Chapter 24

Crawling

The first thing Naruto saw upon opening his eyes was green. Much more green than even he was used to in Konoha's forests. The humid atmosphere of the jungle nation produces masses of moss on walls and streets, and the canopy of a single titanic tree spreads across the top of the village, resulting in dim but comfortable natural lighting. The tree's root systems have grown throughout a massive plateau at the middle of the village, then used as supports for a plethora of homes built on the mossy cliffsides. Staircases wind up the cliff, parted by waterfalls descending from the lake upon the plateau, at the center of which the enormous tree emerges. "Whoa…" He slowly picks his jaw up and grins. "… I'm gonna climb that."

Ino facepalms. "Of course that would be your first thought."

"Hey, it's a viable move!" He crosses his arms and turns to glare at her. "We're here looking for how someone snuck in and stole something, the tree is an easy route to escape overhead." He looks to the Taki shinobi escorting them. "Have the branches been searched?"

They look to one another, then back to him and nod. "Yes, but a second sweep is planned."

Sasuke nods. "I'm in. With my Sharingan seeing chakra, I might be able to notice signs of them using something like the Fish Projection Jutsu to move through the branches."

Yoko yaps over Naruto's shoulder. "Ah right. She's in to try and sniff out a trail."

One of the Taki anbu steps up for a closer look. "I wasn't informed that they were sending someone with Inuzuka clan training, let alone someone not of the clan with those skills."

Kakashi chuckles as he reaches down and ruffles Naruto's hair. "Yeah, these kids take after me in some pretty awesome ways. I'll have Pakkun and Urushi on it too." Yoko peeks up to Kakashi and tilts her head. "Yes, I'm bringing Urushi for you." Yoko's tail wags frantically.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Well, I'll join you three on that, then. Cover more ground."

Shikamaru scratches his head. "Well, we should check the site of the murder first."

Asuma nods and pulls out a fresh cigarette, lighting it with his thumb. "I'll check the body, get a grasp on what skill sets the perp is using. All those years dealing with assassins, ya learn to figure out people's talents by inspecting a wound."

Ino hums. "Do you have a list of all the shinobi closest to the incident that survived, and anyone suspicious?"

"Of course." The anbu's head tilts slightly, noticing something amidst the trees nearby. "I have a few suspicions of my own. I see you're a Yamanaka. Do you intend to check them for genjutsu?"

Ino snaps her finger and grins. "Of course! It's what my clan does best."

Chouji hums. "Hey, Asuma-sensei, you mind if I follow team 7? I won't be much help with a body or suspects, but I can help them search easily enough. Also…" Chouji reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small list. "My dad caught wind that the mission would be here and gave me a grocery list for some delicacies here." He grins ear to ear. "Mushrooms from here are the best."

One of their guiding shinobi chuckles. "Yeah, can't argue that. Chouza-san always walks out of here with a scroll packed with our best." He sighs. "But, before you split up, you need to meet with our Standing Chief and Captain."

Kakashi's head raises. "Standing Chief? What happened to Hisen?"

The anbu sighs deeply and adjusts his mask. "We lost our esteemed chief on the night of the break-in. Signs of strain in his body suggest he had used the Hero Water sample reserved for the Chief to attempt to stop them, but… he was quickly dealt with while under it's effects. Whoever's responsible for this is a genuine monster."

Asuma takes a long drag from his cigarette and hangs his head. "Damn it all… Well, how's Shibuku handling it?"

"Frankly, abysmally. He's fine with politics, but his nerves are shot, and grieving has proven difficult when he's overcome with fear."

Sasuke clenches his fists. "Well… hopefully, we can find solid enough answers to settle his mind."

Naruto nods and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Alright… Lead the way. Sooner I can get up there and find some answers, the better."

The trek through the village is scenic and calming, managing to put most of them at a good baseline by the time they arrive. The gentle roar of the waterfalls and soothing mists are comforting, almost hypnotic. The Kyuubi keeps telling Naruto he needs to work on meditation. Maybe setting himself beneath one of these falls will help. The ones here somehow feel… different. But he can't put his finger on it yet.

