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Hello eyeryone! This chapter is really on the long side, so if you like having a lot to read, enjoy! This chapter was not only fun for me to write, but I like how it turned out, especially in certain places. Hope you guys like it as well. Thanks again for all of the reviews, favs, and follows too! It's very motivating and I can't thank you all enough for all of the support. You guys rock! In any case, enjoy the chapter!
Silver Tongue
As Tsunade, Kakashi, and the Roguehunter neared Naruto's apartment, Sakura continued trailing from a safe distance, the shadows of the overhead trees hiding her as she leapt gracefully from branch to branch. She was pretty sure they hadn't noticed her, but she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. With how skilled those three were, she was sure they'd know she was tailing them if she made even the slightest slip-up.
Her plan of following the three to get information had sounded like a pretty good idea at first, but now that she was actively spying on such high-level shinobi, it made her sweat a bit. She hadn't even thought of the ramifications of such an action, but now some of the scenarios were popping into her head, and they made her just a tad bit nervous. She was always the type to stick to the rules (even if she wanted to break them most of the time) so this feeling of crossing boundaries was new to her.
To calm herself, she inhaled deeply then exhaled, taking in the scents of the various pines surrounding her. They smelled nice, woody...calming. As her eyes fluttered shut, she took it all in and steadied her breathing. When she was finished, she shook off a chill and focused up. It was a little chilly tonight, but it wasn't anything she hadn't learned to deal with in her travels with Team 7, and jumping through the trees had helped her body warm up some too. She'd be fine.
Looking ahead, she saw Naruto's apartment looming in the distance. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head violently and set her gaze forward. The place still brought unpleasant memories to her mind so she was hoping not to visit it again so soon, but when she heard the three talking about it, she knew it was inevitable. If she wanted answers, she'd have to be willing to face everything she didn't want to face before. She'd have to be willing to be uncomfortable, to press on...even if she didn't want to. There was no other way.
As they arrived, she leaned one arm on the side of the tree trunk she was next to, taking a moment to breathe. As she secured her footing, she noticed the Roguehunter walking up to the front door.
"So," he began. "This is the place?"
Tsunade nodded. "Yes."
"Hmm." the Roguehunter hummed, glancing at the paint stained door. "Quaint." he said, thumb rubbing the tip of his nose. "Anyway, when Mr. Uzumaki left, did he leave behind a note of some kind?"
Tsunade hesitated, and Sakura grimaced. Despite her attempts to cover it up, it was obvious the question had caught her off guard. Quickly, she recollected herself and prepared to speak. Before she could say a word, the Roguehunter cut her off, a tired sigh leaving his lips.
"Do I need to remind you that this is now an official investigation?" he said, eyes darting between her and Kakashi. "I've been summoned by your council."
"Yes," Tsunade replied. "I understand that."
"No, you don't," Ryoshi replied. "Given your behavior, I can only assume you don't agree with the course of action they've taken. Problem is I'm here now, so I have to do my job no matter what you think. Now, the only reason I haven't gone directly to the council for answers is because I like finding out things for myself. Call it a...personal preference. Now, I think I've been very kind to tolerate both of you and your feigned ignorance as to why I'm being sent after this kid, but if you insist on getting in my way I'll just go directly to the council and let them know my efforts are being undermined by their own Hokage and her little sidekick. Now, I'll ask you again. Was there...a note?"
Sakura gulped as the air all around the three seemed to thicken, Tsunade glaring daggers towards the Roguehunter, her gaze unwavering. After a while, the pent up anger even seemed to be bubbling out of her body, but maybe that was just Sakura's imagination. Either way, it was surprising that he hadn't been knocked halfway across Konoha talking to Tsunade like that. A quick glance towards Kakashi revealed that he didn't look too happy either, but who would after being called a sidekick? The Roguehunter didn't seem to care much what either of them thought. His lips were set into a grim line as he waited for Tsunade's answer.
Sakura simply sat crouched in the tree, watching. Normally, Tsunade wasn't the type to give in to anyone's demands, especially if they talked to her like that, but strangely enough, she seemed to be weighing her options, even glancing at Kakashi at one point. Kakashi's face remained neutral, not giving anything away.
After a few seconds of silent deliberation, Tsunade reached into her coat pocket, pulling out the small blue notebook containing Naruto's note. Her toss sent it spiraling towards the Roguehunter with more force than necessary, but he easily caught it with one hand. "Thank you," he said, smirking ever so slightly.
Tsunade remained silent and glanced at Kakashi. Much to Sakura's surprise, Kakashi responded with a silent nod. So they were already on the same page?... Ok, scratch that, they were definitely on the same page. How exactly they'd done it, she had no idea, but there was no denying it. Maybe as high-level shinobi they'd just learned to communicate with their eyes or something.
She cast a glance towards the Roguehunter next, figuring he'd have caught on as well, but he either didn't notice or he didn't care. His attention was taken by the book he had just received and he was already flipping through the pages, his eyes showing mild intrigue at what he was seeing. He stopped briefly in some places and longer in others, but there was one spot in particular that he couldn't move on from. No matter how many pages he flipped by, he'd always flip right back to that particular page. What exactly was on that page, Sakura had no idea, but she couldn't deny a small part of her wanting to know.
Using the one hand holding the book, the Roguehunter clapped the book shut and said, "I'll be keeping this until my investigation is over."
"Is that all?" Kakashi asked, his single eye showing that he was beyond tired of the conversation.
"Yeah," Ryoshi replied, turning away. "That's all."
Tsunade and Kakashi glanced at each other then started walking away. As they walked, Sakura heard Kakashi say, "Bring me up to speed." She would've listened to more, but her attention was captured by a loud hiss of wind.
