Yugao took one last look at herself, trying to make sure that her identity wouldn't be immediately revealed to her enemies. She had managed to steal a disguise off of a dying corpse early into their attack, and now it was finally time to put it into action.
A henge could be seen through, even in those circumstances, but a proper disguise? That was a trick Yugao hadn't seen in action in a while. 'Gotta use Jutsu for everything, huh? Damn brats.'
Asuma was undoubtedly patrolling around the building still, watching out for any of their targets that hadn't left yet. Yoshimitsu had his own duties, tracking down any scout that got too far away, and Naruto was watching their rears. Yugao got the short end of the stick in that regard. Her job was to look for possible reinforcements or long-range patrols that stumbled on the ambush.
At the very least, she hoped they didn't recognize the longsword strapped to her hip. She grabbed it by the hilt, knowing that throwing it away for the moment was the best choice she had, but quickly gave up on the thought. It was just too dangerous of a mission for her to do without a weapon.
That's what she told herself, at least.
The first signs of danger came earlier than anticipated. Yugao heard what sounded like steel clashing with steel right up ahead. Of course, that was odd. Yoshimitsu wouldn't have passed her by without warning her. The only person left would be...
She began sprinting almost immediately. Her appearance should buy a precious few seconds when fighting for Naruto's life.
The trees whizzed by her, the wind slowing her down by a fraction of a second at most. Yamato picked a Kunai and reversed her grip on it. It'd be best to start the engagement with a throw first, whittle their numbers before dishing out the killing blow. Even with the situation being as dire as it was, the woman found herself snorting. When was the last time she decided to run head-first into a fight like that? Asuma really was rubbing off on her.
The noise was getting closer, and the clashes more frequent. Yugao knew she'd be upon them in seconds. Experience led her body to make the necessary preparations for killing. She took and held a deep breath, narrowed her eyes, and loosened all of her muscles, especially those in her back and arms. With one final leap, distance lengthened by the chakra running through her body, Yugao escaped from the treeline and made her way into a clearing.
Several things made themselves apparent near immediately. First, Naruto Uzumaki was the one fighting the scouts, and he was severely outnumbered. Second, the wounds covering his body were numerous and terrible, most worryingly being the senbon needles poking out of his back. Third, at least three corpses were lying by his feet.
The men he was fighting turned their heads toward her. Naruto didn't. As expected, her disguise tricked them; none tried to attack at first sight. She took use of that, spinning in mid-air, not necessarily throwing the Kunai at her target, just letting go of its handle at the right time. It cut through the air without noise, and soon only the circular pommel was sticking out of a corpse's eyesocket.
'First target down, seven to go.'
Two were still solely focused on Naruto. The rest turned to her. All sorts of weapons were now pointed at Yugao, from Kunai to halberds, and even a pair of sickles. Suna was known, among other things, for having some of the most unorthodox choices of weaponry among the warring nations, and most were likely colored with poison.
Knowing how to exploit the reach of his weapon, a spearman was the first to move, thrusting it towards her. Meanwhile, the scout armed with sickles weaved from behind the trees, aiming for a swing at her neck. At the same time, Yugao saw Naruto parry his two attackers with a single motion. Blood covered his eyes to an incredulous degree; Yugao wasn't even sure how he could still see.
It was a shame she didn't have any time to worry about him. 'Exactly why kids shouldn't be fighting a war.' She thought bitterly while grabbing her sword's sheathe with her off-hand. The spear, of course, was her immediate concern, and Yugao dealt with it by firmly stepping on its shaft, embedding the pointed metal into the mud. Next was the sickle aiming to decapitate her. The Ex-Anbu halfway spun around, blocking the metal with her still-sheathed sword.
Before the man behind her could pull the metal back, or worse, aim for her fingers, Yugao grabbed the weapon's handle with her right hand. Once again, not attacking by using her arms, but instead spinning her entire upper body, its metal was exposed to the open air.
It was a near miracle that in that very moment, the moonlight managed to glare through the foliage around them, being reflected from Yugao's sword into her enemies' eyes.
By the time her stroke was finished, blood was wiped off of the weapon by the storm, and half of a man's torso fell to the floor. Unflinching, Yugao kept the sickle locked on her sheathe while reversing her grip on the sword and firmly stabbing it behind her.
She didn't even need to turn and look at her handiwork.
The breathless mix of a sigh and groan right next to her ears was all the confirmation she needed. Three of their enemies were now dead.
