Naruto ran. Naruto ran as fast and far as his legs would carry him. Out of town and into the mountain forest. It was cold and dark, the lights from town no longer able to reach past the trees. In his haste, he stumbled and fell over the rocks, tree roots, and dips he couldn't see, but he pressed forward, clawing into the dirt to push himself up, his hands getting cut up and bloodied every time he used them to break his fall.

He had to get away.

That alluring and sweet scent still called out to him. It was a pull that grabbed hold of his body and urged him to return. When he almost gave into the temptation, Kuro's lifeless eyes would pop into his mind, plunging him in cold reality. He had just killed a man.

But he was still human.

The energy drained from him, but he kept running. He ran until he came to a slow shuffle, unable to run anymore. He was far away from town, from his crime, yet it still did not feel far away enough. But where could he go? The police would probably suspect him immediately. He had dropped the gun at some point. His fingerprints would be on it. He would be found guilty with a life sentence, or worse, the death penalty.

So, he would have to run, but there was nowhere he could go. His house was out. So was his friends'. And then there was Uchiha's place.

He nearly laughed at the thought. Uchiha wouldn't just let him hide out there. Uchiha didn't even know him or even like him. There was no way he'd lend a hand.

Naruto kept walking aimlessly up the mountain. His mind was numb. He couldn't think, didn't want to think.

Naruto was so oblivious to his surroundings, he did not realize when it began to rain, only that he was drenched from head to toe some hours later. He would catch a cold like this, he thought offhandedly. He couldn't bring himself to care about his well-being. Was this shock, he wondered. He couldn't feel anything. He came to a stop.

He had stumbled onto an abandoned Shinto shrine. It was a simple structure that had partially been overtaken by the forest. A tree had grown through a hole in the floorboards and the sliding door was broken and off its track. It must have been one of the first shrines on the island before the main ones were built.

He walked up the stairs, the wood crying under his weight with each step, and stopped at the entrance, bowing his head. "Excuse my intrusion," he murmured before climbing inside. If gods did exist, there probably wasn't one housed here anymore. If there was, surely, he or she would forgive him for spending the night. It was tight with the tree taking up quite a bit of space, but the roof was mostly intact, providing shelter for the night. He sat down, staring into the darkness outside, and leaned against the tree trunk.

He chuckled to himself. It seemed appropriate. To be forgotten in some abandoned shrine for a forgotten god. He chuckled until he felt tears streaming down his face, his chuckles turning into quiet sobs, drowned out by the sound of rain.

Missing a day of school wasn't a big deal. He had been through the school system a couple of times, so missing one day wasn't much of a concern for him academically. A second day would have been a stretch as it may draw unwanted attention, but Sasuke had to take precautions. He couldn't be too careful when dealing with Itachi.

Tobi drove him to the gate and Sasuke got out, adjusting his tie. He eyed a couple of girls gossiping as they passed him, blushing while tilting their heads in a morning greeting when they were caught. He returned with a flirty smile.

Just as another set of girls passed, a boy appeared, leaning against the perimeter wall of the school. He had red hair and green eyes and, he was watching him. The moment their eyes met, there was a subtle tilt of the head towards the roof. He then casually pushed himself off the wall, walking the path towards the school. Seemed like Sasuke was going to miss homeroom today as well.

Sasuke went to the roof at the slow human pace. It was cumbersome to pretend to be human at times, but today he went at the slow pace purposely, knowing that the other would be kept waiting.

Sure enough, by the time he had reached the rooftop, Gaara was there, leaning over the railing and looking down at the last of the students rushing in as the warning bell rang.

"You left early your first day."

"I didn't know I needed your permission," Sasuke stopped beside Gaara, looking down on the humans running about as well. The PE teacher was waiting at the gate, checking his watch and counting down until he would close the front gate for the school day. "I assume you want to claim your territory."

"Don't lump me with your kind." Gaara turned his head so that he could meet Sasuke's eyes. "What are your plans with Uzumaki?"

"Why? Do you have claim to him?"

Gaara didn't answer nor did his gaze waver. He looked straight on, apparently none too patient for games.

