Naruto gritted his teeth once again, feeling the side of his head throb with pain. He was hit by a strong blow with a sword hilt or something, although it wasn't enough to knock him out.
That shit was getting old.
He takes a deep breath and lets the air out slowly, looking around him. He was in a village... no, a town, quite a large one at that. The people around stopped their things to watch them go by. Naruto was bound again by thick handcuffs of a metal he had never seen before, with his neck tied by chains on the floor of the bare wagon, leaving the only two prisoners on full display to the people.
Of course he would attract attention, not just because he was a prisoner, but because of his hair. It seemed that people had simply forgotten that he was an enemy of the kingdom and only pointed to his blond strands. He didn't know whether he was happy or angry about it.
Sasuke, beside him, kept a neutral expression, almost as if he didn't mind being in that situation.
-... What the hell, I can't break these handcuffs.
The blond grumbled for the first time since his imprisonment, drawing the attention of Sasuke, who turned his head as far as he could toward Naruto, staring at him with an arched eyebrow.
- You say that like you can pop a handcuff.
Naruto sighed.
- I can pop a handcuff. What the hell kind of metal is this?
- You only realized that this metal is different now? Hah, I don't know whether to feel incredulous or impressed.
- What did you mean by that?
Sasuke sighed.
- The metal is different, as I said. A stronger metal, tougher than the metal from the Land of Fire, that's why it's darker in color. One of the reasons I was so surprised that you could cut whole men in half. - He was stunned for a while. - Holy shit, saying that out loud just makes it all the more surprising and frightening.
Naruto rolled his eyes, shaking his head and arms again, pushing to get out of it. But to no avail, futile attempts, the thing wouldn't move.
- What's the plan? You don't plan to just be thrown into a cell and accept being a slave, do you?
Naruto asked, but Sasuke remained silent. The blond man stared at him out of the corner of his eye for a while, only to click his tongue after some time had passed without a answer. Mumbling softly how much of an asshole Sasuke was.
However, he noticed a change around his fellow prisoner. The air around him seemed to grow heavier, even colder, and he seemed to grow more serious. His body tensed up and a strange feeling ran through Naruto's body.
-... Do you believe in the supernatural?
Sasuke asked, taking Naruto by surprise, who made an incredulous face. He stared at the man next to him for some time, trying to decipher him, but the more he tried, the less he seemed to understand him.
- What the fuck kind of question is that?
Sasuke turned his head in his direction, his dark eyes staring deep into Naruto's blue ones. A seriousness the blond had not seen before, even his most delicate expressions seemed to become more... robust for a few moments.
- Just answer the question.
His voice was calm, despite the clear coldness in his tone. Naruto stared at him for a while longer, his irritation at the way Sasuke had spoken was clear.
- Like, believe in dragons, trolls, or an energy that enables a human being to spit a fireball out of his mouth or make clones of himself? Pff, no, that's bullshit, a child's tale.
Sasuke smiled almost immediately at the answer, and all that strange aura around him disappeared, the cold air returned to normal and the strange sensation in Naruto's body dissipated, making the boy blink a few times.
- Don't tell me you believe this nonsense...
-... The supernatural is more real than you think.
Naruto stared at him for a while longer. For a few moments, a fraction of a second, the image of that huge being made of blood in his dream appeared in his mind, as well as that distant voice that occasionally appeared in the back of his mind, and the image of himself with black eyes and red irises... Naruto laughed in derision, looking away.
- Oh, please, give me a break.
-... Just know that if things seem too strange, remember one name, "Sharingan".
Naruto shook his head, grimacing.
- What the fuck kind of name is that? Does it have something to do with the fucking supernatural? I'll tell you, you look like one of those fucking ladies with those stories out of a book. Fucking hell, all I needed.
Naruto almost growled, annoyed that they were being taken prisoner and Sasuke was talking such bullshit out of some book he had read at some point in his life. As if that situation was just a joke.
- Saimingan... eye of hypnotism.
Sasuke said in a whisper, and Naruto felt an overwhelming urge to punch his porcelain face. Now was not the time for jokes.
