Primal
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruto in bold italics
Chapter Notation: Suki's answer may seem out of character, but I hope that the explanation makes it an acceptable one to everyone.
Chapter 16
"You know this would be a lot easier, if you used a Transformation Jutsu. Kisame, you stick out like a sore thumb. We'll never make it to the Hokage's Office without someone trying to stop us." Suki says.
The strange group had been traveling for awhile now. Naruto, Suki, Kisame, and Itachi were almost upon the Leaf. It was likely another ten minutes away at most. They could probably just Flicker there, really.
"Meh. You can just pretend that the two of you have taken us prisoners. That should impress them long enough for you to do whatever you've got in mind, Princess. I'm sure that you have something quite dramatic planned. This should be funny. It's like a tiger shark trying to attack a whale." The Akatsuki Member observes.
"He's going to become shark finned soup at this rate. I like him though. Another predator." Kurama comments.
Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Kurama could be weird sometimes. He liked Kisame because he was another predator. Yeah. That was bizarre.
"I'm glad you're entertained." Suki says dryly as she glances at her Mate.
Suki smiles. Naruto was always there for her. It didn't matter what happened, her Sun never completely left her. Not even when they were miles apart. She knew that she was always in his thoughts and he was always in hers.
"Yeah. I'm really happy about the Mating Bond. I never would have realized that she was thinking that way about me without it." Naruto says.
For the moment, he decides to ignore the Nine Tails comments on Kisame. His Mate was feeling rather affectionate towards him. There was nothing better than basking in the love of his beautiful Mate.
"Oh yeah. You're Itachi's kid sister, alright. Same type of sense of humor, if you can call it that." Kisame says casually.
Kisame really creeped Naruto out. He really was alike an animal that somehow figured out how to talk. The sooner they got rid of the shark, the better in his opinion. Oh and those teeth looked lethal.
"Well we could try to walk into the village, but people would notice. They'd stop us and ask us questions if we were lucky. If we weren't lucky, they'd assume we were enemy ninjas. A message might be better." Suki says.
Naruto nods. He quickly summons two of his medium sized toads. They'd be able to get in and out of there without too much trouble.
"Got it." The Jinchuuriki says proudly.
"Toads? So Jirayia really did teach this brat. I never understood the toad thing. They're ugly as Hell." Kisame muses.
"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Naruto and the toads exclaim outrage as Suki proceeds to write her note.
Ninjas could be an eccentric lot. Suki knew that. So it wasn't really a surprise that the toads, Naruto, and Kisame were bickering over looks.
It didn't matter though. What was important right now as that they needed to get in touch with Tsunade. Preferably, without causing a scene.
"What's up Boss? Why are you traveling with an Akatsuki Member?!" The toads demand.
"Well it's a really long story. Can you take this scroll to Granny Tsunade?" the blue eyed ninja asks as he takes Suki's scroll from her and hands it to his Summons.
"Sure thing, Boss. You really need to explain what is going on later though. This is really weird." The brother toads say as they hope off.
Suki tilts her head to the side curiously. She didn't understand why Naruto had Summoned two toads when one would have been enough. The young woman decides to ask.
"Why'd you Summon more than one?" The raven haired ninja haired ninja inquires.
"Oh. Well they're brothers. They do everything together. Really, those two are kinda a package deal." Naruto explains with a grin.
"Awe. That's sweet. Got yourself a real softie for a boyfriend there, Princess." Kisame says and Suki promptly rolls her eyes in response.
Honestly, she was beginning to wonder why Itachi hadn't killed Kisame long before now? He obviously didn't have an issue with killing when he viewed it as necessary. So why had he kept Fish Face around?
Meanwhile the toads arrive in Tsunade's Office. They call out anxiously behind her door. It didn't take long for the busty blonde to sigh and open the door.
"I recognize both of you. Where's Naruto?!" She demands.
Tsunade was very familiar with Toad Summons. Jirayia had a Summoning Contract with them. Orochimaru had his snakes and she had her slugs. The Hokage wasn't entirely certain how, but somehow Jirayia had ended up with toads.
"He told us to give you this scroll." The yellow toad says as Tsunade leans down and grabs the scroll.
The female ninja quickly reads it and blinks. That was unexpected. Suki and Naruto had returned to the Leaf voluntarily. Not only that, they were claiming to have captured two members of the Akatskui.
Dear Lady Hokage,
We request that you meet us in the Forest of Death immediately. Naruto and I have apprehended Itachi Uchiha and Kisame. There is much that we have to discuss with you.
We thought that it would be best to meet in the Forest. Kisame's exotic looks make him too easily recognizable. In the interest of not causing a panic, I hope that you will meet us there.
Sincerely, Suki and Naruto.
