Wow, quite a dramatic chapter if I do say so myself. I decided to skip the rest of Gaara and Yagura's mission cos lets face it, was anyone interested in it? Don't lie, you were all excited about Naruto meeting Kankuro and Temari and Utakata being converted. Besides, that was only ever there to break up what happened on Naruto's end. Anyways, read, review, and enjoy. In that order.
Disclaimer: Wow, updatng before 11pm during the holidays. This WAS an easy chapter to write!
Breaking the silence
Naruto was in the hall of the tower, the one that held his and the other's bedrooms. He sat on the window sill close to Gaara's door, resting his head on the post behind him as he watched the glittering village from above. The rain came as it usually did, casting a veil across its namesake place that made the dozens of signs and lamps shimmer in a hazy light. With the wind gently blowing away from him, Naruto was kept dry from the downpour and so could watch with no disturbance.
It had been about a week since he and Utakata had met up again, about four days since he returned to Ame. The older boy had been rather quiet since then, constantly caught in deep thought. Bored, Naruto had considered meeting up with Rika or Yuuka, or maybe even one of the soldiers he helped out in the coup years ago. But he had failed to find anyone, and so was left here on his own.
There was a faint smile on his lips, one that had stayed there for quite a long while now. He had been thinking about the village beneath him, and trying to call it his home. But for some reason that just made him feel strange, like he was lying to himself. From the looks of things, he really was used to a secluded life now. If not for the rain, he would have been tempted to sleep outside with Akira and the others.
He lightly turned his head back as he heard a distant door open. His brow rose in surprise and his smile widened as where he had expected Utakata, Gaara appeared instead. He grinned at the drenched boy who entered from the stairwell, soon drawing his attention and soon after, his company.
"Finally made it back huh?" Naruto asked, as Gaara removed his soaking muffler and tossed it in his room. The red haired Shinobi gave a small nod of reply, before leaning against the wall next to Naruto and looking to the blond familiarly, "So how'd it go?"
"We were tasked with assassinating guarded officials." Gaara replied, folding his arms as he looked out of the window, "My target managed to escape, so it took a while to find him again."
"One less suit in the world then." Naruto said, with a smirk. He turned his eyes back out of the window, falling silent as he steadied himself. He had known ever since the event that he would need to tell Gaara about it, but even with all this time he wasn't quite sure what to say. Gaara could sense his unease and looked at him, staring straight into Naruto's eyes.
"What is it?" he asked, knowing there were few things that troubled this idiotic boy, fewer that could put him into a mood like this. Naruto glanced at Gaara, realising he had been found out, and slipped his leg back inside the hall as he turned his back on the village.
"I met them…" he said, in a quiet voice. Though he hadn't seriously expected Gaara to know what he meant by that, he paused nonetheless. But several seconds of silence proved his thoughts, and he knew he would have to say it, "Your siblings."
Gaara tensed, his lips parting as he stared intently at Naruto. He knew there was a less than likely chance that the blond and his siblings happened to cross by in the street. If they had met, it would have definitely been on two different sides. However, he tried not to care, and took his eyes off Naruto as he looked down the hallway.
"What happened?" he asked, his indifferent eyes fixed on a sole spot so not to distract his alert ears. Once more Naruto took a while to answer, fidgeting in discomfort until eventually he stood.
"I fought them." he confessed, taking a couple of steps forward to make sure he could not see Gaara, "They were… on the other side and… I…"
He couldn't do it; he couldn't hide behind that pathetic excuse. He felt the same warm sweat that came when he found out who they were, and his hands curled into fists once again. He then whirled on the spot, giving Gaara an accusing stare that surprised the former Suna Shinobi thoroughly.
"I don't get it, why do they matter?" he demanded, his eyes locking onto Gaara's, "They're in the past aren't they? Why can't you just forget about them or something?!"
Despite his surprise, Gaara wasn't left speechless by Naruto's outburst. Though the blond rarely raised his voice to Gaara, he knew Naruto enough that when he did he could easily respond.
