DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to Naruto other than my own techniques, characters, and other original content.
'Betrayal'
CH.2
Pain.
Unimaginable, unadulterated, and invariably purified and personified pain.
That was the single most prevalent sensation that Naruto felt while being kept here, wherever 'here' was. If he wasn't strapped to a table and being experimented on and taken apart for study he was kept in his cage and suffered beatings and other torture.
One was a blindingly bright white room whose cold and sterile nature only served as the visual prelude to the intense discomforts brought on by Orochimaru's mad machinations and quest for knowledge. The other was a dark, black pool of hopelessness which sucked all thoughts for the future away and insured a sense of despair.
For the longest time he had held hope that someone, anyone would come and rescue him from the never-ending hell. His Baa-chan Tsunade, the Ero-sennin Jiraiya, Sakura-chan, any of the Rookie-nine, hell, he'd even thought that just maybe Kakashi-sensei would have a change of heart and release him.
Now though?
'heh… now I know better..' he thought to himself in the darkness.
Hope had turned to despair. Despair had led to a sense of betrayal. Feeling betrayal had led to a deep sense of hatred…
… after hatred?
Then… then came the rage. A deep all-encompassing rage that threatened to consume his soul and leave a being that thrived on wild destruction and a need to quench its thirst for the blood of its enemies…
Deep down he could sense that even the demon fox sealed within him was now uneasy about the state of his container. More often than naught now, he felt the youma stirring within, always releasing small, nearly unnoticeable burst of chakra. Perhaps he was testing the seal? Maybe trying to get away before some last horrific experiment or being sold off as some bargaining chip.
It wouldn't have surprised him really if the seal had cracked or was even breaking down entirely. With as much chakra and forced regeneration as the Kyuubi was forcing through him to keep him alive after the snake-sannin's sessions something was going to have to give.
Between the two of them, he was willing to bet that the fox would win. His faith in humanity was somewhat at a low-point at the moment.
Naruto's thoughts were brought to a halt when the door to his jail suddenly opened.
'I guess it's off to snake-freak's lab again… God, I wish I knew what they were at least doing to me… I feel so different…so very strange…'
Orochimaru's Lab 5- Beneath the Otokage's Tower, Central Hidden Sound Village
'Something…something is not right here…'
These were the thoughts of Orochimaru, Snake-Sannin, and lead of Oto.
'My experiments have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams yes, but something does not add up. The Kyuubi-vessel has proven to be the ultimate test-subject, as expected. In its determination to survive, the Kyuubi has made Naruto-kun all but immortal… no manner of experimentation, analysis, or technique of torture has made strides in ending his life. I have use this to learn much. Theories and techniques that could've never been tested before were made possible. Graft assimilation, bloodline integration, new seals… even proto-type blood lines and abilites for my Oto-nin…yes, so very useful…but to what end?'
Orochimaru snarled as he held lab reports up to be read, his eerie, golden eyes scouring the words and figures for any clue, any sign of the missing factors.
'HE HAS BEEN USEFUL IN SO FAR AS TESTING TECHNIQUE APPLICATION THAT'S WHAT!... practice… as it were, but for anything else? No…no that damned demon burns it straight out of his system…Why? Does it not see the benefit… no… the perfection offered to its vessel? So much potential lost… Even Kabuto's old blood could not allow him to survive as Naruto-kun does… That damn brat…but once again why?
The Snake-sannin sat back and poured himself some sake as he continued to observe his notes.
'It's not from the fourth's seal … I proved that in the forest of death…It could only be the Kyuubi, but then once more, to what end? I could foresee the purging of any control seal, but the others? Why does that demon vex me so? Even his blood and chakra refuse to bend in the slightest way… These reports they all make no sense! How can someone not have a blood-type? How can his cells be in a constant state of flux? …and that other anomaly WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? I've never seen anything like it at all… If I didn't know any better I'd say it was stage three of the birth of a bloodline of some unimaginable power, but as prolonged as it has been it's not… '
Pulling his files neatly back together and returning them to their sealed container, Orochimaru came to a decision.
"Kabuto" Orochimaru called out to his guards.
The door to the Otokage's office opened to reveal the traitorous leaf-nin. "Yes, Master Orochimaru?"
"Gather the seal masters within the village and bring them to me in lab zero."
Kabuto's shock at the mention of lab zero, Orochimaru's most private and secret workstation, was revealed only by the widening of his eyes. "Yes, Master."
