Sound was the first thing she heard. It was the sound of a woman laughing somewhere in the distance. Second came the burning pain of being doused in ice. Her skin tingled and she shivered. Lastly came the bitter taste of not having brushed her teeth in a while. Something hard and thin smacked on her numb thigh. Shinji jolted awake. Cold water dripped from her nose and hair. Pain shot through her wrists and ankles, her head throbbed.
"There you go. Now we can talk."
A woman's voice spoke from near her ear. Shinji squirmed, trying to get away but she was tied down. Rough ropes chafed her bare skin. The air was cold and stiff. Panic started flooding her senses as she took in her surroundings. She was in a small room, tied to a roughly shaped chair cut from stone. The walls, floor and ceiling were of the same dark gray stone marbled with roots and dotted with stones. Small puddles had formed on the ground through the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. The only source of light was the bare bulb dangling from the ceiling. It cast stretched shadows over the walls.
There was a narrow, wooden door in front of her with a huge lock dangling from the handle. Shinji doubted that the woman really needed it. The door fit almost seamlessly into the opening. The scent of mud and wet leaves assaulted Shinji's senses. They were below the ground, somewhere deep in the forest.
The woman walked around her and panic was now accompanied by rage. She was tall, with a straight back and a predator's prowl. She wore a blank mask to cover her face, and her eyes glinted in the light. Her hair was tucked underneath a bandanna. In one gloved hand she held a short whip, the other rested on her hip. Shinji glared at her, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.
"Who are you?" she demanded. Her voice echoed back at her.
The woman didn't respond. She smoothed a hand over her one piece suit that covered her from neck to ankle in black leather. Though her eyes were shadowed by her mask, Shinji could feel her eyes on her. Anger spread through her like fire.
"What do you want from me?!"
The woman looked bored, she shifted her weight to one leg and stared at her. She's as bad as Chi. The thought of her teammate suddenly reminded Shinji that she was all alone. Ryuya wasn't here, Chi wasn't here, it was just the missing-nin. Shinji bared her teeth, finally earning a reaction from the woman. She stood straight, one hand palming the hilt of the katana hanging from her belt.
"Where the hell is my team, you- you cockroach's ass!"
What was that? Shinji refused to acknowledge the blush rising to her cheeks. "Tell me!"
The woman moved faster than she could follow. Her gloved hand pressed on her lips. Deep purple eyes stared at her, mocking her. Shinji's eyes widened.
"Save your voice for later." The woman said silkily, "I have plenty of ways to make you scream."
Shinji tried to bite her hand, but she pulled it back. If looks could kill, this woman had died and gone to Hell five times over. Once I'm out of this, I'll put the Nine-Tailed Fox to shame. Shinji thought bitterly. With a start she realized that her hands were shaking and clenched the armrest. Weakness was a weapon they could use against her, her mother always told her.
The lady stood in front of her. The Genin was, to her credit, still glaring at her with as much intensity as she could muster in her underwear and dripping with water. The woman let her eyes go over the girl and only made her turn redder.
"What can you tell me about the Uchiha clan?"
Her voice was cold and sharp, in a tone as if she expected Shinji to answer immediately. The latter snapped to attention, eyes wide at the question. Something pulled at the back of her mind. Her mouth opened and closed again.
What's happening? Is this the seal Chi put on us?
Shinji stayed quiet, baffled at the realization. The seal had worked. Which meant two things, she quickly realized as the woman in front of her brought the whip up: she wouldn't be able to reveal any information and the woman would continue to torture her for it.
"I asked you a question." The woman said in a low voice. The whip cracked and came down hard on Shinji's thigh.
Shinji cried out. It stung terribly and already there was a thin red line on her skin.
"Tell me about the Uchiha clan."
"Go to hell!" Shinji snapped with tears blurring her vision.
Silver shot through the air. A fountain of blood. Shinji screamed when a short knife embedded itself in her thigh, and screamed again when it was yanked out by the chain on the other end. Blood gushed out of her leg and on instinct, she send chakra to that spot to slow the flow down. Shinji sobbed, staring at the narrow wound on her thigh. It looked gruesome.
A hand grabbed her hair and slammed her back. White spots danced in Shinji's vision as the back of her head began to throb.
"I can do this all day." The woman hissed in her ear. "I can hurt you and heal you, and then hurt you again for days. Do you understand, little girl?"
Nodding Shinji bit her lip and blinked the tears away. Her hair was released. Shinji panted, feeling her stomach turn at the scent of her own blood. The pain was terrible though the bleeding had stopped. The woman pressed one finger on top of the cut, making Shinji scream again. The pain subsided in a few seconds. Shinji stared at it in a mix of awe and fear.
"Let's try that again, shall we?"
The other room~
The man laughed, watching her. The chains grew hot again and Ryuya screamed. The sweet smell of burned flesh reached her nose and she gagged only for a fist to connect with her jaw. Her head snapped to the side and bits of spit and blood flew out of her mouth. A hard pull on her hair made her face the horrible, yellow eyes of the man again.
