Where am I?
His mind is strangely quiet.
Naruto breathes in, shifting just slightly, attempting to stretch out his senses. The room around him is dark, the ground beneath him hard and unyielding. His feet are bare, his cloak and jacket are gone, and his mask is stuck firmly to his face.
What happened?
We were ambushed, child.
Ambushed? Naruto attempts to push himself up, but his left arm crumples the moment he puts pressure on it, and his whole body tenses up from the pain. How long have I been out?
Kurama doesn't answer, but Naruto doesn't really expect him to. The fox doesn't like being trapped, and if they've been somehow captured, he must feel incredibly confined. (It doesn't help that Kurama is imprisoned within Naruto. He thinks he might be Kurama's favorite human, or at least the most tolerable, but the fact of the matter is that he was still sealed against his will.)
Catalogue your injuries before you try to move again.
Right.
It's sage advice, and something Kashi Two had taught him when he was still a little kid. Just before he performed a complicated series of hand seals while standing on a complicated sealing formula and disappeared from Naruto's life.
He understands now just as he did when he was five, but he can't help but miss the man, present and future.
Little to no use of my left arm. He wiggles his toes and fingers, and then tries his ankles. The right one is stiff and when he tries to move it, pain shoots up his calf. My right ankle is either badly sprained or broken. His wrists move and his elbows, but it's his left shoulder that carries his injury. Upon further inspection, it feels swollen to his good hand, but that could be any number of torn muscles, or a dislocation, even a possible fracture.
A sprained ankle and a bad shoulder, and when Naruto attempts to sit up again, hot, searing pain wraps around his torso, sliding between his ribcage and forcing his breath out of his lungs.
Broken ribs, then? Possible internal bleeding. I'd know more if I could see the bruising.
It can't have been too long since we were captured, then, huh? Not that I get hurt often, but your chakra usually heals me fairly quickly.
You would be healed by now if it weren't for the chakra suppression. It's not a seal tag. Best guess, one of our captors has some sort of chakra containment jutsu. There's no healing you until the jutsu is released.
Naruto doesn't need him to continue. If his injuries don't heal correctly, they might be in a world of trouble. And if his injuries don't heal, escaping is going to be that much harder.
For now, Naruto has to be patient.
He's never been a very patient person.
Kurama, how is my mask still on?
I can only channel enough chakra through to keep the mask on. Any more and the suppression becomes painful. It isn't enough to channel into healing you, so keeping your identity safe is the only way to assist you.
Naruto wonders if Obito will come rescue him.
(A part of him hopes Kakashi will rescue him instead, but he keeps that part locked up tight. He can't afford to spend every waking moment missing Kakashi, or he'll never be able to uphold his promise.)
/
"Hokage-sama, may I speak to you alone?"
Minato looks up into the eyeholes of the Dolphin mask, concerned. Obito rarely asks to speak to him in private, let alone lately. He's been busy, though Minato isn't sure with what. Dolphin and Kitsune so rarely fill him in on the missions they take.
So he sends three out of four of the guards out of his office, allowing only Leopard to remain. From what he understands, Leopard and Deer were Sandaime-sama's most trusted agents, and MInato can understand why. The Hyugas and Naras are Hokage loyal as long as their Hokage has proven themselves trustworthy.
(He's fairly certain they don't trust Danzo as far as they could throw him, and he's not quiet about his own distrust for the man.)
Besides, Hizashi was there when Tsunade informed Minato of Obito's survival.
"What is it, Obito?"
When Obito pulls the mask away, he's uncharacteristically serious. "Kitsune is missing."
A moment passes. "Kitsune is missing? Obito, he's ANBU level, beyond ANBU level. What makes you think he's in trouble?" To be fair, I haven't seen Obito this worried since…
Focus, Minato. Now isn't the time to think about That Day.
Obito tosses his mask into one of the chairs at the edge of the room, pacing back and forth in front of Minato's desk. "He's eleven, Sensei! He's never late for a rendezvous and he never showed! We were supposed to meet at a roadside inn near the western border of Fire Country two days ago, but he didn't come. I'm scared, Sensei. I can't lose another kid."
An ache spreads through Minato's chest that he's unable to ignore. What would I do were I in his shoes?
...
