"Man, I feel better about that. But I hope Baa-chan can stop whatever's wrong before it gets worse." Naruto said to himself as he walked down the street away from Tenten's place, fresh kunais in his pouch now.
"Tenten's right, I need to see a doctor for this. This is not right. Nightmares, hallucinations, bad attitude, and blood? All at random times? I need this problem fixed, even if I got to be in that damn hospital again. I'd rather that than hurting my friends again like Tenten."
He then held up his right hand and looked at it, begrudgingly remembering earlier that morning and the dream he had just before he woke up.
-Flashback-
"Tell us your name." The voice over the intercom said.
Naruto did not answer, he would not play their game. They had stripped him of clothing and thrown him into the white room with the horrible bright lights. He had to keep his eyes shut every time out of fear of going blind.
"Tell us your name." The voice repeated.
"Go fuck yourselves." Naruto spat
There was a moment of silence and suddenly the earsplitting noise filled the room.
"ARRRGHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he pressed his hands tightly against his ears, trying to block out that noise but failing to do so, he could still hear it. It was awful, he could feel the vibrations from the noise in even his teeth.
The blonde fell from the chair he had been sitting in, flopping on the floor like a fish being forced to breath air. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the noise finally stopped.
Naruto lay on the ground for a moment, and then he finally withdrew his hands from his ears and-
He felt something wet in his hands.
He took that single moment to open his eyes and he saw small speck of blood on his palms. His ears were bleeding.
"Tell us your name." The voice said.
"U… U… Uzumaki Naruto."
Then the noise started again.
Naruto sat up from his futon the very second his frog alarm clock started to ring. He sat there for a moment with a dull glazed look on his eyes and then he slammed his hand down on the alarm, silencing it.
"Oh Kami… what a terrible dream." He said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When he withdrew his hand something caught his attention.
On the palms of both his hands were dark red stains, stains that closely resembled blood.
Naruto's breath hitched for a moment when he saw the blood. He instantly reached for his ears, remembering the dream. He poked and scratched at them with his nails for a second, but upon withdrawing them he saw no dried blood.
"What the hell is going on?" He said, his voice nervous.
He threw the covers off of him and then ran straight to the bathroom. He turned the sink on HOT, grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth, and began to rub and scrub his hands. He stood there at his sink for a good eight minutes, simply scrubbing, rinsing, and scrubbing again. The stains were gone before then, but after that he acted more like he was trying to wash away the memory of ever having them there to begin with.
Finally when he felt satisfied he dried his hands off and he then looked at himself in the mirror.
He seemed fine. The healthy pink color had come back to his skin, the lines from his eyes had vanished, even the sheen had returned to his hair. But there was something different, he just could not yet see it, although he was sure it was there.
Of course, ever since the dream of the other him coming out of the mirror, he had made sure to check his reflection every morning.
"Okay." Naruto said turning away from the mirror. "I need to go apologize to Tenten. I just hope she's not going to use me for target practice today." He said as he left the bathroom to get dressed.
-End Flashback-
Naruto took a deep breath and headed towards the Hokage Tower. "Please, let this be curable."
A Hyuuga servant, who had gone to awaken Hinata, found the Hyuuga Heiress laying on floor of her bedroom, her temperature high and her pulse low.
That had been two hours ago.
Now, a dozen members of the Main House family stood outside the closed door to Hinata's bedroom, their ears pressed against it trying to listen in on what was happening inside. They could not use their byakugan because special jutsus had been used to block out any unwanted viewers.
Hinata lay on her bed, propped up by pillows while a clan doctor tested her pulse rate and used his own byakugan to check her chakra flow.
Beside the doctor and Hinata, the only other people in the room were Hiashi, Neji and Hanabi. Hiashi stared down at his bedridden daughter with a disapproving look, Neji stood next to his uncle like a loyal personal guard, and Hanabi was on the other side of Hinata's bed, holding her older sisters hand tightly.
