Chapter Six: First Meetings.
"Good morning, my beloved Conductor. Fine day today. Weather forecast calls for rain later." Spoke the form of Glados as Naruto stirred from the bed, yawning and stretching tiredly, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all since he felt so restless last night. He couldn't stop thinking about the empty village, or about Anko's behavior, or what would happen to the girls aboard the train.
So he tossed and turned all throughout the night, sometimes he'd fade in and out of sleep, but come morning? He felt more exhausted than the previous day. "You don't look so good. Didn't sleep well huh? If you're feeling tired I can have some special tea made for you that'll send you to dreamland in a wink." The Artificial Intelligence offered in a sincere voice, showing that she was indeed worried about his health.
Naruto yawned and replied back "Leave that offer open. I might need to take a nap later. Where are the girls? In 'class'?" He asked as he headed towards his wardrobe to put on some clothes and then found the conductor's uniform being pushed out towards him by a cable-like tentacle.
"Indeed they are. Now come on, get dressed and don't forget to put on your uniform once in a while. You're the Conductor for a reason, you have to at least look the part… especially when you have a prisoner aboard." Glados spoke that last part with sadistic glee, her words causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow.
"Prisoner? What Prisoner?" He asked as he accepted the black uniform and matching dress pants and started to put them on.
"I'm afraid that a suspicious character was captured recently and is currently detained in the prison car. I advise you to talk to your prisoner and decide what to do from there. I shall leave it to your discretion in how to handle this situation. Honestly speaking though, before you say anything, I was quite surprised as well when the prisoner arrived." Glados explained, her tone suggesting that she was being truthful, for once.
"What did this prisoner do? Who are they?" Naruto questioned further as he adjusted his uniform and then placed the conductor's cap atop his head, finding it to be a comfortable fit.
"I don't know, and I wasn't told. I'll leave that part to you. You may wish to take Anko with you on this one, given her experience in the T&I department." Glados suggested, to which the Uzumaki nodded in agreement since that was sound advice. He didn't know the first thing about interrogating someone, much less torture. He'd leave that to the expert. However, he hoped that torture wasn't a necessity if it could be avoided.
Naruto finished dressing as he slipped on a pair of shiny black dress shoes and tied off the shoelaces. He inspected himself briefly and admired the perfect fit of the uniform… it also kind of made him feel important. He quickly shrugged off this thought and marched towards the school car. When he entered inside, he saw the forms of the Igawa sisters and Anko sitting at their desks, rubbing their temples as if they were nursing headaches… and Ino was still strapped down to her seat, with a strange head-set obscuring head and vision while a breathing mask of some sort covered her mouth and nose.
The whiskered teen rushed forward to help her and pry the damn thing off, his arms outstretched to rip it off but was stopped when Glados chimed in almost frantically for the first time "Ah! No! No! NO! Do NOT touch that! If you try to forcibly remove that headset while in mid-session you could cause serious brain damage to the subject." Naruto quickly stopped, his hands but inches away from Ino's headset and glanced up at the ceiling and back to Ino… judging from Glados' reaction just now… she seriously wasn't kidding this time.
"I'm warning you! Seriously. Do not touch that unless you want to run the risk of microwaving the poor girl's noodle." Glados warned once again, her voice having a sharp edge to it… yeah… she wasn't bluffing. She wasn't lying. She was being for real.
"Sorry Ino." Naruto muttered apologetically, unsure if his fellow blonde could hear him or not. He wanted to get her loose… but he couldn't run the risk. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he accidentally killed her, especially since she wasn't a bad person.
"Poor Ino." Anko muttered as she got up from her desk, a saddened look on her face upon seeing the state the girl was in. Fortunately, her breathing seemed to be steady and her body was relaxed… but who knew what was going on in her mind?
"What the hell do you guys see on this thing?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms, earning shrugs from the Snake Mistress and Igawa siblings.
"I remember seeing colors, I think. Random images of you. Doesn't really seem to make any sense." Asagi replied, and then Anko adopted a thinking pose before snapping her fingers.
"I got it. I think they're using subliminal messages to mess with our heads and condition us. It's a trick we use in the T&I division to wear down inmates into being more compliant. You basically flash an image before the brain can process it, or use audio just below what a person can hear… and then the subconscious mind starts to take care of the rest." Anko spoke, displaying her years of experience in torture and interrogation techniques.
"So… our own subconscious minds are being turned against us by these subliminal messages? Just great." The younger Igawa sister whined and puffed her cheeks with an angry huff.
Naruto hummed in thought, wondering if there was a way to stop this… however… no immediate solution came to mind. He can't cancel the classes, and neither can he remove the headsets. He supposed he could try breaking the headsets when they're not in use, but chances are they'd simply be replaced and/or repaired so that wouldn't work either. The only real answer that came to mind was that the girls had to 'graduate' somehow, but the details on that aren't clear as to how. Then again… given that this was meant to force the girls to love him… did that mean to graduate they'd have to make love to him?
