realize the gravity of your...assumptions." Haku commented softly, squeezing his shoulder. "We think that whatever Gaara did to you in that house, whatever he made you see in those dreams…is disordering your mind somehow. Not allowing you to see things for what they are…"

The growl tore from Naruto's throat before he could stop it. "Don't you think you should at least look into this? That you should consider the possibility that maybe—"

"That maybe what? That Gaara's been innocent this whole time? That he didn't kill those people? That he didn't rape you? Because if you really want us to take what you've said seriously, then we might as well put you in custody." Zabuza growled back. "According to your little story you're the reason why Gaara killed his father, more importantly the reason why he killed Sai. Why shouldn't we just put you in cuffs right now, for assisting in a murder?"

"Zabuza you know very well that that's—"

"You want to put me in custody?" Naruto interrupted, glaring at Zabuza with an anger and disbelief that shook him. "You're not even going to listen to me? All I'm trying to do is help so no one else gets hurt—"

"We are listening to you, Naruto. But how does all of this help us?" Haku was standing in front of him now, taking a position next to her partner. "Tell us something we can use, Naruto. Tell us something tangible that we can grab on to and lead us to the next step. Or at least prove to us that your dream can be trusted."

Naruto hesitated, looking at her with eyes that wanted to water again. "Does Gaara have the scar on his hands still?" he asked softly. "When we met in the forest…he showed me the teeth marks I made. He said he didn't let it heal. Are those marks still there?"

"And if they are?" That was Lee and he was shrugging his shoulders. "You've met with Gaara more than once already. You've had plenty of time to see scars on his hands. That doesn't make all of this any more plausible Naruto. What it does is add another possibility to the already long list we have on this case—"

"And I think the best way to move forward is if we unveil the information that's been brought to us so far." Haku interrupted, speaking quickly and moving on from the topic. "We'll come back to this dream of yours later if we have to but for now—"

"And you think you can trust him." Zetsu spoke up again, interrupting Haku.

Naruto stared at him.

"Gaara's smart enough, elaborate enough, to be using him as a spy so he could infiltrate and destroy us from the inside, is he not?"

"It's not like that," Naruto tried to explain to the man. "I had nothing – or at least I thought I had nothing – to do with Gaara before all of this."

"And yet everyone seems to be dying around you." The two faced man countered, stepping up. "The officers in that apartment building, the Yamanaka woman, Sai, and now we're hearing you had direct contact with Gaara before all of this even happened and that you might have been the person to give Gaara the okay to kill his family—"

"Are you seriously telling me it's my fault Gaara's a murderer—?"

"I'm saying we have no reason to trust you, so you should stop trying to convince us to do so. I can see why we were asked to step into this investigation, if the chiefs here think it's all right to trust information to someone so clearly compromised—"

"Please, Zetsu," Haku sighed, raising a tired hand. "I understand your concern…I understand all of your concerns. Believe me I share some of them, but it's my call for now. I'm not saying to trust Naruto wholeheartedly, but giving him some of the information we have thus far might prove beneficial in the long run. It's obvious he might know some things. And we have to remember that Gaara never shows up unless he's—"

"We can't even be sure that Gaara was at the house in the first place." Zetsu argued. "For all we know Naruto's the mastermind of this whole operation and he's the one who shot Sai—"

"Zetsu—"

"From what the bureau has gathered, Naruto's the only one, the only one, who's ever seen Gaara in the past year. Your people always have to base off all your tactics over something he saw, something he experienced. You're working blindly here. For all we know, Gaara's got nothing to do with this."

Naruto's mouth worked. But he was too shocked to argue. What could he say? The only reason why everything seemed a little clearer to him, was because he was the one with the proof, he was the one who saw Gaara and lived to tell the tale. And what Zetsu just said…about him being the only person Gaara's seen for the past year…It was impossible, because Gaara had to have been seen by someone. But at the same time it made sense. Maybe Gaara was seen but the public probably never recognized him. And anytime the police were involved, Gaara was nowhere to be found.

Naruto really was the only one who got into contact with him if he wasn't counting Shikamaru. And who knew where the former detective was now.

"I think we should settle down and stop jumping to these conclusions—"

"I'm not jumping anywhere." Zetsu interrupted again. It was obvious his status as sectoral agent left him with no fears of being reprimanded by the high-ranking officers in the room. "This is logical thinking. I know I'm not the only one who's thought this way. There are people among you who have—"

"Regardless," Haku interrupted, taking back control. "I'm willing to take a chance on this. If you object you and your partner can leave and report us if you'd like."

It looked like Zetsu was going to say something else, but his pale, pale partner put a hand on his shoulder. Zetsu turned around to face the other agent before exhaling heartily and tearing his shoulder away. He stared back at Haku and said nothing.

"All right then," the smaller chief continued, looking very tired all of the sudden. "As I was saying before…we should go back to the dream when tangible facts fail us. But for now… we should talk about the online cult."

"We're still going to tell him about that?" someone asked, evidently swayed by Zetsu's reasoning.

Haku opened her mouth to speak, but closed it a moment later. She looked at Zabuza. Zabuza returned the look for a moment before turning a hard gaze to the blonde. "Situations like this, when the police have had to rely on a civilian to help solve a case has happened before, but not to this extent. Not in Mushroom city. I think you realize how important you are. But I also want you to realize how easily harm will come to you, if you betray the information we've chosen to reveal to you."

"Zabuza doesn't mean harm," Haku interjected raising a hand and shaking her head. "The law will have to deal with you, and we won't be so cordial when we handle contact with you if it's proven you are indeed…selling this information somehow…Or actually working with the culprit at hand."

"You're afraid I've changed sides." Naruto reiterated in plain terms. "That…I might be on Gaara's team now."

"I say culprit because…we aren't sure exactly who we are dealing with anymore. Especially in light of the online cult that's been forming right under our noses. At this point all of this might be…so much bigger than Gaara. And anyone could be the enemy."

"You said you would tell me more about it…" Naruto mentioned tentatively. If he was too eager, would they think it was because he was itching to betray the information to someone else? He realized now how much of a risk they were taking, giving him a chance when they weren't even sure of his allegiance…

"Yes, yes I did. But there are many things…wrapped up in that as well. And I'm sorry if there are holes in what we tell you today but you have to understand that we're treading on eggshells here, and now more than ever no one can be trusted." Haku put her hands behind her back. "As for the site….It's not so much the site itself…but the implications of the site.

"Because there were so many sites like the ones we are finding now during the time of Gaara's second escape, we didn't pay it much mind. We tracked some of the earlier site coordinators for a time but they all led up to sad, mentally unstable teenagers…so naturally we stopped investigating the websites so intensely…"

"What's in the sites?"

"Photographs. Videos. Photocopies of letters."

"And Gaara's the one running it?"

Haku paused. "We don't know."

"Well…what's in the pictures? The letters?" he asked calmly. He was expecting the worst. Pictures of dead bodies, or decapitated heads and death threats.

Haku turned to face him and her mouth was in a thin line. "The video you saw in Gaara's house. And others like it."

Naruto answered her with silence.

The video…

He had to clear his throat before he could speak. "There are… others?" he asked, his voice high. "What do you mean others?"

"Ito Yashamaru…" she began softly. "…had an extensive collection. The footage suggests they were video cassette files. Which means that someone took the time to convert them into online media mp4's… From what I know, that takes some time."

Naruto's mouth worked, trying to find the words to say and failing miserably. Someone was posting videos of… "Wa…wait. You mean…Yashamaru had other videos? W-with other people? Other...kids?"

Haku didn't look at Naruto. "W-we're not sure. A lot of the time Yashamaru's body…shields his victim. But when we have a clear visual…it's always Gaara. So for now we assume Gaara was his only…" she trailed off.

"How…how many?"

"Dozens."

Naruto shut his eyes. He didn't know what to say.

"We don't know how this happened, but the site has become widespread somehow. Everyone knows about it. The photographs…the videos – all uncensored. Every time Hinata and her team shuts a site down another pops back up with the same cult following, same videos, different url. It's forum-formatted, with comments and replies to each post …It's becoming a real problem for the department. Interestingly enough we've found almost nothing on the Dark Web. Whoever is posting this wants the world to see.

"We've tried to track down the person who made the site, or even some of the cult followers, but now that the bureau has become involved in this, we can stretch ourselves and use our resources to also tend to other more... present matters. With no real leads, all we can do is keep taking the sites down whenever they pop up again."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. What other more present matters? Just the thought of more videos like the one he saw in Gaara's house running amuck through the Internet…uncensored...

And photographs? He didn't want to ask what the hell was in them. And what about the cult? How was this turning into a cult? Naruto didn't know what question to ask first.

"This…if it's not Gaara…" he began softly. "Then is this some kind of…pedophile ring? Some sick fucks exposing—"

"The content of the site suggests that these people are speaking against the acts of his uncle…"

"Then it is Gaara." Naruto declared. "Maybe he wants the world just how messed up…just how much pain he'd been through…"

And he had been through a lot of pain. Naruto knew that now.

Haku brushed a luxurious lock of hair behind her ear before she answered. "It would make sense, yes. But at the same time…we can't deny that he most likely has other people working for him, with him, on his side. Even if he's behind the site, he isn't the one working the site. Someone else is."

"…Shikamaru?" Naruto asked carefully.

"We believe that's a possibility. But…if it is him, his motives are unclear. In fact so much has come to light these past few weeks that very little is clear anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Again Haku looked at Zabuza, as if asking him if it was all right to say anything.

"I've…prepared an extensive portfolio of what we have so far." Haku finally said. She walked over to another table and took from it a manila binder filled with papers. "I made this especially for you, Naruto, and albeit it doesn't have everything, we hope it contains enough for you to help us on our next mission."

"And there are things missing…" Naruto began tentatively, "…because you don't trust me."

"Exactly, Naruto."

"Especially after today," Zabuza chimed in, "It's going to be difficult trusting you with even this bit of information."

"Can we just get right to it?" Zetsu interrupted. "You've already decided to tell him. Stop walking around it and get on with it."

"Zetsu's right." Haku nodded, sighing. "There's no way around this. And we know Naruto will help move this investigation along, even if you do end up as a traitor."

Traitor. Naruto bit the inside of his lip. It was one thing to realize that someone like Shikamaru was one…but to have the term directed at him? It was unpleasant.

Haku set the folder on Naruto's table and used a finger to push it right in front of the blonde. Naruto eyed everyone in the room before he carefully took the folder, as if it was a ticking bomb. When he opened it he found it was more like paper binder, with documents held together by the margins. He flipped through it. So far all he saw were long paragraphs and odd photocopied things. "This has to do with the site?" he asked.

"Amongst other things." The smaller chief replied.

"What about the…pictures?"

Haku seemed to search for the words. "We've spared you the photos. But the letters are there. All of them. The issue with the site brings up more possibilities than we can deal with all at once. All the new information requires us to spread our resources thin. I wonder if whoever is behind this is doing it on purpose…"

"What information exactly?"

"Hinata's the one who knows the most about this so far." Haku admitted. "The rest of the team has been dealing with the issues outside the web. Hinata?"

The woman looked surprised that she was asked to speak, and she didn't look at Naruto as she began. "W-well the material found on the sites shows that Mr. Ito Yashamaru, the man who confessed to acts of rape during yours and Kakashi's unauthorized visit to the asylum two months ago…k-kept a collection. Photos and videos like the one you saw at the house—"

"Tell him about the letters, Hinata."

"Oh. W-well. The letters – both handwritten and emailed – suggest that there were other people who knew what was happening to Gaara Sabaku Kaze at the time…but it seems…those people seemed to have already been silenced…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What people?"

"Kabuto Yakushi."

The blonde narrowed his eyes at her. "Gaara's psychiatrist? I…I talked with him. I asked him a lot of questions about Gaara. He…he showed me letters and pictures Gaara drew."

Hinata finally looked at him. "Letters?"

"He showed you letters, Naruto?" Haku asked, coming forwards. "Then…do you already know?"

"Do I already know what?" Naruto asked, sitting up. "What is there to know?"

"That Dr. Yakushi was receiving letters and emails from Yashamaru…that Dr. Yakushi knew exactly what was going on in Gaara's home and chose to ignore it, even helped to suppress the information from getting out? Ignored Gaara's pleas for help?"

Naruto stared at the chief, saying nothing.

Haku pointed to the stack of papers in front of the blonde. "It's all in there. Some of the letters are from Gaara to his psychiatrist, some of them are from Yashamaru to Kabuto, and vice versa. The three of them knew what was going on. There are no dates on any of the letters, but it seems that the psychiatrist didn't know what was going on until later on…Apparently there were…experimental drugs involved?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but nothing could come from it for a long time. "Are…what are you saying? That Kabuto…and Yashamaru were working…together or something?"

