AN: Hello again all! Chapter IV has arrived. I have not gotten a lot of reviews so I am unsure of how you all perceive this story. Please leave a comment about the story, anything from a thought to your opinion so far would be much appreciated. Anyway, on to the chapter.
I do not own Naruto.
Chapter IV
"Do you have any idea how many prisoners I had to whisper that stupid phrase to? I am positive that half of this institution thinks I'm delirious." Maroi stated with distaste. "But," pointing to Ryuuzetsu with his right hand, "to be able to meet with you, pretty eyes, made it worth it." The cheshire cat smile following the sentence put Naruto on edge. It made him hesitant to occupy the seat next to Ryuuzetsu. Taking notice of the blonde's hesitancy Maroi addressed Naruto, "Come on and pop a squat blondie, I promise I only bite the cute ones." A shameless wink towards Ryuuzetsu followed Maroi's statement.
Naruto looked down at Ryuuzetsu to see that she indeed shared his uncomfortableness. Maroi just gave off this weird feeling that Naruto couldn't ignore. Pushing the feeling aside Naruto took the seat next to Ryuuzetsu. Noticing Naruto's muteness Maroi began talking again, "So blondie, are you going to say something or what?" Immediately turning away from Naruto, Maroi asked Ryuuzetsu, "Is he a mute or what?" Naruto took a calm breath before addressing Maroi's accusations. "No, I am indeed not a mute. Your audacious and brash attitude caught me off guard." In truth, Naruto should be used to someone like this. His master Jiraiya often acted like this after all.
Naruto ended his thoughts of his master before returning to thinking about is next move. They have the informant in front of them, they need to get as much information as possible now. The less they have to deal with his brazen nature the better. "Since you have been in here awhile I am going to go ahead and assume you have guard movements mapped out already?" Naruto asked Maroi quizzingly. Maroi leaned back in his seat and smiled arrogantly. "Of course, I have them mapped out but I have another way in." Maroi's arrogant smirk morphed into a serious expressionless façade. "It was originally why you were contacted for this mission. I wrote to my superiors in the Cloud that to complete this mission I would need the top seal master available. Mui has been snooping around the workshops during the recreational hours looking for everything from amateur to master level sealers." Maroi took a few seconds to regain his breath.
In those few seconds Naruto and Ryuuzetsu digested his monologue. No doubt Mui was looking for an inmate to open the Box. Their thoughts were cut off when Maroi started again. "I have already had one of my contacts selected to take part in this 'secret' project of Mui's. I lost contact with him several weeks ago though. From what I understand about the process is that when people are chosen their quarters are moved to the very last building of the facility. The eighth building on the west side is the site for this project. I was unable to gain anymore information than that. Once you are moved, you lose contact with the rest of the inmates." Maroi's grave expression never changed throughout his short speech.
Naruto carefully sorted through every detail he just heard. Naruto's mind was in fifth gear trying to work out all the different scenario's that could result from him possibly going and working on this secret project. Before he committed to this project they would need to create a form of communication, a way to meet and devise some plan that was open to improvising. In the middle of Naruto's thoughts, he heard a loud bell. Maroi read Naruto and Ryuuzetsu's confused expressions and simply stated, "That bell signifies the end of the meal time period." Nodding in understanding Naruto and Ryuuzetsu stood up to leave but before they could depart Maroi said, "Meet me at this same exact table tomorrow so we can discuss our plan of action. Until then, sleep tight blondie and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow pretty eyes." Maroi winked towards Ryuuzetsu as he trekked back in the opposite direction of Naruto and Ryuuzetsu.
-Inside Naruto's Cell-
The meeting left Naruto with a plethora of thoughts. He kept thinking about how to infiltrate Mui's project while staying in contact with his teammates. All of Naruto's ideas were incompetent in his opinion. He wanted a perfect plan. A plan where he could destroy this box and leave this hell hole.