"Well?" Hiashi said with a tone of impatience. "What is wrong with her?"
The doctor deactivated his byakugan and stood up. "From what I can tell, nothing serious. It is probably just the day flu, the symptoms are all there."
"No one else has been sick though." Hiashi said, sounding like that type of person who thought they knew better than an actual doctor.
"These viruses can appear very suddenly. Personally it is good for the body, builds up the immunity so they're more resistant next time."
"If she was not already so weak she would not have gotten sick to begin with." Hiashi said coldly. He then turned away. "Thank you for your time doctor, you are dismissed."
The doctor bowed and then shuffled out of the room.
Hiashi then looked at Hanabi. "Look after your sister until she awakens. Neji, come with me." He then walked out of the room and Neji followed close behind.
As they exited the room, the clansmen immediately bowed to Hiashi and then moved along, making it seem like they had only been there for a moment. If the head of the clan thought anything of it, his lack of action showed he didn't think it worthy of reacting to.
Hiashi walked down the corridor with a slow regal grace, while Neji made sure to stay several steps behind, knowing that as a branch member he was not allowed to walk with or ahead of a main member.
"Neji, where was Hinata yesterday?" Hiashi finally asked.
The Hyuuga genius answered immediately. "She was with Uzumaki Naruto, Hiashi-sama."
"Why?"
"She was looking after him, per Hokage-sama's, as he was ill after his return from his previous mission."
"Then this explains how Hinata herself has become sick. Neji, if I teach you anything that you hold onto let it be this, Uzumaki Naruto is nothing but trouble, and he brings trouble wherever he goes."
"He is of good nature Hiashi-sama, and other then his usual pranks I have never known him to cause any serious trouble. In the past my own discord towards him was simply part of my discord towards everyone, not for any personal reason towards him. And since then I have never had a personal reason to be uncouth to him."
"It is not so much as the trouble he has caused, it is instead what he could cause. Despite his appearance and personality, that boy is capable of much more then he lets on."
Neji nodded. "I know that well sir. But I do not suspect it is something harmful he intends."
"Neji, I am giving you this task. Whenever Hinata goes to visit with Naruto I want you to observe from a distance what goes on between them. And then report back to me."
Neji was silent for a moment, and then nodded. "As you command Hiashi-sama."
Hiashi smiled. "As always Neji, I knew I could rely on you."
But before Hiashi could dismiss him, Neji had more to add. "But for the record, I will not do anything that interferes in her own assignment from Hokage-sama."
"And if I say otherwise?" Hiashi inquired.
Neji frowned a bit, not liking the implication. "Then you are basically ordering me to commit insubordination against the leader of Konoha, an authority higher than your own. While I am a Hyuuga, I am also a Konoha ninja as well and will not commit treason to our hokage."
Hiashi let this sink in, though he didn't look all that satisfied with it. "Very well. Just do your job." He then walked away saying no more.
They were dancing together, a splendid elegant dance. Her head was resting on his shoulder.
And all around them, the village burned. The orange and red flames provided their light, the screams of the people as they burned was their music, and the blood that coated them was their formal wear.
"You're so beautiful in this light." Naruto said as he gently stroked her check.
"Mmm are you saying I am not always beautiful?" Hinata asked as she ran her finger down his blood soaked chest, bringing her finger away and licking the crimson liquid from it.
"Of course not, you're my Hime. And I have a present just for you." He said sweetly, placing the kunai still stained with blood in her hands. He then vanished into the darkness, and then reappeared with a struggling form, one bound, gagged, and stripped bare.
Hinata smirked cruelly, with total malice and contempt her eyes. "Well this is a wonderful gift." She said, sounding like a little girl who had just been presented a pony for her birthday.
She lifted the struggling captive up and ran the kunai down their cheek. "Well, time to die." She said as she lifted the blade up and brought it down right between the eyes of-
"HANABI!" Hinata screamed as she sat up in her bed, awakening from the… nightmare?
