Hey there,
Finally the chapter you've all been waiting for!! THe next episode of the Broken Cradle! All you guys who begged so hard for it this is dedicated to you guys : ) !!
I would like to thank the reviewers who gave me the encouragement to continue this fic : Kaiyo No Hime, DarkvsLight, Sweetsong, SSJ4 SailorMenz, Annebelle, Leah, Generally Maz, SAMMY, cfox, YumiAngel, RogueFanAM, nicha, Sayuri-Anbu, Renaika56, DarkRavie, Caged Sapphire Raven, demon-kitty44
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. A/N: Remember the same rules apply for all my fics, due to time constraints I can only update one fic at a time sparodically. So I will only focus on the fic that people want to read, so if you wanna continue this fic vote for it with a review. Thank you :) !!
Chapter 5
"You're right, I cannot make the decision for you. Since you cannot give up, I'll give in," Tsunade propped herself up on the table and covered her face with her hands in anguish, "I know where Naruto is, but I doubt you'd like what you see…"
Sasuke was stunned for a second, her mind unable to process the few words that came out of the Fifth's mouth. Finally when she had composed herself enough, balling her hands into tight fists she asked in a low hiss "What do you mean?"
The Hokage slowly and with exceeding difficulty lifted herself off the table to look out of the window behind her desk, still unable to meet the Uchiha's eyes whilst she delivered the news she could only run away from the pain just as she had been doing for so long.
Sasuke could no longer perceive the emotional contest that waged within the Hokage's heart, however the Fifth's frame looked frail and bent, finally showing the age she worked so desperately to hide. All these years Sasuke wanted so much to hurt the aged mainstay, to make her pay but now she couldn't even bring herself to think that. 'She must've been in as much pain as I've been all this while…'
"I haven't slept since the day we buried him." Tsunade suddenly continued without really answering the question at all, breaking the intense silence that engulfed the entire room like a fog.
"…Pardon me?"
"My apologies, I meant that I haven't slept a day since we had his funeral. Since we had no body we can't really have a burial, can we?"
"…"
"Jiraiya hasn't spoken a word to me since then. He won't say it, but he blames me too. For what happened … he blames me… for what I did…"
Sasuke didn't know what to say or do to make this situation less awkward then it already was, so she held a tongue and hoped that the Fifth would have some kind of explanation for all this.
"…I gave him the last order that night, fully aware that it was a suicide mission. I know you know it too and I know you can't forgive me either. I had believed then that he was the best person for the job, but now … now I can't believe anything anymore."
"Tsunade-sama, what did you mean when you said you know where he is?" Sasuke asked again, frustrated from listening to the ramblings that seem to going nowhere.
"Jiraiya was with him that night. He saw the enemy take him down. They were severely outnumbered and dangerously low on chakra. It was then the Akatsuki sprang their last counter resistance and released the monster they had been working on for so long. They had fused all the tailed monsters into a single jinchuuriki, the beast that could destroy civilizations. Naruto fought valiantly but he perished from a large blow that split his body apart."
"Why are you telling me this now? Wasn't this information already mentioned in the official statement that you received? I don't understand what are you trying to tell me now?" Sasuke cried in frustration as she grabbed the Hokage from behind and spun her around so that they will meet Sharingan to eye. To her great amazement and perhaps horror she watched as the tears flowed freely down the wizened cheeks of the Hokage.
"Sasuke, Naruto didn't stay dead…."
"Are you insane!! How can one not stay dead? Not even Orochimaru can escape death!" Sasuke looked into the eyes of the woman before her, hoping to find some untruth in them. Alas, she found no deceit in those eyes, eyes filled with so much sorrow and fear and regret that it was too painful to bear.
"Jiraiya said he regenerated from his wounded body, was suddenly able to stand, to fight, to defy destiny. But he seemed different, his movements became faster, harder and more animalistic. At first Jiraiya thought Kyuubi had broken free from his restraints but the chakra signature was unlike anything he had ever seen."
"You are kidding me right? Tell me this is just a fairy tale!! Tell me you are completely insane!!"
