Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.
Chapter 44: A Selfish Wish
Kurotsuchi watched as yet another wooden building sprouted from the ground in front of her.
A multitude of Konoha citizens cheered in sensation at the ease in which their previously destroyed compound had been rebuilt in its entirety in the blink of an eye.
Kurotsuchi couldn't blame them. It was an amazing sight. But after having seen the same technique over and over again all day it kind of lost its awe-inducing factor on her.
Yamato cleaned his hands with a huff after performing his Jutsu. However, he didn't even have the time to catch his breath before he got swarmed with grateful civilians.
''You are amazing mister!''
''Shinobi like you sure are a blessing!''
''Please you have to help my brother with his house too!''
''My mother's too!''
''Me first!''
Kurotsuchi held back a snicker at the sight of Yamato trying to appease his newly-found fans. After a couple of minutes of the poor man's pleas for a well-deserved rest being drowned by the multitude, Kurotushi decided to give him a hand.
''Okay people, that's enough!'' Kurotsuchi approached them. ''We have other places we need to go. This isn't the only sector of the village in need of Yamato here.'' she forcefully made her way into the crowd and pulled Yamato out of there despite people's protests and disappointment.
''Don't worry. I'll be back soon so just be patient,'' said Yamato, giving the citizens a shaky thumbs up that he was barely able to keep from exhaustion.
''Just keep walking, don't give them a chance to drag you back!'' Kurotsuchi urged, getting herself and the wood user out of there before the villagers could block their path.
Once they were a dozen blocks away, Yamato took a deep long breath. ''That was close, I thought they would keep me there all day,'' said Yamato. ''Thanks for the help back there.''
''Don't mention it. I was considering leaving you there. I almost didn't have the heart to take their precious instant homemaker from them,'' joked Kurotsuchi.
''How gracious of you,'' Yamato deadpanned, popping a food pill into his mouth.
''And you do know that Naruto said that I don't need to have people keeping an eye on me anymore, right?'' Kurotsuchi said. ''You don't have to follow me around.''
''Yes I know what Naruto said and no I am not 'keeping an eye on you' as you say,'' said Yamato. ''I just like to stay on the side of caution. I feel is irresponsible to leave you all day without anyone watching your back. You are an important political figure after all. Now even more so considering your relation with Naruto.''
''Whatever.'' she blushed at the comment. She was still getting used to people knowing about that, and she was definitely not as familiar with Yamato just yet to feel comfortable talking about her love life with him.
''Besides if you truly wanted me gone you have had plenty of chances to leave me behind,'' Yamato pointed out. People constantly interrupted him throughout the day to have him help them rebuild their homes. Kurotsuchi could have gone on her merry way many times while the general populace kept him busy.
She shrugged. ''I don't have anything to do and seeing the occasional mob of civilians robbing you away is as good as anything to keep me entertained.''
''Oh, I'm honored that my misfortune can keep you from boring to death.''
''Well, it's starting to get old now so next time I might just really leave you to the villagers.''
Yamato grunted. He was not looking forward to that. He wanted to help the village as much as he could but his jutsu consumed so much chakra that at this rate he might end up in the hospital from chakra exhaustion.
''And by the way,'' said Yamato after several minutes of walking aimlessly. ''How is it that you are not with Team Gai?'' she seemed to hang around them most of the time and taking into account that she apparently didn't have anything to do and was bored out of her mind it was curious that she didn't seek them out. Or even the Yamanaka heiress, or Sakura, or anyone really. As far as he knew no one she frequented was out on missions—save for Naruto's party, of course.
''So? Can't I enjoy being by myself?''
Yamato didn't buy that. If she really wanted to be by herself she would have ditched him long ago. And even when he just found her she didn't seem in a particularly good mood either. She looked conflicted more than anything.
''Something happened between you and your friends.'' It was more of a statement than a question.
