AN: Apparently, this story is entertaining enough that more than 3 000 people have fav'ed it. That makes me happy. I hope you enjoy.
Cat rubbed Naruto's back as the boy was slowly recovering from his bout of sickness.
"So what are we doing now?" Dog asked Tiger, who was humming low.
"We look for someone who is less afraid of those Otonin. He didn't give us enough." The man answered after a second of thoughtful silence, sparing a glance at Muta's asleep form.
"What is the Akira?"
"No idea," said Tiger with a shake of his head. "Could be the name of the drug they are selling. Could be the name of a place, of a rich client… We need more info."
"Should we visit the drug market?" Dog offered.
"There is no centralized place for the drug business, not like for slaves exchange," explained Cat, who had a hand firmly gripping Naruto's shoulder as the boy breathed deeply beside her.
"So, how are we doing this?"
"We'll begin by maintaining our cover first. We won't be convincing minstrels if we don't entertain people for a bit."
"We play here?" Dog asked, surprised.
Cat shook her head. "No. Yubaba would kick us out faster than we can say kunai."
Tiger nodded. "No one but Yubaba makes money on Yubaba's turf."
"We won't be going far though. The Bathhouse is a neutral ground and Yubaba has the power to enforce this rule. We'll be safe here, as long as we don't start anything." Cat completed.
The four undercover ANBU exited the giant bathhouse and meandered for a bit in the labyrinthine streets of Yugakure until Tiger stopped, apparently deciding a random corner of a random crossing would do fine as a scene for their little show. All the while, Cat gently guided a dazed Naruto through the busy streets, not saying a word but leaving a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.
The disguised blond used the respite of their walk to order his thoughts. For a second, he contemplated going through them but decided ultimately that now was not the time, remembering Tiger's lesson about emotions in the field.
It seemed like he was not nearly strong enough to come to term with what he was feeling right now, so the fake brunette decided to close the door on the swirling maelstrom that was raging inside of him. Everything he did, all of it, he was doing it for his future family. The family he had to claw his way into. Obtaining a place within ANBU was worth it, worth anything. He was sure of that. He had to be sure of that.
Naruto ruthlessly squashed the little voice inside his head that kept asking him the same question over and over again.
"Anything?"
He silenced it, gagged it, buried it, and when the group of four reached their performing spot, Naruto's eyes were clear and his mind focused. Without missing a beat, he got his juggling knives out of a satchel and started to expertly dance around while throwing them one-handed. Nana started her three canine companions on some acrobatic stunts and Kinoe decided to amaze a few strangers with a deck of cards. It did not take long for a little crowd of curious passerby to form, attracted by the rhythmic music Yuuki was playing on her shamisen, some of them throwing money in the open casing of the woman's instrument.
The show went on for an hour before Kinoe bowed deeply and discreetly signalled toward his companions to stop. The group of four all bowed and thanked the ever-changing crowd profusely before they packed and moved.
To another random spot of another random corner, Naruto understood quickly. They repeated the pattern a few time, performing for an hour or so before moving, taking care to not stray too far from the Bathhouse. On the fifth time, however, as the sun was slowly but surely starting to burn the sky orange, Tiger and Dog suddenly decided to let Cat and him fend for themselves.
"We'll make more money this way," explained the older male tersely, which meant the Inuzuka girl and he would start looking for a more talkative informant.
Naruto, Cat and the Haimura trio nodded and watched as their two teammates departed. The boy sighed and got his throwing knives out.
"Menma-chan~" whined Yuuki in a very convincing imitation of some of the girls in the Academy when it was time for running laps. "We can take a little break you know? We've been going at it for hours and I'm tired now." She said while dragging the last vowels in a suggestive voice.
The boy smiled ruefully at the innuendo -he was mildly bothered he'd gotten it- and sat down with the three dogs near the woman who started to mindlessly tune her shamisen, playing a few notes here and there as a test. Absentmindedly, Menma started to whistle along as he carefully whirled a knife around the knuckles and fingers of his left hand.
"You want to talk about it?" The woman asked suddenly in a tone uncharacteristic of her persona.
Naruto turned toward Cat, who was looking at him with very serious eyes. "Here?" The boy hesitated.
The woman shrugged. "It's not like anyone will bother us."
Naruto allowed his eyes to gaze at the ever-changing flow of humans that streamed all around him. It was true that in this crowd, no one would hear them. No one would bother trying to listen to them either, probably. The boy bit into his lower lip. He supposed now was as good as ever to address what he had been ignoring and he had a friendly ear too.
However, "with you?" was the true question he had wanted to ask but did not dare.
The woman wasn't the friendly ear he felt he needed right now. That made him uncomfortable. He did not know Cat like he now knew Tiger and Dog. Tiger had mentored him since day one and he had endured two weeks of Dog unwashed and teaching him field medicine in a shack lost in Rice Country.
That forged bonds.
Cat was his kenjutsu instructor. She was a fair teacher for sure, who had guided him like he imagined a teacher should have and provided encouragement when needed. The fact was, she was neither Tiger nor Dog.
