Author Note: Hello once again, I now bring you Chapter 6 of my Naruto fanfiction, Letters in Blood. Chapter 5 was released later than I had expected so I tried to write Chapter 6 a little quicker to keep you all entertained. Please Note that the story begins to stray to some other characters besides Naruto as I find their growth just as important. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: The Siren

A dank puddle lie in the middle of the street catching the falling rain. Nearby more puddles and small ponds littered the crumbling streets and alleys. Stones and bricks lay about, misplaced from their original homes. Ripped and tattered wires were scattered about the street torn down from the constant torrent of rain. After weeks of disuse, the wires carried no charge and served only to scare the random passerby that mistook the electrical wires for snakes. Barely any life was visible among the rubble covered roads. The few humans that populated the streets ran from porch covers, to the safety of a roof along their path. Many cast a glance at the overcast sky, silently wishing for a break in the constant rain.

Naruto had been surprised at how ugly the city now appeared. Only an hour ago as he had sat staring at the city from afar, while Sasori and the others stopped for a rest at a small tea shop, he had remarked at its beauty. He now regretted believing in the purity of such a city. Stones and other pieces of rubble had piled up from the constant strain of war. No one had cared to repair any of the roads or buildings within the city. There was no profit in such an endeavor. Naruto noticed how people just walked around the debris as if it didn't exist. They gazed out ahead of them with a glazed look in their eyes. Most of these people seemed like zombies. They roamed the city with no goal in mind, and often would just take shelter and stare at the dark clouds above. Looking at their faces, Naruto noted that many of the people looked as if they were crying.

As soon as the group had entered the city nearly an hour ago, Zetsu had disappeared into the wall of a steel building. Kisame quickly explained how Zetsu was going to tell their leader of the arrival. Later he said Zetsu would return to escort the two to the leader's quarters atop the largest building within the city. Naruto now gazed up at the behemoth of the building. Though the clouds were thick, he was just barely able to make out the delicate curves of the black arch at the top of the tower. Next to the arch stood an abandoned statue. Though it was hard to discern the features, Naruto could tell it had been destroyed some time ago. Naruto quickly snapped back to reality as Sasori called out to him.

"Hurry Naruto, the storm is growing worse," yelled Sasori over the howl of the wind, "We need to seek some shelter!"

Kisame waved at the two to follow, "I have a place in mind, follow me and we will soon be dry."

After walking for more than an hour, the three finally arrived in front of a massive structure. A single tower struck at the sky like a sword poised to strike. Surrounding this lone spire were several arches that curved up to support it. Delicately carved into each arch was the symbol for one aspect of nature. The arches themselves reached higher than Naruto had imagined. As the group came closer to the building, Naruto noticed how each of the arches not only followed a curve, but they were all twisted in strange ways. He immediately had a feeling of revulsion because the structure's ominous feel. To Naruto, nothing about the spire felt right. Naruto looked back at the arches and noticed there were only nine.

Naruto remained uneasy as they passed through the large wooden gate to gain entrance into the main hall of the tower. Everything around Naruto became black as the door shut behind the three. He looked back to Sasori, and noted the slight darkening of the man's features. Naruto tightened his grip on Sasori's hands as his tension spread into the taller ninja. Everything about this building was wrong. It felt as though they had strolled into a never-ending trap, an abomination.

[-------

A flash of pink ran around the corner of a small shop filled with an assortment of fruits. A small girl ran around a crowd of people in front of several market stalls. She expertly dodged between men and women as she made her way up the alley. The girl was wearing a soft, pink dress that wavered in the wind. She had her pink hair tied up with a bow so that her bangs would cover her forehead. A pair of simple, black shoes adorned the young girl's feet. She had a pair of white knee-high socks that sagged because they were slightly too large. Her emerald green eyes constantly searched the faces of the people around her as if analyzing a threat.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, there is no rush!" shouted a rotund little boy holding a bag of snacks, "School doesn't start for a while."

"I know that Chouji-kun," replied Sakura with a slight giggle as she continued onward.

The school was a rather large building that didn't have any special adornments. It just looked like a plain square building. Like the Hokage mansion, this building stood within the shadow of the monument that boasted the past Hokages' faces as well as the current. Sakura glided through the main entrance and slowed to a walk as she entered the nearly empty halls. Classes wouldn't begin for another hour, but she always liked arriving early. Her classroom was the only other place besides her home where she wasn't picked on. This was the first day of a new semester. Sakura was eager to discover who her new classmates would be, she hoped with all of her might, that some might be her friends.