Kurotsuchi bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at the comment. Ever since her discussion with Neji she had been avoiding hanging out with Team Gai. She didn't want a repeat of that event. And what made it even worse was that Neji was right—as infuriating as it was. She could deny it all she wanted but she knew that she gave Naruto a bad image by association alone. Just because he was Hokage now didn't mean that public opinion on him didn't matter, heck, one could argue that it mattered more now.
And that was just the beginning of her worries. Now with Naruto away on a very important diplomatic mission she couldn't help but dread how he would handle the pressure and the weight of the responsibility. Not to mention that he and gramps were going to be meeting face to face. She wanted to optimistic but she knew a lot of things could go wrong: The other Kages could eat him alive with their superior experience alone, maybe even undermine him; her grandpa could end up getting under Naruto's skin, or even Naruto could be the one riling the old man up; Naruto could slip up and say something about their relationship; he could be ambushed and killed by enemy nations on his travels; or—
Gahhh! She shook her head, trying to rid herself of intrusive thoughts.
''Look, I just have a lot in my mind right now, okay?!'' she snapped.
''Sorry. I'm just trying to help,'' said Yamato.
''Well, you suck at it, so stop it.''
Yamato sighed. Still, he couldn't blame the girl for feeling conflicted. He couldn't imagine how he would fare in her place. Saying her situation was unique was the understatement of the century. Every single angle you looked at her position there were obstacles. Too many to even grasp, he would dare say.
Suddenly, both of them perked up and shot each other a furtive glance. They had a silent understatement. They were being followed.
Pretending they didn't notice, continued and their way until they arrived at the outskirts of the village.
They briefly split up, with Yamato seemingly going on the main road further, while Kurotsuchi entered an abandoned building that had yet to be rebuilt. Her footsteps echoed through the empty, dusty building, anticipating any move she could spot in the dim light.
Kurotsuchi didn't have to wait long for their uninvited companion to make himself known. She jumped to the side to avoid a barrage of shuriken only for a kunai with a paper tag to ebb itself on her path.
She shielded her eyes from the explosion she just narrowly managed to escape but as soon as she regained her balance, she felt the tip of cold metal on her neck. She turned her head to see a white mask staring back at her.
''Target acquired,'' said the ANBU, pressing his blade ever so slightly against the girl's skin. ''You will come with me.''
Then, the ground beneath him cracked. Before he could even react, two pillars of wood emerged and wrapped themselves tightly around him, trapping him in place.
''Wha—'' Was all the ANBU could say as the wood engulfed him further.
''Okay, time to tell us what you want.'' Yamato came out from the shadows with Kurotsuchi in tow.
The ANBU noticed the girl he previously had in his grasp had disintegrated into ash. They had tricked him!
''Yeah, what do you want with us?'' Kurotsuchi unsheathed her sword. ''Either spill the beans or I spill your guts. Your choice.''
''I won't—'' muttered the man, struggling against his restraints.
''Having trouble speaking? Let me help you.'' Kurotsuchi proceeded to punch him in the face, knocking away his mask to get a clear view of the glare from their prisoner. This only served to earn himself another blow to the face. And another. And another.
''I don't get it. Why would a member of ANBU be preying on us?'' pondered Yamato.
''He is after me.'' Kurotsuchi continued to pummel the guy. ''He is probably one of Danzo's goons.''
''Danzo you say?!'' Yamato was perplexed. So this man was a ROOT ninja.
''Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time he tries to get to me. Man, this guy is tough, I'll give him that.'' She shook her aching hand, crimson dripping from her fingers after turning the ROOT agent's face into a bloody pulp.
Yamato had so many questions. Being in ROOT's sights was serious. Just since when were Kurotsuchi and—possibly—her friends involved with Danzo and his organization? And what did Danzo hope to accomplish? But if this man was really a ROOT member this interrogation was a lost cause. ''Forget it, Kurotsuchi. We won't be getting anything out from him.''
