Chapter 61: Jailbreak
Three weeks later
"Good morning Izuka . . ." said a woman as she slowly entered the captive's room. The Sage of the Sixth Paths looked up from her thin pillow to see the woman approaching her bed. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail that went all the way to her waist. She was dressed in a simple black outfit under a white lab coat. Her square glasses were perched halfway up her thin nose, which, coupled with the beginnings of wrinkles on her 40-something face, gave her the look of a strict librarian. "I hope you are feeling well today because we have a lot of things to get done."
"What else is there to get done?" Izuka asked in a slightly hoarse whisper as she looked down at the floor. "Haven't you people done enough to me already?"
"Not quite . . . You have a strong spirit Izuka. I'll give you that, but it must be broken," said the woman as she knelt down so that they could be on the same eye level. "We need your full compliance in order for Amegakure to be the successful nation we know it can be. The Five Great Shinobi Nations look down on our country, as if we're not their equals. Those nations need to learn their lesson. They need to see the error of their ways, and you, my dear, can help us with that tremendously."
"I can help you with that . . ." Izuka mumbled with a vacant look in her eye, sarcasm lacing her tone as she blankly looked at the woman. "We both know that the only reason you need my 'help' is in order to use the power of the eight tailed beasts sealed inside of me in order to have the upper hand against the Five Great Shinobi Nations. We both know that you're trying to break me in order to make it easier to control me so that you people could control the tailed beasts through me."
"Yes, that is true . . ." said the woman as she let out a knowing chuckle. "However, what have you done to stop this hmm?"
Izuka opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She knew that the woman was making a point that she couldn't really refute.
"Hmm, I see you have no answer for my question Izuka. It's understandable," said the woman as she shook her head. "You were such a fighter when you were first brought here. You had such a stubbornness to yourself that we and my fellow personnel predicted that you would be a tough cookie to crack. And you have proven our predictions correct. You were brought here months ago, and you are still fighting now, but . . . barely."
"Barely huh . . ." mumbled Izuka as she shook her head. "I haven't really noticed . . ."
"But I have Izuka . . ." said the woman as a smile appeared on her face. "Over the weeks, that fight, that willpower you have has been slowly diminishing. It has slowly been dying away. You've become more and more compliant with the program. I have seen your progress. I have seen your results. Soon, you will join us. You will join Amegakure, and you will be happy you switched allegiances."
"You sound so confident . . ." said Izuka as she slowly shook her head. "It's almost sickening. Do you really think that I will join you people willingly? That I would actually betray the Five Great Nations to join with Amegakure? You must be crazy. I will never do that. I will never betray my friends and family."
"You may be saying this, but you are not saying it with any conviction. There's no meaning behind your words," said the woman as her face turned mocking. "Your words are too hollow, too forced. You sound like you don't even believe in the words you are speaking right now."
"That is not true . . ." grumbled Izuka.
"But it is . . ." said the woman as she shook her head and stood up to her full height. "And soon, you will see the error of your words."
Izuka watched as the woman turned and went back to the door. Once she was gone and the door was closed shut, Izuka turned to look up at the ceiling, her thoughts distant as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Things aren't going to get easier at this rate . . ." mumbled the Lady Sage as she shook her head. "Not at all . . ."
You have to stay strong Izuka. You cannot give up now. If you break, then it could mean the end of the Five Great Shinobi Nations as we know it. Amegakure cannot gain the ability to control you. If they control you, then they'll be able to control me, my brothers, and my sisters.
"I know Ryuna . . ." mumbled Izuka as she shook her head. "It just gets really tiring after a while."
I know it's tiring, but you can't let the fatigue get to you. It's just another challenge I know that you can overcome.
"It's nice to know you have so much faith in me Ryuna." said Izuka as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
It's not just Ryuna that has a lot of faith in you Izuka. We all have faith that you can get through this . . . Although, I'm not so sure about Shukaku . . .
Shut up Chomei!
C'mon, we all know that you are not the most . . . supportive tailed beast among the group. Hell, even Kurama is more supportive with his jinchuriki now than you are with Izuka here.
You just had to bring Kurama's name into this . . .
C'mon Shukaku. Chomei does make a good point . . .
I seriously hate you right now Kokuo . . . I really do.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
"Explosions . . ." mumbled Izuka when she realized that the sounds of explosions came from somewhere within the compound. "Judging from the sound of them, they're close and definitely high level . . . obviously meant to do a lot of damage."
Maybe we're finally being rescued!
"It's possible Matatabi . . ." mumbled Izuka as she slowly got up into a sitting position. She listened in as the sounds of footsteps approached the door, coupled with the sounds of people shouting to guard her door and to protect it at all costs. More footsteps soon followed before the sounds of metal hitting metal rang in her eardrums. Izuka slowly got up on her feet, being shaky the entire way as she used the wall for support.
"What's going on out there?" mumbled the Lady Sage as the sounds of a battle continue to echo into her room from somewhere in the hallway. The sounds of yelling metal hitting metal, and metal hitting flesh continued for about the next 20 minutes before finally ceasing. Izuka tried to listen in on the whispers going on directly outside her door, but wasn't able to make out a single word as she sat back down on the bed, her body way too strained to stay upright for long. As soon as she heard her door start to open up, she slowly looked up to see a familiar face, one she hadn't seen in months.
"It's nice to see you again Izuka . . ." said the face pained man as he adjusted the hat on his head that was oddly shaped like a cat's ears. "It's been too long."
"Months actually . . ." said Izuka as a small smile came across her face. "It's good to see you again Kankuro."
"Now that the pleasantries have been exchanged, let's get a move on shall we?" Kankuro asked her as the Lady Sage managed to stand up again. "It's time to bust you out of here."
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