Chapter 19 - Traitor
Hokage Tower
"Would you mind telling me what is he doing here, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked pointing at Zabuza. "And who is that kid? Shouldn't you remove your mask?" Hiruzen pointed at Haku as he quickly removed his mask.
"My name is Haku Yuki. And I am a girl, so you can ignore my voice." Haku said.
'Whoa, he is she? Whatever, she is one of the top 5 prettiest females I've ever met.' Naruto thought.
"Well, I thought he would be a good addition to our ranks. He is even fit to become a squad captain, that is if we ignore his past." Naruto said as he muttered the last part.
"But what if he betrays us?" Hiruzen asked.
"Then I will dispatch him myself." Naruto casually said. Hiruzen looked at Haku and Zabuza and then at Naruto.
"Well, if you are giving your word then I can allow them," Hiruzen said.
"Hey girl, how old are you?" Hiruzen asked Haku.
"I am 13," Haku said.
"Hmm… where would you place him in our ranks?" Hiruzen asked Kakashi and Naruto.
"She is skilled enough to be a chunin and Zabuza could be a Jonin," Kakashi said.
"I have the same opinion as Nii-San," Naruto said.
"Is she that skilled at her age? But then again, you two became Jonin at a younger age than her. And let's not talk about Naruto's deeds." Hiruzen said as he started writing on a scroll.
"Here you go, now you both are Ninjas of Konohagakure. But Haku will have to give the chunin exams to pass or she will be a genin." Hiruzen said handing over the scroll.
"Thank you, Hokage-Sama." Zabuza bowed before Hiruzen and so did Haku. As they were talking, Sasuke noticed a presence behind the door.
"Hey Sensei, someone is looking at us," Sasuke said to Kakashi in a low voice which Naruto overheard too.
"Not now Konohamaru," Naruto said as the door slid open and a little boy dashed at Hiruzen with a shuriken in his hand.
"Old man! I challenge you. I will defeat you and become the Fifth Hokage!" Konohamaru said as he ran to Hiruzen but as he was halfway through, he tripped on the floor and was about to drop the floor when a golden chain held him from falling.
"Not fair, Nii-Chan. You always know when I am coming. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have become the Fifth Hokage." Konohamaru said as he tried his best to escape from the chains. Eventually, Naruto called back the chains.
"Heh, you going on about that. Did you learn the transformation jutsu that I taught you last time?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, I did. And I leant the two other jutsu that we are taught in the Academy. And I am also going to graduate from the Academy next month." Konohamaru said.
"That's great. Then you will be able to go on real missions." Naruto said.
"Alright, you two can talk after we are done. Mizuki, take Konohamaru." Hiruzen said as Mizuki came into the room and picked up Konohamaru as he said something about not being a child.
"I am sorry, Hokage-Sama." Mizuki said before leaving.
"Doesn't he teach in the academy?" Naruto said.
"He used to. But he always asked me if he could do something, so I asked him to take care of Konohamaru." Hiruzen said.
"Well, good for him," Naruto said.
"Now, the only problem is where are you two going to live?" Hiruzen said looking at Zabuza and Haku as he slowly shifted his gaze to Naruto.
"No, you are not going to do that," Naruto said.
"Now now, you are the one who gave your word. And I can't have them run away, because I don't know what they think about us." Hiruzen said.
"Don't worry Hokage-Sama, we won't run away," Zabuza said as he suddenly felt all the eyes on him.
"Well, okay, even so, I want you to live in Naruto-Kun's home," Hiruzen said.
"But I have things all over the place, and some are a bit too important," Naruto said.
"You are a level 10 seal expert, Barrier expert and whatnot, you can deal with it," Hiruzen said dismissing Naruto's plea.
"If that is what you want then I am okay with it," Naruto said in defeat. "Sakura, escort them to the hospital. Those burns must be stingy." Naruto said.
"But-" Sakura tried to protest but Naruto was in no mood to debate.
"Get going, I am two ranks above you," Naruto said as Sakura pouted.
"I will meet you two there in a while. Let's go Sasuke, Rui-Chan." Naruto said as he walked out with Sasuke with Rui.
