White Kunai
Chapter 26- Prune
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Sasuke sighed. The idiot had been pouting since they left the village gates, sighing loudly on occasion.
"What?" Sasuke finally relented.
"What?" Naruto asked, eyebrows raised.
The dark haired man looked at his supposed best friend with narrowed eyes. "Why are you so sullen?"
"Oh," Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Hinata didn't want me to leave."
"Neither did Sakura, do you see me complaining?"
"Honestly, even if you did it would look like the same ol' Sasuke I know," Naruto laughed.
"I was planning on having an uneventful weekend," Sasuke said to Naruto as they jumped side by side through the trees.
"Eh, why would you ever want a relaxing, uneventful, trouble-free day?" Naruto asked, sarcasm laced in his voice.
Sasuke didn't even try to resist rolling his eyes. "How much longer?"
"Not much now," Naruto said, his serious demeanor returning. His mouth was set flat and his eyebrows were wrinkled with tension. "I really hate this place," he muttered. "So much shit happened here."
Sasuke sighed. He didn't want to have much of a conversation right now but he decided to bite. "Bad memories?"
"Bad everything," Naruto said shortly.
The crumbling walls and old gated came into view as they approached the Village of Ash. A sense of dread always seemed to lay thickly over this place, like a dense fog. It gave him the chills and Naruto wished he could be back home, his hand wrapped in Hinata's, sharing her warmth.
"Where to?" Sasuke asked as they made their way past the border of the village.
"Straight to Otto," Naruto said. He didn't want to spend any more time here than he had to. "That miserable prune lives above his shop."
Sasuke didn't question how Naruto knew this or his choice of insult and followed him wordlessly. The streets were empty, with a few stragglers hobbling around, shifty face and suspicious, the majority holding empty liquor bottles in their hands. Naruto frowned. The Village seemed to get worse and worse as the years went by. Houses were abandoned as the former residents left in search of better and safer places to reside. The only people that were left were the uncared for elderly, sick, and those that made a parasitic life out of the misery and struggles of others.
In some ways Naruto wanted to help but even this hopeful ninja knew this Village was a lost cause. He doubted that Sora even held control anymore. More likely than not he was a puppet controlled by one of the many gangs that took root in the rotting spoils that was now the village.
"There," Naruto pointed to a dimly lit shop across the way. They walked in, a tiny bell tinkling at the sound of their arrival. The place was empty. No surprise. It was hardly bustling in its prime when Naruto and Hinata came five years ago. Naruto was about to call out for Otto when the sound of something breaking came from above.
Both ninjas made eye contact and immediately set off towards the stairs, weapons in hand. The steps were cracked and falling apart, but no challenge for trained ninjas like them. They made it to the landing and Naruto saw the man they were looking for, Otto, cleaning up what looked like a broken vase. He turned to look at them, eyes dark.
"I was wondering when someone would come for me," he said, sighing deeply.
Naruto slowed down, holding his weapon carefully in front of him. "Why do you say that?"
"Didn't you hear about all those murders?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So it was you?"
Otto blinked slowly, pursing his lips. "Yes…and no."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto snarled as Sasuke appeared behind the man, holding his katana dangerously close to his back. He was in no mood for games.
"I didn't kill anyone," he said, hardly phased by the metal weapon pressing against his spine. "At least not directly."
"Don't mess around," Naruto said angrily. "Get to the point."
Otto took a shaky breath and looked down at his hands, rubbing them together, as if trying to remove blood that wasn't there. "She did the killings. He manipulated me."
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke finally spoke, his voice curt.
"I-I-I just wanted people to feel the same pain I did!" he finally said, falling to the ground. "So I hired that assassin."
"What assassin?" Naruto asked quickly, wanting more than anything to grab the man by the collar and shake the answer out of him. "What assassin?"
"Some red headed women," Otto answered, swallowing thickly.
Naruto felt his heart stop. He realized he was holding his breath and let it out slowly, trying to remain calm.
A woman with red hair was seen lurking around your home.
