Part 4.8: Artfully Done
Naruto, Lee, and TenTen finally walked quickly into the spacious cafeteria they had promised to meet Gai in nearly half an hour ago. Naruto had met up with his comarades a few minutes ago, and there was still a stony silence between them. Naruto wanted to break the air somehow, but he knew Lee would be feeling particularly apprehensive if they were too late. They entered through a pair of thin, double doors into a wide cafeteria. Despite the fact that the place was a cafeteria, there was very little smell to it besides the obnoxious odor of granite stone that pierced his nostrils ever since he entered into the building. Naruto looked for any sign of food in the cavernous hallway, but could not detect anything edible in the area. Unlike the hallways and rooms before, this one looked like it had been chiseled out from the side of a mountain. It was a simple sphere that encircled the entire area. None of the area on the walls was polished or looked remotely clean, unlike most of the stone. Overhead light fixtures illuminated parts of the area, leaving small patches of darkness to dot the corners and sides of the rooms. Nothing in the room looked remotely comfortable, as the long benches and tables in the room were carved out of the same granite as the entire building. Naruto walked into a patch of light, searching desperately for food of any kind. It had been nearly a day since he had a decent meal, and his stomach was beginning to wage war on his body in search of food. His gut gave a particularly loud growl to emphasize the point that seemed to echo across the gaping hall.
"YO," shouted a familiar voice from behind the team. Naruto and TenTen jumped three feet into the air, while Lee, beckoned by his sensei's voice, began to turn in all directions and in a raised salute. "I see my triumphant students have FINALLY come at their sensei's discretion. The Great Azure Beast Maito Gai knows infinite realms of patience, but that does not mean my students should not be prompt."
"Forgive us Gai-sensei," shouted Lee, like he was addressing a commanding officer, "we needed time to mend ourselves and are very sorry for making you wait." Gai scratched his chin, full in thought as he stared at the trio. Suddenly, he burst out in huge, guffawing laughter that seemed to shake the room itself.
"No harm done my students," he shouted excitedly, "for you see, the Great Azure Beast understands the need to recuperate and prepare for the most difficult challenges that await you." There was an akward silence between them for a moment as Gai did a series of poses, leading into yet another loud speech. "Isn't it exciting my pupils?" yelled Gai, "you have completed the first of your amazing ordeals and now move onto the second. The energy of your passionate youth drives you forward faster than even an amazing ninja such as myself could fathom. Look up my students!" Gai suddenly threw a single arm overhead, pointing upwards towards the ceiling. Naruto, Lee, and TenTen slowly craned their necks upward to stare at the fluorescent lighting Gai was pointing at. "It is there, at the very top where only the most amazing and greatest of nins find their place, there is where you shall go! You shall surpass them all as students of Maito Gai, and become the greatest of the great, shining brighter than the stars themselves as the entire world looks up at you! You are the greatest of youth! The most amazing and magnificent of nin! You are BRILLIANT!" He ended with a huge double-bicep pose with the largest frothing ocean Naruto had ever seen appear behind him, crashing loudly against the rocks that magically appeared beneath his feet.
Naruto and TenTen stared dumbfounded at their sensei's embarrassing behavior, while Lee looked on, seemingly star struck. "You know," whispered Naruto to TenTen, "he'd be a great sensei if he wasn't so weird." TenTen giggled slightly at the statement and nodded in agreement. "That's very…um…cool Gai-sensei," said Naruto halfheartedly, "but you did mention FOOD the last time you met with us right?"
"Ah yes," said Gai, coming slowly back to reality, "my students no doubt require sustenance to fuel their bodies for the upcoming examination. And the Brilliant Beast always keeps his word." Gai beckoned his students to follow him to the back of the room as he walked deeper into a heavily shadowed area. Naruto could feel his mouth salivate at the prospect of any kind of food. Surprisingly, not many people held the same idea, as the spacious area seemed quite barren, save for a few stray nins sitting by themselves at some nearby tables. Naruto pushed any other people from his mind though and concentrated his thoughts on food. As they approached a particularly long, granite table, the absence of the smell of food was beginning to worry Naruto considerably. 'Whatever we're eating,' he thought concerned, 'it sure isn't ramen.'
Team Gai finally reached an elongated table with several different servers on either end of it. They were dipping huge ladles into steaming pots of viscous, steaming liquid that had a very pungent aroma to it as Naruto came closer. "This is basically all they serve here," said Gai, "so be sure to eat your fill, as the second test will be approaching soon." Naruto looked closer as the servers began filling bowls with the hot liquid and pushing it towards the center of the table. Gai grabbed one quickly in while it was still moving, along with a small spoon at the end of the table. He gave Naruto an encouraging thumbs up as he picked an area amidst the tables to sit. Naruto watched as another bowl slowly stopped in front of him. The texture of the stuff reminded him of the Spamen the old ramen dealer had pawned off on him. He plucked a spoon from the table and prodded the odd, yellowish liquid, bringing square chunks of different substances to the top. He took in a deep breath through his nose as he tried to get the exact odor of the substance. A very sharp, horrid odor punctured into his nostrils like a thousand needles, almost making him feel physical pain as his brain sent warning signals through his body. He began coughing immediately as his body tried to send the noxious odor from his body. He looked over at TenTen and Lee for their reactions. TenTen was reluctant to even pick up the substance, but as soon as Gai had picked up a bowl of the strange food, Lee had already stacked three along his arms, following his sensei back to a table. Naruto sighed and picked up the bowl himself. He felt hungry enough to eat anything, and as long as it was edible, it was somewhat appealing. TenTen slowly followed suit, though she had a very repugnant look plastered to her face as she sat down next to her comrades.
