"Guilty Until Innocent"
By: Shadow and Janime
"You got the layout of this place pretty quick," Naruto said.
Taka smiled in the direction of his voice. "I'm a quick learner." She then slowly walked to the left with her hands out. The warmth of the sunlight filled her palm as she went to the window.
"Watch out for the-"
Taka stumbled over a footstool and banged against the wall as she went down. Naruto rushed over to her. "Sorry, I forgot to put that back."
"I'm alright," she said and sat against the wall.
Naruto sighed and stared at her. Taka's eyes remained discolored and she was having the difficulty of adjusting to being blind during the daytime. And he was having the difficulty of helping her.
Taka reached out, her hands cupping Naruto's face.
"Uh… Taka?"
"I'm seeing you," Taka explained. "For a blind person to see, you use your hands. I've done it before when I first came here."
"How?" Naruto asked trying not to jump as her fingers traveled just behind his earlobes.
"I covered my good eye and walked about my room feeling everything. And one of the children I used to watch asked me what 'blind' was. So I put a blindfold over my eyes and tried to go around the room like that. She got a kick of me nearly breaking my neck a few times. Then I put the blindfold on her and had her do the same."
"Oh." He gently took her hands in his own and pulled her to her feet. "That's one way to learn. You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah I'll be fine." Holding her hand out she felt around for the sunlight and cautiously moved forward. Naruto quickly pushed the footstool against he wall and followed her as she stopped at the window. "Do you think you'll be able to see again?"
"I don't know, but it would be nice to see during the daytime once more."
"And if you don't get your sight back?"
Her hand reached for his and held it tightly, feeling him squeeze it back tightly. "I'll learn as I go."
--
Tsunade watched Iruka as he finished packing the medicine and bandages in the backpack. The teacher hissed a little and rested one hand over the wound on his stomach.
"If you re-open anything I am not stitching you back together."
Iruka looked at the hokage and then went back to packing.
Tsunade looked at his back. "I don't think you should go to Suna until after you've healed a little more, Iruka."
"Naruto is in danger and I made a promise to protect him," he closed the backpack and sat on the bed. "Pain is a small price to pay."
"At least wait until you're fully healed. Going out there like this could cause more harm."
"I can't wait any longer. Even with Hidama back in his life I won't abandon him."
She knew he wouldn't give up and even if she assigned ANBU to guard him he would find someway to get out of Konoha and make his way to Suna. She sighed and rubbed her temple with a finger. Why did he have to be so stubborn? "At least take someone with you."
"You can't afford to send off one of the elite, not after that attack." Taking a deep breathe he stood and slowly, pulled his pack onto his shoulders. His body protested but didn't back down. He looked up at the hokage's face, meeting her eyes. "He isn't related to me by blood, but he's still my son."
Tsunade could see in his eyes that he genuinely cared for the young man and nodded. "Fine but as soon as you get there send back a message or else I'm gonna have to find a new teacher." She smiled as he laughed but grew concerned when he grabbed his stomach. "Are you positive you want to do this?"
He nodded and gave her a weak bow. "Been a long time since I've been on a mission but I'll survive." He turned to leave but stopped when she called out to him.
"That woman, Hidama... tell her she better bring Naruto back alive or else I'm gonna show her the reason I became the Godaime." He nodded and silently left. Stepping to the window she watched as he slowly made his way out of the building, heading towards one of the gates. She could still have him surrounded, to give his body time to heal but he'd never forgive her. She looked at the mountain where her face had been carved next to the previous hokages before her. I hope I'm doing the right thing.
--
Kakashi watched Kimiko's four sons practice the jutsu he had just taught them. The boys were quick learners. The oldest boy, Kumo got a little frustrated too quickly when he didn't complete the jutsu properly. He cooled down when Kakashi explained to him that it was difficult to grasp at first and even he took longer than Kumo had
Sighing to himself he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, still watching them. He hadn't seen Hidama but apparently she had all the girls with her. Was she training them perhaps? That was actually scary but it brought a smile to his face. If she was training the girls and if the boys tried to pick on them, they may find themselves outmatched.
"Sensei!" his attention was brought to the boys as they stood before we. "Watch! We can all do the jutsu now!" Making sure they had his attention their hands moved through the seals and one after the other performed the jutsu. He couldn't help but smile at the.
"Nicely done. That's the fastest I've ever seen anyone learn that jutsu."