Once they reach the tops of the cliffs, they take a short boat ride across the lake. Peeking down into it, the waters prove crystalline and provide a gorgeous view of the roots winding together in the lakebed, inhabited by countless exotic fish in a myriad of colors.

Finally, they reach the shore beneath the tree's gigantic trunk and a mansion nestled into it's gargantuan roots. An aged shinobi with cloudy gray hair and a bushy beard blending together to nearly form a storm cloud around his wrinkled face stands between them and the doors. Kakashi steps up front of the crew and waves. "Kumotori-san. I see you're doing well. The beard's a nice addition."

"Yeah, hides this hideous mug well enough." He snorts. "And look at you, finally a functional sensei. I thought I'd never see you training a group of brats."

Naruto huffs. "I'll have you know we are the group of brats. We work hard to torture him enough for that title."

Kumotori's eyes fall on Naruto and he slowly grins through his beard. "Oh, I know someone who's gonna love you. Alright, get in here and let's get to work." He waves them over and he piles into the foyer to find the young Chief waiting for them.

He is still quite young, a mere 20 years old and rather short for his age, wearing something quite reminiscent of Haku's yakuta, with a red scarf. His eyes are slightly sunken, sleep deprived and focused on some imperceptible concept more than the shinobi standing before him. Despite his turmoil, he bows. "Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming so quickly to aid my village. For the unaware genin, I am Shibuki, the acting Chief of Takigakure, in my father's place."

Asuma bows to the young man. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Shibuki-sama. You've grown well since we last met."

After a few moments, his stern yet emotionless gaze softens into a smile. "Asuma-san, no need to be so formal with me. It's great to see you again, and you as well, Kakashi-san. And I believe I recognize one of your students." He slowly steps closer. "Chouji-san, current? Chouza's son?"

Chouji nods and bows as well. "Yes sir!" When he raises his head, he's a bit sheepish. "Did my dad really talk about me that much when he was here?"

"Oh, incessantly. Your father may be a humble man, but all of that goes out the window the moment he starts talking about you."

Chouji grumbles and hunches, but Naruto can't help but chuckle a bit as he realizes he finally knows how that feels. "Ah, suck it up Chouji. Now…" Naruto steps up and crosses his arms. "Uzumaki Naruto reporting for duty! Konoha's latest trap master and tracker." Yoko yaps from his hood. "Ok, Yoko here's the tracker, but she's employed by me." Yoko growls. "Yes I do. I pay you in belly rubs, treats, and easy access to Urushi." She whines, but relents.

Shibuki is a bit taken aback by Naruto's odd mannerisms, but he can't stop the heavy-hearted laugh this absurdity managed to shake free. "Well, I look forward to working with you, young man. Just be sure that any traps you place are with full disclosure to myself and my staff and guides to disarming them."

Naruto nods and rubs his hands together maliciously. "Oh, I'm gonna have fun with it. Ya see, I've been working on seals triggered by specific sign combinations in close proximity. I can connect that to both an activation and deactivation clause-"

Shibuki crosses his arms with one finger up over his mouth and hums at the thought. "Resulting in one set of information used to trick a traitor or spy and catch them in the trap, with the other being a fully functional deactivation sequence. Brilliant work! I'm a bit rusty on seals myself been focused on more physical training as of late, but it's part of the duty of Takigakure's chief to be at least moderately literate in sealing." He bows. "Seeing the mind of a true Uzumaki Sealmaster in the making at work is enlightening."

Naruto's jaw drops and he babbles for a moment. "S-Sealmaster? No, I'm n-nowhere near that good yet, I don't even have a proper sensei to teach me! I'm almost entirely self-taught, and I've got a hell of a long way to go!"

Shibuki chuckles softly as he uprights himself. "Indeed, but I already see potential. Now, I can see what your task is. What of the rest of you?"