"Though not to the same extent, those two can understand my existence." he explained, without looking away from Naruto. The blond listened intently, his brow raised as he heard something he never thought he would hear; Gaara talking about his family, "As much as I hate it, they are aware of everything I have been through, and have experienced similar things from the hands of my father. Because of that, they are links to the past that keep me chained to Suna. But what I can't say is, are they chains of anger, or are they remnants of the loneliness that made me who I was? Maybe they are the people that keep me from doing what I must, or maybe they are the reason I continue on. Whatever the answer, I have to know. That's why I must find them and seek the answers for myself. Otherwise I can never know if I will be able to do what I have to."
He finished speaking, and finally broke eye contact with Naruto. The boy from the sand and the boy from the leaf stood in silence, both awaiting the latter's thoughts through the heavy atmosphere. Naruto stared hard at Gaara, his eyes wide with surprise. It pained him to think that there was a connection that strong, one that he was sure he didn't have with anyone. It left him unable to think clearly, a response sought even by himself.
Then suddenly, he turned away, raising his hands in the air as he stretched and yawned. He then gripped the back of his neck, rolling his head as his tired body asked for sleep, "Well, do what ya gotta, just promise me you won't break down crying or something next time you see them. Cos I can't promise I'll be able to contain myself."
Gaara cocked an idle brow as Naruto began to walk away, but the other soon followed as Naruto stopped. He could already see through the façade Naruto had put up, and was pretty sure the blonde knew it too.
"Suna kicked them out." he said, quietly but clearly. His expression was serious, even though there was no one to see it, "They can't return without you. It sounds like that's why they'd be looking but… it's been three years… and they're still looking for you."
Gaara's brow fell back into place as Naruto resumed his slow walk towards his room. Even as the door opened and closed again, he found himself following the spot his friend had been for several moments, caught in his own sense of bewilderment and silenced by his thoughts. After several seconds of silence, he turned to the window, and quietly watched the rain.
* * * * *
Down in the deeper reaches of the tower, far beneath the ground, Nagato stood in a vast, dark room with a long mirror taking up an entire wall. Behind him there was a large purple lantern, casting a weak violet light onto the middle of the room. In that area there were three large white pod chairs with amethyst padding inside. Nagato stared intently into his own reflection, his hand holding his hair aside so the right side of his face was visible too.
He watched the red iris with the three black tomoe, circling around his pupil slowly. They then came to settle, until finally stopping. But he still kept his attention to it, the Sharingan that had developed in his eye almost of its own accord. Though the actual eye that held this power was in another of his bodies, chakra transference had created this… unusualSharingan.
The door far to his right opened and he quickly removed his hand, turning to look as someone entered. His expression relaxed as he realised it was Konan, peering in from the hall curiously. She spotted him and entered into the room, closing the door and pressing her back to it. She watched Nagato with faint uncertainty; she never could tell what mood he was going to be in when he had spent time on his own. However, judging by the look he gave her, now was one of the better moments. She straightened up and began to walk towards him, a secretly pleased expression on her face.
"What are you doing down here?" she asked, taking her place next to him and looking into the mirror. She mused the fact that she was ever so slightly taller than him, something that still struck her as strange when compared to how tall Nagato always seemed to her. Then again, his skinny frame in that baggy cloak didn't help for much. At least he wasn't as gaunt as he used to be.
"There was too much noise up there, and I needed to think about something." Nagato replied, looking at the Konan in the mirror with a thin smile. But it soon disappeared and was replaced with a troubled look as he glanced off to his left, "The Sharingan is now fully developed."
Konan looked over to Nagato, not his reflection but the real person, her expression unclear as her eyes hovered over the obscured part of his face. Nagato turned to look at her too, and her gaze turned to his visible, Rinnegan eye.
"I'm sending someone to infiltrate one of Orochimaru's bases." he said, suddenly and without warning. Konan's brow creased as she looked back at him, her lacking understanding more than a little clear.
"Why?" she asked, when she could think of no reason herself. Nagato turned away from her, heading towards the chairs in the middle of the room. With a tired sigh he sunk down into one of them, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palm.