When she had woken up it was because of a dozen of sharp needles stabbing her feet. Her wrists and ankles were tied on either side with chakra-conducting chains that responded to the man's natural affinity, as he so kindly explained before turning them white-hot. The man kept asking her about the Uchiha clan and she failed to answer every time. The words just never made it out of her mouth.
"Please," Ryuya sobbed desperately, "I- I can't tell-" she screamed as the chain around her left wrist burned again. A short peek, showed that her skin up to her elbow had blistered. Her wrists were red and angry for now. The pain was maddening and all-consuming. It throbbed, it burned and it hurt. It was worse than burning her hand on the stove, or touching the hot oven tray by accident.
It was bad enough for her to give up. She tried so hard to speak but she couldn't even utter the name. She suspected that it was because of the seal but didn't dare to tell. Ryuya knew she was a coward for giving in so quickly, but she was not going to betray her friends. That was a rule that was drilled into each student by Iruka. Konoha does not betray her allies. And neither did she, damn it!
He grinned at her as he let the chains cool down again. Ryuya tried to swallow her sobs and failed. The seal meant that the man would just keep hurting her, but at some point she was going to become useless. All she could do now was hope he'd kill her soon so this torture could end. She was never going to see her parents again. Her siblings, her aunts and uncles. Her grandmother had been right, warning her about the path of a shinobi.
"You know, I can do this all day. I could even do this for months." The man added with glee. His mask was scorched on some spots but his pale eyes stood out from behind the narrow slits.
That was a bluff but she wasn't going to call him out for that. Instead she simply closed her eyes,waiting for it to end. Her head slammed back into the table.
"Look at me!"
The voice thundered and echoed from all around. Ryuya's eyes snapped open again and tears fell down again. She wanted to be home again, with her parents, in her safe bed. So what if she never became shinobi? At least she wouldn't be in her underwear chained to an upright table.
"You are only making this harder for yourself, you know?" His voice was close, too close. Ryuya tried to squirm away but found that impossible. Luckily, he leaned away and instead stabbed a senbon in her neck. A flaming pain crawled up from her neck to her forehead. Her scream stopped in the back of her throat. She choked before he pulled it out again. She was slightly worried about the seal becoming visible but the man walked away again.
Ryuya coughed and spit blood on the ground. She never felt so alone in her life. She wanted Iruka to come and get her out of here, to ruffle her hair and praise her handwriting. She wanted Shinji to start cursing at the smallest inconveniences. Even Chi's gruff demeanor was welcome now.
"Where are my friends?" she croaked out, stuck between sobbing and gagging. "What did you do-"
Another senbon buried itself in her chest, piercing the bone and sending a paralyzing pain through her body.
"Your friends?" he parroted, "Hmm, probably dead."
Ryuya gave a pained cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she squeezed her eyes shut. That couldn't be true. She refused to believe her teammates were gone. They were innocent. Genin, not even officially on a team though it felt that way.
"Why?" she sobbed quietly, "Why are you doing this?"
The man tilted his head, leaning on the little table beside him. It carried a whole array of knifes, rods and bottles filled with pale liquids. His gloved finger tapped on the mask.
"Hmm," he said slowly, "just for fun I guess?"
Ryuya stared at him with wide eyes. He grinned again, coming closer. "Didn't expect that from a shinobi?"
She blinked, feeling much like a fish at the moment. He seemed amused. "Kiddy, do you even know what profession you are in?"
Ryuya nodded. He chuckled and snapped his fingers. She flinched. "I don't think you do."
Before she knew it, the chains turned searing hot again. In a lower voice, barely audible over Ryuya's screams, he continued, "That's why I'm doing it, I suppose."
The last room~
Chi couldn't breath. Her muscles were clenched tighter than she had believed was possible. Pain coursed through her body before it finally stopped. She gasped, dissolving in a fit of coughs. The wires attached to her fingers tugged as she bend forward. She was chained to the wall with thick cuffs around her wrists and ankles.
Waking up in a corner like dirty laundry wasn't exactly her favorite way to start the day. Thin copper wires ran from underneath her finger- and toenails, as well as her belly button and ears. They all led to a large, shiny ball perched on a wooden stand in the center of the room. Yatsushi controlled it, sending bouts of electricity through the ball, which led to the wires electrocuting her.
He crouched in front of her panting figure with another wire in his hand. Chi eyed it warily.
"Open your mouth." he said.
"Go to hell." Chi gritted through clenched lips.
His pale eyes hardened and he grabbed her jaw. With both hands, he pried her teeth apart, fully indifferent to her attempts to bite him. He put one end of the wire in her mouth and clamped her jaw shut while he put a piece of tape over her mouth.
If Chi had been more coherent, she would have accepted that that was understandable. From the moment that Chi awoke to electricity coursing through her body, she had been talking and thus far had succeeded in taunting Yatsushi. The man kept electrocuting her, to a point were all she could do was spasm uncontrollably and lay in a miserably heap on the ground.
