Wound of Regrets
While they were rested, Tokuma finally came to his senses. "What happened…? The Sound ninjas!" He suddenly jumped up and went into his stance while looking around using his Byakugan. "Stand down, Tokuma. They're down, thanks to Mugen…" Anko explained. The Hyuuga let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. "You hurt anywhere? I can stab you and heal you~" Mugen asked jokingly as if really trying to hurt him while making a funny face.
"Hahaha, I'm good, thank you. What about you, Anko-San? Are you hurt?" He asked and the kunoichi gestured to her stomach. Tokuma immediately apologized for his carelessness but Anko claimed that it was her fault and the Muta joined in until Mugen yelled at them to silence them. "At this point, who even cares? You're alive, right? Just don't do the same mistakes. Let me see your stomach, Anko." Said Mugen. Anko refused and eventually give in due to the man's stubbornness. Mugen just gave her an ointment and told her to get treated at the village.
He explained he cannot stab her stomach to heal her or the will come out and bleed her to death. Muta was already helping Tokuma to walk and Mugen insisted to help the stubborn snake kunoichi. "Just leave me alone will ya?!" She yelled, smacking Mugen's hand away from her. She looked down, balled up her hands and shadow covered her eyes. "I can walk by myself…" She said and walked on ahead before she jumped on one of the branches.
Tokuma and Muta sighed at her stubbornness before they gave a pity look to Mugen. They both knew about his and hers past. From best friends, to a crush and then they were no longer friends. Mugen looked at them, "What? Let's go." He said and jumped on one of the branches. When the returned to the village, Kotetsu and Izumo greeted them. "Welcome back, everyone! Glad you made it safe and sound. Oh~! No wonder Mugen was in such a hurry, it's because of Anko!" One of them joked and stopped when Mugen shook his head slowly, gesturing them to stop. Anko was surprised when they said that and she gripped her hands tighter. "Go to the hospital, you two. I'll go report to Lord Hokage." She said and walked away.
"Hey. Hey, Anko!" Mugen called out to her and walked up to her through the crowd. Anko jumped on one of the buildings and headed to the Hokage Mansion. The male Jounin jumped as well and chased her. "Tch!" He sped up and grabbed her arm. They were both on a rooftop of an apartment. "Let go of my arm, Mugen…" Anko said in a low voice, still avoiding eye contact with him. "Anko, what happened in the past was a long time ago. I'm not holding any grudges or anything! I know you felt guilty because I got hurt from saving you from Orochimaru but damn it, I don't care!" Said Mugen, letting out his feelings and what he wants to say to her.
"You're my friend, best friend…I want you back." He said and this time in a low voice, like a plea. A couple drops of tears fell from her eyes, down to the hard rooftop floor. "I…can't. I'm sorry.." Mugen didn't expect her to apologize to him and she took the chance to pull her arm free before jumping away."I wonder what was up between those two?" Nartuo asked as he was coincidentally walked down the street with his new team and saw what happened. "You won't understand, Naruto! The complications of untold love…" Said Sakura while grasping her hands together and sighed. Naruto just watched her, doesn't understand what she have meant. "Come on, it's not good to interfere senseis' affairs!" The the pink haired girl and she dragged the blonde to catch up with Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi also noticed what happened and all he can do was sigh. "Those two should just kiss already…They reminded me of the characters in the Make Out Series! Watching them might be more interesting…" Kakashi sighed again and scratched the back of his head. "What am I thinking…?" He asked himself, earning a confused look from the young Uchiha.
The day has started to rain. Mugen was in his room, lying on his bed. And by the sound of crackling thunder as well as the sound of raindrops, a memory triggered in not only his mind but to the purple haired kunoichi as she just stood on the roof of the Hokage Mansion, staring at the gray sky. And they both touched the scar on their bodies.
15 years ago…
"I gotta hurry..! Please stay alive, Anko! We're coming!" Mugen hoped as he, along with his friends searching for their friend outside of the village. Kakashi and Guy searched at the east side from the village, Asuma to the south and, Kurenai and Mugen to the north. While running through the thick forest, Kurenai turned to the boy next to her. "Calm down, Mugen. It will hinder your focus." She advised but Mugen didn't try to calm himself down, the anger is what was helping him right now. The anger against an ex shinobi of the Leaf Village, Orochimaru.
"How could I not, Kurenai?! She trusted him, idolized him! I swear when I have my sights on him…" Said Mugen, gritting his teeth and growled until he noticed fear from the dark haired girl. "S-sorry…Come on, let's go…" He said and ran ahead. Kurenai looked up at the dark sky, noticed that it is going to be dark soon. Meaning it will be difficult for them to find Anko and that they are running out of time.
