Shadow of the Empire - chapter 6/Duty and Honor
-/\/-
Naruto walked through the gate to the courtyard he was directed to. Yesterday, Esdeath let him sleep in his room (though she wasn't exactly happy with it), but she told him to report here in the early morning.
As he entered, Esdeath was there, waiting for him.
"Hey. Kakashi-sensei explained that whole task force shtick to me and said I'm now working with you." Naruto remembered how his sensei told him to say with, not for. He might not have understood the whole subtle game thing that was going on with politics, but he was smart enough to do what he was told… most of the time.
"Good. I wanted to introduce you to my… subordinates." The way she emphasized the last word left no mistake about who had all the authority.
Naruto was aware that there were six more people in the courtyard, but he only paid enough attention to them to be ready in case of an attack. Now he actually got a look at them.
"First, Dr. Stylish. He's our medic and support." The general pointed at a somewhat handsome man wearing a yellow suit and a lab coat. A girl next to him was tossing rose petals in the air for extra effect. "And Seryu Ubiquitous. She's the best marksman we have."
"Hiya. Nice to meet you." Naruto smiled as he waved at the duo. He completely missed Edeath's smile getting just a touch more forced when Naruto's eyes fell on Seryu, but he seemed to completely ignore the girl so she quickly regained confidence. There was no need to worry. After all, why would Naruto want anyone else when he could have her?
"Yes. Next, there's Wave. His main purpose is to serve as the vanguard." She motioned to the young man in the blue navy uniform.
"Yo. Hey, have we met before?" The mariner greeted.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of any time they might've seen each other in the past, but nothing came.
"Ah! You're the guy my ship fished out in the middle of the ocean!" Wave finally recalled.
"Huh? Oh… yeah!" Naruto beamed. "Thanks for that again! I found Kakashi-sensei in the capital, just like your captain said."
"Nice man. Glad it worked out for you."
Esdeath was pleased. It seemed that Naruto would have some friends in the group. "Next is Run. He's the scout and aerial support."
"Welcome. I am looking forward to working with you in the future."
For an inexplicable reason, Naruto was reminded of Iruka in the worst possible way. His 'evade the school-teacher at all cost' sense got triggered when he looked at the man. "Sure. Same." He hit it behind a smile. Kakashi-sensei said to avoid making enemies.
"Bols." Esdeath motioned to the man wearing a somewhat simplistic gas mask (and nothing else above the belt). "The rear guard and… cleaner." She settled on that descriptor. Incineration Squad didn't really have a set role in the army. They were called when something needed burning. Be it bodies, enemy soldiers, or civilians.
"Nice to meet ya'. Cool mask." To the surprise of many, Naruto seemed completely unbothered by the man. His response to the silent aura of intimidation gave most of the Jaegers a pause. Bols seemed to shy away.
"I… thank you. Most people are intimidated by it." The large man admitted.
"Huh? Why? Doesn't seem that different from what Ame shinobi wear."
"Interesting." Run looked at Naruto with a certain… hunger. It was kind of like Lee when he was presented with a training opportunity.
"The last one," Esdeath broke the conversation, though she seemed thoroughly amused, "is Kurome. She's a master at assassinations."
Naruto looked to where a girl that was almost certainly younger than him stood in perfect silence if one ignored the sound of eating the sweet rolls she was munching on.
"Uh… hi?" The blond turned his head sideways, but nope, nothing changed. "You know, you look kinda like that Night Raid assassin with a sword. You know, the one with black hair and red eyes." He blurted. "Are you, like, related or something? Oh! Are you a clone!?"
Kurome tensed. Most of the Jaegers seemed to stiffen a bit when Naruto mentioned the sister thing.
"Good deduction, Naruto~" Esdeath praised her lover. "Indeed, Kurome is Akane's younger sister. But you don't need to worry. She is loyal to the Empire."
"Cool." He nodded.
"Indeed." Esdeath smiled. "Now, I believe you have something for me?"
"Huh… oh! Yeah! Kakashi-sensei had me give you this." He pulled out a scroll from his vest pocket and handed it to the general. "Apparently, there is a group of bandits about two days from the capital that supplies the rebel army with a lot of goods."
"Two days from the capital? How did they manage to avoid detection for so long?" Wave asked.
"I dunno. They have this stronghold on Tetsuyama mountain."
"What!? That's like a week and a half away from the capital. No way it's just a day."
"Huh? I'm sure it was much closer on a map that Kakashi-sensei showed me. Maybe four days if you want to be careful and avoid being spotted…"
"That's… physically impossible." Run interjected. "Even if you traveled at top human speed for sixteen hours a day with minimal resting periods, it would still take at least a full week to reach the Tetsuyama mountain and it would leave anyone exhausted."
