Naruto: Tenth Dragon's Poison

Chapter 24

Keys to the Truth

At long last the highly awaited confrontation had finally come to fruition. The one they had searched for since last night's encounter now stood before them. The black wide brim hat that rested on top of his head blocked all facial features given the positioning on how it slanted. He wore a half sized red cloak which extended just past his waist. He wore a black shirt, one where the sleeves fell just short of his elbows. Black wrist bands sat on each wrist. The strength in his arms were most apparent, a telling detail which spoke without a word even needing to be said.

The pants he wore were black as well, coupled in with a pair of dark knee pads that blended in perfectly. The last thing to be noticed was the black Wellington boots he wore. They were visually captivating, most notably the metal lining the circled around the bottom of each. This was a clear sign they were not only used for certain conditions but battle as well.

He took one small step forward as he removed both hands from where they resided in his pockets. No further advancements were made on his part, only slightly lifting his head before speaking.

"Instead of rounding this into an argument of words amongst ourselves, how about we go over the details of what we do know concerning what has occured?" The hatted man suggested.

He gritted his teeth and clutched his fists not at his words, but rather at the calmness he presented himself was. There was something in his voiced that picked at him, like a taunt in some way. He forced all feelings aside before agreeing in a positive fashion.

"Very well," Shuen said taking a deep breath. "That sounds reasonable enough."

Since stepping out from the housing of the forest he had yet to say a word to them, let alone even acknowledge them. This pushed her patience right to the edge, stepping past all others to make her presence known.

"It's you," Hinata pointed. "You're the one we've been searching for!"

"You came all the way to Tanigakure just to find me," The hatted man inquired. "I don't know if I should be flattered or not."

"Who are you?!" Sakura bellowed in a commanding tone.

He inched his line of sight her way as he replied.

"That's right," The hatted man realized. "You're the ones from Konohagakure, I thought I recognized you bunch."

"You didn't answer my question."

It took mere seconds for someone to come to her left side, the person being none other than Dorsel himself.

"Yes, I too would like to know who you are," Dorsel said. "I didn't ask for your name when you approached me earlier, but given the uncertain circumstances surrounding this whole ordeal I think it would be best if all involved were accounted for."

He showed no movement for several moments. It was unclear if he would choose to respond to the question or not, raising an already brewing tension that was shared by most. Without warning he spoke again.

"Tezlinar," The hatted man airily replied. "Tezlinar Dosada."

"Tezlinar..?"

The confusion that found its way to his face provoked his next question to ask.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Your name," Dorsel paused. "It's just that.. I've never heard it before, you have a rather unusual name if I should say."

"Perhaps so, I've been told the same by many others," The man with the hat replied in an agreeing fashion. "Which is why I try to simplify things as much as possible from the get go, a move which increases familiarity with anything experienced with any given situation.. or in this case, introducing yourself to someone for the first time."

He took the next moments to try and comprehend what had been spoken, finding himself shaking his head with an obvious disconnect.

"I do not understand." Dorsel admitted.

"Tez," The man beneath the hat replied. "Call me Tez, I take it that would be much easier for your conscious to cement going forward."

"And you're ok with me calling you that?"

"I've asked the same of most who I have found myself acquainted with, even if for only a short time."

The conversation between the two came to an abrupt end with yet another stepping into the fold of things.

"Giving your name was a start, now," Temari began as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Where are you from, I find you see that as a valid question?"

He was less than direct with his response, going as far as not to even give eye contact to her before speaking.

"Why, does that really matter?"

"Do you have a reason not to share?" Temari countered cleanly.

"…"

He shifted ever so slightly in position, reaching downward as he did. A small portion of the cloak was grasped in his hand, pulling it up just enough to reveal a silver Sash which was tied around his waist. It wasn't the Sash itself that was most telling, but rather the bronze buckle set in the center.

"That emblem," Temari said recognizing its mark immediately. "You're from the Land of Iron."