"What do you need?" Clearly there's something Obito is going to ask for. If he didn't need help, he wouldn't have bothered to inform Minato anything was wrong. It's part of the Sandaime's original deal with Obito and Kitsune (although, from what Minato understands, the Sandaime didn't even know about Obito when he made the deal).
Obito pauses mid-stride, head down so Minato can't meet his gaze. "Kakashi."
It's a fair request. Kakashi is a tracker, and he feels indebted to Kitsune, just as Minato does. "Okay. On one condition."
His former student doesn't even argue.
"Rin goes, too. You'll need a healer if Kitsune is in fact injured." After all, Minato feels it's high time Rin learned the truth. She deserves to be in on the secret, too.
Another moment passes, and then Obito bows. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He straightens, meeting Minato's gaze. He has the kind of look on his face that tells Minato that this is more important than the Hokage knows. "Thank you."
/
Rin isn't sure what she's expecting when ANBU Dolphin lands on the branch beside her, but by his stance, she knows it's not a casual visit. He stops to see her every so often, though she has no idea why.
She's not expecting a mission, that's for sure.
She's dumbfounded when ANBU Hound meets them at Konoha's gate fifteen minutes later.
She's even more dumbfounded when he removes his ANBU mask an hour into their trip and it turns out that she's on a mission with Kakashi.
"What's this about?" Kakashi finally presses when it's clear that Dolphin isn't going to talk without prompt. "Is it Kitsune?"
Dolphin stops on the next branch, waiting for them to join him before turning to face the two of them. "Kitsune and I were supposed to rendezvous two days ago at the western border of Fire Country. Kitsune is never late, but I waited past our time just in case. He never showed."
"You think he's hurt?"
"I think he's been captured. Kitsune became the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi after it escaped Kushina-sama. That information was classified by the Sandaime-Sensei doesn't even know, Kakashi."
Sensei?
Why am I on this mission? Wouldn't they take other ANBU members?
"But-"
"I'm only telling you so that you understand the severity of the situation. Kitsune is younger than most genin, but he's powerful and I owe him everything. I will not lose another kid, Kakashi."
Another?
Dolphin talks like he knows from experience, but he called Minato-sama 'Sensei' just like Kakashi does, and-
Wait.
The ANBU reaches up and lifts his mask and Rin stares into the pale, scarred face of her long-dead teammate.
"Obi...to?"
/
The second time Naruto wakes up underground (it has to be underground, he and Kurama agree), there's a fight going on around him. He's still slumped against one wall in the large room, but there's a row of torches along the wall that are burning, providing enough light to fill the majority of the space around the new additions to the room.
One of the participants in the battle happens to be a man with pale skin and long, dark hair. He and Obito have crossed paths with the man once before, and Obito had explained later on that he was one of the three legendary sannin, one of Senju Tsunade's former teammates.
Orochimaru must have decided that he wanted to use Naruto's body for one of his experiments. What sort of plans did you have for me?
He's facing off with three Konoha ninja, and though they seem to be holding their own well enough, it's only a matter of time before the sannin gets tired of playing with them and grows serious, and then Naruto's precious people really won't stand a chance.
Kurama, any ideas about how to get the chakra suppression off?
It must be done from the outside, child.
"Rin, check on Kitsune!" Obito calls out, and Naruto blinks away the sudden brightness of Kakashi's Chidori, feeling a little breathless.
They're not holding back at all. They better not exhaust themselves, or we'll never make it back home.
He lifts his head when Rin kneels beside him, meeting her gaze. "Ne, Obi-nii told you? He's not wearing his mask."
She's quiet while she looks over his injuries, only speaking to ask whether or not something is hurting him.
Naruto isn't ready to give up, though. He doesn't want her to be mad at Obito. If she needs to be angry, she can be angry at Naruto. Until he has control over Kurama, until he and Kurama can work together seamlessly, Naruto is a danger to his loved ones. The less time he spends with them, the better, so it's okay if she's angry with him. Everyone will be when he finally reveals himself. "He didn't want to tell you because he was afraid he'd end up telling you too much."
"Too much of what?" Rin asks softly, and her voice has lost the odd edge to it. She just sounds tired.
"Well, it's complicated, but he really does miss you. Why do you think he checks on you so often?"
