My writing felt a bit lackluster, so I tried to make it a bit more entertaining.
The loud creaking of an old door broke the silence of the night.
"What are you doing Naruto? You live here."
"Shhhhh! He could still be in there dammit."
Currently, Naruto was sneaking into his own apartment whilst a tired Root agent watched.
"I don't sense anyone, you're as safe as can be."
"That's what he wants us to think, and then when our guard's down BAM! He'll steal your stuff too." He loudly exclaimed, pointing at his masked guardian.
The Anbu sighed and body-flickered away.
"Alright fine, didn't need your help anyway."
Cautiously, he entered the apartment.
'Hmm, I can't see anything.'
Reaching for the light switch, he simultaneously flipped it and yelled.
"AHAAAA!" He shouted while pointing into the empty room.
A cricket chirp could be heard from somewhere within the room.
'Guess he isn't here, but I can't let my guard down, he's bound to have left some traps or something!'
Quietly pacing around his living room, he tied to see if anything was out of place.
' C'mon, there has to be something he did.'
Examining his apartment, he remembered the earlier attack that had 'injured' his stalker.
'There must be some of his blood! Sand? Well, whatever he bleeds there must be some on the floor.'
Running into his bedroom, he looked all over for any evidence.
"Haha! Found some." He proclaimed while rushing up to a small pile of sand on the floor. Scooping it up in his palms, he hastily brought it under the light.
"Now what are you?" Bringing the evidence closer, he began fiddling around with it.
"It feels just like normal sand, maybe it smells different?" A quick whiff revealed nothing.
"Hmm, maybe it tastes weird? Nah, I'm not putting that in my mouth."
Finding nothing of interest he was about to put it down before his nose began to itch.
"ACHOO!" Violently sneezing, he scattered the sand everywhere.
"Aw come on, my evidence! He probably meant for that to happen too, damn evil kidnapper."
Immediately after finishing that sentence, he began to feel awfully drowsy.
"Ugh, man I must be more tired than I thought I was."
Rubbing his eyes with his palms, he tried vainly to stave off the desire for sleep.
In case it wasn't apparent, he didn't last long.
"Whatever, I find that weirdo tomorrow. Man, I haven't felt this tired in a long time."
Turning for his bed, he was two steps ahead when he crashed onto the floor, dead asleep.
Knock Knock*
A soft sound echoed throughout the wooden hallway.
"Hinata?"
A muffled voice could faintly be heard from across the door.
Knock Knock*
Resuming their knocking, the voice spoke again.
"I'm coming in, ok."
Slowly creaking open the door, Hanabi Hyuga snuck her head into the darkroom.
"Are you awake Hinata?" She quietly whispered.
Nothing
Tip-toeing into her sister's room, Hanabi placed a small bowl of porridge onto the floor.
"It's breakfast time, Hinata."
Not hearing a response, she began to approach her sister's bed.
"C'mon, you have to go to the academy today, it's graduation."
Squinting her eyes against the darkness, Hanabi noticed the bed flat, too flat for there to be anyone on the bed.
Bringing up two fingers to eye level, Hanabi silently activated her eyes.
Once again looking around the room, Hanabi noticed a blue blob of chakra in the corner of the room.
"Hinata?"
Only a few steps later, Hanabi's pace was interrupted by a large squelch.
'Oh God'
Biting her tongue in order to stop the ensuing scream, Hanabi shut her eyes and froze in place.
A cold and unpleasant substance was curling around her left foot.
'Ok, ok, just breathe Hanabi, it's probably just some water. Yeah, gooey and slimy water.'
Looking down, she tried to figure out what had trapped her foot.
'Oh no, It's all just a blue and gray mess! I can't make out anything!'
Quickly retracting her foot, she hopped out of the darkened room in order to see what she had stepped in.
Fumbling out the door, she fell on the guard stationed there.
"Sorry!" She said whilst turning towards the substance on her leg.
'oh'
Hinata would have two breakfasts that day, one by her bedside and one by her doorstep.
Unfortunately, she'd have to scrape one off the guard stationed at her door.
Hiashi was having a good morning. Well, all his mornings were good mornings, the perks of having an organized schedule. Then again, a handful of secretaries never hurt anyone either. Currently, he was finishing up his latest paperwork, something about the branch house wanting a second bathhouse.
'Honestly, if they'd make an effort to at least maintain the first one, I'd have considered this one.'
Reaching for a red stamp, he rejected the request.
'Looks like that's the last of it'. Grabbing his coffee, he took a long and deep sip from it.
"Ahhh, life's good."
Sadly, life had other plans. A pair of footsteps could be heard running down the wooden floors of the Hyuga household.