"How does he makes friend so fast?" Hiruzen said.
After talking for a while, they went to the Ichiraku Ramen for lunch. They spent an hour they, where Sasuke and Naruto mainly caught up while Rui just listened to them. After they were done talking, Sasuke parted ways with them to tell the tales of his new mission to Itachi and Fugaku. Naruto then escorted Rui to her home, which was quite far from his home.
"The door is locked from inside," Naruto said as he rotated the knob.
"Mom must have fallen asleep. What do we do now?" Rui said.
"Well…" Naruto said as he unsealed a weird metal rod from his hand which was roughly the size of a key. Then he inserted the rod into the lock as it went inside like a fluid, and suddenly it became as hard as steel. And after twisting a few times, the lock finally opened. "… There you go."
Naruto then pushed the door as Rui was just behind her. As he rotated his eyes to look around, he found out that a lady was hanging from the ceiling that looked like Rui, with the same purple hair, which Naruto deduced to be her mother. 'What is hell!' Naruto said as he placed his hand before Rui's face as her pupil dilated several times before she fell unconscious.
"Special Technique: Inemuri," Naruto murmured as he held Rui from falling. He then placed her on the couch and cut the rope that was hanging Rui's mother and laid her on the floor on her back. He checked her pulse but there wasn't any. But as Naruto paid more attention, he realized she was dead for a long time and her body was now decaying as Naruto noticed the foul smell. 'She died over 24 hours ago.' Naruto thought.
As the shock wore off, he started to see things more clearly. She was not in a good condition; her clothes were torn off and were barely clinging to her half-naked body. Her hair was dishevelled, basically torn off from parts of her scalp. There were bruises all over her body. As the situation unravelled itself, Naruto wore a pair of gloves to stay clear before doing anything.
Naruto then turned her to her back. As Naruto looked at her face, his heart skipped a beat after witnessing the horrible site. His face was smashed to a pulp, her whole middle body had countless wounds inflicted by fists, as if someone had used her as a punching bag, alive. As Naruto closely, he found some white hair which he thought of his own which might have fallen now.
He then moved his gaze to look around as he found the whole place was wasted as if some wild animal had broke in. He then noticed the door of the bedroom was open. Naruto then walked to the place as he found out that this place was even more wasted. The pillows were torn off, the bedsheet was thrown into the corner, and the mattress was scratched by human fingers.
"Humans are sick," Kurama said.
"Couldn't agree more," Naruto said as he summoned an eagle and sent a message to the Domestic Squad of the ANBU Black Ops.
5 Minutes Later
"You summoned, Naruto-San?" Tokuma asked. He was a 17-year-old member of the Hyuga Clan and the Squad Captain of the Domestic Squad. He along with a dozen other members were standing before Naruto was himself outside the house with Rui lying behind him.
"Yeah. You…" Naruto pointed at the crane masked ANBU. "…take her to my home and also tell Koumi-Chan and Kakashi nii-san to take care of her while I come and not to let her get out," Naruto said as the ANBU quickly picked up Rui and left the place.
"Choose two of them and sent the other to the HQ," Naruto said as Tokuma did as asked.
"Come inside. This is that girl's house. She lived here with just her mother. Her father and her older sister died a few years ago." Naruto said as he opened the door.
"I see," Tokuma said as he saw the body on the floor and the condition of the place.
"That…" Naruto pointed at the body. "… is her mother. She was raped and killed around 24 hours ago." Naruto said.
"Don't involve more than 3 other people in this case and the word about it shouldn't get out. Make a piece of news that a burglar broke into her house and killed her in the process." Naruto said.
"Yes, alright Naruto-San," Tokuma said.
"And now I have a personal request. When you find that scum, tell me first and only 30 minutes after you have told me you will tell anyone else. And just like other ANBU missions, there won't be any official record of it." Naruto said as he Shunshin away.
xXx
After the Domestic Squad came there, Naruto let them handle the things. He had a lot to do today and had no time to waste. After he got out of the place, Naruto headed to the hospital to pick up his new guests. He still had mixed thoughts about having them as until a day ago, they were his enemies who were ready to kill him at any cost. But he thought that some people still deserve a second chance and accepted his responsibility.
