Authors Note: Yeah I suck booty. . Six months... Cannot believe I took this long. On a different topic I changed my username. So it's the same person writing this story… Just a different name.
Thank you to the following who favorited or started following my story or me:Soaring Demoness, chelsearuls, I'm Not A Princess, Zatheko, Minato Namikaze Uzamaki, IasWraith, flemming, Arba, LadyAlexiaLastHope, Apollo27, Qia, TatsuDragonKing, Foxxel, DemonFox She is the Sun, x-Neonstar-x, Black Night Wolf, FarEien, koski, CzarAndrew, mariamgeorge88, roselie0601, Brownsugar12, EurekaSeven21, triforcepwnage, Monkeyledit, and canonOTP.
Reviews:
The Keeper of Worlds: Thanks for the review. Here's your update.
Tahkz01: Glad if you liked it. Thanks for the review.
Zatheko: Glad if you are enjoying it! Makes my day to hear that. :D Thanks for the review.
Minato Namikaze Uzamaki: Well this chapter should answer your question somewhat. Thank you for the review.
Soloeater: Actually that is really funny. I love that song but the title isn't exactly based on that song. The story is actually based more on a soundtrack piece from Princess Mononoke and a lot of other songs/soundtracks I have on my writing playlist for my Ipod. The song Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine is on there though and has influenced some of my story. I kudos you for picking up on that. ;) Thank you for the very lovely review!
Arba: Will do! Thanks for the review!
Kimiss: I love cliffhangers! I'm happy if you like my story! Thanks for the review
Dknight27:You keep that deal in the back of your head. It will come up again, just not really in this chapter. Thanks for the review.
Qia: Here is your update. Thanks for the review
roselie0601: Thanks for the review. :)
canonOTP: I definitely plan on finishing it. It's just taking a while. Thanks for the review!
Chapter Five: A Key and a Shard
Sasuke glared at her as they stood eye to eye separated by a mere few bars and seals that prevented the man from doing something irrational.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as they finally came down to what she wanted.
"Naruto and I had if you recall 'teamed up' for a bit to bring down that lying fool who decided to step in my way." The Uchiha explained.
"Yes I remember all too well as you both took it out of the war zone to a small town. But what does Tobi have to do with this or should I say Obito? All I want to know about is your two's fight." She explained while making her usual hand gestures to explain her point.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Hnn…. Can I explain without you giving me total shit? Or do you already know what happened."
"Fine…" she growled from under her voice. Tension boiled in her blood as she shot away from his glance. She wanted to hurry this up for she feared every moment could be a last for their teammate.
The man looked up at the dim lighted ceiling and for a minute he could have sworn that he felt that day's snow fall hitting his face. His eyes gently closed as it all came back and with it his voice spoke and recalled that of what happened.
*Flashback*
Naruto and Sasuke had fallen into the snow along with a third in their party. The abandoned ghost town that they now were to call a battleground stood between them. The empty broken down houses destroyed by wars of the past stood as deathly reminders of what came from battles.
Snow gently fell on the earth with the dulling gray sky in the back to bring life to the pure white land.
Slowly the dark haired man rose with his hand to his head. Both Naruto and Obito had at the time been knocked out with Obito being farther away and in a much deeper crater than what Sasuke and Naruto had been plunged into.
Sasuke eyed the area around him as they had fallen into the center of house leaving some completely torn in half with wreckage all over the place.
His chest hurt painfully while his legs felt sore from a muscle being recently torn. All of this didn't point out well for him or the seriously injured blond to his right.
Sasuke sighed as he recalled a few things. First Naruto and Sasuke had made a truce for a few minutes after Sasuke had arrived late to the war and the battle field due to his sudden urge to figure something out that was left long ago. In hopes of an explanation as to why the place he had hoped to destroy was broken and empty of people but civilians. Let alone to say that when the word pawn had been thrown into the mix by the other Uchiha, things didn't pan out so well leaving that other Uchiha in a deep crater with a hole strictly through his heart and lower half thanks to a teamed attack.
Shaking his mind Sasuke sighed once more and got his head clear of what the deal was. Looking back down at his old teammate, things weren't looking too bright. The issue of how to settle the impending road block with blond hair now came to mind.
From out of the corner of his dull and tired eyes Sasuke caught movement from the slowly rising blond body.
"Hn" he muttered out
Naruto gently opened his blue eyes and glared back at the Uchiha.
"I take it…..our truce is over?" the blond whispered out as he brushed the dust off of him along with the pilling up snow.