With that question answered he removed his hand from the cloak, in turn letting it fall back into place. This moment also brought a realization, something of a mystery which had sparked from their first meeting.

"It makes sense now, back in the forest when he referred to us as 'you shinobi' it must be because he's a samurai," Sakura concluded in mind. "I could be wrong, but given where he's from the possibility is high."

"Enough with the introductions," Shuen said voicing his impatience. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?!"

"Yes, of course," Dorsel replied facing him. "Now that we've cleared the air so to speak, we can now commence."

"Starting with all known details," Tez stated. "If you don't mind I'd like to have a look at the victim's body myself."

"Find by me, as long as you don't touch anything."

"You can hold me to that."

With that said he turned for the body which was behind, taking only a single step before having someone race over.

"What now?" Tez said finding his surprise falling at a minimum as the pink haired girl blocked his path.

"There's no way I'm letting you get by."

The command in her voice could not be mistaken, one which was solidified by an equally expressed determination on her face that displayed a dominance. Not wanting to be kept in the dark on this unexpected move he responded.

"And why is that?"

"As if the answer isn't obvious," Sakura replied. "You killed all those shinobi back in the land of fire, do you deny it?"

"What lead you to that conclusion?"

The tone in which he replied subtly provoked her, doing her best to hold back in her release before replying..

"When we arrived at the scene you were hiding," Sakura began. "And when you did decide to show yourself you attacked."

"There must be a minor hampering with your memory," Tez said upon hearing this. "If I can recall the one who attacked was you, I simply retaliated after you charged yourself toward me, your actions however were understandable given the circumstances at the time."

"I didn't hear a denial."

"I didn't kill those people," Tez asserted. "I just happened to walk through there while on my travels, and like most anyone else would have I chose to observe the scene in hopes of learning what might have happened."

"If that is true, then why were you hiding when the three of us arrived?" Hinata asked stepping forward.

"That's simple," Tez replied remaining calm in his words. "When I heard someone approaching from my blind side while examining the bodies my initial thought was that whoever committed the murders was in the mist of returning."

"Why would you think that," Temari questioned. "For all you knew the killer could have been long gone by that time."

"Highly unlikely, wouldn't you agree," Tez said sliding his sights back toward her. "Haruna Sakura?"

She fell ice still after hearing him announce her name, pausing for seconds before finding it in herself to reply.

".. How do you know my name?"

He soared past her question to the direct point to be touched upon.

"Tell them, when you had the chance to examine the bodies for yourself what was their condition," Tez posed. "How much time would you say passed since each victim reached postmortem?"

She thought back to her opening arrival on the scene, a memory which served back the dreaded odor that had hung strong at the time. It was one of the more lingering details of the experience. What came next was the warmth she had felt with most of the corpses, a telling detail which brought a realization to the surface.

"He's right," Sakura enunciated. "Whoever killed those shinobi in the land of fire couldn't have gotten far."

"How can you be sure of that?" Temari asked.

"The bodies," Sakura replied. "They were still relatively warm, which means their time of death couldn't have been too far off from when we arrived."

"Fifteen minutes by my estimation," Tez stated which resulted in all attention falling back on him. "And with that known fact we can only assume whoever was responsible hadn't gotten far."

"You still haven't given us a reason to believe it wasn't you." Hinata said quick to state.

His hands fell back into his pockets in response to this, tapping his right foot once atop the grass as he spoke again.

"You're right, I haven't given anything concrete that would suggest otherwise," Tez agreed. "But ask yourselves this, if I were the killer wouldn't I have done the same to you when the opportunity was open for me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He's right," Choji surprisingly sided. "When the two of you were down for that brief moment he could have attacked, but instead chose to leave."

"A move which doesn't help his case either way," Sakura said. "If he were truly innocent then why run, why not try explaining his side of things?"