Dropping the polite smile, Sasuke's face turned serious as well. "If you claim non-involvement, then unless you have a hand in my business, it is not your place to intervene nor do you have a right to know."

Gaara's eyes for a brief moment flashed a dark, golden-brown before returning to its usual emerald green. Anger rolled underneath the surface as well as the threat for violence. With a very precise restraint, the aura of his anger was the only manifestation of his volatility and gave the message that if Gaara did not want to, this anger could manifest in other ways that would cause both of them difficulties in the future.

For one so young, Gaara had a handle on his abilities even if it was a hairline away from slipping through his fingers. "Uzumaki is my friend," he said, his tone not giving away his volatile nature. "His safety concerns me."

"Is that all?" When Gaara didn't say anything, he answered. "All that you need to know," Sasuke said slowly and clearly so he would never have to repeat himself. "Is that I will take responsibility. As long as he is not a detriment to me, he will live a normal life until they begin to notice the changes and he has to leave, and from what I see so far, he has no reason to stay." Sasuke leaned forward just slightly to be intimidating. "Why is that by the way?"

Gaara looked away first, returning to his original position of looking over the railing. "Non-involvement, remember?"

"Of course." The final bell rang, signaling the beginning of classes. "Missing class won't look good for me. I have an image to keep after all." Sasuke straightened his tie. "Just a piece of advice. Whatever you are, it would be easier to give in to the temptation than to resist."

Gaara didn't comment, and Sasuke didn't wait for it. "Until we talk again, Gaara-san. If you would excuse me."

Sasuke opened the roof door, shut it behind him, and stopped after two or three steps. "Did you want to add anything?"

Standing just to the side of the door, Inuzuka was pressed against the wall. His arm was in a sling, and his face was discolored from healing bruises and cuts from his fall. Sasuke had sensed him following since the beginning, but unlike Uzumaki, he had no reason to hide the truth from him. There was a greater benefit in Inuzuka knowing than not, no matter how the teenager reacted to the news.

Inuzuka didn't, or couldn't, say anything. Just staring out into space in thought.

Whether he decided to panic or find it to be entertaining, held little meaning to Sasuke though. In the end, he did not plan to stay long, and Inuzuka posed little threat to him. Sasuke continued down the stairs, planning to make it to class before their tardy, homeroom teacher decided to take attendance.

Uzumaki did not come to school that day. Or the next. From what Sasuke had gathered from overhearing the gossip in the class, it was abnormal for him to miss so many consecutive days of school. Apparently, if Gaara was at school, Naruto was almost always there as well. They acted as each other's restraint.

Judging by Gaara's increasing foul mood, he did not know where Uzumaki was, neither did Inuzuka. Inuzuka had come up to Sasuke after school the previous day to ask Sasuke if he knew where Naruto was.

Denying knowing Naruto's whereabouts, Inuzuka's shoulders slumped, and his face twisted with worry as well as suspicion towards him.

Admittedly, Sasuke was beginning to wonder where his troublesome charge had run off to. Naruto didn't seem the type to run away from his problems, but the thought of maybe it was due to the argument at the studio had crossed Sasuke's mind.

The final bell rang, and the sound of students preparing to leave filled the classroom, causing the teacher to raise his voice to be heard. "One last thing before you all leave. Will anyone volunteer to take Uzumaki-kun his homework?" The teacher was already eying Gaara and Inuzuka, but before either of them could raise their hand, Sasuke beat them to it. "I'll do it."

The teacher ─ whose name Sasuke could not recall─ visibly lost his enthusiasm. "As kind as that is, Uchiha-kun, Gaara-kun and Inuzuka-kun are quite close. Uzumaki-kun may feel more comfortable with someone he knows since he may not be feeling very well."

"If it is no trouble, I would like to volunteer. I would like to thank Uzumaki-san for showing me around the island. It is the least I could do."

The teacher looked troubled, looking to Gaara for silent help. Gaara didn't meet his eyes, staring out the window and ignoring the conversation as he had most of the day while Inuzuka had already packed his bag and was anxious to leave.

