NARUTO © Kishimoto Masashi • Shueisha • Studio Pierrot • TV Tokyo. All rights reserved. Non-profit fun ahead!
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Against the Tide
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Chapter Ten
"A full moon?" Kakashi repeated with slight disbelief. He glanced once at Iruka, who nodded and immediately exited the room. The two boys stared at the sight, neither knowing what to make of it. "Come on, boys," Kakashi gestured to the table, "sit down, and we'll talk further."
Noiselessly, both boys moved towards the chairs. Naruto sat himself down and quickly spoke up, "I saw it too, Kakashi-sensei! It was true! There was this really red moon in the sky when--OW!!"
"Shut up, moron!" Sasuke turned his face towards Naruto and whispered very quietly. For the first time since his induction into the department he was grateful that the table width was generously large. "He's not supposed to know about that!" He continued, and Naruto's eyes widened in sudden realisation. He scrunched his face up sheepishly.
"Oh?" Kakashi, however, was not a Jounin for nothing. "What am I not supposed to know about, if you don't mind my nose poking into your affairs?"
"No-nothing!" Naruto quickly responded, earning him a warning glare from Sasuke. If Kakashi ever did find out about the Kinjutsu, he was going to punish them both severely, and he knew it. It was goodwill on Hinata's part that she said she wouldn't report it. Now they couldn't risk ruining it by having Naruto spill it all out within the first few paragraphs of their meeting!
"She remembered something," Sasuke interceded in what he hoped was a calm, monotonous tone of voice. Folding his arms across his chest and looking away, he proceeded, "it was one of the night of the bazaars that she got attacked. There was a full moon in the sky that night."
"A full moon during the bazaar..." Kakashi turned thoughtful. "Do you know what day it was, Sasuke?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"Kakashi-san," Iruka burst into the room with more documents and addressed his superior without delay. He did not wait for a respond, rounding the table and placing the files before the Jounin. "I've checked. There was a full moon during one of the days of the bazaar all right. But the thing is..." the Chuunin extracted a piece of paper from the stack and frowned at it.
"But the thing is?" Kakahi prompted, when the silence stretched far too long for his liking.
Iruka finished reading the last line on the page he had picked, in confirmation of what he wanted to say. He lifted his eyes and stared seriously at the other occupants in the room.
"The thing is, that according to the meteorology department, the Konoha night skies have been enshrouded with thick, mist clouds since nearly six months ago.
Kakashi took a silent glance at the document that had been placed before him. "Half a year ago, huh..." he swept a palm over his face. "... that's about when this whole Mizu-Youma fiasco started..."
"If there were thick mist-clouds, how is it that Sakura could see the moon?" Sasuke frowned.
"Maybe she remembered wrongly," Kakashi shrugged, closing the document and returning it to Iruka. "She could have made things up so that you boys had something to report to me about - no big deal..."
"She didn't!" Naruto's angered voice echoed throughout the rather large but empty meeting room. Iruka and Kakashi stared at him with surprise, whereas Sasuke groaned and buried his head in his palms. "I was there with her! I saw it too! The skies were really clear and there was a full red moon in the sky, right behind the police headquarters!" He frantically gestured, ignoring the dumbstruck looks on both Iruka and Kakashi's faces. "That big shadowy thing was creepy! It had fangs and was drooling all over! And it could talk! It was saying something like... err..."
"Naruto!" Iruka's horrified voice interrupted the blond, who blinked questioningly at him. "You didn't!" He mouthed.
"I didn't?" Naruto frowned in confusion.
"The Kinjutsu!" Iruka shook his head, eyes still wide with disbelief. "I thought I told you that those Jutsus are dangerous and have harmful side effects, and that you should never-!!"
Kakashi had reached out while Iruka was trying to scold Naruto for doing something he shouldn't. His palm stretched out before Iruka in a motion that suggested for a pause. Iruka took a deep breath, pausing in his ranting, and turned to look at him.
"What did the thing say, Naruto?" Kakashi's face was unreadable, although there was an evident frown touching his eye.
"Something about... Sakura-chan will be the one who will lead him to the source of endless Chakra?" He folded his arms across his chest and pouted. "Hmm... not that I know what it means, but yeah, it was something like that."
The last thing Sasuke remembered of that particular meeting was Kakashi's open frowning, Iruka's terrifyingly pale facade, and how the room atmosphere suddenly turned frighteningly cold and dangerous.
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The boys were shooed out of the room with some curt, simple instructions, leaving only the adults and their heavy thoughts behind. Kakashi had taken to tapping his pen on the table in a constant, dull melody; and Iruka hovered behind him quietly, waiting for him to speak first - knowing that he would.
And he did.
"This case was only assigned to us after Sakura's attack was classified as a direct challenge to the Taiyoubu, seeing how many teams of normal Jounin have not been able to solve it..." Kakashi began, slow, steady, meaningfully. "Otherwise it only a normal A-rank mission. The Taiyoubu rules dictate that any Shinobi taking on missions ranked A and above must be accompanied by a Youma-Ningen."
"Naruto was the only Youma-Ningen available in the entire research faculty for these past few months," Iruka frowned, as he caught on to Kakashi's line of thought.
The Jounin briefly glanced at Iruka, then returned to staring at nothing and continued, "Red moon. Source of endless chakra. A Genjutsu only Naruto could break through with his Kinjutsu..." He swung off the chair and stood up quickly, hands on the table, still pondering over something. "... the similarities are uncanny, but we mustn't jump to conclusions."
Two pairs of eyes met each other in a semi-knowing look.
"After all, how could a mere water demon think of wanting to control the explosive Chakra of the Kyuubi?"
Iruka looked doubtful. For a moment, he almost thought Kakashi was trying to comfort him about Naruto. "One more trip to the library it is, then?" He asked with a smile.
Kakashi sighed at the thought.
"Yeah. One more trip to the library, it seems."
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Sasuke let out a sigh of mixed relief and concern. He stretched, finding to his surprise that he was beginning to view sunlight as enjoyable. Scoffing slightly at the mere thought, he leaned forward on the bench he was seated on, folding his arms so that his elbows rested on his thighs. Just about a week ago, there had been a large bazaar in this park. The rubbish had yet to be completely cleared.
"Saaasukeee!!" A loud and familiar voice drew him out of his thoughts. Sasuke glanced slightly to his left. He could see a ball of orange and yellow hurtling towards the bench at high speed. For a terrifying moment, he wondered if he should throw some shurikens at the danger hazard. That moment soon passed, however, when Naruto came to a screeching halt before him. The blond grinned maniacally, flashing the victory-sign at Sasuke. "Mission accomplished!"
Sasuke was momentarily stunned at the declaration. Then he remembered that he had asked Naruto to scout around the area, ask the people if they had seen a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked - the blond had been whining to do something since they were quite literally booted out of the meeting room by Kakashi. Sasuke sighed.
"Good," he said, not entirely sure if he meant the commendation. He moved to the side of the bench so Naruto had space to sit, "so what did you find out?"
"Nothing we don't already know," Naruto kicked his feet outwards and leaned back so much that his head went way over the backrest and now stared at the bright, blue sky. "They hardly noticed the sky, but those who did were dead certain that they saw nothing but mist clouds."
Sasuke thought over this new tidbit carefully. This could only mean that Sakura saw a Genjutsu of sorts. But why would a demon go through all this trouble of setting up an elaborate Genjutsu just to attack a young girl who could bring him no benefit? Sakura could lead the water demon to the source of endless Chakra, was what the shadowy figure had said. But how? Background checks on Sakura by Kakashi had landed them back to square one. Sakura was as normal as the random girl on the street. He was unable to come up with a satisfactory answer with the information he currently had on hand.
"Heey, Shikamaru!!" It was Naruto's voice again. Sasuke perked up despite himself. He had grown to acknowledge Shikamaru as an intelligent, trustworthy colleague since the slideshow event and did not particularly mind talking with the patrol guard again.
From about two lampposts apart, Shikamaru noticed the duo. He slowly made his way over with his patrol partner, currently stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips.
"Yo," he greeted simply, stopping a short distance in front of the bench. Naruto grinned and Sasuke nodded. "Whaccha both doing out here? No mission objective today?" He raised an eyebrow in query.
