Chapter 4: Infiltration
It had been a week since the New Year's argument with Sasuke and Naruto felt unrested. He wanted to have a chat with him and at least apologize but every time he met with the Uchiha, the other would say that he's busy and that he can't talk. It almost felt like he was avoiding him and that made things even worse. "We're meant to be close friends…but I guess we can't really understand each other's thoughts very well". He decided not to talk to him because maybe he just needed some time alone and on the other hand today he had more important things to take care of. He had been summoned to the hokage's office for a special mission and it had to be important since he would be away for a few weeks, leaving his genin team under the teachings of another jounin.
"What is it granny?" The other summoned members looked at the hokage and then at the jounin standing next to her. "I called you here to give you a very important mission.-she looked through the pile of papers on her desk as she spoke- "By analyzing the evidence of our enemies we were able to pin point their headquarters." Shikamaru moved away from the hokage's desk and explained the mission. "You will confirm the location of the base and if it is safe to do so, infiltrate and find information. Do NOT engage combat. I'll repeat this if necessary. Your mission is to gather information; we cannot take action without the approval of the allied shinobi nations." Tsunade spoke again "We have sent an Anbu team around that location but it hasn't been until now that we have been able to tell with a very little margin of error the exact location of the base. We will update them and they will join you as a back-up" Naruto frowned "We don't need back-up with me in the team" He didn't say it to show off. He knew he was strong and it felt a bit insulting to send "bodyguards". "I know you're able to protect your team members but you're… not very careful when you engage in combat and we don't want to be noticed" Tsunade agreed to Shikamaru's words and then let him speak again "The team for this mission is composed of two reconnaissance ninjas, Hinata Hyuuga and Kiba Inuzuka. There's a specialist in gathering information, Sai and a combat ninja in case force is necessary which is Naruto Uzumaki." The jounin gave them the details of the mission and then they all left to prepare for the journey. They departure time was set in three hours.
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The four man cell moved swiftly across the fire country's forests. They had been on the move for a few hours with minor incidents but if they kept that pace they would reach their destination in two days' time. The base was located past the border of the earth country, hidden behind a waterfall. Sai was appointed the leader of the team and besides a few comments between Kiba and Hinata and occasionally a quarrel with Naruto and the Inuzuka for most of the trip silence reigned.
"Sai-kun there's a lot of movement up ahead" Hinata alerted as they were getting closer to their appointed destination. "The enemy is scattering, their scent is going in all directions" Akamaru barked in confirmation. Sai kept advancing forward "They must've found out that we were coming" Naruto looked at Sai and sprinted past him "What are we waiting for then?! They'll all get away before we get there!" The rest of the team accelerated to catch up with the blond while Naruto created a clone and left it meditating for sage mode on a tree branch at the same time he prepared for battle. He would not let them get away. "They're coming this way" Hinata informed. Sai waved a sign to stop "We'll hide and observe for now" Hinata and Kiba nodded at the instructions but Naruto rushed forward already on sage mode. Kiba was angry "he's always messing everything up!" "Naruto, you'll ruin our mission! Get back here you idiot! But Naruto didn't stop "There's something weird going on, their chakra is too agitated. It looks like they're fleeing from something."
As Naruto disappeared in the distance Sai ordered Hinata to confirm Naruto's words. "Their chakra is flowing at irregular intervals and their speed is unusually fast" "like if they were escaping from a predator" Kiba added, then Sai summoned a big bird from his beast scroll "Trail the enemy as long as it is safe to do so and report back to the village, I am going to get Naruto" and so Hinata and Kiba were left alone with a mission to carry out.