Sasuke eyed his old team mate and knew all too well this was not a fair fight. They had spent years waiting for this moment and now it was here and all the less glorious. Naruto stood hunched over with blood dripping from his mouth's corners. His once bright and vivid eyes were now a much darker and almost dying shade of blue. His orange clothing which the Uchiha despised with all his might, was torn to shreds revealing both under mesh clothing and large gaping wounds that were not healing as well as he had expected them to as the beast within that blond usually kept that in line but for some reason was not feeling it.
"Naruto." The man mustered out with sharpening eyes. "Where is the Kyuubi?"
The blond stiffened and went wide eyed full of loss and fear only to loosen up quickly. "You know very well where he is." Naruto shot out as he pointed his thumb to his stomach with a fearless grin.
Sasuke knew very well that this was a ruse, a lie, a complete and total lie. When he had arrived Naruto had already been separated from the rest of the fighting crew with only three other members, all of which looked like death was awaiting them.
But the question as to what had happened in those moments of separation from the wonderful comrades of war truly did bug the Uchiha as it was odd. The war had been going on for a while now and yet now of all times Naruto was going head to toe with a lying foe with only a few people? Now that didn't add up after all, ever since that failed Juubi attempt attack and such, Sasuke would have expected some more serious plans…
Yet he dared not pounder on this too much, if the blond wanted to lie then so be it.
*Flashback end*
It was all a blur after that as Sasuke had trouble remembering his small fight with Naruto. It wasn't even really worth being calling a fight actually now that the Uchiha thought on it.
Sakura stared at Sasuke and began to grow even more impatient.
"Sasuke…" she muttered out in hopes that this newfound silence would be resolved. Her large green eyes looked over him as he looked towards the dirtied dark floor.
Sasuke himself barely twitched at the motion of his name. Lifting his gaze from his interest he stared at her. She was scared was all he could think as he eyed her some more.
"Sakura… Are you scared?" he whispered out. Perhaps telling her what he did remember was not the best of ideas.
The rosette took a step back only to instantly bite down hard on her lip. "No." she shot back at him as she tightened her fists. "Now stop dawdling."
"Hmpf."
*Flashback*
Naruto stood very still. His eyes were wide and alert and dared not move. His breathing had stopped as he appeared nearly frozen in time.
Sasuke from the ground below eyed his teammate with his mouth opened. Blood dribbled down the Uchiha's mouth corners and quickly fell into the precious white snow, tampering it along with mixing with the other blood that now bled out of the Uchiha's upper body.
Naruto felt dizzy as he stood ever so still. Finally as the world spun faster and faster, blood spewed out of the blond's mouth as he violently leaned forwards to puke it up.
The Uchiha cringed as his old teammate came to the ground with his face plowing right into the snow. The blond's wounds were serious, as blood ran out of nearly every corner and crevasse of the other man's body. The large gaping hole that marked where the blond's lower shoulder and heart would be, oozed out blood. Sasuke glared at it with his eyes fading more and more by the second. He had done that… There was no turning back from what he had just done to his best friend.
Was he even worthy of being Naruto's friend anymore…. The Uchiha clenched his teeth at the mere thought.
As Sasuke slowly laid his body flat down into the bloodied snow, his eyes dulled but his ears opened. He could hear the screams of the rosette who finally was coming out of the brush around the area with tears in her eyes. She had just witnessed a massacre between two people she loved. However his interest was not pinned on her, in the distance murmurs could be heard from a third party.
The voice was not of the three of team seven. They were mixed together with confusion. Nothing made sense to the Uchiha as he tried desperately to listen in on it more and more but was prevented from doing such from the wails coming next to him.
His dark black eye simple looked to the couple next to him as the rosette sat in the dark red snow holding the blond in her arms, yelling false hopes.
*End of Flashback*
"And that is all I remember. I woke up later in here…" Sasuke groaned out
Sakura stared at him with large eyes. Something must have been wrong was all Sasuke could think if she was reacting like that.
"Something spark your mind?" he asked out.
Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat down hard and then blinked. "Nothing… Nothing makes sense." She whispered out.
xXx
Naruto sat huddled in his room looking out the window while hiding behind his bed with the small kitten in his lap. His mother was yelling in the other room while his father somehow was defending him. A strange twist on his parents, as usually his mother was the more understanding of the two somehow.
Still tears poured down his eyes as the boy covered his eyes.
The small little kitten looked up to it's owner and gently mewed a simple noise.
Naruto's large blue eyes fluttered in response.
