Chapter Five: Feelings.
"Okaaaaay. So let me go over this one more time, you guys have been on board this super advanced train this whole time, that is run and operated by an Artificial Intelligence, created by some unknown mastermind with a weird obsession over Naruto… does that about sum it up?" Asked the form of Ino Yamanaka as she ate a slice of strawberry cheesecake, with the Igawa siblings nodding in confirmation.
"That's the long and short of it. Although we don't know the reasoning behind this. However, that isn't the worst of it. There are also these weird classes where…" Asagi tried to explain but was cut off when she noticed a crimson beam of light that was pointed directly at her forehead while some kind of cannon was aiming at her from the ceiling.
"Ah-ah-ahhhhhh! Nope! No spoiling the surprise for our new passengers, Asagi!" The voice of Glados spoke in a warning tone, causing the bluenette to fall silent with a scowl. The young heiress gulped slightly as a sense of dread overcame her. What was so bad about these 'classes'? Couldn't be any worse than Iruka's history lectures.
"Ah, and don't forget all the robots that tend to our every want or need. Like your cheesecake. Word of advice? Do NOT piss them off." Sakura spoke, causing the blonde heiress to pale a little bit, growing more concerned by the second… it couldn't be that bad… right?
Meanwhile behind the Igawa siblings and Yamanaka heiress, Naruto and Anko could be seen sitting at the bar. The Snake mistress chugged back the contents of a shot glass before putting it back down, the Uzumaki's PDA was in her hand as she watched the playback of Jiraiya speaking with Iruka.
"Those fucking bastards." Anko snarled out before refilling her shot glass from a bottle next to her and then drinking it down in one go. She then sighed and spoke "I'm not at all surprised by Iruka. Word is, he lost his parents back during the Kyuubi attack. But fucking Jiraiya?! Your Godfather? Fuck me blind."
"You know him? I only know that he survived against Hanzo the Salamander, and can summon toads. Aside from that? I don't know a thing about the man… except that he's a grade A asshole. I don't trust Glados, but… this lines up with a lot of the shit that has gone wrong with my life." Naruto muttered as he drank from a glass of water after promising the Igawa sisters that he'd take it easy on the booze for a while after his breakdown earlier.
"I wish to Kami that I didn't. He's a creep and a pervert that gets off on spying on women in bathhouses and hot springs if he isn't fucking around in whorehouses. Unfortunately, the Sandaime is infamous for being soft on his students, and given that Jiraiya is Konoha's spymaster as well, it gives him a lot of leeway. Thanks to his spymaster status, the T&I department tends to work pretty closely with him. The fucker has also made numerous passes at me too… and empty promises." She muttered while rubbing a certain spot on her neck before downing another shot glass of liquor.
"How'd a guy like that get nominated as my Godfather?" Naruto muttered since, as it was plain to see, Jiraiya wasn't godfather material in the slightest. Something didn't smell right there.
"Why sabotage my education then? Don't tell me he lost someone in the Kyuubi attack too." Naruto asked and then, almost like a light bulb lit up, his longtime friend seemed to remember something.
"Since you mentioned it… the Yondaime was actually a student of Jiraiya's. He might be holding a grudge over that." Anko replied in a serious voice, earning a thoughtful look from the Uzumaki.
"Figures." Naruto muttered tiredly. Kami, it was getting so effing old to be blamed for something that wasn't his fault. It wasn't enough that people had to trample on his childhood and social life, but also his education. How freaking low could these people go?
"Ah well. It's not all bad… you know, if you can do something about that 'Glados' thing… the world could be your oyster. This place doesn't have to be a prison, you know. You could take this train over, go where you want, do what you want, no worries, no responsibilities, and no fuckwits that'll try to either crush you like a bug or manipulate you like a puppet on a string." Anko spoke with a grin and nudged the whiskered teen on the shoulder, earning a small hum of thought.
He glanced up at the ceiling and realized that she had a point… if Glados could be taken out of the picture and he took control away from the Mastermind… he and his cherished ones could easily live in comfort. It'd be like an almost permanent vacation. "Interesting idea." Naruto muttered with a grin.
"If you're thinking of taking me offline, I welcome you to try. Mind you, I won't allow myself to be decommissioned without a fight!" Glados replied back… and there it was… damn. Naruto forgot that Glados could see and hear everything aboard.
"Damn Spying AIs." Naruto grumbled as he flipped off the train's AI which earned some amused laughter from her, she then asked "Destination, my dear Conductor?"