"Kakashi-sensei asked us to ask the people in the park if they remember seeing the full moon some nights ago," Naruto stated with a shrug. "I dunno, he seemed pretty eager to get rid of us just now, so we just left."
"I see," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, glancing at a spot in the distance. It was like he was not really listening at all.
"Weren't we on patrol in the park area for the past few weeks, Shikamaru?" His partner stopped munching chips and quipped.
"Maybe," came the half-hearted reply.
Naruto squinted at the slightly more plump boy. "Ah!!" He suddenly exclaimed. "You're that big guy in the canteen the other day! Chouji!"
In response, Chouji tilted his head towards Naruto. "You still remember my name." He grinned. His expressions turned serious, however, as he carried on, "We were patrolling this area for the past few weeks. I don't really look at the sky when we patrol, but I'm pretty sure I never saw a full moon... or any moon at all, for that matter." He stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth and crunched on them. "Hope that helps!"
"Aaah" Shikamaru had stopped daydreaming and now returned his attention to the conversation. "You guys really are very troublesome," he sighed. "There has been no clear night sky in Konoha for exactly six months and thirty days now. Within the first few minutes of the setting sun, thick mist clouds will have covered the entire sky from end to end of the village. This condition persisted on the presumed night of attack on Haruno Sakura as well. There was no visible moon in the sky from this park. The only location in Konoha where the night sky is visible nowadays is atop the monument and nowhere else." He breathed. "Was that the information you needed?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke were stunned. "Err..." Naruto responded on pure reflex alone, "... yeah?"
"Good," Shikamaru yawned and gestured at Chouji. "C'mon Chouji, let's go... wanna finish this before lunch so I can go laze around a bit..." His voice gradually faded, as he moved away.
Chouji glanced once at Shikamaru, turned to smile at the duo still sitting on the bench, and ran off after his partner. "Hey, Shikamaru! Wait up! What about that BBQ treat you promised me?"
For a while, only the sounds of chirping birds remained with the pair.
Then, "Well, at least now we're /sure/ there was no moon in the sky during the night of the attack..."
Almost immediately, Sasuke bapped the blond upside the head.
"Ow! HEY!!" Naruto jumped to his feet and screeched. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
"Brainless." Sasuke concluded succintly. He then stood and moved off towards a seemingly random direction.
"I didn't say anything wrong!" Naruto defended loudly, scurrying after Sasuke. "It's true that the moon wasn't there when Sakura-chan was attacked! Shikamaru said it!"
"I know that!" Sasuke replied with sheer exasperation. "Didn't you also catch that he said something else that is going to be of far greater value as information than 'the moon was not there that night'?!"
"Of course I!!" Naruto opened his mouth to say no, but realised that it would make him look very bad and so turned away with a loud snort. "HMPH!! If you're so clever why don't you tell me?!"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke simply continued his trek. Naruto followed behind, glowering with slight humiliation.
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It turned out that Sasuke was trying to locate the nearest telephone booth. Finding which, he had given Kakashi a call, only to find out that he was no longer in the headquarters - and neither was Iruka. Unsure of what to do next, the two boys had headed down to the only other location they could possibly have any business in - the hospital.
Sakura was in good health, and still recognised them. She, however, could not recall anything about the day Naruto dug into her memories with the Kinjutsu. Her head now throbbed with greater pain, but she firmly insisted that whatever she had done, she had no regrets; even if she could not remember it. They squandered a great amount of time there, sharing theories about the attack. Naruto and Sasuke were both impressed that Sakura was a lot brighter than they had given her credit for. When late afternoon rolled by, Sasuke stood abruptly and bade Sakura good bye, surprising even Naruto. Then, the duo had exited the hospital and restarted their trek.
They arrived at the monument just as the sun was setting.
The wind was strong, but refreshing and comfortable. After scaling the wall, Sasuke took a seat on the huge ledge just above the heads of the Third and Fourth Hokages. The ledge also had an open-entry tent, two drink vending machines, and a very good view of the sunset. Settling down somewhere near the drink vending machine, Sasuke leaned backwards against the cliff face and let out a long sigh.
"Watch it, Sasuke," Naruto sat down beside him cross-legged and made a face. "You're beginning to behave like a forty-year-old man nearing retirement."
Sasuke glared at him. Turning back around to stare at the setting sun, he asked, "Well, idiot? Figured out why we're here yet?"
Instead of being offended, Naruto actually got more excited. "Oh oh! Yes, yes!" He bounced about as much as he could seated down. "We're here because you're finally convinced that I'm so much stronger than you and will become Hokage one day, so you want to tell me where you're going to help carve my face on the wall!"
Sasuke growled, then socked Naruto lightly in the jaw. "No, you little twerp," he harshly rebutted, "we're here because Shikamaru said this is the only spot in all of Konoha where we can see the night sky without the clouds surrounding it! Get it now?"
Naruto was still rubbing his sore jaw. "Hey, I knew that!" He tried to complain, but knew that anything else would make him sound even sillier, so did not continue. He stared into the distance and pouted. "But what for? S'not like we could find anything out by determining whether or not we can see the moon from the monument..."
"We're going to try to determine if it was really a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked," Sasuke announced, ignoring Naruto's inane remarks for now. "And if we can really see the night sky from here."
Naruto frowned. "You don't make sense."
Sasuke snorted. "Not to you."
"Grr!" Naruto replied, then they fell into companionable silence. The setting sun cast a warm, comfortable glow over the duo. It was almost as if a word more would break the tranquility of the scene.
Naruto got up sometime after the sky turned a blue tinge and dark clouds began to spread over the village. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and was analysing the clouds, while Naruto hovered over the vending machines. Although Sasuke appreciated the peace, he did not find it comfortable that Naruto was being so quiet. That usually meant that he was about to pull a grand, colossal prank, or get into trouble of some sort. He immediately tensed, therefore, when he heard the sound of tin cans falling through the vending machine, then found himself the receipient of a cold, sweating can of soft drink.
He stared at Naruto with a huge frown.
"What?" Naruto frowned back, tossing the drink into Sasuke's lap nevertheless and taking a seat again. "It came straight from the machine. I couldn't have done anything to it."
Sasuke examined the can very carefully. "Not with your level of skill, you can't," he concluded, then opened the can and took a tentative sip.
Already dunking half the contents of the can into his mouth when Sasuke said that, it took all of Naruto's self control not to gag and spit all the water in his mouth out in Sasuke's face. He struggled with the liquid for what seemed like an eternity, before finally swallowing it all down in one lump. Wiping his lips angrily, he spat, "Just what the hell is your problem anyway?! Do you really need me here or not?!"
Sasuke's eyes never left the horizon. The can drink was poised near his lips, but he had not taken another sip since the first. "Kakashi said we're not supposed to work individually," he murmured eventually, lowering the drink in his hands.
"It's not work if I'm not doing anything!!" Naruto screeched.
This time, Sasuke tore his glance away from the distance and turned to look at Naruto. He sighed. "Yeah, right, I keep forgetting. You're not just stupid - you're abnormally stupid." He pointed at the sky before Naruto could protest. "That is the sky you see there. Since you've been in Sakura's memories before, you might want to make yourself useful by telling me if that's the same sky you saw, dimwit."
"Don't call me a dimwit!" Naruto growled back immediately. "And how would I know if the sky was the same or not! All skies look the same, hello?"
"Well why don't you look out for /landmarks/ then?" Sasuke leaned towards the blond and pinned him with a glare. "How about the abnormal colour? Or the placement of the stars - oh, sorry, you probably don't know about that. Hey, I know!" The Uchiha made a mock sound of sudden revelation. "I'll bet you the crimson red moon could a sign of something, couldn't it?"
Naruto tried to say something, but ended up balling his fists and grabbing streaks of his hair. "ARGH!" He yelled, as loudly as he could, into Sasuke's ear. "You're the most irritating person in the whole village!"
"I'm afraid that title belongs to you," Sasuke scoffed, taking another sip from the can in his hands.
"SERIOUSLY!" Naruto continued shouting. "I don't know how Kakashi-sensei manages to put up with you half the time! I don't know how Shikamaru and the rest of the people in the force puts up with you half the time! I don't know how your previous partners manage to put up with you half the time! And I don't know why /I/ should put up with you anymore!"