'Who is making such a racket so early in the morning?'
Lowering his coffee, Hiashi prepared to activate his byakugan in order to identify the source of the noise. That is until he heard muffled crying, and then his guard entered the room.
"Lord Hiashi, your daughter is here to see you, should I let her in?"
'Well that's odd, Hanabi usually sleeps in and I doubt Hinata just magically got better.'
"Oh, which one?"
"Hanabi, sir."
"Hm, let her in."
"Of course, right awa-"
His bow was interrupted by the sudden leaping of the Hyuga heiress.
"DAAAAD!"
Quickly placing his mug down to avoid spilling it, Hiashi grabbed his daughter's catapulting figure.
"Woah, Woah. Calm down there Hanabi, what's got you so riled up?"
Hanabi then proceeded to frantically tell her father all that had happened.
Unfortunately, Hinata's room, dark, and squishy was all Hiashi could discern from her tale.
"Sweety, I don't understand, what happened?"
"My foot." She frantically pointed.
Moving his papers aside, he lifted his daughter onto the table. Along the way, he noticed the pale substance clinging onto her foot.
"What's this?"
"I don't know, it stuck to me in Hinata's room."
Reaching for it, Hiashi stopped at the last second.
"Hmm." Retracting his hand, he created a shadow clone.
"Dad?" Hanabi began to shift nervously on the desktop, put off by her father's actions.
"It's alright pumpkin. Don't worry, daddy will take care of it. We'll go get pancakes after this." He attempted to calm his daughter down
"Promise?"
"Yeah, promise."
"Ok." She shut her eyes and looked away.
Creating a small chakra blade, the clone began cutting pieces of the blob. Said blades along with the clone, instantly broke and vanished.
Frowning, Hiashi made a second clone, to which he handed a kunai. This one didn't phase out of existence.
Turning away, he reached into his desk, retrieved a small empty canister, and handed it to the clone.
"Guards, get in here!"
Two armored clansmen entered the room.
"You called sir?"
Grabbing the canister from the clone, he handed it to them.
"Deliver this to lord Hokage. Tell him I want to know what it is as soon as possible. Don't dawdle!"
"Yes sir!" Both guards bowed before taking off.
Nodding, he returned to his daughter's side.
"Is it all off?" He asked his clone.
"Yeah, but whatever it is, it loves chakra."
Concerned, Hiashi turned to his daughter.
"Are you alright Hanabi? Do you feel any nausea or pain?"
"No, I don't think so. Am I dying dad?" Hanabi was beginning to tear up.
"No, it'll all be alright dear. Where did you get this?"
"Hinata's room." She choked out.
Turning towards the room of his eldest daughter, Hiashi activated his doujutstu, only to be met with a black void surrounding his room.
"The seals." He said to his clone
Standing up, the clone performed a set of hand signs. Watching the dark mass ripple away, he tried to find his other daughter.
'Hm, is she collapsed on the floor? It looks like her chakra.'
"Take care of her, I'll be back."
"Dad?" Hanabi turned to her father.
"Don't worry, I'll just be a moment. I'm going to check on your sister. Be strong for me."
"Alright."
Nodding, Hiashi took off for the main Hyuga manor.
"AAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH"
An incredibly loud and exaggerated yawn filled an old rundown apartment.
"God what a dream, sand people don't kid around."
Getting off the ground, he stretched his body.
CRACK*
"Oh, that hits the spot." Twisting around, a series of pops resonated from his spine.
"Man I slept like a rock, and on the floor no less! Should have never bought that overpriced bed, what day is it anyway?"
Moving towards his frog themed calendar, Naruto looked up the date.
"Hmm, Tuesday the 7th. Huh, it's circled in red too. Did I have anything to do today?"
Knocking his head around, he couldn't come up with any reason as to why he should be worried.
"Well whatever it is, if I can't remember it then it must not be important."
Grabbing a small towel, Naruto headed towards his bathroom.
"MAN THAT'S COLD!" Adjusting the dials a bit, hot water began to pour all over him.
One steamy shower later ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡)
Opening the door, Naruto walked out of his bathroom.
"Hey, it's barely 8. I've got an hour to kill before the academy, nice."
Tossing his towel into the laundry bucket, his stomach let loose a growl more beast than man, causing him to buckle over in pain'
'God I'm starving! When was the last time I ate anyways? I don't think I had lunch the day that bastard kidnapped me, and who knows how long I was out since then.'
Regaining himself, he tried to power through his stomachs cries.
"Alright, what am I in the mood for today?"
Ruffling around his cabinets, he inspected his exotic assortment of ramen.
"Pork? Nah. Shrimp? Too plain. Ketchup and Mayo? Why do I even have that! Into the trash it goes."
