Chapter 7: The assassin
"What about that girl?" Naruto asked.
"Where did you find her?" Gaara asked.
"We found her on the way here…" Naruto answered.
Gaara then stared at both his council members and the council members nodded at him. He then stared at Naruto.
"I thank you for bringing her back here…" One of the council members said.
"Why?" Naruto asked
"That woman's name is Toshimo Mizuki… she is a very valuable Sand-Nin…" Gaara answered. "She knows a secret medicine knowledge that has been passed in one of the clans here in Suna possessed… and she is the only survivor of the clan. Her father died years ago because of an injury acquired from the war years ago. She grew up as an orphan and as the only one who carries the secret knowledge… and a year ago she was abducted by an unknown rogue" he added.
Someone then knocked at the door.
"Come in…" one of the council members said.
A Sand-Nin entered the room carrying two scrolls. He knelt in front of Gaara and bowed down.
"Kazekage-sama… a message from the fugitive and the medical reports for Toshimo Mizuki…" The ninja then handed a blue and red scroll to Gaara. The blue scroll had 'medical reports' written on the outside and the red one had nothing written on the outside. Gaara placed the blue one in his lap and he opened the red one. His eyes twitched while he read the red scroll. He then handed it Naruto. Naruto opened it and gasped when he saw its contents. He handed it down to his escorts when he finished reading it. "Read it later…" Naruto whispered at his escorts. "Then we better go…" Naruto quickly bowed down at Gaara and Gaara did the same. "Please come back here after you retrieve your Chuunins…" Gaara said before the three Leaf-Nins left.
The same assassin played with the handle of his kunai while he waited for his visitor. One of the Chuunins lying on the ground groaned. The Chuunin sat up and patted his cheek to wake himself up. He groaned again as he rubbed his back. He scanned his eyes around the cave and saw the assassin sitting on the same spot, the light from the focused on his face. He glared at the Chuunin. The Chuunin sensed danger and he reached out for his kunai but his kunai holster wasn't there.
"Heh… I wouldn't do that of I were you…" The assassin then disappeared. The Chuunin scanned his eyes again around the area but couldn't see anything since there was only little light inside the cave. He started to breathe heavily as his heart raced. He then felt a sharp object pointing at his throat.
"Because in here… I'm the boss and when I say you stay put you HAVE to stay put or else…" the assassin whispered at the chuunins ear.
"…or else what?" the Chuunin asked
"…or else this kunai will kill you…" the assassin said. "Stay put… I suggest you wait for him…" he added.
"Him… who is him?" the chuunin asked
"Your precious Rokudaime, Naruto-sama…" the assassin answered.
"Get your hands of him!" a man said. The assassin looked where the voice came from and saw three men, one carrying a torch and the other two standing. The three men approached the chuunin and the assassin. The Raven-haired man carrying the torch lifted the torch up to widen the light's coverage. A man wearing a dark suit was holding a kunai near another man's throat. The other man was a leaf-Nin, he had spiky brown hair and he was wearing a forehead protector. His face was sweaty and it looked tense; his mouth wide open because of confusion showing one of his teeth was missing.
"Naruto-nii chan…" the chuunin whispered. He started to move but the assassin drove the kunai a little into his throat making him groan. Blood started to flow from his wound. The other two chuunins started to wake up and gasped at the scene. The assassin then removed the kunai from Konohamaru's throat sensing that the other two is already awake. Sasuke pulled out his kunai when the assassin loss his attention towards Konohamaru, he dropped the torch. The torch landed on a puddle of water, thus extinguishing the fire. Naruto and the others saw Sasuke lunge his kunai at the enemy before the fire was extinguished. Then after the light disappeared, they had a hard time to see so they only relied on their hearing and other senses. They heard the clashing of each others kunai and a couple of swishing and swooshing. Then the cave became very silent. Lee then lighted another torch. When Lee finished lighting the torch, they suddenly gasped. Lee and Naruto's eyes widened because Sasuke was lying in the ground out cold, bloody and bruised. Naruto scanned his eyes around the cave and saw no sign of the chuunins. He stomped his foot in the ground and gritted his teeth. He clenched his fist and whispered "Damn… he got away…" he then approached Sasuke and Naruto lifted him in his shoulders.