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Naruto was moving as fast as his legs were capable of. There was something that had been bothering him since he entered sage mode and needed confirmation. "Hey kid, do you think it is him?" Kurama was talking. "It can't be" The boy would not allow himself to think of that possibility "But that chakra…that's definitely…" "Shut up!" the Kyubi growled and then got quiet but he was right and the blond's heart almost stopped when he saw Sasuke slaughtering everyone who dared to cross his path right in front of the big waterfall. His susano'o was in first stage, the skeleton structure. "What the hell happened?" Naruto looked for the other anbu but couldn't spot them anywhere, his eyes focused again on the Uchiha and as he was about to crush several ninjas with susano'o, Naruto entered into kyubi mode and stopped the purple arm with his orange claws at the same time he let out a powerful roar.
Sasuke flinched. Seeing Naruto's fiery eyes made him realize of what he was doing, and he felt horrible. The raven haired made susano'o disappear and stared at his friend while the remaining ninjas in the base ran for their life. Naruto went out of his kyubi state and remained silent. "I am sorry" Naruto was hurt, his eyes looking at Sasuke with disbelief. "Why… Sasuke? Were…were you able to see their faces? They were scared to death." The blond looked at the massive cataract falling solemnly in front of them completely alien to the massacre that just took place minutes ago, then he traced the pool of blood and corpses mixed with the waterfall's caudal unable to say another word. "Naruto, they…-he sighted- you don't know what they're planning. I am protecting you, the village, the entire world" "That is not an excuse!" Naruto looked at Sasuke with sincere eyes "They were defenseless!" Sasuke felt beyond horrible. The only time Naruto gave him a look like that was that one time when he tried to kill Sakura with her own poisoned kunai. "Naruto, I have my reasons". "Reasons? Reasons!? What the fuck are you saying!? I can't believe you have done something like this!" Deep inside though, Naruto knew there was more to it than what Sasuke's words expressed. He may have that stoic face on him but his eyes would always reveal his true feelings and just by looking into those black irises the blond knew that there was something big going on. He calmed himself before speaking "I'll listen to you". At that instant Sai came flying from the sky and positioned himself next to Naruto looking at Sasuke with questioning eyes.
"What happened here?" Before the Uchiha could say anything Naruto answered for him "Nothing, we both got a bit carried away" Sai moved his gaze away from Sasuke "Naruto, you don't have to protect him. He's the murderer, not you" Sasuke activated his sharingan and it felt to the pale boy like a poisonous snake bit him and now the venom was burning his insides "Any problem with that?" Sai fell on his knees gasping for air. "Sasuke stop!" Naruto helped Sai get up and then made a gesture to go investigate the base. As the two boys were about to go past the waterfall, Naruto looked back to find Sasuke putting his anbu mask on and getting ready to leave. He's leaving? He realized they had a pending conversation and so he told Sai to go on ahead.
"What happened Sasuke?" They were both sitting on top of a boulder next to the base entrance. Sasuke was hesitant, his eyes wondering everywhere. He wasn't sure Naruto would be able to understand his feelings since their personalities were so different. He would never know all he had been through but looking at him now, sitting next to him waiting for him to open up, at least he had to try it. He loved him so much…He had to give him a chance. "This base belonged to Orochimaru" Naruto who had been staring at the shifting clouds was startled by those words, turning his expression serious now. If Orochimaru was involved in some way, bad things were going to happen. "In here he carried away his most important experiments" Sasuke couldn't look Naruto in the eyes anymore. Just the thought of that person made him sick. "You mean…the cursed mark?" The two of them were teleported back to their first chuunin exam, where it all began. Naruto clenched his fists, he hated Orochimaru. He took Sasuke away from him. He contaminated and used him as he pleased and that was something he would never be able to forgive. "It wasn't the cursed seal. They were experiments to achieve… immortality"
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Sai was waiting for his ink rats to come back from the hundreds of corridors. He checked frequently to see if Naruto was coming but it seemed he was still outside with Sasuke. All this time he hadn't been able to stop himself from wondering why Naruto tried so hard for the Uchiha. If they were rivals they should hate each other, which they did. However they did have a strong friendship that Sai could not understand. He had read a lot of books about social interaction but he still couldn't understand what kind of relationship those two shared. Ever since Naruto told him about the bond he shared with Sasuke he had been fascinated by it. He couldn't give it a name so he simply observed. To him, Sasuke was a bastard but to Naruto it was almost his entire world. Everything revolved around him and that pissed Sai off. Why that obsession with him? Why is he so special? He wanted to know why was their bond so strong that pulled them so close and pushed them so far away at the same time. Like if they were two magnets, forever attracting and repelling.
