Emulation of Apathy
Chapter III
"A Journey with Madness"
…
"Of course, it's not the most furnished hideout, but, like I've said, we want one with a good training area. I still think you'll have to put off the training a few days, considering you'll need to rest your injuries once we get there, in which case…perhaps you can start training on Wednesday. That's a good day for training, don't you think?"
How in the hell was Wednesday a better day for training than any other day of the week?
Kabuto had decided to fill quite a bit of their walk with his own voice, and he was beginning to get a little repetitive. He had been discussing this new hideout for almost an hour, now, and he kept reminding Sasuke and Orochimaru that they would need to wait to begin training. Sasuke had stopped responding quite a while ago, but Orochimaru would chime in from time to time to point out how perceptive Kabuto was, or how impressed he was with his intellect.
"Wednesday is a good day to start," Orochimaru now mused with a nod of approval.
As the two continued this trivial conversation, the youngest member of their company began to shift his eyes around the vicinity. They were currently trudging through a long, seemingly endless, open field, a line of trees to their backs, and no end in sight on all other three sides. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, Sasuke determined it was almost noon.
He let his hand fall to his side, and he spread his fingers to run them through the tall blades of grass as he walked past them, pressing his eyes shut and allowing his mind to wander from the scene in front of him. It wandered to a simpler time, away from the insanity. Away from all the contention, the remorse. The revenge…
…
A particular scene unfolded. There was a family, a picnic blanket spread out in a small field, and the mother was slowly unpacking the contents of her basket. The father was sitting beside her, his arms crossed in front of him and a frown in place. Far to the right of them, two children played in the field.
The taller one had his hands pressed in front of his eyes, and the other scampered away from him, ducking beneath the blades of grass and all but vanishing from sight, due to his small size. After a moment, the older son began to make his way around the vicinity, his eyes keen for someone so young, but he could not seem to rest his gaze upon that which he sought. When he was about to give up, however, he caught the sound of laughter, and he headed immediately in its direction, where he dug through the grass to find his little brother smiling up at him.
"Found you, Sasuke."
…
"Sasuke-kun."
His black eyes flew open at the sound of that raspy voice, and he focused his gaze on the intent snake eyes staring back at him. He verbalized no response, but he arched a single eyebrow to indicate he had heard him.
"Kabuto believes we should stop for lunch," Orochimaru explained. "I believe this to be a wise recommendation."
"Fine," Sasuke returned dryly.
"We'll need to disguise ourselves," Kabuto pointed out as he untied his backpack and began shuffling through the contents. With a smile, he pulled out a long cloak and through it around himself, before securing the hood over his head. Turning to Sasuke, he handed one to him as well.
"That's your idea of a disguise?" Sasuke deadpanned, unable to hold back the remark this time. "You look even more obvious that way."
"Oh," Kabuto waved his words away, "I wouldn't expect you to know anything about this. You're new at the art of stealth. But trust me, this has worked for us quite well in the past. Here." He waved the cloak in front of the Uchiha's face.
"Thanks, I'll take my chances," Sasuke shook his head as he shoved the cloak away from himself.
"If you insist," Kabuto shrugged his shoulders, before smiling up at his superior. "And, since no one knows your new face, you should be quite safe, Orochimaru-sama."
When they finally reached the end of the field, they jumped the fence that encased it and stepped onto the road. They continued down this path for some time, silence finally falling in the group, so that, when they passed a farmhouse, a heated argument between the farmer and his wife reached their ears.
"With my sister, no less, you dirty rotten scum-bag!"
"Woman, will you quit yer yelling, dang nabit! Yer scaring away all the goats!"
"I demand an explanation, otherwise I'm taking this to my second-cousin and having him bury yer lying hide!"
"Yer second-cousin couldn't scare an ant!"
"An ant would have the decency to be faithful to his wife!"
"Ants don't got wives, you numbskull!"