"He has a Jutsu we need." he explained, folding his arms over his knees as he slouched forward. Konan stepped over and lowered herself into the seat nearest to him, listening quietly while he spoke, "I don't expect any results soon, it'll take a while. But as a precaution we absolutely need to know how it works."
"So you'll send Zetsu?" Konan asked, giving the most obvious solution that came to mind. Nagato shook his head, slumping into the mass of the chair which seemed to almost swallow his narrow form.
"Zetsu is recovering from injuries." he said, lightly massaging his temple with the tips of his fingers. Konan was taken aback by such a thing, had she misheard?
"Zetsu was attacked?!" she repeated, with a look of disbelief. Nagato gave a slow nod, followed with a deep sigh. Konan settled down, she realised he was probably more troubled by this than she was, "Do you know what happened?"
"They were just able to tell me what I told you before they passed out." Nagato replied, dropping his hand onto his lap, "There's a medic keeping constant watch on them, black Zetsu is almost repaired, but not functional. They were covered in scorch marks however, I'd guess they got dangerously close to explosions. We'll find out what happened when he wakes up."
Nagato tilted his head back and rested it on the padding of the chair, closing his eyes and being silently thankful that the light wasn't too bright. His breathing shallowed as he took a moment's recuperation, his lips parting slightly as he forgot what it was he was doing.
Konan watched him from where she sat, her shock on the news of Zetsu being replaced with a content look as she watched Nagato rest. It hadn't been until he properly acclimatised to being out of that machine that she had really come to know how hard he worked. He really was exhausted, though anyone could have seen that.
Silently, she got to her feet, quietly making her way over to him. He could sense her even though his eyes were closed. He shuffled slightly as he felt her sink in beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face as he felt her head rest on his shoulder.
"Why don't you rest, just for a little while?" she suggested, in a calm, soothing voice. Though Nagato offered her no reply, she took that to be her answer instead. Soon she too closed her eyes, his heartbeat becoming a relaxing rhythm in her ear. After several seconds of silence, the red eye barely visible through Nagato's hair opened. His smile slipped from his face.
* * * * *
Utakata stood in his room, his back pressed against the wall. The only light came in through his window, casting upon him in a pale orange beam. He silently leant there, looking at the item dangling from his hand with an expressionless face. His eyes flowed over the silver circle, with the triangle sitting inside.
"In case you change your mind, keep a hold of this, got it?"
Even now Hidan's arrogance irritated Utakata, he still hadn't forgiven the Jashinist for what he had done. But at the same time, he couldn't through this amulet away either. For whatever reason, he felt compelled by it, by something that would normally never even cross his mind.
With a shallow sigh, he slipped the amulet back into the folds of his robes. He wouldn't get anywhere thinking about it further. He raised his head until he felt the wall behind him on his skull, looking up at the ceiling with hollow eyes. The distant look wasn't to last however, as a smirk played across his lips.
"Come on in." he called, tilting his head until he was looking at the door. Only a moment later it opened up, Yagura stepping inside and squinting at him curiously.
"What're you standing in the dark for?" he asked, looking past his shoulder and flicking the light on. Utakata raised his hand to shield his eyes, he had been there in this state for quite a while now.
"I guess I didn't notice." he replied, looking at his friend with a smile. Yagura closed the door and looked at him with a creased brow, as if seeing something he couldn't quite understand.
"Something up?" he asked, with a slight frown. He looked Utakata up and down, but could see no signs of physical injury. Yet for some reason his hand was placed over his stomach in an almost cradling manner, "Who's the father?"
Utakata suddenly broke out in silent laughter, his shoulders shaking from Yagura's relatively bad joke. This made the short boy give Utakata a look of wary disbelief, he thought the reaction was a little over the top considering.
"Guess you could say there's been a lot to think about these past couple of weeks." the taller boy said, once he had settled down. He then straightened up off the wall and took a few steps forward before flopping down onto his bed. His hands slipped behind his head and he crossed his leg as he looked up at the ceiling, "You still don't remember anything?"