It didn't matter to Chi. If she would die than at least she had managed to bother the bastard. Besides, her greatest problem was the constant drain on her chakra. On one hand she knew Shinji and Ryuya were still alive. On the other hand she was running on empty and had to give up her own blood to feed the seals. She needed to rest or drink blood to recharge.
"Consider this payback for talking so much." Yatsushi told her and stepped away. Chi braced herself as he neared the stand and placed a hand on the ball. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes.
Without warning, pain shot through her. The electricity burned a way through her throat down her stomach and spread out through her veins. Her entire body tensed, curling up in a tight ball. Yatsushi watched for a moment and lifted his hand. Chi's eyes rolled back as her body relaxed. She slumped to the wall, aftershocks sending spasms down her legs. Her ears were ringing and she could barely hear Yatsushi when he spoke again.
"I want you to tell me about your classmate Sasuke Uchiha." Yatsushi was hiding his impatience as he ripped the tape from her lips. Chi's jaw was slack. The end of the wire had burned the inside of her mouth. She watched with drooping eyes as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Then, he shoved three fingers in her mouth. Chi's eyes grew wide as dinner plates, color briefly changing from red to yellow.
A cool sensation spread through her. The pain in her face lessened and she sighed in relief before she could stop herself. Yatsushi pulled his hand back and wiped it on his pants.
"Start talking."
Chi huffed weakly. "I'm a Genin... What do you think I know..."
Her voice was hoarse. Her arms were in her lap, useless and limp. All her strength was gone. Her mind was a hazy mess. She even couldn't recall where she was. It smelled a bit like her home, which was disconcerting for many reasons. Chi's blackened lips curled in a smile. "Dummy..."
Yatsushi flicked her forehead and everything became clear at once. She shot up, feeling like she had been doused in cold water. He saw her confusion and grinned,
"Did you think this was my first time?"
She had hoped so. Chi scowled and fruitlessly tugged the chains around her wrists. Her nails were black and would probably fall off. Her bare skin was covered in dark lines showing where the electricity coursed through and at some places the skin had melted away. She wasn't worried about scarring but healing would take long. She sighed at them and looked at the man again. If just came close enough, tilted his head just so, she could bite his neck and-
"Start talking, unless you want a second round." Yatsushi swung the wire in his hand in front of her.
"I you want me to talk..." she drawled, smug that he seemed interested, "Give me your blood."
The pale eyes widened but he schooled his expression again. Chi watched him with bright red eyes. He stood, much to her disappointment, and walked away.
"I see... Is this the reason your clan was so despised?"
Chi scoffed, still eager to make her plan work one way or another. "My clan consisted of a bunch of jackasses who liked to creep the hell out of others. Of course they were despised." Now get closer so that I can bite you and get your blood. She almost scared herself with that thought.
Almost.
Unfortunately, Yatsushi moved further away and casually send another shock wave through her body. Chi gasped and choked on some blood. She swallowed it again, she needed every drop.
"Hmm, perhaps my colleagues were more successful." he said casually.
Chi hissed at him in anger but her knees buckled when she tried to get up. Her body felt like a giant bruise. Yatsushi opened the door on the opposite end and stepped outside. Chi couldn't see anything beyond him. Helplessly, she watched him close the door and leave her alone.
The first room~
Shinji felt the knife leave a hot mark on her left cheek, tracing a line from her cheekbone to her chin. Immediately, hot blood warmed her face. It was one of many cuts she received and she already stopped dreading the scars. Now it was a game. A game in which she got hurt every time she did something right. She didn't know for how long she had been here and had no clue where she was, but watching the lady grow agitated was worth every drop of blood.
She was about to go and challenge her again when there was a soft knock on the door. The woman turned on her heels and opened it. The first man walked in. He send her a look and then looked at his colleague.
"Tooru's kid is crying too much." He scratched under his mask. "Pretty sure he went too far."
The woman shook her head and pointed at Shinji, "This one thinks she's being brave, talking rubbish like that."
That's that Yatsushi guy! Shinji realized.
"Mine is trying to strike a deal," Yatsushi complained, "She's so creepy."
"It's a little girl," the woman sighed, "they all are. This shouldn't be so annoying."
"Well, I already send Tooru at her but he started cursing at her two minutes after she opened her mouth." Yatsushi shrugged, "Do you want to have a go?"
The lady's eyes curved in a cold smile. "I'll be glad."
"No!" Shinji lunged but couldn't move. "Don't touch her-!"
The knife buried deep in her shoulder and Yatsushi winced "That's harsh, Minji."
"Who cares?" She pulled the weapon out and walked out of the door, completely uncaring of Shinji's cries of pain. Yatsushi followed her and soon Shinji was left alone, trashing in her chair and crying for her teammate to hear. Her skin was a mess of angry red lines and crusts of blood. There was a puddle of blood on the ground surrounding the chair but Minji had proven that she was more than capable of stopping the wounds from bleeding. Shinji eyed the fresh wound on her shoulder. Her right arm was going numb and the blood kept dribbling down. She let her chin drop to her chest, feeling her head grow lighter.