"I guess if you stuck to roads… And took a lot of breaks on the way." Naruto thought, trying to do some calculations in his head. Trying was the crucial part.
"No way anyone could travel that distance without breaks man," Wave argued, but in response Naruto just stared at him with a confused expression. "No chance in hell."
"Such stamina cannot be human." Dr. Stylish looked at Naruto with an appraising look.
"Eh, I was always told I have a lot of energy." The shinobi quickly changed the subject. "I guess I should introduce myself, huh? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato. I like Ramen, toads, and my friends. My hobby is training and spending time with my friends. I dislike needless fighting and my dream is to end the Cycle of Hatred."
As Esdeath was standing behind him, he missed her frown at the mention of disliking the needless fighting. She tried to cheer herself up with the fact that they both liked the training. Clearing her throat, she looked at her subordinates.
"The bandits are raiding the traveling merchant caravans and military supply transports. The Imperial Army was not aware of their presence until now because they kill all witnesses."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. In the back of his mind, something seemed wrong here, but he had no idea why.
"The local garrison has been requisitioned by Master Kakashi to deal with the rebel base in the region, so we'll have to deal with the bandits on our own. We leave in an hour."
"Should we pack for an extended leave or just a single mission?" Run asked before they were dismissed.
"Just for the trip. The colonel will provide us with whatever we might need. I assure you." She grinned. It was almost her hope that the man would refuse them. Maybe she and Naruto would get to torture him together then.
-/\/-
Naruto refused to take a horse. He was adamant that it would only slow him down.
At first, Jaegers considered it a good joke, with Wave laughing out loud. Esdeath's trained eye spotted even Kurome lose a bit of her gloom. The general tried to get Naruto on the horse, but he stubbornly rejected her offer. She warned him that if he slowed them down, she would have him tied and dragged behind the horses, but he just laughed! He laughed at her and said that they should try to keep up.
They still thought he was just too prideful to accept help when they finally left, but it didn't last long.
Naruto not only kept pace with the others, he was able to do so without so much as breaking a sweat. The shinobi was able to constantly scout ahead and come back while the Jaegers traveled through the land. In retrospect, Esdeath could admit that her pride took the best of her. She kept demanding they speed up, trying to knock Naruto down a peg. He had to run out of stamina faster than a horse. So they accelerated. And accelerated again soon after. And again.
By the second half of the day, they were traveling at full gallop, and by the time they have arrived at the designated stop, everyone sans Naruto and Esdeath was so exhausted that they barely the will to eat. At least the innkeeper knew better than even trying to talk to them.
"Man, that sure was a wild ride." Wave chuckled.
"I am indeed amazed that you managed to outrun us, Naruto." Run looked at the boy with this curious glimmer in his eye. "Before today, I would've considered such a feat impossible."
"I am just awesome like that." The shinobi proclaimed. "Though really, most shinobi back home can run at this speed. Well, at least for a while. I have a lot of stamina."
"Enough to outrun a horse for an entire day." Bols quipped.
Wave, perhaps slightly too tired to realize what he was saying, spoke next. "The general must be a very happy woman with you."
Naruto, bless his (mostly) innocent soul, didn't catch it immediately but Esdeath had to fight a faint blush at the images that sentence conjured.
"What does his stamina have to do with the General being happy?" Seryu looked at everyone, but nobody met her gaze. Esdeath was busy staring at Naruto, imagining several different scenarios.
"Wait!" Naruto finally figured out what Wave was referring to (after a minute or so). "Esdeath and I aren't together!" He protested, earning doubtful looks from everyone (including Koro).
"Uh… I think I'll go to sleep." The blue-haired boy awkwardly tried to back away. He could've sworn the General and Naruto were a couple. Esdeath definitely gave that impression.
The waitress walked over to them.
"Excuse me, the owner wanted to ask me if you would wish to use the baths?"
"After today? Definitely!" Wave beamed. "Show me the way, miss."
"Wait for me." Bols stood up.
"I'll also go." Run volunteered.
"Hey! It could be a team bonding thing." Naruto jumped out of his seat to join them.
"I'll… sit this one out." Stylish mused over his cup for a moment before pouring some pink substance into it. "I knew it just needed a bit more Semi-Sacharid Citrine."
"Can't you just say off-brand lemon flavor?" Kurome deadpanned
"Let me have it…"
In the baths, the four Jaegers relaxed and let the hot water work wonders on their muscles.
"Isn't that mask a little uncomfortable in all the heat?" Naruto asked.
"Oh no, no, no. I couldn't." Bols protested. "My face…" He drifted off without finishing.
"Come on. It can't be too bad." Wave joined.