A hot minute later, he stumbled upon his magnum opus.
"Hey! I've got a cup of miso! Today must be my lucky day."
Setting some water to boil, Naruto began preparing for his oncoming day.
"Alright, what to wear today." Opening his dresser, he came face to face with a series of flamboyant clothing.
"Classic orange or am I feeling bold today?" Passing around his different suits, he came upon one wrapped in plastic.
"Oh, what's this? I don't remember buying anything like it." Turning it around he noticed a small message tacked on it.
"For your big day, sorry for scaring you! PS. You're never going to get any girls if you keep wearing that, you should thank me for being so considerate."
Ticked off by the note, he began looking over it again, once again questioning as to why today would be important.
"Who gave me this? Might have been the old man, he was freaking out yesterday when I told him about sandy-man."
Looking over it again, he figured he had nothing to lose with wearing it.
"I'm not one for a tie, but whatever. The old man's going to owe me for this."
Setting down a plastic sealed dress shirt coupled with a pair of jeans, he was half-naked before the steaming call of the teapot beckoned him.
"Eyyyy!" Leaving his room once again, he swiftly prepared the ramen before setting it down to finish cooking.
Returning to get dressed, Naruto got into his fresh clothes and looked in the mirror.
"Something's missing, but what?"
Posing and making faces at his reflection to jog his memory, he came up empty-handed.
"Well, whatever." He said as he returned to his breakfast.
Opening the fridge, he pulled out a carton of milk.
"Breakfast isn't complete without some milk!"
Pulling up a chair he sat down to enjoy his meal.
"Ah, Nothing quite like ramen in the morning!" He exclaimed before taking a bite.
And immediately spitting it back out.
"Oh my god, What the hell is wrong with that! Ugh, it tastes as Kiba smells like after it rains!"
Reaching for his glass of milk, he took a big gulp in order to get rid of the taste.
And also spit it out.
"Oh God why! Ugh, I think I'm gonna -"
Covering his mouth, he made a mad dash for the bathroom
One not so hot minute later
Stumbling out of the bathroom, Naruto crashed onto the floor.
"Oooooohhhhhh this sucks."
Rolling over, he looked into a mirror
"Ugh, there goes my good morning. And my clothes. The old man probably spent a fortune getting these too."
Removing the now dirty clothes and tossing them aside, he picked out his old jumpsuit.
"At least I still have you."
Getting dressed, he contemplated what he should do next.
'Breakfast here is a bust, but I probably still have time to go get ramen at ichiraku's.'
Any further planning was interrupted by a knocking at the door.
Quickly dropping to the ground, Naruto watched the door.
'Is it that weirdo again? Has to be, no one else comes here, especially to knock on my door.'
Crawling to the window, he prepared to make his great escape.
He heard another set of knocking and hastened his efforts. Positioning his body carefully, he silently sprang towards and toward his open window.
Sadly, it was not meant to be. Despite being as quick as he was silent, he was no match for the precision and skill of a trained root agent.
The door burst open, and a masked man darted forward, reaching for Naruto's leg and pulling him back.
"Hey!" Preparing a string of swears and shouts, he paused when he saw the familiar mask.
But despite the familiarity in the mask, it didn't serve to lessen his anger one bit.
"What the hell man?! You can't just break into someone's home and pull their leg! I don't care if you work for the old man, I should report you to him! Better yet to Lord Hokage!" He loudly threatened.
Now the root agent, despite being trained as an emotionless weapon of war, was a bit annoyed at the boy's response.
To the few that knew the name root, and to the even fewer that knew anything beyond its intentions, it was known as a force to be reckoned with. Born within the darkest corners of the leaf, it's members were each trained under the harshest conditions in order to achieve one thing. The survival of the Leaf.
Being one of those agents, it was upsetting to be nonchalantly pushed aside by a mere boy, no matter how close he was to his master.
"Lord Danzo sent me, he wanted to make sure you could arrive at the academy on time today."
"Of course I can get to the academy on time! I've been going for the past 6 years of my life!" Was his retort.
"Lord Danzo only wanted me to remind you that with this year being your 3rd, if you don't graduate today you will be barred from attending the academy. It is imperative that you- . . . "
Whatever else the Root agent said was lost to Naruto when the realization of today's date came to him.
"Fuckin-, That's why today was important! The calendar, the sticky note, oh it all makes sense now! God, I'm an idiot!"
Far too caught up with his own problems, Naruto bolted out the door hoping to catch a quick breakfast before his upcoming exam, leaving the anbu alone.
'My talents are wasted with this boy.' Leaving to report to his master, the old apartment was once again left destitute.