"Kakashi is a freak, Shikamaru and the rest are more intelligent than you ever will be," Sasuke calmly and coolly replied each of Naruto's rhetorical questions, "and my previous partners..." he paused with a gasp, but quickly masked over his surprise and continued, "... are all dead. And as for you. You're an idiot. No other reason needed."
By the time Sasuke deadpanned that his previous partners were all dead, Naruto was stunned into absolute silence. Iruka's words about the Hebi-Youma's curse came rushing back to him in full force, and he felt a twinge of pity for the boy. That bit, of course, was wiped out the instant Sasuke pronounced him an idiot. He grumbled, but this time did not snap back.
"Hmph!" Naruto leant back and stared at the night sky instead. "I bet you drove them all to death with that stupid holier-than-thou attitude of yours!" He blurted, without really intending to. Quickly realising it, though, he slapped a hand over his mouth. His eyes reflected instant regret. He stole a fearful glance at Sasuke, tensing up so that he could make an immediate run for it should Sasuke attempt to murder him there and then. He was only slightly relieved to see that Sasuke had not moved from his position.
His eyes had reverted to their normal black, however.
And Naruto thought he looked so sad.
"It's true," Sasuke made a brave attempt to hold back the thick, heavy lump that was building in his throat. He swallowed, then continued softly, "I killed them all."
Naruto was shocked. "Sasuke..." he said, not knowing how else to respond.
The Uchiha turned away so that Naruto could not see his face. "I killed them all. Nobody partners Uchiha Sasuke and gets away alive." There was a short, painful pause, where the boy lowered his head. "... that's why I didn't want anymore partners... didn't need to see someone important die again..."
Sasuke had whispered the last part in an undertone, but Naruto heard it clearly anyway.
The blond glanced outward at the evening sky, that was quickly being dissolved by the night.
"I heard about your curse," he started, unaware of the sudden jump in Sasuke's shoulders, "from Iruka-sensei." Lowering his eyes so that they looked at his palms, he sighed. "I'm Youma-Ningen. I know all about that curse. It's not a curse I'd use on somebody - because it's just sadistic torture anyway I see it. If it were me, I'd have just given you a blow to the heart-" he demonstrated by striking out at the air in front of him, "...and be done with it. I mean, really." He pouted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Silent all this while, Sasuke spoke up at this. "What has your knowing about my curse has to do with anything, dumbass?"
In the course of being flooded with anger and frustration, Naruto completely missed the hopeful tone of voice Sasuke had used. "Just... argh! I'm bad at expressing myself, okay?!" Naruto told himself internally again and again to keep calm, and to think of how mad Iruka would be if he punched Sasuke again. "Sasuke," he eventually said, after he felt he was cool-headed enough. "You may not think it this way, but you know... you and I... we're so alike."
"I'm not dumb."
"Yeah except that part-... oh hey. Wait. ARGH! Can't you shut up and let me finish first?!" Naruto growled angrily.
Sasuke merely shrugged. "I don't see how we're even a single bit alike."
"It's not something you can /see/!" Naruto snapped, balling his hands into fists again. "It's just a feeling! Something inside you that tells you hey, this is how it goes! Don't you feel like that sometimes too?"
Sasuke did not respond, although he kept glancing at Naruto.
"Anyway!" The blond proceeded, crossing his hands over his chest in a huff. "If it's the curse you're so worried about, I'll have you know that I have a damned curse on me too and I'm not even half the asshole you are!" He stuck a tongue out at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. The blond's eyes turned sad, however, when he next said, "...Nobody likes the Kyuubi inside me... so nobody cared... if I should live or die. I had no friends... not even among the other Younin. They all thought I was some freak, because I was the monster that nearly destroyed Konoha sixteen years ago, you know?" He chuckled blandly.
"I never had friends, okay? That's why I don't always know the right thing to say. Or the right things to do. And I... I'm always saying things I don't mean... and I..."
"What are you getting at, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, softly. Quietly.
Offended at the interruption, Naruto shot Sasuke an unhappy glare. Closing his eyes, he leaned slightly backwards.
"What I'm getting at," he said, equally softly, "is that you're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend. Or something. You're all alone in this whole world..." Naruto's voice turned wistful. "...you and I both..." He glanced sidelong at Sasuke. "We may not like each other a whole lot but at least I know I can trust you to watch my back. And Iruka-sensei always teaches me that friends should never let one another down." He flashed a thumbs up at Sasuke. "It's just one mission, Sasuke. As long as you and I stick close together, nobody's going to harm us. I won't die, and you'll be free of that curse before you can say bye bye to me!"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. A slight blush creeped over his features, which was barely masked by the moonlight. "Stupid!" He cursed, not meaning it at all. "What makes you think I'll be any happier to see the likes of /you/ alive?!"
Naruto's grin did not falter a bit.
"And what did you mean, I'll be freed from the curse?" Sasuke's mind hung on to the other thing that had bothered him during Naruto's speech. "You don't mean... that the curse... can be... can be lifted?"
Naruto creased his face into a random lour. "What are you talking about?" He sounded miffed. "Of course the curse can be lifted. All curses have a cure somewhere out there. So does the curse of the Hebi-Youma, even though it's a bit more abstract..."
Sasuke nearly wanted to pounce on Naruto, but quickly composed himself and stared with anticipation at him instead. "What's the cure?! Tell me now!"
"Yeah yeah, I was about to!" Naruto grumbled, shifting slightly backwards subconsciously. After putting adequate distance between himself and Sasuke, he said, "The cure is rather strange, but makes quite a lot of sense if you asked me," he shrugged. "There's only one thing you need to do." He waved a finger. "You need to make sure that your closest friend doesn't fall to the effects of the curse within a stipulated period of time. Once it's over, the curse will be lifted, and the mark will be gone."
Sasuke was so excited about this new development that he was frightened. He grabbed Naruto's wrist tightly and pulled him slightly closer. "Are you sure?" He asked, unable to stop his voice from shaking. "What... what else is necessary? It can't just be that easy!"
"S'up to you if you wanna believe me or not," Naruto shook his arm free. "I had some Hebi-Younin roommates before they went extinct, so I learned a few things from them."
There was hope glimmering in Sasuke's eyes. "How long is that 'stipulated time period'?"
"Now that is a bit subjective," Naruto tilted his head to a side. "The Younin told me no specific time period, but if you ask me," Naruto proudly pointed at himself with his thumb, "It just means one thing, doesn't it? As long as your closest friend stays alive all the time, then the curse'll definitely be lifted one day or another! Isn't that easier to understand?"
For a split second, Sasuke almost opened his mouth to agree with Naruto. He gaped and held his tongue, however, when he realised who it was he was going to agree with. Jerking his head away, he mumbled, "...logic only an idiot like you can come up with."
"HEY!" Naruto leapt to his feet. "I was only trying to help, ungrateful bastard! See if I ever tell you anything again! Hmph!!" He turned and looked in the opposite direction Sasuke was looking at, fuming with rage.
There was a long silence.
Then shuffling sounds came from Sasuke's general direction.
"Sorry."
Although barely a whisper carried to his ears by the night breeze, Naruto immediately perked up. He grinned slyly and cocked his ears. "Huh? Whaa? I didn't hear that, Sasuke. Mind repeating it again?"
The Uchiha shot him a lethal glare. "Too bad," he said sternly, and returned to staring at the horizon. Naruto, however, was too much in glee to be offended.
"The great Uchiha Sasuke apologised!" Naruto hooted. "Maybe the curse'll be gone after all!"
"Shut up," Sasuke said automatically, not really meaning it. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "... I don't have a close friend," the Uchiha added as an afterthought. "...curse is not gonna be lifted..."
If he had to be entirely frank with himself, Naruto knew he felt slightly hurt at that comment. He perked up and wore his usual smiling mask, however, while slapping Sasuke on his back and saying, "Don't worry pal, I know what you mean. Bastards like you couldn't get a friend even if you tried! S'okay! With the mighty Uzumaki Naruto around, you can be sure we'll find you a friend in no time! Then this mission won't be that much of a bugger after all!"
