Chapter Three: Plague
They neared the village three days later.
The memory of what they'd done had faded a bit, but it still stuck with Naruto. At night he lay awake, thinking over the dead bodies. Tenten and Neji, too, seemed disturbed as they walked. Tenten kept trying to smile, or seem upbeat. Neji said nothing at all, except to correct some mistake or other. Kabuto seemed okay, while Guy-sensei was unusually quiet.
Eventually, Tenten looked to him. She let her attempts at cheer drop and looked at Naruto in concern. "Naruto, you okay?" she asked.
"Not really," admitted Naruto.
"I know," said Tenten. "I... I killed three people there. I hurled my kunai and got every one of them in the throat. It was like they were just target, and then I saw the body." She looked down, feeling depressed.
"Your feelings are absurd," said Neji, looking away. "They would have killed us all, given a chance."
"Easy for you to say," said Naruto. "You didn't kill yours. He wasn't even bruised."
"Actually, I checked his vitals," said Kabuto, adjusting his glasses. "The man suffered from severe internal injuries and died shortly after the battle. Was that intentional?" So Neji had killed him by accident?
"No, I..." Neji cleared his throat. "The Hyuga Clan's gentle fist can be used to incapacitate targets without killing them. But it can also be used to kill without breaking the skin. I have not yet mastered it."
So he'd botched it. Maybe it was the weights they were wearing. Naruto had gotten used to his, and nobody had been given time to take them off.
"Well, um, I guess we can all work on our techniques," said Tenten, letting her smile return though it didn't reach her eyes.
"How are you going to work on yours, Tenten? Every shot hit?" asked Naruto miserably.
"Well, maybe there's some way to use ranged weapons without killing someone," said Tenten.
"You could pin them to a hard surface by their clothes," said Neji thoughtfully. "Though it would require precise targetting and a great many kunai."
Then Naruto remembered this casual conversation was mere days after six deaths. It seemed somehow heresy. "How can you guys be so calm?!" said Naruto. Speaking so casually was spitting on graves. "We... we killed those people?"
"Did you think being a ninja wouldn't involve combat, Naruto?" asked Neji, voice scornful. "Really, you should..." But he did not finish and looked away. So he was feeling it too.
They were just pretending to be okay. Because none of them wanted to think about what they'd done, wouldn't this ever go away?
"You shouldn't dismiss it, Neji," said Guy-sensei. "Taking a life is sometimes necessary, but it's the least youthful part of a ninjas task. The strongest ninja in the world isn't the one who kills all his enemies. It's the one who defeats them all without killing them."
"...Yes, Guy-sensei," said Neji.
Tenten looked up to Kabuto. "Kabuto, have you ever killed anyone?"
"I've seen a lot of death," said Kabuto simply. "It's impossible to save every patient. But, if you mean have I killed someone in combat, no.
"As a medical ninja, I'm expected to avoid combat."
On they walked.
Eventually, they came to a roadblock. There stood a large number of guards with swords and spears. At their head was a silver-haired man clad in violet. Raising a hand, he moved forward. "Hold where you are, travelers. This area is under quarantine by order of the Feudal Lord. If you wish to go any further, we'll need identification."
"Not to worry, soldier," said Guy-sensei. "We're ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. Here to help with containment and rehabilitation."
The man eyed Guy doubtfully, but he removed one hand from his sword. "I see.
"That's good to hear. Things have been going badly in this region. A few of my men fell ill as well and have had to be contained in there." He motioned to a nearby shed. Several other buildings were around as well.
"When was this?" asked Kabuto, coming forward and adjusting his glasses.
"Just today." said the man.
"I'd like to have a look at them at once, if you please, Captain..." Kabuto faltered. "You weren't here last time."
"I am Captain Todoroki," replied the man, "though I think the villagers will need your help more. Only the first symptoms are starting now."
"That's why I want to look at them," said Kabuto. "Part of understanding a disease is based on looking at it in stages of development. By doing so, you can determine how it operates. From there, you can formulate theories for how it works and how best to cure it.
"You four had best stay here; I don't want anyone going in there except me."
"Shouldn't you wear a mask?" asked Todoroki as Kabuto moved forward. "If you get sick, we'll have no medical ninja at all. Where are the others? Shouldn't there be a squad."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. "I'm afraid that I'm all the Leaf could spare. But you don't have to worry. I have a jutsu for this occasion." Then he made hand signs. "Medical Jutsu: Disease shield."
"What does that do?" asked Naruto.
"It creates a thin field around me that filters out impurities in the air," said Kabuto, slipping on some gloves. "It's no good against heavy objects, but it will protect me from breathing in anything or getting germs on my body. Better safe than sorry, of course."
Then he moved off and entered the shed. Todoroki eyed him as he left, then looked back to Naruto. "He seems professional.
"Are you his assistants?"
"No," said Neji. "We're merely here to provide security while he handles things."
"Well, you'll an easy time of it," said Todoromi. "There's nothing here but sick people and the quarantine. Bandits would be mad to try and steal anything from this place.
