AN: Hello all readers, welcome to the eighth installment of Hard Time. Life sucks. I'm sure everyone knows that already. You prepare for life to punch you in the face and kick you while you're down but sometimes the beating is worse than what you prepared for. As always, I implore you to leave a review on what you thought about the chapter and as always constructive criticism is welcome.

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter VIII

"Approach the door backwards with your hands behind your back." The command from the guard was something Naruto knew he couldn't do. If he was to play this off then he would need to be touching the pillow disguised as Ryuuzetsu at all times. The minute his touch was disconnected from that pillow is the minute the guards would see that Ryuuzetsu is not in the cell and the minute they would start hunting her down.

Naruto tried to be smart about the situation. Maybe he could talk his way out of it? With that idea in his mind Naruto said, "My apologies gentleman but I won't be able to follow your orders. You see my cell mate decided to test the limit of the seal on her body…. Subsequently she has been knocked out for a couple hours now. I hope you don't mind if I hold her up during the inspection."

Naruto prayed that they would buy into his false explanation. Surely these guards have experienced an inmate that has tried to test the limits of the seal before? It didn't matter now. He had already pleaded his case. His only hope now was that the guards would buy it.

During the verbal exchange the guards had made their way into the entrance of the cell. The two men didn't look pleased. The guard on Naruto's right spoke first, "Fair enough, place your cell mate on her bed and we will inspect around her." The drawl accompanying the guards voice showed he was very unhappy about this entire scenario.

Naruto was sweating internally though. If he placed Ryuuzetsu on the bed his chakra connection would be broken and the result wouldn't be good. Thinking on his feet Naruto quickly retorted, "I wouldn't want to inconvenience your inspection. Please look around the cell while I stand outside with my friend." Naruto's smile didn't fool the guards, if anything they looked pissed off now.

The guard on Naruto's left removed his baton from his holster and approached him. "We will ask you one more time. Place your friend on the bed and approach the entrance of the cell backwards with your hands behind your back." The stern expression worn by the guard told Naruto that he was in the danger zone now.

Throwing caution into the wind Naruto walked towards the guards with Ryuuzetsu in his hands. "I insist though. I just want to help you here." Naruto's pleas seemed to work as the guard gave Naruto a nod in return.

The guard on Naruto's left walked past Naruto and into the cell. Naruto just ignored him and continued his slow trek towards the cell entrance. What Naruto wasn't expecting though was for the guard who went in behind him to take his baton and slam it into his left hamstring. With a loud grunt Naruto fell to one knee. The hard-molded plastic stung every fiber of his muscle.

The guard wasn't done though. He followed up the leg strike with a resounding strike to Naruto's back. This time Naruto couldn't help but release a small groan from his lips. The strike sent Naruto to the ground and left him in a prone position. Ryuuzetsu was now almost out of his reach the pillow disguised body was now just in front of his hands. The guard stood over Naruto, peering down on his like he was his prey. He turned to the other guard at the entrance and said, "Cuff him Fuji. I don't want any more problems during the inspection."

After several seconds the next sound to reach his ears was the clicking of hand cuffs. Naruto wanted to fight back. He could take these guards easily but where would that get him. They would call for back up and then they would uncover the secret of Ryuuzetsu's whereabouts.

Fuji then went to grab Ryuuzetsu's arm only for his hand to pass through her body. Confused as to what just happened he started probing that area with his baton. Like before, his baton went right through the apparition. Finally losing patience Fuji kicked Ryuuzetsu's body and his confusion changed into an expression of pure rage. When he kicked Ryuuzetsu's body away he saw her bodily apparition disappear and transform back into a pillow. Growling is a dangerous voice Fuji said, "It was a disguise, a fucking disguise! Kosuke! Sound the alarm, we have a prisoner on the loose!" Those were the last words Naruto heard as the Fuji's baton struck the back of Naruto's head, knocking him out.

-With Ryuuzetsu-

Her soft steps went unheard throughout the small room. The riot had provided the perfect cover for her to investigate most of the prison. Her original plan was to go building by building and hopefully find the Box of Enlightenment. That plan immediately changed though when she noticed some peculiar construction happening in the corner of the prison. It wasn't the type of construction that caught her eye though, wall and building upkeep was probably normal for a prison. It was where the construction workers were from. The construction workers were from the Cloud Village. Their hard hats had the traditional three clouds adjourned on the side.