"For one I don't think you'd have been interested in listening to me at the time," Tez replied with his head still angled downward. "But that wasn't the only reason I had for leaving."

This came as an unexpected, prompting her to question just that.

"What other reason did you have?"

"You'll know soon enough," Tez assured. "But before we get to that I'd like to examine the body myself, you're free to watch my every move if you truly believe my intent is to tamper with anything .. is that ok with you?"

She was hesitant, but ultimately decided to step aside. She was not fully convinced he was being fully truthful, but was interested none the less in seeing what he'd be able to make of this all. After all one of her own was stamped at the center of everything.

Whatever the cost she would do her best to unravel the truth, no matter the patience needed to be put in. She watched as he made his way over to the body, not once letting her eyes stray elsewhere. It was no longer only the matter at hand that she found herself internally analyzing, but this hatted man from the land of iron. Is he truly linked with the murders? It was that very question that circulated throughout.

"Is what he said true, and if so is there something more he isn't letting on?"

….

There was no turning back, even with a growing concern he would not allow himself to detract from the path he now found himself following. What this would eventually lead to was anyone's guess. With every step the trail continuously faded. After marching on for another couple yards the visible mark in which they followed had completely vanished. With no clear direction for where to go next the two stopped.

"This is where the blood trail ends," Bart said. "And here I thought we were really onto something, total bummer."

"I was not anticipating we'd hit a dead end myself," Uryuu admitted. "However let's not throw in the towel just yet, at least not until we've accessed the area from top to bottom."

After declaring this he took down to a knee to further investigate the area of the grass where the trail had completely fallen off the map. There was nothing that registered as suspect on his first look. That was until he widened his sights to the area as a whole. Before he could truly analyze what became known to him he was interrupted.

"Don't you find it strange?"

He looked up toward him after hearing these spoken words.

"What is it?" Uryuu asked.

"The blood itself," Bart answered. "What if we've been looking at it the wrong way?"

"I don't understand," Uryuu said standing back to his feet. "What are you trying to say?"

"What if the initial attack happened here, and then whoever was attacked got dragged toward the riverside," Bart depicted. "That would explain why we haven't found a body, maybe the person attacked was tossed into the river."

"Given what we know from a visual standpoint that's highly unlikely." Uryuu disagreed.

"How so?"

"Put yourself at the scene of any brutal attack, when that occurs there's bound to be evidence left behind of any major struggle," Uryuu said. "In our case there's nothing that would suggest any uproar in activity occurred here, right?"

"So you think it all began aside the river, and the victim was dragged here like we originally believed?"

"Yes." Uryuu confirmed nodding his head.

"Mind explaining," Bart said rubbing the back of his head. "Because the more I think about this the more twisted this thing is becoming in my head."

"Look no further than the grass below." Uryuu pointed.

"The grass?"

He didn't know what would come of this but chose to look down none the less. There was nothing that jumped out at him at first glance, looking back to him in hopes of gaining clarification for what it is he should be looking for.

"Mind telling me what we're supposed to be gaining from this," Bart asked. "Looks like a patch of ordinary grass if you ask me."

"That's because you're strictly focusing on the small area I pointed out," Uryuu said. "Look at everything as a whole and you'll understand."

He took him up on this, finding his outlook on things completely altering. It was subtle, but it was certainly something that rang clear.

"I see it now, the coloring in the grass," Bart said. "The small area of the grass you pointed out is notably lighter than the rest of the grass going onward."

"Exactly."

"Nice find, but what does it mean?"

"It means we're close," Uryuu replied more than sure of this. "I believe someone cleaned up this area a short time ago before moving on."

"Why would someone spend their efforts cleaning up," Bart questioned. "Unless of course…"

"They have something to hide," Uryuu completed before walking on once more. "Let's go, whatever we're searching for is close."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Call it a belief or a dead on hunch, I'm almost certain what we've set out to find is near," Uryuu replied as he continued on. "Come, every second could mean life or death."

