No More Dead Heroes
Chapter 15: Clandestine
It's nighttime in Konoha, or it may as well be; hell and havoc are as thick as thieves. The census is in, and we're ready to get started. On the front line we have an Anbu who's got one thing, and one thing only, on his mind; a team of Jounins who are having an interesting encounter with the dead; a pair of Chuunins who are ready to kill for just one more chance; a Genin that doesn't seem to understand that this is reality; and Hokage who does all too well, and now gets to see it crumble before her very eyes.
The silence in the tent didn't last very long, but long enough for Genma to realize that what he had just said may not have been the brightest possible in the situation. At the very least, the Yondaime would probably think they were all insane, and go tell Uchiha what nonsense they were spouting off, and then Sasuke would probably figure that torture was sufficient punishment for trying to free one of Orochimaru's slaves, and he didn't know how much any of them could take.
It was Naruto who spoke first, a glassy look in his sky blue eyes. "You mean he-he's the one who-?" The kid was lucky Genma knew exactly what he was trying to say; else wise he could have spent an eternity trying to force the words past his numb lips. The smirk was back as Genma watched Naruto fumble for words, waiting just a little longer to put the Jounin out of his misery, for amusement's sake.
Finally, taking pity on the teenager, he replied. "None other." Naruto turned from Genma, to the Yondaime, and back again, disbelief on his face. The Yondaime had a confused look on his face, along with the same obvious disbelief. It was clear he was about to object, but was just trying to find the words. Shizune had one hand on Kakashi's shoulder, forcibly holding him in place as the ex-Anbu tried to break free of her hold, but Tsunade hadn't taught her nothing in all the years they had traveled together, and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She hadn't, however, covered his mouth.
"Is this some sort of cruel game of Orochimaru's?" Kakashi demanded of the Yondaime, the scowl on his face made no less menacing by the fact that they couldn't see three quarters of his face. He turned on Genma, sole remaining eye blazing. "He's not real, right Genma? Tell me he isn't real." His voice had lost the harsh edge, instead taking on a pleading quality, as though he was begging Genma to fix things for him.
"Listen," The Yondaime interrupted, his voice cutting through all the background noise. They all turned to look at him; even Kakashi silenced by the commanding tone in his voice. "I don't know who you're all talking about, but I am not him. In case you haven't noticed, I'm your enemy. I'm on the other side. Whoever it is you lost, it isn't me, so could we just get on with this?"
Kakashi shook Shizune off, silencing her with a hard look when she tried to stop him again. Standing up and reaching out with one hand, he poked the Yondaime in the chest, ignoring the blonde's protests. Flattening his hand against the other man, he ran it up towards his collarbone and down his right arm, tracing the muscle intently before sliding his hand back up to his shoulder. The Yondaime had gotten as stiff as a board, watching as the Jounin inspected his upper body in a routine fashion. Finally, the hand stopped at the base of his neck, and, his eyes never leaving the Yondaime's; Kakashi tweaked a strand of blond hair.
Right about now, Genma was wondering if they had done something to Kakashi's brain by accident when they were messing around with his eye, and he was sure the others were wondering the same thing, if the expression on Shizune's face was anything to judge by. Finished his investigation, Kakashi let his hand drop to his side, still staring into the Yondaime's blue eyes, almost like he was looking for something. Not turning away from his old teacher, like he was afraid the man would disappear the second he took his eyes of him, Kakashi sighed. "It's him. I don't know what Orochimaru's done to him, or if we can undo it, but it-it's him, it has to be."
Naruto, who had been as transfixed by Kakashi's actions as the rest of them, had looked to Genma when Kakashi spoke. "I don't understand. I thought, I thought he died doing that." They all knew what he was referring to, with exception to the Yondaime, but no one bothered to clear it up for him. Shizune looked to Genma again, wondering if he had come up with anything new on the theory they already had.
"We already know Orochimaru can raise the dead to use as his puppets Naruto, he did it at the Chuunin exams to fight the Sandaime. I think, and Shizune agrees, that he has either fine-tuned the jutsu, or created a whole new one that allows him to bring back the person's soul as well as erase their memory." Genma said slowly, watching Kakashi out of the corner his eye. Naruto didn't look convinced, but didn't question it any further, which was more proof of how he had matured over the years.
