Masked Koi: Chapter 18. "Found"
By midday, Naruto and Haru had not found Ino. Hope that the girl was still alive was dwindling fast and for Naruto, the girl was almost certainly dead. Temperatures soared into the triple digits and the two felt it. The dark forest during the night was terribly cold and a furnace during the day. They walked, staggering, in the direction of the tower with half a mind to not trip over roots and rocks.
Eventually, the two of them collapsed underneath a tree.
Two miles from his team and Team 8, Neji stopped on a branch to observe the two unconscious boys. He jumped down and shook them awake. "This isn't the place to sleep so carelessly."
Naruto opened his eyes slowly. He wasn't 100% there. Neji took out his canteen of water and let him have some and let Haru have some. After making sure the two wouldn't collapse immediately after starting to get back to jumping over trees, he led them back to where Team Gai and Team 8 were.
But before they reached the camp, Neji warned them. "Unless you want to be part of the alliance between my team and Team 8, you are going to get Ino back and then leave. We don't want to fight you for our scrolls."
"And what if you want ours?" Naruto asked. "If you do, I won't hesitate to fight."
Neji smirked. "Looks like you've gotten your strength back. But, I'll tell my team and Team 8 not to fight you for yours. In exchange, you owe me something."
Naruto raised a brow. "And what could that be?"
"How did Nishiki-sensei die?" Neji asked. "Ko won't tell me a thing besides she died on a mission, and the Hokage says that too. You were her favorite pupil. You've got to know something."
"Neji, this isn't the place to talk about that kind of thing. And, I didn't know that's how she died," Naruto ground out. "I don't know anything."
Neji didn't seem overly satisfied with the answer. His byakugan had been activated the entire time and his mouth only grew into a thinner, grimmer line. When people lie, their heart rate goes up unconsciously. There's nothing they can do about it. With my eyes, I can see it. He just lied to me. But why? Nishiki-sensei dying on a mission already isn't very plausible, highly unlikely, and he surely knows that.
When Naruto and Haru finally arrived at the camp, it was evening. The boys of Team 7 exchanged a look as Ino shared a fire with them.
"It's going to be dark if we go and set up camp elsewhere. We'll just have to spend the night here," Naruto said. "For now, we'll have to set up camp now. We don't need more firewood," Naruto looked at Ino. "Do you have your blanket?"
"No, I gave it to them in exchange for letting me sleep there in the morning," Ino said quietly, looking at the huddle of six other Genin. Team 7 slid a little farther from them. Naruto knew that Hinata must've wanted to want them to team up, but they were already a large group. With Naruto and Haru's chakra reserves, they were basically broadcasting their location if they became a group of nine.
"Here," Naruto said. "I don't need it anyway," Naruto handed Ino his thin and scratchy blanket. It had a hole in the edge and the stitching of the edge was unraveling. Ino's wide eyes stared at him with shock and guilt.
"Naruto-kun, are you sure?" Ino asked.
"I'm sure you were scared when that Ame team took you and impersonated you. It's the least I can do. Night," Naruto lay down on the ground and was quickly asleep.
Haru glared down at Naruto's sleeping form, having a feeling that the snoring sounds from the boy were faked and Naruto only did that so he wouldn't have to stay for night watch. The Uchiha boy gave a long-suffering sigh and jumped into the trees.
"I'll take first watch. Ino, get some rest. We have three days left and I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible," Haru said.
"Yeah. Thanks, Haru," Ino said and laid down next to Naruto to keep warm. Surprisingly, the boy didn't inch away as she suspected he would. He seemed to actually relax a little. She turned over and looked at him. His breathing evened out and he actually looked…calm and peaceful for once. Ino only saw his cold and determined face; that's only what anyone saw. She smiled a little. Being cold doesn't suit him. But it's so ironic that he'd be so tense and cold in Konoha but in a place where we could very well die, he's calm. Well, Naruto-kun is Naruto-kun and he's always been different.
From up above the tree, Haru looked up into the moon. Nii-san, I'm sorry I never thanked you for just being there. But, everyone says you're dead. I can't accept that. I've got to find you, whether you are a corpse or you're walking this earth. I will find you and make it up to you for making you worry. I promise this.
By dawn, Team 7 was up and gone, an hour before the other two Konoha teams left. The three kept walking until they'd found a stream and filled their canteens with water, something the three teens hadn't had since before the Ame nin took Ino. Ino looked at Naruto, still puzzled as to why he'd had a sudden streak of kindness. She didn't mean to say that Naruto was mean (although he could be quite harsh), but it was just so out of character for him.