What business did the Cloud village have here? She would have to ask Maroi about this. He would definitely know something about the project. She was regressing though. Her focus should be on the room she was investigating right now. Ryuuzetsu was currently inside the building across from the recreational building. This was her second building. She had an entire night to investigate the entire facility, she could afford to take her time.

The first building was nothing special. The first building she went to was the cafeteria. The mysterious room adjacent to the inmate's meal tables held nothing special. Some idiot even left the door to the room unlocked! The only notable thing she thought she found in that part of the building was the small armory, but even then, she couldn't take any weapons with her. If she carried a kunai knife or ninja stars with her she would be killed on site.

Ryuuzetsu figured she would find nothing in some of these buildings, that's why she went straight for the administration building after her escapade in the cafeteria. That lead her to the very room she was in right now. She was in what she could only assume to be the records office. File cabinets lined the walls. The only thing in this room was file cabinets. Feeding her curiosity, she opened the middle drawer of the first cabinet. She started to flicker through files and it didn't take her long to figure out that these were all the files on all of the inmates in the prison.

The files were alphabetized by last name. Immediately her first thought was to find the file on Maroi, maybe learn more about the elusive and sketchy man but she quickly discarded that idea. These files were alphabetized by last name. She didn't know the man's last name and she didn't have the time to look through every file. Her second thought was to possibly find a file on Mui. She immediately pushed that thought out of her head though. Why would a prison have a file on its own warden? That seemed ludacris at best.

She did know the last name of her cell mate though. With that in mind she dashed over to the file cabinets that held all the files with prisoners whose last name started with the letter N. Flipping through the files Ryuuzetsu finally made it to a file with a tab labeled, "Namikaze, Naruto".

Opening the file, the first thing she came across was multiple copies of his mug shot. The pictures weren't what interested her though. She wanted details. Turning the pages, she finally came across the information she was looking for.

Namikaze, Naruto

Age: 19

Skill Level: High Jonin, High A-rank

Known Abilities: Toad Summoner, Seal Master, High A-rank Taijutsu, High B-rank Ninjutsu, C-rank Genjutsu, and S-rank Stealth

Notes: Don't engage without proper back up

Grade A++ Flight Risk

Recognizable by his bright blonde hair and numerous tattoos

Her accomplice wasn't someone to be trifled with if this file held any merit. Before she pondered the file any further she made the quick decision and ignited a small ember from the tips of her finger. It was a chakra control exercise for fire manipulation. It was used by genin and chunin to help them gain control over the wild element. But, it had many other practical uses like lighting a fire for example and that's exactly what Ryuuzetsu was using it for right now. If Naruto could disguise a pillow with chakra then a simple low maintenance chakra manipulation technique should be usable.

A small flame burst forth from her index finger and lit the folder. The folder didn't stand a chance against the flame as it succumbed to its intense heat. It was prudent that nobody knew the abilities of herself or Naruto. This mission needed to succeed. She didn't want to be stranded here the rest of her life.

After the file finished combusting she turned her attention towards a file cabinet a foot away. If the letter N was stored here then the letter R couldn't be far away.

Floating over to the next file cabinet Ryuuzetsu explored the files inside the container. Her fingers flipped through each folder filed away until she came across the one she was searching for. Her folder. Written in crisp ink along the manila folder was her name, Ryuuzetsu.

Hesitantly, she gripped the folder and removed it from its place in the cabinet. With the folder now sitting in front of her she flipped the file open to see the contents of it.

Ryuuzetsu

Age: 22

Skill Level: Low to Mid Jonin, Low A-rank

Known Abilities: High Affinity to Fire also Proficient with Wind, Mid-A rank Taijutsu, Low-A rank Ninjutsu, D-rank Genjutsu, C-rank Sealing

Notes: Don't engage without proper back up

Grade C Flight Risk

Recognizable by her grey hair and amethyst eyes

Ryuuzetsu wasn't surprised by the information but she was concerned. Her enemy knew her skills and assets while she was none the wiser on their attributes. It created a distinct advantage for Mui and his lackeys should a confrontation happen later. That is, if they have this folder.