[----

A strong gust of wind curled around Naruto as the boy was thrust backward out of Sasori's grip. The moment the three had entered the gnarled and twisted building, a strange chakra had reacted violently. Kisame had explained that it was no big deal and occurrences such as this were common, but that did not dissuade the wrenching feeling in both Sasori's and Naruto's stomachs. Each gust of wind seemed to carry a foul breath that caused the three to reel back, repulsed. Slowly torches along the walls of the building began to flare up revealing a large statue that faced Naruto and the others. A pool of chakra surrounded the statue. The chakra appeared to be forming a shape or figure in Naruto's mind. Almost as if it was calling out or crying for attention. Then Naruto realized it wasn't calling, it was trying to break free. Naruto suddenly fell to a knee as he felt something strange stir inside him. His skin instantly felt like it was going to burn off him as the chakra flared once more. Then as if nothing had happened, the invisible flames that had seemed to be consuming his skin, and the chakra surrounding the statue disappeared.

Kisame picked Naruto from the ground as the boy's shirt was soaked in sweat. This peaked Kisame's attention as he gently felt Naruto's forehead. The boy's skin was hot to the touch and it was no wonder Naruto's shirt had become drenched in the sweat.

"Your brat has a pretty bad fever," Kisame pointed out to Sasori, who had just gained back his footing, "See for yourself his head is on fire."

Sasori rushed to Naruto's side and gripped his head, the false flesh that covered his hand felt ready to catch flame. The boy indeed had a fever, one that could kill him. Sasori lifted Naruto up in his arms as Kisame guided the two towards a dark infirmary. As the door opened, Sasori caught a glimpse of a perverse and sour man. He had on the robes of a medical ninja, but he looked as if he had performed twisted and ugly experiments on himself and others before him. The man lifted himself from a tiny chair in the corner of the room and slowly approached the men. He lifted out a hand and merely touched the boy as a smirk darted across his face.

A glint entered the man's eyes as he began licking his lips, "What happened to this boy? Do you know how he became in this state?"

"The damnable rain and cold," coughed Kisame slightly disturbed by the doctor, "The punk likely wasn't used to it and caught a fever."

"No, this runs far deeper than any fever!" shouted the man in a rush of excitement. "Quickly lay him out on that table so I may examine him."

Sasori obeyed after seeing a slight nod from the blue-skinned man. Gently, he laid Naruto onto one of the many tables in the room before he was knocked out of the way by the impatient doctor. The medical ninja quickly removed Naruto's shirt and drew back as he came across a tattooed swirl that was branded upon the boy's stomach. It was the mark of a seal. Sasori had never seen the likes of it before. No seal he had ever performed, or seen performed left a mark such as this one. Sasori shifted his eyes to gaze upon his shark-like friend. Kisame seemed just as intrigued as Sasori. Neither of the two understood the significance behind the boy's seal. This boy is completely different, thought Sasori as he put a hand on Kisame's shoulder, What is he?

[-----

Sakura let out a hefty sigh as she laid her head down on the large, wooden desk in front of her. Only a few of her friends had actually made it into this class. While Iruka had become her new teacher, and he was a very nice man, Sakura was upset with how things had turned out. Ever since the village had gone on a rampage, she had waited to meet the blond-haired boy that saved her. Since then she hadn't even caught a glimpse of him around the village. The main reason Sakura had been looking forward to coming to school today was the chance that the boy might be in her new class.

The school day dragged on longer than Sakura had hoped, but she gathered her stamina to remain longer than the others. She wanted to ask Iruka about the boy. After all, if anyone knew who or where the blond-haired boy was, it was Iruka-sensei.

Sakura slowly stepped up to the old, wooden desk. The edges had been nicked by many people accidentally kicking or nudging the desk. The legs of the desk looked as if they had been slowly gnawed away by a dog, but Sakura knew it was simply from age. Sakura waited while Iruka finished talking with one of the other students, a short black haired boy that sighed at least every minute. Sakura tried to recall the boys name, but all she did was strain her brain with no results. As soon as Iruka sent the boy out of the room, he peered up at Sakura questioningly. Sakura quickly took a seat in front of him and then began to explain about how she had met the boy. Iruka nodded as he recalled everything in detail.

Naruto had protected the girl from a gang of bullies getting himself beaten up instead. That same day Naruto disappeared from the village. As Sakura finally asked where the boy was, Iruka suddenly choked. The Hokage had sworn him to silence, but the girl in front of him deserved an explanation.

"Sakura, I don't know if-" mumbled Iruka as he scratched at the back of his head.

"Please Iruka-sensei! I really want to meet this boy he is the only person that has ever truly been nice to me," pleaded Sakura with a hurt look on her face.

Iruka released a long, drawn sigh knowing he didn't have the stamina to fight the girl, especially when it was about Naruto. "What I'm about to tell you must be kept a secret."