Fueled by Matatabi's power, Maruku tore his way through the Land of Stone. It was by no means the meticulous stealthy way he took to enter the country, however he was moving so fast for a reason. Currently he was dehydrated, and emaciated, his time in the dark was longer than he had realized. Matatabi was the only reason that he was alive and moving right now. Maruku needed to find the closest river before his body gave out. A river meant drinking water. If he could get water then he could continue just a bit longer.
In the distance he could sense people. A squad of four. Ninjas. The boy was closing in on them, very fast. Maruku cursed, there was no way he could take on a whole squad in his condition, but he also couldn't afford to make any detours either. What should he do? In his moment of indecisiveness he missed the appearance of new chakra signatures. Rushing straight through a large bolder he came face to face with the expected Stone ninja and uniforms he recognized from being his home village.
Keeping his moment his momentum he charged towards the perceived enemy with the intention to kill.
"Shadow possession jutsu!" Maruku was stopped dead in his tracks his fist inches away from the stone ninja's heart. The small blue flames that danced across his skin were extinguished as Matatabi's power faded.
" Partner I think we're fucked." The two-tails' voiced. "Well it was nice knowing you." Maruku thought back.
A kunai knife was placed to his throat as a voice spoke. "I'm going to undo the jutsu, make any sudden moves and you die right here. Do you understand?"
"I understand." As promised the shadow that was locking him in place receded. Maruku's legs buckled under the loss of support but he managed to keep himself standing.
"Turn him around." The voice who spoke was a deeper, gruffer voice. The person holding the knife to his neck grabbed him rather violently and spun him around.
He came face to face with the last people he expected to see. It was Asuma and Shikamaru. It took a second but slowly Maruku watched the light of recognition come to their eyes. Asuma was the one who spoke first.
"You're one of Kakashi's brats. Rumor had it you went MIA on your last mission." The older man's eyes moved to look toward the person who still had the boy at knife point. "Let him go. We'll take him back to the village with us."
There was a sudden sharp pain in his neck then his world faded to black. Asuma watched rather clinically as the boy slumped over, unconscious. Turning to face the stone ninjas he spoke again.
"It looks like we'll have to cut negotiations short here." An imposing, hulking figure of a man, with a somewhat bulbous nose stepped forward.
"Very well. Besides you know when to expect us."
"Thank you." With parting words said the Leaf ninja left in various burst of speed.
FIREFIREFIRE
Maruku came to very slowly. Trying to move he found that his hands were bound. It was nighttime and there was a small fire not to far from him.
"So you're awake." He turned his head toward the direction of the gruff voice. It was Asuma casually smoking a cigarette.
"You've been MIA for roughly two and a half months with no sightings. Care to explain?" It wasn't a question and both of them knew it. However two and a half months, was he really held in that cell for that long. Still Maruku explained, his mission to destroy the mine, fighting the Sound jonin, how he was captured.
"How did you escape?" Shit. The million dollar question that he couldn't answer. Luckily Matatabi could.
"Repeat after me."
"I don't remember it fully, I remember trying to meditate and clear my head to think of an idea when I felt some sort of strange power flow into me. I don't remember anything after that, so maybe thats how."
Asuma's eyes met his looking for any type of deception. Eventually he nodded and Maruku's bindings were cut.
"If what you say is true that's something only Master Jiraiya can confirm. However that's neither here or there, for now eat, drink some water and rest. We're not to far from the village now." Maruku nodded as he felt exhaustion creep back into his bones, closing his eyes he quickly fell back asleep.
FIREFIREFIRE
A harsh white assaulted his eyes as Maruku finally woke up again. From the look and smell he was in a hospital. A nurse opened the door and made her way over to the bed where he lay. After a while she stepped back and left the room without saying a single thing. Soon afterwards his door was opened again and this time in was a member of the anbu black ops.
"You've been deemed stable enough to move. Your presence is requested by the hokage." Maruku sighed as he got to his feet. He still felt rather tired.