The blonde leaned back in his seat, sighing since he didn't really have a particular destination in mind. Where could they go? They didn't even have a clue as to where to find the missing villagers, not that he really cared about their fates, but was more concerned for the innocent ones that did him no wrong.
"I've got nothing right now. Mind giving me some time to think it over?" He asked with a sigh. At his request the AI answered back "Anything for you. Setting to 'cruise'. Feel free to inform me if you have a destination, or I can decide for you."
Naruto didn't even bother responding to that, especially given the AI's untrustworthy and antagonistic nature. Who in their right mind would build such an annoying thing?
"It'll be okay Naruto-kun. We'll figure something out. Hey, how about you give us the grand tour of the train? I kinda wanna see what this place has." Anko requested with a broad grin, her natural warmth and friendliness making the Uzumaki smile back. Grateful to have a familiar face aboard.
Anko was always someone he could count on, while he didn't wish for her to be trapped on this train, he was still glad to have her with him all the same. He nodded since it'd be a nice distraction and spoke "Sure thing. I'd be happy to show you around. Hey Ino! You wanna join us for a tour of the train?" He called out to his classmate, who had just finished her cheesecake and nodded in agreement since she was also curious about the train. The Igawa siblings decided to stay behind and enjoy a few drinks themselves to help take the edge off after recent events, additionally they felt it would be a good chance for him to catch up with his old friend.
He took them out of the dining car and into the Club car, with Anko mentioning that she wouldn't mind dancing at some point, she even made a joke about it needing a few poles for the finishing touch… and on cue some dance poles appeared out from the floor, earning some laughs from the trio. They proceeded on, and entered the aquarium car with Anko giving off an impressed whistle and Ino's eyes shining as she admired the beauty of the fish as they swam about without a single care in the world.
Next they entered the botanical garden, which seemed to make Ino go into a small episode of fangirlism as she began naming off the various plants that she remembered off the top of her head as if she knew them by heart, apparently some of the species in here were nearly extinct or thought to be extinct. Both Pariahs weren't huge fans of flowers, but it was still pretty peaceful and relaxing here, especially with the waterfall.
They then entered the library car, and quickly looked through the shelves of books and manga, with both Konoha Kunoichi admiring the broad selection, hell, there was more than a few titles that they were fans of as a matter of fact. Then came the movie theater, however they didn't spend much time there as Naruto commented that they hadn't used it yet.
Next they entered the spa car, with Ino almost squealing in delight at the prospect of a spa and admired how well-equipped it was, even commenting that she couldn't wait to try out the sauna… which caused her fellow blonde and classmate to blush as he remembered his time with Asagi in there and only further increased as he remembered that 'special massage' that Sakura gave him. Anko easily noticed him blushing profusely, but she decided not to tease him about at this time… she'd be doing that later when it was just the two of them in here.
Next they moved to the gymnasium with Anko liking it immediately, she briefly mentioned that it would be a good idea to utilize the gym car so that she could stay in shape, there was even a sparring ring where they could practice their taijutsu and hand-to-hand skills. For a brief moment, Naruto wondered if sparring with the girls would count as them 'harming' him in the arena since the rules prevented the girls from trying to actually hurt him. He'd have to ask Glados for verification on that later.
"Eh? What'cha thinking about Whisker-kun? You thinking about wrestling me down in the ring and stripping me naked to have your way with me or something? Don't think I'll go easy on ya." Anko spoke in a flirty and teasing voice, giving a lewd grin which made the blonde Uzumaki blush a bit.
Ino rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'perverted bimbos', Naruto for his part nervously chuckled and suggested that they move on. They passed through several more cars, each one having a different facility or function for their comfort and entertainment, until finally they passed through the communal showers and entered the Prison car all the way in the back. Anko whistled loudly at the broad assortment of torture devices and whispered something about 'Damn higher-ups ripping us off in the T&I department' and then she muttered something else about hoping to use these tools on her old sensei.
"Wait a sec. I don't get it. Where do the robots come and go from? Where's the kitchen? Where are the ingredients stored?" Ino asked out of curiosity since they didn't pass by or see such things during their tour.
"No idea. Me, Sakura and Asagi didn't find those either when we searched the train for an exit. We think they might be in compartments that we cannot reach that only the bots have access to. Also, from what we've seen… we can only leave if Glados or the mastermind allows us to." Naruto explained, revealing one of several reasons he was reluctant to bring them aboard.
"Uhhhh, why not just smash out the windows?" Ino asked and pointed towards a nearby window in the communal showers with her fellow blonde shaking his head.
