Naruto Fan Fiction!

Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!

(Title)

"Myths, Monsters and a Man"

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the Canon characters!

WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno?

Book of Mysteries

Chapter Two: "Iris"

"Iris: Good News"

As their destination came into view, Madara was in no better mood. It did not help that his younger brother and their uninvited traveling companion seemed to be getting on like two old friends, finding no end to their conversation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the elder Uchiha felt a growing sense of reprieve as they entered the small trading post, soon, he would be rid of 'Oak' and he and Izuna would be on their way again.

Rusutsu was a small and secular village hidden deep within the Niigata mountain range, at the base of Mount Jōnen on the border between the Lands of Fire and Hot Springs. Surrounded by miles and miles of sprawling forest on every side the village itself was isolated and only made up of a handful of buildings, one of which served as both an Inn and the tavern. By the time they had reached the village at civilian speed, Oak was able to follow through on his promise and buy dinner for the brothers.

"So, why are you searching for this 'Ryūga', Oak-san?" Izuna asked conversationally, raising his voice loud enough to be heard by his tablemates over the noises and other patrons in the tavern. They were seated in a comfortably shaded corner of the hall, Madara had chosen the table because of the strategic view of all the exits and entrances. No one would be able to take them by surprise. Izuna continued with his conversation, "Do you have some sort of vendetta against him, or have you been contracted to track him down? Is that why you've been following the grave robberies?"

Oak shook his head, swallowing down a mouthful of noodles before responding. "Truthfully? I'm not after Ryūga with any intention of stopping him, I just want to ask him some questions. Like I said, only the freshest corpses have been snatched and none of the missing people have been found dead, leading me to believe that he has yet to harm anyone. I'm guessin' that he's been getting his nourishment off the corpses—because vampires feed off blood, of course—and been collecting the people just 'cos." he then shrugged his shoulders loosely, "I'll add 'why collect the people?' to my list of questions."

Izuna withheld a frown. He didn't even need to look at Madara to know there was an expression of annoyance on his elder brother's face. Since he had invited himself along with the brothers, Izuna had attempted to uncover the stranger's true motives for traveling with them and was met with the same answers each time. It appeared that Oak seemed committed to this bewildering lie. It was a shame, Izuna thought, if it wasn't for that he thought that he and Oak could have been steadfast friends. The man had a certain charisma about him and his easy-going attitude made for enjoyable conversations, there was also his wry sense of humor that let on that Oak was more clever than he looked.

It was not often that Izuna found someone around his age he could converse with casually, let alone someone capable of keeping up with him mentally. Most of the men that Izuna associated with these days were either clients, whom he has to maintain a certain degree of professionalism with at all times or the battle-hardened Shinobi of his clan. With whom again, he needs to keep up a respectable demeanor around. Not only as son to the Clan head but also because of his youthful appearance. Most of his clansmen already had a hard enough time listening to the orders of a fifteen-year-old. God forbid that he ever try and make a joke. Izuna finished his food and set the empty bowl to the side, raising his eyes to meet Oak's amber ones.

"What kind of questions?" he asked, humoring the daft man.

Oak pursed his lips, raising his knuckle to his chin as he suddenly looked contemplative. "Well, it depends honestly. I'll try and ask 'im some questions about his lifestyle; how he eats, how often, does it have to be human blood? Things along those lines. But, if I find out that he actually has been killing innocents just for shits and giggles then I'm probably gonna have'ta kill 'im myself. I mean, I usually don't interfere with a creature's hunting patterns or diets, because let's face it, us humans really don't have a say in who eats what, buuut... I do find myself, more often than not, interfering with these things. Moral obligations and such."

Izuna's lips twitched up into an amused half-smile. The man seemed to have a reasonable answer for everything! If the idea wasn't so absurd then the Uchiha might have been inclined to believe him. He folded his arms and leaned forward on the table. "'More often than not'? Do I take that to mean you interrogate creatures other than vampires, Oak-san?"