It didn't take too long for the rats to come back. With their data he was able to draw a map of the base and before venturing through the corridors he checked one last time his surroundings but Naruto wasn't there yet and so he proceeded with the infiltration.
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Hinata and Kiba had been observing the enemy for quite a while and it seemed that they were grouping in the south direction. Kiba was writing the gathered information on a scroll, he rolled it up and gave it to one of the ink hawks that Sai gave them. "We should follow them closer, they're probably migrating to another base" Hinata agreed and they both marched cautiously towards the lightning country.
Meanwhile in the old base Sai had found a row of empty cells where he figured the enemy kept their test subjects. As he moved forward he recorded all the valuable information on a scroll. What kinds of experiments were carried out here? At the end of the corridor there were a set of stairs, one's going up and the others going down. Sai looked at his improvised map. It seemed that on the lower level there were another row cells but in the upper level there was some kind of chamber, he decided to follow the stairs going up.
The heavy metallic door was closed with a trap probably awaiting inside once opened but Sai had no other choice but to get through. He forced the door open and nothing happened. It was a lab; it was dark and it smelled of nasty chemicals which made Sai sick. If he stayed longer than necessary he would probably get poisoned and lose conscience. He hurried in but as he was about to examine some test tubes the whole place blew up in a big explosion.
"Sai!" Naruto jumped off the boulder they had been seating on as they witnessed the mountain crumbling down. "What is that idiot doing?" Sasuke cut in half a massive rock coming towards them from the explosion and rushed forward into the base. Naruto didn't waste time either, he quickly activated his kyubi mode and followed Sasuke.
Was his vision was blurred or was it the smoke particles travelling in the air? He didn't know. It was hot, the room was probably engulfed in flames and he was trapped. He had let his guard down when nothing happened after opening the door. He cursed under his breath and tried to clear his mind to assess the situation he was in. He cloud move his arms, that's good, I can make seals. His legs didn't respond though. That's bad. Where's my beast scroll? The air was suffocating; he had to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Sasuke! He's in the upper level" The Uchiha used his lightning style to make an opening in the ceiling. Naruto was the first to go through the hole. Hold on Sai, we're coming. He could feel getting closer to his friend but the tall flames limited his vision. "Sai! Sai!"
Is that…Naruto's voice? Sai's head was still spinning but at least he was now able to see that he was trapped between two walls or what remained of those walls, his beast scroll was nowhere to be found and the carbon dioxide was filling his lungs at an alarming rate. All he could do now was wait and try not to pass out before Naruto found him.
"Sai!" Naruto spotted the boy being crushed by the walls. His eyes were closed. He probably passed out not too long ago. The blond used his kyubi arms to lift up the walls and take his unconscious friend out of there. "I've got him Sasuke, let's get the hell out of here!"
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"Kiba-kun, someone is coming at two o'clock" The boy shared an accomplice look with his dog and attacked whoever was crossing their way. The others defended themselves stopping the powerful gatsuga. "We're in the same team, no need to attack!" Kiba who was sent against a tree made a back flip and landed on the ground, his kunai ready for battle, but he soon realized that he had attacked three Anbu members. His stance relaxed a little. "The captain told us to follow the enemy while he took care of the base" Hinata got a little closer "Are you the Anbu team that was meant to catch up with us?" "Yes" Kiba let out a sight "Sorry, we thought you guys were the enemy" After sharing some information they all resumed the chase.