Without any other option and forced to comply, he reluctantly walked over and handed over a small stack of papers. "Very well. Thank you for being so considerate for your classmate."

"I am glad I can help." Sasuke took the papers. As the teacher began to go back to the desk, he asked. "One thing sensei, I did not receive a class registry when I received my new student packet." The teacher's back tensed, much to Sasuke's amusement. "May I get a copy?"

"Uh, yes, that would seem strange, wouldn't it? Since most of the student body lives in the dormitory, there has not been much need for it."

"Yes, I understand that, but from what I understand, most of the students in this class commute. A student registry for this class alone would suffice, wouldn't it?"

"As you said, most students in the class grew up in this town and know where everyone lives. It is a rather small island, so I'm sure you'll remember soon enough."

"It will be difficult to find Uzumaki's home without an address," Uchiha countered.

The teacher's expression turned stern. "You are being quite rude, Uchiha-kun."

"Forgive me, Sensei, I apologize," but he sounded anything but apologetic, his smile turning into a smug smirk. "I've been out of the country most of my life. I forget the nuances of Japanese speech. Please just think of me as a foreigner until I grow accustomed to Japanese society again."

"I see." The teacher crossed his arms with thinned lips. "Then you would not mind staying behind to write the class notes before you leave, would you?"

"No problem."

The teacher walked away. It didn't miss Sasuke's notice that the teacher had gotten out of telling him any information. It wasn't like he needed Uzumaki's address. He had been to his house once before, but it would have looked suspicious if he hadn't asked.

The class notebook was handed to him, and Sasuke stared at it unsure what he was supposed to do with it.

If he was honest, he hated Japan. The education system was convoluted and biased, focusing on memorization rather than understanding, brown-nosing enhanced your grade, and the competition was destructive. The classes were not engaging, leaving the students to just listen for hours of teachers droning on and on.

Teachers also held too much power over the students. Students could not argue or debate with the teacher. Questions had to be held until the end of the lesson, and participation was not even a thing. Sasuke couldn't blame several students falling asleep during the lesson. The teachers did not seem to care. All that mattered was that you couldn't appear rude, else it would "reflect badly upon your character".

Outside the education system, the high context society was something Sasuke was having difficulties adjusting to. It was rude to say no to anything. You had to imply if you did not want something. Imply when you did want something. You could not ask for anything directly. It was tiring, and Sasuke was at a loss at how people did not get confused with the roundabout way of talking.

Sasuke had arrived in Japan about a month ago, spending most of his time in Kyoto. People were kind enough to him until his Western way of talking turned them off. He appeared rude and callous to others. In that respect─ with the respectively large diversity rate here─ his behavior and speech were not frowned upon as much here. No, his family name carried the most weight here.

Uzumaki was refreshing. Uzumaki lacked discretion, saying what was on his mind, so that no one misconstrued his words, and they understood his intentions. He still had that Japanese thinking, making sure no one worried about him, trying to blend in─ although he failed due to his appearance─ and thinking of the collective rather than the individual.

He had been watching Uzumaki during the entire photoshoot; he had to due to the company around them. After the incident on the roof, he was curious to see if anything else peculiar would happen. What he found was a rather awkward teen trying to make a friend even putting on his best behavior.

He scoffed. Perhaps he had been removed from humans for too long. The need for acceptance was something he had not craved since he was a child. His younger years were a blur that he tried to forget. Humanity has been and always will be a detriment to the Earth and the creatures on it.

Sasuke opened the notebook before it was swiped away by Gaara. "I believe you have a more important job to do."

Leaning back in his seat, he assessed Gaara. "It would be irresponsible of me to delegate my duties after our sensei asked so nicely."

"Do you even know what to do?" At Sasuke's silence, Gaara continued, lowering his voice so only Sasuke could hear. "Find Uzumaki. That should be your one and only priority."

"Is that how you talk to your elders?" Sasuke dropped his voice low too, leaning forward. The politeness in his voice, gone. "I would advise that you remember who you are talking too."

"If harm comes to him," Gaara went on, not intimidated in the slightest. "I will hold you responsible. I may be young, but it doesn't mean I can't kill you."