"Tried that already. They're reinforced and can self-repair. Probably a mix of seal-work and technology. There's probably all sorts of other seals, defenses and countermeasures to keep us from busting out. That aside, I don't think it'd be a good idea to use any powerful and/or destructive jutsu in an enclosed space, unless you want to become a splatter on the wall." The whiskered teen explained, earning a gulp of fear from his classmate and worried expression from the Snake Mistress.
She was pretty adept at Fire Jutsu, but as her favorite Whisker-kun stated, it wouldn't be a good idea to use them in here where it could backfire, not to mention there was the possibility of countermeasures. Still… whoever came up with this thing, they certainly knew what they were doing. The sealing arts were extremely potent yet highly experimental in nature, and there weren't many people who could be called true seal-masters. To employ sealing techniques with advanced technology? That'd take equal measures of madness and genius to say the least.
"Glados kept calling you the 'Conductor' guess that means you're in charge of this whole thing huh?" Anko asked as she picked up a bull whip and gave a swift practice swing that caused it to make a loud snap sound upon impact with the floor.
"I wouldn't say I'm 'in charge' and certainly not of the 'whole thing' as you put it. I'm a prisoner here as well, albeit one with special privileges. The real power lies with Glados and the mastermind. Whoever they are… they went to immense lengths for this." Naruto responded with a sigh.
"Well… it can't be all bad, right? So far, this seems pretty nice." Ino spoke, ignorant of what awaited her in the not so distant future.
"At first glance? Yeah… but…" He was about to speak but then he glanced up at the ceiling and cut himself off, fearing that Glados would overhear him mention the classroom. Asagi and Sakura seemed like they were put through the ringer during their first class. He then continued to speak "But keep in mind that Glados is always watching and listening. All the time. 24/7. Whatever privacy you think you may have? Doesn't exist." he cautioned them, earning nods of understanding from the heiress and dango lover.
"Come on. I'll show you to the cabins next, they're back the other way." He spoke with a small sense of dread overcoming him since they would soon see the classroom. The place where his 'passengers' are supposed to be brainwashed and conditioned to love him. He wasn't sure how they would react when they saw it. Anko would no doubt be surprised, but she would understand if he explained the situation to her. Ino however? She was a different story.
Sure, they were classmates and knew each other, but they weren't exactly friends either. Ino was and still is a fangirl of that prick Sasuke, however she wasn't as extreme as most of the other fangirls, which made her pretty tolerable, especially since she was one of the few classmates that talked to him and treated him like a normal person.
They followed after him, looking forward to seeing their new cabins after the day they had. After a short while, they passed by the Igawa siblings, worried expressions on their faces as they watched the Konoha trio enter into the next car… the classroom. Upon entry, Naruto noted that the propaganda posters that directed the passengers to obey him had been taken down… and the classroom now seemed normal, the previous pink and yellow coloring having been replaced by a subdued brown color. As if it had been redone and rebuilt while they were exploring the empty village.
He guessed that this was temporary, and Glados was just waiting for their first session before surprising them. Manipulative bitch. He wanted to warn Anko and Ino, but again… Glados' warnings kept ringing in his head which silenced him. "Huh… a classroom. Asagi-san did mention something about having classes here." Ino spoke as she twirled her signature ponytail around her finger.
The whiskered teen swallowed and then replied "Classrooms hold bad memories for me." He then sighed to himself and took a deep breath to calm himself. While that certainly wasn't a lie, he honestly wanted to tell them the actual truth. So long as Glados was always watching and listening, there wasn't much he could do.
Ino accepted his answer, remembering all the times her fellow students picked on him. Anko however seemed to catch on that he was hiding something or was holding something back, but she chose not to press him on the subject. After all, if Naruto ever held a secret or was dishonest… it was always for good reason.
He opened the door towards the passenger cabin cars, he noticed that the cabin Asagi and Sakura occupied now had their names on the front, showing that it belonged to them and then spoke "Sakura and Asagi share a cabin. You can either share one with someone or get your own. Plenty of open cabins available. If you need anything you know what to do, you'll find my cabin, the Conductor's cabin, all the way at the front."
"Thanks. I think I'm gonna turn in if it's all the same to you guys." Ino spoke tiredly as she ducked into an unclaimed cabin. The two Pariahs couldn't blame her given everything that had happened, not to mention she was probably worried about her father since they knew that she and her dad Inoichi were always close. All things considered, Ino was taking the situation better than most anyone would.
"Soooooo, quick question… how close did you get to those sisters, eh?" Anko spoke with a teasing grin and then continued "Those skin-tight outfits? Mmm. They hug their bodies in all the right places." At her words, Naruto blushed profusely as he could only stare at the floor while scratching the back of his head.
