Gisei nu Suru: To Sacrifice
Chapter 3: Vulpinate:
To play the fox; to deceive with crafty wiles or deceits
"Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said… most of love is lost." - Kahlil Gibran
Sasuke stares as Naruto's back disappears around the corner, not able to fully grasp what just happened. Why did things come to this? What did he do wrong? What could he have done or said instead to keep his best friend from walking away?
He takes a couple steps forward as though to chase after the blonde but then looks down upon hearing the sound of paper crumpling. Moving his foot, he sees what he had stepped on. The tattered charm that Naruto had so easily thrown aside.
Just like he did to Sasuke.
Anger & a sense of betrayal swell within him the longer he stares at it. Did all these years together only mean something to him? Has he been deluding himself this whole time, being played like a damned fool?
His fists clench tight at his sides as he turns back towards his brother, making sure to grind the object further into the ground as he does so. Sasuke glowers as he heads towards his father, ready to just get this whole day over with. He scoffs as he remembers how excited & eager he had been just this morning.
Itachi places a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder as he falls into step beside him, feeling the tension coiled within the younger's body.
"Please, just try to give it time. I'm sure that Naruto-kun didn't truly mean it, perhaps some time to calm down is all he needs. Friendships are important to hold onto, particularly ones as strong as your two's. They have the power to light even the darkest of days." A small smile graces Itachi's face as he finishes speaking.
'And apparently darken the brightest ones, too.' Sasuke can't help but think to himself snidely.
Still, a small sense of comfort is able to worm itself in from his brother's words & calm presence. Maybe his brother is right, that Naruto just needs a few days before he's back to his usual self. Itachi has always been good at comforting him, even when Sasuke would rather stew in his anger or sadness.
'One of the many things that Itachi will always be better than me at.'
The unwelcome thought stings his already bruised ego & he shrugs the hand off his shoulder.
"I just want to get this faux apology over with already and go home."
Itachi stills just for a second, his hand hovering in the air from where it had been brushed off. As Sasuke continues onwards, Itachi can't help but feel an oddly bittersweet ping in his chest at the sight. It wasn't very long ago when Sasuke would always trail behind him, right on his heels. Like a little duckling would it's mother. It would seem his little brother grows up a little bit more every time Itachi looks away.
Shisui always did say that Itachi was like a mother hen when it came to Sasuke.
A small chuckle makes it's way out of his mouth as he easily outpaces Sasuke. "Well, if that's all you want to do, then so be it. And here I thought that I might offer my congratulations on your graduation by teaching you one of the clan's signature fire jutsu. Perhaps next time though."
Sasuke's footsteps seem to stutter before they eagerly pound the ground in order to catch up to Itachi, excitement flooding his body at the prospect of his brother actually teaching him something new.
Behind them, a moderate breeze gently starts to carry the crumpled paper away. Before it's able to get too far away though, delicate fingers wrap around it to then cradle it in the hands of a young girl. Her pupil-less eyes closely examining it before they drift to where Naruto had exited just moments before, her face full of concern & uncertainty.
[GnS]
As the sky grows darker with the promise of rain & nightfall, Naruto finally runs out of tears to shed. His eyes are swollen & tender as he wipes his face with the dirty sleeve of his orange jacket. The cool wind blowing offers some relief & helps him to feel calmer. He can't help feeling like a giant jackass for how he had behaved. God, how many people bore witness to his meltdown/tantrum back there? His cheeks flush from embarrassment as he cringes at the huge scene he made.
Looking back on it now that his head is clearer, he really doesn't know why he had blown up the way he did. He remembers feeling almost disconnected from the experience, like he was more of a bystander than an active participant.
No, that's not quite right. Maybe more like something was pushing him in a certain direction? Kinda how it feels whenever Iruka would correct his form when they'd practice katas. While giving directions verbally, Iruka would also physically correct the students' forms not by just yanking their arms into the right places like some other teachers would, but by gently guiding them into the right positions. Nudging him back onto the path when he'd move the wrong way…
"Argh! Why am I even thinking about these things? There's no one to blame but me for my stupid shit!"