She was, however, the one he had unleashed his darkest demons for. Maybe she could help him going through this new one, as a fair exchange of a sort? She was a teammate after all, about that he had no doubt.
Naruto cleared his throat and scratched the back of his scalp. He did not know where he even wanted to begin. He wasn't sure what was his problem really. He did not like the idea of torturing a man? Tiger did not look like he had enjoyed the session either. What human would enjoy the thought of slicing bits and pieces off of another human, save those sick and deranged?
So what was it then? Some remnant of a romantic, idealized vision of the shinobi life, full of daring actions, princesses to save, and undoubtedly good deeds? Naruto thought he had come to term with it with his first kills but it was a possibility. The more he lived the ninja life, the more bloody the actions, the more guilty the princesses, and the more questionable the deeds became.
Or was it, maybe, that covering himself in the blood of other men to achieve his own goals felt disgusting? That answering "anything" to the eternal dilemma of the means and the goals was completely wrong, disproportionate?
The boy felt the prickle of unshed tears behind his eyes and inhaled a deep, shuddering breath. La whined and licked his hand in a comforting gesture. His gaze lost in the throng of moving people, Naruto sighed and patted the dog's head.
"I'm just… Wondering, that's all."
Cat kept playing her shamisen for a few seconds. "May I know about what?"
Naruto abandoned his people-watching and turned to face the woman. At first glance, she seemed to be concentrating on her instrument, her head slightly bent forward but her eyes were anchored to Naruto's and the boy thought he could see encouragement.
A promise to be heard.
Maybe she was indeed the ear he needed right now after all. Dog was too young to have solved the conundrum herself and Tiger was sometimes too inflexible. Maybe Cat was the right in-between he was looking for.
"If it's worth it." He mumbled in a breath.
Naruto's shoulders slumped dejectedly just as he gritted his teeth in anger. The promises Dragon had so easily made him buy, Naruto now realized he had to pay for them in full. At the time, it felt like he had no other path open to him but he could not help but wonder: would it have been easier if he had not chosen the shadows?
It had been a non-choice at the time, yet another thing that had been forced unto him for the better but now Naruto was angry at the unfairness of it all. Enduring the villager's scorn, entering a team who would have no doubt despised him, proving himself as the kind of normal ninja who saved the damsels in distress rather than terminated them; all of it seemed strangely attractive now that he had to take care of the wet-work.
"So long as it's not you who does it, it's all good, right?" whispered a treacherous voice in the back of his mind. Naruto instantly felt disgusted with himself.
He had no doubt being a regular shinobi would have been easier on his mind. One of his clones had worked on the mission assignment desk after all. He knew what mission genin and chunin were assigned to and those that required blood to be spilt were taken in the name of justice: protecting merchant, tracking bandits, putting down rabid animals, everything was done with the intention to protect people. Even jonin weren't tasked with anything truly difficult: hunting a psychotic missing-nin or ending a too-daring crime lord required skills but was ultimately a good action.
After his second mission, Naruto's hopes had been high. He had chased down slavers and scum who had kidnapped honest citizens. Reality had eventually caught up these past few days.
Now he understood ANBU. The corps saw to everything regular shinobi weren't tasked with. They were the bogeymen that the powers that be deemed necessary and necessity was apparently law.
Naruto's thoughts drifted to Muta. The man lived in Yugakure so could not be white as snow but it did not matter. Whatever wrongdoing he had committed, they weren't the reason Tiger had diced up his fingers. As far as the boy could tell, Muta's only fault was being trapped between the hammer and the anvil and as far as he could see, compassion was reserved strictly to those who served the same side.
Woe on whoever was serving opposite interests and anyone caught in the middle. Feeling his discomfort once again, La pushed his head under Naruto's left hand, stealing a fleeting smile to the boy.
"I'm just…"Naruto breathed deeply. "I'm just starting to realize my job is a shitty one."
Cat stared at Naruto intently, her fingers automatically dancing along her shamisen's neck and producing a melancholic melody. With a sad smile and sorry eyes, she nodded. "It is. Will you stop doing it?"
Naruto swallowed thickly and shrugged. "It doesn't feel like I have much of a choice."
"You have." Cat corrected with another smile, gentle this one. "We all have but every choice we make have consequences. It's up to us to shoulder these, to find the strength and the motivation to do so."
Naruto nodded absentmindedly, the notes of Cat's piece dancing around him like leaves in autumn. The boy wondered for a second what was the woman's motivation. As a ninja, he was sworn to defend Konoha's interests; had Cat found some greater meaning in her oath? Or did she do her duty because a strong village meant the people precious to her were safe and protected? Naruto could only shake his head: everything felt so egotistical.
"How do you do it?" He eventually asked, deciding that losing himself in conjecture would not help.
Cat kept on playing and at first, Naruto thought his question had been lost to the vibrating strings. He had accepted the woman would not answer him when she finally spoke.
"The world is a dangerous place. Konoha, as a force of good, makes it better and by upholding the Will of Fire, its shinobi make it better too. I endure for those I love."
