Chapter v: Ripple
Ripple (n.) a small wave or series of waves on the surface of the water
Naruto fiddled with her fingers as Mizuki-sensei sat down in front of her his arms crossed and clearly asking for an explanation from her. Frankly she didn't know where to start so she decided to stare at the grass. A huff was released from the man in front of her and a small smile graced his lips.
"Eat your food Naruto, we will talk when you are done.", her eyes gleamed and she offered him some food but he declined telling her that he had already eaten. When she finished eating that was then that Mizuki began to talk to her.
"I heard the Nara have taken you in?", Naruto looked up as she fixed up the bento box as she replied.
"Yes Sensei, that's why I haven't been back at the orphanage for a while now.", Mizuki wasn't looking at her but at the scenery as he sat next to her to gaze upon it.
"I see, are you being treated well there?"
"Yes!", an odd smile appeared on his face something Naruto had long been used to.
"Well I guess that is all that matters.", she smiled widely as if she had been forgiven from not telling him about the sudden change. She then went on a tirade about how they have all been taking care of her and how the Nara's have been to kind to her despite her being a complete stranger.
She also told her about Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru. There was a look of surprise marring Mizuki's face as she explained how she all got to meet them. Mizuki just listened to her and asked a few questions from time to time that she was all too happy to answer with a sad look on his face. Something she questioned in the expanse of her mind.
"Shikamaru, huh? Well I'm glad you have met him he seemed to be a good kid.", and Naruto's eyes beamed her happiness clearly pouring from her body.
"Yes! Shikamaru is the best!", she responded but soon enough her expression somewhat darkened as she whispered.
"But I'm still scared", she clasped her hands together, slightly shaking from the thoughts spiraling within her mind.
"Why is that?"
"I have been having dreams that what if one day they would be just like everybody else? They would hate me and call me a monster? I don't even know why they call me a monster.", a lot of things went unsaid as both of them and the both of them remained silent. Her fear was emanating from her in waves and Naruto was startled when Mizuki suddenly uttered one of the few words that she had been dying to hear all her life.
"Would you like to know?", her eyes instantly focused on him, her crystalline blue eyes were screaming for him to tell her unnoticing of the oddness within Mizuki's expression and sudden emotion. Mizuki clamped his hand towards his mouth as if he said something he shouldn't have. The guilt on his face was showing despite him trying to hide it away.
"Do you know?", Mizuki winced as if he shouldn't have said anything in the first place and he nodded the air became heavy with a dozen mixed emotions that Naruto could no longer decipher nor differ if it came from him or from her.
"Yes, but I don't think a child like you should know about it, you are still so young and I don't think I should be the one worthy enough to tell you.", her hands clamped down on his arm tight without realizing.
"Please Sensei?", she voiced out almost a whisper, there was desperation in her eyes as she held onto Mizuki's arm. She heard him sigh and for a while Naruto thought that he would deny her of some form of truth that she had been wanting to know until he spoke.
"You should know that what I would be telling you would be a breach of the Hokage's order.", her eyes widened and her expression filled with something like disbelief and shock.
"Jiji?", Mizuki nodded and her heart was suddenly beating so fast and the pit of her stomach felt so hollow. She didn't know what kind of emotion she was feeling but it wasn't good and she knew that. There was a pang in her chest that she decided to ignore to her pursuance of the truth.
"Tell me, please.", her hold on his arm tightened, her desire to know what it was that made her different, what it was that made the village seemingly hate and isolate her and what is the relation of Jiji's order to the truth about her and how come Mizuki-sensei knows? Who else knows about it? Who else was keeping things from her a secret?
Her shoulders sagged and her hold onto Mizuki's arm loosened as if cut by some unknown string. Does Yoshino-san know? Does Shikaku-san know? But if they knew why didn't they tell her? What was the truth that she desperately wanted to know that the Hokage had forbidden most of the people of the village to tell?
She wondered, should it be a truth that must be known? She was at a crossroads however as she recalled the way she was treated not knowing the reason, she then decided. It was better to know about it than knowing none at all. Besides this huge ass secret seem to involve her anyway, so technically it should've been her secret all along.
Mizuki's voice released her from the mess that is her thoughts and she listened carefully. "I can't tell you right now but I can tell you tonight, can you sneak out? I will meet you back here at 9, don't tell anyone about it."
"Why tonight?", Mizuki smiled knowingly at Naruto as if she knew what he knew.
"You do know that a few nin's have been following you wherever you go right?", the realization hit her and she nodded. That was one of the few things she had long noticed, the ninjas who wore those animal masks are always there, watching her, observing her but never interacting with her. Even when she needed help, when she was feeling hungry it was as if their only purpose was to monitor her if she was living or not.
"Yes, I understand Mizuki-sensei.", she answered almost robotically, the fight in her seemingly lost from her bones, her trust in people suddenly waning and her mind a jumbled mess.
"Good, I will see you later, Naruto.", Naruto was left on that grassy slope alone with her mind filled with a myriad of questions, her heart beating fast with excitement? Fear? Apprehension? Curiosity? She didn't know as she drowned within not knowing what is what anymore. But she held on to the thought of finally having her questions answered finally.
