Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

I know I'm going to regret updating so early later on, but oh well - really, I won't always be this quick, just I'm going to have at least two weeks where there won't be any so this hopefully will make up for then (I'll be working and won't have internet access). This chapter is dedicated to BloodRedShadows - thanks again for the awesome reviews :)

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Chapter 4

Revelations

When morning finally arrived, Naruto still had not turned up. Anko was slightly concerned, but thought that it would take more to kill the Kyuubi boy than a little drowning.

Anko checked in with the local authorities to see if Naruto had been found, and also to check about the payment. To her surprise and consternation, the payment time had been moved up to the following morning. Damn, we need to look for Naruto, and investigate that sea monster ... ahh, it can't be helped. "Understood," she replied to the officer in charge, "But we would like some time to investigate and search for our comrade." The man nodded, and they made plans to meet the ship the following morning.

"Please get rid of the Kaima for the sake of our country!" he said finally, bowing to them.

"Understood." Anko replied, determination in her eyes.

While she sent the genin to look for Naruto, Anko was drawn to a cliff edge that looked out at a distant island. She stared at it intently. There ... is he there? Is that where it happened? Why can't I remember ...

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Back in Konoha, Tsunade was staring dispiritedly at a file in front of her, and trying not to see the numerous piles of paper on her desk that silently demanded her attention.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune interrupted her.

"Huh?"

"Here are the papers you requested." Shizune noticed the file Tsunade was going through. "And that's the Ocean Country's ... are you bothered about it after all?"

"Well, yeah." she replied. "That is the place where Anko was found after she was abandoned by Orochimaru. The ANBU found her alone on the beach, terrified." she sighed. "I was with Sarutobi-sensei when she was questioned.

...o..o.o..o...

"It's no use ... I can't remember," the traumatised child struggled with herself among a ring of symbols and seals. "I should have remembered ... it's dark and cold ..." The girl started to cry. "I've always been in pain. But ..."

"Calm down," the medic told her. "Let's take more time."

Anko didn't seem to hear him. "This mark," she grabbed her neck, "It must have been placed on me there ..." she sobbed again.

"The situation looks grim," the medic said to the Hokage, "It looks like most of her memory has ..."

The old man put his hand on the girl's shoulder, calming her anguish. He knelt next to her. "It's okay. Seems like you have a lot of painful memories," he said to her kindly, smiling gently. "You're okay now. First we need to treat your problems while you're within the confinement seal."

"Hokage-sama, I ..." she whimpered, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

...o..o.o..o...

"Her memories did not return after all, and many of them are still missing." Tsunade finished.

"I see," replied Shizune. "Well then, this will be her first mission to the Ocean Country since then?"

"Yeah, that's right. It would be good if it leads to her finding her memory."

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It was dusk by the time Anko, Ino and Shino had caught up to the girl who was their only lead. She had been the only person of the many that had disappeared, or been spirited away, to return. From what the villagers said, they suspected people had been taken to the island Kikaijima. They eventually found her walking along a beach by one of the many coves. They had still not found Naruto.

They watched the girl carefully from the trees, and followed her stealthily through a crack in the rock which lead to a portion of the sea that was entirely enclosed by rock cliffs except for a small opening to the ocean.

The girl stepped into the water, and transformed, shedding her bandages reveal green scales and fins. She bared her teeth at them when Ino exclaimed at her appearance, revealing their presence. "Don't tell me you are the Kaima!" She dived in the water away from them.

Anko stood, stunned for a moment. She remembered that girl, she remembered her floating in a tank ... "What?!" Her seal throbbed harder than it had before, causing her vision to blur as she cried out and dug her nails in the flesh around it. She barely noticed the children running after the Kaima, and saw another time, another place.

...o..o.o..o...

Anko stared in shock at the contents of the tank before her. The room was dark, with a sickly green light emanating from the water. Inside, floated a girl ... but she didn't look like a normal girl. Her hair was so long ... it rippled around her slender body and only seemed to accentuate her strange green scaled skin and the fins on her hands and feet, along her arms and legs. She looked so helpless, so alone ... The aura around her seemed so twisted, so wrong

Orochimaru-sama," she said quietly to her sensei who stood at her side, "What's this?"