"Kazekage-sama… the Hokage is back…" a Sand-Nin reported in front of Gaara.
"I thought I told him he should come back here… unless-"Gaara thought. "…where is he?" Gaara asked
"In the hospital…" the Sand-Nin replied.
"Hospital… what happened?" Gaara asked
"One of his men is injured, Kazekage-sama…" the Sand-Nin said
"Who is injured?" Gaara asked
"Uchiha Sasuke…" the Sand-Nin answered
"Uchiha Sasuke… but how could that be?" Gaara asked inside his head. He then stood up and left his office and went to the Suna Hospital.
Naruto stood beside Sasuke's bed; he looked down and clenched hid fists as he observed his bruised and wounded friend. "Naruto… you are truly stupid. I shouldn't have let them follow me inside the cave. Good thing Lee-san is not injured…" he thought.
Flashback:
Sasuke and Lee were reading the red scroll.
"Come alone if you want your Chuunins to live… what a demand?!" Lee muttered
"Then you better stay here…" Naruto said at his two escorts.
"No…" Sasuke said
"Oh come one Sasuke…" Naruto pouted "You want them to die?" Naruto added
"No… I don't want them to die but our job is to escort you safely wherever you go…" Sasuke explained
"I know that but…" Naruto pouted again.
"It was Tsunade-sama's request… even if you order us to go away… we won't…" Sasuke said and Lee nodded.
"Tsk…" Naruto pouted and furrowed his eyebrows.
End of flashback.
Lee entered the room with the doctor. He saw Naruto's sad and face and his clenched fist.
"Naruto-sama…" (A/N: what would be better: Naruto-sama or Naruto-san or Naruto-kun or just Naruto?") Lee muttered. Naruto noticed the doctor and Lee enter the room.
"Lee-san…" He looked at Lee sadly. His eyes wear showing how he blamed his self for letting Sasuke get hurt. He then looked at the doctor with the same sad eyes.
"Naruto-sama, don't blame yourself…" Lee said. Naruto nodded.
"Doctor, how is Sasuke?" Naruto diverted his attention at the doctor.
The doctor approached him carrying a piece of paper. He then looked at it.
"Well Hokage-sama, I'm glad to tell you that Uchiha Sasuke didn't get any bones seriously broken and he didn't get serious internal and external injuries. But still… he is wounded and bruised and he will not be able to be at full capacity for a month. It will take that long for him to at least regenerate and heal some of his wounds and bruises. And I guess he has no choice but to rest here." The doctor said to Naruto.
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows "Is that so? Thank you…" Naruto then looked again at his friend. The doctor then left the room. After a while, Chuunins of the sand entered the room. They bowed at Naruto.
"Hokage-sama… we have recovered the three Konoha Chuunins…" a Chuunin said. He looked at the chuunin with wide open eyes.
"Are they dead?" Naruto asked
"No Hokage-sama, they are still alive…" The chuunin answered
"They are?" Naruto asked inside his head. "How are they?" he then asked the chuunin.
"The doctors are still examining their health." The chuunin replied.
"…and Hokage-sama… Toshimo Mizuki wants to talk to you…" the chuunin captain said.
Hinata stared at the main gate with worried eyes. It has been a more than a month since Naruto left the village. She would wait there patiently everyday waiting for his arrival if she had time to. She then turned her back at the gate, because it was already time to go back at the hospital and help the medic-nins there. After she walked a couple of steps, she suddenly heard the gate open. She quickly turned around and saw that carriage enter the gate. She smiled and her heart raced because of her eagerness. The carriage stopped and she quickly rushed near it. Lee then jumped down from the 'driver's' seat and waved hi at Hinata. Sakura then arrived at the main gate. She stood beside Hinata waiting for Sasuke. The carriage door then opened. Sasuke then stepped out form the carriage. Sakura gasped when she saw Sasuke. Sasuke forehead, arms and legs were almost covered completely by bandages. Sakura ran near him and hugged him. And then Naruto stepped out from the carriage with no wound at all. Hinata ran to him and kissed him in the lips but…
He didn't respond; he didn't kiss her back. Hinata wondered after her attempt. She then saw a beautiful woman clinging in his arms.