"So the subject changes to me huh?" Yagura asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. Utakata smirked with slight embarrassment, it had been a feeble attempt after all. Nonetheless, it was a conversation direction Yagura was willing to take on, judging by his sigh and closed eyes, "It's the same as ever."
"I guess that's how it would be." Utakata replied, he had been expecting that answer anyway. Yagura looked at him again, his brow deepening further.
"Just tell me." he said, in a demanding tone. Utakata glanced up at him in surprise, looking him straight in the eye. Yagura looked almost angry, but like he had nothing to direct his anger towards, "Just how long was I Mizukage?"
Utakata and Yagura stared at each other for several long seconds. Utakata could clearly see how much Yagura wanted an answer to that question, just like Yagura could see how reluctant Utakata was to give it. In the end, Utakata removed his eyes from the other boy, turning away to face the wall.
"Sorry niisan." he said, quietly. Yagura waited for several moments, in the vain hope that Utakata would relent. But when it became apparent that no such thing would happen, he turned on the spot and grumbled to himself as he left. Utakata listened as he heard the door close, a sorry look on his face, "I don't think you could handle knowing the truth."
* * * * *
In another section of the tower, in a white room filled with steel cabinets and ceramic tiles, someone lay in a plain hospital bed. That person was a male, and unconscious man with pale skin and covered in bandages. Some wisps of his shaggy brown hair poked through the gauze wrapped around his head, and a large adhesive bandage on his left cheek.
There was something strange about the man though, something that most would disregard immediately. Along the middle of his face, and around the right side, there were a series of small irregular bumps, like the rivets that held something together. As well as that, where there were cuts and bruises on his left side, on the right there were none. In place of those, there were several scrapes and blackened marks.
The door to the shining room opened quietly, and in stepped the Deva realm, with Konan close behind him. As soon as they were inside, they looked to their right. A man sitting in a chair by a dull metal desk rose to his feet, moving to greet them. He was a physician, dressed in a white coat and wearing half moon glasses with a chain running around the back of his neck to keep them from falling off. He ran a hand through his fading black hair, picking up a medical clipboard as he passed by.
"What is the report?" Deva asked, his voice calm and unassuming. He looked over at the person who was probably Akatsuki's second most valuable member, undeterred by the fact that that very person seemed dead to the world.
"Multiple contusions all over his body, coupled with lacerations on the face, torso and arms." the physician explained, scratching his head as he looked over the chart with dark and tired eyes, "Judging by the dirt in the wounds, I'd say the worst of his condition came from his escape. He overdid it and his cuts became infected."
Pein and Konan stepped over onto one side of the unconscious man, while the doctor took the other side. Though the patient in question was now clean, it was clear from the look of things that his condition was poor at best. Konan looked him up and down with a look of quiet shock, disbelief present in her eyes.
"This is Zetsu-san?" she asked, looking at Pein uncertainly. The stoic faced man gave a nod of reply before raising his eyes to the physician with a look that requested more information.
"It looks like the worst injury came here." the doctor said, as he reached for the thin sheet covering Zetsu's body. With a small look of warning, he removed the sheet for the pair to see. Konan winced slightly from the sight before her, while Pein as expected offered no reaction, "It looks like he was hit with a small explosive here, but fortunately there was no damage to any major systems."
"How long will he take to recover?" Pein asked, as Zetsu was covered once more. The physician let out a tired sigh as he placed the chart down on the bedside cabinet, he was really looking forward to retiring for the night.
"The right side, what you call "black" Zetsu, runs off the chakra generated by "white" Zetsu." he replied, removing his glasses and wiping them with his sleeve, "However, the person giving the chakra isn't too important, as long as there is a constant flow running through his body, he should be able to function. However, with that wound he may encounter some problems, I'd advise caution."
Pein gave a nod of understanding, but decided to proceed in spite of the warning. He pulled his sleeve back and reached out, gripping Zetsu's shoulder tight. Without having to even form a seal, he began moving his chakra into the unconscious Shinobi's body.
