Blind Sight

By

LigerJager

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Scroll 3: Verdict

He could feel it. It was like a fog, tangible and yet not, of hatred. It was illusive, wispy even, like the atmospheric phenomenon and yet very much real.

Most of these hidden feelings of hostility upon him he could ignore and in fact did, though not without difficulty, mostly because of the extensive practice he had in the area. However as his perception had risen, so had his awareness of his surroundings. And he was troubled in a way that he hadn't been.

He knew that he wasn't liked or rather wasn't acknowledged. However this passive aggressive behavior that he'd been picking up on in the few minutes he was exposed to the shinobipopulace alone shook him to the very core of his being.

Given their destination and the reason for his release, he wasn't given much of a chance to reflect upon these unsuppressed feelings. As he became increasingly aware of the movements of the men on either side of him, he turned his attention towards the front. He could barely make out the sounds of the twin doors being slid open before the sounds of chatter overwhelmed him.

Seemingly without a second thought, both ninja propelled him forward. He stumbled and was barely caught before they halted. It took about a minute for him to realize that he was alone upon the floor as the presences of the guards had quietly vanished into the background.

With a shuffling of feet and swish of robes, the jinchuuriki became painfully aware of the now noiseless room and the weight of many unseen eyes. Vulnerability wrapped itself around him as he became excruciatingly aware of how exposed he was and that if something were indeed to happen to him, he would be unable to defend himself in any way, shape, or form.

As soon as the voices had stopped and everyone had been given a chance to have a good look at the boy, the signal was given and the appointed spokesman stepped forward to address the jinchuuriki.

"Uzumaki Naruto. After much deliberation and discussion, we as a whole have decided that your continued presence in our noble village would only endanger its continued existence further.

But, because of your service to it during the invasion and the subsequent missions after, we have decided to pardon your actions against one of our own.

The normal penalty for treason would have been immediate execution. However as your circumstances are somewhat extenuating, we have agreed that you be stripped of your status and that your summoning contract be revoked as both are indicative and specific to this village and therefore recognizable.

As for the Kage-bunshin technique, we will allow you this one boon as it was acquired during the subsequent capture of a spy. As we are confident that none of your known instructors have further enlarged your awareness of its effects and increased your academy level knowledge of Konoha, the subsequent collateral damage has been projected to be at a non-existent level. And as your own…unique…condition prohibits you from utilizing it fully, there is nothing further for us to expound upon.

As you have no other techniques beyond academy level, that we are aware of, we are of an accord that you may keep those you have earned, no matter how unorthodox the methodology. As it is common knowledge throughout the elemental nations and shinobi villages, they are of no consequence to us."

What truly almost broke his resolve to keep them from having the satisfaction of seeing his emotions was when a beloved and familiar voice spoke, and with it, effectively taking away his life long dream.

"Uzumaki Naruto, with the power vested in me as the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, from this day forward you are hereby stripped of you rank amongst the shinobi of our village and have until sunrise to vacate the village premise. After which you will be executed as a trespasser. You have been deemed a threat if allowed to continue within our borders and are hereby banished from us. As a shinobi you understand the village comes before an individual…Always. And you are no exception."

"Jiraiya-san, if you would."

With a nod to the Gama Sage, the older man stepped forward and addressed the jinchuuriki. Nothing was betrayed by the man's demeanor. Just an emotionless voice as he spoke with power and authority. He impassively looked at the ragged boy as he spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I, Jiraiya of Konohagakure, hereby revoke your apprenticeship and as the primary Toad Summoner, revoke your status as understudy. Your name shall be stricken from the scroll and henceforth, shall not be recognized by the toads."

He then summoned the contract in which he unrolled it for all to see. There, written in his own blood was the name of the only Uzumaki Konoha had left.

Neither of the older shinobi had spoken with any kind of inflection that would revealed what they were thinking or feeling. There was nothing to be done. It had been stated clearly. And their allegiance had long been elsewhere even before his parents were born. The lives of the village would always take precedence over the Namikaze legacy…there was no mercy, and nothing to be said, he was worthless in their eyes…especially now.