WHOOSH!
Her attention snapped back to the Roguehunter as clouds of gray smoke started fading away into the blackness of the night. When the gray puffs were gone, there stood before him three wolves sniffing at the air. They were mostly black with traces of white and the sleek mounds of fur they had covering their bodies helped them blend in with the night. What was even more interesting was the fact that each one looked more ferocious than the last.
The first one seemed to be a picture of perfect calm, surveying the area with a solemn air. The other two, to put it simply, didn't look quite as friendly. One of them looked like it would bite anything that came across its path (at least Sakura assumed it would since it was currently biting at the air), and the other one had a black muzzle locking its jaw in place and how it was drooling made her think it might be rabid.
The Roguehunter knelt down next to the aggressive one, petting it on the head and softly repeating, "Calm."
To his credit, the dog did seem to calm down a bit. Instead of snapping at the air, it was now growling to itself, so Sakura guessed that was a plus.
Next, the Roguehunter scratched behind the rabid one's ear, a sad smile on his lips. He said nothing else.
He stood up soon after and spoke towards the calm one. "Another hunt begins."
The calm one didn't glance his way, it's attention already divided between sniffing the air and sniffing the ground. Sakura watched intently as its nose led it to look towards where Kakashi and Tsunade had been standing and then towards where they had walked away. After a brief pause, the dog once again lowered its shiny black nose to the ground, sniffing rather ferociously.
Now, normally, Sakura wouldn't care what any dog was sniffing, but she nearly felt her heart drop out of her chest when it turned to look towards the tree she was hiding in.
The Roguehunter looked towards the tree, squinting. "You smell something?"
The wolf kept sniffing and turned away without making a sound.
Sakura gulped. Masking her chakra took little to no effort, but she couldn't just get rid of her scent on a whim! Taking a quick glance behind her, she considered running for a brief moment. With a frown, she decided against it. She was sure to be spotted if she ran and if this guy really had a reputation for catching people she probably wouldn't get very far. Crap, she thought. Why'd he have to have a dog of all things?!
After a moment's pause, the wolf sniffed towards the ground and slowly started making his way towards the tree she was on. As he stalked nearer, she could feel her breath catch with each step, the black nostrils flaring against the ground. Within seconds, he was so close to the tree that she could hear him sniffing, and when he arrived at the trunk, she knew she was done for.
It didn't take him long. He sniffed around the base of the tree for a while, then stopped abruptly as if the truth had smacked him clean across the face. He let out what Sakura almost thought was a huff, then looked straight up at her. Sakura looked back down at him and tried to look half as menacing as he did...she was sure she did not.
By now, the Roguehunter had already come to stand beside the wolf and was looking up at her as well. He said nothing but smirked as he motioned for her to come down with two fingers. Sakura gulped then gripped the tree trunk a bit harder, not really sure what to do.
"I don't have all night." the Roguehunter called from below.
Sakura gripped the tree harder and racked her brain, trying to think of some way out of this awkward situation. The problem was that there didn't seem to be one. Running was definitely out of the question and she couldn't just stay up there…
After coming to terms with the obvious, she resigned herself and jumped down from the tree, putting on her bravest face.
"Thank you." the Roguehunter said, watching as she brushed herself off. "And who might you be?"
Sakura stood with her arms uncomfortably crossed then answered. "I'm Sakura Haruno."
"I'm Ryoshi Kasegi," he said, extending a hand out to her. As she accepted the hand, he continued, "And I'd like to know why you were following me."
Sakura paused before swallowing and saying, "I'm following you because you're the Roguehunter...And I know you're going after Naruto Uzumaki."
Ryoshi looked at her a little closer then paused as if he had realized something. Squinting, he asked, "And is that the only reason?"
Sakura paused briefly then said, "Yes."
"Hmmm…" Ryoshi mused. "And what is your relationship to Mr. Uzumaki."
"I'm his teammate."
"Nothing more?"
Sakura paused, her face carrying more pain than she knew. "No." she finally said.
"I see," Ryoshi replied, glancing towards the wolf sitting next to him. "Well, that's a good start…" he said after a while. Soon after, he let out a low chuckle and continued, "That's an excellent start."
"Now," he said, adjusting his hat. "I have to give my dogs their instructions, but please stick around. There are some questions I'd like to ask you."
Sakura's face went pale. She was already feeling uncomfortable after being caught lurking in a tree and now this guy wanted her to stick around for some "questions". Nooooo way. This was awkward enough as it was. Panicking, she sputtered out, "Sorry mister, but I have to get back for dinner."
"Oh, don't worry," he said. "It won't take long...I promise."
Ryoshi stepped out of Naruto's apartment with an orange jacket tucked under one arm and his small black pocketbook in the opposite hand. Sakura observed him writing something down in it, then carefully tucking it away into his coat. Next, he made his way over to a post he had tied the dogs to, kneeling down next to them.
First, he untied the rabid one, making sure to secure his muzzle. When he was satisfied, he held up the jacket to its nose and said, "See if you can find out which way he went. And be quick, I'm leaving in the morning."
The rabid dog let out a series of growls that Sakura assumed was its acceptance of its mission, then Ryoshi released his grip, setting it loose. The blazing speed at which it ran away sent puffs of dust into the air and left Sakura wondering how it tracked anything. Never before had she seen a dog tracking anything that fast.
Another glance at Ryoshi revealed that he was untying the aggressive wolf as well. "Come with me," he said. The dog obliged, still growling lowly. As the two reached the apartment door, Ryoshi pointed a thumb towards the paint stain and said, "See if you can find the source of this. It might give us a clue as to why he left, although I'm pretty sure I already know what was going on."
