Chapter Seven: Behind Every Mask
Sorry about the very long wait. I ran into several problems in school, and my computer went all wack on me earlier. Also I'm looking for a story, but I can't seem to find it. It was with Sasuke and Naruto as baseball coaches, and it was only one chapter. So if anyone knows what it's called then please by all means tell me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kishimoto does… But if I did own it, that would be really cool. I own all OC mentioned the story though! Enjoy ^_^v
Hopping onto the balcony railing, Kakashi leaned forward and looked in through the bedroom window. Eyes widening in alarm, Kakashi launched himself towards the dirty window and shattered it open. Upon his entrance, the blood covered figure sprung away from the bed. Kakashi had to breath through his mouth because of the smell. It was a mix of vomit, blood and slightly burnt flesh he was sure, and by the looks of it, it was coming from the figure in front of him. The other man's hair was uneven and wild, and his clothes ripped and stained beyond repair. What really worried him though was that Naruto was dirty with blood too. Whether or not it was any of his own, Kakashi didn't know.
"You're the ninja that's been sneaking around this place aren't you? What do you want with Naruto?"
Both the masked shinobi moved slowly around each other, calculating the other's move. Kakashi glanced over at Naruto before settling himself in a defensive mode. Grunting in frustration, 'Atsushi' moved towards Kakashi; his pace slower than usual because of fatigue and blood loss. Both males rushed towards each other, a fire jutsu already flying through the air. Kakashi dodged to the side, the jutsu colliding with the wall and causing an explosion. Rock, metal, wires and pipes flew into the air in a mix of dust and smoke. Through the cover 'Atsushi' gave Naruto one last glance before stumbling away through the now massive hole in the wall. Kakashi ran to the side of the building and inspected the area to see if the mysterious missing nin was still nearby, but was disappointed to only see a crowd of civilians and ninja. For a man that looked like he was about to drop dead at any second, he sure made a quick escape. Kakashi frowned under his mask, but turned his concentration to a group of ninja that had hopped onto the destroyed ledge, serious looks displayed on their faces.
"Hatake, is there anything we can do? What happened?"
"The reported missing-nin just left the area. I'm not sure he is still in Konoha, but he has black hair, a porcelain mask, and looks like he just dragged himself out of a shredder. Find him, but don't kill him."
The men dipped their heads in a signal of understanding and zoomed off in different directions. Grabbing a hold of the unconscious blonde, Kakashi held him in his arms to take him to the hospital. He felt like he should be the one going after the strange male, but something told him that the man wasn't going to be found just yet, and he had an obligation to his youngest student. Kakashi leaped over the buildings, an iron like grip on Naruto. If anyone had seen him pass over them, they would only catch a glimpse of a blur of colors, which could easily be mistaken for a trick of the light. Sighing in relief as he saw the roof of the hospital, he jogged into the front door. Giving Naruto to the doctors, they started checking him for major wounds. The medics placed him on a stretcher, leaving Kakashi to fill out the paper work. Kakashi stared down at the hallway Naruto was carted through. He couldn't help but thinking that his encounter with the other shinobi was more than what is seemed, and that life was about to get a whole lot more difficult.
Naruto dragged his feet through the sewer water in the depths of his mind. It wasn't that often Naruto was drawn to the Kyuubi's cage by force. Usually the fox hated seeing him, but lately he seemed to be screaming about something. Slipping in to the last corridor, Naruto came face to face with the barred enclosure that held his furry little friend. Coming closer to the sealed bars, Naruto made sure he was at least a claw's distance before calling out the demon. Waiting for a reply, he squinted his eyes in an effort to see into the dark cage.
"Human scum! I warned you about staying away from the Uchiha!"
Naruto jumped back in fright; the sudden noise scaring him more then he would care to admit. Shaking it off, Naruto stood a little taller.
"Sasuke has done nothing to you!"
Naruto stood his ground as the Kyuubi roared. The fox began to pace the cage in an irritated manner.
"You do not understand, mortal fool!"
"I don't have to listen to this! Whatever grudge you have on the Uchiha will not be dealt with through me! Fuck off furball!"
Naruto rolled his eyes and started to walk away. He placed his hands over his ears to block out the barking coming from the Kyuubi. He could hear snippets of what his tenant was yelling, but only separate words like village, leave, trouble, Uchiha. Naruto shook his head, and pushed himself out of his inner landscape. He felt a little disoriented at first, but he was able to force himself into consciousness. The first thing he could hear was the faint sound was someone talking.
"…ruto? He's waking up!"
Naruto lifted his arm and rubbed his eyes. From the odor filling his nose, he could tell he was in the hospital, but besides being a little tired, Naruto felt perfectly fine. Stretching his arms above his head, he opened his eyes to see his team and Kakashi beside his hospital bed. Sakura smiled at him, giving a small wave.
"Glad you're finally awake, Naruto. We were worried about you. While you were out we tried cleaning your apartment, but…"
"But your room wasn't just covered in rubble. Nice assortment of ramen cups you have." Kakashi finished off.
