Chapter seven
The plant in the corner was green and healthy, lush with wide leaves that camouflaged the corner it sat in very well. The walls were a pretty powder blue and it was a toss up if the color had been chosen in a bid for serenity or as a substitute for actual sky since there were no windows. A small refreshment table had been set against the wall nearest the doorway and occasionally the untouched liquid contained in the clear glass carafe of the coffee maker would burble temptingly, disturbing the monotonous silence of the confined space as it tried to entice those within the room to risk a drink of the clearly unappetizing, nearly gelatinous concoction. Next to the machine was a large plate of stale biscuits and sugar cookies, the confections as untouched as the pot of coffee. On the floor beside to the table sat an equally untouched pile of yellowing magazines listing to one side under its own weight and it was clearly only a matter of time before the whole stack finally fell over.
Four people occupied the little room. Three occupied the single line of hard plastic chairs in the center of the room and were sitting quietly while the third, the youngest of the group alternating between sitting and pacing the confined space. It was painfully obvious that, though perfectly capable of handling the needs of the community around it, the fact still remained that the clinic of the town was small. The hallways that made up the maze-like interior were narrow, the colorful rooms seemingly scattered randomly were tiny, and the waiting room meant to corral anxious waiting families was also damnably, claustrophobically small.
Kisame hated waiting, hated it with a vengeance. He was a man of action by nature and constantly needed something to occupy himself with. Waiting equaled boredom and being bored had never been something that Kisame Hoshigaki handled well. They had been there for roughly ten minutes, but each second felt like an hour, a small eternity ticked away by the clock on the wall near the door, the sound seeming to resonate through the small room. No one had come to tell them anything and so the waiting continued, on and on, with a definite air of quiet anxiety.
Maybe no one would talk to them because of their appearance, the former Mist ninja inwardly mused. Since their arrival at the clinic, they had been nothing but compliant as Naruto was seen to but the fact still remained that the foursome looked like refugees from some secret war; everyone was blood splattered to varying degrees, even Bob and Isamu. It stained their clothing and their skin, both what was visible and what was not beneath their torn outfits, or in Itachi's case, a tightly wrapped blanket. The chairs were interlocked and bolted to the floor, forcing everyone when sitting to do it ramrod straight less they end up in one another's lap, an occurrence that had already happened between the waiter and the innkeeper when, after another round of fruitless pacing, the former had carelessly thrown himself into a chair. Bob, unwilling to be used as a chair, had expressed his displeasure immediately with the only weapon available.
"God damn it, Isamu, go home already!" Bob said again, thumping the end of his cane against the hardwood floor and making Isamu's eye twitch reflexively. The teenager continued to rub the sore spot atop his head but sat up a little straighter, glaring defiantly at the opposite wall.
"I'm not leaving until we find out about Ai-sama's condition." Isamu declared irritably, turning his head and shooting a look at the clock in the corner. "It's been hours already- aren't you two worried?"
The teen leaned forward until he could look at the Akatsuki pair expectantly. Itachi and Kisame ignored him, both maintaining bored, disinterested expressions as they at there. They could have been waiting for a bus for all the emotion they displayed, but each time there was a noise outside the doorway, both heads would simultaneously turn toward it, bodies tensing as a sense of raw power radiated off them. Every time this happened the atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken, making the air chokingly hard to breathe for the other two occupants of the room, reinforcing the fact that, for all their supposed disinterest in their surroundings, these two strangers were anything but. Since the clinic staff was in a tizzy over their latest patient, there was a lot of noise and this kept happening repeatedly.
"Earlier, you said that you got the wrong one." Itachi said suddenly, minutely adjusting the blanket covering him and settling back into his chair after another false alarm. "To what were you referring?"
He then turned his head and looked in Isamu's direction, dark eyes seeming to bore into the teenager and making the teenager freeze in fear before belatedly realizing that the brunette was not talking to him.
Bob thumped his cane again, the gesture more habit than expression of emotion, and shifted in his chair. His expression was thoughtful and unhappy, the latter turning to anger as he answered the Uchiha's question while looking at the floor.
"A few years ago girls began turning up raped and disfigured. Now, we know that this village isn't much to look at and that some… questionable activities take place here but sexual assault actually isn't one of them."
Kisame snorted but the sound was shortly altered into a pained grunt as Bob's cane smacked into the missing Mist ninja's shin without warning.
"Had the town in an uproar right quick, these attacks. Outraged even the most cold hearted criminals and made the regular citizens mad as hell. And scared." The elderly man sighed deeply, as if emotionally drained. "Scared people do stupid things. We didn't need a riot on our hands so, as the attacks got worse and more frequent, we appealed to Konoha for help catching the culprit." Both his voice and expression became bitter and ugly, as Bob's disgust over the whole situation became palpable. "Konoha had better things to do than help us. Said they couldn't spare the time or resources. We practically sit on their doorstep! Young girls were getting cut to shreds, were being raped and mutilated right in their backyard and Konoha did nothing!"
Bob was on his feet, agitatedly pacing back and forth before them all, his cane making a heavy thump sound each time it hit the wooden floor. The elderly innkeeper visibly struggled to keep the emotions plaguing him at bay, face contorting as expressions flowed over his features in quick succession. After several passes the man seemed to gain control over himself enough to continue the story.
