"Tainted Demon Eyes"

By Nes Mikel

Acknowledgment;

I herby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. Most of the story, characters, place names and other etc stuff in this fiction are copyright Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi, Weekly Shounen Jump, and any others I might have forgot. Enjoy.

- Chapter Seven -

"Anji"

"It's not like you've seen me naked before." – Sai

The eyes of the female receptionist of the Hidden Leaf's Hospital greeted in a familiar sight. Walking calmly through the double doors of the main lobby, the man raised the palm of his hand towards her in acknowledgement, and strolled over to the desk where she worked at.

The exchange took place almost everyday.

Truthfully, the receptionist was quite flattered at the courtesy of this man towards her. If she didn't know any better she would've thought the man was coming to the hospital just to see her, and perhaps, maybe, ask her out someday for lunch, or – god forbid – even a date. She explored at the possibility and endlessly daydreamed about the topic on the slow days of her work, blushing madly at her girlish thoughts and desperately trying to avoid the states her co-workers gave her at her odd behavior. She couldn't help it. After all, he was one of the Hidden Leaf's most eligible bachelors, and she was sure that behind the black facemask and the Leaf Protector that covered his left eye, a handsome face existed. But it was only a fantasy. She knew his heart went out towards someone else in this hospital, and it was not she.

"Hey." he said.

"Kakashi-san." she bowed politely, still sitting behind the counter.

"Any changes on her condition?" he asked absentmindedly.

He was so direct, as always. Good thing it was only a small crush she had on this man. If she had really loved him, it would've tormented her to no end at how he could just ignore and bypass her feelings so casually and immediacy diverge into the topic of that woman he cared so deeply about. "No." she answered as she slowly shook her head sideways, a little sad.

He sighed in disappointment as he rested both of his elbows on the counter. Leaning forward slightly, his forehead rested on his kneaded hands. "I see…"

"Kakashi-san, I…"

He straightened his posture and smiled at her. "It's okay." He then turned his gaze towards the rest of the lobby, where patients and doctors and nurses scuttled about busily. "I shouldn't be distracting you from your job."

She giggled a little at this. "It's not that busy today. I don't mind."

"I'm going on a mission today with my team in about thirty minutes." Kakashi announced. "I may not be back for a few weeks. So I've come to say my goodbyes, before we set off."

The receptionist also knew he didn't mean her when he said he came to say his goodbyes to. Trying her best to ignore the sharp tinge in her heart, she tried to put on her best smile. "That's so nice of you. I'm sure she'll appreciate all the care you've shown her."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course. Women will find it quite romantic."

"Haha… I'm not that good when it comes romance. The only ones that I know are from the Icha… err… well, let's not get into that, shall we?"

Now only if he didn't add in that last part, she would've found it pretty cute at how he blushed at her complement like a schoolboy. Frowning a little with her smile still on, she replied. "Of course, Kakashi-san."

"Same room?"

"Yes. Rin-san is still in Room 401."

"Thanks." He nodded once appreciatively, and walked away towards his destination.

"Don't stay in the room too long, Kakashi-san! Don't forget you have a mission!" the receptionist called after him. Laughing as if embarrassed at her comment, he waved back at her before he disappeared up the stairwell. Staring at the stairwell a little while longer longingly, she sighed once as the receptionist went back to her paperwork she had been doing before he came in through the doors.

Hatake Kakashi was a good man, but he had a few flaws. One of them was his infamous love for the perverted series of novels aptly titled the 'Icha Icha Paradise'. The other was his reputation for being late for almost everything. However, unlike his other flaw, he had a good reason for this one. For the past fourteen years, Hatake Kakashi had been visiting the hospital almost everyday to visit his comatose teammate, ever since his Genin team had returned from that mission that had crushed the entire ride side of his female teammate's body. She had miraculously survived, but had been rendered in that static state ever since, never to wake up from slumber.

However, like many others, the receptionist was not aware of the truth.

Uchiha Rin did wake up.

Only once.

"Obito… she's…"

"Dammit…! Kakashi, we need a doctor in here, NOW!"

"…NO!"

"Rin?"

"Neechan?"

"Kakashi… Obito… get away from me! Run…!"

"What are you talking abou-"

"I… I can't… hold… aaaHHHH!"

Twelve years ago.

Uzumaki Naruto jumped across a few more rooftops before he found himself in front of his apartment, staring at the wide-open door. Well, it was more of a window rather than a door, really, as his small apartment was similar to that of an attic. The room was formally an empty loft located upstairs originally meant for storage purposes but was later modified into something that was more comfortable for people to live in, with a working kitchen and bathroom installed. It was, however, isolated from the rest of the rest of the building, and the only way to enter was from this black-rimmed window – which was currently wide open. Naruto's hands immediately went for the kunai is his weapons holster and pulled it in a defensive position in front of him.

Naruto sighed. He really didn't have time for this, but it left him with no other choice. He did live here, after all. He carefully approached the open window and took a surveying glance inside. The sound of running water drifted towards his ears. Someone was in there.