Ino sighed. "There's a nest of birds over there. I'll bring it over here with my jutsu and once I cancel the jutsu one of you can kill it and cook it," Ino made her familiar seal with the bird in between her hands and she slumped into Haru's arms.
Haru looked up as the bird soared down and waited. Naruto grabbed the bird and Ino awoke once more. She looked at the bird sadly. Naruto slit the bird's throat and wiped his bloody hands on the grass.
Haru gathered wood and Naruto lit a fire. With the bird skewered on a stick, it began to roast over the orange flames. Ino had to look away, feeling badly she'd killed an innocent bird. She jumped up to the nest and handed the boys the eggs. They cracked it open and looked at the yellow yolk and clear egg white and without hesitation, swallowed it. After a moment of remorse, Ino did the same.
With makeshift sharpened stick chopsticks, the three dug into the bird's body. Ino nibbled on a wing while Naruto attacked the slimy looking brain and Haru picked out the stomach.
"You want the liver? It's good," Haru said, holding up the dark red organ.
"N-no," Ino said, repressing a gag. How could these two eat this so nonchalantly?! Brain, liver, stomach…oh Kami they're fighting over the lungs!
"I killed it; I deserve it," Naruto glared at Haru.
"I took night watch while you faked sleeping; I deserve it," Haru glared back.
"I gave up my blanket; I deserve it," Naruto shot back.
Haru's eyes turned a deep red. "Naruto, give me the lungs. Or I won't hesitate…"
"Like I'm intimidated by you," Naruto sneered and his chopsticks dove for the lung.
Ino glared at both of them. "Stop fighting!" Her chopsticks swiped the lungs away and she angrily shoved the lungs into her mouth and chewed before either boy could stop her.
"I-Ino," the two mumbled.
"I have to deal with the two of you; I deserved it!" Ino scowled. Then, she turned a light shade of green and covered her mouth with her hands. I ate it! I ate lung! What's wrong with me?! They've rubbed off on me, haven't they? What's next, I eat intestine or feet?!
Ino swallowed, still angry. To cover up her shock, she stood and thrust her chopsticks to the side. They embedded themselves in a tree and went through it. The two boys gulped and gave twitchy smiles. "H-hey, Ino. A-are you okay?"
"Let's go, idiots," Ino huffed and marched towards the tower. The two exchanged a guilty and fearful look and followed silently and dutifully.
From the monitors and secret cameras hidden in the Forest, Minato, Kakashi, Shisui, Kurenai, and Nori—all the rookie sensei—watched with amusement at Team 7's display. Kakashi eye-smiled at their antics and secretly cherished the moment of seeing his Genin, knowing that there weren't any cameras within a kilometer or two of the tower. They were already very close to that range. He took his book out and began reading. Good luck, you three. No one noticed Haru's eyes.
Later, Naruto held up a hand. There's a team ahead. Ino and Haru nodded, the latter activating his sharingan. Ino readied herself, ready to attack. She tensed.
"They're coming," Haru whispered.
Naruto slipped into a taijutsu stance, his grey eyes watching the area in front of them carefully.
Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!
Naruto just barely dodged the attack. Haru's hands blurred as he weaved signs and a huge fireball exploded in front of the enemy Genin. The fireball died down to reveal a charred log. They scanned the trees and surrounding area to find the real one. There! Ino chucked a kunai up into the trees and nothing happened. Naruto looked around again, his nerves shot and adrenaline coursing through his veins. Every part of him wanted to run, but he made himself stay. He had to get a scroll.
Haru jumped into the trees with a kunai and the clang of clashing kunai rang out. Naruto found another Genin, who was running at him. He back flipped to avoid an exploding kunai and landed on the ground in a crouch. Clones appeared around the red-haired boy and he gripped the hilt of his kunai until his knuckles turned white.
"If it isn't the Hokage's squirt!" a girl laughed before rushing at him and found her kunai matched with his. His eyes were close enough to see each eyelash on her face and the smug smile on her face and she saw the angry look on his.
His clones suddenly puffed away.
She enjoyed the look of shock on his face and pushed harder, making his hand shake with effort. He cried out and pushed back and tripped her. He lost his balance and went on one knee and backed up and a clone appeared next to him. His clone gasped suddenly and puffed away. Naruto's eyes widened and he glared at the girl. He charged for her and she matched each of his attacks blow for blow. He raised his arms up to block her leg from knocking his head off and was sent into a tree. She was on him in a second and had an exploding kunai ready to plunge into his chest and explode, killing him.