Uncaring about keeping their position a secret, one of the remaining five scouts ripped his face mask off and began preparing a Jutsu. Given their country, chances were it would be a wind technique.
Bad news when Yugao didn't have the time or space necessary to dodge or counter it. Especially when the two others, freed from dealing with Naruto, immediately began to rush her.
Thinking quickly, she finally freed her left hand and rolled back, grabbing one of the enemy's fallen sickles while doing so. Had she ever used that weapon, or even anything similar to it? No. But she had thrown her fair share of Kunai in the past. More than enough to calculate the needed strength and angle to graze her target's side before he could finish his seals.
A shout of pain came at the exact same time as another clash of steal. Naruto could have been winning or losing; Yugao couldn't tell. Her next two enemies immediately tried to engage with Taijutsu. That wasn't necessarily uncommon whenever she found herself in a fight. Most soldiers had the conventional reason to know that swinging a sword as big as hers was a hurdle in close quarters. Especially when so many trees surrounded them, just waiting to intercept a wild slash.
It almost made her want to smile. It really did. Because every single soldier stupid enough to approach her willingly when Yugao had her weapon in hand had two fatal mistakes in their reasoning.
The first was discounting her skill with the weapon.
And the second, not noticing the modifications she had made to it.
The sound her sword made as Yugao swung it far faster than either scout anticipated was akin to blowing a loud whistle. A skilled Futon user didn't need strong materials to cut through stone. All they needed was an edge, no matter how thin.
Which is how she got away with drilling several holes through the blade, significantly reducing its weight. A pair of shocked eyes stared at her, even as she carved through the first man's shoulders with a horizontal cut, tearing through bone like butter. Her second target tried to bring his plated forearms together to block the strike. Suffice it to say, the metal didn't quite stand up to her chakra. Just like that, Yugao had cleaved off two heads with one swipe.
Adrenaline was already shooting through her veins, quickening her heartbeat and making the entire world seem much more vivid than before. Was it embarrassing to admit she was hooked on the feeling? Maybe. But shame was far from what was going through her head when Yugao left the four bodies behind, running at full speed toward the man who tried spitting out a Jutsu at her earlier.
"I surre-!" He began to shout, raising his arms in the air. Yugao changed her grip on the sword again, straightening the blade into a top-down strike. It cut halfway through his skull, not having the same amount of chakra poured into it as her earlier strikes. She grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled back rashly, spraying blood and brain matter all over the stolen captain's helmet.
Finally, after going through six fully trained scouts like a meatgrinder, Yugao had enough time to check on her squad member, only to see Naruto standing victorious over his foes. Or maybe 'victorious' was the wrong word to describe it. The boy still looked wounded enough to be dead about six times over.
"By the gods, kid, you alright?" She asked, pushing her sword aside. Naruto didn't respond. He just stood there, sword drawn, breathing heavily while staring straight ahead. Yugao stepped closer to him, only for him to suddenly point the tip of his weapon toward her.
That's when she finally realized what was happening. The rain had somewhat cleaned the blood from one of Naruto's eyes, and the green that stared back had no life behind it whatsoever. She had seen it before, after prying open the eyes of corpses.
But Naruto certainly wasn't dead. After all, she had just seen him kill two soldiers by himself. Not to mention how many he must have gone through just to get there. Even worse, the purple-haired woman saw some of the cuts on his arms wriggle together before closing up, leaving almost no traces behind but scarred tissue. As if he had been injured months ago, rather than mere hours at most.
"What the hell...?" She asked herself before the most detestable noise of all hit her ears like a mace clashing with armor. She heard the sound Chakra made when leaving the human body, combined with torn branches and a gust of wind, all heading straight at them.
She acted on instinct. Kyubi host or not, half-dead or not, conscious or not, Naruto Uzumaki was her responsibility, her comrade. She threw herself at him, narrowly avoiding the instinctive swing at her throat, right as the Jutsu hit the place they had just been standing in.
Due to how urgent the situation was, Yugao didn't have the time to scan their position. Had she done so, the woman would have doubtlessly noticed the strong current running right behind Naruto, hidden by shallow patches of shrubs.
Maybe they wouldn't have both been thrown into the river to be carried away by its currents if she did. Yugao had one hand wrapped around Naruto's still-resistant body and the other on her sword, both making navigating the waters very difficult.
Had she let go of the weapon, Yugao could have tried any number of Jutsu to try and manipulate the water around them. Much to her shame, though, that possibility didn't even cross her mind.