"Sensei..." she whispered, as hot tears fell on her legs, "Save us..."
Two doors further, Tooru was attempting to give Chi a crispy skin without success. The chains were glowing red, the air was filled with the scent of burning flesh, but the skin was scorched black. Chi herself was convulsing but gritting out insults in between each scream. Minji took one look at her and decided that she was pretty impressive. Still, she could hurt her even more.
"This little brat-" Tooru growled, clutching the ends of the chains that led to Chi's restraints. Sweat dripped down his brow as he pushed more chakra into his hands and let it travel through the steel.
Yatsushi went to calm his enraged colleague down and the chains dimmed again. Smoke rose from Chi's skin and Minji lifted a hand to wave it away. Chi fell against the wall, panting and sweating from the extreme heat. It wasn't like the pain lessened in any way when the heat stopped, but at least it wasn't so hot.
"So, the little brat won't talk?"
Chi managed to raise her eyebrow. "Who're you?" she panted.
The whip cracked and the left strap of her already damaged bra fell down.
"I'm- minor-" Chi slurred, feeling like she might be sick, "can't touch-"
She was nearing her ultimate limit. Both her chakra reserves and the energy from her blood were depleted. She needed some blood or she was going to die. The first two men gave her nothing, but this lady reeked of it. Her weapon was bloodied and there were dark spots on her clothes. Chi's eyes glowed hungrily even if she couldn't open them all the way anymore.
Minji started, "What the f-"
Yatsushi cut the man off. "She is from the Ketsueki clan. Their eyes change with their mood, though I am not sure what red means."
"Does it matter?" Minji stepped forward, pulling the chain loose from her belt. The blade hung near her ankle, swaying lightly. "I got her friend to cry, I can make her bleed and then she'll talk."
If Chi had the energy, she would have cursed at the woman.
The chain flew in the air, reflecting the light, and pierced her upper arm. It cut through her flesh like a hot knife through butter and remained pinned in the wall. Chi choked. She could feel the coldness spreading and a stinging pain overcoming the numbness. Minji pulled slowly, dragging a long line down her arm. Chi bit her tongue, tears burning in her eyes.
"Wait." Yatsushi stopped her and pointed. The three paused and peered at her curiously. The skin that was supposed to be torn open, instead turned black to match her burned wrists and ankles. There was no blood. Minji pulled the blade out and whipped out again to slash across her stomach, eliciting a cry from Chi. The bruised skin immediately tore apart only to reveal a similar view.
Chi gasped and curled in on herself, hand pressed against the wound. Minji stepped closer to inspect the injuries. She grabbed her wrists and yanked them up, forcing Chi to straighten with a strangled sob. Her scent overwhelmed the girl. It entered her nose, triggered the primal survival instinct that Iruka always taught them to be careful of. Chi couldn't afford care. She needed blood right now.
And it got presented. The woman leaned close, her shoulder in front of Chi's face. Instinct took over and she lunged. The cloth was no match for her canines and the skin broke just as easily. Blood spilled and she greedily drank it. Minji yelped in shock and pushed her off but Chi had practiced for years. Those two seconds were enough to replenish some of her reserves.
Minji jumped back, dizzy from the blood loss. The two men caught their female colleague and stared at her in horror. Chi was thrilled. She licked her lips clean and attempted to get to the drops on her legs. Minji could only watch and feel sick.
"Let's leave for now. We'll come back." Yatsushi hissed and they turned around only to walk into Tooru's back. He stared at the door and his team stared at him. He pointed and they all looked.
Two yellow lights reflected on the flaking polish of the door. As one, they turned around and came face to face with the yellow eyes of Chi. She was still seated but a whole lot closer, it seemed. Her teeth were bared and her hair stood on end. Minji flinched when Chi's eyes focused on her. Chi grinned, baring her canines,
"Ninja-art, Ketsueki-style: Feeding Dragon."
Blood exploded from Minji's injured shoulder, startling a scream out of the three adults. It shot in the air, narrowing into a stream. The end shaped a rough-looking dragon that dove towards Chi. The latter cheered and opened her mouth eagerly. Tooru made a gagging noise as he watched Chi drink the dragon. Minji's knees buckled.
Yatsushi lunged at Chi and managed to stab a green glowing hand at her neck. The bleeding stopped, the stream fell to the floor and Minji collapsed against Tooru. Chi's eyes turned to him. He felt his heart sink. The yellow seemed to pierce his soul.
But then it dulled and turned to the color of clay. She coughed "Her blood was not that rich..."
Her chin fell against her chest and the man could only watch her unconscious figure until his heartbeat slowed down.