The wolf nodded and started sniffing away at a much more normal pace than its rabid partner had. It still looked like it would bite anything in its path though.
The last wolf left was the calm one. He looked more majestic than the rest, like he was polished in some way. He never barked or growled, he just watched.
"Jento," Ryoshi said, motioning for the dog to come towards him. Jento rose to his feet, and like any good dog, obeyed. It was only then that Sakura realized he never had a collar. Maybe he was the only one calm enough not to need one...
"Alright, Ms. Haruno," Ryoshi said. "Come inside."
Sakura sat at Naruto's kitchen table with as straight a face as she could muster. Problem was she was barely holding it together on the inside. The dim lighting didn't help the situation at all and the wolf sleeping in the corner only put her more on edge. From up in the tree, it had looked like he was a normal-sized dog, but now that she was closer to him, she could see that he was massive. Heck, his head was probably bigger than hers. She looked around nervously then tried to focus on something else, anything else really. It would probably be a good idea to stop her leg from bouncing so much too.
After a while, the best she could come up with was the fact that it didn't smell like ramen...and it made her feel lame. This just wasn't her night. She nervously rubbed her hands under the table as Ryoshi stood a few feet away writing something else in that black pocketbook of his. It seemed like he always had an entry, or maybe that was her imagination again. Whatever. Instead of focusing on him, she decided to take the time to glance around the apartment, admiring the cleanliness for once. She couldn't deny it having a soothing effect on her nerves, but it wasn't enough to completely get rid of that edge she was feeling.
"Alright," Ryoshi said, cutting into her thoughts. The kitchen chair scraped across the floor as he dragged it closer to her and sat down with a sigh. "You don't need to be afraid of me Ms. Haruno. I'm sure there are spectacular rumors about me, but all I want to do is ask you some questions since you're a teammate of the concerned party."
"What kinds of questions?" Sakura asked.
"Questions about Mr. Uzumaki."
Sakura paused, her voice changing ever so slightly. "Are you going to try to use me to find him?"
"I have my dogs for that."
"Then why do you need me?"
"Because," he replied, opening his pocketbook up on the table. "If I've been called to hunt someone, I like to know who I'm hunting."
"Oh…"
"You were in the crowds earlier." he continued, still writing.
Her head jerked back to him and after a pause, she nodded. "Yes."
"Your hair is naturally that color?"
"Yeah..."
He glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised. "It suits you."
"Thanks," she said, trying to smile.
"Now," he continued. "What can you tell me about Mr. Uzumaki? Any idea why he'd want to run away?"
Ha, she thought, dropping her head sadly. As if there were only one... As sad as it was, she knew Naruto had been through hell as a child, and that it didn't necessarily stop as he got older. People just had it out for him. She never really knew why, but she knew it wasn't right...
With an exhale, she shrugged, a sad frown marring her visage. "Ever since I can remember, people have treated him…" She paused, searching for words. "They've treated him…"
"Like garbage." Ryoshi finished.
"Yeah...I guess."
"So this Naruto Uzumaki, he was a little odd, spent a lot of time alone, thought no one understood him?"
Sakura frowned then said, "Yeah, if that's how you wanna put it."
"Nice." Ryoshi replied. "I just described myself in my first year at the academy. It's a classic outsider profile, but it's not what I'm looking for. Think harder."
"Think harder?"
"Yes, Ms. Haruno, think harder. Ask yourself why did they treat him like garbage."
"That's the thing." Sakura replied, eyes pensive. "I don't know. None of us do."
"Who's us?"
"My class. All of us have grown up and seen it, but none of us knows why."
"So," Ryoshi said, crossing his arms. "Ever since you were a child, the villagers have been treating Mr. Uzumaki like garbage?"
"Yeah…"
"And you say they treated him this way for no reason?"
"I guess…" she said, her voice noticeably quieter.
Ryoshi paused briefly, then huffed and said, "No, that's impossible. They had a motive, you just don't know what it is."
Sakura let out a sigh, eyes growing distant as she pondered it herself. What Ryoshi said made sense. The villagers wouldn't have just started treating Naruto the way they did for no reason. They didn't treat any of the other kids that way, why make an exception for him? There had to be something that made Naruto special, or a special case like Teuchi had said. Some type of cause... Problem was she had no idea what it was. How they treated him had always intrigued her, but it always felt like it was a subject better left unspoken of. The villagers always made it seem like Naruto was such a taboo subject, even her own parents... But maybe that was just it. Maybe Naruto was a taboo subject because of...whatever it was.
"Sometimes..." she began, hesitating slightly. "Sometimes it's like the older villagers know some big secret about Naruto. Something that we younger kids don't know." Her frown deepened as she finished. "And they don't want us to know it either."
"Hm," Ryoshi said, leaning forward in his chair and intertwining his fingers. "Is that right?"
"Yeah," she said. "I don't know what it is, but there's something."
"Oh, I know," Ryoshi said, grinning. "I know..."
"You know what?" Sakura asked lowly.
"You see," he started. "Ever since I got the letter that summoned me, I've had a question that's been bothering me." He relaxed back into his chair, intertwining his fingers behind his head and under his hat. "You see, a hunter like me dreams of hunting a great hunt. So when I saw a hawk coming from Konoha telling me I was needed, I assumed it was for Sasuke Uchiha. After all, he is one of the last surviving Uchiha and he did desert recently as well. Imagine my surprise when I found out I had been sent after an apparent nobody named Naruto Uzumaki." His face grew serious as he leaned forward. "I wanna know why...and I think you do too."