He shuddered at the implications, not because he was averse to engaging in relations with the opposite sex… but that it wouldn't genuinely be of their own will. In a way, in his opinion, it may be a form of rape if they didn't genuinely consent to it of their own volition.
He groaned as this was getting really dark and morbid. He'd have to think more on this later, there was another matter they had to attend to. "Anko? Glados told me we have a prisoner. You mind coming with me so we can talk to them?" He asked, causing his friends to look at him in confusion.
"Prisoner? The Prison car was empty yesterday… unless the prisoner was brought in last night, while we were sleeping." She mused aloud, her curiosity now piqued as to why someone was brought aboard and placed in the prison.
"Most likely. We'll find out more when we talk to them." Naruto spoke, earning a nod from his long-time friend. The Igawa sisters volunteered to stay behind and look after the young heiress. She would probably need some help when she came to and they would need to explain that none of this was Naruto's fault to the heiress.
The two Pariahs departed and made their way to the back of the train. When they reached the Prison car, they found someone with black hair in a prison cell, shackled and chained to the wall. The prisoner looked up at them defiantly, giving them an icy stare, more particularly towards the blonde teen for some reason.
"I'll handle this. You don't have to stay." Anko whispered to her friend, he simply shook his head as if to say that he wanted to stay. She shrugged and chose not to question his choice.
She cleared her throat as she went over and started collecting various tools for torture as well as the key to the cells which hanged off the wall as she began to make a speech, one that sounded like she practiced and spoken a thousand and one times "You know… a lot of people don't understand the subtle sciences of torture. They think torture involves cutting someone open with a knife, striking them with a whip until their backs are stripped to the bone, or taking a bat or a club of some sort and breaking their bones.
That sometimes works… on weaklings. However real torture isn't about how much pain you can inflict… it's about how you can break down a person's spirit until they do whatever you want them to, whether it be through physical pain, coercion, manipulation or psychological torture is up to both the torturer and their subject." She stopped speaking for a moment and carried over a box of tools, torture devices and other objects to the front of the prisoner's cell before dropping it to the floor with a sadistic grin.
"Unless you want to see for yourself how long it'll take for me to break you… I suggest you cooperate and tell us everything we want." She strongly advised, pointing towards her box of tools, her eyes hinting that she very much wanted to use them.
The prisoner only glared heatedly, refusing to utter a single word, for some reason though the black haired inmate's eyes kept flicking over towards Naruto. "Let's start with an easy question, what's your name?" Anko asked as she used the key she had retrieved to open the cell door and enter inside, being sure to leave her toy box just outside to ensure the prisoner couldn't reach for a potential weapon.
Their new prisoner huffed and finally replied "I am called Haku, and yes, it is my real name. That is all you'll be getting out of me." The now identified Haku spat on the floor, falling just short of Anko's feet as the purplette knelt down with a broad grin, observing the black haired prisoner's soft facial features and attractive looks that could make many men, and even some women go weak in the knees.
"Yeah. I've seen plenty of prisoner's act tough and give the old 'I'm not telling you shit' speech. So Haku… what were you doing that led you to being brought here? Do you know why you're here?" Anko asked since she was curious as to why this 'Haku' was brought here to begin with. Maybe she could shed some light on the situation?
Haku blinked a few times, glancing between the two Pariahs, almost as if wondering what their game was. After a few moments, the ice user finally relented and spoke bitterly "Obviously I was asking questions that people didn't want answered. It was just a job."
"Oh? A job? What questions? You a Kunoichi?" Anko asked as she crossed her arms and paced about, hoping to get more information out of Haku so that she could start assembling the pieces of the puzzle. In her experience, even the slightest bit of information, even a slip of the tongue, could crack a major mystery.
"Hmph. Not officially. I refuse to say more, least of all to a lackey of HIS." Haku stated that last part with venom in her voice, glaring at the Uzumaki who now tilted his head to the side, the self-proclaimed tool then noticed that the blonde had a look of confusion on his face… as if he was completely lost in their conversation.
"Me? What did I ever do to you? Do you know me somehow?" The blonde asked as he approached the cell, Anko held up a hand, silently warning him not to enter the cell which made him stop at the open cell door while adopting a thinking pose.
Haku could only blink and give an 'are you kidding?' expression before speaking "You can't be serious. Is this some kind of trick? Are you really trying to play dumb? You're the reason I'm here. I never would have anticipated that someone labeled the 'Dead-last' would have connections to the T&I department."