"We aren't suggesting that because we aren't really sure." The chief replied. "You should read the letters, the emails. We printed them in the order they come on the site, along with the other troubling documents. From what I've read, Kabuto had no hand in the actual physical abuse Gaara had at home…but he knew about it and he did everything he could to stifle the fact he knew– including threaten Gaara's lawyer during his initial trial. She had a part in this as well. Evidence manipulation."

"And all of this becoming public only means that the case will have to be revisited." Lee added. "The public outrage has risen to the point where they will demand that at least. If not that, they'll start a riot in the name of social justice. If this information results in even half of the amount of controversy finding out the truth about Yashamaru did, we'll have to deal with the press infiltrating the investigation, poisoning the mind of Mushroom citizens with he-said-she said, and it'll start a panic. We can't have that."

"And it should be revisited, if all of this is true." Haku added. "But we have to be sure. We could just be working with a terrorist who finds humor in making all of this up."

"Making it all up…" Naruto swallowed. He didn't know what to say. He could remember speaking to Kabuto even if it felt like eons ago now. He seemed like a nice enough man. But he remembered that moment of guilt he had towards the end of their session…Kabuto had asked if he would be forgiven…And the pills. He remembered the pills.

"But…Kabuto is dead."

"As is his secretary, and Gaara's first lawyer." The chief added. "What I find peculiar is that Yashamaru Ito of all people is still alive. We've had him under special surveillance in one of the city's special case facilities. He receives the same care he had at the asylum and is being protected."

"You're protecting him?"

"We think that if Gaara wanted to kill Yashamaru he would have done so already. But we're keeping Yashamaru in custody anyway...Not to mention now that the videos and letters are out…"

Haku trailed off, and looked at Naruto expectantly. "Are you all right so far?

Naruto looked down at his lap. This was all so much. "So…there's a cult…Kabuto and Gaara's uncle were exchanging letters…Gaara's lawyer was threatened…and Yashamaru's in your custody."

"Like I said, everything is in the letters. And you'll be able to contact Hinata afterwards if you have any questions. I'll just say that the events surrounding the murder of Kaze's father at the hands of his twelve-year-old son and the subsequent burning of Yashamaru Ito was big news. Very big news. So big that the information revealed on the sites might do some…real damage. Like Lee said, the case might have to be revisited. The people in question, meaning Yakushi, his secretary, and the lawyer might be dead, but this has been done before. The letters suggest that…the evidence surrounded Gaara's trial were tampered with in order to protect identities. There are…also medical reports…files that did not appear in court. You'll have to read it yourself, Naruto. It will be difficult to do so, I promise, but you'll understand better once you see everything for yourself."

That was a lot to take in. "And you said…that Gaara wasn't the only one involved in the site? Who else do you think is?"

"That's where what we have planned for you on Friday comes in." Haku replied. "You might remember this name. I was told you went to Kakashi's apartment asking for Sasori Akasuna?"

Naruto blinked, sitting up. "Sasori…Yeah? And?"

"I was also informed of the…interesting investigation and accusations of him being one of the bodies burned in the bomb in building 1313. Do you remember?"

Of course Naruto remembered. "How could I forget? But…that was so long ago. What does this have to do with what's happening now?"

Haku looked contemplative. "Well…"

"I think you'll remember this man here." Someone interrupted. It was Kurenai, walking up with a large photo in her hand. She wore the same odd smile she had on the day of the 1313 shoot-out. The photograph she put in front of Naruto was an eight by eleven image showing a familiar nearly smashed head and fleshy torso. Naruto winced and leaned backwards quickly.

"I'm sure you remember. We argued over the identity of this man. We didn't know if it was Gaara Kaze or the newly mentioned Sasori Akasuna. I was sure it was Akasuna's body, but I might have jumped ahead of myself. In fact I'm sure I jumped ahead of myself. With the help of the now disbanded Hatake department we were able to over-turn quite a few stones concerning his identity. And one thing I can say with absolute clarity is that although Akasuna has a lot to do with this work of art." She pointed to the image on the table. "He is not this person at all."

"What?"

"It's come to our understanding that…Mr. Akasuna has a lot more to do with this case than we realized." Haku said from behind Naruto. "It's a shame because it's information we already had access to but never really thought to look into."

"What do you mean?"

"This person here," Kurenai explained, pointing to the photograph again. "Is almost completely artificial. No—I should rephrase that. This person was made artificially. His limbs are flesh, wood, and different metals. I don't know for sure how long ago the body was created but the flesh, for the most part, is made of the same person. There are however, pieces of the body that died before other parts, suggesting that flesh from different human beings were used to make this artificial person.

"The reason why this matters now is because the work of this man, matches some of the work I saw here." She lay another photograph on the table, and Naruto swallowed when he saw it was a serene photo of a very pale and ghostly Ino Yamanaka. "The perpetrator has such vast and unique knowledge of the human body, you see. He attacks from the inside. The same chemical used to harden Miss Yamanaka's bones like glass is used – in a slight variation – to maintain the consistency and strength to the metallic material used as breast palates for the artificial man here." She pointed back to the first photograph and the look on her face was uncanny, almost excited. "Now, do you remember what was found in Sasori's grave?"

"I remember…" Naruto murmured, staring at the two images in front of him with a dry mouth. "It was all of us. Shikamaru…Chouji…Neji…they said it was a…fake body?"

"But nowhere near as detailed as the body from 1313." Kurenai revealed. "In fact it was made almost completely of wood. The resemblance to a human being was uncanny however. Whoever we are dealing with wanted us to believe that Sasori Akasuna was dead. The mystery here is whether it's Akasuna himself, or someone else trying to do so…Which leads us to wonder why someone would want to do such a thing."

It was just questions after questions, Naruto thought. Everything they found out just added another layer of mystery. Would they ever get to the bottom of this?

"I first started researching Akasuna purely for selfish reasons," Kurenai continued. "My job is restricted to the details of a deceased body but I found myself looking into the past. It was Shikamaru who helped me find most of the information I needed about that. Come to think of it, knowing what I know now, I think Nara kept it from the rest of the Hatake team, what he shared with me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Like I said before, Naruto." Haku spoke up. "We had access to this information, but we didn't think to look through it. Shikamaru, I suppose, was doing his job, and he put everything into the police files, even if he only shared the information with Kurenai. And turns out in order to find what we needed to know about Sasori Akasuna, we had to look through Gaara's file."

"…And what did you find?"

"Kaze and Akasuna not only knew each other in school, but they lived under the same roof, for some time. Two years to be exact."

Naruto blinked, sitting up and looking at Lee who'd just spoken. "How is that possible? When—"

"This information has been in the files all along, but we chose to focus on the latter half of Gaara's life..."

"And Sasori Akasuna is supposed to be dead." Added Zabuza. "So why would we look into a dead person."

"The system gets tricky when it comes to underage convicts." That was Haku. "In Gaara's case he was an orphan and his siblings were ineligible legal guardians when he became eligible for house arrest and probation. Men and women who were once active participants in the justice system can apply to become caretakers of kids like Gaara. They aren't required to do much except provide the essentials for the child. Police officials who accompanied Gaara were the ones in charge of handling him on levels outside of basic living. Meanwhile…"

"Sasori Akasuna lived in the same household as him for those two years." Lee finished. "Under the supervision of a woman named Chiyo Akasuna. She worked with the Suna police for the majority of her adult life, later becoming chief. She's a widow in the more industrialized part of Suna, closer to Mushroom city, and was the woman assigned to Gaara when he was released on parole. She lived with and was the permanent guardian of her orphaned grandson, Sasori Akasuna."

Naruto could only stare at Lee.

What?

Naruto tried to understand what he was hearing. "What…how…how was this even overlooked?"

"Because we were looking for new information instead of just delving deep into our own files." Lee said, stepping forward. "It was right in front of us, all of this information. The people who worked on the investigation never hid anything, never covered anything up. They only recently considered the possibility of Gaara's influence on the home he was assigned to, so this is only coming up now."

"Gaara's influence on them, or their influence on Gaara?" Kurenai spoke up suddenly. "I know a lot of this goes over your heads. But this," her hands gestured toward the photographs. "This can only be done by someone who has an intense interest in neo-embalming, someone who has studied it for a years. Now from the little information I've gathered with the police's help, Akasuna had just that. And if he isn't alive and it's someone else doing this – perhaps even Gaara – it is likely that they're doing this because of Akasuna's influence."

"So how do we find out if he's alive?" Naruto asked. "And…I'm guessing the grandmother is the one we're seeing on Friday?"

"Yes." Haku replied. "She was hesitant to have a meeting with us at first but..." she looked at Naruto. "I was able to convince her."

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists. "So what does this mean? We have a meeting with her…get some answers…but why are you letting me come? When you guys don't even trust me?"

Silence decorated the room for some time.

"We thought you could be helpful." Haku finally said. "As much as we don't trust you. We also don't want to completely shut you out. And maybe you can connect some of things we learn from Chiyo with what Gaara's told you in the past."

Her answer was choppy and Naruto narrowed blue eyes at her. What weren't they telling him?

"So then," he began, "What do we do until then? Just wait? Wait for Gaara to contact us again?"

"You mean you." Zabuza said, speaking up. "Wait for Gaara to contact you again. In the meantime we've told you what we came to tell you. I think it's time you get acquainted with these agents and your new hotel."

Said agents took a step forward. Naruto had almost forgotten they were even there.

"Just one more thing." Zabuza said. He looked at Kurenai and nodded. "Show him the map."

Kurenai looked happy to comply, and went back to fetch something on top of the closed overhead. When she came back she placed yet a third photo in front of Naruto.

Naruto squinted at it. It was a really close up black and white image of ragged lines on an uneven, spongy surface. He wrinkled his nose. "This is a map?"

He tried to understand what he was looking at. The lines didn't look so much like a map than a horribly sketched blueprint. There was a large rectangular box, with somewhat straight lines going through it. Naruto supposed what made it a map was the dark, dark line within the large rectangle that swerved and lead to a haphazardly drawn X underneath the shape.

"What is it a map of? Where did you find this? Did Gaara send it?"

"We were hoping you would see something from that image." Haku explained. She had her arms crossed. "Do you see anything familiar?"

Naruto noticed how she didn't answer any of his questions. "Uhm…" he murmured, looking back at the image. He tried his best to make sense of the lines, but he couldn't think of anything. There were even more lines underneath the misshaped X. Dark, dark shades of lines across the whole bottom of the image, some lighter than others. When Naruto squinted the lines looked like ragged scars, and the surface looked like skin. He pulled back suddenly, unnerved. Looking so closely at the image made him feel itchy. "I…I don't see anything. Sorry."

There were collective sighs around the room.

"Wh…where's it from?" he tried again.

"It's Sasuke's mutilated back." Zabuza replied easily.

Naruto's whole body went still and his breath caught in his throat. And suddenly he could remember the smell of rotting flesh, the sponginess of damp, bleeding skin—

"That's enough information for now." Zetsu said, his voice impatient and ignoring the panic that had begun to build behind Naruto's eyes. "I think you people have done what you can for today. It's time he's situated at the hotel."

"You're right." Haku said, and she let out a large exhale, as if she'd been holding it a long time. "We should let you get acquainted with your new home. We don't know how long this case will last."

Naruto blinked rapidly and swallowed but he couldn't find the words to say. All he could see was the torso beneath the floorboards. He remembered touching it, breathing it in, basking in the rotten hell that was that house. He felt like if he stood up now, he would pass out.

But everyone around the room seemed to want to move on quickly from what Zabuza had just revealed to him.

"Here, Naruto." Lee came forward and handed over a strange tiny contraption that Naruto didn't recognize as a phone until he had it in his hands. It was a tiny flip phone. "If you have one other than the one we confiscated, toss it; you won't be needing it and it's better if you can't be tracked so easily."

Naruto stared at the thing, flipped it opened and closed. It looked like something from the early twenty first century.

"When the battery runs out, which won't be for a long time, you will be given another." The chief explained. "You'll be assigned to one room and two officers will be stationed at rooms either side of your own. Food and services will be delivered. Is everything clear for now?"

Naruto didn't know what to say so he only nodded. There was no way he could be difficult now. Not with the circumstances.

"So. You will be escorted to your hotel room after this meeting is over. Read over what's in the folder I gave you, tell me your thoughts. All of our numbers are saved onto that phone. You can call me for anything, but Zabuza, only for important things. Understand me, Naruto – you are not a prisoner, so you can go where you please for the most part. Just know that you have to tell us where first and that you will be followed. Subtly followed, but followed nonetheless. This is for your protection."