That statement alone was enough to put a push in his step. Neither knew what they would come to find, and could only hope for the best. But even with that thought, deep down they were prepared for the worst if it were to come.

…..

The way in which the cuts presented themselves told a story through his eyes. There was no pattern for which each cut was made, the depths with each ranged as well. This was a clear sign the attack was done out of rage in his mind. Could this have been done by someone who knew the victim on a personal level? It was certainly a possibility, one which was put into consideration.

Locking eyes on the cuts was not his only objective, analyzing everything as a whole could prove key in making a final determination. The deceased hair was no acceptation to this, noting the straightness in its hang, even looking over how the hairline measured out in full. Everything was sealed to the back of the mind as he came to making an eye popping discovery.

"Haruna-san," Tez spoke with all sights still focused on ground level. "Did you happen to notice the backside of his head?"

"Yes," Sakura replied from her position left of him. "Unlike the top of his head the back half is wet, which shouldn't come as a surprise since we just experienced a brief shower."

"But if that is true then shouldn't the top half of his head be wet as well?"

"I too was wondering that myself," Sakura admitted. "I haven't been able to figure out what it means, at least not yet."

"You're not alone in that regard."

"If you truly weren't the one to have killed Saungi and those shinobi back in the land of fire, then who do you believe did?"

He slowly pushed up from where he kneeled back to his feet. Once this was accomplished he positioned himself to where he now faced her. The two were very few feet apart, a fact which made her rather uneasy. For the first time he lifted his head to reveal what hidden beneath the hat that had hung in place. It was just as Dorsel mentioned before. Due to a black silk Balaclava mask that covered his face from the back to the front the only thing that could be made out across his face was his lips and eyes which sprung open just as she stared into their path.

They were a rich blue, seemingly with nothing to hide given the clarity in which they shined. But even with an apparent surface of truth there seemed to be something more, a deep secret that settled behind their innocence. Her comfort dropped in those moments, all too apparent by the step taken back. This move called for a response on his part.

"Is something wrong?"

"The mask.." Sakura began only to be cut off.

"Why do I wear one, that's simple," Tez replied. "It's required."

"Required?"

"It's irrelevant to the matter," Tez replied before focusing all attention back on the corpse below. "Now that I've had a look at the body myself there are a couple questions I'd like to ask."

"Then get in line," Shuen said stepping back to the center stage. "If there's anyone who should be asking questions it's me, starting with the disappearance of that kunai!"

"Something I'm certain will turn up at some point." Dorsel said in response to the uproar.

"Not if we don't look for it," Shuen spat angrily. "Can't remember the last time a handmade object just popped up and walked away on its own free will."

"I can't say I've ever experienced such a thing either."

"I say we run a search on everyone, especially on him!" Shuen stomped pointing toward the accused.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Temari questioned.

"It's the only way we'll know who's in possession of the murder weapon." Shuen fired back

"We'll get to that if need be," Dorsel said. "But if you don't mind I'd like to handle this in a positive matter, which means cooperation and control by all.. it's the only way we'll reach a timely conclusion, do you understand?"

He huffed, crossing his arms as he took a step back.

".. I understand."

"Now, besides your obvious interest in finding the missing kunai is there anything else you wished to ask?"

He did not reply, giving a clear indication where he now stood on the matter. With that minor stone bypassed they were now open to proceed, doing just that as he turned to face him once again.

"You said you had some questions you wanted to ask," Dorsel said. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"My first question isn't for you, but rather for the accused," Tez informed as he looked his way. "Mind answering something for me?"

There was no way he'd shy away from the chance to clear his name, taking all but a second for him to step up to answer the call.

"You can ask me anything." Choji openly accepted.

"Very well, then we'll start with your hair."

This question not only caught him by surprise, but everyone else as well.

"My hair?"

"Yes," Tez confirmed. "How does it feel, is it wet to any extent?"