Worse still, the stream was quickening, and the terrain ahead was getting more and more perilous.
Focusing her mind, Yugao did the utmost to keep both her and Naruto's heads above water. Thankfully, the boy being unconscious meant he'd swallow less water, but she still had to find a way back to the shore.
Her plans evaporated as Yugao slammed her side against some rocks that had been partially hidden by the water. The air in her lungs shortly followed, and the grip on Naruto and her treasure loosened.
It was hard for her to avoid thinking that drowning in Amegakure before the invasion of Suna was even officially started was too ridiculous for a soldier in her position.
Tears forming on the corner of her eyes, the ex-Anbu decided to try something drastic. Pulling Naruto closer to her, she took a dive, straining to keep her eyes open as the water rushed past them.
Sheer survival instinct combined with copious amounts of adrenaline did wonders for what one was capable of with their chakra.
Yugao exuded hers in the form of a tunnel around them, using a mix of her Futon and Suiton expertise. That aided her breathing but made them tremendously faster.
Moving afterward was impossible, so Yugao was forced to grit her teeth while getting hit over and over again. By the time the stream finally began to calm, she was covered with bruises from head to toe.
It took a near superhuman level of concentration to dispel her 'technique' after that, dragging herself and Naruto out of the water. The two of them were already carrying gear, and their wet armor weighed them down even more. She had to communicate with Asuma somehow but knew that it'd be impossible to find him in that state.
Deciding to prioritize their survival rather than the mission, Yugao dragged Naruto to a nearby cave, stabbing her sword on the ground next to him. "Just need to... do this..." She spoke to herself, shivering from the cold. Her fingers stopped moving halfway through her hand seals as a second unconscious body hit the cave's floor.
Yugao was so exhausted, her body so wounded, that she couldn't even notice the signs of human activity around their refuge until it was too late.
/
"Sir."
Onoki immediately turned to face the newest arrival.
Many people in Iwagakure knew that the Tsuchikage wasn't particularly fond of that particular soldier.
Very few were aware that Onoki loathed him.
"Hanayama." He greeted, keeping his voice neutral. The slumbering mass of man in front of him stood at attention. It was hard to dodge your eyes from his numerous scars, even to an experienced warrior like Onoki.
The Tsuchikage was well-aware of how he earned them. And so was every other person in the village and a good few more outside of it.
Just because Onoki didn't like Kaoru Hanayama didn't mean he didn't respect him. That was the only reason he'd entrust him with such a crucial task.
"Konoha will begin their counter-offensive against Konoha soon," Onoki said, standing from his chair. He turned away from Hanayama to face the large glass panel facing out of his office. "There's no doubt about it. Their preparations are already well underway. I want you to head over there, effective immediately. Take no breaks, and make sure no one sees you. We want to keep this under wraps."
"We're sending reinforcements to them, then?" The man's surprisingly soft voice called from behind him. The iron-clad confidence Onoki had grown used to hearing was still there but combined with a small degree of confusion. "How many men should I take with me?"
"You misunderstood your orders," Onoki said, crossing his hands behind his back.
"Every day, I regret that allying with Suna was the only way to erase Konoha from this world. All these years still, and they've done nothing to prove me wrong. Why should we waste any of our men to protect them while we could be securing our own people? No. Your mission is infinitely more important than that. I'm sure you're aware, but Konoha resorted to some... unseen tactics while repelling their invaders. A Jinchuuriki was used on the battlefield. And an Uzumaki to boot."
Onoki would have spat on the floor if he didn't have a station to maintain. "I'm sure there's no need to explain why that matters to us, even to an outsider like you. Kushina Uzumaki is a plague upon this world. The Ogre, they call her. The strongest creature on earth. Calamity given form. It's my greatest shame that we didn't manage to kill her before she gave birth, but that isn't a mistake I will repeat."
He turned back to face the stone-faced Hanayama, who stood at attention throughout his entire tangent. "Your mission is to find Naruto Uzumaki and eliminate him. Use any means you can. I don't care if you need to tear through Suna with your bare hands to do it."
"...Yes, sir."
"You're dismissed, then."
He watched as he began to leave the room, speaking his name just as those gargantuan hands were wrapped around the doorknob. "And Kaoru?"
He turned back to face Onoki for one last time. The genuine surprise he saw in his eyes was immensely gratifying.
"Do this for me, and I'll make sure you get what you want."