Throughout the entire proceedings, the blonde boy stood quietly with his head bowed. His bangs shadowing a majority of his face as it was wreathed in shadows. Not a sound from his lips.

At the moment he was going into shock as his mind processed the words. He didn't even seem to notice when the Gama Sannin took his hand and smudged the name of the contract to an unrecognizable blur. Or when they called his name until a guard's gloved hand lightly touched his shoulder. The small touch was enough to bring him back to awareness.

"Do you have any last words?"

None noticed the small spherical object floating in the shadows, silently observing the proceedings.

"Oh no, you don't." Gloved hand flashed out and snagged the jounin's collar, "You're not chickening out on me, rookie, especially after that comment."

The said jounin shrank a bit. While he wasn't a small man, far from it in fact, the shinobi he'd just insulted wasn't more than a few inches taller than himself. However in comparison at the moment, he felt like a child as the shadow loomed above him. The man's presence was stifling.

And the fact that he was smiling eerily wasn't helping. Nor was the tiny, insignificant detail of them being on an S-class mission, or at least something very similar to one as being with said man, alone, was an S-class mission in and of itself. As well as enduring whatever horrors he dished out was another experience entirely.

All because he opened his huge mouth and inserted both feet. He knew he was in over his head.

What he couldn't figure out was how the man heard what he was saying. In fact, all of his drinking buddies had said that the man was away on a mission of his own and that it was relatively 'safe' to speak.

Never again…If he lived that was.

One of the watching anbu snickered quietly before leaning over to the other accomplice, whispering conspiratorially, "He's really enjoying this, isn't he?"

"What?"

"Breaking in the newbie."

"Of, course. Do you really have to comment?"

A third voice joined in, this one withered with age and wisdom. "You can practically hear him purring." Twin masks spun simultaneously as to the newcomer. It didn't surprise them that he had shown up, like clock work, in fact...they had almost expected it.

However, what they hadn't counted on was the different squads, supposedly on missions and such, that started popping up and taking the best 'front row seats'. They began to wonder if this truly was the infamous black ops division of Sungakure no Sato.

Were they really part of the most feared and illusive special forces division? It almost seemed like they were at a frat party.

What really got the co-conspirators was when the heavy arms corps of the division arrived. One of the members had then proceeded to pull out a bag of something to munch on. Another held a telling clay jug and uncorked it. All proceeded to merrily watch the entertainment.

"Baka, this one really did a number didn't he?"

"What's the greenhorn done?"

"The usual, not keep his trap shut."

"But he had a bit of help, hmm?" the senior member eyed the two accomplices amused. They in turn began to squirm under the gaze and also that they had been so transparent.

"I didn't think we'd be getting an audience." One of the first anbu spoke, eyeing the sudden accompaniment of ninja from their branch. Normally such was the nature of their activities that they wouldn't be indulging in such meaningless amusements for the sake of entertainment.

The older nin barked out in laughter, something that happened more frequently now that the future was looking bright for Suna. "Did you really expect this to happen quietly and privately?" He turned an amused eye to the younger shinobi, "Kachuu-sama never does anything without a certain flare."

Both looked a bit sheepish. How had they had forgotten that small detail in the middle of the entire episode?

"Oh, and don't set up anymore victims. Suna still needs every available ninja and the mental ward of our hospital doesn't, we aren't out of the red yet."

"What's he up to?" One of the newly arrived ninja, from the reconnaissance corp, asked while leaning forward from his post as if trying to figure out what was going on below.

"The rookie?"

"No, I mean Kachuu-sama."

"Hm?" the older veteran stopped and took in the scene below before nonchalantly answering, "Oh, he's going to haze him this time."

"Eh?" the confusion was evident in more than a few. The entire gathered audience looked at the man, expectantly waiting for him to explain.