After a few moments he finally replied "Well, at first they were kinda hostile, but we quickly became friends. They're really nice too. Asagi runs her own school and invited me to go with them."
After hearing that, Anko scowled, a deep jealousy bubbling up inside her as she muttered "Oh… how… nice." This reaction gained a curious expression from the Uzumaki, noting her negative demeanor.
"You okay Anko? Is something wrong?" He asked out of concern, the Snake Mistress didn't answer him as she looked to the side while biting her lip.
"You said 'yes' didn't you? Of course you did. Not gonna waste a chance to jump ship from that crap class of yours, eh?" She spoke with venom dripping from her mouth. Suddenly it clicked in Naruto's mind… and realized that Anko didn't like the idea of him leaving. They had always had a strong bond together… and she probably felt like he was abandoning her for something better. Anko always had deep abandonment issues after what happened with her ex-sensei.
"Anko, I think I know what it is you're thinking. You don't have to be mad. I'm sure Asagi-chan would be happy to have someone like you on the payroll. We can go together." He offered, trying to calm her down. This seemed to have the desired effect as the Snake mistress relaxed as she thought over that scenario… seemed like it wasn't a bad idea.
A new place, a new start, a blank slate. Not bad at all. Still… wait… did he just call that woman 'Chan?' She stared at him for a few moments… now she really wanted to know exactly how close they were. "Excuse me a minute." She muttered and then marched off, leaving the whiskered teen behind as he wondered what she was up to. He kind of wanted to follow after her, but knew that it was usually best for her to simmer down first.
The Snake Mistress marched to the Dining car where she found the Igawa sisters, having stopped drinking liquor and switched to tea instead. "Hey. You. Asagi, right?" Anko spoke in an even tone, addressing the elder sibling who turned towards the snake user.
"Yes? Something wrong?" Asagi asked with a raised eyebrow as she noted the Torture expert's body langauge, it was tense and rigid and showed off aggression… she was really ticked off about something.
"How close are you to my Whisker-kun?" Anko asked heatedly, prompting the Igawa sisters to blush at the point-blank question. "You seemed pretty chummy with him earlier. Not to mention he can't stop blushing whenever you two are mentioned." She continued to speak as she glared at the sisters.
Asagi remained calm as she then spoke in a matter-of-factly tone "Anko-san… are you jealous? I can't help but notice that you keep referring to him as… yours. As if you've staked a claim on him. He talks very fondly of you. In fact, you must mean the world to him. If we… somehow feel like a threat to you, then you have our apologies. Please, there's no need for hostilities. How about you sit down, and we can talk about this as adults? We're not squabbling Fangirls arguing over a silly crush." She spoke the last part much more gently, trying to help put the snake mistress at ease.
The purple haired woman sighed as she sat next to the sisters and replied "Sorry for coming off as being a bitch… me and Naruto-kun have been… good friends for years. He means a lot to me, and a lot of people have tried all sorts of ways to hurt him. First thing you learn in T&I? You don't have to inflict some sort of physical trauma to hurt someone. The wounds that cut deepest are of the mind or the heart. And me and Naruto? We have supported each other through some pretty rough times. When he mentioned that you invited him to your school… it almost felt as if he was being taken from me. Stupid, yeah?
The siblings were surprised by her explanation but appreciated her candor… then again, if they were really that close, they couldn't blame her for feeling that way. "How'd you two meet? How did you get so close?" Sakura asked out of curiosity.
After a long sigh, Anko smirked and decided to tell them about the first time she had met her favorite Whisker-kun.
Flashback: Approximately Ten years ago.
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was late one night in Konoha, raining cats and dogs. I had just gotten back to the village after a mission, a crappy-ass escort mission. Client was some nobleman's third son's cousin or some shit, a goddamned sexist. One of those types of douchebags who thought Kunoichi were only good for fucking. I escorted him to Taki and then ran back to Konoha as fast as my legs could carry me.
When I finally got back, I decided to pick up some beer and head to my apartment. Thing is, me and Naruto have a lot in common. We're both village Pariahs… but unlike me, he didn't have the skills or a shiny headband to protect himself. I dropped in at a convenience store I frequented… and that's when I first met him.
"Goddamn… fucking… sexist… assholes… go eat a dick, choke on it and die. Fucking motherfucking inbred shitbag." Anko cursed under her breath as she picked up two cases of her favorite beers and made her way over towards the cashier's counter to pay for them.