Peering over from the opposite side of the cell they shared, Ryuuzetsu watched Naruto's facial expression merry-go-round. Naruto would think he had his plan figured out, then he would find a flaw and his face would drop immediately into a frown. She found it quite funny. Deciding to help the troubled blond she spoke up, "Would you like a little help over there?"
Naruto's body jolted and then he remembered where he was. Looking up he saw Ryuuzetsu laying on her bed across from him with a small smile decorating her face. In his opinion she was quite beautiful and she did deserve the title of pretty eyes. Her eyes were a wonderous shade of amethyst. Like his mothers. Curse Jiraiya for tainting his mind. Jiraiya, toads, that's it! That's how Naruto could overcome the communication problem. He only needed a small amount of chakra to summon messenger toads so the fire seal would not be activated, right?
Ryuuzetsu's cheeks were tinted pink when she noticed Naruto staring right at her. Her blush faded away though when she saw his face adopt a serious expression. She could tell that he made a small breakthrough in one of his ideas. She wanted to ask him about it but at the same time she did not want to derail his train of thought. Throwing caution into the wind she sat up on her mattress and asked him, "Naruto, did you figure something out?"
Naruto lifted his head up and smiled before saying, "Yes, I think I figured out a way to communicate with you if I were to work on this secret project." Ryuuzetsu expression of happiness changed to one of suspicion and she responded, "How exactly are you going to be able to communicate with me when Maroi's contact was unreachable?" She was suspicious because she had heard too many stupid ideas to put her confidence behind an idea she has not heard yet. Naruto peeked out the bars of his cell to make sure nobody was listening to their conversation. He realized they were being a little careless when they were speaking their minds freely just now. To put his anxiety at ease Naruto stood up and walked across the room towards Ryuuzetsu. He calmly took a seat next to her and started explaining his idea. "I have a summoning contract with the Toads. If I am able to use enough chakra to summon a messenger toad I will be able to communicate with you across the compound. The only question is if the fire seal will let me use enough chakra for the summoning." Ryuuzetsu nodded her head along with Naruto's words. It was a brilliant idea but the matter of fact is that Mui's seal might hinder the amount of chakra he could push through his coils and expel out of his body. Thinking on her feet Ryuuzetsu blurted out, "Take off your shirt."
Naruto froze when he heard her remark. Naruto slowly turned his head in Ryuuzetsu's direction to see a light blush on her face. Naruto's face was not any better. Ryuuzetsu could see a light blush spreading across his cheeks. Feeling the need to explain herself Ryuuzetsu said, "Take off your shirt so we can examine Mui's seal. If we can find a backdoor in the matrices then you could use your chakra freely and contact me." Naruto's mind dug itself out from the dirty ditch it was in and he complied with her request.
Pulling his shirt off his body Naruto's toned body was revealed to Ryuuzetsu. Her face darkened a few shades. She looked away to regain her bearings. Naruto was very attractive in her opinion but she had a mission to complete. Focusing on the task at hand she forced down her blush and turned back towards Naruto. She easily saw the red seal showcased across his tanned skin. Ryuuzetsu had a little knowledge on sealing. Enough to understand how to make and decipher several amateur level seals, like a container seal used on sealing scrolls. Studying each rectangular mark Ryuuzetsu failed to even comprehend what matrices were woven into other matrices. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto move his arm and his hand in her direction. Watching his hand now she saw him move it till in what next to the mark she was studying.
Pointing at the edge of the mark Naruto said, "The edge of this matrix here on the outside is a containment seal, similar to that of a sealing scroll. But, it is a little more complex because the style used in this seal is meant to hold something stronger than an ordinary item. If I were to take a guess, I would say that Mui has stored some of his own chakra in the seal." Ryuuzetsu looked up at Naruto in astonishment. He just looked at this seal for less than a minute and he figured it out already? He was deserving of his seal master status. Continuing from where he left off Naruto said, "It is interwoven to a second seal on an inner layer. This second seal here," pointing to an inner portion of the rectangle, "is a chakra binding seal. This is the part of the seal that disables the user's chakra. It will be tricky to release because the base of this entire seal is a fire seal. This fire seal in the middle," Naruto now pointed to the small red kanji in the middle of the rectangle, "is triggered by the chakra binding seal. If I do not disable the binding seal correctly I could possibly destroy the connection between the two seals. Thus, the fire seal would not be limited to a trigger mechanism. The seal would be on constantly and I would spontaneously combust."