Sasuke gave a noisy, deliberate sigh of contempt and displeasure.
"Hey look!" Naruto's attention was suddenly on something else. He pointed at the sky. "The moon! It's... It's so red!"
Sasuke cash his deep ponderings aside and quickly looked in the direction of Naruto's point. Sure enough, there was a red moon hanging clearly in the night sky, looking down upon the village with what seemed like deep disapproval. Thick clouds had surrounded the village yet again, so much so that both boys found it hard to see a rooftop from the monument, even if they squinted. Immediately suspicious, Sasuke turned on the Sharingan. He scanned through the terrain carefully, leaving Naruto to stare at the moon the whole time.
When he was finally done with his examination, Sasuke leaned backwards to rest his back on the cliff face. Naruto also broke off from staring at the moon to return to bugging the Uchiha. "Sasuke, Sasuke!" He tugged the boy's sleeve excitedly. "That's the same moon! That's the same moon I saw in Sakura's memories! I have no doubt! It even gives off the same kind of Chakra!"
Sasuke nodded. "That moon - it's a Genjutsu. Those clouds are the normal monsoon clouds that blow over from the Country of Sand during this season. Although it's lasted a bit longer than it should, it's provided a perfect cover for the Mizu-Youma to activate this elaborate Genjutsu."
"Why does the water demon need to use such a grand illusion for?" Naruto frowned. "It makes no sense to project such a great Genjutsu if he's not going to use it."
"For ease of use and reach, I'm assuming," Sasuke stood up and dusted his pants. He closed his eyes. "He's getting everybody used to it so that when the real thing happens, nobody's worried anymore." Slowly opening his eyes, the Sharingan dots began to spiral around. "Which is not good, because this means we're dealing with a demon whose powers are way above what we initially thought it to be." Turning his head slowly, he glanced at the village once again - this time through the eyes of the Mangekyou. "I see him. Naruto, grab a pen and paper and write the coordinates down," he instructed. As Naruto hurriedly withdrew said items from his backpack, Sasuke slowly iterated the location of the demon. Immediately after he finished, he closed his eyes and all but fell to the ground in a heap.
"Sasuke!!" Naruto panicked, not believing his eyes. Who would have known that the Uchiha could get tired? He all but jumped to the boy's side. "Sasuke, what's wrong?! Hey, wake up!!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake," Sasuke's muffled voice could be heard, as he lay face-down against the ground for a couple of seconds more. In a sudden movement, he placed his palms by his side and pushed upwards into a half kneel, rubbing his throbbing head. "Have you gotten the coordinates down?"
"Right here," Naruto brandished the notebook hesitantly. "Are you sure you're all right?" He asked suspiciously. Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at him.
"I don't need an idiot like you to worry about me, dumbass," he muttered, slowly rising to full height. Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, Naruto followed suit without loud protests. "We... We better go report this to Kakashi..."
Sasuke's first few steps were wobbly, but successful. His next few, however, saw that he almost crashed headlong against the cliff face. Putting a hand against the cliff, he attempted to concentrate on the path before him. It was a sheer drop down the monument if he missed a step, and the path down was not exactly the widest road in the village either. As he pondered his options, he felt a hand grab his right wrist and haul it over a shoulder. Slightly taken aback, he turned around to find himself face to face with a widely grinning Naruto.
"It's not teamwork if you're always trying to do things alone!" The blond immediately gushed, then hauled Sasuke alongside despite initial bodily struggles. The Uchiha soon calmed down from the embarrassment of having to get help from anybody. While he was still trapped as to whether he would push the blond away or simply relax and allow him to help, Naruto spoke up again. "That was actually pretty cool, you know."
Sasuke knew that the look on his face then conveyed the unspoken message of, 'What do you mean'.
"It's like, you know," Naruto pouted slightly and adjusted Sasuke's weight as they negotiated a dangerous curve along the mountain trail. "I would've never figured out the moon was a Genjutsu and all that stuff. How could you tell where the demon is anyway? Kakashi-sensei must've tried the same thing before, hasn't he?"
"If you're within the Genjutsu, plus all the clouds, you probably couldn't detect his Chakra," Sasuke explained slowly. "But on the monument, since we're free of clouds and can clearly see the Genjutsu, it's not that hard to scan for the source of the skill." He paused, then smiled slightly. "Remind me to give Shikamaru a treat when we get back to the station."
"Hell yeah!" Naruto brightened up more than it should be legally allowed. "We can always count on Shikamaru, yeah! He's the most reliable guy in the world!"
Although Sasuke did have a favourable impression of Shikamaru, he wondered how he could reconcile the usually lazy boy and the word reliable.
"But hey!" Naruto's loud voice invaded his ears once again. "Aren't we going to go after the demon now? Why are we heading back to the station? It wasn't easy for us to locate the thing!"
By this time, they had reached the foot of the monument. Sasuke immediately struggled out of Naruto's help and leaned against a nearby rock-mass. "You idiot," he shook his head at Naruto, who frowned and glared back. "Think before you act, really! I suppose the seemingly logical thing to do is to go after the demon right away, now that we have its location, but think about it some more, dimwit." He challenged Naruto's glare by staring back, hard. "The two of us, against a Mizu-Youma we know next to nothing about. This Youma is able to utilise a Genjutsu that can engulf an entire village, and yet keep it so much under control that no one has thought anything of it yet.
"All previous conclusions aside, I'd say this is a rather dangerous, high level Youma we're up against. We need to get back and give Kakashi some time to get a reevaluation on the rank of the mission, then we will know if Kakashi needs to be involved in some way or the other. We can't just go and attack the demon like this, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "if he retaliates and pulls a major part of Konoha into a Genjutsu, then what will we do? Are you going to be responsible for what happens after that?"
Mouth agape and eyes blinking, Naruto kept silent for a few seconds. After a while, he snorted and turned away, nose up in the air. "You're always so concerned and careful, Sasuke!" The blond declared. "You always make sure that you're absolutely safe - that you know everything and anything about an opponent before going in for the kill! And don't try to deny it!" He turned to look at the stunned Sasuke with a finger point.
"The reports of your old mission may not say much, but /this/ much they do say! Well you know what?" He frowned openly at his partner. "I think it's all bullshit. Sometimes you're not going to be able to tell how good or bad your opponent is. Then what happens? You stand there and eyeball each other? There's no win-win in a fight, Sasuke!" Naruto grounded on, with words of wisdom that belied his age and experience. Then the hard glare softened, and Naruto looked away. "You only win when the person or thing you were fighting to protect remains safe... your safety shouldn't matter more than that, Sasuke..."
There was silence.
"Hn," Sasuke closed his eyes. "Five hundred ryou says that that was a direct rip-off of one of Iruka-sensei's morning lectures." He opened his eyes just in time to catch Naruto's shoulders jump. The blond's expression slowly turned sheepish.
"Ahaha!" Naruto's loud laughter once again embraced the area. "Like ugh... Iruka-sensei repeated it so many times that I can give the speech as well already?" He tried to excuse himself.
"Whatever, idiot," Sasuke pushed off the rock-mass and stood, feeling a good part of his strength returning to him. "Look, I'm in no condition to travel to the forest by tonight, and in no condition to fight a high-level demon. So curse me if you want, but I don't need to end up having to pull the both of us down if we go into action tonight. We're trying to keep the casualty count down, not bump it up by adding ourselves to the list. I understand what you mean, but if this is a risk we don't need to take, then we won't take it. I-"
Sasuke suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in surprise at what he had been about to say. When Naruto glanced questioningly at him, he swore internally and said very softly, "... I don't want you to die." He saw Naruto's eyes widen, so he quickly added, "Because of random stupidity."
Naruto's straight-lined lip slowly curved upwards into a smile. He put both hands behind his head and grinned. "Hahah! Don't be stupid! I'm gonna live much much longer than you and you know it!"
The Uchiha shot his companion a look of disbelief, then sighed and started down the path. "Yeah, yeah," he patronised the blond, "let's go already."
Naruto grinned and followed his partner down the streets with large, bounding steps.
Though they strolled in silence and semi-darkness, they both remembered that night to be one of the brighter nights of their lives.