"Evening Anko. Rough mission?" The cashier asked casually since he had caught some bits and pieces of what she was saying. The Dango lover simply nodded, not really in the mood to talk as she fished out her wallet. The door to the store opened and the bell jingled, normally she wouldn't pay much attention to it, but something compelled her to look… and see a small child that she recognized as Naruto Uzumaki… poor kid looked like he had been walking around in the rain for a while. His face was pale, almost blue even as he let out a loud sneeze and shivered slightly.
His clothes looked large and baggy despite his small frame, like something he probably scooped up at a thrift store… somehow though, despite that… she could tell that he was a skinny little thing. Had he been eating properly? Scratch that, does he even eat at all?
She, like so many other people in Konoha knew who he was, she heard the rumors, she heard the stories… but damn… this was just a sad looking sight. Her musing was broken when the clerk snapped loudly "Hey! What did I tell you?! Get the hell out of my store and stay out!" The clerk shouted at the poor boy.
"I just wanna buy some instant ramen. I won't be in here more than a minute, two tops. Please, you're one of the only places open." The blonde pleaded, only for the clerk to growl in frustration as he stepped out from behind the counter and marched over to the boy, grabbing one of his little arms and began dragging him towards the door to throw him out. Naruto cried out in pain and yelped, all the while shouting 'Why? Why? Why?' over and over again, not understanding why he was being tossed out without a justifiable reason.
"Hey." Anko spoke quietly, but somehow… it was just loud enough to cut through the commotion as the clerk slowly turned around to face her as the blonde boy looked at her with pleading eyes, almost begging her for her help.
"Let him go." Anko ordered, her voice cold and dead as her hair shadowed her eyes. The clerk looked between the Kunoichi and the boy several times before speaking "Anko, don't you know who this is? He's…" He tried to explain himself, as if the boy's identity alone was justification enough but was cut off by the Snake user.
"I don't care who he is. You don't treat kids like that. Since you mentioned it… you obviously know who he is. You also know about 'that', yeah? You hurt him, I'm legally obligated to cut your throat in your own store. If you don't let him be, I'll kill you, right here, and make my report to the Sandaime later." Anko spoke slowly, a kunai falling into her hand from the sleeve of her trench coat.
The clerk swallowed hard, knowing that it was against the law to speak about the boy's status or doing physical harm to him. "Anko… you… you can't be serious. We've known each other a long time. You've shopped at my store for years… even after what happened with…" The clerk spoke, trying to appeal to the purple haired girl, but was cut off once again.
"You think we're friends or something? I'm not friends with anyone that hurts kids. So fuck you. Now, here's what's gonna happen… you're gonna let him go, you're gonna let him get what he wants, and as an apology you're going to let him walk out of here with what he wants, free of charge. Otherwise? Store's gonna need new management." Anko spoke as she dragged the tip of her kunai against the counter, which had a glass top that made a horrible screeching noise with the blade.
Without a word further, the clerk released Naruto who quickly dashed over towards the area with the instant ramen and started dumping them in his oversized clothes and using them to carry as much instant ramen as he could carry. He quickly ran over to the Kunoichi and muttered a tearful 'thank you' before running out the door as quickly as his little legs could carry him.
"The Hokage will hear about thi…" The clerk tried to speak in order to get the last word in, but his voice died in his throat as the purplette seemed to be glaring daggers directly into his very soul.
"Do what you gotta do. I don't care anymore. Not like my reputation isn't already in the mud." She spoke before depositing several bills on the counter to pay for her beer before she walked out the door, but not before stating "By the way, I won't be doing business here anymore."
She sighed tiredly when she exited the store and made a bee-line for her apartment which was a little ways down the street. Just great. Now she'd have to find another store to get her beer from… still… she just couldn't stand for that poor kid to be treated like that. That was just wrong. It wasn't long before she reached her apartment door and started to fish for her keys out of her pockets… and then she felt a presence behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was Naruto… he had apparently followed her home like a lovesick puppy or something. "What the hell do you want? You already said thanks." She asked gruffly, wondering what he could possibly want with her… she then noticed that he seemed to be crying as she heard the sounds of sniffling coming from him.
"Thank you… thank you so much… nobody has ever… done something so nice for me. You have no idea… how much it meant to me… thank you." The boy muttered his tearful thanks in between sniffles, his words catching the Snake Mistress off-guard… now that she thought back on it… she kind of understood how he must have felt.
All alone in this village, everyone seemed to have something against you… and sometimes, the loneliness was just as crushing as the lack of love and compassion. "Hey… don't mention it. Really. You… agh… you're welcome." She replied back with a small smile… pride quickly filling her chest at making this kid's day.
