Hello all. Back again with another chapter. Apologies for the wait. Over 1000 follows for 'King of the Forest' Thank you all so much for the support. Please continue reading and reviewing. Without further ado here it is.
Chapter 9: Shadows
The boy lands with a thud on the ground onto his back. His eyes widen in horror but the scream he attempts to let out doesn't accompany this look, as a hand covers his mouth. He murmurs, his pleads for mercy incoherent but, can do nothing as a kunai descends on him in a horizontal slash, slicing his throat open. The kunai wielder rises to his feet and watches as the young male thrashes about on the floor for a few moments before finally his body goes limp and silent. He looks to his left to see two grown masked individuals laying still, not far apart from one another. One laying on his back with the setting sun shining on his skin, a sickly purple colour and another on his stomach, two swords through the upper back pinning his body to the ground.
The killer throws his kunai onto the ground, stabbing it into the ground standing upright. He looks behind him as three other masked individuals meet his eyes, two of them clearly adults, the third having the killers own height.
"Are any of you injured?" the tallest of the masked individuals questions. The shortest mask wearer shakes his head and so to does the second tallest. They all look ahead as the kunai wielding killer reaches for his face, it being adorned by a mask of it's own. Unlike all others on the scene though which are white and each bare an animal design of their own, this particular one is pitch black bearing the design of a human skull.
It's wearer pulls it off, sparing one last look at his victim, who has a head of brown matted hair and eyes, adorned in standard leaf Chuunin attire,before walking off towards one of the many trees on either side of the dirt path the bloody scene has unfolded.
"Clean up while I get changed. Then we rendezvous with Seal and the real work begins" he says.
"Right Hisateru" the shortest cloaked mask wearer says.
The kunai wielder stops turning his head to look at the mask wearer in question, his brown eyes shining in the setting sunlight as the wind blows his dark spiky hair.
" We're on a mission. Don't call me that" he says before continuing to walk off.
"Of course. Apologies, Shadow" the mask wearer responds.
Naruto's training ground.
Naruto stands in silence looking across at his Jonin commanders son and teammates brother. For only a second chills run down his spine as he looks at the boys face and notes the resemblance between him and... He shakes the thought away.
"What? What was that?" Naruto asks, an eyebrow arched.
"I said I want you to fight me. Right here and now" Sasuke replies.
Naruto stands in silence, the blonde narrowing his eyes.
'Why would he want to fight me of all the people in this village?' he muses before he stumbles upon what he sees to be the answer.
'His father and sister told him what happened in the Land of Waves did they? Now he's here to see for himself what his ears can't believe? Well whatever the case I'm not interested' the blonde boy speaks inwardly.
"No. Now please leave" Naruto utters plainly.
"Perhaps my tone was deceptive" Sasuke says taking just a few steps forward "I wasn't asking for anything. I was telling you I'm not leaving until you and I fight " he says his fists coming up as his feet and legs move as well, shifting into the taijutsu stance of his bloodline.
"Do you know where you are?" Naruto asks visibly beginning to lose his temper.
"This training ground isn't assigned to anyone is it? its open to all shinobi personnel for use. Like I said, I'm not leaving without a fight" the Uchiha says sternly.
Naruto's eyes narrow in response as the wind blows through the clearing whilst the two stand facing each other, the trees shaking in the wind almost in anticipation as the two young shinobi stare at each other, the tension palpable.
Naruto sighs. 'If he won't leave, I'll just make him leave' he relents.
"Alright. I'll humor you. But once I've beaten you" the whiskered boy clad in black says " leave and don't come back"
"And what exactly makes you think a dead last loser like yourself could beat someone like me "Sasuke taunts, trying to frustrate his opponent early on.
Naruto, not even having shifted into a battle stance, smirks for a second, chuckling inwardly, before his face goes stern. He brings his open hand up and moves his fingers in an inviting gesture.