Naruto said nothing.

"Everything you'll need is already at the hotel so there's no need to go back to your apartment. You will become very acquainted with agent Zetsu and his partner here, who will be living next door to you for the undetermined amount of time. The other officers are already at the hotel."

Naruto looked to where Haku pointed and didn't hide his frown when he saw Zetsu scowling back. Of course he would be living near a person who obviously didn't like him.

"The plan is this," Zabuza spoke up. "You do whatever the fuck you want for the next two days. But Friday you'll be escorted by agents and a few police officers to meet the Akasuna woman. I don't know what the hell kind of help you'll be but since you seem to be the key to this whole damn thing…"

"Meanwhile the rest of us have…something to take care of." Haku finished vaguely.

Naruto looked at her evenly. Could they be even more suspicious? What more were they keeping from him?

"All right. Let's adjourn this little meeting."

The room shifted all at once as if they were waiting for Zabuza to say that all along, and the mood seemed to relax. Everyone began to speak among themselves and Naruto found himself standing up with Hinata, who kept her head down as she assembled her things in front of her.

"You're leaving with us."

Naruto turned to the half dark, half pale man and tried to contain his instant scowl…But he didn't want to have another bad start like he did with Sai. "Zetsu, right? I hope we can get along."

"Of course I'm Zetsu. You've heard my name about five times now. And we're not here to get along. You're just here to follow orders and keep your head above water."

Naruto tried to retort but could only stutter.

"We need to go." Zetsu cut him off and pushed past him towards the door. "I can't stand it in here." The one named Kimimaro looked back passively when Naruto turned at him for answers, and gestured his hand forward so Naruto could walk ahead.

The blonde stood for a moment, but decided it was pointless to make any kind of scene and followed Zetsu out of the door.

---

Naruto didn't know why he'd imagined the hotel would be like the Silver Palace. This establishment was more than a few ladders below the luxury scale. Almost like something out of scary movie if Naruto was being honest.

He'd ridden in the back of a large black SUV driven by Kimimaro while Zetsu sat next to his partner on the passenger's side. Naruto hadn't bothered making small talk, and they said nothing to him. The windows were tinted in a way that even Naruto had a hard time seeing what it was like outside.

When they'd first arrived at the hotel, a woman behind a desk had nodded to the three of them; she recognized the agents immediately.

The lobby itself was dark and dreary, with warm lights illuminating only certain corners of the room and the front desk, while the majority of the place remained dimly lit.

They'd driven a while so perhaps they were in a bad part of town? Naruto didn't think a hotel like this would have stayed in business anywhere else.

They took the stairs to the fifth floor, not the elevator, and looking at his surroundings, Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if it was because the contraption was broken.

The fifth floor was surprisingly well lit. An old red carpet adorned the floor, and Naruto made every attempt to step over the large dark spots he came across on said carpet. Almost all of the doors on the floor were open, and when the three of them came from the stairs a few people in uniform stepped out of the rooms to look at them.

"They're back," someone said.

"Is his room ready?" The two agents walked quickly ahead of him, leaving him behind so they could talk to other men in the hallway.

A few more people stepped out and crossed their arms as Naruto walked down the hall. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw two familiar faces.

"Naruto! Long time no see."

"Chouji…" The last time he saw the large man, Naruto was leaving with Shikamaru to the Autumn Estates.

The other familiar face looked considerably less enthusiastic. "Still putting your nose where it hardly belongs, I see." Neji added, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He wasn't in full uniform. His jacket was discarded somewhere and the blue uniform shirt clung to him tightly enough to reveal a few muscles here and there.

"Ah, don't mind him." Chouji assured when they were right in front of each other. "We've hardly gotten any sleep these past few weeks. Just when you thought it couldn't get more complicated, am I right?"

Hearing Chouji joke around made Naruto feel a thousand times lighter. "I know what you mean."

"Do you know?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose you do, since they're using you as a pawn, just like they're using the rest of us."

"Jeez, not this again." Chouji shoved against him lightly. "Why does everything have to be a conspiracy with you? Don't mind him, Naruto."

Naruto nodded his head almost hesitantly. He was actually pretty glad to see even Neji's face. His life was so much simpler when he'd first met the two policemen. He would probably cling to any resemblance of that easier past.

"So…what are you guys doing here? What about…the rest of you?"

Chouji shrugged. "We got separated. Neji and I were cleared after they did the background checks. A lot of the others were too. We aren't allowed to know who wasn't. All we know is that our services are being distributed across the city, in different departments. I've been pulled into Morino's, and Neji's been pulled into Momochi's. But I suppose since we were cleared first they're using our help for this case."

"As pawns." Neji said again. "Watch. We'll be the first in the line of fire when bullets start flying. Us and the other policemen on the job. You see those guys," Neji's head inclined behind him, where a group of men in dark suits or button downs were gathered around, talking with their hands on their chins, all looking contemplative. "We're their bulletproof vests. We get to get shot at as they conduct their little investigations."

"Don't say that." Chouji chastised half-heartedly. "They need our help. They're in as much danger as we are."

"Keep thinking that way."

The large man chuckled a little. "He's only this way because he's happy to see me." He winked at Naruto. "Don't worry Neji. I missed you too."

Naruto tried to smile, but the glare Neji directed towards the both of them made him think twice.

"Besides, we're only on floor duty for now." Chouji continued. "Basically just making sure the right people come through this floor. And to make sure you stay in your room, haha." He added bashfully.

Naruto hummed. Of course there would be people guarding his door. But why did two policemen from Hatake department have to do it? He thought it was the job of the agents he was assigned to. What were their jobs anyway, as agents? To protect him or to investigate? "Why do you guys—"

"I hate to interrupt this little reunion," someone said sarcastically from behind Chouji. Coincidentally, it was Zetsu. He'd loosened up his tie and Kimimaro wasn't shadowing him for once. "We decided to establish the curfew at 9 PM." He said, looking at Naruto. "Although that's hours from now, we don't think you should leave this floor for the rest of the day. Gentlemen," he nodded to Neji and Chouji. "If you're going to have a conversation, instead of obstructing the hallway, why don't you talk in Naruto's room? He should get acquainted with it sooner rather than later."

"My room?" Naruto repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I can't even be out in the hallway?"

"There are seven rooms on this floor." Zetsu continued, ignoring Naruto. "You are room 504. The equipment room has been situated in the last room down the hall, 507. You are not allowed to enter that room without authorized personnel. Myself and Kimimaro are in the room next to yours, 502. If you want to continue speaking with these men, they're in the first room 500. There are other agents and officers working along with us to solve this case. You don't need to have any contact with them. If you seek information, contact my partner and I."

Naruto nodded slowly as the man spoke. "What about Chouji and Neji then?" he asked. "Can I…contact them for information?"

Zetsu all but glared at the men. "These men are strictly liaisons to the information gathered under Hatake. We could have used the officer closest to detective Shikamaru – I believe his name was Obito – but we don't want to take any chances with him, so we're using these two. They know they aren't allowed to say anything to you, so don't ask them. And can I be assured that you two will keep your mouths shut?" he asked the men in uniform.

Chouji nodded easily, and Neji made a small sound.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Even Chouji and Neji knew something he didn't? And if they were liaisons did that mean that whatever was happening was something that had happened in the Hatake department? Something before the incident at Gaara's house?

"Like I said. Take your conversation inside. You're blocking the hallway."

Zetsu turned around and left.

"You can almost see the stick coming out of his butt." Chouji muttered.

Naruto couldn't bring himself to smile. "So…you guys know what's going on and your job is to keep it from me?" he asked lightly. "I'm beginning to think I'm the one who'll be arrested when this is all over."

Chouji looked guilty for a moment. "Naruto…don't think that way—"

"Let's talk about this in the kid's room." Neji interrupted, walking away from them suddenly. He was turning the doorknob on room 504 before the other two had even complied, so Naruto found himself scrambling after Chouji to follow the brunet.

His room was much like the rest of the establishment. Dark. Dreary. The bed was only slightly longer than a standard twin size, and the carpet matched the one outside and had even darker, larger circles of spots staining it. The distinct old carpet smell stung him, because it was so much like the smell in the living room of the apartment he and his mother shared so long ago. There was one suitcase beside the bed. Naruto assumed it was the things they deemed were necessary to transfer from his apartment to this hotel. The thought of strangers ransacking his room for valuables made his eye twitch.

Neji didn't close the door behind him, so the sound of men and women talking outside invaded the small room, and people who walked past looked into the room to glance at Naruto from time to time. Naruto put the folder he'd been given at the police station on the head table, and sat down on the twin-sized bed. It was surprisingly softer than it looked, and the sheets that adorned it, although thin, were a nice material.

Directly in front of the bed, parallel to the pillow he would sleep on, was an awkwardly placed rectangular mirror on the wall. Naruto stared back at his reflection. His cheeks were thinner than he remembered. His collarbone protruded a more than he remembered. But he couldn't see his eyes in the dark room. He blinked and turned on the lamp on the head table. The difference wasn't much, but the light that illuminated the corner by his bed faded just enough at the edges of the room that he could see everything a little better.

"We're just doing what we're told to do. It's our job." Chouji was saying. He sat on an uncomfortable looking chair on the wall. Neji stood next to him, arms crossed as always. "I don't think it's that these guys don't trust you. They're just testing exactly how important you are, I think."

"Crossing…" Neji muttered, shaking his head. "You're already telling him too much. You not knowing everything is better for us, safer for us." He declared, looking at the blonde. "That's all you need to know. Maybe things will change later, but for now that's the way it is, and it's the way it should be."

"Yeah, I get it." Naruto said, sounding a little exasperated. "I just feel like…" he shook his head. It didn't matter. "Do you guys know what happened to Obito?"

Chouji raised an eyebrow. "Not sure. Thought he was transferred to Momochi's department but when I got here he was gone. I guess he's been transferred somewhere else. For his sake I hope it's somewhere in the city. His only family lives in Mushroom."

"So how does it work?" Naruto asked, sitting up. "Do all the departments work on this case or…?"

"Of course. On this floor I think there are people from Morino, Momochi, us from Hatake—anyone who could be of use in the specialty departments of each branch is on the case. There's another group in some other hotel. Most of the computer geeks from all SIB are there."

"And the agents here?"

"They've taken the reigns on the investigation. This case is still Mushroom police jurisdiction but they're getting involved to pick up the extra pieces and give us a little more manpower. Turns out this thing is a lot bigger than we thought."

"And we're their bulletproof vests." Neji muttered.

Chouji chuckled and shook his head. "You and that SBI guy must be related, I swear. Got the same stick shoved up your—"

"Naruto?"

The three men looked to the door. The pale agent was there, his face mostly blank but his eyes amicable.

"Kimimaro." Naruto nodded at him.

"I was wondering if you were interested in lunch at the moment? Your food service isn't scheduled for another hour, but I assume with the long day you've had…"

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Uh…" he didn't feel particularly hungry (for once in his life) but he hadn't even had breakfast today. "Uhm, yeah. Of course. Thanks."

"No problem. And I don't suppose you two would also like something?" He asked Chouji and Neji.

Neji looked a little out of place, but Chouji beamed. "Don't mind if we do!"

Kimimaro nodded at the two of them. "I'll have them send up the menus."

When he left the doorway Naruto looked back at the policemen in his room. "That guy's nice." he commented when Kimimaro was out of sight. From the hallway he could hear the agent asking everyone else if they wanted to eat.

"Don't be fooled." Neji murmured.

Naruto wanted to roll his eyes at the ever-pessimistic Neji but Chouji nodded in agreement. "Nah, he's right." he confirmed. "Out of the two of them, who do you think has gotten himself in trouble with the Bureau? Zetsu or Kimimaro?"

Naruto didn't answer because it was obviously a trick question.

"Not everyone knows the full details but basically Kimimaro isn't allowed to work unsupervised anymore. Pretty sure Zetsu was assigned as his partner to watch him. Kimimaro's "nice" but he's got some kind of record."

"He went in too deep on an undercover investigation." Neji filled in. "Got hooked on narcotics, almost betrayed valuable information to the enemy. He's got people looking out for him high on up on the scale, or else his career as an agent would have been terminated. But as it goes, he was only demoted."

"How do you know all of that?" Chouji asked his partner. "All I heard was that he got into some trouble, but they decided to keep him on the team. No specifics."

"I know people." Neji said. "Plus it isn't hard to find out when you're actually paying attention to what people say instead of stuffing your face all the time."

Chouji chuckled. "I missed you too, buddy. I missed you too."

Naruto smiled at the two, but found that the tenuous glee couldn't stay for long. His mind was spinning in too many directions for him to really enjoy little moments like this.