Naruto shakes his head roughly to clear his thoughts. Another thought simply takes it's place instead though.
What if Sasuke doesn't forgive him? Naruto wouldn't blame him if he didn't, but he has to at least apologize for the things he said even if Sasuke doesn't want to be his friend anymore. Damn it! What the hell even possessed him to just fucking throw away his friendship with Sasuke like that? It's Naruto's greatest treasure, one of the few things he's able to cling tight to during the dark of night when all the cruelties his short life has suffered through threaten to snuff out all his stubborn light.
Unfortunately, it has also made for a bountiful feeding ground for Naruto's deepest insecurities to grow within the darkest shadows of his mind. Especially when they're being tendered to by all the rage & malevolent energy of a certain beast trapped within a cage, albeit unbeknownst still to the boy.
Naruto has felt previously in his more depressed moments that he's unworthy of having a friend as great as Sasuke, but now he can't stop those thoughts from racing repeatedly through his head. Sasuke had previously confided in him about his insecurities concerning his family, trusting him, & Naruto just used them against him so cruelly. Then there's the jab he made about his dead mom, when he knows perfectly well how sensitive Sasuke is about it still. Naruto winces just thinking about how mean he'd been to Sasuke, how much he must've hurt his best friend.
Maybe the villagers were right to call him a monster. It's exactly what he feels like right now. That, or the world's biggest jackass.
Naruto rubs his still aching jaw from where Sasuke had decked him, knowing that it's nothing compared to what he deserves after all he said. Maybe he should leave Sasuke be for awhile before apologizing though, before he makes things even worse. He's already screwed up a lot today, maybe tomorrow will hold better luck to him.
'Or maybe Sasuke really would be better off without me to weigh him down…' The unbidden thought whispers in the darkest corners of his mind. It burns with the remnants of his fear, envy, & self-resentment.
"I really am the worst, aren't I?" Naruto can't help but grumble as he pushes himself back onto his feet & tries to shove those thoughts out of his head with other matters. He should probably head home. Kashi had said he'd stop by with ramen later tonight to hear how the exam went. Naruto winces just at the thought of having to go over today at all.
"Well, I wouldn't say that now, Naruto-kun." A friendly, male voice from above makes him jump before he stumbles clumsily against the wall when Mizuki suddenly drops from the trees above.
"What the fuck, man? Tryin' to give me a heart attack or something?!" Naruto sputters indignantly as embarrassment colors his cheeks. Unease prickles at him, it's never good news when a teacher tracks him down. He hasn't done any outrageous pranks in weeks though to focus on studying, so what could it be about?
He's waiting for the shoe to drop. There usually is with adults, they never just want to talk or check in with him. Except for the Ichiraku's owners & Jiji, of course. Maybe Kashi too, he's still not sure if his distant guardian has some hidden agenda or not.
Mizuki kneels so to be on the same level as Naruto which eases some of the boy's wariness as he chuckles lightly at the adolescent, "My apologies, Naruto-kun. It wasn't my intention to, I guess I'm just used to other ninjas sensing me."
Naruto doesn't think Mizuki meant it as a jab but it still stings at the reminder that he failed. He looks away from the man in front of him.
'Always failing, even when I try my best. I'm so tired of it. Why can't I ever succeed, not even when it really counts? Will I always just be 'the dead-last'?'
It takes a few seconds before Naruto realizes Mizuki started talking again, so caught up in his head he is.
"-aw how distraught you were. Iruka can be too serious sometimes, but that's only because he himself was orphaned after his parents died which made him have to grow up much faster. Between the two of us, I think he sees a lot of himself in you which makes him be stricter with you than the other kids. I tried to speak with him about giving you a break about passing with your friend, but you know how strict he can be." Mizuki offers a smile, as though it's an inside joke that he's sharing with Naruto.
It makes Naruto give a tiny smile back, a little bit happy at the thought of someone fighting, however small it was, on his behalf.
"Yea, he can be a real hardass! But… I just wish I had been able to graduate."