A vindictive smile had crossed Orochimaru's face, and Sasuke instinctively leaned away from him. However, the smile was plastered across Kabuto's face, as well.
"This is perfect!" Orochimaru exclaimed.
Within the blink of an eye, the Sannin was crouching on his belly and extending his neck through the air. He wrapped it around the farmer, to catch him in a firm hold, as Kabuto flickered to the porch and grabbed the woman.
Sasuke stared ahead in bewilderment, not quite sure what it was about the exchange that had prompted this sudden onslaught, but Kabuto had thrown the woman to the ground and was now kicking her repeatedly. His pleasant smile had returned, and Orochimaru turned his attention to watch in amusement. When he had nearly choked all of the oxygen out of the man with his neck, the Snake Master released him and let him fall to a mangled heap on the porch. Kabuto crossed the yard and began kicking him as well.
"What…in the hell?" Sasuke blinked twice.
What was the point of this? Was there something they wanted from these two people? Unlikely. It seemed as if they had attacked on a whim, more than anything else. What, then? Were they just sadists?
Whatever the reason, Sasuke tucked his hands in his pockets and walked past the scene with a slight shake of his head. It made no sense, and he did not have the patience to try to figure it out. He decided he was rather hungry after all, and therefore he continued in the direction of the small village, which was now clearly in view. Kabuto and Orochimaru could meet up with him later, whenever they were done sating whatever inane desires had spurred their attack.
It was a quaint village, open to travelers, and a few shops spotted the landscape. Shopping having never interested him, however, Sasuke simply turned his attention on the dining areas, perusing the labels with his eyes. When his gaze fell upon a ramen establishment, the thought of Naruto soared to the front of his mind.
…
Kakashi-sensei was holding that ridiculous book open, the one he enjoyed so immensely he occasionally even read during battles. Having only seen the title once, Sasuke recalled it had "Make-Out" in the title, but that was all. Naruto was trying to read the book again, but Kakashi successfully distracted him by ordering him a bowl of ramen.
"Itadakimasu!"
Sakura laughed at their sensei, complimenting him on employing Naruto's weakness, before breaking her chopsticks apart and beginning her own meal. It was not long, however, before she was yelling at Naruto for being a pig, as he was already demanding seconds.
When Kakashi refused to pay for a second bowl of ramen for the boy, Naruto again tried to read the Jounin's book, and the man hurriedly ordered more ramen.
Sasuke had smirked at this, remarking that Naruto had now employed Kakashi's weakness, and Sakura offered a ladylike laugh in response.
…
Sasuke vigorously shook the thought from his head and immediately continued his search. But it was proving difficult to find an eating establishment that did not rouse some memory. The barbeque reminded him of Chouji and Shikamaru, both people who had been amongst the group who had been sent to bring him back to Konoha. The dumplings reminded him of Kakashi. The tea shop…
The tea shop.
He frowned, burying his hands deeper in his pockets as he walked past the place, the aroma of jasmine invading his senses. He pressed his eyes shut.
"Sasuke-kun."
"Gah!" Sasuke involuntarily jumped, his eyes flying open as he spun around to find Orochimaru standing directly behind him. "Stop doing that!"
"You are quite safe, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru smiled down at him. "You made the right decision, after all."
Sasuke simply shook his head, ignoring what the man had to say and searching the premises with his eyes. "Where's Kabuto?"
That same, throaty laugh sounded again, and Orochimaru replied softly, "Gathering." Turning his back to Sasuke, he instructed, "Now then, come."
"Are we not eating anymore?" Sasuke asked in a disinterested tone, though he could feel his stomach grumbling in protest.
"Oh, we're eating," Orochimaru's unnaturally long tongue protruded from his mouth and he licked his lips. "What is it you prey on, Sasuke-kun?"
Prey on? Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a glare, the image of his brother flashing through his mind, and he shot back, "I don't eat my prey, if that's what you're asking."