As Kabuto turned to leave Orochimaru called him once more. "Kabuto, you will join us as well. As a former leaf-nin I assure you the next week or so will be a most momentous occasion. Soon Oto will reign as the most power nation in this world…"
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." And with that, Kabuto left wondering what it could possibly mean.
Turning back around , Orochimaru returned to his own thoughts.
'Soon, Kyuubi… soon I will have your power if not the body of your vessel itself. You will lend your strength to me and through your vessel I will discover the knowledge of true immortality and not this passing shade's existence I suffer now. I will discover what lies underneath this great mystery and the spoils will be mine…Indeed you may be mighty Kyuubi, but here… here and now you WILL belong to me'
For a time. the only sound heard in the cold catacombs underneath the tower was a dark, malevolent laughter.
Konoha- 3 Months After Incident
The Godaime Hokage of Konoha, Tsunade stood in front of her large bay windows looking out over Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. If one looked closely they would observe a single tear slowly making its way down the face of the powerful woman as she gazed scornfully out across the rooftops and cursed bitterly.
"Konoha… Damn you… damn you all to hell..."
After the true nature of the situation involving the return of the Uchiha had been revealed a chain reaction began. Immediately, Uchiha Sasuke was put under heavy sedation and guard in the military wing of the hospital, Hatake Kakashi was relieved of duty and put under house arrest, and search team formed to try and rescue or recover one Uzumaki Naruto.
Almost just as fast, those motions had been challenged by the council, the clan heads, and the populace in general.
The council, being backed by the villagers and clans, having decided that the Uchiha had merely been confused or under the affects of the Curse Seal had made sure that the traitorous nin was transferred to the unsecure wing and his Anbu guard removed. Once healed, he was restricted only to the Uchiha district and was promised additional one on one training from ANBU personnel at a later date seeing as how he had only been 'susceptible' to temptation because he'd been 'ignored' and hadn't received the attention he'd deserved..
As for Hatake Kashi, jounin sensei of team 7? He was commended by the council for making a difficult but correct choice and was offered his position as anbu captain once again, which Kakashi accepted wholeheartedly when he learned he would be continuing the education of the Uchiha.
What had happened to the search team?
Cancelled.
The council had forbidden such a "costly" expedition where not even five genin could be spared in a time of need. As for the clan head? They would not allow their heirs to be endangered on a fruitless venture. They reasoned that if Naruto had not been killed on site then he'd been released since his only worth in the situation had been as a token of trade for the Uchiha. When confronted with the prospects of an unleashed Kyuubi they merely laughed and stated that the fourth's sealing would never falter…
Bastards
… and so it was that her little brother and son in one, Uzumaki Naruto, was abandoned by his village and left to a grisly and torturous end.
The risk, they said, had been known when he accepted his hiatae. They laughed and said he had known as such, after all, he HAD always wanted to become hokage.
Needless to say, Hyuga Hiashi would not be waking up for a while.
Now all her hopes rested in the mad scrambling of Jiraiya as he tried to find his wayward student.
But, with the passing of the months, her hope began to dim and her thoughts led her to wishes of him having a quick death rather than any torture. The ominous fact that there was no corpse where he had been abandoned boded ill for that wish.
CRASH
Tsunade leaped to the side and around into a combat stance as her doors were kicked open. She prepared to attack whoever had entered in such a way when she finally recognized who was on their knees panting before her.
" JIRAIYA" she yelled before rushing to his side to find him not injured but more exhausted than she'd seen him in years.
"Tsu Tsunade" he wheezed as his lungs stuggled to meet his body's demands. " Ga gather the council and all the jou jounins now!"
"Wha why?" she asked in confusion
Any pleasantness in his face from relaxing after an arduous journey disappeared as the fear and panic that served as fuel for his hellish trek reappeared.
"DO IT !" he screamed as he sent his fist into the floor . "DO IT NOW WOMAN. WE DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO SPARE."
"JIRAIYA !" Tsunade she screeched as she slapped his face to bring him to his senses.
"What the HELL is wrong with you? You're acting as if you'd seen a…" Her face paled as dangerous, unthinkable possibilites came to her mind. "No… oh god no… please no… Jiraiya.. please no… don't tell me.."
"Yes" he replied as he gazed straight into her eyes. "Kyuubi has returned."