Some time later~
A moan escaped her dry lips before Chi woke up. She was no longer in the room, she realized dimly. This room was slightly bigger and looked round. There were some electric lights attached to the ceiling, casting bright white light in her eyes.
Slowly, she opened her eyes again. There was the ground beneath her. Her arms tied behind her and her legs tied in front of her. Another big rope went around her stomach and tied her to something behind her. It felt as if someone was beating a hammer against her skull, all her limps were shaking and burning. With another moan she let her head fall back, only to hit a warm surface. Chi froze, heart leaping to her throat.
"Huh? Oh you're awake!"
A voice cried out and Chi winced. Another voice spoke up, much softer this time.
"Shh, she's in pain..."
Chi tried to turn around but failed. Her muscles were sore. "R-yu... Shin..."
"Yeah, it's us. They got you pretty bad, huh?" Shinji huffed.
Chi fought off both her nausea and hunger before answering, "It smells like blood in here."
"Yeah, that's me... You met that chick who was wearing a trash-bag, right?"
Chi frowned, she remembered something black. "Knife-lady?"
"That's the one," Shinji confirmed with a sardonic laugh in her voice, "I was her first guest."
"Damn..." Chi sighed, "Ryu?"
"I-I got burned a bit... How about you?" Ryuya replied. Shinji gave a disbelieving huff. "A bit? You barely got any skin left!"
"Ssshh..." Chi begged, her head was pounding.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry." A pause, clearly to roll her eyes, "So what'd did the freak do to you?"
"Shock." Chi murmured, trying to recall the conversation she had. Her tongue tingled unpleasantly and she bit on it, "Electricity?"
"How the hell should we know?" Came Shinji's instant answer.
Chi groaned and the two girls giggled. Then Ryuya spoke up,
"I am glad that we're at least together. Even if we are in a cave." At least we're dying together.
"W-where are we..." Chi couldn't remember and tried not to focus on the spark of panic beginning to come to life in her chest.
Shinji scoffed, "We're in some nasty basement with tons of mosquitoes and cockroaches that are driving us mad!"
Ryuya shivered and nodded even though no one could see it. Chi sighed and leaned against the warm bodies of her teammates.
"Oi, don't get too comfortable here. These bugs can smell it, I tell ya!"
Chi sighed, "Be quiet..."
Shinji allowed it, for about a second before she perked up. "Did you tell them anything?"
Ryuya froze beside them. Chi had no clue what she had told them. "Like hell I did..."
"Nice. Same here." Shinji grinned weakly, "Your seals really worked."
Chi licked her lips, "H-how long was I out?"
Shinji shrugged. Ryuya hissed when the rope around her burned flesh moved. Chi swallowed her groan.
"Sorry!" Shinji hurriedly said before hesitating,"A long time. I don't really know. We might have been here for a day, but it could also be a week for all I know."
Chi leaned to Shinji's side, trying to look at her wounds. "Still fresh but blood is dried. No longer than two days since you got them..."
Whether one wanted to reply or not, the words got cut off by a soft buzzing sound. Ryuya cried out just as the lights flicked off.
"They're back again!"
The buzzing grew louder and soon became part of an orchestra of sounds. Buzzing, creaking, fluttering and tiny steps. It invaded the room in a rapid wave. Chi jerked when she felt a large, slimy creature crawl over her leg. Mosquitoes hummed in her ear and she shook her head, only for her headache to return in all its glory. Something walked over her stomach but she didn't want to look at it.
"It's in my ear!" Shinji squirmed and shook her head wildly.
Ryuya was in tears and hyperventilating, a huge wasp was flying around her. She sat as still as she could, trying to ignore the worms sliding over her legs. The bugs crawled over them, poking in their wounds and stinging them.
It went on for what felt like hours. Chi felt her head spin and decided that it was better to remain unconscious for the rest of the time. Her headache had turned into a full-blown migraine. The screams and cries from her teammates faded as blissful oblivion took her mind away.
When she woke up again, it was to silent sobs. Her head was calmer and she took a deep breath. The air was a far cry from Konoha's air but it helped anyway.
"You.. awake again?" Shinji's severely weakened voice sounded gruff but worried all the same.
"Yeah... Feel much better now." Chi straightened up a bit and groaned at her stiff muscles. "How long do you think I was out?"
Her throat was like sandpaper.
Shinji shrugged half-heartedly, "Who knows... A long time though. The bugs came back another time and left before you woke up."
Feeling guilty, Chi decided that it was time for them to put their exhausted minds to work. First she needed energy. She took a sniff, the blood on Shinji had dried completely and from her occasional attempts to scratch, she guessed that the wounds were closing as well. For now at least...
"Shinji..."
"What? No... Nicknames?" Her voice was too weak and with a start Chi realized that Ryuya had yet to say a word.
She swallowed and coughed "Y-you know... My clan uses blood for its jutsu's. It is also some sort of chakra to us. Or to me..." She coughed again and decided to just go for it, "Can I take some of your blood?"
"I guess... If there is still some left..." Shinji sighed.
