Uzumaki Nari
Hokage Tower
'Onegai, Hokage-sama!' Nari begged bowing at the old man.
Naruto stood bowing at her side. Sincerity, determination and above all desperation rang every pore from the pair of them. The Hokage could tell that the pair of them was adamant about this request for Nari to become a ninja. He stroked his beard pondering the pleaded request. Yet for some odd reason he was conflicted. Should he really allow the girl to become a ninja? It would profit Konoha for sure and would help the girl's future. However, after having recently come out of the coma yesterday, her body was still fragile and weak, probably unaccustomed to strenuous activity.
'Gomen, I cannot allow it.'
The pair straightened with disbelief, shock and sadness upon their expressions. He hated to see them so upset but he couldn't, not with Nari being so weak.
'Nande?' Naruto shouted, his fists clenched at his sides.
Nari remained still and quiet, her face open to bewilderment, pain and depression. Tears sprang to her eyes. Before they fell she averted her gaze elsewhere, pain singing from her. Naruto stepped forward and slammed his palms on the desk, demanding again why he refused. Instead of answering, the Hokage observed Nari's pained expression for anything that may help convince him why she suddenly wanted to become a ninja. When she was younger she had shown no interest in becoming a ninja, but now…? Something's changed and he wasn't sure if he liked that.
He looked at Naruto. 'She isn't ready.' Naruto's stunned face quickly changed to anger once again. 'She only just came out of her coma yesterday Naruto,' he scolded. 'Normally she would have stayed in the hospital, having all sorts of tests performed to make sure that nothing's been damaged from such a long inactive time.' He sighed and looked at Nari. 'I don't know why you suddenly changed your mind to become a ninja, Nari, but you need to give you body some rest. Such strenuous activity straight after coming out of a coma will most likely put you back in it.'
She swallowed but refused to argue. She nodded, her eyes tearing up again. 'Hokage-sama…'
He looked from her brother to her. 'What's the matter, Nari?'
'What's chakra supposed to feel like?'
He blinked, quite perplexed by the question. 'What does it feel like to you, Nari?'
'Dark, evil and menacing,' she answered, her voice trembling. She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. Naruto stared at her. Sadness overcame him, his whole demeanour changed, but he didn't go to comfort her. He knew that she needed to stand strong and on her own two feet right now. 'Its quiet painful,' she admitted. 'Sometimes I hear a voice inside my head, telling me to do nasty things, trying to convince me that the whole world is against me.'
The Hokage's eyes softened. 'Is that why you think you should become a ninja?'
She looked at him startled. 'To become stronger so I can control it, yes.'
'Have you thought maybe that this voice wants to be a ninja?'
Startled, Nari took a step back. 'N-no, I didn't think of it like that.'
Truly, child, do you expect to believe him? The disembodied voice was back, stronger than ever. Stepping back, Nari clamped her hands over her ears but the voice was within her mind, she couldn't block it out. He's afraid of you, afraid of you getting stronger so he's refusing you to become a ninja. He knows, he already knows and he already treats you as a monster. Why else do you think he refuses to let you become a ninja, huh? Do you really think it's for your own sake? Do you think he cares that your body is still weak from the coma? Well, child, do you believe him?
How could she believe him? Just like the voice said, does he really care for her own health or is it for his own sake that he refuses her to become a ninja? Keeping her eyes closed she tried to focus on both getting rid of the pain and blocking out the Hokage from her sight. If the voice was right she didn't want to see him. Who knows what he's done to her brother. Brainwashed him or convinced him he was trying to do things to protect the pair of them. Tears streamed out from her eyes. But then again, the Hokage has done but try to think of her health. He's kept his eye on her since she was born and has been worried about her when she was in that coma. He also supplied the fees in order to pay for the treatments. What should she believe? What was the truth? And what was the lie?
Somewhere in Konoha, Suna Team
'Do we have to see the Hokage?' grumbled Kankuro. 'Isn't this just a pointless waste of time?'
'Kankuro, he called us to discuss something with us. We cannot refuse his invitation even if we wanted to.' Baki replied.
'Even still…' he sighed. 'Say if we were busy training ourselves for the final round, would we have to stop that in order to attend him?'
'That's correct, Kankuro. Now stop complaining.'
'The day Kankuro stops complaining is the day rain comes to the desert. Or more likely he'd complain about that too.' Temari piped up with a chuckle.
