Wonders and Miracles
Disclaimer: I still have yet to find the legal papers necessary for me to own Naruto. Darn.
Author's Note: I screwed up my thigh somehow during karate two days ago. It hurts when I walk, but I'm still gonna be stubborn and go to karate anyway. Ah, and I missed a translation last chapter.
Palazzo- Palace or large building
Warning: Religious stuff is gonna be all over this story, so if you're gonna get offended, don't tell me about it or don't read it. And if you do tell me about it, don't yell at me.
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"How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of murdered?" –Anonymous
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The atmosphere was tense inside the hideout when Sasuke stepped out of the bedroom. Even Kankurou and Shikamaru, usually the calm ones in any situation, were stiff and their faces drawn. Itachi stood a little away from the others, just as on edge as the others, although it was harder to tell. Sasuke came to stand beside Kankurou and Gaara, perhaps not the smartest decision, but he wanted to know what was going on.
A man was in front of them all, tall with broad, muscular shoulders and white hair glinting silver in the candlelight that he held back in a simple tail. Two long tattoos ran down his cheeks, almost like tears, and his voice was rough. "-Way out of control." He was saying.
"But-that's insane. Th-They can't do that, can they?" For the first time since Sasuke had seen him, which was admittedly not long, Kankurou sounded nervous.
"It's in their legal rights. Apparently, we're on their property, so they can do what they want with is." Tsunade told them grimly, "Right, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya nodded. "And it doesn't honestly matter now, does it, seeing as how they already decided to start their massacre."
Sasuke stared at him hard, not comprehending what he was saying. "What's going on? What do you mean a massacre?"
Jiraiya looked at him with his head cocked ever so slightly to the side. "You're the other Uchiha boy. Sasuke, right? It seems that your generation of Uchihas has some kind of common sense." The dark skin around the coal black eyes crinkled with a smile before the smile faded.
"Naruto's been captured." Shikamaru told Sasuke, his voice tight.
Sasuke's heart was suddenly about six feet underground. "That can't be."
"It is." Gaara told him, the aqua eyes boring into him. "He went out to look at the stars." There seemed to be something akin to regret or pain in his eyes, but Sasuke hadn't known him long enough to be sure.
"…Massacre?"
Itachi's onyx eyes, so much like Sasuke's own, fixed on his
younger brother. "He's schedules for a public burning tomorrow
afternoon."
"We have to do something about this. We can't let this go." Kiba said from Shikamaru's side.
"Do what? Go pull him out like we're heroes or something?" Kankurou snapped.
"That beats just sitting here moping!"
"You wanna become a human torch too? Go ahead. I'm not being any part of it. I spent way too much time getting away from them. I care about Naruto, but this is something we can't win." Kankurou told him before turning on his heel and almost slamming his room door.
"Is that my little brother giving up?"
Everyone turned to the new voice. The woman standing there was tanned and dirty blond, her hair in odd four ponytails. She was rather tall with bright blue eyes, but Sasuke couldn't help but note that they weren't the brilliant cerulean that Naruto's were.
Kankurou and Gaara were both staring at the woman with disbelieving expressions, although Gaara's remained strictly in his eyes. "…Temari?"
Temari grinned. "The one and only. Now I know I didn't just hear you give up on a friend, did I, Kankurou?"
"There are impossible odds, Temari."
She snorted. "And since when has that ever mattered? Are you seriously gonna just sit here and wait while a friend is roasted? I don't even know the guy and I'm with them."
Kiba returned the grin. "Then you're definitely welcome to this gang, Temari."
"So what's the plan?"
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These dungeons weren't nearly as comfortable as the ones that had become the hideout, which didn't surprise him honestly. It had taken a lot of work to clean and brighten up the place, but even then, it never had this dreary effect. Maybe it was because everyone had been near each other, grinning and playing around and playing pranks. Naruto distinctly remembered dressing up a skeleton and painting its face to be incredibly realistic. That little stunt had earned him a good punch in the head from Sakura, who had had the misfortune to clean that particular cell.
A reminiscent smile came to Naruto's lips as he remembered all their faces and voices. It hadn't been long since he'd seen them, only about eight hours by his reckoning, but already it had seemed like a few lifetimes had passed inside the damp cell. He didn't even get the slightest sliver of light to see any daylight. That was probably one of the most torturous parts; the other being, of course, the fact that he was in here in the first place. Naruto didn't even know how much time until the big bonfire. He snorted bitterly to himself. He wasn't going to let himself go without a fight, but he needed to get out of this cell first.