"Indeed. You are among friends here. We will not judge you." Run tried to encourage Bols, but he was still unconvinced.
"Maybe another time?"
"Fine. But I bet you're actually really pretty. I mean Kakashi-sensei tries to cover almost his whole face and from the gossip, he's actually super handsome. Though if you asked me, I think he has buck teeth or really big lips."
"I… I'm just not ready yet."
"That's okay." Run took over and sent the other two a glare. "Take all the time you need."
"Man, you sound like my academy teacher." Naruto joked, but he did, in fact, hit the nail.
"Before I joined the military, I was indeed a school teacher."
"Huh…" Wave paused. "Yeah, that track. You have that aura that makes me want to double-check if I packed my homework."
"Why did you quit?"
"I… one day, I returned from an errand only to find my… all the students were killed." Run admitted. "The city wanted to preserve its reputation so they covered it up instead of investigating."
"Woah. I did not expect that… My condolences."
"Yeah. This must suck. Sorry for bringing it up."
Both Wave and Naruto felt bad about this, but Run smiled.
"Don't worry. It's in the past. I must admit, I wasn't in the best place back then. For a brief second, I even considered joining the revolutionary army. I quickly realized though, that it was stupid and pointless. If I wanted a change, I had to work for it from within. So I joined the army and climbed the ranks until I'm here. Now that I'm part of famed General Esdeath's special police force, I will gain the ear of the emperor. Hopefully, soon I can start working for a real change."
The three men clapped at the speech.
"You know, I could introduce you to Chouri-san. Kakashi-sensei told me he was reinstated as the co-prime minister. Emperor seems to like the old man very much and listens to him even more than to Honest."
"Truly? That is indeed wonderful news. You will have my deepest gratitude, Master Naruto."
"No worries. I always help my friends."
-/\/-
It was late in the evening when Esdeath climbed onto the rooftop of the inn to find Naruto lying there. The blond was watching the stars but he remained fully aware of his surrounding. Esdeaths sensed his attention on her for a moment before he relaxed again.
"Ara ara. Not only did you run here the entire day, but now you don't sleep. Is something keeping you up, Na~ru~to~?" She walked over to the shinobi and sat next to him, allowing her skirt to ride up just a tiny bit, revealing more of her legs.
"Eh, I'm not really tired yet."
"Really, then maybe I can help?" She purred.
"I just… there is a lot I have to think about?" Naruto tried to cut the conversation short.
"Oh? And what is it?"
"..." Naruto opened his mouth, but he then closed it after a moment of silence. "Stuff." He finally declared.
Esdeath just smiled and reclined, just slightly more accentuating her chest. "Earlier today, you mentioned the 'cycle of hatred'. What is it?"
"Huh? Oh…" Naruto looked at the woman next to him. "Well… It's… when someone hurts you, you start to hate them. But then you hurt someone else and you are also hated. So everyone ends up hating and being hated. So hate keeps growing. Children hate." Sasuke… "Parents hate." The villagers… "Adults hate." Nagato, Orochimaru… "Families hate." Tsunade… "Shinobi hate." Zabuza… "And it's been like that for longer than anyone remembers."
"And you think that one man can end such a thing?" Esdeath asked, keeping a neutral tone.
"If someone doesn't try, the world will never know peace."
Esdeath scoffed. "There can never be peace. It's just an illusion of the weak. When they are afraid to make a move, you have peace. But when someone strong comes, they inevitably break the peace in the pursuit of their goals. Others either bend… or break." She snapped her fingers. "This is the way this world works. The strong rule the world while the weak scramble for whatever scraps they can find."
"Yes, but it doesn't have to be like that. My sensei… Nagato… They left me this dream and one day, I promise that I shall find a way."
"It's… a nice dream." Esdeath stopped herself from mocking her lover. It would do her no good. And besides, everyone could dream. "But it's impossible."
"You can't know that." Naruto protested. "One day… One day I will break the cycle." For a moment, neither spoke anything. Naruto just looked at the stars while Esdeath turned to stare at the man she was falling in love with. Even when confronted with the fact that his dream is impossible… he was still smiling.
"What about you?" The blond spoke up after some time.
"Huh?"
"What's your dream?"
"Oh. That's easy. For us to fall in love." She rolled over to reach and try to cuddle with him. Naruto stiffened but didn't immediately dash away.
"W-what!?" He stumbled over the word, feeling the woman trace her long finger over his chest. He forgot he unzipped his flak jacket before she even came here.
"I've told you. I've decided that you'll be my lover. And you shall see. I can be very persistent when chasing my prey." She whispered the last sentence directly into Naruto's ear, allowing her hot breath to tickle him in the colder air of the night.