"Unbelievable. Not only did they kill Orochimaru and Danzo, they've captured multiple Akatsuki Members. These kids are dangerous." She mutters.
That was when she notices that the toads were watching her rather anxiously. She sighs and decides to reassure them. After all, it wasn't their fault that they had been chosen to deliver the message. There was no need to keep them in the dark and cause them unnecessary anxiety.
"I'll go and meet with them. You don't need to worry." She says and with that, Tsunade swiftly departs for the Forest of Death.
A few minutes later, the Hokage arrives. She could only hope that the forest's name wouldn't turn out to be a bad omen for their meeting. With that thought in mind, the blonde quickly scans her surroundings and tries to sense their chakra signatures.
"I'm glad that you came." She hears a feminine voice call out to her.
Immediately, Tsunade whirls around. She comes face to face with the demonic ruby red eyes of Suki Uchiha. Her Sharingan was now an Eternal Mangekyo. That wasn't good a good sign.
"Suki." The blonde replies curtly.
"Don't worry, Granny Tsunade. We don't want to fight. Well at least we don't want to fight you." Naruto promises.
Tsunade sighs in relief. Well Naruto was with her. That meant that she wasn't too far gone yet. The lovable knucklehead was many things, but a cold-blooded killer wasn't one of them.
"You might want to sit down for this one. This is going to be one Hell of a show. Damn. I wish I had popcorn." Kisame says.
Her eyes widen. Kisame wasn't restrained. The Criminal Ninja was just standing a few feet away from the Mates as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do so. Had they become allies?!
"Don't worry about Fish Breath. He's just here to make sure that Itachi doesn't die before the truth is known." Naruto assures her.
Kisame were there to protect Itachi? That didn't make any sense. Why would Suki and Naruto want Itachi to live? The young woman had been trying to kill him for a decade.
"While Naruto and I were fighting Danzo, Itachi killed him with poison. He did so to prevent me from finding out the truth. So I had a discussion with some associates of Danzo. Without their Seal, they were more talkative than I expected. The conversation was most enlightening." Suki says as she twirls her sword in her hand.
Tsunade feels her blood run cold at that explanation. She wasn't entirely certain what Suki thought she knew, but she was familiar with ROOT. The Hokage was actually far more familiar with that organization than she would like to be.
If ROOT was involved, she knew one thing. Whatever the last female Uchiha had been told, hadn't been good news. It was also sufficiently shocking that Suki was willing to seek HER out. That was another bad sign. Tsunade most certainly didn't like where this was going.
"And what did Danzo's Associates tell you?" She dares herself to ask.
"That Itachi killed my family, but it wasn't by choice. He was ordered to do so. After decades of discrimination, they had enough. They plotted a coup. The Leaf struck first though. Of course, the Leaf is a cowardly village. It had a thirteen year old boy slaughter his entire Clan. I guess the Leaf just couldn't handle doing their own dirty work. That or they were too scared to stand up against the Uchiha Clan on their own." Suki seethes at her.
Tsunade blinks. She had never heard of such a thing. Unfortunately, she doubted Suki was lying. The young woman really believed that this had happened.
Sadly, Tsunade knew what Danzo was like. There was a very good chance that Suki had every right to believe the words that the ROOT Members had told her. After all, why would they lie to her about something like that?
"Do you have any proof of this?" The Hokage demands.
Naruto growls in annoyance. He didn't like the fact that Tsunade didn't believe Suki. Why would she make something like that up?!
Suki sighs and intertwines her fingers with Naruto's. She gives him a reassuring smile. The ball of light was lashing out inside her mind. It was only a matter of time before Naruto did something stupid.
It was best to cut that off now. She loved how protective Naruto was of her. Really, it was sweet. At the moment though, they had to proceed carefully and cautiously.
"Well I suppose we could find the ROOT Member that told me, but I imagine they have all defected from the Leaf by now. That and I have Itachi. He's currently unconscious. I figure that he could be interrogated though, if he decides not to be cooperative." Suki replies.
"That's right! One way or another, we are going to find out the truth. Come on, Granny Tsunade. Help us out!" Naruto says.
Naruto smiles back at Suki. He could feel that his Mate was trying to calm him. That and the touch of her hand really did work wonders.
Granny Tsunade was as good person. Sure, she was grumpy sometimes. That and she drank too much. Oh and she was also a compulsive gambler. None of that really mattered though, she was a good person and Naruto had faith that she would do the right thing.
"Alright. We'll take him to be interrogated. Ibiki is the best in the business. If anyone can figure out what is going on in that head of his, he can. Though I'm not going to let another Akatsuki Member just walk around the village. Kisame will have to be restrained." The Hokage insists as she takes out a pair of chakra cuffs.
"Well you're a bit older than the type I usually go for. Still I love a woman who knows how to use handcuffs!" The shark toothed man says.