"Naruto!" Ino cried out.
Naruto looked around at his surroundings. Ino's voice had sounded muffled. The girl was standing with a smirk and a look that conveyed a message of arrogance. Naruto sent a wave of chakra through his own system and cursed under his breath. It had been a genjutsu and Ino had broken it for him. "Thanks," Naruto muttered to Ino, who nodded and watched as Naruto raced towards her again.
He engaged her in a taijutsu bout. His arm was coming towards her neck, which she caught and Naruto kicked her knee as hard as he could. He grinned, satisfied when he heard a loud crack. She suddenly tightened her grip on Naruto's arm until he screamed in pain.
He managed to make her let go of him and looked at Haru, who had a gash on his side and stood in front of Ino, who was struggling to get a good angle to take over the other Genin's mind.
"Your focus should be on me!" the girl cried out and even on a broken leg raced towards him. Naruto summoned a clone into existence and used a combination jutsu to try to burn her. She emerged from the flames, tamping out her burning clothing. Her mouth was tugged in a shape of anger and water was sent flying his way. Naruto jumped out of the way, cringing. His arm was broken and straining himself more to make a clone pushed his pain tolerance over the limit. He breathed shallowly, his vision growing darker.
He saw the girl coming towards him again and he backed up against a tree. With his good arm, he took out wire and kunai and hastily began setting up a trap. He cut the wire with his kunai and exploding kunai and shuriken were flying towards her. He threw a smoke bomb and dove into the smoke.
Haru saw an opening and took it and his kunai slit the other Genin's throat. He looked up, deactivating his sharingan, and low on chakra. He panted and collapsed on his butt. "Naruto!" Ino peered into the smoke, but to no avail. The forest had grown eerily silent.
The smoke finally cleared to reveal a figure standing with the scroll. Haru stood shakily, his eyes wide. "No…" It just so happened that Naruto was the one in possession their scroll.
Haru raced towards the figure, kunai in hand. With a battle cry, he brought the kunai down, only for a bare arm to take the hit. Haru pulled the kunai down and ripped open a gash deep enough to see bone. The figure collapsed and the smoke cleared.
"Naruto-kun!" Ino cried out, running towards the two boys. Haru dropped to his knees and gritted his teeth.
"Haru, you idiot!" Ino screamed and picked up Naruto from the ground. One of his arms was twisted at a strange angle and the other arm was bloody with a gash from Haru's mistaken attack. On the ground was the last Genin from the team that they'd encountered. In Naruto's other hand was their scroll, an Earth scroll to match their Heaven scroll.
Following Ino was a winded Haru and by late afternoon, they found a cave and Ino made Haru find water for Naruto's wound. Ino looked at the boy and saw senbon embedded in his chest, something she didn't think he even noticed. She took them out and felt ominous chakra infused in them. She yelped and threw them on the ground, away from the two members of Team 7.
A few minutes later, Haru came back with water. After sending him a dirty look, Ino wrung out a cloth she'd ripped from the hem of her shirt and soaked and placed it on Naruto's arm to replace the other one she'd used to simply stop the bleeding earlier.
Naruto awoke after a rather painful jolt when his arm was set with a few very straight twigs. Next to him, Haru napped. He looked at Ino wearily before rubbing his eyes with his good arm and sitting up. He noticed his lack of shirt and looked at the girl with confusion.
"You had senbon in your chest. I took it out and washed your shirt. It's drying on a rock over there," Ino said quietly and pointed.
"Thanks," Naruto said. "After I kick Haru's ass, we're heading to the tower. We have both scrolls after all."
Naruto turned to Haru's sleeping form and kicked his leg a few times. "Hey, asshole. Let's get going."
"Mmhhhhh…" Haru mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "What day is it?"
"The third one. We've got the rest of today and another day to get to the tower. You want to get to the tower and leave this Kami forsaken forest, don't you?" Naruto put his hands on his hips.
"Is your arm okay?" Haru asked. "It looked broken."
Naruto glanced at it. "It's fine."
"Already!?" Haru and Ino cried, their eyes wide. Naruto nodded. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?" The two shook their head.
"Well then, let's get moving," Naruto said and stepped into the sunlight to get his shirt. He donned it and watched as Ino and Haru quickly rolled up their blankets and began to follow Naruto's lead.
