White.
Everything was white.
The ceiling was the first thing Naruto saw as he opened his eyes, his head tilted upwards toward the plain surface. He blinked a couple of times, his vision readjusting. A hand reached it over his right eye, rubbing it as he sat up.
His head hurt a little, and his muscles felt a but fatigued, but otherwise, he felt alright. He set his hands down in his lap, before he noticed the white hospital gown he was wearing. The sheets were that same colour, a long with the tiles on the floor.
Naruto did not particularly like the color white. The only place he saw it often was the hospital, so he automatically knew where he was. He groaned to himself. Naruto was just about ready to lay his head back on the pillow, but the sound of pages ruffling caught his attention. He craned his neck to the side, his eyes flickering over to the left.
Himika was there, sitting in her own bed as well, one of hospital pamplets in hand. She looked so absorbed by whatever she was reading. He took note of her appearance. White definitely looked better on her, considering how her hair was that same colour. Her pale skin made it seem like she was in some sort of natural environment. She looked peaceful, hardly like someone who should be in a hospital.
"Morning." She uttered, looking up at him as she closed the pamplet, finally done with it. His timing could not have been better. She offered him a pensive expression, her eyebrows raised a bit.
"Hey." He offers lamely, running a hand through his hair. More than anything, Naruto looked confused about why she was in the hospital. Or why he was there in the first place as well.
"I was starting to think you weren't gonna wake up." She told him, turning her body to fully face him. Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed, swinging naturally. She waited for his answer patiently, watching his expression change again.
"Wake up?" Her saw her nod her head. "How long have I been out?"
"The nurse said two days last time she came to check. I woke up some time in the morning." She offered, and his eyes went to the window. The sun was starting to set.
"Don't you remember what happened?"
As she asked, his mind took him back to the night before. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils again, fire burning in his eyes. He felt like he was stuck on the bottom of the facility floor again, trapped by the flames. He grabbed his head, shaking it of the cold feeling of fear that was beginning to set in. He coughed, remembering the Nine-Tails and the truths he had revealed.
"I...I remember now." He said as he let his head drop down to the pillow. His chest heaved, the motion more rapid than he would have thought. He raised his hand, clenching and unclenching it as he looked at it.
"Did they get everyone out in time?"
Himika had not seen any of the official reports or heard from any of the higher ups as of yet, but she had been able to tell that no one else had survived the night before when she scanned the building. There had only been three chakra signatures present. From that, she could infer.
"No." She passed. "Everyone else is dead." She frowned as she said, and it was clear images of all the other kids and the caretakers were passing through her thoughts. Their eyes met for a moment, but the grief was not as heavy in either of their eyes than they had originally assumed.
"And the orphanage?"
"Burned down by the fire."
He closed his eyes at that, realizing there was nothing to go back to. No home to think about. He had never truly felt at home in that place, but it was the closest thing he had to a home, so undoubtedly, he would miss the confines of his little room. He had to remind himself that nothing was left now.
Himika was stretching now, and he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She looked relatively unscathed, emotionally or physically. Someone had likely come to save them, but he did not really care about who that had been. He was grateful, but not enough to go looking for them. Himika did not look like she was saddened by the death of the others, and he was grateful she was not that affected. A dark voice whispered in thoughts, convincing him it was perfect she had been the only other survivor. That his friend was the only one that mattered in that building. The rest could have burned to ashes as long as she was fine. He blinked, sick with himself for sharing that train of thought. That as long as Himika was fine after that, the rest of the damages were irrelevant.
"It was you wasn't it?" He heard Himika ask as she walked over to the window, resting her arms there as she watched the sun go down. She turned a has back to him for all of three seconds to deliver her assumption. "You're the cause of the fire."
His eyes widened, the shock apparent on his features. How could she have known? His fists clenched the sheets, his mind racking over the possibilities. It had not been his intention to burn the building, to hurt everyone, but he had been the one to start it all. He had incinerated their home.
"Are you scared...of me? I guess you hate me now." He gave a self-deprecating laugh, looking down at the sheets. His expression was sad now, as though he knew how it would turn out. Her feelings would not change the fact that he was glad she was the only one to have survived. He had no regrets over that.
"No." She shook her head slowly, facing him again. She struggled with the words she wanted to deliver to him, as though she were sure he would not understand what she wanted to say to him. He waited patiently for her though, holding onto the tiniest of hopes things could still be salvaged.
"I don't hate you, Naruto." He could not remember the last time he had heard her use his name, but it certainly felt different this time. So he deluded himself to think. "I'm just...curious. There's a part of me that has a lot of questions...about you, about what happened. And about..."