"Come and find out"
Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility (interrogation wing)
Fugaku stands in front of the glass screen looking on at the scene on the other side. A young man with white shoulder-length hair clad in the standard grey uniform of the facility he finds himself in, tied to a chair his head down, blood dripping onto the ground from his face. A man dressed in a black trenchcoat with a bandanna tied onto his head stands over him, his gloved hands wet with blood.
"You're my only visible hope at this point Fugaku " a voice from his left cutting through his thoughts. He turns his head in this direction to be met with Minato's blue eyes.
"Are you sure you can do it?" the blonde asks.
"What's the point Minato? If I couldn't get anything , then he can't either" Inoichi says earning the two men's attention, their heads turning to look at him. Fugaku smirks at the Yamanaka who stands with his arms crossed looking away. The Uchiha looks back at the village leader.
"Dont worry. I've got this. Let me in" he says turning and walking to his right towards a steel door sporting a complex sealing array, an ANBU shinobi standing next to it. Minato nods at the masked shinobi who weaves through a series of hand signs before yelling
"Release" the sealing array disappears. Fugaku places his hand on the door opening it with a simple push. The bandanna clad male in the room turns to him, the leaf insignia on his headband as well as the scars on his face now clearly visible. Fugaku moves his head to the side gesturing to the male to leave the room. Fugaku walks into the dimly lit room, eyes on the white haired boy whose head stays down. He sits himself down in the chair opposite to the young man as the sound of the steel door shutting echoes throughout the room. He looks to his left, met with the glass screen from before, it's colour now pitch black, nothing on the other side being visible.
He looks back at the prisoner whose head is still bowed.
"Boy. Look at me" Fugaku speaks. Mizuki raises his head and sees Fugaku his eyes widening a bit at seeing the Uchiha patriarch here. Fugaku sits back in his chair crossing his arms examining the Chuunins marred, bruised and bleeding face, much like the rest of his body.
The two stare at each other for a few silent moments. Mizuki's injured face contorts into a smirk.
"Do whatever you want. You'll get as much they did. I'm not telling you anything!" he utters defiantly.
"Oh don't worry" Fugaku responds casually, still leaning back in his seat. He blinks his eyelids rising to reveal his eyes having morphed, now bearing a crimson red colour, three tomoe marks arranged around each of his pupils in a triangular formation.
"You won't have to say a word" he says lowly. Mizuki's heart skips a beat as he is met with the sight of the legendary Sharingan. Both ninja suddenly turn their heads to the right as a sound earns their attention. They look to see a crack right about in the center of the glass screen. The small crack begins to grow becoming a spiderweb of cracks, growing until it reaches the edges of the glass screen. The cracks grow immersing the screen before the glass explodes all over the place, shards flying as a cacaphony of screeches fills the room. Countless bats swarm through what was once the glass screen. A horror filled scream leaves the restrained Mizuki's mouth as the bats fill the room, surrounding the two males.
Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility: entrance
A draw bridge is raised behind three individuals after they've walked forwards off of it, a sea of molten lava stretching out on either either side of them and the bright blinding light from two watchtowers on either side of a tall building before them, shining down onto them. Two of these individuals are wearing the standard attire of the ANBU black ops of the Leaf, complete with grey combat vests and animal design masks. They walk on either side of the third individual who is clearly a male in his teens, clad in the standard Chunin attire of the Leaf, missing only the headband. He has brown matted hair and eyes.
Flashback
Hisateru sits back on his sofa, sighing while looking at the Shogi set. Game over. The streak continues
"Well played" the old man says. "You've gotten better. Not long now. Soon you'll be able to beat me" he muses.
"Woohoo" the boy responds sarcastically raising his fist into the air laying his head back on the sofa. He squeaks in pain as the feel of the old man's cane reaching across the coffee table and smacking his knee lightly registers.
"Ouch." he cries "You're a real pain gramps, you know that" the boy complains.
"And one day you will be grateful for it" the elderly man replies. A few moments of silence pass before one of them speaks again.