''Oh, we shall see about that.'' She pulled out her sword and held it in front of the man's face, hoping that he could still somewhat peer through his swollen eyes. ''You see, I learned a thing or two from perfecting my nature transformation. More specifically my fire nature.''
Kurotsuchi channeled her chakra through her weapon. Her blade starting to glow an almost blinding vivid red. The ROOT member's eyes filled with dread at the implications.
''Neat isn't it?'' said Kurotsuchi menacingly. ''With this little trick, I can cut through steel like butter. I was wondering what it can do to a person. I have yet to try it, I say let's find out.''
''Kurotsuchi, I'm serious this won't—''
The sound of searing flesh and screams of pain interrupted Yamato as Kurotsuchi brought the tip of her blazing weapon upon the man's cheek.
''How's your pain tolerance faring now?!'' Kurotsuchi shouted over the man's yells. ''Well, I hope you are a big boy because this is gonna get a whole lot worse if you don't talk!''
''He literally can't say anything—''
Kurotsuchi ignored Yamato and instead placed the flat of her scalding blade onto the ANBU's neck. The man's previous pain now paled in comparison to the screams of sheer agony he was eliciting. She cared not, however.
''What. Does. Danzo. Want. With. Me?!'' Kurotsuchi demanded. ''Speak! Now!''
The miserable man could only take a few more seconds of this torture until he finally relented. ''D-Danzo-sama is—ahhhgg!''
Kurotsuchi jolted back in surprise when the ROOT agent started convulsing and gargling, with his face frozen in a state of shock. But after a brief moment, the man stopped moving—yet, his face remained frozen in a perpetual silent scream.
''What the hell?!'' exclaimed Kurotsuchi. She didn't do that, did she?
Yamato let out a breath of exasperation. ''This is what I was trying to tell you. Take a closer look at his mouth.''
Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow but followed his instruction nonetheless.
It didn't take long for her to spot something strange on the man's tongue. She could see several dark stripes marking the agent's appendage.
''A seal?'' said the puzzled girl.
Yamato nodded. ''All members of ROOT bear that seal. Danzo brands them with that to prevent them from saying any relevant information about their organization or Danzo himself.''
''And what's wrong with him right now?''
''He is simply paralyzed,'' Yamato explained. ''Even though he can still see, hear, feel, smell, he won't be able to talk—or move for that matter—for at least a few hours.''
Kurotsuchi looked at the seal in disgust. She could see the logic behind it. It was coldly effective. But Danzo was not the sort of person she felt comfortable having that kind of control over people so it made her sick. She almost felt bad for torturing the guy like that...well no, not really. He had just assaulted her a few minutes ago to do god-knows-what with her, so fuck him.
''Soooo,'' she finally spoke. ''He can still feel sensation?''
''Correct. Only his motor functions are inhibited.''
''Good to know.'' she proceeded to kick the ROOT member in the groin, eliciting a small wheeze of pain from him despite his paralysis.
''But it's still perplexing. Why would they attack you now of all times?'' Yamato pondered out loud.
Kurotsuchi shrugged. ''Danzo always had it out for me ever since I got here. Always keeping tabs on me or harassing me if given the chance. All just because I was a prisoner and couldn't do a thing about it. Well, now thanks to Naruto I'm not anymore. So who is the bitch now?!'' she kicked the man's genitals again.
''Precisely. Now is probably the worst time there is to make an attempt on your life and yet he went ahead and did it anyway,'' Yamato mused. Something didn't add up. Naruto was Hokage now. Danzo couldn't just attack the Hokage's girlfriend and expect to get away with it. If he laid a hand on Kurotsuchi he would certainly face severe repercussions and Danzo had to know it. The man was plotting something, something big for him to be this bold and feel safe doing so. Yamato had a bad feeling about this.
''The guy is clearly mad. He is an old coot and probably senile on top of that. He simply had a lapse in judgment,'' concluded the girl. ''He must be throwing a fit of anger because we crashed his party with the daimyo. Good thing that Sai warned us to be wary of him or he might have gotten away with the Hokage title.''
