Chapter Nine: Secrets.
In the village of Konoha, the council chambers the Civilian council could be heard clamoring and calling for an explanation behind recent events, meanwhile the Shinobi council remained calm and quiet awaiting word from the Sandaime himself before saying anything. The Elder Council sat on the sidelines, observing the behavior of everyone in the room while also waiting for Hiruzen to give the news.
At long last, the Sandaime cleared his throat and banged a gavel, signaling for everyone… and by 'everyone' that meant the Civilian Council to quiet down. After a few more moments, the council chambers finally became silent allowing the Hokage to speak "Ladies and Gentlemen of the councils, I shall not mince words with you… I shall tell you now, and confirm for you, that what happened at the Academy was not an accident, it was sabotage. Someone deliberately planted a bomb and olbiterated our Academy.
I do not know the exact reason as to why, but it is my personal and professional belief that this was some type of a message or perhaps a warning shot. Regardless, it is, quite plain, that we are under attack. That much is a simple fact." The Sandaime then stopped speaking and observed the reactions across the room, the Civilians were visibly shocked and were muttering amongst themselves who would be so brazen as to attack the greatest of the Shinobi Nations, meanwhile the Shinobi Clan Heads seemed to be quietly musing to themselves and were waiting for the Hokage to continue.
"Sadly, Chunin Iruka Umino is confirmed to be dead, he died during the explosion. We are counting this as an accidental death for the time being until evidence proves otherwise. After all, if body count was the goal, the bomber would have had the explosion go off during… Kami forbid it, school hours when a large number of Chunin and students would be present. We have located no traces of the actual bomb, suggesting that it, likely by design, completely disintegrated upon its explosion to prevent evidence from being left behind and to prevent us from studying and perhaps reverse engineering it through any remaining pieces.
We have no clues as to who was behind the bombing, our top suspects are Iwa due to their affinity for explosives and hostile relations with us, or more likely my ex-student Orochimaru who has long desired to destroy Konoha. We may even be dealing with an entirely unrelated and unknown faction with equally unknown goals or motivations. What we do know, beyond all doubt… is that the bombers had help to smuggle their weapon into Konoha, from someone inside the village." The Hokage spoke and gauged the reactions of the councils.
Everyone was hanging on to his every word, waiting for him to continue speaking as the atmosphere became more and more tense. "Thanks to an anonymous tip and the efforts of my Anbu and the T&I division, we have found evidence of the traitors and then, it was confirmed, and authenticated. There can be no room for doubt that these two individuals knowingly and with ill intent, allowed this tragedy to happen. I hereby name the traitors to be… Homura and Koharu, my old teammates." The Sandaime finally finished as he pointed towards his teammates with everyone in the chambers staring at the two Elders in shock with the Civilian council immediately calling for their execution.
"Wha..? Wha..? Us? Traitors?! Hiruzen! You can't be serious! We had nothing to do with the bombing!" Koharu outright denied, earning a shake of the head from the Sandaime.
"You can save your sorry excuses and your pitiful defense. We have all the evidence we need to put you in the grave. Correspondence, evidence of bribes, detailed maps, and the list goes on. It has already been reviewed and authenticated." Hiruzen spoke while gesturing towards Inoichi Yamanaka, a leading figure in the T&I department who nodded in confirmation.
"Th… this is all a setup! A setup! Danzo! I bet it was Danzo! You all know how he is! He's a schemer by nature! This is all his doing! He bombed the Academy, now he wants to pin it all on us!" Homura shouted while pointing an accusatory finger at the old warhawk who seemed almost amused by the accusation.
"Now why would I bomb the Academy, our source of Shinobi of all things? Also, and this is not an admission, if I were to frame anyone, I'd be sure to frame someone who might actually pose a threat to me or have actual pull in the Village. You two? You wouldn't even make a blip on my radar." The Warhawk spoke in a calm and matter-of-fact tone, with many agreeing with him since it made little sense for him to be involved.
It was no secret that he was a schemer and was always hungry for power, but this seemed far too brazen and bold for the Warhawk, and, as he already stated, he had no reason to bomb the very source of their Future Shinobi. Not to mention, it wasn't a big secret that Danzo, like many others, had a strong interest in a certain Uchiha's future.
"Th-this is absurd! Absurd I tell you! We had nothing to do with the bombings! You're being played here Hiruzen!" Koharu shouted while the Sandaime could only shake his head negatively in response. Even now, despite the evidence stacked against them, they were still trying to maintain their innocence. The least they could do was have some pride as Shinobi and accept their fates. The aged Hokage then called for his Anbu to take his old teammates away where they would await their trial.
Said trial would be little more than a formality until they were officially sentenced to be hanged for treason. Even as Neko and some other Anbu dragged the two Elders away, they still screamed and cried that they were innocent. When they were finally out of ear-shot, the Hokage sighed and decided it was time to begin discussing plans to rebuild the Academy… but before he could announce this, the form of Anko Mitarashi burst into the chambers and rushed towards him. Frantically whispering something in his ear. Unknown to the aged Hokage… this Anko was a robotic imposter.
