CHAPTER SIX
STRANGE REASON TO SMILE
"We've confirmed it: It's a ritual."
Iruka sat reading the contents of a small envelope as Kiba and Mai stood before him. They had just returned from the town morgue this noon – one of the few for some hundreds of miles radius – checking up the bodies that had been the unfortunate targets of the serial killer.
Mai, a fresh Chuunin, began: "Multiple organs had been removed, and there was no blood when the morgue people came round the scene. However the morgue officials did not see anything suspicious. It seemed to have been drained from those bodies for ritual purposes. Also, all these people had been born in the vicinity of the third and fifth moon. It fits the bill of a summoning jutsu."
Iruka stood up, nodding to himself. "I've been wondering how long I should keep silent about the whole thing."
Kiba and Mai looked at him, puzzled. "You knew?" Kiba asked, exasperated, when he realised what his senior meant. "Then, why –"
"I knew what the whole thing was, and why it happened. I sent you all on this only to confirm my theory. And other than that, the people at the morgue won't let me in. But that's another story," he added when Kiba moved to ask. "Mai, good job. Kiba, I would like you to see to the captive is released. He is not the maniac we're looking for; rather, he's only a tool. He was only a decoy for the real perpetrator to occupy our sights while he did his job."
"I – I don't see…" Mai said. "Then you've sent us on a wild goose chase!"
"It was a necessary goose chase," Iruka replied. "Besides, you learnt more of the ways of this maniac, didn't you? The birthdates are new to me."
"You said 'while he did his job'. Wasn't all those people he had killed was his entire job?" Kiba asked.
Iruka shook his head, the ponytail behind his head moving slightly. "The captive below really had nothing to do with the murders; he was merely a puppet. After being placed under this very strong genjutsu, that poor fella wandered about and killed systematically. This was so that the whole thing looked like the work of a serial killer, which it was.
"The common idea behind such plan is that when this decoy is caught and the arrest made public, everyone will relax their guards. While the real perpetrator laid in the background and waited for the right person to appear. And, unfortunately, he did appear this morning."
"He was killed?" asked Mai. "He was killed, right?"
Iruka nodded and gave the papers he had read to Kiba, who devoured the contents with wide eyes. "It happened this morning, in the bordering woods. Some women went out for mushrooms and found only skinless body. Carefully skinned off, done just like a fine taxidermist. His head was the only thing that remained intact, though the brain was removed."
Kiba gave the papers to Mai. "I understand now, Iruka-senpai. No wonder you hit the captive like hell. His blood was tainted by the genjutsu. You were cleaning his blood off the hallucinatory substances."
Iruka nodded. "Yep. One of that report you have, Mai, is the result of the analysis I sent earlier to Lord Funaki's medical jounins. From the blood texture and scent, they confirmed the presence of hallucinatory combinations of herbs in his blood. It's a kind of drug-aided genjutsu, one that needs nearly inactive participation from the user and only the drugs to do its job."
"But this genjutsu must be of a very high level!" Kiba exclaimed. "It must be very chakra-consuming. To be able to control someone from far and selectively killing people… this must be a very skilled person indeed."
"Or a shinobi," Iruka added, his voice deep and certain. "Lord Funaki's medical jounins (he had hired them to handle the morgue) told me yesterday that the complexity of the herbs combination presented quite a challenge, and that no ordinary person can mix them without getting a disastrous result. Except for a highly trained shinobi."
Kiba and Mai stood silently before Iruka. "We let him get away," Mai sighed in despair. "We let that monster get away by letting him fool us."
"True," Iruka said, moving to the screen door, "but we have him on the run now. Cheer up," he said to them, which truly shocked Kiba and Mai. "We'll get him next time."
When Iruka was long gone, Kiba asked her, "Did I hear him correctly? Did he say, 'Cheer up'?"
Mai nodded her head, still in disbelief.
"You're awfully cheerful."
Iruka looked at Lord Funaki. They were sitting in the game room overlooking a beautiful garden. Somewhere a bamboo pipe fell onto a stone and the beautiful sound it produced echoed briefly before became lost in the cool, late evening breeze. Grinning, Iruka carefully placed his piece of the Japanese chess on the board spread before them on a low table. At either side a cup of fragrant tea sat still and steamed slightly.
"I have the right to be."
Lord Funaki watched as Iruka drew himself back after placing his piece. Thinking while talking was something he had perfected into an art form. "But you didn't catch the culprit at all. If I were in your shoes, I don't think I should feel happy. I would start looking and hunting him down. Or her down, whichever that is."