The blond blushed crimson and tried to create a bit more distance between them.
"N-no way. I-I already said that I'm in love with Sakura-chan." He tried to protest.
"Indeed," Esdeath smirked. "But I just don't care. You see, I'm a huntress at heart. And I can be very, very persistent when I want something. And now, I want you."
"B-but…" Whatever he wanted to say drifted away as the bluenette put a palm on his cheek and gently caressed his face. It just wasn't fair, how did she know his whisker marks were sensitive?
"I'll just have to prove to you that I can give you everything that the Sakura girl ever could." She leaned closer to his face, to the point they were almost kissing. "And more" she whispered. Then, Esdeath stood up and left, making sure that her hips swayed seductively. She felt Naruto's gaze on her and smiled. Soon.
-/\/-
It was already dark when Kakashi slipped into the rebel outpost. Tracking them down wasn't easy. He had to admit, anyone but a shinobi would have trouble finding this place. Then there was getting over the traps without triggering any alarms. It was a rather clever trick. The most natural way to avoid the traps would lead you far from the trail and probably leave you stranded in the middle of the forest. Easy picking for responding revolutionary soldiers. The traps themselves were high-tier. Professional work. Nevertheless, nothing could escape Pakkun once he got the scent and Kakashi dodged the traps thanks to his years in ANBU. The base was situated inside one of the mountains. The entrance at first glance looked like a collapsed mineshaft, but he found the true doorway.
The base was a venerable maze. The corridors seemed to stretch infinitely and at first, there was no sense as to where the rooms were. Kakashi found several storage rooms, armories, empty sleeping rooms, and even a classroom or two. It seemed this place was a training ground of sorts. He made sure to memorize the layout and leave subtle markings on the ceiling to help him navigate when he returned with the reinforcements from the military.
As he moved through the base, he avoided several guards. The rebels, it appeared, didn't want to rely only on secrecy. Smart, but ultimately futile. For now, he let them be. He'd prefer not to alert everyone of his presence just yet if he could help it. From his experience, the Revolutionary Army's standing policy of dealing with infiltration was to burn all documents first, then evacuate.
After some time, he arrived in the middle of a large cave. Unlike the narrow corridors and claustrophobic rooms, this place was spacious. Probably a natural cave that they found and adapted. Without any trouble, Kakashi was able to slip into the shadows and observe.
In the center of the cave, a group of about a hundred and fifty revolutionaries, give or take ten, were practicing something. In front of the group, on a stalagmite formation, stood an old man with a bushy mustache and gray hair. He wore a simple brown vest over a dark-green shirt. If Kakashi saw him in the crowd, he would mistake him for a civilian. But here, he had no doubt. The man was a shinobi. If it wasn't enough that he used wall-climbing to hold himself on the stalagmite, he had an aura of death surrounding him. The same type that Kakashi has seen in many other veterans. He also lacked his left arm from the elbow down. But even crippled, that explained the traps outside. They weren't high-grade. They were shinobi grade.
"Enough. Now apply chakra!" The shinobi commanded.
All of the trainees once more went through the moves they were training, only now Kakashi could see that they were practicing hand seals for a jutsu. In a cloud of smoke, roughly half of the people transformed into a copy of their overseer.
Kakashi's blood ran cold. This… was bad. If any of these men were to be captured, the empire could learn the secrets of accessing chakra. Even just the most basic jutsu, if taught on the scale of the imperial army, could create a war machine without equals. It could spell a new era of warfare.
He needed to learn more. Who was this shinobi supposed to be? Why was he training the rebels? Too many unknowns.
Alarms blared across the base.
"A breach in the perimeter!" One of the trainees called.
One of the guards barged into the room. "The Imperial Army has found our base! They're moving in force to our location!"
The overseer cursed under his breath. "You know what to do. I'll-"
ANBU emergency directive C-05-30-Sigma. In the event of critical strategic information being at risk of leaking, terminate all non-Konoha witnesses. Use extreme prejudice.
The old man never finished. With a body flicker, Kakashi appeared behind him and slit his throat before the man could give any orders.
That total idiot. He was supposed to wait for my return. Kakashi wanted to scream, but his mind switched to full mission mode. He could deal with the imperial captain later. Sharingan blazed as he dashed forward into the crowd of barely-trained militia. He cut them down mercilessly, leaving none alive. Every move spelled death for another revolutionary.
The empire cannot be allowed to capture even one of them. Everyone in this base must be dead.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu). With hand seals formed faster than any of his enemies could follow, Kakashi sent a ball of fire directly into the center of the group where some of them tried to form a counterattack. The following blast scorched most of them beyond recognition. Few that were on the edge and managed to leap away were still immobilized by the third-degree burns.