"Can you teach us another now?" Kumo asked, a bit eagerly.
"I might but first, let's see if you know how to use that jutsu during a fight. I want you all to come at me." The boys blinked, looked at each other, then at him.
"You mean at once?" one of them asked.
"That's right."
"But there's only one of you."
"Just come at me and don't hold back." He stood there calmly, hands in his pockets, smiling behind his mask. Even when the boys lunged at him he didn't move until the last second but that was just to the side.
The boys were momentarily shocked but quickly regained themselves and attacked again.
Unknown to the teacher and the students, they had an audience watching from a large boulder that had tree growing out of the center. How this piece of flora managed to take root in the rock was amazing, and it also provided cover for Hidama and her two pupils.
"So," Hidama leaned against the tree, "Haruko, Jade, what do you think?"
"They're slow," Jade said. "Kashi-san faster."
"Kakashi-sensei," Haruko corrected her little sister. Haruko was the third child of the seven children and tended to be protective of Jade when their brothers picked on her.
Their sensei nodded. "Good. What else?"
The older of the girls narrowed her eyes, studying the group. "He keeps dodging them. Like he can read their minds."
"They're loud," the younger said as one of the boys yelled as he charged.
"Exactly. Kunoichis are suppose to be swift and silent as the wind, unseen to their enemy until the moment they strike," she explained. "Tell me something, why are teams of three consisted of only 2 men and 1 woman?"
Jade shook her head and Haruko thought hard. "The woman is usually the medic. She tends to any injuries her team encounters."
"That's one of the reasons. They balance a team, so to speak. Men are stronger but women are faster, men like to rush head first and women think things through. But sometimes, there are missions that only a woman can handle. Such as to sneak into your target's home without raising suspicion."
"But you're stronger than Ka-kashi-sensei," Jade pronounced slowly.
Hidama smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. "Let's just say I got tired of people judging me just because I'm a woman. Now, what are they doing now?"
"They're attacking two together," Haruko said as Kumo and Jiro made to jump kick their teacher but missed, and then Tomeo and Shiro attacked next but were also blocked.
"Strength doesn't always come in numbers," Hidama told them. "Sometimes only one person can make a difference."
The monk held out his hand to her. "I would say that I will not hurt you, child, but judging from the look on your face, I doubt that you'd believe me."
"And why should I?" Hidama growled at him.
He removed a small knife from his sleeve and placed the sharp point just below his wrist. With a grunt of pain, the monk sent the blade between the two bones of his forearm.
"Upon the blood from this wound," he said, the pain evident in his voice, "I make my vow that I will not harm you in any way."
Her eyes widen as blood began to fall. He could have used that knife to hurt her, to make her suffer some more but instead he used it upon himself. He even swore a vow that he wouldn't harm her. No one had ever done that for her before but, could she trust him? What if this was a trick? She looked at the knife and could see the blood spreading. He was willing to shed his own blood for her.
The battered woman moved slowly, her body protesting in pain, and her mind screaming to get far away. She stopped before him, her damaged arm held tightly to her chest and wrapped in ragged cloth. "Can I trust your vow?" she asked slowly. "What happens when your wound heals?"
"The scar will remain as proof but, should I ever break my vow, then you may take my life as payment," he said with calmness. He didn't flinch when her icy eyes bore into his yet bit back a gasp of pain as she removed the knife, his eyes never leaving hers as she wrapped her injured hand around the gaping hole. Slowly, he covered her hand with his own, feeling his blood seep through their fingers and noting her hiss of pain at the contact. "I only wish to help. If you'll let me."
That seemed to seal the deal as she gave him the briefest of nods. "I don't need help... but I'd be a fool if I ignored a possible ally."
She took a deep breathe, her right hand forming into a tight fist. Even with all the time that had passed she was still hurting, still hating, still fearing. I can never return to the person I once was. She looked at the two young girls as they continued to study their brothers down below. But that doesn't mean I can't stop that from happening to others.
--
"You better not be getting ramen."
Naruto froze and he slowly turned around to look at Taka. She had insisted on going outside so that she could familiarize herself with the village as a blind person rather than staying cooped up all day in Hidama's loft.
"Just one bowl," Naruto pleaded.
"Forget it," Taka reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Shuska, cancel that order."
"Alright, Taka," the waiter responded. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened."
"I'll live, Shuska, don't worry."