-break-
"Teuchi!!!!"
The old ramen chef turned around from his work to address the loud customer that had entered his stand.
"Hey! What's the big id- . . . Naruto?"
"In the flesh!" He said ecstatically, sitting down on the wooden stool.
"Well, I'll be. I was starting to get worried you know. Your teacher showed up a few times saying you had gone missing. What happened?"
"This weird old man kidnapped me and started talking crazy. I escaped him though, he just couldn't handle my ninja prowess. Oh you should have seen it, I was leaping over buildings, dodging and weaving all over the place." Making wild motions with his hands, he nearly hit the fine gentleman robed all in black.
"Sounds scary." Serving the only other pair of customers, he continued the talk with Naruto.
"Nothing the soon to be greatest official ninja couldn't handle."
"Oh, soon to be? I thought you already were the greatest ninja."
"That's just cause I haven't graduated yet. But just you wait, by today's end I'll pass my exam and get my headband."
"Really? Well, in that case, have some ramen. On the house. It's a big day, so let's celebrate."
"Aw yeah, thanks Teuchi. Your ramen is the best in the world."
"Oh you're just saying that."
Serving a bowl from the large pot on the stove, he placed it in front of Naruto.
"Dig in."
Taking a whiff, he quickly split his chopsticks in anticipation. His stomach clearly agreed with all the noise it was making.
"Man I am starving, Thanks for the meal!"
Reaching in, he mixed his broth around a bit before grabbing a small bunch of noodles from the center. Hurriedly, he began slurping.
Unfortunately, just like the noodles that came before, they too were violently spat out.
"Ugh! Hey Teuchi, I think your noodles went bad. This plate tastes disgusting!"
"What?! Let me take a look at them."
Grabbing the spit covered plate, he looked at it once before choosing to not taste it. Instead, he placed it into the sink and went for his ladle. The broth, however, tasted just fine to him.
"Hmm." Serving a second, smaller plate, he tasted the noodles.
"I don't know what you're talking about, these noodles taste just fine to me."
"I'm telling you they went bad!" He angrily shouted while cleaning his mouth with his sleeve.
"Well just take this plate," he said while serving him a new bowl, "but my noodles are just as good as they have always been."
After being served a new bowl, Naruto warily inspected the noodles.
'Well, they don't smell bad.'
Once again, he grabbed a new pair of chopsticks and, well, you know the drill.
With a mouth full of food, Naruto turned around and spat it outside the storefront.
"This isn't like you Naruto. Are you sure you're not sick or anything?" Teuchi wiped his hands clean from work and began to check on Naruto, trying to find any signs of sickness.
"No, I'm fine. . . Just starving. . . I haven't eaten in days. . ." Currently emptying his aching stomach all over the ground, he couldn't get more than a few words out.
"Good lord! Why haven't you had anything?"
"I told you I was kidnapped."
"Did they do anything to you? You should go to the hospital, I'm sure the academy allows retakes. Do you want me to take you? I can get Ayame to attend the stand for a while." Unfastening his apron, Teuchi prepared to call Ayame. The desperately waving hand of Naruto, however, stopped him.
"No I'm fine, I can't afford to fail this time!" Buckling over, his stomach once again protested.
"I can not in good conscious allow you to go like this. Please let me help you."
"No, This happened earlier, I'll be fine in a few minutes. Just give me a cookie or something to hold me over until after class. I promise I'll go to the hospital after."
"I refuse."
Weakly standing up, Naruto flexed his arms in hopes of convincing Teuchi.
"See look, I'm all better now. I'll be fine."
"You can't fool me Naruto, I can see that you're weak, stop resisting."
"C'mon Teuchi, please? I promise to go after. I admit I may be stubborn but even I know when to quit. This is too important for me to miss." Pleading, he begged Teuchi to let him go.
Looking at Naruto's pleading eyes, he felt his resolve wane. He knew how much this day meant to him. He had consoled him on this very day for the last three years. Every time he failed, "You'll get it next time!" He would always say. There wouldn't be a next time. He remembered that day, when Ayame had broken down in tears after her fourth failure. Nothing he did could help his daughter, and her tearful eyes were something he would never forget. But Naruto's case was different. Here he did have a say in the young man's future, and he feared that his choice would lead Naruto to resent him. With a heart heavy from emotions long at rest, he made his choice.
"Alright, I'll let you go"
Raising his hand, he stopped any celebration that was about to occur.
"But on one condition! I'll be there to pick you up after the academy, and we WILL go to the hospital together, understand?"
"Yes, perfectly Teuchi! Thank you!" Furiously blowing up and down, Naruto gave his thanks.