Naruto raised a very sceptical eyebrow, the way Cat had canted her text making it impossible to take her seriously. The boy snorted.
"Recognized that?" The woman asked, mirth tintinnabulating in her voice.
The boy shook his head, his fake brown hair swaying slightly.
"That's the bullshit they fed me when I was in the Academy."
Naruto shrugged, not remembering this particular bit of propaganda. Maybe they had changed the formula or maybe he had been pranking someone at the time.
"Now let me reformulate," continued Cat. "The world is an ugly place. I fight to keep the ugliness away, to keep my comrades alive, to keep all those I hold dear safe. I endure for those I love and the greater good of Konoha can go fuck itself."
Naruto snorted and barely hold his laughter at Cat's crude choice of word. Biting his hand to help himself, he shook for a few seconds before regaining control. Taking a few deep breaths, the boy looked at his teammate, his seriousness recovered.
"That makes the world uglier though." He said, all trace of laughter erased and gone. "Especially for others. The rest. Those you don't know and don't care about." He completed, looking at the disinterested passer-by, the anonymous mass of humans who went about with their business.
"True but it makes it brighter for the few I can protect. I'm only human, I can only do so much."
"Just this morning, we went out of our way to torture someone who was unfortunate enough to know something about someone we are looking for," Naruto observed, his voice as neutral as he could manage which wasn't much considering it was vibrating with both anger and disappointment.
"What do you propose we did?"
Naruto breathed deeply. "Nothing. We could have done nothing and let the man go."
"We could have," said Cat with a seemingly approving nod but with a perfectly neutral voice. "We could have yet what if one of us had to die to obtain the same information in another way? Would you shoulder this responsibility?"
"We are shinobi. Death is part of what we endure." The boy answered, unnerved by Cat's monotone.
"Muta is an information broker. It isn't without risk." She countered in the same unwavering manner.
"But his family has nothing to do with it!" Naruto exclaimed, drawing a few startled glances from some passing people.
"It was his choice to endanger them so," remarked Cat. "Choices have consequences. The lure of easily made money outweighed the security of his family."
That momentarily shut Naruto up, a muttered "but still" dying before it could be properly enunciated. Almost immediately, however, a wave of anger welled inside the boy's gut.
"Don't you feel anything?!" He exclaimed suddenly, his tone acerb, his furious eyes trained at Cat who was still maintaining an Olympian calm. "Don't you feel even remotely sorry for whoever he was trying to protect?" The boy's voice cracked and he blinked away tears of anger, the memory of Muta's fear and despair assaulting him. "'Cause I felt it," he mumbled with anguish, his eyes looking down on nothing, his palms furiously squashing a few lost tears. "I felt everything fucking bit of it."
He could not absolutely disregard someone like that. He could not ignore their suffering so completely. He knew it would have been intolerable for him to do so. He knew what it meant to be ignored, after all.
He had not even noticed Cat had ceased to play when he felt her hand grip his shoulder firmly.
"I do," said the woman gravely, sorrow clear in her voice. "I do and yet all I can think about in the end is how it's no one I hold dear. It was his choice to do what he does, just like it was ours to do what we did and do. I have no answer to your question, Maru, only this simple truth: choices have consequences, sometimes beyond what we can foresee and it is up to us to endure what comes out of it. Always remember that."
Naruto's entire body slumped as if robbed of its strength by the bout of anger, and the boy exhaled a long, deep breath.
"Is what we do right or wrong? I want to believe it is just to want to protect the people I care for. Is how we do it the right way? I want to believe it is at least the most efficient, the path with the safest results for those I hold dear," explained the woman with determination. "There is no absolute, only people who live how they chose to. That I know for sure."
Cat squeezed the boy's shoulder one last time and left him with his thoughts, returning to her shamisen. La whined again and gave Naruto's hand a vigorous tonguing.
Naruto gave a humourless chuckle to the passing crowd. "It feels so… So egotistical. We fight for ours and the rest of the world can burn, is that it?" The boy sighed. "There are no heroes, is there? No good guys. That's kind of sad, 'ttebayo." He observed with a wry smile, his verbal tic carrying none of its usual enthusiasm.
Cat shook her head. "The hero of one is the villain of another, Maru. It's human nature to treasure some things and to want them safe."
"When do you become a monster for doing so though?"
"That's for you to judge and draw the line."
Naruto scoffed with a sideways grin that carried neither humour nor warmth on his lips. "Choices, huh?"
"You get it." Cat nodded.
The boy took the time to ruminate the woman's answer for a minute before a thought occurred to him. "What if it goes against your duty?"
"You endure."
"So you don't always have the choice." Naruto pointed out, some sort of bitter satisfaction at being proven right invading his mouth just as some mild anger surfaced once again.
When nothing but silence answered his remark, the fake brunette reclined on his elbows and cocked his head against La's body, allowing a groan to escape him. "Do you think they ever ask themselves this kind of questions?" Naruto asked, gesturing vaguely toward the passer-by.
"Do you know why the Third War broke out?"
The boy, surprised by the non sequitur, mumbled a stutter before his brain supplied what might have been an answer. "Iwa attacked?"