"So my pupils," said Gai as soon as they all sat down, "how was the first exam? Did it rigorously test your bodies and minds only for your innate instincts to take over along with the teachings of your most brilliant sensei to make every obstacle seem simple?" Another awkward silence answered Gai's question as no one really knew how to answer it.
"It was interesting," said TenTen finally, scooping up spoonfuls of the broth only to tip her spoon down and allowing the viscous substance to fall back into the bowl, "I've never had to maintain a chakra grip like that for such a long period of time." Naruto nodded in agreement; he too never had to keep so much chakra circulated to his feet before. Naruto looked over to Lee, who was rubbing his neck nervously at the question. Naruto felt slightly guilty talking about keeping a chakra hold when Lee could not even keep hold of one for a second.
"We did encounter some opposition Gai-sensei," said Lee, quickly changing the subject, "A group of Sound-nins attacked from above."
"Sound nins," said Gai, his tone quickly changing to a concerned one, "they will probably be a constant obstacle throughout these exams. Keep your eyes and ears open as this may not be the last you have heard from them. I wish I could help my students, but you seem to have done a fine job on your own. Anything else of interest happen?"
"Well there was one other thing," said TenTen. She was looking straight at Naruto when she said that, and Naruto knew immediately what she was going to say. He shot her a reproachful look, hoping that she would get the message to drop the subject. "…but it's not really important." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire to talk about Set at all. His mind was already reeling with thoughts of Sasuke, and he did not wish to bring up the strange nin that had been troubling him since he entered the country.
"Hmm, I see," said Gai. Something in his tone made Naruto think that he was not satisfied with that, but thankfully, he let the subject drop. Gai turned his attention back to his soup and picked up the steaming bowl with one hand, dipping the end straight into his mouth and draining the contents in a matter of seconds. Naruto, TenTen, and Lee all watched in amazement as Gai took in a large breath of air and slammed the bowl back on the table, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Most refreshing," yelled Gai, "with a very pungent kick, worthy of battle with the Great Azure Beast!" Lee looked up at Gai in awe, and proceeded to copy his motions, picking up one of his own bowls and draining the contents quickly. When he finally finished, he slammed his own bowl down as well, breathing heavily as he blinked tears from his eyes. Naruto looked straight at Lee, and then down at his own bowl of steaming, yellow liquid. He slowly picked it up with both hands and held it in front of him. The odor had not improved, and it still stung his nostrils like a shot. However, Naruto merely shrugged and downed the bowl himself. In a matter of seconds, the bowl was empty, leaving a bitter and strong taste in Naruto's mouth.
'Not bad,' Naruto thought, 'sure is a strange brew though.' He looked over to TenTen who looked absolutely repulsed at the thought. "You're missing out," said Naruto, "I'm gonna get some more."
"Pick your sensei up one too while you are in the area," yelled Gai after him as Lee downed the rest of his helpings quickly. Naruto laughed aloud at this, realizing that it had been some time since he had laughed beforehand. Things were beginning to pile on him so quickly now. With Sasuke's challenge now hovering over his head like a dagger ready to fall, Naruto had little time to laugh anymore. 'It's been tough,' thought Naruto, 'but I've got to stay focused. I can't lose control, and I can't-' A familiar sensation shot through Naruto quickly, sending a jolt through his nervous system. His entire body shot straight up. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as an odd chill went through his body, like a cold hand had just raked across his skin. 'He's here,' thought Naruto, 'where is he.' Two bowls of the frothing soup came before him, knocking him out of his trance. He quickly picked them up, his eyes searching for signs of him. 'I know you're here Set' thought Naruto apprehensively, 'now where are you?'
Suddenly, just as soon as the feeling arrived, it stopped, and Naruto's body relaxed from sending panic through his system. 'What the hell was that,' thought Naruto, 'I could have sworn…maybe not. Maybe it's just cold. But…no…no it's nothing. I can't worry about him anyway.' Naruto quickly walked back over to the table and handed a bowl to his sensei.
"Ah, thank you young student," said Gai graciously, quickly downing the soup as soon as Naruto passed it to him. He slammed the bowl back on the table and quickly wiped his mouth. "Now that you've all passed the first exam, you should know where and when the second is taking place. The second exam is taking place underground in an odd training facility the Hidden Cloud have set up for this occasion. An entrance to this location is located at the bottom of the building we are currently in. It takes place around noon tomorrow, so I suggest you all get some rest fairly soon."
"What's this test like," asked Naruto.
"I'm not sure of all the details," replied Gai, "but I do know that this test will not have team associations, so you all may be on your own. In any case, try to help each other out when you can." Naruto nodded along with his friends.