Replicating her previous action with Naruto's folder, she lit her folder ablaze. The crumbling embers were what remained of her folder after 20 seconds.

Finishing her dirty work Ryuuzetsu prepared to leave the room where she was welcomed with a frightening sound. It was a screeching alarm she knew all too well. It was the alarm sounded when an inmate has escaped. It couldn't be sounded for her right? Naruto was covering for her. Right? They kind of agreed on this plan the previous night. She was just being paranoid.

Calmly, Ryuuzetsu breathed in and out. She would trust Naruto and that he enacted the plan when he realized she wasn't returning to their cell. She knew they would check all the cells to see if anyone else escaped so retreating back to her partner would be suicide. She would need to find a place to ride out the storm for the night.

Slowly, Ryuuzetsu slid open the door to the file room and peaked outside to see if she had any company. There was none. She continued to slide the door open to the point where she could slip through the small crack. Contorting her body to fit the opening Ryuuzetsu made it to the other side of the door.

The administration building was dark and empty as most of the staff had left for the day. The records office she just left was on the second floor of the three-story tall building. The first floor was nothing special. It was just a few office spaces spread amongst the room.

Walking back towards the staircase adjacent to her she climbed her way towards the final floor of the building. Ryuuzetsu didn't have to worry about tip toeing her way up the steps as the blaring siren masked her noise. Conquering the final step Ryuuzetsu now stood in front of the small third story room. The excess light from the bright searchlights showed through the window and enlightened the dark room. The room was painted a dark maroon and was furnished with a matte black desk, black leather furniture, and multiple matching black accessories. The clock adjourning the wall was covered in a dark paint job to match the rooms color palate as was the tall lamp hidden in the far corner.

Taking a step back, Ryuuzetsu now realized one very important fact. This was Mui's office. The workspace of the wicked. The desk of the devil. The escritoire of evil.

Sprinting behind the desk Ryuuzetsu stared at all six drawers of the wooden furniture. Anyone one of these drawers could hold the answer to why she was sent here in the first place. The drawers were symmetrically placed, three on the left side and three on the right side. Sliding out the first drawer on the left side Ryuuzetsu discovered nothing out of the ordinary. Just vials of ink and pens.

Sliding the first drawer shut, Ryuuzetsu moved onto the next drawer underneath. The second drawer was filled to the brim with scrolls. Reaching and picking up the nearest scroll, Ryuuzetsu unrolled it to discover that it was a financial statement from this past month. Grabbing another scroll, Ryuuzetsu unrolled it to discover that it was nearly identical to the first, the only change was that it was from two months ago.

Inferring that all the scrolls in that particular drawer were financial statement, she moved on to the final drawer in the column. As Ryuuzetsu slid out the final drawer in the column she froze. Despite the loud siren ringing off the walls, Ryuuzetsu thought she heard faint steps coming up the stairwell. She immediately closed the drawer and made her way towards the exit of the room. As she got closer to the opening, the sound of footsteps and voices became louder and more apparent.

Unconsciously, Ryuuzetsu had started breathing heavily as she looked around for secondary exit from the building. Thinking on her feet, she ran back to her original position behind the desk except this time she was facing the window. She searched around the window sill, looking for any possible way to open it. There was none. Turning around towards the staircase once again, Ryuuzetsu considered her options. Fight her way through the guard detail and try to disappear, break the window and disappear, or give herself up. The last option didn't seem very appealing to her so she expelled that thought from her mind immediately. After several seconds of careful consideration, Ryuuzetsu made up her mind.

Firmly grasping the back of the desk chair, Ryuuzetsu made a hammer throwing motion and released the chair so it was now flying towards the office window. Unfortunately, the glass cracked. It didn't break. Cursing under her breath Ryuuzetsu turned towards the staircase. The loud crack alerted the guards who were no doubt running up the stairwell this very moment. Any thought of breaking through the window fled her mind and was replaced with thoughts of giving herself up. The repercussions of getting caught escaping might not be as bad if she doesn't fight back. Weighing her options, Ryuuzetsu reached for the first drawer on the left side of the desk. Grabbing two pens she held them with a reverse grip, like they were kunai. She wasn't going to fight without a weapon.

