I'm back! My apologies for the unexpected hiatus.
Quick reminder that I began writing this after reading chapter 609. So, many things that have happened recently in the manga are not necessarily true for this fic, i.e. certain deaths, death reaper seals specifics, and all that. At the same time, I may make references to certain things we learn in more recent chapters. Please excuse this teeny tiny incongruity. It's fanfiction.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
The Empty Tomb
Hatake Kakashi loved his village. He loved how the first rays of sun struck the Hokage mountain each morning. He loved the fragrance of the forest that graced the crisp air. He loved that Konoha was the birthplace of Icha Icha.
There was no doubt he loved his village, but there were certain people in the village that he could do without. Most of them were unfortunately within a ten meter radius of himself at the moment.
And everyone of them trained their eyes on the last Uchiha.
Sasuke stood at the foot of a long table under the scrutiny of the Konoha Council. He was filthy and injured, his wrists lashed together behind him by chakra-controlling manacles. Two guards, one of them Kakashi, stood on either side of the prisoner.
Senju Tsunade surveyed the disheveled Uchiha then looked past him to Dog. "Did you encounter resistance?" she demanded.
"No, Hokage-sama. We arrested Uchiha Sasuke after his spar with Uzumaki-san concluded."
"Where is Naruto?"
"With the toads," said Dog.
Tsunade allowed herself a moment of relief. Arresting the Uchiha was necessary. Doing so in front of Naruto would have been disastrous. She turned her attention back to the prisoner and said gravely, "Uchiha Sasuke, you have been arrested under the suspicion of treason. According to Article XXII.I of the Founding Charter, the Konoha Council has adjourned to determine your rights as a conditional citizen."
The Uchiha had not even blinked since his arrest. He remained detached. Unconcerned about his fate. Unrepentant of his actions. Still and cold, he could have been carved from marble.
When the Uchiha spoke, Kakashi was almost surprised.
"What are the charges against me?"
Councilwoman Koharu interjected, "Breaking and entering, thievery, conspiring with an enemy."
"Against our better judgement, we granted you clemency," said Homura Mitokado. "You have ill-repaid us, Uchiha Sasuke."
"Councilman Homura," barked Tsunade, "must I remind you that a consensus has not been reached." She didn't wait for an answer but glanced at her jounin commander. "Shikaku, please review the latest evidence."
"Hai, Hokage-sama. At 19:00 hours, a team of trackers encountered the chakra signature of the intruder. They traced it back to the home of Uchiha Sasuke. His apartment, not the Uchiha complex."
Several council members turned to give Sasuke an icy glare.
"The trail ended there. His apartment was searched, but we found no condemning evidence. However, at 19:30 hours a second team discovered the intruder's purpose in Konoha. The Hovel has been ransacked."
A collective gasp sounded from the Council. A momentary widening of the eyes was Sasuke's only response.
"Among the items taken were Uchiha scrolls from the time of Madara - scrolls rescued by the First Hokage, which detailed the acquisition of Rinnegan."
Eyes that had condemned Sasuke, now burned into him.
"Among the items pilfered were the Fourth's three-pronged kunai and a supply of chakra limiters."
Eyes darted to the manacles around Sasuke's wrists.
"Furthermore," said Shikaku, "the intruder made away with the single scroll in existence that explained the theory and method of the Shiki Fujin."
The Council was ready to throw Sasuke into the darkest dungeon in Konoha.
"Uchiha Sasuke," demanded Homura, "are you able to account for your absence during the intrusion?"
Kakashi knew the old Sasuke would sooner rip his tongue out than answer to the Konoha Council. His pride would not allow him to descend to their level, giving them true authority over him. Defending himself meant he cared what they thought. But unless Kakashi was very mistaken, Sasuke had had something of an epiphany during his spar with Naruto.
What he did now would confirm or deny Kakashi's sneaking suspicion. If Sasuke remained silent, he would uphold the pride of his ancestors. If he answered, he would accept that someone was more important to him than -
"Absence?" said Sasuke. "I was in the market. A number of civilians can attest to that." His voice was hard, cut from stone. But he had answered.
Kakashi felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders. Sasuke would cooperate. The Uchiha had even willingly referred to his ink-drenched, post-prank status. Despite the tense situation, Kakashi had to stifle a laugh. For the first time, Sasuke cared about his status in the village. And he cared solely because of Naruto.
"We have a witness who confirms that you disappeared moments after the intruder infiltrated our barriers. Such a coincidence is too great to dismiss."