"What about the other tests," asked TenTen.
"I know there are three all together," said Gai, coughing slightly, "along with a preliminary similar to the one held during Konoha's Chuunin exam. The final test takes place in the most ancient of Hidden Cloud buildings, the Coliseum."
"What's that," asked Lee.
"Well," said Gai, clearing his throat loudly and attempting to loosen the collar around his jumpsuit, "it's a building that has stood for quite some time in the Hidden Cloud territory. It is where the most important of events happen for the Hidden Cloud. It is also the largest building on the continent, having been renovated several times. Still it is," Gai was coughing very loudly now, and his face was looking flush as sweat began to drip from his forehead.
"Are you alright Gai-sensei," asked Lee quickly, "do you need some water perhaps?"
"No," said Gai, his voice hoarse now, "I think I just ate too fast. Sometimes even a Great Azure Beast can-" his words were cut off by another bought of loud coughing. Gai covered his mouth, attempting to muffle the sound. Naruto stood up, looking for some form of water while Lee and TenTen did the same.
Suddenly, Gai gave a loud retching noise as blood spewed from his mouth onto the table. Gai's eyes went wide for a moment before he collapsed to the floor in a heap. "Gai-sensei," shouted Lee, "GAI-SENSEI!" Blood was streaming from Gai's mouth now as his body seemed unable to support itself. Lee quickly hoisted Gai's prone body onto his shoulders and ran from the room, back towards the infirmary where he had been treated earlier. Naruto and TenTen followed after quickly, helping Lee to support Gai's heavy body.
The long hallway was very dark now, and it seemed endless despite the fact that Lee was moving full blast down it, with Naruto and TenTen struggling to keep up. They passed door after door, all the same color, with all the same design. It felt like they were moving around in circles, with every second passed meaning Gai died a little more. Finally, Lee skidded to a halt and kicked the infirmary door down, with Naruto and TenTen panting heavily behind him.
"What the hell is going on here," screamed the doctor as Lee entered, "you can't just barge in." Gai let loose another loud cough as more blood issued out from his mouth. "Holy shit," yelled the doctor, finally coming to terms with the situation, "Emergency! Bring a stretcher!" A few more doctors and nurses burst from the double doors behind them wheeling a long stretcher with them. The doctors quickly took Gai off Lee's shoulders and placed him carefully on the stretcher, wheeling him into the back room. Lee quickly followed after only to be stopped by the head doctor.
"Stay out here kid," yelled the doctor quickly, strapping a surgical mask to his face, "there's nothing you can do in there." He quickly slammed and locked the double doors behind him as a red light went turned on the top of the door frame. Lee was breathing sporadically, and he was panicking badly.
"What happened to him," he said, panic reeling in his voice, "He was fine a second ago and then this, and what the hell?" Lee suddenly went very quiet and stared fixated at the red light on top of the door. TenTen moved towards him, but thought better of it, moving instead towards a long couch in the receptionist area. She sat down, sighing heavily as she did. Naruto looked over at Lee, who was standing completely still now, staring at the red light, his eyes tearing up, but not blinking for a second. Naruto slowly made his way over next to TenTen and sat on the soft couch. Unlike the rest of the building, this room was painted a bright white that was very well lit. It gave the room an overall cheery contrast despite the fact that Naruto's sensei lay in bad shape in the next room.
"What happened," asked TenTen. She was looking down at the ground while she spoke, shaking her head in disbelief. "I just don't get it. I mean Gai-sensei never gets sick, and I've seen him take more punishment then anyone I've ever met. What could possibly do that to him?" Her voice was rising now as she balled her fists in anger. Tears were beginning to stream down her face as well. Naruto desperately wanted to answer her question, but he was just as shocked as the rest of them. To him, Gai had always represented a kind of pillar of strength. He was an oddball for sure, but he was always there when you needed him. He was always ready to help, to make sure you achieved your best.
Naruto stared down at his hands, idly flicking his fingers. 'Gai-sensei always seemed invincible,' thought Naruto, 'like nothing could break him. What could do that to him? And how did-' Naruto's head suddenly shot up as he remembered the familiar sensation back at the cafeteria. 'No,' he thought, 'he wasn't anywhere near Gai. How could he have gotten to him. I just don't…' He was tired, after everything that had happened today, his body needed rest, and the couch felt so comfortable. 'No,' he thought, 'I can't sleep. Not while Gai-sensei is in there. I can't sleep. Can't fall asleep…can't fall asleep…can't…
Naruto ran faster and faster through the Leaf forest. He jumped from branch to branch, sending leaves sprawling to the ground as he bounded through, hitting every branch with a loud thud as his foot connected with it. He jumped faster and faster. The air smelled so sweet here, and he could hear the rushing water of a river nearby. Ahead of him, he heard loud laughter and splashing in the river. Naruto jumped faster through the trees, sailing through the air as he allowed the warm air to caress his face, relaxing every muscle and nerve in his body. He let his body freefall through the air, watching the ground come up to meet him. He flipped his body elegantly and landed softly on his feet. He looked down at his body to realize he was only wearing a bear of swimming trunks. He smiled to himself as he rushed towards the sound of laughter, a feeling of warmth and comfort washing over every cell of his body.