Kakashi then twisted mid-air to send a handful of shuriken at the other group. With a few hand seals, the projectiles multiplied a dozen times over. The rain of steel caused most of the ones who didn't get out of the way in time to die before they even registered what was happening.
The slaughter continued until everyone but Kakashi was dead. With the immediate threat neutralized, Kakashi weaved a fast series of hand seals. Smoke covered a room and seven clones and eight ninken appeared.
I can't risk it. No prisoners. Sweep the base and eliminate everyone I can find. Get any teaching material or burn it.
If it wasn't for his training in the ANBU, Kakashi would probably feel sick right now. As it stood, he shoved all the emotions into the back of his head for now. He was a killer. He killed innocents for the good of his village. There was no place for regret or any other emotion now. He was shinobi.
"Take no prisoners. Hunt."
-/\/-
It took six more days for Naruto and the Jaegers to arrive near the military base near the Tetsuyama mountain. They probably set a new record or two, but Esdeath was relentless about keeping up with Naruto and the others were forced to go along. They raced through the countryside, stopping only for the night and leaving early in the morning.
The sun was setting when Naruto once more rushed forward to scout ahead. A few minutes later, he arrived and stopped in front of the group, forcing them to halt.
"What's going on?" Run asked the shinobi, who shrugged.
"The Boss told me to stop you. Apparently, there is a group of bandits further down the road so he wants to turn their ambush around." Naruto explained
"I didn't give any such order." Esdeath raised an eyebrow, already filing all the new information about her lover.
"Ah. By Boss, I meant the original. I'm just a shadow clone. He made several of us transform into you and force the bandits to reveal themselves. Then he will jump them with even more clones and subdue them." The clone explained.
"Why not just inform us? We could turn the surprise against them. And disperse some Justice!" Seryu grinned. "Koro needs a filling meal."
"Uh… Boss thoughts that you'd be tired after a whole day of riding."
"I… he's not exactly wrong." Stylish groaned, but he dared not complain any further. That would only encourage Esdeath to 'train' them more. That woman was a slavedriver, even if he could see the logic. As a small unit, they needed to be very mobile to be able to go after Night Raid and air mantas for the group hadn't arrived yet.
"Not bad, Naruto~" Esdeath smirked. She jumped off the horse and walked over to the clone. "But in the future…" She caressed his cheek. "I expect you to consult me before making decisions on my behalf, okay? Can you pass it to your boss?" She smiled, making the clone nod and vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving a confused Jaegers.
"And he says they aren't an item," Wave whispered, loud enough that only Kurome who was next to him heard that.
They waited for a moment before Esdeath ordered them to ride forward anyway, though not at a breakneck speed. While Naruto was eager to boast about his skills, so far everything he bragged about turned out to be true.
And he was able to escape my chambers without me noticing. The general admitted. She replayed the encounter in the bedroom several times, but the only time she could think of when he got a chance to escape was when she looked away for merely a second. He would have to somehow get off the bed, leave a clone, and then exit without making a sound.
Naruto was more dangerous than she first thought.
A normal person might grow a bit wary at such a realization. Esdeath's interest only grew. Hunt was all the sweeter when the pray could fight back.
As the Jaegers finally arrived, they saw about two scores of Naruto clones tying up the group of twenty bandits. In the trees, there were a good dozen more clones scanning the surrounding. Naruto himself was apparently meditating in the middle of the road, together with two more clones. They assumed he was the original since he was the one all clones appeared to glance at every few moments.
A minute or so later, orange markings appeared around his eyes, which was mirrored in his shadows (clones).
"Okay, clear. That's all of them here." Naruto (what everyone assumed was the original) declared.
"Am I the only one seeing this? Please tell me you also see this." Wave looked at his comrades.
"Hey, guys." The main Naruto waved them.
"I see it, but I'm not sure if I can believe it…" Run nodded.
"Master Naruto… How… are all those clones real?" Dr. Stylish asked, not quite believing his eyes.
"I mean… yeah? They are technically chakra constructs but they can interact with the world and even use other Jutsu."
"General…" Kurome turned to look at Esdeath, who was analyzing everything. "Were you aware of this?"
"No." The woman freely admitted. "I haven't yet had a chance to learn Naruto's full capabilities."
One of the bandits seemed to notice Esdeath. His eyes widened in terror. "No…" He seemed to struggle for a moment before he cut through the bindings with a dagger he pulled out of somewhere.
The man rushed at Esdeath, who started to summon an icicle sword. Before anyone else could fully react, Naruto blurred from his place and appeared between the general and the bandit. With three swift moves, he tore the dagger from the man's hand, broke through what hastily guard he could make, and delivered an inversed open palm strike to the man's solar plexus. He was sent flying through the tree and deeper into the forest, leaving a trace of broken branches.