Oak chuckled lightly, "In the spirit of honesty I have'ta confess that... I've never actually met a vampire before, I've only ever heard of 'em through rumors and folk stories. And to answer your question, yes, the ones that are capable of speech, at least. Most cryptids I encounter tend not to be overly fond of humans though."

Izuna, smile growing, nodded in total understanding while his elder brother scoffed. "Stories, all of them. Purely fiction." Madara turned to his younger brother with a droll look. "Next, he'll be saying that he's swam with the Umibōzu and conversed with a Bijū."

Oak was unoffended by Madara's words and dismissive attitude, to such an extent that he even smiled at the dark-haired man across from him. Seeing this the Uchiha narrowed his onyx eyes into a glare. Oak brazenly met his frosty gaze head-on with a curious one of his own.

"The Bijū are fantastic conversationalists. The Nibi, in particular, has a soft spot for musical poetry." he retorted seriously.

Izuna coughed to hide his laugh while his brother scowled darkly. Madara was annoyed by the stranger. The fact that his annoyance was not entirely warranted, or that the stranger hadn't done anything yet to deserve his ire, only served to aggravate the Uchiha even further. He wasn't usually so on edge when outside the fields of battle and it did not help matters that the stranger not only shared physical similarities to one of the most tiresome men that Madara had ever met, but also that idiotic abundant cheerfulness that was beginning to grate on his nerves. The Uchiha would even swear that Oak was starting to sound like that damned man, too.

Izuna cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself and breaking the tension that suddenly arose between his tablemates. "So. Cryptids? What are those? Are they also like Vampires?" he asked, recognizing the expression on his brother's face and hoping to avoid a confrontation in the middle of the Inn. They were supposed to be traveling anonymously, after all. Oak turned a grin back to the younger Uchiha while Madara turned back to his drink.

"To answer your question fully; I'm what's known as a Cryptozoologist. As such I seek out creatures of debatable existence and then document 'em to the extent of my capabilities, by sortin' through rumors and myths I go and investigate until I find out whether there's any truth to them or not. And whenever I'm not casing down cryptids, I also dabble in a bit of archaeology when the mood strikes me."

"Archaeology?" Izuna arched an eyebrow, interested in the turn of conversation. He had actually heard of that before, it was a occupation that scholars and historians held, if he wasn't mistaken.

"I go exploring ruins of cities or temples, reading forgotten histories and finding secrets buried by time." Oak clarified with a loose shrug. "It often helps with my cryptid research."

As he explained all of this, the man spoke with such surety in his voice that if Izuna hadn't known any better, he would've been at risk of believing Oak's words for truth. As it stood, this was a very amusing persona the stranger was weaving.

Getting an idea, Izuna schooled his expression into one of mild skepticism. "Now, hunting down monsters is one thing, but Archaeology, Oak-san? I can't believe that! You can't be any older than I am!"

Oak laughed brightly, "Not at all! I know I'm a bit baby-faced compared to most, but you could say that I've got a bit of an old soul. I'm only twenty-one on the outside but I can't deny how much I love what I do. I just like mysteries, finding them and then figuring out the truth behind 'em." he then smiled blissfully, eyes sliding shut as he swished his tea around in his cup. At that bit of information both brothers exchanged a genuinely skeptical glance. The elder Uchiha brother was only nineteen, himself.

Another obvious lie.

Before any of them could say anything more on the subject, a man burst through the entrance, silencing the chatter of the tavern and drawing all eyes to himself. The man looked haggard and on the brink of collapse. Wild eyes looked up from a deathly pale face and he took in a shallow breath.

"DEMONS!" he howled hysterically, sweat dripping down his brow. "THERE ARE FLESH-EATING DEMONS LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS! We were hunting near the caves and, they... they killed him... my friend. They killed Gen! Oh, God—They tore into his skin right before my eyes!"

Though he did not smile, as this was tragic and horrifying tale being told, Madara did notice with interest the unsettling amount of unbridled glee that shone in Oak's amber eyes.