Naruto was on his knees, kunai held perilously near Otto's throat. "You better speak quickly," he hissed, his head starting to ache from all the growling Kurama was doing in his head. "If something happens to Hinata, I swear I'll-"
"Naruto," Sasuke cut him off with a hard look. He could tell his friends mind was clouded with concern for his wife. But they needed more information. "Who is this woman and how exactly did you get people to feel the same pain you did?"
Otto swallowed hard, a drop of blood trickled down his neck. "She's an assassin that works for some guy. My family…my late wife's family is a high ranking one in this village. They gained power through threats and fear over the rest of the village."
"I thought Sora was the leader of the village?" Naruto asked trying to see the point to the mans ramblings. He was itching to get out of there but he reluctantly held his ground.
"He is," Otto continued. "My wife's family held a different kind of power. Her association with Sora's daughter, Mizuki held a lot of prestige as well. I don't know all the details, okay? It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is there's an old, deeply rooted gang that I was able to contact. I was able to hire people to help Scarlett-"
"Scarlett?"
"The red haired woman," Otto explained. "The gangs symbol is a basically a crescent moon. There's likely more to it but like I said, it doesn't matter nor do I care," Otto's hands were trembling and he held them close to his body, looking down at the ground with eyes full of regret. "I paid with almost everything I had but cancelled the contract with the gang. But…but I fear it's too late. It doesn't matter if I'm no longer involved. I was just…just a pawn. He's doing all this. He doesn't even need the gang members. He only needs that woman."
"Get to the point!" Naruto said heatedly. Everything was starting to look bleaker and bleaker the more this atrocious man spoke. Naruto felt dread creeping up inside of him…he felt as though he was in the wrong place. Something was wrong.
Otto looked up at the two ninja towering above him sadly. "The two people of concern are now Scarlett and the man she's with. He's the guy that originally manipulated me. I don't know why he's doing this. Why he's involved himself. He took the sadness and anger I felt of my wife's death and twisted it into an urge to kill. But I can't blame him…it's my fault too." Otto finally broke. He sobbed and scrambled up, grabbing hold of Naruto's clothes, pulling him down. "You should kill me! I'm so sorry! Just kill me for what I've done. I've caused all this misery and I-I can't take it anymore."
I agree, Kurama spoke in his head. I'd tear this foul human apart for the things he did. Kurama scoffed.I would. And this is coming from me. A fox demon.
Naruto held no remorse for this guy and ignored his half-assed apology. "What guy?" Naruto asked harshly.
"Jiyuu," Otto said immediately, whipping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "I don't know! He came to me with her. He came to my shop offering her services. Talking about revenge and punishment and suffering and how they could help with my pain. But-but I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I just wanted others to suffer-"
"How?"
"By killing pregnant woman."
Naruto felt like he was punched in the gut and all the air left from his lungs. He felt Kurama bristle inside of him. Killing vixen pregnant with pups…
"Where is she?" Naruto asked, voice low, but he knew the answer. He knew what was coming. He knew. His fingers curled into fists, his fingernails digging into his skin.
"I told her I didn't want any more trouble. I stopped asking for more deaths in the Village of Ash," Otto continued. Naruto recalled how the murders had stopped for a while but that didn't answer his question. He pushed the point of his weapon further into Otto's skin. "I don't know where she was heading! But when I went to tell Jiyuu I wanted out…I…I think they were heading to Konoha."
Naruto wanted to scream. Everything was turning upside down. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Otto was supposed to be the killer. Everything was supposed to just come to a goddamn end! He wanted to hit something, to break things…to be with Hinata. He had no time for that.
"You were supposed to save Tsuma…" Otto whispered, his tears staining the ground in large drops. "You were supposed to save my wife…and my child. I'm sorry…" he continued. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…what was going through my mind. But…I think Jiyuu's goal was to distract you. To get you away from the village."
"Why?" Naruto asked sharply, voicing the question only to be sure. But inside he knew. And he hated it. He hated it with a burning passion. He wanted to tear this village to the ground, see it destroyed. He felt anger bubbling up inside of him at the answer he knew he would receive…but mostly he felt fear. Fear for his loved one.