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1/10/2004
Part 11 of 16
(email XD!) XD (at) tougenkyou (dot) net
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Against the Tide
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Chapter Ten
"A full moon?" Kakashi repeated with slight disbelief. He glanced once at Iruka, who nodded and immediately exited the room. The two boys stared at the sight, neither knowing what to make of it. "Come on, boys," Kakashi gestured to the table, "sit down, and we'll talk further."
Noiselessly, both boys moved towards the chairs. Naruto sat himself down and quickly spoke up, "I saw it too, Kakashi-sensei! It was true! There was this really red moon in the sky when--OW!!"
"Shut up, moron!" Sasuke turned his face towards Naruto and whispered very quietly. For the first time since his induction into the department he was grateful that the table width was generously large. "He's not supposed to know about that!" He continued, and Naruto's eyes widened in sudden realisation. He scrunched his face up sheepishly.
"Oh?" Kakashi, however, was not a Jounin for nothing. "What am I not supposed to know about, if you don't mind my nose poking into your affairs?"
"No-nothing!" Naruto quickly responded, earning him a warning glare from Sasuke. If Kakashi ever did find out about the Kinjutsu, he was going to punish them both severely, and he knew it. It was goodwill on Hinata's part that she said she wouldn't report it. Now they couldn't risk ruining it by having Naruto spill it all out within the first few paragraphs of their meeting!
"She remembered something," Sasuke interceded in what he hoped was a calm, monotonous tone of voice. Folding his arms across his chest and looking away, he proceeded, "it was one of the night of the bazaars that she got attacked. There was a full moon in the sky that night."
"A full moon during the bazaar..." Kakashi turned thoughtful. "Do you know what day it was, Sasuke?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"Kakashi-san," Iruka burst into the room with more documents and addressed his superior without delay. He did not wait for a respond, rounding the table and placing the files before the Jounin. "I've checked. There was a full moon during one of the days of the bazaar all right. But the thing is..." the Chuunin extracted a piece of paper from the stack and frowned at it.
"But the thing is?" Kakahi prompted, when the silence stretched far too long for his liking.
Iruka finished reading the last line on the page he had picked, in confirmation of what he wanted to say. He lifted his eyes and stared seriously at the other occupants in the room.
"The thing is, that according to the meteorology department, the Konoha night skies have been enshrouded with thick, mist clouds since nearly six months ago.
Kakashi took a silent glance at the document that had been placed before him. "Half a year ago, huh..." he swept a palm over his face. "... that's about when this whole Mizu-Youma fiasco started..."
"If there were thick mist-clouds, how is it that Sakura could see the moon?" Sasuke frowned.
"Maybe she remembered wrongly," Kakashi shrugged, closing the document and returning it to Iruka. "She could have made things up so that you boys had something to report to me about - no big deal..."
"She didn't!" Naruto's angered voice echoed throughout the rather large but empty meeting room. Iruka and Kakashi stared at him with surprise, whereas Sasuke groaned and buried his head in his palms. "I was there with her! I saw it too! The skies were really clear and there was a full red moon in the sky, right behind the police headquarters!" He frantically gestured, ignoring the dumbstruck looks on both Iruka and Kakashi's faces. "That big shadowy thing was creepy! It had fangs and was drooling all over! And it could talk! It was saying something like... err..."
"Naruto!" Iruka's horrified voice interrupted the blond, who blinked questioningly at him. "You didn't!" He mouthed.
"I didn't?" Naruto frowned in confusion.
"The Kinjutsu!" Iruka shook his head, eyes still wide with disbelief. "I thought I told you that those Jutsus are dangerous and have harmful side effects, and that you should never-!!"
Kakashi had reached out while Iruka was trying to scold Naruto for doing something he shouldn't. His palm stretched out before Iruka in a motion that suggested for a pause. Iruka took a deep breath, pausing in his ranting, and turned to look at him.
"What did the thing say, Naruto?" Kakashi's face was unreadable, although there was an evident frown touching his eye.
"Something about... Sakura-chan will be the one who will lead him to the source of endless Chakra?" He folded his arms across his chest and pouted. "Hmm... not that I know what it means, but yeah, it was something like that."
The last thing Sasuke remembered of that particular meeting was Kakashi's open frowning, Iruka's terrifyingly pale facade, and how the room atmosphere suddenly turned frighteningly cold and dangerous.
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The boys were shooed out of the room with some curt, simple instructions, leaving only the adults and their heavy thoughts behind. Kakashi had taken to tapping his pen on the table in a constant, dull melody; and Iruka hovered behind him quietly, waiting for him to speak first - knowing that he would.
And he did.
"This case was only assigned to us after Sakura's attack was classified as a direct challenge to the Taiyoubu, seeing how many teams of normal Jounin have not been able to solve it..." Kakashi began, slow, steady, meaningfully. "Otherwise it only a normal A-rank mission. The Taiyoubu rules dictate that any Shinobi taking on missions ranked A and above must be accompanied by a Youma-Ningen."
"Naruto was the only Youma-Ningen available in the entire research faculty for these past few months," Iruka frowned, as he caught on to Kakashi's line of thought.
The Jounin briefly glanced at Iruka, then returned to staring at nothing and continued, "Red moon. Source of endless chakra. A Genjutsu only Naruto could break through with his Kinjutsu..." He swung off the chair and stood up quickly, hands on the table, still pondering over something. "... the similarities are uncanny, but we mustn't jump to conclusions."
Two pairs of eyes met each other in a semi-knowing look.
"After all, how could a mere water demon think of wanting to control the explosive Chakra of the Kyuubi?"
Iruka looked doubtful. For a moment, he almost thought Kakashi was trying to comfort him about Naruto. "One more trip to the library it is, then?" He asked with a smile.
Kakashi sighed at the thought.
"Yeah. One more trip to the library, it seems."
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Sasuke let out a sigh of mixed relief and concern. He stretched, finding to his surprise that he was beginning to view sunlight as enjoyable. Scoffing slightly at the mere thought, he leaned forward on the bench he was seated on, folding his arms so that his elbows rested on his thighs. Just about a week ago, there had been a large bazaar in this park. The rubbish had yet to be completely cleared.
"Saaasukeee!!" A loud and familiar voice drew him out of his thoughts. Sasuke glanced slightly to his left. He could see a ball of orange and yellow hurtling towards the bench at high speed. For a terrifying moment, he wondered if he should throw some shurikens at the danger hazard. That moment soon passed, however, when Naruto came to a screeching halt before him. The blond grinned maniacally, flashing the victory-sign at Sasuke. "Mission accomplished!"
Sasuke was momentarily stunned at the declaration. Then he remembered that he had asked Naruto to scout around the area, ask the people if they had seen a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked - the blond had been whining to do something since they were quite literally booted out of the meeting room by Kakashi. Sasuke sighed.
"Good," he said, not entirely sure if he meant the commendation. He moved to the side of the bench so Naruto had space to sit, "so what did you find out?"
"Nothing we don't already know," Naruto kicked his feet outwards and leaned back so much that his head went way over the backrest and now stared at the bright, blue sky. "They hardly noticed the sky, but those who did were dead certain that they saw nothing but mist clouds."
Sasuke thought over this new tidbit carefully. This could only mean that Sakura saw a Genjutsu of sorts. But why would a demon go through all this trouble of setting up an elaborate Genjutsu just to attack a young girl who could bring him no benefit? Sakura could lead the water demon to the source of endless Chakra, was what the shadowy figure had said. But how? Background checks on Sakura by Kakashi had landed them back to square one. Sakura was as normal as the random girl on the street. He was unable to come up with a satisfactory answer with the information he currently had on hand.
"Heey, Shikamaru!!" It was Naruto's voice again. Sasuke perked up despite himself. He had grown to acknowledge Shikamaru as an intelligent, trustworthy colleague since the slideshow event and did not particularly mind talking with the patrol guard again.
From about two lampposts apart, Shikamaru noticed the duo. He slowly made his way over with his patrol partner, currently stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips.
"Yo," he greeted simply, stopping a short distance in front of the bench. Naruto grinned and Sasuke nodded. "Whaccha both doing out here? No mission objective today?" He raised an eyebrow in query.