"Onee-san?" Hanabi said with confusion, slightly startled when her sister has just suddenly awakened shouting her name.
Hinata looked at the younger Hyuuga and immediately hugged her tightly, then quickly patted her sister down, looking at her as if to make sure nothing had happened. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Hinata demanded, squeezing Hanabi's shoulders so tightly that the girl winced in pain.
"Yes, yes I am fine. Are you alright though?"
"I… I…" Suddenly Hinata placed her hand over mouth, she could feel something trying to force its way out of her throat.
Hanabi instantly grabbed a wastebasket and handed it to Hinata, who grabbed it away and then promptly vomited into it. As the disgusting bile exited her mouth for a single moment, Hinata thought she could taste cinnamon. When she finally emptied her stomach, Hinata set the wastebasket down next to her bed and leaned back against her pillows feeling drained.
"Onee-san, can I get you anything?" Hanabi asked, eager to help her older sister in any way.
"Water… please." Hinata asked, wanting to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth.
"Of course." Hanabi said as she stood up and left the room to get her sister a drink.
Hinata watched her go. 'How could I have such a dream? How could I have even dared to think about hurting Hanabi?' She asked herself.
"Because she has taken what was rightfully mine."
"She is father's favorite."
"She is going to be the next clan head instead of me."
"She does not deserve it. I've had to work twice as hard… she should just-"
"NO!" Hinata cried softly as she shut her eyes to these alien thoughts that entered her mind.
She would admit, that she was often jealous of Hanabi. Her skills just seemed to come to her so naturally, whereas Hinata had to train harder than anyone else on her team in order to get as good as she got. But she had always been proud of Hanabi being able to do so well.
A memory then flashed in her mind, the memory of when Hanabi had defeated her in a sparring match in front of their father. That disapproving look on his face at the sight of his oldest daughter brought down by a mere child.
How she hated that cold look on his face. He thought he was so high and mighty he could just look down on everyone else. Even family. Especially family. Hinata's hands clenched into fists as she gripped her bed sheet. How she wanted to just once have him grovel before her, press his face down in the dirt and then-
"Onee-san?" Hanabi said as she reentered the room with a glass of water
Hinata immediately came out of the dark thoughts. "Huh? Oh thank you." She said kindly as she took the offered glass and greedily drank the liquid, feeling slightly better when she emptied it. "What happened exactly?" She asked, not remembering much from last night, save her other disturbing dream.
"A servant found you on the floor. You had a temperature and your pulse was so low." Hanabi said as she took her sisters hand and held it tightly. "I thought something terrible might have happened to you."
Hinata was truly touched by Hanabi's concern. 'See, why would I ever hurt her?' She thought to herself as she smiled inwardly. 'She loves me and I... love her.' Right then, for some reason, she had to make herself finish that thought.
"Thank you Hanabi, I'm alright now though, I am sure it is just a 24 hour bug." She said with a smile. And then she suddenly realized. "Naruto-kun! I have to go check on Naruto-kun!" She instantly threw off her sheets and tried to climb out of her bed only to be pushed back down by Hanabi.
"Onee-san you're not going anywhere. You're sick and need to stay in bed." Hanabi said sternly.
"B… but I need to go check on Naruto-kun. I made a promise that I would." She said as she tried to sit up again, but found that this time she did not have the strength.
Hanabi stared at her sister, then took a moment to think. After a moment she nodded. "Alright, if you promise to stay here in bed… then I will go get him for you."
"You... you would do that?" The younger sister nodded. "Do you even know how to find him?"
"Of course. I learned where he lives and what he looks like in case I ever had to find him for you."
Hinata smiled. "Thanks imouto-chan."
"Now get your rest and I'll try to sneak him in here before Otou-san sees anything." Hanabi said with a smirk, thinking it might be fun to try and sneak something past her father.