It happened almost immediately, a reaction occurring that made Konan jump from surprise. Along the right side of Zetsu, his body suddenly changed as a rush of black came up from who knew where. There was barely enough time to register what was happening, and then it was over. All of a sudden the right side was completely black, and his hair a mossy green. His eye snapped open, a single yellow orb in the middle of the darkness.
"Zetsu-san." Pein called, alerting the attention of the now mismatched person. The single open eye darted to Pein's face, before looking to his left. After a few moments of confusion, black Zetsu settled.
"Looks like we were hit pretty bad." black Zetsu said. He then did something that disgruntled even the physician. He got up, without the other half of his body. Where there should have been organs and other internal aspects, there was only a pale flesh like substance between the two forms. Black Zetsu slipped into a sitting position, while his other half lay unconscious still.
"I'll leave you be." the physician said, turning around and stepping past equipment as he left the room. Once he was gone, black Zetsu rolled his head, looking at the other Zetsu in the process, "Who wants to bet if the situation was reversed, he'd say something stupid like "there lies my better half"?"
He shook his head lightly, sighing to himself. He then looked up at Pein and Konan, and could already tell why they were here. He pushed himself off the bed and down to the floor. However, instead of hitting the ground with a thud, he somehow sank several feet until he was down only to his waist. From there several curved spikes began to jut through the ground, growing until he was surrounded by them.
"Damn it, where is it?" he wondered aloud, as he moved past Konan and Pein to a more roomy part of the ward. Though he turned his head in several directions, neither Pein nor Konan thought he was looking for something around him. This was confirmed when he finally turned to the empty wall to his right, and raised his hand to his head, "Without him this is the best I got, so don't expect great quality."
"That's fine." Pein replied, as black Zetsu's eye began to flicker strangely. After a moment of fading and flickering, the yellow colour changed completely to an assortment of colours arranged in a haphazard way. Though neither of the ninja who towered above him could see his face, both could see the results as they were projected on the wall he was facing.
It looked like an image taken from a forest, thought the terrain was rocky and dry. The clouds in the sky were hanging remarkably low, and the foliage was mostly pine trees and small wiry shrubs. Off to the distance however, there was a single person visible. A blonde woman with her long hair tied back with a bandage walked through the woods, completely unaware that she was being surveyed.
Judging by her appearance, she was a Kumogakure Kunoichi. Dressed in a black shirt with a lilac vest over it, and navy trousers reaching just above her ankles. Her arms and legs were both wrapped in bandages, and she wore black gloves and a red belt around her waist. Any other features were difficult to make out however, she had her back to the place where this had been recorded.
"Nii Yugito." black Zetsu explained, as the woman disappeared into the trees, "She's a wily one, this is the closest I've gotten in a while. I may have had better luck, but then this happened."
Right on cue, the image shook suddenly as Zetsu must have whipped around. The view became clear once more, but by then it was already too late. A tall figure in a worn hooded cloak was almost face to face with Zetsu, his hand the largest thing in view as it reached out towards the camera. It was there that the film cut off, static in the form of millions white and black dots covered the wall in an insane rush.
"That was…" Konan breathed, her eyes wide with shock. Without instruction, black Zetsu rewound the recording to the point the knew Konan was referring to. The point where the assailant's hand was in the best view, "That's just like…"
* * * * *
"Ha-HACHOO!"
In the midst of a thick blizzard, two dark figures skulked through the darkness. The first, the person in question, was a person of average height, dressed in the cloak of Akatsuki and wearing a sedge hat with paper ribbons obscuring his face. Beside him was a short and seemingly hunchbacked person, dressed in the same cloak albeit more suited to his peculiar shape. Like the person next to him, his face was hidden too.
"Careful Deidara, you may catch your death out here." the shorter person said, in a voice that was both gravelly an goading.
"Gimme a break Danna." Deidara replied, his hands lowering from his face to his side. He lightly wiped his hands on his cloak, and a thin pair of lips on his palm opened up to spit onto the snow, "I'm freezing my ass off out here."