"You may have noticed it the other day, Muscles, when you and Ai-sama stopped by Ianthe's that the men here considerably out-number the women. Unsurprisingly people left town, a lot of families, but mostly a lot of girls left. Some of us though didn't have that option; we had businesses here, had obligations that made leaving impossible so we stayed and tried to catch the psycho ourselves. We aren't ninjas so it took us a while but, eventually, we did capture the guy. Afterward we even formed our own little police force, and passed new ordinances about curfews, but families still didn't want to live here. For a town that's a death sentence."
Isamu shifted in his chair, making the plastic groan in protest at the action. A blush stained the teenager's cheeks and he scratched distractedly at his nose as he spoke, one leg shifting restlessly on the floor in front of him. "If Ai-sama isn't picked to be the Uchiha's wife, you'll probably be receiving a bunch of marriage proposals after she's better."
Itachi and Kisame both sat up a little straighter at the comment, each ninja's head turning slowly toward the youth and fixing him with a penetrating stare.
Isamu, understandably, shrank back from the pair, stuttering. "I didn't mean anything by it! Ai-sama is very pretty and a really nice lady so I'm sure she'll be picked! It's just- I've heard that the guy's really picky and all the women going to the pageant have been drop dead gorgeous and, well, this isn't going to help Ai-sama's chances so- and, and yah this isn't a great place to live but its not bad- a lot of good people live here too- OW! Damn it, Bob!"
"Shut up, idiot. You're only digging a deeper hole for yourself." Bob sighed, the heel of his cane coming back to rest on the floor. The elder rubbed his temple tiredly and ignored the teenager as Isamu clutched his shin and cursed softly in the background. "As badly as the kid has put it, he does have a point. Konoha's counsel is pushing the Uchiha kid to marry and he's turned his nose up at everyone who's been thrown at him from what I've heard. Ai-sama had some serious competition for that pageant thing they were holding tomorr- I mean later today."
Bob took his seat with a muffled pain sound followed by a sigh. "The healers here know how to fix just about anything but I doubt your Lady is going anywhere for a while. Don't worry though- Pallas is great with trauma victims. Her family unwittingly moved in during the height of the attacks and she got all her training then."
"Pallas is really nice." Isamu added helpfully. "She's pretty and smart, too. If her dad wasn't so scary, a lot of guys would have asked her out on a date." The teen was blushing again and it clear that Isamu was one of those who wanted to ask her out.
"So," Kisame drawled, attempting to get back on the original track of the conversation. "This police force of yours finally caught the prick responsible for killing and assaulting the girls. What did you do to him?"
"He didn't kill the girls." Bob corrected, shifting in his chair. "Each of them survived the attack though some of them died later. Possessive bastard called them his girlfriends, his 'chosen.' He cut patterns into their skin as he raped them, his way of showing that they were special because he had selected them to own. He said he loved them and that was his twisted way of showing it." Bob sighed, suddenly looking incredibly older than his years. "He left them alive though some in better condition then others. He didn't like being defied so the women who fought back paid a high price for rebelling and those that remained passive through the experience were released with minimal damage. Later on, though, a high percentage of the girls who chose the latter route took their own lives while those that fought back simply moved away." He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "I thought we were done with this. I thought we'd caught him."
Isamu scuffed his foot against the floor as he stared at the wood angrily, his hands balling into fists at his side. "We did catch him! Kenji-san led us right to him after he caught that last girl! The guy's dead, dead and buried!"
"Apparently not." Kisame muttered darkly, folding his hands over his chest, one hand fingering the hilt of the massive sword leaning against his chair.
"It's got to be a copycat or something." Isamu said fiercely, shooting a glare at the larger man as he slouched in his chair. "It's the only explanation."
"No," Bob said slowly, eye brows knitting together. "No, it's not. The other girls were cut up but not nearly hacked to pieces like Ai-sama was. Even the girls who fought back weren't punished that badly." Looking thoughtful, the elderly man made a vague horizontal motion at his cheek. "Those may have been the start of a pattern but something very nasty must have happened to piss her attacker off…"
Isamu blinked and sat up straighter as an idea took hold. "That self-defense thing!"
"Self-defense thing?" Kisame asked, looking over at the excited teenager blandly, working hard to project the image that this news was not a surprise to him. Itachi, too, was looking at Isamu with mild curiosity, one dark eyebrow arched in silent question.
"Yah! Yah, she used it on Kana when he went after her-" Isamu said then, at the hardened looks directed at him, hastily rushed on. "Not to hurt her! Kana's really a good guy but his dad's been riding him to find a wife and when Ai-sama came into the restaurant I think Akira-san got a little too excited about finding a possible match… Anyway! When Ai-sama left, Kenji-san and Akira-san made Kana go after her to invite her back in but she kept going and when Kana got to close- BANG!" Isamu clapped his hands together loudly to further emphasize this point. "He got zapped by Ai-sama and couldn't move! Just hit the floor scaring the hell out of everyone until Akira-san and Kenji-san came. They had to help him get up afterward but even then they were mostly dragging him through the crowd."
"I would like to speak to Kana." Itachi said smoothly, voice empty.
"Um, yah." Isamu said, enthusiasm markedly dwindling. The boy sheepishly scratched the side of his nose and sat back in his chair. "Whatever Ai-sama did hit him hard enough to knock his lights out but I'm sure he'll be okay to talk to later."