"I hardly see how this has to do with anything." Kelsho said voicing her growing impatience.

"You'll understand soon enough," Tez assured glancing her way before looking back to the individual who stood directly across the way. "Go on, answer the question."

Not a shred of him knew what to make of this, complying with his wishes regardless. He lifted his left hand, pressing it along the side of his head to feel a significant wetness in his hair. In the process of doing so small specs of sand could be felt throughout as he released, prompting the question of how it got there. He paid little mind to this, answering the question which had been asked.

"Yes," Choji confirmed. "My hair is wet.. but what difference does it make?"

"Question two," Tez said taking a step forward. "Do you know how your hair got wet?"

"What's with the baseless questions all of a sudden," Dorsel asked. "Obviously it got wet from the."

"Let him answer for himself." Tez quickly interjected.

This brought all conversation to a halt for several moments to come, leaving all to wait.

".. Well?"

"I don't know," Choji honestly admitted. "It was just like this when I regained consciousness, I truly have no idea how it got that way."

"I see," Tez said crossing his arms across his chest. "Then let us back track even further, tell me what you do remember, what was the weather like before you were supposedly knocked over the head?"

"What conclusion are you trying to reach with these side questions?" Temari asked uncertain of his intent.

"Please, try to remember." Tez said ignoring all outside distractions which included her.

To his delight it took little time for him to respond.

"It was clear, maybe a light breeze," Choji clearly recalled. "Kind of like it feels now if that means anything."

"Just as I thought."

"I don't get the meaning of this, answer me boy," Shuen exclaimed in a burst of fury. "What are you trying to make of these pointless questions of yours?!"

"Yes," Kelsho said. "What are you getting at?"

"A timeline." Sakura conveyed.

This latest announcement caught all by surprise, bringing all attention back her way.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"If Choji-kun wasn't aware of how his hair got wet, that must mean the time in which he was knocked out happened before the storm," Sakura explained. "Furthermore the weather was clear at the time of the occurrence, which also means the attack must have taken place before the experienced flush in of sand from the west."

"Impressive," Tez complimented. "You catch on quickly."

"That's all nice and said, but how do we know this boy is telling the truth?" Shuen stated.

"Do you have any solid proof that he isn't?" Tez questioned.

"Have you already forgotten the blooded kunai that was found in his possession?" Shuen reminded.

"A moot point with all things considered," Tez said in response. "Even with that being something that could be viewed as an obvious at hindsight, factoring in all events something doesn't quite add up."

"Your logic is obsolete."

This statement didn't press him in the least. Not wanting to sit on the progress made he looked back to the accused once again.

"I have another question for you," Tez said. "From what you can recall, what were your last moments with the victim like?"

"What do you mean exactly?" Choji asked.

"Surely the both of you engaged in conversation while together, can you remember the last thing the two of you discussed?"

Most everything was a blur at first thought. After many seconds of thinking on the matter it all came back to him.

"I remember now," Choji announced. "While in the process of searching for you, he brought up the idea of us splitting to cover more ground."

"How persistent was he in regards to this?"

"He was strong in in his opinion, however I couldn't bring myself to agree."

"I see.. that's quite enlightening," Tez said after learning this. "Perhaps even telling."

"What are you trying to say?" Temari asked.

He twitched his sights her way as he replied with one thing to say.

"Its guarantee is as day and night," Tez expressed. "Every mystery has an expiration, this one is nearing just that."

With those words silence struck again. But even with steps being slowly taken towards the truth she couldn't help but feel as if this boy from the land of iron wasn't letting on enough about himself.

"How did he find where we all gathered, let alone know my name," Sakura thought to herself. "And what's with the mask, what did he mean when he said wearing it is a requirement?"

This and many more questions weighed on her mind concerning this 'samurai'. Is what he said to believe, or is the real truth hidden somewhere within the lies?

…..