There was a haze, but Konoha was always strange. Through black eyes, images were processed, but it wasn't of sand dunes; it was of leaves that swirled everywhere and of doors. With a hand, the doorknob was turned but it wasn't earthen; it was metal and strange. Right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left. What was that again? No, prioritize. What purpose have you walked on the leaves and left the uneven sand dunes and looked upon what you see?
Ah, there it is.
Two hands gripped years and years of importance and it melted in two hands, leaves covered in sand, memories in the quicksand and scattered by fiery winds. Two hands gripped and gripped but there was something holding it back. Confused, hazy, taken advantage of—an escapee of death—eyes looked upon what was seen. Seals laughed with their markings and intricacy and their nails dug into the millennia and held back the important years. Not to say that the now wasn't important, but the then could be said as more important. Could, you see. The universal power that the hands held literally in their palms and could manipulate everything from a simple leaf to a gust of wind to the memories within the grey to the perception of time itself. It depended on the grey and its intricacy and how many seals laughed.
But for the hands, they spanned two 'lifetimes', had tea and teacakes and danced with death, were scarred beyond recognition right beneath the pale skin that wasn't used to having no sand and less heat but so used to seeing nothing but leaves and no sand to find between toes and in clothes that were just washed, held faces and other hands and hearts and everything else lost in the grey, lost in the sand, lost in the other lifetime. Everything was. From photos to laughs, to disciple, to love. Yet love was so close yet so far.
Prioritize.
The hands moved with the universal power and the seals no longer laughed. The hands gripped the years and years of then importance and white masks suddenly glared down with quiet fury and when the haze of being used but was going to take the bullet for the white sheep with black eyes in a flock of white sheep with black eyes without knowing that the hands themselves were born from leaves and lightning and clouds during a time when blood replaced the water in rivers and children grew up without parents because tensions between things the children couldn't change or even begin to comprehend had grown from lukewarm to subzero to thousands and thousands of angry, blood-boiling degrees.
Ah, yes, the hands had been a part of making blood-boil, but it was of no fault of its own. It had yet to realize the truth that could end up shattering the recent, the now years, and send waves of panic because the hands have nothing to do with black sheep with green eyes. But the black sheep with green eyes and silver sheep with black eyes and the fiery winds and misty clouds and rainy rocks certainly believed it. So did the hands.
But, please, confess. Confess to your crimes! What, living? Living, my heart beating, is of no fault to me. It is of fault to the leaf that swirled in the black market and hid behind a failure and tainted reputation of three simple syllables and found, hidden in the clouds, a beautiful lightning bolt. It is of fault to the leaf that did not feel the need to divulge such information before uprooting four lives after fire claimed the one before! Do not blame me! Do not blame me because that is in the other lifetime! This is the second one.
But, please, understand. Understand your crimes! Understand that if you have two coins and use both to pay for tea and teacakes and a dance, you can't just say that only half of you did that—eating and dancing and drinking! You have to say that you committed those acts because the other half of you is still you even if you only acknowledge the half you can see before you go blind to the scars and love and other people and hearts and rivers of blood and tainted reputations and everything else that you seem to not like because you're selfish! You can't choose which events you want in the future and which you don't. Life doesn't work that way.
Funny you say that because death works that way.
Silence reigned over and all the nose and hands could process was a stench and stickiness of the cold walls. Faint screams echoed in the pitch black place after the masks had grabbed the leaves covered in sand, the hands that shook hands with death and ate in his realm. Don't hurt me! Please! Those screams became so frequent that it became countless. Despite the fact that there was no reason to fear (there was every reason to fear because the black sheep with green eyes that ran their hooves into the exposed, emaciated stomachs and pride of the sheep that were red, are watching and waiting and waiting for you to die, once and for all, even if they don't realize you carry the life they'd killed) the cold walls seemed to get closer and the stickiness suddenly seemed disgusting and there was bread on the floor that probably had more green splotches than fluffy bread substance had and not even a mouse dared squeak and the silence became screams of blood-curdling terror.
He's coming. At least, that's what his cold, calculating feet sang. His feet sang for his head that had too many burns and unsanitary metal screws shoved in to it and other torture inflicted on it, making it so that the scalp never saw a hair to prevent sunburns and making it so that the scalp could never, ever speak except for when it screamed when it saw the light of day and Genin and spoke of sadism. And a grin.
The hands backed up, a bead of sweat running down the leaves soaked in sand, and a gulp was the only sound the ears processed except for the loud banging of a heartbeat. That's good, death said. Good. The second lifetime is working in exchange for casting the grey's leaflets of twenty-two years of importance into the sand. Good, good, good.