"Because you are special, I'll tell you," he replied, "This is one of my jutsu invention rooms." The green light shone from a number of tanks around them, each one holding what had been a normal human being. Each one now holding a monstrosity. Orochimaru stared at the tank with clinical interest, like he was looking at some thing rather than a human being. "I thought I would have you help me."

Anko turned to her sensei, unable to hide her anxiety, "But, if the village finds out ..."

She was cut off by her sensei, who rested his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "This isn't going very well," he ignored the question, "But there is only one step left. It's foolish, isn't it. What's truly frightening is neglecting one's inquisitive mind." He caressed her face gently.

Anko turned back to the tank, staring at the floating girl who seemed so much younger than her. Her sensei's touch always reassured her, but it just didn't seem to do as much this time. His praise for her made her soul fly while at the same time it burned from seeing this ... this experiment that was so obviously wrong. She started to struggle with herself for the first time, because part of her that was used to following her master blindly wanted to crush the part of her that felt this fear that she didn't know him so well, and that she was wrong to hand him her trust so. Will he look at me like he looked at her? she couldn't stop the thought from gripping her.

...o..o.o..o...

Anko was brought roughly back to the present. "That kid ... Could it be?"

Ino meanwhile had cleverly blocked the passage that would have allowed the girl-monster to get out to sea using an exploding tag latched on to a kunai, and Shino managed to entangle her in ninja wires. The situation was complicated when Naruto finally arrived and stopped them from being rough with her and she escaped from the wires.

Anko moved next to them when one of the enemy shinobis appeared next to the Kaima. She was panting hard, hand on her seal, but she felt she had to protect the genin. When the man started a new jutsu to disappear with the girl, Anko had to stop Naruto from following.

"Don't get too close!" she shouted at him, "It's the same as yesterday's whirlpool!" They were forced to watch them escape, much to the Kyuubi boy's frustration. "I am sure," Anko forced out, "that girl is ..." She gasped with a harsh intake of breath, the seal flaring with agonising pain. She fell to her knees on the water, the feeling too much for her to resist.

"Sensei!" Ino cried in alarm, dropping down next to her.

Anko collapsed on to the water, and passed out.

...o..o.o..o...

Anko was back in her memory, in that room and staring at the floating girl. She had a feeling that she did this often, unable to stop herself from coming. She was fascinated, frightened, and horrified at the same time.

She was on a bed, in her room, with scrolls of various types littering the floor. She huddled against the wall, clutching her legs to her body and pulling in on herself as much as possible. The vision of the girl never left her, and she felt more and more conflicted as time went by.

She was in a kitchen, cleaning various glasses and dishes from one of the experiments. Suddenly she dropped a small bowl, and it shattered into pieces on the floor, much to her dismay. She hoped desperately her sensei would not see – he would think she was a terrible shinobi to do such a clumsy thing. But it was more than that – he would know something was disturbing her.

Sure enough, the voice came from behind her. "What's wrong?"

Anko looked back at him nervously, "I'm sorry, my hand slipped."

"I see." His eyes narrowed and his frown deepened as he noticed her new stronger fear for him. Her eyes slipped away from his, unable to meet his gaze.

She stood up, the broken fragments in her hands. "I'll clean this up right away," she told her sensei.

"Anko." he stopped her with that one word as she started to walk quickly away.

"Hai?"

"Hokage-sama already knows about the research being conducted here."

Anko looked at the floor, unable to quell the sudden certainty that he was lying to her. "Understood." She left the room.

Orochimaru stood staring silently after her for a moment, before frowning harshly and turning away.

...o..o.o..o...

Anko woke to the voices of the three genin. They were discussing where to start looking for the girl Kaima, Isaribi, or whether they should look for her at all because the ship with the payment was leaving in the morning.

"From what I've heard, this country has an island that is the centre of where those who were spirited away disappeared." said Shino.

"Where is it?" Naruto asked.

"The uninhabited island where the Kaima is said to live, Kikaijima." Anko replied suddenly.