The time had finally come in his mind. After spending the last couple hours navigating through the streets while also monitoring the activities of the locals the time to head back had come. He led the two of them quietly through the forest, coming to a brief stop after a minute of walking. Keeping an eye out for anyone or anything that could be lurking from any direction is what he looked for. After finding all was clear he took the first step in proceeding.

A short time passed as they walked the lengths of the forest, stepping around one of the larger trees in the area to finally come in sight of it.

"We're here."

"Here," Conner questioned. "This is back where we started."

"Just as I had planned before we even set out." Bruce responded.

"I don't get it," Conner admitted. "Why come back here so soon, I thought today was going to be all about gaining an understanding of where we are."

"And that mission hasn't changed," Bruce assured before marching on. "Come."

There was no certainty to what was meant by this, but followed none the less. The two reached the front of the shack a short time after, opening the door to find everything as they had left it. He stopped after only a step in, wanting some clarification for what they were doing back so soon.

"So, do you plan on explaining why we came back so soon?"

To his displeasure there was no immediate response given. He stopped after reaching the middle of the room. Once there he pulled the rug aside which in turn revealed the floor door beneath.

"Are we seriously about to go down to the sewer?" Conner asked less than thrilled about the idea.

"Yes," Bruce confirmed. "A step which could prove useful down the road, pending on how long our stay extends."

"Is this really necessary?"

He looked his way after hearing this.

"Sometimes even the smallest things can be the most telling." Bruce replied before pulling the door open.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"To gain full meaning is for you to discover for yourself, that's something I want you to think about on my time away," Bruce said before looking down to the depths below. "There's a new plain yet to be discovered."

"Wait, you're going alone?"

"Yes," Bruce replied. "And I want you to stay put, I won't be long."

"You sure that's a good idea," Conner questioned. "There's no telling what could be down there."

"Nothing I can't handle," Bruce said sure of this. "I should be back no later than two hours."

"And if you're not?"

"I will," Bruce said looking down to the sewer. "If you get hungry, feel free to take from the stash of fruits we hauled in earlier."

Those were his last spoken words, lunging for the grounds below with the close of the top on his way down. This left just him and an empty room, gutted by a staggering feeling inside.

"I'm not sure why… but I don't like this," Conner queried mentally. "Not one bit."

….

The further they traveled the more apparent it became were closing in on something. It was a distinct odor, one which leaked strongly to their senses.

"What is that smell?"

The drift of its destination was followed, leading them directly toward several bushes. With the scent now at its strongest the two stopped, looking to one another in that instance.

"Any ideas as to what's giving off that smell?" Uryuu asked.

"I'd say we're approaching a zoo but since there are no animals to be heard that idea is highly unlikely," Bart said. "Which leads to my second prediction.. given the vulgar smell I think it's safe to assume we've reached some kind of abandoned pigsty."

"Forget I asked," Uryuu said making a move for the bushes ahead. "Let's go."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

By this time his mind was set only on one thing, finding out what resided beyond the bushes now only feet away. They were reached within four steps taken, stepping over them while pushing a pair of hanging tree branches aside. This finally brought him within view, one which left him death still.

There sitting in the clear grounds ahead was a large hole in the ground which had clearly been dug up, one the size of an outdoor swimming pull. It wasn't the hole itself that left him stunned through the spine down, but rather what lied within it. There was little time to analyze the situation, having his thoughts rattled by the sound of someone pushing past the tree limbs from behind.

"Why did you stop?" Bart asked after stopping at his side.

One look forward was all it took to realize what had demanded the immediate stop. It seemed all else had seized to exist as he gazed downward, feeling as if his heart skipped a beat in the process. There lying in the wide dirt hole was a number of at least two dozen people, all who appeared to be dead from where they stood. This very discovery provoked the obvious question.

"What happened to these people?"

If there was anything certain, it was that the answer would not come simple in detail or in understanding by strictly what they had come to find.

To Be Continued