"The Chunin examinations will be commencing in less than two weeks, here in the Leaf" the old man says.
"Yeah I know" Hisateru responds "No such fun for me though. I'm a 'rookie' " he scoffs in frustration.
"There is no existing regulation that bars rookie-Genin from competing in the exams. It simply isn't common practice in these times as a safety precaution. So don't make assumptions or lose hope" Danzo says.
Hisateru raises an eyebrow at these words "Do you know something I d-"
The boy has no chance to finish his sentence. A figure wearing a black cloak with a hood appears at the edge of the coffee table in a burst of smoke, kneeling on one knee.
" Lord Danzo" he addresses the old man with his head bowed. He raises his head, revealing his porcelain mask. He looks to Hisateru for a moment placing his hand on his chest and bowing his head slightly. Hisateru nods in response.
The shinobi reaches into his cloak and pulls out a brown envelope from his cloak, presenting it to the elderly man. Hisateru watches as the old man rests his cane against the coffee table and takes the folder, opening it silently and reading its contents.
A good few silent moments pass before Danzo takes a few of the several that were contained in the envelope and slips them into his robe. He takes the remaining documents and files, places them back into the envelope and slides it across the coffe table that separates the two sofa's.
"At a moment's notice.There is your assignment" the elder says as the boy takes out the contents of the envelope and lays them out on the coffee table. .
"Your mission has been assigned. You are to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility and eliminate the former Leaf Chunin known as Mizuki. You have been provided with a means of infiltration. There is a Leaf Chuunin, fourteen years of age, named Kenji Sato. He's been arrested, convicted and sentenced for several counts of armed robbery and assault in the countryside of the Land of Fire. He's currently being held in a holding facility in the village and is supposed to be transported to the Leaf Strict Correctional facility in a few days. However an 'altercation' that will take place today in the holding cells will have him moved for safety reasons. Considering your closeness in terms of age as well as similar physical build, it shouldn't be too difficult to assume his identity. Two newly-promoted ANBU black op shinobi have been tasked with transporting him to the facility. Taking into consideration the abilities of these shinobi an assault squad has been assembled, including yourself, that should be able to eliminate these two individuals without much trouble. One of the members of this unit, as well as another you are to rendezvous with en route to the facility, will assist you in playing the role of prisoner in order to get in. Once inside our contact inside the facility will ensure you make it out of your cell and are freed of any chakra suppressors. From there it will be your responsibility to ensure you carry out the mission and escape the facility without detection or capture. Your instructions have been given. Are they clear?" Danzo questions.
Hisateru listens to this while reading the contents of the envelope. A detailed map of the Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility and other details concerning the mission such as rendezvous details and points with assignment participants. Four files rest on the cofee table. Two containing information on the two ANBU in question, the third containing information on the Kenji Sato in question and the fourth being Mizuki's prisoner file which among other things contains his cell location.
"Crystal " Hisateru responds after a few silent moments. Danzo reaches for his cane, grabbing it and standing up.
"it must be done before sunrise tomorrow" he says as the tapping of his cane once again fills the room. He gestures to the masked shinobi who, for the first time since arriving, stands up. Hisateru hears the two bursts that signal his guests' departure and sees the smoke only out of his peripheral vision, his eyes glued to a picture amongst the documents spread out on his coffee table. A picture of a young male in his teens with brown matted hair and eyes of the same colour. His eyes then move from this picture to another of an older male, though still young by general standards, with white shoulder length hair and green eyes.
Flashback end
The three newly-arrived individuals come to a stop as three men, all clad in standard Jonin attire stand before them, one stepping forward and two standing back.
"Identification" he says.
One of the mask shinobi pulls out a file from the inside of his grey combat vest and hands it to the guard Jonin. He opens it, wiping the sweat from his brow. He reads for a few moments, the only audible sound being the rumbling of the surrounding molten rock. He raises his head, laying his eyes on the newly arrived priosner, looking him up and down and glancing back at the file in his hands. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pen, scribbling away on the file before closing it. He turns his head and nods at his colleagues, who step forward walking towards the three males, before handing the file back to the masked shinobi who had handed it to him.