Orochimaru chuckled, taking a turn and leading the boy into a simple diner. However, he gave Sasuke no further response and simply took his seat at a booth, and the Uchiha assumed the seat across from him. The place was rather populated, and the noise of multiple conversations and the clatter of silverware swelled around them.
Sasuke folded his hands atop the table, scanning the area briefly, before glancing back at Orochimaru, but he soon regretted it. What was with that creepy stare? Keeping his expression blank, however, Sasuke grabbed a menu and unfolded it, before setting it on the table between him and Orochimaru. He pretended to consider the choices, but, in truth, he already knew what he wanted, and he really was only interested in finding some way to avoid that man's stare.
What did it mean, that Kabuto was gathering? Gathering what? The boy's mind wandered to the couple they had attacked, and he wondered if, perhaps, they did have information to be gathered.
"When your training commences," Orochimaru began, and Sasuke's head immediately shot up from the menu. Orochimaru smiled, before continuing, "When we begin your training, the first thing you will learn is to call upon snakes."
"Call upon snakes," Sasuke's brow rose a fraction, and his mind flickered to the memory of the enormous frog Naruto had summoned during his fight with Gaara. He clenched his hand into a fist. Excellent. Finally, he would be able to have the same quality of training that Jiraiya had given Naruto.
"And after that?" he demanded.
"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru shook his head with a slight tsk. "Patience."
"I don't have time for patience," Sasuke snapped.
A chuckle escaped Orochimaru's mouth, just as a waitress stepped forward and smiled at the pair of them.
"Good afternoon," she greeted with a slight bow of her head. "What can I get for you today?"
"Lamb soup," Orochimaru's eyes widened as he said it. "And roast chicken. Sake…I always want sake."
"Yes, sir," she nodded, before turning to Sasuke. "And for you?"
"The bonito rice balls," Sasuke replied, folding his menu and sliding it across the table for the waitress to pick up. "And," he hesitated a moment, but the tea shop had left him feeling nostalgic, "jasmine tea."
"Jasmine tea…," Orochimaru mused, and Sasuke could feel the man's gaze on him once more. He opted to ignore it, however.
"Alright, I'll bring out your tea and sake in just a few minutes," the woman flashed a smile, before disappearing in the crowd of the restaurant.
After a brief silence ensued between them, Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a glare, but he did not lift his gaze from the table. "What of it?" he asked dryly.
"As I recall, jasmine tea was a particular favorite," the Sannin said slowly, deliberately, and he paused for dramatic effect, "…of Uchiha Itachi."
Sasuke shot his glare to Orochimaru, but he made no response. Rather, he took a moment to compose himself, adopted a bored demeanor, and then swept his stare around the diner. It was at this moment that he noticed an out-of-place figure in the doorway, and he furrowed his brow. He was wearing a long cape, with a hood covering most of his face. His head darted back and forth, as if he was making sure no one was following him.
What a suspicious character…
In that instant, however, he realized it was Kabuto. He released a frustrated sigh, his eyes narrowing in annoyance as the man made his way across the restaurant and then took the seat beside Orochimaru.
"Will you please take that cape off?" Sasuke drawled. "You look ridiculous."
"If you don't want to rouse suspicion, trust my judgment," Kabuto told him with a firm nod, and he lifted a hand to readjust his glasses.
The boy shook his head at the older Genin, deciding that nothing he could say would dissuade Kabuto from his foolish antics. Therefore, he simply probed the question, "Where were you?"
"Oh, I needed a few extra corpses," Kabuto's expression adopted that pleasant smile once more. "You see, that man and woman were the perfect height, and I was missing them in my summoning scroll."
"Corpses?" Sasuke kept a mildly annoyed expression, but he began to feel a little disturbed.
"Oh, yes," Kabuto nodded as he leaned over Orochimaru's shoulder to read the menu that the Sannin had refrained from passing to their waitress. "What did you order, Orochimaru-sama?"