Sasuke raised a brow. "This witness could have seen nothing more than me leaving the market. After which, I returned home to bathe. Your witness is unfit to make a judgement regarding my behavior."
"The witness, as you said," repeated Tsunade, using Sasuke's scathing tone, "was none other than Uzumaki Naruto."
Sasuke stilled.
"Would Naruto be an unfit witness?"
Kakashi knew why Tsunade did it - why she invoked Naruto's name. Tsunade understood more than anyone what the bond between Naruto and Sasuke could do. Naruto would never accept Sasuke's imprisonment. Naruto would never submit to the Council's judgement if she believed that Sasuke was innocent. In their bond was a danger. Naruto would never severe it, but if Tsunade could convince Sasuke that Naruto had betrayed him, had chosen the Council over him…
Kakashi shifted ever so slightly to view in Sasuke's face what he was sure would be a flash of anger or contrived indifference.
Sasuke, of all things, smirked.
"Yes," he said in some Uchiha version of amusement, "she has been…peeved at me these last few days. I imagine she was more than willing to share any tales of my, as she would say, 'bastard behavior.' Particularly when she was speaking to trusted confidants such as yourselves."
The Hokage's nostrils flared.
Kakashi was grateful that his mask hid his grin.
"Tread carefully, Uchiha," scolded Koharu. "Your place in Konoha is unstable as it is."
By implying that it wasn't Naruto who'd betrayed Sasuke but Tsunade who betrayed Naruto, the Uchiha established himself as innocent of the whole affair. More importantly, he implied that Naruto would chose Sasuke over Konoha, should they force her hand.
The council members had broken out in whispers and even mutters of treason. They recognized the challenge that Sasuke had issued.
"You're not helping your case, Sasuke," whispered Kakashi in his ear. "And you are putting Naruto on a slippery slope."
Sasuke tensed for a moment before burying his emotions under that hardened mask. Any triumph he felt in winning the verbal spar was short-lived. These were the people who determined the next Hokage, and they would not easily support a shinobi with close ties to a traitor.
Tsunade cleared her throat, and the commotion died down. She held in her hands the scroll that, once signed, would condemn Sasuke to mental interrogation. "In summary, the evidence against Uchiha Sasuke is as follows: Firstly, the intruder left through a passage on the grounds of the former Uchiha complex - a passage which Uchiha Sasuke neglected to mention to proper authorities. Secondly, the Allied Shinobi Forces took Uchiha Sasuke's word that he destroyed the Rinnegan in the aftermath of the war, which we now know to be false. Thirdly, many of the items missing from the Hovel can be linked directly to his heritage - a heritage that we all know him to revere. Fourthly, the intruder's chakra signature was located in Uchiha Sasuke's apartment. Finally -" Tsunade paused to look at Sasuke, "your previous association with Orochimaru alone is sufficient to incur mental interrogation. Do you have any words of defense?"
This time, Sasuke remained silent.
"Council members, we granted Uchiha Sasuke conditional citizenship upon his return to Konoha. A three quarters majority vote is required to sentence him to mental interrogation. All those in favor -"
A chorus of "Ayes" sounded from the council. There was not a single "Nay."
Tsunade turned to Sasuke. Genuine sorrow was reflected in her eyes. "The evidence is circumstantial, but the motive is there. I'm sorry, Sasuke." She turned Rabbit and Dog. "Please escort Uchiha Sasuke to T&I where he is to be interrogated by Yamanaka Inoichi. Should the suspect resist, forcible action may be taken."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"One thing."
Every shinobi in the room tensed when Sasuke spoke.
"Wait until this is over before you tell Naruto. She'll be furious."
Tsunade tightened her lips and nodded.
... ... ...
"Fox," Tsunade said when the room had emptied, "I want your honest opinion. Between Konoha and Sasuke, which would Naruto choose?"
"Naruto's loyalty to Konoha cannot be questioned," Sai responded with a rare show of anger.
"Of course not. But if Sasuke has indeed betrayed Konoha for the second time, I will have no choice but to have him executed. How will Naruto respond? Will she be able to accept what must be done?"
"Naruto puts Konoha above all else," said Sai after a long pause, "but there was a time when she forsook her duty to her village."
"When was that?"
"In the battle with Sasuke. She could have dodged that Chidori. I know it. But she had sworn to shoulder the burden of his hatred, so she chose to die in the hopes that his revenge would be appeased. So that he could live again."