"Kakashi-sensei asked us to ask the people in the park if they remember seeing the full moon some nights ago," Naruto stated with a shrug. "I dunno, he seemed pretty eager to get rid of us just now, so we just left."
"I see," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, glancing at a spot in the distance. It was like he was not really listening at all.
"Weren't we on patrol in the park area for the past few weeks, Shikamaru?" His partner stopped munching chips and quipped.
"Maybe," came the half-hearted reply.
Naruto squinted at the slightly more plump boy. "Ah!!" He suddenly exclaimed. "You're that big guy in the canteen the other day! Chouji!"
In response, Chouji tilted his head towards Naruto. "You still remember my name." He grinned. His expressions turned serious, however, as he carried on, "We were patrolling this area for the past few weeks. I don't really look at the sky when we patrol, but I'm pretty sure I never saw a full moon... or any moon at all, for that matter." He stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth and crunched on them. "Hope that helps!"
"Aaah" Shikamaru had stopped daydreaming and now returned his attention to the conversation. "You guys really are very troublesome," he sighed. "There has been no clear night sky in Konoha for exactly six months and thirty days now. Within the first few minutes of the setting sun, thick mist clouds will have covered the entire sky from end to end of the village. This condition persisted on the presumed night of attack on Haruno Sakura as well. There was no visible moon in the sky from this park. The only location in Konoha where the night sky is visible nowadays is atop the monument and nowhere else." He breathed. "Was that the information you needed?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke were stunned. "Err..." Naruto responded on pure reflex alone, "... yeah?"
"Good," Shikamaru yawned and gestured at Chouji. "C'mon Chouji, let's go... wanna finish this before lunch so I can go laze around a bit..." His voice gradually faded, as he moved away.
Chouji glanced once at Shikamaru, turned to smile at the duo still sitting on the bench, and ran off after his partner. "Hey, Shikamaru! Wait up! What about that BBQ treat you promised me?"
For a while, only the sounds of chirping birds remained with the pair.
Then, "Well, at least now we're /sure/ there was no moon in the sky during the night of the attack..."
Almost immediately, Sasuke bapped the blond upside the head.
"Ow! HEY!!" Naruto jumped to his feet and screeched. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
"Brainless." Sasuke concluded succintly. He then stood and moved off towards a seemingly random direction.
"I didn't say anything wrong!" Naruto defended loudly, scurrying after Sasuke. "It's true that the moon wasn't there when Sakura-chan was attacked! Shikamaru said it!"
"I know that!" Sasuke replied with sheer exasperation. "Didn't you also catch that he said something else that is going to be of far greater value as information than 'the moon was not there that night'?!"
"Of course I!!" Naruto opened his mouth to say no, but realised that it would make him look very bad and so turned away with a loud snort. "HMPH!! If you're so clever why don't you tell me?!"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke simply continued his trek. Naruto followed behind, glowering with slight humiliation.
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It turned out that Sasuke was trying to locate the nearest telephone booth. Finding which, he had given Kakashi a call, only to find out that he was no longer in the headquarters - and neither was Iruka. Unsure of what to do next, the two boys had headed down to the only other location they could possibly have any business in - the hospital.
Sakura was in good health, and still recognised them. She, however, could not recall anything about the day Naruto dug into her memories with the Kinjutsu. Her head now throbbed with greater pain, but she firmly insisted that whatever she had done, she had no regrets; even if she could not remember it. They squandered a great amount of time there, sharing theories about the attack. Naruto and Sasuke were both impressed that Sakura was a lot brighter than they had given her credit for. When late afternoon rolled by, Sasuke stood abruptly and bade Sakura good bye, surprising even Naruto. Then, the duo had exited the hospital and restarted their trek.
They arrived at the monument just as the sun was setting.
The wind was strong, but refreshing and comfortable. After scaling the wall, Sasuke took a seat on the huge ledge just above the heads of the Third and Fourth Hokages. The ledge also had an open-entry tent, two drink vending machines, and a very good view of the sunset. Settling down somewhere near the drink vending machine, Sasuke leaned backwards against the cliff face and let out a long sigh.
"Watch it, Sasuke," Naruto sat down beside him cross-legged and made a face. "You're beginning to behave like a forty-year-old man nearing retirement."
Sasuke glared at him. Turning back around to stare at the setting sun, he asked, "Well, idiot? Figured out why we're here yet?"
Instead of being offended, Naruto actually got more excited. "Oh oh! Yes, yes!" He bounced about as much as he could seated down. "We're here because you're finally convinced that I'm so much stronger than you and will become Hokage one day, so you want to tell me where you're going to help carve my face on the wall!"
Sasuke growled, then socked Naruto lightly in the jaw. "No, you little twerp," he harshly rebutted, "we're here because Shikamaru said this is the only spot in all of Konoha where we can see the night sky without the clouds surrounding it! Get it now?"
Naruto was still rubbing his sore jaw. "Hey, I knew that!" He tried to complain, but knew that anything else would make him sound even sillier, so did not continue. He stared into the distance and pouted. "But what for? S'not like we could find anything out by determining whether or not we can see the moon from the monument..."
"We're going to try to determine if it was really a full moon on the night Sakura was attacked," Sasuke announced, ignoring Naruto's inane remarks for now. "And if we can really see the night sky from here."
Naruto frowned. "You don't make sense."
Sasuke snorted. "Not to you."
"Grr!" Naruto replied, then they fell into companionable silence. The setting sun cast a warm, comfortable glow over the duo. It was almost as if a word more would break the tranquility of the scene.
Naruto got up sometime after the sky turned a blue tinge and dark clouds began to spread over the village. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and was analysing the clouds, while Naruto hovered over the vending machines. Although Sasuke appreciated the peace, he did not find it comfortable that Naruto was being so quiet. That usually meant that he was about to pull a grand, colossal prank, or get into trouble of some sort. He immediately tensed, therefore, when he heard the sound of tin cans falling through the vending machine, then found himself the receipient of a cold, sweating can of soft drink.
He stared at Naruto with a huge frown.
"What?" Naruto frowned back, tossing the drink into Sasuke's lap nevertheless and taking a seat again. "It came straight from the machine. I couldn't have done anything to it."
Sasuke examined the can very carefully. "Not with your level of skill, you can't," he concluded, then opened the can and took a tentative sip.
Already dunking half the contents of the can into his mouth when Sasuke said that, it took all of Naruto's self control not to gag and spit all the water in his mouth out in Sasuke's face. He struggled with the liquid for what seemed like an eternity, before finally swallowing it all down in one lump. Wiping his lips angrily, he spat, "Just what the hell is your problem anyway?! Do you really need me here or not?!"
Sasuke's eyes never left the horizon. The can drink was poised near his lips, but he had not taken another sip since the first. "Kakashi said we're not supposed to work individually," he murmured eventually, lowering the drink in his hands.
"It's not work if I'm not doing anything!!" Naruto screeched.
This time, Sasuke tore his glance away from the distance and turned to look at Naruto. He sighed. "Yeah, right, I keep forgetting. You're not just stupid - you're abnormally stupid." He pointed at the sky before Naruto could protest. "That is the sky you see there. Since you've been in Sakura's memories before, you might want to make yourself useful by telling me if that's the same sky you saw, dimwit."
"Don't call me a dimwit!" Naruto growled back immediately. "And how would I know if the sky was the same or not! All skies look the same, hello?"
"Well why don't you look out for /landmarks/ then?" Sasuke leaned towards the blond and pinned him with a glare. "How about the abnormal colour? Or the placement of the stars - oh, sorry, you probably don't know about that. Hey, I know!" The Uchiha made a mock sound of sudden revelation. "I'll bet you the crimson red moon could a sign of something, couldn't it?"
Naruto tried to say something, but ended up balling his fists and grabbing streaks of his hair. "ARGH!" He yelled, as loudly as he could, into Sasuke's ear. "You're the most irritating person in the whole village!"
"I'm afraid that title belongs to you," Sasuke scoffed, taking another sip from the can in his hands.
"SERIOUSLY!" Naruto continued shouting. "I don't know how Kakashi-sensei manages to put up with you half the time! I don't know how Shikamaru and the rest of the people in the force puts up with you half the time! I don't know how your previous partners manage to put up with you half the time! And I don't know why /I/ should put up with you anymore!"