"Several people have already died as things stand."
Naruto suddenly felt very glad he hadn't turned back. Neji came forward. "So, when did this happen?"
"It was three weeks ago," said Todoroki. "It got here through a trade caravan in the Land of Rice Paddies. Some of those in the caravan were ill and were dead by morning.
"Soon enough, it spread to others."
"If they were clearly sick, shouldn't they have been quarantined," asked Tenten.
"The sickness happened on them very suddenly," said Todoroki. "One day they were fine, the next it killed them. Everyone they talked with also became sick."
"And the others, how long did it take for the disease to show up?" asked Neji.
"Several days," said Todoroki. "I was the garrison commander at the time. As soon the man died, I ordered the roads sealed by the authority of the Feudal Lord. It was an unpopular decision, but I didn't want to take any chances."
"I see," said Neji, face impassive. "How long did it take for the first to be infected to die?"
"They were alive up until a week ago, to be honest," said Todoroki.
"So the original cases of the disease killed and spread very quickly," said Neji. "But the others took a long time to manifest?"
"Yes," said Todoroki.
Neji shifted, and Naruto caught the look in his eye. He was worried. Tenten spoke first, though. "What's wrong, Neji?"
"I have done some reading on Orochimaru's theories of disease," said Neji. "Generally, disease demonstrate certain qualities that are consistent, much like animals. There are mutations, but I've never heard of a disease mutating this quickly.
"Could you show me to the graves of the caravan? I might learn something from them."
"Of course," said Todoroki. "You'd best wear a mask, though."
"We will not have to open them," said Neji. "Lead on."
Todoroki led the three of them away. Guy-sensei stayed behind, speaking with several of the guards. The path led them into the shadow of the mountain above, and soon they came to a village. It was surrounded by a wall of wood, and there were bodies piled outside it. More guards stood near the gates, covered head to toe.
Todoroki went off the path and made his way to a set of graves. "Here they are.
"Do you really think this will help?"
"Yes," said Neji, before activating his Byakugan. "Hmm.
"Where are the others buried?"
"Over here," said Todoroki, motioning. "They are in a mass grave."
Neji moved over to another grave, much larger and gazed into the disturbed dirt. He gazed for a bit then looked away. "I see.
"As I suspected. This was no coincidence."
"What wasn't?" asked Naruto.
"The bodies of the people in the caravan have residual chakra in them. It is a kind similar to those used in medical ninjutsu," said Neji. "Given their sudden death, it may be possible that this was a deliberate strategy — an attempt to spread disease through the Land of Fire.
"We'll bring this information to Kabuto."
They made their way back, and as they did, they found Kabuto coming out and removing his mask. "Ah, Naruto, Neji, Tenten, I was worried when I saw you weren't here. You really shouldn't be going near the infected like this.
"You can't protect me if your sick, after all."
"What did you find?" asked Neji.
"Well, I can confirm that these guards seem to have suffered from a slow-acting disease," said Kabuto. He adjusted his glasses; he did that a lot. "It's fortunate when we arrived when we did. I believe I should be able to put together a vaccine.
"...If Todoroki hadn't shut down the roads, I expect it would have spread to several more villages by now. My compliments on your quick thinking, Captain. You've saved the Land of Fire a lot of trouble."
"About that, Kabuto," said Tenten. "Neji says that the Caravan that got here had chakra residuals on them."
"Chakra residuals?" asked Kabuto, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know, like, residuals that are... um... chakra and stuff..." began Naruto.
"Naruto, don't embarrass us further," said Neji flatly.
"Aw," said Naruto, "that's a bit harsh, isn't it?"
Neji, the jerk, ignored him. "I detected medical ninjutsu on the bodies or something like it. Is it possible that this disease could have been engineered?"
"That..." Kabuto frowned and adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowing. There was something strange about it. "Well, it is possible. Root made were some efforts to combine chakra healing with traditional medicine. After Danzo was murdered, his research was leaked to the public in an effort to undermine the Leaf. That and his brainwashing of children.
"It's conceivable that someone could have utilized that information to conduct research. With enough effort, they might have been able to engineer a disease.
"In any case, I'd best get to work."
"Right," said Guy-sensei, coming back. "I'll speak with Todoroki and learn all I can about this plague and how to stop it."
"Good thinking," said Kabuto, looking to Neji. "Neji, I'll need you to write out exactly what you perceived. If need be, go back to start another examination. Your Byakugan might help with the examination a great deal."
"What should we do?" asked Tenten brightly.
Kabuto looked at her. "...I'm sorry."
"Well, um, we are a team. Is there anything you need us to do?" asked Naruto.
Kabuto paused. "...As a matter of fact, yes there is. Naruto, Tenten, there's a shrine up there on the mountain if memory serves. I'd like you two to pray there for our success."
"Is that really the only thing you've got for us?" asked Naruto incredulously.
"Well, I suppose you could make us some coffee..." began Kabuto.
Naruto sighed. "I'll head up the mountain."
Well, at least he'd get a walk-in.