"So basically he's a walking dead guy?" Or not. Genma sighed and shook his head, giving Naruto a dark look and a suggestive glance at Kakashi. "Well then what? I don't understand it Genma! How can Orochimaru just bring people back to life like that! Once you're dead, you're de-"
The sound of the slap resounded throughout the tent. Naruto's blue eyes had gotten very wide, and he was staring at his former teacher with shock and horror. Already a red handprint could be seen across Naruto's left cheek and his mouth. Everyone, the Yondaime included, was staring at Kakashi along with Naruto, unable to believe that he had actually done that. The only one who beat out Kakashi for indifference was Shikamaru, and even then not by very much. It was getting more and more likely that something had gone wrong with his little operation with every move he made.
Naruto looked away from Kakashi at last, staring at a spot on the tent wall. Genma sighed, the last thing they needed now was more drama. "Look at me Naruto." Kakashi commanded, his voice hard and demanding. When Naruto didn't move, he reached out and grabbed the blonde's chin, forcing him to turn his head; Naruto just scowled at him. "Then once you're evil, you're evil. Right? No turning back? No pretending it didn't happen?" Naruto pushed Kakashi's hand away, looking very much like he wanted to hit back.
"That's different! He's diff…" Naruto's voice trailed off, and Kakashi looked more than slightly smug. Genma winced, hating the change in Kakashi already. Naruto looked up again, his eyes meeting Kakashi's sole, bloodshot, eye. "Fine." He said, his teeth practically bared. "Fine, if you don't think I can do it, I'll just have to prove it to you won't I?" And with that, he turned away again, stalking back to his corner of the tent, and just standing there, back to them, arms crossed defiantly.
"Kakashi!" Genma hissed. "What the hell are you trying to do!" Shizune nodded, giving the ex-Anbu a slightly homicidal look, one she had probably learned from the Godaime. Kakashi flinched, taking a step back, and thus, stepping on the Yondaime's foot. The Yondaime, trying to get his foot free before it lost all feeling, jerked backwards, not realizing there was a bench behind him. He toppled over, and in a last attempt to save himself, grabbed the back of Kakashi's shirt, pulling him over with him.
And that was when Anko and four fully armed Anbu burst into the tent through the canvas flap at the front. Everyone froze, expecting it to be Uchiha and some of his shinobi. Genma, spotting Anko out of the corner of his eye, turned to look at them, and just about fell over himself. "What are you doing here?" He asked, giving her a disbelieving look. "Weren't we supposed to meet you?"
"The attack has been called off Genma; Tsunade didn't think we could handle them without you four." She looked around the tent, raising an eyebrow. Naruto was pouting in the corner, Kakashi was on the floor, and Shizune and Genma looked rather shell-shocked. "Why, I'm not exactly sure." She shrugged. "Anyway, we're here to rescue you, and drag you back to Konoha. Especially him." Anko jerked her head in Naruto's direction before turning back to Kakashi, who was struggling to get to his feet in a rather un-ninja-esque way. "Who the hell is that anyway?" She asked, catching sight of the Yondaime's yellow hair when Kakashi moved his arm out of her line of sight.
"Anko, Yondaime. Yondaime, Anko." Kakashi said dryly, dusting off his knees. The Yondaime stood up as well, using the bench to pull himself up. "I trust you remember who he was, or, I suppose, is?" Anko's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the Yondaime, standing a few feet behind Kakashi, apparently wary of being knocked over again. She looked the blond up and down, trying to find something that would tell her it wasn't who Kakashi said it was, and who her brain was insisting it was.
"That's not possible." She croaked finally, turning away from him to look directly at Kakashi. "Not even Orochimaru should be able to do this. You know he died almost seventeen years ago now." Her voice was the same as Kakashi's had been initially, pleading for someone to reassure her, tell her that it was all a trick.
"I know. Thanks to the Sandaime's infinite wisdom, I'm reminded of it everyday." Kakashi said bitterly, not even bothering to glance in Naruto's direction, they all knew what he was talking about. Genma sighed; apparently he'd been right then. He had to wonder though, what the Sandaime thought he could accomplish by doing that. It wasn't like forcing Kakashi to face the boy everyday was going to make him forget, it most likely just made it worse.
The Yondaime glared at Kakashi again, hands sliding up to rest on his hips. "I told you all. I'm not this person, and I'd appreciate it if you would stop referring to me as such." Anko's lips twitched, but she gave no further sign that she had heard him. Shizune and Genma didn't even do that, even Kakashi just ignored him. "Did you hear me? I don't think you want me to go and get Uchi-" Anko's arm whipped out, and she hit him on the back of the neck with the side of her hand. Only Kakashi's fast reactions stopped him from crashing to the floor.
