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[genuine warning for this chapter: gore and one mention of self-mutilation ahead]
Pain Wracked his ruined body
Blood, coating his wounds and his clothing, his sheets and bandages
No wound lay upon his skin yet they swam heavily in his gaze as he looked upon his fingers, expecting them to disappear. For hours the day before, he had been told the same command again and again and again, Regenerate… Regenerate, Regenerate, REGEN…erate… He had begged her to stop and she had taken his tongue. When he looked at her with fear, she removed his eyes and commanded he Regenerate just to do it all over again. The image of her pulling his eye from its socket while he was forced to watch flashed in his mind again, Those green eyes full of nothing as they watched his ocular organ shrivel to dust in her hand…the blinding white and pain that followed as his eye regenerated in its socket again, through bloody tears he gazed…
Naruto raised a hand to where his eye lay. Looking in the reflection of the mirror he had been given, not a scar in place as he observed the reflection do the same… that was the worst part. Not an injury he had gained the day before had any scar, any sign of how he had suffered except for just how clean they were in comparison to the rest of him.
It had been 5 days since he was brought to this room.
And on those five days, his lullaby each time was another torture session at the hands of sparrow… his request to see his grandfather was met with silence, each morning bear broke him and battered him against concrete walls. Each afternoon, Sparrow had her way with his flesh through knives, Saws, She had even taken a whole hand from him yesterday and just looking at the pristine appendage made him feel sick from watching how he regrew it… his eyes went to the item on the bedside table in his new "room". It looked like a set of pliers, the usual teeth replaced by a loop and a sharp blade. Sparrow had suggested that he practice his pain tolerance on his own, for she would not go easy on him and it was best he adjust to it as fast as possible
The cruel bitch even promised him ramen for every full hand of fingers he could take.
And the worst part… he very nearly took that offer for the sake of feeling something normal again. He had even learnt a new trick on the third day, one that he feared showing sparrow for what she might make him do with it. He let out a small whimper as his fingers peeled back the eyelid to his left eye, the favorite of hers to remove… his nails extended slowly, slipping into the socket as he gagged on the pain. The sound, the feeling of his nails scratching at the back of his own skull as he pulled… the eye popping out as he severed the nerve with a quick snip. But
it did not go blind.
A thin cord of red chakra extended to the eye as it turned left.. turned right, turned back to look at him and what he saw made him choke back a mouthful of bile… his own gaping eye socket and empty sagging gaze from its twin, Lively blue more akin to a lifeless stormy grey from the lack of colour or life he saw in his own gaze. "What… am I becoming..".
"A Weapon".
He turned suddenly, back full of tension and gaze full of fear as the eye shriveled up and another grew in it's place, bloody tears flaking away in the steam as he backed up against the wall. Sparrow, stood there before him with her favorite tool in hand, a pair of scissors as large as kitchen knives… before she slipped them away into her pack. "The same way any shinobi does, Uzumaki. You are becoming a weapon for your Kage… You lost your ability to channel chakra, So instead you will be given the chance to prove yourself through flesh; I have told you this before… Bear is out on a mission today, so instead you will be learning with me for the day".
He wanted to cry. He wanted to sob and scream and kick as she came towards him, his seal wanting to flare up under the risk of her activating the binding roots again, as he curled up and…blinked… a soft hand on his head. As he shakily looked up at her, he did so to green eyes looking with… worry? No… pity. "Perhaps I have been a bit too harsh on you if you cower before your teacher… stand". The boy slowly, shakily lowered his arms, leaning against the wall as he stood… only to stare with dead eyes as blood dripped from his lips.
Sparrow nodded approvingly as she pulled the scissors out of his chest, watching the wound close in a moment rather than a minute. "Good. You're learning. Crying out in pain will only encourage your foes…". This was how sparrow taught him. lower the guard, Stab the heart… literally. As she turned on a dime, and began walking… he looked down to his claws. If lucky he could deal a small wound but then she would have him a writhing mass of pain before putting him back in her chair…
"Is this how the Nine tails felt… In a prison with someone taking from them every damn day".
He did not need to be told to follow, The second day had taught him what happened if he ignored orders. He did not want to feel that again… the boy walked, uncaring of the fact he was drenched in old blood and in clothing that stank of the past gore. What he did care about was when they missed the left to his 'classrooms'. He did not voice his concerns, too afraid of what sparrow would do to him if he asked… but he did not need to, the edge of that mask coming into view with the wrappings twisting behind it as she walked.
"Gennin U… Naruto". The first time he had heard his name in a while, the boy looked up at the woman who had been his… caretaker. His torturer. "Despite what my actions say, I am PROUD of you for not giving up so far. We all knew this would be difficult for you-"
DIFFICULT!?