Mizuki's eyes glint with mirth as he leans closer to Naruto and lowers his voice, "Iruka would kill me if I told you about this, but… there is another way to graduate besides the exam."
"What, really? You gotta tell me!" Naruto's doubts diminish greatly at the prospect of being able to pass after all. This is the first step to his goal of becoming Hokage, of actually being acknowledged by the villagers. Of being able to stand tall & proud beside Sasuke as equals. Maybe Sasuke will even be willing to forgive him if Naruto's able to graduate with him after all! Naruto would do anything to graduate!
"If one of their teachers agree to sponsor a student then they only need to show that they can successfully complete a C-rank or higher mission under their supervision. And that's it, hello to being a Genin!"
Naruto deflates at that, "No way would Iruka go for that, he's always going off about how important grades are. Neither would Suzume or Daikoku…"
Mizuki taps his fingers impatiently as he waits for Naruto to come to the only viable conclusion, knowing he can't rush the boy along if he wants to keep Naruto's distrust at bay. An annoyance, but a necessary one in order for his plan to be a success.
"That only leaves you, Mizuki! Would you really do that for me? Oh, please!"
"As luck would have it, I just so happen to have a mission from the Hokage himself that I wouldn't mind having some help on to get it done faster."
A feeling of unease creeps back into Naruto at that. After all, when have things ever worked out so well for him?
"Really? But wouldn't it be faster without having to watch out for a kid like me? What even is it anyways?"
"It involves testing the new sentries that have been posted around Hokage Manor to ensure they're up to the task by attempting to infiltrate and retrieve a simple scroll. Were I to do it alone, it would take quite awhile to get in and out without alerting anyone. My fiancée would be quite upset with my coming home so late. If I had a master prankster to act as a distraction however…"
Naruto's chest puffs out at hearing 'master prankster', his pride suitably stroked enough to ignore any misgivings he previously had. "Well, I certainly understand why you would seek my expertise for such a challenge. My pranks are top-notch after all, haha! It'll be a cinch with my help. I even already know the layout of the place from my visits with Jiji."
"Glad to hear it! And what a lucky turnout that you even know the layout." Mizuki gives a light laugh, satisfied with how successful his plan has been so far.
"Looks like it's dark enough now, so lets get to it." Mizuki stands to lead the way, noting Naruto's hesitation upon hearing they would start now.
"Unless you have someone waiting for you perhaps? I just assumed that after that big fight with Sasuke that any plans with him had been canceled, and since you are an orphan…."
His hidden hand rests on his weapon pouch, knowing that he can't let Naruto leave now that he's shared this much with the brat. Mizuki can't risk him blabbing to anyone about it until after it's done. If his words alone aren't enough to manipulate Naruto further, then he'll need to use force.
'Kashi did say he'd visit tonight… but he's always late anyways. I'll be home in a couple hours at the latest. Bet I'll still get there before he bothers showing up.'
Naruto's hesitant face shifts to one of determination as he meets his teacher's gaze with a sense of gratitude budding in his chest towards the man for taking this chance on him, "Nope, I'm completely free! Let's do this, Mizuki-sensei! I won't let you down."
Mizuki beams a grin down at the gullible boy before leading them through the dark & twisting alleyways towards the center of the village where Hokage Manor is located. His vulpinatus plan appears to have been a success after all. A cruel smirk tugs at his lips as his thoughts ponder the next few hours that are to come.
'Clearly not the brightest tool in the shed, but he'll do. It's just the cherry on top that it's the Kyuubi brat who'll take the fall to top it all off. Or I could always use him as a hostage in a pinch, they wouldn't dare risk his death. Then I could drag the brat along as another present for him…'
It won't be long now before he'll have left this ungrateful village behind. He'll be recognized for his full potential & worth, have a home that appreciates him for his dedication towards it instead of looking upon him with suspicion & distrust. He'll surely be welcomed with open arms once he presents his lord with the forbidden scroll that's currently locked within Hokage Manor.