With the pens comfortably sitting in her palms, Ryuuzetsu calmly waited for her company to arrive. She didn't have to wait long as several guards came bursting through the door. Three guards appeared at first. They came through the door in a triangle formation. One leading with two behind. Like a wild animal the first guard charged straight at the waiting Ryuuzetsu.

The first guard went for the haymaker. As he was running he swung his baton back and then with all the force he could muster, he swung it back forward in the direction of Ryuuzetsu's head. It would have made clean contact and knocked out any normal inmate. But, not every normal inmate was a jonin in ANBU. With grace attained by years of training, Ryuuzetsu smoothly ducked underneath the guard's swipe. The guard had put all of his weight behind the swing thus it was no surprise when he started to tumble forward.

Ryuuzetsu took advantage of the off-balance guard by stabbing one of the pens several inches into his abdomen. Blood spurted through the opening of the man's stomach. The new intense pain caused the reaction Ryuuzetsu wanted. He immediately bent over protectively, guarding the new wound in his stomach. This reaction was natural but also consequential as it left his backside prone to attacks. It was exactly what Ryuuzetsu was looking for. She quickly raised her arm and then smashed her elbow into the back of the man's skull. Knocking him out instantly.

Watching their comrade fall ignited a rage inside the other two guards. They exchanged a short glance and as if their eyes held a short conversation they charged at the same time. Ryuuzetsu brought her arms up in a protective position and prepared for the onslaught. The first guard went low and tried to sweep out her legs while the second waited for his chance to strike. Ryuuzetsu quickly deduced that she needed a little more space if she was to fight two opponents, jumping over the first guards leg sweep she used the second guard's chest as a spring board to propel her back behind the desk.

Once she landed, she looked up at the frustrated faces of the guards. In one swift motion she picked up several pens with her empty hand, the pens slid in between her fingers like they were shuriken, and aiming at the guard in the back she let the writing utensils fly towards their target.

The guard's eyes widened upon seeing the flying pens. Reacting as anyone would, he jumped back and brought up his baton to block the ink filled weapons. The pens penetrated and became stuck in the guard's baton. Only when he saw how deeply the pens were embedded in his baton did he realize how dangerous his opponent is.

The other guard was still on the ground with his leg extended from his attempted leg sweep. With the other guard now backed off he was a sitting target for Ryuuzetsu. Vaulting over the desk like a gymnast, she raised up her right leg and destroyed the sitting guards' knee with a vicious axe kick. A loud crack echoed through the room followed by a loud scream of overwhelming pain. The pain distracted the guard from reality as he didn't see Ryuuzetsu's left foot flying straight for his face.

The final guard was panicking now. She had just dispatched of his two comrades so easily. If he had any chance of taking her down, he would need at least three more guards.

Ryuuzetsu recognized the look in the eyes of the final guard. It was the look of fear. Gripping the pen in her hand tighter she ran at the last guard, intending on finishing this fast and escaping. That was until an intense burning pain spread amongst her entire body forced her to her knees. It felt like she was just hit with an A-rank fire jutsu. Cracking open her eyes she looked down at her body to see a blood red seal illuminated.

"You escape during your free time, sneak into my office, and then injure two of my guards'. We have a special place for people like you." A cold, cynical voice berated her from the entrance of the room.

Ryuuzetsu didn't even have to look up to know that Mui had activated his seal and was now going to punish her for her little adventure. She could only imagine where he was going to be sent before the pain overwhelmed her and knocked her out.

Mui turned to the only conscious guard in the room and ordered him to take Ryuuzetsu to Solitary Confinement. Nodding his head in understanding, the guard handcuffed the unconscious body of Ryuuzetsu and started dragging her by her arms towards solitary confinement.

-Until Next Time-

Thank you for reading! As always please leave a review as to what you thought about the chapter. Feel free to leave a suggestion has to how I can improve this story and as a writer.