"Alrighty then." Reentering his stand, he picked up one of the incredibly expensive brands of ninja protean bars that he held only for select customers.
Handing it to Naruto, he gave his words of encouragement. "Go get 'em Naruto, I believe in you."
Taking the bar, he gave Teuchi a quick hug before dashing off for the academy.
"Thanks Teuchi! Don't worry, I'll make you proud!"
"I'm sure you will"
"Nara, Shikamaru"
"Here"
"Uchiha, Sasuke"
"Present"
"Naa-ruto"
His voice cracked, and not one of the students would dare mention it.
Iruka had been out of it ever since Naruto had disappeared. Barely sleeping, anyone with eyes could see the bags that formed around his eyes, and his attitude was one to match. Ignoring students (poor Sakura can never quite get a break, can she?) and teachers alike, he was fortunate that the year was already ending or his lack of attention may have forced the school to find a replacement.
With a dejected sigh, he ended roll call.
"Well, with the exception of Hinata, it looks like your all here. Now, today's a big day for you all, prepare yourself for the exam, we begin in 15 minutes."
Turning around, Iruka began to head for the front door. "I'm going to get a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge, try not to get too loud."
Leaving the room of children, he body-flicked away in a burst of leaves. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, he just missed Naruto running down the halls at top speed. Arriving at the front door, he began to give himself a little pep talk.
"Alright Naruto, you got this. Today's the day, don't screw me over stomach." His hunger had disappeared, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it came back.
Flinging open the door, any conversion was put on hold by the sound of his mighty decree.
"HOLD UP! I AIN'T DEAD!"
Silence struck the room. It was Sakura who first regained her voice.
"What the hell Naruto?! You're gone for a week and that's what you say? You had Iruka all stressed out you know!"
The rest of the students went back to their conversations, albeit with a new topic.
"Ah Sakura, my biggest critic and fan, I was out in the world fighting bad guys. One of them caught me but I managed to escape by the skin O' my teeth."
Any retort was overshadowed by the boisterous cry of a boy donned in fur.
"Yoo, blondie! Where you been man? You went off on an adventure and you didn't invite me?"
"Shut up dog-breath, I was kidnapped for your information. I managed to escape him though, with me being the greatest ninja alive, of course."
"Oh I get it, you were like a princess or something. Glad to see you moving up in the world buddy." He flashed a toothy grin at Naruto.
"Hey! Well, you know what! I -"
A door slammed open. "God you kids are so fucking loud. I get you're excited but calm the hell down, most of you probably won't survive your first mission. You should take a hint like that blond kid and-" Mizuki bumped into Naruto
"Oh hey Naruto, I was just talking about you. Finally decided to show up eh?" He continued as if he wasn't just insulting him.
"Take a seat, Iruka will be here in just a moment, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." Turning he muttered under his breath "God knows I'm not."
Shooting a glare at Kiba, who shrugged in response, Naruto sat in his seat. He noticed that the quiet girl wasn't already next to him, which was odd since no matter where he moved she would always appear somewhere near him. In fact, a quick look around the room revealed that she wasn't anywhere in the class.
'Huh, that's odd. Did she pass already?' About to comment on her absence his other teacher walked in. Any comment he was about to make was quickly replaced by the only thought that was in his head.
"Damn Iruka you look like shit."
"Language Naruto, you know I don't like swears in my class."
'Wait. Naruto?'
Turning, he saw his favorite student giving him a guilty smile.
Frozen in shock, it took him a while to process his emotions. Almost robotically, he said, "Naruto, can you come outside with me real quick."
Without waiting for his answer, Iruka walked right back out the door, body more rigid than human.
"Looks like the Princess is in trouble, how you gonna get out of this one blondie?"
"Shut up Kiba." Leaping from his desk located at the back of the room, he vaulted over several students and landed perfectly on the floor, and walked out.
Kiba scoffed.
"Say what you will about him Kiba, but he is the most athletic out of all of us."
"Who asked for your opinion, pineapple head? I could have easily leaped over, like, 30 people. No problem, he ain't special."
"Oh yeah!" Another blonde, this one with longer hair, stepped in. "Well, you're no match for Sasuke. He could leap over 100 people. Easy."
"Oh please, emo couldn't jump over his parent's grave, much less 100 people."
Sasuke, now angry, glared at Kiba.
"Dick move, Kiba."
"Whatever."
Every girl within the room prepared to defend their crush until Mizuku stepped in.
"Well as fun as this is, I can't have you guys maiming each other while under my supervision. Makes me look bad. But a tip for the ladies, lots of 'accidents' can happen during training. Be a shame if Kiba slipped while he was out training at training ground 8 between the hours of 6 am to 8 am on Mondays to Fridays. An absolute tragedy that would be." Shaking his head in mock sadness, any further interaction was stopped by Iruka and Naruto reentering the room.