On the cuff of Gaara's blazer, there was a speckle of blood that was faded from being the wash, but there was no denying it for what it was. "I am sure you will try, but you will find that I will not be so easy to kill as others."

There were still students in the class, lingering and chatting with one another, yet Sasuke could still feel eyes on him though he was unable to pinpoint whom it belonged to. "Thank you for your help, Gaara-san. I will be counting on your hard work."

Without a car, Sasuke was forced to go into town the old-fashioned way. While Tobi's absence was a hindrance in keeping a low profile, Tobi's work was more important at this time.

The sun was fully out with little cover, adding to the difficulty it would take to be unnoticed. Running down the mountain, following the road by jumping down to the next level would cut his journey in half. Unable to take this path, forced Sasuke to enter the forest behind the school. After a kilometer past the school property line, the area changed, revealing, an 80-degree slope.

Peering over the edge, he quickly surveyed the area. It wasn't a straight path to the bottom. Tall grasses covered the side of the mountain. There were some ledges, barely a meter wide were bamboo and small trees grew. The more resilient trees managed to grow on the slope, adding to the obstacles. Sasuke could not view the bottom, having enough foliage to block his view.

At the very least, there would be no witnesses.

Placing his hands into his pockets, he bent his legs. His approximate target was 15 meters down and approximately 2.6 meters out if his math was correct. With a lightness that was not humanly possible, Sasuke jumped off the ledge. His body sailed through the air, two and a half meters out before he began his descent. The air whipped around him. ruffling his hair and clothes.

With a single foot, he landed on a stalk of bamboo, that bent under his weight. With the second that the long bamboo took to bend and reach its max elastic yield strength, Sasuke had located his next target and jumped just as precisely and graceful as before.

He repeated this process multiple times, his foot not resting on a single point longer than a fraction of a second before his next leap. If anyone was watching, they might have mistaken him for flying. It wasn't even a minute before he had reached the bottom of the mountain.

He had landed on the roof of one of the buildings in town that had its back against the slope he had just come down. Most of the buildings in the area were shops as most of the residents seemed to live in residential compounds around the island. There was only a small portion of the town that contained average housing. Naruto's house was located in that area.

Jumping down, Sasuke walked the rest of the way at a leisurely pace. Besides returning Naruto to his home, he had spent no time within the town. The streets were narrow and clean, very different from what he was used to. The town was a hodgepodge of traditional Japanese architecture and modern Western influences, no doubt from the increase of foreigners at some point.

If Sasuke looked closely, he could almost see how the city developed, more traditional in the center than the outer rim with a gradual transition in between. Of course, there were newer buildings in the traditional architecture section and vice versa, but if one closed their eyes, they could picture what the original town had looked like.

He stayed in the shadows, avoiding attention from the townspeople. It was better to walk, than run and possibly draw attention to himself, but being a non-familiar face would occasionally draw the eye.

Naruto's home was a two-story home, surrounded by a hedge wall and an iron gate. The yard was filled with medium-sized trees and bushes with an outdoor clothes drying rack─ several of the clothes being Naruto's uniforms─ a few steps away from the sliding front door. A stone path led from the door to the gate, making the entrance very warm and welcoming. The building itself had several years on it, but obviously well cared for by its occupants.

The roof came into focus first, the rest of the house blocked by a two-meter perimeter wall around another property. However, as he rounded the corner, the sight of a police car and two officers leaving the vehicle made him come to a stop.

So something happened to the twerp after all.

Snorting, he closed his eyes, listening to his surroundings. He didn't hear anyone nearby other than the officers.

He walked into the nearest alley, located next to Naruto's home. Once out of the direct line of sight, he jumped, backflipping perfectly and landing on his hands to cushion his fall and immediately bring himself into a lying down position. His muscle control during the maneuver would make the best gymnast and acrobat green with envy.

Listening to the approach of the two officers, neither had hesitation in their step nor did they appear aware of his presence.

The officers came to a stop on the front step and knocked. Sasuke could hear someone moving around inside. The footsteps were heavy but quick. The door opened with more force than necessary only for the man who opened it to give a weary sigh of disappointment.