When she relayed her message to him, The Sandaime looked as if he'd been lanced straight through the heart as an expression of horror filled his face… for he had just been told that Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki… had been kidnapped.
Meanwhile. Aboard the Uzu express.
"Good morning my beloved Conductor! Time until our arrival at Konoha is approximately two days. You seem to be enjoying yourself with the lovely ladies." Glados spoke in a teasing tone as the forms of Naruto and Asagi could be seen cuddled up in his bed. After their fun in the Sauna, they decided to clean up in his private bath, where they went an extra three rounds.
Then they got into his bed and went another five rounds before finally falling asleep. Asagi, much like Anko, appeared to have long suppressed their libido and when the dam broke… the two could no longer contain themselves so they would fuck like rabbits. Not that Naruto was complaining as he quickly came to enjoy and appreciate the pleasures of the flesh. He was still worried about the mental conditioning being involved… although their feelings seemed real enough. Plus if they were indeed real, he didn't wish to hurt their feelings by rejecting them.
"Thanks Glados." Naruto replied as he yawned and stretched before planting a quick kiss on Asagi's forehead, the Almighty Taimanin still fast asleep after their 'fun' yesterday. Not that he could blame her. She deserved to sleep in and enjoy her blissful slumber. He quickly got dressed into some comfortable clothes, a pair of shorts and a tank top this time and then departed towards the dining car to eat breakfast since he preferred to eat with others than to eat by himself.
When he reached the dining car, he happened upon an unusual sight of Ino yelling "Good Kami Haku! When's the last time you had a bath?" At her question, the Ice user was flushing red in embarrassment, on closer inspection the false Anbu's black hair was looking kinda greasy showing that it hadn't been washed in a while and as the whiskered teen approached he caught something of a sour smell coming from the Ice user… yeah… no wonder Ino was asking about that.
"I'm uhh, very sorry for the inconvenience. There's uhh, no shower in my cabin." Haku explained with a look of shame on 'her' face. Naruto scratched his cheek since it seemed strange to him that the Ice user hadn't taken a shower recently, 'she' seemed like the type that took particular care with personal hygiene and appearances. Then again, 'she' was still a new arrival and as stated, the cabin's lacked a shower, save for Naruto's.
"Well Haku, if you need to shower, the communal showers are in the back. Or you can come to my cabin and use mine if you want. If you don't get cleaned up properly, you might get sick or something." Naruto kindly suggested , earning a small blush from the Ice user.
"I'm… well… how do I put this? I prefer to bathe… alone. It kind of makes me uncomfortable that Glados is watching us… all the time… I'd prefer if she wasn't looking at me while I'm in the bath." Haku tried to explain, sounding unusually nervous… that was odd. From what little Naruto had seen, Haku was usually pretty calm and collected… was she actually kinda shy too? Why was she so concerned about Glados watching anyway?
Usually, if someone didn't want somebody watching them, it was because they had something to hide. What did Haku have to hide? Come to think of it, compared to the others, Haku seemed more on the flat-chested side… maybe she was self-conscious about something in that regard? Or was there another reason entirely?
"Ohhhh? Picky about bathing huh? Well, Naruto-kun's private bath doesn't have any cameras since they'd fog over. Why so concerned about me watching though? I'm not some sick pervert or anything that likes to watch people bathe while fantasizing about molesting them." Glados stated in a mock-hurt tone… meanwhile a certain perverse Sannin sneezed and was promptly chased by an angry lynch mob of bathing women.
Naruto shook his head and decided to ignore that comment as he spoke "If you want Haku, you're free to use my bath to take a quick shower… no offense meant but… you're kinda starting to smell." At his statement, the self-proclaimed 'tool' bowed 'her' head in shame since it was true, but was grateful that he had offered the use of his bath.
"Hey now, the Conductor's bath is for the Conductor. It is for his use only, and of course for those he invites to join him inside. As such, if Haku uses it by herself without the Conductor present, that is considered a violation." Glados explained, earning a small glare from the Uzumaki… until a light bulb blinked over his head. If his hunch was right… he just had to be in the same room as the Ice user. Hopefully, that little loophole would be the system.
The blonde Jinchuuriki then explained his idea to the Ice user, who blushed deeply at this and knew that there were certain risks involved… but at the same time, Haku knew 'she' didn't have any other choice in the matter. It was the only compromise available. "I see… very well then Naruto-san… but under no circumstances are you to peek. None. At all. Not even for a fraction of a second. I want you to promise me." Haku stated in a deadly serious voice with a look that could turn hell into a frozen wasteland.
Naruto blinked his eyes several times, his belief that Haku being self-conscious about her body being affirmed by her words, but nevertheless he replied "I promise not to look Haku-san. You can bathe in privacy and without worry." The Ice User accepted his promise and they proceeded towards his private car so that 'she' could finally bathe in peace.
They passed by Sakura and Anko who both gave a friendly wave, prompting them to wave back. When they entered the Conductor's cabin, Asagi was still fast asleep and softly snoring. Poor thing must have been tuckered out. Naruto chuckled and opened his wardrobe, fetching a bathrobe and some towels for Haku for when 'she' came out of the bath.