When a woman came in bearing three menus Naruto decided it was time to leave his pessimistic thoughts, and enjoy what he hoped would be his first real meal in six days.

---

Chouji and Neji had to leave for business about an hour later. It was mostly Chouji who carried the conversations, talking about how he'd come to be a police officer and what he'd first thought of Neji when they'd met. Neji mostly stayed quiet, but provided his own side to Chouji's stories when they involved him.

It was pleasant, but Naruto knew what they were doing.

Distracting him. The people outside the room, walking back and forth from the room down the hall to other rooms, frantically handing each other papers and speaking amongst themselves…they were the ones working on something Naruto wasn't allowed to know about. Chouji and Neji weren't just here to keep him from getting hurt. They were here to keep him from poking around.

But Naruto wasn't going to do anything like that. He didn't want to get in trouble for his curiosity, not when the stakes were so high, not when they distrusted him so much.

They let him close his door now, but he could still hear the voices outside, could still see sets of feet standing outside his door. He was trapped. He never liked that trapped feeling. But there was nothing he could do about it.

It was after a small trip to the surprisingly clean bathroom in the corner of the room that he found the courage to touch the folder he left at the side of his bed.

He took it from the desk cautiously, as if afraid it would blow up in his hands if he made any sudden movements. He tried to make himself comfortable on the bed, with his pillow propped up against the wall to give his back support.

When he opened the folder he found himself right in the centerfold. He saw paragraphs upon paragraphs of words that looked xeroxed onto one paper. He turned to the first page, where he saw something that looked like a form of sorts.

It was information on Kabuto Yakushi: his date of birth, and his time of death. There was a list of living and dead relatives, followed by another list of his occupations, the last one being a psychiatrist at the institution Naruto had visited him in. There was a blurry black and white photograph of the doctor on the bottom of the page. He looked young, and he was smiling. He looked harmless, just like he did when Naruto met with him. He expected some type of autopsy report on the next page but found no such thing.

Instead it was information about his secretary. He narrowed his eyes at the photo they provided of her. He remembered a stuck up woman with a bun so tight her eyebrows brushed her hairline. But the person in the picture had her hair down and was smiling carelessly. The information on her wasn't much. Date of birth, date of death, and only one occupation: lobby secretary at the Asylum for the Mentally Damaged.

After that was the lawyer, another bland page with a photo underneath the time of birth and death. She died June of 1999. If Naruto remembered correctly, that was only a few months after Gaara was sentenced at twelve years old. There was no reason for death listed but Naruto remembered that she'd committed suicide.

The way the list was going, Naruto expected to just skim past the first few pages. He didn't really care about these people's occupations and dates of birth.

But the next page showed a man who's face he didn't think he would see after that day at Iruka's house.

Sasori Akasuna. There was enormous bold lettering on the top of the page: Person of Interest. He was born November 8th 1984, to Mina and Kento Akasuna. Those parents were deceased. They died on the same day, the summer of 1998, months before Gaara committed his first crime. His only living relative was Chiyo Akasuna. Akasuna himself died December 23rd 2004.

Or so they thought…

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the information he was given about the man. It was very basic. Nothing about the neo-ebalmination or his possible influence on Gaara.

When he turned the page he found the same bold Person of Interest lettering at the top of the page, only it was the grandmother, Chiyo Akasuna. The only interesting information was her multiple positions in the Suna justice department, and the bold Custodial guardian of a KAZE, GAARA SABAKU, May 2002 – Dec. 2004.

But all of this was just stuff he knew already.

Next page over was something that made him wince a little.

Uchiha Sasuke. His information was like the others, save for the obnoxious UNKNOWN next to where his date of death would be. As Naruto thought about it, he wondered if they would ever know when Sasuke died. Or how he died for that matter. A decapitated head in a hotel room, a torso in Gaara's house - would they find Sasuke's legs next? Was his body being used as a fleshy jigsaw puzzle the police had to figure out, or was Gaara – or whoever was behind this – just using Sasuke's body as a game to fuck around with all of them?

The thought of the latter made him angry. What had Sasuke done to deserve something like this? He'd mostly pushed the image from his memory, but he remembered the way the head looked. Blue. Sakura had gotten it right. It was blue. And the eyes had been rolled so far to the back of his head that all he'd seen, for that split second, was the whites of those glowing orbs, with shallow blue crooked lines stretching across the milky sclera.

Naruto shook his head, turning the page quickly. He didn't want to think about how—

He paused, blinking a few times at the following document.

Person of Interest: Uzumaki Naruto.

He scanned the contents in a kind of daze. But he shouldn't have been surprised. Of course he would be in here. He was hardly someone they could trust, and he was important to the investigation. The information they had on him was as basic as the others. Only there was no section for his parents, only information on his grandmother, Tsunade. Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. He knew his father was dead. He wasn't sure how or why. He supposed even the police couldn't figure it out either. As for his mother…they were probably so frustrated by how little information came up for her that they didn't bother putting her down at all.

Naruto wouldn't be surprised if, like his father, his mother was gone forever.

Kiba once asked him why he didn't try looking for her again, or why he'd never tried to find out about his father. But Naruto had been content without a dad for the most part. While living with his mother, who'd never really mentioned him in the first place, he only caught himself thinking about that mysterious man a few times in his life. He assumed he, like so many other fathers tend to do, disappeared when he was born. He'd only cared about his mother. He cared enough to spend a month out in the cold, searching for her.

But the result of that search was enough to discourage him for life. Why spend time looking for a woman who'd left him for someone else anyway?

Naruto shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. These weren't the kinds of thoughts he anticipated when he opened the folder. With a sigh he flipped past several pages of Persons of Interest. He saw Obito, his grandmother, some people he recognized from the Hatake department like Shikamaru and Masashi. It was halfway into the folder that he found something that wasn't just another poster biography of a person involved in the case.

It was a letter.

Photocopied and Xeroxed onto the page. There was an enormous red stamp on the bottom of the page: Evidence, Momochi Dept.

There was no date on top, but the horribly scrawled handwriting was one that Naruto remembered vaguely. He had to squint to understand what he read, and even then there were still words he couldn't make out.

I understand now…and I refuse to be a part of it…you're…the pills…sedating him…abusing…should have known…hillbillies like you… wound up in some incestuous…He's just a boy…people will find out…they'll think I knew…think I was a part of this…so wrong…never get away with this.

Naruto took a breath. He recognized the scrawl. It was Kabuto's.

The words looked…panicked, frantic.

Under that letter was another sloppy Xerox. The handwriting was infinitely neater, and a sharp juxtaposing calm to Kabuto's wild scrawl. There were still places however, where the words were faded and illegible.

There was no date.

The medications are necessary. He has demons…cannot combat on his own. Your discovery is belated, and uninformed…for his own good…demons…together he and I fight what is inside of him…never understand…can't believe everything he says…the demons…his body is not his own... you must remember where you are…remember who put you there and how fast you may fall…Tread lightly.

Naruto squinted as he read the last line again. Remember where you are…remember who put you there…Tread lightly.

It was a warning.

A warning from Yashamaru – it had to be.

He glanced back up at Kabuto's letter and looked through it again. The pills – or "medication" as Yashamaru had put it – reminded him of something Kabuto had said. What was the story the psychiatrist told him about the pills? About them being an experiment? That he'd been trying to diagnose Gaara, and was over-prescribing him with drugs? But it seemed now that Yashamaru wanted those pills to go to Gaara…or something?

Naruto blinked hard a few times. What did Haku have in mind when she gave him this folder? That Naruto would somehow decipher all of this? He was only two letters in and he was already in way over his head. How was he supposed to make sense of it all?

He turned the page a little angry, ready to squint through another set of illegible handwriting, but the small skinny neat words he saw on the next page gave him pause.

It was Gaara's handwriting. He didn't have to look at it hard to know. He compared this handwriting to the one in the letters Gaara sent now and realized there was only a small difference. The redhead's handwriting was taller now. Thinner. More chilling. This handwriting, although thin, still had some youth to it.

Naruto read. It was only one small line.

The monster is my uncle.

Naruto pinched the corners of the paper.

The monster is my uncle.

He could hear Kabuto's voice in the back of his mind.

'Gaara never spoke about his uncle…never would have thought he'd hurt him…'

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Fuck.

It was right there, in clear words. The monster is my uncle. Did Kabuto just…ignore that? What was that garbage about Gaara never saying anything that made sense? What was that nonsense about everything Gaara wrote being indecipherable? It was there in plain sight. So he knew. Kabuto knew.

Naruto thought back to the first letter – about sedating pills and incest...Kabuto had known, and had been more concerned with saving his ass.

But why? Why? What was he trying to protect? What did he have to lose for saving a little boy's life? What could have possibly been more important to him?

With difficulty, his eyes moved to the new Xeroxed letter below. Same handwriting. Only one line across the paper.

I don't like the things he does to me. I want him to stop.

Shit.

Naruto was shaking now. He couldn't get the psychiatrist's voice out of his head. He had spewed complete lies, and had most likely given Naruto a file with Gaara's most incoherent letters to read. Naruto had thought it was a little suspicious how easily Kabuto found Gaara's file, a file of a patient he had not seen in years. He'd known that Naruto was coming – the impostered detective – and that his only chance at diverting suspicion from him was to come up with those lies about Gaara being scary, and incoherent – meanwhile Gaara had been writing these clear cut, easy to understand—

He tells me I am worthless.

Naruto was biting his own tongue now, his hands shaking as he scanned the haphazard Xeroxes of one lined pleas, pleas that must have been in Kabuto's possession, pleas that he blatantly ignored.

He calls me a monster.

I am not allowed to scream.

He keeps the tapes in the attic.

He makes me watch.

Naruto was crumpling the corners with his hands.

He waits until they have all left.

He puts his hands around my neck.

Naruto's teeth were pressing so hard against each other in his mouth.

He spits in my face.

He tells me it's my fault.

Sometimes I bleed.

I am used to it now—

Naruto cursed. His jaw was trembling, and his breathing was harsh, and labored, as if he was in pain.

And he was in pain.

Something like a metaphysical burn formed a fist around his heart and held him there, not fading away or passing – just holding him there. An incessant aching. And that aching made Naruto feel selfish. Because what was this pain compared to the pain Gaara had to have felt – underneath the body of a God damned monster.

His uncle was a monster.

And Gaara had told Kabuto that. In plain words.

And Naruto wished, that like Yashamaru, Kabuto was still alive. So that he could kill him with his bare hands.

To think he had sat in a chair across from this man – amicable, pleasant.

He shook the doctor's hand.

That filthy, rapist enabler's hand. That's what it was. Because someone who would stand by and do nothing while—!

Naruto looked to the ceiling, and closed his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing. His heart was beating through the invisible manifestation of pain that enclosed it, and he wouldn't be of use to anyone if he died of some kind of heart attack right here and now. He opened his eyes to look at the off-white and peeled ceiling of the small hotel room. He let the sounds of the outside envelope him. Footsteps walking back and forth. One or two shouts from across the hallway. Papers shuffling. Doors opening and closing.

He used those sounds to bring him back to reality—

Or rather, to bring him back to a place where he could deal with this reality. This reality of suffering.

He turned back to the folder. There were more, there were so many more lines, then paragraphs, then more lines in Gaara's handwriting. He could only bring himself to read one more.

He tells me he loves me.

Naruto twitched.

What does that do to a child? To hear "I love you" from a person who hurt them that way? It chilled Naruto to think about it.

When he looked at the next page it was more little notes in that skinny little handwriting and so he skipped it, hands still trembling.

Thankfully the page after didn't look like a letter, but a strange document. When Naruto looked at the heading of the document, he saw that it was simply an email. He remembered Haku saying something about emails.

He looked at the sender. Kyaku numail. edu

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Kyaku? And the mailing address was a university email. NU? What school was that? The only one that came to Naruto's mind was Northern-Sect University. So this person was emailing through their university email?

He skipped the contents of the letter to see if there was a signature of some sort. There was.

Best,

KY.

He narrowed his eyes. Kabuto Yakushi was Kyaku.

And who would he be emailing? Yashamaru?

Ten10Y numail. edu.

No. That wasn't Yashamaru. It was…

Ten-Ten. It was Gaara's lawyer. The Croatian woman. That was what Kabuto had said. Kabuto had known her intimately enough to email her? Even though he had spoken about her as if they'd been complete strangers? Naruto narrowed his eyes. It was clear that he had to take everything Kabuto had told him with a grain of sand at this point. The entire time he'd explained things, he'd been hiding things, covering his involvement with everything, when he was in fact a key component to the investigation.

