AN: Sorry for the shorter-than-normal chapter, and sorry if the quality seems to be a bit lack-luster, but I have re-written this chapter several times, and... I don't know, I just can't get this chapter to flow. Sorry. Oh well, it's better with something small than nothing at all I guess...
Holy shit does hotmail look absolutely retarded right now! What is this outlook shit?! Dear god, I can't look at it without feeling like crying! And dear log, what has happened to this site? It's ugly, nooooooo!*Sobs*
Damn, I might just have found one of the best stories in this site. The Author SincereNaruto. Story: Eyes of the broken soul... Damn, that story is fantastic, and it's just so sad that it will probably never be finished.
LET'S START!
~Scene~
The lights flickered, signs of neglect clear around the room as thick layers of dust covered the surface. Broken glass was littered around on the ground at several places close to the walls, and some sort of strange substance, something anyone would bet was at least partially blood, had long since seeped into the cracks on the floor, making sure that no amount of cleaning will get rid of everything.
The walls were littered with shelves and cabinets, jars filled with the same strange fluid that covered the floor resided inside of them, and in some, there seemed to grow some kind of organism, though it was more likely that whatever it was were now dead, somewhat evident by the aura of rot that filled the large room.
Two figures were seen carefully observing the jars, walking slowly along the walls as their fingers almost touched the glass.
"Exactly why did you want to return here?"
The pine-apple headed one of the individuals sighed ruefully, the answer not quite clear to even himself.
It had been twenty-four hours since the end of the preliminary exams. Team 10, after Shino's victory against Kankuro, the second oldest of the sand-team, had been told to take the next day off, seeing as Iruka wanted them back to one-hundred percent before he began their rigorous, pre-tournament training.
Naruto had been sent to the hospital after his match due to the possibility of a damaged ear. Thankfully, after several scans and a very minor operation, it was shown that thanks to the medics fast reaction and Kyuubi's remarkable healing, his ear would be perfectly fine before the last exams.
The blonde had to snort in amusement when he found out who his first opponent was. Hinata Hyuuga, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, a girl that was practically royalty in Konoha. Neither he nor his team could stop the chuckles that escaped from them as he, the demon-brat of Konoha, would fight against the crown-princess of the Hyuuga. He had been reminded of a fairy-tale he had read some years back, but the results of the match would be quite different than the happy ending the story foretold.
Shikamaru also had a pretty interesting fight. According to him, he was supposed to fight a member of the oldest Konoha team, one Kabuto Yakushi if his memories was correct. He had some interesting abilities his silent comrades said, having used a medical technique to sever the tendons around his opponent, one Rock Lee, when the last member of Team Gai had started the match with his signature move, the leaf hurricane, a roundhouse kick that was meant as a surprise attack.
It was supposedly an extremely fast match. Kabuto simple grabbed the foot when it came and cut the tendons before doing the same with the other leg when Lee tried a desperation move. The boy couldn't stand after that, the damage to severe to immediately fix itself. Thankfully though, he was apparently healing nicely, his release from the hospital due after a maximum of seven days.
Shino also had an opponent from the senior team, the one named Misumi. That man's abilities was far less interesting though. The hiding mole technique, which Shino could counter pretty effectively, basic hand-to-hand skills, and apparently no illusion skills. All in all, a seemingly boring opponent, but Dosu was apparently pretty boring to, and that almost lost Naruto more than his match. Shino would prepare in case the man proved himself more troublesome than expected.
The whiskered boy had been told this moments before his release from the hospital, which somewhat irked Shikamaru since that meant he could just have waited outside the sterilized building. Shino had quickly excused himself, muttering something about a new colony before walking off, leaving behind the genius and the novice assassin.
It didn't take long for the shadow-user to lead Naruto down a somewhat familiar path, one they had taken six days ago, a path that lead them back towards their second exam. Naruto had actually been quite shocked by the teen's request, but he couldn't deny that he himself was a bit intrigued.
That request was what led them back to the tunnel they took, the supposedly safe tunnel that made a bee-line towards the tower, and more exact, the large room that sat right in the middle of the corridor.
The silence ensued between them as Naruto opened one of the cabinets, his surprise minimal at the unanswered question as his eyes flicked over the journals inside of it.
Naruto had to be honest with himself. Despite Angmar corrupting him, and later the consumption of a small part of Angmar's soul, Naruto was still not a very intellectual person, but even he could see the pure maddening genius that was kept hidden inside the laboratory.
Body modifications, physical enhancements, forbidden techniques, torturing techniques, poisons, mental barriers, and most interesting for Naruto, seals. He was somewhat sad that he didn't know the person that the lab belonged to, and the journal he had flipped through had not revealed any names to go by. He was not one to squander such a fantastic opportunity though.