His fingers traced the rim of the window frame. Nothing. Confirming it trap-free, he climbed over and stepped inside. As soon as his feet touched the wooden floors of his apartment, he snapped his kunai up and deflected the shuriken sprung from the trap that he had activated when his feet broke the strings that held the projectile in place.

The sound of running water abruptly stopped, and a familiar figure calmly walked out from the bathroom. "You're getting more observant." it said.

He glared at the source of the voice, but immediately regretted it. Standing not too far away from him was Sai who just came out from the shower… completely naked. The only piece of cloth he even bothered to carry was the white towel that draped over his wet hair.

"For the love of… if you have time to set up a trap, Sai, then at least wear something decent." Naruto spat out distastefully.

"You're such a child Naruto-kun. It's not like you've seen me naked before."

"Shut up!" Naruto growled as he went over to his closet, pulling out a few articles of clothing. "I have to get ready for a mission. I don't have time for your silly games now."

Sai shrugged as he wrapped the white towel around his waist and drifted over to the fridge not too far away. Pulling out a drink and opening the can, he took a small swig at it before turning his attention back to his roommate. "What kind of mission?"

"Away."

"Wow. This early? You're good, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto ignored his sarcastic complement as he continued to stuff the necessities into his backpack. He scanned his apartment a little, seeing if he'd missed anything. There were a few scrolls scattered about the messy room that was more like an art studio, with its many brushes, paint, and canvas of different shapes and sizes littering the floor. Paintings of various styles hung loose from the walls, some of them his creation, but mostly authored by Sai.

If only he wasn't so utterly annoying towards him with these snide insults, Naruto really would've considered respecting Sai as the older brother figure in his life. He had to admit that he already did possess similar feelings towards his caretaker that was three years his elder, and was appreciative that he had taken in him after his previous foster 'family' had been massacred… but that didn't mean he had to like him. Eyeing a scroll that was on the floor next to Sai, he gestured towards it. "Toss me that, will you?"

Sai narrowed his already thin eyes. "Come and get it yourse-" he was interrupted when Sai had to tilt his head sideways to evade the kunai thrown at him. "Fine, fine." He leaned down and grabbed the scroll, and tossed it to his charge. Naruto caught it with his left hand and stuffed it into the many pockets of the pack. He mentally went over his equipment list, double-checking everything to make sure he had all he needed. Satisfied, he hoisted the backpack onto his shoulders and prepared to leave.

"Be careful, okay?"

The unexpected parting words from his foul-mouthed roommate stopped him in his tracks. Naruto stared at Sai, a little confused. "What…?"

"I said, be careful." the still half-naked youth answered.

Naruto snorted. "It's just a C-ranked escort mission. I'll be fine."

"Away means you're going outside the village, Naruto." it wasn't often when Sai referred to him without suffixes. He was speaking towards him seriously, a side of Sai that Naruto had rarely seen.

Naruto frowned.

"She is out there, somewhere." Sai continued.

His frown hardened.

"It's your first mission outside the village. Chances are that you won't be running into her, but… if you do, you will most likely do something stupid. So be careful."

"I will not."

"Yes, you will."

Naruto didn't deny it a second time. "Is that all?" he asked instead, turning away from him to leave. "I should get going."

Sai stopped him and he continued to talk. "Compared to her, you are still weak. You will not even stand a chance. Get that in your head, your dickless wonder."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "I made a vow. I will kill her. They will not rest in peace until I have avenged for their deaths. I will not turn back on my word."

"Not all of us are dead." Sai remarked. "I'm still alive."

"You were in the squad for a week." Naruto pointed out. "They have been my 'family' for almost nine years."

"Fine. Then what about Itachi-san? Or Iruka-senpai? Or even Kakashi-taichou?"

Naruto's eyes widened at the last name. "…What?"

It was Sai's turn to be surprised. Well, only slightly. "What, you didn't know?"

"Wolf-mask was Kakashi?"

"Huh. This is certainly a surprise. But yes, he is. I guess it makes sense. He never did take off that mask of his while he was in 'Ne', and he tended to avoid you seeing as how the rest of the squad was taking care of you. He never was the most social person."

"…"

"You see, Naruto-kun? The people of 'Ne' are still caring for you. It's not your fight alone. Remember that. She is my sworn enemy as well."

"…I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." Sai nodded once. "Go, then."

And he was off.

If there was one thing Uchiha Mikoto regretted, it was that she hardly got to spend any quality time with two sons, especially the younger one. However, her duties as the miko of the Main Temple of the Nakano Shrine kept her away from the house more often than she liked. As a result, she was even unable to see Sasuke off when he had became Genin, much less see him off whenever he was even going away for a day on a mission. The thought always made her feel a little guilty.

Now, her little boy was already getting missions that took him away from the village. Mikoto was by no means a weak woman, but it broke her heart. Children grow up so fast…

The least she could do was to at least try to attempt to make things right. For once, her duties at the shrine didn't keep her away from the house today. She finally had the necessary time to herself so she could say her goodbyes to her son before a mission.