Sakura felt her breath quicken at the intensity in his gaze.
"Now," he continued, rubbing his index finger under his nose. "The only thing I've found so far that's been extraordinary about Mr. Uzumaki is his fascination with the color orange but I doubt that's why I've been sent after him."
"Tell me," he continued. "Have you ever noticed anything...unusual with Mr. Uzumaki?"
Sakura paused, falling deep into her thoughts. There had never been much of a reason to think about Naruto critically before. Their friendship was easygoing for the most part, and although there were times when they clicked, neither of them ever really tried to go deeper than that...well, Naruto tried sometimes but she would just shut him down. That was the sort of friendship she wanted back then, now...now she wasn't so sure.
There was something about Naruto... Something she hadn't been able to put her finger on before. It was why the villagers treated him the way they did, why he always looked so lonely, why it sometimes looked like it was him against the world. It was always visible to her, but she felt like it was something better pushed to the back of her mind, or at least that was easier to do... But now that Naruto had left the village, all of that had changed. Maybe it was time to let the things she had been so stubbornly trying to ignore come to the surface. And maybe it was time to finally start paying attention to all those times she had ignored signs that something was amiss...
Lifting her head back up to Ryoshi, she started, "There were times," Her voice came out shakier than she planned. "When it was like he had this...power."
Ryoshi's eyes narrowed considerably. "A power? What type of power?"
Her frown deepened as the memories came rushing back to her mind. Those times when Naruto got that look in his eye and it looked like something had just snapped inside of him. The Land of Waves had some of those memories. Memories filled with ominous red chakra and that crazed look she had tried so hard to ignore. And that wasn't the only time she had noticed something strange going on. There were other times when he just seemed to generate power out of nowhere, his fight with Neji being a prime example. Just...things that she couldn't make sense of.
"Watching him," she began. "I used to think it was just stubbornness, and maybe even a good type of stubbornness – like he had willpower, like he wouldn't let anything keep him down. But there were times when it seemed like it was something more, like it wasn't just his will that was keeping him going. It was almost like a chakra..."
"Hmmm," Ryoshi said, one eyebrow raised. "And this chakra, does it feel a particular way?"
Sakura bit her bottom lip, struggling to find words. "...It feels wild," she finally answered. "...uncontained..."
"Dark?" Ryoshi continued. "Feral? Dangerous?"
Sakura swallowed and shook her head yes.
Ryoshi smirked then opened up his pocketbook, the feather pen beginning it's jerky movements once again. "I suspected that would be the case..."
Sakura said nothing after that and neither did Ryoshi, a sort of strange silence coating the air, almost as if the weight of what they were discussing had infected the very air around them. Sakura found her leg restless again and had to force herself to stop it from bouncing. There were chills too. But not the type you get when you're cold, the other kind.
A part of her wanted to be calm, but it was hard not to feel uneasy. Something about how this interrogation was going just agitated her nerves. Was it the dim lighting? The wolf sleeping in the corner? The heavy atmosphere? All of the above? No, she knew what it was... It was Naruto. The closer she got to whatever secret this was, the more she felt like she was getting closer to accessing some type of forbidden knowledge. But could whatever it was really be that life-changing?
She took a deep breath and let her eyes fall shut. Just calm down, Sakura. Calm down… She turned her eyes to the surrounding objects, hoping to be distracted, but nothing could hold her attention. There was only one thing she cared about at the moment and there was no question what it was. There were too many questions now. Her curiosity had been piqued and now it was insatiable. What was he? Did she ever really know him at all? What was this secret everyone was hiding? And why did it feel like it was something so monumentally impactful? The closer she got to it, the more it felt like it was much bigger than she could've ever imagined. But what could it be that had so much gravitas?
A simple glance towards Ryoshi revealed that he was once again writing in that black pocketbook of his. With as much subtlety as she could muster, she cast a glance towards the paper he was writing on and hoped for the best. Much to her displeasure, she couldn't read it from where she was. If there was ever a time she wished she had a pair of Byakugan, it had to be now. She was still struggling to piece together this mystery, but she was willing to bet that he had figured everything out already, or that he was at least closer than she was. He seemed like someone who could connect the dots, didn't he? She was sure of it.
"You've been very helpful." Ryoshi finally said, not looking up from his paper. "But there's one more thing I want to go over with you."
Sakura straightened up then nodded obligingly.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked, pulling Naruto's blue notebook out and setting it on the table.
"Yeah, it's Naruto's note."
"Yes," he said, eyeing her curiously. "But you do know it's more than just a note, right?"
Sakura sat uncomfortably for a bit, but finally shook her head no.
"This," he said, "Is a glance into Mr. Uzumaki's life." He slid it over to her and finished, "Take a look."
Sakura hesitated briefly then gently picked up the book, her eyes shimmering in the dim light as she examined the tattered yellow pages. The first few flips through them revealed nothing but academy work, but that soon changed. Instead of page after page of academy work, there would be a few doodles mixed in. Some would be of their teachers in weird proportions and others would be of what she could only describe as monsters. They would make you laugh or give you a disturbing chill – there was no in between.
Some of them were quite funny she had to admit. She had even giggled a bit at a drawing of Iruka with a mouth that took up half the paper. It did seem like he could drone on forever sometimes didn't it... After getting past the first few pages, she thought she was prepared for whatever she would find, but she didn't know how wrong she was. Time seemed to come to a standstill as she flipped onto a page with a doodle that seemed so very similar to her. Swallowing, she asked, "Is this..."
"You?" Ryoshi finished, eyes trained on her. "I believe so..."