"Drinking contest…I think?" one of the co-conspirators translated for their superior. Having all of those masks 'staring' in their general direction was seriously unnerving.

"And a little something else too." The other spoke up before a tiger's roar deafened them momentarily…along with a fearful squeal from what should have been a male voice.

"Sweet!!"

"What're the odds?"

Out of nowhere, the designated 'bookie' pulled a small pad out and began reading allowed. The veteran, used to such things, just watched bemusedly, while the two conspirators sweat-dropped. When had that happened?

"20 to 1 says the Commander drinks him under."

"57 to 1 says that the rookie chickens out about half way through." The maniacal gleam of their eyes could practically be seen through their masks.

"And 100 to 1 says that we get the wet behind the ears, newly broken, fresh bag of meat to play with afterwards."

There was a moment of silence before the anbu seemingly roared to life. All trying to get in on the betting pool last minute before it was closed.

"I'm in."

"So am I."

The older speaker just shook his head at the antics of the arriving squad members and veterans. He could practically hear the cackling from behind the masks. "Anyone who's at least heard something, let alone knows anything, about the way our commander works should at least have the common sense to keep their mouths shut."

"What better way to break in the stock, eh?"

"To the Commander, may he ever provide Suna with such talented service."

"Kanpai!!" the cheer rose up as the gallery toasted the man they all respected and admired.

"To the Commander!"

Echoes repeated the cry, quickly drowning out the 'manly' shriek of terror coming from the below…and the maniacal laughter that accompanied it.

Gaara's head snapped up at the sound before he groaned in defeat. Perhaps...he should have filled out the correct paper work before the blubbering mess would inevitable make its way to his office.

Apparently his commander was in an especially playful mood today…and he probably wasn't holding back his wolves either.

The division headquarters was quiet when he returned to it. After the 'events' of the day, the squads headed back to their duties. When the door to the office closed, he let out a small sigh.

Pulling off his bandanna-esque hitai-ate. Unbound, golden spikes burst forth, free of restraint though somewhat flattened. They had grown longer than what he'd allowed in his youth and were slightly more tame-able in comparison to back then.

Quickly he ran his fingers through the spikes, more out of habit than vanity, to fluff them up before continuing his ritual de-stressing process. The next part of his wardrobe to come off were his normal strategically concealing cheek plating. Deftly he unbuckled the metallic Suna facial protectors, a trademark of the desert village, and took a moment to just feel the weightlessness of freedom once again.

Two faintly tanned cheeks welcomed the cooler evening air. The dying light of the sun only slightly revealed the fading whisker like marking up on the nin's skin.

Slowly he closed his eyes before opening them and allowing two milky colored orbs looked unseeingly upon his office. Uncaringly he dropped the gear on his desk as he maneuvered towards the cushioned couch propped against the wall opposite the window overlooking the village roofs.

He hoped his nin enjoyed the show. The man, who was quickly becoming a living legend amongst the Suna ranks, sat down tiredly and threw his arms over his head. Cutting loose was all well and good, and Kami only knows his men needed an outlet of the non-hazardous variety, but he hardly derived any pleasure from it, contrary to popular belief.

At the moment he just wanted to relax. Perhaps it was time for a vacation?

He just wanted a small reprieve from life in general for the moment. However life didn't want to give him a reprieve as the door knocked. Without even 'looking', he addressed the shinobi at his door as it quietly slid open. Accustomed to each other for well over a decade bred great familiarity and camaraderie between both men.

"What is it, Sabaku-san?"

"Gaara summoned you."

With a grunt followed by a blur of movement, the anbu was fully equipped and out the door. His reply still hung in the air as he vanished in blur of movement.

"I'll be there."

"Kachuu-san."

"Kazekage-dono." With a slight nod they acknowledged each other instead of the customary deep bow from one of lower staus and rank to their better. Normally such casual acknowledgment would have been considered a show of disrespect, however these two known each other for far too long to even bother with such laborious rituals.

