Chapter II
The Abduction
I continue my mad dash through the village; the locals look in my direction and jump when I pass by. Seeing one of Konoha's ninjas hastening the pace always means bad news. Either way, I pay no attention to them. My priority is the threat that hangs the sword of Damocles over my student's head. Since my dismal failure with the darkest of the three, I swore to myself, "never again." However, I don't know why, but anxiety takes hold of me; a bad feeling makes me uneasy. Accustomed to locking away harmful emotions in a corner of my mind, this does not destabilize me … yet, it manages to make a drop of sweat bead on my temple.
I'm close. In my field of vision, I spot the building where his apartment is. I take another jump and land in front of his bedroom window. I expect to see him sleeping since he recently returned from a mission … but what I witness makes my chest ache. Naruto isn't reacting, he is unconscious and he is being lifted—held with only one arm by the waist. When the man turns around, I recognize the frontal headband that adorns his head; it's the same as the shinobi I just faced a few minutes earlier.
Without losing a second, I jump up and propel myself forward. I prepare to break in through the closed window. In my momentum, my eye meet the amber ones of the enemy. His haughty and calm look shows that he is not worried to see me, on the contrary, he taunts me; it makes my hair stand on end. No matter what he has planned behind his head, he will not escape me. I lift my hand to reach my headband to reveal my Sharingan to make sure that the Lightning blade I'm about to use doesn't miss its target…
Unfortunately, before I can activate my dôjutsu, I see far too late an entity above me smashing me with all its might; I just have time to raise my arms to protect my head when the blow hits me. The strength is such that I am thrown violently to the ground which breaks under my weight and creates clouds of dust. What an imbecile! I was so focused on Naruto and this individual that I didn't feel it coming—rather, I didn't notice its presence. My back absorbs the shock, and for a moment my breath is taken away. At the same time, hands armed with claws grip my throat, crushing my windpipe and preventing air from entering my lungs. It is only then—after the dusty cloud has faded—that I see this inhuman being; this creature of absolute black like a shadow straight from limbo displaying a distorted smile with empty eyes. Ebony tentacles come out of his body and seek to immobilize me, wrap around my limbs to restrict the slightest movement on my part. Its grip is formidable and I struggle to fight it off. Not only that, I feel my strength leaving me little by little; I understand that it is absorbing my chakra.
It is obvious.
It wants to stop me from reaching Naruto.
It wants to reduce me to impotence.
The lack of oxygen messes with my cognitive abilities and if I don't find a solution rapidly, I may not be capable of rescuing my student in time, or even resolve to be helped myself. My arms are immobilized by its embrace which compresses my muscles every second, preventing me from performing any technique. The worst happens when my vision blurs. I don't know how much time has passed since the entity has neutralized me, but I have to think of a way to get rid of it, and quickly!
I see that the sky is clearing and that the black clouds camouflaging the moon are moving away from it. A lunar ray, albeit small, reaches us and touches the shoulder of this mysterious being. As soon as this part of its body is in contact, said shoulder disappears before my eyes and the creature emits a scream; his strength briefly wanes. The light! The light drives out the shadows.
Without wasting time, I gather the little bit of my remaining chakra in my right palm before adding the nature of lightning. The shrill melody of a thousand birds enlightens us and the effect is instantaneous. The entity detaches from me, frees me completely and then disappears with a howl. Every ray of light pierces him until there is almost nothing left to hold any shape. I take a breath of air to soothe the pain in my burning organs as I stand on my feet. I pull up my forehead protector to reveal my red eye and I leap between two walls to reach the window and enter in a "smashing" way.
However, I see with horror that the room is empty and concern makes an icy chill roll down my spine. I don't feel Naruto's presence nor that of the enemy; there is only silence, loneliness, and me. I doubt they are far away, I am sure they are still around, in the village. I cut my thumb with a kunai and I compose the mudras "boar, dog, rooster, monkey, goat" and I place my hand on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A white cloud accompanies the familiar sound of a successful summon. I see my faithful companion Pakkun appears.
"What is it, Kakashi?" he asks, saluting me with a head move while waiting for my orders.
"Pakkun, find Naruto's trail and guide me to him," I order my ninja dog. "An enemy has just kidnapped him."
He acquiesces and sticks his nose to the ground to smell the odours and thus locate the track to follow; he notices how serious it is to see me so agitated and how I struggle to keep my composure. Impatient, but patient, I watch him sniff around the room, then he stops after a few moments and turns to face me.
"So?!"
"I'm sorry, Kakashi," he says, nodding before sitting down. "I do smell an odour of an unknown person and that of Naruto, but only here. The track leads nowhere. It's as if they had vanished."
"What are you talking about? I saw him in the bedroom holding Naruto. He must have entered and left from somewhere…"
"That's the problem. He entered the room as mysteriously as he left. Otherwise, we would already be on their tail right now…"
I have no reason not to believe him. Nevertheless, to confirm his words and reassure myself, I take a look at the broken window and it is still locked; same with the front door of the apartment. Similar. There is no sign of tampering, no latch has been forced and at first glance, nothing abnormal. On the floor in the bedroom, I see footprints almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but very different from those of my student's soles and with a keen gaze, these marks cannot be found elsewhere. As Pakkun told me, he entered as mysteriously as he left.
I have to face the facts.
Naruto is no longer there.
And I couldn't do anything to save him.
A flash of lightning illuminates the sky and at the same time, my heart races and seems excruciatingly large in this tiny torso of mine. I can't stand and I collapse on my knees. I act out my anger and helplessness by pounding my fist on the ground and swearing to myself. Whether it's Sasuke or Naruto, I'm too late … once again.
I failed to keep my promise once more…
What a lousy master I am, what a lousy shinobi I am!