After some time of being led through the streets as if they were objects to be cherished, they finally arrived at the prison.
The guards surrounded the two men and pulled them both by chains, both from the handcuffs on their hands and the collars around their necks.
There were a considerable number of guards around Naruto, since his physical strength was far superior to Sasuke's.
There were still a few civilians along the way, all staring at them with steady, intense eyes. Men and women accompanying them. Naruto had always been very perceptive, and it was obvious that something was wrong.
They looked like normal, ordinary people, but most of them were civilians from the Land of Fire, now under the orders of the Land of Sound, but none of them looked unhappy, or frustrated, or with any sense of disgust or resistance. All of them, in fact, even seemed happy.
From the moment he entered that city, Naruto saw no homeless people, no one in misery, no riots... the city was in perfect peace. Not to mention, the looks cast in his direction, despite the clear surprise and admiration for his hair, were not looks of pity, or disgust, or typical looks one would send to a prisoner.
No.
They were almost looks of excitement, relief... as if they were sick and were just a few steps away from being cured.
There was something wrong in their eyes, he realized.
Naruto groaned slightly as he was violently kicked into the cell, as was Sasuke. The black metal door was closed, and they heard the sound of keys moving away, just as they saw through the small opening in the door, the guards walking away.
Naruto immediately ran his eyes around. The only window in the place was very high up, and it was too small for either of them to get through.
As soon as the guards moved away, Naruto started kicking and throwing himself against the metal door with all his might. His muscles tensed and his veins bulged, his body pulsing in rhythm with his heart. Hits and impacts so strong that they made the wall and the floor tremble, but the door didn't even move.
- You know, you're pretty strong. - Sasuke began. - One of the strongest men I've ever met in my life, I admit. But I doubt you can break down this door.
Naruto stared at him, breathing hard and eyes glowing blue flame.
- Don't get me wrong, like I said, one of the strongest men I've ever met. But not even with Choji by your side could you break down this door. Just give up, save your strength.
Sasuke walked over and sat down in the corner of the cell, causing Naruto to arch an eyebrow.
- What the fuck are you doing?
he asked, and Sasuke just shrugged.
- Waiting.
- Waiting? You're just going to sit around doing nothing when-
- What's there to do? I told you, we can't break down the door. And our trial will probably take place tomorrow. As much as I hate to admit it, we are in the hands of the enemy.
- And you're just going to accept it? - Naruto asked in sheer disbelief, rolling his eyes soon after. - Holy shit, how can the others respect you as a leader?
Naruto grumbled, but apparently, Sasuke heard. His dark eyes widened slightly and his muscles tensed. His calm expression became rigid, and that same bad feeling from before spread through Naruto's body.
- What did you say?
Sasuke's cold voice, as well as his equally cold eyes, seemed to cool the whole cell, a threatening tone in his voice. Naruto was shocked at the sudden change at first, but soon, anger flooded his chest. His muscles tensed, showing every fiber in his bare torso, his eyes burned into blue flames, and a battle between fire and ice formed between the two of them.
- I said, how can they respect you as a leader? Konohamaru told me that occasionally, Sakura would look at you as if you were a god, but you are pathetic!
He spat out those words, and Sasuke stood up, walking towards him in stride, even more annoyed than before.
- You have no idea what you are saying. - His tone was dangerously low. - You have no idea of the situation we are in.
- No, I do have a good idea. We are trapped, as you said, in the hands of the enemy and you, O great leader, want to just sit back and wait for a fucking trial.
- And what do you want to do, huh? Do you see any way out of here?! Do you happen to have a cannon up your ass to be able to destroy this door?! Can you get through that opening in the wall?! Fuck, we don't have anything to do here!
- But we can discuss a fucking plan! Prepare us for when the guards come again! Fuck, I'll bite off one of my fingers and use my bone as a weapon if I have to, but I'm not going to stand around and do nothing!
Sasuke gritted his teeth hard and put both hands behind his head as he paced away from Naruto. He wasn't afraid of the blond fellow, there were several of ways he could immobilize him, kill him if need be, but he didn't want to risk having his skull broken by one of Naruto's punches, his brute strength was not something to be taken lightly.