Kabuto and the lawyer both had the same university addresses. NU. Had they gone to the same school? And why were they emailing each other instead of writing letters?

But now that Naruto thought about it, it would make more sense to have more documentation of the conversation between Kabuto, Yashamaru, the lawyer - and whoever else - through email rather than letters. Who was even keeping the letters? Who got a hold of them? How could either of the two men, given the situation they were in, not think to destroy the letters they sent to each other after they received them? How could they allow someone to retrieve those letters to be used as evidence this way? It didn't make any sense. Was it Gaara? Did he get a hold of this somehow, and was finally putting it up on some site for the world to see? It all sounded so elaborate and ridiculous to Naruto.

And he was wasting time now. He looked at the date of the email before he continued on with the contents. 12/13/1998. When had Gaara been sentenced to prison? Not too long after that, he thought. In fact maybe just a few weeks later, that same year.

Our best bet is the death penalty. You know this, the email began.

You have to understand that what that man has against me could destroy me, destroy all the things I've worked for. I didn't want to be a part of his game but he pushed me past my limit. Even indisposed he still poses as a problem. I am unequivocally involved in this now, and right now so are you. I have enough resources to give you what you want. You've suffered enough. The circumstances are undesired but this is a great opportunity for you. Help me. Help us both get past this. Besides, in the end, the boy is just a murderer.

Naruto squinted at the words and read the email over and over again. He remembered what Yashamaru had written in the previous letter: Tread lightly. Which meant he had something against Kabuto, something that would make him go as far as to bribe or threaten Gaara's lawyer into…into what? Not defending Gaara the way she should have? Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Evidence that would have helped Gaara's case. That's what Hinata had said in the conference room earlier. Was that Ten-Ten's hand in this then? Had she hidden evidence that would have helped Gaara escape those first two years in prison?

Not that those two years were very much for murder by any means, thought Naruto. Then again Gaara had been a mere 12 years old. And Naruto remembered what Gaara looked like at the age. Small. Feeble. He had to have had special conditions in prison, because how could they have allowed a boy of that stature to mingle with prison mates that were twice, three times his size? Gaara had to have been given some kind of special treatment, and the system had to have taken pity on him to set a murderer free under parole, after just two years in prison.

When he moved his eyes to the contents at the bottom of the page, he found another email.

For all we have experienced together, for how well you know me, is why I am more afraid than angry by what you're asking me to do. You think I am capable of doing something like this? You will never cajole me into allowing that boy to die for this. God knows I've done awful things to become the person I am now. But I will not murder a child. You need to redefine your terms, because if this is the only way you'll give me what I need, then neither of us will get what we want. Decide before the court hearing.

Naruto turned the page quickly, wanting to know what the hell kind of response Kabuto had for this. He head was reeling. So Ten-Ten and Kabuto knew each other semi-intimately? And Ten-Ten needed something from Kabuto. But not enough that she would allow Gaara to gain to the death penalty? That was a good sign. But it scared Naruto to think that emails like this had the capability of deciding a young boy's life. What if Ten-Ten had decided that what she wanted was worth killing Gaara? Would that have worked? Gaara would have died at the age of 12.

How different Naruto's life would be then.

He read the next email. It was from Kabuto.

Your reservations baffle me when you have indirectly murdered so many people for you own personal gain, have defended monsters for the sake of your own reputation. The fact that this is a child hardly makes a difference, but I have a lot riding on this. You've spoken with him, you've spent time with him. You know as well as I that the world is better off without a mind like that. Remember this: the boy is a murderer, first and foremost. And the person he murdered might as well have been an innocent bystander in all of this. Making Ito the enemy in this case won't work when he's in that condition. You know as well as I do, as pretty as you can make your words, as convincing as you can be, it will be hard to make an enemy out a man who's been burned from head to toe by a boy who is clearly mentally incapacitated. If you don't want to kill the boy fine. But put him away. And Ito, in no way or form, can be vilified in that courtroom. If that happens then he will expose me, and in turn I will expose you, and it will be a cold day in hell before you'll get what you want.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Kabuto was a damned monster.

The following email was only one line.

We will go to hell for this, you know.

There was no response from the doctor after that email, and Naruto had to blink a dozen times before he could arrange his thoughts.

He had to lay the facts down.

Gaara was a murderer. Fact.

He killed his father. Fact.

He'd burned his rat faced rapist piece of shit uncle alive. Fact.

But the father was the tricky part. What Kabuto had written earlier - about the murdered man being an innocent bystander – it brought a new angle to the table. What was the father's role in all of this? Why was he murdered, and Yashamaru kept alive?

Or maybe Yashamaru wasn't meant to live. That would make sense. It was probably a miracle that—

Naruto stopped himself, because to call it a miracle that someone like Gaara's uncle was kept alive was problematic.

The blonde suddenly remembered what Yashamaru had told him when he'd visited him at the asylum. He'd wondered himself why Gaara had burned him, leaving him to live, and stabbed his father, killing him. Giving him his eternity, Yashamaru had called it. Whatever that meant.

But he had to return to the facts. Because it was a justified sentencing, if Gaara killed an "innocent bystander"... But had Yashamaru been his only victim, had they'd presented, in court, the exact reasons for Gaara's antagonisms, Gaara's sentencing would need further justification. Just take the way the public reacted when they found that Gaara, infamous mass killer, had an uncle who had abused him in such a way. There had been an uproar. It had raised the question of the responsibility a child has over himself versus the influence and nurture that inevitably drove them to the decisions they made.

It was a question of where a child murderer fit in a system that had deprived him of his youth.

Kabuto was a liar. Fact.

In fact, probably everything he had said to Naruto that day had been a lie – even the way he had acted in his office: his amicable demeanor, his sorrow and regret towards the end. He had to be an expert at lying and saving his own ass. And what about those notes he'd supposedly given the police about Gaara's behavior? About Gaara being subtly violent, about Gaara being someone to be feared, someone capable of great, unimaginable things? Was that the truth, or was it all bullshit so that Ten-Ten could mold a case that would inflate the insanity and instability of a twelve year old boy?

Naruto didn't know.

And now Kabuto was dead. Fact.

Kabuto and Gaara's lawyer had worked together to stifle Yashamaru's role in Gaara's life. Fact.

Yashamaru had something that could ruin Kabuto's life.

Kabuto had something that could ruin Ten-Ten's life.

Kabuto had something Ten-Ten wanted.

Fact, fact, fact.

In fact the only question left was...what? What did these people have over each other? And did those things matter at this point?

Because in the end, Gaara had murdered a man, had only faced two years in prison, and had been released on good behavior, but under an indeterminate sentence of probation.

Then he committed his second crime. A crime that, according the Naruto's "dream", he did not commit.

But Naruto would think about that later.

He laid out all the facts – or at least he arranged the information from the emails in an order that seemed most logical to him. He turned the page, looking to see if there were other emails and there were none. There was a document instead. He saw a doctor's name that was unpronounceable at the very top, and a logo to a hospital.

The patient name: Gaara Sabaku Kaze.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Patient arrived with sibling, immobile, possibly experiencing great pain. X-rays reveal fracture in femoral head and neck of left side of pelvis and greater trochanter of right pelvis. Origins unknown, investigation denied by legal guardian. Patient is prescribed 800ml ibuprofen.

Naruto was shaking again. He looked at the date on the document. November 1993.

He almost tore the paper in half.

He could only think of one reason why Gaara would have had fractures along his pelvis at such a young age.

And Naruto supposed that this document, had not been presented in court, because God forbid Yashamaru was portrayed as an enemy in court.

It didn't make sense that this information was coming out only now. Where was all of this before? And why had Yashamaru been so willing to expose himself when they visited him so long ago? Why had he confessed, if keeping it a secret was so important to him so long ago? Naruto supposed...being in the asylum had made Yashamaru crazy somehow. Perhaps all those years being locked up had completely destroyed his need for self-preservation. He had somehow built a lie of a fake love that existed between him and Gaara in order to survive those years inside the cell.

But.

Naruto thought back on one of Gaara's smaller notes in the folder.

He tells me he loves me.

That was during his sessions with Kabuto that he'd written that. Which either meant that Yashamaru experienced those feelings even before the asylum, and really did think that he and his nephew had a special relationship.

But Gaara had also written of a different kind of abuse.

He spits in my face.

He tells me it's my fault.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in the distance.

He calls me a monster.

So which one was it? Did Yashamaru hate Gaara, or did he love him? Or did he hate that he loved him?

Or was he just a crazy bastard from the start?

Naruto shook his head. It wasn't a question of crazy or not. It was obvious that Yashamaru, regardless of his feelings, was a sick human being in every sense. It was a question of what sort of power he had to have kept his crimes a secret for so long, to have coerced and bribed and threatened a lawyer and a psychiatrist into doing his bidding.

Naruto felt so far from that answer.

The legal guardian in the medical document had to have been Gaara's father. His denying an investigation into the matter of his son's fractured pelvis...did that mean he knew? Did that mean he knew what was happening to his son and ignored it? But...1993...wasn't that the year Gaara's mother died? His father must have suffered a loss. And Yashamaru must have just started his disgusting shenanigans. Was it possible that Gaara's father could have known about it so soon after the abuse had begun, or had he simply been so heart-stricken by the suicide of his wife – the suicide that Gaara had supposedly witnessed – that he was neglecting his role as a father in his grief?

Naruto didn't know. And the man was dead so he couldn't ask.

Naruto wondered which sibling had brought Gaara to the hospital. The immobile Gaara to the hospital, so he had to have been carried. Someone who carried a boy to the hospital had to care about the boy, right? What had that sibling thought when they heard their little brother had a broken pelvis? What role did they play in all of this? Naruto knew they were much older than Gaara was, and therefore not so much involved in Gaara's day to day life, but there must have been some clue as to what was going with their younger brother.

This was the part that Naruto hated the most. It was as if every new set of information would bring the investigation backwards, because all it did was give rise to new, more complicated questions. But which of these questions were actually important to the investigation? Naruto wondered.

Haku said that there were more people involved than they'd originally thought, and that Gaara might have accomplices. Kurenai had suggested that Gaara was the accomplice.

It was too much to think about.

He continued to look through the folder, and after a while he became numb to so much of what he was seeing. There were more little letters – like diary entries – from Gaara and there were a few more notes between Kabuto and Yashamaru. But nothing revealed exactly what leverage Gaara's uncle had over the doctor besides Kabuto's seemingly involuntary involvement in giving Gaara the pills Yashamaru used to "sedate" him. There were also more emails between Ten-Ten and Kabuto, but it was as if every email following the first two was laced in some kind of code, as if they'd realized belatedly that there was a possibility the emails would be recovered and used against them.

And again, who had recovered this information? Who had taken the time to somehow find the hard drive of a dead psychiatrist, a lawyer, and pull out incriminating information like this? Who had gone out of their way to retrieve medical files from the time Gaara had been in the hospital – medical files that Naruto had found two more of in the folder Haku had given him. They were checkups on Gaara's pelvis and an examination on a bruise that had appeared on his stomach. For the bruise there was a signature for the person who had come with Gaara to the hospital. Temari Kaze Sabaku. Naruto recognized the older sister's name.

The very last pages in the folder were dedicated to the one named Sasori Akasuna. The year his parents died, what had happened to them, and a list of what looked like his interests and his projects. Naruto saw a familiar word and it triggered memories of that time in Iruka's apartment, when he'd used his computer to research a few things. Neo-Embalmination. There was no definition of it, just a few pages of things that looked like toys and dolls. Apparently Sasori had created these things, and the more Naruto grazed through the contents, the more real, the more life-like each little doll looked. What the heck were those early dolls made of?

And according to Kurenai, it was one of these things that stood in lieu of Sasori's dead body in his coffin.

But that was a whole other mind-fuck that Naruto couldn't even begin to comprehend at the moment.

He flipped the pages and returned to the middle of the folder, where he saw the small letters written by Gaara. Could he bring himself to read those right now? He peered at one of the larger paragraphs, eyes wary, as if he thought something would jump at him from the page.

And hell at this point he wouldn't have been surprised.

But in the end Naruto couldn't continue to read the letters. Because he essentially knew what he would find there. More suffering, more pain, more ignored pleas of a young boy.

But there might be clues, a part of him argued. Clues that would help him decide what to do, where to go from here, help him see what he was missing.

But Naruto just couldn't. And he had a headache.

So he put the folder down.

---

He found himself coming to his senses some time later. His eyes opened and he brought a hand to wipe his mouth. He felt groggy, but had no headache. He felt weak, but was not sore.

He turned to check the time and found the clock had been disconnected. All that stared back at him was a very black screen.

When had he fallen asleep?

He stared long at the clock, unlit with faded 8s behind the platform. Was it really a black screen?