"Kakashi is a freak, Shikamaru and the rest are more intelligent than you ever will be," Sasuke calmly and coolly replied each of Naruto's rhetorical questions, "and my previous partners..." he paused with a gasp, but quickly masked over his surprise and continued, "... are all dead. And as for you. You're an idiot. No other reason needed."
By the time Sasuke deadpanned that his previous partners were all dead, Naruto was stunned into absolute silence. Iruka's words about the Hebi-Youma's curse came rushing back to him in full force, and he felt a twinge of pity for the boy. That bit, of course, was wiped out the instant Sasuke pronounced him an idiot. He grumbled, but this time did not snap back.
"Hmph!" Naruto leant back and stared at the night sky instead. "I bet you drove them all to death with that stupid holier-than-thou attitude of yours!" He blurted, without really intending to. Quickly realising it, though, he slapped a hand over his mouth. His eyes reflected instant regret. He stole a fearful glance at Sasuke, tensing up so that he could make an immediate run for it should Sasuke attempt to murder him there and then. He was only slightly relieved to see that Sasuke had not moved from his position.
His eyes had reverted to their normal black, however.
And Naruto thought he looked so sad.
"It's true," Sasuke made a brave attempt to hold back the thick, heavy lump that was building in his throat. He swallowed, then continued softly, "I killed them all."
Naruto was shocked. "Sasuke..." he said, not knowing how else to respond.
The Uchiha turned away so that Naruto could not see his face. "I killed them all. Nobody partners Uchiha Sasuke and gets away alive." There was a short, painful pause, where the boy lowered his head. "... that's why I didn't want anymore partners... didn't need to see someone important die again..."
Sasuke had whispered the last part in an undertone, but Naruto heard it clearly anyway.
The blond glanced outward at the evening sky, that was quickly being dissolved by the night.
"I heard about your curse," he started, unaware of the sudden jump in Sasuke's shoulders, "from Iruka-sensei." Lowering his eyes so that they looked at his palms, he sighed. "I'm Youma-Ningen. I know all about that curse. It's not a curse I'd use on somebody - because it's just sadistic torture anyway I see it. If it were me, I'd have just given you a blow to the heart-" he demonstrated by striking out at the air in front of him, "...and be done with it. I mean, really." He pouted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Silent all this while, Sasuke spoke up at this. "What has your knowing about my curse has to do with anything, dumbass?"
In the course of being flooded with anger and frustration, Naruto completely missed the hopeful tone of voice Sasuke had used. "Just... argh! I'm bad at expressing myself, okay?!" Naruto told himself internally again and again to keep calm, and to think of how mad Iruka would be if he punched Sasuke again. "Sasuke," he eventually said, after he felt he was cool-headed enough. "You may not think it this way, but you know... you and I... we're so alike."
"I'm not dumb."
"Yeah except that part-... oh hey. Wait. ARGH! Can't you shut up and let me finish first?!" Naruto growled angrily.
Sasuke merely shrugged. "I don't see how we're even a single bit alike."
"It's not something you can /see/!" Naruto snapped, balling his hands into fists again. "It's just a feeling! Something inside you that tells you hey, this is how it goes! Don't you feel like that sometimes too?"
Sasuke did not respond, although he kept glancing at Naruto.
"Anyway!" The blond proceeded, crossing his hands over his chest in a huff. "If it's the curse you're so worried about, I'll have you know that I have a damned curse on me too and I'm not even half the asshole you are!" He stuck a tongue out at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. The blond's eyes turned sad, however, when he next said, "...Nobody likes the Kyuubi inside me... so nobody cared... if I should live or die. I had no friends... not even among the other Younin. They all thought I was some freak, because I was the monster that nearly destroyed Konoha sixteen years ago, you know?" He chuckled blandly.
"I never had friends, okay? That's why I don't always know the right thing to say. Or the right things to do. And I... I'm always saying things I don't mean... and I..."
"What are you getting at, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, softly. Quietly.
Offended at the interruption, Naruto shot Sasuke an unhappy glare. Closing his eyes, he leaned slightly backwards.
"What I'm getting at," he said, equally softly, "is that you're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend. Or something. You're all alone in this whole world..." Naruto's voice turned wistful. "...you and I both..." He glanced sidelong at Sasuke. "We may not like each other a whole lot but at least I know I can trust you to watch my back. And Iruka-sensei always teaches me that friends should never let one another down." He flashed a thumbs up at Sasuke. "It's just one mission, Sasuke. As long as you and I stick close together, nobody's going to harm us. I won't die, and you'll be free of that curse before you can say bye bye to me!"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. A slight blush creeped over his features, which was barely masked by the moonlight. "Stupid!" He cursed, not meaning it at all. "What makes you think I'll be any happier to see the likes of /you/ alive?!"
Naruto's grin did not falter a bit.
"And what did you mean, I'll be freed from the curse?" Sasuke's mind hung on to the other thing that had bothered him during Naruto's speech. "You don't mean... that the curse... can be... can be lifted?"
Naruto creased his face into a random lour. "What are you talking about?" He sounded miffed. "Of course the curse can be lifted. All curses have a cure somewhere out there. So does the curse of the Hebi-Youma, even though it's a bit more abstract..."
Sasuke nearly wanted to pounce on Naruto, but quickly composed himself and stared with anticipation at him instead. "What's the cure?! Tell me now!"
"Yeah yeah, I was about to!" Naruto grumbled, shifting slightly backwards subconsciously. After putting adequate distance between himself and Sasuke, he said, "The cure is rather strange, but makes quite a lot of sense if you asked me," he shrugged. "There's only one thing you need to do." He waved a finger. "You need to make sure that your closest friend doesn't fall to the effects of the curse within a stipulated period of time. Once it's over, the curse will be lifted, and the mark will be gone."
Sasuke was so excited about this new development that he was frightened. He grabbed Naruto's wrist tightly and pulled him slightly closer. "Are you sure?" He asked, unable to stop his voice from shaking. "What... what else is necessary? It can't just be that easy!"
"S'up to you if you wanna believe me or not," Naruto shook his arm free. "I had some Hebi-Younin roommates before they went extinct, so I learned a few things from them."
There was hope glimmering in Sasuke's eyes. "How long is that 'stipulated time period'?"
"Now that is a bit subjective," Naruto tilted his head to a side. "The Younin told me no specific time period, but if you ask me," Naruto proudly pointed at himself with his thumb, "It just means one thing, doesn't it? As long as your closest friend stays alive all the time, then the curse'll definitely be lifted one day or another! Isn't that easier to understand?"
For a split second, Sasuke almost opened his mouth to agree with Naruto. He gaped and held his tongue, however, when he realised who it was he was going to agree with. Jerking his head away, he mumbled, "...logic only an idiot like you can come up with."
"HEY!" Naruto leapt to his feet. "I was only trying to help, ungrateful bastard! See if I ever tell you anything again! Hmph!!" He turned and looked in the opposite direction Sasuke was looking at, fuming with rage.
There was a long silence.
Then shuffling sounds came from Sasuke's general direction.
"Sorry."
Although barely a whisper carried to his ears by the night breeze, Naruto immediately perked up. He grinned slyly and cocked his ears. "Huh? Whaa? I didn't hear that, Sasuke. Mind repeating it again?"
The Uchiha shot him a lethal glare. "Too bad," he said sternly, and returned to staring at the horizon. Naruto, however, was too much in glee to be offended.
"The great Uchiha Sasuke apologised!" Naruto hooted. "Maybe the curse'll be gone after all!"
"Shut up," Sasuke said automatically, not really meaning it. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "... I don't have a close friend," the Uchiha added as an afterthought. "...curse is not gonna be lifted..."
If he had to be entirely frank with himself, Naruto knew he felt slightly hurt at that comment. He perked up and wore his usual smiling mask, however, while slapping Sasuke on his back and saying, "Don't worry pal, I know what you mean. Bastards like you couldn't get a friend even if you tried! S'okay! With the mighty Uzumaki Naruto around, you can be sure we'll find you a friend in no time! Then this mission won't be that much of a bugger after all!"