-... Remember what I said about the supernatural?
Sasuke asked, anger still in his voice, but gradually calming down.
- What? Does this Orochimaru guy or whatever have a pact with the devil or something? Does he have a pair of wings and spit fire out of his mouth? Is he a giant fucking snake disguised as a human? Fuck, I don't care! If I see him, I'll kill him, end of story!
Sasuke rolled his eyes. One of the strongest men, certainly. But one of the most stubborn too, no doubt.
- These people are different. Just think, the country of fire was undefeated in wars for centuries, and out of nowhere, a small country threatens to take away the undefeated title, and those captured are turned into allies. Don't you think there's something strange in all this?
Sasuke asked, turning to him.
- I don't care! - Sasuke grumbled loudly. - Land of fire, land of sound, fuck it! I don't care who wins this war, or who I work for! The kingdom, the soldiers, the civilians, the prisoners, I don't give a fuck about them! Right now, what I care about is getting out of here and finding the person I'm looking for, nothing else!
- No, of course not. But you don't understand what I mean. - he sighed. - Forget it, sooner or later you will understand. You may not care who wins this war, but I guarantee that if the country of sound wins, you will regret not helping.
Naruto rolled his eyes, going back to attacking that damn door while Sasuke just sat on the ground and watched his companion for some time.
Some time that lasted longer than he imagined and that made Sasuke genuinely intrigued to know if Naruto really was human.
His arm was red, his foot was bleeding from kicking the metal door so many times, and his breathing was short. But he kept attacking the door with as much intensity as his first blow. Until a few more hours later, he finally gave up and sat down, sighing in frustration soon after and Sasuke could breathe in relief over his ears.
- Fucking finally.
He grumbled.
- 'Fuck you.
Naruto grumbled, Sasuke laughed lightly.
- I give you kudos for your perseverance, I tell you.
They were silent for a while, occasionally hearing voices, dog barking, general muffled noises that neither of them could really identify what they were.
- You look pretty young to be a leader.
Surprisingly, it was Naruto who struck up a conversation, and Sasuke stared at him for some time.
- Age doesn't matter.
- I know.
- And yet you think I'm too young?
- More or less. In certain things, age does matter. For example, a good leader would be someone who wasn't just smart or clever or strong, but who had experience, events throughout his life that prepared him to lead.
Sasuke smiled.
- That too... but some people are simply born with that talent.
Naruto snorted a mocking laugh, resting his arm on his leg.
- Talent, what nonsense.
- Haha, I don't know, to you, everything seems like bullshit.
- Because it is. Talent helps, but nothing compares to training, perseverance, experience.
Sasuke crossed his arms, getting into an impractical but momentarily comfortable lying position, even though he was leaning on the hard wall.
- So you admit you have fighting talent?
Naruto stared at him.
- I admit that I have trained hard
- But it is undeniable that you have talent for this, fighting, warfare... I can see it. Talent is not a bad thing, everybody has talent in something.
Naruto stared at him with a strange glint in his eyes, before sighing in defeat.
- What was that you wanted to say? About the... what was it again, Sharingan?
Sasuke's expression darkened, and he bowed his head slightly, staring at the ground.
-... You said you don't believe in the supernatural.
- I don't. But I don't have anything better to do in this fucking cell. And I thought it would be at least of interest to hear this story that you probably read in some torn book somewhere.
Sasuke smiled at the tone he used, finding the innocence of someone so dangerous amusing.
- Let's say there are two worlds. The world of humans, and the world of supernatural beings, like dragons, demons.
- Like hell?
-... Sort of.
- Okay, don't tell me you're one of those religious people.
Sasuke arched an eyebrow, but then smiled.
- I'm not really religious, but I believe there are gods.
- Oh, fuck.
- What? We wouldn't be here if there wasn't a higher being, a divine force behind our lives that shows us the way, guides us... protects us, even if we don't believe in them.
- Holy shit, you really look like one of those priests.
- Don't you believe in the gods? Or in any god?
- No. I never needed one.