"The kid's actually pretty good at those things," he added, nodding towards the doodle. "Hence my earlier question about you all simply being teammates."
Sakura frowned, unable to tear her eyes from the drawing. "Well, I knew he liked me…" she said softly.
Ryoshi squinted. "So you knew he liked you but you wouldn't call him your friend?"
Sakura paused, a distressed frown finding its way onto her face. Her and Naruto were friends weren't they? The only reason she had said they weren't earlier was because he had left her. She was angry at him, and with what he had done, didn't she have that right? At least, she thought she did...maybe she was wrong. Either way, she couldn't really bring herself to justify not calling him her friend now, not in her heart of hearts. Dropping her head, she whispered, "It's not like that…"
"Well, you have to explain it to me, because the only way this makes sense was if you told him you didn't want anything to do with him."
Sakura's frown deepened as she retreated back into her jacket, eyes growing distant. It didn't exactly take a detective to tell her that she hadn't treated Naruto the way she should have while he was here, she thought about it enough on her own. The fact that she had possibly contributed to driving him away made her sick, and she regretted it more with each passing day...which was one of the reasons why she didn't need to constantly be reminded of it.
With a sniffle, she turned away, hiding her slowly watering eyes. She knew coming here was a bad idea. What did any of this have to do with the investigation anyway? Right now, she felt like she was just going through a grilling session for no reason.
"I don't see what this has to do with anything." she finally said.
"Really?" Ryoshi replied. "I just asked you if you were more than teammates and you said no. So either you were lying then or you're lying now. Your honesty means everything to me."
Sakura looked away, her eyes glazing over further. Silence was her only resource against his intense gaze.
Any other person may have stopped pushing at that point, but Ryoshi seemed to be more intrigued by her silence than her words. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, "Did you ever take advantage of the fact that he liked you?"
Her bottle lip started quivering as the memories of the night Naruto left came flooding back to her mind, that horrible night when she had used him to bring herself some sense of comfort. Thinking about it made her feel empty and hollow inside, like she was no more than a weathered log rolling around in the wind. Maybe that was what she deserved, to feel as empty as he did that night. The punishment seemed fitting, didn't it? Pain for pain...
As the first tear fell down her cheek, she dropped her head, hoping the pink bangs would hide her eyes. She had always prided herself on being such a great friend, but a closer look at herself revealed that all of that was an illusion. And now those illusions of the type of friend she was were falling away faster than the pools of water resting under her eyes. With a low voice, she whispered, "Take this back." holding the book out towards him.
Ryoshi didn't move immediately, but when he did, he took the book back gracefully. "I apologize." he said. "Sometimes I'm so used to looking for things that I maybe dig where I shouldn't."
Sakura remained silent, trying to stop the sniffles.
"Let's drop it." he said, clearing his throat and focusing his attention on the papers he had laid out on the table. "And don't worry," he added silently. "Sorting out puppy love isn't what I get paid for."
All she heard after that was the rustling of a few papers and then a few more scribbles. Thankfully, she was able to get herself somewhat composed in that time.
"Ms. Haruno." he said after a while. "Please take a look at this."
"I want to go home." Her eyes were red by now, and her voice slightly cracked.
Ryoshi sighed. "Ms. Haruno, I have no intention of stopping you. As a matter of fact, you are now free to go if you wish. But I would advise you to please consider looking at this first."
"Why should I?" she nearly spat.
"Well, if you weren't the best friend to Mr. Uzumaki when he was here, then don't you owe it to him to find out what you can about him now?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "At least, I would think that to be the case."
Sakura responded through clenched teeth. "Don't try to manipulate me."
"I'm not." Ryoshi replied. "I've actually told you that you can go if you wish. My only point here is that you now have a chance to be a better friend to Naruto, even if he's not here to see it. But of course, the choice is yours."
The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them saying a word. Despite being silent on the outside, Sakura was anything but on the inside. She was angry, sad, confused and everything in between, and somehow Ryoshi was the cause of all of it. It wouldn't be a far stretch to say she kinda hated him right now...but that didn't mean he was wrong. Maybe she did have a chance to be a better friend to Naruto, to succeed where she had failed before. The thought lingered in for mind for a bit, but it wasn't long before she dropped her head. Who was she kidding? All she was doing was lying to herself. The harm had already been done. Naruto was gone, and in all honesty, the idea of trying to be a good friend now that he had left sounded pathetic...but still, it was all she had left.
With a sniffle, she lifted her arm to wipe at her nose, looking down towards the open page soon after. Her eyes scanned the page from top to bottom, noting the messy sketch pattern of the drawing more than anything else. "What about it?" she finally asked.
"Nothing stands out to you?"
Sakura sniffled, leaning forward to get a closer look at the doodle in question. It looked like it was some type of orange monster, but other than that, she didn't notice anything special. All boys drew stuff like this, didn't they?
"The picture has life." Ryoshi finally said.
"What?"
"If you look at Mr. Uzumaki's drawings, they're mostly comical, unless they're related to something based in reality. Take this drawing of you for example." He flipped over to the drawing and held it up to her. "It's filled with life, he actually took the time to color it, and the colors he used were vibrant colors as well. It tells you what he thinks of you. To him, you're a vibrant person, attractive even." Ryoshi looked at it a bit closer then finally concluded, "He thinks you're beautiful."
Sakura silently nodded, lowering her head and looking away.
"Now," Ryoshi continued. "I don't care much for childhood crushes but what does interest me is the fact that this creature," He shuffled back to the drawing of the orange monstrosity. "Appears in his drawings even more than you do."