Naruto returned to his seat, Iruka's coffee in hand, while Iruka reached into his desk.
"The kid stole your coffee Iruka." He took a sip from his.
"I know." pulling up a sheet of paper, he scribbled something down, folded it, created a clone, and sent it away.
"What are you doing?"
"Sending a message to Lord Hokage to tell him Naruto has been found."
"Neat. Should we get started? I'd like to go home sometime today."
"Yes, let's begin with the written portion first. We'll do the physical exam next, followed by the ninjutsu portion last."
"Sounds like a plan. Grabbing a stack of papers, Mizuki spoke.
"Alright kiddies, you have half an hour to complete the exam. After that you're done, so try not to fail, okay?" With a grin, Mizuki passed out the totally not skewed exams.
The two guards tended up, watching their leader rush for them.
"Lord Hiashi, good morning." Both guards bowed.
Hiashi only nodded and promptly began his interrogation.
"Has anyone gone inside to see my daughter?"
"No my lord, only lady Hanabi has gone inside in these past few days. She brings her breakfast and stays for no longer than a few minutes."
"Has anyone else been stationed here?"
"No my lord, Nasu here and I alternate every 12 hours."
"Then why are both of you here?"
"We share mornings and evenings so that at least one of us is fully awake until the other adjust."
Pleased by their response, he ordered them to step aside so that he may find out what had happened to his daughters.
Entering the darkroom, the first thing he did was reactivate his Byakugan. The darkroom became a dull gray, and in the corner of the room rested a blue mass. Bits and pieces of it could be found spattered around the room.
"That isn't normal, anything, be it human or animal, would have a chakra structure. Masses of chakra don't just exist."
'Unless.' Fearing the worst, he pressed on.
Turning on the lights, the blob became visible.
Milky white with a touch of green, whatever it was, it wasn't human, and it certainly wasn't his daughter.
Immediately recognizing the substance as the one stuck to his daughter, he pulled multiple kunai and threw them at it.
Nothing. The blob remained motionless, albeit now full of metal.
Turning away from the mass, he began searching the room in hopes that he would find her. It was all for naught. Wherever his daughter was, it certainly wasn't in that room. Angrily turning around, he headed out the door.
"Lord Hiashi, did you find wha-" before he could finish his sentence, the pair of guards were knocked out by the strike of Hiashi. Creating two clones, they hoisted the unconscious forms of the two branch members and followed the original.
Before they left, Hiashi turned and flashed through more hand signs. This time, seals appeared around the door and sealed it away. Nodding to his clones, they took off.
Currently, Hiashi had only one goal in mind, an audience with the Hokage.
A bell chime signified the opening of the front door. Without raising her head, the main attendant spoke.
"Name and reason for visit."
"Iruka Umino, urgent message for the Hokage."
"The only opening is at 5 pm, would you like to schedule an appointment?"
"It's a code red message."
Irritated, the attendants put down her book and signaled a guard. "Please inform Lord Hokage that one Iruka Umino is here to deliver a message regarding?" She turned to Iruka.
"Naruto, ma'am."
"Really? Does that call for a code red? Whatever, it's your career that's on the line."
Returning to her book, she absent-mindedly sent the guard away on his task. Fortunately for Iruka, his trip was rather short.
"Lord Hokage will see you now."
"Thank you." Nodding to the man, Iruka went up the spiral tower to meet his Hokage. Said Hokage was doing, lo and behold, paperwork.
Grateful for the excuse to put off his work, Hiruzen put down his pencil and motioned for Iruka to begin, eager to hear what had become of Naruto.
"Ahh, Iruka, it's been far too long since your last visit. Tell me, have you really found him?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Well, to say I found him would be an overstatement. He showed up in class today out of the blue, and that's about it."
"Really? It sounds too good to be true that he would just pop up out of nowhere."
"With all due respect, Naruto does have a chaotic nature, always wanting to be noticed."
"He does, doesn't he. Did he give an explanation as to why he was gone? He evaded my Anbu so it must have been a good reason."
"That's the main reason why I'm reporting in person and not just sending a letter. Perhaps it might be better for you to read this. It recounts all Naruto told me earlier. Word for word."
Handing his leader a piece of paper, he waited patiently for Hiruzen to read it.