Anko was unconscious and lying on a cold metal table while Orochimaru looking over some scrolls. The man looked at the unconscious girl with a smirk. "Oh, how glad am I to met you, Anko? Was it luck or fate that I found the right specimen for my research." He said and chuckled. The man looked over the ten dead bodies or what he calls, 'failed test subjects', and called his assistant to throw them out. "But Orochimaru-Sama, we can use them for future research like Edo Tensei. They could be useful for your Immortality jutsu as well." The boy suggested. Orochimaru chuckled, "Fine, do what you please just get them out of my sight." He said and walked over to Anko, giving her the Curse Seal of Heaven.
Kurenai and Mugen were panting on a branch, catching their breaths and rest. "It's getting dark out there, Mugen. What should we do?" Kurenai asked. Mugen wiped off the beads of water on his face with his arm, thinking the possibility of where Orochimaru's hideout. While he was thinking, his other friends joined them. "Sorry, no luck from our side." Said Kakashi, and the same answer was given from Asuma.
"I know it's hard to just wait in the morning but that's the only option we can do for now." Kurenai said again, trying to convince her friend. Mugen's balled up fist was finally loosened, "You're right, we should take that as an opportunity to get some rest." He said and the others gave him a nod. Kakashi patted him on his shoulder, "Be patient, for Anko's sake." He said and he jumped away, heading back to the village with Guy and Asuma. Kurenai took the boy's hand, "Let's go."
Anko grunted as she felt a sharp pain of headache and slowly opening her eyes. The room she was in was lit with one candle, it has a desk and a chair as well as a bed she was currently sat on at the moment. "Where am I?" She asked herself and jumped when the door suddenly opened and a familiar face walked in. She grew a smile on her face, "Orochimaru-Sensei! What's going on? Where are we?" She asked and the man chuckled. "We're in my lab, child. A new one in fact since my old lab was so small and cramped." He said. The Sannin then told her that she received a Curse Seal, and for covering up that he had ten failed test subjects, he instead saying she was special.
Anko felt happy at first but from what she heard about the Curse Seal from Orochimaru, she started to dislike it and want to get out. "Thanks, Sensei for giving me such a thing! But I think I gotta go now, it seems kinda dark out." She said. Orochimaru shook his head, he doesn't want his valuable test subject to run away and to do that he need to do something to make her obey him. "Why not stay for the night? Besides there are more things I want to talk to you about your Curse Seal. Stay with me and you will become a powerful shinobi!" He said. "And a valuable vessel!" He thought and chuckled.
Anko felt uneasy from Orochimaru. He was no longer the sensei she looked up to. This man, was no longer human. The girl quickly made a dash out from her room and earned a sigh of disappointment from Orochimaru. "I guess just asking you to stay won't work." He said and chuckled before he continued. "No matter, plan B then." Anko was running in a hall with a lot of doors left and right. "Come on, come on! Where's the freaking exit?!" She said and she stopped on her tracks when she noticed a boy wearing spectacles.
"Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?" Anko asked. The boy looked at her and smiled, "What a relief! Please help me, I'm lost. I just woke up in a room." He lied while ready to use something on the clueless girl. "I see…I'm glad I wasn't the only one! I don't know where the exit is either but let's go look for it together." Anko suggested and walked past the boy until he immediately formed a hand sign. "Or you should just stay there and get your memory altered." He said and smirked as he looked at the frozen Anko.
Orochimaru slowly walking up to them with his usual creepy chuckle. "Good work, Kabuto. Let me take it from here." He said and performed a hand sign in front of Anko. The girl's eyes were wide open before she let out a scream of agonizing pain in her head. Anko was about to fell as she was unconscious again but was caught by her sensei. Orochimaru carried her back to her room while his eyes is full of curiosity on what does the Curse Seal has to offer for this man.
Mugen was lying in his room, couldn't sleep because Anko was in his mind. He tossed and turned until he decided to sharpened or repair his katanas. While the boy was doing so, an idea popped into his young and yet impatient mind. "Summoning Jutsu!" The boy slammed his hand down on the tatami mat and a white tiger cub appeared behind a cloud of white smoke. "Hmm? What do you want..? I'm sleepy…" The tiger said and yawned. "Naka, I need you to help train the Sage Mode! Please, it's an emergency!" The boy asked and the tiger turned away from him.
"Sheesh, calm yourself down! And stop yelling! God… Look, like I told you before it takes a long time to master it. It took your dad almost three years to master and above all, we're both still little!" Said Naka, angrily as he was annoyed by getting disturbed from his slumber. "In that case, can you help me find someone? Please." He asks, and eventually bowed his head to the tiger cub. The tiger jumped and understood that the boy was serious. "I'll ask about the situation later. What do you wanna know?" He asked.