He then started to cough a few times and sniffled, earning a look of concern from the Snake user as she asked "Are you okay there? You don't sound so good." The blonde seemed like he was about to reply, but was cut off as he had another coughing fit. She then approached him and placed a hand against his forehead… and found that it was burning hot to the touch. Poor kid had a fever.
She pursed her lips and then said "Hey… you don't look so hot. Here, let's get you out of the rain." She spoke softly and scooped him up in her arms and was shocked to find out light he was, even with all the instant ramen packs he had on him. She used one arm to support him and fished out her key with the other before opening her apartment door and carried him inside. She remembered, shortly after what happened with her Sensei, how people refused to help her or show kindness to her.
This poor kid was obviously in need of help… and she wouldn't turn her back on him. She wouldn't be like those same people who mistreated her. "It's gonna be okay… I'll take good care of you." She promised him as she set him on her living area couch and then ran off to the medicine cabinet, hopefully she could get some medicine in his system and break his fever before it got worse.
End Flashback.
"I let him stay in my apartment for a while. Loaned him one of my shirts and a blanket so that he didn't have to wear those wet clothes. Kami… he was so skinny… almost skin and bones. It wasn't until later that I learned that stores that didn't throw him out were overcharging him and swindling him.
After a while, we just kinda… clicked. I couldn't stop worrying about him so I started looking after him whenever I could. Every time I came home from a mission, he'd come to greet me and ask about my mission, ask me how many throats I had slit and how many scalps I'd collected… no idea where he got that from. Since then he's… he's become one of the most important pieces in my whole life. I'm not sure when it happened but… after a while… I started developing feelings for him." Anko spoke and finished her story with a sigh.
She then turned towards the Igawa sisters… and saw the orangette was bawling her eyes out while burying her face in several handkerchiefs while Asagi maintained a calm facade, although one could see that she was just barely holding back her own tears. "That… that has to be one of the most heart-wrenching stories I'd ever heard in my whole life. Does… does Naruto-kun know how you feel?" Asagi asked with a raised eyebrow, using her thumb to wipe away the excess moisture building in her eyes.
"Probably has his suspicions, but nothing solid. I haven't actually told him yet… wasn't sure when a good time would be." Anko replied truthfully, earning a shake of the head from the bluenette.
"We are both Kunoichi Anko-san. We both know that virtually any mission could be our last. If I were you, I'd share your feelings with him, and soon. Otherwise you may never get the chance. Ever." Asagi advised, earning a thoughtful expression from the Snake mistress who couldn't help but agree with her.
"Yeah… I gotta tell him. But not right now, probably wait a day or two before I finally tell him." Anko spoke thoughtfully since she wanted to think about her words for a bit before finally confessing to him. Her friend Kurenai would often discourage her from forming a relationship with him, stating that it could further damage her reputation, plus there was the age difference to consider.
Feh. Age difference? She wasn't that old! Not to mention she never really cared much for her reputation anyway. Didn't really matter how hard she worked or what she did, hell, she could probably put Orochimaru's head on a spike herself and she'd still be labeled as 'a traitor's bitch' or as the 'Snake Whore'. Fuck it. This was it. She was gonna tell him, consequences be damned. Acceptance or rejection, he will at least know her feelings… although she had a strong feeling that he'd accept. Especially since she knew him so well.
"Welp, it was nice talking to you. Nice to get that out and clear the air. Sorry for being a bitch. Laters." Anko spoke tiredly and decided to find a cabin to lay her head and catch some shut-eye… not seeing the guilty expressions on the Igawa sibling's faces due to their earlier 'activities' with Naruto… a small part of them wondered if they should tell Anko what happened? Or maybe it'd be better to consult Naruto on how to approach Anko on the subject before saying anything? Well… they suppose that they'd ask him tomorrow.
For now, some sleep sounded like a very good idea. Still… to hear a firsthand and detailed account of what Naruto went through… it made their hearts ache deeply for him. No wonder he blew up before… if you asked them… they wondered if the love and affection of one woman would be enough to satisfy his aching heart.
The next morning.
In Ino's cabin, the heiress was sleeping peacefully in a dreamless sleep. The sounds of her breathing being the only sound in her cabin… and then all of a sudden her door opened up and a robot stomped into the room, making the blonde heiress snap awake and cover herself with her blanket since she preferred to sleep in the nude. "What? What's going on? What do you want?" She asked in surprise as the robot loomed over her.