''Wait, what did you say?!''
''What?''
''You mean that Sai told on Danzo?!'' exclaimed Yamato. Uncharacteristically alarmed.
''Y-yeah,'' Kurotsuchi stammered. Taken aback by Yamato's sudden shift in demeanor.
''And where is Sai now?!'' As a former ROOT member, he knew how dire this situation was. As a ROOT ANBU, you did not do anything that could compromise Danzo. Ever. If you did, slitting your own throat was a preferable fate to having Danzo get his hands on you after you betrayed him. That cursed seal on the man's tongue proved how far Danzo went to silence even his own agents.
''I don't know. With Ino probably.'' It was her most likely guess. Those two seemed to always be together.
''Then we must hurry!'' Yamato rushed to the village.
''And what about this guy?!'' Kurotsuchi yelled after him.
''Leave him! Your friends are in danger!''
Kurotsuchi turned to their captive. ''If something happens to my comrades I'll be coming back for you. Look forward to it.'' she swiftly gave him yet another kick to his privates for good measure before following after Yamato.
''Aaaand it's good to go!'' declared Ino as she hammered the last nail into place.
''Oh! Splendid work, missy!'' said an old woman. She passed a boney hand over the wooden wall that the young Yamanaka had helped her to erect. her wrinkled lips curled into a satisfied smile after inspecting the quality of the craftsmanship. ''Very fine indeed, deary.''
''How are things on your end, Sai-kun?!'' Ino yelled into the building, wiping the sweat from her brow.
The pale boy emerged from the back of the wooden establishment with a hammer still in hand. ''I just finished.'' he then rejoined Ino and the expectant woman.
Ino took a step outside and turned around to face their progress, beaming proudly at their work. ''So this is it. All done!''
''Thank you for helping these old bones of mine to have a roof under which to rest once again.'' the old lady eyed the house up and down, appraising her newly rebuilt home. ''It's nice to see the new generation be so dependable.''
''It was nothing. We are shinobi, our job is to be dependable,'' Ino gloated while Sai simply nodded.
''But are you sure you don't want compensation?'' the woman replied. ''You have done so much, I am indebted. The least I could do is give you something for your troubles.''
''It was no trouble at all. We are all Kohona citizens, right. We all have to do our part to help,'' said Ino. ''With that said, we have to get going. Ninja life and all that. Busy-busy.''
''I see, I see. I won't take more of your time then. Please have a nice day and take care to not overwork yourselves.'' the old woman shot them one last gentle smile.
''Will do, thank you!'' Ino waved back, leaving with Sai.
Ino let out a heavy sigh, glad to finally have a chance to stretch her legs with a walk. It was just noon and she felt like she had been working for much longer. Ever since the aftermath of Pain's attack every day she would be up before sunrise helping around the village with the rebuilding effort. Progress was slow but at least it was steady, and the effects could be felt already: vendors were starting to come back in droves, selling their merch at every corner; more builders could be seen abound, no doubt because of the aid of allied villages; and more importantly, the civilians were returning to their daily routines.
While it was still depressing to see that they had a long way to go still, the palpable improvements still kept their spirits up and more optimistic by the day.
''I think we have earned ourselves a little break, yeah?'' Ino suggested. ''We have worked hard all day. Just a couple of hours to relax won't hurt anyone, right?''
''I suppose,'' said Sai.
Ino did a victory fist pump. ''Yes we do! We deserve a treat. I wonder if that pudding parlor is open—or if has been rebuilt already—and nothing makes a good pudding better than enjoying it in good company.'' she gave him a sultry wink.
''Is someone else joining us?'' Sai stared blankly at her, slightly puzzled.
Ino's flirty smile dropped and held back the urge to face-slap herself. ''I was talking about you, dummy.''