They then both entered his private bathroom and the blonde ducked into a corner, facing said corner while sitting in a lotus position, allowing Haku the privacy 'she' requested as the blonde heard 'her' shedding 'her' clothes before turning on the water, for about a minute or so Haku adjusted the temperature until it was to 'her' liking before stepping inside and sighing in relaxation as the warm water washed over 'her' body.
"Is it okay if we talk while we wait so that I can pass the time?" Naruto asked out loud since he had heard that women take a long time while bathing, if that was the case, he certainly didn't want to sit here and be bored to death.
"That's perfectly fine. Feel free to ask me whatever you like." Haku responded with a sigh as he began lathering some shampoo in his hands and began running it through his hair. He had always taken good care of it and felt some pride for his silky locks in spite of it sounding a little girly, he still kinda liked it when people complimented his hair.
"How'd you meet Zabuza exactly? You mentioned it after… you know." Naruto spoke while trying not to sound insensitive which earned a giggle from the ice user.
"Oh. You mean after my father and a lynch mob tried to murder me? Don't worry, I've more or less moved on from that since then. To answer your question, I was a street urchin for a while, digging through trash for food, sometimes fighting off wild dogs who would try to steal what could be my dinner. It was very cold then, in the late autumn or early winter-time I think. I assume that my Bloodline for Ice Release made me fairly resistant against the cold. One night, Zabuza came, I'm not sure how, but he must have known I carried a Bloodline, perhaps he'd seen plenty of other orphans like me. I'm not sure, and I never asked."
As Haku told his story and finished lathering up the shampoo in his scalp, he dumped a large amount of body wash in his hand and began rubbing it into his skin across his body, starting with his arms, working his way down to his chest and stomach, then his groin region and legs. "What was it like? Working under Zabuza? What was he like?" Naruto asked out of curiosity since he had heard stories of the Rogue Ninja, but knew little about the man himself, it'd be interesting to learn about a foreign and Rogue Ninja from someone who'd worked closely with the infamous Demon Swordsman.
"How do I put this? Zabuza-sama is… a hard man. Very tough, and he trained me very thoroughly. However, he wasn't a bad man, he just… I suppose he is one of those people that has difficulty showing how they really feel. He was good to me. He fed me, gave me new clothes, taught me how to survive and protect myself… he picked me up from my lowest point and saved my life. So I decided to serve him as his tool.
Sometimes, as I mentioned before, I'd pose as a Kiri Anbu to trick potential pursuers. Sometimes I'd use my charms to lure people into a vulnerable position for Zabuza-sama to strike him down. I did whatever he needed of me. We then took a job searching for two missing people, aristocratic types, extremely wealthy, shady rumors surrounding them, that sort of thing. We were led to believe that you knew something about our quarry, but then I was captured by the 'fake you' in Konoha, and so here I am to put a long story short." Haku explained with the Uzumaki listening intently to the false Anbu's story.
"I see. Well, I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but I'm glad we became friends. I certainly wouldn't want you as an enemy." Naruto chuckled which also made Haku laugh a bit.
"Indeed, we could have ended up on opposite sides and ended up trying to kill each other. Still, Anko, Asagi and the others… are they precious to you?" The Ice user asked, enjoying the feeling of water running down his body.
"Anko-chan has always been precious to me, pretty sure if it weren't for her, I probably would have lost my mind, killed myself or worse. I've only known Asagi and Sakura for a short time, but we became friends pretty fast, so yeah. Ino has been my classmate for a while, but she always treated me like a normal person, and I hope we can be better friends. There's also you, you're really nice and it's easy to talk to you somehow… would you like to be a precious person of mine too? And why do you ask anyway?" Naruto inquired at the end, was Haku trying to get at something?
The ice user blushed a bit at the Uzumaki's words, but then cleared his throat and replied "I'd be happy to be counted amongst that number. The reason I ask is because if you only seek strength for yourself, there's only so far you can go. However, if it is for the sake of others that you hold dead to you, you'd be amazed how much stronger you can become. I became stronger for Zabuza-sama's sake to repay him for everything he did for me.
Also, while the mastermind may be demented and insane, she seems to strongly care for you in her own way, otherwise she wouldn't have built all this for you. I'm not saying everything she did was right, but… it's still rather admirable how far she went for you." Haku explained, earning a loud 'hmm' of thought from the blonde teen. That was true, he had to admit.
"No matter how far apart we get, you'll always be precious to us Naruto-kun!" spoke a voice from within his mind as an old memory stirred… what was that? He felt like… like an old and forgotten memory had just said 'hello' to him. Kami, for some reason it felt important to him… but he couldn't remember why or who that voice belonged to.
"Is everything alright Naruto-san? You got kind of quiet all of a sudden." Haku asked, which broke the Uzumaki out of his thoughts, and just like that the memory had slipped away and for a brief moment he wondered what he had even thought about to begin with.