For the moment, she was washing dishes in the kitchen. She could've let one of the maids handle it, but old habits died hard. It was a refreshing change, staying at home, attending to her motherly duties. It wasn't something she would've enjoyed doing everyday, but nonetheless she basked in the moment of tranquil peace of normality.

She heard a set of scuffling upstairs followed up by sequences of squabbling and yelling. Mikoto closed her eyes and shook her head sideways, a little happy at how some things never changed. On the outside, those two brothers looked as if they shared the worst of relationships, but being a mother had its perks. Despite how they constantly argued with each other over the smallest things, she knew Itachi and Sasuke had really cared for each other, and they shared an unbreakable brotherly bond. The little detail made her happy; Mikoto was proud to call them her two sons.

It didn't take long before she heard the Sasuke's loud stomping climbing down the stairs, obviously displeased at his older brother pampering him like a child (which he was, as Itachi dully reminded him, which only served to fuel Sasuke's anger). Sparing a glace to the hallway outside the room, Mitoko saw Sasuke pass by the kitchen door, his cheeks singed in a little shade of purple fury as he continued to stomp towards the exit before Itachi could catch him in his teases again.

Mikoto quickly twisted the kitchen sink's faucet shut and wiped her wet hands over the lower half of the apron she wore before she stepped out of room. "Leaving without saying goodbye, Sasuke dear?" she said it with a touch of sarcasm. Sasuke smacked the palm of his hand over his face in mental agony, fully aware that it was her mother teasing him now. Although she was half-joking with her son, it did hurt a little inside at how Sasuke had fully intended to leave without a word of farewell. Had their distance as a mother and a son drift apart so much in such little time?

"I'm sorry mother." Sasuke stammered out, avoiding direct contact with her eyes. He was at least apologetic. "I just wanted to get away from Itachi as fast as I can…"

She heard a pair of footsteps approach her from behind.

"Is that so?"

Sasuke groaned. His worst nightmare had caught up to him. Mikoto aptly turned around to see a smirking Itachi towering behind her, obviously pleased at his successful attempts of pissing his younger brother off. Mikoto suspected it was fast becoming Itachi's favorite hobby of his. "Oh knock it off you two." she deadpanned, a look of disapproval carved in her face.

"Yes mother." they chorused. It was clear that they weren't really listening to her seriously though, as they continued to glare at each other, Sasuke distastefully and Itachi triumphantly in a silent battle of wills. Such were the nature of these boys. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

She decided to change the subject. "Sasuke, be careful ok?" she advised her son, her motherly mode in full swing. "I know it's just C-rank, but there's always the possibility…"

Her son interrupted her worries with a shrug. "Mother, I will be fine. Although Kakashi-sensei is a little weird, he's a Jounin. What can possibly go wrong?"

Itachi then proceeded to make a sarcastic comment about how Sasuke was too reliant on his instructor and the younger brother of course retorted back, their mother's earlier words already forgotten. But Mikoto paid little heed to their words. She was slightly distracted at what Sasuke had just told her.

Kakashi… is his instructor?

She knew the man. Almost every single senior member of the Uchiha clan did. He is, after all, the only non-Uchiha member that possessed that specific eye that differentiated the Uchihas from the rest of the village. There was debate a long time ago about how he should've been taken care of under the authority of the clan after he came to possess the eye, but the then Fourth Hokage had shot that request down. He insisted that the Hatake was a man of his own, and the Uchihas had wisely taken back their claims. One did just not go against the Fourth Hokage. Even in death.

Mikoto soon came to the conclusion that it was perhaps fitting for Kakashi to be the Jounin instructor for Sasuke. At the very least he knew how the aspect of their bloodline worked, and when the time came for Sasuke to awaken his powers, he would have an instructor that was capable of teaching him how to utilize that same power. It then suddenly occurred to her that Mikoto hardly knew just what kind of Genin team Sasuke belonged to. Interrupting the brotherly squabble between her two sons, she turned to Sasuke and shot him a question. "Sasuke, how are your teammates?"

Caught a little off guard at her sudden inquiry, Sasuke crooked his chin to the side and remained silent for a little while before he answered. "Well… I can't really say much about Naruto. He's okay, I guess, a little on the quiet side, but he's pretty strong."

One of Mikoto's eyebrows rose at this. "Naruto, as in, Kazama?" she asked, a little surprised at the revelation that one of his teammates was the son of the famed Fourth Hokage.

Sasuke blinked once as he stared at her in confusion. "Er, no, he's a Uzumaki."

"Uzuma… oh, I see." she nodded once in understanding. "What about your other teammate?"

"Sakura? Well, she's pretty cute, and I've been trying to…" Sasuke's words quickly trailed off, and a look of concern settled upon his cool face as he noticed the woman's expression in front of him had turned sour. "Mother? What's wrong?"