A quick reiteration of plans determined on the way is quickly memorized, and Shibuki nods in agreement. "A solid strategy. I leave you to your work, then. Kumotori, please escort Asuma-san and his students to your offices to inspect the body and interrogate the suspects. And Kakashi-san, if I may, I'd appreciate a word with you in private before you and your students leave. It may be best for them to wait outside."

Kumotori nods and waves for Asuma, Ino, and Shikamaru to follow. The remaining students follow them out and wait outside the doors, while Kakashi looks to Tsubuki and puts his book away. "It's interesting, seeing you take charge. I'm sorry for your loss, but I know your father would be proud of how you're handling things here now."

After a few moments, Shibuki sighs shakily and hangs his head, managing to let just a few years free. He's always seen Kakashi as someone he could relate to somewhat amongst the elites, being a mere six years apart. He's willing to let his walls down just a tad in his presence. "Thank you, Kakashi-san." He takes a moment to calm himself before raising his head. "Now, on to business. Your students are all an interesting bunch. The newest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho is surely welcome. I recognize the last Uchiha well, having met his traitorous brother in his innocent youth. The pink girl I'm not quite sure of, but Naruto… He's exactly who I believe him to be, isn't he?"

Kakashi huffs and nods. "Of course you'd recognize him. But I feel there's more than just his looks and sealing talents that cued you in. So, do tell."

Shibuki looks to the windows, gazing off into the sky. "Our own Jinchuuriki, Fū, sensed his presence approaching earlier and got rather giddy about it. I suspect she'll be stalking him for hours and looking for the right moment to approach."

"Hmm?" Kakashi follows his gaze to the window, noticing a speck of red amongst the branches. "I see. Will this be a problem, or should I let it happen?"

"Frankly, it may be good for them both. Fū has always been excitable, but quite lonely. Meeting another of her own kind with such an inviting disposition should go wonderfully."

Kakashi nods and pulls his book back out. "Sounds good to me. I'll try not to interrupt if I see her approaching, then. And if any of your own staff try to bother her?"

"You have my permission to deal with them as you see fit."

"Duly noted. Now go get some sleep, you look like you're about to fall over." Kakashi turns and saunters out, leaving Shibuki to sigh and nod in agreement as he makes his way back upstairs.

Soon enough, Naruto and company are making their way up the side of the titanic tree to search it's branches, and Naruto is pulling his communication seal from his collar and up under his headband. "Hey, am I coming in clearly?"

"Yes, brat, you're coming in fine. Hmm… This tree is holding up quite well after all this time, without Hashirama maintaining it."

"The Shodaime? So he made this tree?"

"Back in the feudal era, before the villages. Taki was actually one of the first to take up the village structure, back before I was first sealed. Before even Konoha was founded. The place has grown considerably, but they put it here because they recognized the protection and rare properties this Mokuton-grown tree carries. Hence the Hero Water shrine that was broken into recently."

"Wait, is that using nature energy like Ero-Sennin mentioned?"

"Indeed. Impressive work, as much as I hate the man. All the nature energy here is throwing off my senses, not quite used to it anymore. Now that I'm adjusting, I'm starting to pick up on a very familiar chakra signature here. I'd forgotten what worthless village she'd been given to." He grumbles. "My sister, the Nanabi, is nearby. Her jinchuuriki seems interested in you."

Naruto loses chakra control for a moment and almost falls off the tree, causing his teammates, Chouji, and several Taki shinobi to stare at him. "There's another fucking jinchuuriki here?! Where are they?"

"Buzzing around somewhere overhead. My sibling sealed in her is a giant insect, so her jinchuuriki tend to be able to fly once properly trained. But that makes it harder to sense her, hidden among all the nature energy drawn to the leaves of this Senju-grown tree."

"Ya don't say?" He grumbles. "Well, I'll wait for them to come to me then."

"For the best. You have work to do."

For now, Naruto focuses on regaining his footing on the tree and keeping up with the team.