Two anbu were leading the team, Kiba and Hinata covered the middle and the other anbu member was on the back. The sun that had accompanied them for most of the day was being covered by storm clouds. Hinata had a bad feeling. This entire situation was confusing. Why was the enemy fleeing in the first place? Will you be okay, Naruto? She didn't like that they got separated from the rest of the team. She activated her byakugan to check the perimeter and she had to supress a scream when she saw the Anbu on the back being dismembered by a man. Cold sweat run down her neck as she turned on her heels to engage combat. Kiba who noticed the tension in Hinata's body due to the change of her scent turned around.
The heiress of the hyuuga clan closely observed the man standing across from her. He had a sly smile on him which sent her the creeps. His chakra flow wasn't different from any other person. The enemy charged against her petite figure wielding a wide and rusty sword. She dodged it and sent her gentle fist straight through his heart. She awaited and it seemed that the enemy was in pain but he quickly recovered and swung his big sword back at her. She jumped out of his reach although he managed to slash her right arm. The wound wasn't very deep but it bled quite a lot. I am sure I stopped his heart…How come he can still move so swiftly? As the man charged once again two vortices flew past her and crashed into the enemy, tearing him into a million pieces.
"You alright, Hinata?" She observed Kiba and Akamaru looking at her with worried eyes "Y-yes. It is just a scratch" Kiba turned around as Akamaru started barking "What's wrong Akamaru?" "Kiba-kun…The enemy…he-he is regenerating" The two ninjas and the dog observed astonished how the enemy was regenerating his body parts and coming back to life "Is this some kind of reanimation jutsu?" Hinata shook her head "No, this is a living organism". The enemy smiled showing his disgusting teeth.
"You cannot kill me. I am immortal."
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After leaving the base, the three ninja headed back to the fire country. They were now in a small clearing and even though the sky was getting cloudy and they needed to find shelter, Sai came first. He was still unconscious and that worried Naruto. He wished Sakura was here, she would know how to handle that situation. "Why did it have to turn out like this?" Sasuke looked at the blond and the pale guy lying on the grass "This is a ninja world after all. Is he still breathing?" "Yeah" "Let him be then, he'll wake up eventually" Naruto didn't listen to Sasuke, he was going stay with Sai until he opened his eyes. The blond observed him. His legs had been under the pressure of the ruins but there weren't any broken bones. He turned to say something to Sasuke but he was no longer there. Half an hour passed and the clouds were turning darker now that the sun was setting. "Oi Naruto" He jumped from the surprise, he didn't notice Sasuke coming. "I have found an old barn we can stay at not too far away from here." Naruto got up and picked Sai up "Let's go."
Sasuke used his fire jutsu to light up a small fire and now they were sitting in the shelter hearing the pouring rain as it hit the windows. Sai was still unconscious but his breathing was steady which is always a good sign. "I wonder where the others are" Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Kiba and Hinata. I left them behind." Silence remained for a few seconds "I assume my Anbu team caught up with them." "Yeah, probably" Sasuke rose and left the place to do guard duty. Inside, Naruto felt like they hadn't finished their conversation. He still didn't know why he killed everyone in the base, he said he wold listen his reasons and he hadn't; so he took one last look at the sleeping boy and left to find Sasuke.
"The weather isn't getting any better uh?" Sasuke glanced at the blond "What do you want" Naruto scratched the nape of his neck "What happened in that lab? Were any of the experiments successful?" "No" Naruto relaxed a little "Not until now." Sasuke moved his body into a more comfortable position before proceeding with his explanation. "When I got there they were talking about this project…the immortality project. –He paused- They somehow managed to outsmart Orochimaru and create an immortal human. Do you know what that means?" Naruto closed his eyes in a thinking pose "He will be a pain to bring down?" Sasuke couldn't avoid the little smile forming on his lips. He's a complete dobe after all". "It means an immortal army, Naruto".