Naruto crossed his arms, lowering his head and closing his eyes for a moment. Truth be told, he never really thought about that subject, about a god, or some divine being. He never needed them, it was never something important in his life. It never made any impact on his survival.
- Anyway. The world of humans and the world of demons, shall we say, do not coexist. Although close, one does not interfere with the other. But, there are ways to create bridges between the two worlds, portals. And in these portals, creatures like dragons as well as never-before-seen energies can invade the world of humans.
Naruto just arched an eyebrow, not looking very convinced by what he was saying, but clearly paying attention.
- On one of the opening of these portals, a long time ago, humanity was affected by a plague. There were many deaths, but what almost nobody knows is that this plague was not a disease made by rats, insects, or anything of that kind. In fact, it was no disease at all. The plague was due to an energy that came from the demon world and settled in every human being, an energy called chakra.
Sasuke straightened his posture, regretting having stood like that for so long after feeling his back hurt.
- The effects of chakra suddenly inhabiting human bodies resulted in the plague. The people who did not contract either had a strong enough body to bear the weight of this energy, or were simply not compatible with the chakra, and therefore, this energy did not invade their bodies.
Naruto resisted the urge to yawn. To him, everything Sasuke said was bullshit, and honestly, it would be a good story if the situation were different.
- But a few people, one in a million, realized this energy and began to study it, and with these studies, abilities beyond human comprehension were discovered.
Again, Naruto arched an eyebrow.
- So this Sharingan is one of those abilities?
Naruto asked, and Sasuke nodded with a smile.
- In a way. Orochimaru is one of those people who managed to study chakra, and with some test subjects, he discovered this eye in a few people from the same family. The abilities of this eye vary from person to person. Some can predict someone's movements, almost as if they could see into the future, others could cast illusions that would make the person do something at their complete will.
Naruto whistled.
- Such unique abilities, so rare, and many not yet discovered or studied enough. But with these abilities, Orochimaru has earned his place in the small country of sound, and now we are here.
Naruto grimaced.
- Wait a minute, let me get this straight. The eye of hypnotism, that shit you whispered, is what Orochimaru used to get here?
Sasuke nodded.
- And what does this shit do? I mean, the name says it, hypnosis, but how exactly does it work?
Naruto asked with a hint of curiosity, and Sasuke took a deep, thoughtful breath.
- You have noticed, haven't you? The strange behavior of people, something strange in their bodies. The eye of hypnotism allows the user to make his victims act according to his will. Imposing his wishes on his victims, changing their wills, their concepts, their standards. This is how he is getting allies and recruiting more soldiers. This is how a small country with less than half the population of the country of fire is achieving such great things.
Naruto put a hand on his chin. He had an enormous urge to laugh, but for some reason, the serious manner in which Sasuke spoke prevented him from doing so.
Maybe he was just as crazy as he was.
"What a load of crap... it's a good story, though."
- Okay, fine, let's say I believe it. How do you know all this?
Sasuke stared at him for a while, doubt in his eyes, hesitation. Naruto found it odd, but it wasn't hard to put two and two together.
Especially not after their encounter with that orange-haired man. What was his name again? Yakiho? Yahiko...
- You worked for him... - Naruto said, and Sasuke just continued to stare at him. - No... you were one of his test subjects.
A pained smile broke out on Sasuke's lips, and he chuckled lightly as he lay on the hard floor.
- You're smarter than I thought, I will give you that.
Naruto stood up, ignoring what he had said. For a few moments, he remembered the moment when Sasuke's eyes had turned red with black tomes around them, the day they had first seen each other after the battle.
- Sharingan... a red eye with black tomes?
Sasuke suddenly stared at him, his eyes wide in surprise and doubt, and Naruto knew he was right.
- How-
- I saw it, in the tent where you were. It was only for a few moments, but I saw it.
Sasuke stood up, walking toward him with cautious steps.
- You... you saw it?
he asked, almost in disbelief.
Before Naruto could answer, a knock on the door was heard, and both men looked through the small opening in the metal structure.