Tsunade was in a word surprised.
Naruto has actually come into the Hokage Tower, requested a time to see her, and waited patiently. This was unlike his normal behavior of just barging into the room unannounced.
What was even more surprising was the way he acted when he actually came in. Tsunade had been expecting a usual 'What's up Baa-chan?' But instead, what she got was a respectful bow from Naruto and a "Good morning Hokage-sama."
That was where Tsunade drew the line. She immediately got up from her desk and felt Naruto's forehead. "Hmm... no fever so you're not delusional." She then checked the top of his head for any kind of lump. "And no knocks to the skull, so no brain damage." She then looked at him with a type of motherly concern. "Naruto what is wrong?"
"I… I just need to talk to you please… as both my Hokage and my doctor." He said solemnly.
"Of course." Tsunade told him, then took her place back behind her desk and he sat down in a chair. "Tell me what is wrong. You're not acting like yourself this morning."
"No, no I am not. In fact I was not acting like myself at all yesterday." Naruto said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I yelled at Tenten yesterday."
"You yelled at her?"
"I… I called her bitch. For no reason at all." Naruto said as he placed his head into hands.
"YOU DID WHAT?" Tsunade said, completely taken aback by such an action.
"I don't know what came over me, my head was pounding and it was like… it was like someone else was speaking through my mouth and I could not stop it." Naruto said, but he didn't look up at Tsunade.
"What conversation led to this… headache?" Tsunade asked
"It's stupid."
"I will be the judge of that."
Naruto lifted his head out of his hands and looked at Tsunade. "It… it was about the fact that all of my friends are now chūnin and I am still a genin."
Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair, taking a moment to think. "Naruto, it is not uncommon for people who have gone through an ordeal such as yours to suffer from outbursts of emotion. I knew several people from the last great Ninja War who would suddenly snap at the smallest of issues, like they ran out of their favorite ice-cream or suddenly broke a door."
Naruto muttered something in agreement.
"I assumed that you apologized to Tenten?" Tsunade asked.
Naruto gave a small and brief smile. "I bought eight kunai as part of the deal."
"I'm going to assume that means yes and she's not going to be angry for long. That's good. Now, as for your rank, I want you to know that I've been waiting to give you a promotion. You do seem to have most of the traits required for a chuunin and a field promotion would not be impossible. I couldn't give you one earlier because a training trip doesn't qualify on it's own. I needed to see you actually use your skills properly."
"So, what's the verdict?" Naruto asked.
"I have to deliberate with the council on this. This is just a standard procedure done to ensure that field promotions are not given out left and right."
Naruto looked nervous. "But-"
"Yes Naruto, there will be some opposition towards you." Tsunade said with a light nod of acknowledgement. "But I can promise you that it will not be overwhelming and I will not let anyone deny you a promotion based purely on one single fact. I can't promise you the promotion is a guarantee, but I will try for it and if things go well, you could be a chuunin by the end of the day."
Naruto smiled. "Really?"
"Yes, but remember I can't guarantee anything. But for now, go home and relax. You're still not ready to train back at your normal pace."
"I think I'm fine Baa-chan."
"Even so, until Hinata says otherwise you will stick to what I told you. Now go and don't get into trouble." The slug sannin told him. "Oh, before you go, how are things between you and Hinata? You getting along?"
Naruto smiled proudly and nodded. "We're getting along very nicely. At least one good thing came out of all this, and I think Hinata-chan likes this too."
"Good, now go do what else you had planned. Just don't yell at anyone else if you can help it." She told him.
Naruto left the office then the tower, eagerly thinking about what Tsunade had said. "I could become a chuunin by the end of the day." He said with a smile, thinking about how cool he would look in one of those jackets. As he walked down the street he passed by a thrift store and could see in the window a green jacket. He passed to look at it for a moment. "Hmm... if I took the sleeves off that it could show me what I'll look like wearing a chuunin vest." He thought it over then shook his head. "Naw, I'll wait for the real thing."