Naruto turned to her, earnest and serious. "Kikaijima?"

"Sensei, are you alright?" Ino asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, but more importantly there is something I must tell you about the Kaima. The Kaima is merely a human who underwent physical transmutation."

The three stared at her in shock. "What?!" exclaimed Naruto. "What does that mean?!"

"The series of disappearances that occurred in the Ocean Country ten years ago ... that wasn't the work of a monster. At that time, Orochimaru was kidnapping people for his experiments."

"Orochimaru!" the Kyuubi boy growled, fury in his eyes. "So Orochimaru's related to this mission?" he leaned forward, thinking of all the wrong that the snake Sannin had committed and eager to repay some of it.

"Hang on a second," the blond kunoichi interrupted, "Orochimaru? Experiments? Why are you telling us this all of a sudden?"

Anko had known she would have to tell them. She didn't like revealing her past to the young generation who would otherwise not know, because she hated those looks. But she ignored her slight hesitation. They need to know some of it, at least ... I won't tell them about me unless they ask. "I need to tell you guys the reason why Orochimaru left the village."

The genin looked at her attentively. Orochimaru was rarely discussed in Konoha unless it was in connection to a mission, and his past was never discussed especially in front of the younger generations.

"About ten years ago, Orochimaru was conducting experiments to increase his power. In his quest for power, he went beyond the limits of a shinobi. And finally, he delved into research for techniques referred to as kinjutsu (forbidden techniques). Of course, the village eventually found out about it, but he had developed contacts while on missions, and he had several facilities outside Konoha."

"So, one of those facilities is on Kikaijima." Shino said quietly.

"What happened to the missing people?" Ino asked. Her innocence was mirrored in her eyes, and Anko almost couldn't bear to tell her.

"They were used in human experiments." the Aburame boy told her.

"That damn Orochimaru!" growled Naruto, "What does he think people are?! We have to sneak into the hideout and get Isaribi nee-chan back!"

Anko stood, the reactions of the genin pleasing her, especially Naruto's determination to help the Kaima girl. Anko also felt a sense of responsibility for the situation. I watched, and I did nothing to stop it.

"That's right, we're going to strike the Kaima's hideout now!" she agreed.

The team set off, and when they were halfway to the island with Naruto at the oars, Ino spoke up. Anko had seen that the girl had been mulling over what she'd told them and was expecting the questions.

"Sensei, when did you figure out the truth about Kikaijima?"

Anko looked away from the girl, out at the sea. She didn't want to see their reactions. "It's because Orochimaru was the jonin I trained under." Sure enough, they all stared at her, startled. Anko closed her eyes, closing them out. "Call me when we get close to the island." The seal chose that moment to pulse, and Anko gritted her teeth at the feeling. The pain is getting stronger!

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In a dark room a short distance away, Orochimaru lifted his head. I know this feeling ... what are you doing here, Anko?

"Someone's coming." he informed them.

"What shall we do?"

"Do as you like," Orochimaru replied, uncaring. The other man nodded and left, but he could not hide his sneer from the Sannin.

Orochimaru chuckled. That subordinate is becoming troublesome. Perhaps I should thank you for coming to clean up this mess for me, Anko. You still have some use. The Sannin stood. "We are leaving, Sasuke-kun." he purred at his new student. The Uchiha made no reply, but followed his master from the room.

I would stay and greet you, but I have far more important business to attend to.

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They reached the island that was the source of Anko's nightmares all too quickly for her liking. At the same time, if Orochimaru was there like her seal was making her think he was, she wanted to face him. And kill him.

"This way," she said to the genin. She didn't bother to question herself on how she knew which was the way to go, but followed her instinctual memory.

"Hurry up!" Ino called to the two boys, leaping after Anko.

They reached the cave entrance that lead to Orochimaru's underground facilities, and Shino sent his kikai bugs to see if there were sentries.

"How does it look Shino?" Naruto asked him quietly. They were all crouched behind foliage a good distance away.

"It's fine." the boy replied.