Sasuke just smirked and muttered dobe under his breath, a relieved glimmer in his eyes. Naruto was happy to see the concern from his usually evasive teammate. But it was astoundingly different nowadays. The past few weeks and been practically the definition of an oxymoron. Between 'Atsushi', Sasuke and everyone else, Naruto had more than enough surprises to last him a while.
"Do remember anything that happened from before?" Kakashi questioned.
"In all truth, I don't even know why I'm in here. All I remember is… nothing." Naruto catching himself before his tongue slipped, scratched the back of his head nervously.
"So how long have I been here anyway."
Sasuke shifted a bit onto his left foot before speaking. "Maybe a few hours, not that long. The doctors said you had chakra exhaustion, but nothing else. Once again you made a quick recovering."
Naruto smiled at that. He was glad that even though he pissed off the fox a lot, the demon had no way to stop Naruto's body from naturally using his chakra to heal and recuperate.
Kakashi was about to speak when a group of Jounin came in. They wore long black trench coats, and had dark circles under their eyes. Anyone who knew anyone could tell they were obviously a part of the Torture and Interrogation unit led by Ibiki Morino.
"We'll have to interrupt here. Naruto Uzumaki is required to come in for questioning. We have permission from the medics to take him as soon as he's dressed."
Kakashi nodded his head hesitantly, leading the two other genin out the door. Sasuke shot Naruto a slightly confused glance before flicking his head in a talk to you later fashion; something Naruto could easily understand because of his long hours as Sasuke's shinobi partner on missions. Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were all irritated at being pulled away from their teammate and friend just as he woke up, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Naruto opened up the hospital closet and slipped on a pair of clothes from his apartment; compliments of one of his teammates or teacher. Tugging on his shoes, he gave the Jounin a fox like grin before jogging out the door with them.
"So are you going to take me to ANBU headquarters are something?"
The Jounin all looked at each other, a grim expression stretched across their faces.
"Not unless you have something to hide. You aren't going to keep anything from us are you, Uzumaki?"
Naruto's heart stilled for a moment before beating back to normal, making sure to bob is head up and down. Naruto may be naïve sometimes, but he could tell that those Jounin knew more then they were letting on.
It didn't take too long for them to arrive. The real T&I headquarters was a part of ANBU HQ, which happened to be behind the Hokage Memorial, but the building Naruto was being led to was a less serious place of investigation. It was still behind the mountain, but it wasn't as hidden or large as the genuine thing. Naruto was left in a room with a couple of Jounin and what looked like off duty ANBU.
"Ah Naruto Uzumaki nice to meet you. We haven't formally met, but I watched your match against Neji during the Chunin Exams. Impressive."
Naruto sat across from the shinobi that spoke, but the rest of the shinobi were scattered around the room; some were leaning on the walls or sitting in chairs placed in random places around the room.
"Riiiight… thanks I guess. Soo, what do you want to know?" Naruto said nervously.
"Well, what exactly is your involvement with this man?"
One of the ANBU pulled out a drawn photo of 'Atsushi'. The picture looked just like him with the mask and everything. Staring down at the penciled image, Naruto picked it up and inspected it. "Never seen the guy. Is he a friend of your's?"
The Jounin frowned in disappointment.
"Now Naruto. We know that you know a little more then that."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
One of the ANBU in the room pushed himself off the wall, and placed a hand on the table between them. "He's lying. Believe me… I can tell."
"Uzumaki, we have no idea where this man came from or what he wants with the village. This missing-nin has been sneaking around and you're the closest lead we have."
Naruto sunk in his chair. Missing-nin? That wasn't possible. If he was one, why has he been hanging around so long without doing anything? But he still couldn't say anything about it; not without giving too much information.
"Uzumaki, why are you hiding something? Do you want us to drag you to Ibiki to pry the answers out of you? He wont go easy on you just because you're a genin."
Naruto shivered at he attention he was getting. Everyone in the room was practically trying to rip the answers out of him with their eyes. As the silence continued, Naruto started to feel scared. Sure he had a few run ins with the ANBU and Jounin of the village because he had somewhat of a hero complex and would butt in when he could, but never when he was the object of most their concentration. Not good…
"I really don't know anything. I just went out for some training, and came back."
Before he could even take a breath after his sentence, the Jounin's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he grabbed the front of his shirt. Dragging Naruto onto his feet, the Jounin brought Naruto close to his face, which looked a little too similar to a demon's at the moment. His smile was creepy, and Naruto could feel a tinge of killer intent swirling in the air. Really not good…
"Please, Naruto. Don't insult my intelligence. We talked to the guard at the gate, and he said you never came back. And there were leaves in your hair that only come from trees outside of the village. Now tell us what you know."
"I don't know what you mean!"
It got really silent in the room as the Jounin softly placed Naruto down. Turning around, it only took the twitch of his head before two ANBU seized Naruto.
"My patience has run out, take him to HQ. I know he's hiding something."