The hysterical man collapsed onto the wooden floor in grief-stricken despair and time seemed to resume again, other concerned patrons rushed to his aid while most turned back to their previous conversations. When the brothers turned their attention back to their table they found Oak mumbling under his breath as he scribbled into a large leather-bound book that he'd procured from his satchel. Izuna narrowed his eyes and read the hastily-written words unabashedly, learning that he was writing down what just transpired. His eyes went to the side of the page beside it and widened, seeing detailed depictions of a terrifying human-like creature with multiple sets of jagged teeth lining it's maw.

Oak spoke, sounding clearly amused. "Yah wanna see my Bestiary, Mercenary-san?

"Your what?" Izuna squawked, his voice a pitch or two higher than he would admit. Madara snorted in amusement while Oak laughed outright.

"My Bestiary." Oak repeated, carefully sealing and stowing away his ink pot and looking back at the teen, but leaving the large book open on the table. He rested his elbow on the wooden surface and placed his chin in his hand in a relaxed manner. "My journal where I catalogue all the cryptids I find. The questions an' stuff? I write it all down and document them, making my own history. I've still got a ways to go but that's the adventure, innit it?"

"For what purpose?" Izuna asked, mystified. Oak's smile finally seemed to fade, his eyes taking on a somber emotion. The change was so sudden that Madara was stuck, once again, with the image of a young Hashirama during one of his mood swings. He gripped the wooden cup in his hand tighter, nearly splintering it in his grasp as he felt an irrational anger surge through him.

Oak was not Hashirama.

There was no one else like the indomitable fool and anyone who attempted to replace him should be cut down where—Madara stopped. This line of thought was as tiresome as it was unsatisfying. The Uchiha warrior was so caught up in his plans to separate himself and his brother from the stranger's presence that he'd nearly missed his reply. He did not, however, missed how the stranger's accent seemed to wane with the following soft spoken words.

"They're all dying." he said sadly, lifting his fingers to gently caress the binding of the book. "It's a result of living in this Shinobi-dominated world. There's already so many that've been lost to time and War. With each year that goes by, forests are burned, habitats destroyed..." he sighed, his eyes hardening for a moment before he looked back up and met Madara's intense gaze. "Most of the creatures I study and catalogue will be all but extinct within the next century with how the battles between the Clans rage on week after week. I feel like it's my duty to remember them before they're all gone forever."

The brothers sat in silence as they absorbed Oak's words. Izuna was speechless while Madara was less than concerned with what Oak had said than he was with how he had said it. How his voice had taken on a more refined and intelligent tone, how he spoke with a quiet conviction that had him second guessing his presumptions on just who was sitting at the same table as his brother.

Before he could hear the brothers thoughts on what he said, it was then that Oak finally noticed the thinly-disguised look of contempt the Innkeep was giving him. Oak looked down at himself and a wave of realization dawned on his features, like he hadn't realized his still-bloodied appearance before that moment. Even though most of it was dried by now, it was still sticky on his skin. He smiled sheepishly, taking the hint. Reaching into his pack and pulling out a plain earthen-colored haori, clean of bloodstains, along with black hakama, pausing to grab a roll of bandage before speaking to the brothers.

"I'll be right back." he said, leaving the table and going to speak with the disgruntled Innkeep, disappearing into another room to clean himself up. The Uchiha brothers watched him go and Izuna noted with curiosity how Oak had not only left his satchel behind with them but also the large book he caringly handled. His Bestiary. As if the man already trusted the brothers he met only hours ago with the safety of his possessions.

"He's quite odd, wouldn't you say, Nii-sama?" Izuna mused, pulling the book toward him so that he could look at it better. Madara made a vague sound of acknowledgement but he didn't comment further, just as Izuna didn't comment on how his Nii-sama's eyes had rarely left Oak since they encountered the man in the woods. He continued to leaf through the book and scanned the filled pages with interest, admiring the fairly detailed sketching's of fantastical beings.

Small, winged creatures with child-like faces. Furred giants standing at least 10-feet tall. Small men, no bigger than his palm, habituating mushrooms and such. Elegant horses with wings like a bird or horns mounted on their heads. It was thorough. Almost too thorough. This was quite a length to go for a lie, wasn't it? The younger Uchiha's eyes landed on the ink-laden pages again and a small, quiet part of him wondered:

What if?