Ryuuzetsu's eyes were as wide as their cell block after Naruto's explanation. Removing the seal would make their mission simpler but she refused to risk Naruto's safety. His seal knowledge was detrimental to getting into Mui's project. Reconsidering the options discussed a couple of minutes ago Ryuuzetsu asked Naruto, "Have you tried molding and expelling chakra since the seal was applied?" Naruto scrunched his face in thought. He did not try to test the limits of the seal. Naruto took a few steps away from Ryuuzetsu. Now standing in the middle of the cell, Naruto did a few quick stretches.
After Naruto finished doing his stretches he formed the dog sign with his right hand. Taking a deep breath, Naruto pushed his chakra through his coils and tried to expel it through points in his body. Naruto prepared himself to feel the effects of the seal but he felt nothing. He decided to be more daring and use a little more chakra, it was a terrible idea. The seal illuminated a bright red color and then Naruto felt it. The burning sensation from registration burned anew inside Naruto. Once again, his internal body temperature was turned up tens of degrees.
Ryuuzetsu could do nothing but sit in astonishment. Naruto's face communicated nothing but pure agony and pain. So painful he could not even scream. His silent screams of pain told Ryuuzetsu everything she needed to know about their little experiment. You could use the most miniscule amount of chakra, but anything more than that guarantees an agonizing experience. For close to a minute the seal radiated and made Naruto feel like his body was spontaneously combusting. When the minute finally ended and the seal faded Ryuuzetsu approached Naruto. Kneeling down she placed her hand close to his neck and felt for a pulse. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Bump. His pulse was faint but Ryuuzetsu could confirm her partner was still living.
Ryuuzetsu took a deep breath before she tried to lift Naruto. If she could use chakra to enhance her strength lifting a larger man would be no problem. But, after Naruto's last display she did not want to join him in the realm of unconsciousness. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself before she tried to move the heavier man in front of her. Getting down on one knee she pulled Naruto so he was sitting upright. With Naruto now in an upright position she hooked her arms around his body. It looked like Ryuuzetsu was hugging Naruto from behind. With her arms locked in place she dragged Naruto's body to his side of the cell. It took her thirty seconds but Ryuuzetsu made it to where she was now perpendicular to his bed. Taking another deep breath Ryuuzetsu squatted down and did her best to lift Naruto onto the mattress. She partially succeeded. Naruto's entire upper body was now resting on the bed. With the hard part out of the way Ryuuzetsu easily moved his legs to be level with the rest of his body.
Walking back to her bunk, Ryuuzetsu laid down and relaxed for the first time all day. This was just the first day off her mission. If all of the days were going to be this crazy she dreaded she would see the mission to its completion.
-The Next Morning-
The feeling of soreness is what Naruto woke up to the next morning. His entire body felt like it had been used as a target for jutsu practice. Groaning he turned over to get off his back and when he did he was met with the feeling of weightlessness. Naruto was momentarily stunned before his face was properly introduced to the concrete floor. The loud noise of Naruto hitting the floor permeated the walls of the facility. "What a great way to start my morning," Naruto thought.
Ryuuzetsu shot out of bed, startled by the noise. Already in a taijutsu stance, peering around looking for any hostiles. As she was peering around she saw her roommate facedown, groaning into the concrete floor of their cell. At least he was alive. His wellbeing was up in the air though.
Groggily spouting nonsense into the concrete Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position. Looking over to his cell mate Naruto noticed her stance. He chuckled before commenting, "Are you planning on taking out all zero hostiles in the room?" Ryuuzetsu was brought out of her thoughts by Naruto's playful jab. Responding in kind Ryuuzetsu said, "At least I am ready to take out the hostiles. How to you expect to take out another ninja while you are sitting on the ground?" Naruto just waved off her response with a smile.