His tone was doubtful, as if even he didn't believe it, and it ruined his attempt at reassuring Itachi. The Uchiha said nothing and merely continued to look ahead, expression bland and disinterested but, beside the brunette, Kisame shifted restlessly, easily sensing what the others could not- the subtle angry aura radiating from his pale partner's skin. Disquiet spread through the former Mist ninja, the sensation gaining momentum and becoming mildly irritating the longer they sat there with no news. Fondling Samheda's hilt, the blue skinned man's sharp ears picked up on the almost imperceptible sound of fingers drumming restlessly against bare skin and Kisame realized that he was not the only one trying to burn off the excess energy as Itachi's blanket continued to twitch rhythmically over the Uchiha's thigh.
Silence descended over them again as they all continued to watch the door.
"I wish they'd tell us something." Isamu sighed, sounding younger than his years. "I wish-"
"I wish you'd shut the hell up." Kisame muttered irritably. A pronounced clattering accompanied the comment, the ominous noise like that of disturbed roof shingles during a bad storm and the teenager immediately shut up.
Bob sighed and thumped his cane softly against the floor. "They'll tell us when…"
As if summoned by their conversation, a veritable herd of medical personnel suddenly thundered past the waiting room doorway, all running down the hall at top speed deeper into the building and heading in the same direction Naruto had been taken upon admittance. Without thought the Akatsuki pair was on their feet following behind the throng, ignoring Bob and Isamu's calls to stay put, watching as those in white coats gave urgent orders to those who weren't, causing some of the underlings to disappear through the doorways lining the twisting hallway.
The long corridor terminated in a set of double doors and it was here that Kisame and Itachi, previously ignored by the medical crew, ran into trouble. One of the doctors had finally noticed them and now blocked their path as they tried to walk through the large doorway to the room beyond.
"Go back to the waiting room." The man ordered gruffly, irritably tying the strings of his face mask behind his head while a female nurse hurried to tie the scrub gown in place. Through the small glass viewing panes set in the doors behind the man they caught glimpses of the gurney Naruto lay on, wires and tubing trailing from the blonde attaching him to the sea of machines surrounding him.
The ninjas continued to stand there and it was obvious that they were simply waiting for the man to go inside so that they could follow.
"We'll tell you when you can see her." The doctor said, not bothering to hide his annoyance over the situation as he shooed the nurse inside the room. He glanced behind him at the activity taking place before turning back and glaring at them. "It's a sterile environment- you can't come in here until you've cleaned up!"
He continued to tell them to go away, even making shooing motions with his gloved hands, but Itachi's and Kisame's attention was once again focused on the windows where gold-edged red chakra could suddenly be seen arching through the room beyond. Screaming, both mechanical and human, pierced the air accompanied by crashes as more of the strange chakra appeared along with the distinctive scent of smoke.
"What in the name of God…?" The doctor half turned toward the doors then had to dart to one side or risk being trampled as frightened staff began stampeding from the room.
Not helping matters, above the Akatsuki pair the sprinkler system activated, drenching the ninjas as they stood calmly amidst the chaos, Kisame unwinding Samehada's protective wrappings with obvious care while Itachi shed his blanket and allowed the water to wash Naruto's blood from his pale skin.
"Any other restrictions?" Kisame said, taking a step toward the doctor now plastered to the wall.
At that moment, another flare of chakra erupted within the room, its light illuminating Kisame's grinning face in macabre detail, turning the normal placid blue simultaneously red and gold. It made him look nightmarish, as demonic as a human could be, and at the sight the doctor fled down the hall after his companions, calling for help.
The missing Mist ninja let him go without protest though doing so meant that Itachi and Kisame were on their own in saving Naruto. As far as the shark-like man could tell, all of the hospital staff had abandoned the room and the ailing blonde.
"So much for that Hippocratic Oath crap." He said sourly, already envisioning tearing the place apart and hunting the cowards down later. After they had saved Naruto. Again.
Gods, this was becoming a full time occupation!
"Kisame." The Uchiha said. His voice was its normal monotone and should not have been able to get his companions attention over the dim issuing through the door the brunette held open, but it did. Kisame automatically turned toward the other ninja, hefting his sword in the process, and stopped dead as he caught a good look at the inside of the room.
"Put some gloves on and get in here!"
Apparently, Kisame's assumption that everyone had cleared out was wrong and, for once, he had never been happier about it. Despite the fact that the wall tiles were scorched near the ceiling in arching patterns and several machines were on fire, that the sprinkler system was drenching everything and making the instruments slippery and probably some of the medications useless, that they were trying to do the work of a ten person team alone, someone was still trying to save Naruto. Around the person, the Kyuubi's strangely colored chakra continued to lash out in random directions, forcing the individual to duck and weave as they continued to work, speed hampered by the inch of water already blanketing the floor. If this had been happening to anyone else besides them, Kisame would have laughed at the spectacle.
"Are you idiots just going to stand there or are you going to help me?!" The person yelled, an irritated expression clearly conveyed through the knitting of their blonde eyebrows as they glared at the Akatsuki pair with blue eyes. With that one area of their face as the exception, the person was covered from head to toe in a nurse's green scrub uniform.
A nurse, but not a doctor.