He emerged from the forest to see an amazing sight before him. The sky was ridiculously blue, with the sun shining brightly overhead to cast warm rays down on top of him. Naruto closed his eyes and embraced the sensation, letting the symphony of the birds, the wind, and the water clear his mind of every care and worry he had.
"Naruto," came a familiar voice from in front of him. Naruto opened his eyes slowly to see TenTen frolicking in the river, waving him over. Sakura and Hinata were there as well, having a splash fight amongst the rivers sparkling blue stream. "Get over here Naruto," said TenTen again. Naruto smiled to himself and began to jog over. He looked over to his right to see Lee and Gai doing some kind of weird training exercise. Naruto watched as Lee successfully stood on the water without any help. Gai pumped his fist triumphantly into the air, shouting something indistinguishable as Lee waved at Naruto. Naruto waved back, happy to see his friend accomplish something so spectacular for him.
Naruto turned his attention back towards the river where the girls were still waving him over. Naruto kept up his jog towards it until something caught his eyes to the left. He looked over slightly to see Kakashi reading one of his perverted novels while sunbathing on a large rock. Naruto waved over at him too as Kakashi gave him a lazy nod before returning back to his book. Naruto kept his eyes forward, running straight towards the girls who were still frolicking in the beautiful water.
Suddenly, something else came into view as Naruto turned his head to the left. Sasuke was standing there, smiling at Naruto through warm eyes. "Better hurry up Naruto," he said, "they're waiting for you." He shot Naruto a wry grin as Naruto laughed loudly at his friend.
Naruto continued to jog forward towards the river. He could almost feel the cooling jets of the river on his body. He was inches from it now as he closed his eyes for a moment, readying to jump into the river to embrace its refreshing streams and waves.
Naruto felt something grab at his ankle and pull down hard. Naruto opened his eyes and looked down to see the earth begin to pull in his feet. He struggled hard against the ground, grunting loudly as he tugged fiercely for control of his legs. Suddenly, the ground pulled him down hard, bringing the earth up to his knees. Naruto pulled at his legs with his hands, trying desperately to free himself from his predicament.
"Naruto…"
Naruto looked up again at what had once been a beautiful clear stream to see it had been replaced with a scene of mass carnage. The once crystal clear river was now an opaque, blood red that slowly ebbed and returned like the coming of a tide. Naruto watched as body parts began to wash up along the beach with every ebb. Finally, Sakura's head was thrown up on shore, her face completely mangled and her eyes pulled from their sockets. Naruto's eyes went wide at the sight. "Somebody help," he yelled, the sound of his voice echoing across the landscape. The sky was no longer blue either, but bore the same blood red as the water, cascading crimson light upon everything Naruto looked at. Naruto searched frantically for help of some kind. He looked towards the rock Kakashi had been laying on only to see a large pool of blood, outlined in his frame there, his book the only remaining item. "Gai-sensei," yelled Naruto, looking over to where Lee and Gai were training. Gai was lying on the ground, face-up, blood pouring from his mouth as his lifeless eyes watched the red sky above. Lee was facedown in the water, floating aimlessly amongst the waves.
"No," screamed Naruto, "No, no, no, no, no!" He turned back towards the river only to see a mangled corpse resting upon a pike to greet him. Hinata's body lay disfigured on several pikes, her head twisted around completely as her limbs were rearranged, each attached to her body with a long piece of wood. Blood dripped like rain from the body, staining the earth and adding yet another red item to the mix. Naruto screamed openly as he tore at his legs now, desperately trying to pull them from the earth. He snapped his head to his left to see Sasuke standing there, looking down on him with a snide expression.
"Sasuke," pleaded Naruto, "help me please! Help me!" Sasuke merely shook his head, and walked off into the forest, disappearing into a red fog that had enshrouded the area.
"Naruto…" came a raspy voice next to him. Naruto looked over to see TenTen crawling towards him. She was horribly scarred; countless cuts and abrasion littered her body. Her legs were in an awkward position too, either sprained or broken. She crawled desperately towards Naruto, reaching out for him as she repeated his name through a shattered voice. Naruto reached out desperately to her, pulling violently at his legs now, wanting only to reach her. She was inches from him now, just a little further.
Something began to bubble and brew within the river. The red water began to pile on itself, ebbing and flowing into a shape that emerged from it. The shape was completely covered in red as the liquid flowed over it like a second skin. It took a single step onto the land, staining everything it touched into a blood red. It began to assume a human shape as legs formed, then arms, then a torso around that, and finally a round head. It walked slowly towards Naruto, the blood water dripping off of it slowly, revealing more of its shape. Naruto looked back towards TenTen. He could almost touch her now, their fingers were so close to each other. "Just a little further," said Naruto desperately, "C'mon, just a little further."