"Hey there Sakura. Why are you still here?" Naruto asked.
"Um… well… it is just that the hospital staff are scared to go even near him," Sakura said as he noticed the slender swordsman standing in the corner with Haku beside him.
"I said I won't bite them, but they just shit their pants by even coming near me," Zabuza said biting back the pain.
"Well, guess I will have to treat you myself," Naruto said casually as he started treating him. In a few minutes, he completely healed the wound.
"Hey kid, since I am now a Konoha Ninja, when will I start getting missions?" Zabuza asked.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And you didn't read the letter you received from sensei, did you?" Naruto said.
"No, I thought it was just a formality," Zabuza said.
"In it, it was written that you will have to stay where you are living for a whole month, then after that, they will decide which division you will get," Naruto said.
"Well, I am fine with it unless I start starving," Zabuza said.
"Don't worry, as sensei said, you will be living in my house," Naruto said.
Around 9 o'clock
As they reached home, Naruto found the same ANBU standing outside his house.
"Why are you still here?" Naruto asked.
"You asked to make sure she doesn't leave the home, sir." The ANBU said.
"Oh, thank you. You can go now." Naruto said as he waved off the ANBU.
'What is he? Why are the ANBU obeying him as if he is a great deal?' Zabuza thought.
As they entered the house, Kakashi and Koumi were sitting there. "Why did you send her here? And why did you call us?" Kakashi asked.
"Is she still sleeping?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, she hasn't woken up even after all we tried. What jutsu did you use on her?" Kakashi asked.
"It was a Yang Release technique that I developed in my time in Sunagakure. It just forces the victim to sleep. She should wake up about now." Naruto said.
"Okay, but more importantly, why is she here?" Koumi asked as Naruto looked at Zabuza.
"I understand," Zabuza said before leaving with Haku to stroll in the backyard. After they left Naruto told Kakashi and Koumi the whole story and asked them to tell her the fabricated story instead.
"So, who's going to break the news to her?" Koumi said as everybody look at each other before finally locking eyes on Kakashi.
"Why me?" Kakashi asked.
"Because you are his sensei and it is your duty," Koumi said as Rui slowly opened her eyes due to all the noise.
"Where am I?" Rui asked in confusion.
"This is Naruto's house," Kakashi said.
"What am I doing here? I can remember entering my home." Rui said.
"Well… something happened at your home that is why Naruto had to put you asleep," Kakashi said.
"What happened there?" Rui asked.
"Well… umm… it… your…." Kakashi tried to speak but couldn't bring himself.
"Your mother died. A burglar broke into your house and killed her in the process." Naruto said blandly.
"What? It is not funny, you know." Rui said but every eye that she met told her the same thing.
"You guys are kidding, right?" Rui asked but their faces didn't change. Soon realization hit her, as she broke down into screams and cries. The last person that she could call family also died and she was left with no one. Koumi then held her to comfort her but that didn't do any help.
"Nii-san, come with me," Naruto said as Kakashi followed him outside. After running for a few minutes, they ended up in Hiruzen's backyard where Itachi, Tenzo and Hiruzen were already waiting.
"What is it?" Itachi asked.
"We have a traitor," Naruto said.
"How do you know?" Hiruzen asked.
"The seals of the five-layer dome barrier have been tampered with," Naruto said. "I had Tenzo-san cover the barrier seals in such a way that you will need intentionally break through the trees to reach it. And this has to be work of a traitor because a spy can get access to such information."
"Is he from the ANBU?" Kakashi asked.
"No, he must be a chunin, as the higher the rank the more eyes you get. Either that or we have a highly-skilled group of spies that somehow has such vital information. And it also means that he should be at least in the ranks for 5 years or more." Naruto said.
"What now, we are back to square one." Tenzo said.
"Not exactly, the important sites are still protected. But I can't say the same about the main barrier." Naruto said.
"How long will it take to repair them?" Hiruzen asked.
"I will have to inspect them first, then only I can. It can take from 1 hour to 1 month, it depends on the damage." Naruto said.