She trailed off, her mind thinking back to that powerful force of malice and burning evil. The red chakra that had threatened to consume everything last night. The very same thing that had called out to her. Standing just a few feet from him, she could feel it simmering below the surface. "Don't worry about the rest Naruto. I'll still be your friend if you'll be mine."
And for the first time, she had clarified what he was to her, clearing him of his doubt and sending his heart leaping. She was his first certified friend now. Himika offer him a tiny smile, something he was not used to getting from her, and he returned it full force.
That powerful voice was back again, whispering in his ear, a powerful influence. As long as she was alright, the rest did not matter. Their deaths had simply been collateral. A necessary thing to separate her from a place she did not belong. That was Naruto Uzumaki's first flaw.
"Naruto...just what are you?" (t)
Himika swore she would get to the bottom of that mystery eventually. For now, she would simply put it in the back of her mind and focus on other things. Like how they had no home.
"Where are we gonna live?"
Naruto's smile slud right off his face at the question, his brows furrowing. He ran a hand through his hair once more. Suddenly, he was giving her an awkward chuckle.
"Hehe...I have absolutely no idea to be honest."
Honestly, she could not say she was surprised. They would be spending the night in hospital anyway, so this was something they could deal with when the sun rose once more the next day.
-: :-
Night was a quiet time, even in a village such as the Hidden Leaf. The bustling street life that seemed to come alive over the course of the day died out as soon as the horizon began to darken, pretty hues of blue shifting to distinct shades of red and orange. Night was more peaceful time.
The lights we're on across the streets, lanterns and night lights. People were more mindful, most hiding away in their homes, while the shinobi forces stayed in the shadows. The only ones visible to the eye were those that were positioned at the top of the walls of the village, standing as lookouts. But you would be hard pressed to see them even then.
There was a sense of security that this gave them, the lack of external conflict, but the Uchiha massacre was not something that could be ignored, no matter how far the Uchiha had been driven from the main village. They were still a part of it, and their rich history in the founding of the village could not be disregarded. People tended to underestimate the power of the past.
Danzo was a worried man.
News had spread fast, the rumor mill making it to the civilians early on in the morning. By noon, the massacre had become the worst kept secret. People had panicked for the first few minutes, though parents were eased as the academy had been suspended for the week. This was an incident of great precedence. Before the sun had truly gone over head, Hiruzen had made his village wide announcement.
There was only one survivor.
Two other announcements had followed. One regarding the orphanage that once stood within the village, and Konoha's sudden shift in village policies and relations. To curb the spread of such news, the village had begun self isolation, with foreign diplomats being called back afterwards.
Danzo felt this was a heavy-handed approach, one taking them in the wrong direction. Blocking them off from other nations was bound to have disastrous effects. The lack of information trade would likely hinder them.
There were benefits, but the negatives could not be ignored. The meeting with the Clan heads had shown that they were not in direct opposition, agreeing with the tactics Hiruzen wanted to put in play. Their alliance with Suna and some of the smaller nations, such as Taki and Kusa had been kept. Desolving them would not have been a good move. Independence and isolation were different things. Those alliances remained the only thing binding them to the rest of the world. Trade in terms of goods, services and foreign currency was to be kept up with all others as well.
Danzo's concerns were more geared towards the military rammifications of these actions. Konoha had been weakened, left in a vulnerable state after Itachi had slaughtered his own, and the Nine-Tails attack was yet to be forgotten. They were susceptible to attack from other nations that would try their hand, but for the moment, it was fine. That was why Suna had been kept as an ally. They would serve as a bulwark against Iwa, those most likely to try anything.
The international scene was changing, and Danzo was keeping his eye out for anything that would come out of Kiri and the on going civil war. There was no sense of assurance that whatever came out of that would be good for them. Whichever side won would determine the course of action be intended to take.
The man opened the door to his study, the Root member stepping aside as he walked in. He took a deep breath, his posture straightening as he sat by the window, the moonlight illuminated by it. The full moon would be back in four days time, he estimated, his hand reaching out for a pen.
He would need to start making preparations again. With everything the way it was, he would need to strengthen the bulk of his forces. Root would protect the village from the shadows, even if it was against Hiruzen's wishes. He would do what was best for the village, just how he saw fit.
He turned to a tree that stood a few feet away from his widow, and the rustling of that tree caught his attention. He turned his eye in that direction, but the presence he had felt vanished as soon as he did, as if they had intentionally wanted him to know of their presence, but avoid recognition.
