XXXIV: Interlopers
Sasuke was walking through the woods behind the Academy alongside Naruto, heading to the Uzamaki's little training ground.
"So you see," Naruto said as they walked. "I'd wedged an eraser up at the top of the door, so that when that boring sub came walking out of the teacher's lounge it fell right on his head!" He laughed at his own prank.
"Sounds cool," Sasuke replied absently, feeling distracted.
"What's up?" Naruto asked, noticing his friend's state.
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know. Just feels like someone is watching."
"Is it those bullies again?" Naruto questioned, following Sasuke's line of sight. "We can just beat the crap out of them again."
"No, I don't think it's them," Sasuke answered, ignoring the fact that he was the only one of them who had actually beaten those bullies in a fight. He turned back around, nearly leaping out of his skin when he saw a figure looming over them.
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked as Sasuke scanned them. They looked like they were ANBU, with the animal mask covering their face and the black cloak concealing the rest of their body.
A hand extended out from the cloak and grasped Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto Uzamaki, you need to come with me," they said in flat, masculine tone. "You're to be taken into protective custody. Hokage's orders."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Naruto exclaimed, shrugging off the ANBU's hand.
"I'm afraid that's not an option," the clocked man said. He reasserted his grip, forcibly turning Naruto around and pushing him forward.
Sasuke reached out and put the ANBU's wrist in a vice grip, or as much of one as a child could on a full grown man. "You heard him, he's not going with you," he said with a hateful glare.
The ANBU hesitated and in that moment, almost as if he had been there the whole time, Shisui appeared behind him.
"Hold, friend," the older Uchiha said with a smile, placing a hand on the ANBU's shoulder. "I think there's been a mix up here." There was something insincere about that smile, Sasuke noticed. Like it was only on the bottom half of his face. It didn't reach his eyes.
Shisui blinked and activated his Sharingan as the ANBU turned to face him. It was impossible to see the man's face behind the mask, but his body language betrayed his hesitation. "My apologies. I'll be on my way."
"Very good," Shisui replied, still smiling a smile that did not reach his Sharingan bearing eyes.
The ANBU broke away from Shisui's grip, unsettling his cloak in the process. Sasuke saw the man's bare, featureless shoulder as the garment billowed around the ANBU member. Then they were gone, leaping up into the tree branches and bounding away.
"Sasuke," Shisui said once the three of them were alone. He turned to the two kids, deactivating his Sharingan as he did so. "I think you should take Naruto home with you. Tell your mother I thought it was for the best."
"OK," the younger Uchiha replied. "But what is happening? First the kidnapping and now this? What aren't the adults telling us?"
"Yeah," Naruto echoed, nodding his head with vigor.
Shisui took a deep breath. "I don't know how much I can tell you, Sasuke, and I don't know how much Itachi or your parents may have said. But I think you've figured out at this point that there's something deeper going on with Naruto."
"What is it, Uncle Shisui?" Naruto asked, a glimmer in his eyes. "Am I super awesome or something?"
Shisui chuckled. "Not so fast kid, and don't call me uncle, I'm not even 10 years older than you. I won't tell the two of you right now, but I'm going to get together with Itachi and hash it out with him." The older Uchiha knelt down so that he was eye to eye with the two boys. "I can't promise to tell you everything, but I will promise that everything I say will be true. So in return, I want you two to promise that you'll go to Sasuke's place and stay there, alright?"
"I promise," Naruto replied.
Sasuke glanced at his friend, then at his clansman. "I promise," he echoed after a moment's hesitation.
"Good," Shisui said as he stood up. "I've got places to be right now, so you two should get going."
"Wait," Sasuke spoke up. "Was that man really an ANBU member? He didn't have a tattoo on his shoulder like Itachi does."
"So you noticed that too. You really are as talented as your brother," Shisui commented. "I told you I wouldn't lie, so I won't. I don't believe that was a real ANBU member, which is all the more reason why you should go to your mother. Tell her about it, in fact. That should help her understand the situation."
Sasuke took a deep breath and nodded.
"Come on," Naruto said, tugging on Sasuke's sleeve.
Sasuke glanced at his friend before turning back to Shisui, but the older Uchiha was gone like he had never been there at all. Sasuke turned around and started walking back to the Academy with Naruto. Before long they had made it out of the woods and entered one of the training fields behind the building.
Sasuke came to a stop as they turned a corner. "You go ahead."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "Uncle Shisui said we should go straight to your house."
"Yeah, but I've got something to take care of," Sasuke replied. "Besides, we know they they want you and not me. You know the way to my house, so go."
Naruto started walking away before stopping. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Sasuke exclaimed, finally making Naruto start moving. "And run!" he yelled and the Uzamaki began to sprint.
Sasuke walked into the Academy's front entrance, seeing the substitute teacher in the lobby. "Excuse me, have you seen Shikamaru?"
"The Nara kid?" the teacher asked. "I think I saw him go up to the roof with another student. Why?"