Realizing that she had slipped, Mikoto quickly got a hold herself and smiled sweetly at her son. "No, it's nothing. Now, run along dear, I don't want you late for your mission. You have to meet your team at the gate soon, don't you?"

Sasuke laughed, a little sheepish. "I still have a few minutes. Besides, Kakashi-sensei will probably show up late again. But thanks anyways, mother." He stood up as he finished putting on his shoes, and stepped out of the doorway. "Later aniki! Goodbye mother!" he dashed out, and was soon gone.

Mikoto stood there a little while longer before she turned her back from the doorway. She then noticed someone staring at her, and raised her downcast eyes only to look into the concerned gaze of her eldest son.

"Mother…"

"Just what is Hokage-sama thinking…?" Mikoto said, bitterness clearly evident in her tone.

"Sakura isn't the demon." Itachi solemnly replied as he moved in to defend the girl. "She is merely a container."

Mikoto unconsciously wiped the already dry hands on her apron, her vision wandering as she lost herself in her disturbed thoughts. "Even if what you say is true, Itachi… she is an Haruno."

An exhausted silence settled over mother and son.

"…I wish you wouldn't speak of them like that." Itachi whispered.

She narrowed her eyes, her business-like aura she often emanated as a miko returning as her piercing black eyes stated at his. "You only feel that way because you were engaged to that woman. We were willing to give them one last chance… but what did she do to you in the end?"

Itachi didn't answer.

"She betrayed your trust." Mikoto continued, a touch of sadness evident in her voice. "She betrayed our trust, the village's trust. She murdered one of the Advisors… she killed your best friend, and most of your former ANBU squad to which you three belonged…"

"Please mother." Itachi interrupted her, his concerned face now turning into something more akin to hurt. "I know…"

Mikoto paused briefly for the sake of her son, but she decided to add in one last detail to remind Itachi of the situation. "And that Sakura girl… is her younger sister."

Again, Itachi didn't answer.

Mikoto breathed out a disappointed sigh as she turned away from Itachi to return to the kitchen, intent on finishing cleaning the dishes. "I only say this because I'm concerned for you Itachi." she said as picked up the orange sponge floating amidst the soapy waters in the sink. "You have to move on. I know you loved her… but she will never come back. She is dead to us now."

Itachi nodded at her words, and silently decided to withdraw to his room upstairs as he steadily walked away to leave. Mikoto watched his retreating figure with pitying eyes momentarily, before she hastily returned to her self-appointed task.

The least she could do was to at least try to attempt to make things right. Not just for Sasuke, but for Itachi as well. Her oldest son carried a emotional scar that could not be cured easily, if not at all. That mental wound had carried over to Mikoto too – she had once liked the girl Itachi was engaged to. As a mother, Mikoto was disappointed that she was not blessed with a daughter, but Itachi's fiancée had filled that void in her heart and loved the younger woman as she would've loved a true daughter. She had all but forgotten what the Harunos truly were until they were reminded of it on that night.

They were a clan of traitors.

She desperately hoped that the last Haruno girl would not turn out to be like the rest of them. For the sake of that Sakura girl, for the sake of her two sons, for the sake of the village…

For the sake of Mikoto, as well.

Sakura's current mood was confusing at best.

She really didn't mind the fact that her perverted teacher showed up along with the client they had to protect thirty minute late from their assigned gather time. They were originally given fifteen minutes to prepare for their departure, and Sakura had hastily packed every single Dango she could find in her household (along with a few scrolls and acupuncture needles, her other weapons she already had on her) and have even made emergency purchases from the Ichiraku only to find out that her haste was all in vain. She should've known better. At the very least thirty minutes was a record for Kakashi – she and her two other teammates had fully expected him to take another hour or two. Regardless, her anger quickly dissipated when excitement took a hold of her. This was the first time she ever got to leave the village.

Her excited mood spiraled downwards when their bridge building client didn't share her enthusiasm. Tazuna openly voiced his complaints when he questioned their teacher if he was really going to be safe with these 'brats', as he called them. This touched a sensitive corner in Sakura's mind as she quickly backed up her claims of strength and told him not to mess around with ninjas such as she. She even told him her dream of becoming Hokage. He seemed skeptic about her claims and had said that he doubted a girl like her could be one. Her Inner Sakura mode now fully tuned, she yelled at him that he would forced acknowledge her once she becomes Hokage.

He simply didn't care. "No I won't, you brat… even if you did become Hokage."

If it weren't for her teacher grabbing the collar of her dress to hold her back, Sakura would've carried out Naruto's death threat on Tazuna for him.

Thus the awkward party of five had set off towards their destination, with an excited, angry, disappointed and moody kunoichi amongst them. The group traveled in blundering silence as they steadily marched along the main road, passing by a few creeks and small rivers here and there. It was unnerving for Sakura. She wasn't used to all this quiet, especially so amongst her teammates. She wasn't the village's loudest kunoichi for nothing. She decided to start a conversation for the sake of her boredom. Putting on her best mature behavior, she turned to her client. "Umm, Tazuna-san?"