He turned to the next page, Izuna smiled.

"Nii-sama."

"Hn?"

"There's an entry here for the Nibi."

Madara scowled darkly, but his eyes did drift over to the over-romanticized depiction of the Two-Tailed chakra beast. While his younger brother admired the picture, to Madara it looked more like a domesticated feline rather than the destructive terror that it was. He scoffed in distain. The Bijū were not folktale, but real, living monsters. To make them out to be any less than such was a fool's mistake. Fitting for the fool, he thought.

Three men entered the tavern and Madara was drawn out of his thoughts. He gave them an obligatory once-over only to stiffen in alarm. He didn't recognize their faces, but the Clan Mon proudly displayed on their clothing was one that Madara intimately knew.

Senju.

"Nii-sama." Izuna's tone was low, warning. He saw them as well.

"I know." Madara growled. Discreetly, his eyes scanned the tavern for any sign of more Senju skulking about but, no. He had surveyed the hall before even choosing a table and had seen no threats. The Senju dogs weren't here for them either, they had been painstakingly careful in concealing their presence since leaving the Capital. No, it was most likely that the brothers had the unfortunate luck to run across a small Senju team on a contract. As secluded as Rusutsu was, it also a stop along the merchant's road to the trading central of Hot Springs, Tōhō.

It was a simple coincidence.

Madara hated coincidences.

"Grab your bag, we're leaving, otouto." Madara ordered quietly. Izuna nodded, pausing for only a brief moment before gently closing Oak's book. He considered leaving a short goodbye but one look at the agitated expression on his Nii-sama's face and he wisely decided against it. They needed to get away from the area before they drew any attention, the Senju didn't tend to travel in small groups. The Senju approached the Innkeeper and it was as the brothers reached for their packs in a relaxed manner as to not drawn undue attention that Oak came hurrying back up to the table, taking a wider route back than he had before. As soon as he reached the table, he and Madara spoke hurriedly.

"We are leaving—"

"'ey, I have to go—"

They both shut their mouths at the same time. Madara scowled in suspicion while Oak blinked in confusion. They'd spoken at the same time. Saying the same thing with a similar amount of sudden urgency. The answer occurred to them both.

They were, all three of them, avoiding the Senju's notice.

Brightened amber eyes locked with calculating onyx ones. Oak then grinned and Madara somehow knew that it promised nothing but further headaches for him.

"What're we still here for? I passed a backdoor when I went to change—let's go! There's a girl to rescue and a cabal of corpse-eating vampires waiting for us somewhere in the mountains! Time is a'wasting!" Oak said excitedly, hauling his satchel over his shoulder and rooting through a side-pocket that jingled with the action. As Izuna's expression brightened considerably Madara's scowl turned into a grimace.

There was no more hesitation as the brothers grabbed their traveling packs and the three of them quietly slipped out the back door of the Inn, leaving behind a couple very old golden coins on the table in payment to a very surprised Innkeep.

Book of Mysteries

Chapter Two: "Iris"

END

A/N: My lungs actually hurt from how much I've laughed today. It's a nice feeling, one I sadly haven't felt in a while. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Not because of the chapter, oh no, this was unrelated but I thought it deserved to be written down. It's the little things, yanno?

Okay, so this took a little longer than I had expected, but I like it infinitely more. I ended up having to rewrite Izuna's everything a couple times because of how bratty he kept turning out. It was ridiculous. I plan on writing more adventures but each 'Book' I have planned are going to take place in-between some generous time-skips. So between the end of this one and the start next one, six or so years could've passed for these guys.

Thoughts! I love that you guys reviewed and let me know that this has caught your interest, I'm really happy! I also want to know what you guys think of Madara and Izuna so far? Is Madara acting in-character? Is Izuna likable? I was going for likable. Ooooh! I have plans for further on and the introduction of the Senju brothers and I just can't wait to show you all! Thanks so much for reading! Thank you, again, to ClosetCase for helping with the chapter! Such a dear!

I wuv yew all! 'Till next time!

-Nanami