He did not remember if he had been there for this specific lesson but when in doubt, the Hidden Rock was an easy target to blame. He could remember the Academy frequently doing that.
Cat gave a dry smile. "You could say that, yes, but why did they attack?"
Naruto shrugged. Because the Hidden Rock was led by right bastards? "Don't know," admitted the boy.
The woman shook her head. "You wouldn't. It's actually kind of a secret if you're not a ninja."
One of Naruto's eyebrow rose. "Yeah?"
"A ninja team was tasked with carrying an important letter to three little countries bordering the southern borders of the Land of Earth. This team, despite being comprised of some of the best Konoha had to offer, was caught by Iwa-nin. The rock-heads paid for it dearly but two of our shinobi fell and a third was captured. The captain was left with a choice: he could exchange the secret letter against the life of his comrade or escape. He was good enough to do so and it was his duty. Yet, he chooses to save the life of his teammate and gave the Iwa-nin the letter. It was a proposition for a secret alliance between the Lands of Bears, Wolves, and Eagles and Fire Country in anticipation of a war against Earth, promising to the allies the entirety of Earth Country's rich southern valleys."
Naruto stared at Cat before letting a monumental sigh escape his lips. It wasn't enough for the waters to be muddy; he had to serve a country of bastards too. "I guess it went to shit rather quickly from here on, huh?"
Cat nodded. "The plot was exposed. Earth ensured help or neutrality from his northern neighbours and opened a strong diplomatic channel with Lightning first and Water second. The Third War was entirely Fire Country and Konoha's fault and the first spark was that man's decision. He had to endure, either his duty and the death of his comrade or the opposite. He made a choice."
Naruto stayed silent. He did not know if there was anything to add to that. He could definitely see Cat's point now and the bitterness vanished. After a second of soul searching, he realized he was glad everything could be chosen, or almost so. Circumstances were definitely a thing, he was the living testament to that but it felt empowering to decide.
Even when the choices were biased or impossible to make, they spoke load about whoever made them. Naruto had to admit, however, that he strongly wished never to have to make a decision on the scale of the mysterious Leaf shinobi. He pitied the unknown captain: the man had done what he had felt was right, had chosen where his honour lay and had been rewarded with a war everyone must have blamed him for.
Definitely a fair deal, thought the boy with an internal snort.
Naruto scratched his hair and massaged his temples. Ugly, muddled questions came with ugly, muddled answers apparently and it still did not feel remotely right, moral, honourable, or anything approaching such to torture Muta. The boy was glad he was not leading the team.
It meant he was not the one to make the choices. He could still agonize like a coward on the sideline, playing the innocent offended by the actions of others, while Tiger had to assume. Tiger had to endure.
It felt safe but disgusting. The boy sighed as he felt more or less just as confused as he had been at the beginning of their discussion.
"Let's get back to it," said Yuuki suddenly, plucking the strings of her instrument with enthusiasm.
Naruto was thankful for the distraction and started to juggle his knives. He would not solve the conundrum right now. Maybe there was no haste to do so. His Jijie had strongly advised he take his time and seek others and Naruto would do so.
When Tiger and Dog joined them, the man had an indecipherable expression while the teenage girl was wearing her undercover version of a long face. Naruto concluded they had found nothing, which Tiger confirmed with a shake of his head.
The group of four kept playing the minstrels for another hour, the sun leaving its place to a slowly rising moon. Under the profusion of streetlight, Naruto rediscovered Yugakure. The poverty and misery seemed to be erased by the artificial lighting and the city appeared joyful and almost agreeable to the boy. Until he saw a one-legged girl in rag beg for a few ryo not far from the place they were playing.
He wondered for a second where Konoha hid its misery. He had never seen any kind of beggar in his hometown but his newly amassed experience was telling him the Hidden Leaf Village had its share of people society had abandoned on the side. Where were the few who did not get to enjoy the wondrous evenings he loved so much? Who even were they?
Slowly, they walked back to the Bathhouse. The establishment offered more than simply baths: one could also rent a room, from a very cheap one to a luxury suite. When the estranged tower, roosted on its rocky emergence, appeared, Naruto had to hold a breath of surprise.
Thousand of lanterns were shining red around the building, bathing it in an otherworldly light. Rumours of laughter and various smell of food were carried by a light breeze and the boy could not help but smile. It very much felt like Konoha. Without a word, the four crossed the bridge, Naruto once again feeling the tingling shudder of passing through a barrier. Much like earlier, his teammates either had not noticed or did not care.
This time, Kinoe stopped at the reception and asked for a cheap room for four. After a minute of bartering, the employee manning the counter gave the man a few directions, a key, and a smile.
Naruto soon discovered that the visible part of the tower was only a third of it and held only the more luxurious facilities. The large rocky protrusion it was standing on had been carved much like soil by an army of ants and countless rooms, baths, and bars were open to people who wished to keep a tighter leash on their purse. The four ate quickly and took the direction of their room.