The man Naruto so desperately wanted to kill spoke, pulling him out of his vehement thought process. "To make you feel the same type of pain I suffered through. I don't know why he holds such a grudge against you but I think this was his plan the whole time," Otto said, looking at him sadly. "To get to your wife."
Naruto pushed Otto away, his body shaking. He looked at Sasuke, his eyes begging to deal with the foul man on the ground. "I'm done with this village," Naruto said darkly. He already wasted too much time traveling here. "Sasuke, I can't take hours to get back. I have to get to Hinata now-"
"I understand," his friend said with a curt nod. "Go. I'll handle things here."
Naruto gave him a thankful glance before disappearing in a flash of light.
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He appeared inside the kitchen of his home in an instant. "HINATA?" he called. He waited and listened; hope diminishing quickly when there was no reply. "HINATA!" He didn't sense her chakra in the house but nonetheless summoned several shadow clones to do a quick check. He glanced around the kitchen hoping against hope to see her maybe making him a welcome back dinner but was greeted only by a dark, cold, empty room.
He flicked on the light with a heavy heart and his eyes fell to a piece of paper on the kitchen table. His thoughts briefly went back to an event that occurred a few months prior.
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Last October
He picked up the lone letter sitting on the table and his eyes ran across the lines several times. His eyes started to glisten and he clenched his teeth together, fist crumping the paper in his hand.
Naruto-kun,
I had to leave. I couldn't stay in this house anymore. It's not you. I just had to get away. I'm sorry you won't be able to see your son but I've had enough.
Good-bye,
Hinata
Naruto felt hot tears build up in his eyes. He didn't' believe it. He couldn't believe it. But some of the insecurities he had always felt since childhood started to rise inside of him the more he thought of those words on the paper. "Liar," he said out loud, clenching his eyes shut. "Liar…" She would never. The crumpled piece of paper had a few dark spots that he concluded were caused by teardrops that were not his own. She was crying while she wrote this. "Hinata…"
He didn't even know what he was feeling. He felt sad and confused and even a little bit betrayed. How did this come about?
There was a lingering smell of flowers and perfume in the room that didn't remind him of his wife but he didn't think too much of it. He sat down heavily on the kitchen chair, searching his mind for anything, anything, that could have prompted her departure.
Did they have an argument? None that he could recall.
Did he forget an important date?
He frowned.
Today was his birthday. He was pretty certain he didn't forget anything.
The usual excitement he got in only the recent years at the thought of his date of birth quickly diminished and were replaced by the old feelings he got as a child. Having to spend the day under the dark and resentful gazes of many of the residents of the Hidden Leaf. Having to come home to an empty house, lighting a lone candle on a small, single serve, cupcake…whispering a quiet, "Happy Birthday, Naruto," to himself before blowing out the source of light only to be enveloped in darkness.
He slammed his hands on the kitchen table, standing up abruptly.
No, he refused to believe this. There was nothing that hinted towards Hinata's flight. He loved her for gods sake, and he was pretty sure her love for him didn't just disappear. No. Not until the day he died and Naruto was far from dead. Though he did feel like a knife was driven through his heart when he first read that stupid letter.
He walked to his balcony, closing it shut behind him and stared down at the village, bathed in sunlight. He cursed quietly to himself. He could have sworn the clouds would be gray, the village shrouded in shadows. He sure as hell felt that way.
He had to make a decision. Was he going to sit here and mope or was he going to track his wife and demand answers? His fingers gripped the rail tightly, and his legs tensed. He was just about to start running across the rooftops when he felt a familiar presence.
"Naruto. Hi."
He turned around and saw Sakura sitting with legs crossed at the edge of his roof.
"What-"
"What were you doing?" she asked curiously, her face was serious but he could see the slightest twitch of a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. "Don't tell me you were going to jump."