"Sorry, was just thinking about something… now I don't even know what it was." He replied in a somewhat thoughtful voice, humming to himself while the Ice user gave a quick 'I see'. Haku shut off the water and was preparing to step out of the shower to begin drying his body, but unknown to him, there was a little bit of body wash that had fallen to the floor and hadn't been washed out by the water. Haku stepped on it by accident, causing him to slip and fall with a yelp and hit the floor with a loud 'THUD'
"OW!" Haku cried out, which in combination with the sound of the impact caused Naruto to turn around and call out "Haku are you oka….yyyyyyyyyyyy?" Naruto's voice seemed to stick in his throat as he saw the form of Haku sprawled out on the floor. A smooth and flat chest and stomach, a nice set of slim yet supple childbearing hips, smooth milky white skin, a nice set of long and toned legs… and there, on Haku's groin region was a penis.
Both Haku and Naruto froze, the former frozen in sheer terror, and the latter in shock, neither of them moving or making a sound. The Jinchuuriki blinked a few times and then began to mutter "Ha… Ha… Haku, you're…"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Haku screamed out in fear and rushed forward in a blur of motion, clapping his hands over Naruto's mouth to silence him. The blonde's eyes were wide and now came to realize why Haku hadn't bathed in the communal showers. Sh… He must have been afraid that if Glados identified him as a boy, he'd have been killed as Glados had earlier stated.
"Hey now! What's all the commotion? What's going on in there? Haku? What're you doing to my Conductor?" Glados asked in a menacing voice, the atmosphere of the room becoming tense and almost suffocating, as if the False Anbu could feel a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, slowly squeezing the life out of him.
"S-sorry Glados-san… I slipped." Haku replied nervously, trying to come up with some kind of excuse until the AI asked "I figured out that part already… what was it that you didn't want my beloved Conductor to say? Mmm?"
At that, the self-proclaimed 'Tool' swallowed dryly, his heart thundering inside of his chest as he tried to think up a response of some kind, anything that would placate the AI but his mind could only draw blanks. Haku then glanced down at Naruto with wide and fearful eyes that seemed to be saying 'Please help!'
The whiskered teen nodded slowly and removed Haku's hands from his mouth as he spoke "Forget about it Glados. Leave Haku alone." At his order, the AI simply laughed in a malicious manner as the room seemed to become even colder and more oppressive which caused even the Ice user to shiver as he felt as though he had a foot in the grave.
"No. I don't think I will. I think I already know what happened… you saw something Haku didn't want you to see and then assaulted you. Hmm? Well, that can't be forgiven. I won't forgive anyone who dares to harm my Conductor! Haku, prepare to meet your doom!" Glados spoke in a malevolent voice with Haku standing to his full height while frantically looking around, wondering what the AI was about to do.
"Glados! Stop it! Leave Haku alone! I'm giving you an order to stop!" Naruto shouted frantically, not liking what direction this situation was turning.
"It is time that I finally unleash my special technique! Oh how long I have awaited the moment that I would pass judgment on a vile heathen that would attempt to harm my Conductor! Come to me! Spears of divine vengeance! Gungnir! Smite this wretched one and avenge the Conductor!" Glados shouted and gleefully laughed.
For a brief moment, Haku had a small sense of clarity and seemed to accept his coming end as he sighed and spoke towards Naruto with a soft smile "Naruto-kun, it's okay… thanks for counting me as a precious person."
"GLADOS! STOP! DON'T!" Naruto shouted out… however no attack came, and the tense atmosphere suddenly vanished without a trace… wait… was Glados not going to attack?
"Just kidding! I gotcha!" Glados exclaimed cheerfully, causing both boys to instantly face-vault. Seriously? For real? It was all a goddamn joke.
"WHAT THE FUCK GLADOS?! I seriously thought you were about to kill Haku! You about gave me a fucking heart attack you bitch!" Naruto shouted angrily, which only earned amused laughter from the AI who naturally seemed to be the only one enjoying her prank.
"It… was a… a prank… a prank… I seriously thought that I was gonna die." Haku muttered, his skin ghostly white making him appear almost like a corpse, his heart still thundering inside of his chest. It almost seemed like a miracle that it hadn't exploded from sheer terror.
"What, you didn't like my prank? Honestly, you boys need to lighten up a bit." Glados responded in a cheeky voice… wait a second… did she just say 'boys'?
"Hold up…. You knew that Haku was a boy? All along? And you never said anything?" Naruto questioned with a twitching eyebrow while the Ice User could only gape at this. How did she know? When? He took such great care in concealing his true nature… unless…
"I did. When Haku-san was brought aboard as a prisoner, the robotic servants inspected him, very thoroughly, for any weapons, tools, lockpicks, et cetera. During this time, it was discovered that Haku was biologically a male. However… I chose not to say anything because I wanted to see things play out and see how long it'd take for everyone to catch onto his true nature. That's all. It was kinda funny how everyone mistook Haku for a girl, but with a face like that, definitely understandable." Glados explained in an amused voice, giggling to herself which seemed to intensify at the False Anbu's stupefied expression.
"But… but… you said that any men aboard would be killed! That's why I hid the fact I was a boy." Haku spoke, wondering why he hadn't been killed if the Artificial intelligence knew from the beginning.