Both Pariahs glanced at each other, with Naruto speaking "Been at the Academy for nearly three years… I've never once seen you in all my life." Haku stared with an open-mouthed expression and wondered if he was being serious.
"Is… is that a joke? You drugged me and then kidnapped me. Are you… are you trying to say that the 'Naruto' I met wasn't you? That it was an imposter?" The self-proclaimed tool questioned, trying to make sense of what is becoming a confusing situation.
Naruto thought for a moment and then spoke "Yes. That is what I'm now saying. You met a fake in Konoha. However, we were also in Konoha just yesterday. Never saw you there or another living soul for that matter. Village was completely empty."
"Wait… empty? Konoha? Empty? That's not possible, I was just there and there were, in fact, people in the village." Haku explained finding the whiskered teen's words were starting to make less and less sense. Both Pariahs stared at the Ice user in equal confusion… then Naruto muttered a 'holy shit' as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.
"Fuck me… when we entered that empty village, we thought the people had been kidnapped… but they were never taken to begin with. We just thought they were. The Empty Konoha… what if it was just a replica?" Naruto spoke, his voice filled with shock as his mind tried to process this newfound discovery.
The three were completely silent as they slowly thought this through and connected the dots, Haku didn't want to believe it… but somehow it seemed like a certainty that this Naruto wasn't the one that the Ice User had met before. Still… a replica of a Major Shinobi village?
"Holy… it looked so damned real that we couldn't tell it apart from the original. You know, I was drugged by the faker too, and when I woke up in that basement, I heard noises like a construction site and an explosion… they must have finished it up just before me and Ino got loose." Anko spoke, now understanding why she had heard those noises to begin with.
Haku could only blink and then spoke "But that doesn't make any sense! Why would somebody build a fake Konoha? What's the point?"
At this, the blonde teen grimaced as he replied to the Ice User "No… it doesn't and I don't know. Glados? There something you want to tell us?" The blonde questioned as he looked up towards the ceiling, confusing the 'tool' who wondered who the Uzumaki was talking to… until a female voice chimed overhead "Hmm? Oh, yes. That. About that… there are indeed two Konohas my beloved Conductor… but you never specified which one you wished to visit."
A huge tic-mark started pulsing on the Jinchuuriki's head as he growled out "How was I supposed to know there were two fucking Konohas?! You tricked us!"
"To be fair, I failed to tell you about that… not sorry by the way. Teehee." The Artificial Intelligence replied in a smug tone, earning an infuriated snarl from the whiskered teen.
"Take us to Konoha, right now! The real one this time!" He demanded angrily, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment as he felt his blood almost start to boil inside of him.
After a few tense moments, the AI answered almost sadly "As you wish." After she had spoken, she fell silent which left the blonde Uzumaki to wonder what the hell her game was. He sighed and then turned to the ice user and spoke "I'm awfully sorry about this Haku… really… now you're trapped aboard this hell with us. Anko? Would you let her loose?"
The snake mistress nodded and used the skeleton key in her hand to unlock the False Anbu's shackles. Once the chains fell to the floor, Haku stood up while still trying to digest all of this information… a fake village, a fake Naruto… just what in the hell was going on? This job was just getting more and more complicated by the second. "Erm… thank you. I have no idea what is happening… but it seems we aren't enemies after all." Haku spoke and then gave a polite bow.
"Yeah… Come on. We should go tell the others about this… and Haku? If you think things are crazy now, wait till we give you the whole rundown." Naruto said with a heavy sigh, and then gestured for the Ice user to follow him and his friend. They departed and began what felt like a long march across the train.
Naruto patiently explained everything about the train, the almost omnipotent AI that controlled most of the functions on board, its potential defenses and countermeasures to prevent escape and everything that had happened to them during their stay. As this went on Haku's mind was practically spinning in circles and doing cartwheels at all of this information… this bizarre situation was just so insane that it was like something out of a manga or half-cracked anime.
"So… this Glados thing can see and hear everything aboard the train? Does that include any and all bathrooms?" The Ice user asked with a raised eyebrow, while inwardly panicking at the thought of that damned machine peeping while the self-proclaimed 'tool' tried to use the toilet.
"What do you take me for? Some kind of freak? Of course I can't see in the restrooms! I'm not into watching people taking a dump. Oh, and by the way, congrats Haku! You have just been elevated from 'prisoner' status to 'passenger' status." The voice of Glados chimed in, her voice sounding rather cheerful at the end.
"I didn't approve that." Naruto spoke with annoyance… if Haku was now counted as a passenger, then she would be forced to engage in those damned classes as well.
"No? You sure? You released Haku from her cell, yes? That means she is no longer a prisoner, and is now a passenger. Simple as that." Glados explained as if it were the most simple thing in the world, earning an eye-roll from the blonde. He should have seen that one coming. Damn machine. Haku however paid no attention to this, and instead felt a sense of relief that the toilets weren't monitored, that at least was a blessing.
