Chapter 4: Reconnaissance
Soft pine needles crushed underneath his heel as Naruto dropped to the ground. His chest rose and fell at a steady rate, his breath coming in quick rasps. The flight to the small village of Harahoku had taken him a little over an hour, and he was satisfied with the time he had made. Naruto lifted his head to look at the sky through the canopy of the trees. A deep orange from the west mixed with a hazy gray and deep blue. Darkness was quickly descending.
Taking a moment to check that his surroundings were clear, Naruto walked over to a nearby tree trunk, gathered his chakra to his right hand, and struck the tree with his open palm. A line of kanji appeared, and Naruto thought back to a similar line that he had placed on a branch five minutes outside of Konoha. He inspected the line—as he had with the other—confirmed that it was correct, and then turned back towards the direction of Harahoku. If his sense of direction was correct, and normally it was, then he was only a few minutes outside of the village. He could already begin to notice the trees thinning, giving way to rolling hills and plains.
Harahoku was a small farming village five miles north of the speculated location of Itachi's death. Much of the food that was sold in Konoha's markets was grown there. It was a quiet town full of women and children and civilians who didn't cause anybody any trouble. And now a criminal was being housed in their midst. Some of their surrounding forest areas or farmland had probably already been destroyed during Sasuke's blood bath with his brother. For the village's sake, Naruto hoped that his conflict with Sasuke could be settled quickly and nonviolently, otherwise the humble buildings and delicate fields would be ripped to shreds in a matter of minutes. The last time he and Sasuke had seriously fought, they had damaged a mountain-side and nearly destroyed the base of a monument. And they had both gotten much stronger in the meantime.
Once again glancing at the darkening sky, Naruto set out at a much slower pace. He had arrived ahead of schedule and did not like the idea of emerging from the woods under anything but complete darkness.
As he slowly made his way towards the village, Naruto recounted his journey. For the first half of his trip, Naruto's mind had been completely engrossed with thoughts of Sakura. He replayed their interaction over and over again in his mind, but could glean no more valuable information from it than he already had. It heartened him to know that Sakura bore him no hatred for his actions, but at the same time, he wished that she had shown some sort of affection towards him to let him know that his feelings for her were not just white noise. He realized that he was asking for a great deal, but still . . . he had to hope.
For what had to be the hundredth time, Naruto replayed their last words to each other. He smelled her hair and felt the ghost of her body against him and the cool, wet mark of her lips on his cheek. He shook his head. The kiss, of all things, should have told him her true feelings towards him. Its meaning had been obvious. A kiss because a hug was not enough to show that she truly forgave him. The cheek because the lips were too romantic. A kiss because she knew it would appease him long enough to complete his mission. The cheek because she did not want him to misread her intentions. A kiss because she loved him. The cheek because she loved him like a brother.
For the next half of the journey, Naruto's mind began to delve into his memories of Sasuke. Normally this was a topic that Naruto avoided, especially within his own mind, but somehow the current situation seemed to warrant these thoughts. He remembered hating Sasuke for the longest time, shouting insults at him across the training field, playing practical jokes on him—all of which were unsuccessful—and just being an all around ass towards him. Sasuke had responded by ignoring his existence, save for an occasional degrading comment on his skills, or lack-there-of, and being an all around ass. But they had learned to live with each other and enjoy each other's presence despite themselves and their bitter rivalry.
He remembered being happy and smiling and feeling like he was full of light. And now . . . well, he just wasn't. Even though he hated to admit it, Tsunade had been right about him; his body had grown, but his smile had faded. But what was he supposed to do? Laugh about how his best friend had given up his soul for power, how he had nearly died trying to get him back? Or even worse, should he just forget about Sasuke? Hell no! He'd rather die.
And it was because of that reason—that passion that still fueled him—that Naruto knew that he had not completely lost himself over the years. As long as he fought for what he believed in with all his heart, as long as he followed his path of the shinobi, he could never lose himself.
Of course, he had lost some part of him when Sasuke had left. They had been so close to each other—brothers in everything but blood—that it would have been impossible to feel whole after he left.
Pushing both Sakura and Sasuke to the back of his mind, Naruto recalled what had finally shaken him from his earlier thoughts of them. He remembered coming across the first signs of what had to be the great battle between the last of the Uchihas.
It was their chakra that notified him at first. That fiery, dark chakra that was tinted with hints of a demonic nature. Each brother's core energy varied from the others, but the basic essence of each was fundamentally the same. No matter how much Sasuke wished to deny it, he could not escape his ties to his brother. Their chakra seemed to permeate the entire area; it was so strong that Naruto doubted that even a rookie shinobi could pass the area without noticing.