Kankuro glowered at her. He quickly stopped himself from retorting when he felt a hatred glare centred on him. Swallowing, he turned to see Gaara glaring at him through the corner of his eyes. Immediately looking away, the puppeteer focused on what was in front of him. The village was prosperous, he noted, but he also noted the Kage Tower right at the back of the village with the stone monument behind it. It displayed the four Kages, three of which were deceased. Kankuro had no idea who the fourth Hokage was, but he knew he had been very powerful and very well known. Was he that ignorant to the history of Konoha's Hokages or was the stories false and not very memorable?
They entered the building and to the receptionist who seemed to have expected them. She gave them directions and they were heading up the stairs when they felt a tremendous amount of chakra from above. Faking that they were concerned for the Hokage, they sprinted the rest of the way and barged into the room.
'Forgive me, Hokage-sama but –' Baki stopped when he noticed that the Hokage was cradled a girl on his lap.
'Ah, Baki, thank you for coming on such short notice,' the Hokage said in lieu of greeting. Slowly the rest of the Suna team entered the room, all their eyes bugged out of their heads. 'Is something the matter?'
'We felt a large amount of chakra coming from this room. We thought you may have been in danger… It seems that isn't the case,' he said at last, eyeing the girl in his arms.
The Hokage was cradling her like a fragile child. Her eyes were scrunched shut and she was clutching her hands to her ears and head. It was as if she was trying to block out some noise and as if her head hurt at the same time. The annoying blonde boy in the orange outfit was kneeling down at their side, his eyes concerned for the girl in the Hokage's arms. Yet for some reason she remained oblivious to the concern around her and the arms cocooning her.
'What happened?' Baki asked as the door closed.
Temari, Kankuro and Gaara settled themselves in a semi-circle around the three on the floor. The blonde boy – Naruto – eyed them curiously and cautiously but remained where he knelt, not making a move. It seems he was smarter than Baki at first thought. But they wouldn't attack, not with the Hokage right in front of them. Best not to tip him off to anything, not until the time was right. At the moment it wasn't.
'Nari just collapsed is all,' The Hokage lied.
Baki narrowed his eyes but didn't argue. 'Did something set it off?'
'Exhaustion, probably.' Again the Hokage lied. He was refusing to tell them anything, why? Did he not trust them? 'Naruto, take your sister home, make sure she gets plenty of rest.'
Nodding, the boy took his sister from the Hokage and stood. She still remained oblivious, but the movement seemed to have pained her. Instead of exiting the room, the Hokage stopped him and pointed to the chair against the wall. Trying not to pain the girl anymore, Naruto gently set her on the chair and remained at her side. Looking to the Hokage, Naruto pleaded for him to help.
'Naruto, why don't you go get a doctor to come take a look at Nari? It's best if we don't move her if she's in too much pain.'
Rushing out of the room, entrusting the Hokage to keep his sister safe, Naruto went in search of a doctor. The Hokage took his seat, but kept his eye on Nari as she remained curled into herself, holding her head and watched as her eyes kept moving. She was awake and aware, yet she was oblivious to all that was happening around her. She had gone completely into herself. The pain that came with it must be unbearable if the expression on her face was anything to go by.
The Suna team looked at her. They couldn't come to terms with what was wrong with her. That must be why they were asking him in the first place. The Hokage sighed. He couldn't tell the Suna ninjas what he suspects. It would not only be bad for the village but it would also be bad for Nari herself. Just then Naruto came rushing back in with a doctor at his back just as Baki was about to say something.
The Hokage pointed to Nari who the doctor immediately turned to.
'Nari, I need you to open your eyes.' The girl didn't respond. 'Nari, come on. I can help you.'
She shook her head. 'You can't… W-won't…let…you… It…won't…let…you…'
What wouldn't let him help her? The Hokage narrowed his eyes. He suddenly had a feeling that his suspicions were right. But how right? He couldn't accuse when he doesn't know. It could be Nari's bad consciousness talking or a sign that her mind was unstable from the coma. But he doesn't know. Without the doctor's help, he wouldn't be able to tell if something was wrong with Nari or not. Yet she claims it won't let them help. What won't?
'Try to open your eyes for me.' Suddenly the doctor sounded afraid. He glanced nervously at the Hokage who nodded. 'Nari, just open your eyes for me.'
'It hurts…' she protested but her eyes fluttered before they peeled apart.
The doctor gasped as did the Hokage. The others hadn't seen just as she quickly snapped her eyes shut again. Her eyes were no longer blue. They were a vortex purple, dark, spiralling and all consuming. For that small instance, the Hokage had seen hatred beyond any he's ever seen before. Something else had looked out of Nari's eyes for that smallest period of time. He didn't like it, but he knew beyond a doubt his suspicions were correct down to every assumption. Nari was no longer safe. She was going to have to be confined and carefully examined to understand fully what they were dealing with.