Flipping out a scroll, he placed it on the ground, unsealing his ink and brush along with a small stack of scrolls. Quickly opening one, he scribbled down the necessary components of his wanted seal. This was something Naruto prided himself with just a tiny bit. He was undoubtedly the most intellectual individual out of his age-group when it came to seals.
He only heard a small click of the tongue from his partner before he sealed away the entire cabinet, intending to read through whatever information that was hidden within the aging tomes. He was especially interested in something called 'Cursed seals', but that would be a later project.
Shikamaru only let out a sound of annoyance as he watched the blonde seal away the cabinet, his attention mainly on the jars along the walls.
He couldn't describe what he felt when he looked at the deformed creatures within them. He felt disgusted by the sight, the entire prospect revolting. He also felt a certain anger at the person that had done these experiments, some of them seemingly ripping apart the laws of nature right before his very eyes.
Underneath it all though was something that had grown inside of him since he was younger. It was an insatiable hunger that all Nara's had, but most managed to keep the urges in check. Him though... He had felt it grow inside of him for a long time, but only recently, since he was made a genin, did this instinct begin to surface.
Shikamaru was curious.
A curious Nara was dangerous, even his own dad had said so. Often, one would go to almost any length to satisfy the cravings, and it was almost impossible to snap one out of their nigh trance-like state... But he felt fine though, his mind was clear, and not anything like what his father had described. It honestly disturbed him a tiny bit, but that part was quickly squashed by his rationality.
It was ridiculous, all of it. The only way one of his clan members could go off the deep end like that was if they already had some deep psychological problems, and the Yamanaka clan usually managed to help most people through their issues without many problems.
Nothing was wrong with him, and everyone knew it. His father never said anything without having an ulterior motif, and the meaning behind his words was clear here.
'No matter if you are my son, I will be the one to strike you down if I see you descend into madness.'
He had never felt such anger towards anyone before, not even Naruto when he mocked his aversion to killing made such rage form inside of him.
His head snapped over to glare at the hooded blonde as he felt the boy grab his shoulder. His glare lessened somewhat though when he saw the frown that was barely visible under the hood.
"You okay?"
He couldn't help but sigh as he put down the jar he had been examining, small cracks visible on it after he almost crushed it in his anger.
"I'm not sure."
He heard the blonde sigh before he was pulled away from the jars, being forced to sit down on one of the few chairs that wasn't destroyed.
"What happened? What are you planning? Why are you interested in this lab? I want answers Shikamaru, so talk. If you refuse, then I will simply phase us out of here, and I will not care about any objections you might have." Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit as he stared down at Shikamaru, the Nara averting his gaze form his own hooded eyes.
"... You're not going to let this go, are you?" The shadow-user asked at last, meeting the blonde's gaze as he let his hood fall to give Shikamaru a harder stare. Shikamaru couldn't help but frown a bit at the slight shake of the whiskered boy's head.
"Fine... My father thinks that I'm going mental." He couldn't help but savor the somewhat incredulous look the blonde had after he heard that.
"Stop me if I am wrong, but isn't that somewhat in the job-description? Have you ever met a ninja that doesn't at least have SOME form of mental issue, because I haven't."
Shikamaru knew Naruto was right, but he really did not want to admit it. Not just his clan, but also himself sought pride from their far above average intellect, something that was meant as a shield against accusations of psychological illnesses.. He knew the risks, and he believed that he would find logic and reason in everything he did... Yet, there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that had begin to grow after his first bout with death, when he and the others fought against that knight.
"Naruto... What is happening to us? We have become cold, you especially, and I... Even I have begun to feel a bit indifferent towards the people I kill, towards the emotion we call guilt..." He let out a sigh as he stood up from the chair, Naruto moving out of the way as Shikamaru once again gazed at the experiments that lined the walls.
"When I almost attacked you back in the first exam, it was not because of anger towards the words you spoke, but rather the truth that was hidden in them... I said that not everyone has stopped feeling guilt, but despite the fact that I was talking to you, the meaning behind my words was directed towards Shino and Iruka."
"We're not like them Naruto." He finally said after a moment of silence, turning back towards the blonde who listened to him with rapt attention.
"Something changed you Naruto, something happened during the week before the teams was assembled, and whatever happened... Well, to be blunt, it corrupted you, changed the mere feeling that used to surround you... As a Nara, I am attuned to shadows, which in turn makes me a bit attuned towards darkness, which means I am somewhat more attuned towards the darker emotions that inhibit people around me, and... And I have never felt such an overwhelming amount of hatred, hostility, malice and scorn before."
He turned back towards the jars and picked one down, some malformed and rotting figure was sealed inside of it, strange black markings stretched around the creatures skin.
"In the start, I couldn't bear to be around you, I felt my emotions slip, and my judgment was constantly clouded... For most of the clan, that is not such a big deal, but for me... I am an oddity in my clan Naruto, and my control over shadows are tied together with my mental well-being and emotions. I have an enormous amount of control, even for our clan, and I am able to master techniques in weeks that take others months, but the main difference is that my shadows has some form of sentience."