Kisame sighed, but said nothing as he followed Itachi's boxer-clad form inside the room to help the woman, already swinging Samehada into position over Naruto to absorb the demon's rampant chakra. He supposed that, considering the situation, it was a miracle that anyone with any common sense had stayed to help.
"About time!" The person, a woman by the voice, snapped at Kisame before turning her angry gaze on Itachi. When she spoke next, her words were exaggeratedly slow but her tone was pure venom. "I am going to tell you what to do and you are going to do it exactly as I say. You will not question me, you will not interrupt me, and you will NOT leave until I say you can. If that is too hard for either of you, get out of here now."
Remaining silent, the Uchiha merely nodded his assent and, as those fierce blue eyes suddenly swung in his direction, Kisame did too. Satisfied, she began talking as she worked, forcing Itachi to actually run to do what she ordered as the remaining monitors Naruto was hooked up to continued to shriek constantly. Kisame remained where he was and tried to ignore the piercing screams of the machines and the water that rained down on them all, letting Samehada absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra so some headway could be made. No longer having to dodge the lethal energy, the nurse worked as fast as she could, squinting against the water dripping into her eyes as she stitched lacerations feverishly. She was simultaneously directing Itachi as he too put his sewing skills to the test, but, even with the two of them working, Kisame thought that things didn't look promising for Naruto. There was too much damage to control, too much for two people to handle and definitely way too much for one trained medical person to deal with, helper or no.
Naruto's heart beat was fast, so fast, like that of a frightened baby bird's. It baffled Kisame as he watched the appropriate monitor, eyes glued to the rapidly bobbing line tracking the organ's movement. Considering the blood loss, the former Mist ninja would have thought Naruto's heart would have slowed down, that his body would have realized that it needed to conserve the precious liquid but it didn't and the blonde's heart galloped in his chest as if it were running a race. Despite the numerous IV's stuck in his arms and the successful suturing, Naruto continued to bleed out and his heart continued to race, trying to rush what little fluid remained inside him to starving tissues in an effort to compensate for the lack of volume.
"I need your hands!" The nurse said suddenly, her hands occupied as she carefully began removing the soaked wrappings securing the kunai still lodged in Naruto's belly. It looked like the nurse was going to try and remove the object on her own, and Kisame inwardly cheered; once the object was removed, healing the blonde would be a snap, wouldn't it? The water continued to soak Naruto's new stitches and pool within the cuts that had yet to be treated but they would be easy to see to in comparison to the more dangerous wound.
"If I move, we'll have to dodge that chakra!" Kisame pointed out, having to shout above the noise in the room. In his grasp, Samehada suddenly began wiggling, a sign that the sword was impossibly becoming full. The former Mist ninja quickly took stock of his chakra stores and cursed, realizing that reinforcing the Kyuubi's seal was out as an option too since his levels were so low. Already betting he knew the answer, he looked at Itachi and shouted a question. "Can you seal it?"
Itachi shook his head silently as he handed the nurse a scalpel. It wasn't surprising- if Kisame was that low then Itachi's chakra levels were non-existent- but the blue skinned male felt disappointed and frustrated all the same. Uttering a defeated sigh that went unheard over the din, the former Mist ninja set Samehada against the wall out of the way and returned to the bed side ready for instructions, slightly crouched and ready to move though there was no sign of Kyuubi's demonic chakra.
The handle of the kunai had been bared during Kisame's brief absence and Itachi was holding a suctioning device near the seam of the cut to prevent it from being flooded. Both the Uchiha and nurse were discussing how best to remove it, ideas being accepted or rejected by a nod or a shake of the nurse's head, and Kisame didn't understand why the hell they didn't just pull the damn thing out already instead of fussing over it. The blue skinned Akatsuki member didn't have a background in medicine but even he could feel that time was of the essence in this matter, the idea reinforced after a glance at the unconscious blonde.
Just then Naruto's monitors began flashing urgently and the line charting the blonde's heart beat began, not to flatten exactly, but to augment in a way that Kisame determined couldn't be beneficial; though the line continued to jump up and peak, the valleys grew wider and wider apart until they registered only as mere afterthoughts on the screen. The nurse began to curse, long and loudly, as she pushed the Akatsuki pair out of her way, hurrying to force more IV lines into the jinchuuriki's veins to deliver fluid. Another monitor began to scream and flash, and the nurse started forcing a tube down Naruto's throat to help him continue breathing.
Dumbfounded over the entire situation, Kisame could only stare, pale eyes darting from the monitor to Naruto and back again. Samehada had been removed so why weren't the Kyuubi's powers kicking in? Why wasn't the fox healing Naruto? They were dying- surely that should have prodded the demon into action. What the hell had happened to them? Had their attacker used a jutsu to seal way that fox's ability to regenerate its host?
There were just too many questions and not enough answers to go around. They were going to loose the blonde and there wasn't a damn thing either Itachi or Kisame could do to prevent it. Whoever the psycho was that attacked the blonde may have struck the death blow but the real damage had been done long before last night; Naruto was dying and with his death the Kyuubi would be forever lost. They hadn't gotten to the teenager in time in Konoha and, in fact, had only prolonged his suffering through their attempts. The former Mist ninja shook his head in disgust over the whole affair, feeling an odd pang of sadness as he was shown where to begin pressing the blonde's chest in order to encourage Naruto's floundering heart to continue in a regular rhythm.