"Just wondering," Sasuke replied as he started walking towards the stairs.
The teacher shook his head. "Kids these days."
Sasuke started sprinting as soon as he was out of the substitute's line of sight, zooming up multiple floors on his way to the roof. He nearly bowled over a female classmate on the way up but he didn't bother to check who it was. He finally made it up to the roof access and threw the door open.
"Who is making all that racket?" he heard Shikamaru ask as he stepped onto the roof.
"Yeah, you're ruining the peace and quiet that should come with a good snack," Choji commented.
Sasuke looked over to see the pair laying down on the floor. Choji had a bag of chips in his hands while Shikamaru was staring at the sky.
"Shikamaru," Sasuke said, walking over to them. "Something's happened, we need to go to the Hokage's office, right now."
The Nara kid sat up. "It this about...?"
Sasuke nodded.
"OK, give me a minute," Shikamaru said as he climbed to his feet. "This is going to be a drag, but I told you I'd help."
Choji stopped eating. "Hold on, what's happening?"
"None of your business," Sasuke replied.
"Hold on, man!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Choji's my best friend, no need to treat him like that!"
Sasuke was about to say something back when he heard footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Hinata standing there.
"Did something happen to Naruto?" she asked.
"How did you know?" Sasuke asked.
Hinata pointed at the stairwell behind her. "Well, you nearly ran me over...on the stairs, I mean. And with some of the things that have been happening with you two lately, well..." the Hyuga girl twiddled her fingers, blushing and averting her eyes. "I'm sorry if I assumed."
"No, you were right," Sasuke replied. "Naruto and I were out in the woods when someone tried to kidnap him again. They were pretending to be ANBU, claimed that the Hokage wanted to bring him into 'protective custody.'"
The other three students gasped.
"Really, again?" Shikamaru asked.
"Don't leave us in suspense," Choji said. "What happened next?"
"One of my clansmen showed up," Sasuke explained. "He got the fake ANBU to leave and then told me and Naruto to go back to my house and tell my mother what happened. Naruto's on his way there now, but Shisui's probably going to report to the Hokage."
Shikamaru stood up. "And you want us to eavesdrop on them."
Sasuke nodded.
"I'm coming with you," Choji said.
"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah," Choji replied. "I'm not letting my best friend go without me and I want to help Naruto too."
"So do I," Hinata said resolutely.
Shikamaru turned his gaze to Sasuke. "It's a drag, but we're not going to stop them."
Sasuke looked at the merry band of four he was suddenly part of. "Alright then, let's go."
Itachi strode into the Hokage's office, arriving at the behest of an urgent summon sent to him via another member of the ANBU. The village leader sat at his desk, and a quick glance around the room told Itachi that they were not alone. With them were Shisui and Itachi's fellow ANBU member, Kakashi.
"Did something happen?" Itachi asked as he closed the door behind him. "It must be important if you called me in right before I was to head out with Jiraiya."
The Hokage nodded. "Yes. Personally, I would like to use the private briefing room for this conversation, but unfortunately a couple of my advisors are using it currently. I'll go ahead and cut to the heart of the matter. There's been another attempt to kidnap Naruto Uzamaki."
"Again?" Itachi asked.
"Yes," the village leader replied. "For it to happen so soon after the previous incident, I cannot help but feel that the incidents are related in some fashion."
Itachi's eyes flitted back and forth between the other shinobi in the room. "What happened?"
"Sasuke and Naruto were walking through the woods near the Academy after classes finished," Shisui said. "I was swinging by to check up on them before leaving to meet up with you and Master Jiraiya for our mission."
"Why were you doing that?" Kakashi asked.
"One of the village elders expressed concern about Naruto being in the Uchiha compound recently, and I offered to serve as his protector," Shisui explained. "I don't think that he believed me, but I was being serious."
"Continue with your story," the Hokage interjected.
"Right, sorry, Lord Hokage," Shisui replied. "When I arrived on the scene there was a man wearing an ANBU mask and cloak, who was telling Naruto that the Hokage had ordered him to be taken into protective custody."
Itachi glanced at the village leader. "I gave no such order," the Hokage said.
"I figured that was the case," Shisui said. "Once I made my presence known he gave up quickly enough. I managed to catch a glimpse of him under his cloak and he had no ANBU tattoo on his shoulder. That led me to believe that this person was impersonating an ANBU, so I came and reported it to Lord Hokage."
"Where is Naruto now?" Itachi asked.
"I told him and Sasuke to run back to your house and tell your mother about it, Itachi," the other Uchiha answered. "My plan was for her to protect them while I reported on the situation here."
"And you've done a good job in doing so," the Hokage said. "But, I would ask that you leave now."
Surprise spread quickly over Shisui's face. "Are you certain, Lord Hokage?"
"Yes, someone should accompany Jiraiya on your mission," the village leader responded. "Besides, this is a matter for my trusted ANBU."