There was no need to elaborate. Hanayama gave him a single, solemn nod and left to do his duty. Onoki laid back on his chair and stared at the ceiling for a solid minute. Regardless of what happened now, the die was cast.
At least the world would have to bear with one less Uzumaki.
/
Hanayama returned the salute of passing soldiers as he walked out of the Tsuchikage's tower, the man's last words still fresh in his mind. He didn't know just how Onoki had learned about that, but if he would really give him his blessing for finishing his mission...
"Kaoru!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind. Hanayama turned to see Kurotsichi, Onoki's granddaughter, running up to him. "Is it true, then? Are you really leaving for a mission?"
"That's supposed to be confidential."
"Please, as if the record keeper could say no to me." She grinned as they walked side to side through the village. Hanayama made sure to look around as they did. It could very well be the last time he did. "So..." She said, with a much more somber tone of voice. "How is she?"
He almost missed a step. Almost. "She's... fine. They said her condition wouldn't change, but there's no way to know for sure."
"I'm... sorry to hear that."
He hummed in agreement. Neither of them particularly liked the subject. Kurotsuchi thought it made him uncomfortable. Maybe there was some truth to that, but Hanayama simply didn't like involving other people in his problems.
His mother was his responsibility, and he'd make sure she got better.
"So, where are you going?" The girl said, eager to move onto another topic. Hanayama knew why. It was rare for anyone to see him when he wasn't training and even rarer to get him into a conversation. Although Kurotsuchi was better at that than most.
"Didn't the record keeper tell you?"
"Not even he knew. The only thing he told me was that grandfather had summoned you, and we both know that could only mean one thing. Honestly..." She huffed. "I don't know why he's like that."
"My mother and I are foreigners." He reasoned. "It's completely reasonable for him to be distrustful. Not to mention..."
"Please," She slapped him on the back. He barely felt it. "You and I both know that's no excuse, especially after everything you did. Wanna know what I think?"
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I think he's just looking for an excuse. Anything that will make him feel better about not trusting you in the first place. And every time you prove him wrong, he gets more pissed."
He laughed. "That's an interesting theory. I'm sure he'd love to hear it."
"Don't even joke about that," She rubbed her arms, pretending to shiver. "He'd drag me by the hair from here to Suna."
They both laughed. The moment of silence that followed it was particularly painful to Hanayama. Suddenly, he felt a hand wrap itself around a finger, looking down to see that Kurotsuchi had stopped walking. "Please, come back safe, okay?"
He gave her another one of his rare smiles. "I promise I will."
Kurotsuchi nodded, but he could tell she wasn't convinced. It wasn't that surprising, really.
Hanayama had always been a terrible liar.
/
Asuma had no patience for hiding their presence while he and Yoshimitsu traversed the thick forest. As his subordinate guided them through the summon's trail, he cut through any of the foliage that blocked them. Admittedly, more violently than needed.
Things had not turned out as expected. Some complications were bound to happen, of course. No plan went through without a hitch, especially in their world.
Naruto, impressively quick learner or not, was still just a rookie. He'd need decades to catch up with their enemies in terms of experience. That was precisely why their mission was perfect for his development.
Asuma purposefully placed Naruto in the area most likely to see enemies that night, knowing full well he'd be outmatched and outnumbered.
While that may have sounded like a strategic failure, not to mention extremely cruel, Asuma knew what he was doing. How many men had he sent off to die in the war already? Hundreds? Thousands? He knew it was a matter of evolution or death, and pushing Naruto past the point of no return was the only way he'd grow.
But that didn't mean he didn't care for the boy, which was why he placed Yugao next to him. If he needed support, she'd be there to give it.
Or that was the plan, at least.
"Their smell trails off here." Yoshimitsu finally said, and Asuma immediately understood what had happened. One of Yoshimitsu's animals stood cautiously next to a considerable drop, right into a deceptively deep stream.
"The rain got really bad last night." He said, looking to the sky. "Which made the current worse."
Yoshimitsu crouched down by some burn marks covering the ground and foliage underneath them. "A Katon Jutsu, right where they were standing. They must have jumped in to avoid it."
"The two of them could have easily made their way out, which means that at least one of them must have been injured."
"So, our only hope of finding them is going along with the stream. One that probably splits off into gods knows how many paths later on."
"Not necessarily," Yoshimitsu said, patting his lizard on the head. It jumped down and began making its way through the shoreline. The two men followed.
"The water didn't wash their smell off?"
"Some of it. Even the Aburame's stink bugs on their vests. But..."