The blood water man grabbed at TenTen's ankle, forming a tight grip around her leg and pulling her violently from Naruto's grasp. "NO!" screamed Naruto who was now tugging at his legs so hard the skin was beginning to break and bleed around his knees. Naruto watched helplessly as the blood man began to take more of a shape, eyes forming in his head. They were the same shade of red, with a black, crisscrossing pattern in the middle of them. A mouth began to form as well. The blood water dripped off row after row of jagged, razor sharp teeth that pulled back into a wicked grin. The blood man held TenTen inches from Naruto's grasp, hoisting her in the air by one ankle. Naruto tore at the air for her only for the blood man to laugh and pull her back from his grasp. Suddenly, four small slivers of water shot out from the blood man and wrapped themselves around TenTen's arms and legs, spreading her out wide over him. "LET GO OF HER!" roared Naruto. He pulled harder and harder at his legs until finally his knees gave way, and he ripped them out from his shins. Naruto crawled towards the blood man, clawing at the sand and tearing at him in a blind fury. The blood man turned to face him, the water revealing a red, scaly bodysuit underneath. TenTen still hung above him, held motionless over his head. The mouth of the blood man opened wide, allowing a long trail of blood to flow out and hit the ground. Slowly, this long trail formed into a sickly long tongue that lolled out of his smiling mouth. The tongue moved back and forth across the ground before suddenly springing up and wrapping around TenTen's torso. The blood man laughed loudly before all of the tentacles gave a final, hard tug, ripping TenTen's body to pieces as a rain of blood poured down on both of them.
"YOU BASTARD!" screamed Naruto as he pulled himself violently across the sand. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" The blood man began to laugh maliciously, an echoing cackle that pierced into Naruto's brain. Suddenly, the blood man reached down and plucked Naruto off the ground. He held his arms against his sides as Naruto struggled against his grasp. Suddenly, the tentacles sprung out again and wrapped around him. The blood man laughed louder, as layers of the water began to reveal his face. Naruto looked up to see Set staring back at him, laughing hysterically at the entire ordeal. Suddenly, Set brought him them close, almost nose to nose. Naruto lunged forward, ready to bite, tear, and claw Set into oblivion.
"Rage," said Set softly. "Rage, Rage, Rage, Rage, Rage, Rage, Rage, Rage!" Set was roaring the word now, the sound echoing off Naruto's eardrums like a hurricane. Set moved him closer to his face now, still repeating the word louder and louder. Suddenly, he brought his hand up and began to tear at the skin of his face. Piece by piece another face was revealed beneath him. Naruto stared in horror as more skin was torn off. Finally, Naruto found himself staring into a completely different face, still bearing the same red, patterned eyes and sickly jagged grin. His own face was laughing maliciously at him, repeating the same word over and over again…
"AHH!" screamed Naruto, opening his eyes wide. He was panting heavily and was drenched in a cold sweat. He looked around quickly, realizing that he was still in the infirmary. Lee was still waiting in front of the infirmary door, still staring at the red light that hung overhead. He gave a sigh of relief and looked to his left. TenTen was asleep as well, resting her head on Naruto's shoulder. "What the hell was that," he said aloud. He rubbed his eyes awake and stared at the light along with Lee. 'How long have I been asleep,' he thought, 'Is Gai going to alright?'
A loud ping filled the room, and Naruto looked up as the red light finally turned off. He nudged TenTen who slowly came awake as well. Naruto sat up and took a spot beside Lee, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine," said Naruto, "he's the Amazing Azure Beast. Nothing can stop him." Lee gave Naruto a weak grin, but Naruto doubted that comforted Lee at all. TenTen took her place on Lee's other side as the trio waited for any news about their sensei. Finally, the double doors opened and the head doctor stepped out.
"He's going to be fine," said the doctor, allowing a collective sigh of relief from all three of them. "He's pretty tough. Anyone else would have died, but he seemed to pull through without too much trouble. He'll have to stay overnight for observation, but he'll be alright."
"What was wrong with him," asked Lee. The doctor made his way to behind the receptionist desk and sat down, giving a tired sigh before answering.
"Poison," said the doctor nonchalantly, "to be honest I'm not that surprised. You Leaf aren't exactly the most 'popular' people around here." All three of them shot the doctor a very angry glare that caused him to recoil backwards. "Not that that justifies it," said the doctor quickly, "it's just the most probable case. Hell, maybe even a Sound nin of some sort. The strange thing is though, this poison is particularly potent. I've only seen Cloud ANBU carry it for use. Do you know if he's made enemies with anyone lately, or if there's someone in particular who might want to kill your sensei? Or know of anyone who might have access to something of this caliber?"
"That's how he did it," thought Naruto, his brain putting the pieces together quickly.
"That's how who did what?" shot out Lee. Naruto looked straight at Lee, a perplexed expression on his face.
'Did I say that out loud,' thought Naruto. "Some Sound or Cloud nin probably," said Naruto, backtracking on his own words quickly, "He may have put something in the soup we were eating." Naruto did not want to mention the possibility of Set. If they knew about Set, they wouldn't let him out of their sight from then on, and he needed his space if he was going to confront Sasuke. Lee was looking at him with a very hard, accusing expression.
"Do you know something Naruto," asked Lee, his tone matching the look on his face.