However… there were other problems to consider… "Naruto-san? You said that there are only women aboard, yes? And that there are only two means to shower, in your private cabin or in the communal showers, am I correct?" Haku asked for confirmation since those two questions were currently the most important to the Ice user.
"Yep. I can't say too much right now since Glados is always watching… but you'll see why soon… and for what it's worth… I'm really and truly sorry. Also, yeah, only bathing areas are in my cabin or the communal showers." Naruto answered as he scratched his cheek with a lone finger as he and Anko missed the look of concern on Haku's face. That sounded… very ominous.
"Glados-san? Are… men not allowed on board the train?" The self-proclaimed 'tool' asked… because while many mistook her for a female, she was in fact a he. Yes, Haku was actually a boy. He had often used his feminine looks to charm men, and sometimes women into vulnerable positions so that Zabuza could strike the killing blow.
"Why would there be men aboard? My beloved Conductor has no interest in men so there is no point for any men to be aboard. All of this is for my Conductor, and my Conductor alone." Glados replied in a blunt manner… and then she grimly added "Should any men try to force their way aboard, they'd be terminated for trespassing."
Haku felt his heart start pounding inside his chest, now realizing the danger he was in. The second that his true nature was revealed… he'd be killed. Crap… this was possibly one of the worst situations he'd been in. If it were an enemy Shinobi, he was certain he could fight them off… but how was he supposed to fight a damn machine? A train no less? The Ice user thought about using his Bloodline ability to freeze the walls and shatter them to break free, but Naruto had already warned him about the train's countermeasures.
Chances are, if he tried anything and if it didn't work… there would be consequences, and it would most likely end very badly for him. There was only one choice, he would have to hide his true nature and wait patiently until a chance for escape came, and then he would make his way back to Zabuza. On another note… why did the Fake Naruto not want him asking about the people he was seeking? Very strange… there had to be more to this, but he was not in any position to investigate.
At last, they reached the dining car, and found the Igawa siblings trying to comfort Ino, who seemed like she was nursing a skull-splitting migraine. The sisters took notice of both the Pariahs and the newcomers with Asagi asking "So… this is the 'prisoner' then? I suppose she is no longer a prisoner since you let her out."
Naruto nodded as he replied back "Yeah… also… we were wrong. Dead wrong. We weren't actually in Konoha. It was a fake. A replica." At that, the Igawa sibling's eyes widened in surprise and Ino lifted her head just high enough to show that her attention had been earned.
Naruto then explained the conversation he and Anko had with Haku, and told the Ice user's story, and that Glados basically confirmed that there were two Konohas. "So… my dad… he's actually okay?" Ino asked, her migraine seemed to fade somewhat as she now felt overwhelming relief in knowing that her father hadn't been kidnapped at all.
The whiskered teen nodded, although in his opinion… this all felt staged. Planned out. Anko and Ino were planted in the fake Konoha for them to find after all. But why? He had no idea, nor could he determine what the endgame was of Glados or the mastermind. He should have also known that 'map' Glados had shown him earlier when he asked if they were heading to Konoha was a fake as well.
Well, one thing was for sure. He wasn't going to fall for the same trick a second time. The atmosphere became mixed with feelings of relief and confusion. "Hey Glados… tell us why the fake Konoha was built. What is its purpose?" Naruto asked hesitantly, while he was unsure if Glados would actually answer or not, he still had to try since she was the only possible source of information.
"So sorry my beloved Conductor. But all files pertaining to 'Operation: Hell of the Leaves' is strictly classified." Glados answered in a genuinely apologetic tone…. Wait… what?
"Hell of the Leaves? What's that supposed to mean? What're you and the mastermind planning to do with that fake Konoha?" Anko demanded but received no reply from the AI. She then tsked in annoyance since it seemed that Glados wasn't permitted to say anything on the subject.
"The mystery deepens ever further." Asagi muttered in quiet contemplation, her hands neatly folded across her lap as she seemed to be meditating on all of this information. After a few moments, a small drone suddenly emerged from the ceiling and hovered over to the group and then its lone eye started glowing as a holographic projection suddenly appeared.
The picture was static for a few moments… until the image of a distinctly female figure appeared, her face covered in shadows but her blue eyes could clearly be seen, along with a toothy grin that seemed to drip with sadistic glee and perverse desires "Helloooooooo my lovelies! How are you doing today? Glados tells me you've had quite a ride. What do you think of my train? Awesome right? You could live forever on there and not worry about a thing! Did you like my Konoha replica? I painstakingly copied it to the smallest detail. No expenses were spared. LOL! LULZ!"