"Kenji Sato. Welcome to your new home" the man says turning and walking away as the other two Jonin grab either arm of Kenji,the masked individuals he'd arrived with turning and walking away.
Kenji hears the sound of the drawbridge being lowered behind him as he's led towards the towering building that houses the watchtowers. One of the blinding spotlights still shining down on him and the guards whilst the other shines on the masked ninja he'd arrived with.
A large steel door in the center of the front of the building is visible. A sealing areay appears on it for a second before it disappears and the door opens, the three guards and prisoner walking in.
Naruto's training ground.
Sasuke rushes toward his opponent, his left fist cocked back to throw the first attack. He launches the fist forward at Naruto's face.
The blonde tilts his head to the right casually evading the strike. Sasuke aims a kick at the blondes midsection with his right leg but Naruto stops it, grabbing it with ease.
'His reflexes were never anywhere near this impressive before' Sasuke says to himself as he attacks 'That grip' he notes as the blonde grabs his leg, stopping his kick aimed to the stomach ' how strong is he?'
The Uchiha boy raises his left leg aiming a kick at the the blondes head with the leg he still has. Naruto releases Sasuke right leg, lowering and dodging the swinging kick aimed at his head. He grabs both the Uchiha's feet and tosses him through the air like a rag doll. Sasuke slams into ground, grunting in pain as he impacts with the surface, rolling before skidding to a stop.
Naruto watches as the raven haired boy quickly gets up onto a knee first and then back onto his feet. He chuckles inwardly at his own surprise that he's actually enjoying this
'Sharp reflexes and strength 'the Uchiha muses inwardly, brushing the dirt of his garments.
"What was it you said earlier?" Naruto asks, a smirk on his face "Deadlast?" he taunts. His opponent scoffs in frustration.
Not a single attack landed. Usually Sasuke would have landed at least one attack on his opponent by this point.
'if taijutsu won't work th-' the Uchiha doesn't get to finish his thought as the air leaves his body as he hunches over, eyes wide open.
Naruto, noting that neither he nor his opponent have landed a real attack on one another, bursts at top speed towards the red-haired boy. He watches his
his onyx eyes widen as he drives a fist into his stomach. He swings his right fist, colliding with the side of Sasuke's face, the force of the hit turning him and causing him to stumble and sway side to side as his vision blurs for a moment.
'That speed! How?' the top graduate says to himself in disbelief as he tries to steady himself. Naruto stands still waiting to see if he'll collapse.
Sasuke launches himself off the ground back flipping and aiming a kick at Naruto's head. The blonde brings his arms up shielding his head and stopping the right footed kick. Sasuke, seeing the opening, cocks his left foot back and slams his foot into Naruto's chest in a stomping motion sending the blonde back while landing on his own two feet.
Naruto heaves and coughs a bit, catching the breath that was just knocked out of him. His opponents quick reaction after that sucker punch catching him by surprise. He stares down his opponent while brushing the dirt off his chest, now understanding a bit more about him.
'I see. In terms of speed and strength he and Satsuki are actually dead even. But he's more troublesome than her because his movements, attacks and reactions are more instinctive and quick. He's more of a natural fighter.' he inwardly muses.
Sasuke stares right back at his opponent, thoughts of his own running through his mind.
'This is incredible. He's been hiding this kind of ability. Why?' he questions eyes narrowed 'He's a better taijutsu fighter than his brother. What else does he have up his sleeve?'
Sasuke watches as Naruto stares silently at him, asking himself what to do next
'Damnit! He's faster and stronger than me and he knows it. If he moves at the speed he did when he nailed me with that right, there's no way I can react to him. Continuing with taijutsu means certain loss' Sasuke muses running forward while reaching behind his back, putting both hands into his weapons pouch and pulling out Shuriken between each finger.