They really should have just gone straight to headquarters after retrieving him; it would have been more merciful for everyone.
'It isn't right, none of this is right.' The thought was strange and foreign but he knew it to be true all the same. Kisame continued CPR resolutely, willing the ashen face with its blue tinged lips to return to a normal hue, wanting the dull eyes at half mast that stared lifelessly up at the Akatsuki member to show some sort of spark. Kisame hadn't really been fond of the kid, had looked quite forward to throwing the blonde in a cell at headquarters, but no one deserved the level of pain that had been carved into the teenager's body.
"Come on." Kisame realized he was murmuring, talking to Naruto as he pressed on the teenager's chest harder than was perhaps necessary. He felt what felt like a rib snap but did not stop his actions. "Come on, damn it!"
Then finally, as if in answer to his words, the Akatsuki member felt it, felt the Kyuubi's chakra surge inside Naruto's still form and Kisame barely jumped back in time to avoid it as the chakra began bubbling and boiling out of the teenager's wounds like some great burning ocean. It overflowed the cuts, pouring over the blonde and suddenly their race to force aid into Naruto suddenly became a race to pull it all out before the demon's chakra could reduce their efforts to slag. Plastic and metal began melting into bubbling pools, sticking to Naruto's pale skin in red angry patches, and as the unconscious blonde began convulsing, the trio scrambled to remove the numerous IV lines, monitor leads and the intubation tube before the whole lot could dissolve.
For all their speed on the battle field, in this instance Itachi and Kisame were slow and the finesse with which they usually completed their work went right out the window as they resorted to grabbing and yanking the medical paraphernalia, the resulting damage healed within seconds as the demon worked on healing Naruto from head to toe. Flesh knit together seamlessly, the cuts disappearing save for flat shiny scars as the Kyuubi's chakra kicked into overdrive, and all was going magnificently well until Kisame realized that there was still one glaringly obvious roadblock to overcome before Naruto could be completely healed.
It would be game over for the lot of them if Naruto and the Kyuubi died since the Akatsuki pair wouldn't be far behind them so, as an extreme act of self-preservation, Kisame closed the gap between himself and the blonde, and forced one outstretched hand through the red chakra to grab the kunai. It felt as if he had shoved his hand into a bucket of acid, and he couldn't help the wince that twisted his expression as he forced his hand forward despite the pain of his skin being burned off. One good tug; surely that was all it would require, just one good tug…! Uncooperative fingers finally hooked through the metal loop of the kunai's hilt and pulled upward, nearly hauling Naruto off the gurney in the process. Trying to ignore the almost mind numbing pain of the demon's chakra eating through his flesh, Kisame gave the blade an experimental wiggle, twisting it slightly in an effort to loosen it before tugging upward again. His frustrated growl came out more like a whimper as the blade held fast.
'What the fuck is it caught on?!' Kisame pulled again harshly, ignoring the shouting behind him for him to stop as the newly healed flesh of Naruto's abdomen began to split again. He was going to loose his arm! It was entirely possible that they were panicking for no reason, that the Kyuubi's chakra would eat through the blade as easily that it had begun to dissolve everything else but, given the fact that the blade was still completely intact, Kisame didn't think this was so. For whatever reason, the demon's chakra could not melt the metal and that meant that Kisame was going to have to remove the weapon himself.
Someone vaulted onto the former Mist ninja's back, their legs wrapping around his chest under his arms for balance as gloved hands wrapped around his elbow, just an inch shy of the demon's chakra, and joined him in pulling on the hilt. Kisame resisted the instinctive urge to knock her off and let her guide his hand as he continued to try and pull the blade out without pulling Naruto off the bed. The latter problem was at least temporarily solved as wires, the monitor leads from the look of them, suddenly wrapped around Naruto's shoulders and pinned him to the bed. Kisame thought he knew that jutsu and, sure enough, out the corner of his eye he saw Itachi lowering his hands. Then the Uchiha had joined them and was simultaneously helping Kisame pull on the kunai and balance against falling forward.
The world began to run in streams of color and Kisame blinked in an effort to stabilize his vision. One good tug- that's all it was supposed to take but the damn thing was stuck good no matter what they did. Looking through the chakra at his arm, the missing ninja had to beat back a sudden wave of nausea since he now had an unadulterated view of the rapidly diminishing muscles of his forearm. Pretty soon, the fox's chakra would have it stripped right to the bone and Kisame couldn't make up his mind if it was bad or for the best that he couldn't feel the limb anymore.
They pulled and tugged, twisting and yanking. Forget damage control- this was about survival! Someone was shouting in his ear and pulling his hair but the words were drowned out by several explosions as the remaining equipment in the room caught fire and exploded, glass and circuitry cut into his skin. Since he was right next to one when it went off, Kisame stumbled and tried to catch himself, wrenching the arm gripping the kunai in the process and feeling the blade finally come free. His moment of triumph was short lived though as he fell forward onto Naruto, inadvertently taking Itachi and the nurse with him.
In seconds, the Kyuubi's chakra had closed over them in a seething, boiling rush.
"Uchiha Sasuke is being attended to, Godaime-sama. He has been attacked as well." Shizune reported, hovering behind the Hokage's left shoulder as the tall blonde silently surveyed the damaged body of her latest apprentice. Sedated now, Sakura was silent and Tsunade was both pleased, since now the girl was out of pain, and angry because she could not offer them further answers.