"There's no denying it. I hate you Naruto, I feel the shadows reach out to you, begging me to butcher you, mutilate you, murder you..."
"Then why am I still alive?" The voice that left Naruto, it felt almost ghastly, like an empty shell. "Why are my heart still beating?" He took a step forward. "Why are my lungs still breathing?" Another step. "Why are my brain still processing?" He raised his hand right in front of Shikamaru's face. "Why am I..." He clenched his hand. "Still existing?"
Shikamaru stared at the fist in front of him, scrutinizing it, as if it was the first time he had ever seen something like that.
"You exist..." He began as he grasped the fist, slowly lowering it as a sign of truce. "Because you are the one I trust the most."
They just stared at each other, brown eyes lazily gazing into mildly confused blue eyes, not a single twitch of movement between them as Naruto absorbed what his partner had just said.
He laughed. It was a slow, soft laughter, almost mockingly if not for the underlying tone of sincerity, the one thing that kept Shikamaru from lashing out. A shrewd smile stretched across Naruto's face as he stared at Shikamaru, a small amount of grim acceptance shining from the blue orbs.
"We really are two screwed up individuals, you know that?"
"Says the container of the Kyuubi." The Nara shrugged, ignoring the surprised look on the blonde's face.
"Ya figured it out I see. Then again, it's not exactly hard to figure out. I have whiskers, am born at the tenth of October, and is generally hated among the villagers."
"That, and you hate them back... It's almost ridiculous the amount of hatred you harbor towards them."
Naruto couldn't help but smirk, cocking his head to the side as if taunting the person opposite him.
"Really? Heh, I could have sworn that I had bottled up my true emotions pretty tight behind this facade of indifference." He suddenly got a far-off look on his face, as if remembering something.
"Say, what about Hinata? What does she truly feel?"
"Why do I feel as if this is a multifaceted question? Bah, whatever. Towards you, love with a small amount of trepidation due to your changes. Towards her cousin, sadness, and a deep longing, but not in a romantic way. Towards her father... Anguish, despair, sorrow, fear, hatred. She loathes the man almost as much as you despise the village."
He let out a sigh before he took out a scroll, sealing away several jars to study later. He began to walk towards the exit, the one close to the river that had caved in during their first trip a few days ago.
"It's sad really. This peaceful, happy, perfect little village is a breeding ground for hatred, misconception, sorrow and despair. Out of all the missing nins on the bingo books, a third of them are from this village, several of them S-rank. I wouldn't be surprised if this place was used by one of them... perchance Orochimaru..."
He turned his head slightly and saw the barely visible pursed lips under the hood, as if the boy was still thinking about the Hyuuga heiress.
"You're planning to manipulate her, aren't you? Use her love and hatred as a sort of catalyst to mold her into whatever you like?"
The smirk from before returned. "Who, me? Oh, I would never do something like that." The sarcasm was basically dripping from every word that he uttered. "Then again, you aren't exactly the purest of butterflies anymore now, are you? C'mon, what'cha planning?"
He was not graced by an answer as the lazy ninja kept his mouth shut, earning a stifled snort from the blonde as they soon reached the cave-in.
As Naruto touched a part of the un-sealed wall, Shikamaru grasped his shoulder, getting ready for the transportation.
"The day you tell me about your ambitions is the day that I will tell you mine."
He didn't get a response, but the small amount of mirth he felt somewhat told him what Naruto thought as they sunk into the stone walls, intending on leaving the laboratory and forest behind for a later date.
All was silent inside the lab, not a single sound was heard for almost ten minutes, nor was there any movement. Then, nary ten minutes later, a form rose from the floor. The form turned out to be a man. Tall, pale and with long black hair. Yellow eyes with a slit pupil, and purple markings around the eyes. If one had to look at the face, one would say he looked quite handsome.
The man looked around with narrowed eyes, noting the foot-steps on the dusty floor, along with the lack of several jars and a cabinet in which he once used to keep his journals.
"Hmm, seems like I was correct when I felt someone inside my base." A silky voice emanated from the man, and if anyone had been nearby to hear it, they would have associated it with what a snake might have sounded like.
"Three people came and left, but two came back later and took my old journals... By the size of the shoes, I would say they are somewhere between twelve and fifteen of age, which means that someone from the Chuunin-exams found this place. If I had to guess, then it would probably be an Aburame that managed to somehow find my illusion... I shall have Kabuto look through the teams that passed to the second round later."
"I wonder though..." He muttered to himself as he stared at the now vacated spot where the cabinet used to stand. "What will these upstarts do with my information? I need to find them as fast as possible just in case they decide to hand everything to the old monkey."
He chuckled to himself though as he slowly sank through the floor again.
"Oh well, it's not like the information there is useful against me anymore. It will be interesting though if this village suddenly gains another scientist."