"Which idiot was supposed to search them?" Naruto demanded.
The clones pointed at each other in accusation, but none seemed to know for sure. The original just groaned. He looked at the bandits and lifted the knife he was holding. He clenched his hand around the blade he was holding, causing it to creak, then shatter into dozens of small shards that fell on the ground. That seemed to be intimidating enough that the prisoners lost all will to fight while they were searched for hidden weapons.
"Na~ru~to~." Esdeath walked over to the shinobi and trailed her hand over his shoulder, reaching to his cheek to once more rub his whisker marks. "That was an impressive attempt at intimidation, but let me show you how it's done." She walked past him and approached the bandits.
"What are you talking about?" The confused shinobi looked at his de-facto commander.
"You see, men like this… they are weak. Each of them alone is a pitiful, pathetic, parasite." She stepped behind the first bandit and leaned forward, looking over his shoulder and directly at Naruto. "They band together to create an illusion of strength and prey on other weak humans. But the truth is…" With a flick of her wrist, she sent an icicle at the man's calf, piercing it and pinning him to the dirt. A steady stream of blood started to flow. "They are nothing but trash, unworthy to even lick the boots of the strong."
"Stop it!" Naruto demanded. "They're already defeated."
"So? The punishment for banditry is death." A flick of her wrist sent another icicle through the man's tight, piercing through the vein and causing rapid blood loss. "And it's usually carried with post haste." She grinned as she walked to the next one, preparing for another execution.
"General, perhaps it would be useful to interrogate some of them first?" Run offered.
"Oh, I'm sure some will talk. Bleeding out to death is such a horrible fate after all." She kicked the dying bandit, making him fall over. He didn't try to get up.
"Enough," Naruto growled. "What you're doing is pointlessly cruel."
"Pointlessly?" Esdeath parroted. "Whatever do you mean? These bandits are barely even people. Besides…" She grinned. "I'm sure this one here will be smarter than his colleague and tell us what we want to know."
The man nodded his head rapidly, too afraid to say a word unprompted.
"You didn't even give the first one a chance." The shinobi accused.
"Oh, please." The general dismissed him. "Nothing he said would've been of any value. And besides, these criminals are unworthy of your effort. They are pathetic excuses for human beings. They would never amount to anything productive so they chose to take the sword to honest citizens." Seeing Naruto was about to argue, she cut him off. "No, they aren't some oppressed farmers or starving men. You won't find wrongly accused nobles among them." She quoted one of the most common legends. "Those people here have no noble cause. They are weak and selfish. They don't care about the hate. They only want to get whatever they can. They disgust me." She scoffed.
Naruto didn't say anything, but he kept glaring at her. Finally, he relented and simply turned his back to her.
"I still don't like it." He grumbled and walked to the edge of the road.
For a moment, he wanted to protest more, but it felt like someone smacked him on the head from the inside. He would be the world's biggest hypocrite, given that Konoha had Torture and Interrogation department. Torture was even in the name and given those crazy proctors from his chunin exams… he could easily imagine either of them in Esdeath's place right now.
It's still not right…
But it's how this world works.His treacherous mind answered.
-/\/-
Kakashi finished cutting down another patrol when the memories of one of his clones registered with him. All the documents were secured and placed in a storage scroll that was safe with Bisuke. The little guy would get it out of here safely.
It seemed that the clones were finishing what little stragglers remained.
"Pakkun. Are we done here?"
"Yes. Everyone's either dead or left the base. I can smell a lot of blood in the forest outside though." The little dog informed.
"The soldiers are pushing through. Signal the others to move out and kill any opponents they can find."
The dog nodded and proceeded to let out several resounding barks that echoed through the now-empty base. Kakashi nodded and rushed toward the exit, with Pakkun taking the lead.
Outside the base, the forest was filled with shouting men and the sound of clanking metal. Kakashi didn't even wait for his clones. He took to the trees and dashed into the darkness. His Sharingan blazed in the dark as he reacted to even the slightest movement.
A lone rebel just killed two soldiers. He died to a shuriken to the jugular before he even realized he wasn't alone.
Three soldiers held a pair of rebels at sword point. Kakashi used senbons to pierce right through the prisoners' eyes, killing them and dashing away before the imperial conscripts got a chance to see him.
In other parts of the forest, his clones operated on a similar principle. Move unseen and kill all enemies in the most efficient way possible. Slowly, an eerie silence filled the forest as revolutionaries fell by the dozen. This was the true strength of a shinobi: to move unseen, eliminating their enemies before they even knew they were there. This was how a single man could kill an army.