He shuffled from one page, to another, then another, then another, all of them featuring an image of the beast that was terrifying in some different way. On one of them, most of the page had been shaded black, but in the middle of the page, the creature sat with it's head tilted to the side. Only one of its eyes was visible, blood red against the background. On another page, the creature seemed to be laughing, taunting even, it's fangs in full view as it tilted it's head back in ecstasy. The most disturbing one featured the creature taking up the whole page, shaded in various areas. It loomed in such a way that it felt like it could at any moment jump from the page, devouring you whole. Sakura eventually turned away, a chill running down her spine.
"So you see." Ryoshi said, turning back to the page with her drawing on it. "This is something I would expect from a twelve year old."
"This..." he said, voice grave as he turned back to the darker drawings. "This is something that would give adults nightmares. And what's more alarming is that this creature appears not only more than you, but more than anything else. His world revolves around it. A horrible thought considering the fact that the creature seems to be associated with darkness, pain, rage, chaos, torment and any other negative emotion you can think of. It gives off a sense of oppression, and I think that there may have just been enough oppression to drive Mr. Uzumaki mad, or at least to do something he wasn't really sure he wanted to do."
Sakura blinked in disbelief. "You think that thing is...real?"
"No, Ms. Haruno, I know it is."
Sakura gulped, forcing herself to look back down at the drawings. Could it be? Was there really some creature haunting Naruto? But that didn't make any sense. Surely she'd know about something like that, wouldn't she? Wouldn't Naruto tell her? Her frown deepened as she realized that maybe he wouldn't.
Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when a series of loud barks rang from outside.
Ryoshi glanced towards the door, then said, "One moment." leaving his chair to see what it was. As the door creaked open, there sat the aggressive dog with a weathered spray paint can at its feet. "Very good." Ryoshi said, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.
As the room fell eerily silent, Sakura retreated into her coat again. That creature...was real? But how? It didn't make sense. Never before had she seen any weird monster creeping around Konoha, or even around Naruto's apartment. Where was it coming from? Was it something he only saw in his nightmares? Or maybe something that was just in his imagination?... No, that didn't make sense. Ryoshi said it was real. But what did he really mean by that anyway? Real in the sense of being based in reality, or just real to Naruto? Sakura raised both hands to her temples. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't solve this mystery. The answer eluded her...
But maybe it didn't elude him.
Without quite knowing when it had happened, she found her eyes drawn towards the black pocketbook Ryoshi had left on the table. It lay closed with the feather pen bookmarking one of the pages, just in her reach. As she stared, the book seemed to come into focus as everything else blurred into the background. The book even seemed to be calling out to her, mirroring her heartbeat. Thump-thump. Open. Thump-thump. Discover. Thump-thump. Seek. Thump-thump. Find...
The black cover taunted her, hiding the answers to all of her questions, daring her to look inside and touch the light. All notions of time faded away as the book continued to beckon her nearer. Look...See...Know...Taste... For the longest while, she just stared and stared and stared, but there came a point when her defenses fell away, and at last she crumbled under the pressure, giving in and reaching towards the forbidden knowledge with an outstretched hand. She had to know, no matter what the cost.
As the black cover peeled away, Sakura was greeted with neat cursive handwriting and a not so subtle look at what Ryoshi really thought of people. It was every bit as enlightening as she thought it'd be.
Journal entry 0147:
Contractor: Konoha
Mission description: Retrieve and/or kill escaped rogue-nin.
Rogue ninja rank: Genin
Important Information: ?
Target: Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki – First impressions: I have never heard of this boy, I have no idea who he is, and I've only heard of his clan in passing. He's a genin level ninja and why I've been sent after him is a mystery that boggles my mind. I must figure it out before pursuing him. The last thing I need is to think I'm pursuing an ordinary genin while I'm in fact pursuing someone very far from ordinary.
Personal notes:
Observation #1: Sasuke Uchiha also deserted recently and is still at large. Konoha sending me after anyone other than him is interesting to say the least.
Observation #2: Ominous chakra felt upon arrival at the village gates. There are very strange things happening in the forest. Dark, strange things...
Kakashi Hatake: I sincerely believe that Mr. Hatake didn't know about the rogue situation before speaking to me. I also sincerely believe that was the only piece of truth that came from him. The rogues in question are a part of his team according to the letter I received. This has no doubt caused him to conceal information that he may have otherwise been willing to provide. He will divulge nothing and is therefore useless.
Sakura gulped at Ryoshi's bluntness, flipping the page and letting her eyes continue their path along the weathered paper.
Tsunade Senju: Also a liar. It's beyond obvious that she didn't want me here to begin with and her attempts to conceal that fact are laughable at best. Given the fact that she didn't want me here, I can only conclude that her council is just about as rogue as those two genin. They most likely went behind her back to summon me, although I can't say I find that fact all that surprising. I myself would doubt the capabilities of a Hokage if she drank herself into oblivion whenever there was a crisis. But enough of my ramblings. Despite her efforts to undermine my progress, she's been dealt with.
Naruto Uzumaki (continued): Upon acquiring a notebook left by Mr. Uzumaki, I think I've fallen right into the heart of this mystery without even intending to. The drawings contained within fascinate me, especially when it comes to this orange monstrosity. It pulsates with life, more so than anything else he's drawn. If I'm honest, it's frightening. Not because I have any reservations about giant orange monsters, but because I believe I may know which one this is in particular...