No.

It was green.

A green screen. Green like eyes. Teal green.

No.

This green was different.

What was the time?

There was no time. The greenscreen was empty.

No.

This screen was black.

Naruto rubbed his eyes, moving long eyelashes from his vision.

His eyes went back to the clock.

The screen is black. Infinitely black. Like dark, listless, dead eyes—

Think only of me.

—Green again.

But what was the time?

He was staring at the ceiling.

There was no progression from the clock to the ceiling, no turn of his head, no shifting of eyes. He merely found that he faced the sky.

Naruto was not groggy.

He was not tired.

He had no headache.

He was awake.

blackeyesgreeneyesblackeyes-

Thin, dark lines like webs caked the ceiling with peeled cracked and eerie marks, spanning through the old paint like spongy, pale skin rotting silently beneath the floorboards.

Naruto's feet hung slightly above the cold wooden ground.

When had he taken off his shoes?

When had he taken off his socks?

He was naked.

His feet pressed against the wood.

No creaks. The wood was strong. New.

Creak—

But inconsistent.

He could have sworn this was carpeted before—

He was at the left side of the door.

It was as if he had willed himself to be, and so he was. There. By the door.

But he had not willed this...consciously. Or maybe the thought had come too quickly for him to recognize his consciousness in the act.

Creak.

And the floor was still inconsistent. Strong there, weak here.

What lay underneath the wood?

Think only of me.

But he matters too, Naruto thought, blinking, his back to the wall. He faced the bed, stared at it. The sheets were made, wrapped tightly around the frame as if he had never slept.

He could feel the dark circles forming around his eyes

Only it wasn't the feeling, but the actual seeing of those dark circles.

They surrounded the green eyes that stared back at him now.

Touching him now.

greemeyesblackeyesgreeneyesblackeyesgreen-

Two hands lay either side of his face.

Keeping him there.

With/without his permission.

What was he now?

"Mine."

Naruto let out a shallow breath.

(Non?)consensual touches on the side of his torso, (non?)consensual touches to the side of his hips—

"Think only of me." A murmur.

The floorboard creaked under his feet.

Cracked under his feet.

Movement.

And he was still naked.

The hands were so cold.

His breaths were still shallow.

"Think only of me."

Cold digits run along his manhood.

Naruto's legs shook but he remained silent.

The floor was cold. But no longer wooden.

It had opened between his body and the body of the non-man who touched him, and formed a small chasm at their feet.

A head lay in that chasm, staring up at Naruto.

Naruto blinked once. Twice.

"Sasuke."

Black eyes looked up at him from the gap in the ground. Purple lips gave Naruto the slightest of smiles.

As the blonde stared back, cold digits took to squeezing the shaft of his cock—

"Think only of me—"

The head on the ground grinned, teeth black—

"Dobe."

— and Naruto came.

---

Naruto woke up as if he'd been struck by lightning. The folder that lay on his stomach toppled over and fell on the floor, with papers falling, but not scattering about for the blunt impact of the carpeted floor.

"Hmph."

Naruto started for a second time. He watched as a hand reached for the papers on the ground, picked them up, and placed them back inside the folder then back on the bedside table.

The clock read 21:22. And besides the clock was a plate of food, untouched.

Naruto blinked a thousand times before he looked back at the person in his room. The boy in his room.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

The boy wasn't looking at him anymore. He was pulling at wires from under the carpet, turning them over in his hand.

"Wires we use for the server next door run through this room." Was his answer.

The boy looked young, but he didn't sound young.

Naruto swallowed once. Twice. "Oh."

He didn't feel right. He felt...sticky.

He looked down at himself.

A small string of dampness followed the line of his manhood beneath his sweatpants. Cum.

He instantly pulled his legs towards him, crossing them. He coughed once.

The boy/man set the wires down and turned to walk to the door.

"You should probably get that cleaned up." he called out, nodding to the spot on Naruto's pants before he left.

Naruto held his head down in shame, pulling his legs closer to him so that his body folded in on itself.

The weight and the horror of his dream was crashing on Naruto like an anvil.

What the fuck.

He looked down at himself again, and there was no questioning the dampness he saw sitting on the cloth of his right thigh. And even if there were ways to question it – there was no way around that dream.

He only remembered fragments, small shards, but he knew, he knew who'd been in his dream.

Gaara and Sasuke. He couldn't remember their faces, but he knew, he knew it was them and Naruto had—

He came.

Naruto had felt safe. He had felt no fear.

And he came.

Naruto let his face fall hard into his hands.

There had been touching. But who, which—?

Fuck—

Angrily, Naruto stood up and ran to the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and spent a full forty seconds splashing cold water onto his sweaty face, drinking the tap here and there until the lack of air forced him to pull up and stare at his reflection in the mirror.

He was wet, the mirror was wet.

He looked like a dog who'd been playing too long in the snow. The lack of sunlight, he saw, had made his face almost translucent, blue veins ran above his eyelids and on his neck. Hair that was once a bright blonde looked so dull. He needed to wash his hair. He needed to wash his face. He needed to wash his whole body of the filth, the disgusting filth, that drove him to this dream—

Naruto cast his head down, and he could feel his chest expand in a silent, inward sob.

What was happening?

Nothing made sense.

Nothing made sense.

Naruto let his panic overtake him, his chest expanding and cascading, until loud labored gasps left his mouth and his knees fell to the ground in front the running sink. His hyperventilation grew louder than the running water, and his sobs matched rise and fall of his chest, coming louder and louder, even when commotion rose from the outside, and arms came from behind to hold him in an embrace.

---

It had taken Kakashi less effort than he'd anticipated to become involved as much as he was in what was to take place today. That was the difference between the way his late father used to run his department and the way the Momochis ran theirs. Kakashi had papers splayed on the table. He was re-reading the intel of Chiyo Akasuna and her grandson Sasori. He needed to know her inside out if he was going to make the most of the meeting with her today.

Merely a few days after the incident in Gaara's house, he had asked politely to offer his full services in the investigation. After all he had worked on the case before, and neither he nor Iruka were spared the intensive background checks pulled on every member of the disbanded Hatake department. Haku had surprised him by telling him she was going to ask for his help anyway.

They'd had an extensive meeting to exchange information the week prior. All cleared members of the Hatake dept. and leading members of the Morino branch were there, along with hundreds of physical files and several external drives containing the history of cases solved and unsolved by his former branch. The plan was not only to take information gathered from Hatake dept. and use it to solve the case, but to also merge the data into the Momochi and Morino branch. It had taken several days, and Kakashi was allowed to participate for every step of it.

But he knew they were watching him closely. Someone like him didn't stand to be trusted completely. He was Masashi's son. His father was a large part of the reason they were so far behind in the investigation and why information had been withheld for so long.

Kakashi had mixed emotions when he thought about his father.

That man was the cause for so much of his pain...

But he was still his father.

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, hung his head.

"You all right?"

He looked up and smiled at his partner who stood in the doorway of their bedroom, looking back at him with concern.

"Thinking about Masashi."

Iruka's gaze turned to one of understanding and he walked over to Kakashi to embrace him from behind. He put his chin on his partner's shoulder. "I know you're mourning." he murmured. "When you're sad you keep yourself busy. That's why you're back on this case isn't it?"

"I'd like to think I want to get involved for less selfish reasons than that." he replied, laughing a little, keeping his voice almost as quiet as Iruka's. This moment was intimate, and it felt like any loud noises would disrupt the round metaphysical bubble of space they'd created for this point in time, where only they, and nothing else existed but their breathing and Iruka's loose embrace. "Without Shikamaru...I'm one the most qualified on Gaara's pattern of behavior...they need my help."

"I'm sure they do." Iruka sighed, holding Kakashi tighter. "But this whole thing is frightening...How do I know something won't happen to you? How do I know something like what happened at the house won't..."

Kakashi sighed and turned around to face his partner. "You don't know that." he answered truthfully. "But that's the risk I'm taking."

"The risk we're taking." Iruka corrected, narrowing his eyes up at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled and leaned down to kiss the other man—

But his phone rang, popping the bubble and disrupting the moment between them. He answered without looking at the caller ID. He knew who would be calling.

"Kakashi." said Zabuza on the other end. "Be ready outside in about five minutes. I'm told the car will arrive around that time. It's about an hour drive. We'll be there before you but we won't start without you." He hung up before Kakashi could reply.

Kakashi scoffed softly and put his phone away. He was used to Zabuza's blunt hang-ups by now. "I have to leave soon." he told Iruka, turning away from him and putting the papers back into the folder.

"You're going to see Naruto today right?"

Iruka was right, Kakashi thought. He hadn't seen the blonde in so long.

"Tell him I miss him?" Iruka asked. "And that he doesn't have to worry about his rent...and that Konohamaru misses Seichi…" Iruka trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Kakashi understood why. His partner was overwhelmed. Things were happening so quickly. It felt like just yesterday Iruka had been telling him about the handsome new tenant and his accompanying him to give another new tenant pie. Now it was like when Kakashi was still a policeman, with Iruka worrying all the time, and the future being so unclear.

"I'll tell him." he reassured Iruka, leaning in to give him a kiss. He looked down at his watch then. "I have to go."

Kakashi arrived at Chiyo's house, a large two story home right at the edge of town, not even fifteen minutes from Mushroom City. According to Haku's files, Chiyo had been living in the apartment less than a year before she took Gaara in. He wondered what the point of the move was, if she was going less than an hour away from where she'd lived in the sand county.

He'd ridden in the car with two others who were both minutely involved in the investigation. They parked behind several other vehicles surrounding the house. He exited the car to find all the others waiting, loitering around and having conversations with various unpleasant looks on their faces.

He saw Naruto towards the side, nearest to the house, with two men he didn't recognize by his side.

Kakashi masked his alarm.

The blonde was thinner than he remembered, eyes dull as he held his head downcast and stared down at the ground. His arms were crossed, his back hunched. He looked like he was devoid of all energy, like he'd heaved his insides out and all that was left was an empty shell of himself.

He didn't expect the blonde to look great but this was something else. Had something happened between now and when they'd discharged him from the hospital?

He walked towards Naruto, ready ask him what was wrong, when Zabuza called out to him.

"Kakashi. Didn't see you arrive." he confessed, walking towards him.

Kakashi nodded to him, surprised the man had approached him at all. Zabuza didn't seem at all like the social type. "What are we waiting for out here?" He asked, since it had been on his mind. "Where's Haku?"

"There's a man in there." Zabuza stated plainly, nodding towards the house. "Says he's the woman's friend. He didn't know we were coming in today. Didn't like it. Haku and the lady of the house have been trying to convince him it's all right for us to be here for the past ten minutes now…" he trailed off, looking visibly annoyed. "And Naruto…" he continued, knowing Kakashi would be interested. "He's there with Kimimaro and Zetsu. They're SBI. I don't think you have met them yet."

"I haven't," Kakashi confirmed quickly. "What's wrong with Naruto? He looks…"

Zabuza looked back at the house impatiently before answering. "Not sure what happened exactly. We brought him to the hotel and he was fine but later that night they found him on the ground, crying, shaking – like he'd lost his mind."

"Do you think it was the gas in the house? Was it poison after all?"

"That's what Haku thought." he replied. "Naruto passed out and we got him the medical attention heneeded. But they said he only had a panic attack."

Kakashi paused, narrowing his eyes at the man before turning to Naruto again. The agents beside him were talking, but Naruto didn't involve himself in their conversation, kept to himself.

"What do you think happened then?" he asked, turning back. "You think the stress of...all this…? Is he even prepared to be here today?"

Zabuza shrugged "Not sure if anyone can necessarily be "prepared" for something like this. He said he was fine but...I see what you see. He looks different."

"He's not telling us something… Maybe Gaara…?"

Zabuza shrugged again. "At this rate if Ms. Akasuna's friend won't let us cooperate with her he won't have to deal with anything at all."

"But if Naruto isn't up to this," Kakashi argued, "then we shouldn't force him anyway. He looks worse than he did at the hospital—"

"I understand you but," Zabuza paused, putting a hand to his forehead and caressing the furrow there for a moment. Kakashi couldn't tell if everything was finally taking a toll on him or if he was genuinely annoyed. "Haku's been trying to get this woman to speak for a while now. She was the one who saw her name in the files and thought to question her as soon as Sasori's name came into the mix. Ms. Akasuna only agreed to speak with us when Haku told her about Naruto a couple of weeks ago. Chiyo wants to see him. And Haku thinks this time they have together might be enlightening to all of us. She was interrogated to death after her son was supposedly killed but...Haku thinks Naruto being there will make a difference."