"If it was in the soup," interrupted TenTen, "why didn't the rest of us get sick? It must just have been in one of the bowls Naruto brought. Maybe Naruto was the intended target." Naruto recoiled in shock. He hadn't thought about that, nor could he think of any reason for Set to poison him. "Maybe it was, Sasuke," said TenTen.
"No," snapped Naruto quickly, "it wasn't Sasuke."
"Let's not throw that theory out quite yet Naruto," chimed in Lee, "what did you two talk about when we left you alone?" Naruto had no intention of telling them about Sasuke's challenge to him, and he was beginning to get aggravated that they would not drop the topic.
"Nothing that concerns you," said Naruto in a short tone.
"It concerns us as far as Gai-sensei is concerned," snapped Lee back, "what did you two talk about?"
"It's none of your damn business Lee," growled Naruto back. His temper, so close to the surface nowadays, was rising again.
"I'm making it my business," Lee growled back, "our sensei is hurt, and I think you're hiding something."
"I'm not hiding ANYTHING!"
"I don't believe you! What did you two talk about?"
"Just drop it!"
Naruto and Lee met eye to eye, each staring the other down. Lee's thickbrows were arched in a long frown, giving him a very malicious look. The air was very tense between them, and both seemed to wait for the other to make their respective move. Naruto had never seen Lee this hostile before, but he refused to allow them to interfere in his problem. They moved closer to each other until their faces were a few inches apart. Anger was beginning to well up inside of Naruto again, his heart beating faster and faster with each passing second. Naruto was almost expecting a fight, and he was not about to back down. Lee seemed to expect the same thing, tensing the muscles in his legs as if readying himself to dive at Naruto. Naruto and Lee stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Lee spoke again.
"I'll ask you one last time Naruto," said Lee through clenched teeth, "what are you hiding from us? I know you're hiding something, and if you don't talk, I won't hesitate to beat the information out of you!" Naruto did not answer, but moved his face closer to Lee, staring bullets into his dark eyes. He could hear Lee's breathing now; it was heavy, and sounded very forced.
"Both of you back off!" shouted TenTen. She forced herself into the middle and separated them with one arm each. "This isn't helping anything!"
"Ahem," said the doctor, "As interesting as watching your team crumble in on itself is, your sensei is awake if you want to visit him." Lee's eyes moved towards the doubled doors. He walked quickly towards them, giving Naruto a quick, glaring look before moving into the room.
"Geez, what is with you two," sighed TenTen.
"This wouldn't happen if he didn't stick his nose in other people's business all the time," said Naruto indignantly. TenTen stared at him in disbelief, a look of shock stuck on her face. Her arm suddenly shot out and grabbed Naruto hard by the wrist, dragging him out of the room. Naruto struggled against her grip, but she pulled him out hard into the dark hallway, closing the infirmary door behind her. Naruto opened his mouth to speak but received a sharp slap to the face before he could say anything. Naruto looked at TenTen dumbfounded, his mouth left gaping open as he rubbed at the stinging pain in his cheek. "What the hell was that for," shouted Naruto.
"What is with you," shouted TenTen so loud that Naruto recoiled against the wall. TenTen moved closer to him until there was only inches apart from them. "Ever since the beginning of the exam you've been pushing us farther and farther away from you, especially now after your little chat with Sasuke. I don't know what went on between you two, and I probably can't understand everything that's happened. But what I do understand is that Gai-sensei almost died today, and you're wondering why Lee wants to know every little thing that concerns you?" TenTen stopped for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm her down. "Look Naruto," she said, her tone a very forced calm, "I know that this is something you want to do yourself, but that doesn't mean you should drive us away. We're your friends!"
"Then why do you keep giving me such a hard time," yelled Naruto back. He could feel his anger bursting forth from the surface easier and easier every time he did it. It was so easy to let go, to allow his emotions to overcome him completely. However, TenTen did not respond in kind; she stayed fairly stoic, looking down at Naruto through deep brown eyes.
"Because we care Naruto," TenTen said, "because we want to help. Some things you can't just do on your own. You have to trust us enough to let us help you. We're not trying to anger you; we just want to help you out."
"I don't need help," growled Naruto, "I can handle this on my own. If you want to talk about trust then you have to trust me enough to let me do this by myself. This is my problem, and I'll deal with it. I just…" He forced his anger down deep again; he was tired of easy it had become to let go, how good it felt. "I just need to finish this alone," he said softly, "I know you want to help, but this is just something I need to do alone. I'm sorry." He slowly walked away from TenTen down the hallway. TenTen did not follow him, but watched as he walked away into the darkness. Halfway down, Naruto stopped and turned slightly. Tears were welling up in his eyes, though he was trying hard to hide them, draping his arm over his face. "Please…please don't hate me," he said before moving into the darkness and out of TenTen's sight.
Gai groaned painfully as he slowly got to his feet from the bed. The poison had done a number on his intestines, and he felt like he had eaten about a thousand pins and needles. Every part of his insides felt pierced and shredded, but he refused to stay bedridden. He walked gingerly on his feet, bending his back in all directions to try and stretch out his body.
"Are you alright Gai-sensei," asked Lee, "perhaps you should not be moving about so much." Gai smiled warmly at his pupil but did not heed his word. Lee had come in crying before and refused to detach himself from Gai's neck until Gai told Lee he was suffocating him.