It was only his newly gained self control that kept his seal down… but he could not hide it from sparrow as his eyes hardened, and fists clenched. "It is ok to be angry at me Naruto. It is in controlling that anger that we find success in these… Experiments. While I feel it would be better not to waste our time with such grandiose milestones for you, Bear and dragon have requested I bring you to a special classroom for your first lesson with the latter. You will treat him with respect, and he in kind will see to it that you get what you need…"
When she turned to walk away, She either missed… or did not acknowledge the dead stare in naruto's eyes turn crimson with hate. Genuine hate. Not the mild dislike he showed someone like Sasuke, no, This… he wanted Sparrow to bleed as he had bled. But he could not strike. The feeling was frustrating, it was… infuriating, like a spring wound up but jammed from letting itself go. He absently noticed the black veins on either side of his eyes in a nearby reflection but he could not find the capability to really care.
They came across a door that had no markings on it. Not even a lock. as she pushed it open, Naruto had to cover his eyes to not be blinded by something he had not seen since he arrived… sunshine… blinking away the spots and the blindness, he was assaulted by everything he had missed down in the sterile, dark underground of the base. Fresh air, The rotting leafs on the ground, the Wind on his skin and the absence of the smell of sterility… and blood. He ran out, feeling each blade of grass against his feet, the warmth of the sun on his skin a welcome touch; oh god how welcome this burning feeling was as he-
…..he looked down slowly…. Stone walls on all sides, A katana slid between his ribs, Lungs filling up with blood and a man in a white cloak sitting opposite him across a wooden table, A handsign held up before slowly relaxing. "I see the rumors that you're pathetically weak against genjutsu are true, Gennin Uzumaki". He pulled the blade free, watching the Crimson ichor boil away as the wound closed up, nodding in acknowledgement as the blonde gazed…
"No tears? teased with freedom and you feel nothing? Or are you just so numb that… Sparrow has had quite a time with you hasn't she. I see your regeneration is subconscious now, A shame that's the only part of you worth anything". The hurtful words meant nothing to the boy as he stared down at him. The one who had put him here in the first place. The man motioned for the boy to sit; a small cushion beside him with his blood still on it…. He sat, uncaring. Dragon observed the boy in front of him, crossing his arms with a gaze as sharp as his blade.
"Do you know why you are here, Gennin Uzumaki?"
"…Sparrow-sensei has told me it is because it is time for my lessons with you…".
"and she would be right. But first, introductions. Do you know who my squad are, Naruto Uzumaki?". The boy shook his head, Dragon sighing as he sat back against his own chair, wiping the blood from his blade. "While I was promoted for my skills a long time ago, We were all known as the Education squad. We take traitors, treasonous people who we feel can be… re-educated, Prisoners of war too important to trade or kill…innocents that we need sleeper agents installed in, and lately, Experiments of the snake sannin. Our first patient In that regard was Anko Mitarashi. Sparrow was quite fond of her screams and teaching her to not dwell upon her mark… so much so, that she still visits her from time to time and let me tell you, you have not seen the worst sparrow can do. We were asked to take it easy on you Uzumaki… An order I do not agree with!"
The boy barely had time to bite back a scream as the man withdrew a kunai, pinning the boy's hand to the table, taking an odd fascination in how the wound closed up around it. "You may not have been the traitor Mizuki, but your actions that night led to the death of good men. GOOD. MEN. One of which was Sparrow's own fiancé… we are broken men, Bear, Sparrow, Hawk and I and you hurt one of us… so understand as long as you are our plaything, we will make sure each lesson is learnt through blood… got that, Traitor..?"
He wanted to bite back, To shout that he was as loyal as they came but the twisting of the blade in his hand turned his words to a bit back Cry of pain, Nodding in acceptance… it was easier when he did that anyway. "Good… Now, despite my unfathomable disgust and hatred for you; my deal with lord third relies on me teaching you how to harness the powers you have. Bear has taught you how to tap into your rage. Sparrow, your healing… I will be teaching you about weapons and the usage of them. Understand?"
Naruto nodded, barely showing a wince as the blade was removed and the hole in his hand knitted itself back together. With a snap of his fingers the walls opened up to reveal Anbu but… Different. White masks, Each with a single symbol on them, waking in with cloth covered bundles. A small sprk of excitement grew in naruto's heart at seeing them, before dragon motioned for him to stand. He did. When standing there in silence did nothing for him; Naruto blinked. "Are… You waiting for me to do something, Dragon sensei?". Silence was his answer.