When he surveyed the area to try and glean a little information regarding their struggle, Naruto found several deep gauges in a cluster of trees. Blood had also been smeared across one of the bases. Naruto ran his hand over the wood wounds, deciding that the marks had been made by a katana of some sort. Memories of a thin blade slicing the air and striking in his general direction descended upon him, but he quickly pushed them away. That was Sasuke's blade alright.
Straightening himself, Naruto continued to evaluate the scene. It must have been quite a battle. Whole sections of verdant forest had been blackened and charred, or even turned to ash in some places, no doubt due to a fire jutsu of unfathomable intensity.
Though he did not know the condition of Itachi's body—or if a body remained—Naruto knew that the land was the biggest casualty that day. The once grass and tree-covered landscape lay torn open, gouged by a formidable jutsu, bleeding dirt in large clumps. Naruto could only imagine how much this forest would suffer on a whim of two brothers. It was always humbling to realize how powerful his advisories were. Trees were shattered by mere punches, craters made by one chidori—his chest suddenly ached—and a whole bloodline wiped out by a single man.
A shiver ran down his spine. Time to keep moving.
Though he searched the area for over an hour, Naruto could find no sign of Itachi's body. This didn't trouble him too terribly. Tsunade had mentioned the possibility of another squad retrieving the body by the time he would arrive at the scene. Still, he doubled checked the area to make sure that he didn't just leave the body of an S-ranked criminal due to some kind of inattentiveness on his part. Inwardly, Naruto was secretly glad that he did not have to deal with the cumbersome burden of a body. He could not have any added disadvantages if he were to have any prayer of bringing Sasuke back alive.
The cover of darkness finally made it possible for Naruto to slip into the village. A simple black traveling cloak covered his distinctive ANBU attire. A large hood cast his mask in shadows. With any luck, he would blend in to his surroundings seamlessly, a silent shadow passing by without so much of a glance from passersby. So this was what meant to be ANBU. To be invisible, an extension of darkness.
Cloaking his presence, Naruto effortlessly sidled into the village. During his brief reconnaissance, Naruto located three separate lodges that could possibly house his target. The first was shabby and inconspicuous, but it was relatively small. Naruto passed it without much consideration. Sasuke wouldn't stay in a building that looked as if it would fall over if a strong wind buffeted its walls. Besides, he doubted Sasuke's pride could withstand staying in such a hovel, even in such a bad condition.
The second, in comparison, was too grand. The host at the front desk would most likely turn his nose up at a wounded guest and ask too many questions. Sasuke didn't need luxury; he needed cover.
As he approached the third and final lodge, Naruto began to wonder if Sasuke would even consider staying in such an obvious location. His injuries—for he couldn't have possibly escaped that fight unscathed—would have to be taken into account. Sasuke needed a place to recover. All hospitals were out of the question. Naruto knew from experience that if a victim with incredibly tricky wounds was transferred to a hospital that could not naturally heal the injuries, a medic nin from a surrounding village would be called. The closest village was Konoha.
But Sasuke would survive without a hospital. All he really needed was a bottle of liquor to clean and numb any lacerations, bandages, sustenance, and a proper bed. So that ruled out the forest. Putting it bluntly, unless Sasuke took refuge in the guest bedroom of one of the local's houses, it was doubtful that he was anywhere besides the final lodge.
The third lodge was sturdy, yet modest. He could tell just by looking at it that it offered the basic comforts according to the standard order of hygiene. It was the perfect place for a downtrodden shinobi to nurse his wounds in comfort and solitude . . . for the right price.
Naruto walked past the lodge without so much as a second glance, continued down the street, and then turned into a dismal alley where he stopped to take in his surroundings. He hadn't seen anyone on the street, but even so, he couldn't be too careful. Doing one more check to make sure he was alone, Naruto created five kage bunshins. Their excess bulk quickly made the already small alley quite crowded.
Over the years, Naruto had perfected his jutsu that had often given him the label of a "one trick pony." In his opinion, if the trick was versatile and useful, why would he need more than one? It had made it possible for him to complete missions originally designated for four person teams—and sometimes more—all by himself. For this jutsu wasn't only good for combat, but infiltration, information gathering, and deceitfully surrounding an enemy, all of which he would need tonight.