With her hand still on Naruto's shoulder, the two walked down the street.
He pouted and looked at the ramen sand longingly. So close, he was just going to have one bowl! "Please-"
"No. And don't bother trying to argue, you won't win," she said simply.
"That's not fair though! I haven't had ramen all day and I'm hungry!"
She ignored his whining and instead listened to the familiar sounds of the village. Strange how everything felt louder and the smells were stronger but that just meant her body was quickly adapting. She felt her charge heave a deep sigh but didn't remove her hand. She agreed with Hidama; eating nothing but ramen was not a healthy diet and he was still growing young man.
"Hey Taka, where are we going?" he asked finally.
"You'll see," Taka smiled lightly. "When we get to the intersection, take a left."
"Okay," Naruto said. When they reached the intersection, he did as Taka instructed. "It's a dead end."
Taka removed her hand from his shoulder and went over to the wall. She placed both hands on it and slowly moved them, searching. She pushed one of the blocks in, and then a small section of the wall moved back and to the side.
"Only to those who don't about this," Taka said and stepped through. She reached her hand back out to Naruto. He hesitated for a moment then took her hand, allowing himself to be led through the secret door.
Slowly they walked through a long tunnel. And this time it was Naruto who had his hand on Taka's shoulder as the tunnel was extremely dark and his eyes tried to adjust.
Light poured into the stone corridor from the other end. Naruto blinked a few times as he stepped outside, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
It was a garden about the size of his old apartment back in Konoha. A path had been cleared down the middle and circled the entire area. It was a beautiful mixture of plants and white rocks with some larger ones to break up the plainness. To the right were a few stones roughly the same size as a makeshift bench. Taka counted her steps as she walked over to then placed her hand on it so she knew where to sit.
"I've been working on this about three years now," Taka said. "So what do you think?"
"It's... beautiful!" he breathed, looking around with wonder. "I didn't think plants could grow out here. I mean it's just sand and rocks."
"Like I said, I've been working on it." She smiled as she noticed the awe in his voice and sat upon the bench. "It's my private garden."
"This is great." He sat next to her and continued to look around before turning to her. "And you did this all on your own, that's just as amazing."
"Thanks. I like to come here time to time, just me and the plants. I feel calm and relaxed."
"I'm glad you let me see this, Taka. You're really cool."
Taka's smile widened. "Thanks, Naruto. You're the first person I've ever brought here. I don't know why I never did before. Guess I just wanted something all to myself--something that was completely mine."
"I know what you mean," Naruto said. He placed his hands on the bench as he leaned back--his right hand touching Taka's left. "Sorry."
"It's okay," she said quietly then turned her hand so that their palms touched and locked their fingers.
Naruto had to agree, the garden was peaceful and serene. The tension slowly ebbed from his body and all he could feel was the calming atmosphere and Taka's soothing presence.
If only it could be like this everyday, he thought.
--
He landed with a soft grunt, his body glad for the rest. It had taken a while but Iruka had finally reached the border of the two countries. Before him the greenery of the forest slowly changed into the endless desert. He had felt the change of temperature a while back but looking at the scorching sands he sighed. His injuries protested, to turn back or at least wait a day or two but he couldn't stop.
"I made a promise and I intend to keep it," he told himself. Making sure his bandages were wrapped tightly he took a sip of water from his canteen and headed towards Suna. He concentrated on his charka levels, making sure he wouldn't sink into the sand as he walked. Luckily he had memorized the map to the Village Hidden in the Sand but it would still take a while to get there. He wanted to increase his speed but decided against it.
Being a teacher not only meant having patience and quick reflexes (especially when it came to training children learning to be ninjas) but it also meant using your brain to reach a solution. 'The quickest route may not always be the safest' was one of his favorite sayings. He chuckled lightly at that.
If only Naruto paid more attention in class but he did make the days interesting, he thought to himself. He still remembered when Hidama came to him one day. He had been a teacher for a few weeks when she came to the school one day with sad news. She had to leave Konoha and she wasn't sure when she would be able to return.
"Are you going on a mission?" the teacher asked as they watched the blonde boy play on the single swing hanging from a tall, shady tree.
"You can say that," she said simply. "You know I can't go into detail but as much as I want to take Naruto with me, I can't." She sighed deeply and smiled as the child waved at them, a large smile on his young face.
"Momma, come push me!" he called out to her.