/
Kakashi isn't sure what to think when Orochimaru releases the seal on Kitsune that's suppressing his chakra and retreats. He doesn't know what to think, because it makes no sense that the man would go to all the trouble of kidnapping somebody with Kitsune's abilities only to give him up without much of a fight.
The moment Kitsune's chakra was freed, the boy began to heal quite fast, but he's still weak hours later, when they're halfway home and camped out at the edge of Fire Country.
So Kakashi takes the first watch. He's fairly certain that Obito and Rin need some time to talk things over, anyway. When Rin had seen Obito's face, she'd gone completely silent but for one word-Obito. And Kakashi hadn't known what to do. Surely she realizes he hadn't been surprised. Surely she realizes Kakashi had already known. But she hasn't expressed anything to him about the fact that he kept Obito's secret from her, hasn't even implied that she's upset. After the fight, she'd checked on each of her teammates, like she always does on missions, and then she'd gone quiet.
Obito had pulled Kitsune across his back as soon as they were ready to leave, but Kakashi has the sneaking suspicion that it isn't as easy to carry the boy as Obito wanted it to look.
But they make camp halfway home so that Kitsune could rest, and truthfully, Kakashi figures they can all use the rest. Not only did they go up against one of the legendary sannin, but the last several hours have been an emotional roller coaster for everyone-Rin after finding out about Obito, Obito out of worry for his friend, and Kakashi out of guilt for lying to Rin.
On top of that, Kakashi can't imagine what's been going through Kitsune's head. He's only eleven, according to Obito, and initially Kakashi believed that Kitsune must have had a hard life, if he's such an exemplary ANBU, but now he's doubting that. The kid has hardly spoken since they rescued him, and since he'd been shirtless when they found him, Kakashi's all too aware of the dark, ugly bruising on his shoulder and across his torso. He's probably in quite a bit of pain.
He stays with Kitsune when Obito and Rin finally end up moving out of their range of hearing to talk, taking up a position only a few feet away from the boy that Obito is so very loyal to.
He's the same age as Naruto.
The thought echoes around in his head and sends his thoughts spiralling, but he's unable to dwell on them for long because the boy beside him eventually speaks up.
"I'm sorry Obi-nii didn't come home as soon as he was healed. He was concerned that the village would be suspicious of his survival and that they'd send him to Inoichi if they suspected he was acting as a spy."
Eleven years old and too perceptive. Just who are you? Why are you so grown up for your age?
"It isn't your fault."
The boy rolls onto his side, curling up into a ball (the boy must be very uncomfortable-Rin herself had said his wounds had only healed quickly for the first few minutes he had his chakra back, and he's beginning to wonder if they're even worse than the child is letting on). "Yes it is, Kakashi-san. I'm the only secret Obito is keeping." For a moment, Kakashi thinks he'll say more, but Kitsune doesn't continue.
"Did you lose somebody important to you? Is that why you hide, Kitsune?" Kakashi knows well enough what it's like to lose somebody. There have been days where he's wanted to disappear, to leave everything behind and focus on finding his most precious person, and maybe that's what the boy is dealing with. Perhaps the boy had less people he cared about, and more of a reason to leave his home, to become somebody new.
"I didn't lose them in the way you're thinking." Kitsune shifts, pulling Obito's cloak more tightly around his small frame. "I was taken from the people I loved to save them. And I can't go home until I'm no longer a danger to them. I'm not strong enough to control the Kyuubi, yet, which means I'm still too much of a danger to my family."
Kakashi is reminded of Naruto once more, and shoves the thought away before it can begin to ache anew. "Have you ever thought of leaving something behind for them? A sign to let them know you're okay?"
The young ANBU hums. "They don't call you a genius for nothing, do they? I never thought of that."
I probably shouldn't say I only brought it up because I wish Naruto would do the same.
(Kakashi struggles to sleep when Obito takes the next watch. He's still lying awake when Rin takes the third watch. He doesn't know why, doesn't understand what it is about Kitsune that makes him think so hard.
And yet, when they finally pack up to continue the journey home, he moves to carry the boy before Obito gets around to it. Kitsune isn't heavy at all. In fact, Kakashi hardly realizes he's there, and that's coming from somebody who doesn't even like being touched.)
Who are you, Kitsune?