Even with her renowned healing abilities, there wasn't much the fifth Hokage could do for Sakura Hurano. The wounds she had suffered and the subsequent poisoning had destroyed the girl's life as a kunoichi and as a medic both since the bones in her mangled hand had been beyond saving. Necrosis, spurred on by the poison, had set into the wounds fast and hard despite the Ambu's timely arrival and the hand, along with Sakura's ruptured eye, had been amputated not long after her admittance to the hospital. They were also facing the possibility that the aggressive infection had also reached her brain but only time would confirm if this was the case or not.
Tsunade wanted to destroy something, oh yes she did; first Naruto and now Sakura and Sasuke…! What the hell was happening within her city right under her nose? Hokage or not, the blonde felt powerless as her eyes took in the image of her apprentice's battered body, burning the sight into her memory before finally turning away and leaving the room.
Sakura was strong! She would overcome this just as she had all other obstacles put in her way. Tsunade was sure of this but this certainty did nothing to relieve her anger or the lingering edge of guilt worming its way through her heart. She had failed Naruto on a fundamental level, she knew this and would carry the pain of such an admission until she died, but she would not make the same mistake with Sakura.
There was something happening within Konoha and Tsunade needed to get a handle on it before anything else happened. Someone had systematically attacked and taken out the members of Team Seven and Tsunade wanted to know why immediately. She had at first thought that Naruto's disappearance was related to the council but they were in as much of an uproar over his disappearance as she was though for very different reasons of course. This left Akatsuki as the likely culprit, though she still hadn't figured out how they had managed to get into the city without being spotted. There was still the matter of all that blood though all over Naruto's apartment- obviously a battle had transpired but ultimately wasn't the idea to take Naruto alive with as little damage as possible so that the Kyuubi could be extracted? Then again, Naruto wasn't one to go quietly in anything; if some of the criminal organization's members had indeed showed up, he would put up one hell of a fight. The Naruto she knew would have caused all sorts of hell and raised the alarm….
Abruptly the image of Naruto's face as he'd left her office prior to his disappearance flashed through her mind, making her stumble as the headed down the hall. His face had remained blank and immobile as she scolded him but his eyes… Naruto had never done a very good job of lying with his eyes and something had flickered and died inside those dull blue depths as she had lectured him. Though she hadn't understood it the time, in retrospect, Tsunade realized that she had witnessed the permanent destruction of some vital part of Naruto's personality.
She had lost Dan and Nawaki to enemy attacks but Naruto… Naruto Tsunade had destroyed him by her own hand.
"Godaime-sama?" Shizune's voice startled her and, feeling numb yet strangely cold, Tsunade turned toward the other woman slowly, uncomprehendingly as the brunette gestured to a hallway that the blonde had walked past. "Uchiha Sasuke's room is this way, Tsunade-hime."
The Uchiha. Tsunade's mind suddenly seized on the name. Maybe she was looking for someone to blame, some target to take her frustrations on, but suddenly Tsunade wanted nothing more than to shake the little brat until some answers fell out of him. The nagging feeling that he was responsible for this in some way was incessant as she mentally examined the change in Naruto's behavior since Sasuke's arrival. She'd never liked Sasuke and had been against his incredibly light punishment for turning traitor, but the council had overruled her, ignoring her protests and had welcomed the little shit back with open arms. Naruto and Sakura had welcomed him back too and everything had seemed fine for a while but something had obviously changed if…
Tsunade took a breath and exhaled slowly, trying to gain some control over her scattered wits and pose a coherent question to focus on. 'When was the last time I saw Naruto before the other day?"
She frowned, searching her memories for the information, realizing bitterly that she had not seen much of the blonde for quite some time. When Naruto had come home after a year of training with Jiraiya he had seemed… withdrawn. There had definitely been something off though she hadn't been able to ascertain why. With a distinct pang of guilt, she realized that his odd behavior had just been one more problem in a whole mountain of them that she had had to deal with around that time and had actually gotten lost in the shuffle.
Her gaki had been suffering and she'd been too busy trying to pacify the council to notice. The realization sickened her to her core and as she headed for the Uchiha's room she had to fight very hard not to give into the urge to vomit.
Tsunade swallowed hard as she stepped just inside Sasuke's room and turned toward her assistant. "At dawn, I want AMBU patrols to search the surrounding towns for anyone matching the description Sakura gave the squad that found her. Find this blonde woman, use whatever means necessary to drag her back here alive and hand her ass over to Ibiki for interrogation!"
The Godaime slammed the door shut between Shizune and herself hard enough to make if bang against its frame and shudder. Someone was going to pay for this, come hell or high water, someone was going to pay for this in blood. Tsunade wanted to scream and kick things, to destroy until all the emotions roiling inside her quieted, but that wasn't going to happen. She was the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and she had an image to project as a calm, collected, and decisive decision maker for the people under her protection. Despite how much she wanted to do so, going on a bender and committing random acts of violence wouldn't help continue that illusion.
Taking a cleansing breath, Tsunade channeled her chakra, her hands flowing through a series of hand signs rapidly before touching the wall again. She felt the jutsu flash through the room and take hold, surrounding and isolating her and the Uchiha from anyone trying to listen into the upcoming conversation. Satisfied with her handiwork, Tsunade made her way to Sasuke's bed and gave the teenager a good hard shake, unhappy when he barely roused.