''Ohh...'' said Sai in understanding. ''It's one of those friendly compliments meant to strengthen friendships by showing appreciation and/or closeness. I get it now. Sorry.'' it was just like the books had said! He was learning. ''Thank you, Ino-san. I also think you are good company and a close friend.'' He had almost forgotten to return the pleasantries. Progress!
''Right...friend. Sure,'' Ino deadpanned.
Sai—as oblivious to social cues as always—didn't notice his partner sulking in disappointment.
Then, the air shifted. Suddenly now both realizing that the street they were in was strangely devoid of traffic.
''Sai-kun.''
''I know.''
Both teenagers stopped, now on guard.
''We know you are there, what do you want?!'' Ino yelled, sensing two other chakra signatures nearby.
One man came from around the corner of the building in front of them, blocking their pass; while another jumped down from the roof and landed behind them, cutting off their path of retreat.
Ino took notice of the white masks they were wearing. ANBU? What did ANBU want with them? Something was off. They had done nothing wrong and ANBU usually didn't act unless specifically ordered by the Hokage and Naruto wasn't in the village at the moment. She apprehensively inched closer to Sai, feeling like a cornered animal.
''Sai, come with us,'' said the one on the front.
Sai kept his composure. Even with their masks on he could identify the ROOT members. Fu and Torune, two of their most skilled and dangerous agents. Danzo wouldn't have sent these two if this wasn't serious. He could already guess why he was being summoned. But against these two he had to tread with caution.
''Not until we know what you want with him!'' Ino barked.
''This doesn't concern you,'' warned the ANBU.
''I don't...'' Realization dawned on Ino. These had to be Danzo's men. They had to be. That was the only logical conclusion on why ANBU members were being this shady. ''He isn't going with you! If you want to fight—'' In the blink of an eye, her face went blank and she lost her balance.
''Ino-san!'' Sai barely caught the limp body of the girl before she hit the ground and turned back to his fellow ROOT member with a heated glare.
''She was in the way,'' said Fu, still holding the hand seal responsible for taking out Ino. ''She is just incapacitated. Come with us peacefully and this shall be the end of it. Do not and, well...''
Sai glanced at the unconscious girl in his arms. It wasn't until he put a finger to her neck and confirmed that she still had a pulse that he let out a sigh he didn't even know he had been holding. He gritted his teeth, angry at himself. He had known it was just a matter of time before Danzo decided to get rid of him. He just didn't think he would do it with Ino present. I'm sorry, Ino-san. I didn't mean to put you in danger. Still, it mattered not that he hadn't intended for her to get involved. He was still responsible for putting her at risk.
''We won't repeat ourselves again. Danzo-sama has little patience for broken tools,'' said Torune.
Sai gently brushed aside the golden locks covering Ino's face, revealing her to be in a deep slumber. He tightened his embrace on her, almost afraid to let go, knowing that it was unlikely he would ever get to hold her again. He paid no mind to the flood of alien emotions swirling inside of him for he didn't have the luxury to delve into them. He simply prayed silently that she would be able to forgive him for involving her in his affairs.
''I'll go, just...leave Ino-san out of this. She has nothing to do with us,'' said the guilt-ridden Sai.
''Hurry up, then. Danzo-sama awaits us,'' said Fu.
Sai nodded obediently. He carefully laid Ino on the floor as gently as he could muster before standing up and making his way to Torune, with Fu soon joining the flank.
''And don't try anything. If by some chance you do manage to get away the organization will come not just for you, but also your little friend there,'' warned Torune.
Sai nodded. He was aware of that. He hated to simply vanish without a trace, but he was certain that Ino and the rest of his friends would understand. After all, he was no one. He had been nobody from the moment he had been born. He was whatever his master required him to be. A tool—an useful, flexible tool—but a tool all the same. And as with all tools, they were meant to be discarded once they were no longer useful. He had made peace with what he truly was a long time ago and his newfound comrades would understand too, in time. He was certain that they would soon forget about him like the passing shadow he was.