"What about that girl?" Naruto asked.
"Where did you find her?" Gaara asked.
"We found her on the way here…" Naruto answered.
Gaara then stared at both his council members and the council members nodded at him. He then stared at Naruto.
"I thank you for bringing her back here…" One of the council members said.
"Why?" Naruto asked
"That woman's name is Toshimo Mizuki… she is a very valuable Sand-Nin…" Gaara answered. "She knows a secret medicine knowledge that has been passed in one of the clans here in Suna possessed… and she is the only survivor of the clan. Her father died years ago because of an injury acquired from the war years ago. She grew up as an orphan and as the only one who carries the secret knowledge… and a year ago she was abducted by an unknown rogue" he added.
Someone then knocked at the door.
"Come in…" one of the council members said.
A Sand-Nin entered the room carrying two scrolls. He knelt in front of Gaara and bowed down.
"Kazekage-sama… a message from the fugitive and the medical reports for Toshimo Mizuki…" The ninja then handed a blue and red scroll to Gaara. The blue scroll had 'medical reports' written on the outside and the red one had nothing written on the outside. Gaara placed the blue one in his lap and he opened the red one. His eyes twitched while he read the red scroll. He then handed it Naruto. Naruto opened it and gasped when he saw its contents. He handed it down to his escorts when he finished reading it. "Read it later…" Naruto whispered at his escorts. "Then we better go…" Naruto quickly bowed down at Gaara and Gaara did the same. "Please come back here after you retrieve your Chuunins…" Gaara said before the three Leaf-Nins left.
The same assassin played with the handle of his kunai while he waited for his visitor. One of the Chuunins lying on the ground groaned. The Chuunin sat up and patted his cheek to wake himself up. He groaned again as he rubbed his back. He scanned his eyes around the cave and saw the assassin sitting on the same spot, the light from the focused on his face. He glared at the Chuunin. The Chuunin sensed danger and he reached out for his kunai but his kunai holster wasn't there.
"Heh… I wouldn't do that of I were you…" The assassin then disappeared. The Chuunin scanned his eyes again around the area but couldn't see anything since there was only little light inside the cave. He started to breathe heavily as his heart raced. He then felt a sharp object pointing at his throat.
"Because in here… I'm the boss and when I say you stay put you HAVE to stay put or else…" the assassin whispered at the chuunins ear.
"…or else what?" the Chuunin asked
"…or else this kunai will kill you…" the assassin said. "Stay put… I suggest you wait for him…" he added.
"Him… who is him?" the chuunin asked
"Your precious Rokudaime, Naruto-sama…" the assassin answered.
"Get your hands of him!" a man said. The assassin looked where the voice came from and saw three men, one carrying a torch and the other two standing. The three men approached the chuunin and the assassin. The Raven-haired man carrying the torch lifted the torch up to widen the light's coverage. A man wearing a dark suit was holding a kunai near another man's throat. The other man was a leaf-Nin, he had spiky brown hair and he was wearing a forehead protector. His face was sweaty and it looked tense; his mouth wide open because of confusion showing one of his teeth was missing.
"Naruto-nii chan…" the chuunin whispered. He started to move but the assassin drove the kunai a little into his throat making him groan. Blood started to flow from his wound. The other two chuunins started to wake up and gasped at the scene. The assassin then removed the kunai from Konohamaru's throat sensing that the other two is already awake. Sasuke pulled out his kunai when the assassin loss his attention towards Konohamaru, he dropped the torch. The torch landed on a puddle of water, thus extinguishing the fire. Naruto and the others saw Sasuke lunge his kunai at the enemy before the fire was extinguished. Then after the light disappeared, they had a hard time to see so they only relied on their hearing and other senses. They heard the clashing of each others kunai and a couple of swishing and swooshing. Then the cave became very silent. Lee then lighted another torch. When Lee finished lighting the torch, they suddenly gasped. Lee and Naruto's eyes widened because Sasuke was lying in the ground out cold, bloody and bruised. Naruto scanned his eyes around the cave and saw no sign of the chuunins. He stomped his foot in the ground and gritted his teeth. He clenched his fist and whispered "Damn… he got away…" he then approached Sasuke and Naruto lifted him in his shoulders.