"You know this to be true?"
"Naruto as much as admitted it to me."
"Damn," whispered Tsunade.
... ... ...
A half hour later, Sasuke was in a containment chair in the T&I Department. A medic stood to the side, poised to inject him with anesthesia. Asleep, Sasuke would be less able to defend his mind against the invasion.
"Yamanaka," said Sasuke to the man standing above him, "you are aware that this interrogation is against my will?"
Inoichi looked at him steadily. "You are aware that committing treason leaves you with precious few rights in this village?"
Sasuke inclined his head. "I understand the reasons for my arrest."
"But?" prodded Inoichi.
"But my mind is my last sanctuary. You will attempt to walk through my memories, my thoughts, and my secrets. In short, you will trample on everything I hold sacred."
Understanding - and even some pity - entered Inoichi's eyes. "I do not do this lightly, Sasuke. Any secrets of yours that I learn, as long as they do not endanger Konoha, I will never repeat."
Sasuke nodded. "I will allow you into my mind. Once there, it's up to you to navigate it."
The medic stuck the needle into Sasuke's neck and pressed down on the syringe.
"Don't blame me if you don't like what you find there, Yamanaka."
Inoichi put his hand on Sasuke's forehead.
As Sasuke's eyes drooped, he muttered, "Try to stay sane."
... ... ...
Naruto awakened on a giant leaf. Her head ached. Sitting up, she ran her fingers through her hair.
"Damn, this seal is tough."
You've got other things to worry about right now, gaki.
That's just it. I'm desperate to get my mind off all this other crap. Besides, she gave the fox a knowing look, you're actually really excited about this, aren't you? And you're just a bit afraid that it won't work?
It would be my first real freedom in over a century, though it's not so bad when you let me take complete control of your -
No way. Not anymore. The Naras would kill me! You completely wrecked half their forest last time!
Those deer were pestering me.
'Cause they're the guardians or whatever of the forest and you were wrecking it! Even Shikamaru was pissed off! He didn't believe me for the longest time when I told him I was asleep through all of it.
I stopped short at devouring their little pets.
Naruto paused. You're just a giant mass of chakra. Why would you eat them?
I was in a physical body - your transformed body - so I had an appetite.
I'm afraid to ask, but did you -?
I ate some rabbits. Their meat was tough, but they were deliciously bloody.
Naruto was quiet for a long moment before she slapped a hand over her mouth. I think I'm gonna be sick.
... ... ...
You should figure out a way to reverse summon yourself, Naruto," Gamakichi grumbled, back in Konoha. The sleepy toad blinked in the morning light.
Naruto tapped her head in thought. "You know, that might not be such a bad idea! I'll get started on it after I'm done with my current project."
"What is your current project? Pops is getting suspicious." By the tone of his voice, Gamakichi was more than a little perturbed, as well.
"Nothing, nothing. You don't have a thing to worry about!" Naruto put her hands together in a seal, grinning broadly. "Foxes don't eat toads."
Naruto was just able to see Gamakichi's jaw drop before she sent the toad back to Mount Myoboku. Stomach growling, Naruto turned towards her apartment. She sent a half sorrowful, half longing look down the street where Ichirakus was serving piping hot bowls of ramen.
Soon, she promised herself. And if they hate me, well - She gulped. Please don't let them hate me.
An hour later, Naruto was banging on the door of Uchiha Sasuke's apartment. When there was no answer - even after shouts of "Teme, no baka!" - Naruto studied the mangled doorknob. She was a little surprised he hadn't fixed it himself last night. The Uchiha loved his privacy. And while a locked door could never keep a shinobi out, it could seriously hamper the lovemaking efforts of the civilian female population.
He must be planning to use his passive aggressive bullshit to guilt her into fixing the damn door. Whatever. It was worth it.
Naruto gave up on knocking and pushed open the door. Weird. The Uchiha's room was messier than usual. Not much, but his things were shifted, ever so slightly out of place. Naruto wondered if some civilian's had broken in, but no, his room would have been ransacked. His clothes would all be missing.
Whatever the case, Sasuke was not in his apartment.
Bored and a bit confused, Naruto wandered to the Hokage's office. Maybe Tsunade obaa-san would give in and give her a mission. Naruto's body was suffering no ill effects from her transformation, and her test results had come back normal. There were no excuses for coddling her now.
The office was empty. Naruto stood in the doorway, scratching her head. Weird.
… … …
Wandering idly around Konoha, Naruto saw a familiar redhead in the distance.