The group stared slack jawed at this mysterious woman… and then it suddenly registered that this crazy bitch was the mastermind all along! Also… did she seriously say 'LOL' and 'LULZ'?
"What? You mad? There something missing? Pretty sure I covered all my bases when I specifically had the train practically inescapable and indestructible! Lulz! Your Tsunade of the Sannin couldn't even make a dent if she tried! LMAO! But I digress! Naruto-kun! Sweet and adorable Naruto-kun… WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING GOING BACK TO THAT MOTHERFUCKING INBRED SHITHOLE OF A VILLAGE?!" The mastermind suddenly screeched at the end which almost sent the group flying back, who were caught off guard by the sudden switch in her attitude.
"You're so mean Naruto-kun! I worked so hard to make your wishes come true, now you want to leave it all behind! Boo! Boo! Boo on you! You trampled over my fragile maiden heart! You're positively cruel!" The mastermind cried out, animated waterfall tears falling from her eyes… and then her attitude suddenly shifted as she made a toothy grin again.
"Mah. Doesn't matter. It's all within expected parameters. I could never stay mad at you Naruto-kun. Still, I find it weird how you wanna go back to that backwater village so badly when it has done nothing but cause you unimaginable suffering and despair. You sure you're right in the head or something? LMAO!" The mastermind cackled and then seemed to slap her knees since she was laughing so hard.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance since the mastermind seemed to love the sound of her own voice. Finally seeing his chance he decided to ask "Who are you? Why are you doing this? Why make a fake Konoha?"
The mastermind grinned broadly and cackled some more as she replied "Awwwww, you mean you don't remember little old me? That's kinda hurtful… ah well, no biggie. It was a pretty long ways back so it'd be hard for anyone to remember. As for why… that's kinda stupid to ask, or maybe you're testing me? All right then, I FUCKING LOVE YOU NARUTO-KUN!" The mastermind squealed out as numerous hearts suddenly filled the projection until they popped out of existence.
"Huh?" Was all the whiskered teen could say while the others watched on… was this really the mastermind? Was she being serious right now? From the sounds of it, she and Naruto had met before at some point. Regardless… she was positively insane.
"Huh? What do you mean 'huh'? Oh! I know! You're overwhelmed by my pure and burning love! That's okay! This maiden doesn't need to hear any words! It is enough that I show you my unyielding and unwavering love for you!" The mastermind shouted and then started to twirl around like a ballerina while giggling happily. Yeah… this girl definitely had a screw loose.
"But seriously, why would you wanna go back to Konoha? There's nothing left for you there now. Do you get off on being mistreated by the populace or something? You a hardcore masochist? ROFL! We all have our kinks, but man, only some pathetic fucking shitbag without any balls would want to stay loyal to some mindless sheeple that get a hate-boner for ya. LMAO! ROFL! Hahahahahahah!" The mastermind cackled madly before she pulled out a hand puppet of some kind… one that greatly resembled the Sandaime Hokage.
She then grinned fiendishly, her eyes gleaming with dark intentions as she spoke "And this crusty old wash-up is the worst of the lot! You asked him, didn't you? You asked him about your parents, yeah? What did he say? What'd that old fart tell ya? Eh? Eh? He say something like 'So sorry, but I don't know who your parents are. I just gave you some random surname for no specific reason since you don't have any family whatsoever.'"
She spoke the last part while very poorly mimicking the Hokage, her pearly white teeth almost gleaming as she gave an evil grin and continued "Did that shit-eating old monkey even tell you that his own student, Jiraiya, was your godfather? No? Glados had to tell you, didn't she? Didn't she? Ha! While Konoha was dumping shit all over you, your godfather was fucking around, jacking his shitty micro-dick off to twerking whores with fake as fuck asses and writing cheap porn to make a quick buck. Oh, and he was totes peeping on girls in the bathhouse cuz he isn't man enough to get fucking laid and has to pay whores to get his rotten smegma-covered disease ridden rocks off.
Annnnnnnnd it gets even better! Did your gal-pal Anko tell you that he asked her to fuck him in exchange for a certain favor regarding a certain mark? Did she? Did she? Probably felt embarrassed by it. Ah well, probably didn't think it worth mentioning since she turned down that froggy fucker down faster than you can say 'Kiss my ass!' Major props to you Anko-chan for sticking it to the man and staying loyal to my Naruto-kun! XOXO! NGL, you two make a great couple!"
At long last, the mastermind paused a few moments to catch her breath giving Naruto the chance to ask "Are you… trying to say that the old man knew who my parents were?"
"OF COURSE HE FUCKING KNEW! That shriveled up and senile old dick knew all along! He knew! He knew! He fucking knew! Hey, hey, tell me! Tell me! You ever wonder why the Yondaime Hokage picked you of all people to be the Kyuubi's vessel? Eh? Eh? Come on! Don't you think it's funny how you so happened to be born the same night as the Kyuubi decided to fuck over Konoha? Eh?! COME THE FUCK ON!