Asuma looked back at him.
"They can still smell the blood."
"...Let's hurry, then."
/
Naruto's first reaction after waking up came from instinct, not training. His eyes darted around the room, and he was alarmed to see nothing but darkness. He immediately tried to stand, only to be pushed back by metal chains connected to his wrists and ankles by iron shackles.
Whoever imprisoned him clearly had to do a quick job of it. The chains holding him back were just long enough to keep Naruto's hands separate but still allowed for some freedom of movement. He could even afford to stand on his feet, although a bit awkwardly at best.
Then, of course, came the matter of his clothing. While he wasn't feeling particularly timid, especially considering how dark it was, it meant he didn't have any weapons or tools on his person. Fighting his way out - and Naruto did intend to fight his way out - would be difficult.
Doubly so, considering how weak his body felt. Naruto didn't remember how he had been captured, which was worrying in on itself, but it felt like he took one hell of a beating before waking up.
'Great.' He thought to himself while straining against his restraints. 'Naked, in the dark, chained, beaten, and without a clue of where the hell I am. I really outdid myself this time.'
He felt no wind in the room, which meant he was probably underground. Naruto tried to scramble for answers while he had nothing else to do.
The very last thing he remembered was fighting in a rainy forest... against who?
'Suna, probably.' He reasoned to himself. 'Decided to invade us again, or we were attacking them. But I never heard about the rain getting that bad in either of our territories... which means we were fighting in Ame.' Naruto winced as his head began to pulsate with pain. 'What the hell is happening to me? How did I forget something like that?'
More importantly, just how much time had he forgotten? A few hours? Days? Months? Before he could start to try and piece things together, his ears picked up a dreadful sound - footsteps coming closer to him, highly trained to make little to no sound.
He caught two pairs of legs but was willing to bet there were more men with them. If he could hear someone like that approaching, it was because they wanted him to.
Now it was time to make a decision and an important one at that. Would Naruto wait to see what his captors wanted? Or would he go in for the kill as soon as they got close enough?
They were getting closer as Naruto's mind raced for an answer.
The former option would give him more information, making a possible escape easier in the long term.
But if they thought he was still unconscious, that moment would be the single best opportunity he'd have to take them out.
The more he thought about it, the worse his head hurt. It felt like someone was hammering his skull from inside. Naruto bit his upper lip to prevent any noise from coming out.
The footsteps were getting closer. Naruto's eyes were starting to get used to the dark, allowing him to see the outline of the room.
It wasn't very spacious, which could give him an advantage against several opponents at once if he placed himself correctly. But first, he'd need to get rid of those chains.
Based on his hearing, Naruto deduced his captors were less than a foot away from the door, and he still hadn't made his decision.
He squinted his eyes and went limp as the door began to be pushed open, pretending to be unconscious until they approached him.
Naruto saw several black boots making their way into the room. The corridor they came from was lit by candles, slightly confirming his suspicions that they were currently underground.
Cold sweat ran throughout his entire body, and Naruto prayed to any god that would listen for his captors not to notice it. Because as the light came into the room, he finally managed to identify a crucial piece of information. The area he was in wasn't a simple jail cell.
It was a torture chamber. With all sorts of tools and weapons spread across it. Saws, knives, hammers, pincers, even chains and rope.
Suddenly, he didn't have a choice anymore. He was going to make his escape as soon as his captors allowed him to attack.
Getting a hostage with his hands and legs tied would be difficult, but not impossible. As long as the men had any amount of camaraderie among them, he could force an opportunity into being.
Naruto estimated five men were in the room, and none of them said a word since entering. His sweating was getting worse, as was his headache, and his body still felt weak, but none of that mattered.
He would break out of there.
He had to.
Finally, it happened. Someone stopped right in front of Naruto, some sort of object in his hands. The temptation for him to act out was immense, but he needed to wait for just one more step...
There!
Naruto immediately jumped into action, grabbing onto the man's right leg with both of his own. He could see the others beginning to move, but the shock delayed their reactions.
Naruto twisted his limbs inward while maintaining the hold, hearing a satisfying 'crack' sound across the room as the man's leg was broken. His victim cried out in pain, but not before Naruto shifted his hold onto the man's neck, twisting his body around until his head rested by the boy's lap.
All he needed was a bit of force to break his neck with his thighs. And everyone in the room knew it.
"One step! If you take one step, I'll kill him!" He shouted, internally praying for the bluff to work. Fortunately, it seemed like it, for a few seconds at least. "Who the hell are you? What the hell do you want?!"