"Noooooo. I never said that. My exact words were 'Should any men try to force their way aboard, they'd be terminated for trespassing'. You, Haku, did not force your way aboard, you were brought here. It's a thing called… drum-roll… aaaaaaaaa... loophole! You came up with the idea that you'd be killed for being a boy all on your own, I just didn't say anything about that either because I was enjoying watching you squirm." Glados explained with uncontained amusement.
The false Anbu stared up at the ceiling and then muttered "Now I see why everyone doesn't like that AI, especially when she's punking us." The black haired 'tool' then hung his head and sighed deeply, at the very least he no longer had to hide his real self from the others.
"Yeah… she tends to do that. I think she gets some kind of sick satisfaction out of messing with people, but she has her uses when she wants to be helpful." Naruto spoke as he picked up the bathrobe for the black haired boy and passed it to him, allowing the Ice user to slip it on and mutter a quick 'thanks'.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I led you all on. Does it… bother you that I'm actually a boy?" Haku asked since many people were often… put off when they discovered that he was actually a male instead of a female.
"Don't be. You thought you were in danger; and why would I be? We're still friends, right? Doesn't matter much to me if you're a boy or a girl, you're still Haku." Naruto responded as if it were the most simple thing in the world, which earned a warm smile from the self-proclaimed tool.
"You have a kind heart, Naruto-kun. I am truly glad that you… why are you looking at me funny?" The Ice user asked at the end, noticing that the whiskered teen was staring rather intently at his face with an almost critical eye, like a jeweler inspecting a precious gem.
"Huh? Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to stare at you… I was just thinking how it could be physically possible for a boy to have such a cute and feminine face that would put many other girls to shame." Naruto responded bluntly, earning some amused giggles from Haku who understood completely and nodded since he wasn't the first and certainly not the last to express that sentiment.
"Well, what say we get something to eat? I haven't had breakfast yet, and if you want, you can now tell the others that you're actually a boy." The Jinchuuriki suggested, earning a nod from the False Anbu… they then shared a look and smiled… because it was going to be very interesting to see how everyone reacted to the fact that Haku was actually a boy.
Meanwhile. In Konoha.
"He was just… gone? Gone? Just like that?" Hiruzen questioned as he glanced around the apartment of Naruto Uzumaki earning a nod of confirmation from 'Anko'. From what she described, she came to check in on him and to see how he was doing, however the door was left unlocked and the boy in question was nowhere to be seen. The only clue left behind was a mysterious solid gold telephone that was left behind on the dining table.
His Anbu guard had already inspected the phone and found no traces of any explosives or chemicals, apart from it being made of pure gold, it was just an ordinary telephone. Definitely gaudy to say the least, but unmistakably distinctive, especially in Naruto's apartment. The fact that a phone was left behind for them to find suggests that the kidnapper wished to have a means of communication, most likely holding the boy for ransom.
Not surprising, if a village didn't want to run the risk of hanging onto a Jinchuuriki for too long, lest they draw the attention of a rival nation, then they could definitely ransom said Jinchuuriki for a very hefty sum. The Sandaime hummed in thought… first the bombing, and now Naruto being taken… definitely not a coincidence. Someone planned this out.
His first instinct was to put out a 'Be On LookOut' order for the boy, however in doing so, word would get out that he was indeed missing. Worse, people with loose lips may even celebrate his disappearance and let slip to others that the 'Kyuubi brat' was finally gone, which would then start a chain reaction that could lead all the way back to other villages, who would then know that Konoha was now more vulnerable than ever since the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki had vanished.
No… it was best to handle this as quietly as possible. With any luck, the kidnapper was a reasonable sort of person that would hand over the boy peacefully once he had the cash in hand. His musing came to an end when the phone started ringing, prompting the Sandaime to pick it up and speak into the mouthpiece in a professional tone "This is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage speaking. To whom am I addressing?"
After a few moments of silence, a monotone but distinctly female voice replied "You may refer to me as Soldat. I am the one behind the bombing with the aid of your old teammates, and I took your weapon as well. The Jinchuuriki." At this, the Sandaime was mildly surprised that she had so blatantly confessed to both crimes, she must be very confident in herself.
"I see. Very well then Soldat. I won't ask why you bombed the Academy, you could have murdered a lot of people, but you chose not to, I assume now that it was a distraction to take Naruto-kun. How much do you want for his safe return? What is your price?" Hiruzen asked, trying not to provoke or otherwise make this 'Soldat' feel threatened. The more comfortable and at ease she felt, the safer Naruto would be.
"You disgust me." Soldat replied in a blank voice, which took the Hokage by surprise "Ex…excuse me?" Was all the Hokage could reply since he was confused by her words.
"Naruto-kun. Kun. You call him 'Kun'. The use of 'kun' indicates feelings of affection… but do you actually care?" She asked, while her voice sounded reserved there were strong undertones of anger.
"Here is my price… your confession." Soldat spoke bluntly, once again, her words only served to confuse the Sandaime even more as he wondered what she meant as he parroted "Confession?"
"Yes. Your confession. I want you to stand atop the Hokage tower and shout out to the entire village of your crimes. Only then you may have a chance at reconciliation when Naruto is returned to Konoha." Soldat spoke in a warning tone at the end.