He saw an opening and attacked, placing his knight there and continued staring at the board for a while more, as if trying to undo the previous move.
Iruka sipped the tea. "Let me remind you that this was your idea."
Eyes still on the board, Lord Funaki asked: "Can't I do it?"
"Well, of course you can, but when the host begins to question his guest in the manner you just did, I don't think that it's – polite."
Finally deciding that that move was the best, Lord Funaki's eyes moved to meet his. "What is it, then?"
"Truthfully? I think you're interrogating."
Lord Funaki leant back. "I'm merely curious as to why you're so cheerful after you failed a mission. An A-rank mission, I must add."
Iruka gave out a short, horse-like laugh. "Funaki, my dear friend, how long have you known me?"
"Ten years, maybe more."
"Then," Iruka said, as he placed his piece on the board, "you don't know me really good." He got up and bowed to him. "Thanks for the game; I've enjoyed it very much. And as for the mission, it's not over yet."
As Iruka left the room Lord Funaki glanced at the board. He smiled slightly. After ten years of his acquaintance with Iruka, this was the first time Iruka had caught him in a stalemate.
He felt like walking that night, so Iruka roamed the town. Preparations were being made to celebrate the annual Harvest Festival, and the town was alive with happenings and people. Children gathered around game booths with their parents, as some begged to have a nice candy stick or delicious rice balls. Their high-pitched voices filled the air, and so did the balloons. Iruka had placed his headband in his pocket, not because he feared to be discovered, but because he wanted to be ordinary people, just for tonight.
Iruka spied a stall at the junction before him and entered it. Two people were leaving, and bits of their conversations floated to his ear:
"… it's the greatest!"
"Yeah… this place…"
"Let's come here again sometime! ..."
"Sure, if you foot the bill…"
"What? I paid for us too just now!"
Iruka's eyes had drooped a bit and he was about to turn away when the voice of the stall owner stopped him. "Come on sir! We make the best ramen in this town! You won't regret it; in fact you'll remember it for the rest of your life!"
He stood still, uncertain, then to the owner's relief, he sat down and looked at the menu. "Give me two bowls of it with everything in it."
"Two, sir? Are you expecting someone?"
"No."
"Then I suggest you'll have a big bowl so you can have two ramen in it," the man said cheerfully.
Iruka looked up at the man, his eyes now thin slits filled with brown-black pupils. "I said, two – bowls – of – ramen – with – everything – in – it. What part didn't you get? Or do you need another hole for a new ear?"
The owner swallowed. "Two bowls it is, sir," he said in a low voice.
"Good. Don't hurry back."
Five minutes later the ramen arrived. Iruka stared at the bowl beside him and began eating in silence, with the owner watching him from behind a curtain with some fear.
He left the ramen stall leaving the second ramen untouched, but he broke the chopsticks in two, as if almost expecting it would be eaten before he walked out. Trying to get away from the crowd, he took a sharp turn at the end lane into a previously unexplored part of Yukihama.
Iruka walked on, lost in his thoughts that obviously dragged his emotions further down, from the way his forehead creased and his eyebrows furrowed into a straight line above his squinting eyes. He did not see where he was going, and he was walking against the stream of people who were going to the centre of the town. More than twice people bumped onto him and they apologised, but he ignored them.
At last Iruka snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up and with a wry smile noticed where he was: Etsuraku-Gai, which led to Yukihama's red-light district.
"What in the hell led me here?" Iruka asked himself, another wry smile tugging the corners of his lips. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked on and passed by the bright lights that decorated the inns and brothels. Beautiful ladies in various stages undress waved at him and the gawking men who were obviously spoilt for options, while some entered into these establishments without even glancing at the signs.
Iruka walked on, in his mind only one thing remained; to get a good drink. He had gone long enough – two weeks – without a decent bottle of sake or any form of liquor. Since Lord Funaki did not prefer to serve his guests those form of refreshments, Iruka had decided to keep his mouth shut about the offending teas; personally he hated teas.
A sign caught his attention:
DRINK ALL YOU WANT FROM ANYWHERE ON MY BODY!
Beside the katakana was drawn rather crudely a woman's body who was in a sitting position, her legs spread invitingly and enticingly. An old woman who was obviously a pimp saw Iruka and immediately rushed to him breathlessly.
"I assure you sir; all of my girls are clean and delicious."
"I'm not interested in your girls. I want –"
"Men, then? We also cater to those with other interests!"
Iruka narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm only here for a drink or two. Or more. What liquor do you have?"