The boy saw it was far from uncomfortable as the room he entered had everything one could wish for. At this point, however, he could have slept in a ditch, if he were to be honest, as he realized how tired he was.
Too many emotions and too much thinking still took a toll on him apparently.
"What's the plan for tomorrow?" He asked tiredly, removing his clothes one by one, not caring about the sideway smile of Cat and the low whistle of Dog.
"It'll be a repeat of today," informed Tiger in his monotone. "However this time, Cat will coach you on seamless information gathering."
Naruto looked at his team leader with eyes that screamed "huh?"
"Asking questions without looking like you're asking," explained Cat.
"Oh."
"Exactly. Now let us get to sleep. The mission is far from over."
The following day, however, yielded no more result than the previous one, much to Naruto's surprise. The morning had been an enlightening lesson about gossip, courtesy of Cat, and the afternoon a crash test of the boy very freshly acquired knowledge. Playing the innocent, slightly-too-curious kid had been funny at first but Naruto soon realized no one knew anything about Oto-nin, the Akira -whatever it was-, or a new drug dealer in the place.
When the same pattern repeated the day after, slow mounting frustration replaced surprise and Naruto saw Tiger appear as if he was actually worried. The boy was immediately put on edge, as something that could visibly worry his squad leader was not anything he wanted to have to deal with.
On the fourth day since their arrival, the tension was high when the four undercover ANBU met once again in their room.
"It's impossible!" Exclaimed Dog, throwing her hands in the air, pacing around in their shared room. "Nobody knows anything! Zero! We could be chasing after ghosts for all we know!"
Ignoring the younger girl's rant, Cat looked at her leader. "They are so completely under the radar it is worrying. It is impossible to set up shop in Yugakure without attracting attention. The fact no one will tell us anything is telling of the situation."
Tiger nodded. "Either they are not in Yugakure-"
"Which we agree is impossible," summarized Cat.
"Or they bought all the big shots to ensure complete silence around their ops," completed the man. "Whatever those ops are." He added as an afterthought.
Silence fell in the room until Naruto broke it.
"Tiger?" The boy dared, not knowing if it was his place to interrupt.
"Yes, Maru?"
"Err, I might have… Hmm… Gotten impatient and fucked up?"
Tiger looked at the boy with undivided attention.
"Well, I told Cat about it but… The fact is, I'm nowhere as good as you three so I might have asked a few questions that were too… Let's say direct. A few people looked at me funny." The boy explained hesitantly, shame colouring his cheeks red.
Tiger looked at Cat for confirmation. The woman only shrugged. "It would have happened sooner or later. Maru did as expected, considering his lack of experience. It should not have been a problem, had we inquired about any other business."
The man nodded and threw Naruto a glance the boy interpreted as him being in the clear for now. Silence fell again as Tiger joined the flat of his hands under his chin, entering a pensive state of immobility.
"Where do we go from here?" Whispered Naruto to Cat who shrugged and answered in a hushed tone.
"It depends. As far as I know, we have not been cleared for negotiating with a bigger information broker. Our time table does not allow it anyway: we are supposed to be done in three days, then the mission is over. The rumour mill should have brought us what we were looking for but those Oto-nin value their secrets apparently. Tiger…" The woman hesitated a moment before continuing. "Tried to get more out of some other small fries but either they knew nothing or they knew nothing new."
Naruto internally grimaced at the veiled mention of the fact Tiger had once again cut bits and pieces of fellow humans. The boy realized it was the reason why Dog had followed their team leader. She was the one in charge of sticking everything back into place after the act.
Naruto almost wished there was an innuendo here.
"So… We have no lead?"
"None that I can see or know of," Cat confirmed.
The boy's stomach suddenly churned when a particular thought hit him. Would his third mission be a failure? It was a strangely discouraging thought and very alien to him. He did not like one bit what he had seen since they had set foot in Yugakure and disliked what they had done even more but the thought of failure was unnerving.
He had never been afraid of it before. In the Academy, failure only meant he had to pick himself up. Failure meant a new opportunity to try, provided he wanted it hard enough. Failure had virtually no consequences.
He had yet to fail in his newly started career. Okay, he had died once already but it was not a failure on his part, not really. Him being overwhelmed had not put the mission into total jeopardy. In the end, the captured civilians had been herded safely to Fire Country.
No, he did not know what true failure in ANBU meant. He did not know what far-reaching consequences it could have. And to be honest, he was not impatient to discover it at all. He had a feeling he would not like it. He was certain it would not be nearly as forgiving as the Academy.
Naruto shook his head. He had a tendency to think too much since Tiger had beaten the stupid out of him. A few months back, he would not even have envisioned the possibility of failure, or if he had had, he would have decided to cross the bridge once it was reached.
Maybe that was what he had to do here too? Losing himself in fruitless conjectures would do him no good. The boy frowned. He was totally dwelling on stuff. Naruto Uzumaki did not dwell on stuff. If the mission failed, well he would see then and there what he would do. Naruto felt a small smile crook his lips upward.
It felt good to still be able to come to a resolution. Maybe it was not the most thought out resolution but it was one nonetheless.