"Sasuke Uchiha, wake up." She commanded, shaking him again, frowning when he only grunted softly. Chakra exhaustion rendered the victim helpless and though she knew the chances of him actually waking up were slim, Tsunade couldn't squash the frustration that welled up when he remained passive. She tried again, harder, and when that didn't work, the Godaime gave into her frustration and finally slapped him.
A perfect red imprint of her hand now covered his cheek, standing out starkly on his pale skin, but Sasuke didn't give any sign of feeling it.
Tsunade wanted to scream so she did. She sat down on the bed, buried her hands in her hair and shrieked, over and over until she had siphoned off enough of her rage to simply cry. She sobbed and sniffled, giving into her worry over Naruto, the feelings of helplessness plaguing her over his disappearance since no trace had been discovered of her gaki. She had a whole village to protect, had so many to watch over but the only person she could seem to think about was-
"Naruto?" A hand abruptly caught and tightened on her sleeve, the fingers seeming to hold on for dear life and immediately drag Tsunade's attention back to the Uchiha. Sasuke's voice was hoarse and slow, almost rusty sounding, his dark eyes struggling to focus even as pale eyelids kept threatening to slide shut but he was awake. His grip tightened briefly as she continued to stare at him in shocked silence. "Where's… Naru..?"
That was as far as he got before he lost the battle, determined eyes closing as he abruptly slumped to one side. Tsunade lunged forward and fisted her hands in the hospital smock he wore, not so much to protect him from falling but to rouse him again. Channeling a small steady stream of healing chakra through her fingers and into his body, Tsunade waited until the pale eyelids fluttered back open half way again.
"You've seen Naruto recently." It wasn't a question but Sasuke slowly nodded, dark eyes finally focusing on her. "When?"
She knew immediately that she had lost whatever edge of authority she had managed to retain even after crying. Sasuke looked at her and a glint of realization flared in his eyes.
"He's missing."
Even though it wasn't a question Tsunade felt herself nod anyway. The brunette's gaze drifted away toward the window looking as if he'd been hit between the eyes. His mouth worked slowly, soundlessly, until finally he whispered almost to himself, "Kyuubi was right."
'Kyuubi?KYUUBI?!'Tsunade's jaw worked as she stared at the teenager. Then she tightened her grip in his smock and dragged him forward until they were literally nose to nose. She let her rage surface, let him see it in her eyes that she was fully prepared to destroy him if he didn't do exactly as she said.
"You are going to tell me everything." The Godaime ground out, her voice lowering unconsciously as a foreign chakra brushed lightly against the jutsu protecting the room. It was hastily withdrawn in an instant but she had felt it and she knew she recognized the chakra signature Ignoring it at least for the moment, Tsunade turned her attention back on the brunette in front of her. "If you leave anything out, Uchiha, getting married will be the least of your problems."
Predictably Sasuke glared at her, lips thinning out as he pressed them together tightly. This was why she had never liked the little shit- the Uchiha's arrogance knew no bounds and his pride could in itself be termed a demon. Part of Tsunade had hoped that, since Naruto was involved, the teenager would be more willing to help but apparently even a missing teammate couldn't prod the damned Uchiha to be compassionate. He glared at her and, glaring back, the Godaime was surprised to see not arrogance in his eyes but blatant distrust.
"I don't care…about marriage!" The brunette panted, expression twisting into one of complete disgust. In a decidedly unwise move, he shoved her away and yanked the IV from his arm while trying to swing his legs over the side of the bed. Unsurprisingly, he didn't get very far and Tsunade didn't bother to catch him when his attempts to stand ultimately failed.
The blonde woman frowned down at him, watching as he struggled to right himself and wondering if he'd stop being stupid anytime soon. 'Damn Uchiha pride.'
A shaky, pale hand eventually shot up from the floor and gripped the sheets, trying to use the cloth for leverage as he tried to get his feet under him. "Have to…Can't… What are you going to do to him?"
"What?" Tsunade blinked down at Sasuke, inwardly sighing at the pinched look to his face, the nearly grey color of his skin as he sat beside the bed and panted for breath. He wouldn't be conscious for much longer and part of the Godaime wanted to throttle the brat for wasting her time. Never mind- it wasn't like she didn't have a backup plan incase the Uchiha was less than cooperative.
"He's a missing ninja. What'll happen to Naruto when you find him?" Dark eyes were trained on her with unwavering attention, seeming to hold her hostage with their ferocity. It was clear to her then that the Uchiha, in his own strange way, was trying to protect Naruto. He wanted assurances before telling her anything that may incriminate his friend. It was then that Tsunade knew for certain she had a loyal ally in her quest for the gaki.