"Gaara!"
The Kazekage turned and waited for Naruto to catch up. "Naruto." Gaara's greeting was simple enough, but his green eyes warmed at her approach.
"Hey, last night was crazy fun, eh?"
Gaara half smiled. "Your antics were excessive, but yes, the night was enjoyable."
"Excessive? Wha—" A sudden image of her dancing on the table flashed before her mind. Damn clone. "Ah, well, your brother dared me. Said I couldn't dance like a girl."
"You shouldn't let Kankuro rile you up."
"Guess you're right. So what are you doing here? Where's Temari and Kankuro?"
"Temari is with Shikamaru - at least, she ran off this morning and I assume that was where she was going. Kankuro was going to look for Yamanaka-san."
"Ino? What for?"
"She is, in his words, 'hotter than anything in the desert.'"
Naruto laughed. "He'll have some competition."
Gaara raised a nonexistent brow. "You are referring to Sai?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Last night he painted some rats that chewed through Kankuro's pants."
Naruto got a good laugh out of that. "So, how long will you get to stay?"
Gaara frowned. "I was supposed to leave today—"
"But you just got in!"
"—however, your Hokage asked to postpone our meeting."
Naruto echoed Gaara's frown. "Huh. Weird. Seriously, this whole day is so weird. Everything just feels…kinda off, you know." Naruto thought she saw a funny look cross Gaara's face. "What? You know something?"
Gaara's mouth curved. "Well, I am the leader of a rival shinobi village. It's my job to know things."
Naruto laughed, completely unconcerned that Gaara had been snooping, and waited.
"There was a break-in and thievery. Some sort of Hokage stronghold?"
"Shit."
"You know the place."
"Yeah," Naruto answered event though it wasn't a question. "But I don't know where it is. Hm, obaa-chan didn't send for me, so it's not really my business." She scratched her nose. "Then again, I am the future Hokage. Everything's my business!"
Naruto stilled. Natural energy filled her body. Her eyelids turned orange. Moment later, Naruto frowned again.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, really. Just weird. Sasuke's at the hospital. With Sakura? Hah! Bet the bastard needed a medic our fight."
"What fight?"
"Never mind," she said quickly. She closed her eyes again. "Anyways, Tsunade, Tsunade, where are you? Ah-ha."
Naruto opened her eyes. She looked at Gaara. "Well, gotta scram. Spar later?"
Gaara nodded, and Naruto was off.
… … …
"Uzumaki-san, you are not authorized to be here."
Naruto had arrived at the entrance to the Hovel. Buried in the base of the Hokage mountain, it was well-concealed. She would never have been able to find it without Sage Mode. Now there was a second obstacle. Two ANBU were blocking her way. "Er, hey, guys. Thought I felt some funny chakra over here, and I just wanted to check—"
"Everything is under control, Uzumaki-san. Your presence will not be necessary."
"Um, right." Naruto's curiosity was peaked. She'd wanted to see the Hovel since Tsunade had first mentioned it. If she used force, Naruto could slip around the ANBU with little difficulty, but that would be a tiny bit illegal. Time for smooth talking. "So, obaa—ahem, Hokage-sama told me there was a crazy ass seal here. I thought I could help out."
"A team is already working on it."
"Yeah, but as a sealmaster in training, I—"
"We will be forced to escort you from—"
"What's going on out here?! Your voices echo down the tunnel! We need silence." Tsunade voice was an angry bark. Far louder than any of their voices.
"Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-san, has requested entrance into the Hovel."
"I heard there was a break-in," said Naruto by way of explanation.
Tsunade stopped and stared at Naruto for a long moment, as though she were studying the blonde. Weird, thought Naruto for the thousandth time that day.
"Obaa-chan, what's going on? Is it the intruder?"
Tsunade's pinched expression relaxed. Was that relief in her eyes? She waved away the ANBU guard. "Come, Naruto. Maybe you will be able to help us."
Naruto resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at the ANBU and followed the Hokage down a dark tunnel. The tunnel abruptly widened into a cavern. At the mouth of the cavern, she stopped. And stared.
Before her was the most elaborate sealwork she had ever seen, more intricate than she had ever imagined. It was a labyrinth of seals. Covering the ceilings, the floor, and the wall, they glowed in the torchlight.
"Hideki, Kakashi." called Tsunade. A short, brown-haired man popped his head up from a group of huddled shinobis. Naruto remembered that Hideki was Konoha's resident seal specialist. The man walked over to Tsunade and Naruto, along with Kakashi who wore an unusually perplexed expression. "How goes the analysis?"