What if it was really not thought out enough, though? What if he was being careless? What if?
Naruto groaned silently and resisted the urge to pull his hair and fought against fake, crocodile tears. Sometimes, he really wanted the stupid back. Cat threw him an interrogating glance but Naruto shook his head. Soon, and seeing as nothing new would be decided, the boy rolled himself in his covers and fell asleep.
Naruto awoke covered in sweat, his breathing harsh and laboured, his throat hurting with a lancing phantom pain. The boy's hand shot to his Adam's apple and massaged his neck. Under his rugged fingers, he could feel the thin, almost invisible scar he had inherited from his mission in Rice. His vocal cords had healed rather well, which left his voice only very slightly raspy and one had to know about the wound to find the discoloured line of skin.
The initiate regulated his breathing with a few deep, measured inhales and exhales. Looking around him, he found his teammates sleeping. He had learned to silence his nocturnal terrors: one did not scream in the middle of the night in the middle of three ANBU if it wasn't about a life and death battle.
It was not the first time it had happened. Talking about his experience in Rice Country had been helpful, it had weakened the ghosts, it had banished most of the anguish, it had helped him put a leash on his fears.
Sometimes, though, it would come back full force. Death did not like being trumped.
Rising from his couch, Naruto walked to the bathroom to drink a glass of water and refresh himself. He was finishing his ablution when he felt it: a grating sensation at the limit of his consciousness, barely more than a gut feeling at this point yet rapidly growing, a hazy siren that was morphing quickly into a blaring alarm. He was becoming more and more familiar, intimate even, with this sensation.
As his right hand crashed in the sink he was facing, pulverizing the basin in a shower of sharp fragment, his left hand blurred through one-handed hand seals -Naruto sparred a fraction of a second to thank Dragon for Kiri's stolen method- and the boy leapt in a body flicker to Dog's couch, by-passing a masked figure who was trying to sneak up on him, sending the assassin careening away with a Fuuton: Great Breakthrough.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Tiger roll out of his bed, his right hand gripping the kunai hidden under his pillow. He did no see Cat before blood, hot and viscous, spurted from someone's severed aorta onto his face, making his reflexively close his eyelids. With a shake of his head, Naruto cleared his vision and saw the shard of ceramic he had torn off the sink sunken deep within a man's neck.
The boy had less than a second to kick the assassin's legs from under him, preventing the man's strike to reach Dog by momentum alone. The long blade sank an inch away from the Inuzuka's back, who had reflexively rolled against the man's body, achieving to throw his aim out.
Behind him, he could hear the Haimura trio tear to shred the one man he had dodged on his hastened exit from the bathroom. The man's cries morphed into a gurgling logorrhea in a matter of seconds.
The girl disarmed the dying assailant and substituted with Naruto's pillow, appearing behind a third attacker who was trying to sneak on Tiger. The boy whirled around and saw Cat dealing with her own problem. The sound of the sink breaking had awakened her just in time for her to take in the sight of someone wanting her death very much. She had apparently substituted with her backpack, immediately delivering a flurry of kicks to her attacker with her long, powerful legs. Naruto saw the female ANBU actually catch the man under his chin -he had spun around-, dropping him immediately yet not without earning a gash on her calve.
With a few hand signs, Tiger ensnared both of his would-be assassin in strong vines. Dog, reaved to the max, could not stop her momentum and skewered the one who had been attempting to attack the team leader's back.
The last man standing, trapped by Tiger's strange wood attack, bit hard on something and a few seconds later, foamed at the mouth as his eyes rolled back in their socket.
Silence fell on the room, the four Leaf ninja breathing harshly.
"Fuck," commented Dog after a while. "Who were those punks?"
"No idea," answered Tiger. "Dog, I want to know why we did not feel them coming at all. Use whatever technique you need. Cat can hold for a minute."
The Inuzuka nodded and kneeled before a corpse, her hands flashing through a complex chain of signs and glowing with the jade green of iryo-chakra as a result. Cat simply nodded and looked in her ruined backpack for some field bandage. Naruto immediately went to help her. Dog's lessons in Rice countryside had stuck to him and he knew how to dress a wound now.
"They have… Some kind of chakra inhibiting drug in their system," informed Dog after a minute. "They are basically invisible even to a very good sensor. And," the girl took a whiff of the rapidly cooling corpse. "They smell like nothing. I mean, now the body reeks of blood but there is no odour. Nothing. That's why the Haimura were fooled.
Naruto nodded absentmindedly, cleaning one nasty cut on Hai's snout. The dog had nearly lost his left eye in the exchange.
"Satin and silk for the shoes," pointed Tiger to no one in particular. "Not a sound made with this kind of footwear. They are practically naked to avoid their clothes rustling. And they painted their entire body black. Professional work." The squad lead observed in a monotone before turning to Naruto. "Without you, we would be dead and cold right now." The ANBU sergeant nodded appreciatively.
Naruto gulped and smiled weakly. "They were kinda… Easy, though. Barely put up a fight."