Also they acknowledged each other not as a Kazekage to their Anbu commander, but as equals and friends. Also with absolute trust in the other, something that was ill-advised in their chosen professions and very much discouraged.

While their speech said otherwise, it was mostly for appearances to any eavesdroppers whom tried to catch them unawares. which was nigh impossible for men of their caliber.

All they had to do was twitch a certain way and the other would catch it. All it took was the smallest cues for the other to pick up on, even if it was only slight change in intonation of their speech patterns.

Nuances aside, the Kazekage couldn't hide the slight amusement in his voice even if he tried. Likewise, with the otherwise emotionally restrained shinobi.

"I'd appreciate for you to stop harassing my newest recruits."

A quick grin tugged at the edges of his lips, "So you'd heard about our little bonding session already."

"I didn't hear about anything. You are not exactly one for subtlety…if the screams of pain and torture are anything to go by."

His tone, however, changed as he held up the file in the direction of his second. The one that had opccupied him earlier that afternoon. "But that's not why I called you here. Read this."

"What? You're joking, right?"

"Read."

After having the parchment shoved in his hands, the Kazekage watched unabashedly as the other nin held the parchment in bewilderment. His hidden gaze looked questioningly at the man, whom he claimed as a friend, and then back at the missive in his hands.

It took a moment before he lifted a tip of one of his un-gloved fingers and fed chakra into the dense fibers. After a moment the entire missive was softly glowing. It was then that the nin 'looked' down before reading and skimming over the contents.

Emotions stormed over his features before he settled into a carefully blank face.

"Are they mad?"

"So it would seem."

"When he finds out what we discovered, it will end…badly."

"You didn't read the second part yet. It gets even better."

Doing as he was bid, the anbu pushed more chakra into the second dispatch in his hand and dutifully read. His unseeing eyes nearly bugged as he did a double take and 'read them more slowly. it wasn't long before he started laughing…a hollow and icily bitter sound, "Like rats. They're all like rats."

The former jinchuuriki leveled the man with a soul searing look. He steepled his hands resting before him, giving him a thoughtful appearance, as he sat back in his chair which squeak in protest of the movement.

"Officially, what do you believe we should do?"

Without any hesitation the other replied, "Keep the alliance. We aren't strong enough yet. In a few years we might, not right now. As it is, whatever backwash Konoha sends are way in terms of missions has given us a loyal customer base. We should operate until the time when we have enough to break away."

"Unofficially, what do you really think?"

The pause stretched into a few moments of silence. It was a while before a tightly controlled voice, emotionally devoid, answered. "I'll get back to you on that."

With a bow, the other disappeared. Gaara watched the last light of the setting sun set the skies aflame with color before shutting the window shade and began drafting his proposal for the council meeting he would call the next day.

They were two ironic figures. One lived in a proverbial darkness until he was given a second chance while the other…lived in the same darkness which gave him his.

:Tsudzuku:

A/N: Now, now, put those tomatoes away. If I were truly that cruel I would have stripped everything away from him. But I'm not.

Here are my reasons as follows:

1.) The Kagebunshin is his signature technique…and it's not until much later that he begins to experiment with it (and discovers/hypothesizes upon the effects), as it's like the Rasengan and brings back painful memories.

2.) Jiraiya, nor Kakashi, got around to revealing that he knew the Rasengan (for various reasons). Which I'm of the opinion (for this fict) is nothing more than a glorified chakra exercise…for Naruto anyways.

3.) Both techniques are a last resort, only. If he truly wants to stay hidden, then why would he use the two techniques he was infamous for executing?

I know this story is a bit rough…ok…more than a bit, but I swear it's pretty good for someone like me who should never, ever, ever have begun typing in the first place.

As my profile states, first and foremost: I'm no writer, never was and never will be…unless by some miracle my other friend (who's aiming to be an author) some how blackmails me into co-writing with them. I have no talent, just a bunch of ideas.

This fict is as much yours as it is mine.

Until next time…

LJ 7/5/2008