Sakura Haruno: She denies any relationship with Mr. Uzumaki besides that of being his "teammate", but her actions speak otherwise. If she was willing to follow me simply because she knew I was being sent after him, I can only conclude they are at least friends. Either that, or my sense of how to read people has been severely diminished. Now, despite my reservations about her truthfulness when it comes to her relationship with Mr. Uzumaki, I do believe she's the only one I've spoken to who has a shred of truth in her body. She is as uninformed as I am, probably more so, which means she wants answers, which makes her useful.
Naruto Uzumaki (continued further): Ms. Haruno has confirmed everything I previously believed. Mr. Uzumaki was indeed shunned by the village, its leadership, and even some of his "friends". To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't leave earlier. In any case, I do believe I've solved this mystery. Mr. Uzumaki's age lines up with the event in question, and the fact that none of the younger children seem to know why he's treated poorly confirms my suspicions. I'll set out in the morning.
Sakura's face filled with dread as she realized the page went completely blank after those words. No, no, no, NO! There has to be more, she thought frantically. What he said there wasn't enough! Her eyes filled with desire as she continued her search, fingers flipping through the next few pages in a mad scramble, each turn of a page throwing her deeper into her frenzy. Despite that, nothing changed. Blank page. Blank page. Blank page. The book seemed to mock her once more, somehow concealing the answer even though it was right in front of her.
The mockery was complete when she finally reached the end of the book not having gleaned one ounce of new information. With a growl, she slammed her fist on the table before slamming the book shut in a fit of rage.
"You should really be more careful with things that aren't yours."
Sakura's head jerked towards the door, eyes wide and heart racing. Much to her surprise, it was still closed.
"Over here." the raspy voice beckoned.
Sakura gulped before slowly turning to the wolf, who was now standing on all fours, his face set harder than stone.
"What?" he continued, stalking closer. "You've never seen a talking dog before?"
Sakura froze, watching as he stalked nearer, footsteps barely audible against the wooden floor. He stopped only when he was right next to her, his breath radiating like a furnace onto her arm. "Funny what people will do when they don't think anyone's watching."
Sakura quickly put the book down exactly where she'd found it. "I'm sorry," she said, body tense.
"No, you're not," Jento replied. "So don't act like it."
Just then, the door creaked open and the two turned to see Ryoshi stepping back inside.
"Ah," he said, shutting the door behind him. "I see you've met Jento."
Sakura gulped, regaining her composure before nodding a quick yes. "I'd like to go home now." she quickly added.
"Hm," Ryoshi said, walking over to her, but not sitting down. "Well, I already said you could go and I think we've covered everything I needed to cover. Feel free to take your leave."
Sakura nodded then rose to her feet and headed towards the door, each stride a little longer than the last.
"You've been most helpful." she heard Ryoshi call out as she walked away. Without turning around fully, she gave a curt nod and continued on her way. It was definitely time to go. Her heart was still pounding and if she had to stay around that wolf for another second, she'd probably psych herself out.
Opening the door, she crossed the threshold, preparing herself to reenter the real world. She didn't get very far though. Her movements came to an abrupt halt as her eyes caught a glimpse of something oh so familiar, the night chill seeping into the apartment through the open door.
Taking a few steps back, she turned to her right to confirm that her eyes had not deceived her. They hadn't. There stood the frame of Naruto's picture of Team 7...but the picture was missing. That goofy picture they had all taken so long ago where her and Kakashi were enjoying themselves and Naruto and Sasuke were bickering as usual. A part of her could still see it sitting in the frame, but in reality, it was gone, replaced with a drab white background. With the gracefulness of a dove, she lifted one hand to it, tracing her fingers over the spiderweb like crack that ran up through the cracked glass, a strange pain sitting in her stomach.
"I found that face down earlier," Ryoshi said. "Something the matter?"
Sakura remained silent, Ryoshi's question not quite registering with her. There wasn't really anything else in that moment. Just her and her thoughts. She had a pretty good idea of where that crack had come from. Naruto did always used to throw stuff when he was angry. She smiled softly remembering that she had actually gotten on him about it a couple of times. He'd mainly throw kunai or shuriken, but every now and then, he'd pick up some random object and toss it. Halfheartedly if he was more sad than angry, but with everything he had if he was really worked up. The cracks weren't what drew her attention though. There was only one thing she could see. He took the picture.
Something inside of her told her not to make too much of it, after all, it was only a picture...but she couldn't stop it, the smallest flame lighting in her heart. There was hope. Maybe the old Naruto was still in there somewhere after all, and maybe he'd be back...and maybe she'd get another chance. A sad smile tugged at her lips, but for once, she was able to breathe, a real breath this time, because maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to tell him everything she hadn't when he was here. And maybe, just maybe, things would be ok.
"No," she finally said, answering Ryoshi's question as her hand fell back to her side. "Everything's fine." With that, she left, silently pulling the door closed behind her.
As the door silently shut behind Sakura, Ryoshi and Jento eyed the door with narrowed eyes, Jento being the first to break the silence. "What was that about?"
"I have no idea," Ryoshi replied. "But I already have the information I need." he finished, starting to gather his artifacts from the table.
"Hm, if you say so. She was looking at your notes earlier by the way."
"I knew she would." Ryoshi said, not missing a beat. "She's looking for answers and no one's giving them to her. I hardly think that's fair. And besides, it was the least I could do after that debacle earlier."
"Debacle?" Jento replied, his lips forming a crooked smile. "You mean when she broke down in tears a few moments ago? Please don't tell me you're going soft..."
"Not a chance," Ryoshi nearly laughed. "I regret nothing, but that doesn't mean I don't think she has a right to know what's going on."
"That's fair, I guess."
"In any case, we leave tomorrow, so make sure Hageshī and Mōretsu are ready."