Chi blinked in surprise, and decided to ask again.
"It is going to drain your energy a bit since the drops have to be enriched with chakra. I need a hundred drops. And then I can create a chance for us to escape... I hope." Chi heaved and waited for a reply.
"... Sure... I am not sure if we can move though... Ryu is out cold."
"I think I can handle it. Our chakra should be partially restored now anyway. I'm just super thirsty."
Shinji paused before perking up, "Hey... That's true... We haven't used it in days... I think."
Chi decided that anymore words were a waste of breath, then worried about the amount of oxygen in this place, and just went to lean against Shinji.
"Here goes..." She muttered and bit.
Her teammate hissed and cursed, Chi had reopened a wound on her shoulder. A strange rush went through her and it felt as if the wound was closing all of a sudden. It was quite awkward, she found. To sit in the dark in nothing but your underwear and having a teammate suck out your blood. Not something to repeat.
The pressure on her shoulder left.
Chi's body was tingling. Her blood was rushing and mixing with the latest addition. Her chakra surged, senses clearing and the fog in her head lifted. She could feel her blood burning in her body and focused. In her mind's eye she saw the woman, sitting only a few meters away. The wound was healed by someone. Chi could almost taste her blood again. She called upon all of the stolen blood and linked herself with the woman. Bracing herself, she gathered her chakra,
"Ketsueki style: Blood Puppeteer!"
Shinji's breathing halted when Chi's body went cold. With her shoulder, she gently nudged Ryuya because whatever was going to happen, they needed to be awake. The small girl stirred in her sleep but her restored chakra reserves helped her wake up.
"Wha-" She started.
"Chi is performing some kind of jutsu that might get us out!" Shinji had to catch her breath after that, and coughed. Her throat hurt like hell and she was sure that moving would break the scabs on her wounds, making them bleed again. Ryuya's gasp was enough for an answer and both girls set on preparing themselves.
I can't wait to see the sunlight again! I am never complaining about anything again, except for sensei. That bastard! Whe-
Shinji's train of thought got cut short when a new presence entered the room along with a sharp beam of light from outside the room. Through tearing eyes, she managed to make out the form of the woman, Minji. The light disappeared again as the door closed and Shinji couldn't help but feel grateful for that.
Next to her, rivers of sweat were streaming down the body of Chi. She was forcing all her chakra and blood in this jutsu. They had to get out of here. The woman was resisting but could not do much when her blood forced her to walk to the girls. Her knife flew in the air and the tight ropes got cut, one by one. Chi bit her lip when the tip of the blade scratched over her arm. The ropes fell down around them.
"Y-you l-little..." Minji growled at the trio.
All three looked worse for wear but it seemed that their chakra was restored. One was staring at her in confusion, the other was close to burning holes in her head with her scarlet eyes. The third one was her victim. And she was looking smug. Minji's only satisfaction was that moving seemed to be extremely painful for them. Her body was burning and she could feel her wound bursting open again.
This time the terrified shorty snapped out of her confusion and quickly went and tied the ropes around her ankles. She could only watch. Damn kid and her jutsu! Damn her all the way to hell!
The burning of her veins had lessened and the girl responsible was shaking. Just a bit longer... Just a b-
The brat she had cut up had pressed her finger in the wound and forced more blood to come out. She caught some of it with on hand and quickly went to her friend. Minji watched in disgust as the brunette let attempted to get as much of her blood as possible in between the lips of the other. Immediately, the burning of her veins returned. The kid herself was impossibly pale and her eyes were glowing again. Then Chi spoke, gritting and hoarse, but with authority.
"Create a way out for us without alarming anyone." She had to pause for a moment, "Or else I'll turn you into a fountain."
Minji could feel her arms cool down and was temped to use them to destroy the girls but she remembered her orders. Besides, who knows how fast that girl could make her blood explode? Instead she formed some seals and hoped that they would get crushed underneath the rubble. Her lips were sealed close so she was unable to smirk at the shocked Genin that rushed to get away from the rocks that fell down.
It was only when a ray of sunlight hit her head, when Minji realized she had used too much chakra. Part of the ceiling was blown away, and layers of rocks and plants tumbled down. The pressure in her veins was gone, but by the time she realized that, a rock fell on her head and she collapsed.
Once the dust was cleared. The three girls scrambled to the source of light and air. Above them was a hole that lead straight into the daylight.
"Let's go." Chi coughed. Ryuya took a breath, inhaling the distant scent of leaves and jumped with as much chakra as she could muster in her legs. She shot up, ignoring the pain in her body and landed on a rough carpet of grass and sticks. She fell to her knees and started crying.
Shinji grinned at Chi who returned it. Then they both jumped out as well. Though they both landed on their feet, Shinji immediately collapsed on the ground. Chi rolled her eyes, despite her trembling legs, "We need to get out before they find out, y'know."