Gai laughed loudly at Lee's comment. "It would take more than poison to keep the Great Azure Beast Maito Gai bedridden," he shouted, feeling his insides tense and churn with every word he spoke. "Still, you are wasting time worrying about me. You should be readying yourself for the test tomorrow. Even Azure Beasts such as us need plenty of rest." Lee saluted his sensei, but halfheartedly so. There was still worry and doubt in Lee's eyes, and Gai hated seeing his students in any kind of despair. "If all of my students became Chuunin, I think that would help with my recovery the fastest," shouted Gai excitedly. Lee looked up at Gai with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Alright then Gai-sensei," exclaimed Lee, "I will become a Chuunin and grant you a speedy recovery! It is my obligation as an Azure Beast!" Gai saluted Lee back just as TenTen entered slowly into the room.
"Ah, another of my pupils no doubt to check on their sensei's condition," yelled Gai, "as you can see, your sensei is perfectly alright. The Azure Beast lives again!" Gai looked past the double doors for any sign of Naruto, wondering where his third pupil was at. "Is Naruto behind you TenTen, or did he return to get ready for the Chuunin examinations?" TenTen looked up at Gai, but then looked away quickly, reluctant to meet his eyes. Gai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, slowly getting a grasp of the situation. He looked over at Lee, who's eyes turned dark and angry at the mention of Naruto's name. "I believe I understand the situation," said Gai, "Students, gather round your sensei for he has most important information to partake with you."
Lee and TenTen gathered around Gai, who pulled out a chair to sit down on. His body was beginning to feel the aftereffects of the poison again, and he did not want his students to worry. "Something happened between you all and Naruto correct," said Gai calmly. Lee turned his head away, but TenTen nodded in agreement, finally meeting eye to eye with Gai.
"He knows something he's not telling us," said Lee angrily, "and I don't know why he won't just tell us."
"That boy is quite different from the rest of you," said Gai warmly, "I know that he may appear hostile at times, but he is in desperate need of friends. Now more than ever. I know that is no justification for his actions, but as I am now, I ask both of you, stay close to him. Remember, you are most glorious comrades and friends; you must share your burdens, weaknesses, and strengths so that you may grow and thrive as a team. No matter what happens, you must protect those precious to you, not only from your enemies, but also from their own actions at times. That is the way of your sensei, the way of the Leaf, and the way of the ninja."
Gai took in a quick breath, trying to stifle a fit of coughing that his stomach was feeling. He could not stand feeling weak, or being far from his students, but things did not always work out the way he wanted them. Lee and TenTen nodded in agreement, Lee's face actually showing a degree of shame for his actions. "Now," said Gai, adding energy back into his voice, "I suggest you all get some sleep and prepare for the examination tomorrow. If you truly wish to succeed as nin, then you must continue forward." TenTen and Lee said nothing, but smiled warmly at him, bowing their heads slightly. Gai nodded back at them and motioned for them to leave. TenTen exited the doors first and practically had to drag Lee along with her. When they were both gone, Gai's face became grave, contemplating recent events.
'This whole ordeal was calculated,' thought Gai, 'I was their target, but for what purpose? I know I could feel a strange presence in the cafeteria, if only for a moment. What are they after? Is it…Naruto? I need to contact Kakashi somehow and tell him of the situation. Be safe my students, things are moving quickly beyond my control.'
"We should probably find him," said Lee as he and TenTen exited the infirmary, "we should stick together as a group for tomorrow's exam, despite what it is."
"Yeah," agreed TenTen, "I'll search the outside see if he's gone there. You should probably search the floor."
"I don't know if it's a good idea for us to split up. We should stick together."
"I can handle myself Lee. I'll meet you back at our room in an hour okay."
"…One hour?"
"Just an hour. Whether I've found him or not I promise I'll be back there." Lee rubbed his neck nervously, but finally nodded in agreement.
"One hour and no longer," said Lee, "Much can happen in an hour."
"I'll be alright Lee," said TenTen encouragingly, "don't worry. I won't eat any soup." She laughed mirthlessly at her own joke, but Lee still kept a stoic face. This situation was very serious, but they would cover more ground if they split up. Lee reluctantly walked down the opposite side of the hall, looking back over his shoulder the entire time.
'Alright,' thought TenTen, 'I'd better get to the bottom floor quick.' She looked down the hall towards the stairwell at the end. She jogged towards it, adjusting her eyes to the darkness that had spread over nearly the entire hall with only flickering lights overhead to guide her. She opened the door to the stairs and began to climb down them. Suddenly, she felt a jolt hit her entire nervous system, like her brain was sending waves of panic through her body. It almost felt like an icy hand had dug into her spine and was dragging its fingers up and down her back. She looked around her, but saw nothing. Only shadows dancing in the flickering lights. She quickened her pace down the steps, making sure to check behind her every few floors. She could still feel an icy grip around her spine, but she began to ignore it now, concentrating on her task. Every step sounded louder and louder down the stairs echoing off the long stairwell until it sounded like there were two identical steps for every one TenTen took.