No one answered him. Naruto saw one of the men trying to step toward his right and glared at him, stalling his movements.
"Wait!" One of them said, extending a hand toward Naruto. His voice was much younger than the boy was expecting. Naruto guessed he was around his age, if not younger. "You don't need to do this! We're-!"
"What? Going to torture me?!" He tightened his hold on the man's neck. He struggled against it, trying to pry Naruto's legs out of his neck, but it was a futile attempt. Naruto was holding onto him like the lifeline he was. "Get the fuck away, now!"
"Sanjuro!" The man shouted, presumably at the young man, considering his reaction. "Don't mind me! Immobilize the target, now! For Suna!"
'I was right, then.' Naruto thought as the men around him looked at each other. An uncomfortable cold was forming in his stomach. 'And they're definitely going to do it. It's just a matter of whenever the Sanjuro kid cracks. Fuck...'
That was the precise moment the door was abruptly pushed open, two men walking through it. The first man was dressed as a medic, although without a village's crest on his chest. His shock upon seeing the scene unfolding in the room was palpable, and he almost stepped back into the corridor.
Naruto's attention was far more focused on the other newcomer, though. His clothes weren't that noteworthy, black pants, a black, long-sleeved shirt, all combined with a black vest. The most typical ninja attire one could possibly imagine.
But there was something about his demeanor, his presence, that reminded Naruto of Asuma. And considering their current situation, that did not bode well for him.
He looked around the room, inspecting each of his soldiers, before focusing on Naruto and his hostage. "It seems you've woken up earlier than anticipated." The man said, stepping into the room. Naruto glared at him. "If you step any closer, I'll-!"
"Lose your only leverage in this situation?" The man interrupted with a raised eyebrow. Before Naruto could respond, he grabbed a closed crate from the center of the room and sat on it. "Although, I'm interested to know how things got to this point in the first place. It doesn't seem like you've broken out of your restraints just yet."
"Didn't need to." Naruto countered. None of his captors looked like they were going to attack him since the man entered the room. Was he their leader, then? And what the hell was the medic there for? "You should train your men better."
"You've got quite the mouth on you. Interesting. None of our reports stated much about you, personality-wise."
Naruto gave him an uneasy grin. "If you've heard reports about me, then you know I'm going to get out of here, sooner or later."
"Mhm. I've heard you've defeated our Jinchuuriki, of course. Doesn't look like you're doing too well now, though. Won't you consider letting your hostage go? You already know holding onto him won't give you much favor now."
"If that was true, you wouldn't be asking me to let go in the first place." Naruto countered. The man raised an eyebrow in response.
"I'm guessing you're part of a scouting party, right? Holed up here to tell everyone back home about our plans? That's why your men here were about to gut me open till I told you everything you needed. And I'm well aware training scouts takes a hell of a lot longer than infantry. Losing one scout here would be the same as a hundred men on the battlefield, isn't that right? Tell me,"
Naruto gave the man a pained grin. "How many thousands have we bled you for already?"
The taunt was intended to spur the man into action, but things didn't go according to plan. Contrary to the other scouts, who seemed about ready to jump in and slit Naruto's throat, he simply sat back on his crate and laughed.
"Ah, this is refreshing. I'm glad you aren't just trying to escape without a plan like a rabid animal. May I pose a counter-argument, though?"
"If I say no, will you let me go?"
"I'm afraid not. What you said about the value of our lives is true. But I think the same goes to you, their Jinchuuriki," He pointed at Naruto's chest. "And your team."
His heart sunk. His face probably gave it away because the man immediately latched onto it. "That's right. Your actions won't affect just you. Trust me, I'm well aware of the power a Jinchuuriki holds. And an Uzumaki at that. But I'm also aware you're probably the type of man who'd value your team's lives above your own."
Naruto didn't remember who came into that mission with him, but that didn't matter. The mere thought of Kiba or, god forbid, Hinata being there with him made him see red. "If you so much as touch them-!" He shouted, breaking the hold on his hostage as he lunged toward their captain.
The next thing he knew, the world had been flipped upside down. It felt like being rafted in the middle of a storm, and Naruto could barely hold his head up to look at the man. It took a second for him to realize what had just happened.
One punch. An extremely precise Jab to the center of his chin, to be specific. That's all it took on the captain's part to almost make Naruto lose consciousness. While he struggled to pull himself up, Sanjuro and the others pulled the coughing hostage away from him.