Though Naruto was no master of genjutsu, he could certainly pull off a stunt that would fool any common civilian. Consequently, he used genjutsu quite often for a person of his caliber. The first two clones he disguised as a couple in their early thirties, mostly because it was probable that two people their age would be out at a time like this. The third clone he disguised as a grungy looking older man. He had seen a few other homeless people in the small town already—sad, but true—so he was sure that his presence wouldn't alarm anyone. Plus, he needed a set of eyes that wouldn't have to walk up and down the streets, but could remain in one spot without garnering too much attention. The other two were left in their original forms and were sent three hundred feet from either side of the inn. They would act as his scouts later on in the mission, but for now, they needed to keep a respectable distance from the inn so as not to gain any unwanted attention. Besides, if Sasuke managed to escape, perhaps he could manage to cut him off early. In reality, Naruto knew that one clone would not be enough to stop him, but perhaps it would slow him down, if only for a second.
After taking a deep breath, Naruto performed a small genjutsu on himself. Only after it was completed did he dare to remove his mask, revealing the face of a plain looking woman in her mid-forties. In Naruto's experience, civilians found women much less conspicuous than men. Plus, the less striking a woman was, the less likely it was for another civilian—particularly, a male—to recognize her. He changed the appearance of his stature and hands as well, but left the rest of his body untouched. The large traveling cloak he wore hid any other anatomical differences between a man and a woman. And besides, he would be far too preoccupied with his other tasks to keep a full illusion in place.
When he believed that a considerable amount of time had passed since he first walked by the inn, Naruto verified the location of each of his clones, acknowledged that they were each in their designated areas, and exited the opposite end of the alley from which he entered. Even if he had not noticed any scouts, it was better to be over cautious than ill-prepared. After making a turn around the block, Naruto headed back towards the inn at a casual pace. Hardly any people were out at this time of night, and the few that passed him on the streets paid him no mind. They were too engrossed in their own conversations or too focused on making their way back to their homes that they had little time to spare to an unattractive stranger. Perfect.
The wooden door was surprisingly heavy for such a small place. Naruto's delicate female hands gripped the door handle and pulled back with restrained strength. It was odd how the smallest things, such as opening a door, could give away someone's true identity. His illusion's dull brown eyes looked over the lobby, feigning interest in a vase or a painting so that he could memorize its basic layout along with all the entrances and exits.
When he finally sauntered over to the counter, he came face to face with the clerk, a bored-looking boy around the age of sixteen with an unkempt mop of hair and a haori that was slightly askew. He hurriedly pushed a book of questionable material out of Naruto's view and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Good evening ma'am. How may I assist you?" the boy asked in a practiced tone.
Naruto had to resist the urge to smile at him. Most likely this was a family establishment, and the boy had been roped into working the night shift to assist his parents or perhaps to make some easy cash. Whatever the reason, Naruto hoped once again that his dispute with Sasuke could be handled peacefully. The last thing he needed was to traumatize this poor boy by demolishing the inn under his watch.
"A one night stay, please," his illusion spoke in a measured, weathered tone. If he was too cheerful, the boy would be more likely to inquire about his stay, which was the last thing he needed at the moment.
"Of course, ma'am," the boy responded with a slight incline of his head and turned around to face a wall of pegged keys. As soon as his back was turned, Naruto began to take an inventory of all the missing keys. Thankfully, due to the small size of the inn and the almost nonexistent amount of traffic through Harahoku, there were only six keys missing. By the time the boy had turned around to hand Naruto his own key to room 210, he had memorized them all.
Naruto pressed the correct amount of bills into the clerk's open hand with slender, false fingers and accepted the room key with a small word of thanks. The boy smiled and nodded with simulated interest, then dipped his head to return to his magazine. Naruto took this as his queue to exit into the stairwell at his left.
Once he was alone, Naruto took a moment to review the schematics of the building. There were three floors, two of which contained twelve rooms respectively while the other housed the lobby and eight rooms. Thirty-two rooms total. Each room had one window, which either faced the street or the back of a small, one story flower shop. All this information his clones had gathered from their brief reconnaissance. But now came the tricky part: locating Sasuke without causing a disturbance with the other guests. But he couldn't wait in this stairwell forever. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto continued up the short flight to the second floor, but before he entered the hallway, he concentrated his chakra into his right hand for the third time that day and placed his palm against the door frame, leaving a small line of kanji in its place. It took so much concentration that his hand wavered in the process, oscillating between a petit woman's hand and his own larger one. He held his breath and stood absolutely still until it passed a few seconds later.