Dragon just stood, and gripped naruto by his shoulder; throwing him into the middle of the room where the other Anbu circled him. "In this room I am not your Sensei, Got that traitor? You have to earn the right to call me such. Unveil your arms brothers!". The fluttering of cloth revealed the items in each of the Anbu's grasp. And naruto felt sick… Weapons, battered, Warped, Used… each one coated in dried blood and flesh, brain matter and more. "These, are the arms of the fallen leaves. Where roots collect and remember their strength in defense of our great tree, YOU, have harmed that tree; Traitor. You, are vile. Scum. And I will break and remold you myself… or see your corpse amongst the unmarked graves of Great KONOHA!".
The now revealed Zealot of a man, walked into the center of the circle where naruto stood; showing no mercy as he delivered a harsh blow to the boy's stomach, bending him over the man's fist before driving him into the ground with a mighty blow to the back of his head.
We are broken men
"these.. are not normal Anbu.."
The blonde looked up shakily, rolling out of the way as he reached out to one of the Anbu and grasped the handle of the weapon he found. Weight, laid in his palm as he felt the weapon drag him down; looking back to see the head of a large hammer.. cracked, on the stone. "Mask Number, zero, zero, five, six, two, Mask name, Alligator. My friend! Died in action against Iwa Missing nin for YOUR freedom and Your safety". Dragon did not hold back, rushing towards Naruto and unleashing a flurry of blows upon him, where knuckle could not hit, knee or elbow did in its place. The blonde could feel each blow regenerating but it was not enough, the pain was too immense.
He swung the weapon, only to have it knocked from his hand as the weight knocked him off balance, a leg sweep taking him off his feet and a downwards kick driving him into the concrete.. ribs pushing themselves out of his lungs as he coughed up precious lifeblood. "You are unworthy of his might". The harsh kick he received, sent him skidding across the concrete towards another Anbu… Naruto reached up again; driven to defend himself as he grasped another handle. This one belonging to a Club covered in spikes; The kanabo feeling awkward as he used it's dented form to stand.
"Mask number, one, three, seven, nine, zero, Mask name, Rhino. Died In action, Pushing a fellow Operative out of the way of a rock slide in Kumo, DEFENDING his comrads!". This time naruto swung; he did so with all his body. But dragon was too fast, Ducking under his strike and landing a jaw splitting uppercut on the boy's chin, cracking bone and shattering teeth before grabbing the weapon and tossing it back to the Anbu in question… Naruto noticed the Circle shrunk, the Anbu stepping out of it's circumference as Dragon Hoisted him to his feet with a hand around his throat.
"You Share none of his kindness". Another blow to the stomach; and this one naruto could not hide as he coughed up blood across the hand of the man who held him to the spot he stood in, and another, And another, and another, His pain tolerance meaning nothing to the raw disgust and hate in every blow inflicted upon him… tossed aside once again, crawling as best he could to the next Anbu…looking up at a red katana, it's blade shattered halfway.. the item.. familiar.
"MASK, NUMBER, ZERO, ZERO, NINE, NINE, NINE.. MASK NAME, FOX!.. Died.. Defending our home From the Kyuubi attack, speared through the stomach by the claw of the beast". He was not even allowed to reach for this one, Dragon's heel crushing his hand to the floor. "…Defending, The kyuubi Jinchuriki, at the time of the sealing. You show none of her Devotion to those you love…". Slowly the man stepped away, grabbing the handle of the blade and stroking it with an... admiration.
Naruto had never felt so low… Somehow, This hurt far more than what sparrow had done to him. While he could regenerate flesh and bone, This… This was a Truth. The pain of the lives he had cost, shown to him, and reinforced by the memory of true loyalty he had spat on… Dragon did not even turn to him as the boy lifted himself to his knees. Instead he moved to the next Anbu, Gripping the handle of a broken Fuma shuriken. "Mask name, Falcon; Died in pursuit of the snake Sannin on our border when he jumped onto an explosive tag".
Next, he grasped the bracer of a set of claws, their blades warped and bent. "Mask name, Badger; Missing in action after a Cave In within our mines to the south". Naruto watched as the man went from weapon to weapon, Blade, Dagger, Bow, even a musket… all showing damage before the man came before…a Tri Kunai.. frayed cloth wrappings showing the remnants of a fuin. "…Our lord forth… sacrificed himself to save the village by sealing the Demon fox into a brat; that would later Squander his sacrifice by costing us the weapon of the nine tails and burdening us with a ticking time bomb of rage…"
He turned, uncaring as Naruto's cursed seal slowly spread around his body. The black Veins flaring up as the Binding roots marking gained its dark, inky color. "You can get angry all you want boy… But your actions cost us lives. Cost people loved ones… A clan matriarch is in a coma because of you, her son wanting your head…you have made the fourth's sacrifice just that little bit lesser… all because you refused to pay attention in the academy and wanted the fast way to our SACRED… role as the protectors of our village. You are not worthy of their memories or the honor held in upholding their strengths, kindnesses, Might and Will… The third would see you forgiven. I would see you REMEMBER…."