As they discussed the meal options, Sasuke wondered what they had needed the corpses for. And, if that was all they needed, why Kabuto had been kicking them earlier.
'Oh, why am I even bothering?' Sasuke thought, internally rolling his eyes. 'I've already established they're both insane.'
The sun was low in the sky as the group made their way down the road, their shadows stretched far in front of them on the ground. A pleasant silence had fallen after they had eaten, one which had not been disturbed for some time, and Sasuke found himself feeling oddly content. Well, perhaps not content, in the fullness of the word, but at least experiencing a brief moment of peace amidst all of the chaos of the past few days.
But, it was quickly shattered when Kabuto halted suddenly in his steps, staring down at the ground with a blank expression and then at his empty hands, before stating, "I left my wallet at the diner."
Sasuke felt his eye twitch. Kabuto was not only insane, but an idiot!
By the time they had once again reached the same spot on the road, after having returned to the diner, searched the vicinity for some time and finally retrieved the idiot's wallet, the sun was now descending below the tree line behind them, and streaks of orange and pink colored the sky.
This was ridiculous. At this rate, it would take even longer to reach the hideout, and, despite his frequent claims he wanted to begin training immediately and was in perfect health, Sasuke could feel the strain of his injuries beginning to take their toll once more. However, he was hesitant to request any healing techniques from Kabuto, as the man would undoubtedly reiterate his concern for their health and urge Orochimaru to wait several weeks before training. Which, quite frankly, was unacceptable.
Therefore, as inconspicuously as he could manage, Sasuke slid his right hand over his left arm to ease the pressure he felt building up once more. The cursed seal was acting up again, and it was making his injured arm ache. As he took note of this, however, a new train of thought crossed the Uchiha's mind.
'Why isn't learning to control the Seal my first stage of training?' he wondered, and his black eyes fell upon Orochimaru, who was walking leisurely beside him with a contented smile in place.
Had the man not even considered it? It was highly probable.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke addressed him, and when the Sannin rested his snake eyes on him, the boy wondered if perhaps it was a mistake to break the welcomed silence. No matter, it was too late now. "When are you going to train me to use this?" and, as he asked, Sasuke gestured to the mark on his neck. "Shouldn't that be the first thing I learn? It will probably get in the way of any other training, considering the damage it does to my chakra."
"He makes a valid point, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto nodded in agreement. "Perhaps that should be the first step."
"Yes, perhaps it should," Orochimaru mused. "Very well, Sasuke-kun. That will be the first thing I teach you."
So, he really had not considered it. Ridiculous. Sasuke held back the scoff he was tempted to release for the man overlooking such an obvious detail, and he instead returned his eyes to take in what remained of the sunset in the ever darkening sky.
Well, he could not say it was altogether unexpected, considering the progress they had been making all day, what with Kabuto and Orochimaru's random detours. Especially Kabuto. But it was still frustrating. When they reached the next village, they had decided to stop at an inn for the night. At Sasuke's request, they had paid for two rooms—the shinobi not the least bit inclined to share a room with those two. Especially Orochimaru.
They currently sat together at a table in the inn's dining area, where the Legendary Sannin was wrapping his tongue around his plate to ensure he had licked up every last scrap of eggs. Kabuto was wearing his smile as he scrawled on a piece of paper. He seemed to be taking notes of something. Sasuke sat across from them, long since abandoning his meal, one elbow resting on the table and his chin propped in the palm of his hand. He gazed at Orochimaru and Kabuto with a bored expression in place.
He was not entirely sure why, but he was beginning to feel oddly superior to both of them. Perhaps it was the simple fact that he had managed to retain his sanity, and they were clearly bat-shit crazy. But it seemed like there was more to it than that, as if, in some way, he had more sense than either of them, and that, maybe, just maybe, he was smarter.
He knew he was smarter than Kabuto. That was a no-brainer.