It read-
" Alright so this is going to sound crazy but you gotta believe me, Iruka. So I'm minding my own business and-, What? Don't give me that look. I'm serious this time! Listen! I was relaxing on the Fourth Hokage's head when all of a sudden I see this dude with a large sack running around all suspicious like. So naturally, I follow him for a while, and then WHAM, he knocks me out. I don't know how long I was out for but when I woke up, all my stuff was gone! Can you imagine? He stole the kunai the old man gave me! I was pretty mad but I couldn't stick around, so I ditched the guy. But then HE starts following ME. I showed him what I was made of though, and using my ultra sneaking I left him all clueless and lost. Man I wish I was there to see his face! But that Sandy fart followed me again! It was pretty scary, not gonna lie. Luckily the old man's men got me out of there. I haven't seen him since then but I'm sure he's still looking for me. Hmm? What did he look like? He's old, like the old man. He's armless too, one of them is just gone. And he dresses funny, and he's rude. He's just a bad guy, he gives off that vibe, you know? I am STARVING though, haven't eaten since he got me. Like almost a week ago, it sucks. I felt like I was dying earlier. What? You sure I can have your coffee? Aww man you're the best Iruka! Can I have your headband too?"
'Well, it's certainly Naruto.'
"He doesn't appear to be phased from his kidnapper. But an old armless man? Sounds a lot like an old war buddy of mine."
"Do you know who kidnapped him, Lord Hokage?"
"I might, I'll have to look into it to be safe."
Hiruzen vacantly starred at Iruka, wondering how he could possibly bait the old war hawk and Naruto into his office so that he could verify whether or not he had a hand in this.
'I'll have to be quick about it before he gets wise and tries to do something with his memory.'
"Is that all you came to report Iruka?"
"Yes, I figured that you would like to be the first to know of Naruto's well being."
"You figured right. Before you dispel yourself, Iruka, might I ask a favor?"
"So you knew already? Nothing gets by you Lord Hokage, does it? It would be my pleasure to perform a duty tasked by you."
"No need for formalities, Iruka. I request that you summon Mizuki to me. I am in dire need to have a chat with him, and I see no better opportunity than now, seeing as you're already returning to the academy."
"Yes Lord Hokage!" Bowing, the Iruka clone dispersed itself.
Once Iruka had left, Hiruzen motioned to his Anbu.
"Send Boar to watch Naruto, make sure he remains under watch 24/7."
Appearing before him and saluting, a masked man bolted away to ffulfillhis order.
Academy
Having collected the tests, Iruka stood outside the academy on the courtyard. Currently, his entire class was nneatlylined up on one end. Mizuki stood next to him, a cassette in hand and a cassette player by his feet.
The memories of the meeting returned to him.
"Hey ,Mizuki."
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Lord Hokage has summoned you."
"Now ain't the time for jokes, Iruka. I have a button to press."
"This isn't a joke, my clone just dispelled itself, Lord Hokage has summoned you."
"Oh shit, really? I don't know you can stand to make those things, I get chakra exhaustion just thinking about 'em."
Entering the cassette, and hitting play, Mizuki spoke again.
"Well good luck with the physical exam. Make the kids suffer for me, yeah?"
Walking away, the sound of the radio echoed in the background.
"The FitnessGram PACER Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test -"
Having walked out of earshot, Mizuki chuckled to himself.
Back at Hokage
A figure burst through the Hokage's front door. Anbu immediately prepared to assault whoever had just barged in but held themselves back upon recognizing the Hyuga patriarch.
"What, do people just not knock anymore? C'mon Hiashi, that was a solid mahogany door. That stuff's pricey and it only grows in the hidden cloud."
Any further venting was stopped when another pair of Hiashi's entered the room and dumped two unconscious Hyuga on the ground.
"Do you want to explain what's going on or should I guess?"
"I want to know what that material I sent you was." Hiashi boldly stated.
"I see." Motioning his Anbu, they closed the door and set up multiple barriers around them.
"And please, pray tell, how exactly you came across this substance?"
Offended, the Hyuga retorted, "What are you insinuating Hiruzen?"
Calmly, the Hokage lounged back on his chair. "Oh ,nothing at all. I'm just saying that what you brought me has terrible implications. Both unethical and illegal."
"Whatever it is, I had no part in its creation or distribution. My youngest came to me this morning with that stuck to her foot, claiming it originated from the room of my eldest. Upon further investigation, I found Hinata missing and an entire body of that in her room. I demand answers, Hiruzen."
"What do you want me to say? That we have your daughter? All I can do for you is tell you what that material is."
"But you can do something, Hiruzen. These two are the guards that were stationed at her doorstep. I demand a Yamanaka scan them. If anyone knows where my daughter is, it must be them. There is only one door to her room, and they guard it."
"We would need a warrant for such an act. Or consent."
"You have theirs."
"With the caged bird ,you might as well have a kunai to their throats. I'd hardly call that consent."