There was no more right, left, right, left, right, left. It was simply shake. The knees seemed to slit their wrists and the door, a different one, made of metal swung and the chakra-suppressed wrists felt cold. Mute scalp looked down and its hands grabbed the cold wrists roughly and in a de-humanizing manner, the body of two lifetimes was dragged and dragged in the pitch black darkness.
"Do you want to incite war!? What you stole was a village secret! How did you know what the passcode was? Is there a mole you're contacting? How did you get past the ANBU guards?"
There were more questions. But Nori felt sick and her head hurt and her mind felt funny and she couldn't shake off the feeling of someone else's chakra within her own chakra, but she knew that there was only her chakra within her body.
Only me, only me. There is only me because I'm Nori. I live in Suna and I think I'm in my twenties. I have a Genin team, three people I might dare consider the only family I might have. I came to Suna six years ago, almost seven, and managed to get a Jounin status. I have no memories except for the ones I have seen, through the eyes of Nori. I have no memories. If I have family, they must think I'm dead. I…I have no one.
Nori wanted to hold herself but she was bound to a chair and tears streamed down her face in the sudden realization of terror because she was so alone with nothing. It was then that someone had to call Shisui because Nori's eyes turned a deep shade of red with a single tomoe spinning into it.
I am left alone. They must fear me… I am left alone with my tears and this chair. Hello, isu-san. My name is Nori. What is your hobby? Well, my hobby is thinking. About what, you ask? Well, I like to think about things that make me not think about how alone I am and how dead on the inside I am and how I've been thrown into this room and people fled because they're scared. But I understand. A frightened woman in a strange place with no memories, a Jounin without Genin or Chuunin status prior, must be frightening. There was a thing called sleeper agent, you know. Maybe this is the beginning to my purpose, the ability to see chakra. Nori the sleeper agent. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it, isu-san?
"Congratulations," Iruka said. "On passing the Second Phase of the Chuunin Exams."
Naruto nodded and lay back onto the cold ground, a few beads of sweat being absorbed into the fabric of his shirt. Iruka talked some more and Naruto had absolutely no desire to hear it. It was grating on the ears.
"Well, you three finished a day earlier than the time limit, so you can just wait in the tower. There's no showers, but there are chairs you can sit on or something," Iruka said. The three were already heading towards another part of the tower to simply rest.
Naruto, Haru, and Ino leaned against the wall and occasionally chucked shuriken at the wall, feeling as if each second was longer than it usually was. Naruto threw another shuriken. Bull's eye. In hindsight, he thought, it felt as if time in the forest passed in a blur and then here it's as if each second is a day. It'll take 1,440 days, or about four years.
When the sun set and rose again, Naruto saw a few familiar faces. Team Kurenai, Team Gai, Team Shisui, and two other foreign teams. Naruto felt the niggling feeling of other people in the shadows, but it was probably the Jounin sensei. Naruto glanced over and saw something that might've been a face, and might've been a smile. He turned back to his competitors.
"Aki!" Haru cried out and ran over. Naruto watched in a mixture of surprise and almost horror as the two seemingly identical boys embraced.
"I remembered something," Haru said.
"Me too," Aki said. Tears welled up in both boys' eyes, but both of them refused to cry. Naruto closed his eyes, still feeling the rush of adrenaline and fear. He massaged his legs, tense from being tensed up all the time and ready to run all the time. He let out a long sigh. I want to wash up and eat and sleep forever…
Aki showed Haru his eyes, how they could turn a deep shade of red with a single tomoe, as did Haru and exchanged memories of the brave Uchiha Itachi and from Aki's memory, of their training together. The two exchanged jutsu and Haru felt a wave of nostalgia and his hands seemed to move on his own.
The two finally stood side by side, seemingly able to speak without words. Just when can we go home? The two gave a puzzled look. Home?
"Congratulations on coming out of the Forest of Death alive!" the Yondaime Hokage suddenly appeared with the sensei of the teams behind him with his signature smile. "Ah, this is interesting. All the Konoha rookie Genin teams have passed, along with the Suna Genin rookie team and a Kumogakure team."
Naruto tried not to hear him. He looked at the sensei and other Chuunin and Jounin around the Hokage. It seemed a little empty.
After explaining what the true purpose of the Chuunin Exams were, an electric bulletin board blinked and then names flashed by. The Genin watched as it suddenly stopped to settle on two names.
"First preliminary match: Namikaze Naruto vs. Nigiri Fuku," Anko read off. "Step forward. The rest of you, go to the second floor."