I'll give you a warning ahead of time. This chapter is FILLER. It isn't very good to read, and even less so to write, but still necessary. It was actually supposed to be two chapters, but i wrote it as one.
Thought I should let you know.

I don't own Naruto


Dosu opened his eyes slowly. He hadn't been expecting a lot of different things. Among them were to be in a hospital bed, still alive.

He attempted to sit up, wanting to get a better look at the area around him, but found that he couldn't. He could feel straps attached to his arms, holding him down. He also noticed that, not surprisingly, his melody arm was missing. He then realized something else was missing; the bandages he usually wore over the right side of his face.

He was then forced to lie there, still. The only noises were voices from the hallway outside, muffled by the door separating him from the outside world, and the sound of a heart-rate monitor from the bed next to him. He couldn't see the occupant, however, due to the screen set up between the two beds.

It was several more agonizing minutes, with only the constant beeps as a companion, until he heard the door open. He could hear two sets of footsteps walk in, before stopping in front of his bed.

"Kinuta Dosu, correct?" He heard a female voice say.

"Yes." He heard the another, male voice say.

"We would like a word with him, but somewhere private. Is he okay to move?"

"He should be fine. Just avoid any sudden bumps."

The woman, now confirmed as ANBU, pulled his bed away from the wall. He could clearly see her mask when he looked up. He turned to his side, out of curiosity as to who had been his quiet companion during the previous time. He was shocked by what he saw.

In the bed next to him lay his former teammate, Tsuchi Kin.

He had assumed her to have been killed by Gaara, but he was apparently proven wrong. She was obviously in poor condition, but still breathing.

And then she was gone, disappearing behind the wall.

The cart continued down the hallway, past a number of other rooms, each one filled. He had stopped staring at the rooms, and was instead looking straight upwards, watching the fluorescent lights go by. He tried to think of what he should tell the ANBU, but then realized that it didn't matter.

Kin was still alive, and that meant that Kin could still be questioned. It was most likely that they would each be interrogated, for accuracy's sake, and if a single answer failed to match, than they would most likely both be executed.

He watched as the cart passed through a doorway. The new room was fairly dark, but he could still sense the presence of at least two others. The cart was placed in the center of the room. He could hear one of them step forward, closer to where he lay.

"Am I correct in assuming that you know why we brought you here?"

Dosu answered, still unable to see the man to whom he was speaking. "I am to be questioned regarding the events of the attack on your village, correct?"

"Yes. I would like to warn you now against lying. We have each been trained in the art of interrogation. In the event that you are caught, the session will terminate, and you will be jailed immediately. Am I understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. When were you informed about the attack?"

"I wasn't. I had learned through my own efforts that the sound had become allied with the sand only shortly before the final stage. I had guessed that Orochimaru had planned something, but hadn't been positive until the attack occurred."

"Through what efforts?"

"I witnessed a meeting between a member of the sound and a member of the sand."

"Thank you. Why did Kin agree to assist you, as our reports suggest?"

"I had told her about my discovery regarding the sand. We both knew that we were being lied to, and agreed to work together in order to avoid our deaths."

"You had another teammate, Zaku. Why did you avoid telling him?"

"Zaku would have only been a liability."

"Very well. Now we will move onto the attack itself. If you had merely been planning to survive, then why did you stop to assist a fight against an enemy ninja?"

"We had wanted to interfere with Orochimaru's plans. We knew Sasuke was going to be a target for capture, and so we pursued him. It appeared that he was going to lose, so we stepped in."

"Why did you step in?"

"As I said, it appeared that he was going to lose."

"Orochimaru had wanted Sasuke alive. Gaara, however, was going to kill him. Wouldn't stepping in to save him actually be assisting Orochimaru?"

"I am not sure what you mean."

"Do you? You already said that Orochimaru had been planning to capture him. If he was going to die, then it was going against his plans. Helping him doesn't seem like something that a traitor would do. It sounds more like something that his pawn would do."

"...Perhaps, but we had been trying to save his life in spite of Orochimaru, not for him. We knew he had been planning Kin's death, and his silence towards me implies that he meant the same for my own life."

"That wasn't what I was asking. Why did you help someone if doing so assisted Orochimaru unless your loyalty was still towards him?"

"We feel no loyalty towards Orochimaru. We had been acting on our own. We had very little information to work with. At the time, it had appeared to be the best option."

It was dead silent for a few seconds afterward. He could only guess at what they were thinking.

"Very well. Thank you for your cooperation. We will return you to the hospital until you are cleared to leave. We will inform you of our decision regarding your situation then."

Dosu was surprised by the comment. He was unsure of what the ANBU had been looking for. However, he had apparently answered their questions correctly. The woman from earlier grabbed his bed and pushed it out of the room.

He found himself back in the room from earlier. He was still confused as to the ANBU's reaction to his answer. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Whatever happened was now out of his hands.


During his brief stay, Dosu found himself constantly under watch by the medical staff, and he felt sure that, even though he couldn't sense them, at least one guard was present the entire time. But finally, the day came when he was allowed to leave his bed. The straps holding him down were cut loose, and he slowly sat up. His muscles weren't used to the strain from even this simple act, causing him to move slower than normal. Though the motion was far from difficult, he realized that he was far from the condition that he was before the attack.