Mizuki remembered the day Danzo-sama had given him this particularly odd mission to gain the trust of the village Jinchuuriki. He was flabbergasted but realized the honor that came along with it had he been the one to offer up the child, since most of the Root members were people whom they have all thought were all dead aren't able to do the task.
He thoroughly read the file on the girl only to realize that she was a rare sensor. One rare enough that she could even sense other people's emotions, but they realized that due to this she was hard up in identifying her own emotions. When she becomes overwhelmed by her own emotions her senses become dulled and she wouldn't be able to sense things as she normally would.
Her rare ability became a double-edged sword and with the way she wore her heart on her sleeve, Mizuki found that he could easily manipulate a child like her. As long as he smiles and treat her right everything will fall into place.
Mizuki almost laughed, it was too easy, no wonder he was the one chosen to fulfill the mission. He had long been integrated into Konoha's society and it would be easier for him to approach the girl than any of them could along with his job as a teacher to the Academy, the other Anbu's loyal to the Hokage wouldn't even question it.
'Her will for the fire village seems to be strong despite being isolated, her loyalty towards the village haven't seemed to waned.', this passage from the reports almost made him huff in disbelief, he wondered what kind of a girl she was to still have some sort of loyalty to a village who openly despises her.
'Will of Fire?', He hated that phrase, there was no such thing. The only reason why the village stood as proud and as strong as they have today is because of the darkness that the village was so keen on hiding away. The deaths, the blood, all the necessary sacrifices that Danzo-sama had done all for the sake of the greater good of the village.
He almost scoffed at the order of the Hokage to hopefully give the Jinchuuriki a normal childhood when a weapon such as her should've already been handed when she was still young to be trained as a Root since it was her fate to be. If the child were to blame anyone for all the things that were and about to happen to her, she could only blame her fate. The fate that her own parents had thrusted upon her at birth.
She was born to fight, not for her own sake but for the sake of Konoha with whom she was bound to. He almost laughed at the kind of mercy the Third has given her, it was far crueler, he wondered had the Third seen what his order had done to the child?
The child that the Third had somehow wanted to protect in his own way was being ridiculed by her peers, bullied even outwardly, outcasted and alone. He guesses Danzo-sama was right that the Third was getting old and weary no longer the so called 'God of Shinobi', countless wars have now finally worn him thin.
With a certain plan on mind he began to approach the child. It took him a while to gain her trust and when he did the child opened up to him as he smiled in glee for his efforts. It was quite tricky at first to assure that his emotions were in check but as soon as he had gotten used to it, it was as easy as one of his katas.
When the report came in that the child was now temporarily staying at the Nara Compound, he had thought that the plans they had laid out were about to be demolished. He had planned to manipulate the girl into joining Root of her own accord by making her isolated as much as he could all fell into pieces.
He shook his head in disappointment the months of planning to assure that the child would end up isolated and to slowly integrate her to the Root program went all to naught. But since one of Danzo-sama's another program was now complete he no longer has to play this role for a while anymore.
His mission now became clear, along with the change in plans. He shook his head it wasn't him that chose her path, it was Naruto herself. Had she stayed the isolated child that clung to him and slowly accepted his offer of a helping hand then she wouldn't have had to be a mindless puppet for Danzo-sama.
Now as he approached the child who smiled in his direction his façade easily fell on him naturally. All of this façade and playing with this child would all be over tonight. He cannot allow to fail. The Jinchuuriki would be offered to Danzo-sama at all costs.
"Kabuto.", Orochimaru called out towards his student who was sitting nearby atop of a tree where they stopped to take a break. His grey-haired student nodded before his body flickered away.
Orochimaru remained on the ground waiting, as one of his summons tracked the rat that had been following them since they left the Land of Sound. He knew whose pet the rat that had been following them for a while now. Working with Danzo at least gave him the perks of being able to differentiate his Root operatives from the Anbu's of Konoha.
Soon enough Kabuto arrived his cheek stained with blood and the kunai he held at his left hand wasn't bloody. The boy fixed his glasses as he muttered his apology.
"Forgive me, Orochimaru-sama. He got away.", Orochimaru shook his head. He had already sent one of his summons to follow the rat and report to him for anything that his summon might be able to find out about Danzo's plans.
"No matter, Kabuto. We are nearing Konoha anyway, our path with Danzo is bound to meet. Let's make haste.", as soon as Kabuto wiped the blood off his cheek, they both began to jump from branch to branch on break neck speed. With their current speed right now, they will be able to reach Konoha by nighttime.
The Root that was sent wasn't there just to monitor them but also to hinder their immediate return to Konoha. And Orochimaru knows that something huge is about to occur especially since Danzo won't take such an open chance like this to go to waste. He knows that once Orochimaru moves he wouldn't be able to move as much as he could despite the Snake Sage not having much influence in the village. Because he knows that Orochimaru will go after him whenever he makes even just the smallest amount of opening in revenge for using him in the past.