He throws the ninja tools at the blonde who reaches casually with one hand into his own weapons pouch and unleashes a flurry of Shuriken that clash with the incoming projectiles, changing their trajectory enough to cause them to clash with one another , stopping them in mid air. Sasuke meanwhile jumps into the air weaving through a set of hand signs as the clashing projectiles fall to the ground.
"Fire Style: Pheonix Flower jutsu !" the raven haired boy shouts as a flurry of fire balls each about the size of a fist fly down at Naruto.
The blonde weaves through a set of hand signs of his own cursing his own mastery of only two water style jutsu now when facing an Uchiha.
"Water Style: Water bullet jutsu!" he shouts before unleashing his own fist sized projectiles, these made of water. They clash with his opponents jutsu, cancelling one another out and creating a cloud of steam in the air. Sasuke lands on the ground flipping out a kunai from his weapons pouch and running towards his opponent. Naruto scoffs at the boys arrogance for attempting to attack him at close range again. He speeds forward at him.
Sasuke releases hold of the kunai in his hand as once again he takes a fist to the stomach, his eyes widening once again. A burst of smoke immerses the boy, a log now in his position and meeting with Naruto's fist.
'Of course' Naruto muses as he hears a whirling sound coming from behind him. He turns to see a demon wind mill Shuriken flying through the air with the Uchiha standing there weaving through a set of handsigns. Naruto moves to the side dodging the incoming ninja tool with ease. His opponent follows suit, moving in the same direction.
Sasuke, inwardly exclaims triumphantly as his guess of which way his opponent would dodge hits the mark.
His hands together in the tiger sign, he inwardly shouts
'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu' A large ball of fire emerges from his mouth, flying at the blonde.
Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility interrogation wing
Mizuki screams in horror and confusion as the bats fill his field of vision, the sound of screeching filling the room. He hears the Uchiha clan head grunt and then yell in what sounds like pain before a loud thud against the ground hits his ear.
The flying creatures all around him begin to fly away from the center the room. They all fly towards the opening of the glass screen, filling up the room that lies on the other side and flying about and screeching in there.
Mizuki, still restrained, looks ahead of him and sees Fugaku laying in a heap on the ground, out cold, bleeding from what seems like two needle sized holes in his neck. Next to him stands a figure. He raises his head as he takes in the figures appearance. Black sandals and baggy pants of the same colour, tucked into combat tape tied around the legs. A long sleeve polo top, also black, with a grey short sleeve robe that extends just past the knees and is open on the sides on the lower half of the body with a large purple rope belt tied around the figures waist.
'No. It can't be' Mizuki says to himself in disbelief. He looks up and his green eyes are met with another pair which are of a golden colour and have slits for pupils with purple pigmentation coloring their contours and marking the sides of the bridge of the nose of their owner as well with long black hair that extends past the shoulders and frames an extremely pale face.
"L-lo-Lord Orochimaru" Mizuki stutters out in a tone reminiscent of a question in its disbelief.
"Hello child. it's been a while" the male speaks in a smooth manner, a smirk on his face " You're not looking particularly healthy at the moment. I'm very interested to know how it came to be that you found yourself in such a place" Orochimaru says casting his gaze to the unconscious Fugaku on the ground.
"I- you see- the" Mizuki continues to stutter, still not believing his eyes.
"No matter" Orochimaru says raising a pale hand to silence the young man "That can come later. As long as you haven't told our good friends here anything they shouldn't know" he says "You haven't have you?" he questions, his eyes still glued to the unconscious Uchiha at his feet.
"No! Not at all! " Mizuki replies in almost a shout "I've said nothing! I would never in my wildest nightmares, dream of betraying you!" the white haired young man exclaims.
"Good" Orochimaru says finally taking his eyes off of Fugaku and casting his gaze to the room full of screeching bats on the other side of what was once a darkened glass screen.