"It will take time, Hokage-sama. We have affirmed that the seal has not been tampered with. It is fully functional. Perfectly active." Hideki eyeballed Naruto, giving her a once over as if wondering what she was doing there. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but it is ill-advised to have—"
"Naruto has shown some talent with sealwork. She broke one of the Fourth's seals in a matter of minutes."
Kakashi added, "A seal that I spent hours trying to crack."
Hideki still looked skeptical. "I was quite certain that Naruto was a boy."
"As were we all, before her eighteenth birthday."
Hideki hid his surprise. "Be that as it may—"
"She is of the Uzumaki clan."
That silenced Hideki. The Uzumaki clan had written almost every scroll on seals. They were the masters, the ones that every seal specialist aspired to be.
Tsunade said to Naruto, "Only I am able to pass through unhindered. Somehow the intruder managed to get inside, and he did so without activating the alarm. We need to get a team inside to sweep for clues."
"You don't have some sort of super secret Hokage code?"
"A code could be stolen. No, the seal was designed so that only the Hokage could enter. Should the Hokage die, the secrets of the Hovel would remain a mystery. Even to Konoha."
"Until an intruder managed to break through the seals."
Tsunade's brow twitched.
Hideki said, "It is possible that a secondary key exists. We are searching for a gateway, perhaps a Daichi path, even Hoshi."
"Similar to stepping stones in a river, letting us get to the other side," said Kakashi. But for once, Naruto didn't need the dumbed down explanation. She walked closer to the seals, studying them intently.
"Careful, Uzumaki," said Hideki. "If you penetrate the barrier, you'll kill us all."
Naruto barely heard him. She was transfixed. Her eyes took in the network of seals. Symbols, familiar and strange, burned into her eyes. "Kami-sama," she breathed finally, "it would take me ages to get through this thing."
Hideki gave Naruto a sideways glance. It should be impossible for her to get through it at all.
"I see the Nori Dragon." Naruto traced her finger through the air, outlining the complex seal. "But you can never start with the Dragon. We need fire first. Ah, there it is." She pointed to a seal near her feet. "Can't be the pathway, though. Not unless, the Prophet of Tato there—"
Tsunade and Hideki's eyes were wide. Naruto was spotting seals like they were clouds in the sky. Several shinobis had stopped their work to listen.
"—no, doesn't make sense. No Hokage would let the Dragon be the gateway. Even my insane oto-san. No, what we need is a symbol of the forest. Or the river. Yeah. There's the Scythe. That's not it. Where, where, where? If fire's here, then water's…right there. Okay, water meets earth. Good sign. Now where's the gateway? Hoshi? Makes sense it would be on the ceiling."
Hideki's voice was astonished. "H-Hokage-sama, how? How can she—?"
"Her Uzumaki blood is revealing itself. Naruto has been studying seals continuously for months. Using several clones at that. She is on her way to being a master."
Naruto was still muttering to herself. "Damn complicated seal. Can't even find the starting point." Naruto moved to examine the seals on the walls. "River flows in four directions. Crazy. Doesn't bother to end—huh?" Naruto stilled. "What the hell?" she whispered.
"Naruto?" said Kakashi.
"Four rivers. Four whirlpools. Four, when there only need to be two." The blonde was quivering. "The accomplice. Of course."
"Naruto," asked Tsunade, alarmed, "what's wrong?"
"Everything." She turned to them. Naruto's blue eyes were bleak and furious all at once. "Everything's wrong."
Naruto disappeared from the Hovel in a yellow flash.
… … …
She was in a small cemetery on the far side of Hokage mountain. There were fewer than thirty tombs. They all faced in the direction of their resident's homeland. The Whirlpool Country.
Naruto stood at the foot of one of the graves.
Kakashi, having followed her from the Hovel, stepped forward. "Naruto, what did you find?" Naruto seemed unable to answer. Kakashi looked at the tomb. It seemed unperturbed, in perfect condition.
"Obaa-chan said the Yondaime perfected the seals guarding the Hovel. That wasn't quite right." Naruto kicked up her foot and placed it on the side of the white tomb. Before Kakashi could move, she gave a mighty heave and pushed the slap of marble off. It landed heavily in the earth.
The tomb was empty.
Naruto's blue eyes were alive with anger.
"My father didn't touch those seals. It was my mother. Orochimaru has my mother."