"I'm s-sorry Sakura-chan…" He muttered out as he gently rubbed the kitten's small head, earning him a few purrs.
From out of the distance a sudden knock could be heard.
The blond child gently propped himself up so he could see over his bed without really getting up. It was coming from his door.
His body trembled with fear at what would happen if his parents came in.
"Naruto, could you open the door please. I'm not mad I just wanna talk." Came the voice of his father.
Hesitantly the boy slowly got up, only to quickly place the kitten on his bed and cover her up with the covers and a few old stuffed animals in hopes of hiding her.
With a deep breath the boy unlocked his door and cracked it open.
From beyond the door stood Minato with a small gentle smile on his face. Naruto could tell his mother had hit his father as a small bruise was forming under the man's left eye.
"Can I come in please?" Minato asked
Naruto's lip twitches as he looked down at his feet in hopes of not locking eyes with his dad. "Sure" he mumbled out.
Slowly the boy opened the door wide enough that only his dad could walk in. As Minato came into his son's room, Naruto quickly slammed the door shut so that no one else could enter.
The blond adult took in the boys actions and sighed. "Don't worry, your mother isn't mad at you or the cat. She's….. Just having a bad day. YES a bad day!" Minato reaffirmed as he came to the boy's bed and gently sat on it.
With a silent gesture the father patted his hand on the bed for Naruto come and join.
Naruto eyed the kitten's location first only to then quickly come to the bed and sit closet to the cat as a way to act as barrier from his father.
"Naruto I know she's under your cov-"
"PLEASE DON'T GET RID OF HER!" Naruto screamed out with tears boiling in his eyes. Leaning towards his dad the boy hugged the man's arm and cried silently. "Please let me keep her."
Minato sat shocked at his son's sudden actions. Naruto rarely cried which let alone set his father in a shocked state. Yet the Hokage softened his look and gently grinned. "I'm not getting rid of her." He explained.
Pulling slowly from his father the boy looked up with large red eyes. "R-really?"
"Yes really." Minato explained with a warming grin.
"B-but mommy said-"
"Your mother is full of it sometimes." The blond explained. Minato clearly knew Kushina was listening on this and silently hoped she would not kill him for that remark. "She was simply upset that you didn't really bring Sakura-chan in without her approval first." He gently reached for the covers behind his son and pulled them back revealing the small kitten. "Honestly we think it's a good idea for you to have a pet. It will teach you responsibility."
Naruto began to grin from ear to ear at this as he pulled the kitten towards him. "S-seriously… I can keep her."
A silent nod from his father reassured his hopes as the boy felt like jumping up and down with happiness.
"There is one thing though."
"Oh?"
xXx
"Wait what did you say?" Sasuke yelped out randomly at her explanation.
"Um Ino was threatened by a red head."
"Uhh" Sasuke groaned out as he slapped his forehead. "No, what did she say to Ino" He growled out.
Sakura raised an eye brow as to where this was going. "Seven Devils?" she stated again.
Sasuke's eyes went wide. It all made sense now. That phrase it was exactly familiar to what he had heard in those lasting minutes "Obito muttered that exact phrase right before Naruto fell. I thought it was nothing at first but now this means something completely different…"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" Sakura screamed out in anxiety as she grasped the cells wooden bars.
Pulling back the black haired man sighed. "That right there is a genjutsu." The former teammate explained.
The rosette pulled from the bars and went wide eyed. "But if it was a genjutsu he would have been released by now since we tried releasing him already by disturbing the flow of chakra."
"Not necessarily" Sasuke intervened as he finally understood… "This isn't a normal genjutsu… I've only heard legends from my mother when I was little and in training, but there is a genjutsu that translates into 'Red Feathers' that is spawned from the Seven Devils legend." Looking down the raven haired man knew where this was going.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she looked at his reaction "…. Red feathers…. how can a genjutsu still run when the flow of chakra is disturbed constantly, plus the fox is likely disturbing the flow as well so it's impossible for a genjutsu to work to. None of this makes sense."
"This isn't a genjutsu like you think Sakura." He muttered out in defeat. "In my clan it is literally called a death sentence it permanently gets into the victims brain and does not feed on a steady amount of chakra but on.."
"On what?" she dared mutter out.
"Memories….. and judging by what you have told me Naruto's memories are wide open with the fox being in submission by whatever seal Obito placed on Naruto while you guys were fighting before I felt the need to show up." Sasuke explained.
"So how do I stop it then?" she asked out with tears brewing in her eyes.