"I take it you haven't found him?"

"I apologize, Jiraiya-sensei, but it takes time. We went to his usual hangouts and questioned his friends, but we were unable to come up with anything," the first officer on the right said. Though his tone was placating, his facial expression betrayed his thoughts. The officer didn't seem to care.

"Then I would recommend trying harder," Jiraiya responded in a hard tone that could cut steel. "Isn't that what we pay taxes for?"

"Jiraiya-sensei, could it be possible that Uzumakid-san is just getting into his usual trouble? He is a little…"

"Naruto would never leave without notifying me. Even if he's about to get into trouble, he calls. He hasn't been home in three days. Something's wrong." His voice grew soft with worry. "Find him. If you value your jobs, find him."

"Y-yes, sir. We'll keep looking. If you remember anything that may help, please contact us." The second officer responded. The two officers bowed their heads to him before taking their leave.

Jiraiya banged his fist against the door frame, causing it to rattle.

So Naruto's guardian really cared for him. Sasuke could not say the same for the officers. His hearing could pick up the last of their whispers before they were out of range. "Why do we have to search for that brat? It's about time he disappeared."

"Not like anyone would miss him. Society is better off without a monster like him," the other officer agreed.

"It's attitudes like that that taint the reputation of police officers." The third voice was new. A second police car had pulled up behind the first, and its driver had just appeared from behind the hedge fence and threw the gate.

"Captain!" They yelled in unison, standing at attention and their hands flying up to salute.

"I'll deal with both of you later. Head back to the station."

"Yes, sir." Both officers hurried to their vehicle to follow their orders.

The captain sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know what to do with those young ones." He gave a long drawn out sigh of an older man reminiscing. "It is nice to be young though."

"Asuma? I wasn't expecting you."

Sasuke still could not see Jiraiya from his position, but there was a lightness in his voice that sounded like he was reacquainting himself with an old friend.

Asuma looked at Jiraiya with a mixture of fondness and sadness. "Jiraiya-kun. It's been a while."

"Ah, do you want to come in? I think I still have some snacks and tea left."

"No…it's not that kind of visit this time."

Jiraiya's breathing stopped. "He's not dead, is he?"

"We don't know; however, I'd like you to come with me. I rather talk somewhere more comfortable." Asuma jerked his thumb back to indicate the noisy neighbors that were standing by outside the gate.

There was a beat of silence before Jiraiya replied, "I understand."

After some rummaging inside, Jiraiya emerged, following the captain to his car.

Sasuke waited until the car had left before sitting up. Two days ago, Uzumaki had been with him at the studio. From what they had said, that meant Uzumaki had never made it home that night. Itachi's call shoved its way to the forefront of his thoughts. Perhaps this was why he called that night.

Quickly, he dialed in Tobi's number. The phone had only rung twice before a cheerful voice greeted him on the other end. "What can I do for you, young master?

"Tobi, I gave the order to return Uzumaki to his home, didn't I?"

There was shifting on the other side of the phone. Sasuke could imagine his butler's nervous fidgeting, a sign that he had not done his task to the letter.

"Where did you leave him, Tobi?"

"I beg forgiveness, young master," the butler nearly yelled into the phone. He was probably bowing with the phone too. "Naruto-kun had asked me to drop him off at the edge of town near the harbor. I figured he was meeting up with friends or going to the bar."

"Idiot. Uzumaki isn't old enough to drink. What type of adult are you?"

"…EEEEEEEEHHHHH!" Sasuke had to pull the phone away from his ear. "I thought the drinking age was 16!"

"That was when we were in Europe." Was the deadpanned reply.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry!"

The urge to roll his eyes at the butler's excessive apologies. It was a wonder how Tobi didn't lose his head. He was always a bit scatterbrained, forgetting things here and there. If it wasn't for his set of skills that were crucial to Sasuke's goal, he'd have let him go years ago.

"Never mind the apologies. Give me the exact location."