Kakashi almost missed a branch as one of his clones dispelled, quickly followed by another. The ninken barely had a chance to warn them before they had to vanish to avoid certain death.
From the initial seven clones, only three remained now. Kakashi chose to remotely dispel them already to preserve as much chakra as possible. He popped a single soldier pill, allowing its effects to revitalize him.
Sharingan blazed as Kakashi weaved under a red spearhead that would've decapitated him if he was just a fraction of a second too slow. From his low position, he delivered a rapid kick to the attacker's stomach. The man was sent back and fell to the ground, though he was able to orient himself mid-air to not be knocked prone.
"So… they found a replacement." Kakashi drawled.
"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about." The man protested, but it was for naught. "What gave you this idea?
"Well, ignoring the fact that I pierced the previous guy's chest through and cut his heart in half? You're holding the spear differently. Like you're unused to it. Bulat the Hundred Men Slayer was a master at polearm fighting. You… If I had to guess, you normally fight with a sword and shield." The three tomoes slowly spun in Kakashi's Sharingan. "You favor your dominant hand for the attack, while your off-hand constantly twitches as if to rise for a block."
One opponent; favors speed over strength. Has some training and experience in combat. Has killed before, but probably in open combat. He's adapting to the assassinations fast though. If he's here, then the rest of Night Raid will probably also be somewhere in the vicinity. I need to preserve my strength and chakra. Taijutsu it is.
"You're able to tell that by just looking?"
Kakashi seemed to blur as he dashed forward with a kunai, ready to stab the new assassin before he could become a credible threat. Just as the shinobi predicted, his opponent's first instinct was to try and block with the blunt end of the spear, which would take extra time. He brought the kunai to the chink in between two plates of armor.
He managed to knick the assassin, but he got pushed away before he could make a serious wound.
The Teigu user cursed and seemingly vanished. Even the Sharingan had trouble tracking him, though Kakashi could roughly tell his position. Two can play this game.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu" The shinobi went through a quick series of hand seals. A thick mist arose between the trees. In seconds, it became impossible to see anything not immediately in front of you.
Now it was the assassin who was at a disadvantage. He had to get out of the mist or he would end up just like Bulat. Everyone in the Night Raid has heard about how their Bro died.
Disregarding stealth, the Teigu user rushed away in a mad dash for safety. He had no idea where the killer was, but he could feel the heavy hand of death hanging over him. The armor made a lot of noise, but the assassin hoped for it. If only more people came.
Finally, he broke out of the mist to where the visibility returned to normal. With no sight of the pursuer. Did he choose to let him go?
"Everyone's dead." Akame landed next to him.
"What!?"
"They were methodical. No one in the base survived. They were all killed before we even arrived."
"What? They slaughtered everyone already?"
"No. The soldiers never got into the base."
"Then how-" Whatever the armored man wanted to say was interrupted as Akane rushed at a seemingly normal tree, only to reveal Kakashi who was forced to substitute with a nearby piece of wood to avoid the deadly sword.
The two assassins prepared for a fight, but Kakashi went through the seals of a shunshin and disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.
-/\/-
After the interrogation, Esdeath ordered the death of all bandits. She called Bols to do it, but Naruto's clones killed them all before anyone could protest. Esdeath didn't comment and her posture revealed no reaction.
"The numbers are higher than what we've anticipated." Run decided to break the awkward silence.
"Huh? How many are we talking?" Wave wasn't present at the interrogation, instead tending to the horses. He heard the screams, but nothing useful.
"At least three hundred men. Though it varies. But that's not the main problem." Run shook his head. "They apparently have the dungeon full of slaves."
"So?" Stylish clicked his tongue. "Given the threat they pose, we must deal with them post haste."
"Koro and I will disperse all the JUSTICE! As long as there is even one evil-doer at large, we shall not stop to hunt them down with deadly passion." Seryu grinned, causing Wave to take a step to the right to get some extra distance from her.
"Couldn't we just have someone sneak in and secure the hostages? They won't get a chance to hurt the prisoners if there is someone with the prisoners already." Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"Maybe, but unless we know where they are, it will take too long." Stylish scoffed. "Besides, how would you actually sneak in? The bandits would surely recognize whoever tries to sneak up and search the place."
"I could just transform into one of them," Naruto argued. "Or just sneak around the base. I doubt they have anyone trained to spot shinobi." He added the last one after a moment of consideration.
"How would you disguise yourself? No disguise will fool all those bandits." The scientist was getting tired of the shinobi. The boy was giving useless suggestions and interrupting their discussion.
"I can just transform into one of those we defeated today."
"T-transform?" Stylish spluttered. "What are you talking about?"