They entered the tunnels, moving cautiously down a series of steps with Naruto taking the lead, and Anko bringing up the rear. The place was cold, and got colder the deeper they went but it wasn't only that that gave Anko the chills. It all tugged viciously at her memory but mostly remained obscure though familiar.

When they entered the room that most of her dreams were centred on, Anko almost forgot to breathe. The tanks, the dank green light – it was all like a dream. No, a nightmare. But she stayed out of sight, sensing another presence in the room.

Sure enough, the genin disappeared through a trap door in the floor, and the Kaima girl, Isaribi, walked out from a corner. Anko was behind her instantly, with a kunai to the girl's throat.

"Don't move." she said. "Too bad for you, underestimating Konoha shinobi."

The girl smiled, and moved her head forward so that her neck was sliced. Anko pulled back, not wanting to hurt her, and Isaribi took the opportunity to flip Anko away, towards the largest tank.

"Brat!" she growled, throwing a series of kunai which thudded into the door the girl closed and locked behind her. Damn it, Anko! she hissed at herself, How could you let her pull that on you!

A section of the wall started to rise, revealing first three pairs of glowing blood-red eyes, and then the three monsters. They were mixtures between giant lions and serpents, all three hissing and growling viciously as they advanced on her.

"My, my, what adorable kitties," Anko smiled, holding up a kunai. She brought the weapon to her lips, and ran her tongue across the edge. Hmm, sharp enough for this, she smirked. Now I get to have some fun!

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When Anko left the room, the three monsters were lying sprawled across the floor among blood, pieces, and broken glass. Anko had taken great delight in causing as much destruction to the room as possible, but as much fun as it had been she was tired and the constant burning of the seal was wearing her out. The remains of the various experiments, hideous half-human creations that had died or been killed and were merely kept for study, lay strewn across the floor. It was like some bizarre slaughterhouse.

She walked slowly down the corridor, trying to catch her breath and control. She didn't really even watch where she was going, but allowed her unconscious memory and throbbing seal to lead the way. The further she got, the more the seal burned but she wouldn't let it stop her. She leaned against the wall, and saw the door ahead. Almost ... there ...

Anko pushed it open carefully, looking around the frame at the room and ready to react to anything. In the dimness, she could make out a man seated in a throne-like chair, with another smaller person standing at his side. Is this ... I found him! She thought triumphantly.

She walked towards the chair confidently, ready to face her old sensei. But as she got closer, she realised her mistake. It wasn't Orochimaru, but then ...

"Who's there?" she asked.

The man stood, and walked towards her. When he emerged from the shadows, he smirked at her darkly. "Welcome! No, perhaps I should say 'long time no see' instead."

His face evoked the memory of her time here again, standing in front of the tank with Orochimaru and ... that man ...

"You're ... Amachi!" the name came to her suddenly.

"I'm surprised," he said, "I never thought you'd come back here after what happened before."

"What are you talking about?" Anko replied coldly.

"You don't remember?" he taunted her.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in you. Where is Orochimaru?" she demanded.

Amachi feigned surprise. "Orochimaru?"

"Don't fool around." Anko growled viciously, "He's here, isn't he?" She grimaced and grabbed her seal again. The pains were so fierce ... He has to be here!

Amachi shrugged. "Even though the person who made the seal isn't here, the seal is reacting. Such things happen. Yeah, Orochimaru was here about half a month ago."

"No way." Anko denied softly.

"Well, I don't care if you believe me or not," Amachi replied.

"So you're saying the seal has been reacting to Orochimaru even though he isn't here?" asked Anko incredulously. Her eyes widened as she recognised the presence of the genin before Naruto ran up to her side. How much did they hear?

"Sensei!" Ino said, relieved that they had reached her.

"Oh wow, now you're leading genin." Amachi said sarcastically, "Anko you sure have become great."

"Who is this guy?" Naruto growled at her side.

"Amachi." Anko replied. "He's a medical ninja who teamed up with Orochimaru to conduct experiments here. Orochimaru wasn't here for these last incidents, he was the mastermind behind it all this time."