SMACK! The Hokage sends her fist flying at Kisame and the man smashes backwards into a tree. The busty blonde twitches, once he lands and quickly cuffs him.
"Pervert." Tsunade mutters in disgust.
"He deserved that one." Naruto to Suki and the raven haired woman nods her head in agreement.
Honestly, what did he think was going to happen after saying that to Tsunade? The man was quite lucky to be alive, really. Though the whole handcuff thing did have possibilities. Hmm.
"Sheesh! It was a joke!" Kisame mutters as his cheek begins to rapidly swell.
"Well I'm not laughing." She growls at him as the group make their way to the Interrogation Unit.
Tsunade had her hands full. She had to keep her eyes on Kisame and the couple. Thankfully, it looked like Suki and Naruto weren't planning on attacking the Leaf. At least not at the moment, though she knew that could change at any time.
"Kisame came to keep Itachi alive long enough for the truth to come out. What's wrong with him?" Tsunade demands as they enter the Unit.
"We aren't really sure. He's horribly sick though. Whatever it is, I think it's terminal." Suki states.
"That would be ironic, if he died of natural causes. Your Mate has been trying to avenge her Clan for years by killing him, only to find out that he's gravely ill. If that happens, you'll need to proceed carefully. She's going to need your support." Kurama says.
Naruto could only nod in agreement. He didn't know what Suki would do, if Itachi ended up dying of natural causes. Would she be happy, relived, sad, or furious? Knowing Suki, it would probably be a combination of all of the above though.
"Ibiki, I need you to interrogate Itachi Uchiha. Once he wakes, you are to question him about the Uchiha Massacre. Find out why he did it." Tsunade says.
Ibiki's eyes widen when he saw two members of the Akatsuki brought in. Only one of them was unconscious though. Well at least the second was restrained by chakra cuffs. Still that was very dangerous.
What could have possibly motivated Lady Tsunade to take such a risk? Those two were Criminal Ninjas. S Ranked ones at that. Had she lost her mind?
"Of course, Lady Tsunade. I will carry out your orders." He states, trying to mask his shock.
He was a professional. Ibiki was as professional who now had his orders. It didn't matter how or why Itachi had ended up here, but he was going to find out the truth. That was his mission and Ibiki would complete it successfully.
"It's not going to be easy. My brother is a Master at Genjutsu. He's likely got all sorts of protections in place for his mind and countermeasures." Suki warns Ibiki.
"Oh yes. I assumed as much. That's alright. I'm looking forward to this challenge." Ibiki says with a smirk as he straps Itachi down.
"As for Kisame, he can tell us how to care for Itachi from a prison cell. You two are to go to the Uchiha District and stay there until Ibiki is done. Do I make myself clear?!" Tsunade snaps at the happy couple.
"Yeah. Yeah! Don't worry. We aren't going anywhere." Naruto says.
Suki nods in agreement. After promising to stay in the Leaf, the two of them hastily head back to the Uchiha District. Suki sighs as they head inside their home. She still couldn't fully process everything that had happened.
"Do you think that ROOT was telling the truth?" Naruto whispers to Suki as he wraps his arms around her in a tight embrace.
His Mate needed him right now. She was far too proud to say so, but he could feel it. Thank goodness for the Mating Bond.
"I think so. Itachi wouldn't have killed Danzo without a good reason. Danzo was too well known. He's was an important figure in this village. If what Sai told us is true though, Itachi would have had to kill him. There wouldn't have been any other way to preserve the Leaf's dirty little secret." She mutters bitterly and leans into the loving arms of her Mate.
"Yeah. I think it's the truth too. What do you want to do, if it is true though?" The blonde asks cautiously.
Hopefully, Suki wasn't about to go on some murderous rampage. She had a temper at the best of times. If she found out that her brother had been forced to commit genocide against their own Clan, the panther would show its claws and fangs. No doubt about it.
"Humiliate them. I want the world to know what the Leaf is truly capable of. Destroying their buildings or killing people will just make them into victims. I'm not going to allow that. Though I am going to slaughter every single member of the Council. There will be nothing left of them to bury, when I'm done with them." Suki answers him.
Lying to Naruto was pointless. He'd feel it through their connection and Suki didn't want to lie to him. He was the one person who truly understood her in this world. She wasn't going to sour that by lying to him.
"You mean when WE are done with them. I'm not going to let you kill innocent people Suki, but these people aren't innocent. They turned a kid into a murderer and covered up the truth for years. I doubt that your family were the only people that they've done stuff like this to before." Naruto says.
Suki smiles. She couldn't believe that Naruto understood. Though perhaps it wasn't surprising. He was her Mate. Someone had hurt her. She would do the same for him.