"We had better get out of here now. Before Uchiha realizes that half of his guards are dead." Anko said, turning to Naruto at last. "Come on Blondie. We're here to rescue you so you can stop pouting any time now." Naruto turned around, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and a scowl on his face.
"I'm not going." Naruto said calmly, looking Kakashi straight in the eye as he spoke to Anko. "I'm going to stay here. You all can leave now, don't worry about me." He looked at them all defiantly, daring them to argue with him. A few seconds passed in silence, the Anbu team giving Anko confused looks, clearly looking for her to give them some sort of answer. The silence was only broken when Genma swore.
He took a tentative step forward; ready to meet Naruto's challenge if it meant not having to explain to Tsunade why Naruto hadn't come back with them. "If this is about what Kakashi said-" He started, only to have his voice trail off at the angry look Naruto gave him. Biting his lip, he continued, not willing to just give up on the Jounin that easily. "If it is, you don't have to prove anything to us Naruto. It would be pointless for you to stay here, you'd just be handed Orochimaru another weapon, is that what you want?"
"I don't care. There is something I need to do here, so I'm going to do it. Don't try to stop me, you know you can't." Naruto said sharply, seeing an Anbu reach for his katana. Anko held up a hand when the Anbu looked to her for permission of sorts. Naruto gave them all a bitter half smile. "I've been messing around for four years now; it's about time I actually do something about it. It was my mission, and I failed it."
Resigned, Genma sighed. "And if you can't?" Shizune, realizing that Genma had given in, was about to speak up, but Genma held up a hand in a mimic of Anko, and Shizune dropped it. She didn't, however, stop worrying. They were all in for a whole lot of screaming when Tsunade learned that they had let Naruto stay behind, without even attempting to knock him out and carry him over one of their shoulders.
"I'll drag him back kicking and screaming if I have to. Just watch me." Scary thing was, not one person in the tent doubted it even for a second.
It was pure luck that Anko and the others managed to get out of the camp before they were noticed, if you asked him. Of course, people very seldom asked him, either because they just really didn't want to talk to him, or his opinion really didn't make a difference. Either way, they were lucky, and that was all that mattered. Sighing in relief, Naruto turned away from the tent flap. "Boo."
And jumped right out of his skin. Uchiha Sasuke, arms crossed much like Naruto's had been just minutes ago, was standing about three inches from his face, wearing a rather blank look. Suddenly, he found himself doubting the existence of the aforementioned luck. "Sasuke." He said wearily, watching the older boy carefully, not daring to move. "If you knew what was happening, and have been standing here the whole time, why did you let them go? Your guards are going to be suspicious."
"Because the only one I needed was already staying behind." Sasuke replied with a small smirk on his face, one Naruto hadn't seen for a while now. Naruto shrugged, not in the mood for word games right now. He wasn't even sure if they had even gotten all the way out of the camp, for all he knew they could have run into more guards, ones who hadn't been taken out on their way in. Of course, it would only cause more problems for him if they were brought back, problems such as why he was chummy with the enemy. Not questions he was prepared to answer any time soon.
"I can live with that. I take it that's why they didn't have any trouble getting through your little barrier?" He asked, not really caring about the answer. There wasn't any point to the question at all, he already knew the answer, this was all just for show. Just for show. To pretend that he hadn't known that Sasuke already knew all about this little escape of theirs, to pretend that he hadn't known that this was exactly the way this was going to go. Of course, the Yondaime had been an extra little surprise. "Don't bother answering; I have a better question for you Sasuke. What exactly is your master thinking?"
The smirk was gone, replaced with a scowl. "I know no more than you do about it. He showed up with an armed escort this afternoon, demanding to be taken to see you. I didn't expect to see him either. Of course, I recognized him. It wasn't like I could say no." Naruto snorted, clearly not believing a word. "And don't call him that. He's no more my master then you are."
Naruto looped his arms around Sasuke's neck, glad once he had gotten over the initial shock that the other boy was so close. He seemed to have forgotten that they were in a canvas tent, which was completely see-through due to the candle at the center casting their shadows on the tent wall. Though, they were certainly close enough that they were only casting the one shadow. "Wrong choice of words, Sasuke-teme."