It didn't take long to find. It turned out there was only one bar in town─ though not the only place to buy alcohol. The sun was beginning to sink as evening approached, but it was still bright enough where the streetlamps hadn't switched on. It was a weird place to put a bar. It was far from the center of town or even near the main markets. Sasuke could only guess that it held some cultural significance to the occupants.

Within seconds of getting there, he had already gained his first clue. It was faint but mixed in with the salty breeze was the scent of blood. It was a sickening mix, that burned his nostrils and there was a lot of it. Following the sent led him to an alleyway. It was marked off by police tape, but no one was around.

Ducking under the tape, Sasuke scanned the area. There was a chalk outline of a body as well as a red stain embedded in the road. Kneeling beside the stain, he ran his fingers across the asphalt. It was small, but there was a trace of Uzumaki's blood in the area. It was hard to tell with the overwhelming stench, but Uzumaki's blood had a unique scent. He would have been able to tell anywhere even over the nauseous scent of dead man's blood.

Well, this could cause him some trouble, but he had an idea now of what had probably happened. Now he just had to track the idiot down.

Jiraiya was an elderly man, near his late fifties. Despite his age, he wasn't like other men his age. He still had muscle for one, with just enough mass to call him more on the brawny than the lean side. He was also tall, pushing 195 centimeters, giving him a rather intimidating look despite his age. Though his wrinkles were beginning to deepen, he looked young. Not as young as Tsunade, but enough to call him in his mid-forties than nearing his sixties. It was hard to guess that he was an award-winning author.

Despite the nearly 14 years age difference, Asuma and Jiraiya had been close friends. Asuma could recall his five-year-old self, chasing after his Jiraiya-nii-chan trying to copy everything that the older boy did until Jiraiya-nii-chan turned into Jiraiya-kun in high school.

It was hard to remember why Asuma had taken a liking to the college student when he was young. Jiraiya had a playful and easy-going personality but was also disciplined and strong. Even now, he admired Jiraiya's strength. It was because of Jiraiya that he had wanted to become a police officer and wanted to help people.

Asuma remembered when Jiraiya had left the island for several years to realize his dreams, saying he was getting to old and didn't want to regret anything. Asuma had supported him. Not many people left the island, and he felt that Jiraiya was meant for greater things. Two years later, the older man had returned.

Asuma had went to pick up his friend and mentor from the ferry dock. His excitement to hear if Jiraiya had made it and his plans on the future had him nearly giddy with excitement. Asuma was excited for Jiraiya. He had waited as the passengers disembarked one by one. He almost didn't recognize the man who had gotten off.

The familiar carefree spark was no-where to be seen. The eyes that had looked ahead where down cast and lost. He was covered with bandages as if he had been on a battlefield. He left ear was even missing a chip as if to reinforce the image. The only things Jiraiya carried off the boat was a small backpack, and a six-year-old child looking as dead as Jiraiya did. Jiraiya didn't speak a single word that day.

It was later that Asuma found out that Namikaze, Minato had died and the rumor of Minato's criminal deeds and the rumor surrounding his death that followed. Asuma remembered the shock. Minato had been a kind soul. He was bright, promising, and like Jiraiya's son. Minato was probably the only one closer to Jiraiya than Asuma was. It was a no brainer that Jiraiya would take in his orphaned son.

It was years before Jiraiya finally put Minato's death behind him, but he struggled to get there. Jiraiya was out of his element caring for Naruto. Mentoring was different than raising a child, and Jiraiya struggled to adapt. Naruto hadn't made it easy for Jiraiya either. The child at first was so unresponsive, backing the rumors that he had in fact seen his father's death. Asuma tried to help as much as he could, but something always kept him busy.

The rumors didn't help. Conformity was a thing Asuma had liked about his country. Think of society, not the individual. Helping each other survive was only right, but Asuma saw how the town treated Naruto. He fit outside of the normal circle, from his looks to his behavior. He was outcasted before he could even comprehend his situation. With Jiraiya too busy supporting him and trying to come to terms over his own loss, and the town's rejection, Naruto acted out.

Naruto was a good kid. Asuma could see that. He tried to help Jiraiya when he could, but Jiraiya ended up traveling more and more due to his books, leaving Naruto alone.