"Excuse me." An unknown girl's voice called to him from behind.
Looking in the reflection of the window, Naruto saw a young girl around Konohamaru's age with flat brown hair standing behind him. He turned and now could see she had a byakugan. "Yes?"
"You are Uzumaki Naruto right?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'm Hinata's sister Hyuuga Hanabi. She's not feeling too well right now and would like to see you."
"Of course. But am I even allowed at your house?" Naruto asked.
"My father just left so now's your best chance. Follow me." Hanabi said before leading him to the Hyuuga compound.
Hinata laid in her bed, drifting in and out of a half-awake and half-asleep realm.
She was rather afraid to go back asleep, at the idea that she might have another nightmare. But her body just felt so tired, it was hard to resist the urge of its call.
Hinata found herself floating in a pitch black void. Somehow she could see herself, but nothing else. And she was completely naked and more than a bit cold.
On reflex Hinata curled up and covered herself, both to avoid exposing herself and to keep herself warm. "Where... where am I?"
Suddenly a fist shot out of the darkness, the person attached to it unseen past the forearm, and it struck her in the forehead. She shrieked qucikly in pain and tumbled backwards, and despite the lack of a ground, felt like she hit a floor.
"What the...?" She asked.
"You disgust me." Hiashi's voice was heard, making Hinata's eyes widen.
Then a second shot shot out, striking her in the left shoulder and making her fly back again. "Failure. Failure. Failure!" This time it was Neji's voice.
"Stop!" Hinata shouted.
A third fist now hit her left breast hard. "You're pathetic compared to me. Compared to everyone else. You're the postergirl of pathetic." That was Hanabi's voice.
"Please stop!" Hinata pleaded, crying, feeling so helpless.
From there the assault just continued.
Kiba's voice came with a punch to her right shoulder. "Even with your body you're undesirable."
Shino's voice came with a punch to the top of her spine. "You're the weak link in our unit."
Kurenai's voice came with a punch to her stomach. "You've been a complete waste of my time."
Sakura's voice came with a punch to her right breast. "I'm the model kunoichi. You're nothing but an eyesore."
Then she got a slap across her face, hitting her left cheek then her right. "I never should have had you."
Now Hinata opened her eyes, which were already teared up. "O-Okaa-san? No, not you too?"
Another double slap, followed by a kick to her groin. "Don't call me that. My daughter would make me proud, not roll over in my grave. I should do the Hyuuga a favor and make you infertile."
Hinata covered her ears. "SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE THIS STOP!"
It looked like every fist was about to hit each target again, this time all at once. She couldn't see it with her eyes closed, but somehow she just knew that was going to happen. But all of a sudden there was a whirl of wind and screams of pain, but this time it wasn't Hinata yelling.
She opened her eyes and saw severed arms floating all around her before they fell down and faded into darkness. Blood spilled remained longer and fell slower, looking eerily like blood-red sakura petals. But what really had her attention was Naruto holding a kunai.
"You okay Hime?" He asked.
She nodded but didn't stop crying. "Na-Naruto-kun? Are you here to... to...?"
He then hugged her. "As long as you're with me, you're safe. Never forget that."
"So we'll kill you then be free to torment her all we want." A voice Hinata didn't recognize stated. She looked around and before she could see anything, Naruto's head was chopped off, blood gushing from his neck wound like a fountain.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed bloody murder, literally.
"Too bad you were too incompetent to do anything about this spoiled Hyuuga princess. Now we're free to do as we please." That same voice said, then the faces of all her previous assailants emerged from the darkness, grinning maliciously, before they started pummeling her all at once with both arms, severed ones somehow reattached.
Hinata opened her eyes and bolted upright, looking like she was silently screaming. She panted and struggled to calm her frantic heartbeat, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone's arms touch her own.