She gave him a lopsided look that further crinkled her already wrinkled face. "Fine. Only drinks then. That'll be an extra twenty."
Iruka was led inside a dark building, lit only by red-and-neon-green lights and after passing by so many rooms with various female and male voices that sounded as if they were in pain – or pleasure, Iruka decided not to care – they arrived at a small room with a single light at the wall and a lone chair with a very wide table. "So what's your poison?"
Iruka told her and soon she went and returned with three bottles of them. His eyes lit up as he sniffed at them, and almost immediately began to drink. The old woman shrugged her shoulders and closed the door behind her.
When the second bottle was almost empty, Iruka noticed that someone was at the door. "Hey, old lady," he called out, half-drunkenly, "two more bottles!"
The door opened and closed, and Iruka noticed that this person was taller than the old woman just now. Even with his head muddled by the alcohol, he could still clearly see this woman under the single bulb light. She had two ponytails on each side of her head, a sweet small mouth and those luscious lips that shone slightly under the light. Her eyes were in shadows, while she was wearing a small piece of cloth that covered her ample breasts. She wore a simple pair of pants, the now-you-see-now-you-don't kind of pants. Very teasing.
"Hey, hey," Iruka said as he rose toward the door. "I don't call on any girls. Get out now."
She grabbed his hand as he stepped outside. "Don't," she simply said.
"What do you mean, don't? I don't call for a girl and I won't pay you."
"I'm not here to entertain you either," she said. "Please, sit down."
"Who are you?" Iruka said. He squinted, and immediately her features came into clear, sharp focus. There were lines just below her eyes and on both her cheeks. That made his eyes grew wide.
"Who are you?!" Iruka asked, suddenly became violent. He turned away from the door and grabbed her shoulders tightly. "What do you mean by decorating yourself with" – he poked at the lines – "with these!? What – why are you doing this?!"
She merely smiled, though the grip on her shoulders was already leaving marks on her skin. "These are not decorations. They're there since I was born, Iruka-sensei."
As if stung by a scorpion, Iruka released the woman. His eyes were wide and bloodshot and suspicious. "Who are you?!" he demanded. His hands fell on his sides, flexing and restless.
"Don't fool yourself any longer, sensei. It's me," she said, looking back at him with an open expression and a sad smile. "I'm Naruto."
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, something flew toward the woman. With a flick of her elegant wrists she caught four kunai in between each finger, for each hand. Iruka stared at her, his hands dove back inside his kunai case but his fingers could only feel space and emptiness. His throat felt dry and words fought to be said in his chest, but dumbness locked his jaw. Naruto played with the kunai in his/her hand for a moment before letting them fall down and gave Iruka another sad look.
"You – monster!" Iruka said breathlessly. He moved around toward the chair where he sat just now and grabbed an empty bottle off the table. "Get away from me! Get away, you fucking demented monster!"
Naruto walked toward him as if Iruka's anger had no effect on him/her. "Sensei, looks like you're still angry about what happened to me and Sasuke and your friends."
Iruka smashed the bottle and waved the broken and at his/her face, dangerously close. "Don't come any closer, you –"
"I don't blame you for feeling this way, but there were more important things I had to do back then –"
"Don't COME ANY CLOSER!" The broken end was very close; it almost grazed his/her fine nose. Iruka breathed irregularly and swallowed while Naruto continued to stare at him, mouth open slightly, small breaths escaped in regular intervals.
"I did what I wanted to do – to protect everything I hold precious." He/she moved even closer, ignoring the sharp edges of the fine white broken bottle. "In that order, I did what I had to do, and though I succeeded –"
"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER!"
With that Iruka pulled the broken bottle away from his/her face and pushed it down to his/her stomach. There was a sudden stop which brought a perverted, brief smile to Iruka's now sweaty face, but then he realised it was Naruto's hand that made his hand stop, not his/her body as he had hoped. The broken tip was a hair's breadth away from where Iruka wanted it to be. Naruto smiled at Iruka.
"Do you want me dead so badly? Sensei, do you remember that I will not allow anyone to even touch a hair on your body? That is why I came here: to warn you, but you desire my life. Ah, well."
Iruka felt his hand was pulled forward, and suddenly his hand was covered with wet, sticky liquid that was both warm and repulsing. He felt a smile appeared briefly on his face and it was replaced by a full realisation of what had happened: he had just killed Naruto!
Naruto stared back at him with almost a sorry smile. "There you go, sensei. I did what you desire the most. How does it feel? How does it feel to be able to kill me, sensei?"