Tsubaki's loving face briefly emerges in his mind's eye, her obliviously waving goodbye to him just this morning as they split up near their house to make their individual ways to work. Promising to make his favorite for dinner tonight, her dark eyes seemed to shine with affection for him. For just a second, he considers what will happen to his loyal fiancee should his plan fail. The thought is pushed aside as he finally spots the roof of Hokage Manor cresting in the sky, like the sun eclipsing the night stars when morning comes. The lesser stars have no hope of shining bright enough to be seen in the magnitude of the sun's glare. No matter their own worth or splendor.
Soon. And then everything he's done will have been more than worth it.
[To Sacrifice]
A knock on the door is a fairly mundane thing. It happens everyday. There's nothing odd about the action, especially if it involves the house of a clan head. There are constantly people in & out such as clan elders, messengers, servants, the village council, or even solicitors who sometimes manage to make it past the entrance gates.
And then there are knocks that set you on edge at the very sound of them, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. When you know instinctively that something is wrong, something has happened.
Across Konohagakure, a series of knocks ring out almost simultaneously.
"Itachi-san, you're needed at Hokage Manor immediately."
"There's been a theft. You're needed to assist with the tracking, Inuzuka-san."
"The Hokage wants you on standby to assist in the interrogation as soon as the culprit is brought in, Yamanaka-sama."
"Hatake-san, if you're home please answer! There's been an incident!"
"Iruka, we must go to Hokage Manor! They're saying that Naruto has stolen the scroll of sealing!"
"Hyuuga-sama, the Hokage is requesting for one of us to assist in tracking down the Uzumaki boy. It seems he's missing."
A lazy, lackadaisical knock rings out in a dark & empty apartment as the Jounin Kakashi Hatake calls out for the tenant.
"Mah, hurry and open the door before the ramen gets cold, Naruto. I even bought some mochi for us to share. …Naruto? Perhaps he's asleep already…"
Silence is the only thing that greets his ears as a minute passes. Kakashi frowns beneath his mask as he spreads his chakra outwards in order to sense if the boy is inside at all only to come up with nothing. He distinctly remembers telling Naruto that he'd be visiting tonight to hear how graduation went since he wouldn't be able to make it in time for the celebration at the Academy. Kakashi even thought he'd buy the sweets as a little apology for having to miss it. He wasn't prepared for how guilty he'd feel after seeing the poorly hidden disappointment in Naruto's shining, blue eyes after he told him during their last visit.
It's not like Naruto to just snub his visits, even if he is upset with him. Maybe he's just lost track of time with Sasuke again though…
Sensing someone jumping towards him from the neighboring building, Kakashi shifts into a loose fighting stance as his free hand slides a kunai out into his palm before spinning around as old habits kick in from his ANBU days. Seeing that it's only one of the Hokage's Chunin errand boys, Iwana Akame, he relaxes back into his lazy stance as he waves his weapon in hello.
"What brings you here, Akame?"
"I was sent here to see if Naruto may have returned here to hide, now please move aside Hatake-san."
Kakashi's whole demeanor shifts at hearing this, sensing that this is much more serious than what Naruto's usual prankster antics usually amount to. "Hide? And just why exactly would he be needing to hide in his own home for?"
"You haven't heard? I suppose they must not have been able to find you. That boy has gone too far with this, the Hokage won't be able to ignore it this time. That troublemaker somehow stole the scroll of sealing from Hoka-"
"He what?!"
[GnS]
Naruto pants as he finally reaches a little shack not far from the fence surrounding what Mizuki had called "The Forest of Death". Tired from the constant switching between sprinting & sneaking, & his trousers wet from treading through the little stream that he'd been told explicitly to go through on his way here, he decides to take a well-deserved break before continuing onward to where Mizuki had said to meet him at to conclude their mission.
Collapsing onto the ground, he slides off the giant scroll that's sealed in some water-proof material that Mizuki had passed off to him. They had to split up so that Mizuki could set some fake trails up to buy them enough time to reach their final destination point to mark the mission as complete. As long as no one is able to catch Naruto before then, he'll be able to skip right to Genin!