"I need to know what happened first before I can say anything." She couldn't completely suppress the edge to her voice. As much as she wanted Naruto home, Tsunade was still Godaime and that had to take precedence no matter how much she despised it. If Naruto had left of his own free will, something she heavily doubted, then she needed to know why so she could fight to reduce the gaki's punishment. If Naruto had been kidnapped, the more likely option, then she needed the information so she could send the appropriate team to find him. If Kyuubi had broken free of the seal containing it and possessed Naruto, then she needed to know that too so she could find a humane way to subdue the demon without harming its vessel in the process.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her in obvious suspicion and Tsunade felt something in her snap. She didn't have time for the teenager's temper tantrum! Naruto was missing, had been so for over a week! If he was in the hands of the Akatsuki, even with the Kyuubi's help the blonde wouldn't be able to hold out for long against the determined efforts of nine S-class criminals. There was still a chance that Naruto was alive somewhere but Tsunade's already narrow window of opportunity in which to save him was shrinking with every passing second. The obstinate Uchiha had answers to her questions, if not in whole then at least in part, and Tsunade needed that information fast.
Movement caught her attention and Tsunade felt her eyes widen as Sasuke finally managed to stand. He was shaking and pale but his expression was one of determination as he began to stumble toward the door, obviously hell bent on leaving though he wouldn't get far. It was an impressive display of will power but Tsunade couldn't allow him to leave. She stood and easily wrapped an arm around his waist, hoisting him into the air and setting him none too gently on the bed, pinning him there with a foot on his chest as her hands flew through several hand signs.
Naruto didn't have time for this.
"Let me go!" The brunette was weakly pulling on her ankle, still trying to free himself though he barely had the strength, panting and squirming in his attempts to dislodge her foot. He wore himself out quickly and soon Sasuke could only glare up at her in defiance, the display made more pathetic since the Uchiha's eyes kept sliding shut.
"Tell me all about what happened between you and Kyuubi." Tsunade said, her hands descending to settle gently on either side of his head, green glowing fingers burying through his thick hair until they touched his scalp. The jutsu she was using had been developed for times when a spy could not relay important details about a mission either due to injury of illness and would allow her to hunt through Sasuke's memories to find the necessary information. It was a forbidden justsu but considering the circumstances Tsunade felt justified and didn't hesitate, shutting her eyes and analyzing the images that flashed through her mind's eye.
Her chakra seeped into him, the energy delving deeper and deeper through his consciousness, the sensations akin to pushing her hands through water, the fluid vaguely cool and resisting as she searched through the medium. Sasuke's thoughts darted about like fish in every direction, scattering if she came too near, the random scraps of sensations and impressions threatening to confuse her as she hunted. As if from a long way off, Tsunade heard herself repeat her previous order in an attempt to goad the Uchiha into thinking about Kyuubi and Naruto so the appropriate memories would light up. It didn't matter if Sasuke tried to fight her directly or hide them from her- the correct memories would glow like targets the instant he thought about them and would be unable to be hidden from Tsunade's jutsu.
"Naruto." She heard herself saying slowly, excitedly watching illumination bloom behind her eyelids and Tsunade felt herself smirk in triumph.
A shock of electricity zipped up her arms and she very nearly went blind when everything in Sasuke's mind lit up like a summer fireworks display.
More's Moment:
Very long awaited chapter I know. My most sincerest apologies about that but I cannot control reality- if I did things would be very different. Expect an update on Styx soon but not Bared Naked- I have to take time (yes I know, don't remind me how long its been since I updated that story as I am excruciatingly aware of it already) or else everything will go to hell later. Writing that story is like juggling chainsaws- one slip and you are minus a hand.
Please review- it is reassuring to know that someone other than myself enjoys my stories. And now, because so many people have been asking me for clarification, a brief overview of 'Sanctuary's' time line.
The plot for Sanctuary deviates from the main plot arc at the point where Naruto, 12, leaves to train with Jiraiya for three years. For simplicity's sake, assume that everything until then takes place as stated in the manga or anime, depending on which one you are personally following. I am changing Naruto's age in the fic to fifteen so everything times out better- initially I wanted him to be older due to certain events but keeping him seventeen and trying to explain away the missing one and a half years just creates plot holes big enough to drive trucks through. Sorry for the inconvenience of not getting it out sooner- what can I say, I'm retarded...
Age: Event:
12.5: Naruto leaves to train with Jiraiya for the planned two and a half years.
13.5: Raped, rejected as a 'weak' student, Naruto comes home in disgrace to study at home alone for the remaining two years.
14.5 : Continuation of studying and self-training to get Sasuke back from Orochimaru.
Note: this means that Naruto does not become involved in rescuing Gaara or the subsequent mission to meet Sasori's spy within Orochimaru's ranks. He is never put on Team Yamato and he has never met Sai. Any fights with Sasuke, the Akatsuki, or any other mission not previously mentioned involving Naruto's direct involvement do not do so within this story. This doesn't mean that those missions do not happen (Sakura still saves Kankuro from Sasori's poison, Sasori still dies, Gaara is rescued by Chika, etc) just that Naruto is not involved. I have heard but have no details of a fight occurring between Kakashi, Naruto and Kazuki(?) the doctorish member of Akatsuki where it is one of Naruto's moves that softens up the criminal enough for Kakashi to kill him and that is why the Leaf shinobi win. If it ever actually comes up, please assume that in the end the battle's a draw between Kakashi and Kazuki.
15.5: Three years after his defection, Sasuke returns on his own, blowing Naruto's training efforts to hell. Several weeks after Sasuke comes back, Naruto realizes he loves Sasuke, works up the courage to finally tell the Uchiha his feelings but Sakura intervenes and prevents the confession. 'Sanctuary' begins one month later with Naruto's vacation request being denied.