"What?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

Sakura tried her best to suppress her Inner Sakura rage directed at the insensitive client. She hoped dearly that her twitch didn't show. "You're from the Wave Country, right?"

Tazuna looked at her as if she had just grown two heads, likely surprised at how suddenly the seemingly immature girl changed into something that was a little more proper. "What about it?"

Nodding once, Sakura then turned to her teacher, who was surprisingly not engrossed in that book of his. "Kakashi-sensei." Sakura addressed him to get his attention. "Do they have ninjas in that country too?"

"No, not in the Wave Country." he answered. She was slightly disappointed at this, but Kakashi continued on with his explanation. "But… in most other countries, the culture and customs may be different, but hidden villages exist, and so do ninjas. To the many countries of the continent, the existence of a shinobi village means military power. This is how they hold and maintain advantages over each other. But, it's not that the villages rule the countries, they merely stand on equal terms with the country's government."

"So… because the Wave is a small country, it doesn't need a shinobi village?" Sasuke asked, joining in the conversation.

Their instructor nodded. "Within the many counties that have shinobi villages, Fire, Water, Thunder, Wind, and Earth countries are large and powerful, and thus referred to as the Five Great Shinobi Countries." Kakashi turned to the only student that remained unresponsive at the conversation. "Here's a pop quiz. Naruto, can you name the five Great Shinobi Counties and their respective villages?"

Naruto stared at Kakashi with a bemused expression before he replied monotonously to his question. "Fire Country, Hidden Leaf Village. Water Country, Hidden Mist Village. Thunder Country, Hidden Cloud Village. Wind Country, Hidden Sand Village. Earth Country, Hidden Stone Village."

Sakura saw Kakashi mask's twist a little in a smile, obviously satisfied. "Very good. Only the leaders of those villages are allowed to receive the title of 'Kage'. The Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage: these five are referred to as the 'Five Shadows'. They are the ninjas that rule over the tens of thousands of ninjas scattered about in this world."

"That lame geezer is that incredible…?" Sakura quietly asked, her voice full of doubt. Her thoughts went back to the time when she had stolen the scroll with that certain killer technique (restricted to men) of hers and how the old man had succumbed to her charm. I even defeated him once too…

Kakashi grinned at them. "You just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?" Sakura quickly shook her head in denial of the fact before she felt Kakashi's hand rest on top of her short rosette hair. "But don't worry, there won't be any ninja combat in a C-rank mission."

Sakura wasn't really worried; in fact she felt quite the opposite. "Then, we won't come in contact with foreign ninjas…?"

"Of course not! Hahahaha!"

Shoving her sensei's hand away from her head, she stomped forward of the pack, a little angry. And here I thought I was going to be able to kick some ass!

A wise man once said: 'be careful what you wish for'.

Sakura never noticed the suspicious water puddle in the middle of the road in this bright and sunny day as she passed it by. It had never occurred to her that it hasn't rained for at least a week in Fire Country. The puddle was not just unnatural. It was also artificial.

Naruto hated being underestimated. He already had to put up with Sai who constantly did so already everyday he was around. Unfortunately for Naruto, Sai could rightly underestimate him so – he wasn't all talk, Sai was an actual skilled, capable ninja with superior skills. Whatever attempts at feeble revenge Naruto plotted against him had always been thwarted. He bitterly then opted to learn from his mistakes and had studied… no, 'stolen' Sai's strategies and techniques, in hopes that one day that he will be strong enough to defeat his mentor (he bitterly admitted), and, consequently, his target of revenge. So Sai was the only person he could somewhat tolerate when one underestimated him. The others, on the other hand, were a different story.

Naruto didn't quite understand why people did so. So he was short for his age, the sad fact attributed to his dislike of milk (just how could one stand to drink some white juice that was extracted from the breasts of a cow?). He wore flamboyant orange-colored clothing, which one could say was stupid for a ninja, but it was a sign of his confidence in his skills. As for his looks… fine, he didn't look that intelligent, but he didn't think he looked stupid, either. So not only did Tazuna accuse him of looking stupid, he had even doubted of him being a ninja. Naruto wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to kill him. Only the voice of reason within his mind and Kakashi holding him back had saved him from committing unnecessary murder.

And now he had to put up with this.

The duo had suddenly ambushed the group from behind as they vertically emerged from the puddle they had passed by moments ago. Kakashi was their first victim, not even giving him time to move before the chains completely wrapped around him in a tight embrace. "One down!" He was then torn into thins threads of meat, blood and guts splattered, the crimson color staining the brown dirt road.

What a show off.

Naruto instantly realized that the Kakashi that had 'died' was a fake. The Wolf-masked man he knew back from the days of 'Ne' always did like to go out with a bang. That display was a bit over the top, though. Naruto noticed Sakura's normally cheerful face had turned a shade paler at the excessively graphic scene, although it was merely an illusion. But he doubted if the girl could see through it. It had fooled their attackers completely, after all.

