Blue

Chapter II

Two days and not a word from Naruto.

It was out of Sasuke's hands to inquire about mission details and he wasn't the type to worry especially if it was Naruto. They weren't rivals for nothing and he personally knew that Naruto would worm out of the tiniest hole in one piece. Nonetheless, it nagged him why Naruto was so careless as to not even send word.

Sasuke entered the hall where the newly recruited Anbu lectures were being held. He slid on his mask when he heard the doors open. It was a rule among Anbu to wear masks within this wing of the academy, especially those who specialized in assassinations. Half of the population served as escorts for protection while the other half were assassins, all continuously being trained for secrecy.

The hallway ended and there was a door that led to the main office of the Anbu head. This was where their missions were handed out in secured scrolls and it was his routine to check on the third day after his previous mission had ended. He didn't mean to eavesdrop and although he had only heard a few words, it was more than enough.

He opened the door and inquired, "Sir, why is an Anbu team being sent for Naruto?"

"The Hokage received a complaint that the man Naruto's team was supposed to escort never made it to the meeting he was to attend yesterday. It's just a search team that we're sending. Nothing to worry about."

"It's an Anbu trained search team." Sasuke knew he was stepping over the lines with that comment but there was something very wrong with a missing Naruto and a failed mission. He removed his mask, just in case his superior didn't know who he was although that was unlikely to happen.

"Uchiha, there are pressing S-missions lined up for your team and this uncharacteristic disobedience over a missing Jounin, a competent Jounin if I might add, is unacceptable from an Anbu captain." Handing over a scroll, the major gave Sasuke a stern look.

-------- The man was a scholar and an archeologist who was supposed to attend a meeting with his fellow scholars concerning old and new discoveries meant to be recorded. This man had researched on mythological and legendary beasts that roamed their world. Throughout the travel, Naruto had taken interest of the old man's knowledge concerning such creatures. He had asked about the Kyubi and its origin. The old man gladly took the role of lecturer.

Naruto's students listened with equal interest, unknowing to the reason why their sensei seemed to drink from the old man's words. They have only entered the forest when the trees and the ground they walked on came to life and grappled each of Naruto's students.

The old man was safely pulled and lifted by Naruto as he jumped to the nearest boulder. Narrowing his eyes at the trees, he told his students to stop struggling and just listen. For awhile, they heard nothing. Each of the genins kept still until they managed to slide off the grappling trees by a simple kawarimi. But as soon as their feet had touched the ground, the trees moved again.

Naruto kept their client safely by his side and scowled at the situation. They couldn't attack if they couldn't see their enemy, and as much as he tried to look past the trees, not a shadow or flaw from the illusion was visible. His students managed pull another kawarimi but immediately jumped on solid boulders, following his example.

For the time being, staying on solid rock kept them safe but it worried Naruto that such attacks were too clean. Their mission was to keep the old scholar safe, and as long as they were still together, nothing should go wrong. Yet.

The old man clung to him like a paranoid child. Uncomfortable as it was, there were other things he should be worrying about than an old man clinging for dear life. The boulders his students were standing on shifted forms and they were the nins his team was up against. That illusionary grapple was Jounin skill, but he noticed that the nins only made sure his teammates couldn't move and did not hurt them.

Turning to the old man, Naruto was about to give an instruction to hold tight because he'd be jumping on higher ground. His words were cut short when he saw that the old man's grip on him wasn't out of fear for dear life.

Naruto pushed away a few seconds too late. The last of the five seals broke from his navel and he could feel the temperature of his body heat up to boiling point. His vision blurred with the sizzling steam lifting off his skin. Everything around him seemed to melt and above all the screams, he could hear the old man apologizing.

"This is my research…I am so sorry."

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