Disclaimer: Own Naruto, I do not.
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
Well… I really meant to update this earlier, but between class projects and math competitions I've been delayed. This chapter was sort of annoying to write, and I'm not sure how well I showed the reactions of the genins. Hopefully this continues to proceed in a direction satisfactory to all you readers out there (Or at least some).
Chapter 3: Of Revelations and Reactions
Shikamaru hated overcast days. He was currently sitting in one of the many window frames at the Hospital, desperately trying to clear his mind of his recent mission, but he still couldn't stop the words the Hokage had told him after his team had returned from running rampant though his thoughts.
"Shikamaru…" Tsunade started, "It seems that the mission was a success…But…" She continued, tears beginning to flow, "…we may have lost one… but we will not leave him there…" Tsunade's face now mirrored Shikamaru's, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Next time…" the younger Nara began, "I'll show I can do it flawlessly!" From the side, Temari could only sit by and watch.
Shikamaru sighed, wishing for a break or hole in the clouds to break the pure gray skies. Something to break the slate colored monotony. Something his mind could hold on to as he was swept up and thrown about in the turbulence of his thoughts.
Shikamaru quickly ran though the condition of the members of his ill-fated team, in the attempt to focus his mind. Neji and Chouji had both been stabilized and were expected to fully recover, but were both still confined to the Hospital due to their heavy injuries. Kiba had left the hospital earlier that day, saying something about visiting Hinata. The sand trio had decided to remain in Konoha for the time being until the immediate situation cleared up. Naruto on the other hand… 'No! I need to stop thinking like that! I need to focus, but it's just…' "…Far too troublesome…"
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Kiba slowly worked his way through the trees towards the clearing Shino had directed him to, his trademark hoodie pulled loosely over his still weakened form. The rain that had been covering Konoha had greatly reduced, leaving only a simple trickling as if to remind you that it was still there. He felt a quick shiver run down his spine, not from the brisk air, but from the thoughts of Akamaru still under his sister's care. It had been decided that he was going to be okay, but he still couldn't help but worry.
Kiba looked up as he finally reached the clearing, noticing the pale eyed girl huddled under the shelter of an old tree immediately. Even from this distance he could notice the red marks around her eyes from her cries of pain and sadness.
He had heard of Hinata's recent runs to the forests from Ino and Sakura, who had both made it a daily task to visit the returning team (except Sasuke, who was still denied visitors and had yet to wake up). Kiba knew that at one point or another each and every member of their remaining group of Genins had visited their injured friends, some staying for hours and others who simply said a couple words before vanishing off.
He took a couple more steps toward the huddled Hyuuga before quietly speaking her name. "Hinata?" Kiba asked, eyes full of concern for his teammate and friend. "Ki… Kiba!" Hinata quickly stuttered as she scrambled to her feet. "Hinata…" He simply replied as he held the crying girl close in an attempt to comfort her. "…I'm sorry…"
--
Sakura sat staring at the guarded door across the hall from her and Ino. She had been overjoyed with the news that Sasuke had returned, but she couldn't bring herself to happiness with the knowledge of her other teammate had been captured due to a promise he had made her.
Naruto may have been annoying and, as Shikamaru would put it, troublesome, but she still couldn't sway the feelings of guilt that came from the thoughts that he was in the hands of the man who had killed the 3rd Hokage, given Sasuke his cursed seal, and was attempting to destroy Konoha. The memory of the Hokage calling them in to tell them the news was still fresh in her mind.
Sakura entered the Hokage's chamber, mind still focused on the last time she had seen the black haired avenger before he disappeared into the night. Sakura unconsciously reached to her neck as she rubbed the sore and bruised muscles. She quickly glanced around the room, attempting to decipher the meaning behind this sudden call, noted the presence of Shino and Ten-ten standing against the side wall, Hinata sitting in one of the few chairs in the room, and Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, and a couple of other Jounins she recognized as a few of the examiners at the Chuunin Exam standing by the window and back of the room.