But he was still speculating how he felt about Orochimaru. The man seemed as though he had throngs of knowledge, but knowledge did not necessarily make one smart. For instance, Sakura was perfectly knowledgeable, admittedly more than he was, but she was not smarter than him. Not that she was an idiot, the girl was still very intelligent, but he had never once questioned his superior intelligence.
Perhaps it was a matter of wisdom, then.
That would make sense. Orochimaru did not seem particularly wise. Then again, Sasuke was not entirely certain if he would classify himself as wise, either, so that argument might not be enough to explain it. He was not sure what to think of many things, anymore, and he suspected it had something to do with spending time with these two. They really were confusing him.
"Well, it's getting late," Kabuto announced. Folding his scroll and securely fastening the tie around it, Kabuto then stowed it and his pencil away in his backpack once more. "You both need your rest. We should arrive on location by noon tomorrow, if all goes as planned."
"Excellent," Orochimaru grinned, and his sharp teeth protruded from his mouth, at which Sasuke found himself making a vaguely disgusted face. "You always have the most astonishing plans, Kabuto."
Did he? Did he, really? If that was good planning, Heaven forbid the plans ever be left to Orochimaru.
"Here," Kabuto offered his hand to help the Sannin to his feet, and the man accepted it. "Let's get you to your room, and then I'll apply another healing technique," he told Orochimaru, before glancing down at Sasuke with a smile. "I'll do the same for you, too. I'm sure your wounds could use it."
"I'm fine," Sasuke shot back in his usual dry tone, but even as he said it, his legs screamed in protest as he put pressure on them to stand, and his back sent stabbing pains through him as he straightened his stance.
"Well, I'll give it to you, anyway," Kabuto stated, using his free hand to fix his glasses. "I'm the medic, after all, and it's what I say is for the best."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Kabuto, but he did not argue. He proceeded to simply walk past the pair of them and then make his way out of the open room to the single staircase in the adjacent hall. He slowly ascended it to the second floor, walked past the many doors that lined the walls, before coming to a stop outside his own door. Taking the key from his pocket, he unlocked the room and pushed the door open.
It was a quaint room, with a single nightstand, a closet, and a large sliding glass door that led out onto a small balcony overlooking the insignificant little village. The bed had several layers of blankets and four pillows. In all, it was actually more furnished than his room at the hideout had been.
What did Orochimaru and Kabuto have against comfort, anyway?
Shaking his head of the thought, however, Sasuke crossed the room and set his backpack on the floor in front of the nightstand. Though he knew it was probably a necessary stage in the healing process, he did not want to wait for Kabuto. Healing techniques always took such a long time to perform, they were such laborious tasks, and Sasuke could already feel his eyes drooping.
He soon disregarded any counsel to wait for Kabuto, and he instead pulled the curtains shut to block out the city lights, locked the bedroom door and then flicked the light off. He crossed the room in darkness, feeling his way to his bed, where he snuggled comfortably beneath the blankets and let his head fall against the pillows.
No, that was too much. His neck felt strained. Sasuke tiredly pushed three of the pillows aside, not paying much heed where they landed, before resting his head against the single pillow that remained and nodding in approval. That felt much better. He allowed his heavy eyelids to fall closed, alleviating the strain he had been placing on his stinging eyes.
Within seconds, it seemed, he drifted off into unconsciousness.
"Orochimaru-sama, I believe it will save time if we head east."
"Dear Kabuto. You are as sharp as always."
Sasuke held back the sigh, not sure which would be smarter—to follow Orochimaru's random sense of direction, or another of Kabuto's marvelous plans. Not that it mattered which was smarter. Orochimaru had already opted to take Kabuto up on his suggestion, yet again, and they therefore began heading east.
When Kabuto had attempted to give Sasuke his healing the night before, he had found his path blocked by the locked door, and he therefore decided to wait until the next morning. However, the Uchiha had slept in longer than Kabuto would have liked, and Sasuke had therefore been awoken to the sound of banging against his door. That had gone over very poorly. It was no secret that Sasuke was a grouchy riser, he hated it when anyone woke him up, and he had snapped at Kabuto for it and unlocked the door just for the satisfaction of slamming it in the man's face.