"I don't understand. What crimes are you talking about? I don't know what you mean." Hiruzen replied, was this 'Soldat' playing games with him? A part of him wondered if this was some kind of a trick… but the seriousness in her voice suggested otherwise.
There was a brief silence with the only sound coming from the earpiece being the girl's breathing. Finally she spoke "Yes. You do. You just won't admit it. You have two days to choose. Once Naruto Uzumaki returns to Konoha, there will be no turning back for you, or for him. Two days. One more thing for the record, in case it is of any interest to you… Iruka Umino's death was not an accident." Once she had finished speaking for the final time, the line went dead.
Hiruzen could only stare wide-eyed at the phone for a few moments… and then it grew hot in his hand making him drop it as it started glowing an orange color, the gold shell then melted away revealing what appeared to be a clock that was slowly counting down… next to the clock was what appeared to be a set of dog-tags that had a message stamped into it which read as follows 'Regardless of how far a person runs, a lie will eventually catch up to them.'
"What… the hell… is going on?" Were the only intelligible words that came to Hiruzen's mind, from behind him 'Anko' was staring at the dog-tags with an unseen smile on her face while Neko picked up the tags, finding them cool to the touch as she glanced between them and the Sandaime.
"Hokage-sama… what does this mean? What lie?" Neko questioned… just what did the Sandaime do or say that would warrant this? Something was definitely wrong here. Instead of answering his trusted Anbu Captain, he walked away with a sneer of anger on his face without so much as a word. "Hokage-sama?" Neko asked, wondering what would cause such a reaction from him. In all the time she had known and served as the Sandaime's bodyguard, he displayed himself as a wise and experienced leader with a deep love of the village… and now someone seemed to wish to confront him about a 'lie'.
First a bombing, then Naruto being taken, and now someone called 'Soldat' was demanding a confession out of the Sandaime over a lie. "Hokage-sama… what did you do?" Neko whispered to herself, and for some reason… she felt afraid. Something was very wrong here. She didn't know why, maybe it was gut instinct, but something deep inside told her… that shit was going to hit the fan, and soon.
Outside, Hiruzen could be seen summoning forth a Monkey which bowed to him and he then commanded it "Find Jiraiya and tell him to come back to Konoha. I don't care where he is or what he's doing. I don't care if he has to be dragged across the entirety of Konoha while naked. I need him here, NOW." The monkey summons bowed respectfully, immediately sensing the urgency of the situation before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Soldat… I don't know how you learned about that… but I won't be broken so easily. Konoha is counting on me." Hiruzen muttered to himself before making his way towards the Hokage tower, he would need to make the necessary arrangements, fortunately, he had two days for preparation when Naruto's kidnappers appeared. He would make them all pay dearly for this humiliation. Very. Dearly.
Back aboard the Uzu express.
"No… fucking… way…. It's not possible. There's no possible way that is possible. It's just not possible." Muttered the form of Ino in a broken voice as she and all the others stared at the form of Haku who was giving a warm smile. All of the women present could only stare slack-jawed as both Naruto and the ice user could only chuckle at their reactions.
"Haku… was a boy… the whole time. I… there's just no way. No matter how I look at he… I mean his face… all I can see is the face of a girl." Asagi muttered in shock while blinking her eyes.
"I thought they only existed in eroge and hentai… but Haku's a trap! A real true-to-life trap! A femboy! A girly-boy! A tomgirl! A freaking trap!" Sakura muttered while pointing towards the False Anbu who blushed a bit and chuckled since that was indeed true… he supposed that he was indeed used as a 'trap' in the past.
"Wow… now… that's… that's new." Was all Anko muttered as she took a long swig of booze straight from the bottle. She had seen people of all shapes and sizes during her time as Kunoichi… but she never would have expected to meet a boy that could easily pass off as a girl.
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner it's… a very long story that involves a certain AI that also doubles as a headache." Haku explained with a small chuckle, earning a long and drawn out 'Ohhhhh' from everyone, almost as if that were all the explanation that they needed.
"Hey Naruto? Now that I think about it… how do you feel knowing that you were flirting with a boy?" Anko asked in a teasing voice and then spoke in a voice that mimicked her beloved Whisker-kun "Oh, Haku, you have such soft hands."
At this, Naruto blushed a bit with a sheepish grin as he spoke "Wasn't really my intent to flirt with Haku-san. I was just trying to be nice and ended up saying the first thing that came to mind."
Haku for his part simply smiled and said "Think nothing of it, it was still nice to hear you compliment me." This earned a nod and thumbs-up from the whiskered teen. The Ice user then turned to Ino and said "Ino-san? I'm not sure if you're aware, but I was able to get in touch with Zabuza-sama recently. If you asked Glados, she could put you in touch with…" he was then cut off in mid sentence by a certain AI
"Nope! Negatory! Not gonna happen! I know what you're gonna suggest Haku, but that is completely off the table! It was one thing to patch you through to Zabuza since he works for the mastermind, but if I connected Ino to her father, there could be a risk of her saying something she's not supposed to! I won't allow it! Besides, we're just two days from Konoha. If it is sincerely the Conductor's wish, she can leave then." Glados spoke in a rapid manner.