Naruto struggled, yelling in protest. He'd heard stories about it and that's all that needed to get him to believe that T&I was the worst place possible in the entire Hidden Village. He even went as far as adding the Kyuubi's chakra to get the two ANBU to let go, but that only made them tighten their grip. Twisting his body back and forth he could only see a blur of images. The two ANBU leaped into the air and over a steep ledge, and Naruto felt his stomach flop at the sudden drop. Naruto heard a bang before the sunlight was blocked by the two doors of headquarters. In the rush, Naruto was thrown into a room and buckled onto a metal table. Everything was happening all so fast. How was everything going so wrong in the blink of an eye? One moment he was surrounded by friends in a hospital room, and the next he was about to be probed by the spooks and mind diggers of Konoha. His head was roughly lifted, and a blindfold was placed over his eyes.
"I don't think I really have to inform you Mr. Uzumaki, but as an official ninja of this village, holding out information that could possibly help the village from an unknown attacker puts you in a tight position. And since you've been a genin for more then a year, it gives T&I consent to go as far as torturing you an inch from death to get the answers we want. So… start talking."
Naruto gritted his teeth. It was already a confusing situation. He saw 'Atsushi's' headband, but he could have stolen it… no that's wrong. There was just no way. Naruto kept his mouth shut, but he could feel his body start to shake a little. He felt vulnerable too with the blindfold. Was this how 'Atsushi' felt everyday? Concentrating on the other figure in the room, he could hear the faint sigh, and the clinking of something metal.
"Fine… Stubbornness isn't the best trait to show right about now."
Naruto tensed his muscles for the impact, but suddenly the door slammed open.
"Stand down. Who authorized this?"
"Danzo Shimura, sir. He told to…"
"It doesn't matter anymore. Leave."
Naruto listened as the first pair of feet exited the room. Naruto felt the hooks around his wrists and ankles come loose, and he sighed in relief. Jumping off the metal table, Naruto slipped of the clothe around his eyes, and looked at his 'savior'.
"Wait, I know you! You're Ino's dad!"
"You were never meant to leave the previous investigation room, but you are still in a bad position. It seems the council has found this chance to 'expose' the 'evils' of Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, the council will go as far as naming you a traitor of the village. Would you risk that just for 'Atsushi'?"
Naruto's head snapped to meet his face, and pointed his finger.
"Woah Woah Woah! How do you know his name?"
Cursing out loud, Ino's dad de-henged himself, and when the smoke cleared 'Atsushi' appeared before him. His appearance was still disheveled, and his clothes were still in the same condition.
"Look Naruto, it's not safe for you in the village anymore."
What are you talking about?"
'Atsushi' gave a snort of aggravation. "Look, I'm sorry to get you involved in all this, but you're involvement with me has made you susceptible to attacks from the council! Let's leave the village!"
A look of horror crossed Naruto's face. He nervously stepped back, his shoulder brushing the wall next to him. "I can't do that! I'm going to be Hokage one day, and I gotta stick to the village even when things get rough!"
"Kami, Naruto! Open your eyes! You're not going to be Hokage from within a jail cell! You have no idea how manipulative and cruel the higher powers of this village can be! It's not safe!"
"You're not making any sense!"
'Atsushi' slammed his hand on the wall, and his head was face down; casting a shadow over his pale white mask.
"You'll thank me for this later… Dobe."
Naruto didn't even have time to fully understand the last statement before 'Atsushi' pushed down on some pressure points. 'Atsushi' caught Naruto before he fell to the floor, and held him close. Deep inside him, he knew that this really wasn't the best solution, but he still hated the Hidden Leaf for what they did to him, no matter how much he had learned in the past few months.
'Atsushi' heard footsteps approaching, one of them being the distinct sound of heels on cement. And there were only two women who wore heels and came down here… and neither of those choices was better than the other. Making sure that Naruto was secure in his arms, 'Atsushi' ran the opposite direction. He was almost out of ANBU headquarters, when he heard yells and orders being shouted. Cursing loudly, he added chakra to his feet, no longer worried with covering his chakra signature. 'Atsushi' bolted out of the doors and Body Flickered towards the forest behind the Hokage Memorial. (no need going through the village)
'Atsushi' didn't know how long he had been running. He was sure the bottoms of his feet, although calloused, were bleeding from the friction. Several hours… a day or two? At this point, he really didn't care. He sent a wave of chakra around the area to see if the ANBU were still following him, and he was thankful that they weren't. He was almost near an abandoned watchtower (built in the last war) bordering Fire Country and Wind Country. He knew he overstayed his 'visit' at the village, and it cost him… and Naruto. Looking down at the sleeping boy, he couldn't help but want to be selfish. It was his greatest flaw and had cost him so much throughout his life; his friends, his loyalty, his humanity, his sanity, and his eyesight. But even now, Naruto was the only thing he hadn't lost. That was why he would never let go… ever. Naruto would understand. He always did.
Yay… I know that it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I really couldn't find any way to make the chapter longer. It has been so long since I last updated and I know this chapter wasn't as long as I wanted, but this was the best I could do. But now that school is over, I'll try to fit in more chapters so I can finish this story and start my new one. Thank you for reading! Review