"Kazekage-sama… the Hokage is back…" a Sand-Nin reported in front of Gaara.
"I thought I told him he should come back here… unless-"Gaara thought. "…where is he?" Gaara asked
"In the hospital…" the Sand-Nin replied.
"Hospital… what happened?" Gaara asked
"One of his men is injured, Kazekage-sama…" the Sand-Nin said
"Who is injured?" Gaara asked
"Uchiha Sasuke…" the Sand-Nin answered
"Uchiha Sasuke… but how could that be?" Gaara asked inside his head. He then stood up and left his office and went to the Suna Hospital.
Naruto stood beside Sasuke's bed; he looked down and clenched hid fists as he observed his bruised and wounded friend. "Naruto… you are truly stupid. I shouldn't have let them follow me inside the cave. Good thing Lee-san is not injured…" he thought.
Flashback:
Sasuke and Lee were reading the red scroll.
"Come alone if you want your Chuunins to live… what a demand?!" Lee muttered
"Then you better stay here…" Naruto said at his two escorts.
"No…" Sasuke said
"Oh come one Sasuke…" Naruto pouted "You want them to die?" Naruto added
"No… I don't want them to die but our job is to escort you safely wherever you go…" Sasuke explained
"I know that but…" Naruto pouted again.
"It was Tsunade-sama's request… even if you order us to go away… we won't…" Sasuke said and Lee nodded.
"Tsk…" Naruto pouted and furrowed his eyebrows.
End of flashback.
Lee entered the room with the doctor. He saw Naruto's sad and face and his clenched fist.
"Naruto-sama…" (A/N: what would be better: Naruto-sama or Naruto-san or Naruto-kun or just Naruto?") Lee muttered. Naruto noticed the doctor and Lee enter the room.
"Lee-san…" He looked at Lee sadly. His eyes wear showing how he blamed his self for letting Sasuke get hurt. He then looked at the doctor with the same sad eyes.
"Naruto-sama, don't blame yourself…" Lee said. Naruto nodded.
"Doctor, how is Sasuke?" Naruto diverted his attention at the doctor.
The doctor approached him carrying a piece of paper. He then looked at it.
"Well Hokage-sama, I'm glad to tell you that Uchiha Sasuke didn't get any bones seriously broken and he didn't get serious internal and external injuries. But still… he is wounded and bruised and he will not be able to be at full capacity for a month. It will take that long for him to at least regenerate and heal some of his wounds and bruises. And I guess he has no choice but to rest here." The doctor said to Naruto.
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows "Is that so? Thank you…" Naruto then looked again at his friend. The doctor then left the room. After a while, Chuunins of the sand entered the room. They bowed at Naruto.
"Hokage-sama… we have recovered the three Konoha Chuunins…" a Chuunin said. He looked at the chuunin with wide open eyes.
"Are they dead?" Naruto asked
"No Hokage-sama, they are still alive…" The chuunin answered
"They are?" Naruto asked inside his head. "How are they?" he then asked the chuunin.
"The doctors are still examining their health." The chuunin replied.
"…and Hokage-sama… Toshimo Mizuki wants to talk to you…" the chuunin captain said.
Hinata stared at the main gate with worried eyes. It has been a more than a month since Naruto left the village. She would wait there patiently everyday waiting for his arrival if she had time to. She then turned her back at the gate, because it was already time to go back at the hospital and help the medic-nins there. After she walked a couple of steps, she suddenly heard the gate open. She quickly turned around and saw that carriage enter the gate. She smiled and her heart raced because of her eagerness. The carriage stopped and she quickly rushed near it. Lee then jumped down from the 'driver's' seat and waved hi at Hinata. Sakura then arrived at the main gate. She stood beside Hinata waiting for Sasuke. The carriage door then opened. Sasuke then stepped out form the carriage. Sakura gasped when she saw Sasuke. Sasuke forehead, arms and legs were almost covered completely by bandages. Sakura ran near him and hugged him. And then Naruto stepped out from the carriage with no wound at all. Hinata ran to him and kissed him in the lips but…
He didn't respond; he didn't kiss her back. Hinata wondered after her attempt. She then saw a beautiful woman clinging in his arms.