Breathing in a sigh of relief, Naruto made sure the rest of his disguise was in order before slowly opening the door. The hallway was deserted, save for the light conversational sounds that drifted from underneath a few closed doors. Making sure to re-mask his chakra, Naruto casually walked down the hall, silently noting that the even rooms were located to the right while the odds were on the left. Every small sound or groan of the floorboards sounded like a preparation for an attack, and he gripped the handle of his kunai underneath his cloak. But his worst fears were not met, and he reached his room with no interruptions.
Once inside the room, Naruto closed the shutters and curtains, checked every surface for other signs of infiltration, and locked the door. When he was sure that he had not been discovered, he dropped the illusion, removed his cloak, and sat heavily on the bed. The thought that he may be just one floor—or one room—away from Sasuke passed through his mind. He gave himself a moment to allow his hands to stop shaking.
Clearing his throat, Naruto pressed on the two-way communicator on his neck and murmured softly, "Leader checking in. Come in Scouts." There was a brief silence on the other end, and then:
"Scout One checking in."
"Scout Two checking in. All clear outside the inn."
Naruto nodded, expecting nothing less. It was odd, having a three-way conversation with himself, but he had found the skill necessary and incredibly useful on other such missions. One of the greatest benefits to creating shadow clones was the instant information passed between them and the creator. However, the information was only passed if and when a clone was destroyed. Consequently, Naruto had to devise a way to share information while the clones were still 'alive' so that they could continue to aid him in the mission.
"I'm stationed in room 210, the last room on the second floor facing the street," he explained and then closed his eyes to bring all the other room numbers to the front of his mind. "Six other rooms are occupied: 103, 107, 110, 201, 204, and 306." He heard two affirmatives from the other side. "I have good reason to suspect that the target is not on this floor. I heard a child's voice come from the first room and a woman's voice from the other. My highest suspicion is the third floor, but we should still try to inspect the first floor as well."
Again, he heard two identical agreeing voices. So it was established that each scout would try to discover as much as possible from the windows on the first floor, each one taking a different side of the building. Naruto would remain in the room and then try to infiltrate the other rooms from the inside if necessary.
Thirty minutes passed by in a silence filled with anxiety. Naruto could only imagine the stealthy measures his clones would have to take in order to discover which room their target was taking refuge in. Though he tried to keep his mind in the room, he could not help but to let it wander into the past. Naruto replayed every interaction he had with Sasuke since his childhood, starting with their brief exchanges by the docks. He leapt forward years until they were academy students. Sasuke seemed to be perfect in every possible area of study, while Naruto struggled even to perform the simplest tasks. He remembered with great clarity the day that he had pronounced Sasuke his rival, and remembered even more clearly the absolute despair he had felt when he realized he would be paired with him. But then he thought of their first mission—or their first real mission—together. Sasuke had risked his life for his sorry ass, and when the bastard's strength had failed him, Naruto had done the same. He remembered the horrified look on Sakura's face and the ice cold feeling in his gut when they both thought him dead. Again his mind skipped ahead to the chuunin exams, but his memories only served as a montage of fights and innumerable wounds. However, one thing stood clear from all the rest: the moment Sasuke acknowledged his strength. Such happiness and acceptance had flowed through him at the praise. It seemed painfully ironic that the first time Naruto would seriously fight him would also be the last time he saw Sasuke in Konoha.
The rest of the memories were tainted with disappointment and a hurt that ran so deep, it was painful just to think about them. Of course, there were shining moments in the darkness, like when Sasuke had admitted to thinking of him as his best friend . . . and then promptly proceeded to try and kill him.
It surprised Naruto to find that he could recount all of these events calmly in his mind, but he had a very strong suspicion that it had nothing to do with his nerves and everything to do with the overwhelming effects of wearing his painted mask. He wasn't Naruto anymore. He had no room to feel anything when his mind needed to be focused on the task at hand. Or at least, that's what his instinct was telling him.
A brief bit of radio static shook him from his thoughts. "Scout Two checking in."
Naruto straightened on the bed and immediately asked, "What did you find?"
"The target doesn't appear to be on this floor. We discovered one family of three and two other men staying in separate rooms. It could be a form of genjutsu, but we didn't sense any traces of his chakra," the clone went on to explain, confirming Naruto's earlier suspicions.
A silent moment of understanding passed between them. "Alright. Then I'll proceed to the third floor. Mark the roof, and then stand by in the original designated areas on either side of the inn." Naruto's orders were followed by the familiar chorus of affirmatives, and then he was left with his own thoughts once more.
He gave himself another minute to compose himself. This was it. No turning back. This time tomorrow, both he and Sasuke would be back on Konoha soil for the first time in seven years, and he would finally be free of this burden. But more importantly, he would be reunited with a friend, and more important still, he would give the woman he loved everything she had ever wanted . . . even if it wasn't him.