"Carry." Shinji lifted her limp arms. It was a ridiculous sight. Covered in flaking blood and open wounds, in nothing but pink, frilly underwear, sat between twigs and some bushes. Chi memorized the image and snorted,
"Bastard. I went through torture too you know..."
Shinji shrugged "I gave you my blood."
Chi had the feeling that this would become a much used excuse in the future. Because we are going to live!She took a refreshing breath and summoned two clones. Immediately, black spots danced in her vision. Chi blinked them away furiously and let them pick Shinji and Ryuya up. The clones looked as bad as she did. Chi could only hope they wouldn't transfer their exhaustion to her once dispersed.
With a grunt, they took off, running in what felt like the right direction. Chi felt a bit of her blood call out to it's original owner and sped up. Her heart was in her throat and more than once, they had to stop and take a moment to catch their breath.
Ryuya's foggy mind cleared as she felt the air rush against her. She was going to live another day. She was going to make it. She was not dying. Her heart lurched and she laughed. The clone tightened her grip and Ryuya immediately gasped in pain. Her burns were mostly numb, but the blistered skin around it throbbed and stung. Her wrists and ankles were black. It was only chakra that had kept her upright. With a sob, she buried her face in Chi's warm and bruised neck.
Shinji was taking in as much as she could. Be it air, sunlight or the view, it didn't matter to her. She was free now. The forest was fairly light. Sun poured in from between the canopy. It was quiet safe for the birds chirping overhead. They would be home soon. And then I'm going to set fire to Ibiki-sensei's coat.
Chi was glad to be the one to walk, despite the pain each step caused. Her abused muscles were finally moving again. She would have to come up with an explanation to Naruto but that was of later concern. No matter how she twisted it, she couldn't bring herself to tell her oldest friend what had happened. He was still too innocent and brash, despite his own grim childhood.
A fence appeared and Chi squinted her eyes. Where they still in the Forest of Death? It would explain why she could feel Naruto's signature so clearly. She signaled her clones and together they managed to barely jump over the dangerous points. When she landed, her knees buckled and she fell. The clones dispelled and exhaustion took over. Chi gasped and bend over coughing. Her arms trembled under her weight.
Shinji and Ryuya stumbled closer to her and looked around. They were in the same spot they had met Yatsushi for the first time. Ryuya brought her hands together, "Release!"
Nothing changed.
"We... I can't believe we never left Konoha!" Shinji exclaimed and regretted it right away. The wound on her face started dripping again. She was tilting to the side, hand clutching the wound on her shoulder. Ryuya was white as a ghost and plopped to the ground, limps shaking as the pain suddenly set in.
"Come on." Chi panted and tried to get up again. "The Hokage will need to know."
"And he will." A male voice said. All three shot up.
There he was. Their sensei, Ibiki Morino, in all his scarred and leather glory. Surrounding him stood various ANBU members and Chi tensed.
"Sensei?" Ryuya's voice shook with relief. Tears gathered in her eyes. Shinji's eyes were dark. She looked at him intently.
"You knew?"
The silence that followed was heavy with tension. Eventually Ibiki sighed, "I told you that I was the head of the Torture and Interrogation unit, right? I also told you about a test in this forest. It shouldn't be too hard to connect the dots."
Shinji was about to snap when three familiar signatures jumped in. Chi scrambled to her feet and pulled her back. Ryuya gasped and curled in on herself. Chi straightened her back with monumental effort. Shinji looked at them with no emotion. "It's okay, Chi. They are part of the test too."
Yatsushi came forward and even Shinji couldn't help but tense up. The man noticed inclined his head apologetically, "You are right. I am sorry for all the pain we caused but we had to test you."
"How is torture a test?" Chi growled and Minji's face contorted. The blood in her neck was pulsing dangerously. Tooru stepped in front of her protectively.
"Oi stop that!" Yatsushi called out, his hands up in the air. Ibiki looked on curiously. Chi's eyes dimmed again and she fell to one knee. Minji panted and grabbed her shoulder. Ryuya looked at her teacher.
"So? Did we pass?" Her voice was wavering but her blue eyes drilled into Ibiki's.
This time the entire group, minus the girls, fell in to an incredulous silence. Ibiki cleared his throat and walked closer to them. They didn't flinch or moved their gaze. They all simply stared at him with the same question in their eyes, though in various levels of anger.
"You realize that with me as your sensei, you will be exposed to more horrors than most Jonins have ever experienced before?" he started, scanning their expressions carefully, "You will spend your days either in the office sorting through files and secrets that could cost us our village if they get exposed, or you will be out torturing and infiltrating. You three will have the highest kill count of your class."
"Do you want us to fail?" Shinji all but snarled. Chi glared at her teacher.
Ibiki tore his gaze from their injuries. He had been feeling queasy for the past three days and now it was taking a toll.
"I don't. I don't want to talk three kids into joining the underground world of ANBU and S-ranked missions. The fact is, however, that you three passed the test and are my students now. I am just giving you a choice to continue." he took a deep breath.