"Alright I'll be right there," she called back. He wordlessly followed as they approached the child and she gently began to push him on the swing. "He's young and living on the road wouldn't be fair. He needs to be around other people, learn to interact with them."
"Unfortunately that's not going to be easy," he said quietly. Only the adults knew what had happened to the nine-tailed fox but their strong dislike of the boy had been passed onto their children. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she nodded stiffly.
"He'll be safer here than on the road. I won't always be here for him as much as I want to."
"I know. But Hidama;" he rested his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him in a bit of surprise. It wasn't easy to catch the woman off guard. "I made a promise and I don't intent to break it."
She gave him a weak smile but her eyes spoke what she felt. She looked down when the child jumped off the swing and wrapped his arms around her as much as he could. She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Having fun, kit?" she asked.
"Yeah! I like it when you push me on the swing!" he said happily.
"So am I. Naruto," she began as she knelt to his level, "remember what I spoke to you about last night?" He slowly nodded as the smile faded from his face. "I have to leave today but you have to stay here with Iruka."
"But I wanna go with you. Don't leave me!" he cried and wrapped his arms around her tightly as if to keep her from going. Hidama sighed and hugged him back tightly but she had made up her mind.
"You know I can't take you with me. It's dangerous and you have so much to look forward to. Besides," she gently pulled back and cupped his young face in her hands, "you won't be alone. Iruka and Sarutobi will be here as well."
"B-But you said I could go with you," he said softly, rubbing his fist over his eyes.
"I did but first you have to graduate from the academy. I won't be leaving forever, okay kit?" He just nodded but hugged her tightly when she pulled him into her arms. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. She always reminded him of rain and the full moon. He continued to hold onto her even when she stood.
"Iruka, is Sarutobi in his office?" she asked. She was one of the few people who called the 3rd Hokage by his real name and was not punished or reprimand.
"He should be. Do you mind if I go with you?" She shook her head. By the end of the day he was holding the little boy's hand as the three of them--including Sarutobi--watched Hidama head deeper into the forest that surrounded the village. Naruto promised himself he wouldn't cry but it was hard as he watched his mother leave without him. He looked up when he felt a hand gently rest on his head.
"She'll be back," the old man said without looking at him. "She's one of the best I've ever seen and I know for a fact that she loves you deeply." He looked down at him and smiled kindly. "You're the reason she'll come back."
He could only nod and rubbed at his eyes.
The young teacher knew how the boy felt. It was like losing his parents all over again but he wasn't going to ignore this boy as he had been ignored. "Hey Naruto, how about we get some ramen before going home? I know this great ramen stand a little ways down."
"… okay," he said softly but didn't look up at him.
"Mind if I join you two?" the hokage asked. Iruka just smiled and nodded.
"We'd be honored to have you join us for dinner, hokage."
"I guess you can blame me for his ramen addiction, Hidama," Iruka said to himself with a smile.
"The she can also blame you for his capture."
Iruka stopped and looked around him--no one was there and then several ninja burst from the sand. The teacher dropped his pack and went for his kunai but he was struck from the side and collapsed.
"I see that wound hasn't healed," the male voice had a smirk in it, "Sovan actually did well for a change. Get him out of here. Time we lured the fox out of his hole."
--
"Minoru, are you sure there's nothing I can do?" Taka asked. It was late in the afternoon and Naruto had brought her to the hospital for Teijo to check her eyes for any changes. When he was finished, the young woman decided to stick around while Naruto decided to go into town and look for Hidama and Kakashi.
"Don't worry Taka, you're fine," the apprentice said.
She heard him move about the room, putting things away and heard the cabinets open and closed.
"I know I can't see," Taka started, "but that doesn't mean I can't-"
She was cut off as a cloth was placed over her mouth and nose and it held a strange smell.
Ether!
Taka pushed the figure away and stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. She forced herself to fight off the wave of sleep that tried to overtake her but was losing.
"Don't worry, Taka," Minoru said as he covered her mouth and nose with the cloth. "Naruto will be joining you shortly."
She continued to fight, desperately trying to push him away, even tried holding her breath but it was no use. All she could think of was that she had failed. Her arms fell limply to her sides as the drug-induced sleep finally won the battle. Minoru waited, making sure she was completely out before gently setting her down. Moving swiftly he threw the cloth in the trash and placed the bottle back in the cabinet. The room looked to be in order and no one would suspect anything.