No? Nothing?! Fine, I'll spell it out. Your dear old dad is Minato Namikaze,the fucking Yondaime Hokage and your mom was the previous Jinchuuriki Kushina Uzumaki. Pretty crazy right? Or maybe not so crazy if you think about it." The mysterious woman spoke… and then she removed the Sandaime hand-puppet and tore off the head as she cackled.
"What?" Was all Naruto could say who was stunned to hear this information… but for some reason… it made an odd sort of sense. However, there was one gaping detail that was left out "Let's say for a second that what you say is true, maybe my dad was the Yondaime. Maybe my mom was the previous Jinchuuriki. How did the Kyuubi bust out then if it was sealed in my mom?" He asked with narrowed eyes, glaring at the projection of the mastermind.
The mysterious woman cackled again… and then burst into a wild fit of laughter as she covered her eyes with one hand while holding her stomach with the other "That's the big mystery, isn't it?! I do know that when a female Jinchuuriki gives birth, the seal weakens. Next you're gonna say 'The Yondaime was a renowned Seal Master, how come he was unable to keep it from breaking in the first place?' Welp, I dunno! That's the part of the mystery that is currently unsolved! Too bad! SOL! Still, if you don't believe me, try asking your precious Sandaime. Ask him about 'The Red Death'. Ask him! Ask him! He'll fall apart like a wet paper bag filled with piss! LMAO!"
Naruto blinked his eyes a few times… if this was all true… then the Sandaime had been lying to him for years… what else had he been lying about? How much of his life was actually true? How much was a lie?
"HAHAHA! I SEE IT! I SEE IT! You're already thinking 'what else has that crusty old fucker been lying to me about?' Am I right? Am I right?! I'M TOTES RIGHT AREN'T I?! HAHAHAHA! Just think about this for a sec, just think, what if your heritage was publicly revealed? Hmmmmmm? You'd be living the fucking high life! Your inheritance would have been all yours! You'd have had the best training, the best schooling, the best everything! People would have thrown themselves at your feet to let you wipe the shit off your shoes on them! Girls would have flocked to you, asking for your babies!
The entire fucking village would have been your bitch to fuck! Your whore to spank and abuse until she fucking croaked on your big bitch killing cock! LMAO! But what happened instead? You lived in an apartment that smelled of piss and old people and mold. You almost starved as people swindled you out of your stipend money. People shit all over you just because they could. Your entire education was fucked by a maggot dick Chunin crying over his dead parents, who you didn't even kill. Do I seriously need to go on? Seriously… WHAT FUCKING REASON DO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO THAT SHITHOLE VILLAGE?!"
When the mastermind screeched that last part, it was enough to cause the glass windows to start cracking until they repaired themselves back to normal. "... Only one… I need to confirm something with the old man. I wanna hear him explain himself about this and see if it's true. If he really did lie, if he really did keep my inheritance from me, and everything else… then he's got a lot to answer for."
The mastermind grinned, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she spoke "I can totes respect that. You wanna hear it straight from the brain damaged monkey's mouth. That's fine and all, but word of advice? Don't step off the train. You set foot in that village, they'll never, and I mean NEVER fucking EVER let you go. Get my drift?"
The blonde teen simply nodded and then spoke "Yeah. I'll definitely keep that in mind. Now I gotta ask… why the hell are you having girls kidnapped and turned into…" Before he could even finish his question, the mastermind had already beaten him to the punch.
"Whaaaaaaat? You don't like it? Aw come on! What hot-blooded stud muffin of a guy wouldn't want to have a harem of busty, beautiful and fuckable babes that are ready to serve day and night? If I were there, I'd totes let you bang my holes 24/7 and live off your thick spunk and get preggers so I could give birth to your kids and let you fuck them too to make me some grandbabies! Buuuuuuuuuut, I figured that having one loving waifu wouldn't be enough to grant that old wish of yours to be loved, so why not get you a whole harem, yeah? Mmmm, yeah! I can see a lot of hot, sweaty, and steamy orgies happening right now! LOL!" The mastermind then thrust her crotch forward and made some lewd gestures that made the group blush deeply… even Anko was blushing from the display.
"You… are… batshit… insane… You're a monster." Ino whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear, her eyes brimming with tears as she seemed to be almost on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Ehhhhh? What's that you said? Me? Insane? Okay, okay, Fair's fair. I'll give you that one. I might be fucked in the head, but at least I'm not stupid. For example, I'm not some silly fangirl trying to gain the affections of an emotionally dead Emo-bitchboi that can only think about taking what isn't his and claiming he 'earned it' while pursuing his big bro. Oh, FYI, Sasgay's penis is hilariously tiny, I dug up his medical records. ROFL!" The mysterious woman spoke in a mocking voice before cackling once again.