"Now." The captain ordered before the boy regained his balance.
Naruto had been through a lot. The boy had been struck with all sorts of weapons and techniques back when he fought in the arena. And after fighting Gaara, he thought he knew what pain was.
That went out of the window when one of the scouts smashed a jackhammer into his shin. He threw his head back and howled like a beast as jolt after jolt shot up through the damaged limb.
Then they did the same to his other leg. Naruto's vision phased in and out, and his throat felt raw and bloody by the time he somewhat recovered.
The captain knelt in front of him and pulled his head back by the hair.
"You've killed a lot of my men. Good men. But I want you to know I don't do any of this out of hatred. I just want to serve my country, the same as you. Hopefully, you'll tell us what we need without any more suffering. But if you don't, you won't be the only one to be harmed. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I... swear..." Naruto coughed up blood as his eyes strained to focus on the man. "I'll... kill...you!"
The captain sighed and stood up. "I expected better." He turned to look at the doctor standing by the entrance. "Do what you need to do. I don't need to tell you we're short on time, do I?"
"No, sir!" The doctor said with a salute, looking past the captain's shoulder and into Naruto's eyes. Naruto saw nothing but raw curiosity behind them. Curiosity and excitement.
"I'll attend to our other guest." He said, beginning to leave the room. He turned back one last time, giving Naruto, and the scouts, a long stare. "This will be easier if you just decide to comply, Uzumaki."
Naruto's shout was drowned out as the stone door was closed behind him.
/
Yugao immediately did a body check on herself after regaining consciousness and finding that her hands were restrained. She felt pulsating bruises covering her body from head to toe. Those were most likely from the river tumble she took, not her captors themselves.
Her hands were tied behind a chair with what felt like chains. She hadn't been stripped, thankfully, but the bastards had been smart enough to take her tools away.
'Should have cleared the area before collapsing, moron.' She scorned herself. Knowing there wasn't much she could do at that point, Yugao decided to open her eyes and face her fate.
Well, that almost made her reconsider her 'captured' status. The room in front of her could only be described as luxurious. A well-polished floor, ornately decored furniture, and a spacious oakwood desk placed right in front of her. The initial shock faded away, and Yugao's heart sunk.
Was she sitting in the Kazekage's Office?!
More importantly, were there really no guards in the room with her? Yugao's head whipped around, but she saw nothing but (mostly) empty space. Well, if they were going to underestimate her that much, she might as well make them regret it.
As she slightly leaned her chair back and moved her hands around for a better grip at the lock holding her chains together, Yugao's mind wandered to her young ward. If she was captured in that cave, so was Naruto.
Suna certainly had a grudge with the boy. Both for his heritage and for defeating their ace in the hole. Of course, they didn't hate the Uzumaki clan as much as Iwagakure, but...
'Goddamnit, Asuma. I'd have stayed at ANBU if I wanted to be a babysitter...' She thought, looking for a weak link on her restraints. 'And you better be coming here soon.'
Suddenly, the doorknob was pulled down, and Yugao immediately put her chair back in its previous position, hiding the progress she had made.
The man who walked through raised an eyebrow at her. "Ah, you're awake." He said, walking toward the seat in front of her. "Good."
She tried to compare his face to the database of Suna officers she had been shown back during her ANBU days but couldn't find a match.
He sat down on the desk in front of her and took out some sheets of paper, leisurely reading through them while outright ignoring her presence.
"Your room service is lacking." She snarked, slowly returning her hands to their previous task. The man snorted, putting one of the papers he had been reading down before moving to the next. Face-down, of course, so she couldn't gather anything from them.
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough to offer to prisoners."
"Figured. So, don't you have your job backward?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Prisoners of war are typically tortured for information." The chains were being undone little by little. "Or their captors at least offer some sort of compensation for information. I hope you don't expect to bore me into compliance."
"Mhm, I don't have the stomach for something like that, I'm afraid." The man raised his eyes to meet hers. "And I don't think anything I could do would get through someone with ANBU training, don't you think?"
"...I suppose that's right. So you've just given up already? Might as well let me go, don't you think?"
"Well now, I said I wouldn't torture you, not that I wouldn't try to get something out of this."
"I'm curious to find out how you'll do that."
"Hm, very well." He put the papers down, clasping his hands together on top of the desk. "Now, do you mind telling me why a samurai woman like you is working for the Konoha military?"
Yugao's heart stopped. Her expression was unchanged, and her hands ever moving. "Oh? And how do you figure that?"