"Dammit Hiruzen this isn't about power, it's about my daughters! They're all I have left after I lost my wife!"
Feigning a thoughtful expression, Hiruzen took a minute to contemplate.
"I'll allow it under the condition that we also check Hanabi."
"What!? Hanabi is but a child, a Yamanaka scan is risky enough even with a trained ninja guiding them! You expect me to believe that Hanabi could navigate her own mind? She hasn't even entered it!"
"Look Hiashi, I empathize with you, I really do. I would hate it if anything happens to Asuma or Konohamaru. But this Thing you brought isn't natural. In fact, Orochimaru was working on something very similar before he was banished. If it was in contact with Hinata, then it may also have done something to Hanabi. We can't check Hinata for obvious reasons, but Hanabi has come into contact with it."
"What could possibly be so dangerous as to warrant this much scrutiny?"
"Something that could cripple anyone gifted in the ways of chakra. The notes we recovered from Orochimaru those many years ago showed us he was experimenting with children. Not one of them survived."
"What."
"Please see this from my perspective, Hiashi. I have a village to protect. If something like this appeared before your daughter disappeared, it could mean either Orochimaru or one of his accomplices is within the village. If someone was in that room with her, Hanabi's memories may play a role in finding them."
"But what about the check that's already in Hinata's room. Send someone to check there first! Surely they could find something."
"And compromise my other men? When this Thing was initially being experimented on, it latched onto whatever chakra it could grab a hold of. Clones become destabilized and fade away. It disrupts chakra, and knowing Orochimaru, he may have found out how to weaponize it, to spread it."
"If what you're saying is true then all of this is pointless, it would have spread from Hanabi to me the moment she entered my office. Check my body instead of her mind, that would give you what you need."
"Did you ever touch it directly, Hiashi?"
"No, but that doesn't mean it can't spread through other means."
"Impossible. This isn't savirus. It's a cellular mutation,and a very dangerous one. Human cells don't just float, and they definitely don't have any will of their own. Direct contact to chakra is required for it to affect you."
"Maybe they came into contact with it!" Hiashi motioned to the guards.
"I refuse to put Hanabi in harm's way. I'll have another infected before she is checked. The Blood Prison has many Leaf convicts sentenced for death. The Correctional institution also possesses many on death row."
"You're asking me to break a lot of laws here, Hiashi. Orochimaru was banished for breaking them, and I won't risk word getting out of them breaking once more. The last thing this village needs is every nation on the Armistice Treaty banding together against us for treason."
"What do the other nations have to do with my daughter's wellbeing!?"
"You know well enough what they have to do with it."
"As if they aren't also guilty! We may have our Root problem, but they are considerably worse. Kumo practically owns the black market, Kiri had an entire genocide, which breaks the prisoner treatment law you are refusing to ignore, and Iwa still has the Kill On Sight order on any Leaf headband. For crying out loud Suna is experimenting with the DEAD!"
"We are not like them!"
"And you would sacrifice innocents to save CONVICTS! Even if I allow you to check Hanabi, one patient is far too small a sample size to properly understand whatever you are afraid of. More testing will be required. Where will you get your patients then Hiruzen?"
Sighing and visibly exhausted from their exchange, the aging Hokage slumped back.
"I'll find a way."
"You've lost perspective, Hiruzen. The world isn't playing the gentleman rules of the first Hokage. It's a dog eat dog world, and if we keep holding back we will lose regardless of your actions."
"You expect me to gear my people for war!?"
"I am not the war-mongering advisors you're too sentimental to fire Hiruzen! I have a family, I have no desire to lose them within the flames of conflict. I am not 'advising' you to raise arms, I am informing you that even the tallest of giants will fall when blinded. We aren't Samurai, we're Ninjas. Killing the weeds in order for your saplings to live isn't inhumane. They had their chance. Why does their failure bring down the rest!?"
"You don't care for ethics, Hiashi. This is all for your personal gain."
"What other gain is there? My morals are just, Hiruzen. It is you who has gone astray from the will of fire. I am doing what I am now for the sake of my daughters. For their future. What you are doing is a thinly veiled attempt to save your own reputation."
"Do you truly believe me to be so shallow a person, Hiashi?"
"No, not shallow. Misguided. You've lost perspective of the bigger picture."
"I am trying to change. But I am old now, I should have retired over a decade ago."
"You can start by listening to your people. My daughter is missing, and the only leads are these two men. You know me a proud man, Hiruzen, But I am begging you. Help me find my daughter."
Reaching for his pipe, the Hokage began to smoke.
'Was this job always so stressful.'
Thoughts? I apologize for taking so long to update, I wasn't in the best position to write. Thankfully things slowed down now, so I should be more active.