Of course, after a half hour or so, Sasuke had let Kabuto in and received the healing technique, simply because he knew it was necessary, and because sleep had eluded him in that timeframe. Within the hour, they had headed out once more, and Sasuke had soon come to discover that Orochimaru had gone shopping in the town, insisting that Sasuke's wardrobe needed to be updated.
He had not changed his attire quite yet, however. Orochimaru had bought fabric, and explained that Kabuto was excellent at sewing, and he would therefore be the one to make Sasuke's clothes. Well, that was hardly comforting. If Kabuto's sewing was anything like his cooking, strategizing and planning, the young Uchiha found himself dreading whatever the Genin would end up putting together.
Presently, they were walking through a deep forest, which was apparently where this hideout was located, and Sasuke vaguely remembered something Kabuto had mentioned on his first day with them. Something about preferring forests. With a slight roll of his eyes, the shinobi internally mused how it was no surprise they were headed to this particular hideout, since it had been of Kabuto's choosing. Honestly, how predictable.
"Ahhh!"
Orochimaru came to a halt so abruptly that Sasuke nearly ran into him, but, thankfully, he stopped himself just in time.
"I do believe you were right again, Kabuto," the Snake Master complimented, the toothy grin returning to his countenance.
Right? About what?
"Come, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru instructed, before walking around a wide tree. As Sasuke hurried around it, he just caught sight of the man disappearing into the ground, and he furrowed his brown in perplexity. However, after a moment of perusing the area with his eyes, he noticed a circular metal platform, and an open whole in the center.
"If you please, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto gestured to the black pit, and the young Uchiha held back a sigh.
Stepping forward and deciding not to question this method, Sasuke let one foot hover over the darkness for a brief moment, before jumping down. He fell for only a moment, before meeting an unexpected landing on what felt like earth, and he stumbled against the nearby wall. As his eyes focused, his took in the vicinity.
As it turned out, the ground was earth. It seemed to be constructed from some type of rock, and the wall was the same. Along the wall and the ceiling ran wooden beams, which, no doubt held the place intact, and along the beams, there were artificial lights set some distance apart, leaving a dim illumination.
The longer he stared at the area surrounding him, the more and more it began to remind him of a bunker.
He heard a loud thud behind him, and he guessed it was Kabuto. The Genin walked forward to stand beside Sasuke, and, with a smile, he instructed, "Come with me, I'll show you to your room."
The boy made no complaint and fell into step behind Kabuto, again allowing his eyes to wander around the area and committing this new hideout to memory. As he began this process, however, he remembered an earlier thought and quickly asked Kabuto, "Do you have a map of all the hideouts?"
Orochimaru's throaty laugh directly behind him made Sasuke internally flinch, and when Kabuto glanced back at him with that pleasant smile—which was really starting to get on his nerves—the shinobi narrowed his eyes into a glare, wanting to know what they found so entertaining.
"Kabuto, he wants to know if we have a map," Orochimaru remarked, amusement lining his voice.
"Sasuke-kun, if we had a physical map, it could be stolen and used by an enemy," Kabuto informed him in a patronizing tone. Lifting a hand to push his glasses up the brim of his nose, the older ninja stated, "It is much smarter to embed a map in one's memory. That way, it can never be stolen. We have never once made a map."
"But, then," Sasuke furrowed his brow a fraction in his confusion, "how did you make plans for the structure of the hideouts?"
"Oh, we made it up as we went along," Kabuto stated matter-of-factly.
Made it…up?
Sasuke let his eyes wander around the structure once more, and he felt a sudden fear engulf him, that the entire place would collapse upon itself at any given moment. Glancing back at the two men before him to take in Kabuto's pleasant smile and Orochimaru's unnerving grin, he felt his eye twitch, just as it had the day before.
They were idiots!