"Dobe." But Sasuke's hands were resting on the small of Naruto's back, pulling him even closer. His hair was falling in his face as a result of not caring enough to get it cut, or even take a swipe at it with a kunai. Naruto rested his forehead against the other boy's, grinning cheekily.
"They didn't have a clue." He said proudly, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes. "I told you I could pull it off just fine, didn't I?" He paused to make what probably would have been an indignant noise, but he never did get around to it. Mainly because Sasuke took the opportunity to press his lips against the blonde's, knowing very well that if he didn't take this chance, he wouldn't get another, as Naruto seemed to think that closing his mouth would result in some sort of calamity. For once, he was right.
The tent flap opened; a sliver of moonlight shining through the gap. Naruto jerked back, away from Sasuke, gasping slightly. Raising a hand, he swiped it across his mouth, brushing away a strand of saliva before wiping his hand off on his shorts. "Fuck." He muttered bitterly, glancing up at Sasuke, who looked rather like a deer caught in headlights. "Four months apart and can't even have a lousy kiss without being interrupted. Typical."
"Sir?" The shinobi said, eyeing Naruto curiously, but knowing better than to question his leader, on fear of death. One thing that could be said about Orochimaru was that he plain didn't tolerate dissention in the ranks, over anything. So it really was better just to keep his mouth shut; however shocking what he happened to walk in on was. And this rated pretty high, considering it wasn't everyday he caught his drop dead gorgeous yet antisocial superior lip locked with a prisoner. Not that the prisoner wasn't equally attractive, even that covered in grime and blood. But it definitely wasn't something that happened every day, or even once before today, and he had a feeling that following in Uchiha's footsteps would not be well received. They were a little too familiar for his liking, but, as already mentioned, questioning your superiors was not the best idea if you wanted to live through the night. He knew the prisoners were shinobi from Konoha village, and had heard more rumors then he could count that that was where Uchiha had been recruited from, so it only made sense that he had been acquainted with their prisoners. Or should he say prisoner? He sighed, more work for them it seemed. "Should I send some of our men to search for the escaped prisoners sir!"
Sasuke, having recovered almost immediately from the shock, as customary for a shinobi of his caliber, scoffed. "Don't be a fool. Do you think you'll be able to capture them? It was… A fluke that we captured them the first time. It would be a waste of time and energy. Besides, we have both things that we came for; the Sharingan and the Kyuubi."
"Sasuke-sama! A message has just arrived from Orochimaru-sama, I've been looking for you eve-" Another shinobi burst into the tent, stopping short when he saw Naruto. "Oh." He glanced around the tent, looking quite confused and not a little pathetic. "Where are the other prisoners sir!" Naruto crossed his arms and rolled his eyes; it was becoming more and more obvious that the majority of Orochimaru's slaves were handpicked for both their strength and stupidity. Apparently aware of what Naruto was thinking, Sasuke shot him a warning look, clearly imploring him to keep his damn mouth shut. Naruto just grinned.
"Tsuzuki, explain to him somewhere else." Sasuke commanded, and the other two shinobi turned to go. "But first," he added, and they froze. "Give me that message." The newest arrival, exchanging a look with Tsuzuki, turned back, the message clasped in his shaking hand. Naruto tapped his foot impatiently, and received an elbow in the side for his troubles. Glaring at the back of Sasuke's head when the older boy stepped forward to take scroll, Naruto muttered something under his breath. He just knew it wasn't an accident when Sasuke's heel ground into his foot when he stepped back again.
Unrolling the scroll with one hand, he waved his subordinates away with the other. Naruto sidled over to try and read over Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke just gave him a look, and kept reading, moving the scroll over so that Naruto had to drape himself across the Uchiha to see the words. There was no ulterior motive behind this of course, none what so ever. Or so Sasuke told himself as he took advantage of the blond being off balance to pull him even more off balance and into his arms, the letter from Orochimaru falling onto the floor, already forgotten.
Not that Naruto was complaining though.
Genma wished he could have said that he hadn't looked back once when they had snuck out of the camp. He wished he could say that he had faith in Naruto, and that there was no doubt in his mind that he would come back to Konoha without even a scratch. Unfortunately, there were times when it was really in your best interest to lie to yourself, and this, of course, was one of them. He had doubts, who of them didn't? Except for the Yondaime, but he was unconscious, so he didn't really count. Anyway, it was only natural to be worried for Naruto's safety, as they had just, quite literally, left him in the snake pit. True, Naruto had been beating himself up about this for four years now, and understandably too. Sasuke had been his rival, his teammate, and his best friend, and he hadn't even been able to save him from himself. There was a lot of guilt involved there, as he knew well enough. But that did not mean he had to throw away his (rather bright) future on a lost cause.