In one fluid movement, Naruto stood, whirled his cloak around him, and then secured it by fastening the clasp at his neck. When he turned to look at himself in the mirror, the older woman stared back. He knew very well that his illusion would not fool Sasuke, but it would get him past whoever else might be lurking in the halls. Stopping at the door, Naruto quickly made another mark in his room—just in case—and waited for the interference with his hand to pass before exiting into the hall.
The florescent lights illuminating the hall glared down on him, as if mocking the dark deed that lay ahead. Naruto kept his eyes fixed forward, even when one of the other inn residents passed him in the hall. The woman glanced at his illusion, but kept on walking. Holding in a sigh of relief, Naruto finally made it to the stair well and quietly began his ascent. It was the shortest, yet longest climb of his life. When he reached the door, Naruto briefly considered placing one more mark in the stairwell, but thought better of it. Three marks inside the building seemed a bit excessive. Plus, he couldn't afford to give up his position by performing the same justu for the third time while he was so close to the target. Surely he would notice.
Sneaking a furtive glance through a crack in the door, Naruto confirmed that the hall was empty. He slid silently through the door like a fox stalking its prey, but his body froze as soon as he made it to the other side. A familiar chakra hung heavy in the air, nearly choking him with its potency. His throat tightened. His muscles clenched. God, it was like Sasuke wasn't even trying to hide his presence. He was waving it in his face, taunting him and ridiculing his surveillance skills. Naruto's hand tightened around the handle of his kunai, and his knees shook—not with fear, but anticipation.
Sasuke knew he was here. He was almost certain of it, which gave him all the more reason to be overly cautious.
Naruto crept down the hallway, the lights continuing to bath him in harsh, unforgiving white. The chakra signature grew thicker and stronger as he drew closer. He passed room 300 . . . 302. His heart started pounding in his chest. Adrenaline rushed through his veins . . . 304. He felt like an animal crawling through tall grass, creeping ever closer, silent in the night.
He stopped just short of room 306 and pressed his back against the wall. The doors to the rooms were triggered to automatically lock when shut; they also swung inwards. He would have to break the door down if he was to gain entrance, but doing so would be nothing short of suicide. Besides, if Sasuke knew that he was coming—which at this point, he was pretty certain of—then he could have already activated his Mangekyō sharingan. He could literally be pulled into three days of hell if he so much as glanced at Sasuke's eyes . . . or perhaps something even worse.
Unfastening his traveling cloak—it would prove too cumbersome for such close quarters, but he would need it for his departure—Naruto dropped his illusion and kicked the cloak further down the hall. Doing his best to keep his chakra masked, Naruto created one clone which immediately positioned itself straight across from the door. The hallway was narrow, but Naruto was confident that with enough chakra built up in the clone's legs, it would be able to easily knock down a wooden door.
Again, Naruto pressed himself against the wall, kunai in hand. He and the clone exchanged a silent nod, and the clone took a runner's starting position. It paused for about fifteen seconds, waiting for enough chakra to build up behind its heels, and then sprinted forward. Its body rose up, left shoulder leaned forward, head tucked, and the door snapped open.
For one terrible second, Naruto was left in the dark. But then his clone was taken down and its memories came rushing into his head. He didn't have time to wait, so he digested them as he turned on his heel and rushed into the room.
In his mind, he saw the clone enter the dark room and see one solitary figure dressed in a white kimono standing at the window, sword drawn and hanging limply in his hand. And then the dark headed man turned in a flash and threw a shuriken straight at the clone's throat. All of this happened within a second, but Naruto was able to garner one important fact: the target's eyes were black as night.
The smoke from his clone's termination was just clearing as he barreled through the center of the room. His eyes registered a flash of white in front of him, and he raised his kunai in defense. A sharp ring ran through the small room, and an unbelievable pressure ran through his arm. His three-pronged kunai had caught the katana between the gap of two prongs, leaving the two ninja's arms and weapons shaking with contained strength. Naruto was relieved when he glanced at his assailant's eyes and saw that they were still like small, impenetrable coals.
All his anger, his conviction, and a strong sense of closure seemed to fall over him, but none so much as a feeling of unreality. For the first time in four years, he was face to face with Uchiha Sasuke, deserter, rouge, and friend . . . and he couldn't think of a thing to say.
To be continued . . .
Author's Note: If I get some nice reviews I may be persuaded to upload the next chapter early. *shameless plug* So yeah . . . go do that. And a special thanks to those who leave consistent reviews (don't think I don't remember who you are). I really appreciate it!