'Anbu perhaps?'
He would need to be careful with his movements from now on. Hiruzen was watching him, forcing him to tread lightly.
His mind wondered over to the other problem the village had given birth to. The fire that had torn the orphanage down was one of unnatural origin. Fast, powerful and all-consuming in its nature. Nothing but ashes had been left behind. There had been two survivors, and it could not be a coincident that one of them was the Jinchūriki.
All of this warranted investigation.
-: :-
"This place looks pretty old for a new apartment." Naruto said, walking behind Himika and the third person that had joined them in their quest to find a home. A home somewhere in the famed red light district.
Yugao Uzuki was a quiet person, particularly on the job, but she was not certain whether this qualified as one. The Hokage had asked her to help the children pick out the apartments they desired, limiting their choice to one building. She could understand why. From an economic point of view, it was best to be paying the same price each month.
It was the psychological reasoning that made Hiruzen decide to place them in the same place. He had realised that as the only survivors, it would likely be best to place them together, to lessen the issue regarding them feeling they are the alone. It was quite possible that being together would keep reminding them of the horrors they had faced, but he hoped the solidarity would be a good trade off. Yugao herself was curious how this would go.
"He didn't mean new in that sense. Right Yugao-senpai?"
Himika raised her head and issued the question to their temporary guardian. She was doubtful this arrangement would last past this coming week. Yugao nodded to herself. She had foregone the mask under her superior's instruction. She needed to come across as friendly and trustworthy.
"That's right. To you it'll be new, but this building has been here since the reign of the second Hokage. It's undergone a few changes but ultimately its still the same."
"Well that stinks." Naruto frowned, his arms folded over his chest as he walked along with them. He was grateful either way that the Hokage had set this place up. He was sure the old man was a pretty busy guy, especially with all the work he had been given by Naruto burning some of his villagers.
Try as he might, Naruto could not seem to forget what he done. The guilt was not eating away, slowly fading away after Himika had expressed her willingness to actually advance in their friendship. That had offset any feelings that had eaten away at him.
Now, all that remained was his dwellings on the Nine-Tails. He had been trying to wrap his head around it and all the lies that had been told over his childhood. Those things still troubled him.
"I hope you get accustomed to this place. I'll be coming by to check on the two of your." She waved them off as she walked back down the hallway, leaving them facing each other. Their rooms were adjacent to one another.
"This is closer than I had thought."Himika said, looking over at his door and hers. She pursed her lips and tilted her head, thinking over something.
"Naruto, did you manage to take any of your previous stuff?"
"Ah, none of it was there. The whole place was brought down." He shrugged, as though he were saying that there was nothing important to him lost. "Did you lose something important?"
"The book you got for me." She told him, and his eyes lit up, cheeks flushing a bit. It was amazing to think that such simple words had such a great impact on him. All simply because she had considered his gift special. It warmed his heart more than the fire that was raging inside him.
"Well don't worry about that. I'll get you another one soon enough. Believe it!" He declared and she rolled her eyes, turning to her door.
"Alright Naruto. I'll be waiting for you." She waved him off as she walked into her room, an she barely managed to get a glimpse of it. He had heard somewhere that girls preferred their privacy, but Himika had never been particular about it before.
The blonde turned to his own door, opening it as he slud in. The door shut behind him, his eyes focused on the interior. It was all so small and bland, but it fit perfectly. He did not have anything particular to decorate the place with, so he much preferred the way it looked.
He had barely made it three steps in when he heard something. That whisper again, louder now, bolder.
'Child.'
He paused, his feet freezing immediately.
'You're a monster.'
The Nine-Tails was speaking, that commanding voice booming in his ears. He stood straighter, a frown falling over his features.
"Look who's talking."
'I'm not the one who has no remorse for his actions.'
"I didn't kill them!"
'You're right. We killed them. You and I. We did it." The fox snarled, loud laughter following. Naruto clenched his tiny fist, slamming it into a wall. His new home had already been dented.
'You can't escape your fate. Accept the reality of it all.' His shoulders slumped, the blonde exhaling slowly. He closed his eyes.
"I don't hate you Naruto."
"I'll be your friend as long you'll be mine."
Red eyes snapped open, a smile gracing Naruto's lips. The fox narrowed his eyes, tails swaying behind him.
"In the end, whether I'm guilt or not. Whether I care or not. It doesn't matter. I still have what's important. A singular reason to exist. To feel alive."
'You're like a parasite. Clinging to existence by any means necessary. Pitiful.'