"Ha! I so can't wait to see the look on Iruka's dumb face when he hears about this!" Naruto lets out a laugh at this as he leans back so he's spread out on the ground, his eyes squeezed shut from the force of his grin. Looks like today won't be a complete fuck up for him after all!
"And just what will Iruka hear about exactly?"
Naruto lets out a scream as his eyes launch open at hearing someone directly above him, his scream going several octaves higher upon seeing Iruka's scowling face looking down at him. He scrambles to his feet, almost tripping over the scroll as he does so. A loud rumble escapes from the sky as water droplets start to hesitantly fall to the earth below.
"Aw, shit shit shit- heey Iruka, uh -sensei! What, um, brings you all the way out here? I was just admiring the scenery myself." Nervous chuckles escape from Naruto as he fiddles with the worn pair of orange-tinted goggles that rest upon his head.
Surely Iruka didn't manage to learn about him helping Mizuki out to bypass graduation, right? It has only been a few hours since they started. Sure, Iruka totally has a scary sixth sense concerning his students being up to no good but this is ridiculous! He has to get away with the scroll before Iruka is able to stop him. Luckily he has an ace up his sleeve that he accidentally stumbled upon thanks to all those hours he spent practicing the henge jutsu, & a little of his own creative genius inspired by peeks at Kashi's pervy orange book. It worked wonders against Jiji just earlier tonight when he snagged the scroll for Mizuki, so surely it'll help against Iruka too. He already seems kinda distracted, Naruto notes as Iruka's eyes seem to almost be searching for something behind the boy.
Swinging his own head around to take a quick look to make sure someone else wasn't sneaking up on him or something, Naruto only spots shadowy trees & a few glimpses of silver beyond that from the fence that surrounds the death forest thingy. Naruto slides his hands behind his head as though they're cradling the back of it as he looks back towards his teacher, ensuring that his hands remain out of Iruka's sight as he waits for the right moment to make a break for it with his jutsu. "Hey, are you okay Iruka? You scared of the dark or something?"
"Stop screwing around, Naruto!" Iruka bellows out as he swings his arm out to the side, concern & trepidation making him impatient. His eyes dart once more to the treeline as he sees a brief hint of silver moving within them, impressed by just how fast Hatake-san appears to be clearing the area as he searches for whoever it is whose scent they had tracked all the way out here. Iruka takes a steadying breath to calm his nerves as he refocuses on the task at hand. Hatake-san needs him to act as a distraction until he's able to find whoever it is that would seem to have been behind all this with Naruto. Iruka himself can't help but still have some doubts concerning Hatake-san's theory of Naruto truly just being an innocent pawn in all this however, so he might as well try to get some answers out of the lad until he gets the all clear. God knows he certainly owes Naruto the benefit of the doubt after what happened earlier today between them.
Rubbing slightly at the scar that runs across his face as rain continues to sprinkle softly around them, Iruka pins the fidgeting Naruto with a stern gaze as he tries to convey just how serious of a situation the boy is in, "Now this is extremely important and I am going to need you to be 100% honest with me about it so I can try to help you, Naruto. Did you take that scroll from Hokage Manor?"
Naruto bristles at the '100% honest' part, remembering how hurt he'd felt when Iruka had accused him of lying just earlier today. Glaring up at his teacher as he continues talking, Naruto petulantly replies, "If I said no, would it even change what you already believe the answer to be?"
Iruka's eyes soften in apology as he slowly moves a hand forwards to grasp Naruto's shoulder, only to then let it fall when the boy takes a wary step backwards, "I deserve that, I know I do. I know now that you weren't lying to me, nor were you just making excuses for having failed. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I have failed you as a teacher, and I have failed myself. I swear to you that I will set things right and find out how this occurred. "
Naruto's clear, blue eyes glisten as he listens to Iruka's apology, knowing that this would be the perfect opportunity to enact his plan but seeming to be unable to find the will to interrupt the man's speech. Iruka's sincerely honest eyes pierce into him as Naruto finds himself wanting to trust in him again, to forgive and believe in his teacher who had always been so hard on him but also seemed to actually have faith in his capabilities before.