"Fuck this. Fuck this. Fuck this. THIS IS ALL COMPLETELY INSANE! ALL OF IT! ALL OF THIS IS INSANE!" Ino screeched out in a broken voice, her mind snapping as she started to cry her eyes out. She then turned to Naruto and shouted "YOU! This is all your fault! Because of you, we're trapped here and being fucking brainwashed into being your breeding whores! You didn't even warn me or your 'friend' Anko about that fucking classroom!"
At the accusation Naruto quickly shook his head and spoke in denial "I wanted to! I really did! Glados kept me and the Igawa sisters from telling! And for the record, I didn't ask for this or want any of this to happen! If you want anybody to blame, blame the crazy girl that orchestrated the whole thing."
The mastermind cackled and flipped the bird to the Yamanaka heiress as she spoke "Sure, sure. Blame me. I'm totes okay with that. I don't need anything except Naruto-kun's love! I'll even accept his scorn if it means I can keep loving him! None of it matters! HAHAHA! The train's your home now! Get used to it! I'll give it a month or less before you change your minds! Besides Naruto-kun, didn't you want love and affection? Now you've got it! And you can get more and more as you keep on bringing passengers who will learn to love you. It'll be glorious!"
"I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO BE BRAINWASHED! This is sick and wrong!" Naruto barked out, wishing that he could drag that damned crazy woman through the projection and choke the life out of her.
"Oh, I'll tell ya what's sick and wrong…. Your whole fucked up childhood. Seriously? What kind of people does all that to a little kid? What kind of a person allows it to happen? If I didn't know any better, I'd say YOU are the one that's been brainwashed, Naruto Uzumaki." The mastermind spoke in an even and deadly serious voice that made the whiskered teen gulp slightly.
"I might be crazy. I might be deranged. I may have no moral fiber whatsoever… but not even I would do that to a little kid. You might wanna rethink things Naruto-kun, about where your home really is and where your loyalties lie. I already laid out the pieces of the puzzle for you, it's up to you to figure out what to do with them. You should ask yourself… What's it going to be?" She asked, her tone still serious as she stared at the Uzumaki with a sharp edge to her gaze.
After a few moments of silence she continued "What's it going to be? Loyalty to a corrupt village? Or to those who want to fulfill your desires? The Village? Or the memory of your parents? Your old dream of being Hokage? Or your beliefs? Your duty to uphold your Ninja way? Or your personal feelings? You still don't know the whole truth yet, but sooner or later… you'll have to choose." At that, the blonde knew that she was right… he would need to make a choice at some point.
All of this… was all types of crazy… it was all… there was no other way to describe it. It was all insane. His 'godfather' abandoning him and sabotaging his education? The Hokage possibly lying to him about his heritage and withholding what was rightfully his and allowing him to suffer from the village's own ignorance? It was all insane.
The tense silence was suddenly broken when the mastermind suddenly spoke "Oh yeah! I totes forgot! Heeeeeey, Haku-chaaaaaan~ I hired your boss Zabuza Momochi. He works for me now, so I guess you do too. I'd put him on the line, but he's super busy right now. He mentioned that if you don't believe me, that I should tell you that Bun-kun is doing just fine!"
In the background this caused Haku to stiffen up and gape for a brief moment… Bun-kun was the name of the snow bunny he had taken in some time ago as a pet. So then… he was meant to serve this crazy lady now? He literally had no idea what was going on. Fake Villages, trains, machines that could talk and carry a full conversation, brainwashing, this Naruto person's obviously tragic past… and now a psychopath. Just great. How could things get any worse?
"Okie dokie Haku. I need you to stay aboard that train and look after my beloved Naruto-kun! Do whatever he wants and says for me, would you? Oh… one more thing… IF YOU FUCKING MAKE MY NARUTO-KUN UNHAPPY I WILL TAKE MY PERSONAL STRAP-ON AND SKULLFUCK YOU TO DEATH! Anyways, ta-ta my darlings! I'll be in touch again! Hugs and kisses to you Naruto-kun!" The mastermind added and then at last, the projection blinked out, leaving the group in a stunned silence.
They all exchanged glances with one another, no one knew what to say or do now. The Igawa sister gave silent looks of support to Naruto, almost as if they were saying 'None of that matters, we've still got your back'. Ino was still glaring at the Uzumaki, her face flushed with anger, apparently she still held him responsible for what was happening despite the fact it wasn't his fault. Haku was unsure what to do or say, for now he settled with obeying his and Zabuza's new employer… but still… there was Glados' threat still hanging over him, but what else could he do now?