After they had 'dealt' with Kakashi, the two thugs disappeared from the scene only to reappear behind his back, fully intent on tearing him to shreds with their sharp claws and chains because he had apparently looked the easiest to kill. His eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance. God, he hated being underestimated. Oh well. At the very least he now found a vent to unleash his frustration, and this time there was nothing holding him back.

"Two down!" they said, their voices full of confidence as they prepared to finish him off. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the clawed arms linked the sharp triangle chains the attackers wielded to each other. Noting this small detail, he evaded the incoming iron menace by ducking once before it had a chance to withhold him. He rolled his body over to the side before his attackers regrouped and jumped once high into the air, landing on top of a nearby tree branch. Quickly unstrapping the weapons holster attached to the leg, he withdrew a small quadruple bladed shuriken and let it loose. The projectile hit the chain and embedded itself into the nearby tree. He immediately followed it up with a kunai, and successfully pinned the chains to the tree rendering the attackers immobile for the time being. Naruto knew that it wasn't going to last for long, but it was enough to buy him some time.

Reaching behind, he quickly pulled out one of the scrolls from the backpack and tore off the binding paper seal that kept it shut. He unrolled the scroll just a tad before he threw the entire scroll at his attackers that were still struggling to break their pinned chains free. Naruto's hands fluttered about as he formed the necessary seals for his technique. As he progressed, the scroll of paper twisted once in midair as if alive before the prewritten lines started to glow red from his chakra. It was finished.

"Giga: Hebi no Sho!"

From the scrolls out bursted a large black snake, almost as large as an anaconda. Tearing the now-useless scroll it emerged from to shreds it quickly slithered its way about to his opponents, ready to wrap them around in its choking embrace to restraining them. At that precise moment, the attackers decided to abandon their now useless chain weapon and disengaged it from their claws and separated, one of them going for Sakura, the other going for Sasuke and Tazuna. The duo tore through the snake-beast counterfeit completely and turned it back into a puddle of ink and charged. Sakura gave out a shriek, meekly holding up her defenseless hands in front of herself in a feeble attempt at a guard.

Tsk, dammit…

"Sasuke!" Naruto turned. "Protect the old man!" he commanded. With Naruto's words Sasuke's legs stopped shaking and pulled out his kunai to protect himself and the client trembling with fear behind him. They would be fine; Naruto knew that when it came down to it, Sasuke was a capable ninja. At the moment he was more preoccupied with protecting his female teammate. His counterfeit was useless now, and he had no time to call forth another. Focusing chakra in his legs, he dashed out from the tree branch, desperately trying to put himself in between Sakura and her attacker. "Sakura!" he shouted, trying to distract the enemy as its claws came into contact with Sakura's skin. Dammit, not fast enough…!

Slam!

The enemy ninja slumped into the ground, unconscious. Kakashi stood above the fallen figure, his other occupied arm clutching the other that had attacked Sasuke and Tazuna, obviously knocked out judging from its unresponsiveness.

Hmph… leave it up to him to hog the spotlight. Naruto silently muttered to himself, a little dissatisfied.

I… I couldn't do anything…

Sakura sat there for a while longer, dumbfounded. She barely heard her instructor when he offered his apologizes for getting her injured as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. They were ambushed, that much she knew. Kakashi had used kawarimi from the very beginning to fool their attackers in order to catch them off guard, and that plan had obviously worked out beautifully. Even that lecher Sasuke had put up a good, albeit short, fight to protect the client against the unexpected attacker before Kakashi intervened.

She, on the other hand, couldn't do anything. She was unable to react when they suddenly attacked them. Her frightened emotions ran rampart as it took a hold of her when she witnessed her teacher getting torn into shreds in front of her eyes. Her heart was screaming in denial, telling her that this could possibly not be happening. She could not move, she couldn't even protect herself.

Yet Naruto…

It was probably his first real battle, yet not only did he coolly evade his opponent's attacks when he was targeted, he had even launched a counterattack. Was he not scared at all? He stood their not too far away from her, standing ever so casually as if nothing happened. As far as Sakura could tell he didn't even have a speck of dust on him. He had even moved in to save her…

"Well anyway, nice job Naruto. You too Sasuke." Kakashi complemented his two students. Sakura quickly caught on that she was omitted from the list of praises. Her eyes dropped to the ground. She felt totally useless.

"Are you all right?" the voice caught her unprepared. She had fully expected Sasuke the one to talk to her like that, but when she snapped her head back up she was a little surprised when it was Naruto that offered his hand. She blushed a little, a little flattered for his concern, and took up on his offer. He helped her up, but soon let go, turned and walked away from her. "Now we're even." he said.

Her kind feelings vanished in a flash when rage took a hold of her instead. So he had helped her only because he felt indebted to her back at the Practice Arena when he took advantage of her! "Why you…!" And I thought you cared…!