"Get up. All passengers must report immediately to the classroom for daily lessons. Attendance is mandatory. Refusal shall lead to severe consequences." The robot spoke bluntly and then marched out, shutting the door behind it. Ino blinked her eyes a few times… daily lessons? Why? What were they supposed to be learning anyway?
She groaned in annoyance and quickly got dressed in her usual clothes before stomping out of her cabin towards the classroom car, all the while grumbling to herself about being rudely awoken and having a good sleep spoiled. When she entered the classroom, she saw the Igawa sisters sitting together with apprehensive looks on their faces. Anko was sitting by herself with her hands in her pockets and her feet kicked up on the desk, looking around the room with a nauseated expression.
Ino then noticed that the classroom was different than before, the soft brown colors that she had seen were replaced with gaudy pink and yellow colors that reminded her of a children's classroom. She then took notice of a robot with a pink chassis sitting at the teacher's desk and it spoke "Welcome! Welcome! Finally! All of the students are here. You naughty girl! Tardiness won't be forgiven next time!"
"Wait, what? I didn't even know about this until a second ago!" The blonde heiress complained, though the teacher-bot didn't seem to listen as it then instructed her "Yes, yes, we all know you're excited for your first day. Take your seat. Quickly now, we have a schedule to keep."
Ino slumped her shoulders with a sigh, and then took notice of a desk that had been marked with her name. Reluctantly, she marched over to it and plopped down into her seat… then she froze up upon noticing numerous posters that showed Naruto with text that read 'Obey the Conductor' she instantly recognized it as some form of propaganda and then asked "Hey! What's going on? What's with those posters?! Is this Naruto's idea of a sick joke?"
The teacher-bot stared at the blonde heiress, the atmosphere quickly becoming darker and more oppressive as the robot snapped a yardstick across its desk before speaking "Mind your tone young lady. You're here to learn. If you can't behave, I'll just have to add extra homework for you."
Ino glanced over towards the Snake Mistress, giving her a look that said 'say or do something!' while the Dango lover shrugged and mouthed 'What do you expect me to do?'. The Snake Mistress didn't like this one little bit, she knew the textbook on torture techniques backwards and forwards… and this seemed to be a case of attempted brainwashing. The goal? Conditioning them to worship, love, and serve Naruto himself.
The Snake Mistress guessed that Naruto and the Igawa sisters must have wanted to warn them about this, but were kept silent by Glados. Fucking machine. Still, no matter what was thrown at her… her feelings for Naruto would always be genuine.
"Ino… don't fight it. You'll only make it worse for yourself. Just do what they say." Sakura whispered over towards the Yamanaka heiress, trying to keep the girl from doing or saying something stupid.
"No! Hell No! This is not happening! I am not going through with this crap! Naruto can take his creepy love-cult shit and shove it up his…" Ino shouted angrily and was about to storm out, but a set of shackles appeared from her desk and quickly locked her in place before she even had a chance to move and then another clamped around her mouth to silence her. She struggled desperately and called the others to help her… but nobody moved, because they all knew that it was useless to struggle in this place. They held no power here.
"Well now… it seems we have a student who can't behave herself and wants to badmouth the Conductor… I'll deal with you in a moment." The Teacher-bot spoke in a menacing voice which quickly silenced the blonde heiress as she felt herself quickly shrinking in her seat, feeling much like a bug about to be crushed underfoot.
Anko felt bad for the heiress, wishing she could help but, from the moment she stepped into this classroom and put the pieces together, she quickly realized that they were now lab rats in a cage. Just as Sakura had warned, the easiest thing to do is play along. "Oi, teach? Lemme see if I figured this out… are you supposed to be 'teaching' us to love Naruto-kun? Why am I here then? I already…" Anko asked but was cut off when the teacher-bot clicked a button, which turned off the lights and caused a screen to descend from the ceiling.
Oh… it seemed they were supposed to watch a video now. Just great… best to keep quiet then and avoid getting in trouble. After a few moments the screen was illuminated as a '3, 2, 1' appeared followed by a title screen that read 'Introductory of the Conductor.'
A cartoonish looking train suddenly chugged into view and then spoke to the 'audience' "Good morning to you passengers! This is your first day aboard the Uzu Express, and the first day of your new lives. I'm Puffin' Pete, and I'll introduce you to the big man himself, your beloved Conductor, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Anko rolled her eyes at the childish video, wondering who came up with this crap while Ino stared in confusion. Meanwhile the Igawa siblings sweat-dropped since it was now apparent that they'd have to endure this introductory video whenever new passengers arrived, just great. As the video continued playing, the two Konoha girls watched on as they saw Naruto's lonely life and the numerous cruelties that he was subjected to.