"Please, believe me. I had actually already started looking into how such a mistake could've happened when they sent out the message that you had taken the scroll, and issued tracking teams to find you. I'm sure this was all just the result of a prank gone wrong or something. We can still stop this before it escalates any further."
Never mind, fuck all of that bullshit. Naruto's young form is still as stone by the end of Iruka's speech as he switches to glaring down at the ground as he grits his teeth as his teacher finishes speaking. Claiming it as a 'mistake' instead of the sabotage that Naruto knows in his heart that it was, but of course it only makes sense that Iruka would cover for his fellow teachers instead of seeking the truth for his misfit of a student. Iruka doesn't even think there's a shadow of a doubt that it was him who stole the scroll, even after what the boy asked him literally just a moment ago (forget that of course he did do it, and that the evidence is right behind him, but still! It's the freaking principle of the matter). Iruka still wants to stop him from doing this prank as he calls it, even when he knows now that Naruto was wronged in such a way!
"Naruto, please say something." Iruka leans downwards to try to look at the boy's eyes to see if his words have gotten through to him at all. Naruto mumbles something under his breath, prompting Iruka to get even closer to try to hear whatever it is.
POOF!
Coughing due to the sudden smoke that has flooded the tiny clearing they're in, Iruka tries to wave some away from his face only for his hand to knock into something firm yet squishy. He prods at it slightly before touching what feels like a small nub. Naruto's face perhaps? As the smoke fades away, Iruka's face blanches at the shocking sight of a distinctly naked & feminine body that his hand is on. Ripping said appendage off of the blonde beauty's chest, Iruka stumbles backwards clutching his now furiously bleeding nose. The girl glares at him with familiar blue eyes as she kicks dirt up into his face before she starts running deeper into the forest.
"Sorry I, I wasn't- I mean it just- accident I assure you-." Iruka rambles incoherently while he holds his head tilted upwards to hopefully stem the bleeding, his eyes looking anywhere but at the naked girl running away. Hearing another 'Poof!' his eyes dart over just in time to see Naruto's orange jumpsuit disappearing into the forest. Exactly where that girl had been running towards... Realizing that he'd been duped, probably by some perverted version of the Henge Jutsu, Iruka lets out a yell for Naruto & hopefully to also alert Kakashi to run after the boy.
"NARUTO! Get back here, it's not safe!"
"YOU'RE LYING! You don't believe any of it, you just wanna stop me from completing this mission and being a ninja!" Rage & turmoil colors his words as Naruto lets out a scream in response as he sprints away with the scroll clutched to his chest. Tears stream down his cheeks as he tries to convince himself that the horribly tight feeling in his chest is only from how angry he is at Iruka. Naruto manages to make it several yards before he slides on a patch of mud that sends him straight into a tree. He hurries to get back up, knowing that Iruka will be giving chase at any moment.
"Stupid mud, I- mmph!" As a gloved hand is placed firmly on Naruto's mouth, an arm comes up to pin him to the tree. Naruto squeezes the scroll tight against his chest as he kicks out at his assailant trying to break free.
"Naruto, shh, I need you to be quiet now. Stop kicking! It's just me. You're safe, I promise." The voice is so quiet that it takes Naruto a second to recognize it, his body ceasing it's resistance as he taps the owner's green flak jacket to let them know it's okay to release him now. As the older man slowly lets Naruto go, he reiterates the need for quiet by miming the 'shh' motion with a hand. As he does so, they both hear what sounds like a scream coming from the direction Iruka was left in.
Hmm, I don't think anything really needs elaborating for this chapter. Man, I love big brother Itachi so much 3. Naruto's experiencing that guilt hard, & yes, the Kyuubi is affecting his host's more negative emotions & thought processes. Whether intentionally or not is the question though. And I just had to include Naruto's classic Sexy Jutsu. Also shown here is Iruka biding time for Kakashi to survey the area & find the source of the masked chakra signature (Mizuki) & the owner of the reoccurring scent they came across on the false trails, while also trying not to reveal to the hiding ninja that he's being tracked.
Reminder that Tsubaki is Mizuki's canon fiancée.