"Time to return you to where you belong," he told her as he lifted her up into his arms. Closing his eyes he concentrated, the shadows shifting as they gathered under his feet. They formed a kind of dark void, slowly swallowing the two young adults until they were completely gone. Done the shadows returned to their original places.
The room looked positively untouched.
--
Naruto hummed under his breathe a song Hidama used to sing when he was younger. He usually hummed it when he was in a good mood and after Taka showed him her own private garden, he felt immensely good. He looked at the ramen stand but didn't dare enter. There was no way he could lie to his mentor and his mother. Now if he could just find them.
I remember they mentioned something about training those kids. Maybe they're at the training grounds. He stopped and looked around. Now... where are the training grounds around here?
"Uzumaki Naruto."
He stopped at his name and looked at a man in his late twenties, wearing an outfit similar to the ones the Shadow of the Fallen Moon Clan members that had attacked Konoha. Before Naruto could say anything, the man held up a forehead protector with the symbol for Konoha.
"I believe this," the man swung the headband slightly, "belongs to a certain father-figure of yours that Sovan failed to take care of."
Naruto's eyes widened. Iruka… "How do I know this isn't a trick?" he demanded but he could smell Iruka's scent coming from the forehead protector, faint as it was.
"Maybe this will also aid your judgment," the ninja then held out a black choker.
Taka! Naruto clenched his fists and growled. "What do you want?"
"You, vessel of Kyuubi," he smirked. "Come and neither of them will be harmed. However if you refuse-"
The blonde growled angrily as he grabbed the stranger by the front of his clothes, feeling the fox's rage trying to break the cage within him. "If you so much as touch them I'll kill each and every one of you," he threatened.
The man didn't seem the least bit scared as he pried his hands off. "Then follow me and you will see them again."
"How can I trust you? How do I know you won't kill them if I go with you?"
"You don't but if you come we will have no reason to hurt them." His smirk grew at the defeat look in the boy's eyes, watching the red slowly fade to blue. "Shall we go?"
He could only nod. He desperately wanted to leave a message to his family but what if they killed Iruka or Taka? He could never live with their deaths if he could prevent it. Kyuubi was enraged but understood what he was going through. Even if he killed this man there would be no way to locate the missing ninjas until it was too late. But he could wait and once they were safe, he would slaughter each and every one of them.
The man led Naruto out of the village through a path in the protective wall. As soon as they were outside, Naruto saw Iruka lying on a large piece of wood so that he wouldn't sink into the sand. Taka was being held by another Fallen Moon ninja, and Naruto couldn't believe who was standing beside them.
"Minoru?"
"Didn't expect to see me here, did you?" the young man asked. "What a twist this is."
Naruto was grabbed by four ninja and they tied his wrists together behind his back and put a collar around his neck, attaching a chain from his wrists bindings to the collar.
"Daaku," the ninja who led Naruto out motioned to Minoru, "take Iruka into the village and explain everything to Gaara as instructed."
"Yes, master," Minoru nodded.
"Hey!" Naruto yelled, struggling against the hold of the two ninja holding his arms. "You said you'd let Taka go as well!"
"I said no harm would come to her," the man smirked. "The blood of Kyuubi flows in her veins. You have no idea how valuable she is. Daaku, we'll see you in three days."
The Shadow of the Fallen Moon disappeared, leaving Minoru and Iruka alone on the sands. As Minoru cleaned up any and all evidence that the forsaken clan had been there, Iruka slowly opened one eye.
It had pained the teacher greatly to fake being unconscious and let Naruto and Taka be kidnapped, but he had to find out what was going on. Now he discovered that there was a spy in Suna, and Iruka planned to expose Minoru. He hated that he would have to wait, but there was no other choice.
Authors' Notes:
Shadow: Look at that, 9 chapters! We're on a roll
JanimeLee: I don't think we'll be able to beat our record of 36 chapters.
Shadow: Well we had a lot going on during 'Arise from Darkness'.
JanimeLee: True. Well as you can tell the Fallen Moon clan had a spy in Suna the entire time.
Shadow: Man Gaara is not gonna be pleased with this. He trusted that guy!
Janime: Everyone did. I wonder what Hidama will do to him…
Shadow: (evil laugh) We'll shall see very soon.
Janime: Until next chapter folks!
Shadow: Take care!