Yes, lost cause. There was no way the Uchiha could be saved now. There was just too much blood on his hands, even if Naruto managed to drag him away from Orochimaru in the first place, which was highly doubtful, as much as Genma hated to say it. But Naruto couldn't seem to grasp that. Genma quickly turned his barking laugh into a cough when Anko glanced over her shoulder at him. Smiling wryly, Genma shook his head. He really wasn't in any position to be ragging on Naruto, to be honest. He knew how hard it was to admit defeat, to admit that you were losing someone, and that there was nothing you could do to stop them from slipping away.
The helplessness a person felt in that situation was horrible, painfully so. It was an ache that never went away, just burrowed deeper into your heart until they were gone, and then it stayed there, eating away at your humanity. He knew, he'd been there. You pushed people away because you knew they didn't understand the guilt that tormented you, day and night. The guilt that made you wonder how things could have been different if you had just done this, or that, had done one tiny thing differently. It was those kinds of doubts that drove people insane. After awhile, you start pulling people back, if only because you can't stand the loneliness for just one second longer. If only because you crave for the comfort and peace that others seem to possess so easily. If only because every time you're alone you hear them, the one you have lost, screaming.
Genma closed his eyes briefly, trying to ignore the constricting pain in his chest. It wasn't a cheerful train of thought, and always inevitably led to moping on his part. But he felt he deserved to mope; he had put up with a lot in his life time. This pain, it wasn't something he would ever wish on someone else, no matter who they were and what they had done (well, maybe Orochimaru, but he's a special case). It wasn't the kind of thing to be taken lightly, and fortunately, it didn't happen often. He just had the luck of knowing people that didn't seem to play by the normal rules.
There was one way for that kind of pain to go away, to heal. It wasn't an option for most people, as the one way was for you to be beside them again. To be able to see them everyday, just for the hell of it, and not have to worry that they'll be snatched away, turn out just to be the wishful dream of a crazy man. It didn't happen often, but every now and then… Again, as he said, he had the luck of knowing some very unusual people. Genma, mimicking Anko, glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi, knowing the ex-Anbu wouldn't see him. Kakashi's eye was trained on the Yondaime's shock of blond hair, just visible over the shoulder of the Anbu he was being carried by. Genma allowed a small smile to cross his face; some people got lucky.
Not Naruto though; there was no way Sasuke was still savable, not with all that he had done. He had willingly gone to Orochimaru, had chosen to leave Naruto, and everyone else, behind. That wasn't the sort of thing you came back from. Genma sighed, his eyes blinking rapidly even as his mind denied that it even considered crying. He had lost so much in this god damn war, and here Naruto was, trying to save one of the causes for it. He knew what the Jounin was going through, and knew that it would be better for him just to give up. He also knew that that was one thing that was never going to happen, no matter how many times people tried to explain to Naruto that the Uchiha had made his choice, and, like Orochimaru, he had chosen power over right. Genma knew, that if his person was still alive, he wouldn't ever stop trying to save them.
The circumstances were different though, and he couldn't fathom how Naruto thought there was still hope for Sasuke.
Of course, love is blind.
a/n: I. Am. So. Sorry. A lot has been happening, including spring break, and lots of homework, and night school, and jaw problems… Okay, not really a good excuse, but at least I finished, right? Heh. I know better than to make promises for the next chapter, but I really hope it won't be 2 and half weeks again… TT I can't believe it. That's just sad… I typed the first scene in a few days, and then there was the second… Which I typed in 30 minutes, but took 2 weeks to get around to. –sigh– pathetic, huh?
Bunch-o-Nuts: That word… That word being soon, if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Oops? Thanks though, I'm glad you enjoy it!
LKJ: Uh, thanks?
Hujin: -grins- Twists are fun. Can you tell I enjoy them muchly? (Yeah, they met already )
Starry096: Yes… Regularly… Happy to know you like it though!
Smoking Panda: More Naruto lines! I told you they would happen! –grins- Of course, he probably wont be back for a chapter or so, but he will have more lines when he is!
Angstluver: Again, it should be so simple.