Amachi merely smiled at them, seeming unconcerned with the growing anger arising from the blond genin. "This bastard ..." Naruto said angrily, "Hey you bastard! How dare you do such ridiculous experiments?!"

"Ridiculous?" Amachi replied, angry at the insult to his work. "It's not a joke. I have spent my entire life working on this research." He turned and pointed to Isaribi who was standing behind him. "Look! This is a model that has the ability to live underwater. She can breathe underwater, swim quickly and has great physical stamina. This is a dream that took years to achieve. This is the first step to creating a specialised underwater ninja army!" He rambled on, as if she was some product he was trying to market rather than a human being.

"A specialised underwater ninja army?!" Ino repeated incredulously.

"That's right," he said proudly, "An army that can move easily underwater like no jonin ever could! When this finally happens, I will control all the sea routes with my army. Amazing, isn't it?!" His enthusiasm was bordering on insanity. "I will stand amongst the world's greatest people, and I will definitely make Orochimaru regret abandoning this research!"

"People are not your tools!" Naruto told him vehemently.

"Oh my," Amachi said, seemingly discouraged by the lack of enthusiastic response to his speech, "Even though you are young, you can't understand how fantastic this research is. Well, I don't care if people like you don't understand."

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted furiously. He ran at the scientist, ready to smash his fist into his face, but Isaribi moved swiftly in between. "Move nee-chan!" Naruto said to her urgently.

"No!" she shouted at him.

"Why are you protecting a jerk like him?" Naruto asked. He was desperate to understand, because he believed Isaribi to be a good person, and once someone had Naruto's trust he would do anything to help and understand them. It was something Anko was coming to understand about the boy – his unwavering belief in the goodness of human nature. "Listen, he turned you into ..."

"Stop!" the girl cried. She lowered her head sadly. "I have no choice. This person is the only one who can return my body to normal! He promised me!" The pain in her voice almost tore Anko's heart. The girl removed her bandages, showing them all but Naruto in particular the scales that covered parts of her body even in her 'human' form.

"Nee-chan ..." Naruto said softly, affected by her pain as well.

"People judge others based on appearance," Isaribi told him quietly. "People don't even come near me because of my bandages, how would they be if they saw me as this monster? I want to go back to my original body! I want to be human! I decided I would do anything for that cause!"

"But even now you are a great person," Naruto said earnestly. "Working with those guys to sink ships is what a monster would do!"

The girl started crying and screaming, holding her hands tightly over her ears. She knew what Naruto was saying was the truth, but didn't want to hear or believe it. She knew it in her heart, but couldn't face it. "Stop tormenting me!"

"That's not it." Naruto told her, "I am the same as you!" The anguish on his face was plain to read. Anko knew he was referring to the Kyuubi, and felt her heart reach out to him. He does understand better than she knows, but she won't believe him now and I will not tell her the truth in front of these other genin – it is something Naruto can tell them when he is ready.

"That's a lie!" she cried at him. "You're a normal human! I want to be like you!" Naruto watched her sadly as she fell to her knees, but said no more. He couldn't tell her anything else without giving out his secret to all of them.

"Don't cry Isaribi," Amachi said slyly, coming up behind her. "I'll turn you back to normal."

Anko felt herself seriously doubting that claim, but suddenly she turned, sensing something coming their way. She leaped and knocked Ino to the ground, knowing that she was closest to the threat and that Naruto was more likely of the two to be able to take care of himself. "Look out!" she cried, just as the wall near Ino burst in with stone flying past.

Another shinobi appeared in the hole where the wall had been. "I was right to use explosives," he smiled calmly. "Isaribi held their attention for me."

As the dust settled, Naruto moved sluggishly. Ino looked anxiously at Anko who was unconscious on top of her. "Sensei!" she cried.

The two genin worked together to defeat the shinobi, with Ino using her mind-manipulation techniques, as Amachi and Isaribi escaped, but when the ceiling started to shake and crumble, Ino tried to help Anko to stand.

"They're trying to erase the evidence," she managed to force out, concious again. Naruto took her other arm, and Shino appeared running having defeated another shinobi moments before.

"Hurry up!" he called, "The entrance is already gone."