"Well, they had their chakra blocked. Their adrenaline level was abnormally high; I bet they were on some kind of crack just to not die from the fake chakra exhaustion." Dog explained. "Still, well done… And thanks."
The boy scratched his scalp. "Eh eh, think nothing of it." He mumbled, embarrassed. "They made a weird gamble, honestly."
He was not sure he had much, if anything, to do with detecting the enemies. He might have a lucky star however because even with whatever it was that allowed him to just feel what was coming if he hadn't been awake… Naruto shuddered. He had died once already and it was enough for him.
"The gamble should have paid off. It would have with anyone else. We don't have time now but we really need to discuss whatever your sensing ability really is once we are back to Konoha," said Tiger in his unflappable monotone, a hint of curiosity rearing its head at the end. Cat only nodded as Dog gave a "yup".
Naruto acquiesced with a nod and patted a dog absentmindedly. "So… What now?"
"We wait," Tiger uttered tersely.
"For what?"
A knock answered Naruto's question.
"For Yubaba's henchmen."
Naruto did not know what he was expecting, probably nothing if he were to be honest. Still, nothing could have prepared him for Yubaba.
When Tiger had opened their door, four mean-looking men, led by a younger boy with hair an impossible shade of seaweed green and ocean blue, had immediately entered. The apparent leader lost no time and asked for all four not-so-undercover-anymore ninja to follow him to meet Yubaba.
And so the trek up countless stairs had started. After a while, they had climbed so much it had become ridiculous then humorous to Naruto. The Bathhouse was infinite, or so it seemed. While they travelled, Tiger shared a few information with disguised hand signs.
Yubaba was a very powerful person in Yugakure. She had the few remaining ninja of the old Village Hidden in Hot Waters at her exclusive service, she was feared and respected, and she spoke the local language better than pretty much anyone else.
Translation: she was filthy rich.
Eventually, they had reached a massive door of mahogany, one that had a very specific shade of red that reminded Naruto of something. When the door opened to allow them entrance in a large office -a true treasure cave, in the boy's opinion- it was then that he saw Yubaba for the first time.
He vaguely felt more ninja around them, noted they were outnumbered four to one and signed it distractedly to Tiger. His full attention was set on the creature that was slowly emerging from a thick mist made of pipe smoke. He had vaguely imagined a seductress, someone young, good looking, with eyes of steel and a forked tongue. He was wrong. Yubaba was old, older than his surrogate grandfather, Naruto would say. She was of small stature.
And she had the single, biggest head Naruto had ever seen on a human being, sporting proudly the single, biggest nose the boy had ever had the honour to lay his eyes upon. Yet, remembering Tiger's words from his training -every place was not a place to laugh- Naruto endured.
He could not help, however, but stare, wide-eyed. "It's a rock," he mumbled. "It's a peak, a cape… A cape? Scratch that, it's a peninsula!" The boy silently observed to himself in amazement.
The nail in his coffin was when the old lady -there was no doubt about that, Yubaba was a lady- released from her nostrils a glorious amount of smoke that covered the entire room. A minuscule part of Naruto's brain decided here and there to go rogue and suggested the boy scream "chimney fire!" The rest of his grey matter urged him to laugh at the thought so Naruto bit his hand hard and started to shake uncontrollably, thankful for the veils of fumes that were dissimulating him.
"Is there something you find funny, boy?"
Naruto made use of all of his willpower to stop laughing and straighten his back. The old woman's voice had a very special taste. It was old without a doubt, with all the telling marks of age: raspy, shuddering, quiet. Yet, he could not explain the undeniable authority that rang with it. The same kind of authority Dragon's or his Jjijie's voice carried. You did not disobey whatever order that voice would give.
You did not mock Yubaba.
The boy shook his head hastily, not wanting to take anything, and steadied his voice the best he could. "No, ma'am."
"Good, because I think five dead people in this fine establishment is not a laughing matter. Not that anyone cares about the cretins who attacked you but I have a reputation to uphold. My Bathhouse is supposed to be neutral ground here in Yugakure and it is important for business, boy. Do you get it?"
"Hai, ma'am."
"I'm glad you do. Now I'm wondering what to do with you. I would not blame you normally but no one would dare to attack my clients without provocation and the people who do not fear me a few and far in between. So…" She exhaled another impressive plume of smoke. "Who are you and who did you upset that is foolish enough to not fear Yubaba, mhm?"
The old lady got up from the chair she was sitting on and, walking around a desk that was way too big for her and covered with more paperwork than the Hokage's own, started pacing in front of the four ninja. Naruto glanced, discreetly he hoped, at Tiger who glanced back with eyes that said: "stay silent".
"We are simple minstrels, Yubaba-sama," protested the man, who immediately slipped back to his Kinoe persona, only to be interrupted.
"Yes, yes, spare me, please. I have eyes and ears, more than the pair I was born with. You have been asking questions, rather sneakily I'll admit, but you got caught. The boy was not exactly prepared, huh?"
"I assure you-"
"You assure me nothing. Who are you? Konoha? Kumo? Iwa? Who is this new player you are so interested in?" Yubaba interrupted Tiger again and send all four ninja a look that could have killed them. "Speak." She ordered with the same authority-laced tone she had used until now, only this time, it felt even stronger.