Jiraiya also loved Naruto, trying his best to raise a kid that had been dropped in his lap without notice. Jiraiya struggled to contain his immaturity and easy-going nature long enough to attempt to raise a child, but he did it for Naruto.

Knowing all this, all the struggles they had to endure over the years just made it more difficult for Asuma to tell Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sat in front of Asuma's desk, waiting for Asuma to say something. Jiraiya's eyes made it clear he knew whatever Asuma was going to say, he wasn't going to like it.

Buying time, Asuma took his time lighting a cigarette, letting out a long drawn out sigh when he exhaled. "We found a dead man in the alleyway next to Asari's a couple of days ago. He was killed with a severe head injury. The only other injury we had found was a bruise that was shaped like a hand around his neck. Due to the evidence, it's safe to say it was a murder."

Jiraiya's body became rigid, his eyes hardening and narrowing at Asuma. "You think Naruto did this?"

"Jiraiya-kun…"

"You know Naruto. He would never do this."

"Based on his past, it might not be impo─"

Jiraiya stood up with so much force, the chair fell to the floor, skidding back half a meter. Grabbing the lapels of Asuma's uniform, he brought Asuma to him, growling in a low voice. "What do you know about Naruto? You and the rest of this town never gave him a chance." His words were as sharp as a katana. "Naruto may be a delinquent, but he is no murderer. I expected more from you."

Jiraiya's words hurt as it was coming from Asuma's idol, but he covered it up with his police persona. He would not allow personal emotions to interfere with his work. "We found his hair at the scene. It was caught on the wall near the body."

At the information, Jiraiya's form sagged, and his grip weakened. "Asuma, you don't really believe that he's capable of this, do you?"

Asuma looked him straight in the eye. It was the least he could do to show respect to the man he admired. "I am beginning to think so, yes."

Jiraiya released him, turning his back to Asuma and muttering to himself.

"His father didn't have a clean record, and by the end, he was running from the law. He was charged with murder and many other heavy crimes. I hate to say this, Jiraiya-kun, but maybe, he's taking after his father."

"Don't," Jiraiya said with a steely glare, "address me so familiarly."

Asuma's gaze wavered. Years of training kept the disappointment off his face. His posture didn't waver, nor did his voice, when he responded. "I know this must be difficult for you. I will contact you when we find him, Jiraiya-sensei. You are free to go."

The door slammed behind Jiraiya, echoing in the silent room. For Jiraiya's sake, he hoped they were wrong about Naruto. He really, really hoped so.

With some help from a very reluctant acquaintance, Sasuke had tracked down Uzumaki. It wasn't even an acquaintance really. He hated Sasuke's entire existence, and they had only met once previously, but he had done the favor as the task had something in it for him for Uzumaki's retrieval. It would make his master happy.

As expected, Sasuke's acquaintance was able to locate Sasuke's vicinity within an hour. With the rain, it made it more difficult to track, but the acquaintance prided himself on his abilities. Once within a kilometer of Naruto's location, he had left Sasuke alone to do the rest.

The journey had led him deep into the mountain forest. The second-largest mountain on the island─ the school's mountain being the smallest. There were four mountains total, though instead of a sharp peak, they were either rounded or flat at the top and none of them were competing for breaking any height records. The mountains were also loosely connected with just enough separation to be called separate mountains. Out of the four mountains, this one caused Sasuke the most discomfort.

There were several torii's, on the mountain, many of which Sasuke had to walk through in his climb up. He had also caught glances talismans and shimenawa, sacred rope, though worn down and slowly rotting away, were still in effect. The sacred air of the mountain wanted to reject Sasuke's presence. There was an invisible weight against his body that caused discomfort. If he had to describe it, it was like he was submerged in water with the pressure coming from all sides. The small shrines on the mountains may have seemed abandoned, but there was a presence that still remained to keep evil out.

He was trespassing.

Sasuke watched his surroundings, not feeling any presence beside the animals that were scurrying around the remains of forgotten structures. Following his acquaintance's instructions, he found himself in what looked to be an abandoned shrine.