"The night is still young. Our hosts won't want to sleep for too long. You,I and my friends over there should get going now" he says watching the bats, a smile spreading across his face
"R-r-right" he stutters out again, looking to the bats. He looks back at his master who turns his head to him. His own green eyes meeting those golden ones. The pale man blinks and his eyelids rise to reveal a crimson colour in place of gold, the slitted pupil now round as it would be for most men, three tomoe marks surrounding it. Mizuki's eyes widen in shock and confusion as Orochimaru stands before him, the Sharingan glowing in both his eyes. The young man blinks and in the fraction of a second it takes his eyelids to rise, they rise to reveal a completely different scene. Standing where his master had been is the same Uchiha who had been on the ground unconscious only a fraction of a second ago. He notes the screeching of the horde of bats is suddenly gone and his head turns sharply to the left to see no bats and the darkened glass screen in place, not a single break or crack in sight.
W-What?" Mizuki stutters out for the umpteenth time, his breathing quickening. He looks all around the room, his eyes darting around.
"W-Whats going on here?" he asks confused, looking up at the Uchiha clan head.
"Orochimaru huh? So that's who you stole the scroll for" Fugaku says.
"I-I don't understand. I never-"
"The Hidden Sound Village. Very interesting" Fugaku says causing Mizuki to gasp and look up at him, his Sharingan eyes still glowing in the dimly lit room.
"I. I. How? I never said anything!" Mizuki cries in a manner of almost desperation.
"I told you" Fugaku replies "You didn't have to. The moment you looked into my eyes it was done" he says plainly as said eyes return to their original black colour, the tomoe pattern disappearing.
Fugaku walks off towards the steel door he came through, leaving Mizuki staring into space, his mouth agape.
Fugaku walks towards the door with a smirk on his face, chuckling for a moment, as one thought in particular swirls in his mind
Naruto' he says. He's taking more and more of a liking to his blonde student.
Other side of the screen.
The steel door opens and Fugaku steps through it, to see Minato, Ibiki, Inoichi and Anko as well as a few ANBU, all part of Minato's security detail, one of them the one who opened the steel door all staring at him in awe and shock, having been paying attention to the conversation taking place on the other side of the glass screen. The Uchiha patriarch had gone into the room, said down and stared at Mizuki for only a few seconds before standing up and leaving.
Fugaku leans against the wall with his arms crossed, as the ANBU shuts the steel door behind him, and looks straight at Minato.
"Lets head back to your office. You're not gonna like this" he says.
Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional Facility (juvenile wing)
Hisateru pulls the grey top of his prison uniform off of his body. He paces around the pitch black cell, practicing his taijutsu.
'Damn. Before sunrise. So he could show up any minute or he could show up in hours'.
The boy had gone through processing without any issues. He and Kenji had the same height, same weight. Same build. And so using his transformation jutsu had been made easier by said circumstances. He launches a fist through the air and just as he's about to raise a leg for a kick hears the sound of a hand slamming against the door of his cell. Moments later , the door opens. He walks towards the now open door, knowing who awaits.
"Shadow, sir" a male voice says.
"Rat" Hisateru acknowledges with the man's own codename. He holds out his hands and feels something soft fall into his hands. Garments.
"Something more conspicuous sir"the voice says.
"Of course" he responds.
"But first allow me to deactivate to the chakra supressor" the voice says. Hisateru hears the sound of hands coming together a few times before a palm touches his bare chest.
"Releases!" the voice says lowly. Hisateru suddenly feels a rush of strength flow through his body.
"Ahhh" he grunts in satisfaction "That's better" he remarks.
He drops his pants and pulls on the black garments.
The older male steps out into the dimly lit hallway and so does Hisateru. He looks himself over. Black pants, long sleeved black top complete with a hood and mask.