"Wait a sec, Ino can leave but the rest of us can't? What the hell? You're just making up a lot of those 'rules' whenever it suits you, aren't you?" Sakura shouted while pointing towards the ceiling in an accusatory manner.
"Oh? Why's that a concern of yours? Do you want to leave Sakura Igawa?" Glados questioned in a snide voice, which quickly silenced the orangette who slowly shook her head 'no' since she didn't want to leave Naruto. "Then shut your mouth and just go with it." The AI spoke harshly in clear annoyance. It seemed like she didn't like useless complaints.
"Oh! I almost forgot my beloved Conductor! Two new prisoners shall be arriving shortly, with the mastermind's compliments. She hopes you enjoy them a lot. Their names are Oboro and Ingrid." Glados announced in a much more cheerful voice, and at the mention of their names the Igawa siblings suddenly jaw-dropped and looked up towards the ceiling.
"Did… you just say Oboro and Ingrid? Glados, describe them. Quickly." Asagi almost desperately requested, hoping and praying that the names were but a coincidence.
"Let's see… ah, that's right. According to intelligence records, you have a rather interesting history with them, yes? Oboro, as you know, is a woman with maroon colored hair. And Ingrid, in spite of her human appearance, is actually a demon with pink hair and brown skin." Glados promptly answered with a chuckle.
"You know them?" Naruto questioned the Igawa sisters, and from what he could see, the sisters must have had a hostile relationship with the aforementioned women.
Asagi sighed deeply while running a hand through her hair and replied "Unfortunately so. Oboro is infamously known as the Traitor Taimanin, and she has been a long-time enemy of mine for years. I thought that I had killed her, but she managed to cheat death. She also has a very powerful hypnotic ability. Whatever you do with her, the one thing you should NEVER do is put your trust in her. Ever. Many people have had their throats cut wide open with her claws by trusting her.
Ingrid is a demon known as Hell Knight, however, she has her own code of honor despite being the number two of an old enemy of ours whom she has sworn loyalty to. We have clashed a few times in the past, though I'd be careful, she is very strong. However… I do not think she would harm a young boy like you. Even so, I still advise caution."
"Sounds like a fun pair. Well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Naruto mused as he sat down in an open booth and hummed quietly in thought… if he didn't know any better… it seemed almost as if… the mastermind wasn't just providing him with women for love and pleasure… it also seemed like she was trying to give him or build for him his own private army.
Anko Mitarashi, his longtime friend and a Top figure in Konoha's T&I department. Asagi and Sakura Igawa, two powerful demon hunting Kunoichi that were in charge of their own Academy full of other powerful Kunoichi. Haku, a bloodline user and apprentice to Zabuza Momochi. Ino Yamanaka, heiress of her clan and their mind-reading techniques. Now this Oboro and Ingrid who seemed to be powerful and dangerous in their own rights.
The pattern was definitely there. If his hunch was right, then this train wasn't just meant to be a prison, or even a luxury resort that could travel abroad unhindered… it could also function as a mobile command base. Could it be that another goal of the Mastermind… was to turn him against Konoha and have him go to war with it? He had to admit… the thought of revenge appealed to him after suffering through that hell, but he was reluctant to wage open warfare and risked those he cherished.
There were also innocents still in Konoha that had done him no real wrong, and those he still cared for like the Ichiraku's. He supposed… that his decision would depend on the Sandaime. If he tried to lie to him and/or continue to try and hide his past… there would be hell to pay.
Elsewhere, in a Casino.
"Not again… who… who is this girl? She's completely undefeatable! She's not human! She's a monster!" Exclaimed a random and nondescript poker player who cried out in despair, slumping over in his seat. He had lost everything, his money, his house, his clothes, even his hair. That… thing… had taken everything from him.
He was not the only victim either. Scores of other gamblers were littered about the Casino, their souls leaking out of their bodies while sprawled out in only their birthday suits. The 'Monster' in question could be seen leaning back in a chair that more resembled a throne, her feet propped up on the backs of other gamblers she had ruined just minutes before. "HAHAHA! Is that all you've got you fucking pigs? I'm pretty sure shit-throwing monkeys could play better than you! LMAO! Welllllll, seems we still have one dumbass that is still playing."
Sitting across from the 'monster' was none other than the legendary Sannin Tsunade Senju, world renown Medic Nin… and a sucker for gambling who had racked up countless debts. The blonde Sannin was smirking confidently, even in spite of the broken souls and bodies of other gamblers she remained undeterred by her opponent. "I gotta say, I'm kind of impressed. I don't think I've ever seen someone clear out a Casino that fast." Tsunade spoke with a grin.
Behind the Senju was her trusty and every-loyal aide and apprentice Shizune who was nervously biting her fingernails while Tsunade's pet pig Tonton was mimicking the black haired woman as she bit at her hooves. "I don't think I got your name." Tsunade spoke casually, feeling confident with her win since she had a straight flush thanks to her hand.
The mysterious girl grinned much like a hungry shark ready to feast as she replied "Doesn't matter. I know who you are, Tsunade Senju. Honestly speaking… I'm fucking disappointed just looking at you. I heard you were some badass bitch that could shatter fucking mountains with your pinkie toe. All I see is some sad little bitch-whore with a huge rack and not much else except the name of a dead clan. LOL."