"And what about the traitor," Itachi asked.
"I will find him by tomorrow dusk," Naruto said.
"Do you need any help?" Kakashi asked.
"I will be fine," Naruto said as the group disappeared into the shadows save for Hiruzen who returned to his room.
Uzumaki Estate
Naruto came back to his house in half an hour with a large scroll on his back. As he entered the place, he found that Rui was asleep again and Zabuza, Haku and Koumi were talking to each other.
"Koumiii-Chaaan!" Naruto chirped.
"Alright, I will stay," Koumi said as he knew what Naruto was going to say next.
"Well then, I think I should show you your rooms," Naruto said. He then proceeded to give each one a separate room. His room was on the first floor and the whole floor had scrolls and ninja weapons on every single wall. So, they had to stay on the ground floor.
A few hours later
The lights of Naruto's room were still on and it was way past midnight. Naruto had been going back and forth from his room to the basement for Minato's scroll on the barrier and sealing techniques. He was looking for the Crimson Ray Formation barrier as it was the most powerful barrier he had studied. After searching for a few hours and dispelling dozens of seals to reach the depths of the basement he finally found the scroll he was looking for.
He quickly took the scroll to his room and started studying it but to his dismay, he was barely able to decipher the technique. "What is this scroll? The information doesn't make any sense." Naruto said as he started to read the scroll once again. As he was reading, he sensed someone walking out of the house.
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked as he shunshin to Rui who came out of the house.
"To my home," Rui said as she started walking again.
"That will be useless. The ANBU won't let you enter." Naruto said.
"That is my home and I will meet my mother no matter what," Rui yelled as she started running but Naruto appeared before her again.
"Alright. I know you want some answers, ask them." Naruto said.
"How could you answer my question!? You are just another chunin who knows some medical ninjutsu. You can't help me with anything." Rui fell to her knees.
"I told you, you are still weak. You are still suffering from the blood loss." Naruto said as he crouched before her. "As for me, I am the vice-commander of the ANBU Black Ops. The girl you met earlier is the Captain of the Assassination Squad of ANBU. And your sensei, Kakashi nii-san is the former commander of the ANBU. We are not nobodies; we know our job. We have just seen so many deaths that we have grown apathetic to them. And that is why you don't believe us because we say things like that so casually."
"I and Kakashi nii-san, we both have lost our every family member. I don't know what having parents feel like, so I don't know what it feels when lose them. Even so, we are not so different. When I was just born, I saw my parents die before me. During my first C-Rank mission, I lost my whole team. You are just fortunate enough that you didn't have to see the dead face of your parents, while we had to." Naruto finished.
"I see. So, she is dead. How did she die?" Rui asked.
"As I said earlier, a burglar broke into your house and your mother probably got in the way, so he killed her," Naruto said.
"…" Rui said nothing. She didn't have anything to say. She was completely alone now. Anyone she ever had was gone. There was no one to protect her, comfort her, to listen to her. First her father, then her sister, and now her mother, everyone left one by one.
"Am I next?" Rui asked.
"No, you won't share the same fate as your family. I will protect you; this is the least I could do." Naruto said as he hugged Rui. He didn't know what he was doing, for the very first time in his life, his decision was affected by his emotions. It was probably his guilt of Mei's death that made him say those words, but he had no intention of going back on them. He was not going to let her die like the rest of her family.
"Let's go back home," Naruto said as he took her and shunshin to his house.
Beta read by Yuzuki476
Author's Note
Jutsu List: Inemuri - It is an A rank Yang Release Technique that forces the victim to sleep. It was developed by Naruto Uzumaki and so far he is the only known user of this jutsu. Once it has been completed, there is no counter to this jutsu but the victim can avoid this jutsu by preventing the user to place his hand before the victim's face. It's weakness is that it is an extremely close range technique.
Alright, the new chapter it out. It was somewhat dark but it was necessary for the plot. And now Rui, Zabuza and Haku, all of them will live with Naruto. So, who do you think tampered with the seals? A hint, it is not what is seems. That's all for this chapter, see ya in the next one. Leave a review in the meantime, it keeps me motivated.