"The camera's have 'malfunctioned' sir. They'll be back up and running in 45 minutes to an hour. Mizuki's cell is only a minute away from here. You have ample time. I understand you're already familiar with the facilities layout?" the male now revealed to be young, likely in his very early twenties, having short brown hair and blank emotionless look on his thin face.
"Yeah" Hisateru says turning away "Your help is enormously appreciated. I won't forget this" he says running off down the corridor.
Naruto's training ground
Sasuke watches as his clans signature technique engulfs his opponent. He plants his feet on the ground skidding to a stop and narrowing his eyes, examining his handiwork. Suddenly he yells as the wind is knocked out of him, a kick to the back launching hin forward. He grunts as he collides with the ground once again, rolling and skidding across it. He steadys himself with a hand to the ground, jumping to his feet and flipping out a kunai. He immediately releases the kunai as a hand grips his left wrist. The hand pulls him forward into a knee to the stomach, causing him to hunch forward and cough up spit.
Naruto, still gripping Sasuke's wrist with his right hand, slams his left fist into the side of the raven-haired boys face once again. He grabs the boy with his left hand by his large collar, letting go of his wrist and cocking his right fist back. He launches it forward and nails his opponent, square in the face, sending him through the air. Sasuke lands on the ground with a thud and lays still, unmoving.
Naruto gazes at the unconscious boy for a few silent moments before looking up at the newly-arrived night sky. That exchange had only lasted a few minutes , he muses to himself. When had it gotten dark?
He turns his head back to the Uchiha male and begins to walk towards him. Despite holding back his strongest ninjutsu and the brief nature of the exchange, he'd actually kind of enjoyed the skirmish.
He comes to a stop with Sasuke at his feet and looks down to see the trail of blood now leaking from one of the boys nostrils. He crouches down onto his haunches, reaching out and tapping his hand, lightly against the boys face.
"Hey, wake up" No response comes from the unconscious genin.
"Hey! Sasuke! Wake up! Time to go home!" repeated tapping turns into light slaps.
Naruto sighs heavily grabbing the Uchiha's form by his shoulders and shaking him violently.
"HEY! COME ON! WAKE UP! THIS ISN'T YOUR FIRST RODEO IS IT??" Naruto pleads.
"You have got to be joking" he sighs exasperatedly, releasing the boy and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He sighs once again and grabs his sparring partner for the day, placing him onto his back and walking off.
Hokage tower: Hokages office
The Hokage sits at his desk with his hand balled into a tight fist in front of his mouth, the Uchiha clan head, sitting acrross from him.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. One should never put anything past Orochimaru " the village leader surmises.
"True. it seems he has the Daimyo Lord of the Land of Rice firmly in his pocket" Fugaku says. The Daimyo allowing Orochimaru to set up base in his nation, conducting his operations there, providing him with tax-payer funding and even letting him perform his disgusting experiments on citizens of the nation, was all proof of the fact.
"Well either he's sweet talked and tempted him or he's threatened him. Either one is typical" Minato assesses.
"Or maybe the Daimyo's already dead" the two men say at the same time. They look at each other and shake their heads, chuckling bitterly.
"So. What happens now?" Fugaku asks staring out of the window behind the Hokage" You know what he did Minato. Do we give the Land of Rice a chance to denounce 'The Hidden Sound'? or..." he turns his head, looking Minato in the eye "is it war; no questions asked?" he asks.
"No" the Yellow Flash responds "We're not going to give Orochimaru any heads-up. I'll have to let the elders know but this stays between us. Let's let him think he's off the radar for now while we observeand watch everything in the Land of Rice. So that when he does stick his head out of whatever hole he's hiding in, he won't be expecting anything" Minato says staring off deep in thought.
Fugaku nods standing up "Excuse me then old friend. I have to head home amd have dinner with my family" he says walking away.
"Wait Fugaku" the blonde says stopping his friend in his tracks "Are you sure you didn't see anything that could let us know who took down Mizuki. It could be a lead to more intel" he says.