Kakashi frowned up at him, but he understood how Haku was feeling. This had to be done whether the blonde was ready or not but...He looked back at the blonde…

But what had happened to him?

---

Naruto wasn't himself. He knew that. And he could tell everyone could see. The only person who didn't seem to mind was Zetsu, who took a liking to his quiet, low-keyed demeanor. Naruto knew Zetsu took it as an acceptance of guilt. Resignation of his innocence.

It was something like that, Naruto had to admit. But not really. He knew something was wrong. But that was it. Something had changed within him. And he knew it wasn't something that had awakened somehow or something that had laid dormant and was only now decided to rear its head. No, this was new. Naruto was...changed.

He didn't understand it. He was scared.

He didn't know if this woman – Chiyo – knew that he was coming. But why would she need to? They wanted to exhaust her with questions, gather insight. This was about Sasori. Not him.

They stood outside the home for nearly twenty minutes now. There were maybe ten to fifteen men, only a few of which he knew would be allowed inside. The others were for protection. No one knew what to expect of this place, so close to Suna as it was. They wew, as everyone took to calling it, in Gaara's territory.

Given that Gaara had proven to have unprecedented knowledge on what the police were doing at every waking moment, they were operating with the assumption that he knew exactly what was going on. Perhaps he was in Chiyo's house. Perhaps he had contacted her beforehand. Perhaps he had killed her.

Naruto didn't know, and wouldn't know, until Haku came back outside.

Naruto forgot how old they said Chiyo was. She was in her 80s. Naturally, they wanted to be cautious around her.

Finally, Haku did come out. She looked at Zabuza first, nodding her head. Whatever code that transpired between them translated to everyone else on the team. Naruto found his arm being grabbed by Zetsu to pull him forwards. "Let's go."

Alongside Zetsu and Kimimaro, four other men followed, including Zabuza.

One of the three men was Kakashi. Naruto didn't even have time to register his surprise at seeing his landlord's partner before they were walking up the stairs of an old porch and into the home that Gaara lived in for almost three years.

Chiyo's house was like what he expected. It was small, quaint. The kind of home he always wanted to grow up in when he was younger. With his mother. Thinking about it made Naruto want to almost laugh. The poverty he lived in with his mother was a sharp contrast to the sudden lavish living his grandmother provided after she'd abandoned him. But longing for things he didn't have only became more pronounced when he went to live with his grandmother.

Chiyo was like the house. Small, quaint. She stood by a flight of stairs, arms behind her back, staring steadfastly at the men who entered her house. They all came in cautiously, as if every creak of the floorboards would bring the house down. Naruto entered the house second to last, with Zetsu following close behind him.

Chiyo's eyes honed in on him the moment he came into view. Naruto swallowed once, taking her in, wanting to look away but being unable to. Her intensity was palpable, and he saw everyone look from her to him.

Zabuza allowed the moment to last all but ten seconds. "Ms. Akasuna." He said plainly, nodding to her and extending a hand.

Chiyo's eyes broke slowly from Naruto's and she looked at the hand listlessly before shaking it.

"You can come into the living room." She said, pulling away from his hold and walking to an enclave on the wall in the hallway adjacent to the stairs. "There aren't enough seats for all of you."

Zabuza, seemingly emboldened by the handshake, followed her immediately while the others still moved forward with some caution.

Her living room was small. A brown loveseat faced a recliner that Chiyo walked towards. "Make yourself comfortable." Her voice was feeble. Naruto found it hard to believe someone as small as she was, commanded a police force at any time in her life.

She used a cane to help herself sit in the chair, and it was then that another man walked into the living room from what looked to be the kitchen, arms crossing when he saw the rest of them. Naruto was startled to see him but observed no reaction from the others. The new man's expression was severe, a fair match for Zabuza's beady unwelcoming eyes. The man said nothing, only walked over to stand behind the recliner Chiyo sat in. The old woman continued on, unaffected by this new person.

"Sit, Naruto." she said.

Naruto tensed a little. It was off putting for this stranger to call him by his first name. No one else had made an effort to sit down; they all just stood there, waiting.

Finally Haku laughed a little. "Why don't you and I sit here together." She said, gesturing to Naruto.

He didn't notice that Zetsu was no longer holding his arm, so it came as a small shock when he moved so easily from where he stood beside the agent. It was all very awkward, the silence in the room versus the loudness of his movements, brushing past others to get to the tiny love seat beside Haku.

When they were settled, Haku squeezed his hand for one moment, before letting go and turning to Chiyo.

Chiyo's expression was intense again, staring at Naruto like she was trying trace her footsteps in his face. "You're not as...lively as I imagined you'd be." She said finally.

Naruto blinked back at her. Obviously they'd spoken about him beforehand. He was uncomfortable.

"I want to hear the dream." Chiyo commanded, her voice soft. "I want to hear it in your words."

Naruto startled and looked at Haku.

"I thought it was important for her to know what you think you remembered." She said, answering his tacit question. "To see if it fell into place with whatever she might have known about Gaara."

"I thought we were here to learn about Sasori." Naruto said. He startled himself with how dry and weak his voice came out, almost as feeble Chiyo's.

"We are. But after what you told us..."

"There was someone." Chiyo said, filling in the space where Haku had trailed off. "There was someone that Gaara clung to during his time here and in prison. Someone who wasn't his mother. Sasori took it upon himself to teach Gaara how to sculpt wood, make caricatures out of the elements. Gaara was never very good at it, and the ones he did make, were always one of two things. His mother. And a boy."

Chiyo dug into her pocket then, and moved a bulge that Naruto had not noticed from the side of her pants. Everyone around them shuffled slightly, cautious and expecting the worst. At the same moment the unnamed man behind Chiyo took a step forward, a reaction to the sudden shift of unease. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, before the old woman finally pulled out a brown item from her pocket.

Naruto squinted at the thing, his mind not really registering what it was until the unnamed man behind Chiyo took the doll from her hands and walked over to hand it to the blonde. Naruto looked at Haku first before taking it carefully.

He turned the small thing in his hands and swallowed. It was something like a child – made of wood. The head was misshapen, with large spikes coming from the top, a representation of hair. The eyes were long frowning slits and engraved was a smile – more like a grin – that made up almost the entire face. The body was deformed – pointed arms, and legs, but the face allowed the figure to remain characteristically human.

"It's ghastly, I know." Chiyo remarked, chuckling a little. "It was his first one. But he made others like it. Many others. When I asked him who that was, Gaara would not answer me. But after hearing your dream..."

Naruto swallowed once more, holding the wooden thing like an artifact that could crumble in his hands. "So this is...me?"

He supposed there was a crude similarity. Something of the essence of a happy-go-lucky child. A face marked with senseless joy.

"But I want to hear it from you." Chiyo said. "I want to hear it in your words—"

"We don't have time for that." Zabuza said from behind them. "I know Haku talked about it with you so you know the details. What we're here to find out is the relationship between Sasori and Gaara – and if you've come into contact with Sasori or anyone of his likeness in the years since his 'death'". Zabuza spoke loudly and abrasively. Naruto could see the man behind Chiyo tensing, like he'd been insulted.

Chiyo only laughed. "Why don't you tell everyone here the truth? You already know what I have to say, I've told you once before. You're here to see Naruto's reaction to what you and I already know."

It was Naruto's turn to tense up, and he looked at Haku then, eyes questioning. Haku looked back at him, and her smile was apologetic.

"The truth is," she began.

"Let him hear it from Chiyo." Zabuza said, cutting his partner off.

Chiyo chuckled again and leaned backwards into her chair before letting out a long sigh. "I remember these tactics and they seldom work." She looked at Naruto with something like pity. "Keeping secrets from essential witnesses in an investigation doesn't reap any benefits if you have to tell them the truth in the end. What they're not telling you Naruto, is that there was a note left in Gaara's house that day you were all affected by the gas. And in that note was an address. My house."

Naruto's head was reeling from the onslaught of information, but she continued before he could utter a sound.

"Not even twenty four hours after reading that note, your new police friends came into my home, armed and ready for battle, looking for a boy I had not had the pleasure of caring for in years." she folded her hands together and looked at Naruto with a very solemn look. "When I heard of Gaara's escape from the prison...I couldn't believe it. And I admit...I waited for him here. I waited for him to come home. That's what most men do you know, when they are lost. They come home, whether they want to or not, whether they're cognizant of the consequences or not. Gaara had a home here. He enjoyed his life here. He was … happy here." her eyes were downcast. "But he never came. Maybe the home I thought I'd built for him wasn't a home for him at all. I played with the idea that he was lost, didn't know where to go, but I know that's not the case. Gaara has never been lost. Broken, but not lost. He was searching for something, working towards something. And now I'm beginning to think, that something is you."

Naruto swallowed hard and deep. He took a deep breath in his chair, relaxed and stared back at Chiyo. "Gaara...he...I think he's been trying to contact me for some time now. I...we met so long ago and...I think I made an impression. I didn't realize it then and I still don't understand it now but...I think I'm the one who...turned him into this monster." his voice broke, and he looked down at the distorted figurine with narrowed eyes. "I just want – we want to know his plan. Everything that's been going on. People are dying. Kakashi's building almost completely collapsed. Nothing makes sense. I don't know how this all ties together, and why I have to be in the center of it."

"I don't think you were an intended piece in the puzzle. You just came with the territory." Chiyo said this as she stood up, and the man behind her reached to assist her. Batting his hands away gently and shaking her head she nodded to the group before her. "There's something I want you all to see. It might be the missing piece you were looking for. Now if you'll follow me to my basement."

"What basement?" Zabuza asked, coming forward to follow first. "You didn't show us a basement the first time."

Chiyo smiled coyly back at him. "You should be more ashamed at your team for not discovering it on your own." she said. She led the group back by the entryway to the living room and made a right at the stairs, stopping when she was directly under the flight of steps. Leaning two hands gently against what looked like a plain wooden wall, the wall clicked, and a door that was once seamlessly blended came ajar. There were mutters between the men in the room and but Haku was the first to speak up. "Chiyo – you know what my team has been through. We can't just follow you down to the basement. It was incredibly irresponsible of you not to mention this during our first sweep. For all we know –"

"Then just let the boy come." Chiyo interrupted. "Although this is all just a bit of show and tell. Baki, why don't you just go grab that book for me. You know the one." The man who'd been shadowing Chiyo pushed the door open and disappeared behind it. His footsteps were heavy going down the hidden stairs.

"I will tell Naruto what I told you." Chiyo said, going from Haku to theblonde. "This is so much bigger than Gaara. In fact, I would go as far as to say he has almost nothing to do with this. I think that he is a passive accomplice to something much bigger than he is."

"An…" Naruto began, trying to take it all in stride, "An accomplice to who?"

Heavy footsteps sounded behind the basement door and there were a few tense moments before Baki appeared again. He had a small black book in his hand.

"December 23rd 2004." Chiyo said, taking the book from the man. "I got the call that Sasori, my grandson, was one of the students killed at Mushroom tech. I was devastated. I was lost. And imagine my shock, when I heard that Gaara was the one responsible. That he was the one who concocted a gas that spread through the hallways and killed innocent children. That he was on the run from the police." She chuckled then, and flipped through the pages of the book. "You know what I thought when I heard that? The first thing that passed through my mind? That Gaara would never do something like that. But Sasori would."

Naruto watched steadfastly as she flipped through the pages, his heart ramming into his chest. "Gaara told me that people were after him for something they thought he did." He said. "In the forest." He added. "Around the time of the incident at the school. It was like…he knew he was innocent. But he didn't care—"

"What's in the basement." Zabuza asked, cutting him off and taking a step forward. "Other than that book, what else is there?"

"It's hardly a basement now." Chiyo shrugged. "It was completely destroyed. What used to be a basement is now charred walls and windows with soot so dense that light can barely come through. For as long as he lived in this house that basement was Sasori's play shed, filled to the brim with figurines and models – mannequins he built from scratch, with materials he found wherever he went. And the night before that day, December 23rd, it was all destroyed. The only thing left was this book, hidden beneath one single wooden board. Useless and nonsensical to me for quite some time…until you came to me Haku." She said, smiling and turning to said chief. "And now I think I am beginning to understand…I had my theories but…things are starting to come together.

"Sasori…" Naruto whispered, eyes widening slowly. "Is he behind all of this?"

Chiyo looked at him with a smile that was sad. "Undoubtedly."

Kakashi took all the information so far in strides. He himself had been putting two and two together even before he was allowed to tag along in the investigation. It was clear that the mysterious and ever-eluding Sasori was a much bigger player in this whole scheme than they'd previously thought.

They'd traveled back to the living room and Chiyo returned to her seat. There was no point in standing by the stairs when Haku was adamant about not leading her team anywhere that hadn't been checked first. Understandable, given the disaster at Gaara's home.