She quickly moved to one of the open chairs in the room as Ino stepped through the door. The Hokage was staring at her desk, a mostly empty sake bottle in her hand and an appearance as if she wasn't really sure what was happening, with her eyes downcast like she had just been told she lost a brother. As the door was closed behind Ino, the Hokage lifted her eyes, noticing the people in the room as if she hadn't realized they were there.
The Hokage slowly closed her pained eyes as she leaned back and sighed. "I'm glad you all made it… but I'd much rather would have liked to not need to call you at all…" she began, voice slightly shaky yet still determined.
"As you may or may not know by now, Uchiha Sasuke attempted to defect from Konoha last night, and since then a group of your peers were sent to retrieve him." The Hokage seemed to be speaking directly to the genins in the room now, but Sakura was still caught up in the words "attempted to defect".
'Does that mean that they brought him back? Is Sasuke here?' Sakura thought to herself, not paying attention to the Hokages words. "…since then the retrieval team has returned with the traitor…" the Hokage continued, recapturing Sakura's attention, "…with the… loss... of one member to Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru? Isn't he the one who gave Sasuke the cursed seal?" Sakura asked, not noticing the mention of a lost comrade. "Yes Sakura, he was the one to give the cursed seal to the Uchiha." Tsunade answered.
"Wait, Hokage, what do you mean by 'lost'? Who did we lose?" Asuma asked, eyes narrowing. "…in the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke we…" the Hokage started, eyes moistening and voice starting to falter,"… we… we lost Uzumaki Naruto to Orochimaru... he was captured… and we found his forehead protector broken in two attached to a tree a few miles from his last known position…"
Sakura's eyes rapidly widened as she listened to the Hokage's words. 'He captured Naruto? Why?' Sakura may not have cared much for the annoying blond, but she knew a dangerous man when she met one. The thought of those murder-filled eyes locking onto hers back in the Forest of Death brought a shiver up her back. That man was dangerous, and Sakura knew it. And now he had Naruto.
She watched as the Hokage reached into her desk and pulled out a broken and bloody forehead protector. The word "Uzumaki" could be easily distinguished on the back of the blue fabric, now stained by a dark red. The metal protector itself had been snapped in two, and the Konoha leaf had been purposely melted and disfigured, leaving a horribly warped piece of metal.
Sakura could hear Hinata call Naruto's name out softly, hands trembling. "Do we have any idea what Orochimaru could do with Naruto?" one of the Jounins asked.
"No… Jiraiya has already left in search for any news of his possible whereabouts, but we do not know what Orochimaru's plans may be." The Hokage said, the tears and pain evident on her face. "I must ask you not to speak of any of this outside this room. We cannot allow knowledge of Sasuke or Naruto to become public at this time. You are all dismissed." The Hokage finished, turning her gaze back to her sake bottle.
Sakura still couldn't accept it. She still hated the idea of killing, and now her teammate was in the hands of a man who with killer intent alone brought her and Sasuke to their knees. And she knew it very well could have been his promise to her that now left Naruto in his current situation. Sakura allowed one last look at Sasuke's door, wishing she could enter and get the answers nobody else seemed able to give. 'If only I had done something more… maybe Team Seven would still all be here…'
--
Kabuto glanced between the medical charts and the body that had been unceremoniouslydropped on the floor, surrounded by lines of seals and bound by chains. He had been watching Naruto's dependence on Kyuubi's chakra for the last couple days, and he was positive now that Naruto's current system wasn't going to be able to withstand the constant demonic chakra stream being used to keep him alive under Orochimaru's care much longer.
Naruto's body was going to need to be forcefully changed to adapt to the large amounts of chakra, but Kabuto didn't know if it was going to be Orochimaru or Kyuubi himself to change it. All Kabuto knew was that Naruto wasn't going to enjoy it.
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End Chapter 3
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Well… I'm not sure how much I liked this chapter… but I have rewritten it three times now, and this seemed to be the best of the three. I will be trying to update faster than this in the near future, but I can't promise anything. Again, please review or comment.
Thanks for reading.
Version 1.705
-Again, added needed breaks.
-Added random stuff here and there.
-Fixed minor errors.
-Changed the section dividers.