"Can I at least have some clothes other than a hospital gown." The anbu pointed to a bag in the corner of the room.
"And some privacy?" The boy was not granted the privilege and had to change with the op watching him. Now dressed in a deep black t-shirt, and olive green shorts the boy was ready.
"Lets go." Maruku did his best to avoid rolling his eyes, this one was so impatient. After a short walk he found himself standing right outside the hokage's office.
Taking a deep breath to brace himself the young ninja knocked on the door.
"Enter." It was a stern feminine voice that answered. Stepping past the threshold he came face to face with apparently the new hokage. Sitting behind a large desk and with a small frown Lady Tsunade looked very imposing.
"Sit." she said gesturing to one of the chairs. Maruku did so and waited for her to speak again.
"According to my reports here, your last mission was under the order of interim hokage Danzo?"
"Yes ma'am."
"You also encountered an A-rank sound ninja, correct?" Maruku nodded. Tsunade suddenly dropped the official pretending and proceeded to drop overwhelming information.
"Following your path of destruction we traced it back to one of Orochimaru's hideouts. The long and short of it is that he experimented with your blood. There's plasma style users popping up everywhere and all of them hostile. So one of two things are going to happen. Jiraiya will be here shortly and he's going to assess your method of escape. If your word holds true you'll be given mandated time off to rest and train before you're reinstated as an official chunin. If you're lying then you'll be stuck in a room with two of the Sannin. Do you understand?"
"I do." Just then the door opened and in came Jiraiya, a very serious look on his face. He closed the door and made a point of locking it. A trickle of sweat ran down Maruku's back, the pressure of these two were slightly overwhelming.
"Let us begin." The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He heard Matatabi speak.
"Remember the first time you accessed nature chakra. Remember the feeling of being confined. Remember the dark, remember the pain, remember the fear. Exhale it all. Remember the feeling the sunshine, the wind in your hair. Inhale that feeling."
"Exhale fear."
"Inhale sunshine."
Maruku followed his partners instructions, exhaling the negative feelings that came with his captivity, inhaling the positive feelings that came with his escape.
"Think of the things you enjoy, and inhale." Maruku took a deep breath.
"Think of the things you fear, and exhale." The boy let it out. Slowly he felt a foreign energy start to swell within him.
"To be part of nature you must accept yourself fully. The joy and the sorrow, the pleasure and the pain, the love and the hate. Coming to terms with all aspects of yourself and still being able to love yourself.
The energy inside of him grew even stronger and more intense as he reflected over Matatabi's words. He thought of the parts that he disliked about himself.
How weak he really was.
How he wasn't at the village to protect it.
How his plasma style was now causing his home problems.
How he screwed up this timeline.
How he was a killer.
How much he missed his original world.
The energy was overwhelming him as he started to feel and see things all around him. The anguish of others, the loss of life, sheer hatred. These feelings attacked all of his senses. Then in an instant it was gone. The screams of the damned had stopped, the gore that filled his vision was gone, the stench of death faded from his nostrils, and the pain that racked his body had stopped. Leaving him exhausted.
"We nearly lost you there kid." Maruku could barely here the man. "He's clear princess, that was nature chakra alright."
"Then get him out my office before he starts drooling on my seats. Those are premium leather you know!"
Maruku was hoisted up over Jiraiya's shoulder, and with a leap the man lunged out the window. The jolt of falling was enough to get the boy's brain working again.
Getting to his feet Maruku rubbed his eyes.
"It's intense stuff isn't it. Seeing how the world can be so full of hatred that it becomes part of nature itself, and taking in that hatred can really affect someone. But in the end we all have a choice, you can be complacent and accept that hate, or you can do your best to change how things are. The world doesn't have to continue to be the way it is but in order for it to change everyone has to realize the beauty of the human spirit." Jiraiya looked down to the young ninja who was giving him his full attention.
"Make your choice kid because time doesn't wait for anyone." With his wisdom given the older ninja turned and walked away giving Maruku much to think about.