"….."
Naruto slowly got to his feet, the signs of rage pouring off of him as dragon gripped his blade to act should the boy strike at him. but when he lifted his head… The man stopped. The blade being sheathed as he nodded. "I see you finally understand, Traitor. You're not here to learn how to be a shinobi… You don't deserve that role. You lost that right when you betrayed your home. You are misshapen, Raised in a way to see the role of shinobi as a child's dream… I will break you, and that dream until I can find something to use amongst the rubble… Do you understand"
"Hai… I understand". The word came out hollow, broken, A cold and sick twisted feeling inside of himself guided at his own heart… he walked past, only to receive a harsh blow to the chest that knocked him back to the center of the circle. But he did not care… traitors deserve such treatment.
For the next hour, Blows rained down upon the Uzumaki. With every broken bone, another name. Each shattered tooth, another mask. Dragon made sure to etch what he could not into flesh, Into spirit… every weapon the boy grasped, he knocked aside and made the boy pay in blood for touching… Every attempt to fight back was met not with congratulations or praise, but harsher blows and mightier strikes. And Naruto took it all… until… with what luck he had, his curse mark at full blast, he grasped a handle through bloodied vision and Swung…
And the weapon was caught.
Drip…
Drip…
Drip…
….all in attendance watched the blood drop from Dragon's hand. This time, The blood being his own rather than what he had drawn from the boy. In the shaking hands of the Blonde; sat a crumbling wooden handle, Splintered and split at the bottom… On it, Sitting the Violently warped and Dented metal of a Strange blade, one naruto thought to only belong to farmers and lumberjacks. Dragon wrenched the axe from his grip, looking at it as he withdrew the blade from the small cut it had made in his palm. "Mask number.. four, zero, one, seven, four… mask name, Lion. Died in battle against Hanzo the Salamander while Stalling for the arrival of the three legendary sannin, never knowing his death would be for nothing… You…Must earn, his faith".
Naruto waited for the next blow to come, but it did not. Dragon stood there, observing the weapon in his hands before he looked to naruto. "this was the first weapon you swung with that you did not treat like a tool to be used, but as a weapon to extend your own body. Why".
"…I don't know. It felt right. I didn't want to die here a traitor, Even if I'm… Not sure you would have killed me. I know, I got people killed. I just didn't know I knew until now. The disgust and anger I feel at my actions are… Too much. Too heavy. I see all these weapons and I think… I…". a hand came up to halt the boy, seeing he was on the verge of tears… Dragon looked at him, and even behind the mask, naruto could feel the utter distain for him.
"but i-"
"I don't want to hear it Uzumaki… You are a traitor to the leaf. You squandered so much, so many opportunities… and you treat every weapon here with disrespect, because you aimed to use them against me instead of attacking me yourself", the boy's eyes widened as he looked upon dragon, only to receive a harsh…slap… the back of the man's hand impacting his face, knocking him back into the Circle of Anbu around him. "This was your first lesson. Reminding you what you are… and what you should have looked up to instead of fairy tale stories. We are soldiers of our Village and we serve the village first. And when punishment comes, you do not rely on those around you to save you when you yourself have the strength. Instead you fight, and if you live then you learn… and you strive for forgiveness in the eyes of your peers and hope that you earn it"
The boy could not even nod. Fatigue at the damage he had taken and the energy needed to recover from it, ran his body ragged… Dragon did not attempt to grab the boy as exhaustion took him, bringing him to the floor. He instead waved the anbu away and sat upon his chair once more, looking at the table and then back to his hand…
"You know Lord third would have your head for this Commander".
He did not turn to sparrow, his breathing mellow as he slowly turned his gaze to the unconscious Uzumaki. "The third is too soft on the boy. If it were Lord Danzo, The nine tails would have been extracted by now and in a new host. As it is, I Want to make the boy see the consequences of what he has done and walk out of here reforged from the scrap that the academy spat out…maybe something would come from this".
"maybe. But next time, do not swap the stories of our pains… I don't want the boy thinking less of any of the Fallen for loving me". Dragon released a heavy sigh, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a necklace of two rings… one gold… the other bent and cracked. A hateful gaze set on the boy. "Take him back to his room. And see about getting him some reading material on weapons… He learnt quick and I want my punching bag to be able to fight back by day 10".
Sparrow simply nodded, picking up the bloodied mess of a boy before leaving the room, giving only a moment before looking back with a set of final words.
"Just remember Commander. Even the roots of the tree can strangle the trunk when twisted by nature…Please do not be that root"