"Henge no Jutsu" (Transformation Technique) with a few hand seals, Naruto was replaced by a perfect copy of Stylish. "An academy-level jutsu. Everyone learns it before they can graduate."
The doctor approached that… that… freak of nature. He reached to touch the transformation, praying that it was only some illusion. The illusion he could maybe explain away. But no, the lab coat was physical. And the texture was also correct. "H-How…" It just didn't compute.
"Ah. To be honest, I don't know. I didn't really pay attention during the chakra theory class… I just know how to do that." Naruto admitted.
"Oh my…" Esdeath didn't try to hide her amusement. An army of assassins able to turn into anyone in a blink of an eye… Her lover was certainly unique. "Are you saying you would be able to get into the fort unnoticed and search the whole place while undetected? And then send us a signal?"
"Sure." The blond turned to the general. "I can just send the clone out when I got the prisoners."
"If they get suspicious, they might lash out. I refuse to risk anyone under my command for a bunch of strangers. Do you understand? If they detect you and rise the alarm, we'll attack no matter what."
Naruto had a choice to back off and let the Jaegers just attack, but it felt like giving up; like he was abandoning those people to certain death. Even if they were strangers, the shinobi couldn't just let innocents die because it was convenient. Besides, if he was to be a Hokage he had to take risks. If the worst scenario came to be, he'd just fight through the fort himself. With sage mode and shadow clones, they should be able to find the prisoners sooner than later.
"Don't worry. I got this."
After some more deliberation, it was decided that Naruto would begin tomorrow. He would return to the fort alone and spin a story about military patrol being stronger than expected, taking everyone but him out. Esdeath was adamant about ironing out several details about the story until it was rock solid.
The Jaegers set up a camp on a clearing not far from the road. It was hidden enough that no one would stumble upon them, but still close enough so as to not get lost in the forest. Naruto's clones would keep watch as they rested.
Naruto stayed up long past when the others fell asleep. He remained in Sage Mode, meditating and allowing the nature energy to filter through him. He sensed Esdeath approach him.
"You disagree with my actions today." It wasn't a question.
"Huh? No… not really. I get that information is important. Ero-Sennin kinda hammered it into me long ago. But I don't think you had to torture them like that."
"Those worms would all sell their own mother if they thought they had a chance to survive." She shrugged without a shadow of remorse.
"Then why torture them?"
"Because they knew it was over for them. The cowards knew that they'd die either way, so different methods had to be employed."
"I see…"
"You still gave them better than they deserved. Weak dogs like them don't deserve to breathe, much less a semblance of mercy."
"What?"
"It's the rule of the world. The strong survive and the weak die. They were weak, therefore they died."
"And if they were strong?" Naruto raised his voice a bit, getting agitated. "If we were the ones who were defeated? Would you just sit back and let them torture us one by one, only to then allow them to kill us all?"
"My Silly Naruto. They would never defeat me. Or you. We are strong, we are hunters. They are just prey." She traced her finger up his vest, touching his neck, feeling the pulse in the vein. "These cowards wouldn't be able to lay a hand on you, they were born weak."
Naruto tried to slap her hand away, but she just toyed with him and snuggled closer. Her cold, pale skin kept brushing along him, constantly keeping him very aware of her movements.
"People like us, we're above the petty rabble." She placed her cold hand on his cheek, forcing him to look her in the eyes. Naruto watched her smirk turn bloodthirsty, bringing back a memory of that female exam proctor, or even Orochimaru. She leaned forward, whispering into his ear. "You are mine and I am yours." The hot breath, combined with a cold hand still on his cheek, made him not immediately realize what she said.
"W-what?" He stuttered out, shocked.
"We will be together. As allies, lovers, leaders, comrades." He didn't even realize when she started to unzip his vest. "I am not used to being kept waiting. If I want something, I usually just take it. And I want you, Na~ru~to~." Her voice and the cold aura around her both sent shivers down his spine. This was like a scene right out of Ero-Sennin's books. "You will be mine. And I yours."
"N-No." Naruto stammered, trying to stop her from taking off his vest entirely, but she already had access to his shirt. She slipped a hand under it, caressing his stomach.
"Why do you resist?" While she was tracing patterns on his chest, Esdeath unbuttoned the top of her uniform further, exposing her chest even further.
"W-We're…" He paused, grabbing her wrist to stop further distraction. "Uh… look, I… uh… I'm flattered but I… I'm just…"
"Is it still about that girl?" Esdeath sneered. "What does she have that I don't? I can offer you everything she ever could, my Naruto."
"It's…" Naruto gently pushed the general away. "I… I've loved Sakura since we were kids. I just…"
"And did she ever love you back?" Esdeath spat out and walked away.