Sai turned to look at Ino's sleeping form. Despite everything, he still managed to give a genuine smile. All things considered, he counted himself fortunate. People like him never got to experience life the way others could: He got to know what it was to have friends, people that actually cared for you; he had comrades that were not just someone you uncaringly worked with, but an actual team that worried for your wellbeing; he managed to feel what it was like to hang out with people, simply fooling around, sharing laughs and tears, accomplishments and failures, happiness and sorrow. He actually got to know what it was to be...human. That was something very few ROOT members—before or after—would ever get to experience. If he was to die because of that, so be it. His time as Sai had been short, it was but a borrowed name, temporary, just like him. But the memories he created would forever be with him, and that, he would always cherish, be it in this life or the next. He was satisfied.
But more importantly, he took comfort in the knowledge that Ino was going to be alright. Despite her delicate frame and prissy attitude, she was stronger than she let on. But knowing that this was the last time he would lay eyes on her, he felt a powerful feeling emerging deep within. A desire that he didn't know where it was coming from—not that it mattered now—and considering that he had been lucky for even being allowed to have a life, he felt greedy and selfish for having one last wish. But just this once he allowed himself to feel selfish. For one last time, he wished he could see her bright cerulean eyes that seemed to gleam every time she looked at him, he wanted to see the silly smile she always sported whenever she teased him, and he yearned to have her call his name with her ever-so-cheerful voice that enticed him to get into all sorts of mischief together. Just one last time. But alas, that would remain just that—a selfish wish.
Fu and Torune stared in confusion at Sai's content smile. Didn't he realize he was going to die?
''What's with that face?'' one of them finally asked.
''You wouldn't understand.''
The ROOT veterans shared a puzzled look. It was weird, but it almost felt as if their renegade member pitied them. They shrugged it off. It was of no concern to them.
''Whatever, time's up. We're going now.'' Fu grabbed Sai's shoulder and used his free hand to make a hand seal for a Shunshin.
''Right,'' Sai responded.
He shot Ino one last, longing look.
Thank you, Ino-san. For everything.
And just like that, the three ROOT members vanished.
Author's note:
hey all! How're things...
please don't murder me. I'm aware of how long I've been absent and I'm deeply sorry for that.
Life has been hard recently—or for everyone really considering this fucking virus running rampant—but I'm serious. I have gone through some things these past months that have changed me forever. I don't want to go into detail but if it sounds overly dramatic I promise you I'm not saying it lightly. I feared for my well-being in more than a few instances the past year.
To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for a very kind soul and passionate fan that I feel lucky to have, I wouldn't be back just yet.
So I want to give a big and deserved shoutout to zorwreckz. If it wasn't for his kindness and help this chapter wouldn't be here until much later. -so if he is reading this I want you to know man that you are simply the best. Thanks for giving me a helping hand when I needed it the most.
And with all that said, I have another announcement to make. I finally decided to bite the bullet and made a (P)(A)(T)(R)(E)(O)(N). I want to give my fans the chance to give me the time and motivation to keep doing this. I won't stop making these stories for everyone. Not this time. I'm going hard at it now. But with your help I can keep doing this more often. And I'm not going to just be complacent, now that I want to commit to this I will be going back and fix all previous chapters which are in dire need of quality checks. Even though I haven't been writing, I DO have been studying better writing techniques: story structure, proper grammar, all that good stuff. So I will update very regularly my older chapters in ALL my stories while at the same time writing new ones.
You are free to voice your opinions—be it negative or positive—you are in your right. But I invite you kindly to at least check my (P)(A)(T)(R)(E)(O)(N) out and see what I'm offering. Rest assured that my stories will always end up here regardless of what you choose.
I'll be seeing you guys very shortly and if you are interested my (P)(A)(T)(R)(E)(O)(N) link will be in my profile.