"We are looking for Otogakure." Naruto blurted out, feeling lightheaded and before he could realize he was even speaking. His eyes widened as he suddenly took stock of what he had just said and paled, not understanding why he had spoken.
Yubaba smiled. "Now that's a good boy," she cooed with a raspy chuckle, her sweet tone relaxing Naruto. "Tell me more, boy," she ordered again.
"Menma!"
Tiger cried out a warning but before any of Naruto's teammates could say more, they all found themselves with a dagger under the throat.
Naruto looked at his leader with confused eyes. He did not understand why he was so worked, they were simply reporting to the Hokage after their mission, there was nothing unusual.
No, that was not right. That could not be right indeed. In fact, they were still in Yugakure trying to accomplish said mission. The boy suddenly felt himself waver and reflexively flexed his chakra.
With dawning horror, he realized he had been talking again without meaning it. He stared at the little old lady with wide eyes.
"So you are from Konoha, huh? And you are looking for… Otogakure, was it?"
Naruto reflexively distorted his chakra again and felt wasp of foreign energy leave him.
"Well, you escaping my genjutsu just gave me what I needed to know anyway," chuckled Yubaba. "Now what to do, what to do?"
"You could let us go," offered Tiger in his monotone.
Yubaba chuckled raspily. "I could, I could. That'd mean having beef with people I know nothing about. If I make you disappear, however, I won't hear from Konoha and I'll gain a few points with those… Otogakure people.
Naruto internally blanched. That was not a good start to a negotiation.
"Are you not worried about them?" Tiger did not relent. "They set up shop without you knowing anything about them, for all you know you are next on their list. Or you could have Konoha owe a debt to you."
"Yes, yes, I know very well how Konoha repays her debt and if this Otogakure village wants to strike against me, well, I wish them luck," smiled the lady cruelly. "So, what deal could you offer me that would prove to be truly more advantageous I wonder?" Yubaba asked in a whisper, her smoky, muffled voice taking on a threatening edge.
Suddenly, the blue-green haired boy stepped forward and bent to whisper something into the old woman's ear. Carefully masking his lips with his hands, the four ANBU could not see what was said.
"Is that so?" Yubaba asked suddenly. The boy only nodded in response.
The woman hummed and paced in front of the four ANBU, mumbling in her breath something no one could catch. Suddenly she stopped and faced her prisoners.
"Haku here," she motioned toward the boy. "Tells me that one of you carry the sealing blood. Is that true?"
Naruto, who was running plans in his mind to help his teammates and get out of here, was suddenly torn away from his thoughts at Yubaba's questions. He caught himself before expressing anything he would regret and sighed in relief when the old witch did not eye him harder than any of his teammates.
"It cannot be you girl, you are clearly an Inuzuka given how you smell of dog," said Yubaba while tapping her enormous nose with mirth shining in her eyes for a second. "So who is it, huh… None of you has red hair." The woman suddenly slapped her forehead. "Transformation, of course, Yubaba you idiotic hen," she told herself before motioning to the captured ANBU. "Drop your disguise, now."
The Konoha ninja hesitated for a second before knives started to dig in the flesh of their throat. Tiger simply shrugged and nodded once and all four returned to their true appearance.
Yubaba cocked an eyebrow and blew some air through her nose. "You are losing your touch Haku. None of them has red hair."
The boy shook his head. "The Veil felt it, Yubaba-sama, I'm certain of that."
Naruto felt a drop of sweat appear on his temples. Was it an opportunity to negotiate or would revealing his legacy start even more problems? The boy had no way to know and silently prayed for Yubaba to expose the reasons for her sudden interest.
The old woman must have heard him as she suddenly chuckled. "If one of you knows sealing or better yet, carries Uzumaki blood, I'd be down to negotiate something."
Naruto felt himself relax and breathed out deeply. He paled minutely as he immediately realized his mistake.
Yubaba gave him a wicked smile. "Good boy."
He did not try to talk and immediately started to duck but something heavy and hard impacted the back of his head nonetheless. His body suddenly weighed a ton and he could taste blood in his mouth. He fell sprawling on the floor. His vision darkened and blood pulsed in his ears but through the haze, he could see his teammates explode in a flurry of movements.
AN: Cliffy surprise! (How) Will Naruto escape this new situation? Will the mission fail? You'll know all that next chapter.
I kinda sorry not sorry for the dastardly move: cliffhangers, unfortunately, are as old as story telling. Next chapter, time for Naruto to be awesome. Leave a review if you feel like it and don't insult me too hard please.
P.S: I was kinda anxious to publish that so proofreading might not be up to par. If you spot an ugly mistake glaring at you meanfully, PM me.
P.P.S: (forgot to put that here) To anyone who still had doubt, Yubaba and her Bathhouse have been "Spirited Away" from this very movie. Congrats to those who caught it and to those who have no idea what I'm talking about, go watch it. It is an awesome Studio Ghibli animated movie. All credit where it is due.