"I'm sure your wondering what will happen, so I will waste no time." Started the man at the foot of his bed. "At the moment, we are without a centralized leadership. Therefore, you will be moved to a small apartment until a new Hokage is chosen. They will make the final decision. Until then, however, you will be considered under house arrest."

He could only nod at the agreement. He had been expecting far worse than that. He had assumed that the best he could hope for was a jail cell. This wasn't very far off, but it would at least be more comfortable.

He was shown the place only a few minutes later, standing outside of the door. It was opened up, and he stepped inside. Their was a small living area set up, as well as a small but well stocked kitchen. A hallway led deeper into the apartment, with three doors along the sides before opening into a balcony.

"As you can see, it is well enough that you won't need to leave. Anything that you require can be brought on request." Dosu nodded, and stepped towards the hallway. The first door was a bathroom, while the other two led into sleeping areas. "As soon as Kin is able, she will be joining you."

He hadn't been expecting that, but it didn't take long out the reason. Obviously, they were still under suspicion, but they weren't positive. They couldn't try to torture the information out, because they couldn't tell for sure that it existed. Thus, they were putting the two of them together for a long period of time, without outside contact. If they heard something suspicious, then they could take action. If not, then so be it.

The man had left only shortly after the tour, taking the key with him. Picking the lock would be an easy task, but Dosu knew that there were likely other security measures under use. And thus, he was forced into his own solitary confinement. True, someone supposedly came by once a week, restocking the food and other necessities, but until then, he was alone.

And so, he wasn't expecting the knock on the door only four days into his stay. That said, the reasons for it were fairly low. Either Kin was cleared, and was arriving, or the next Hokage had been chosen. As the door opened, he quickly realized which one it was; his co-conspirator entered the room, followed by the ANBU from before.

"She has been cleared to join you here. I trust you will fill her in, as I have other matters to attend to." And only a second later, he was gone, leaving Kin and Dosu alone.

He took the moment to study her. For the most part, she had looked the same as before. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed a number of scars going across her bare arms. There was also a small one by her right ear. She noticed his concentration.

"So..." She started, apparently nervous, "How long do we have to stay here?"

"Until they pick a new Hokage. He will decide what will happen."

"Well, the first part of that is done." He perked his head up, interested. "They chose Tsunade."

They were both familiar with the name. "She was the one who had healed enough that I could be here. Of course, if what I heard was right, we won't get a decision for awhile."

"Oh?"

"Apparently, Sasuke ran off, and was seen with a group of sound shinobi. A group was sent after them two days ago, but I don't have much hope for them."

"So, he left on his own?"

"Looks like it."

The two sat in silence for a few moments. Dosu tried to analyze the new information. He doubted the last of the Uchiha had wanted to become Orochimaru's next body, but he couldn't think of any possible motive he would have for leaving. Still, motive didn't matter, only the fact that he had.

Kin, on the other hand, was thinking about something entirely different. Since she had woken up, she had felt confused as to why she had been alive. Her thoughts twisted upon the fact since she had become conscious, and had refused to settle, despite who best efforts.

"So, is there something else?" She looked up, surprised that he had managed to read her so well.

"Its just... If this was Oto, then I wouldn't be here right now. The best I could have hoped for was to be killed on the spot, as opposed to being experimented on. But, despite what happened, they didn't. They healed me, even though so many of their own were injured or dead."

"Remember, this is a village. Oto had been a base, designed entirely for the purpose of research and training. It was hidden from the outside world. Konoha, on the other hand, is more than a training ground. It has a large civilian population. It is also a critical aspect of the Land of Fire's military and economic power, as well as it's political influence. Most likely, we're being kept alive largely for political reasons. As a symbol of the land's mercy and kindness towards its enemies."

"So, they would kill is if they didn't have to?"

"Most likely. In fact, I would imagine that a large number of people here already want to kill us."

She shuddered at the thought of this, causing Dosu to stare, confused. Kin had been acting abnormal since she had arrived. It was obvious something was on her mind, something that was interfering with her normal abilities. Still, he ignored it, assuming she would get over it eventually, and return back to normal.


The door was knocked on once again, waking them both from their sleep. They stumbled out of their respective rooms into the hallway before entering the main room. It was close to midnight, leaving them wondering who could possibly be there. There question was quickly answered.

Closing the door behind him was a tall man with white hair. He motioned for them to sit down at two chairs, while he himself remained standing.

"Okay." The man started, speaking with authority. "My name is Jiraiya. You may have heard it before." They were both shocked at this piece of information, which instantly woke them from their trance. "I'll get straight to the point, seeing as we're short on time. I need a guide to the Orochimaru's hideout. You two get a choice. Either you can do it, or you can expect to remain here indefinitely."

Kin and Dosu exchanged a quick glance before speaking up. Their was only one real option for them. "We'll do it." They each said simultaneously.

"Good. Get ready to leave immediately. I have your weapons here with me." He said, removing a small scroll. "As former sound's, it is likely that your lives will be in danger." His eyes narrowed. "I trust you won't try to using them on me. I can assure you that it they won't be effective." He ran his hand across the now open scroll. Dosu's melody arm and Kin's bells appeared, as well as a number of other weapons and pouches.

The two merely nodded to Jiraiya. Within minutes, they were out of the door, into the outside world.


Done, ya?

Right, I would like to thank Kraut 007 for the review

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