"No," came the almost inaudible reply.
Naruto shook his/her head. "Yes," he said, still smiling. "This is how it feels."
"No," Iruka said, then quickly became a crescendo of no repeated over and over again as Naruto fell on him. Iruka grabbed hold of the limp body and placed him/her on his lap. "No, Naruto, I – this is not how it's supposed to be, dammit!"
"It's okay, sensei," he/she replied, and coughed out blood. "I'm happy that you're satisfied. But there is something I have to give to you."
His/her shaky hand held up a small, blood-soaked paper. Iruka grabbed it and placed it in his pocket. "No, sensei, read it now."
Iruka nodded unwillingly. He unfolded it and read, now and then switching his attention to Naruto who urged him to finish reading it.
Iruka-sensei,
You're reading this because your life is in danger. I know that since a week ago you've been chasing a certain murderer whose modus operandi is draining the blood of his victim. Take note that this man is very dangerous and not even you can defeat him. He is not to be trifled with. Leave and return to Konoha Village and don't try to hunt him down. It will result in further unnecessary deaths, like what you've experienced here. I plead you to heed my words and leave this be. Leave this to me. Consider this as an act of atonement in exchange of what I have done in the past.
Naruto
Iruka turned to the woman in his lap. She was still smiling, and said:
"I'm sorry to deceive you like this, Iruka-sensei, but –"
There was a loud puff, and smoke followed, and Iruka was left alone.
He sat on the floor with his back to the chair, feeling empty and clueless. He reread the letter, and noted with slight smile that under the name there was a small spiral drawn neatly.
All of a sudden Iruka smiled. He shook his head and crumpled the letter in his hands. "Whatever happens, Naruto," he whispered to himself, "you're still my student. Don't blame me for everything."
Kiba was dreaming of running in wide open fields with dogs, dogs and more dogs when suddenly someone pulled him off his bed. "What the –" he looked up and saw Iruka's silhouette. "Senpai…"
"Get up. We're leaving."
"What? NOW?"
"Yes."
"But why? It's not dawn yet."
"We're going to hunt another monster."
When he said those words, Kiba felt the same fear rose in his throat again, the same fear he had felt when watching Iruka torture the man. But he only said:
"Yes, senpai."
There he is.
Naruto ran swiftly and stealthily toward the walking white figure. Without a scream or a cry he leapt and grabbed hold of the figure and gripped his chest tight, not willing to let go. They rolled on the ground a few times before stopping completely while the figure struggled to fight off his bear hug.
"You've done – too much damage," Naruto said as he tightened his grip. "I won't let you continue this anymore."
"No," the figure protested with a male voice. Under the moonlight Naruto caught a gleam of metal and suddenly his arms felt as if they were on fire. Biting his lips to fend off the crawling pain in his nerves, he tightened his hug further.
More fiery pain rained onto his arms, increasing in both frequency and momentum. With a loud roar Naruto stood up, and with the man in front of him, ran straight toward the nearest biggest tree. There was a dull crack and his roars and the man's screams suddenly stopped.
Catching his breath, Naruto stepped back and released his arms. The man fell in a lifeless heap before him. He looked at the body with a wide grin and wiped his bloodied arms. Slowly, though, he felt something pierced his insides.
"Damn! So he used some kind of poison on those scalpels," Naruto said to himself as he fell backward and slowly let the Kyuubi's chakra healed him. He could see steam rising out of the holes on his arms that was made by the scalpel. In time they will heal completely, but now, he had to stay inert. The moon was covered by clouds just now, and that would effectively cover him.
"You are still as reckless as ever, Naruto-kun. And even more careless."
His eyes opened wide. When he wanted to sit up, a hand came from behind him and tapped the back of his neck. He fell backward again and onto the ground, trying to move his limbs, but none responded to his will. "You're – alive?" he hoarsely asked. "Then –"
"A simple surgical feat," the man said with a small smile. Just then the lifeless heap at the tree suddenly sprang up to stand, although his neck was broken and twisted. Naruto only noticed now that there was no blood anywhere on the body. That should have been a clue that something was amiss…
"You see now? It is simple, really. Like the time I tricked your ex-sensei, Kakashi. Ah, Naruto, you're still the same fool I saw ten-plus years ago. And here you're trying to stop me?" The man laughed, as suddenly the clouds decided to drift away from the moon, and thus revealing his face to Naruto. He slicked back his long grey hair and adjusted his round glasses. "You're still a joke."
"Damn you," Naruto said, "damn you, Kabuto."
To Be Continued...