But the truth was, this could already be a trap. The note left at Gaara's house had this address. And yet, when they came here there was nothing to be found but an old woman with answers? They thought that by bringing Naruto here it would trigger something, that maybe there would be another "incident". That's why the house was surrounded by armed men. Just waiting. What could be the point of leading them here? Who was leading them here? Was Chiyo more involved than she was letting on? They were all taking a chance here and Kakashi wasn't so sure where to place his bet.

He was startled when his phone vibrated once. A text message. He ignored it. And ignored it again when it vibrated a second time. He couldn't the third time. There were very few people who could reach him by his cellphone. Anyone who mattered to him knew that he was busy at the moment. So it had to be urgent.

He took his phone out of his pocket and was surprised to see Iruka's name. He read all three messages.

CALL ME

CALL ME

CALL ME

Kakashi pushed himself off of the wall and made his way outside. He was calling his partner before he even stepped out into the porch.

Iruka answered after the first ring.

"Time and time again you've asked me not to look through your documents but I just couldn't help myself." Was the first thing out of his mouth. He sounded out of breath, and almost panicked.

"What happened? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," his partner replied quickly before continuing in the same breath, "Remember a few years ago when we had to replace the blower-fans for the heat exchangers in both buildings?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, cautious and confused why Iruka would bring up such a thing now. "Yes…it cost a fortune. But the tenants wouldn't have survived the winter without them."

"Yes, yes, and remember how we had that argument with the contractors who wouldn't replace the fans without a map of the ductwork and pipes leading to the furnace?"

"Yes…and you thought it was ridiculous because all they had to do was replace the fans in the basement."

"And they wouldn't start the project until we found the blueprint!" Iruka exclaimed, sounding erratic. "Now I looked through the file you left at the table and I found something that looked so familiar." He breathed. "That photo of mangled back, the markings on the skin – the X that marks the spot—"

It was as if the world stopped around him, and Kakashi tensed so quickly he could have crushed his phone. He couldn't even hear his partner anymore. His mind was temporarily submerged in this new realization, and he could barely move.

"It's a blueprint of our basement." He whispered, shaking.

"Yes, yes," Iruka breathed, and the words almost came like a sob and Kakashi could tell he was also hyperventilating from the discovery, without even understanding how dire the implications might be. "Kakashi I'm going to call the police.

"No…" Kakashi began slowly, thinking. "It might be a trap. I need to call the Special Forces currently involved in the investigation. We don't know what's waiting for us down there."

"We will have to evacuate both buildings." Iruka said gravely. "The blueprints are the same for both. And god forbid some kind of bomb—"

"Yeah, I know." Kakashi said, looking down, thinking hard about next steps. He had to bring this back to Haku and Zabuza. But he didn't want all the resources to curtail from the whole Sasori investigation. What the hell was supposed to happen at this house? They'd been here almost an hour and not unlike the first time they came, nothing was happening. Why would Gaara leave a letter with this address? What was the plan?

Then he was hit with another grave thought. Could this just be a distraction? Get every important member of the investigation huddled in one place far from Mushroom city, far from the two apartment buildings—

"Kakashi?"

"I'm here. Listen to me. I'll let everyone here know. In the meantime, find the blueprint of the ductwork—"

"I have it here."

"Good. Send me a picture of it. And when you do that, get the hell out of that building. Go to your parent's house – anything."

"Kakashi—"

"Do as I say." His voice came out much rougher than he intended, but he sighed a sound of relief when Iruka finally agreed following a few tense moments.

"Okay. Now I need to make a few calls. Iruka." he said softly. "Thank you."

"What would you do without me?" Iruka chuckled a bit, trying to make light of the situation.

"Nowhere I'd want to be."

"Knowing Sasori, he left this intentionally." Chiyo was molded back into her chair and Baki had returned to his position behind her. She had opened the book to a page and handed it to Naruto before sitting down again, and now the blonde was finding his way back into the love seat in front of her as he stared down the page of the little black book. It was just a mess of images and indicators. There were words next to sketches of images of limbs, but at the very top there was a word that was all too familiar. Neo-Embalminism. There was another word underneath that he didn't recognize, written three times in handwriting so neat it looked typed. Akatsuki.

"What's Akatsuki?" he asked aloud, tracing the letters that were written so forcefully he could feel the ink grains of the black ball point pen it was written with.

"I've heard that before." said Haku from behind Naruto. "It rings a bell. Isn't it the name of an ancient village?"

Chiyo waved a tired hand. "It's an old tale. Sasori always liked the story when he was growing up. But that's not what's important in that book. If you folks are any good at your job then you know that my late husband was an embalmer. Our son took an interest when he was much older. He'd tried other career paths but finally gave in and joined his father's business. Unlike my son however, Sasori took an interest very early. He was a quiet child. To himself. And although my son was initially wary about bringing him along, it developed into what seemed like a great bonding mechanism between father and son." Chiyo's eyes were sad and she looked into the distance. "That kind of work… you know right away if you can stomach it. And not long after Sasori was born his grandfather passed away, so my son was quite lonely. My daughter-in-law of course did not share the same interest. But having a son who could not only stomach but seemed to enjoy the work was very fulfilling for the both of them.

"I'm not entirely sure when my son started to take interest in Neo-Embalminism. It's a God-forsaken pseudo practice that should have died in the middle ages. All it is is the befouling of the embalming art, a sinful disrespect to human bodies that have passed on." Chiyo made a sound like a huff and a scoff. She turned away as if disgusted by her thoughts.

"I think my son was merely mildly interested. I saw his notes on it. His interest was piqued and that may have been it. But Sasori...It was clear he had fallen in love. I didn't know it then but...I believe my son had awakened a dormant evil in Sasori. And when he and his wife died—" she paused then, as if the memory stole the words right from her mouth. "My grandson was all alone." she forced out.

Naruto's empathy fell on him like a boulder. His head was hung and he could no longer look at the pain in Chiyo's eyes. Alone. He himself knew that loneliness was like an endless black pit, swallowing you whole until something, anything, catches a hold.

"Sasori was a smart child. Always a bit strange. Lacking in empathy from the start." Chiyo continued. "But he was still just a child. And he was loved. When the two people who showered him the most with genuine and unconditional affection were ripped out of his life— he didn't even cry. I took him in without hesitation. Gave him space to adjust to his new reality. Took him to therapy. And he was a model child. Studious. Never got into any fights. A model grandson. And when he came home from school," Chiyo paused and looked outside her living room. "He would go into that basement."

"So...Sasori seemed...normal." Naruto asked, after some time. "And when Gaara…"

Chiyo nodded, understanding what Naruto wanted to know. "I'd cared for several young boys before Gaara came into my home. Transgressors who grew up in the wrong neighborhood, got mixed up with the wrong crowd and found themselves in detention centers or jail. Kids like that. I ran a kind of halfway house and rehabilitation center. Baki and a few others helped me during those days. Those boys were with me for less than a few months before they were caught up in crime again or until I thought it was all right for them to spend their probation at home. Of course I made sure my grandson never interacted with them more than he needed to. And he rarely did.

"But when I brought Gaara into my home, Sasori took an interest in a way that I'd never seen before." Her eyes narrowed into the distance, as if she could recall the day with painful clarity. "The moment he set eyes on him…It was the first time I felt like Sasori, being the older male he usually was compared to the kids I sheltered throughout the years, seemed to take an active role in the emotional rehabilitation and nurturing of a problem child. It was like he saw something in Gaara. The same way I'd seen something in him…"

Naruto listened intently. Imagining Gaara in this house was difficult. Interacting with Chiyo and Sasori. He couldn't really fathom what that looked like. "So Sasori...helped Gaara?" he asked.

"Sasori took him in. Allowed him into his room, allowed him into the basement, shared his interests with him, walked with him to school. These might seem like small things but before Gaara, Sasori kept to himself. He interacted with me and others purely out of necessity. He was kind, he was polite...but there was always a lack of sincerity. I saw it. Baki saw it. And when Gaara came – so young and so broken – not saying one word for weeks after he came into my home," She shook her head. "…it was like Sasori saw him as a younger brother. He was so patient with him. So kind to him…

"But I know now that my grandson was grooming him." her voice broke. "Sasori...he just wasn't right. It was something inherent. Psychological. He saw Gaara with his vulnerability, his devastating past, his impressionability, his inability to tell right from wrong…" she shut her eyes and one tear found its way down her face. "I brought a broken child into the lion's den. I couldn't see it then. And even when I had my suspicions after that day at Mushroom Tech...I could feel it in my gut that my grandson had something to do with it. But I didn't want to believe it. And it didn't matter because Sasori was dead."

Flashes of Gaara in the forest kept playing in Naruto's mind. His listless eyes, his hands on his face, his prophetic words. He had said that things had to fall into a scheme. As if he was following a plan. Naruto mentioned this again out loud.

"Any trace of that plan burned in the basement." Chiyo said. "It burned the same day Sasori supposedly died. I never brought this up because...well...again I thought my grandson was dead…" she trailed off and closed her eyes. "But I was a fool to think that. Sasori is alive and well. And he is no longer the child he was. He is an un-empathetic, cold-hearted, cold-blooded man. And he must be stopped. Just as Gaara must be stopped."

"But you said it yourself." Naruto had to add. "Gaara's just a pawn in his game...He...Sasori's just using him…"

When Chiyo stayed silent for long moments, Naruto thought he'd offended her. The old woman seemed to blink out of a daze, and fastened her eyes on Naruto. "Do you know what happened between Gaara and his mother? What happened that day? The day that truly changed him forever?" she asked him softly, as if they were the only two people in the room.

Naruto swallowed once, coating his dry mouth with what little moisture he could produce. "He...he saw her. Dead." He could only say.

Of all things, Naruto did not expect Chiyo to chuckle. "He didn't just see her. She made him watch. That woman brought her son into her room, and made him watch as she put a rope around her neck and step off a stool. And then that fragile frame of mind was placed into the hands of a predator." Again her voice broke.

She had no doubt been clued in on Yashamaru's crimes. Naruto tensed, his throat contracted to swallow but there was nothing left but dry air.

"When he came here...he was so broken. He was a shell of a human being. And knowing what I know now...just the extent of the abuse he faced at home…" she shook her head. "I read a report that the hack psychiatrist wrote. Dr Yakushi Kabuto. It was a disgusting report. He claimed Gaara used to lash out. That can't be further from the truth. Gaara was quiet. He was...harmless. Gaara...it was as if he felt unworthy. Pain that came unto him – he thought he deserved it. It's a wonder to me that I hadn't seen him cry once. That he has not taken his own life. But he suffers, Naruto." Chiyo's hand went to her chest and she squeezed the fabric above her heart. "He truly suffers. And I think...the thought of you giving him a chance, the thought of you making a pact with him, touching him, bonding with him in that intimate way – being so cluelessly concerned with his wellbeing – gives him that small twinge of hope and happiness that makes his life worth living."

Her words fell on Naruto like anvils, and he felt himself breathing deeply and quickly. Gaara's small body and large eyes flashed through his mind. Their intertwined hands. The blood dripping to their wrists.

"And that's what's going to make things difficult for you moving forward, Naruto. Because you are no longer dealing with a boy. You are dealing with a man. A man whose reality is so warped, a man who has no understanding of normalcy in regards to human interaction. Despite the bond or his fondness of you, it's clear that he is dangerous, and he is a killer. It's easy to say that Sasori, being the potential puppet master in all of this, is to blame for the horrific things you and others have been through, but the fact remains that Gaara is a murderer who does not care for human life."

Naruto swallowed and looked away. She was right. Gaara wasn't a child anymore. But his childhood...and Sasori... Without those influences, he would not have turned into the monster he is now. And that thought made Naruto so angry. Angry at the people who hurt Gaara, and angry at himself.

For forgetting him. For leaving him alone in the playground that night.

For letting the bite marks heal.

Gaara put such fear into his heart, but that fear was coated with something like sympathy, pity. We are products of nature and nurture, Naruto thought. He thought about Sasuke. Dead Sasuke. He thought about Sakura. Insane Sakura. They'd probably felt so alone. And Naruto wasn't there for them. He had failed his friends. How could he ever forgive himself?

"As enlightening as all of this is," began Zetsu from behind Naruto. "It doesn't really give us a clue as to what this all means. Or tell us why Naruto received that letter. If anything all it does is—"

He was interrupted when the front door was opened, and Kakashi came quickly into the living room. He seemed startled to see all eyes on him, but steeled himself soon after.

"We need to move quickly." He began, his voice grave. "I know the X that marks the spot."

---

End of Part I

32,000 words