Fugaku turns his head to look at Minato.
"Like I said old friend. He or she was wearing a cloak. An adult clearly but masked. It was all taijutsu too, a style I dont recognise either so nothing distinguishing. Sorry" the clan head says. His friend nods at him, clear disappointment on his face.
"Don't you dare sleep here. You'll wake up tomorrow with a red-headed demon looking to claim your soul" Fugaku says closing the door behind him leaving a chuckling Minato.
Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility
Mizuki stumbles forward into his cell, the guard helping him in with a shove to the back. The slam of the steel door echoes throughout the cell, though to Mizuki it doesn't even register. The young man clutches his head in his hands, grabbing at his hair, his heavy breathing audible throughout the cell.
"I- I. I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything" he says to himself repeatedly, beginning to pace back and forth. The sound of screeching bats fills his head. He whips around repeatedly tying to ensure there aren't any bats near him.
"I didn't say anything" he says again the sound of screeching bats still plaguing his mind. He claws and grabs at his ears, almost threatening to rip them off, shutting his eyes in a desperate attempt to rid himself of the sound. His eyes shoot open, the haunting image of a silhouette with a glowing pair of red eyes with a tomoe pattern around the pupils appears to him while his eyes are closed.
"I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING" he shouts at the top of his lungs. Mizuki once again darts his eyes around the cell for any flying rodents when for the first time he makes out a silhouette seated in the corner.
Shadow watches on at this display, shaking his head.
'The T and I department is no joke' he says to himself.
"Hey! Who's there?" the white haired rogue Chunin shouts at him. "Are you another one of them? Stay back!" He yells
Shadow sighs. He had planned on lying to Mizuki and telling him he was a fellow subordinate of Orochimaru, sent to rescue him to fool him into giving up any useful intel but clearly there was no worthwhile or trustworthy information he was going to get from the rogue Chunin anymore. Not in this state.
Mizuki tries to keep his eyes glued to the silhouette but they occasionally dart as red pairs of eyes every so often appear in his peripheral vision, in the darkness of the cell.
"AAAAAHHHHH" the white haired male yells running forward at the silhouette who calmly jumps to his feet and sidesteps a punch aimed at his face. He grabs the outstretched arm and performs a judo throw on the older male, laying him out on the ground. The brown-eyed boy grabs his target by the head, lifting it off the ground and wrapping his arm around his neck. Mizuki claws away at the boys arms in response, desperately trying to free himself. He tightens his grip and twists his former academy teachers neck. An audible snap rings out and Mizuki's body goes limp. Shadow lays him down gently and stands up. He gazes at the silent Mizuki for a few moments before turning and walking towards the steel door, weaving through a set of handsigns
'Time to go'
Uchiha clan compound.
"Coming " Satsuki shouts as she walks to the front door to respond to the knock, her mother being preoccupied in the kitchen and neither her father or brother having come home yet. She turns the knob and pulls the door open.
"Oh. H-hi" Satsuki stutters out, her cheeks turning pink as her eyes lock with those deep cerulean blue ones.
"Hey" Naruto responds, a small smile on his face. "Your brother needed a ride home"
Her gaze falls on Sasuke for the first time and she goes even more red at the fact that she only noticed her brother after he pointed out her twin is on his back.
"Come in" she welcomes opening the door and standing to the side to allow him in.
Chapter end
That's all for now people. As always. Review, review and review. Tell me what you thought. I suppose now there's only one place to roll onto. The Chunin exam arc. My favorite Naruto arc. I'm so excited for it and I hope you all are too. Our main character didn't get all that much page time in the last two chapters I'm aware, but that was just for me to be able to highlight other parts of the story as well. He is the main character but not everything revolves completely around him. You will be seeing more of our boy in upcoming chapters though don't worry. Thanks again for all the support. I see some of you that have been down since day one; Animaman, Blazeemperor etc and are still reviewing and I'm so grateful. To all of you have a great day/night.