"Hinata-chan! It's okay, it was just a nightmare. You're safe now and nothing can hurt you."
Quivering, she turned her head and saw Naruto's face. Acting on instinct, she planted her face in his chest and held onto him tightly, trying to calm down.
"Hinata-chan, is something wrong?"
She shook her head. 'Nothing's wrong. Naruto-kun is here and he's not leaving me. And I'm not leaving him. Ever.'
In the meeting chamber of the Konoha Council, filled with only the shinobi side and devoid of the civilian side, what was meant to be a simple formality was becoming a major debate.
"Make Uzumaki Naruto a chuunin?" Utatane Koharu said as if the idea was completely foreign.
"Yes, he meets all the requirements. He has had sufficient experience, tutelage under both Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya, and proven himself time and time again how capable he is at handling any challenge or obstacle presented to him. In fact I would nearly recommend him for jounin status, but I will not go that far yet since he could still use a little more experience for that part." Tsunade said as she closed Naruto's folder.
The other members of the council chamber though did not seem to be in equal agreement.
Hyuuga Hiashi's face had become even colder when the topic of Naruto had been brought up. Shimura Danzō shifted slightly in his seat upon the notion of promoting Naruto in rank. And Mitokado Homura pushed his glasses a bit closer to his face and gave a small cough. The rest looked like they didn't know what to think.
Support for this decision was not high.
"Lady Hokage, while we do agree that you have made many valid points to your statement, we cannot ignore the fact of what the Uzumaki boy is." Koharu said gently.
"He is a ninja of this village, and therefore has an equal right to be promoted along with the rest of his teammates. Many of whom do not have half the experience he has." The hokage reminded her adviser.
Danzō nodded. "A true statement Hokage-sama. However, Naruto is also a jinchūriki, and as such he is the most valuable asset of this village."
"Asset? You speak of him as if he were nothing more than a weapon." Tsunade challenged, her voice hinting with anger.
Danzō immediately rephrased his statement. "All ninja are to a point weapons my lady. They serve as either the sword or the shield of their villages. But Naruto has within him the power to serve as both. Could we truly afford to lose one of such value if he were to be sent aboard on many dangerous missions? Like most chuunin are?"
"If anything he should be kept closer to Konoha, where he can be watched. Closely." Hiashi finally said.
"If that were true then he wouldn't have been on that trip with Jiraiya now would he?" Tsunade countered.
"Good point." Tsume commented.
"Not good enough I'm afraid." Homura added. "From what I've seen and heard the boy is impulsive, ignorant, brass, and overall immature."
"And when was the last time you saw him? Or heard about him?" Tsunade inquired, well aware of his answer.
"That is not the issue here."
"Councilor, answer the question or face your observation stricken from consideration. How dated is your information?" Tsunade firmly pressed.
The old man sighed. "From approximately three years ago."
Tsunade smiled victoriously. "Exactly. You're judging him based on how he used to be, not how he is now. And I suspect some of you are letting his jinchuuriki role interfere in your professionalism."
"Even so, you must admit that is a factor here." Koharu said.
"And you must admit it is not the only factor to consider here nor the factor to base the entire decision on. Like it or not, his jinchuuriki role is not going to change anytime soon, and after fifteen years you've had more than enough time to get over it. If not, I question your ability to perform your jobs as councilors well and would move for a vote of no confidence in you."
The council took this in, though some didn't like it. Tsunade pretty much threatened them to agree with her or risk losing their positions. Even being a clan head couldn't guarantee them immunity since their seats could have representative members to take their place.
Some naturally weren't worried about this. "Why not promote him? I mean, hell the kid's done things even our jounin can't claim. Just imagine the good he can do for Konoha if we stop holding him back so much. Yes there's potential risk but there's potential gain too and I think some of us here are overlooking that." Akimichi Chouza boasted.