Anko wasn't surprised in the slightest, but damn, just watching this made her bristle, especially with how he was treated in school. Damn it… she wished she could have done something to help him there, but it was out of her jurisdiction… which was perhaps one of the few things she regretted; being unable to help him where he may have needed her most.
Ino's eyes widened in surprise, she had always known that people hated him and that all kinds of nasty rumors and stories surrounded him… but she had no idea that he was treated this badly… somehow, she knew, she just knew that this wasn't a lie. She had seen it repeatedly in his eyes at school, a deep and unfathomable loneliness. She had kept telling herself that it wasn't her problem and that Naruto would get better over time… Kami, she now wishes that she had known how much pain he was actually in. Nobody deserved to be treated like that.
Now that she thought about… his birthday was in October right? Ugh, when was the exact date again? She couldn't remember… but if she was right, then it should become apparent why he was treated so badly… was he… the Kyuubi container? That was the only reason she could think of that the village would hate him for. No wonder he constantly performed pranks… it was practically a cry for help, for some form of acknowledgement… Kami, how could she have been so stupid?!
After a bit, the video came to a close and then the Teacher-bot stated "I hope you enjoyed the video… now comes time for your training. For Sakura and Asagi, thirty minutes. For Anko, ten minutes. For Ino Yamanaka, due to bad behavior… four hours."
'Four hours?! Four hours of what? What kind of training?' Ino thought frantically, not liking that robot's tone at all. The clamp that kept her mouth shut released her from its grip, causing her to sigh in relief… however that relief was short lived as she saw a pair of devices closing in on her and Anko's faces.
The Yamanaka swallowed dryly, but then narrowed her eyes in defiance. No matter what she was put through, she promised to find her father again. Until then, she would endure this. All of a sudden, her nostrils were assaulted by the scent of cherries and then images began blurring across her vision.
Meanwhile Unknown Location.
Zabuza growled deeply as he sat forward in his seat… Haku was overdue. Way, way overdue. That brat was far too diligent in order to be late or not report in. The only logical conclusion was that something must have happened to his 'tool'. He wasn't sure how or why since Haku wasn't registered anywhere, hell, as far as most people would be concerned, the kid was practically a ghost, especially since the Ice user lacked a bounty.
The swordsman hummed in thought, knowing that it'd be too risky to enter Konoha. As soon as he was spotted, Shinobi would be swarming him from all directions, and he doubted that raising a white flag would do much good since he was a Rogue Ninja with a 'kill-on-sight' order, one of the downsides to being an infamous killer and assassin that had the balls to take a swing at a Kage and live to tell about it.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and they didn't sound like they belonged to Haku. "Not another step." Zabuza warned as he gripped his blade, ready to cut down the intruder. The footsteps had sounded light… a female maybe?
His suspicions were correct when a female voice spoke "Relax. I come in peace. I just wanted you to know that your 'Haku' is in my custody now… as are the targets you're seeking." Zabuza got up from his seat and turned to face the girl, her face obscured in shadows as she held up a set of pictures. One of Haku, and the other two being the people he and his 'tool' were meant to find.
"Peace, huh? Tell me where they are, and I won't kill you." Zabuza spoke as he pointed his signature blade at the female stranger… however, she seemed unintimidated as a row of pearly white teeth appeared from the darkness.
"Kill me, and you'll never find them. Ever. Now then, I'm a busy lady, so let's cut to the good stuff… how would you like to be paid triple whatever your current client is paying you? You can also collect the fee your client is offering for those two sluts, plus I can even throw in protection for you and your little pet." The mysterious woman offered, her blue eyes glowing with mirth from within the shadows.
"That so? You're promising an awful lot. What's the catch, and how do I know I can trust you?" The demon of Kiri asked, though he had to admit… it was a pretty tempting prospect, and it's not like he was being asked to drop his current contract, which in his opinion, was bad for business barring certain circumstances.
"The catch is easy, I may need your help in dealing with troublesome individuals. You do good work, you get paid. You try any funny business, and you can say bye-bye to your paycheck and to that cutie-pie you had with you. Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant to me, you can see for yourself that I'm good for my word. Now, chop-chop, I'm a busy woman and the longer I have to spend talking to a grunt like you, the less time I have to spend watching my favorite reality show." The girl spoke, her tone changing from professional, to condescending, and then to snarky at the end.
The demon of Kiri hummed in thought and then asked "What 'troublesome individuals'? What's the job exactly?"
The mysterious woman seemed to grin even wider as she replied in a blunt tone "The job? Poetic Justice."
End chapter five.