The search is… difficult. Sasuke finds that his eyes can't penetrate the tree and view chakra distortions within due to the concentration of it within the wood, an unnatural amount energy of a kind he can't quite identify until Naruto informs him of natural energy.

Sakura and Chouji focus on more conventional tracking, finding no branches damaged and no signs of sheared bark. Yoko is likewise stumped, but does manage to pick up a light scent of a chemical, something she grumbles about being similar to scents near Konoha's hospital and funeral homes. Whoever did this was very sterile, whether that be due to technique or attempts to wash away their own scent with something generic is uncertain.

It's not until Naruto is a good distance from the rest of the group that he suddenly hears something buzzing towards him. Moments later, a girl with a caramel complexion and green hair lands in front of him, a set of insect wings retreating into a red cylinder strapped to her back. She stands before him in the branches, arms tucked behind her as she looks him over. "Hmmm… so you're Number Nine, huh?"

Naruto frantically looks around for a moment. "Um, y-you really shouldn't talk about that in public." He sighs and scratches his head. "But… yeah. He warned me you were nearby, Seven."

"Warned?" She tilts her head, then raises it a bit and rolls her eyes. "Ah, right. Choumei told me he's not too eager to talk to most of his siblings."

Naruto grumbles. "Damnit, she already told you her name? The Kyuubi won't tell me shit yet."

"Hey, I tell you plenty! I'm a fountain of ancient wisdom!"

"Never tell me anything about yourself!"

"Yeah…" Naruto's attention is drawn back to the girl before him. "It took a while for her to trust me enough, but we're pretty close now. She already mentioned his name accidentally, but apparently a lot of Biju consider learning their name to be a right of passage. Choumei's not really one of them, though. She's actually really talkative." She giggles nervously. "Oh, right, speaking of which, I got ahead of myself. I'm Fū!"

Naruto stares for just a moment, but sighs and hangs his head with a smile. "Well Fū, I'm Naruto." He reaches up and crosses his arms behind his head. "Kyuubi Jinchuurii, trap master, and future Hokage!"

Fu smirks and saunters closer. "Hokage, huh? Damn, one of us becoming a Kage… after what happened in Kiri, that'd be one hell of a thing to see. But if you're that good, I kinda wanna fight you to see it for myself."

Naruto's smile slowly grows into a feral grin. "Really? Well, if my sensei and Shibuki let us, I'm all for it!"

"Naruto!" Kakashi calls out. "What did I tell you about accepting fights from everyone that challenges you?"

"Only if there's a good bet involved?"

"That or…" Sasuke cuts in. "if they're a self-professed honor-bound prick who won't take no for an answer."

"Both correct."

Sakura hangs her head and grumbles. "Damnit, why doesn't anyone wanna challenge me?"

.

.

Asuma paces the autopsy chamber with a hand over his mouth. He needs a smoke more than ever, and he can't light one in a sterile room, but there's no way he's leaving soon.

These bodies are atrocious. The damage sustained is frankly confusing. A pair of debilitating wounds to each, targeting vocal cords and Achilles tendons, keeping them from calling for help or running. Cold and efficient, and with the purpose. With efficiency like that, they could have killed them in an instant with a similar strike to the back of the neck or a major artery, but they clearly had the goal of keeping the targets alive for a few more moments.

The culprit stole their still-beating hearts. The wounds just beneath their ribs are wide open, having clearly been in them up to their elbows to reach for their hearts and pull them out manually. Surgical precision and sadism in equal measure. He hasn't seen anything of the sort since Orochimaru, but he prefers full test subjects over organs, and there was surely nothing special about these hearts in particular. So then, why?
.

.

A.N.: And I'm back! Sorry for the delays A few bouts of depression and rushing to expand my youtube channel got in the way. But, I'm really in a creative swing lately, and although I struggled with this chapter, I came up with a tone of great ideas I'm eager for moving forward that'll really speed things up! Meanwhile, over on my P8treon, I've for a poll going to determine my next speedpaint for the channel, with one of the options being my version of Naruto! SO be sure to check that out and vote on it!