Night had fallen, but he could see as clearly as if it was day. Naruto was indeed at the shrine. Sitting within the small space barely big enough to fit his body, he was curled up, his arms wrapped around his knees, looking straight ahead, seeing nothing in front of him. His clothes were wrinkled as if they had been soaked at some point and his hair was stringy and dirty. There was mud, splashed onto the bottom of his school uniform pants. His eyes were red as if he had been crying for a long time and his nose and cheek color matched that suspicion.

A cold wind passed, making Naruto shiver and hold himself tighter, but other than that, he didn't react to anything, not even Sasuke's presence as he came closer. Sasuke didn't dare to walk up the rotting stairs to the shrine, keeping a good step away from the bottom. Even in the dark, Naruto could not miss Sasuke standing before him.

Several minutes passed and neither of them spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto's voice was raspy with disuse. Since Sasuke's first meeting with Naruto, this was the first time there wasn't any life in his voice. Life just seemed to have drained out of him.

"I should be asking you the same question. You know, everyone's worried about you."

A weak chuckle left Naruto's mouth, his shoulders shaking. "Why do you care? I'm just something to keep you entertained, aren't I?"

"Because your disappearance is causing me unwanted trouble."

At Sasuke's words, life snapped back into Naruto's form, his body jerking forward. "Unwanted trouble? UNWANTED TROUBLE!" He yelled, he stood up, coming out of the shrine. "I'm causing you unwanted trouble! I'm a fucking monster now! All because you thought I would be interesting, you took my humanity and turned me into a killer, you selfish prick!" Naruto descended the stairs to shove Sasuke's chest.

"If that's what you feel, perhaps I shouldn't have come to find you," Sasuke's calm and disinterested voice fueled the fire in Naruto.

With rage, he tried to punch Sasuke, who took a step back, dodging the attack. It didn't deter Naruto, who kept throwing punch after punch. Sasuke kept saying just out of reach as he dodged each punch with minimal effort. Unlike before, Naruto's attacks were less coordinated. His fists were just flying without any structure, making them easy to read. His attempts were just an emotional outburst and a reasonable one at that. Sasuke wasn't mad. It was the next step in the process of truly accepting what was to come.

Sasuke dodged another attack, that resulted in Naruto punching a tree. There was a faint cracking of Naruto breaking his knuckles and the louder crack of the wood splinting where Naruto's fist had been. Naruto did not show an ounce of pain or even awareness that he had broken his hand as he pulled his fist back, blood trailing down the back of his hand profusely.

"Why did you do this to me?!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face.

Despite his wound, Naruto kept recklessly attacking, and it was beginning to make Sasuke annoyed. "I have nothing left! You took everything from me!"

Why?! Why did you take everything from me!

The words resonated with Sasuke, pulling up an unwanted memory. The memory was like a chain, wrapping around his throat threatening to suffocate him. His composure shaken, Naruto's next sloppy attack cause Sasuke's instincts to kick in. Grabbing hold of Naruto's right jab with his right hand, Sasuke left hand secured itself underneath Naruto's armpit. Stepping in and using his left shoulder for leverage, he threw Naruto over his shoulder, hard onto the ground, harder than he had intended.

Naruto didn't move to get up. Soft sobs left his lips as his tears continued to fall. He had bit his lips, blood trailing down his chin, but otherwise he unharmed.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, all feelings of pity he might have felt gone from his mind. "You think you have lost everything? So you killed someone, big deal. To live is to take life. Humans kill and torture animals for their own gain, I don't see why a vampire killing to eat is so wrong. Why are humans allowed a pass, but vampires are the monsters?"

Sasuke leaned over him, so Naruto could only see him. "You have a guardian and friends worried about you. That's more than a lot of others in the world. If you want to sit here and wallow, go ahead. But remember this, no one will come to save you. If you want to survive, you have to save yourself."

Sasuke left Naruto lying on the ground. His hearing could pick up the faint sobs coming from the young human. People would have called him cruel for his actions, but sympathy was for the weak. He didn't need someone who would hold him back, not when he was so close to his goal. The world was about to become a much crueler place. The sooner Naruto grew a tougher skin, the better.