Naruto's eyes widened, while Sasuke's showed clear confusion at seeing the woman standing in front of them. She had a tan skin tone and silver colored hair... unique, in a way.
- Ryuzetsu!
Naruto exclaimed, throwing himself against the door, barely able to control his own impulses to hug the woman.
Sasuke stared at him in silence, arching an eyebrow... was she the person he was looking for? Tayuya had mentioned a woman.
- Naruto... it's so good to see you again.
She said genuinely happy and with a gentle tone of voice, placing her hand around one of the bars present in the door opening.
- I... what... what are you doing here?
he asked, the excitement quickly turning to concern.
- I was sent to a village after the army arrived in Suna, trying to find you. You don't know how bad it made me feel to hear that our people were defeated. I thought everyone was dead.
She sighed with some spite, squeezing the metal bar.
- But after that, strange people appeared in the place where we were imprisoned, and I thought I would be sold into slavery, but they made me see things I hadn't seen before, we hadn't seen before. It was so beautiful.
Naruto closed his expression, noticing the difference in the woman.
- The army has taken us in, the sound village has promised us a decent life once the war is over, no more hunger, no more hardship under the flag of the sound country.
Naruto bit his lower lip, also clutching one of the metal bars, his wide eyes staring deep into the woman's almost hypnotized eyes.
She... she didn't...
- A nobleman asked my hand in marriage a week later, saying that I was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. At first, I thought I could get some money out of him since he was an important man in the kingdom. But he has been proving to be a decent man... and I accepted.
Naruto arched his eyes, feeling his anger growing along with his confusion.
- What? Wait... what?
His voice was shaky, and he gripped the metal bar tighter, ignoring Sasuke's gaze on him.
- He took me to one of his quarters in the city. I was buying some things when I heard that a golden-haired prisoner had just arrived in town.
She looked back.
- Naruto, I will help you get out. As I said, the man who asked for my hand is a very influential man, maybe I can convince him to cancel your undecided death sentence in a public square. You can work with us.
Naruto took a few steps away from the door, digesting Ryuzetsu's words while clenching his fists.
- Look at her eyes, Naruto.
Sasuke said, his arms crossed in front of his chest. And as he focused his gaze deeper into Ryuzetsu's eyes, Naruto noticed three, almost imperceptible, tomes circling his gaze.
- I told you the supernatural was more real than it seemed... all the civilians and a large number of soldiers are being controlled by the Sharingan.
Naruto staggered back a few steps, clenching his fists tightly and gritting his teeth. She was being manipulated.
If she was there of her own free will he would even consider understanding. As he said himself, he didn't care about that war, only about the job. And while he was irritated by Temari's apparent death, he knew that was one of the risks of being a mercenary... there wasn't much point in hating the enemy for doing their job. Especially in a war.
She wasn't made a sex slave or humiliated in any way, just killed in combat.
Although not in the most honorable way, she died doing what she wanted, proving herself capable of going to the battlefields. Anything, he liked to imagine that she died happy.
But something entirely different was manipulating civilians and soldiers for their own benefit, taking advantage of their malleability and forcing them to do something other than willingly.
Especially Ryuzetsu.
- The land of sound is not all bad. There are no more homeless people in the city, no people in poverty, no discrimination, nothing... all we have to do is what they tell us to do, pay what we have to pay, act the way they want us to act. It's not so bad.
Ryuzetsu continued, and Naruto felt his chest tighten even more as he heard those words in the woman's sweet voice. He closed his eyes for a few moments, just before turning to her.
- No.
That was the only thing he said, but his imposing tone mixed with his deep voice made the woman get the message, understand that he was serious. She lowered her head and remained silent for some time before throwing a pair of keys into the cell.
-... I thought you would say that.
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, staring at the woman with surprise on his face.
- I said I would help you out. I only mentioned that the man who asked for my hand in marriage could release you from your punishments if you joined us.
She said, before turning and walking away at a quick pace. Naruto wanted to call out to her, but didn't, he just crouched down and picked up his keys from the floor.
- Heh, interesting woman... Well, we'll have to fight our way out then.
Sasuke said, watching Naruto open the cell door in complete silence.