"As long as I won't become an ANBU myself, I'm in." Chi matched his gaze with her color changing eyes. "It's not like I have much other options."
He had to agree with that. The last heir of the Ketsueki clan couldn't not become a shinobi. Ibiki kept his face blank as he checked her over. Her body looked terrible. Purple lines branched on her skin, her veins protruded and her limps were constantly twitching. Her nails were completely black and split. The flesh around her wrists and ankles had shriveled all around the joints. All around the terrible burns was blistered skin. He found that he had a hard time peeling his eyes of the gaping black tears in her flesh. The skin was like old parchment and he half-expected it to start flaking off. Chi didn't seem too bothered by it but Ibiki suspected that it was the adrenaline and that she was going to fall apart in a hour or so.
He looked at the other girls and barely suppressed a wince. If Chi looked like a very curious case, then those two had to go straight into surgery. Shinji was cut all over. The wounds had either covered themselves in scabs or had started to infect. The wound on her face would definitely leave a scar. Her hair was matted with blood and clung together in a thick red mass. Thick crusts of grime and blood sat on her skin in a way that made Ibiki's skin crawl. She was way too pale and already swaying on her legs. He'd have to carry her.
"I'm in too." Shinji said determined, though her body was tense. Ibiki wondered how much of her determination was her own dream and how much was taught by her parents.
"M-me too." Ryuya followed suit. That was a surprise, but it could also be a spur-of-the-moment thing and she might give up later. She barely had any flesh left on her arms and legs. It was all burned and melted away, though the three undercover-nin had taken care not to burn all the way to the bone. Small victories.
He didn't know how she was standing, but he suspected it was her chakra. It would take one heck of a medic to patch her up again. She was skinny too, he noted. He would have to get her a proper diet and some extra training. Her eyes were the worst. When he first met her, they were warm and filled with rainbows and hearts. Now they were suspicious and fearful.
Ibiki signaled his ANBU and they all left. He signed the trio of tortures and they left too, after a last glance at the girls. He summoned one Shadow Clone and looked at his new team. They all stared back with those worn out faces. He was going so going to get drunk tonight, and with a bit of luck a certain Chuunin wouldn't murder him.
"I'll take you to the hospital. You all passed so you can rest." He assured them and was relieved to see the tension fade. His clone carefully took his coat off and covered Shinji with it before picking her up and speeding away. The girl was out instantly.
The original took his coat as well and choose to wrap it around Chi. He couldn't risk aggravating Ryuya's burns by covering them with a leather coat or a medic-nin would decapitate him with a rusted fork. The two girls fell against his shoulder when he tightened his arms around them and fell in a slumber. The stench of burned flesh hit his nose and it took all his training to keep from gagging. Ibiki pushed chakra into his legs and made his way to the hospital's special wing reserved for ANBU.
He idly wondered what the other Jonin had done and then remembered that they told him that very night after the graduation. Only Kakashi had nothing to say other than that he had his test tomorrow. Then, the next evening at the bar, he showed up with a smug looking eye and declared that his brats had passed the test. If Iruka hadn't entered at that moment, Ibiki was sure Kakashi would have taken him aside for a 'friendly talk'. Cold-blooded Kakashi may have been his nickname, but the man had a weakness for kids.
The sun set over Konoha, reflecting off the windows of the Hokage's office. Ibiki hoped this was worth it. He sped by the tower, briefly flashing his chakra so the Third Hokage would know the girls were still alive.
I should tell Iruka everything. See how Lord Danzo talks his way out of that meeting. He couldn't, because Danzo still held a lot of power in the village with him being one of the Elders and Iruka would probably get slaughtered by his personal ANBU guards before he could even step in a 10 meter radius of the man.
The hospital became visible in the distance. Ibiki ran faster.
Hokage Tower, that moment~
"They passed." Hiruzen barely kept the relief out of his voice as he turned to Danzo.
His old friend sat rigidly in his seat. His one eye was dark and his hand was tightly wrapped around his cane. "I see."
"It's a good thing." Hiruzen continued lightly, "I'm glad."
Abruptly, Danzo stood, "I hope you remember the plan for that girl?"
Hiruzen nodded, smile slowly fading, "I hope we both do, old friend."
Danzo scowled and turned away, "You're making a grave mistake, letting that one roam around in the heart of this village."
Hiruzen's eyes snapped to Danzo's back. "ANBU is not the heart of this village. T&I is not the core of our village, or did you forget sensei's teachings?"
"Sensei would have understood the dangers," Danzo reached the door and turned to glare at Hiruzen, "just like he did with the Uchiha."
Killer Intent flooded the room, startling the ANBU guarding outside. Danzo gritted his teeth as Hiruzen got to his feet. With noticeable effort, the latter reigned his anger back in.
"I will see you soon, Danzo."
Danzo nodded stiffly and left.
Sensei, Hiruzen fell back in his chair, waving dismissively at the concerned ANBU, you would have been ashamed of us.