Sasuke gave a noisy, deliberate sigh of contempt and displeasure.
"Hey look!" Naruto's attention was suddenly on something else. He pointed at the sky. "The moon! It's... It's so red!"
Sasuke cash his deep ponderings aside and quickly looked in the direction of Naruto's point. Sure enough, there was a red moon hanging clearly in the night sky, looking down upon the village with what seemed like deep disapproval. Thick clouds had surrounded the village yet again, so much so that both boys found it hard to see a rooftop from the monument, even if they squinted. Immediately suspicious, Sasuke turned on the Sharingan. He scanned through the terrain carefully, leaving Naruto to stare at the moon the whole time.
When he was finally done with his examination, Sasuke leaned backwards to rest his back on the cliff face. Naruto also broke off from staring at the moon to return to bugging the Uchiha. "Sasuke, Sasuke!" He tugged the boy's sleeve excitedly. "That's the same moon! That's the same moon I saw in Sakura's memories! I have no doubt! It even gives off the same kind of Chakra!"
Sasuke nodded. "That moon - it's a Genjutsu. Those clouds are the normal monsoon clouds that blow over from the Country of Sand during this season. Although it's lasted a bit longer than it should, it's provided a perfect cover for the Mizu-Youma to activate this elaborate Genjutsu."
"Why does the water demon need to use such a grand illusion for?" Naruto frowned. "It makes no sense to project such a great Genjutsu if he's not going to use it."
"For ease of use and reach, I'm assuming," Sasuke stood up and dusted his pants. He closed his eyes. "He's getting everybody used to it so that when the real thing happens, nobody's worried anymore." Slowly opening his eyes, the Sharingan dots began to spiral around. "Which is not good, because this means we're dealing with a demon whose powers are way above what we initially thought it to be." Turning his head slowly, he glanced at the village once again - this time through the eyes of the Mangekyou. "I see him. Naruto, grab a pen and paper and write the coordinates down," he instructed. As Naruto hurriedly withdrew said items from his backpack, Sasuke slowly iterated the location of the demon. Immediately after he finished, he closed his eyes and all but fell to the ground in a heap.
"Sasuke!!" Naruto panicked, not believing his eyes. Who would have known that the Uchiha could get tired? He all but jumped to the boy's side. "Sasuke, what's wrong?! Hey, wake up!!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake," Sasuke's muffled voice could be heard, as he lay face-down against the ground for a couple of seconds more. In a sudden movement, he placed his palms by his side and pushed upwards into a half kneel, rubbing his throbbing head. "Have you gotten the coordinates down?"
"Right here," Naruto brandished the notebook hesitantly. "Are you sure you're all right?" He asked suspiciously. Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at him.
"I don't need an idiot like you to worry about me, dumbass," he muttered, slowly rising to full height. Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, Naruto followed suit without loud protests. "We... We better go report this to Kakashi..."
Sasuke's first few steps were wobbly, but successful. His next few, however, saw that he almost crashed headlong against the cliff face. Putting a hand against the cliff, he attempted to concentrate on the path before him. It was a sheer drop down the monument if he missed a step, and the path down was not exactly the widest road in the village either. As he pondered his options, he felt a hand grab his right wrist and haul it over a shoulder. Slightly taken aback, he turned around to find himself face to face with a widely grinning Naruto.
"It's not teamwork if you're always trying to do things alone!" The blond immediately gushed, then hauled Sasuke alongside despite initial bodily struggles. The Uchiha soon calmed down from the embarrassment of having to get help from anybody. While he was still trapped as to whether he would push the blond away or simply relax and allow him to help, Naruto spoke up again. "That was actually pretty cool, you know."
Sasuke knew that the look on his face then conveyed the unspoken message of, 'What do you mean'.
"It's like, you know," Naruto pouted slightly and adjusted Sasuke's weight as they negotiated a dangerous curve along the mountain trail. "I would've never figured out the moon was a Genjutsu and all that stuff. How could you tell where the demon is anyway? Kakashi-sensei must've tried the same thing before, hasn't he?"
"If you're within the Genjutsu, plus all the clouds, you probably couldn't detect his Chakra," Sasuke explained slowly. "But on the monument, since we're free of clouds and can clearly see the Genjutsu, it's not that hard to scan for the source of the skill." He paused, then smiled slightly. "Remind me to give Shikamaru a treat when we get back to the station."
"Hell yeah!" Naruto brightened up more than it should be legally allowed. "We can always count on Shikamaru, yeah! He's the most reliable guy in the world!"
Although Sasuke did have a favourable impression of Shikamaru, he wondered how he could reconcile the usually lazy boy and the word reliable.
"But hey!" Naruto's loud voice invaded his ears once again. "Aren't we going to go after the demon now? Why are we heading back to the station? It wasn't easy for us to locate the thing!"
By this time, they had reached the foot of the monument. Sasuke immediately struggled out of Naruto's help and leaned against a nearby rock-mass. "You idiot," he shook his head at Naruto, who frowned and glared back. "Think before you act, really! I suppose the seemingly logical thing to do is to go after the demon right away, now that we have its location, but think about it some more, dimwit." He challenged Naruto's glare by staring back, hard. "The two of us, against a Mizu-Youma we know next to nothing about. This Youma is able to utilise a Genjutsu that can engulf an entire village, and yet keep it so much under control that no one has thought anything of it yet.
"All previous conclusions aside, I'd say this is a rather dangerous, high level Youma we're up against. We need to get back and give Kakashi some time to get a reevaluation on the rank of the mission, then we will know if Kakashi needs to be involved in some way or the other. We can't just go and attack the demon like this, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "if he retaliates and pulls a major part of Konoha into a Genjutsu, then what will we do? Are you going to be responsible for what happens after that?"
Mouth agape and eyes blinking, Naruto kept silent for a few seconds. After a while, he snorted and turned away, nose up in the air. "You're always so concerned and careful, Sasuke!" The blond declared. "You always make sure that you're absolutely safe - that you know everything and anything about an opponent before going in for the kill! And don't try to deny it!" He turned to look at the stunned Sasuke with a finger point.
"The reports of your old mission may not say much, but /this/ much they do say! Well you know what?" He frowned openly at his partner. "I think it's all bullshit. Sometimes you're not going to be able to tell how good or bad your opponent is. Then what happens? You stand there and eyeball each other? There's no win-win in a fight, Sasuke!" Naruto grounded on, with words of wisdom that belied his age and experience. Then the hard glare softened, and Naruto looked away. "You only win when the person or thing you were fighting to protect remains safe... your safety shouldn't matter more than that, Sasuke..."
There was silence.
"Hn," Sasuke closed his eyes. "Five hundred ryou says that that was a direct rip-off of one of Iruka-sensei's morning lectures." He opened his eyes just in time to catch Naruto's shoulders jump. The blond's expression slowly turned sheepish.
"Ahaha!" Naruto's loud laughter once again embraced the area. "Like ugh... Iruka-sensei repeated it so many times that I can give the speech as well already?" He tried to excuse himself.
"Whatever, idiot," Sasuke pushed off the rock-mass and stood, feeling a good part of his strength returning to him. "Look, I'm in no condition to travel to the forest by tonight, and in no condition to fight a high-level demon. So curse me if you want, but I don't need to end up having to pull the both of us down if we go into action tonight. We're trying to keep the casualty count down, not bump it up by adding ourselves to the list. I understand what you mean, but if this is a risk we don't need to take, then we won't take it. I-"
Sasuke suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in surprise at what he had been about to say. When Naruto glanced questioningly at him, he swore internally and said very softly, "... I don't want you to die." He saw Naruto's eyes widen, so he quickly added, "Because of random stupidity."
Naruto's straight-lined lip slowly curved upwards into a smile. He put both hands behind his head and grinned. "Hahah! Don't be stupid! I'm gonna live much much longer than you and you know it!"
The Uchiha shot his companion a look of disbelief, then sighed and started down the path. "Yeah, yeah," he patronised the blond, "let's go already."
Naruto grinned and followed his partner down the streets with large, bounding steps.
Though they strolled in silence and semi-darkness, they both remembered that night to be one of the brighter nights of their lives.
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1/10/2004
Part 11 of 16
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