"I'm fine with that. As long as I have what I want. Acknowledgement." He declared, ignoring the rest of the fox's comments. He walked over to his new bed, plopping down there and closing his eyes, deciding to take a nap for a while. Within his mind, the fox frowned, his body receding back into the shadows. There would always be other chances.
.
.
.
.
Foot steps echoed in the silent hallway, a shadow cast over the path that was steadily coming to an end. Darkness enveloped everything else, making it beyond difficult to see without an form of light or visual prowess. This area was situated hundreds of feet beneath the Mizukage's tower. An isolated dungeon used only for those exiled here awaiting execution.
This was what Yagura opened his eyes to. Gloaming and quiet, the place gave off an eerie aura. Yagura was suspended midair, his feet hoisted up with his arms held by chains attached to opposite ends of the walls. He tugged, but the chains did not budge or rattle. He was trapped.
The jinchūriki could feel his chakra steadily flowing out from his arms, and parts of him still felt sore. Fresh wounds and scars coloured his body.
The footsteps approaching him grew louder, their pace still slow and deliberate. He held his head up, the action taking more effort than he would have liked to admit. He groaned, blood dripping down from his forehead.
His mind had never been clearer, but it came at an unfortunate time. A time when it seemed all too late. Nothing could be done now. The veil that had clouded him was no more, but his actions had already led Kiri down a treacherous and bloody path.
"Kirigakure no Sato." A voice sounded, clear and velvety. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand, his eyes straining to see the woman in front of him. His vision blurred, but he could make out the general outline. Dark hair, purple to an extent, partially covered by the Mizukage's head piece. The matching robes fell down her body.
"A village shrouded in Mist and served by the ancient evils of its ancestors. A village with a bloody history, tainted by the actions of its people. A village that now threatens to be swallowed up and cast into the abyss." She continued, her steps ceasing as she came to a stop in front of him.
He found himself looking into obsidian orbs, filled with ambition, malice and desire. An evil desire for something he could not quite understand.
"Kimiko." He rasped out.
"Do not waste your breath Yagura. It'd be wise of you to conserve your strength. After all...I can't have you die before your exectution occurs."
He narrowed his eyes as she set her eyes on him, her lips curling into a carnal smirk. Her desire for his death was clear, he could almost taste it. Kimiko grapes one of the bars of his cell, watching his reaction.
"I see...so that's the end goal of all this."
"It was the only solution. To ensure the government you created remains firmly in control, as well as to ease the rebels. You must die."
Yagura said nothing, his shoulders slumping. He knew she was right, leaving him no reason to fight. He was in no position to, and his state of mind at the time would hardly mean anything.
The human masses that resided within the hidden villages were not made up of teacher of the law or intellectually intuitive people. Their thoughts always waivered from one idea to the next. It was that situation that Kimiko wished to seize by uniting the people with the death of the one they hated the most at this point in time.
Him.
He chuckled to himself, but something in him refused to accept leaving everything to her. Something refused to simply give up the village. He could see no happy ending this way.
"You're right, and yet...I can't accept that."
"Your death would be so much easier if you accepted it. Your reluctant state of mind is getting in the way. In the end, you're in no position to fight against this notion.
"Humor me then...what then? What comes after this. Once you have control, once you lead Kiri, what will you do next?"
Kimiko tilted her hat up, her eyes gleaming in the darkness of the dungeon. She smiled at him, but the warmth did not reach her eyes. She gave a small laugh before she spoke.
"Is that not clear. I intend to right the wrongs of the past. To correct the mistakes of our forefathers. I alone...no, all of us will contribute to restoring Kiri to its former glory."
She spoke with passion, with the utmost certainty that she would fulfill her goals. That she would lead this nation to prosperity. He was poised to answer, but something licked up his leg, and he froze. His head turned down, eyes straining to see in the dark.
"Even in death, you should rejoice..." Kimiko spoke again, her hand raised at him. Red liquid rode up his leg, warm and wet. It was blood, he realised.
It crept up his chest, all the way to his neck, pausing. She smirked at his discomfort, and the substance tightened around his throat. It carried forward again, reaching parts of his face. He felt fully consumed by it. Kimiko looked a joyful, her features turning sadistic at what she was doing to him. His ears were ringing now, the alarm bell in his ears going off.
She would not kill him here, not if she wanted to make a statement of his execution to all those within the walls of the nation. To finally end the civil war. Yet, the fear of death in that moment was greater than anything he had felt belong.
"...Because your sacrifice...will lead Kiri to a new age."
Darkness had descended upon the village of Kirigakure no Sato.