"You don't." The Uchiha pointed out as he walked away from the bars and towards his cell bed. "Once you're trapped you're trapped… There is no being saved, slowly your memories are eaten and you become an empty shell living in a fake world that is slowly killing you. The last thing you are said to see is that of red feathers clouding your future." His eyes closed as he dared not open them. This was something he did not think possible as the jutsu seemed like a joke before.
Sakura's heart stopped. Those words like poison stung her and her eyes began to fill to the rim with sorrow and tears. "There… there must be some way.."
Sasuke bit at his lip and frowned. His dark eyes opened and closed and slowly he let his breathing go slack almost. His mind cleared from all other thoughts but one.
Almost instantly he lunged for the bars and stared at the now shocked rosette. "There is one!" he exclaimed.
Sakura stood petrified; his attitude was rather out of his normal character and almost seemed bipolar or even crazed. Yet she threw it aside in hopes.
"You have to find the key." Sasuke blurted out suddenly more interested in this.
"The key?"
Sasuke nodded and pulled from the bars trying to calm himself. "There is always a weak spot in a jutsu. This jutsu like all others has one. There is something in that world that is keeping Naruto stuck because he is missing something. Sort of like a missing puzzle piece."
Sakura began to open her mouth only to close it. "But how do I even find something that is missing when I have no clue what's going on?!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked down. "That I don't know… Perhaps you need to enter into his mind with Ino to figure out what's missing. Because surely there is something that he has forgotten and needs to remember. It could be anything though. It could be a person or even a simple object from his day to day normal life."
The rosette stepped back and shook her head. "I-I can't… No I don't even know where to star-"
"The nine tails.." Sasuke murmured out from under his breath.
Sakura lifted her brows. "What about him?"
The Uchiha felt in that moment like hitting the rosette so hard it wasn't even funny. "Were you even listening to my story…" he grumbled out as he fell back into the darkness. "The nine tails is in remission somehow." Sasuke sighed as he sat on his bed. "perhaps star-"
"The nine tails is fine…."
"What do you mean" Sasuke hissed out.
Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked away. "It is none of your business as to what is up with the nine tails only what is up with Naruto."
Sasuke stared at her in silence. "THAT IS NARUTO AND WAIT… " his eyes twitched as a dim light came from the girls wrist. "That bracelet…."he muttered out
Green eyes shot back at him as the girl began to walk off. "It will have to wait for another time."
"You're shitting me… Sakura what is it. That is no bracelet and you know it, don't you. Naruto and you had-"
"Look… Naruto entrusted it me and I plan to keep it that way"
She quickly walked off only to stop once more. Her teeth bit down on her lips as she began to sigh
"I don't know what they plan to do with you… But I-I can never forgive you for what you have done." She spoke out in solemn. "However.." looking over her shoulder the rosette let out a small grin, "I do wish for a day where we can all stand together as team seven again."
With no regrets or time the girl dashed out of the place in a hurry, leaving the Uchiha man in silence and the dark. He could hear the man known as Sai slowly coming back yet.
Sasuke glanced at the floor all the while stuck in thought, yet gradually it all became clear. That bracelet was more than she led it off to be. A seal…"
Sakura raced out of the prison with tears streaking out of her eyes. Her hair was slowly pulling from its head band, causing her bangs to fly all over her forehead, coveriing her face. With all her might she raced out of there with her eyes hard, she would not let Naruto fall not without a fight. And as she reached the top of the exit stairway, she was met with her friend who was still waiting
The rosette quickly glanced at her friend only to direct her sight to the distance of the village. The sun was slowly falling under the earth leaving the world to bask in vibrant colors.
"We need to go." Sakura hissed out as she walked off without her friend.
Ino stood still for a second as everything was a blur yet she followed her friend with hopes that things were better than they seemed
xXx
Tsunade had quickly come to the room that read those numbers that she had begun to deeply despise. As she reached for the door a nurse bursted out covered in blood with a bowl filled to the top with the red sticky substance that covered that same nurse.
The blond woman stood in horror as she watched the blond man unconsciously lean over the bed vomiting up blood and all that remained in his empty stomach.
Shizune from the side of the bed held the blond back, keeping him from falling out of bed and drowning in his own blood or injuring himself.
"Tsunade what is this!?" The raven haired girl yelled out in horror.
The hokage could not answer. Her eyes were wide with fear. This was something she had never in her years encountered. No medical records ever reported something like this and yet here it was. Finally it was showing it's true color.
"I-I don't know." Was all that graced the silent hectic room.
Chapter end….
Love bloody stories.
Wisekitsune