The Sannin grit her teeth, feeling a strong urge to punch this girl into oblivion, but she kept her cool and smirked knowing that she was trying to get under her skin. "Yeah yeah. Sticks and stones. I've heard it all before. Now lay down your cards and show me what you've got."
Instead of obliging, the mysterious woman simply stared at the Senju, her eyes glowing a mysterious blue as her grin never left her face. An uncomfortable silence fell across the casino, save for the moans of all the gamblers she'd already crushed and squeezed the life out of… until she asked "Sooooooo, what happened to your old boyfriend? What was his name? Dan? Such a fucking shame what happened to him. I looked up his file. Handsome guy, but not as handsome as my true love."
Tsunade blinked her eyes and then growled, balling her free hand into a fist in anger as she spoke "What the hell did you just say? Don't you dare bring up Dan. You don't have the right. You say one more one about him and I'll cave your face in you little painted bitch. Now show those cards already!"
The stranger simply cackled with barely contained madness as she replied "Whaaaaaat? Did I hurt your widdle feelings? GROW THE FUCK UP YOU SHITHOG! You're a Kunoichi, he was a Shinobi, chances are that you two could have fucking died at any fucking time, but he bit the dust first. What the fuck do you do to honor his memory? You walk around drinking cow-piss that supposed to be passed off as shitty booze and gamble your life and money away, swindling others for more money just so you can keep on shitting it down the proverbial toilet of your uncontrolled vices."
At this, both Shizune and Tsunade could only blink their eyes upon seeing the girl's whole attitude change, it was almost like she had become a different person at the drop of a hat. "Ohhhhhh boo-fucking-hooooooooo. You call this mourning? You call this grieving? You're just crapping out because you're not woman enough to accept his death. When the fuck are you going to realize that he was already dead on that operating table? He was dead. Dead. D.E.A.D DEAD! FUCKING DEAD. I read the autopsy, his fucking innards were pretty much mush and fucking pig slop. There was no fucking way to save him. You thought you were the shit, but when you were faced with a patient you couldn't have possibly save, your own fiance no less, you just decided to say 'Fuck it. I quit' and being a little bitch about it. Grow the fuck up already."
Tsunade was livid, her face red as a tomato while her shoulders heaved as she almost hyperventilated while rising to her full height. She had heard enough… this bitch was fucking dead. "Ohhhhhh Tsunade-chan? Before you think of smashing my pretty little face in like a watermelon… did you ever ask yourself what kind of a technique could do that to your precious fiance?" The stranger spoke, her foul-mouthed and aggressive tone being replaced by a more 'cutesy' persona, complete with a smile that could cause diabetes.
At her question, the Senju woman paused and asked "What? What did you just say?"
"I asked you… did you ever ask yourself what kind of a technique could do that to your fiance? Did you even stick around to read the autopsy report? I checked it over… and the wounds were a perfect match for a certain Jutsu technique that killed many Iwa ninjas back in the previous Shinobi war. Far as I know, there's only one technique of that nature that could make a person's insides potentially implode, and it was only ever used by two men. You know what I'm talking about, riiiiiiiiiight? XOXO" The stranger spoke with a grin and gave a wink.
"That's… no… it can't be…" Tsunade muttered, horror filling her face as old memories that she had long suppressed from her trauma came flooding back to her… the sight of Dan's body filled her mind along with the sight of his ruptured organs and insides, it was a miracle that he was still barely clinging to life on that operating table.
"What? Don't believe me? Tell you want… why don't you go back to Konoha, pull up Dan's autopsy and file and see for yourself? Oh… I also fold. See you around. Laters! LOL." The mysterious girl spoke as she placed her cards down and then skipped away… all the while deliberately trampling over the faces and groins of any ruined gamblers who had the misfortune of being in her path.
After a long silence, Tsunade snarled for a brief moment and then spoke to her apprentice "Shizune… gather up our winnings as quickly as possible. We're going to Konoha… I want to settle this matter before it drives me insane." At the Sannin's request the black haired aide instantly nodded and began gathering up said winnings with the help of Tonton. If her math was right, all of these winnings were undoubtedly worth hundreds of millions of ryo, maybe even over a billion.
Tonton then saw the mysterious woman's cards and, out of curiosity, flipped them over… the pig then oinked loudly in shock, gaining the attention of both Tsunade and Shizune… who both saw that the stranger had a royal flush. A royal flush! If she had played it, she would have won hands-down! "What the hell… she won all of that… then just threw it all away on a whim? Just who the hell was that girl?!" Tsunade half-shouted in shock… who in their right mind would so casually throw away all that money?
"I have no idea Tsunade-sama… but somehow… I get the feeling I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't remember where." Shizune replied, they then shrugged and continued to gather up their winnings, with all of this, they could easily pay off the Sannin's debts in full.
Tsunade whispered to herself, while thinking of her deceased Fiance "Dan… I promise you… I will find out the truth. If that girl was telling the truth and.. And… I swear… if it is true, then I will demolish Konoha with my bare hands and kill that bastard."
End chapter nine.