Naruto bristled. "I was not-"
"I heard the news," she said somberly with a dramatic sigh.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and decided to proceed cautiously. "And what news would that be?"
"That Hinata left you."
Naruto clenched his teeth. Hearing those words aloud did not make them any better than when they were spiteful whispers in his nightmares. He did not understand how she could utter those despicable words so casually.
"And on your birthday," Sakura continued, swinging her legs unconcernedly. "Happy birthday by the way." She looked at her nails, flicking some dirt off them. "That wasn't very nice of her."
"Sakura…" Naruto said warningly. He could tolerate people badmouthing him. In fact he was quite used to it. But he did not like it when he heard negative things directed towards Hinata.
Sakura jumped down and landed easily beside him. Naruto caught a whiff of a scent he smelled inside. Perfume. His eyebrows knit together and his previous inkling that something was up was starting to get confirmed. Sakura and some other person were certainly with Hinata while she wrote that letter. "Ah, well," Sakura said, leaning against the rail, mimicking what he was doing just moments ago. "I guess a woman's heart really is fickle."
Naruto felt anger starting to simmer inside of him. He took a deep breath and faced his teammate. "What do you know?"
Sakura looked at him, feigning innocence. "What do you mean?"
"This isn't-"
But she ran before he could finish. Naruto yelled in frustration but followed his pink haired friend. She was small and quick but Naruto was easily able to catch up, even with her small head start. "Sakura!" he called, not in the mood for games. Normally he would be happy to joke around with his friends but this was not one of those times. "WHERE IS HINATA?"
Sakura's laugher was carried to him by the wind. "She's gone Naruto, didn't the letter say?"
Naruto frowned at first but then rolled his eyes. "And how did you know there was a letter?" he asked, running beside her now.
"Lucky guess?" Sakura's spoke light heartedly but his face was solemn.
"Was Hinata crying?"
Sakura glanced at Naruto and relented after seeing his look of concern.
"No, that was just water," Sakura comforted knowingly.
"What are you guys planning?"
Sakura smirked. "It was all a last minute thing," she half explained. "Quite ridiculous, actually. But what do you expect from Ino."
Ah, now he knew why he smelled flowers.
But he still didn't completely understand what was going on.
They were running through the forest now, the trees getting thick around them. Soon the path started to clear before opening up to a giant grassy meadow. One side had a large stony face with water running down it rapidly. Naruto remembered the place. It was where he had trained a long time ago with Kakashi and Yamato.
Now the field was elaborately decorated with orange and black balloons and streamers, among other things, looking like an odd Halloween party but Naruto smiled at the gesture. There were tables laden with his favorite foods. He noticed a distinct lack of raw vegetables and saw some red bean soup, but the majority of the food was ramen catered by none other than Ichiraku. He saw his friends scattered throughout the area but he couldn't find the one person he was looking for.
"Where is she?" he asked Sakura, all while smiling and thanking his friends as they wished him a happy birthday.
"That's the game, Naruto," Sakura said. "Shikamaru actually planned out a whole mystery type thing with clues and everything."
Naruto looked confused but the rest of the people at the party were all wearing bright smiles.
"Yea, don't worry," Kiba said, seated atop of Akamaru, his head resting in the palms of his hands, grinning wildly. "Your darling Hinata hasn't abandoned you."
"No, she has not," Shino spoke. "She has been kidnapped."
At the look of incredulity on Naruto's face, the other partygoers rushed to explain.
"Not actually kidnapped, obviously." Temari said. What a pleasant surprise. Naruto was pleased to see that Gaara had been invited, along with the rest of the sand siblings.
"Nope, but she's been hidden away," Choji said, holding a bowl of ramen in his hands.
"Basically you'll have to find her," Tenten said with crossed arms.
"So for my birthday you guys first tried to break my heart, threw me a surprise, and took my wife away?" Naruto summarized with narrowed eyes.
"Pretty much," Ino said with a smirk.
"I hate you all."
The group laughed at Naruto's grimace.
Shikamaru walked up to him, smiling lazily. He extended his arm, handing Naruto a lavender envelope. "And here's your first clue. Good luck."