Shisui hesitated for a moment, glancing at the others gathered in the room. "Very well, Lord Hokage," he said as he stepped past Itachi on his way out the door.
Itachi waited until his friend closed the door to ask his question. "Do we really believe that there's someone in this village who is brave enough to impersonate a member of the ANBU?"
"It might be the case," Kakashi said. "Or it could be that he's a member of Root."
Itachi threw his mentor a questioning glance. "A member of what?"
"Root," Kakashi repeated. "It's a...special unit of the ANBU. It's mere existence is a closely guarded secret."
"Special how?" Itachi asked. "How have I never heard of it?"
"If ANBU is meant to deal with black ops," the Hokage began, "then Root is a step beyond that, the kind of tasks the village cannot afford to be associated with. It is a special section of the ANBU that operates outside the normal command structure."
"How far outside?" Itachi asked.
"It does not answer to me directly," the Hokage said. "It is led by Danzo."
"Danzo?" Itachi asked. "The elder, Danzo?"
"The very same," the Hokage answered.
Itachi started pacing around the room as he processed this information. "Who all knows about Root? Is it widely know within the ANBU?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No, other than you, Tenzo, and myself, members of the Hokage's ANBU are not aware of Root's existence. Generally only those Danzo has attempted to recruit in the past, and he is very...particular about who he recruits."
Itachi came to a stop. "Danzo attempted to recruit both of you and Tenzo?"
"Me, yes," Kakashi answered. "Tenzo's case is more...complicated."
The Hokage laced his fingers together under his chin, his expression clearly showing his hesitance. "Tenzo was raised by Root," he finally said. "I will leave it at that for now."
"Raised by Root?" Itachi asked. "As in, outside the village?"
Kakashi nodded. "It's the best way to ensure loyalty. Drill it in from a young age. Tenzo was one of the few in Root who grew up to...have philosophical differences with Danzo, so he left and joined the regular ANBU."
"And members have a different...mark of loyalty than the normal ANBU," the Hokage said.
"So they don't have the tattoo on their shoulder," Itachi concluded.
"Which means that Shisui's description fits that of a Root member," Kakashi said.
There was a silent moment as Itachi filed this information in his head.
"Then Danzo is a suspect in an attempted kidnapping of Naruto," Itachi commented. "And he has a motive."
The Hokage nodded. "He believes that leaving Naruto where the Uchiha can reach him is too much of a risk. I would not put it past Danzo to go behind my back and attempt to capture Naruto himself if he felt that he could prevent an enemy from doing the same. I would like you two and Tenzo to investigate any possible Root involvement in this incident."
"Very well, Lord-" Kakashi began before the Hokage suddenly lifted his hand to stop him.
"Someone uninvited is coming," Hiruzen warned.
For a moment Itachi thought he felt a presence outside the windows behind the Hokage. But to his surprise it was behind Itachi, Danzo bursting into the room through the office door.
"Hiruzen!" the leader of Root exclaimed. "Your reluctance to reign the Jinchuriki in has backfired!"
"What are you talking about?" the Hokage asked. "Has something happened to Naruto?"
"I've just been informed that the Jinchuriki is at the Military Police Headquarters," Danzo replied. "They have him under 'protective custody' and are refusing to hand him over to anybody."
Itachi's placid face hid how shocked he was at the irony of the situation. Here they were theorizing that the Root leader was attempting to take Naruto under 'protective custody' and then in comes Danzo himself complaining about the Military Police doing the same. Still, he was surprised to hear that. Was that his mother's reaction to Naruto and Sasuke arriving at the house and telling her about another kidnapping attempt?
The Hokage stood up. "Itachi, come with me. We're going to see the situation for ourselves." The village leader stepped around his desk and started walking out of the office. "Kakashi, I'd like for you to look into the issue we were discussing before we were interrupted."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kakashi replied.
Itachi traded nods with his ANBU mentor before walking out after the village leader.
Sasuke and Shikamaru were climbing up to the window sill under the Hokage's office. Choji and Hinata were down at a lower level, acting as lookouts for patrols.
"Someone uninvited is coming," the young Uchiha heard as he pressed his ear to the wall under the window.
He went wide eyed with fear. Had the Hokage already sensed them? He turned to Shikamaru, ready to tell him to cut and run. But then he heard the sound of a door crashing open.
"What's happening?" Shikamaru whispered.
"It sounds like the Hokage is getting some big news," Sasuke answered. "What's a Jinchuriki?"
Shikamaru shot the Uchiha boy a confused glance. "A what?"
"I don't know, but apparently Naruto's one," Sasuke replied. "And he's at the Military Police Headquarters?"
"Oh crap," Shikamaru said, smacking himself on the forehead. "This is becoming even more of a drag than I thought it would."
Sasuke pulled away from the wall. "We need to get the others and head the to the headquarters right now."
Shikamaru let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, you're right."
The two boys leapt down to where their companions were and the four took off together soon after, following Sasuke in the direction of the Military Police Headquarters.