TenTen's heart was beating very fast now. She had a constant feeling of foreboding over her that had rapt her and refused to let go. The feeling was growing stronger too, like a force was pressuring her entire body. "Who's there," she finally yelled behind her. But only her own echo responded to her. Fear was shooting through her system quickly with every beat of her heart. She climbed down the stairs faster, desperate to find Naruto as quickly as possible. "Maybe Lee was right," she thought to herself, "what if something is following me. What if-" She suddenly stopped and gave her own head a small whack. 'Get a hold of yourself TenTen,' she thought, 'you can handle yourself. You'll be fine.' The feeling stuck with her, but she ignored it for the rest of the way down.
She finally touched down on the last step and came out the side of the building back into a blistering cold. The moon shone brightly overhead, cascading a false light upon the snow that reflected it quite well. There was a cold wind in the air that came and went sporadically, kicking up patches of snow with every blow. "Naruto," she yelled quickly. She rounded across the building, looking for any tracks or signs of Naruto in the area. Another blast of cold wind hit her. She looked back towards the building, wondering if she should head back inside and help Lee with his search. She wondered if Naruto had gone looking for their room in one of the other towers. 'It'll take forever to look for him there though,' she thought to herself. She made one complete trip around the tower without any sign of Naruto.
'I guess I better head back inside,' she thought, 'there's nothing out here.' She looked back at the tower towards the door she had come out of. There was something moving there at the base within the shadows of the tower. "Naruto," she said loudly. She walked closer towards it, the feeling around her spine growing stronger. She suddenly stopped as the shadow began to take form. It was quite tall, and looked down on her from a ways up. TenTen backed up a few steps to get some distance between her and the shape. Suddenly, two red eyes appeared on its face, glowing eerily in the darkness. They seemed to light up his entire face, acting as miniature lights themselves. They radiated a crimson pattern on the ground with two black lines crossing it.
"Who are you," asked TenTen, reaching quickly for her kunai. The figure smiled back at her, his lips curling slowly to reveal jagged teeth in a sickly grin. A long tongue lolled out of his mouth and wet his lips in a slow circle. TenTen couldn't understand why she was feeling so frightened, but the 'thing' before her looked completely inhuman. Her body began shaking uncontrollably as she felt her body pressured under an unseen force. Her heart raced faster than it had ever before as it beat wildly in her chest. The thing took a step forward closer to her, its weight crunching the snow loudly underneath. It took another as TenTen took one step back in response. Slowly, the thing began walking towards her, a deranged chuckling emanating from the creature. TenTen stared at the creature hard, deciding her next course of action as she backed slowly away from it, her entire body shaking as if enveloped by a frigid cold.
Suddenly, TenTen's instincts kicked in and her body forced her legs to push off the snow forward, closing the distance between herself and the creature. She held out the kunai in front of her, closing her eyes as she felt the kunai connect with flesh and drive itself inward, stopping only when a hand grabbed her by the wrist. She opened her eyes and looked up at the horrid lights staring back at her. She stared at the creature's face for a second, realizing that she had this thing before. "You're," she said, her speech stuttered, "you're that nin from before. The one on the mountain." The red nin did not respond, but held her wrist firmly in his own hand. TenTen tried to pull her kunai out of his stomach, but he would not allow her. Small droplets of blood began fall from the edge of the kunai to stain the snow below them in splotches. "Let go," she said quickly, pulling with her entire body against the nin's grip.
The red nins eyes grew suddenly wide, and the sickly grin came ear to ear on his face, showing more of his fang-like teeth. TenTen felt pressure slowly begin to build in her wrist from the nin's fingers. She pulled harder, desperately against his grip, but he would not relent. TenTen grimaced as the nin placed an awesome amount of force on her hand, twisting it violently and snapping her arm like a twig. TenTen pulled back hard, biting her lip hard to keep from screaming as the sudden jolt of pain sent her senses reeling. TenTen looked back to see the nin calmly pull the kunai from his body, his face contorting in a weird expression of ecstasy as he took his time slowly pulling the kunai from his stomach. He took the kunai to his lips and ran his long tongue over it, licking the blood from it slowly.
TenTen backpeddled away quickly from the nin until she turned around in a full sprint away from him. She ran desperately towards the nearest tower, but in a single instant, the red nin grabbed her by the leg and flung her to the ground. TenTen reached her good arm over towards her belt to grab at anything she could use as a weapon, but the nin had pinned her already flipped her over on her back, pinning her to the ground with his own body. TenTen struggled desperately against him now, scratching, biting as a horrible feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her. She looked up at the nin on top of her. He was flicking the kunai he had pulled from his stomach idly on one finger, his eyes going over every inch of her body.
"Working here would not be wise," said the nin, his tone very excited and calculating, "I'll call this work: The Message." He brought one had up quickly and hit TenTen squarely across side of the neck, bringing darkness all around her.
I'm going to try real hard from now on to update this fic regularly. Its been difficult to find time due to, let's just say many unforeseen factors. I won't bore you with details, but let's just say I've been busy. Nevertheless, I will always be working on this fic in some capacity, count on that. Thanks to all who reviewed and still stuck with the fic despite my absenses from updating it. Thanks A Million!