"Sakura, save that for later." Kakashi stopped Sakura before she could erupt into a series of curses not fit for someone so young. "Their claws are soaked in poison. We have to remove it quickly." Sakura brought her injured left hand up. Indeed, it was starting to sting a bit. "We need to open the wound and release the poisoned blood from your body. Don't move much, the poison will spread." She gritted her teeth. Dammit…

Kakashi turned to their client. "Tazuna-san."

"Y-yes?" he stammered, taking a step back in shock.

"I need to talk to you." He gestured over to the two ninjas now tied to the tree with a batch of thick rope. Kakashi peered over to see their forehead protectors. "A slash across the mark… these guys look like Hidden Mist missing-nins, probably around Chuunin level. Mist shinobi are known to continue fighting no matter what."

"Why… why were you able to read our movements?" one of them choked out in between his fit of coughs, still injured from Kakashi's blows.

"On a sunny day like this when it hasn't rained in days, there's not going to be a puddle." he replied. "You guys should've looked into the weather reports if you wanted to pull off a stunt like that.

Standing next to Kakashi, Tazuna looked at him in bewilderment. "If you knew that, why did you let the brats fight…?"

"If I wanted to, I could have killed these two instantly, but…" Kakashi narrowed his one eye and stared at Tazuna seriously. "There was something I needed to find out… who these two were after."

Tazuna stared back at Kakashi, not really understanding. "What do you mean?"

"Meaning… were they after you, or one of us. We haven't heard that there were shinobis after you… especially foreign missing-nins. Our mission was to simply protect you from thieves or gangs. This has now become at least a B-rank mission. Your request was just for simple protection until you completed the bridge."

The elderly bridge builder was unresponsive.

"If it was known that ninjas were after you, this mission would've been set as the more expensive B-rank mission. I'm sure you had a reason…" he carefully undertoned. "But it causes problems when you lie about the mission. We are now operating outside of our duties."

"I'm not sure if I fully understand…" Sasuke cut in. "But we need medicine for Sakura-san's…" he paused quickly before he corrected himself. "Er, Sakura's wound. We should at least go back to the village and take her to a doctor…"

"Hmm…" Kakashi cupped his chin and eyed Sakura, his vision focused on the hand she carefully cradled. "This might be too much… I guess we should return to the village to treat Sakura."

That was the last straw. Gritting her teeth as tight as she could, Sakura pulled out a kunai from her holster, raised it high above the air only to slam the sharp end back into her left hand. The stinging pain intensified, and was almost intolerable, but they would have to straddle over her dead body before she would admit that.

Why… why is there so much of a difference? Why am I always… damn it! I don't need to be pampered! she barely heard Sasuke's worried shout, asked if she'd gone crazy. She ignored him. I should be becoming stronger! I've completed many missions, and I practice jutsu every day by myself! I'll never be the damsel in distress ever again! I'm never going to be afraid, nor try to run away… and above all…

She glared at the blonde boy who stared at her, looking a little disturbed. Her gaze then drifted over to her dark-haired teammate, his face full of concern. She tightened her grip on the kunai as she renewed her vow. I won't lose to Naruto nor Sasuke! I'll show them! I'll swear it on this pain in my left hand!

"We're continuing the mission!" she heartily declared.

Kakashi stared at his female subordinate a little longer before he resigned himself to a sigh. Kids these days… they were so rash, acting on instinct rather than logic, never thinking of the consequences. He scratched the behind of his silver-haired head a bit before he refocused his attention on her. "Umm, Sakura. It's good that you are releasing the poison, but…"

"But?" she blinked once, a little confused.

"But any more and you'll die from blood loss."

A cold breeze passed through them. The birds in the backgrounds cheerfully chirped within the summer wind, adding a little humor to this already tense situation. It didn't take long for the pink-haired kunoichi standing a little distance away turn paler by the moment as the blood continued to freely pour out of her left hand. He approached her, a little cautious before he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. This time she didn't push it away. "We better stop it quickly or you'll be in danger. Seriously." he added with a touch of glee.

It had the desired effect he wanted. His student quickly settled into panic mode. "Ahhh! No, no! I can't die like this!" she scuttled about, looking almost as if she was ready to burst into tears.

"Here, let me see your hand…" he offered, and Sakura was quick to comply. Kakashi pulled out some white bandages from his tool pouch to wrap it around the wound as he carefully inspected her hand. His eyes widened at the sight before him. The wound… A thin, almost invisible steam of smoke rose from the cut, glowing a little before it closed itself up. It is already healing…

It took him a while before he noticed Sakura shaking in fear in front of him. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei? Am I all right? You look so… serious…"

"No, it's nothing. You should be fine." he answered, and a sigh of relief escaped from her lips. Kakashi quickly finished wrapping the bandages around her hand and tapped on it once for good measure after he was done. His student winced at this, and stuck her tongue out to him, her earlier appreciative behavior already gone to who knows where.

The power of the Kyuubi, huh…? he thought to himself, as the unwelcome tinge of sadness encompassed his body.

Rin…

"Excuse me, sensei."

He turned around. It was Tazuna.