Not one to admit defeat gracefully, Hiashi cleared his throat. "Hokage-sama, just a moment ago you criticized councilor Mitokado for talking about Uzumaki-san's skills based on nothing more than outdated observations and word-of-mouth from others. Unless you are a hypocrite, you cannot force us to make a decision here when all the rest of us have only the same references to go by."
Shikaku sighed. "He has a point. None of us have seen the boy in years and all we have to go on are memories and your word. We need more to properly determine the boy's rightful rank."
Tsunade slowly nodded. "Very well. I'll arrange a time and location for Naruto to show you his talents and abilities, sort of like a mock chuunin exam. But remember, the civilians cannot be involved since to them this is little more than a talent show, and you should base your judgments on his accomplishments, not his connections. Is that clear?"
No one argued and Tsunade felt relieved. "Good. Then you shall be informed tomorrow of when it will take place. I will discuss this with Naruto first to see when he is physically ready to do this. Dismissed."
Everyone cleared the room, but Hiashi remained. "Hokage-sama could I discuss something with you?"
"Make it quick Hiashi."
"I've been informed you assigned Hinata to spend a large amount of time around Uzumaki-san. May I be told the real reason?"
"Naruto has recently experienced battlefield trauma and physical damage that cannot yet be properly identified. He is recovering and I believed your daughter could monitor his progress properly."
"Why her? Why not someone competent?" Hiashi asked.
Tsuande frowned. "I'm going to assume that was about medical training and not a deliberate crack at your own daughter. I assigned Hinata because she has a gentle touch that soothes Naruto's worries and is not bound to any hospital employee schedule, which I can assure you is not a flexible or open thing most of the time. Not to mention she can stop Naruto from hurting himself without hurting him herself."
The Hyuuga head did not look convinced. "And you believe he is no threat to her? You know he is reckless and-"
"Hiashi, what did I say about judging him based on outdated information?"
"I have no reason to believe he's changed, so until I'm proven otherwise I will think of him as I choose."
Tsunade did not look pleased. "Just wait until the demonstration then Hiashi. But for now, let Hinata do what I assigned her to."
Hiashi mentally groaned, knowing interfering would amount to insubordination. "Very well."
When Naruto finally arrived back outside his apartment, the sun was nearly setting. He wanted nothing more than to go inside, take a shower and make himself a sandwich, since ramen was still off the list.
As he approached his apartment, he noticed three of four people gathered around under the steps that led up his floor. He immediately rushed over, thinking that something was wrong.
"What happened?" Naruto asked.
It was Tsuyuko, the manager of the building, who answered. She had a youthful face despite her age with sparkling blue eyes and long brown hair with her bangs kept to her left by a clip shaped like a teal hibiscus flower. She wore a black tank top that covered her stomach but showed a small amount of cleavage, baggy red pants, and a green jacket tied to her waist with the sleeves.
"It's Runt." She said sadly.
Runt was the name of a small stray black dog who had been living outside their building for nearly five years. While none of the tenants could actually keep him in their apartment, they did their best to keep him comfortable. Setting up a dog house, and always laying out food for him. Naruto himself had always been rather fond of the dog.
"What happened to Runt?" Naruto asked as he pushed his way through the crowd and stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.
The dog was lying on his side, dead as a doornail. His stomach had been slit open, allowing the entrails to all spill out. And the little dog's throat had been slashed as well. The poor creature had died in a pool of its own blood.
"Oh Kami-sama… no." Naruto said, his voice filled with sadness and pity towards the animal.
Another resident, a man with black hair kept short with a long low ponytail in the back, an open grey jacket over a dark purple shirt, and dark beige pants, spoke up. "Some bastard must of snuck out in the middle of the night and cut the poor fellow up." He was named Kosuke, and while normally a laidback kind of man right now he spoke coldly, his eyes never wavering from the corpse of the dog. "Fucking bastards, so much blood."
'Blood?' Naruto suddenly remembered the blood on his hands from this morning.