"Simple. The sword we found on you. Heavily modified, of course, something the samurai would never do, but the craftsmanship is still undeniable. Now, considering how isolated they are, not to mention their pride, conducting deals to sell Konoha their weapons would be unthinkable. Which only leaves one option on the table. You took it with you when you defected to Konoha. What I can't tell is this; were the holes purely for practical purposes, or was that meant as an act of rebellion against your roots?"
"...I'll be damned. To think Suna had such an expert detective working for them this entire time. Have you managed to deduce how to avoid having all of your land taken by us yet? Or is that one still evading you?"
"Well, you hardly need any skill in deduction to figure that one out. We'll do the same thing anyone else does in war. We'll kill enough of you before you kill enough of us."
"Easier said than done, considering you lost your trump card last time you tried that brilliant strategy."
"True, but I'd say that after today, we'll be about equal."
Her eyes narrowed. "Would you really risk killing the Kyubi Jinchuuriki right here and now? You and I both know what happens when that seal is undone."
"I didn't say anything about killing him, did I? You don't need to kill someone to make them stop fighting."
"Yeah, right, you think you're going to break that kid? Trust me, I haven't known him for long, but you and I have seen the same scars. I'll bet it'll take him two hours tops to fight his way up here."
"There are scars, and then there are scars. 'Breaking' someone, as you've put it, really isn't that complicated. As much as it pains me to hurt someone so young. All it takes is time and pressure."
"And you don't have much of the former. You still need to figure out what exactly we were doing here. How many people were with us? If you decide to run back home now, you'll have some big holes in your story. Isn't that right?"
"Ah, but a country wouldn't send a scouting party such as yourself while their army hangs too far behind. You're working with time constraints as well, just as bad as mine. If we hold onto you for long enough, that could delay Konoha's invasion for what, three more months? Half a year?"
"Time that we'll also use to prepare. And I think we'd still have one hell of a jump start on you."
"I suppose we'll leave it to time and see what happens, won't we?"
"I suppose so."
The two fell into a tense silence. Yugao estimated that her work with the chains was very nearly done. If only she could distract the man for a bit longer...
"So, did you already give up on getting any more information out of me? Because I hope you didn't expect me to betray Konoha just by bringing up my sword and stating the obvious at me."
"Of course not. Preparations simply aren't done for us to begin yet."
"Oh?"
Someone knocked on the door. The sound almost made Yugao jump, but the man sitting across from her simply nodded to himself and stood. "I suppose you've been trying to identify me ever since I walked through that door, isn't that right?"
"Unfortunately, Suna has too many small-fry for us to keep a record of every wanna-be Ibiki."
The man laughed. "That's a good expression. Ibiki Morino, I suppose he became somewhat of a legend for you folk, hasn't he?" He began to make his way to the door.
"The very picture of what every ninja should aspire to be, isn't that right? Surviving and enduring through weeks of torture, all to save the life of his comrades. But tell me,"
He turned back to look at Yugao right before opening the door. "Has he ever told you about how exactly he got his scars?"
Her eyes widened. "You aren't telling me that you're..."
Finally, the man opened the door and grabbed a package embroiled in silk from one of his scouts. They shared a few quiet words, too low for Yugao to eavesdrop, before closing the door again. Her captor walked up to the desk and sat back down.
"My name is Ashikaga Bokuden. Morino was my project, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, he decided to make his escape when I was called back to the capital. I'm sorry to say that mistake will not be repeated today."
He unveiled the silk in front of Yugao. All of the composure she had built and maintained during their conversation flew off of the window. She outright tried to jump out of her seat, rattling the chains behind her.
The emotions bubbling through her were incomprehensible, even to her. It was a level of rage and regret that made her want to rip her teeth out.
Lying there, on the table, was Naruto Uzumaki's left hand, scars and all. It was cut off by the wrist, or perhaps sawed off would be the better way to describe it. Yugao was a swordswoman. She knew how to make a cut painless.
What she saw was the exact opposite of it. Bone, muscle, veins, all dilacerated over a long period by an unsharpened saw.
"You bastard!" She shouted at an unphased Bokuden. "I'll kill you!"
"How amusing." He said, leaning back on his chair. "He said the exact same thing. And I told him that if he didn't answer my questions, you'd be the one to pay for it. Now, tell me," He leaned in.
"Are you going to tell me what I need to know, miss Yugao, or will I make you into another nightmare?"