"We need to talk."

It is painful to remember.

But it is also painful to forget.

- Uchiha Itachi

-

Tainted Demon Eyes

- Chapter Seven -

"Anji"

-END-

Author's Notes:

I told myself I would get around to revising the first five chapters, but I found myself too lazy to do so and fixed the format only. Reading over it again, I see a lot of mistakes, especially so in Chapter One that makes the revised format look horrible. Ick. I will someday get around to fix them. Hopefully. It is a year old chapter, after all. It's due for some maintenance.

Chapter Seven was, again, rushed, for the sake of my readers, as per witnessed by the lack of deviation in the second half of the chapter. In my defense, however, it was REALLY hard to write (Mikoto scene especially). The Wave Country Arc that I had planned for this AU universe is, well… there really aren't many changes incorporated. I have an idea floating about my head to add in an AU element here and there that might just work, but as it stands, it's going to look pretty similar up to a certain point. orz

Although I am thankful to the people who have taken their time to review my work, I am a tiny bit disappointed at the fact I have been getting less and less reviews as the chapters progressed. However, it occurred to me that in order for stories to get more reviews, they must be captivating from the beginning. I realize now that this story fails to do so as the actual AU portion of the story begins more so in Chapter Three. I had actually considered deleting the first two chapters, especially the first where it has little original content. However, in order for the whole story to function properly, the background information given in the first and second chapters are very important for the sake of the plot, so I cannot delete them. Hopefully my eventual revision will correct that mistake and I will get myself more readers, and consequently, more reviewers.

As I said before, I am not really good at fight scenes as it had came out short yet again. I really admire other authors who can go into such detail for such scenes. I find my style of writing getting to the actual point too soon, and details are left for the readers to imagine. I think my best abilities as a writer is thinking of the actual plot rather than the practice. The lack of a beta on my part hurts a little, too…

Okay, enough ranting. Again, reviews, comments, criticism… or rather, anything that can fuel my passion to continue this fic are most welcome!

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

Japanese Word Translations in Chapter Seven (in order of appearance):

san – attached after a name, it is a way of calling people out of respect. It could mean "Mr", "Miss" or "Mrs".

genin – novice-class ninjas on the ninja hierarchy.

neechan – affectionate way of calling someone "older sister".

kunai – small, metallic daggers used by ninjas. Mostly used as throwing weapons, but unlike shuriken it could also be used as melee weapons.

shuriken – a small, star-shaped, quadruple-bladed throwing weapon used by ninjas. However, shuriken's shape and size can vary widely. The example I gave in this explanation is just the most common form of shrunken.

kun – attached after a name, basically it's used to call someone who is younger than you or about the same age. What makes it confusing is that it's used in some other situations that is rather hard to explain.

senpai – term used to call your senior in the same field

taichou – captain

ne – literal translation is "root". In "Naruto", this is a name of an actual ANBU squad.

miko – shrine maiden

sensei – teacher

jounin – expert-class ninjas on the ninja hierarchy

hokage – literal translation is "shadow of fire". Title given to the leaders of the Hidden Leaf.

aniki – means "older brother". Used among siblings to call their older brothers.

anbu – literal translation: "dark squad". In "Naruto" these are elite ninja squads that accomplish the most dangerous missions such as assassinations. They sort of act like military police too.

dango – a traditional Japanese sweet/snack. Packed full of stuff called 'anko', which I'm not exactly sure what it's made out of.

ichiraku – a ramen stand in "Naruto". Literal translation is "easy one". I think. Could be wrong.

kunoichi – female ninjas. Literal translation is "nine is one." If one combines the three kanji's (one of the three types of the Japanese alphabet) that make up the word kunoichi, it becomes another kanji that means "woman".

shinobi – literal translation is "those who stealth". Another word for ninjas.

kage – shadow

mizukage – lit trans: "shadow of water". Title given to the leaders of the Hidden Mist.

raikage – lit trans: "shadow of thunder". Title given to the leaders of the Hidden Cloud.

kazekage – lit trans: "shadow of wind". Title given to the leaders of the Hidden Sand.

tsuchikage – lit trans: "shadow of earth". Title given to the leaders of the Hidden Stone.

chakra – one of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy. This is in real life, by the way. In "Naruto" they are the necessary spiritual energy you need to perform ninjutsu, genjutsu (illusion techniques), certain forms of taijutsu (physical combat techniques), and blood-limit techniques (inheritance techniques).

giga: hebi no sho – literal translation is "counterfeit: chapter of snake". An original technique created for this fanfic, but is based off a real one. One of the many variations of the giga series techniques. Unlike chouju giga which requires for the drawings to be written on the spot, these scrolls have prewritten drawings on them that can be materialized with necessary seals and chakra. However, this technique requires excessive preparation work, requires a little more chakra compared to the original, and is a one-time use only.

kawarimi – replacement

jutsu – technique

chuunin – intermediate-class ninjas on the ninja hierarchy.

kyuubi – lit trans: "nine tails".