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Present
This was nothing like that.
His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the isolated envelope sitting on the kitchen table. It was a blood red in color and he approached it slowly. He gingerly picked up the envelope as if it were a bomb waiting to explode. He struggled slightly trying to open it, his hands were shaking so bad.
He hissed and dropped it; instinctively popping the finger he got a paper cut into his mouth. He scowled but snatched the envelope up once more with newfound confidence. He had no time to spare.
He tore it open and pulled out a small piece of paper, folded neatly into thirds. With a clatter something flashed in the light and fell to the tabletop. With his mouth slightly open Naruto reached for the fallen object and picked it up gently. Her wedding band… He traced the markings on the inside of the ring, his heart beating fast. It was a hiraishin seal he had placed so he could be by her side in an instant.
"Damn it," he muttered, bringing the ring to his lips. He closed his eyes briefly before slipping the treasure into his pouch.
Naruto turned back to the letter, unfolded it, and held it up so he could read it, eyebrows scrunching together and anger and sadness welling up inside him with each line he read. He was really starting to hate mail.
Naruto,
I'm sorry.
I had to leave.
This isn't what I wanted. None of this is what I wanted. I know this is going to hurt you and it pains me to write this but I had to go.
I don't know when I'll be coming back...if I'll be coming back.
But I love you until forever and back.
Hinata
Her writing was shaky and untidy and smudged in several places where he knew her tears probably fell. This wasn't a joke. It wasn't even close. He folded the letter and slipped it snugly back into the envelope he pulled it out of, placing it neatly onto the table, staring at it emotionlessly. He took a few breaths, trying to remain calm.
He closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands, thinking back.
The house was not in chaos when he had returned. There was no upturned furniture or signs of a struggle. His vanished clones had seen nothing out of place. Had Hinata gone quietly? Had she simply walked out?
Naruto didn't understand what anyone could have said to have her walk away from him. To leave his embrace and into the arms of danger.
Naruto sucked his breath in sharply.
Unless the danger was at home.
He looked up slowly, as if any sudden movement would make malevolent things enclose around him. Naruto stood up, his eyes moving around the kitchen. He felt his feet move to the living room, before proceeding to the bedroom he shared with Hinata.
He stood at the door, staring at the bed, the sheets crisp and wrinkle free. He walked robotic like to the bathroom, tiles glistening and mirror streak-less. The spare bedrooms were of the same condition- nothing seemed to be wrong.
The inside of the house was impeccable.
Except for the slightest hint of dirt on the kitchen floor.
How did he miss it before?
There was just so much running through his mind. But he had to check.
His heart started beating faster as he walked to the door leading to their garden. Gripping the doorknob tightly he pulled the door open, eyes widening at the sight before him.
His breathing became fast and shallow and he gripped the frame tightly to support himself.
Their garden was a mess.
He saw a trowel stuck into the dirt where Hinata was clearly working. A pruning saw and shears lay far from the rest of the gardening tools.
As if…as if they were thrown, Naruto concluded.
He walked towards the trampled plants and noticed more than one set of footprints.
Naruto's fear was confirmed.
Hinata didn't leave him.
Hinata wasn't just gone.
She was taken.
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Authors Note:
Another chapter down! (I tried to get this one out quickly, sorry if there are any mistakes). Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave a review, it's greatly appreciated.
(The crescent moon insignia isn't of much importance. I had added that in to the intermission chapter, I believe, when I was planning on taking the story a different route).
In response to anonymous reviewer Good Stuff: I do read all my reviews, not only the ones attached to accounts. And indeed, I was wondering where Potassium Nitrate went. She's always there encouraging me to continue. I'm dedicating this chapter to her.
Thanks for reading!
-Magma
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Up Next: Poison
"And what happens if I do come quietly? You may not be lying but words can hide true motives. They can be dressed up to conceal their malevolence. You say you won't hurt me here. You won't hurt me if I don't fight to get away. But what happens when I am in your mercy? What then?"