It was a primal need really. The need to protect yourself and your loved ones. The need to punish those who had hurt you. It was an animalistic instinct. Seductive in its simplicity.
"You're right. They probably have." She says with a sigh.
"What do you think they'll do to Kisame?" Naruto asks, deciding to change the subject.
He really didn't think that it was healthy to have his Mate constantly brooding about all of this. A subject change might be helpful. That and they had to pass the time somehow.
"I don't think they'll kill him. Well they won't kill him yet, anyway. He's too useful. Kisame knows a great deal about the Akatsuki. They'll want to extract that information from him first." Suki reasons.
"Yeah. That's a good point. So what do you want to do when this all over? Did you just want to go back to being a Leaf Ninja?" Naruto asks.
Suki sighs. She didn't really know what she wanted to do. If it was true, could she really go back to fighting for the Leaf? Could she knowingly fight for the village that had ordered the deaths of her family?
It was difficult to imagine doing that. On the other hand, her family might have been planning a Coup. The Council was launching a preemptive strike. It was self-defense in a way.
"I don't know." She whispers as she kisses Naruto.
Naruto kisses back and holds her more closely. He could feel the panther pacing. It was confused. Overwhelmed.
A flood of emotions were whirling inside the creature with such astonishing speed that it was almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. Mostly though, he could just sense that Suki felt lost. For once, Suki didn't have a concrete plan and that obviously terrified her.
"Well what do you WANT to do?" Naruto asks.
"Depending on the answers that Ibiki provides us with, I want to either kill Itachi or the Council. Once that's over, I think I'll retire from active duty combat." She says.
Naruto blinks. Wait. What?! Suki wanted to retire before she was twenty?! He couldn't imagine it.
Suki was not someone who would be content as a Civilian. There were other types of Ninja Specializations though. Medics, trackers, interrogators, instructors, and so forth. Maybe, she wanted become another kind of ninja?
"What do you mean?" He asks in confusion.
"Money's not an issue with me. I inherited all my Clan's assets. I don't need to be an active duty Combat Ninja, if I don't want to. Nor do I need to find a Civilian job or another specialization. I'm tired of fighting. I wasted three years doing that. I don't want to waste anymore." She says simply.
Naruto couldn't really believe he was hearing this! Suki wanted to retire. After everything, she didn't want to be a ninja anymore?
"I get being tired of fighting, but it'll be different now. You're home. You'd be fighting for your village. Could you really be happy with just staying home? Wouldn't you get bored?" He asks.
"I'd possibly be fighting for the village that ordered the genocide of my family. I don't want to fight for them, if that's the case. My mother was a housewife and a Matriarch. She seemed to enjoy that role. Perhaps, I will as well." Suki continues.
Naruto still wasn't really sure what a Clan Matriarch actually did. He decides that it was polite to just nod his head. Suki would likely explain later.
"That and I'll have my hands full with you and rebuilding my family's reputation. You would be surprised at how much work a Clan Matriarch does, really." She finishes with a smile.
Naruto tilts his head to the side as he considers that. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with being a housewife. He just never thought that Suki of all people would want to do that.
"Well that's true. I don't mind, if you want to just take it easy after all this. Definitely not going to complain to coming home to seeing you in that apron, every day. I'm just kinda surprised that this is what you want." He tells her.
Suki smiles. It didn't take a genius to figure out why her answer had thrown Naruto for a loop. That was alright though.
"Besides, I have you. Boredom is impossible with you. I'd still train, of course. I like pushing myself. I like getting stronger, but I'm not going to do this village's dirty work anymore. Not if I find out that they ordered my family to be put to death by one of our own. How could I possibly fight for the Leaf, knowing that?" She whispers.
Naruto winces. That was a good point. He hadn't really thought of it that way. If there roles were reversed and he discovered that the Leaf had ordered the death of his parents, he wouldn't want to fight for them either.
"Yeah. I'll just have to make sure that you don't get bored. The last thing that anyone needs is a bored Uchiha. I hear that they are one of the most dangerous species out there. More terrifying than even Fish Faces!" He teases her.
"Cute, loser. Really cute." Suki says as she shakes her head at her Mate's antics.
She wasn't sure what would happen, but she did know one thing. Suki had Naruto. That was really all that she needed at the moment.
They were going to find out the truth. If the Council had sanctioned genocide, she was going to make sure that the rest of the world knew it. They would go to their deaths disgrace. There names would never be written on the Memorial Stone. She would make sure of that.
"Yeah. I thought so. Uchihas might not have teeth as sharp as Kisame's, but I hear they bite harder!" He continues, trying to prevent Suki from slipping back into the Darkness.
"Mmm that's very true. You ought to know. I did bite you, after all." Suki says with a smirk.
Mission accomplished. For the moment, Suki was still with him. He just hoped that she stayed that way, after the truth was revealed.