Naruto slowly stood up before continuing their conversation. "I think we made a break through last night and I wanted to try something before we are called for breakfast." Looking over at Naruto questioningly she made a look that beckoned him to continue. "I think I have solved our communication problem. When I was funneling miniscule amounts of chakra last night I was using the same amount as I normally would to summon one of my messenger toads. If I can replicate that amount of chakra like I know I can, we will be able to communicate." Ryuuzetsu sat back down on the edge of her bunk. She brought her hand up to her face and wore a thoughtful expression. She broke her expression several seconds later and said, "That is great. We will need to test it out later tonight when everyone is none the wiser." Naruto nodded as she was expressing her thoughts and concerns.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted by a guard's yell, "Get up you maggots! Its time for breakfast!" Immediately after the guard's yell permeated their jail cell Naruto said, "We can meet with Maroi at breakfast. He said he knew a way for me to get inside the workshop. We can further discuss our plan of action when we receive more details as well." Ryuuzetsu agreed with Naruto and she stood up from her position on her bed. They were both ready to meet with Maroi and get this mission moving.
-In the Cafeteria-
Walking along the wall with their metal trays Naruto and Ryuuzetsu waited in line for their meal. While they were waiting they both inconspicuously looked over to the table they met Maroi at yesterday to see that he was in the same seat as the other day. Shuffling along Naruto and Ryuuzetsu received their questionable food and made their way towards their contact. Sitting down they were greeted with Maroi saying, "Good morning pretty eyes. I assume you slept well?" Ryuuzetsu just returned his charmed talk with a deadpan stare. Deciding to just play along she said, "Yes, I slept fine." Both Naruto and Maroi could clearly hear the distaste she responded with. Although, Maroi just ignored her tone and shamefully exclaimed, "If you ever want a better night of sleep you know whose cell to come to." Maroi ended his statement with a wink and a cheshire grin.
Naruto pushed their exchange aside and asked Maroi, "How can I get to this seal workshop to infiltrate Maroi's project?" Maroi leaned back and digested Naruto's words. Leaning forward Maroi said, "Ok. During free time there are different workshops inmates can attend. They can also go out into the yard and do whatever the hell they want but that is not your concern. One of the buildings by the free time courtyard holds all of the workshops. The courtyard trail will lead you to the most southern building in the back of the facility. The workshop building is across from the building that houses Mui's secret project." Naruto nodded along as Maroi divulged what information he knew about the workshops.
Naruto gave a pensive look towards Maroi and asked, "Are you completely, one-hundred percent sure?" Maroi just returned Naruto's pensive stare with one of his own and said, "Absolutely blondie." Naruto's stern expression relaxed and he turned to face Ryuuzetsu. "I have an idea. This afternoon I will head towards the workshop building. I will do some reconnaissance of the seal workshop. I will try to get a better understanding of how the workshop functions. While I am doing reconnaissance in the workshop you can do some reconnaissance of the building Mui is keeping his secret project in. What do you think?" Naruto said calmly.
Ryuuzetsu considered agreeing with Naruto's plan of action. It was fairly straightforward and not very risky. Deciding to voice one of her own ideas she suggested, "Would you rather have us both attend the workshop? I know it will be important to have information about the target but I think it would be better to have two sets of eyes inside than one." Naruto contemplated the two options laid out in front of him. Ryuuzetsu seemed agreeable and would let him make the final choice. He just had to make the right choice. After internally deliberating for close to twenty seconds Naruto said, "Alright, I think your idea is the right course of action to take." Ryuuzetsu grinned. She was happy her idea was chosen. She knew that if one person were to miss a small detail the other person would be able to pick it up. It only seemed right in her mind.
Naruto opened his mouth to say something else but he was interrupted by a loud bell. Breakfast was over, it was time for their plan to come into fruition.
-Until Next Time-
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