Naruto was currently racking his brain over everything the mastermind had just told him… he was also trying to figure out where they may have met before. He didn't see any notable features since her face was obscured in shadows the whole time, and he didn't recognize her voice either. Still, her behavior was highly erratic and all over the place… almost as if she were bipolar or something. Also… how long had she been watching him? How long had she been planning this? How was she able to learn so much about his past?
Anko was the first to break the uncomfortable silence as she spoke "Naruto… I don't really know what to say to make you feel better… but she wasn't wrong. You gotta make a choice. Way I figure it, your choice will depend on how the Hokage reacts when you question him. If he's honest with you, maybe you can reconcile with him or something and can leave this nightmare train behind. Or, if he keeps on lying, it'd be better for you to cut ties with Konoha entirely. Regardless of your choice, I'll stick with you."
The blonde teen blinked his eyes and responded "If I choose to leave Konoha and you come with me, you'll be a Rogue Ninja."
"I'm fine with that. It's not like I ever had a stellar reputation in Konoha anyway and I wouldn't lose anything worthwhile if I left… the only thing that matters to me in all the world is you Naruto-kun. You, and only you." She spoke the last part softly which caused the Uzumaki's eyes to widen a bit… that sounded almost like a confession. Was she confessing? It sounded like she was.
"Too much… too much… too much…" Ino whispered brokenly in the background while hugging her knees to her chest, the trauma she endured from her long session in the classroom and the emotional rollercoaster was proving far too much for her as she was now completely overwhelmed.
"Naruto… no matter your decision, I and my sister shall stand with you as well. However, it should be said, that the mastermind was correct. The village of Konoha will not let you go free so easily since you're a valuable military asset, if you are going to speak to your Hokage, it must be on your terms." Asagi spoke, giving her advice to the young blonde.
He simply nodded in acknowledgment since that was indeed sound advice. Finally, the blonde spoke "It's been a rough day and it seems things are gonna get a lot worse before they get better. We should probably get some rest and recover from… this…" He spoke with a heavy sigh.
The Igawa sisters nodded and escorted Ino to the passenger cabins with Haku following behind so that 'she' may pick out a cabin as well. This left both Naruto and Anko alone as they stood in silence for a few moments until the Jinchuuriki asked "Hey Anko… did you know about my parents? Did you know either of them?"
The snake mistress sighed as she said "I met the Yondaime a handful of times back in the day when I was still Orochimaru's apprentice. Nice guy, but he was a total goof. Heard stories of a Kunoichi called 'The Red Death', stories of how one Kunoichi beat up countless enemy ninja with only her bare hands, that kind of thing. I had wondered if you were related to them, given that you look like the Yondaime and share the same surname as Kushina, but I had no definitive proof that you were related. I would've told you if I knew. I'm sorry… really."
He nodded in acceptance, sensing that she was being honest and sincere, although now the blonde boy wondered exactly how many people were aware of his heritage, and if they did know and didn't tell him… they would be just as guilty as the Sandaime.
"Naruto? Are… you going to be okay?" The Snake user asked in a worried tone, seeing that the blonde was in a clear state of turmoil. The man he thought he could count on, the Sandaime, may have been complicit in his neglectful and abusive childhood and may have deliberately withheld his heritage and inheritance. If so… then he couldn't possibly be forgiven.
"I dunno… I'm not sure what to feel. I'm stuck somewhere between angry, confused, sad, conflicted, and some other emotions that I can't put a name to… still… if the mastermind was telling the truth, then I finally know who my parents are. There's still a lot I don't know, but for now, it seems to make sense I guess. For now… I guess I just need some time to process. The rest can be hashed out when we reach Konoha. Right now… I feel like I need a long effing nap." Naruto responded, speaking the last part in an almost exhausted voice.
Anko then smiled softly and wrapped him in a warm embrace, her breasts squishing against his head. "Want a cuddle buddy? I'd be happy to join you if you wanted… and no, it isn't because I'm being brainwashed into it. It's because I want to for my Whisker-kun."
The whiskered Uzumaki returned her embrace and answered "Yeah… I think I need a cuddle buddy right now." With that said, the two Pariah's held each other's hands and made their way to the Conductor's cabin, trying their best not to lose themselves to madness or despair in the wake of a quickly deteriorating situation.
"Conductor? Estimated time to arrival for the Original Konoha is four days." Glados reported, earning a thankful nod from the Uzumaki.
"That's fine Glados. Just fine… I'm not in any hurry right now." Naruto responded tiredly… because now he felt a sense of dread for his return to Konoha, knowing full well that when he arrived there… his whole life was going to change forever. What he didn't know however… was how many lives would also be affected by the choice he would make in the not-so-distant future.
End Chapter six.