"Got it. Are you gonna summon Ōritsu?"
"Most likely. He can make our job a lot easier if he spots the boy in one of the outlying villages."
"Sounds like a plan," Jento said, already headed towards the door.
"And Jento," Ryoshi called. Jento turned to face him, eyes low. "This will not be like the other hunts."
"What makes it different?"
Ryoshi picked up Naruto's notebook, eyes glued to the caricature of the orange monstrosity. "From what I understand," he began, smirking ever so slightly. "We're hunting the Nine-tails jinchuriki."
Jento's eyes narrowed as his body shifted towards Ryoshi considerably. "You're kidding?"
"Oh no, Jento…" he replied, grinning at the picture of the fox throwing its head back in ecstasy. "We will have a fight on our hands." And I wouldn't have it any other way.
There was a strange silence after that, the air growing thicker and thicker. After a while, Jento let out a huff and turned away grumbling. "What are the odds..."
Kurama leapt from tree to tree at a speed unattainable to most, a blaze of red chakra coating his body from head to toe. The forest was dark now, almost like it had been when they first left Konoha. The chakra acted as a sort of light though, casting a red hue in the immediate vicinity. The only other source of light was the moon, which had once again cast the trees and leaves in greyscale.
The blood-red eyes narrowed into slits as a rather large tree loomed into view just a few jumps away. It was already deep into the night, so they needed to find a place to stay. There seemed a better spot than most.
As they arrived, Kurama let out a sigh, climbing up onto one of the higher branches and sitting down. Exerting himself in a body that was so unused to him left him more tired than he thought he'd be, but he'd get over it.
Focusing up, he cast his gaze over the landscape below. The tree's branches were so high up that where he was sitting was a good thirty feet above most of the other trees. Needless to say, seeing things wasn't a problem, especially with his enhanced vision.
There seemed to be some type of cliff nearby that led into a valley, and then the ground level changed, dropping some fifty feet. He cast a glance in another direction and saw the faint lights of an outlying village. As if on cue, Naruto's stomach made a weird gurgling sound and Kurama felt nauseous. There was a strange pain there too. Now that he thought about it, they hadn't eaten much recently, had they? He held one hand over his stomach, crouching forward as he waited for the pain to go away. When it finally subsided, he sat up straight and looked back towards the village. Stopping there for supplies would be a must. They needed travel foods or their worst enemy would be hunger. Their stay would have to be brief though. It was very likely that their location had been broadcast across a pretty wide radius as they made their escape from those Sound nin. Staying in the area for too long was not a good idea.
Going now would probably be the best option, but in all honesty, he was a bit tired. The brat's body wasn't exactly used to handling the constant flow of chakra and he could feel the effects of running so hard for so long starting to get to him. On top of that, his sense of direction had been completely thrown off due to their capture. There was no way of knowing which way was north or south or anything really. Waiting for the sun to rise would be the best option. At least then he'd have a general sense of which way was east. After all, you couldn't get to the Hot Water if you didn't know which way it was.
With a sigh, he propped himself up, eyes still lazily scanning the surroundings. "Hey kid," he said, eyes drooping with fatigue.
He waited for a reply, but there was no answer.
"Kid?" he repeated a little louder.
There was a lull of silence for a bit, but soon after he heard the sound of a nose spluttering and a mouth whistling. Seriously?... Kurama entered the mental landscape only to find his suspicions confirmed. Naruto was indeed fast asleep despite their lives being in mortal danger...
Now, it was true that Naruto hadn't slept much in the past few days and that he had just been through an ordeal after getting captured and having his leg broken, but that didn't mean he could just pass out whenever he felt like it. It was kind of insulting...
Kurama frowned, his first instinct being to yell so loud and hard that Naruto would spring to his feet and never even think about sleeping at a time like that again...but then he got a better idea and a much more sinister one at that. To be honest, it made him feel more like himself than he had felt in a long time...He needed that. Just thinking about it had him sporting that sinister grin he had grown so fond of.
Instead of being angry, he should really be glad. In the past, Naruto had always tried to maintain some level of control no matter what situation they were in. Even when he was asleep, there seemed to be a part of him that kept awake just to make sure his body always remained under his control. Kurama had long since learned this and it was one of the things he found most annoying about him.
Naruto's willpower plus that stupid seal made it just about impossible for him to do anything. But now Naruto was fully asleep, and the seal weakened, which meant he finally had a golden opportunity to do what he had always wanted to do. Heck, it was half the reason he had talked the kid into leaving in the first place. His fangs came into view as a twisted grin spread across his face. Slowly, but surely, the red chakra started bubbling around Naruto's body, each bubble growing in size until it silently popped, releasing the pressure inside.
Unfortunately for Naruto, none of Kurama's scheming woke him up. Kurama assumed it was because his sleep was far too sweet to be disturbed. Well, too bad. Kurama thought to himself. You snooze, you lose. A low chuckle escaped Kurama's throat at that. In all honesty, he was doing the kid a favor, he just would've gotten himself killed anyway...
Author's note:
Hope no one has a problem with a hostile takeover, I sure don't! XD Go Kurama! Lol.
In any case, be sure to leave a review if you liked the chapter. I'd like to hear what you guys are thinking, especially with how everything just keeps ramping up all over the place. Tsunade is trying to buy Jiraiya time, Kakashi has no idea what's going on, Sakura is finding out more and more about Naruto, Ryoshi already has things figured out, and now Naruto seems to be the victim of a hostile takeover! Everyone seems to be dealing with something at the moment so I'm really eager to put it together! Hopefully, I can do that sooner rather than later! See you guys in the next one. Peace!