The Hokage's expression remained somber and gravely serious, as she pushed past the bewildered Uchiha to open the door of the office and motioned for Sasuke to follow her. They journeyed past the corridors and down into the dungeons below. They continued to wander along the long rows of dark cells that held prisoners awaiting interrogation until they reached a seemingly innocuous looking bolted door. The Hokage touched the bolted door and stepped back. A loud blast signaled the end of the complex network of explosive traps that lined the opposite side of the door.
"Hokage-sama are you here to check on the patient?" A voice echoed as two ANBU appeared behind them. "Let us escort you in."
Sasuke bit her lip as she followed the grave entourage past the vaulted door and down another long flight of winding stone stairs and seemed to descend into the Abyss itself. She'd be lying if she said she felt completely at ease with the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the place.
As they neared the end of the journey, Sasuke immediately perceived a great amount of unfamiliar chakra emanating off the walls of the dungeon and seeping into every fibre of her body. She suddenly felt nauseous and weak, clutching the sides of the wall to steady her steps.
"Careful the residual chakra may be disruptive to your own chakra signals," cautioned Tsunade as she went back to Sasuke's side to guide her down safely.
"Residual?" Sasuke coughed out. "You mean this is not emanating from the source?"
"No, this is merely the trace amounts that have seeped out from the seal and through the cracks of the wall."
"Then where is the source?"
"Here," Tsunade replied as she pushed open the large lead doors that sprang up from the base of the stairs with great effort even with her monster strength.
Once the doors had swung open, a great force of chakra from within rushed out and knocked the entire party backward. The Hokage immediately sprang into action, picking herself off; she formed a chakra barrier to protect them from the flow of malicious chakra.
"Everyone get up and fortify your chakra reserves, if you are exposed to this chakra for long periods it can prove fatal!"
The waves of chakra continued to bombard them for a couple minutes before it ebbed away into a low hum around the room. Tsunade sensing the change in the environment dropped the barrier and ushered the company forward.
Sasuke was struck by the immensity of the room and the cold comfort the dimly lit room gave to her. The entire room was made with stone and fortified with chakra and chakra barriers all around with no other entrance or exit other then the large immovable wall of a door that they had entered from. Was it constructed this way to keep others out or to keep something in she wondered. Her question was soon answered when she heard a low moan of pain at the far recesses of room. It was so dark that even with her Sharingan activated she was having difficulty identify the figure.
The flickering of the candlelight shifted momentarily to reveal the most startling of images. There bound by probably a million chains that ran across the figure's body over and over again that it looked as if he was completely engulfed in a cocoon of heavy chains, was the very man she had been searching for. He looked pale and completely vulnerable, what could have possessed the Fifth Hokage to treat her successor so horrifically?
"Naruto!" Sasuke gasped as she ran to free her lover from his bindings.
"STOP!!!" screamed the Hokage as the two ANBU moved to restrain the distraught Uchiha.
"Release me!! What did you do to him?!" Sasuke screamed in rage as her tears lost all reserve and continued to pour down her face.
"Sasuke, that is not Naruto," Tsunade's voice cracked as she spoke those words.
"What?!!"
"THAT," Tsunade yelled as she pointed to the figure suspended in chains. " THAt is a monster!"
"How perceptive of you, old hag…" a low unfamiliar voice drawled. Sasuke snapped her head up to look at the figure who was staring straight at her with the most chilling violet eyes. "That's right Naruto is no more…"
"…then Kyuubi?" Sasuke could feel her voice start to shake with uncertainty.
"Kyuubi is no more either…" the figure grinned, a gesture that was completely frightening and yet completely familiar at the same time. "I am both but I am neither…" and with that the prisoner erupted into frenzied cackles.
"Sasuke," Tsunade said in a low voice, "Naruto fused with Kyuubi that night. That was the only means of survival for both of them but in doing so both lost what made them essentially separate from each other."
"Then…." Sasuke could no longer bear her own weight as she collapsed to the ground, emotionally and physically exhausted from the ordeal.
"That is…," Tsunade continued. "…a new entity borne of Naruto and the Kyuubi…"
End of Chapter.
Hey guys guess what, the ones who were the closest to guessing the reason for Naruto's dissapearance are SailorMenz (Naruto is a vegetable), Leah (Kyuubi took over)... nice try generally maz with the brothel with gaara thing but well not that :P !!
So LEah and Sailormenz get plushies of Gamagunta...Generally maz you get the complimentary pin :D !!!!!! YEAH